“The Sapphire Inn?” a roughed-up man said. His wry smile missed more than a few teeth. “Why, it’s right there, across the street. I was just about to head in for a beer.”

“Thank you,” I said. He must have been the tenth person I asked after a long search. Simply getting out through the walls had been a pain, let alone figuring out which quarter of the city the Sapphire Inn belonged to. I really should have paid better attention to my surroundings during Darko’s tour.

Ever since leaving the temple, I’d felt as if something was watching me, and I didn’t doubt my intuition. The King must have sent spies after me to make sure I didn’t escape. Worked just fine by me.

With the crooked man’s directions, I rushed over to the Inn I now recognized. I entered through the unlocked front entrance. The canteen bustled with laughter, people all around filling tables. A sore taste filled my mouth. Hadn’t Darko rented this whole place for our privacy?

“Hey,” I told the innkeeper, who was no longer lounging.

The innkeeper eyed my outfit suspiciously. “Come for a drink, Your Highness?”

“Are they here?” I asked. “The girls, Shena and Remy?”

“Ah, the mages.” The innkeeper’s brows furrowed. “Left two hours ago. Damn idiots dared ask for their money back, telling me to reopen the shop. The red-hair adventurer was apparently arrested.”

“They left?” I asked. “Then, they’re alive?”

“Indeed,” the innkeeper said. “And if you are not here for a drink or a room, I will ask you to leave too.”

I let out a chuckle, fueled by an emotion I couldn’t quite identify. Shena and Remy were alive. I had successfully saved them. The cultists hadn’t mutilated them. Holy shit.

“Did they tell you where they were going?” I asked.

“Of course not,” the innkeeper said. “When has a woman, let alone a mage, ever told you something that wasn’t a scheme?”

“Any messages?” I asked. “A letter for anyone looking to find them? Did they leave anything to help me find them?”

The innkeeper sighed. “You are out of luck, boy. I’m sorry.”

I stood still with my mouth open for a moment, about to argue further. Instead, I said, “Thank you, sir.” I walked out of the doors, emotions relaxing to numbness.

I slumped down by the front steps and took a breath to calm myself. I had found what I had come looking for. Nobody was dead, thank the gods. I wasn’t responsible for yet another murder.

I could sleep at night without deadly worries. My spells hadn’t accidentally killed someone, and I hadn’t accidentally killed myself. All around, yesterday’s situation had gone just about as perfectly as it could have.

I was free to restart my life. In the King’s captivity, sure, but I wasn’t tied to a contract. And my new allies, Daphine Belyris and the Prince, would protect me from the cult. They’d do a far better job than my old team ever had.

Everything was well. I could go back to the King’s crib peacefully now.

That was the end of that, then…

I buried my face in my hands. I took a deep breath, smelling the dirt and grease on my palms. The awful smells were the only help in keeping me from totally losing it.

They abandoned me. Of course they did. I was stupid to call myself a friend. Wasn’t it made clear from the start that I was nothing but a liability? I was kept along because throwing me out would cause problems. I was kept in the plan because I had the possibility of making myself useful, not because anyone actually cared about me as a person.

It was just like back then. When I was fired from my job. The exact same situation, the exact same type of friends surrounding me.

Every side was the same. Corporations, employees. Friends, family. Royalty, cultists. Adventurers. No matter who I involved myself with, I was always disposable. If I wasn’t useful, I was thrown out when convenient.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

And now I was all alone. The only people who wanted me were cultists who wished to mangle me to death, and royalty who wished to abuse my magic for their own power.

I couldn’t blame anyone. Who in their right mind would ever want to be friends with someone as miserable as I?

Tears flowed from between my fingers. I tried to control myself for a moment but failed. Then I gave up.

Don’t ask me for my justifications. I just couldn’t take this anymore. So, I cried. There wasn’t much more to it. I simply did not enjoy being myself at that moment. I hated this world.

I had tried, hadn’t I? I truly put in my best.

It wasn’t good enough. It never was.

“Sir,” a man’s voice said, peeking out from the door. The innkeeper frowned at me. “I am sorry to interrupt, but you are blocking the door.”

Slowly, I stood up, stepped a little to the side, then leaned against the wall.

