Aaand the plot thickens.

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Gareth's POV

After we reached the edge of the forest once more, we decided to make another encampment to rest for the night. We will reach the Rhieg Kingdom at noon tomorrow if nothing else stops our way.

As the encampment was being set up, I was met with various guards pleading to finish healing the Princess. I refused of course, which infuriated them but they seemed to calm down when I told them I just ran out of mana. It's quite amazing that they are that loyal to the Royal Family even if they forcefully control their guards.

I saw the guards and my companions using magic but they were only at red level so at the best they could be only used for utility.

Walking up to Jack, wanting to ask a question.

"So Jack, what's the deal with magic in this world?" I asked him

"Hmm? What? Aren't you a magician yourself?" He responded confused by my wording.

"I come from a rather far place so I am not sure how magic works here"

"Ah. Right. Magic comes from knowledge so usually only high class nobility could learn higher forms of them. But most commoners can usually use red and orange level magic. Quite useless in battle though that's why we opt for swords" He said while pointing at the sword at his waist.

That's what I suspected. So, magic is very closely guarded here so it might be just the Harth's Royal Family in this world that has mind-control magic while other Royal Family have their own unique form of magic. Wonder what the Rhieg's Royalty magic would be.

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Princess's POV

Waking up with a sharp pain in my stomach, I found out that the wound that was there was gone. The last I remembered was being stabbed by that brute and falling unconscious after losing a large amount of blood. Since the wound itself is non-existent, it must have been the the new healer's handiwork.

Ugg, my life has been going downhill since that summoning. I was sent my father to go to Rhieg to set up another diplomatic peace treaty which broke due to him suddenly declaring war on them. When asked why he did so all he said was he 'had a trump card' but that was all before the shadow fiend threatened him and he fell too paranoid to even do anything. I tried to sit in a more comfortable position but I realized that some cushions were missing from the carriage. Did I get blood on them so they had to clean it?

Hearing me move about one of the guards opened the carriage door with concern on his face and said "Your Highness, you are all right? You should not be moving about, your internal wounds are not healed yet." Not healed yet?

Seeing the confusion on my face the guards said "The healer refused to heal you completely due to his lack of mana" That made no sense. There is no way a White level healer can run out of mana that quickly.

I ordered the guard "Bring him to me!" That bastard purposely did not finish healing me!

After a few minutes came back empty handed leaving me more confused "Where is he?" I asked in an impatient tone.

"Um.." The guard clearly intimated by my presence "He said you are the one who needs him so you should go to him instead"

"Does he know who I am!?" I was very angry at the insolence of him. Just because he is a white ranked did not give him right to make light of me.

"Um yes...but he mentioned that he did not care and if we were to force him he would refuse to heal you"

Dammit. "Bring me to him!" I asked him as he lead the way to him.

He was just as I saw him the first time, small stature, black eyes with a white mask on his face. He felt rather familiar but I could not place my finger on where I saw him before.

Trying to sound as nice as possible, I straighted up and looked in the eyes.

"Hello young adventurer, if you would be so kind to fully heal me" I asked him politely with a smile on my face.

He simply looked up and shook his head and said in a low voice "Can't do that. Low on mana, my mana will be fully recovered once we reach Rhieg", Scoundrel! By the time we reach Rhieg you will be long gone! As much as I detest it I cannot cause trouble in Rhieg if Father wants a diplomatic treaty with them.

If I did not have to take the countless lessons in behavior as a Princess I would be holding him by the neck. I at least need to look at what he looks like so I could plaster his face all over Harth.

"If you do not mind, it is rather odd to talk to a person wearing a mask. Mind removing it? Please?" I asked him once more.

"Sure, I will remove my mask if you remove yours" He quipped back. What?

The guards around me were ready to launch themselves at him, but I stopped them by waving my hand but hurting or killing him is more trouble then it's actually worth. A white ranked healer especially one so young can't pop out of nowhere. He has to be a child of nobility and likely the next family head to be taught that much about healing. As for why he wears a mask and travels like this... I had no idea. Many of those in nobility have weird hobbies and children of nobility especially like to sneak out and play hero.

He clearly is not going to remove his mask nor heal me. Left with nothing better, I left while the guards kept glaring back at him.

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Gareth's POV

I swear her personality changes every time we meet. Wonder if there are psychological disorders in this world. I went back to the wagon and the Princess back to her carriage, and we rode off into the sunset. Kidding, it was towards Rhieg.

