Walking back to the courtyard, George and Seno met up with Clara and Jax, who had been waiting anxiously.

"How was it? She didn’t try anything, right?" Clara asked, concerned.

Seno shook his head. "No, she gave us answers that seemed reasonable enough. She went on about the history of humans and their connection with god. I'm not sure how much of that was legit, but everything else made sense, more or less."

"She’s lying," George interrupted, his tone flat and certain.

Seno turned to him. "How can you tell?"

George crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Liars have tells. Bad liars are easy to spot. Good liars show very little. But great liars... they almost show nothing. I've been around people whose entire job was to lie for a living. While the princess wasn’t spinning complete fabrications, she’s definitely holding things back." Jax frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "Like what?"

George let out a soft exhale, eyes narrowing slightly. "Her entire story about the history of humans was designed to distract us from the real issue—why she’s keeping us separated from the others who don’t have active skills. There’s no logical reason to separate us and then tell us we’ll 'meet a few' of them later. "

Seno’s brow furrowed in thought. "I guess that’s true... but why go to all that trouble?" George’s gaze sharpened. "She’s been pitting us against each other since the start. Look at the way she’s structured things—our group and Lance’s group. We’re set up to compete, not cooperate. Do you remember what she said? Out of everyone, only Lance and I have a skill similar to the previous hero, Emanuel. She’s not telling us everything she knows about the [Destiny of the Hero] skill."

Clara and Jax exchanged glances, nodding in agreement, while Seno stood silently, processing the revelation. When he first met George, he’d pegged him as a stereotypical street thug—rough around the edges and not particularly bright. But over time, George had proven himself to be far more intellectual and keenly observant than Seno had ever expected. It was the reason Seno had come to follow George’s lead, not because the princess had assigned him as leader, but because George was different. Even now, Seno was continually surprised at how much George had picked apart from such a brief conversation.

"Then there’s the contract," George continued, "They had us sign it because they didn’t want to waste the resources they were giving us. But from what Seno’s told us about how money works here, and how these nobles live... I’m not buying it. The allocation of resources doesn't make sense if that was truly the issue. The contract wasn’t about resources. It was about control."

Jax, Clara, and Seno all fell into deep thought. Signing that contract had been a mistake. When they were first summoned, confusion and disorientation had ruled their decisions. With little time to understand the gravity of their situation, they were guided, manipulated—into signing it without fully grasping the consequences. A month in this world, and the weight of that decision was starting to sink in. None of them knew what would happen if they disobeyed the contract or tried to escape, but they all had a gut feeling it wouldn’t end well.

"What should we do, George?" Clara finally broke the silence.

"For now, we keep quiet. This stays between the four of us. Play along, follow orders, and don’t raise any red flags." He turned to Seno. "What are the limits of your skill? I know [Path Finder] can track people and places within a certain range. But can it locate something more specific? Like an item that could break the contract?"

It stood to reason that if a contract existed to bind them, then somewhere, there had to be a way to break it. Every trap had an escape, every lock a key.

Seno's eyes narrowed as he focused inward, activating his skill. Without Haru’s [World Knowledge], this timeline was playing out vastly differently. The Summoned had to figure out their own abilities, meaning their progress was slower, more painstaking than it should have been. But Seno had proven himself resourceful, and [Path Finder] was their best shot at finding a way out of this mess.

> Path Finder

The skill allowed Seno to locate what he sought most, but there were limitations. It worked well when trying to find a person or place, though even then it didn’t lead directly—more like pointing in a general direction. Finding an item was trickier, especially when he didn’t know exactly what it was he was looking for. Instead, the skill manifested as a sensation in his body—a kind of warm or cold feeling, guiding him toward his goal.

Seno closed his eyes, concentrating. After a moment, he opened them again. "It exists," he said slowly, "but it’s not clear. I’m getting subtle sensations, like... warmth when I’m close, cold when I’m far away. No direct path."

George nodded. "That’s good enough for now. Keep working on it. We need to find whatever can break this contract before they decide to pull the trigger."

"I’ll do my best," Seno replied with determination in his eyes.

"That’s all I ask," George said, clapping him on the shoulder. "We'll get out of this, I promise." Though he looked at his three teammates, his words were meant for someone else.

…

Haru’s eyes narrowed as he stood there, arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently. His gaze lingered on the rows of freshly brewed elixirs lined up before him. There was a subtle irritation in his expression that he wasn’t bothering to hide. Beside him stood King Aldric, along with his two sons, Cael and Elric. The court’s alchemists were bustling about, looking proud of their work, bringing out batch after batch of the elixir.

