The Call to War

Chapter 24

In the courtyard of the floating castle, Arthur was seated at a wooden table writing on a piece of paper while enjoying a cup of java tea. It has been nearly a year since Ellie left for Lancer Academy, and just recently returned after her summer break. Classes still didn't start for another week, but their parents managed to get some time off the supply route to enjoy some time with their children. Unfortunately for Arthur, being a Lance during a war meant it was hard to get more than a day off, so all he could do was have a single day of his family being complete again before having to return to the castle.

The worst part of this was that it was his own fault that he was so busy. After Ellie left, the castle felt cold and lonely to him. In the beginning he thought he just needed some time to adjust, but he never did. In his past life he never felt this degree of loneliness, and when he did he simply got a female escort for an evening. But seeing as he was in a relationship with Tess that was far from a viable option. So instead he did what so many others did when they needed a distraction, he poured himself into his work.

He became much more involved in the train project with Gideon, worked with the council more so on domestic affairs, even took a more active role in commanding his division that was in Elenoir. All the while though he always did his best to be at the castle when Tess would come to visit.

Her visits were inconsistent at best, visiting every month or two, and staying anywhere from one day to five. There was no way to predict any of it, as everything was dependent on how the war was going in the glades and how her unit was fairing in the dungeons. This made the letters they sent back and forth that much more important. This was seen most clearly recently, as Arthur was away on a mission during her last visit, and it wasn't looking promising that he would get to see her this month either.

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As he wrote his letter to Tess he stopped suddenly.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to read over someone's shoulder?"

"Haha, I guess I'm not as stealthy as I used to be," Virion teased as he walked around to the other side of the table and took a seat. "I must ask, politics, military strategy, inventing," Virion smirked teasingly. "And now poetry? Tell me, is there anything you can't do?"

I'm his past life Arthur went through a phase where he considered being in a romantic relationship, and thought poetry would be exceptionally beneficial. He had read dozens of poetry books, only to abandon the idea after a maid made an assassination attempt on him. Despite being of no use to him then, his mind was a steel trap and was now able to put it all to good use. Of course he wasn't exactly plagiarizing, as he changed the poems enough to make them feel original and written for Tess.

"Actually yes. Just ask Gideon, my artifacting skills are quite poor," Arthur replied with a sense of pride.

Virion chuckled at his response. "It seems the more I learn about you the more I realize how lucky my granddaughter is."

"So what can I do for you? I doubt you came here just to flatter me," Arthur asked while smiling from Virion's comment.

"I have an assignment for you. One of the units operating in the beast glades will be arriving at an S ranked dungeon in a few days, and they'll need a Lance for back up," Virion explained.

"What about Pasta? Isn't that his only responsibility?" Arthur questioned, having heard the rumors about the General.

"He won't be available. His current unit is on the opposite side of the glades and won't be ready in time."

"Alright then," Arthur replied as he laid down his pen.

"Oh no rush. You can finish your letter, I'm sure Tessia will love hearing from you," Virion teased, then activated his dimensional ring. "Also, this is for you."