The innkeeper’s look remained. He sighed. “Lost your girl, did you?”

I sniffled back tears. “I think I’ve lost my love for existing as a whole.”

“I’m sorry,” the innkeeper said. “I truly am. It happens, and it never feels good. Things don’t always work out. Trust me, I’ve seen the same, and the same will continue to happen to anyone and everyone. Girls rarely pick the first guy their eyes lay upon. All you can do is stand up and try your luck next time.”

I wish rejection was my only problem…

“I really am sorry for you, know that,” the innkeeper said. “But I will ask you to move somewhere else. Your crying highness is directing customers away.”

I took a deep breath. Then another. Then, instead of running off in tears—a decision that I was close to making—I asked the innkeeper, “Do you know where carriages most often depart the city?”

The innkeeper let out a deep chuckle. “Planning to chase, huh? A terrible idea.”

“I just need to wish goodbye,” I said.

The innkeeper cast a suspicious look, then said, “Watch the western highway, the one that leads to the capital. If they really wish to avoid you, they won’t use the most popular routes, but most hired rides pass through the safest roads.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Where’s west?”

The innkeeper took a breath, then pointed further ahead in the road. “The highway is right there. Can’t miss it. Good luck. And don’t you dare be a weirdo about this.”

I nodded, then turned to the direction. I weaved between traffic, nudging people out of my way. I ran wherever I had room, forgetting to as much as apologize for the moments my inconsiderate self ruined.

I felt like a total creep. If Remy and Shena didn’t want to meet me, they didn’t want to meet me. Their minds wouldn’t be changed if I ran after them. But… I just wanted to hear the words out of their own mouths. To truly confirm nobody wanted me.

The alleys opened up, and I found myself by the edge of a highway with enough room for two carriages on both sides and foot traffic to add. People of all sorts strolled the road. Mostly the poor, though I spotted a few richer rides leaving the city, the drivers fuming silently as poorer carriages slowed down in front of them.

I looked both ways of the vast highway. Shena and Remy were nowhere to be seen, understandably so. As I watched traffic pass, a dread filled up inside me. This was a stupid idea. How in the hell would I ever find anyone in this sea of chaos?

I didn’t know. My nerves, however, required me to act. I mingled myself into the traffic. My eyes jumped from target to target, trying to decipher which carriage could possibly house Remy and Shena. A red carriage with awnings and pretty horses? No, the mages would never step into what looked like a carnival ride. What about a generic wooden ride with a scrawny but scowling rider? Sure, I could imagine them picking the worst of rides.

That deduction didn’t help, considering I spotted a dozen rides matching the exact description without having to move my head.

I searched aimlessly and helplessly for roughly ten minutes before deeming my search utterly pointless. This just wasn’t going to work. I could sit down and cry, and I’d have the same chances of finding my target. My body wished to do just that.

I did not comply. Instead, I rushed to a nearby alley, choosing one with a minimal amount of people outside. I had one last desperation plan up my sleeves.

I shouted at the rooftops. “Royal spies! Help! Come down to talk! I need help!”

The few passersby looked at me like I was insane. The street cleared around me, window shutters closing with thumps. “Please!” I called. “I need help!”

I waited and waited, occasionally repeating my call. “I know you’re there,” I tried to say. My cries for help grew more and more uncertain. Maybe I truly was alone. “Please…”

Just as I was about to give up hope, a figure approached from deeper in the alley. A lightly dressed woman, wearing what I would describe as a rogue’s vest. She didn’t exactly look pleased with me.

“Sir,” the woman said. “We are spies, not personal assistants.”

“Perfect,” I said. “You have the exact profession I require to help me. Could you please locate two mages for me? A black-haired noble girl in a purple dress, and an adventurer mage with common brown hair and a simple staff. They could be in a carriage for all I know. If you have to look inside, they’re most likely residing in a simple brown wagon that operates cheaply.”

The woman appeared disapproving.

“I can pay for this,” I said. “Add it to my debt. A hundred fucking gold pieces shared with you all if you can find the girls.”

Eventually, the woman sighed. “Fine. If I will bring this offer to the team. We will, however, keep the majority of our supplies on protecting you, our main target.”