Upon hearing the word "ring" come out of his brother's mouth, Apolo snapped out of his trance state and quickly concealed the hand holding the accursed ring in his pocket, as if he feared it might be snatched away at any moment.

—I don't understand what a simple bronze ring has to do with my health— Apolo commented, looking at his brother suspiciously. His brother, however, continued gazing out the window, seemingly ignoring him, so Apolo could only see his massive back.

—Are you so unwell that you've forgotten the family training also enhances my senses?— Hermes questioned with disgust, unable to look away from the reflection of his brother's withered face provided by the carriage's window. The young soldier was starting to suspect that if it weren't for his brawny build, his brother would genuinely be considering how to get rid of him right now. —If Grandfather told you the ring was magical, it's because it's not that simple, or am I mistaken, little brother?

—Those are mere ramblings of a dying old man!— Apolo retorted angrily, while nervously rubbing the ring hidden in his pocket. —If the ring were truly magical, don't you think Grandfather would have taken it from me? To him, stealing the ring would be as easy as slapping me.

—What kind of grandfather would steal from his own grandson?— Hermes asked, with a touch of anger in his voice, as if the scenario his brother presented couldn't possibly exist in his mind. —Do you really believe someone in the family would steal from you?

—No, of course not. I love you all, and you love me— Apolo quickly responded, as if he had realized the terrible mistake he was making by bringing up this delicate topic. —You would never steal from your beloved brother, right, Hermes?

—If you truly believed that, you might stop hiding your hand in your pocket; it's really quite foolish to try and hide the ring at this point...— Hermes replied begrudgingly, while observing through the reflection how his younger brother's body kept trembling.

Seeing through the reflection that Apolo couldn't take his hand out of his pocket and could only stare at his back with an increasingly deranged look, Hermes decided it was time to reason with his brother. So, he said calmly:

—Think logically, Apolito. It's more than evident that the journey to the capital and the documents for you to become a magician are worth more than a magical ring. How many magical objects are there in the empire? Or even more importantly, how many magical objects do we have in our castle? And as a future magician, the emperor will throw magical objects at you to investigate; you'll end up getting tired of them...

—I suppose...— Apolo whispered, reflecting on his brother's words.

Seeing that Apolo was returning to a more normal state, Hermes continued insisting with his reasoning:

—Our family has raised soldiers for millennia: the grandpa taught his 4 sons the warrior's path and bid farewell to all four when they died in battle. Do you really think someone with the mentality of the grandpa, head of a prominent noble family known for its warriors, would send one of his grandchildren to become a magician by chance?

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—Of course it wasn't by chance!—Apolo shouted angrily. —The old man needed to get rid of me, or why do you think our younger brother became a merchant?

—Merchants can at least have children, idiot!—Hermes retorted angrily, as if stating the obvious—Magicians can't: You've just been disinherited, moron!

—And what does that have to do with anything? Either way, I was never, and will never be, the heir to the Black Forest throne—Apolo responded with disgust, tired of trying to understand what his brother was trying to achieve with all this talk.

For the first time since the journey began, Hermes turned around and stared at his brother's decrepit face. It was then that Hermes realized that his brother's two black eyes were practically devoid of shine, making his two large dark circles that betrayed his lack of sleep stand out even more. With much sorrow, Hermes explained his point of view:

—Aside from grandfather, there are only four measly men left in the family: Fausto is the heir to the Black Forest throne, Homero is the adventurous merchant, and I'm the soldier who upholds the family tradition. There's a common thread in our three paths, and that's that all three of us can have children. Therefore, we could inherit the throne in case of an accident. Meanwhile, you're marching to the capital to be disinherited from the throne: Why would grandfather do something like this in this situation?

—Because he hates me: He sees me as a threat!—Apolo responded quickly, escaping the inquisitive gaze of his older brother to instead look at his hand hidden in his pocket.

—A threat...—Hermes whispered, looking at his brother's narrow arms with pain. It was impossible for someone who couldn't lift a wooden sword to be a threat.

—Yes, a threat: he believes what happened in the forest wasn't an accident—Apolo said, looking back at his brother. —I didn't kill Helena, she was my best friend, my childhood love: I'd never harm her. Yet, Grandfather thinks I did it. You heard everything he said in the hall, didn't you?

—I also believe it was an accident...—Hermes commented, his eyes welling up with tears as he looked at his brother's desperate stare, making the cruel lie more obvious—Finding that ring was a big accident, little brother. It's all that ring's fault.

—No, no, the ring did nothing! The blame lies with Grandfather, for not believing me—Apolo replied, shaking his head with a twisted smile forming on his face. —But honestly, I'm very glad that at least you believe me. Don't you think you're getting too far from the castle, big brother? If we keep talking, I'm afraid you'd have to walk a lot.

Looking with a mix of disgust and fear at his brother's slightly unhinged smile, Hermes tried to ignore it and said as he stuck his hand out of the window, signaling the carriage driver to halt:

—You're right, this farewell is dragging on too much. Unfortunately, I still can't comprehend why Grandfather didn't take the ring off you, but I hope the old man isn't mistaken, and once you become a magician, you'll regain your sanity. As your older brother, I did my best to make you understand that the ring is killing you, but sadly, I can't do more to help you. Now, all I can do is trust that you'll realize your problems on your own. Good luck in the capital, Apolo...

After saying those words, Hermes got off the carriage and watched as his younger brother immediately signaled the driver to resume the journey, as if fearing Hermes would change his mind and get back in.

Following the signal, the carriage continued on its way and slowly faded from Hermes's view until it disappeared on the horizon. The young soldier watched with concern as his younger brother drifted away from his life toward an uncertain destiny.