After Rebecca's escape, the orc Zork finally rose. He gazed with a touch of melancholy at his lifeless copy on the ground.
Zork approached Mako, who stood on the podium before Arthur.
"To think a hero as great as you, Arthur, could fall so low," Zork said, brushing off his elegant noble suit.
Arthur lay on the ground, feeling life slip away. Mako's strike had hit a vital point, no doubt. Arthur only smiled, refusing to give Zork the satisfaction of seeing him broken, even in defeat.
This angered Zork, who stepped forward to wipe the smile off Arthur's face.
Mako stopped him.
"What are you doing, Mako?" Zork asked as Mako extended a hand to block him.
"He's already dead. There's no need to do more here," Mako said calmly.
Arthur, focused on the sky, felt a strange sensation at hearing Mako's name.
"Is that really your name, Crown lapdog?" Arthur asked, shifting his gaze from the clouds to Mako.
Mako, puzzled, nodded.
"So that's the name of my killer… The son of the only nobles I respected," Arthur said, smiling, then coughing up blood.
Mako was stunned by those words.
"Wait, say that again," Mako said, losing his composure.
In the distance, a church bell tolled, signaling the approaching dusk.
Sir Arthur II, on the brink of death, only smiled to himself. Unlike Catherine or Fox, Arthur's smile held no malice.
In fact, Arthur looked at Mako with pity, despite being the one at death's door.
"It's too late. You're beyond saving… the verdict has been passed," Arthur said with his final breath, turning his eyes back to the sky.
"How pleasant it is to feel the sun on my face…" Arthur died with those last words.
Mako clutched Arthur's shirt with one hand, pleading for him to wake. He needed answers.
Zork placed a hand on Mako's shoulder, urging him to calm down.
"He was probably just trying to rattle you," the orc said.
Mako regained his senses. He released Arthur's shirt.
After drawing his sword, Mako had never felt such a bitter sensation from winning a fight.
"I need answers," Mako said.
Zork immediately noticed Mako's haste.
"Hold it, kid," the orc said authoritatively. "Are you crazy? Look at yourself."
Mako then realized. His left arm and right thigh were still wounded. Despite his superhuman abilities, if untreated, he could bleed out—or worse…
'I could lose an arm or a leg,' Mako thought.
Those energy swords were no joke. They felt like they burned from within. Arthur's final blows had rekindled the pain in Mako's chest, not to mention his arm and leg felt like they were slowly igniting.
"You're right," Mako said through gritted teeth.
To his surprise, Zork helped him limp to the royal castle for treatment.
As they left, another group of royal guards arrived to assist, though too late.
"You can help wake the knocked-out guards," Mako ordered, pointing to the square.
The bitter taste of the situation returned.
"Also, handle Sir Arthur II's body with care," Mako finished.
Zork said nothing. Whether it was guilt or respect for his fallen foe, he offered no comment.
◇◆◇
Mako lay in a hospital bed. The royal physicians had treated his wounds as best they could, though he still felt internal discomfort.
Still, Mako would live to fight another day.
Yet, despite being bedridden… the pile of paperwork he'd neglected in his depression returned to haunt him.
"You can't leave this here!" the chief physician shouted, exasperated. "How do you expect a patient to work?"
Andrew, carrying a stack of papers, dumped a massive pile beside Mako's bed for review and signing.
There were so many papers they overflowed the room's table, some stacks nearly a meter high or more.
"This is inhumane…" the chief physician muttered.
"It's fine," Mako sighed, accepting his cruel fate. "It's my fault for letting this work pile up."
Andrew clicked his tongue.
"Don't play the responsible card. Your doctor's right," a female voice said, entering.
For a moment, Mako thought it was Ana. But he quickly recognized Zoe's blue hair.
'Their voices sound similar…' Mako thought, a bit saddened.
"How cruel!" Zoe complained. "I show up, and he gets all gloomy."
Mako tried to apologize, feeling guilty for his reaction, but Zoe stormed off, indignant.
She dropped her stack of papers, letting them scatter on the floor, and left.
"If you know I'm right…" the chief physician said, ignoring the scene, "why keep bringing him so much work? Poor man, he'll die."
"I'll be fine," Mako repeated. He'd rather drown in paperwork than lie idle all day.
His mind was a mess… Erick, time loops, Ana in the royal army, and now Arthur. His head felt like it might explode.
"Zork's orders," Andrew said simply.
After dropping the last papers, the redheaded Andrew bid a polite farewell. The chief physician followed, muttering curses at Zork for not leaving his patient alone.
Mako managed a smile, but it faded as the room grew quiet.
He grabbed a sheet, placing it on a small wooden board he used to write on. A quill and ink bottle sat on the bedside table, so he got to work.
'Erick, Ana, Arthur…' Mako thought in that order, signing papers on autopilot.
Those names, his sources of anguish, haunted him. But then, head bowed, he realized what truly gnawed at him wasn't them.
Mako gripped the quill with quiet anger.
'Why did they have to die?' he thought bitterly of his parents.
Since looping back in time, Mako had focused on restoring his family's honor, lifting their House from its darkest depths. Now, in the stillness of a hospital bed, his thoughts wreaked havoc.
'No…' Mako thought.
"I won't let this destroy me," he said aloud, resolute.
Mako had the perfect person in mind for the task… A scoundrel who thrived on casino scams and betting games in Galandria's seedy underbelly.
Though Sir Arthur II had been a kingdom hero, his new status as a traitor meant no noble would help Mako uncover information.
"Fox must know something, or have the contacts," Mako concluded, signing papers. "If I want answers about Arthur's connection to my parents… he's my only shot."