Arthur's body froze and he dropped the game controller.
Aside from being blinded by such grandeur silver armor, he never expected a demon to wear a gallant-looking armor, like a real knight that would save everyone who asked for help.
Yet, the ominous aura around Albert made it far too obvious that the demon was malignant, and Arthur shouldn't drop his guard down.
Lancelot saw that Arthur dropped his controller while his eyes were locked at the old butler behind them.
He realized that Albert had been glaring at Arthur, so he quickly defended his friend, "And don't you dare to think that he is a bad influence. He is my friend, not a business partner or future political ally. I deserve at least one friend in my life, Albert."
"Young Master, I just think that you need to watch who you befriend…" Albert said weakly.
"Leave now. You're scaring him."
After being told to leave twice, Albert had no choice but to leave the game room.
"Are you sure that's okay?" Arthur asked. "I don't think he likes me."
"He doesn't like anyone. I know that he is trying to stop me from making any friends, even in my old school," Lancelot replied. "He said something about maintaining reputation."
"T-then, I assume he doesn't want us to be friends. Since we are… different," Arthur said.
Lancelot paused for a moment. His eyes were staring at the door and he sighed.
"He told me before you came that I need to watch whom I get attached to. But I ignored him. That's the second time I didn't listen to his words," Lancelot replied.
"Really? What's the first then?"
"When I asked him that I wanted to see my mother when I was five."
There was a trace of melancholy in Lancelot's eyes as he mentioned his mother again. Arthur didn't want to ask more, unless Lancelot himself wanted to tell the story.
From the way he hated his mother, Arthur did not want to dig up a painful memory.
Yet, Lancelot was the one who continued his story, "My mother left when I was five. She just disappeared into thin air in the middle of the night. I asked for my mother in the morning, but Albert told me that my mother had been having an affair for a long time with a security guard, and eloped. I threw a huge tantrum back then, and demanded Albert to bring me to my mom."
Lancelot sighed again as his chest heaved. Arthur patted his shoulder and said, "You don't have to tell me if it's too painful."
"No, it's fine. I owe you an explanation after I treated you rudely when you asked me about my mother before," Lancelot assured. "When I demanded to see my mother, rather than trying to coax me, Albert simply called my father, and it was my father himself who told me that my mother eloped with a random man. All because she hates me."
Arthur's eyes widened.
"What do you mean by hate? You're talented in many things, and overqualified as a sixteen-year-old! I'd be dead in the ditch if you're my brother!"
"Well, no matter what I do, it won't be enough for her. She has hated me since I was born. Because I was a mistake," Lancelot said. "Albert told me that my mother used to be a carefree girl who is wild and unrestrained. I was born because she had a one-night-stand with my father, and has been resenting me ever since because I robbed her of her freedom."
"Dean…" Arthur was stunned, and was unable to come up with something nice to say.
One thing that he couldn't deny was his mother and grandma's love for him. Even if his mother died when he was only ten, Arthur still had many fond memories of her, and held them dearly in his heart as they became the source of strength for him to keep going.
But what about Lancelot?
All he had was a nasty reminder that he was the one who robbed his mother's freedom.
But for some reason, Arthur didn't believe that Lancelot's mother would be cruel enough to leave Lancelot alone.
Besides, after seeing that inner demon, he was more convinced that Albert must've been hiding something about Lancelot's mother.
"Have you ever met your mother again after that?"
"No. Just like I told you, she just disappeared from the face of earth," Lancelot replied.
"Then, there is a possibility that Albert might be hiding the truth, right?" Arthur suspected.
Lancelot's gaze darkened, and the smile was wiped off of his face, "Are you telling me that the head butler who has been taking care of me since I was born is lying to me?"
Arthur was intimidated by the sudden hostility. But he thought that he was right, knowing Albert had a powerful inner demon.
"I think so. I mean, since you haven't seen your mother, he can say anything he likes to slander her, right?"
"My father confirmed that my mother eloped with a security guard. There is no need to think of my mother as a kind woman. She is not," Lancelot said harshly. "You may not like him because he disapproves of our friendship. But Albert has been with my family for a long time. If he is not the one I can trust, then I have no one else."
Arthur gulped.
"I-I am sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"Let's stop talking about him. As overbearing as he gets, he is still…" Lancelot paused for a second, and muttered under his breath. "A family."
A family.
How lonely can you be to have a monster like that as a family?
That question was lingering in Arthur's mind. But he dared not to ask, because he made a mistake just now.
He misspoke. Not because he was wrong, but because he forgot the deep trust that Lancelot had for the old man.
"I see. Ah, I'm going to the bathroom first," Arthur hurried as he wanted to talk with Dullahan.
Lancelot was watching him entering the bathroom and sighed in regret, "I was too harsh."
"He cannot see the demon behind Albert, boy. He will still see him as a feeble old man who has stepped up to become a father figure for him," Dullahan advised as they entered the bathroom. "If you want him to believe, then you need to make him see that old man's true color, including that demon."
