It was my fault

"The king has requested you, Hermes."

In response, Hermes nodded and went with the guard to the king's study, where he was seated with a desk full of papers. The moment Hermes stepped within the king's line of sight, he beamed. In besides passing a sheet, the king motioned for him to take a seat in front of him.

"Your Majesty, how may I assist you?" Hermes bowed and asked before taking the seat across from the king. Hermes examined the document once he took it. For a little period, he fixed his gaze on the sheet as he tried to determine what was wrong with it. "I'm not sure I understand. Your majesty, I don't appear to find any issues." He remarked after analyzing the sheet. Shortly after, the king chuckled.

"That's right, there's no error." King spoke up. Hermes waited for the king to continue because he was still unsure. " In actuality, the trade has achieved a height that it has never experienced in all those years." Being relieved that there was no issue and he was not in jeopardy, Hermes inhaled deeply.

"I believe Mikael deserves some credit for it. He is in charge of the local and overseas trade.

"He is something," replied the king. " You two coming here is such a blessing. I'm still grateful to God for sending you two to my kingdom on that day." The king leaped with joy.

Two years have passed since Hermes and Alaric entered the castle. They claimed to be traders from Antares, and the monarch of Fenoira kept a careful check on them for a few months. They were the king's royal servants for the time being because the king was unable to uncover anything suspicious about them. However, the king assigned them to different roles because they were both highly educated and had extensive understanding of trading and other subjects. Mikael supervised the trading outside of the castle and even overseas because he was assertive and self-assured. Hermes handled the king's finances and taxes because he was reticent.

The Fenoira monarch gave Alaric and Hermes his trust when they introduced them to the castle and won their respect. Trading across the seas was Alaric's major means of gathering as much information about the warlock as he could. Except for the elderly couple who guided them to the castle, nobody had actually seen the warlock, so their good fortune was not all that amazing. Hermes did an excellent job of keeping everyone out of Alaric's business.

"Once you have tasted Fenoira's apples, you cannot complain." In the vicinity of the port, Alaric (who is now Mikael) spoke with the trader from the neighboring kingdom. He commanded a few men to load the apple containers into the ship. Fenoira, along with five other kingdoms, was a subunit of the Lumpus realm. The populations of these five kingdoms were modest, and they coexisted peacefully.

"Well, when it comes to fresh fruits, nothing compares to Fenoira." The trader said. Alaric was currently conducting business with Mist Island. They gave the fruit in exchange for some rare plants. Alaric stroked his palm to calm himself down and avoid urge a pointless debate about the warlock. However, the trader observed his restlessness and inquired. " Have you got something to say?"

"Nothing serious, though. Just wondering how things are in the world outside of Fenoira." The trader gave him a sharp glance as his eyes narrowed. "I mean, I'm a traveler, after all." The trader understood and nodded.

"I understand, man; well, as you know, I can't tell you much about the other world because I've spent my entire life at sea; first my father did this task, then I continued," he said. Alaric was aware that the warlock had become a folktale and that most people had stopped talking about him. "It appears that you desire additional information." Alaric was unsure if he could inquire about the warlock or not. However, he had been conducting business with the mist island for some time, and he could rely on the man in front of him.

"Have you heard any stories about the warlock and his magic?"

The trader gave him a bewildered look before giggling. "This is just a myth, a folktale folks used to pass on from generation to generation," he said, shaking his head from left to right. Alaric exhibited a dissatisfied expression. " And yet, no one has ever seen him, even though this tale has been passed down since my great-grandfather was alive." He took a brief break before continuing. " It's true that a few people say they saw him, but I don't believe them. I think this is just a folktale". Before departing inside his ship, the trader offered Alaric a pouch and patted him on the shoulder.

Alaric sighed as the ship in front of him began to sail further into the water. He had grown weary of not having any answers. He was wondering how long he had to look for the warlock. He even thought for a brief period that there was no warlock in reality. He sighed once more before mounting his horse and telling the workers to go back to the Fenoira.

He arrived at the castle in two days, but was taken aback by the decorations. He was unaware of any current events, so he entered the castle with a somewhat bewildered expression. "What's the occasion?" Alaric asked one of the guardsmen who looked in a hurry.

