Meanwhile, Elder Omono uneventfully discovered Barok suspended in midair at the far end of the cave. Since Omono didn't know Barok by sight, he guessed it was him based on the injuries and the fact that he was tied up. While Barok was still unconscious, Omono searched his pockets and found a silver Bard’s Guild badge. Upon closer inspection, he saw the full name engraved on the back: Barok Hunt.

Omono was surprised, as the surname Hunt was reserved for the royal family in the kingdom. To see it on an official badge meant that Barok was... “A member of the royal family?” Omono thought to himself. He didn’t rush to release Barok, uncertain whether this was actually Barok or the mysterious mage who had kidnapped him. Having encountered numerous traps and schemes while working in the intelligence department, Omono was always cautious.

To be safe, Omono drew two magic circles around Barok. The first was a Silence Circle, which would prevent Barok from casting spells. The second was an Attack Circle, primed to launch a powerful flame spell at anything within it at Omono's command. After setting the traps, he cast a Waking Spell on Barok.

Barok groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. His blurry vision gradually made out a figure wearing a mage’s robe. He immediately cursed, “You bastard! Let me down!” Omono wasn’t offended by Barok’s anger; it only confirmed his suspicions. After all, the mysterious mage wouldn’t react this way.

Calmly, Omono asked, “Who are you? Why are you tied up here? And look closely, I’m not the mage who left earlier.”

Barok fully awoke, studying Omono closely before sighing in relief. “You’re right. His voice was... strange, not male or female, young or old. But you, you sound like an old man. And he never let me see his face. He just screwed me over. He showed up in my room early this morning, and then…” Barok began to recount how the mysterious mage had appeared, defeated him, and taken him captive. His story lined up with Omono's assumptions: the mage had wounded Barok with a sword, and after Barok lost consciousness due to blood loss, the mage had broken through the wall, kidnapped him, and transported him here.

One thing troubled Omono, though—if the mage was so powerful, why didn’t he simply knock Barok out with a sleep spell? But for now, he remained silent, as he was almost certain that this was indeed Barok. To be sure, Omono asked, “What’s your badge made of?”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Barok, who had been talking nonstop about his ordeal, suddenly fell silent, his face darkening. “You know who I am?”

“Just answer my question.”

“Silver. Now you answer me—did you read my full name on it?”

“Yes, I saw your badge. You’re a royal family member.”

Barok sighed deeply. “So you must be from the Mage’s Guild, judging by your robes.”

Impressed by Barok’s sharp deduction, Omono admitted, “Yes, I’m Elder Omono, head of the intelligence department at the Mage’s Guild. I came here because of the information you reported.”

“So the Mage’s Guild was alerted... Not because of me personally, but because of the importance of the information I sent.” Barok smiled bitterly.

“That’s right. I only found out you were royalty after discovering your badge,” Omono replied coolly.

“I never intended to use my royal status for anything,” Barok said wearily. “Everything I’ve achieved, I’ve done on my own.”

“That’s not for me to judge. It’s irrelevant to the matter at hand,” Omono said, now almost certain that this was indeed Barok. “How are you feeling? Should I cast a healing spell on you?”

“I’d appreciate that. But could you release me first?” Barok asked.

Without arguing, Omono waved his hand, causing the chains holding Barok to disintegrate like sand. Barok dropped to the ground, managing to land on his feet before slumping to the floor from exhaustion.

“Healing Spell!” Omono made a gesture, gathering green light, which deepened in color as it formed. The glowing energy flew toward Barok, merging into his body.

Barok groaned in relief. “Impressive. You’re truly an elder-level mage.”

Omono ignored the compliment and said, “Rest up. Once you’ve recovered, we’ll head back to Kenny Village.”

“You’re not going after the mage who fled?” Barok asked, still catching his breath.

“I’m no match for him,” Omono admitted without hesitation. “His magic is far more powerful than mine.”

“What? But you’re an elder!” Barok was taken aback.

“Even an elder isn’t invincible. There are dozens of mages I know who are stronger than me,” Omono responded matter-of-factly.

“I see why you’re head of intelligence,” Barok remarked. “You’re calm, level-headed, and have a clear understanding of your own limits. You’re not ruled by emotion.”

“Have you recovered enough to leave? We still have a lot to do,” Omono asked.

Barok stretched his body. “I think I’m fine now. I just feel a little weak.”

“You lost a lot of blood. That mage didn’t want to kill you, though. If he’d left you alone, you’d have died, but he cast a spell to stop the bleeding after you passed out,” Omono explained.

“Really? But he didn’t exactly make things easy for me,” Barok replied, still puzzled.

“You should be grateful. If he had wanted to kill you, I’d be dealing with a corpse right now,” Omono said bluntly.

“Fair enough,” Barok stood up. “Let’s go. I’m ready.”

Omono pulled out a small flying carpet. “We’ll use this to fly back. It’s small, but it’ll fit both of us.”

“Alright,” Barok agreed.

The two of them sat on the carpet and flew toward Kenny Village...

(To be continued...)