Maria was angrily pouting as she gazed at the drifting clouds in the sky. However, she quickly lost her anger as the various image depicted by clouds mesmerized her. There was a giant floating pig head chased by a sweet little sparrow.

After a while, the sparrow changed to a ferocious crocodile with a gaping jaw. Nevertheless, the fierce crocodile was still small and sweet. However, the clouds which made the giant floating pig head shifted too. Hence, it was now looking like a giant popcorn. It was hilarious to see how such little crocodile would eat a giant popcorn.

She lightly chuckled as she saw this, but immediately after Maria felt a hand patting on her head, she flared up again. While slapping the hand away, she turned around and yelled indignantly, "Dad, stop it! First, you don't let me play, and now you are even bothering me! How vexing!"

The father laughed dryly as he secretly moved a chess piece. After he quickly glanced over the situation at the chessboard, he soothingly spoke, "Haha. Maria, calm down. Can't you let your old daddy play a single round?"

Coldly harrumphing, Maria turned once more around to gaze at the sky. Soon, she was mesmerized by the myriad pictures in the clouds. Seeing this, the father could only wryly smile before he turned his attention back to the game.

After a while, the father leaned back as he heaved in delight. Smiling relaxed, he glanced at the chessboard. It was an endgame. Any single misstep could mean the death of the king. However, the father had already calculated his victory. Hence he casually asked, "Do you already know what your last wish is?"

Libertas bit on his lips as he slightly wrinkled his brows. Sighing angrily, he eventually moved a piece. Then he waved annoyed his hand as he replied, "Let's play another round after this. This time you were only lucky!"

The father snickered before he moved a piece without any hesitation. Following, he said teasingly, "All right, but don't cry if you lose again."

Vexed, Libertas clicked his tongue. Subsequently, he moved and took a chess piece as he answered at the same time, "I won't! Don't worry. As for my supposed last wish, I have already decided it."

While the father nonchalantly smiled, he took revenge for his killed piece by murdering another one from Libertas. Then he casually asked, "Oh? Then why didn't you tell me?"

Indifferently, Libertas shrugged the intense gaze of the father off. Then he said, "Well, I am doing it now."

Seeing the father nodding at him, Libertas just continued to speak, "My last wish is to die knowing I have given my best. I don't wish to die, regretting I haven't done everything I could to seek a chance to live. I believe this chance may lay in the magic academy. Hence, I would like to join the magic academy, and this is my 'last' wish too."

After the father heard this, he was at first stunned. Then he frowned and muttered to himself, "This could be now hard for me to do. Besides that, I doubt…"

However, before he spoke to the end, he sighed and shook his head, "It doesn't matter. All right. I will help you enter the academy. However, you may likely only enter it in the next year."

Libertas clenched his fist as a smile crept on his face. He stood up and bowed to the father. Excited, he said, "Thank you."

The father smiled too as he waved his hand in the air. At this moment, a coachman entered and froze, stunned. A little girl, Maria, looked dazedly at the sky. Her eyes were still wet. Beside her, was the father raising his hand against a boy. Without any hesitation, he turned around while declaring, "Boss, I didn't see anything. Do what you need to do! I will try to stop the guards from disturbing you."

Hearing this, the father could only dryly smile as he covered his face. When did others start thinking of him as someone stupid? If he really didn't see anything, why would he suddenly turn around? Or why need the guard kept away from disturbing him? The father sighed deeply, "Come back. Tell me, why did you come?"

The coachman stiffly turned back before he quickly jumped to the feet of the father. Kneeling, he loudly shouted, "Boss, I am sorry. I truly didn't expect you to start hitting a little child. However, I know that you are a righteous and just man. Hence, you definitely wouldn't hit a child without a proper reason. That kid must have done something terrible! Please go on, Boss. I swear that I won't tell it to anybody else!"

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Libertas stared speechless at that kneeling coachman. That was really courting death. As Libertas glanced up, he saw a red face and a fist crushing down at the coachman. Then, of course, the coachman shouted out loudly, "Boss, please mercy. I truly didn't see how you hit a little kid or brought your little daughter crying. Please, stop! Don't hit me! I will still have a wife and children somewhere in the world."

After a while of silence, there was a commotion outside. Just as the father hit once again the head of the coachman, a guard rushed to the inside. The chessboard flipped, and the pieces flew around. Immediately, he yelled, "Stop!"

