INFINITE - 44
"And from the prices I saw, he isn't selling them for much. Children from almost any family could afford one."
"Yeah!" Marc quickly chimed in. "And he's really, really good at wood carving!"
Noria smiled.
"Then when we return to the castle, Brea and I will ask Father if Mister Tert's shop can be featured in the kingdom's newspaper."
Bell smiled back.
"...Yeah."
"I'm sure he'd be happy to hear that."
…
As they continued walking around the kingdom, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind.
"Psst, kids!"
The four of them turned around and saw Juro approaching.
Marc immediately grinned. "Teacher Juro! You came to join us?"
Juro laughed as he ruffled Marc's hair. "Yeah. Just finished discussing a few things at the castle."
Noria and Brea both gave a polite bow.
"Greetings, Sir Juro."
Juro waved a hand dismissively with a smile. "Nah, don't be so formal with me. Talk comfortably. You two are just kids anyway."
As he spoke, his eyes drifted down to what Marc was holding.
Marc noticed immediately and excitedly raised both hands toward Juro's face.
"Teacher Juro, look! Look! It's a wooden carving of The Greatest Mage! I got it for free!"
Juro looked at it with interest.
"Ooh. Nice. What about the others?"
Brea and Noria each showed him their own wooden carvings.
"Ooo, so all of you got one." He glanced at Bell. "What about you?"
Bell simply shrugged.
"I declined."
Juro tilted his head. "Why? Don't you like wooden carvings?"
Bell lightly shook his head.
"It's not that. I just felt bad taking one for free. Besides, I'm fine without one. Marc and I can just share the figurine."
Marc's face immediately lit up.
"You like The Greatest Mage figurine too, Bell?!"
Bell let out an awkward laugh.
"Ah... haha... yeah. Who wouldn't, right?... Haha..."
"Mm-hm!" Marc nodded enthusiastically. "Don't worry! You can hold it whenever you want!"
Bell could only smile back.
The five of them continued strolling through the kingdom while Marc excitedly told Juro about everything they had seen during their trip around the market, especially their visit to the toy shop.
Noria also brought up Bell's suggestion.
"We're planning to have Tert's toy shop featured in the kingdom's daily news."
Juro nodded approvingly.
"That'll definitely help his business grow. Nice thinking, Bell."
Bell simply shrugged with a small smile.
After walking a little farther, Marc suddenly looked up at Juro.
"Wait, Teacher Juro... how'd you even find us in such a huge kingdom? We could've been anywhere."
Both Noria and Brea exchanged small smiles.
Juro chuckled.
"Well... it's because of these two."
He gestured toward the princesses.
"Huh?" Marc blinked. "Noria and Brea helped you find us? How?"
Juro nodded.
"The kingdom, and more specifically the castle has a locator that's made from multiple spells working together. Think of it like a machine powered by magic. Its job is to detect the location of members of the royal family."
He continued as they walked.
"The farther away they are, the weaker and less stable the connection becomes. But since you were all still inside the kingdom, the locator was showing their position very clearly."
"So all I had to do was ask one of the Magisters to locate Princess Noria and Princess Brea. Once they pinpointed the location..." He smiled. "I just headed over there, and here I am."
Marc had been listening intently the moment Juro mentioned 'spells.' His eyes sparkled with amazement.
"Woah... spells are so cool. Does only the Kingdom of Nerlarnd have a machine like that?"
Juro shook his head.
"Nope. Pretty much every kingdom has one. It's mainly there to help protect the royal family and keep track of them in case something happens."
Bell quietly sighed in relief.
"Good... he didn't add anything else."
Then Juro smiled.
"Though all of that was possible because of one person."
Marc's eyes immediately lit up.
"Him?! Is it...?"
Bell closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"...Oh well."
Juro nodded.
"The Greatest Mage."
Marc's excitement practically burst out of him.
"I knew it! So he invented that too?! He's so smart... and so cool!"
Noria and Brea couldn't help but chuckle.
Noria smiled.
"Even our history instructor somehow ends up talking about The Greatest Mage every lesson."
Marc beamed as he looked down at the wooden figurine in his hands, admiring it even more than before.
