Gradually, the days passed, and Apolo slowly approached the capital until the promised day finally arrived. The 6-month journey was tough on all the members of the caravan, and while there were no major accidents, 6 months of travel were enough to wear down anyone's spirit.
Apolo, for his part, gradually got used to life outside the castle and the "peculiar" behavior of the commoners. Slowly, the young man began to understand the meaning of his younger brother's words and tried to learn from others how a true noble should act. After spending a long 6 months learning from life itself, Apolo had some confidence that he could handle the problems that arose in the capital.
Another significant point was that Apolo slowly improved his physical condition since he only ate and slept in the carriage, without being so obsessed with exploring the forest. Although, in reality, if you were to compare his body to that of a regular person, no sane person would say Apolo looked healthy. Nightmares continued to torment him at night, highlighting his haggard appearance and lack of enthusiasm. Additionally, the daily meals failed to plump him up enough to hide his bones. To make matters worse, his muscle strength had atrophied due to spending so much time confined in a carriage. But, if we subtract those three fundamental factors of human health, we could deceive ourselves into saying that Apolo was slightly better than before.
On the other side of the travel group, Mateo and Orrin were adjusting to their young master's habits. While initially, the task was quite challenging, over time, the father-and-son duo realized they were quite lucky to have such a sedentary master. After all, Apolo's routine and problems were always the same: fighting over his food, cleaning his clothes, and being there to listen when he had a panic attack.
As per the merchants' instructions, today was the day they would reach the capital. Orrin began to make the most important preparations. The old servant had been thinking about this day for 6 months, so he had most things prepared well in advance. During a pause taken by the caravan along the way, Orrin got down from the driver's seat of his carriage with a box in his hand and approached the carriage where Apolo always stayed.
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—My lord, here are the documents for becoming a magician— Orrin commented as he opened the door of Apolo's carriage and carefully handed him the box.
—Perfect— Apolo responded gruffly, taking the box and quickly closing the carriage door as if fearing the documents inside might come to life and escape on their own.
The box was made of wood and wasn't overly large; about the size of a carry-on suitcase. Upon opening it, Apolo noticed that there were only three rolled-up scrolls and a silver mask inside. The silver mask was rather beautiful and immediately piqued Apolo's curiosity. It was a half-mask, covering only the upper part of his face, leaving his mouth and nose exposed. As for its appearance, aside from the obvious beauty of the silver metallic color, it was adorned with intertwining leaves, and two red leaves were positioned just below each eye hole. Apolo instantly recognized that the leaves were identical to those of the black trees surrounding the castle, suggesting that someone had designed the mask specifically for him. Without bothering to read the contents of the scrolls, Apolo put on the silver mask and was pleased to find that someone had indeed designed it for him, as it fit perfectly on his head.
Curiously, Apolo looked at his reflection in the carriage's glass to see how the mask looked on him, only to realize with dismay that while the mask was beautiful, it served to accentuate his already prominent and pointed nose. With a touch of sadness, Apolo removed the mask from his face and proceeded to open one of the scrolls in the box to see what was written on it.
Upon opening the scroll, Apolo noticed it was a response message to his grandfather. It read as follows:
> "Oh, great king of the Black Forest:
>
> I am pleased to learn that one of your grandchildren is willing to become a magician for the empire. Naturally, we will make the necessary arrangements to ensure that your grandson's desire, Apolo of the Black Forest, is fulfilled without major inconveniences. Kindly remind your grandson to deliver the attached card in this letter after completing the registration process at the Ministry of Magic.
>
> Sincerely, Dorien of White Town, Minister of Magic"
Apolo read attentively and saw that below the written message on the scroll was a small paper card affixed with wax. Carefully, Apolo peeled it off to examine it closely: the card was a plain piece of paper with nothing written on it, except for the striking drawing of two wide-open eyes on one side.