I left my mother behind, and the moment I stepped out the door, Gareth was already waiting for me.
"Do you know where my father is?" I asked, fully aware of Gareth's habit of eavesdropping. Or, to put it politely… his pointed ears were a bit too good.
He nodded. "Yes, young lord. I know where he went."
"Good. Then lead the way."
As we walked through the mansion, I noticed something odd. Normally, Gareth and Isolde were glued at the hip, but today she was nowhere in sight. "Where's Isolde? Haven't seen her."
"She left for the city earlier," Gareth said. "You were away for some time, and I didn't expect you back this soon, so… I let her go. My apologies." He suddenly stopped, turned, and bent at a sharp ninety degrees.
I waved him off. "Don't overdo it. Nothing to apologize for."
Just then, my grandfather appeared at the end of the corridor.
"Henry!" he thundered, voice booming through the hall.
"Yes, sir!" I snapped to attention.
"How was it?" he asked, suddenly dropping all seriousness for a warm, boyish grin.
"Better than I expected," I said.
He raised a brow and placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "Come now, tell your old man what you caught."
I leaned in, shielding my mouth with one hand. "One bear, ten wolves, thirty bandits… just between us."
He froze. One hand still on my shoulder, brow arched, but something in his eyes flickered, like his focus slipped.
We stood there in silence.
"Son…" he muttered, voice rough. "One day you're going to send me straight to the afterlife."
"If your goal is to reunite the old man with his wife as soon as possible," Mnex cut in, "you're making excellent progress."
Mnex, I swear… stop joking about his death. If it wasn't fated, you're going to manifest it into existence.
"I think I'll go make some herbal tea," my grandfather muttered, walking off down the corridor while grumbling to himself. "Everyone wants to give me heart attacks today…"
We kept walking. Gareth sent a few servants to help the villagers waiting in the courtyard before heading to the stables. He came back on horseback, joining me in the front yard.
Time really does slip away fast… Feels like yesterday he was thirteen. Now he's seventeen, practically a grown man.
"Look who's talking," Mnex cut in, voice dripping with mockery. "Yesterday you were a ground gnome. Don't think becoming a hero erased that title."
We rode out the southern gate of the city under a sun just past its peak. The wind slapped my face, hooves clattered on stone, and the journey stretched ahead for hours. Gareth led the way, riding with the kind of certainty that made it seem like he'd already been there a hundred times.
"You seem to know the path pretty well," I said, pulling my horse up beside his. "Haven't even told me where we're going yet."
Gareth glanced over his shoulder, a faint smile on his lips. "Don't worry, young lord. I'll find them."
Mnex snorted. "I'll find them? What is he, a walking GPS?"
I shook my head, laughing softly. "If you lead us astray, I'll ditch the horse and ride you instead."
Gareth only shrugged. "You can trust me on this."
He veered off the main road a few times, taking shortcuts through hidden paths. Hours passed, the silhouette of the mountain growing closer until we stopped near a rocky slope. Dismounting, Gareth scanned the area and pointed toward a small clearing ahead.
"They're over there," he said with confidence.
I raised an eyebrow. "Pointing like you marked the spot yourself…"
Gareth grinned. "Born and raised here. I know every rock, every tree. Tracking Count and his men wasn't hard."
Mnex chuckled. "Born and raised, huh? Kid's got local GPS reception. Shame you didn't have that back in the forest when you kept turning the wrong way."
I grumbled under my breath. I was testing you.
"Sure, sure…" Mnex replied, smug as ever.
I looked back at Gareth. "Fine, let's see if it's as easy as you say."
As we drew closer to the clearing, I spotted my father's temporary camp. A few soldiers noticed us first, standing up and casting quick glances toward him. He raised his head, eyes catching mine. For a fleeting moment, warmth flickered there, then his usual stoic mask slid back into place.
"So, you've returned," he said, calm yet stern. "How was the hunt?"
I dismounted, brushing the dust off my clothes as I walked toward him. "One bear, ten wolves, and thirty bandits," I said like I was listing groceries.
My father's brows arched slightly. A twitch pulled at the corner of his mouth before he burst into deep laughter. The men around him chuckled too, the camp's tension lifting just a notch.
"Thirty bandits?" he repeated between laughs. "You jest."
I shrugged. "Not at all."
His gaze sharpened. "Truly, what did you hunt?"
"I am serious," I replied without a flicker of emotion. "One bear, ten wolves, thirty bandits. Doyle will give you the report soon enough if you don't believe me."
For a second, his expression shifted, part disbelief, part something else but then he exhaled and shook his head. "We'll see once Doyle tells us what happened." He clasped his hands behind his back, clearly dropping the subject.
I took another step forward. "Heard you might've found a gold vein," I said, cutting straight to it.
After a pause, he tilted his head. "Some villagers claim they found gold," he admitted. "But I'm not convinced. Not every yellow stone is gold."
Mnex grumbled in my head. "Easiest way to check? Bite it. Worked for pirates."
My father glanced at me again, suspicion and curiosity mingling in his eyes. "And why are you asking?"
"If you allow it, I'd like to verify it myself," I said. "With magic, I can tell for sure."
He studied me for a long moment, eyes flicking toward the men working nearby, then back to me. A faint, almost mischievous smirk tugged at his lips, like he was saying let's see what you can actually do.
"Go on then," he said finally, voice firm but with a hint of challenge.
We climbed to the top of a small rise where villagers were digging at the rocky slope. Sunlight bounced harshly off the jagged stones, making the yellow flecks in them gleam. Men swung pickaxes, tossing fragments into rough sacks nearby.
My father stood beside me, arms crossed, wearing that same skeptical look. "Here," he said with a short breath. "They claim this is gold. I'm not convinced."
I crouched, scooping a few pieces into my palm. They sparkled convincingly enough. Closing my eyes, I drew a slow breath and reached into my mental domain. A trickle of mana pulsed down my fingers, sinking into the earth beneath. Silence. No reaction. Mnex said nothing.
Finally, his voice snapped like a whip.
"Mana's weak. Push harder. Right now, you're just singing lullabies to these rocks. You want results? Stop babying it."
I gritted my teeth but kept my focus, feeding more mana into the soil. Energy rolled out from me, making the ground hum faintly. I waited, pulse quickening.
Then Mnex's tone shifted, sharp, startled, almost gleeful.
"Wait… hold on… Henry, you blessed little brat. TABAAL must've thrown every scrap of luck your way. Jackpot. Absolute jackpot!"
My heart skipped. Gold? We actually found gold? Visions of wealth flashed in my head, no more endless work, riches beyond measure, the richest lord in the realm…
Mnex crushed my dreams with a single snort.
"Wake up, prince. No gold here. Just rock. But not ordinary rock. Limestone. And see that yellow tint? Iron vein running right through it. Combine the two and, with modern tech, you'd mine this for seventy years easy. With the tools of this world? Your grandkids would die before you reached the bottom."
He practically cackled. "No gold, no quick fortune… but we just hit a three for one."
I frowned. Three? I get limestone, I get iron… what's the third?
"You idiot, forgot already? Limestone is the backbone of concrete. Limestone, iron, and future concrete. That's your gold mine, genius. Hello, sewer project!"
A slow grin pulled at my lips. Maybe we hadn't struck gold… but this could be worth even more.
My father, watching me silently, raised a brow when I finally opened my eyes. "Well?" he asked, skepticism laced with interest.
I stood, holding up the yellowish stone between my fingers, confidence threading my voice.
"Not gold," I said evenly. "Something better."