190. Country Roads, Take Me Home

Fifteen Years Later

Sixty kilometers south of Ludonia Capitol, three luxurious carriages followed by a group of intimidating cavalry is currently approaching the gates of a highly guarded mountain. It is worth noting that it is the middle of the night and a few more carriages not far from the area are all travelling towards one direction.

Upon closer look, each carriages especially the plated armors of every soldiers have its own respective circular insignias indicating they are part of highly respected aristocrats of the kingdom and while it is common for nobilities to congregate, today is an exemptions as they are not here to socialize but to pick up their most precious family members who had been imprisoned in an underground facility where citizens are punished with only one crime- treason.

Fifteen years ago, news about the tragic death of the first and second princes spread throughout the kingdom and since the perpetrator could not be determined, the previous king used the deaths of his sons to remind everyone as to who was in power.

The result, at least thirty high ranking nobles were executed and more than three hundred important figures sent to prison.

And after a decade and half, the third prince finally succeeded the throne and today, he granted royal pardon to give everyone a chance.

On one of the buildings overlooking gates, the warden is currently looking at the names of the all the prisoners being released tonight. From the first page, many of the names listed are known to him as they are all prominent figures but as he looked the second and the third pages, the lesser familiar they are but he still knew they are of nobilities like him.

But on the last page though, there is one name that is completely unheard of.

The warden placed the folder and looked at his subordinate.

“Prisoner number 327, who is he?”

The clerk looked at his boss with surprise. She was expecting the warden would be interested in at least preparing to meet the incoming visitors yet the man actually asked for the least important figure among the prisoners.

The clerk pulled up a thin folder from the piles of papers on the side then handed it to the warden.

“He was an ex-Erindal student who became an accessory to lure out the first prince. It was said that the boy did not integrate with the Spirit Essence given to him by the school and had planned to gift it to the second prince. It is unclear if this was true but the boy’s cultivation had been crippled before thrown to our jail.”

When the warden heard the name Erindal, his eyes squinted and immediately opened the folder handed to him. There is only one picture and a few lines of descriptions but it was more than enough to understand that the boy had no background and judging from the noble’s name associated with the boy, it was easy to tell no one will come to pick up this prisoner.

Had the boy not been involved with the princes’ scandal, even he would adopt this man and make him improve their lineage.

“Withdraw two gold coins, ten silvers, 100 coppers and give it this to the prisoner and let him go.”

“What about our visitors?”

The warden took out a stick of cigarette then responded, “Release all prisoners on the list and if anyone asks, tell them I’m busy.”

“I understand.”

Later that night, a thin and sickly looking man on his late twenties was released from prison and rode a public carriage to the closest transport guilds of Ludonia.

The thin and malnourished man is none other than Clay. From the perspective of bystanders, he looked like a wandering skeleton as the bones on his face and hands are almost visible. With the help of the money given to him by the warden, Clay was able to buy a hoodie and scarf to hide his hideous appearance.

For the past ten days, he rode one carriage to another and when given the chance, he would take a nap and not because he is sleepy but because of a habit cause by his imprisonment and he is slowly adapting now that he is back to the normal world. For the past fifteen years, his life cycled through thirty minutes of eating and a two day meditative slumber.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

While he could have had lived like a normal prisoner inside a gloomy and dark cell, he forced his body to follow a strict regime to distract himself from solitude and after a month of programming his mind and body, it had become natural to put himself to sleep.

Today after ten days from his release, he reached the outskirts of Duke Guilligar’s fiefdom.

“You awake, son?” Said a sweaty middle-aged farmer while munching a straw grass on his mouth.

Clay opened his eyes upon hearing voice.

Earlier this morning, he hitched a ride from farmer transporting a haystack as no one wanted to give him a ride.

“Take the other side of the road and in two hours, you should arrive at the bus station.”

Clay timidly moved his body then slowly got off of the wagon. Even after ten days of having been able to eat normally, his body still felt and looked like a dried twig that easily break with a press of a finger.

“I only have a few coins with me. I can’t thank this….”

“Just keep it son. I’m sure life’s hard on you.”

Clay was about to take out a silver coin to repay the farmer but he was interrupted and refused. He wanted to insist but the farmer already turned around and started the wagon.

“If you have no place to go back to, our farms here will always need a hand.”

Clay did not move and watched the wagon slowly pass through the other side of the road and when it finally disappeared, he stretched his hands in the air then after a few seconds, he started walking again.

He could still not believe he endured the past decade and a half.

Fifteen years ago after he killed the first and second princes, he anticipated nobody would give a care about him and that he will be sent home later but contrary to his expectations, the butterfly effect was much worse it ended up with the king using the deaths of his sons to subdue anyone conspiring against the throne.

Initially, Clay was brought in for questioning and given he was a promising young mage, he should have been at least freed and forced to serve the royal military yet the next thing he knew, he was thrown into prison together with a few mages present during the mission.

Clay could have had easily escaped and even while in prison, he was capable of killing his way out and leave no traces behind however at that time, he had his first major doubt if there really was an active consciousness of the universe.

From his experience, it starts out with an unfortunate event then followed by a series more of bad luck so he willingly let go of his plans of living a normal life then had himself put behind bars and observed.

But much to his disappointment, nothing happened as if his much awaited bad luck left him. It is a given that a few inmates died of depression but overall, the prison facility had been peaceful all throughout.

Now that he is out of prison, he is back to square one.

Originally, the plan was to go back home, live an ordinary life and he even pictured himself getting married but after fifteen years of being starved in a dark solitary underground prison, he made a realization.

Regardless if there is an active consciousness of the universe or not, he will end up being involved in the world of cultivation. Maybe not when he chooses to die in the secular world but once he reincarnates, all he will have gained are memories he may regret again in the future which means he may as well just cultivate and confront who is at the pinnacle of this universe’s power and gain some understanding of his true identity.

*Sigh

Clay slowly let a sigh of relief then closed his eyes to look into his Mana Heart.

For the past fifteen years, he had never released a sliver of his mana.

Prior to being deemed guilty of subversion, someone was tasked to send their mana and implode it into his Mana Heart supposedly crippling his cultivation but with his massive mana pool and couple that with a perfect mana control, containing the foreign invading and destructive mana was child’s play.

Clay released a portion of his mana throughout his body then looked at his palm then made a fist. After confirming no abnormality in terms of circulation, he sent out his mana towards his back and formed a pair of wings.

Clay did not have problems walking but his body is still recovering and even a ten kilometers distance may have a toll on his body but it should be a problem if it was for a few minutes of flying. Having confirmed that no one is around, Clay flapped his wings made of mana then levitated.

As Clay rose through the air, he can’t help but notice the sea port he dropped off earlier. From his understanding, that sea divides a third of Ludonia Kingdom and where technology from west completely stops.

Clay turned his head towards the opposite side. While everything looked like a normal countryside, for someone who had only seen dark walls for the past fifteen years, the scenery looked to him like a magnificent painting.

“What a life.”

Clay knew that ever since he chose to get imprisoned, the more that he be forgotten and if he reunites with his family now, he understood very well it will just complicate things. He doesn’t really plan on going home but he will at least get a glimpse of them before moving forward with his life.

*Screech!

As Clay is floating on air, the wind carried the rumbling sound of a moving object and when he turned to look where the sound is coming from, the image of bus greeted his eyes.

Just a second ago, he was enjoying the scenery of the countryside and going home and with a bus added to his thought, it reminded him of a country song from back on earth.

Clay can’t help but hum.

Country Roads, take me home

To the place, where I don’t belong,

West of Ludonia, mountain mama

Take me home, Country Roads.