The lead coloured clouds envelopes the blue sky.

I view this as a mockery towards me by the Gods. Leaving me like this, having to get abandoned by my dear comrades that I have known for a very long time (1 week) and only a mere 3 gold is the only thing that keeps me alive. Hu hu~

And just this morning, it’s cloudless. How could a group of water filled clouds be able to reach this place in such a short span of time?

Oh… that’s how. A magic that somewhat advanced water magicians can learn. A spell that is able to control the weather in a whim.

Isn’t that illegal?

The person doing this should get put into prison and fed with pig food! Obviously the one doing this is someone that has a grudge at me and wants me to suffer even more! I shall not forgive such wicked acts!

“Hey you! What are you doing!?”

Oh guards! Wait, why are they looking at me?

“What do you mean officers? I’m just standing here trying to appreciate the view but then these troublesome clouds appeared. The one at fault must be punished appropriately! If you want, I will be happy to help.”

Manners, manners. A very powerful tool if you’re fighting fellow humans.

“Yes, the one at fault must be punished. And with that, you’re under arrest.”

Wait, what!?

“What do you mean me!? I did nothing wrong! Is standing idly in a single spot is considered a crime now!?”

“Then explain why you’re in the center of the storm? Only magicians with a dark coloured hat are able to cast a storm spell and the users is pretty much in under the eye of the storm. You’re caught red handed so stop the spell or your punishment will get worse.”

“Eh? B-Black hat? Me? I possess n-nothing of the sorts! As you can see, my hat is clearly coloured grey and grey is dark in nature.”

I removed my hat and let the guards inspect it. With an annoyed face, they took it and said something very absurd:

“This is clearly black. So black in fact that very little light is reflected off of it. Alright, resist or you’re gonna get it and don’t even try to cast spells. You won’t be able to cast any spells since we have the Stone of Nullification. It’s just a waste of mana.”

Absolutely Bullshi—!

“This is false accusation! I have you know that I’ve figured out who’ve done this! It is my former comrades and they’re trying to frame me so I can suffer even more! One of them is also a magician but uses the equipment of a warrior! His hat is, from what I’ve seen, is also black and I’ve seen him cast a storm spell in the middle of a forest once! If you want, I can take you guys to them and arrest them.”

“Enough of that.”

These “Guards” elbowed me to the ground and carried me like I’m some dangerous criminal or something. Obviously I’m not. I’m a very responsible man with worthwhile goals in life and a good member in society.

“Aw, aw! At least carry me a little higher so my knees won’t hit the stairs!”

Also, they’ve used violence on me! These guards…! Do they even have the right to call themselves that? This is a violation on my rights as an adventurer!

Of course I said to them my complaints but they didn’t even pretend that they didn’t hear me. What jerks!

When we reached the main streets, people are looking at me with uneasy expressions.

“Is that the guy who attempted to cast a storm spell?”

“For him to do that while the repairs on the walls are on-going…”

“You think he’s a humanoid demon spy?”

…Now I’m looked as a criminal…

Hu Hu~

༼ つ ಥ_ಥ ༽つ

When we arrived at the headquarters of the popo, I was directly sent towards to the interrogation room.

So, obviously I’m getting interrogated and from how they threw me at this chair, I think they’re going to play the bad cop. Unfortunately for them, I know a way to get through the bad cop attitude. I had some practice of course by basically what you want to do is just not let their attitude affect you. That way, they’ll quickly throw away their façade as I call it and slightly turn the conversation towards your favour.

Such techniques like that are very trivial to me now. For I have master all of the basic spells in existence! Trying to ignore the intimidation of a person is trying to ignore a single drop of water when I’m basically 80% submerged underwater. Easy as pie. Or to be precise, easy as cutting a pie in half!

Hmm~ Hmmmm~ Hm~

The tune of victory.

And with this revelation, I’m very much capable of reversing the false charges put against me.

That is if the one interrogating me is a piece of wood block.

After 30 minutes, with the creak of the iron door, a woman entered the room.