"Unknown to us. The king is delighted and has instructed us to celebrate." Before leaving the castle, he got on his horse and remarked, "And I'm going to carry the news to the town. We'll talk later, Mikael." Then he turned and rode away. Alaric tied his steed to the wall of the barn and headed over to meet Hermes. The castle was busy getting ready for a party. He turned to discover Hermes and Atlas talking, then walked over to them.

"What's going on?" Alaric inquired.

"Getting ready for the party." As he spoke, Atlas turned to face the puzzled man.

But what is the event?

"The king needs no excuse to celebrate." Hermes laughed and shook his head at Atlas' jest. "Your help has enhanced sales and trading to our advantage. So, t he king therefore desired a little party." Hermes continued, Stretching the final part. He squeezed his thumb and index finger together, leaving only a tiny gap between them.

"It appears to be little." Alaric exclaimed while grinning slightly.

"In the king's palace, nothing is little." At that remark, the three men started laughing loudly.

True, kings didn't need a special reason to celebrate; if they were content, there would be a party. Even if they are depressed, there will still be a celebration to make them forget it. Actually, it wasn't that horrible, and Feronia's hard-working citizens needed a break. Everyone was surprised and delighted to have some relaxing time.

The party went really smoothly. There were many various types of food, and it was delicious. Drinks were available all over the castle. Alaric concluded that the king is in fact extremely content. The king raised his wine-filled glass after the official celebration by getting up from his seat on the head side of the table. " You must all be wondering why there is a celebration". Everyone turned to listen to the king's speech. Vixen, Atlas, Hermes, and Alaric were sat around the round table, serving as the kings' counselors. " "Feroina has always been a little kingdom with limited resources, but that was more than enough for us, and for that we are grateful to nature and God." Everyone began nodding in agreement. "But two years ago, these two men." Alaric and Hermes exchanged a puzzled look as the king pointed at them. "With their business acumen and general wisdom, these two men brought us good fortune. Thanks to Hermes and Mikael, we have had a lot of success." He cautiously clasped his hands so as not to spill the wine. "And this celebration is to celebrate our victory and welcome them, but at first I welcomed them by threatening to stab them in the neck with a spear." He looked at them both and grinned sarcastically. Vixen grinned as he lightly poked Alaric with his elbow. "Sorry for that and please enjoy yourself, everyone." His wine glass was raised.

Everyone eventually became a little tipsy from the alcohol. Atlas, Vixen, Hermes, and Alaric were the only ones who remained in the dining room as the majority of them—including the king—returned to their chambers. Alaric and Hermes had formed a bond with Vixen and Atlas over a period of more than two years. They were making each other laugh until their stomachs hurt while cracking jokes.

"It feels like I'm laughing after a decade." While maintaining the same smile, he appeared a little dejected as Vixen remarked. Atlas touched the man's shoulder with his hand. "Last time, Odin and I were drinking like this," The utterance of Odin's name caused the two, who were also inebriated, to become sober. " What a good person he was. Just like you, daring, and his eyes are brimming with interest," he murmured, turning to face Alaric. He instantly lowered his face and drank the last of his beverage from his glass.

"May I ask who he was, if you don't mind?" Alaric asked as to who Odin was; he was aware of the Odin's identity but was hoping for some fresh information. In anticipation of Vixen's response, Hermes was now all ears. H e was having trouble getting words out of his throat.

"A friend." Atlas said, "He died." He added. Although they were also aware of his passing, Alaric and Hermes remained silent.

Vixen sobbed and said, "It was my fault."

At that point, Atlas gave him a back rub and assured him that the incident was not his fault and that Vixen wasn't to blame.

"What... what happened? Like, how did he pass away?" Hermes attempted to ask, though his voice was hardly heard.

"He should have been alive if it weren't for the folktale." With his cheeks gleaming in the blazing torchlight, Vixen started sobbing furiously. Vixen shook his head as Atlas continued to rub his back and urged him to quit and go to sleep. Alaric felt awful approaching him and asking him about the details because he wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk to anyone; nonetheless, he couldn't pass up this opportunity to learn more about the warlock. He then prayed to the Gods that Atlas or Vixen would inform him about the event that took place years ago and resulted in Odin's death.