Seeing the children's cheerful mood, Juro smiled.
"Oh, that reminds me."
Everyone looked at him.
"We actually have somewhere to go."
The three children tilted their heads in confusion.
"Go where?" Marc asked.
Juro grinned.
"To sign up as adventurers."
Both princesses looked intrigued.
Marc, meanwhile, nearly jumped where he stood.
"Wait, really?! Today?! We get to sign up as adventurers?!"
Juro laughed at his excitement.
"Yeah. There's an Adventurer Guild here."
He glanced toward the road ahead before scratching his cheek.
"Though... it's quite a walk from here."
Brea and Noria exchanged a smile before walking up beside Juro.
"We can help with that," Brea said.
The two princesses then repeatedly tapped the heels of their shoes against the ground.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
They continued for a few more seconds, both giggling as if they were having fun.
Marc blinked in confusion.
Bell and Juro, however, immediately understood what they were doing.
A few moments later, the familiar royal carriage rolled toward them, driven by the same royal coachman from earlier.
Marc's mouth fell open.
"Woah! What just happened?! How did you two call the carriage?"
Noria and Brea only giggled at his reaction before climbing inside.
Noria peeked back out with a smile.
"Come on. We'll explain on the way to the Adventurer Guild."
"Huh? Ah! Alright, coming!"
Marc hurried toward the carriage, then suddenly turned back.
"Teacher Juro! Isn't that awesome?! Come on, let's go!"
Still grinning from ear to ear, he climbed inside with Bell following right behind him.
Juro simply smiled before stepping into the carriage as well.
..
Once everyone was seated, Marc settled in the middle, with Bell on his left and Juro on his right. Across from them sat the two princesses, who informed the coachman of their destination.
After receiving their instructions, the coachman gently flicked the reins, and the carriage smoothly began making its way through the kingdom.
The moment they were moving, Marc could barely contain himself.
"Okay! Now tell me!" he said excitedly. "What happened back there? Why were you two tapping your shoes on the ground? How did the carriage find us so fast? Was magic involved?"
Marc's eyes were practically sparkling with curiosity.
"So... what happened back there!?"
Brea and Noria smiled at one another before Brea began.
"Well, before we start... yes, magic is involved."
Marc leaned forward.
"Oooo."
Noria picked up where Brea left off.
"There are spells engraved onto our footwear, and throughout the Kingdom of Nerlarnd there are many different spells engraved beneath the ground. Some serves a different purposes."
She paused, recalling what she had been told.
"I remember Father once saying that one of those spells helps stabilize parts of the kingdom whenever an earthquake happens."
Marc's was even more intrigued.
"Woaaah?? A spell like that exists? That's really cool!"
Noria giggled before continuing.
"And as for what you saw earlier, the spell on our footwear reacts with another spell engraved beneath the ground. When Brea and I tap our heels several times, both spells activate and send a signal to the royal coachman, telling him where we are so he can come pick us up."
Brea nodded.
"Father and Mother have the same spell on their footwear too."
Marc listened in complete fascination.
"What does the spell look like?"
Noria gave an apologetic smile.
"Unfortunately, we've never actually seen the spell beneath the ground. But when we get back to the castle, we can show you the one on our footwear."
Brea added with a small grin,
"Well... only after it's visible again. Right now it's invisible."
Marc's eyes widened.
"Woah! Invisible?! Is that another kind of magic?"
Brea nodded.
"It is. Every night, after Noria and I take off our shoes before bed, one of our attendants brings them to the castle's mages. They recast the invisibility magic over the engraved spell before returning them."
Marc quickly connected the pieces.
"Ooh... so invisibility magic has a time limit? That's why you said we could see it later back at the castle?"
The two princesses nodded together.
Bell quietly listened to their explanation.
"They're both really well educated... though there are a few details they don't know."
"An ordinary mage couldn't casually cast invisibility magic and have it last for hours. Most mages wouldn't even know how to cast that kind of magic in the first place. And even if they could, it'd probably only stay active for twenty seconds at best."
"The castle must have a fairly high-ranking mage assigned to maintain those enchantments."
Bell rested his chin against his hand as he looked out the carriage window, watching the houses pass by.
