Leynum Kingdom

It seemed that Abby and Greg were already staying in a room outside the castle, a small room...

"Hey, Abby, what are we going to do...?" Greg was left speechless as he saw something. His eyes were shining...

Apparently, Greg had just seen Abby without her armor for the first time.

"Greg?"

Greg had a goofy look on his face and was almost drooling.

"HEY, GREG!"

"Huh? What happened, Abby?"

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yes, it's just... I've never seen you without armor... and I think you look good," Greg seemed very nervous and blushing.

Abby guessed that an 11-year-old boy would fall in love with her, so she didn't want to disappoint him. She decided to ignore it, but in a kind way.

"Uh-huh," Abby said with some charisma.

"Hey, Greg, would you come with me to deliver the salamander's head? What do you think?"

Greg quickly nodded, saying yes, and they left the room, heading toward the person who had given Abby the mission to kill the salamander.

It seemed they were heading to the castle.

"Hey, Abby, are we going to the castle?"

"Yes, Greg. Just follow me and do as I say, understood?"

Greg nodded. When they reached the castle, they were greeted by guards. Meanwhile, Greg was impressed by the large castle. He had never been inside one, and it was amazing—huge, with beautiful trees, and he even spotted a small blue dragon. He froze...

"Welcome, Miss Abbyrris. Would you like to see Lord Robert?" asked one of the castle guards.

"Yes, tell him I have the salamander's head."

The guard gestured as if understanding and went to find Lord Robert, who was high up in the castle.

"Hey, Abby, who's Lord Robert?"

"Look, Greg, Lord Robert is the prince of this kingdom."

Greg thought for a moment. Why would the prince of a kingdom want a salamander's head? He tried to fix himself up: he combed his hair and brushed the dust off his clothes.

The guard reached Robert. Upon seeing him, he knelt and bowed.

"Lord Robert, Miss Abbyrris has arrived with the salamander's head. She seems to be accompanied by a young mage," the guard said respectfully.

The prince, a 35-year-old man with reddish hair, strong build, and carrying a wizard's staff, smiled slightly.

"So she's finally here," said Robert.

In the room, there was a sick girl in bed. The prince walked over to her, calling her Emma.

"Did you hear that, Emma? You're going to be fine. Stay strong, it won't be long now," Robert whispered.

"Let her through and bring her here right away."

The guard quickly ran through the large castle halls to the main door.

"Miss Abbyrris, please follow me. I'll take you to the prince."

"Hey, Greg, don't stray from me. Just follow me."

As Abby and Greg were being led to the prince, Greg observed the inside of the castle. There were rare animals he couldn't recognize. Something that caught his attention was a wizard battle taking place in a field right in the middle of the castle.

Finally, they reached a huge room full of medicinal items. In the center was a bed with a blue-haired girl, and next to her was Prince Robert. Greg observed him: a truly strong man, but his eyes seemed empty and despairing.

"Here you go, sir."

"Greg, kneel down," Abby whispered.

"No need, Miss Abby. If this works, I'll consider you part of the family. I just want to cure my daughter with this remedy. Now, please hand me the head."

"I want the payment."

With a gesture, the prince signaled the guard to deliver the payment.

"Here it is, Miss. 10,000 arrumis."

As Abby received the payment, she took the head from a large bag she had with her.

"Alright, you'll feel better, Emma," said Robert.

The prince began extracting as much blood as possible from the head. It seemed the blood was important. Once he had enough, he sent the guard for a container filled with strange items.

"Guard, the container."

The guard placed it before him. The blood was poured into the container, turning dark. He mixed it, and it seemed that he now had the medicine for little Emma.

"Alright, that should be enough. Now, please leave. I'll join you in a moment."

As they left, Greg slowly turned his gaze toward a wall with a painting that seemed familiar to him...

"Hey, Abby, who was that girl?"

"That girl is the prince's daughter. Her name is Emma. A few months ago, she became seriously ill. During these months, I've been gathering all the ingredients for her medicine."

"I see... And how did she get sick?" Greg asked, intrigued.

"She inherited the illness from her mother. Although she passed away, the prince couldn't do anything. When she died, he knew his daughter would have the same illness, but he didn't expect it to affect her so young."

"That's why he started researching for years and managed to find the cure. He's really smart."

"His wife, Haley, was my friend, my teacher, and my best friend. When she passed away, I decided to become a bounty hunter to gather information about her illness and help Emma," Abby said, a tear slipping down her cheek.

The door began to open. The prince emerged with a small smile. It seemed the medicine was working.

"Thank you, Abby. I really appreciate it. The medicine is working."

"You know, you could quit your bounty hunting career and stay at the castle."

Greg noticed that the prince's eyes seemed different. Now, they had something— a spark of joy.

"I'll think about it, Robert. Actually, I was thinking of taking a break. Look, let me introduce you to my friend Greg. He's also a mage, and he's interested in learning. I'd love for you to teach him something."

Greg quickly introduced himself to the prince, very politely, bowing and even kneeling.

"Hello, sir. I'm Gregory Bleyt. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's mine, Greg. I'm glad to see that Abby has a friend, even though it seems you're 10 years younger. But that's fine," said Robert. "And tell me, Abby, how was the battle with the salamander?"

"I didn't even see it alive. Actually, it was Greg who faced it, along with Noa, one of his companions. Though rumors say Greg annihilated it with a single magic attack."

Greg got excited upon hearing Abby speak so highly of him.

"It's true, Greg. That's really impressive. So tell me, how did you do it?"

Greg struck a powerful pose as if really excited to tell the story.

"Well, I saw the huge salamander. It was about to attack me, so I said... 'Earth that dwells in the bowels of this world, aid me in battle, stone spear!' And I managed to pierce it with a quick blow. A strong and precise attack."

"Intermediate-level elemental magic? That's impressive, Greg. But you want to be stronger, right? If that's the case, I give you full access to the castle, including the library. You can research anything you want."

"Really? Thank you so much, Prince! I won't waste this opportunity. I'll learn everything I can."

"Hey, Robert, shouldn't you consult this with your father first?"

"My father is away at the moment. He had to leave; it seems several kingdoms are meeting to resolve an issue. They said the divine key has returned or something like that, that's what I understood."

"Hmm... so the divine key. I thought it was just a myth."

"Hey, Greg, where are you planning to go first?" Robert asked cheerfully.

"I'd like to go to the library."

"Of course, guard, escort young Greg, treat him as a special guest. Now, take him to the library and show him to the guest room."

"Yes, sir."

Greg was escorted to the library, while he marveled at the grand castle. However, he had a question, so he decided to ask.

"Excuse me, sir, what are the dragons used for here?"

"Dragons are used for training Prince Robert."

Greg wondered how a dragon could help in training since they were so dangerous...

"And how does that work? Don't they both get hurt?"

"No, young one. Look, the blue dragon has magical abilities, like the ability to resist magical attacks. It can even heal itself, and most importantly, they are intelligent. You can't talk to them, but they have great minds. They choose who to train with."

"And for now, the only disciple is Prince Robert. Well, young Greg, we've arrived. Here's the library. When you decide to go to your room, call me. I'll be here."

"Yes, sir. Thank you so much."

Greg walked a little and entered the library, fascinated by what lay before him: thousands of books, a multi-floor library filled with volumes. In the center, there was a reading area. He stepped inside, determined to search for anything related to markings on the body...