Arthur grabbed Dullahan from his shoulder and put him on his palm, "But how can I do that? I remember that I was able to see Legion because I touched a knife that turned into a demon dagger. Should I let him touch my knife too? Or any knife will do?"
"It's called a demonic seal. That knife your grandma prepared has always been a demon dagger. But it took the shape of a knife to hide itself, and when the descendant of the ones who made a deal with the devil touched it, it will show its true form once more," Dullahan replied. "Lancelot needs to touch something that will connect him to his root as the descendant of those who made a deal with the devil."
"And what would it be?"
"Regrettably, I have no idea, boy," Dullahan admitted. "However, if the devilish family line is from his father's side, then his demonic seal must've taken form into something the family cherished. Maybe a family heirloom or something as such."
"Family heirloom…" Arthur's family didn't have a family heirloom, so it made sense for the demon dagger to take the shape of a regular knife that grandma used in the kitchen.
But for someone like Lancelot, with his long lineage, then he must have a cherished family heirloom.
"But, I had an argument with him just now. Is it really wise to ask him if he has a family heirloom?" Arthur pondered for a long time. But he snapped in the end, because he got frustrated by his options. "Ahh, this is so damn frustrating! Fine, I'll just ask him and see if it'll take us anywhere!"
"Yes, that is your only option, boy. Just make sure not to mention anything about Albert or his mother. We don't want to ruin his mood again," Dullahan advised.
"Understood."
*
Lancelot waited for Arthur to return. He noticed that Arthur looked even more nervous now. It made him wonder if he was too harsh on Arthur before and accidentally intimidated him.
Arthur sat next to Lancelot again, and grabbed the game controller, "O-okay, let's play again."
"…"
Lancelot said nothing as he wasn't sure on how to apologize. He wasn't used to doing that, especially with all the money and power he had since he was a child.
"By the way, Lance—"
"Dean."
"Y-yeah, Dean. Does your family have any kind of heirloom?"
"An heirloom?" Lancelot was in a deep thought for a while and nodded. "I don't know if I can call it an heirloom. But my father left me a gun from the 1800s. I put it in a glass case in the library. But why are you asking me this?"
"Uhm, let's make a bet! If I win against you once, then I'm allowed to see it! I'm actually curious," Arthur said.
"Fine by me."
Lancelot's lips curled. Honestly, he didn't mind if Arthur asked if he could have it.
It was a meaningless old gun for him, even he didn't understand why his father, who was usually a pragmatic man who couldn't stand frivolous antiques or hobbies, insisted on him taking that gun to Fort Garden.
Arthur thought that he had to give his all in order to win. He had to see the heirloom, and let Lancelot touch it. So he could finally see the demon behind Albert.
Miraculously, Arthur began to get better at the game, and though it was a close fight, he finally landed the last hit and defeated Lancelot for the first time after the whole night.
"I WON!" Arthur yelled as he raised his hands victoriously.
"Congratulations," Lancelot shrugged. "You should've taken it more seriously from the start. I'm sure you could beat me from the very first match."
"Y-yeah, I think so," Arthur quickly lowered his hands and said, "Since I've defeated you just now, you should fulfil your promise! Please let me see the gun!"
"Mhm. Come with me."
*
Arthur followed Lancelot to the library. He thought it would be dusty, because who would actually spend time in the library in this day and age.
But he was wrong.
Because the moment he entered the library, his eyes looked up and was astonished by the amount of books in the library.
The shelves reached the tall ceiling, and it wasn't dusty at all. As if Lancelot had used this library pretty often.
"It's still a new library. Since I've only moved in two weeks ago. But the books are all my collections," Lancelot explained as they walked in.
"I didn't expect you to like reading. How do you even find the time to read while practicing martial arts?" Arthur asked.
"Naturally, I have a tight schedule from the moment I wake up until I fall asleep at midnight," Lancelot replied. He pressed a button on the long mahogany table, and there was a trapdoor in the middle that opened.
Lancelot pressed it again, and an old gun inside a glass case slowly emerged from inside the table.
Arthur's jaw dropped seeing such advanced technology. He knew that Lancelot was rich, but was it necessary to make a cool technology just to hide an old gun?
Nevertheless, Arthur could see the dark aura around the old gun, which basically confirmed that it would show its true form when touched by the rightful owner.
"All you need to do is to let Lancelot touch that demon dagger. Once the demonic seal will be broken, he will be able to see the demon lurking behind Albert!" Dullahan said.
Lancelot saw that Arthur showed an interest with that old gun, so he offered, "Do you want that? I don't mind giving it to you."
"I don't need that. But you have to hold it!"
"Me? Holding it? Why?" Lancelot asked as he got genuinely confused.
"J-just hold it!"
Lancelot shrugged. He opened the glass case and held it in one hand.
"There. I'm holding it. Why are you telling me to do strange stuff, Arthur?"
Arthur's eyes were locked on that gun. But nothing changed.
The old gun didn't show its true form, and Lancelot definitely didn't see Dullahan sitting on his shoulder.
So, what went wrong?