Arius walked into a large, quiet art gallery. This was the secret place where he met Prince Zion. But today, the room felt different. It was tense. Glass from a broken window lay on the floor, and Arius stepped over it carefully. He bowed politely.
"Long time no see, First Prince," Arius said. Then he noticed the girl with him. "Ah, and the young lady is here as well."
Zion let out a grumpy snort. He didn't feel like much of a prince anymore.
"Sit down," Zion commanded. "We have important things to talk about."
Arius nodded and sat in a chair. A girl named Wuorin poured him a cup of tea. Arius held the warm cup in his hands and looked at Zion.
"So, why did you call me here?" Arius asked. "Did you get bored with the magical artifact I found for you last time?"
Wuorin waggled her finger to correct him. "Ah, 'found' isn't the right word. You sold it to us, remember?"
Arius laughed. "Haha! You're right. But you both know that kind of magical item isn't something you can just buy in a shop."
Prince Zion was not in the mood for chatting. "The artifact isn't the problem," he said, his voice serious.
"Oh?" said Arius, acting surprised. "Then what is?"
"Stop pretending you don't know!" Zion snapped. "It's obvious now. The reason my father called Shirone to the palace—it's to dig up the power inside him called Aklaxia, isn't it?"
"It's Ataraxia, not Aklaxia," Arius corrected calmly. "And 'dig up' sounds so rough. I prefer the word 'extract'."
Zion took a deep, slow breath to calm down. He knew if he let Arius play word games, they would never get a straight answer.
"So… how far along is the plan?" Zion asked.
"Hmm, that's a very hard question, even for you, First Prince," Arius said, shaking his head. "I work for your father, the King. I can't just give away his secrets."
Swish! In a flash, Zion thrust his hand out. A magical sword named Armand flew across the room right into his grip. Immediately, he pointed the sharp tip at Arius's throat.
"I am not joking," Zion said, his voice low and dangerous. "You need to tell me the truth. Right now."
Arius didn't even flinch. He calmly took a slow sip of his tea, as if he had all the time in the world. But inside, his mind was racing.
This prince is just a rude kid, Arius thought. But his sword, Armand… now that is a dangerous and powerful weapon.
"If you're asking how much progress we've made…" Arius said finally, "I'd say about 49%?"
This wasn't really a lie. In his mind, starting a job meant you were already halfway done. Since they hadn't even started on Ataraxia, 49% seemed like a good number.
Wuorin understood his tricky words and almost giggled. But Zion thought it meant they were almost done, and his eyes grew wide with worry.
"You have to stop it," Zion demanded. "No—I want you to completely erase Ataraxia. A sneaky treasure hunter like you should be able to do that, right?"
Arius let out a short breath. He thought Zion was a fool. How could a simple mage think he could erase the power of an archangel that had come to their world? Ataraxia was a treasure for all people, and someone was going to study it someday, even if he wasn't the one to do it.
"As I've told you before," Arius said, "I am your father's loyal—"
"I'll pay you anything you want!" Zion interrupted.
Arius suddenly went quiet.
He had made a lot of gold from working with Zion before. Of course, he loved hunting for treasure more than the money itself. But his partnership with King Orcamp was over. If he could get one last, huge payment from Zion, it would be like a fantastic retirement gift.
"Hmm," Arius said, lost in thought.
Finally, Arius let his polite mask slip away, showing his true self. His eyes became cold and sharp, like a snake's. The look sent a shiver down Zion's spine, even though he was the one holding the sword.
But Arius wasn't looking at Zion. His slitted pupils were fixed on Wuorin.
Beautiful, he thought.
It was a strange thought to have about a fourteen-year-old girl, but she was truly fascinating. Her magical appearance, combined with her famous family name, made her seem like a rare and tempting fruit.
Arius had explored the minds of many people, but Wuorin's was the only one he could never understand. When he first started diving into people's thoughts, he loved seeing all their raw, unfiltered wishes and dreams. They were often messy and selfish. But after doing it over 800 times, no person's mind felt new or interesting anymore.
