After the sparring session, Lancelot personally escorted Arthur to the front hall where the car was waiting to drive him back home.
Arthur said he could just take the bus, but Lancelot insisted, even going as far as saying Arthur couldn't leave if he didn't take the offer.
In the end, Arthur obliged again. He simply thought the young master was too willful, and it would be difficult to reject whatever he wanted in the future.
As they walked to the front hall, Arthur looked around the fancy mansion and said, "It's huge. Do you really live here alone?"
"I live with the servants, and Albert," Lancelot replied.
"What I mean is, do you live here without any of your family members?" Arthur made himself clear this time.
Lancelot tilted his head slightly as if he didn't understand the question, "Why are you still hung up on this family thing? Living with your parents past five-years-old is not normal."
"It's normal for everyone else…" Arthur muttered.
"Do you live with your parents then?"
"… no," Arthur replied dejectedly.
"See? It's the norm!" Lancelot insisted.
Arthur, didn't really understand the life of a scion, simply nodded again in defeat.
"Do you ever miss your parents?" Arthur asked.
"Hm…" Lancelot looked over his shoulder. He saw Albert, the head butler who was so old that he should've retired years ago. The old man smiled at Lancelot and nodded. Thus, given the green light, Lancelot replied.
"My father and I meet once a year for business and academic reports, so I do not miss him much. Besides, I have had Albert by my side since I was young. He is enough company for me."
Arthur never had anyone in his life other than his mother and grandmother. So, the idea of being close to someone else BUT your family member was unheard for him.
"I see. Uhm, then how about your mother?"
"She is dead to me," Lancelot replied coldly.
The sudden shift of tone caught Arthur off guard. He sounded detached just now, as if he was talking about a dead pet he had when he was six.
"Dead to you?"
"Yeah, I prefer not to talk about her. I'd rather think I was born from the womb of a pig than from her," Lancelot said lightly.
Arthur shuddered. He never thought someone could hate his mother to this extreme.
His own memories of his mother, who died when he was ten, were all fond ones. She was a figure of comfort, even in his darkest moments. So, what would it be like if there was no light in your darkest night?
Arthur stared at Lancelot, who maintained his noble dignity even after saying something absolutely unhinged.
This might be the last time he ever wanted to talk with Lancelot. They lived two entirely different lives, to the point that Arthur couldn't even imagine Lancelot as a human being.
Even if they had future spars, Arthur didn't want to have anymore conversation with him after the sparring. It was too uncomfortable trying to befriend someone without a heart.
They had reached the front hall, and the car was waiting for him.
Arthur strode quicker to put some distance between them, then turned around before he entered the car.
"T-thank you for having me here. Thank you for the money. I-I will be your sparring partner later, but I don't want to hurt you too much…" Arthur said in a hurry. He wanted to get the hell out of this place.
He saw that Lancelot had no suspicion. He shrugged, his hands in his pocket, "You don't have a say in that. I will make sure you'd fight me seriously during our spars. Besides, why the rush? You should stay for dinner."
"I-I have things to do at home…" Arthur replied.
Albert, who had been observing for a while, suddenly walked in to stand right next to Lancelot and said, "Young Master, you're being insensitive."
"I don't remember saying anything hurtful."
"You told someone with a good mother you'd rather be born from a pig's belly. Look at that kid, he is terrified of you," Albert said while smiling at Arthur. "You two might've bonded through the fight, but you and him are different, Young Master."
However, Arthur sensed that something was wrong with that smile.
It didn't feel kind.
It felt condescending and nefarious.
"Is that so?" Lancelot paused for a moment. He was looking at Arthur calmly, but there was a trace of hurt in his eyes, so he turned and went back inside. "Fine then. Send him off, I'll have a shower before dinner."
"Certainly, Young Master."
The old man maintained his smile, but Arthur still sensed the malice.
"Young man, in the future, please do not mention your mother in front of our Young Master. He has horrible memories with her," Albert said. "And do not speak too much with him. He might think of you as an acquaintance, but he is not a regular kid like you."
"He looks like a regular high school student, like me…" Arthur replied.
"He is not raised to be a bumbling idiot like you," Albert said calmly but cruelly. "Lancelot Fairmont is born to be a successor, and I will make sure of it."
Arthur froze, staring at Albert. The head butler, who was supposed to be a gentle man, was now surrounded by an ominous black aura. Behind him, Arthur caught a glimpse of an inner demon with red eyes.
That inner demon was massive compared to Albert's frail body, and reflected the monstrous emotion that he had.
Arthur was struck by shock and fear, because this demon was definitely the same size as Dullahan in his real size.
