The next morning, Nox only felt a light sting, reminding him of the fight hours ago.

  “My regeneration is insane when sleeping with Lina,” he thought, smiling at her face beneath him. The lingering pain from the fight was already fading.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, eyes still closed.

  “W- What? How?” he murmured, slightly flustered.

  “Don’t know. I guess it’s because of the light’s rune,” she answered, opening her eyes and standing up.

  She ruffled through her messy blonde hair and went into the bathroom with a loud yawn.

  The corridors were decorated with all sorts of art and expensive pieces, almost as if the fight had never happened.

  “It’s unfortunate I fell asleep yesterday,” Lina sighed, disappointment genuine.

  “I was scared you might do something to me,” Nox laughed.

  “Come on. I would never hurt little Noxi,” she said, brushing through his silver hair.

  In the restaurant, Regea and Beatrice were already waiting at a table. Dark circles were under their eyes, their posture telling the whole story.

  “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” Lina asked.

  “I didn’t sleep at all!” Beatrice replied. Regea quickly nodded in agreement.

  “Why? Did something happen?”

  “…”

  The two didn’t say a word and glared at them with cold eyes. Nox shrugged his shoulders, trying to clarify that this wasn’t his fault.

  “Hihi, they’re so cute,” Lina whispered.

  After they ate breakfast, the group headed toward the teleportation gate.

  “Why did that guy attack you, Nox?” Beatrice asked.

  “I’m not sure. I think he thought I was someone special. In the end, he seemed disappointed and thought I had the ice stigma,” Nox replied.

  “Relax, guys. We should focus on the incoming flag tournament,” Lina said.

  “Yeah, we could sell our remaining crystals.”

  “Then let’s do that right now,” she suggested.

  The teleportation gate was completely new, polished white stones reflecting the morning light. They marched through and appeared the academy’s teleportation gate.

  “Should we go to the national bank?” Nox asked.

  “No, I know a better place,” Lina replied. She dragged him through a big golden teleportation gate right in the centre of the hall.

  “Wow. Is that what I think it is?” Beatrice murmured, mouth wide open.

  “I shouldn’t be in a place like this,” Regea muttered. His hands trembled uncontrollably.

  Before them rose a castle even larger than the academy building itself. Its sheer presence dwarfed everything around it. The wall surrounding it seemed larger than the city, with guards stationed everywhere.

  “The royal palace.”

  Although Lina smiled proudly, she rolled her eyes, which reminded Nox of himself when he saw his own luxurious home.

  “Stop right there! Identify yourselves,” a guard shouted, standing before the entrance gate.

  As the four stepped closer, his eyes widened noticeably.

  “P- Princess? I- I’m sorry,” his posture snapped straight instantly, and he quickly opened the gate for them.

  An extremely strong invisible barrier seemed to lift, and Nox felt like this place would be better protected than one might think.

  “It's okay,” Lina replied. Her warm smile seemed sincere to everyone except him.

  “That’s not how you normally are,” Nox whispered. He leaned in just enough that only she could hear his voice.

  “Gotta act like I’m normal,” she answered quietly.

  “Oh! So, you know that your weir—”

  “I could put you in our prison and do with you what I want,” she said, pulling his ear firmly. She seemed a bit too happy about that idea.

  “There’s the normal Lina again,” he replied, turning away in embarrassment.

  “Was the princess always that happy?” a guard whispered when the four walked past him. The whisper carried more confusion than curiosity.

  “Well, her aura feels more protective, but she still makes me shiver in fear,” another replied, “like a mom protecting her kid.”

  The other guard nodded grimly in agreement.

  As the group entered the palace, they stepped into a colossal hall, with walls reaching over forty meters high and a massive staircase leading toward the upper floors. Every footstep echoed endlessly through the space.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Lina marched through an inconspicuous door where an old man sat alone at a long table.

  “You’ve grown even more, princess,” he said. A flicker of accusation laced his tongue.

  “We just saw each other three months ago, what are you talking about, Filgar?”

  “You’re even taller than your friends,” the man murmured, looking directly at Nox.

  “I know I’m short, old man. You don’t gotta say it like that,” Nox thought, glaring back at him.

  “Oh, that’s great actually. It makes him even cuter,” Lina replied, grabbing his hand to calm him down.

  “Anyway, we’re here to sell crystals,” she added. She stepped forward and poured their remaining crystals onto the table.

  “Wow, I must admit, you guys certainly aren’t weak,” Filgar said, looking at the glowing stones with an astonished expression.

  “213 mana crystals. I can give you 21,3 gold coins for this.” He only needed a heartbeat to count the items.

  “How is he that fast?” Nox thought.

  “Can we take ten gold coins and something from the treasure room instead?” Lina asked.

  “Hah, fine, but just this once,” Figar replied, as if he had heard that request many times before.

  “But only one rare item per person!” he shouted as the group left his office.

  “Helga gave me a rare item for ten silver coins. Inflation really hits hard,” Nox thought. He was still thankful, however.

  They stepped back into the main hall and descended a small, dark stair in the back.

  “Oh, h- hello, princess,” five guards said, looking at them with suspicious faces, “we can’t just let you in though.”

  “I got the allowance from finance chief Filgar,” Lina replied confidently.

  “W- Well, then,” the guards said, half-heartedly opening the giant vault door. Thick mana seals peeled away one by one.Inside, countless objects and gold bars were piled on top of each other, shining so brightly that the four could no longer see anything clearly.

