The rally point for the party was set outside the Royal Palace. There was no room for delay—royal guards had already been dispatched to escort each party member.
One by one, they arrived. Vota, of noble blood, had the means to bring along a few personal bodyguards. The same was true for Crystal and Decus, though unlike Vota, the men they brought were members of their own squad.
Soon, the rally point bustled with a small crowd: Vota with his personal royal knights, and the Inquisition's Omega Squad appointed by their General.
Spes was the last to arrive, escorted by a single royal guard. The party exchanged brief nods. The mood was tense—their quest was about to begin.
The group was now complete. All that remained was to await the King's arrival to officially send them off.
Trumpets echoed through the area as the dignitaries finally entered the scene. The King strode forward confidently, flanked by the Archmage and the Inquisition General. Their entourage of guards was so formidable, they made Vota's knights and the Omega Squad look like children playing soldier.
The trio stopped before the party.
"The Kingdom has not seen times more dire than what we're facing now," the King said solemnly.
His eyes were dark from sleepless nights. The failed ritual had shattered his schedule, but beneath the fatigue, his gaze burned like the sun—unyielding and fierce. Eyes that declared: We shall never back down without a fight.
"Yes, times are dire," he continued, "but only in the darkest of nights does light shine brightest." He looked at each party member with conviction.
"On your quest, you shall carry the weight of being the Great Kingdom's light. And shine brightly—you must!"
"For the Great Kingdom!" the King shouted.
"For the Great Kingdom!" everyone echoed in unison, voices rising in response to his stirring words.
After the speech, the King raised his hand and signaled a guard. The man stepped forward and handed each of the four party members a blue-colored ring.
"These rings contain supplies and basic necessities for your journey. Do not lose them—they also contain my decrees. Deliver them to the Alliance's Capital. You are not to return without the Artifact. May luck be with you."
The King nodded at each of them, his gaze lingering on Vota a moment longer before departing—urgent matters awaited him elsewhere.
Only the Archmage and the bald General remained to see the party off.
"Archmage Vis!" Spes ran toward the old man.
"What is it, child?" the Archmage asked, one eye half-open.
"About my master… any news?"
It was the second time Spes had asked; their last conversation had been abruptly cut short.
"Oh, your master is… still recovering," the Archmage replied, opening both eyes.
"He also asked me to help you with your magic training—I almost forgot!" The old man scratched his head sheepishly.
"Here." He handed Spes a black ring.
Now Spes had two rings—one blue from the King, the other black from the Archmage.
"Inside are tomes and magic books—enough to reach the rank of a fully fledged Mage."
"So study well, and surprise him when you return."
"I'll try my best...!" Spes said, laughing awkwardly as he knew the matter of becoming a fully fledged Mage was no easy deal.
Once the Archmage left, Spes finally let out his excitement. He caressed the rings, eyes shining brightly.
"Spatial rings!", he thought in awe.
Even his master would have a hard time just to get one of these—they were extremely rare. He never imagined he'd ever own one, let alone two!
As he prepared to test the rings, he realized something. He didn't even know how to use them!
"Don't know how to use them, lil guy?" Vota out of nowhere appeared next to Spes.
"What would you do without the great Vota right here?" he said with a shake of his head.
"First, you have to bind the rings to your spiritual sense. That way, only you can access their contents."
Despite his smug tone, Vota clearly explained the process step by step. Soon, Spes successfully summoned a loaf of bread.
Excitedly, he began pulling out a jug of water, a magic book, the King's decree—item after item, in and out.
But soon, his head began to throb.
"Ease up, kid," Vota chuckled.
"Spiritual sense tires like muscle. Overuse it, and you'll get a killer headache."
He laughed again at the pained frown on Spes's face.
"Anyway, look over there—don't you think they're a bit too cozy with the General?"
He nudged Spes, gesturing toward Crystal and Decus.
They were speaking with the Inquisition General. And Vota was right—their connection looked closer than typical military formality.
Spes even blushed when he saw Crystal, usually cold as ice, surprisingly smile while talking to the General.
"Look at you, drooling like a pervert!" Vota cackled.
"I heard she gave you quite a beating. So you're into that sort of thing huh?"
Vota grinned slyly, eyes gleaming with mischief. "I know what kind of man you are", his expression seemed to say.
"Hey! It's just the weather!" Spes protested, quickly straightening up.
"We don't judge here," Vota smirked.
"Ahem."
Both jumped. Archmage Vis had somehow appeared right behind them.
"A-Archmage Vis! What a pleasant surprise," Vota said, instantly donning his most respectful tone.
"Don't butter me up, you rascal. I'm just checking on everyone," Vis said, stroking his beard, slightly glaring at Vota.
"And from the looks of it, you two are doing fine—already distracted by girls." The old man chuckled, as if reminiscing about his youth.
"You youngsters... just keep your pants away from that Crystal girl. She's the General's daughter, after all. You really don't want the second most powerful man in the Kingdom as your enemy." With a final grin, he walked away, not forgetting to give one last glare at the fat Vota.
Spes and Vota were left staring at each other in stunned silence.
They glanced toward Crystal and the General, searching for any resemblance. There's wasn't even a hint of one.
"Right!" Vota clapped his hands. "The General used to have silver hair. He lost it all fighting a powerful Fire Demon!"
Spes nodded repeatedly. Crystal had silver hair too. With that and how they were interacting with each other, the two were indeed related. He quietly resolved to let go of his grudge. Spes noted mentally to keep away from Crystal as he already have had a bad experience with her previously.
"Not that I ever planned to...", he thought dryly, knowing their difference in strength, the girl being the Captain of a squad of Inquisitors.
When Crystal and Decus finished saying goodbye to the General, the party—along with Vota's knights and the Omega Squad—were assigned griffins.
And so, they finally took flight—beginning their journey to save the Kingdom.