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(Adam the mage’s POV)

I was dragged out of the throne room by the two prison guards that brought me in. My memory after that is hazy, I just felt extremely pain on my back when they flog me with large planks. I fainted part way through, and I was rudely woken up when I felt something moist on my face. The prison leader peed on my face after dropping me at the back of the castle. The rope is still tied to my hands, and I quickly got up and glare at the prison guards.

“Ahaha, the great mage of the hero’s party drinks piss. Oh you are now ex-mage of hero’s party. What? You want to kill me with your stare?” (Prison guard leader)

“……” (Adam)

“You are a nobody now. Nobody! Ahhh, it feels so good, this feeling. No more pride in you anymore. You are now viewed as the scum of the kingdom. This is so refreshing” (Prison guard leader)

I don’t understand what this person is talking about or why he acts this way. I slowly walk sideways to avoid him attacking my back and lean on an edge on the wall. A stinging pain hit my back even from a light touch. After slowly adjusting to the pain, I graze the rope against the edge of the wall. Slowly, the hem weed rope got nicked and become undone. I slowly relocate my shoulders back to its place. There is a ‘pop’ sound when that happens. I take a branch and place it in between my index and middle finger, and tie them together with some cloth taken from my torn pants. My back is swollen beyond belief, but I can’t properly see it.

I stagger to the fountain located at the edge of the castle garden, and wash my face over there. My face is swollen all over when I look at my reflection on the water. My head reflects back on the event that transpired so far. This condition is worse than death. My instinct of fear kicks in. I quickly think over what is the most important thing to do first. It is to go back home and get my family away. My family is the most important to me. We may not be blood related, but we are closer to each other that one. Both of my foster parents take really good care of me and give plenty of love. They are not rich, but they make sure I have enough to eat and teach me knowledge when I was in the dark.

A lady with dark expression suddenly approach me from behind

“You took away my husband. Return him back to me” (Unknown lady)

I believe I have seen her before, giving food to one of the soldier and he shared some of it with us.

“I can’t help you ma’am. I don’t know what is happening. I used a spell that is supposed to bring back the dead in the battlefield. Do you tried asking around the barracks?” (Adam)

“They told me that he’s dead, and it’s all because of your cowardice that left the battlefield while my husband is out defending the kingdom” (Soldier’s wife)

“No ma’am, I did the best I could and I save as many lives as I could” (Adam)

“Hey! The coward bastard is over here!” (Unknown uncle with moustache)

“DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! KILL! CRUCIFY! STONE HIM!” (crowds of people rushing in)

“RETURN MY HUSBAND TO ME!” (Mob 1)

“MY PRECIOUS CHILDREN! YOU KILLED THEM” (Mob 2)

“MY SON’S LIFE IS NOT A TOY FOR YOU TO PLAY, COWARD” (Mob 3)

“EYE FOR AN EYE, BLOOD FOR BLOOD” (Mob 4)

I can see a belligerent mob of people coming in my direction, armed with pitchforks, sticks, and rocks. I drag my feet as fast as I could away from them. The soldier’s wife also takes swipes at me, but I manage to lose her. The physical training and morning jogs didn’t just go to waste. I manage to squeeze myself into a narrow alley large enough for one man to pass through at a time only, exit from there, and hide under a wooden box inside the room of a house that didn’t lock its door. The angry mob is really huge, they are rowdy and they bang and knock up everything while searching for me.

Today is the day I thought I lost everything. I lose my magic, I lost my job, my “friends” ignore and betrayed me, and now I became a person hated by the people in the kingdom I protected. I waited patiently for the crowd to move away. Once a while, there are people that came into this vacant house to check the surrounding, but they failed to notice the wooden box in a dark corner of the room. The dust at the area must have helped masked the blood drops due to my wounds.

After about an hour of peace, I get out of the wooden box and make a move to my house. I have a very bad feeling about it, I want to reach home as quickly as possible. I must quickly arrange to move my parents and my sister with a cart to go outside the capital.