Finally, the carriage arrived at its destination, revealing the imposing four castles with their immense towers in the middle in the distance. But, as Mateo suspected, they were likely to arrive too late, and on a regular day like this, it seemed that the bureaucratic staff wasn't working at this late hour. Therefore, Apolo decided to try sleeping in the ministry's dormitories. Mainly because the other options were spending the whole night in the driver's seat or attempting to fit inside the carriage, and both of these choices were far too uncomfortable for his liking.

After asking the guard at the ministry's gate for directions, the carriage headed towards the third castle of the Ministry of Magic, following the signs along the blue-tinted path. After a few seconds, Apolo arrived at the gate, and a guard proceeded to greet him.

—Pleasure, what brings you here at this late hour?— inquired the guard as he inspected the interior of the carriage and noticed it was empty.

—To sleep— Apolo gruffly replied.

—Only wizards are allowed into this castle. Are you a wizard?— the guard asked, ceasing his investigation to extend his hand towards Apolo.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

—Yes, I'm a noble wizard. I won't pay a bribe to a nobody!— Apolo complained, looking at the guard's outstretched hand with disdain.

—No, I'm not seeking a bribe. You seem new here. I'm asking for the silver badge that identifies you as a wizard— the guard quickly responded, appearing somewhat intimidated by the young man who resembled a walking wardrobe.

—Ah...— Apolo proceeded to search his pockets until he found the wizard identification badge. Without wasting time, he handed it to the guard.

The guard examined the badge carefully. It was the size of a large coin, with one side featuring the face of a person with only a very small nose and unusually large ears, this person was the one who footed the bill, the current emperor of the empire: Caesar of Silver Fields, son of the former emperor Patricius of Silver Fields. On the other side of the badge, there was an inscribed pointed hat, indicating that Apolo was a wizard. Lastly, on the badge's edges, taking advantage of its width, the name "Apolo of Black Forest" was inscribed.

—Everything's in order. Furthermore, you need to go to Room 1A and find a set of keys. As I mentioned before, only wizards are allowed in this castle, so the driver must wait outside— the guard commented, sitting back down on an improvised chair made from two boxes he seemingly had pilfered from inside the castle.

—You can get inside the carriage to sleep, Mateo— Apolo said as he descended from the carriage and entered the castle.

—Have a good night, sir!— Mateo shouted as he pulled his carriage away from the gate and parked it in an area where he could leave it overnight.