In that way, Wuorin was special. She could show him a world he had never seen. If he could explore just one more mind before he died, it wouldn't be Ataraxia's.
It would be Wuorin's.
"Let me explain exactly what's happening," Arius said, turning back to Zion. "Right now, taking Ataraxia out of Shirone is impossible. The power is locked away deep inside him. But, if you want me to, I can pull Ataraxia out completely and give it to you."
"Give it… to me?" Zion asked, his voice full of wonder. "You'd give me Ataraxia?"
"Yes," Arius said smoothly. "The power of an archangel—all for you to command."
Zion gulped. For a moment, his face looked exactly like his father, King Orcamp's, face. In fact, anyone who had ever seen what Ataraxia could do would have the same greedy look.
But Wuorin, who was never fooled, saw the problem right away. "But you just told us taking it out was impossible," she said.
"Through normal ways, yes, it is," Arius agreed. "Ataraxia lives in the very deepest part of Shirone's mind—a place we call the abyss. It's too far down. The deeper you go into someone's mind, the harder their spirit fights back. At the abyss level, you would be crushed the moment you entered."
Zion lowered his sword, Armand. "Then how do you plan to get it out?" he asked.
"There is one way," Arius said.
He was about to suggest the same horrible plan he had told King Orcamp. But this time, he took his time. This was his last chance to change his future. The moment he made this offer, he would be finished with King Orcamp. After the job was done, he would have to run away from the kingdom of Kazura immediately.
"Tell me!" Zion shouted, growing impatient. "How can I get Ataraxia?!"
Pressed for an answer, Arius replied in an icy-cold voice. "We take out Shirone's brain."
Both Zion and Wuorin stared at him, completely shocked.
"Take out… his brain?" Zion repeated.
"To be exact, we break his unconscious mind," Arius explained. "Your thoughts are controlled by your brain, but your deep-down spirit is tied to your whole body. So, if we separate the brain from the body, the spirit's defense becomes very weak. Then we can dive into the deepest parts of his mind. Of course, we don't need to open his skull. We just need the part above the neck."
Arius drew a finger slowly across his own throat.
Zion nodded, as if he finally understood. "So, in other words, we kill Shirone."
"Well, I don't like to assume things," Arius said, smiling a little. "A head being cut off doesn't necessarily mean the person dies, does it? I'm not saying we kill Shirone—I'm saying we safely break into his unconscious mind."
Zion was stunned. Did Arius really expect him to believe that cutting off the head of a boy who might be the next prince had nothing to do with murder?
"'A severed head doesn't mean death'?" Zion said in disbelief. "You are completely insane."
Arius smiled as if Zion had paid him a compliment. "In all my time as a treasure hunter, I've learned one thing—there is no such thing as a sane person in this world."
Zion decided not to talk to the crazy man anymore. He got straight to the point. "If I bring you Shirone's head, can you extract Ataraxia?"
"If you're asking if it's possible, then yes," Arius said. "But we have to be very, very fast. I must dive into his mind the very second his head is cut off. If he dies, his consciousness will disappear forever."
"That fast?" Zion asked, surprised. "A body with its head cut off only lasts about ten seconds."
"Time moves slower inside the unconscious mind," Arius explained. "I will have the magical doorway ready. The moment Shirone's head is cut off, I will dive in. I'll go down to the first layer of his mind and dig out the real Ataraxia. And then… it will be yours."
Zion puffed out his cheeks and let out a sharp breath. He started pacing back and forth across the gallery.
He was thinking about assassination—and a very bold one. Was this too risky?
No—, he decided, this is the only way. The longer he waited, the more people would support his father, King Orcamp. If he had to act before they proved Shirone was the king's son, it had to be today.
Arius smiled a satisfied smile as he saw the look of murder in Zion's eyes. This prince was more of a true king than Orcamp would ever be.