"Well... they're still kids. It makes sense they wouldn't know everything."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Hearing about engraved ground spells after all this time... that's nostalgic."
"I remember creating the first one with a friend."
His gaze lingered on the streets outside.
"It's not uncommon for kingdoms to engrave or conceal spells beneath their land. Most of them eventually develop their own unique spells."
"But there was one kingdom that stood above all the others..."
"The Main Kingdom."
"The place where the ruler of all kings resided."
Without realizing it, Bell let out the faintest smirk.
..
After listening to the princesses, Marc suddenly gasped.
"Oh! Wait..I almost forgot!"
He quickly turned toward Juro.
"Teacher Juro, are we really signing up to be adventurers today???"
Juro smiled. "Yup, we are."
"I'm excited!" Marc beamed. "I can be an adventurer! What do adventurers usually do?"
Juro was about to answer when the carriage came to a gentle stop. The coachman called from outside, informing them that they had arrived.
Juro chuckled. "Oops. I'll tell you more about it after we sign up."
Marc nodded eagerly. "Okay!" He turned to Bell with a wide grin. "C'mon, Bell! Let's go!"
The coachman opened the carriage door, and the two princesses stepped down first, followed by Marc, Bell, and Juro.
As Marc looked around, he noticed people occasionally glancing toward them before casually returning to whatever they had been doing.
"Whoa... the vibe here feels a bit different."
Juro nodded. "Well, we're surrounded by adventurers right now. They're pretty used to seeing royals from their kingdoms come by to request missions or discuss guild matters, so no one's making a big fuss."
Marc nodded in understanding.
"Oooo... that makes sense."
As they approached the Adventurer Guild, Marc slowly tilted his head upward.
"Wooaah..." His eyes sparkled. "This is the Adventurer Guild building? It's so big... and the designs on the walls are so cool..."
The sturdy stone building stood proudly before them. Decorative carvings stretched across its walls, while the guild's massive emblem hung above the entrance. It wasn't as extravagant as the royal palace, but there was a different kind of grandeur to it, one built through years of history and countless adventurers passing through its doors.
Juro smiled at Marc's reaction before pushing the large doors open.
The moment they stepped inside, a lively atmosphere greeted them.
Adventurers wandered throughout the spacious hall, some browsing the quest boards while others chatted in small groups. A few newcomers waited at the registration counters, and off to the right sat a modest bar where several adventurers relaxed between jobs.
Conversations filled the air from every direction.
"Woa... it's so lively..."
They made their way toward the front counter, where one of the receptionists noticed Juro approaching.
"Hello, sir. Welcome to the Adventurer Guild."
As her gaze shifted past him and landed on the two princesses, her eyes widened.
"Your Highnesses..." She quickly straightened herself. "It's an honor to have you visit us! Please give me a moment while I call the Guildmaster—"
Both Noria and Brea gently raised a hand.
"There's no need for that," Brea said with a polite smile. "We're only here to accompany our friends today."
The receptionist blinked before giving an embarrassed nod.
"Ah... my apologies." She looked back at Juro. "Then how may I assist you, sir?"
Juro casually rested a hand on the counter.
"We'd like to sign up as adventurers."
"I see!" the receptionist replied cheerfully. "In that case, please head to the registration room on your left. Once the light above the door turns green, you may enter."
Juro nodded.
"Alright then. Let's go."
The group walked over to the waiting area.
As they waited, Marc couldn't help looking around the guild. There were so many different kinds of adventurers.
Some carried unusually shaped swords strapped across their backs. Others had belts lined with potions, pouches, or strange tools Marc couldn't even guess the purpose of. A few wore heavy armor, while others traveled surprisingly light.
Everything about the place made him even more excited.
Brea noticed the way his eyes wandered around the hall and smiled.
"Are you excited to become an adventurer, Marc?"
Marc looked at her and nodded enthusiastically.
"Mhm! I don't really know what I'll do after becoming an adventurer yet... but I'll be fine as long as Bell and Teacher Juro are with me!"
Bell and Juro glanced at each other for a brief moment.
Neither of them said anything.
But the small smiles that quietly appeared on their faces said enough.