Albert smirked seeing the fear-stricken kid, "I suppose I've made myself clear. Good evening, young man."
Albert turned and walked inside with the silhouette of his inner demon following close by.
Arthur was forced to watch unblinkingly until Albert walked inside the mansion, and a pat from the driver made him jolt.
"Let's go, kid. It's getting dark."
"Y-yes!"
Arthur got into the car, sitting stiff like a rock. He didn't want to look back at the mansion, as he didn't want to see that demon once again.
"Did you see that, boy?" Dullahan asked.
…
Arthur shook his head, clenching his knees nervously.
"I know you can hear me, boy. That demon will be our next hunt."
Arthur shook his head again.
"What are you scared of? You defeated Legion with ease. This will be an easy fight as well!" Dullahan insisted. "Besides, you gained more physical durability after that fight with Lancelot boy! You are going to do just fine!"
"T-that demon is as big as you in your real size," Arthur muttered in his answer. "I don't think it will be an easy fight."
"Hah! I've felled an enemy twice my size before!"
"But I haven't…"
"Now it's your chance!"
"T-that demon doesn't attack first. Can we just pretend that we never see it?"
"Can't do! Hunting demons is also beneficial for you, since you can gain experience and get stronger!"
Dullahan was excited about his second battle. The shadow-like horse was making small taps with its hoof on Arthur's shoulder, eager for action.
But Arthur was too intimidated right now.
He won against Legion by sheer size, since Dullahan was huge compared to that demon.
But this time…
"How about you tell that driver to turn back so we can fight him right now!"
"NO!" Arthur snapped.
The driver jolted. He checked at the boy from the rearview mirror and asked, "You startled me. What's wrong, kid?"
"S-sorry…" Arthur apologized. He had planned to stay quiet, but since the driver's attention was already on him, he asked, "About the head butler, what kind of person is he?"
"The head butler? Hmm… I don't know. I was hired five months ago, but he has always been quiet except when he orders us around," the driver replied. "But he is very close to the Young Master, he follows him everywhere around the mansion."
"I see. Thank you for the information, Sir."
"No need to be formal, kid. Just call me Luke. It's my first time in Fort Garden. Young Master brought me from New York," Luke said. "Young Master seems to like you a lot, I'm sure I'll be driving you around more often."
Arthur wanted to ask his opinion on Lancelot. But five months were very recent, so he probably only knew superficial things about the scion.
Thus, Arthur stayed quiet until they reached his home. Luke opened the door for Arthur, and commented as the young man stepped out.
"You should watch your surroundings, kid. This small town is eerily quiet, and your next-door neighbor is not really next door," Luke warned.
Arthur turned his head slightly towards Kai's house, a few yards away from his. Rusko was mostly just farmlands and forest, so each house had a big gap with one another.
"Thank you, Luke. I'll keep that in mind," Arthur smiled, though he wasn't bothered by his living situation.
"Yeap, I'm out of here. This town scares me. Have a good rest, kid," Luke said, his eyes locked at the hill behind Arthur's house with dense trees. It was too creepy, even for a grown man like him.
Arthur watched as the car drove off before entering his house.
He threw his bag on the table, and sank himself to the sofa.
Dullahan trod on Arthur's head as to wake the young man up.
"Come on, boy. We both know that you aren't tired after that fight! Let's get moving and prepare ourselves for our second battle!"
Arthur raised his head slightly, staring at the small headless horseman who was eager for battle.
"Are you still scared because of the size of that demon?" Dullahan asked.
"That. And I don't know what to feel about this, Dullahan," Arthur sighed. "Lancelot sees that old man as a parental figure. So, I don't think it is fair to attack his family."
"Besides, that old man and his inner demon haven't attacked us. Is it fair for us to ambush him first?" Arthur added.
"Boy, let me tell you the difference between Albert's inner demon and Lancelot 's," Dullahan said. "You see, both have powerful inner demons. But Albert is just a regular human, not a descendant of those who made a pact with the devil. Thus, instead of controlling it, he has become a slave of his desire. When you've been fully controlled, the demon doesn't need a contract to exist and live by your side. That old man might look normal, but his actions have been heavily influenced by his inner demon."
"Wait, really?"
"Indeed. That's what happens when you feed yourself with negative emotion," Dullahan pointed his sword towards Arthur and said, "This is the perfect time to eliminate Albert and that malicious demon to save Lancelot. Because that boy hasn't fully manifested his demon yet. Think of it as a man in a crossroad, ready to make a life-changing decision. If someone keeps feeding him negative emotions over time, Lancelot will soon manifest the same demon like that old man—even worse, actually."