Knowing he had already won, Arius asked, "So… how much will you pay me?"
Zion didn't say no, which was answer enough.
The deal was starting. After thinking for a moment, Zion made his offer. "2.7 billion gold."
Arius pretended to be unhappy. "Hmm… wasn't the price for this sword, Armand, 3 billion gold?"
"So what?" Zion yelled, insulted. "Are you saying that Shirone's magic is worth more than my legendary sword?!"
Zion's offer of 2.7 billion was a deliberate reply to the 3 billion he paid for the sword.
"Well, I'm just the seller," Arius said, playing innocent. "Since you've seen how powerful Ataraxia is, shouldn't you, the buyer, make the first real offer?"
Zion bit his lip. No matter how much he denied it, he knew the truth—Ataraxia was worth much, much more than Armand. More than that, he wanted it more than anything.
"4 billion gold," Zion said. "That is almost all the money I have. Surely that is enough?"
"Hmm, 4 billion…" Arius said, thinking.
4 billion gold was enough to build four whole magic schools. But Arius wasn't satisfied. The truth was, no amount of money would ever be enough for him.
Besides, even though he sold Armand for 3 billion, if he had sold it at a grand auction, he could have gotten an incredible price for it. The only reason he didn't was because the sword was stolen. If he tried to auction it, people would track him down.
Money wasn't that important to Arius anyway, so selling it to Zion had been the safe and easy choice.
Seeing that Arius still wasn't happy, Zion grew nervous. The harder something is to get, the more you want it. Even if he emptied his entire treasury, he could only find another 700 million gold.
Wuorin probably had ten times that amount, but he didn't want to waste a favor from her on just money. Since Arius didn't seem to care only about gold, Zion decided to play his last and best card.
"On top of the money," Zion said, "I will grant you a place in the Teraze Family Line."
Just as he hoped, Arius's eyes lit up with interest.
The Teraze family was led by a mighty emperor, one of the three most powerful people on the continent. Under her protection, Arius would never have to be a fugitive again.
But Zion didn't have the power to make that promise. The only person who could get someone into the Teraze Line was Wuorin.
Zion looked at his sister. "Wuorin, you can arrange that, right?"
It was the first time he had ever asked her for a favor, and he knew it would be the last. With Ataraxia's power, he wouldn't need anyone's help ever again.
Just this once, he thought. Please, just this one time.
"So Shirone oppa dies, then?" Wuorin asked calmly. ("Oppa" is a Korean word for a older brother or a close older male friend.)
"Most likely," Zion said. Then, remembering Arius's words, he added, "But, as we heard, a severed head doesn't guarantee death."
He knew his sister liked Shirone a little, so he used Arius's crazy logic because it was useful.
"Hmm," Wuorin said. She rested a finger on her lips and looked up at the ceiling.
She didn't care about the politics of Kazura, but she had felt a little sorry for Zion lately. In a way, his failure to become king was almost cute. Since this was probably his final chance, she decided she could be generous.
"Fine, I'll do it," Wuorin said. "I will talk to Mother."
Zion let out a huge sigh of relief. It felt strange to be nervous about asking his own sister for help, but since she agreed, it didn't matter anymore.
"Then it's settled," Zion said, turning back to Arius. "4 billion gold, plus a place in the Teraze Line. Tonight, you will bring me Shirone's head—and Ataraxia."
Arius blinked in surprise, then raised a hand to stop him. "Wait. You're asking me to do the actual fighting and cutting?"
"What?" Zion said, confused. "If the great treasure hunter won't do it, then who will?"
"With all due respect, Your Highness," Arius said, "this is a specialized job. I am an expert in digging up treasures from minds, not in fighting. And I certainly don't like bloodshed."
Zion stared at him, absolutely speechless. Even in a world where many magicians don't fight, most still know how to defend themselves.
How could the man who just explained how to cut off a person's head now claim he didn't like blood?