  “You need to put these on,” Lina said, taking weird-looking glasses from the shelf.

  “There goes my dream of nonchalantly walking into a treasure vault,” Nox thought.

  When they entered, a faint scent of stagnant air lingered around them. The items were sorted by rarity, even including unique ones, one grade higher than epic.

  An even stronger barrier protected the expensive items, and Nox had a feeling that not even the guards had access to it.

  “It seems the legendary ones are somewhere else,” Nox thought, searching for a particular item.

  An invisible force seemed to pull him into a particular direction, past the glowing shelves into a secluded corner.

  “Here it is! It’s an item that is really hard to obtain but considered worthless.”

  -You have obtained Bone of the Death Knight

  “Well, not for me.”

  He pulled a few of his old items out of his bag.

  “What are you doing?” Lina asked, walking toward him.

  “Cover me briefly. I’ll need to combine something.”

  “How would you even know what to use for it?”

  “I… I don’t know myself—”

  “You know I hate liars, right?” she interrupted.

  “No, I’m honest. Somehow there’s that feeling that sometimes tells me what I need for it. I know you won’t believe me,” he said, lowering his head.

  “Of course I believe you. I would feel it if you were lying to me,” she said, smiling at him.

  Nox grabbed Arachne’s string, the golden chains, and his newly obtained bone.

  Something seemed to pull his hands apart as he closed them together. He felt a slight sting in his palms as the items completely disappeared.

  His mana dipped sharply, a hollow sensation spreading through his chest, forcing him to steady himself against the shelf.

  However, there was nothing new forming in his hands.

  -You have found a secret formula

  -You have unlocked the skill Web Shot

  “Where is the item?” Lina asked, looking around in confusion.

  Without a word, Nox pointed toward her and a string wrapped around her body.

  “I got a skill,” he replied. The string dissipated as fast as he had appeared.

  “You didn’t have to demonstrate it on me!” she said, pulling his ear with a flustered smile.

  “Do you guys have any idea what items would be good for me?” Beatrice asked, walking toward them with Regea.

  “Oh, I got the perfect item for you two,” Lina replied. Without having to look, she reached into the shelf beneath them and pulled out two similar items.

  Name: Contact Twin Ring

  Grade: Rare

  Type: Twin Ring

  Description: You can only wear two rings at once. +30% elemental damage when having physical contact.

  “Uhm,” the two stared at each other, their ears turning bright red.

  However, no one dared to oppose the idea. The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on.

  “They won’t agree on their own. Do something!” Lina whispered.

  Nox lifted his arm and spider webs shot toward the two flustered people, binding them together.

  “H- Hey, what are you doing?” Regea shouted, half-heartedly trying to free himself.

  Lina stepped forward and put the rings on their fingers.

  “Don’t you dare reject my gift,” she said, looking at them with a strict expression, “I’m gonna take that.”

  Name: Small Teleportation Device

  Grade: Rare

  Type: Device

  Description: Every five hours, you can teleport yourself and everyone you have physical contact with up to five meters. Attacking is restricted shortly after.

  “For what do you need that?” Beatrice asked.

  “Tomorrow is the flag tournament. It will be good to teleport through the enemy’s wall,” Lina answered.

  The group left the vault and took off the special glasses. A guard briefly glanced at a screen which showed how many items they had taken.

  “A- Are we allowed to freely roam around here?” Regea asked, anxiously glancing at the various expensive chunk lying around.

  They strolled through the living room and saw a big wooden table.

  “Don’t worry, my father is actually really different in private,” Lina replied.

  “How nice to see you again, my little gummy bear!” a tall, broad man shouted, running toward them. He had a long brown beard and wore a casual black mantle.

  When he saw the three confused friends, he quickly straightened his posture and cleared his throat.

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Halos van Arkheim, the king of Britannica,” he said, his face immediately turning professional. A strong aura hit them, making Nox’s stomach twist violently.

  “Honey, what are you doing to these poor kids?”

  An attractive, blonde woman came over, pulling his ear with a strict face.

  “I’m Lana van Arkheim,” she added, smiling at them.

  After the three introduced themselves, they were immediately pressured with questions about the academy and their families.

  “Why do I feel like I’m being asked the most questions?” Nox thought, glancing at Lana, who was looking at him with a mischievous smile.

  “How about you guys eat dinner with us?” the mother asked.

  “Uh, sure…,” Nox replied, afraid she might enter Lina mode if he declined.

  “You should train in the mana arena,” Halos recommended.

  “Alright.”

  They walked trough the backdoor and an even bigger garden extended before them, various training grounds and arenas distributed everywhere.

  “Wow, my father seems to have taken a liking to you guys,” Lina said.

  “What do you mean?” Beatrice asked.

  “You’ll see.”

  They entered a small but modern arena. On the inside, were tons of futuristic devices built into the walls.

  The floor was completely made of polished ore that looked similar to mana crystals. The concentration was so dense that it pressed against their skin, seeping into their lungs with every breath.

  “Even I wasn’t allowed to use this. It requires too many resources,” Lina said, showing them around.

  “What are all these things for?” Nox asked.

  “They drastically increase your mana sensitivity, which makes your training up to ten times more efficient.”

  “Usually, only the six lions are allowed to train here… that’s the reason why the strongest mage can never catch up to the weakest of the lions except one of them dies.

  “Wow, then let’s not waste any time!” Beatrice said, her hands buzzling with heat.

  Nox felt his instincts flare with excitement. This wasn’t a place for careless sparring.