"We’ve done it," the lead alchemist declared, a note of pride in his voice. "We’ve successfully synthesized the elixir based on Mr. Rex’s recipe. After several trials, we’ve produced ninety-seven elixirs in total."

The bottles glistened in the dim light of the lab, their contents swirling with the promise of hope for the Kingdom of Cranch. Yet, Haru stared at them as if they were mocking him. Ninety-seven bottles. The court alchemists, on their first attempt, had only a 3% failure rate. Meanwhile, back when he had been making these himself, he was lucky if he had a 30% success rate.

'Am I really that bad at this?' Haru thought, his irritation growing.

King Aldric, ever composed, nodded approvingly. "That’s excellent news," he said with relief.

The lead alchemist’s face brightened, clearly happy with the king’s response. "To be honest, we were worried at first," he admitted. "Mr. Rex’s description of his failure rate had us concerned that the process would be extremely difficult, and we feared we would waste a significant amount of materials. But once we started synthesizing, we realized it was easier than we expected. Second-year students could probably manage it with ease. In fact, we estimate that even first-year students would have a seventy percent success rate with this formula."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The alchemist shot a grateful glance at Haru. "It’s clear now that Mr. Rex mentioned the potential for failure to make sure we were cautious. While the ingredients aren’t particularly rare, we needed to take great care in order not to waste them, especially during such dire times." The alchemist’s expression turned somber. "Back at the academy, we were taught to use only the highest quality ingredients to achieve the best results. We often discarded ingredients that didn’t meet our exacting standards, and looking back, I'm ashamed how wasteful and arrogant I was."

Suddenly, the alchemist grasped Haru’s hands, shaking them with enthusiasm. "Mr. Rex, you’ve not only saved our kingdom but taught me a valuable lesson. Even the simplest of ingredients hold value, and with care, they can create the most profound concoctions. You’ve become an inspiration to us all. I will forever remember what you’ve done for Cranch."

Haru’s lips twitched into a faint smirk. None of this was remotely true. The reality was that he had never received proper training. Everything he knew about alchemy came from trial and error, coupled with whatever scraps of knowledge he could gather during his rare moments of down time. His process had always been chaotic and haphazard, yet somehow, it worked. Well, if they wanted to heap praise on him, he wasn’t about to stop them.

“Well,” Haru said, finally breaking his silence, “I’m glad it worked out.”

Cael stepped forth and asked, "How was the dilution process?"

"The recipe gave us enough to make a hundred bottles in total," the alchemist said. "We had three failures—one was a trial run, the second due to human error, and the third when we adjusted the recipe for a diluted version, as you suggested. But now, we believe we've perfected the variation."

Cael nodded. "Drink it."

The lead alchemist nodded and signaled the others. They uncorked the vials in unison and took measured sips. Within moments, the transformation began. The blotchy rashes that had marred their skin for months slowly faded, the purple irritation giving way to healthier skin. It wasn’t a complete cure—traces of the rash still remained—but the rejuvenation was undeniable.

One of the alchemists flexed his fingers, as if testing to see what he was seeing was real. "This... this is remarkable," he whispered in awe. "Even in this diluted form, I feel like I’ve been renewed."

The tension in Cael's shoulders eased. He turned to Haru. "With this, we’ll be able to save Cranch. Every alchemist under our employment is bound by contract and has been thoroughly vetted for any sign of disloyalty. The recipe will be safeguarded. We’re also conducting a full sweep of the kingdom to root out any remaining traitors. Cranch will no longer be under threat from within."

"That’s good to hear. I’ve done my part, so I think it’s time for me to move on." Cael blinked in surprise, clearly caught off guard by Haru's abrupt decision. "You’re leaving already? You’ve done a great service to Cranch. There’s no need to rush—you’re welcome to stay longer, if you like."

But Haru shook his head. "I’ve got a timetable to keep. There’s still a lot of work ahead, and I can’t afford to linger. I’m glad I could help, but it’s time for me to move on."

King Aldric stepped forward then, his demeanor softer, more like a friend than a king. "I understand. You’ve more than earned your right to leave. But before you go, there’s something I’d like to give you—a token of our gratitude."

Haru raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What is it?"

Aldric led Haru, along with his two sons, to a room that hadn’t been opened in years. It was quiet inside, a place filled with mementos from the king’s adventuring days—tokens hung on the walls, relics of battles long past. But at the center of the room, covered by a heavy cloth, was something special.

