Chapter 3.8:

My knuckles turned white from how tightly I was gripping the sides of the wagon. I lowered my head to stop the wind from whipping my face. I peeked to my right and saw both Abram and Paul shielding their faces.

The wagon came to an abrupt stop. I hit my head on the back rest.

“Ow…” I rubbed the small bump that seemed to be forming. “Are we here?”

“No, sir. We’re stuck in line.” The driver said gruffly.

I looked out to the side and saw several other carriages and wagons trodding along at a snail’s pace as they converged to one road from many side streets. In the distance I saw a massive building of a brilliant shade of white.

“Is that the palace?” I asked in awe.

“Aye.” Abram replied while rapidly shaking his head. “I think my ears popped a couple of times there. You two boys okay?”

Paul nodded while clutching his stomach. He looked like he was about to be sick.

I gave Abram a thumbs up. “Is it made of pure silver?” I asked, pointing to the towering edifice.

“No, son. It’s made out of pure mithril.” Abram replied.

“I don’t think we’ve ever come across mithril from the shipment we get from the mines.” I said curiously.

“Highly unlikely. The Royal Family has absolute control of the only known mithril nodes in the Central Continent.” Abram explained while lightly tapping the side of his head with his palm.

“There’s other mines aside from the ones in the northern mountain ranges?” I asked.

“Aye. There’s a mine right underneath the Capital that’s filled with mithril nodes. I think those nodes are the main reason the original settlers founded this city here. The abundance of mithril is also what led the Royal Family to adopt it as its name. The first king, King Aldwin Mithril I, changed their family’s surname upon the establishment of this kingdom. I don’t think there’s even any records left on what their name was before that. Anyway, as you can already tell, the first king is the namesake of the current reigning ruler, King Aldwin II.” Abram expounded.

“I see.” I nodded. “If nodes exist though, why don’t we see them anywhere else? They don’t care about selling it?”

“Aye. Mithril isn’t particularly stronger than iron or steel, nor does it have any special properties like magical ore.” Abram continued. “But it is rare and a thing of great beauty. You can imagine why the Royal Family would want to keep it for themselves.”

“The only mithril you’ll see outside the Capital, little bro, are the medals that nobles and retainers receive during these Banquets for ‘outstanding service.’” Paul added. He seemed to be doing better and color returned to his face.

At that point, the caravan came to a full stop at a gate and a guard approached us.

“Identification and invitation please, my lords.” The guard said respectfully.

Abram handed him his insignia and the invitation letter.

The guard looked them over and returned them to Abram. “Welcome to the Royal Palace, sir Abram. Please conduct yourselves in an orderly manner and please do ensure that your children abide by the rules. Any disruption or disturbance will not be tolerated.”

Abram gave him a nod. The guard gave Paul and me a once over and then moved to the next vehicle behind us.

“Are we good to go, sir?” The driver asked Abram.

“Yes, yes, please do proceed. Slower this time, my good man.” Abram requested.

“We can’t go faster sir. It looks like a procession from this point on. All the carriages are going at a turtle’s pace as they approach the main entrance.” The driver replied with clear annoyance.

We all peered to the side and saw carriages of varying luxury trotting along the circular road leading to the palace entrance.

As we came closer, everything caught my eye. The manicured lawns and the perfectly sculpted topiaries and hedges. Several fruit trees were growing in the gardens while berry bushes lined the road.

“This is… just wow.” I remarked.

“Takes my breath away, every time.” Paul agreed.

“Alright, boys, we’re approaching the entrance. Mind your manners and be on your absolute best behavior. Remember everything we practiced in the past week.” Abram whispered to us.

Both Paul and I nodded. I fixed Paul’s hair which had flown up during the ride and he fixed my shirt.

The wagon came to a stop and the three of us dismounted.

In front of us was a long red carpet that was flanked by several maids and butlers.

In the distance I saw the party that came ahead of us. A noble couple and a small girl with pigtails wearing a dark blue dress.

The butler closest to us approached and Abram immediately handed him the invitation and his insignia.

“Master Abram Finch, and sirs Paul and Adi Finch, of the Roost Collective.” He announced in a loud and clear voice.

“Welcome!” All the maids and butlers greeted in unison while they bowed deeply.

Abram bowed in return and we followed suit. We then walked briskly across the carpet towards the entrance.

Inside, a maid directed us to a hallway to the right which opened up to a large audience hall where several counters were set up. The drapes around the room were a shade of deep purple and there was an insignia embroidered on each one. It was an inverted triangle with a huge “M” in the middle.

A man in mithril armor approached us and handed us clipboards and a stone marked with the number 16. “Please fill up the forms and kindly wait your turn. The stone will heat up when you’re next. At that point please proceed to the counter on the far right to get sorted. In the meantime, please feel free to rest in the lounge at the back.”

He immediately left.

“This feels very similar to the Royal Registrar’s Office.” I commented as we made our way to the lounge. “Are Lord Chase, Lady Vela, and Lady Mina going to meet us here?”

“No, little bro. This hall is for the retainers. The hall on the left is for nobles.” Paul corrected me.

