We had no choice but to get in line because the town was surrounded by tall walls, with only a single entrance. At that point, guards were inspecting everyone who entered. After all, there was no way we could climb the walls without being seen.
There were two guards in total. One was checking the belongings of those entering, while the other used a sphere in front of him to examine people's mana.
People could use their powers through mana. A portion of the blood in the heart was converted into mana, allowing both blood and mana to be pumped through the body. However, Exceptions' hearts did not convert blood into mana, meaning they had none in their bodies. This was precisely why Exceptions had no powers.
The sphere in front of the guard was a magical artifact called Oculi Regis, which measured mana. By dripping your blood onto the sphere, it could detect the mana within it. If you had no mana, the sphere naturally couldn't measure anything, allowing the guards to determine whether or not you were an Exception.
However, long ago, the Exceptions had developed a liquid they called ''Sanguis'' due to its color to counter such situations. When injected into the heart, this liquid forced the body to produce a very small amount of mana for a short period. However, since it put immense strain on the heart, using it more than once usually led to death. Because of this, we rarely used the liquid.
Additionally, since we kept ''Sanguis'' hidden in our village, we believed the kingdom was unaware of its existence. If they knew about it, they would have needed to increase security. Normally, we were supposed to use this liquid only in emergencies.
The strange thing was that ''Sanguis'' didn't seem to affect me as much as it did others. Yes, I would get tired more quickly after using it, and sometimes, I would start hallucinating. However, despite using it so many times, it didn't appear to have any significant impact on my heart. If anyone else were to use the liquid for this long, their body would begin to shut down within a few days, eventually causing their heart to fail completely.
There were only five people left before it was our turn for inspection. I reached into the inner pocket of my cloak and pulled out a small vial, about the size of my thumb, filled with a red liquid. The vial also functioned as a tiny syringe, allowing direct injection into the heart without needing any additional tools.
Eirian's face darkened when she saw me take it out.
''I know that stuff called 'Sanguis' doesn't seem to affect you much, and I know this is the only way you can enter the town, but maybe you should start using it less from now on,'' she said.
''Don't worry. If it were harming my body, I'd know. Don't stress over it. Besides, you're the one who called me here, and I want to help you in town today. We can argue about the rest later. For now, let's just get past security,'' I said, stabbing the vial into my arm. ''Sanguis'' would take effect soon enough.
Once I was done with the vial, I crushed it under my foot to make sure it wouldn't be found during the search. Now, it was nothing more than shattered glass. As a final precaution, I untied the dagger strapped to my leg and tucked it into my boot.
When our turn finally came, the guards searched us first. They were so careless with their inspection that they didn't even check inside my boots. Since neither of us had anything suspicious on us, it was time for the Oculi Regis.
Eirian approached the sphere, made a small cut on his finger, and let a drop of his blood fall onto the Oculi Regis. The transparent sphere suddenly filled with thick, dark smoke. The denser and darker the smoke, the greater the person's mana.
The guards, seeing the intensity of the smoke, looked at Eirian in surprise. They held themselves in such high regard that it must have shocked them to see an ordinary person with such a vast amount of mana.
As a result, Eirian was allowed into the town, and then it was my turn. I did the same, making a small cut on my finger and letting my blood drip onto the Oculi Regis. Meanwhile, Eirian waited for me at the entrance.
After a moment, the sphere filled with thin, light-colored smoke. Seeing the low mana reading, the guards suddenly started laughing. One of them turned to Eirian and sneered:
''Hey, little girl, are you sure you really want to be with someone like this? Look at his mana. I think a proper Order Guard like one of us would suit you much better than this pathetic village boy. What do you say?'' He kept laughing.
In response, Eirian said, ''No, thanks. In fact, I'd rather be with a village boy with little mana than heartless guards like you.''
With that, he grabbed my arm and started walking, leaving the guards staring after us. They seemed surprised for a moment but then shrugged it off and returned to their duties.
After walking for a bit, Eirian finally let go of my arm and said, ''So, tell me, village boy, where do you want to go first?''
''Ha ha, very funny,'' I replied before adding, ''Aren't you the one who's supposed to tell me that? After all, you're the one who said we had things to do.''