Aldric pulled the cover away, revealing not a suit of armor, but a sleek, dark blue-and-yellow outfit. It looked more like fine cloth than battle gear, yet, Haru could feel the strange energy pulsing from it, a sense of latent power concealed within its threads.

"I call it the Wyvern Breath outfit," Aldric explained, his tone warm with nostalgia. "During my adventuring days, I prioritized speed and agility over brute strength. I had this specially commissioned—it’sh made from te fibers of the Gargantua Spider and imbued with the essence of a wyvern we slain. It might look like cloth, but it has the durability of light armor, and it greatly enhances the wearer’s speed."

Aldric turned to Haru with a smile. "I want you to have it."

Haru's eyes gleamed with surprise. "You’re giving this to me?"

He turned back to the outfit, admiring the sleek design, and activated [World Knowledge].

> World knowledge Lv3

> Name: Wyvern Breath Description: A lightweight yet durable outfit crafted from the silk of Gargantua Spiders and imbued with the essence of Wyverns. Originally commissioned by King Aldric during his adventuring days, this outfit was designed for speed and agility without sacrificing durability. Despite its cloth-like appearance, it boasts the protection of light armor, making it ideal for those who prioritize mobility over brute force. Enhancements: +30% Speed, +25% Agility, +10% Resistance to Wind Magic, +5% Evasion Rate, Auto-repair function (minor damage repaired over time), Reduces overall fatigue and energy consumption when performing high-speed movements Assessment: Rare-Grade. Value: Very High.

Haru’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. This wasn’t just some regular adventurer’s gear—this was Rare-grade, worn by one of the top adventurers in his prime. And the materials used to create it? Unbelievably rare. The enhancements were insane, and Haru could only imagine how much it would sell for—easily in the tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of Klador.

Practically frothing at the mouth, he turned back to Aldric. "Y-Y-You’re really giving this to me? No take backs…?" Haru was already gingerly touching the outfit like it was a precious artifact, eyes wide with glee.

Aldric chuckled heartily. "It’s yours. Back then, it served me well. I thought I’d pass it down to my sons, but once they were born, I realized their lives would be quite different from mine. It’s just been gathering dust since. I've seen your plaque by your side so I know you're an adventurer as well. I thought—this would suit someone like you much better."

If any one were to see their exchange, they would think it was ridiculous a former top adventurer was handing his gear to an F-rank newbie but here we were.

"Go on, try it on," Aldric encouraged with a warm smile.

Haru wasted no time. He slipped into the outfit, which fit him like a glove. The material was light, allowing him to move freely, yet he could feel the subtle strength within the fabric.

"Not bad," Haru muttered, admiring the way it looked and felt. He struck a quick pose, smirking.

Cael and Elric exchanged amused glances, clearly impressed by how well Haru wore it. "You wear it well," Cael remarked with a grin.

Haru turned back to Aldric, giving him a grateful nod. "I really appreciate this, Aldric. It means a lot."

Aldric clapped a hand on Haru’s shoulder, his expression earnest. "You’ve done a great service for us. This is the least we can offer in return. Cranch owes you a debt, Haru."

Haru shrugged, though a sly grin tugged at his lips. "Just make sure Cranch doesn’t fall apart while I’m gone, and we’ll call it even."

With that, they made their way to one of the kingdom’s teleportation waypoints—a large, intricately carved stone archway inscribed with shimmering runes. It was a gateway that would transport Haru to a border town within the Kingdom of Crown Almighty.

Haru gave a casual wave as he stepped onto the platform. "Well, this is it. Try not to let things fall apart without me."

Aldric nodded solemnly. "Safe travels, Mr. Rex. Something tells me we’ll see each other again soon."

As the magic in the waypoint activated, a bright light enveloped Haru, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

Aldric stood there for a moment, the glow of the teleportation circle fading away. He placed a firm hand on the shoulders of his sons. "Remember, always keep those you trust close. True loyalty is rare, and it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. Don’t let Magnus’ betrayal make you fearful of new friendships. Learn from it, but don’t let it close your heart."

Cael nodded, taking the words to heart. "I understand, Father. I won’t let it cloud my judgment."

With that, the three of them turned back toward the castle. Though Haru had left, the weight of Cranch’s future still pressed heavily upon them. There was much work to be done, and they all knew the kingdom's fate rested on their shoulders.