“That was yet another exhausting day. Isn’t that right, Harry?” I opened the door to our inn.

  “Your Highness, I told you it was too dangerous.”

  “Stop repeating it, it’s been an hour since I’ve defeated that son of a bitch with a single strike to the ground.” After entering, the bed was my number one destination.

  “I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

  “Ahhh! It’s okay, not like you know I was that strong.”

  “I wasn’t talking about that, Your Highness, I was talking about the small room.”

  “I don’t really care.”

  “I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

  “Ye, ye, oh, by the way, I wanted to ask, Harry. Why do you keep doubting my strength? Can you not sense my mana?” I mumbled with my face shoved into the bed.

  “Sense mana? Your Highness, only mages can do that using mana detection spells.”

  “What?” That was a surprise. That just meant cultivation is incredibly impressive in this world, however, that made me question the world much more. If even Harry couldn’t sense the mana within people, how could they ever circulate mana in the first place?

  This world’s power system seems much more complicated than I thought.

  “Unless I get a mage to detect your mana or use a scroll of mana detecting, I wouldn’t be able to sense just how strong you’ve become, Your Highness.”

  “Oh… okay. Trust me though, I’m not weak anymore.”

  “It’s still dangerous, Your Highness.”

  “Just go to sleep, you're annoying.” My eyes closed, and instantly, my mind drifted far away into the world of dreams.

  ***

  While I rested sound asleep, the wooden floors began to creak out of nowhere. As I ignored such noises, it just continued until the door creaked. I turned around once the door had quietly shut closed. “Harry?”

  It seemed Harry had left the room, sneaking away even with his armor on. What’s going on? I was incredibly curious. Just a few inches off the wooden floor, made me chase and catch Harry wherever he went.

  But before I could even achieve a proper stalking, I needed to be careful of mages around this city. Certainly, a nobleman sneaking into the dark streets of the cities is incredibly eye catching. How do you conceal mana though? I pondered until I remembered an easy principle.

  “I just have to be a normal person.” Then with all of my qi compressed into my core, not letting an ounce of qi get away, I marched onward. It was not a sure way to hide my presence, but it was worth a try.

  “I trust you plot armor, also known as bad writing!” After yelling provocative words to the sky, I quickly trailed Harry. After a few minutes of looking, I heard Harry’s voice inside an alleyway.

  The conversation started in the middle of a sentence. “-aid, here is the money.” Said Harry.

  “Just a single Nar?” Said another man, along with a hissing sound similar to a cigar.

  “It’s just the installment, once you finish the job, I’ll give you the rest of my money.”

  “And how much is that?”

  “The entirety of the prince’s carried riches will be entirely for your group.”

  “If it isn’t to our liking, we’ll have to squeeze you to death.”

  “I was prepared to die the moment I chased for this moment,” Harry remarked.

  “Killing the crown prince, now this is an interesting request. Hehehe.” Said a different voice.

  After hearing the last voice, I immediately ran away, my eyes frozen and my lips straighter than a line. That was absolutely absurd. The man who has been concerned with me since the moment I arrived in this world. It was an order from a man I thought was my biggest ally. Harry wants me dead.

  Wait, why would he hire a group to kill me though? Couldn’t he have just done so when I was sleeping? Is this all real or is he being threatened? What exactly is going on?

  ***

  6 Years Ago.

  Inside the capital Kakin, an unsuspecting knight stood before the imperial palace’s lotus-shaped gate. His palms were full of sweat. The hair on his skin stood frightened. To stand not only in front of the country’s most beautiful infrastructure but to also stare upon it freely. Seeing it was just a dream, and now he was about to go inside, to meet a person more special than the castle’s presence.

  Behind the gates was a long path, splitting before the tall garden. Then an unexpected group emerged from the left, a carriage, carrying the banner of the royal family. The gates immediately opened, and the man jumped back from shock, just barely avoiding the gate.

  There was no other person behind the walls. The gate opened by itself. It was magic, another detail for the man to adore. He walked to the side, letting the carriage have an open road outside. However, the carriage didn’t plan to leave just yet. It stopped in front of the man.

  It was a gold-plated carriage, with two banners above its back. The royal family's mark was etched upon its door. Two men acted as coachmen, but with their attire, they were nowhere near ordinary. They carried fully covered iron armor, brilliantly shining under the sun, it was no doubt knights of the imperial family. But the carriage wasn’t the only one to leave the palace. Seven other knights followed on top of armored horses.

  The door of the carriage opened, followed by the tender voice of someone young, yet carried a heavy tone. “Hello.” He wore thick layers of dresses all made of silk, there was no mistaking that was the crown prince. However, the man wasn’t given the time to even react to what was in front of him. On his first day, he was already out on a mission. “You’re Harry, right? No time to explain or follow certain traditions. I am your master, the crown prince, get on the horse immediately and follow suit.”