Then his gaze swiftly swept through the people inside before it stopped at the father. Without hesitation, he pointed a spear the father. Soon the second and third guard joined. Similarly, they too directed their spear at the father.

The father slowly raised both of his hands. He shot an aggrieved a glance at Libertas, then a blazing glare at the coachman. Finally, the father spoke soothingly, "Please calm down. We have here a misunderstanding."

The first guard frowned as he harshly continued to yell, "If we have a misunderstanding here, doesn't matter now! We will clarify it later, as for now, you need to come with us! Turn around now!"

After an annoyed sigh, the father glanced towards Libertas. With a weary smile, he pleaded, "A bit of help would be appreciated."

Hearing this, Libertas pulled himself out of his stupor. However, as he opened his mouth, the guards spoke up before him, "Don't you worry child. We will protect you from this scoundrel!"

Instantly, the father heavily coughed. The spear pressed against his throat, a drop of blood seeped out, sticking to the tip of the spear. Seeing this, Libertas hastily said, "Wait, stop! This is really a misunderstanding!"

The guards glanced at each other. Clearly, they were stunned. After they quickly nodded at each other, the first guard stepped towards the child. He knelt as he laid the spear to the ground. Nonetheless, he still firmly hold the shaft. Following, he spoke reassuringly, "This was all just a simple misunderstanding? Is that the truth? You don't need to lie or fear him. We will protect you. I promise you this. If you want, could you please explain what has happened earlier."

Again as Libertas opened his mouth, someone else took the word. This time it was Maria. Her red face and the slightly wet eyes touched the hearts of the guards, as wild speculations popped in their head. She pointed her finger at her father as she yelled, "Maria played with big brother, but Maria lost. As Maria wanna play again, evil daddy took over to play with big brother!"

Stunned, the guards glanced at each other and blushed. Then they faintly coughed before it turned to a burst of hearty laughter. They took back their spear and bowed to the father. A guard patted Maria's head as he told the father, "We are sorry for the disturbance, but we still need to do a short inspection here. Furthermore, we need to verify your merchant licence."

The father grumbled while he waved his hand, "Go on."

Then he pulled a card out of his pocket and gave it to one of the guards. While one guard verified the licence, the others quickly inspected the cart. Later, the first guard smiled at them as he said, "Alright. We are done here. We thank you for your compliance, and you may now pass the gate. Welcome to the capital!"

The guards swiftly walked out. Seeing this, the coachman hastily followed. However, before he could exit the carriage, a hand grabbed his shoulder. The father whispered like the devil, "Where are you going? Shouldn't you give me an explanation about this?"

The coachman laughed dryly, "Haha! Boss, this is all just a misunderstanding. Nothing has happened. Besides that, I need to drive a carriage through the gate. So, boss, could you please let me go? We can't let the others behind us wait, right?"

"Scram!"

Annoyed, the father kicked the coachman out of the carriage. Plumping to the ground, the coachman jumped joyfully back up while he shouted, "Yes! I survived another day!"

Hearing this, Libertas snickered at the father while the father could only silently grumble. Leaning back, Libertas saw the chess pieces on the ground. A mischievous smile appeared on his face. As he then saw the father calming down, he teased, "Unfortunately, the guards flipped chessboard, or else I would have won. Now, it can only be a draw."

Glaring at Libertas, the enraged father cursed, "To hell! No! You know it yourself, I would have won at the end!

As a reply, Libertas shrugged his shoulders while saying, "How could I know? We never played it to the end. You could have won, but I could have won too."

The father glanced at the scattered chess pieces before he clenched his teeth. Through his gritted teeth, he slowly told, "All right. How about we play another round?"

After he said, he immediately bent down to pick the scatted chess pieces. However, as Maria heard her father wanting to play another round, her eyes widened indignation. With a gaping mouth, she pulled at her father. Then she yelled, "NO! Daddy, no! You said one round! Not two! Maria wanna play too!"

Libertas chuckled to himself as he saw that. Then he bent down too as he secretly hid his smile. Soon all the pieces were picked from the ground, and new chess game began. At the same time, two carriages silently passed through the gate to the capital. Finally, they have arrived.

However, soon after they have arrived there, another commotion happened. Another troop of soldiers had arrived in front of the two carriages. This troop of soldiers were different from the guards. They had swords instead of spears. Moreover, a strange insignia of a blue planet was on their chest armour.

A man wearing a black tuxedo coat stepped forward. His walrus moustache moved.