It was the same endless stretch of darkness outside every time I looked out of the windows. Only our footsteps echoed in the quiet palace.

Charlotte found a map of the Four Palaces which was still intact. We didn’t have to walk blindly anymore.

Just like the Magic Tower, the throne room looked completely intact when we arrived there. Charlotte said that the treasury of a palace was usually behind the throne. This was something no one apart from the Royal families know.

It fits perfectly with the phrase ‘hide in plain sight' where no one would look.

It didn’t take us long to find the treasury. All we had to do was move the four throne 180 degrees to activate the trap door.

Rumble...!

The giant steel door opened and revealed even more doors. Edna infused magic power into the magic circles on each of the doors.

We managed to enter soon after.

“As expected...”

Charlotte sighed when we entered.

There was literally nothing like white gold coins or gems around the huge space. I could only spot a few coins.

“The royal family emptied their treasury before leaving...”

All that was left was junk like royal gowns and crows scattered on the floor. I saw a few books focused on magic but the contents weren’t fascinating to say the least. Either they took all the magic related knowledge they had or they destroyed it and only the most basic magic books were left unharmed.

Unlike the palace, the inside of the treasury was brightly lit up. As I said, there was nothing shiny and expensive looking inside the room but something caught my eye.

“What is this?”

It was a piece of wood the size of my staff. It was a literal piece of wood. There was nothing special about it.

Damian was busy checking out the swords while Charlotte looked at the dresses in the corner closets. There were many rooms inside the treasury besides the circular space.

“Hey, Clyde. Isn’t this perfect for you?”

Damian came up to me and showed me a robe. It was a blue robe perfect for mages. There was even a pair of gloves with it and some runes for defensive magic.

“The colour's a little worn out but a few scrubs here and there then you should be able to wear it.”

He put the robe into my hands before walking away.

‘Is he trying to cheer me up?’

Well, I lost my mana core which made me similar to a person that couldn't walk even though he had legs. I had knowledge of magic but I couldn’t cast spells anymore.

I smiled a little as I looked at the robe.

‘I guess I’ll keep it.’

I put the robe inside my bag and looked at the tree stump in my hand.

I wasn’t entirely certain what it was but since my spirit core was faintly reacting to it, it might become useful in the future. Well, assuming I could cast magic again. If not, then I’d sell it to the elves.

I found two white gold coins on the ground. Even one coin can feed an entire family of ten for a year(assuming they eat the same meals everyday). One coin equals 10 gold coins. One gold is already 100 silver. 1 silver is 10 copper.

Charlotte seemed to have found a dress to wear. She excused herself to the next room and came out a few moments later. She took quite a few dresses and had to dump some stuff just to fit all those clothes inside.

The materials used for the clothing were something similar to Earth’s fashion. This Empire really was far more advanced than the modern era.

I usually saw clothes that were stitched by hand instead of a machine. Only those belonging to the richest families could afford garments crafted by stitching machines since they’re so rare.

“What’s this?”

Damian looked at a faint glow on the ground.

He walked onto the glow with a curious expression. But in the next moment, he disappeared.

“Huh? Damian!”

I ran over but stopped right before the glow.

‘A magic circle?’

Charlotte also came running over after she noticed something was wrong.

“Where did Mister Damian disappear to?”

The moment Damian stepped inside the magic circle, his body gave off particles of light before vanishing.

“Judging by how the runes intersect over each other...”

I cursed inwardly.

“Another teleportation circle?”

Charlotte also groaned.

“Assuming we can–“

“Hey, guys!”

“Uwaah!?”

“Kyaaah!!”

Both of us were startled by the voice that suddenly called out to us. When I looked at the source, I saw Damian's handsome face.

“Huh?”

He stood there on the magic circle.

“How?”

He scratched his head.

“Well, I was freaked out for a minute before seeing where I was. Since there were glowing rocks around, I could assume that it’s a dungeon.”

“A dungeon?”

He nodded.

“I think the dungeon is right above this underground empire. I heard a few adventurers walking by which is why I ran right onto the magic circle again.”

He disappeared and appeared again.

“It's really a way out...”

I shed tears of joy. We hadn't been here for more than a week but I still wanted to get back home.

Charlotte exhaled a sigh of a relief.

“I can finally cure mother...”

◇◇◇

Our vision was blinded for a second when we stepped onto the magic circle. That familiar feeling of having my body licked wasn’t present this time. It was probably because we didn’t use a portal this time.