  One of the knights held a horse on a rope, walking by Harry. “Get in, his Highness is in a hurry.” Said a knight. His face was covered by a thick iron helmet, blocking most of his words, but Harry easily understood what he wanted to convey. He got on the horse without even thinking and the carriage had already left, leaving him behind of everyone.

  In just a single moment, he came from standing in front of a palace waiting to be let in, to being out of the capital and entering deep into the forest. The carriage and the knights were at maximum phase the entire day. They didn’t take a single break nor even slow a single second until the night had fallen. Once the moon had hit the middle of the sky, the prince had finally stopped.

  Tired of his arms constantly controlling the horse, Harry had arrived a few seconds behind the rest. When he arrived, a knight stood in wait for him. “Well, that was taxing, wasn’t it?”

  Harry didn’t wanna complain on his first day, but the words just left his mouth out of exhaustion. “Just what is going on? I followed you- his highness till the moon got up, what is this!” He yelled.

  “Calm down, you’ll disturb his highness.”

  “Here. Bread and water.” Another knight came.

  Harry got off his horse, landing on the ground with his entire body.

  “Hahaha! Sorry kid, his highness was in a hurry, we couldn’t tell you much of anything because of it.”

  “Just what is his highness going to?”

  “We don’t know.” Said the man holding bread and water. He bent down and placed the wooden cup in his hand.

  “What?” Harry jumped up. He poured the water on top of his face.

  “Get used to it, this is just how it is serving the crown prince.”

  “Well, also, never speak of anything. Got it?”

  “He ain't gonna be able to soon. Poor kid, he’s so young too.” The man crouching down stood up and padded Harry’s shoulder as he walked off into the camp being built incredibly fast.

  “Don’t even say that. You never know, he’s way too young.”

  “It’s his highness, don’t keep believing, Gan.”

  “What are you guys talking about?” Harry asked.

  “Don’t worry about it. By the way, how old are you?”

  “I am 19 this year.”

  Gan scoffed and then smiled. He grabbed onto Harry, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. Then he rubbed his hair. “I’m the only commander rank in His Highness’s group, so now you’ll be my youngest junior. You have talent, I can see it.”

  The camp was finished in just a few minutes. There was a set up of 2 big tents and a small campfire in the middle to keep warm in the cold. Though the only person beside the campfire was Harryy. Wearing a single piece of clothing, completely unprepared for any events, and lacking any equipment and materials, he was basically naked in the middle of the forest.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “You still not gonna sleep?” Gan asked behind him.

  “No.” He took a short pause. “By the way, is the pr- his highness just gonna stay inside the carriage?”

  “Yes.”

  Harry stayed silent, thinking about the cold and cramped space a crown prince must be sleeping in.

  “You might not know this, but while we have our armor to sleep with, the prince has magic spells to keep his body warm at all times. Also, that space isn’t cramped for a 10-year-old, you know.”

  Harry was caught off guard by his lack of insight. While he kept quiet, questioning himself, Gan sat beside him, taking off his helmet. “You nervous?” he asked.

  “Hm?” Harry looked at Gan.

  “I mean, you’re now a knight of royalty.”

  “If you say it like that…” Harry chuckled a little. “Just a little bit.” He smiled. Then his body shivered from the cold.

  “Go sleep, you have another long ride tomorrow.”

  “Just where exactly are we going to?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The night went fast and the morning came almost instantly. Harry was awoken by the movement of everyone inside the tent. Once the tent was removed, even the sun joined in to annoy his sleep. The moment he was able to stand up and get rid of his sore body, everyone was already prepared to leave.

  At the sight of this, Harry immediately stood up and went to his horse. Thankfully he had no stuff to really look after for. Once he had gotten on, they went off to the unknown.

  The forest was a dangerous place. Filled with monsters and unknown creatures, one could die in an instant. That was no joke. But the forest near the capital was much more dangerous. Known as the “Great Forest” it stretches farther than the eye can see. However, even inside the Great Forest, cities still exist. Holding the most powerful magic and strongest people in the country, it was a dangerous yet bountiful forest.

  The deeper they went into the forest, the monsters eventually began to show up, ambushing them at every chance they could get. With just a sword at his waist and nothing but plain clothing, Harry was able to fend off the monsters easily.

  It wasn’t much of a problem, having multiple knights qualified to hold the life of royalty. Harry wasn’t that far off from their strength either. Despite being young, he held the highest potential in the entire kingdom.

  “You’re good, Harry.” Said Dan, slowing down to level with Harry.

  “You too, commander.”

  “Hahaha! Just call me Gan.”

  “No, to reach such a status, you deserve everyday praises.”

  “Even if I am a commander rank, Harry, you know, I’m not the strongest in this group.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, someone here could also reach the rank of a commander. Well, with you here, I guess that would be two.”

  Harry stared at Gan. He was speechless, embarrassed at what he heard. No word could come out of his mouth, it was just silence and gratitude he couldn’t express properly. Harry bowed and just moved away from Gan.

  “Hahaha!”

