Walking down the busy streets, a soft breeze blew over me. I lifted my head and relaxed as the wind comfortably combed my hair. It felt like a weight had finally been lifted from my back. I was free again to roam wherever I wanted and to talk to whoever I chose.

I knew I shouldn’t be feeling this way after leaving my companions behind so quickly like that, but I just couldn’t stop thinking to myself. Why hadn’t I left them earlier? Why had I even joined them in the first place?

As I made another turn in my aimless travel, a soft rumble came from my stomach. I realized I hadn’t had a meal since this morning, and it was already quite a bit past noon. Luckily, though, I had the solution.

I reached my hand into my bag and produced the pouch that was still full of Lazarus’s berries. I hadn’t even touched them since my first day here since I was afraid my companions would get all fussed up about it again. Now freed from those chains, I grabbed a few of the succulent, blue cherries, throwing the plump fruits into my mouth.

My teeth sank through the skin of the berries, letting a sweet juice seep out and onto my tongue. Oh, this had to be the nicest fruit in this world. It was such a shame Abby had said it was poisonous.

Putting the pouch back into my bag, I glanced around at my surroundings. Shops lined both sides of the broad street, with clear glass windows showing what each sold. I had looked at the shops during our walks through the city before, but I never had the chance to stop to buy something. For one, we were always going somewhere, and for another, Abby had all the money anyway. Now, it was different.

I put my hand into my bag again and took out a gold coin. Looking at it closely for the first time, I made out the figure of a man with a crown carved in. On the flip side, the number 1000 and the word “krons” were embedded. I continued to gaze at the glistening coin but eventually took my eyes away from it.

To my left was a store that seemed to sell armor pieces, and to my right, it was a store that sold swords. This really is a fantasy world, isn’t it?

I placed my coin onto my thumb and flipped it into the air. As it fell, I caught it and revealed the result. Tails. Looks like I’ll be heading left.

When I opened the door to the weapons store, a man greeted me from the aisles. I nodded back and smiled. Abby definitely would not have let me go to a random weapons store. “It’s just a waste of money,” she’d say before reminding me of where we were actually going.

Now, I strolled through the aisles lined with glistening blades. However, none of them caught my eye. I didn’t like the thought of having to carry a clunky sword around me all the time. Plus, unlike Ari, I didn’t have the type of body that’d look good with a huge sword either.

After turning the corner, I suddenly became surrounded by rows of sharp daggers. How these shops haven’t been banned for being a safety hazard, I don’t know, but at least I’ve finally found some pretty neat weapons I’d be interested in.

Browsing through the aisle for a while, I couldn’t come to a decision. I wanted something sharp and durable but also light. However, a lighter blade would be less durable than a heavier one, right? But the one Irnoma gave me was both light and durable, so how was I supposed to find something like that?

Finally, after feeling up a few daggers, I decided to call the man I had exchanged greetings with earlier for help. “Do you have something durable?” I asked him as he arrived. “And light, and sharp?”

The man chuckled quietly and put on his small grin. “You aren’t giving me many options there, sir. Almost everybody coming here is looking for something sharp, light, and durable, and you must understand that there are tradeoffs.”

Embarrassed, I quickly fumbled to reply. “I—I have the money,” I said as I pulled my coin pouch out, then unsheathed my crystal dagger. “I’m looking for a knife as durable and light as this but also just as sharp or even sharper.”

The clerk’s eyes flickered at the sight of my dagger, but he maintained his smile. “I see, sir. You must be planning to become an adventurer, I take it? We have our premium products on display the other room over. Please follow me.”

He guided me deeper into the shop. At the farthest corner, we crossed through a thick doorway into a small, dark vault. Here, extravagant blades were encased in glowing glass boxes. I glanced through the several daggers on display and the captions under them. “Dragonstooth,” “Pulsar’s Core,” “Crystal Lotus’s Blessing.” All of them looked far rarer than Irnoma’s dagger.

“Every single one of the blades we have here is extremely light and durable,” the store clerk told me. “However, if you are looking for something sharp, then I recommend the Mantis Claw. Forged from the claws of the largest slain creature in the marshes of Chraesla, this dagger has both sharpness and excellent tearing capabilities.”

I studied the blade behind the glass. It had a bright green color that reflected blue in the shining light. The sharp grooves and hooks on its edge glistened. “How much is it?” I asked.

“39999 krons. It’s quite the deal, considering all the jobs you could complete with it as an adventurer.”

I hesitated. 40 thousand bucks? That’s forty of my gold coins! And I only had a small pouch of them. How much money would I be left with after that? Was it just that everything here at the center of the Capital was so expensive?

I was about to thank the man and take my leave, but the store clerk stopped me. “Actually, sir, today we have a special discount on this knife!”

I stopped in my tracks and looked back at the sparkling dagger. “How much?” I asked.

“How would you like it for half the price? In exchange, we can trade daggers. This is a one-time offer only for our new customers, of course.”