Ah…

A handicap is spotted. I’m not used to talking to a woman so…

No! I can manage this! A mere woman won’t make me falter! Plus, this woman in particular has big bewbs. She may not know this but I like woman with flat chests! Hazah!

“Sir Isaac is it? Says here you are charged with reckless use of storm spell during a time of crisis and a count of a violation regarding the contract on a formation of a party.”

I heard something absurd…!

“Violation on a contract!? Shouldn’t it be the opposite!? I was abandoned by my party without a reasonable reason!”

After I said that, the woman interrogator spat out a heavy sigh and took out a small glass bell…

“Since you are a magician, I’m sure you know what this is, yes?”

“…Yes.”

What she just took out is… a lie detector bell. It will ring if a lie is said in a 5 meter radius around it. So that’s why this room is bigger than I anticipated it.

So cruel…

“Are you the one who casted the storm spell a while ago?”

“…more or less.”

“For what reason?”

“So I can properly wallow in my sadness and how hopeless my current situation is.”

The woman looked at the bell but it didn’t ring.

“Any other reason?”

“So I can convince my former comrades to join with me again.”

The woman again looked at the bell but it didn’t ring… thankfully.

That’s a lie actually. Of course I twisted the words I used so it’s comes off as technically true but the main aspect of it or I should say, the ulterior motive behind it is hidden.

My main objective in doing that was to blackmail them into making them into teaming up with me but that didn’t work out as I expected it will be.

Perhaps maybe I should’ve cried. Will that make a difference?

“To where or whom did you learned the storm spell.”

“Self-studied.”

“Methods of learning it?”

“Books.”

“What’s the name of the book or books?”

“Magic and stuff.”

She annoyingly looked at the bell and it didn’t ring.

Hehe. That wasn’t a storm spell. It’s only a spell that creates the illusion that a storm is about to occur.

I wish she would assume my answer as not having to have cast a storm spell but something similar to it. I'm sure she'll assume that. She looks smart, doesn't she?

If not then crap. Looks like I have a lot of explanation in front of me if that's the case.

“So then I assume that you’re the author of the book?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

She flipped a page and started to write something.

Tap, tap, tap. The sound of a pen touching the paper is sort of relaxing for some reason.

Then again, it’s irritating at the same time.

After that, she put away the glass bell and composed herself.

Ah… It’s rare for people to actually be practicing a good composure like this.

“The colour of the hat of a magician changes depending on their experience and how many spells they have learned. The darker the hat, the more spells they have learned but from judging from yours, you seem very experienced so I was confused as to why you did something as reckless as this. Now I know why.”

“Why?”

“Yes. From the what your old teammates has reported, you hardly help even though you have the most experience out of all of them and claimed yourself as the leader of the party. From hearing that and how you word your statements, I can guess that you are but a con artist rather than an adventurer. Leaching off on your teammates and explaining it as “fair trade for your leadership,” giving them cheap potions disguised with a false label to make them seem more powerful than they actually are and even to the point of trying to blackmail them with that kind of pathetic attempt. I’ve never encountered someone as vile as you. This is enough to get you jailed for a years and have your reputation ruined in all your days as an adventurer.”

*screaming and sobbing internally*

She didn't mention about the storm spell so did my very vague and annoying answer worked? I'm sure it did but there's something I just can't let go of...

"About the potions..."

Before I could even finish my sentence, she cuts me off.

"You aren't scammed. We've tracked down the peddler. Rather, he's the one who reported it himself. He said that he was threatened by you that you would burn his whole stock into blaze. Though luckily a bystander passed by and that sort of incident had never happened. From what he said to us, he isn't lying."

W-why… I would never… do… something like that…! Maybe… I don’t really know what happened. Did I say that?

"W-w-well his price is absurd! I mean, who sells a single basic potion for 30 silver!? The market for that is just 25 silver and it's in a state of price freeze when I bought it! That’s a crime isn’t it?"