  The destination of the prince wasn’t that much further than Harry would expect. It didn’t take another day until they arrived. It was just halfway past the afternoon. The crown prince immediately went out of his carriage and assembled his knights.

  “Listen! There is a great artifact in this cavern! It is not a deep cave! But I don’t know what abomination guards this place. As my knights, you know what to do.”

  Everyone got off their horse, even Harry. The words of the prince were vague, but even Harry knew what it meant. With the risk of their lives, they were to go and fetch what he wanted inside the cave.

  It was a small cave entrance placed on the outskirts of the mountain range. Covered by multiple trees, it was a hard place to spot. Harry questioned what was going on, but he couldn’t dare question a royal’s decision. Though he thinks it was a harsh order, the prince was a kid, raised in such a place, it was obvious to him that he wouldn’t really be as great as his title.

  After tying the horse to the trees, everyone went inside the cave. Gan was at the front, while the crown prince was at the back, protected by stacks of meatshields.

  “Harry, nice to meet you. My apologies for making you go through such lengths on your first 2 days. Just that if I didn’t go here, someone would have gotten it other than me.” He smiled brightly. The prince was only ten years old, and it was evident in his short height. Harry couldn’t be more surprised that the prince could even speak in such a way despite his age.

  “It’s okay your highness. Umm… can I ask something, your highness?”

  The prince’s body flinched. “Oh, you wanna know something about me.” The prince smiles with his mouth open. “Sure. Go on. What’s your question?”

  “Umm, it’s just about what you said. Is the reason I was urgently recruited, because you needed me for this, your highness?”

  “Oh!” The prince was left speechless. He covered his gaping mouth with his hand and whispered. “That’s why that bastard Gan was getting close to you.”

  “What did you say, your highness?”

  “Sorry, I just recently heard that Gan has been taking good care of you.”

  “I wouldn’t necessarily say so, your highness. He just occasionally talks to me.”

  “Hmph, well, to answer your question, it’s because I can’t get out of the palace unless I have 10 knights with me.”

  “Thank you for answering, Your Highness.”

  “Finally!”

  “Huh, did something happen, Your Highness?”

  “Nothing, sorry, I was just, it was nothing.”

  “As you say, Your Highness.”

  “Oh by the way, Harry, I heard you were called the greatest talent of the country because of your astronomical amount of mana.”

  “Well, it’s a bit embarrassing to agree, but yes, Your Highness.” Harry was beet red, scratching the back of his neck.

  “It’s good to know I have the country’s biggest talent with me.”

  Time passed and they reached a wide space inside the cave. Everyone immediately took their weapon, and the crown prince tucked behind Harry. “Your Highness?!” He didn’t know yet, but that was not just an interesting empty cave.

  Hundreds of spiders dropped down from the ceiling. A knight threw their torch into the sky, revealing an array of webs full of eggs and webbed cocoons.

  “It’s Vipirs! Get ready! Go all out!”

  Left, right, front, and back. Harry was caught in his first fight with monsters. At the same time, behind was the second most important person in the country. A spider charged at him. With a single swing of his sword, the spider was split in half, showering him with blood. Then came from the left. He killed it again with one attack.

  Again at the right, then the left, then the front, it repeated until Harry was so fully drenched that he swung his sword relentlessly with no aim.

  “Harry, let’s escape to right!”

  “No, Your Highness! You should go back outside! This place is too dangerous!”

  “This is an order!”

  Harry rubbed his eye and turned around. He picked up the crown prince and ran to the right, where the knights had perfectly taunted the spiders away. It was like they had planned a path for the prince in the first place. Without hearing anything from the knights, they had managed to form such a plan. Harry was immensely impressed.

  To his right was Gan, fighting at the edge of the crescent formation that they had formed. At the same time, they even had their arms tied together. Whatever the reason for that was, Harry had no time to think about it.

  Despite finding a place to run off to, spiders were still chasing them. The two ran until they were caught in a cliff, surrounded by dozens of spiders. Harry fought as hard as he could, protecting the prince from any possible attack. Seconds turned to minutes, and the spiders were just increasing.

  Harry was being pushed back, and then the prince screamed. “Harry!”. The crown prince was hanging on his dear life. Harry turned back despite the monsters behind him. He was lying on the ground tightly grabbing the prince’s hands.

  Harry was getting bitten and pierced by the spiders until they were all split in half in one swing. It was Gan.

  Did the prince ever feel this heavy? Or did I just lose all my strength?

  Gan grabbed Harry’s arm and guided his mana to his hand, releasing it from the prince. Then Gan jumped down the cliff, grabbing the prince and throwing him back up. “Fuck you! Gan!” The prince yelled.

  “Take all the pests out!” The prince carefully landed on his feet. “Didn’t I tell you shitheads to keep your powers hidden from the very beginning I took you all in?! Yet he still found out? But even if he did I told you to hold onto him no matter what! You useless piece of shit! Tsk. This is why I hate my father's gifts."

  Harry was lying on the ground, looking deep into the abyss. Huh? Did I just hear that right? Wait. Is that… Gan?