"Little girl, I won't teach you magic. Fighting against a necromancer allied with the dark forces is a path to certain death. Go back home and sleep!" I flung the illusion of the bracelet at her, and while she scrambled to catch it, I swiftly slipped the real one into the small pocket beneath my robe. That pocket always held my most precious belongings, including my spellbook. The movement was so quick that the little imp couldn't possibly notice.

She finally managed to secure the illusory bracelet and placed it back on herself. As she lifted her gaze to me, her innocent eyes, still holding a glimmer of hope, made me feel a twinge of guilt.

"Go away, don't bother me anymore! I won't teach you any magic, now leave!" I said in a harsh tone, but my voice betrayed my unease, the nervousness of a thief caught in the act.

But the little brat did not give up; she grabbed onto my robe with renewed force.

"What do you want?" I tried to frighten her with the most menacing expression I could muster. Now that I had the bracelet, I needed to get rid of her quickly. If she kept clinging to me, and the deception was exposed, the consequences would be dire. After all, no matter the reason, tricking a little girl out of her belongings is never honorable.

"Teach me magic..."

"If you don't let go, I'll turn you into a rabbit and throw you into a wolf's den!" I threatened her. Fear flashed across her face, but she did not release her grip.

"Teach me magic..." Her expression teetered on the edge of tears.

"What are you doing?" A fully armored soldier appeared at the entrance of the garden. I sighed in relief—finally, someone to help drive her away. I welcomed anyone who could get rid of this pesky girl.

"Release the Princess..." the soldier shouted, rushing toward me. It took me about ten seconds to realize that the "Princess" he referred to was none other than the little girl clinging to my robe—she was a far cry from the kind of princess I had in mind. This foolish, persistent little girl was actually a princess?

"Look closely, who is holding whom?" I raised my hands to show the soldier the glaring flaw in his logic. But he seemed oblivious to his mistake. Perhaps in his eyes, someone dressed in a mage's robe and wearing a half-mask was the most suspicious of characters. With such a prejudice, I was wrong no matter what I did—or didn't do.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" He pointed his spear at me, warily. My raised hands seemed to have eased his hostility a bit, so he didn't thrust the spear directly.

"I was summoned here by your King..." I replied, while the annoying little girl still clung to my robe like a limpet.

"Show some manners! He is a mage, and I brought him here under the King's orders!" A voice came from behind, my savior at last. Although he had been painfully slow, he returned just in time, and I was quite grateful. After all, if he hadn’t been so slow, I wouldn’t have been able to pocket this magnificent sapphire.

In any case, all troubles seemed to be swiftly and completely resolved. The innocent, clingy little girl was forced to let go, and the soldier apologized to me. With a sense of triumph at having acquired an unexpected treasure, I followed the official into the palace. Before leaving, I didn’t forget to touch the bracelet to make sure I still had it.

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The palace was heavily guarded, with sentinels every few steps, all vigilant, as if facing a great enemy. The official who led me had to continuously present the King's pass to the guards. I began to understand why he had taken so long to get here; with so many bothersome guards, moving quickly was impossible.

The tedious, seemingly endless journey finally ended, and I was brought into a room that already held a dozen people. From their attire, it was clear they were either mages or clerics. However, I noticed a problem—their ages were conspicuously young; some didn’t even look over twenty. At most, they could only be apprentice mages. Though there were certainly young and powerful mages, these were certainly not among them. They seemed nervous, despite their attempts to hide it—but I could tell. A powerful mage is always calm deep down; panic is the very thing magic abhors.

They were watching me as well, but there was nothing extraordinary in their gaze. Perhaps I didn’t look much older myself. Let me clarify—thanks to excellent self-care, my appearance remained youthful and handsome, untainted by the hardships of travel. The half-mask I wore added a touch of mystery. I’m not boasting, but from queens to tavern wenches, I am confident I could charm them all—given the chance.

To gain some leverage in the upcoming negotiations with the King, I decided to find out what exactly was going on. After all, I was still quite ignorant of the task ahead.

It didn't take long to gather the details. The fact that these people were so easily swayed into revealing information was proof of their inexperience. Although I did not pry, their skills were not much better than an apprentice's.

It seemed a necromancer had recently appeared in the mountains near this kingdom. For years, both sides had lived in uneasy peace, but a few months ago, the necromancer suddenly sent a message, demanding that the King surrender his kingdom or face conquest by force. The King ignored the threat, and the necromancer retaliated with a large-scale destructive spell, obliterating an entire district in the city—the very one I had mistaken earlier for a demolished area. The King organized an expedition to eliminate the necromancer, but the mage had amassed a vast army of monstrous and evil creatures, completely annihilating the expedition. Then began a series of offensives and defenses. I didn’t listen to all the details, but by the time I arrived, almost all of this kingdom's mages and clerics had been killed by the necromancer, and the threat still loomed.

"They can't possibly expect us to fight a necromancer, can they?" I muttered to myself. Necromancers, as those aligned with dark forces are called, possess terrifying power, yet they are feared and rejected by humans, even by other mages. While I enjoy adventure, this task seemed far too risky. Perhaps making a discreet exit would be the wisest course, especially since I had already obtained the bracelet—I had no desire to possess a treasure I couldn't live to enjoy. Besides, if they intended for me to fight a necromancer, my comrades would be these apprentices, who lacked both strength and experience—a clear mission to death.

Just as I pondered a graceful exit from this high-risk assignment, the King arrived, accompanied by his foolish daughter. The King was a middle-aged man, but he appeared more worn out than an old man.

"Everyone!" The King's tone was exceedingly polite, so polite that my instinct to retreat grew stronger. From personal experience, I knew that when a King speaks so courteously, there are only two reasons: either he has just ascended the throne, or he is sending those he speaks to their deaths. It was clear this was not the former. Nevertheless, I decided to stay a while longer. After all, I had taken a rare gem from his daughter's hand; I had to satisfy my conscience.

"The fate of our kingdom lies in the hands of you young people!" The King glanced around the room. Though I tried to avoid his gaze, my striking appearance caught his eye. At that moment, I regretted my looks for the first time. His gaze fixed upon me. Among so many, I was perhaps the only one who didn't look like an apprentice.