We hurriedly stood up and followed him at a respectful distance.

Along the way through the disgustingly golden castle a heavy silence hung over our group.

A judgement by Frumentum rarely ever means something good for the judged, especially if it involves the safety of the city.

It didn’t take long until we reached a lavishly decorated throne room which was of course hideously golden. Everything from the tiles on the ground to the chandeliers which illuminated everything in a gentle light was in that tasteless color. EVERYTHING!

If I hadn’t been so scared that I nearly shat in my pants I would have ripped my hair out in frustration.

Seriously, how can someone have so much power but such a pitiful sense of fashion? I mean mine isn’t very good either but I’m megaparsecs beyond him.

When I looked at my companions to see their reaction at the golden hell we were in I was shocked at the amazement evident on their faces. Greta’s eyes were nearly bursting out from their sockets and I think I saw a faint line of drool beside Owen’s mouth. At least Frank didn’t really react in any way, which, though far better than amazement, worried me. Normally his reaction would be the strongest by far, but he only looked down.

Frumentum suddenly vanished from his position and reappeared on the giant throne located at the end of the room, causing a gale to blow against everyone else.

Thankfully he seemed to have held himself back as I was only slightly disturbed by it, but Frank was blown back, falling onto his butt after a few meters.

Before I could even turn around to help him up the founder’s voice sent shockwaves through my body. “Now that we have arrived here We shouldn’t let you wait any longer.” He shifted around a bit, searching for the most comfortable position on his extremely well cushioned seat.

“Normally We would sentence you to death for putting the whole city in danger, but the situation“ He pointed up. “Doesn’t allow for this to happen. The sun would seriously punish everyone involved if We were to kill you, so We had to think about another way. After a long debate We decided to simply banish you into the wilderness, far away from Our farms and settlements.” He paused for a second, as if thinking about anything he could have forgotten.

His eyes lit up like a miniature sun as he seemed to have remembered something important. “Of course We won’t just leave you there without any support. We have personally erected a small house for you to reside in. As long as you reside in there no beast in the area will be able to even move your hair. Your teacher will also deliver some food for you every week.” His expression softened for a moment and he nodded a few times.

“You can leave now.” He made a dismissive wave with his hand.

I was speechless. This was everything? I mean I am happy that we won’t die but exiling us just like this? Is he serious?

“Yes, your Highness.” Teacher bowed and signaled us to follow.

“Don’t worry, whenever I visit to deliver your food I will answer any questions you may have. I recommend you to meditate for the next few months, otherwise I won’t be able to guarantee your safety.” As soon as doors to the throne room closed he tried to reassure us.

I appreciate his concern but it won’t change the fact that we will have to deal with stray beasts by ourselves, which, while at this point not impossible, would be extremely dangerous.

I just hope that the beasts are weak enough for us to kill.

After leaving the palace the sight of a giant bird lying on the ground greeted us. Snow white feathers covered its entire body and its tucked in wings were at least thrice as tall as me. A pair of black eyes stared down at us, making me feel quite uncomfortable at the intelligent glint in them.

Looking closer I could see a small white hut which perfectly blended in with the feathers. I couldn’t see anything that prevented it from falling off though, causing me quite a bit of confusion as to how it stayed on its back.

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Teacher suddenly spoke up. “This bird will fly you to your destination.” He looked at my face and likely interpreted my confusion as fear. “Don’t worry, the carriage was enchanted in a way that lets it stay attached to anything under it.” He quickly added with a reassuring smile.

There was just a little problem. “How are we supposed to get up there?” I asked him.

Even though the bird was prone right now the hut we are supposed to ride in is a few meters above the ground. As I couldn’t see any ladders how we should enter it was a mystery.

Teacher just smirked at my question. Without saying anything he grabbed us and put us under his armpits, two in each hand. I was still confused at the sudden change in view when I felt an extreme acceleration, nearly causing me to puke the contents of my last meal out.

I saw the ground becoming dangerously distant and a sickening feeling of weightlessness came over me.

I screamed like a little child. I screamed until there wasn’t any air left in my body and then some more. The others reacted similarly, but our screams were totally ignored by Teacher though and I soon saw a white surface rapidly approaching.

Instead of crashing into it however I felt another gust of wind and we slowed down until we landed with a barely audible thud.

The hands holding us in place loosened and we fell onto the soft feathers of the bird. I really wanted to just lie down and sleep on them, but a hand dragged me into the cabin.

“Take care.” Were Teachers parting words.

He whistled loudly, causing the bird to take off in huge swings and quickly jumped off before we left the ground.

I can’t believe how things changed so quickly. Just yesterday we were still peacefully training and now we are being sent to a dangerous location without any guarantee that we will survive.

I sighed and turned around.

Thankfully the seats of the carriage were heavily cushioned and I wasn’t able to feel the flaps of the bird, most likely due to another enchantment.

I quietly sat down beside Frank, Owen and Greta taking their seats opposite to us.

“It could have gone worse.” I smiled, or at least tried to.

“Yeah, at least we’re still alive.” Greta’s face didn’t show any gladness though. She looked just as distraught as I was feeling.

“C’mon, it’s not like we’re surely going to die, right? We also have the hut made by the founder himself so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. We should just focus on quietly training.” Owen said with an unconvincing smile on his face.

“He’s right, you know? As long as we stay inside the hut we can train until we become strong enough to definitely kill the beasts outside.” I added.

Frank, who had been silent until now, let out a big sigh. “We seriously fucked up.” He leaned back, his back nearly sinking into the cushions.

I glanced out of the window and discovered that we were directly above the fields. When I started to search for our homes however I noticed that they looked the same from the height we were in.

“Did you find anything interesting?” Owen tried to divert from the previous topic.

“Nope, all the farms look pretty much the same.” I answered.

A look of concentration appeared on his and Greta’s face when they tried to confirm whether what I said was true.

They somehow fit each other.

I put a fist onto my chin, watching them look out of the window. The sun, which had previously been hidden by a cloud, shone on their bodies, washing the previously somber mood away.

I didn’t know where that thought came from, but the more I thought about it the surer I became.

Frank looked up at the sudden increase in brightness. “Oh, it’s just the sun.” He noticed the scene that was unfolding in front of us and sent a confused look at me.

“Yeah, it’s just the sun.” I closed my eyes and basked in the warmth the being that caused this mess provided, leaving Frank even more confused.