While others struggled with the limitations of traditional magic, he had been given something entirely different, something that set him apart from everyone else.
The irony wasn't lost on him. Arthur was raging against the unfairness of natural talent and circumstances, not knowing that he was speaking to someone who had experienced an even more dramatic reversal of fortune than anything Arthur could imagine.
"You're right about one thing," Kael said finally, his voice quiet but carrying an edge of something darker.
"The world isn't fair. Some people are born with advantages others will never have. And some people... get lucky in ways that change everything."
Arthur's eyes lit up, thinking he was winning the words battle. "Exactly. So why pretend otherwise? Why cling to moral principles that the universe itself doesn't follow?"
Kael was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke again, there was something unsettling in his tone.
"I don't disagree with your assessment of how the world works, Arthur. The strong do rule the weak. Power does determine who gets to make the choices. But..."
He paused, his eyes growing cold in the moonlight.
"Your mistake isn't in understanding that reality. Your mistake is in thinking you're strong enough to be one of the rulers instead of one of the ruled."
Arthur's triumphant expression faltered slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Kael continued, "that you're still just a mediocre man making desperate deals because you can't accept your limitations. You talk about the natural order, but you're not embracing it—you're fighting against it. A truly strong person wouldn't need to rely on necromancers and sacrificed villagers to gain power."
"And you think you're different?" Arthur's voice carried a mix of anger and uncertainty.
"I know I am," Kael replied. "I have power you can't even comprehend. And the difference between us isn't that I'm more moral—it's that I don't need to justify my choices with philosophy."
Arthur took a step back, suddenly sensing a shift in the dynamic he hadn't expected.
"If I wish to rule these people, I could," Kael continued. "If I wish to use them for my own purposes, I could do it without hiding behind necromancers or making excuses about the greater good. The only reason I wish to protect them isn't because I think they 'deserve' it—it's because I choose to. Because I am confident that I will be strong enough to make that choice."
"You're... you're just as arrogant as I thought," Arthur stammered, but his voice lacked conviction.
Kael smiled, and it wasn't entirely pleasant. "You want to know the truth, Arthur? Part of me does enjoy watching their awe, their recognition of my superiority. Part of me does see them as... lesser. But that's exactly why I can afford to protect them. I don't need to prove my worth by consuming theirs."
Arthur's face went pale as he began to understand that he had severely misjudged who he was dealing with. His hand moved instinctively to his weapon, but his movements seemed suddenly clumsy and desperate compared to Kael's predatory calmness.
But he had to make his move.
Arthur's eyes grew colder, and the air around them began to drop in temperature as he started channeling his mana. Frost formed on the nearby grass, and Kael could see his breath misting in the suddenly freezing air.
"You see," Arthur said, his voice taking on a menacing quality as power flowed through him, "you are strong-willed, I'll give you that. But right now you're just a puny apprentice knight. Although you have a bright future, it won't amount to nothing if I kill you right here."
The mana radiating from Arthur was powerful—peak Elite Knight level, with years of training and combat experience behind it. Ice crystals began forming in the air around his hands, and the ground beneath his feet started to crack from the cold.
Kael nodded calmly, his own purplish lust energy beginning to swirl in his core, responding to the threat.
"Yes, you're right," Kael acknowledged with that same unsettling composure. "You can surely kill me. But remember, I'm confident that I can alert everyone before you finish me off."
Arthur's mana continued building, ice spreading outward from where he stood but Kael's own aura pressed on.
"Judging by the conversation between the necromancer and Lady Olivia, they haven't helped with your breakthrough yet, have they?"
Arthur flinched, his mana faltering for just a moment as Kael's words hit their mark. The ice formation stuttered, revealing just how much that word had shaken him.
"How will you defend yourself against my father and the others?" Kael continued, his energy growing more intense. "Are you ready to throw your life away along with mine?"
The question hung in the air between them, and Arthur's expression grew uncertain. He had been counting on either taking Kael on his side or eliminating him quietly. But if it led to a public confrontation where he had to explain why he was killing the village's most promising young talent, everything he had worked for would be destroyed in an instant.