Eirian nodded. ''You're right. First, let's check out that dagger you were talking about at the blacksmith, and then we'll look for gifts since the twins' birthday is coming up.''
She was right. Ciara and Chiara were turning eleven soon, and I had completely forgotten. Even though they were fraternal twins, they looked remarkably alike. Both had chest-length light brown hair and brown eyes. The only differences were that Chiara's hair was straight while Ciara's was wavy, and Chiara was a bit taller than Ciara.
This year, their powers had finally awakened, so we wanted to get them something special. Chiara could control sound, while Ciara was a dream manipulator. They were still getting used to their abilities.
After finally making a rough plan of what we were going to do, we started walking toward the blacksmith. ''Sanguis'' must have been starting to show its side effects because, as I walked down the street, I sometimes felt as if I was passing through people, sending chills down my spine. No matter how often I experienced this side effect, I still couldn't help but shudder.
About five minutes later, we arrived at the blacksmith's shop. The interior wasn't very large. On the left side, there was a forge and an anvil. The opposite wall was lined with various weapons. As we entered and browsed the weapons, the blacksmith emerged from the back room.
Even though his black hair was starting to turn gray, he still looked strong due to his years of smithing. He wore a white tunic with a brown leather apron over it. Seeing us admiring the weapons, he grinned and said,
''Good day, kids. Is there a particular weapon you're looking for, or are you just mesmerized by my masterpieces?'' He laughed heartily.
Eirian and I exchanged a quick glance before I answered,
''Good day to you too, sir. A while ago, I saw a dagger with a green gemstone on its hilt. If you still have it, may we take a look?''
The blacksmith pondered for a moment before replying,
''It might still be in storage. Let me check.''
A few minutes later, he returned with a box in his hands. Inside lay the dagger, just as beautiful as I remembered. Its hilt was wrapped in black leather, and a small green gemstone adorned its end. The blade was a polished silver-gray with slightly inward-curving edges, which sharpened to deadly points and gave the dagger a unique aesthetic.
As I admired it, unable to take my eyes off it, Eirian asked,
''How much are you selling this dagger for?''
The blacksmith smirked and said,
''To be honest, this is one of my finest works. See how the blade curves inward? That took me a lot of time to perfect. And, of course, that green gemstone wasn't cheap either. I'd say forty gold coins is a fair price for this beauty.''
My excitement deflated instantly—I couldn't afford forty gold coins. I only had fourteen gold, twenty silver, and six bronze. But I wanted the dagger so badly that I tried my luck anyway.
''Would you be able to give us a small discount, sir? You're absolutely right—this is a masterpiece, and I can't take my eyes off it. I'd truly appreciate even a little price reduction.''
The blacksmith seemed pleased with my flattery, as a wide grin spread across his face. After thinking for a moment, he said,
''I'm glad you like it that much, lad. Alright, I suppose I can lower the price a little. How about thirty-four gold coins?''
Even with the discount, I still couldn't afford it. Why had I gotten my hopes up? It wasn't like he would lower the price even more. Just as I was about to dejectedly decline the offer, Eirian placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke up,
''We truly appreciate your generosity, sir. We'll be happy to buy the dagger.''
She then pulled out her coin pouch. I leaned toward her, startled, and whispered,
''What are you doing? We can't afford this.''
Eirian smiled. ''Don't worry, I brought plenty of gold with me. Besides, I'm only helping cover the cost—I'm not paying for the whole thing. So, hand over whatever you've got.''
I reluctantly handed over all my gold, and Eirian covered the rest. With that, the dagger was ours. After thanking the blacksmith again, we left the shop.
I was so happy that as soon as we stepped outside, I wrapped Eirian in a tight hug.
''Calm down, village boy. It's not a big deal. Consider it an early birthday gift,'' Eirian said with a chuckle.
Letting go, I replied, ''It is a big deal to me. So, thank you. But I really think you should stop calling me 'village boy.'''
We both laughed and then set off to find gifts for the twins.
Note from author: Thank you all for reading till here, i will try to post new chapters every sunday :3