Chapter 1172 Square of Heroism

1172 Square of Heroism
Arthur asked Joe about the dove's invitation after he got home, but the bartender had no idea what it meant. After gaining his interest, Arthur opened it and found the following words written in the most graceful writing:
"To those whom freedom calls for," "And the wise men who wish for change," "We invite you in the dark of the split city," "Where gods were slain and monsters rose." - N.
The invitation was signed by the letter N, but Arthur had no idea who that was. He was more intrigued by the writing, since it was vague but understandable. There was not a date and time, just the word 'dark,' which should mean after sunset. As for the location, it was just Kera.
"Where gods were slain and monsters rose," muttered Arthur aloud as he slipped the invitation into its envelope. "What happened to Avarice after the break, Joe?"
"The Temple sieged the place and prevented anyone from attempting the dungeon. However, the people did not care. They still turned the battleground of your fight against Amelio into a protesting square against the kingdom."
"That square should be the location hidden in this message," said Arthur with a smirk. "I already found a way to infiltrate the temple, so it's time to infiltrate the opposite side."
"Do you think that the extremists are behind this?" asked Joe with confusion, to which Arthur nodded with similar confusion. "You haven't met them yet, sir, but the extremists are not this organized or clever. They are a bunch of violent awakeners who are hard to tame."
"Does that mean there is a third force in Kera?" asked Arthur with interest. "Someone else, more organized, is rising against the crown?"
"That could be a possibility. Many major families in the Yalveran Union tried to stop the king from executing the Agard Family. It would be no wonder that his tyranny would be met with a rebellion, as taught by history."
"You would think that the Seer King is wise, but reality is so much different," said Arthur as he sat down in his chair, looking out from the window. There were still a few hours before sunset. "But wisdom has never correlated with knowledge."
"What do you plan on doing now, sir?" asked Koby while drinking his tea.
"I want to meet these doves and find out their plan as well. The rest of you should join the extremist groups in Kera and find out what their plan is. Seeing that the situation in Kera is reaching a breaking point, our plan will change from invasive to opportunistic."
"Do we work separately, or together?" asked Joe with confusion. "What about Mister White?"
"For the time being, we will work separately until Mister White finds us a way into Yalenia. We can use the knowledge obtained from these groups too, since everything will take place in Yalenia."
The three nodded, and their roles have been set. Arthur was a little worried that the two would be found out if left alone, so he asked Joe to join them. Although it was dangerous and life-threatening, the bartender did not hesitate to accept.
After one last meal served by the bartender, Arthur parted ways with his soldiers and friend. He made his way through his beloved city, which had been torn apart in his battle against greed. Children still ran in the streets in front of their mothers, who carried the groceries home for them.
The closer he got to the center of the city, where his battle took place, Arthur saw how the city changed. The streets got darker because of the destroyed lights, and the buildings with broken windows loomed like shadows.
Although he saved this city from complete obliteration or even worse, invasion, Arthur still felt a tint of guilt. It was small and insignificant, because for these people, they did not know what really happened here.
In Shades city, he saved them from Traitor who wanted to devour them for strength. In the end, they looked at him as the man who destroyed their city. That was inevitable, but Arthur never considered them to be right.
Things were different now, because Arthur could feel the suffering of others as his own. As he walked past broken windows and blood-tainted walls, he knew that some of that blood was because of his fight against Amelio.
Arthur reached the battleground that he remembered, which used to be a huge crater filled with blood and rubbles. Everything was cleaned and paved, with poles erected to carry countless light around the square. At the entrance, Arthur read the new name for this square.
"Square of Heroism," muttered Arthur as he raised his eyes to read the words that have been engraved on the wooden banner. His line of thoughts was cut off as the music reached his ears. Arthur looked at the square and found it bustling with life, unlike the road he took to reach it.
"Are you here for the festival, fella in da cloak?" asked a man walking inside the square with a girl in his arm. "The bonfire is about to start. You should go and get a seat! There is a major celebration tonight!"
"What for?" asked Arthur with confusion, and the man was surprised.
"You have been living under a rock, pal! Three months ago, the fight between Arthur the Great and Amelio the Vile happened! On this very soil, a hero was born in Kera!"
After that, the man laughed and walked away with his girlfriend. Arthur was stunned for a moment before he realized that it has indeed been two months since he fought against Amelio. It was still September at that time.
People remembered him not as the villain who took away their homes but as the hero who saved them. Arthur thought that people would always be against him, and his heart hardened to endure that. Now that he saw something different, the stone heart cracked.
His feet carried him before he could even think about the invitation that has been glowing inside his pocket. Arthur entered the square where food stands gave away food for free and music played from every corner. Inside this square was more than pavements and lights. People have built gardens, shops, museums, and restaurants.
From the dust of destruction rose a beautiful and glorified memory of heroism, gathering the people under its banner to bring out something…
"Beautiful," muttered Arthur as he stood in the twinkling lights, light music, and dancing couples and friends. Because of him, something beautiful has been born in this place.
"I know, right?!" said a food stand owner nearby as he served Arthur a plate of meat and pasta. "Have fun today, buddy! This celebration goes all night!"
"Let me pay for this," said Arthur as he saw the plate in his hand, but the owner just shook his head with a grin as he served another customer waiting. "I cannot take this for free."
"Everything is free tonight!" said the other customer, who was a middle-aged man wearing a cloak as well. "This comes as a reminder for everyone to give back after Arthur the Great has given them so much."
"I doubt that giving away food is what he needs," said Arthur, but the irony of his statement as he received the food made him chuckle. "Thank you nonetheless, sir."
"You are welcome, buddy," said the owner as he placed the sauce-stained ladle on the table. "And this is not about what he wants. Many families are starving in Kera. If we don't help them, they would starve! We cannot serve free food every day, so we chose this day to give it away!!"
After his words, Arthur noticed that there were indeed many men and women with their children, running about and eating with joy. The scene warmed his heart as the plate warmed his hand. Arthur nodded in gratitude to the owner and walked to a nearby fountain to sit and eat.
The food was far from the best, but it was warm and clean. Arthur ate it with a smile as he watched the ongoing festival. The bonfire was soon lit as well, grand and majestic. People started dancing around the flames that spread warmth throughout the Square of Heroism.
After finishing his food, Arthur returned the plate to the owner and thanked him again. Then, he made his way through the crowd as he took out the invitation from his pocket.
"From the depth of suffering, life and happiness rise against all odds," muttered Arthur as he watched the dove moving on the invitation, pointing in a certain direction to guide him. "I have met so many hardships in life that I believed it to be against me. I now know that people's reaction toward me is a reflection of themselves, nothing else."
The dove grew bigger the more he walked in the direction it offered. After reaching the center of the square, Arthur saw the dove has grown to cover the entire envelope. It pointed straight forward with both wings, which led Arthur to a statue of himself.