Capítulo 7: Kingdom of Leynum
Apparently, Abby and Greg were already staying in a room outside the castle to take a break. It was a small room, but comfortable.
"Hey, Abby, what should we do...?" Greg left the sentence hanging, his eyes shining with awe.
In front of him, Abby had just removed her armor. For the first time, Greg saw her without her heavy protection. Her purple hair fell in soft waves, and her face looked different, more relaxed, almost... warm.
"Greg?" Abby asked, noticing the silence.
Greg had a goofy expression, his jaw slightly dropped, almost drooling.
"HEY, GREG!" Abby raised her voice, snapping her fingers in front of his face.
"Huh? What happened, Abby?" Greg snapped out of his trance, shaking his head as if waking up from a dream.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yes. It's just... I've never seen you without armor. And I think you look... good," Greg stammered, nervous and visibly blushing.
Abby couldn't help but smile. She knew that an 11-year-old could easily fall for her, so she decided not to disappoint him, but also not to make too big a deal out of it.
"Uh-huh," Abby replied, with a touch of charisma in her tone.
"Hey, Greg, will you come with me to deliver the salamander's head? What do you think?"
Greg nodded quickly, almost tripping over his words as he agreed. Without wasting time, they both left the room and headed to the castle to fulfill the mission.
"Hey, Abby, are we heading to the castle?" Greg asked, excited.
"Yes, Greg. But listen carefully: just follow me and do what I say, understood?"
"Yes, understood!" Greg replied with a firm gesture.
Upon arriving at the castle, they were greeted by guards. Greg was instantly impressed. He had never seen anything so majestic. The towers rose toward the sky, the gardens were filled with magnificent trees and flowers, and in the air, there was a sense of power and grandeur. He even glimpsed a small blue dragon resting on a high branch.
"Welcome, Miss Abbyrris. Would you like to see Prince Robert?" one of the guards asked.
"Yes, tell him I bring the salamander's head."
The guard nodded respectfully and quickly left to find the prince, who was at the top of the castle.
"Hey, Abby, who is Prince Robert?" Greg asked, intrigued.
"He's the prince of this kingdom, Greg. A very important man."
Greg thought about it, wondering why someone so powerful would want the head of a salamander. While they waited, he tried to tidy himself up: he combed his hair with his hands and shook the dust off his clothes.
The guard arrived at the prince's hall and, with a bow, reported:
"Prince Robert, Miss Abbyrris has arrived with the salamander's head. She is accompanied by a young mage."
Robert was a 35-year-old man, with reddish hair and an imposing physique. He held a magical staff that radiated power. A blue-haired girl rested in a bed beside him. Her face was pale, but a small smile formed when she heard the news.
"So they've arrived..." said the prince, offering a hopeful smile. He approached the girl and, in a soft voice, spoke to her with tenderness:
"Did you hear that, Emma? You'll get better soon. Just hold on a little longer."
Then he ordered the guard:
"Let them in and bring them here right away."
The guard rushed through the castle's hallways to the main door.
"Miss Abbyrris, please follow me. The prince is waiting."
"Greg, don't stray from me. Do exactly as I say."
As they were led through the castle, Greg couldn't stop admiring the place. They passed corridors adorned with statues, stained-glass windows telling magical stories, and a training field where mages fought in intense battles. Finally, they arrived at a huge room filled with medical instruments.
In the center, a bed held the blue-haired girl, Emma. Beside her, Prince Robert was waiting, his gaze tired but determined.
"Here they are, sir."
"Greg, kneel," Abby whispered to him.
"No need, Miss Abby," interrupted the prince. His tone was kind but firm. "If this works, I'll consider her part of my family. All I want is to save my daughter. Now, please hand me the head."
"First, I want my payment."
The prince gestured, and a guard handed him a bag full of coins. Abby took it, pulled the salamander's head from her bag, and handed it to the prince.
"Alright, Emma, this will help you," murmured Robert, starting to extract the creature's blood. He poured it into a container filled with strange ingredients and mixed everything carefully. When he finished, the dark liquid began to glow faintly.
"Perfect. This should be enough. Now, please leave. I'll join you in a moment."
As they were leaving, Greg noticed a painting on the wall. Something about it seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.
"Here, Greg, I'll give you half—5,000 Arrumis."
Greg took the money, though he still had questions to resolve before thinking about it.
"Hey, Abby, what just happened? Who was that girl?"
"Emma is the prince's daughter. She's been seriously ill for months. Her illness is hereditary, the same one that killed her mother, Haley." Abby looked down, a tear sliding down her cheek.
"Haley was my friend, my mentor. When she died, I became a bounty hunter to gather information about her illness and help Emma."
The door opened again, and Robert appeared. This time, his face showed a slight smile.
"Thank you, Abby. The medicine is working. I owe you everything."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"You know, you could stay here, leave your life as a bounty hunter. You'd be part of our family."
"I'll think about it, Robert. For now, I need a break. By the way, this is my friend Greg. He's a young mage with a lot of potential. He came here to learn more about magic."
Greg, excited, made a deep bow.
"Hello, sir. I'm Greg Bleyt. It's an honor to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Greg. I'm glad to see Abby has a trustworthy friend."
"And tell me, Abby, how was the battle with the salamander?"
"I didn't even see it alive. Actually, it was Greg who faced it, along with Noa, a companion of his. Though the rumors say Greg defeated it with a single magic attack."
Greg started getting excited as he heard Abby speak so highly of him...
"That's true, Greg, that's really incredible. So tell me, how did you do it?"
Greg struck a powerful pose, as if he were really excited to tell the story.
"Well, I saw the huge salamander, and it was about to attack me. Then, all I could do was say... 'Earth that dwells in the bowels of this world, aid me in battle, stone spear!'"
"And I managed to pierce it with one quick blow. A strong and precise attack."
"Intermediate level elemental magic? That's very good, Greg. But you want to be stronger, right? If so, I give you full access to the castle, including the library. You can research whatever you want."
"Really? Thank you so much, prince! I won't waste it, I'll learn everything I can."
"Hey, Robert, shouldn't you consult this with your father first?"
"My father isn't here right now. He had to leave; it seems several kingdoms are meeting to resolve a problem. They said the divine key has returned or something like that, that's what I understood."
"Hmm... the divine key. I thought it was just a myth."
"Hey, Greg, where do you plan to go first?" Robert asked cheerfully.
"I'd like to go to the library."
"Of course, guard, escort young Greg, treat him like a special guest. Now, take him to the library and show him the guest room."
"Yes, sir."
Greg was escorted to the library while admiring the great castle. However, he had a question, so he decided to ask.
"Excuse me, sir, what are the dragons used for here?"
"Dragons are used for Prince Robert's training."
Greg wondered how a dragon could help with training if they were so dangerous...
"How's that? Don't both of them get hurt?"
"No, young man. Look, the blue dragon has magical abilities, like the ability to resist magical attacks. It can even heal itself, and most importantly, they are intelligent. You can't talk to them, but they have a great mind. They decide who to train with."
"And for now, the prince's only pupil is Prince Robert. Well, young Greg, we've arrived. Here's the library. When you decide to go to your room, call me; I'll be here."
"Yes, sir. Thank you very much."
Greg walked a little and entered the library, fascinated by what lay before him: thousands of books, a multi-story library filled with volumes. Right in the center, there was an area to read. Then, he ventured deeper, determined to find everything related to marks on the body...
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