“Uhh…” I glanced between the man and the glowing glass case. This is really starting to sound like a scam. “Sorry,” I said finally, turning to leave. However, the clerk pulled me back once again.

“Wait! Sir! I was just joking,” he said with a short chuckle. “Sorry if that may have aggravated you, sir. I thought youngsters like you would have enjoyed jokes like that…” The man put on an embarrassed smile and continued, “the actual discount for our new customers is 25 percent! How would you like the Mantis Claw dagger for just 29999 krons, sir?”

I sighed and thought about it. 30000 krons shouldn’t be too much, right? In just the past few days, Abby had already spent almost 10000. And now that it’s just me instead of four entire people, I shouldn’t need to spend much.

I opened my coin bag and counted 30 coins. After giving my payment, the clerk waved his hand, and the glass casing slid down into the pedestal. The dagger was finally exposed to the air around us. I admired the naked blade as the man carefully picked it up, sheathed it, and placed it in my outreached hands.

“Thank you for your purchase, sir,” the man said with a bow. “Will this be all for today?”

I nodded and attached the new dagger to my left waist. “And thanks for the really cool dagger. I’m sure I’ll come back here if I need anything else.”

“It would be my pleasure to help you again another time.”

I strode out of the store with a joyful smile. After making my first purchase, it finally felt like I was free. Should I buy anything else? A set of armor, perhaps? Or maybe a magic-imbued ring? They have got to have those, right?

However, my eyes landed on something in the distance. Again, I was gazing at the huge palace towering above all the buildings. I still have to find a way to meet my sister, and figure out which of the princesses is actually my sister, for that matter.

Without a second thought, I set out for the palace, weaving through roads and intersections towards the ever-visible mansion.

After a long walk of finally taking in the diverse people, odd hovering cars, and elegantly designed buildings, I reached the crowded plaza before the main gates to the palace. Navigation through the city was surprisingly easy. Maybe I could be fine without Abby’s help after all.

Just as last time, stalls were set up at the edge of the large, square, empty space, where people were selling anything from fruits to jewelry. This place had to be a major tourist attraction.

At both sides of the towering gates stood the usual guards. They hadn’t let me in last time, but there must be a way to get them to. Yes, there had to be a way to meet the princesses without Abby’s help.

I walked up to the friendliest-looking guard and studied his unwavering stance for a solid minute before opening my mouth. “Hey, Sir… I was wondering if there was a way you could let me enter the palace?”

The soldier didn’t move. He didn’t even look down at me. So I continued, this time louder. “Sir. I was wondering if I could meet the princess?”

His eyes darted towards me for a second before looking back out into the distance. However, realizing that I wouldn’t be leaving without an answer, he replied with a firm “No.”

“Then how could I perhaps arrange a meeting with the—”

“Boy, I will give you this one warning. Harassing the guards—especially the guards of the palace gates—is a serious crime. We could arrest you right now if it weren’t for our patience.”

I turned to the speaker, a second guard. “I am just asking a question,” I said, almost in a complaining tone, “and you refusing to answer is only prolonging the amount of time I’m going spend bothering you.”

“We will need your identification marked with approval personally by someone of the royal house to pass the gates. If you are really dumb and still don’t know what to do, then send a letter to her highness from the postal office.” The first guard held his palm up, and a baton materialized in his hand. “Now, you better run before I resort to force.”

I backed off quickly, not because I was afraid of losing to a person with a stick as a weapon, but because I didn’t want to attract more attention than I already was. Some people had already given odd glances when I confronted the guards.

I turned back and quickly walked into the crowd, then stopped. Where was the postal office? Seriously, if only I had Abby’s suit to tell me. Now I had to ask around for directions.

However, when I asked a person near me, he ignored me. So did the second. And the third, and the fourth… Every single person I asked simply acted like I wasn’t there and went back to their business.

I was starting to question if anybody could even see me when a hand gripped my shoulder tightly and forced me to turn around. I looked up at the second guard I had met earlier. He didn’t have a very pleasant expression on.

“Boy, I’m going to have to know your purpose for staying here. Either you tell me now, or I take you in for questioning.”

“I—I need to meet with the… Do you know where the postal office is?”

The guard narrowed his eyes and waited.

“I’ll be leaving soon!” I said quickly, realizing I hadn’t answered his question. “I just need to know where—”

“Do you have any identification, boy?”

I panicked. Identification? Again? “I—I gave some identification at the border check,” I replied hurriedly. “I’m also looking to get a card very soon!”

The guard, still suspicious, whipped out a tablet. “I’m Damien Reyes,” I said as he tapped the screen. Paying no attention to my words, he silently put the tablet away and pointed out to the distance. I followed his finger, and my eyes landed on a building poking over the rooftops.

“The postal office is right beside the jump station and Adventurer’s Guild. Now get going before I find a reason to arrest you.”

I backed away, heading towards the tall building. The guard continued glaring at me with his narrow eyes, but I turned around to study my destination: a tall stone tower with a clock at the top. The guard didn’t seem to like me, but at least I know where I’m going now.