"Of course. Since you two had made a crime yourselves, if both parties agreed to not make anything worse then we won't press charges if the crime is that small. Unless you want to... Then go and sue him. Either one of you will get punished. Considering your situation right now, even if you win in the court, that still wouldn't make a difference on your punishment on you other offenses as we already removed your threatening incident. Of course if you lose then that'll make things worse for you."

Well, I guess that’s why a lot less petty thieves are being put into prison these days.

I shut up after that. Really, if I speak anymore, I might make things worse. I almost did just for bringing up the potion.

“But for as one of the privileges of an adventurer, you can pay a fee and have one of the penalties I’ve said to you removed.”

Chance!

“How much the fee would be?”

“To remove the jail penalty, you’ll have to pay 3 gold and 20 silver. As for the reputation penalty, you’ll have to pay 2 gold and 50 silver. Don't worry as we will use this as how we use taxes. To further improve our Kingdom.”

Like a merchant selling their goods to their customer, she said the requirements and conditions.

Well, the bell didn't ring so she wasn't actually lying when she said that the money would be for further improvement of this place. But then again, I don't pay taxes so luckily, they didn't noticed that I committed tax evasion for who knows how long... or is there some other reason to why they didn’t brought that up?

Anyway!

Regarding on how absurd that is, I can’t just up and pay with that much money! I won’t be able to live if I did!

Thinking it rationally, if I pay for the jail time to be suspended, then I won’t have any change left. None at all. Plus, my reputation will be ruined! I can’t join any party if I’m labelled as a con man!

If I did pay for the reputation penalty, I’ll have to serve a year in jail. That would just waste my time and before you know it, the end of the world will come… probably. And if that happens, I won’t have much time to be the considered as one of the richest person in history!

I can’t afford to do the latter… I just don't have enough time to serve the jail time. Even if it's the best course of action right now. I mean, the end of the world might happen in just one year from now! And all I did in my time here is just sing tunes and lift weights. I don’t want that! Even if it’s to exchange my reputation…

With a heavy heart, I took out my pouch with my last remaining coins and handed them over to the woman. Counting the coins, it amounted as exactly 3 gold and 20 silver. She didn’t ask what I wanted to get removed and just assumed that I don’t want to be put in jail.

So with that, she asked me to give her my adventurer’s stone and so I gave it to her. Not like I gave it to her without any resistance. I’m too stubborn to do that so she just snatched it away from my hands when I showed the slightest bit of resistance.

My precious adventurer’s stone… I will remember your former glory… Now you will be dirtied by the sins that I may or may not have committed and so do I.

She left off after that and I’ve waited like a dog in the interrogation room.

Soon enough, a guard informed me that the process is done and gave me my stone back.

And like that, I left the prison with absolutely no money in hand and a ruined reputation as an adventurer.

How nice. Makes me want to cry bucket loads.

This world is unfair… I just want to earn money without me doing anything. What’s so bad about that! Hu hu~

“So what now?” I asked myself.

The sky, which was once covered in lead coloured clouds is now clear as day.

Speaking of as clear as day, the difference from the looks of adventurers towards me before and after my reputation is stained is crystal clear. With a look towards me equal to that of looking at a garbage.

Not only their look but their attitude towards me also changed. They’re pretty much trying to avoiding me willingly.

And to top it all off, I can’t revoke my contract on being an adventurer. I’m forever bound by this curse for the rest of my days.

To add insult to injury, a sudden powerful gust of wind hit my face and I fall flat on the marble ground and people around begun to chuckle.

Obviously, that wasn’t natural. It was casted by a magician.

Is this the epitome of rock bottom?

Might as well just die right now…

NO! I refuse to give up! What kind of coward would take the easy way out!? Obviously, I won’t afford myself to die broke! I will achieve my ridiculous goal and my name would be known as one of the richest person in the whole world before judgment day comes!

And with preservation and determination, I shall move on.

Probably a change of tactics this time.

Maybe rather than a single potion during battle, why don’t I just give them two potions? I’m sure they won’t complain if I give them that much, right?

But first, I need to find a party that is willing to let me join in.

Of course, who wouldn’t let a magician who mastered every basic spells to join their team!?