We reached the outskirts of the Kingdom. It was quite similar to the Harth Kingdom with high stone walls surrounding the Kingdom and the Royal palace being visible from afar. The carriage stopped right in front of the [Adventure's Guild] and our group came out to finish up their contracts. I stayed behind because the guards would not exactly let me leave without healing their Princess. But we were in public now so unless the guards wanted a murder on their hands on a foreign soil they would have to bear with me.

Walking towards the carriage, the guards nearby opened the doors. The Princess and the guards glared at me in an expectant manner with a thinly veiled killing intent. I simply willed my mana and performed [Mid Healing] on to her and walked off when I confirmed the wound was gone I simply walked off. Leaving the Princess and the guards to their own devices.

I went inside the guild I met up with Jack and the rest.

"So did you all get the money?" I asked him

"We did, but they cut it by 70% because the bitch got hurt. How was that our fault? Are we supposed to keep a eye on her at all times even when she would not even show herself?" Elva complained.

"It's quite alright" I said while casting [Mid Space] and pulling out a handful of gold coins, jewelery, and items proceeding to laying it on the table.

"That should cover it right?" I continued chuckling a bit at the wide eyes they gave the coins, even the adventures in the room were staring at the amount in envy.

"Um. Dude what did you do rob the dammed King?" Walter asked.

"Nah, nothing of the sorts. Healing is a profitable business ya know" I lied through my teeth. I assumed that healing made a lot of money as I did not see many around.

"Ah..alright don't mind if I do" Elva said while trying to stuff as much as he can in a bag, seeing that the rest of the group decided to follow her lead.

While they were doing that, I walked up the gawking receptionist who was also staring in envy at the amount.

"Do you have any information on the [Elsewood] forest?" I asked her. I was not about to step into a place the Gods marked as the first wave of the calamity without information.

"Um! Yes! Give me a second" She said while rummaging through the various items at her desk. She finally pulled out a white sheet with a map of the forest.

"The forest has nothing much other than a few dungeons and a village at the center of it, they are known as the [Elsewood Village] and a isolated lumber village who quite frequently trade the wood with the Rhieg Kingdom"

The calamity has definitely something to do with this village. What would it be though? Vampires? Werewolves?

"Are there any weird reports coming out of the forest?" I asked the receptionist.

"According to some adventures who ventured in some have reported that there is a sickness going around making the villagers look rather paler and weaker then they used to be" She said.

Vampires? lack of blood perhaps?

"Any reported disappearances?"

"None other than the usual wolves attacks but all the bodies have been found"

Interesting. No reported disappearances so likely not vampires searching for food. If they were to exist they would likely be living the city where they can access blood more easily. Is the calamity just the spread of a disease?

"What are the reports on the so called disease?"

"All it says that it makes the person weaker and looked paler. We have not sent official doctors to confirm but many adventures reported the same thing"

Alright, it likely is not something like the Black Plague, but I still needed to go there myself to confirm what's happening.

"Can I take this map?" I asked her.

"Um..it will be 20 gold" I simply pulled out a handful and gave it to her and went to the forest.

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(???)

"Are you sure of this report?" I asked my servant who was kneeling in front of me.

"Yes, my lord. It was confirmed that the individual was performing White ranked healing in public"

A very interesting report came my way. A masked individual performing such a high class healing spell. Even those fully trained of my family could barley perform at white level and here this person was casually using it? Did someone from my family defect and taught him our magic? Not likely, even if the highest ranked ones leaked out our knowledge it would not be enough to teach someone so young about it..

This was troubling, if we let this kid run around our family's power will decline in the Kingdom. Especially if he gets invited to the Royal Family. We have to either get him to join us and share his knowledge or end him..

"Keep an eye on him and see if you can invite him to our family" I told the kneeling figure.

"Yes sir, but he seems to have left for [Elsewood] forest and asked extensively about the village there" He responded.

An altruist perhaps? Wanting to help out those sickly barbarians? Inviting him to our family might be easier than I thought. All we might need to do is promise him that we will use his knowledge to heal people..

"He will likely return here, so let me know when he does" I closed the report and sat down on my chair smiling at the new found treasure.

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Who is the mysterious man? What is the calamity? Are they vampires?

Find out next time!

Also would like to take this time to thank you all for letting this story reach 100 followers!