When I opened my eyes, I heard the dripping of water and the sound of shouting a bit away from our position. Sounds of clanking of swords and of battle.

There were people which meant we were finally out.

I plopped down onto the cave wall.

We sat there for a while relishing in our return before we started moving. The previous voices of people disappeared further down the dungeon.

We walked for a while before seeing a bright light up ahead.

When we got outside, I took a deep breath of the air. There was a city right next to the dungeon which relies on dungeons for income so it smelled anything but fresh. Nevertheless, I was glad we managed to make it back.

After arriving at the city, we searched for anyone who could take us to the kingdom. Well, before that, we went to a restaurant first. It had been ages since I last had a good meal. My stomach was like a pit since we had to save our rations so it could last.

I literally cried when I got a taste of soup again. It was a little hot but that didn’t matter to us who had to eat little to have enough for later.

“Hey, Clyde.”

Damian called out to me as we rode on the carriage. We bought cloaks to hide our faces just in case to not get discovered.

“Yeah?”

“What are you going to do about your core? Will you still continue going to the academy?”

I smiled bitterly.

“What else can I do? I can at least become a wizard or alchemist who studies magic using catalysts. But I can’t give up hope yet. Perhaps the library will have something...”

“I doubt they’d keep something as valuable as a way to restore cores just lying around.”

“Yeah. And the Sage’s tower is off limits to everyone except people like the king.”

Out of everyone of the White Order, only Iris could visit the tower. It was unknown what she does there. I was sure that something like magic cores restoration might’ve been there. Alas, I had no authority to access the Great Sage’s tower.

I looked over at Charlotte.

Her expression showed guilt. I touched her hand which made her flinch.

“It’s not your fault, Princess.”

“Lord Clyde...”

“It was my own for letting down my guard when we were surrounded by enemies.”

“Yes... I don’t know what I can do to help but I have no choice but to relieve you of your position for the time being. Protecting me without your mana core would be dangerous...”

I sat back in my seat with a long sigh.

‘Of course she’d say something like this...’

But that was the right action to take. I lost my powers which was the reason she kept me around. I had to admit, I do feel bitter about our relationship being this platonic even though we’d been together for so long. Maybe I was thinking too much into it. She might’ve been worrying about me.

“I’ll still give you compensation when we arrive at the kingdom. You protected me this far after all.”

Charlotte’s voice sounded emotionless as she spoke.

Why did she look so guilty? The way she was widening the distance between us felt weird.

‘Ah, man. Now I know why people hate royalty.’

They throw you away the moment you’re deemed useless.

I tried talking to her throughout the ride but she always gave short responses. In the end I gave up after clicking my tongue in annoyance. I got even more pissed off as I thought of the cause of all this.

Zelda Minerva. Damian’s older sister.

How the hell did she appear behind me when I was busy releasing my raw mana into the atmosphere? Even an ant could be detected that way.

‘Fuck. What’s up with all the overpowered bastards showing up?’

Damian told us that if we managed to make it back to the kingdom then their mission already failed. It was an ironclad rule that if you allow the target to return to their residence then you’ve failed your mission. That meant that the moment we set foot inside the kingdom gates, we’d finally be safe.

The Minerva clan had been the most famous assassin clans ever since the kingdom’s founding. They only move for money which was why they were docile even during wars. Some of them kill for pleasure even if there was no money involved. But those psychopaths are controlled by the head of the families so they don’t get go overboard with their killing.

They were so dangerous that even the White Order had to keep an eye on them. The current head was rumoured to be as strong as a disaster class monster.

If I were to rank him then he’d be the sixth strongest person in the kingdom. Lady Iris was obviously number one while Viria was number two.

One thing occupied my mind as I thought of Damian’s sister.

I’ll get my revenge on that bitch. This was the first time ever since coming to this world that I feel this angry at someone. That person destroyed my future with a smile on her face.

My future as a mage was over.

I thought my spirit core would work after a while but it was still not allowing me access to spirit magic.

What kind of expression would my parents make?

I just knew that they’d feel sad instead of angry.

I sent them a letter telling them how I’d be going on my first campaign. I was too scared to do it earlier since they might be adamant on me to not go.

Now I regretted ever coming.

Who was the one that ordered this hit on us? Charlotte had a lot of enemies but she seemed to know who it was judging by the complicated look on her face. But she never told me. That was alright with me since I wasn’t her knight anymore.

I soothed my emotions by petting Edna who had been sleeping for hours already.

The important now was to find a way to restore my core.