After having an extremely strange dream, Apolo found himself leaving his room, walking through the long corridors of the mansion, trying to stretch, and heading towards the mansion's front door where Mateo was waiting.

—*Uaaah*... is everything ready?—Apolo asked as he yawned, looking at his faithful servant, who seemed a bit sleepy.

—Yes, breakfast is already in the carriage; we can leave whenever you're ready—Mateo replied, opening the mansion's door for the young man.

—Let's hurry; the Ministry of Magic is far, and I want to arrive today—Apolo said as he walked toward his usual carriage but realized there was a slight problem: the carriage was too small for him to fit into.

—...—Mateo remained silent, noticing the issue: there was no other carriage for transporting people; there were only carriages for transporting objects. Apolo had hardly left his house this year, and everything was managed by messengers, so he only now realized that this carriage had become unusable.

—Well, I'll sit in the driver's seat, and you drive. Before we go, tell Orrin to buy another carriage; I want it ready for when we return—Apolo said, taking the breakfast tray from inside the carriage and placing it on the driver's seat. Now that he stood over two meters tall, it seemed foolish to him to get into this seat.

—As you wish!—Mateo exclaimed, rushing back into the mansion to inform another servant of Apolo's order. After a few minutes, he returned and saw Apolo having his breakfast in the driver's seat.

—Are we leaving?—Apolo asked impatiently as he devoured a whole fruit in a few bites.

—Yes, we are. The journey will take a few hours, so it's best to leave early—Mateo replied, climbing into the carriage and taking the reins to start the journey.

The journey itself took almost 20 hours if one traveled at a reasonable speed because the Ministry of Magic was in the center of the capital, like all important buildings. Apolo's mansion was located right next to the capital's wall, so the distance was quite considerable. However, when the purpose of the trip is to collect your "pay", you always do it with a smile, and this was no exception.

As the hours passed and the carriage approached its destination, Apolo enjoyed the view from the driver's seat and looked around the neighbors' gardens for ideas to decorate his own. The truth was, Apolo had never spent part of his budget on the garden, so it looked quite neglected. By his own rule, he had decided not to place any furniture in the yard, except in the most inaccessible part of the house where the sun never reached, and the lack of decorations was bothering him.

Time consumed Apolo's thoughts, and before he knew it, it was getting dark. Feeling impatient as he noticed the passing of time, he asked the universal question that any traveler embarks on a journey:

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—Are we there yet?

—No, we're in the center now; you can already see some important structures—Mateo replied, pointing to a large tower in the distance.

—I hope we arrive on time; I just need them to tell me it's closed when we get to the gate—Apolo said, sounding somewhat nervous.

—Most likely that will happen, but I think there are some dormitories for wizards at the Ministry, so you won't have to sleep in the carriage—Mateo replied, looking at the stars beginning to appear in the sky.

—How do you know that?—Apolo asked with curiosity. He had learned that when he bought his house, but he didn't understand how his servant had found out.

—Negotiating with people from the Ring City, I learned quite a few things about the capital and its surroundings—Mateo replied happily—Once we bought a couple of carriages from an acolyte; he was apparently moving into the house of the wizard who taught him. Maybe one day we'll have acolytes sleeping in the mansion. Do you plan to take on some soon?

—I can't teach anyone; I don't know much myself yet...—Apolo replied, remembering that he had devoted more time to his house than to magic. But according to his ancestor, that was the correct order of priorities, at least that's what Apolo believed.

—According to the acolyte I talked to, novice wizards learn from books in the Ministry's library—Mateo commented.

—Yes, I know, but I'm not in a hurry either. The day will come when I'll come to fetch some books, but for now, I just need the money—Apolo replied calmly, apparently having thought about this matter extensively.

—Whenever you like, you're not obligated to do so. Most noble wizards don't work like commoners—Mateo commented, reminding Apolo that there was always another option.

—Yes... but it's very boring; I have to keep myself entertained, or I wouldn't know what to do with my valuable time—Apolo responded thoughtfully. There was always the option to throw all his plans to the wind and live a life of luxury, sponging off the Emperor. But that was too monotonous and senseless for the young man—Although the truth is, a year ago, I would have accepted that proposal. At the beginning of the journey, I was really scared of coming to the capital and becoming a wizard...

—Scared? You?—Mateo commented, incredulous. He had always assumed that the reason the young noble never left the carriage was arrogance, and even hearing these words directly from Apolo's mouth, he still believed that it was arrogance.

—Ha, ha, ha, yeah, kind of weird, isn't it?...—Apolo laughed, realizing that someone would really have to put a lot of effort into killing him—But I was young and inexperienced, a boy fresh out of home facing a world that was too big and full of unknown things. Anyone would be scared in those circumstances.

—I guess...—Mateo commented, holding back a question in his heart, but not for long—But don't you think your fear disappeared very quickly? As soon as we set foot in the capital, you had almost a hundred people who mocked you killed.

—Eh?... Well... actually, yes... Don't you think it's strange?—Apolo asked, noticing the problem. It was quite evident when someone told you, but realizing that detail by yourself was quite complicated—The only thing I can think of is that I felt blessed by my ancestors, and that's why I lost my fear of the unknown. But the truth is, that's not much different from a miracle. Why do you think I lost my fear of the capital and the unknown?

—If you're not sure yourself, my lord, it's not like I can answer that...—Mateo murmured in a low but still audible voice.