“Oh.” I said sadly. “Oh!” I said in surprise as I felt the smooth fabric and the softness of the couches.

Paul chuckled. “I know right? These are amazing. It’s the only place I’ve ever experienced such softness.”

“Don’t lie down again, son.” Abram interjected.

Paul scowled. “Don’t remind me.”

I froze mid-crouch. I was about to lie down myself.

Abram chuckled. “Others might be watching. We have to maintain the Collective’s dignity.”

I sadly restrained myself.

Abram started filling up the forms while both Paul and me just sunk into the couches, savouring every moment of it.

Soon enough a few parties came into the lounge. Abram approached some of them and made small talk.

I wanted to ask Paul who they were but he had his eyes closed and I wasn’t sure if he dozed off.

After a while, Abram came back while waving the small stone at us. “We’re up next, wake your brother.”

I turned to Paul who was already asleep with his mouth open. I gave him a gentle nudge and he woke up with a start. He glanced at Abram and wiped his mouth clearly embarrassed.

We then proceeded to the counter on the right where a smiling woman was waiting.

“Welcome to the Royal Banquet. May I have the application forms?” She said with a smile.

Abram submitted our papers.

After making several notations, she returned the papers. “Please proceed to the third counter to undergo inquisition.” She smiled at us and gave us a small wave.

“Inquisition? I thought this was just for registration.” I said with some concern.

“It’s probably just standard procedure.” Abram said, betraying a bit of uncertainty.

“Is this going to hurt?” I turned to Paul.

“I don’t know little bro… This didn’t happen last time. But I’m sure it’s fine. There were people ahead of us and we didn’t hear screaming right?” Paul said encouragingly.

We approached the third counter and Abram stopped to turn to us. “That’s Inquisitor General Laya Ruby. Second-in-command of the Royal Inquisitor. Don’t stare and keep your answers brief.” Abram looked really flustered.

I gulped and grabbed Paul’s hand.

As we approached, I saw a woman who had long white hair tied in a ponytail. She had glasses and a stern demeanor. Her sharp features reminded me of Mother Elaine.

“Good morning Lady Ruby.” Abram greeted her with a friendly smile.

“That’s Inquisitor General Ruby to you, Finch.” The woman replied curtly. “Who’s this other one?” She pointed to me.

“I-I’m Adi Finch, Inquisitor General Ruby.” I said meekly.

The woman raised her eyebrows at Abram who seemed to shrink from her stare. “We adopted him not too long ago, Inquisitor General.” Abram clarified.

“Hmph.” Inquisitor General Ruby stood up and walked around her table until she came face to face with me. She was a really tall woman, almost half a head taller than Abram.

“Hold still.” She commanded. She held out her hand and touched my forehead. Her finger started glowing white.

An odd feeling came over me as if I was suddenly naked.

I looked up at Inquisitor General Ruby and saw her glowering which made me flinch.

“No soul-bound artifact. Is he an extended relative Finch? What family did he come from?” She demanded.

“We have no clue as to his actual genealogy, Inquisitor General.” Abram replied.

“Hmph.” She gave me one last look and proceeded to do the same examination on Abram and Paul.

When she was finished, she returned behind her desk and started writing things done.

“Your artifact first, Finch.” She suddenly barked.

Abram quickly removed the monocle and gave it to her. She examined it between her fingers which started to glow white again.

“Who’s the progenitor-artisan?” She pressed.

“My grandfather.” Abram answered.

She wrote down Abram’s answers and returned the monocle.

She inspected Paul’s club and asked the same thing. She wrote down Paul’s answers as well.

When she was done she filed away her report and gave Abram a small gold tab. “Show this to the guard at the end of the hallway to the left, he’ll direct you to the next room.”

“Thank you. It’s good to see you again.” Abram replied with a bow.

“If only I could say the same.” Inquisitor General Ruby replied with clear disdain. She then waved us away.

“Someone you know, pa?” Paul asked while briskly getting as far away from the menacing woman as possible.

Abram let out a long sigh. “It’s a long story, son. Maybe when you’re both older.”

I started circling the point on my forehead which Inquisitor General Ruby touched. “What was the thing she did?”

“That’s a branch of psyche magic particular to those in the inquisition. It basically gives them a glimpse of where your mana is tied to.” Abram explained.

“But your appraisal magic does the same thing right? You can tell that an artifact is bound to another person.” I asked confused.

“Hmm… it’s similar but not exactly the same. Our appraisal magic shows us the properties of objects which includes whether they’re soul bound already. We can infer the identity of the person it’s bound to by how much the artifact is resonating while in close proximity to another person and whether that person can actually channel magic into it.” Abram clarified.

“Inquisition magic gives them a clear picture of both the artifact and the person that’s soul bound. It’s like an invisible line that’s drawn between the object and the person. It also shows them the traces of mana that a person expends.” Abram clarified.

I took note of Abram’s explanations as we made our way to the guard that Inquisitor General Ruby pointed to. He was also wearing full mithril plate.

Pretty soon, we were being led to the next room.