Willing to Do Anything for Love

It was unbelievably easy to enter the city. It was as if they were just passing through freely, yet they weren't visible, which allowed them to move around so unrestrictedly. Not a single person in the crowd noticed them; even if they were accidentally bumped into, no one would know. This incredible magic captivated Mahendra.

"You... what the," Mahendra said, full of doubt.

Two minutes passed as they walked down the wide city street, his heart beating unusually fast, as if it were being pierced by a nail. Mahendra groaned in pain, clutching his head before finally collapsing. He had felt this pain many times before—a sign that the end of his life was drawing near.

"Why does it still hurt so much?" he complained.

Two years had passed, and he only had three years left to live, but the effects of his curse were truly frustrating. His resilience was useless, the ancient spell that made him both strong and weak was slowly eroding his life energy. He looked up, screaming in pain, unable to bear the agony. The girl with the golden eyes stood silently, watching Mahendra in pain. She could only conceal her presence, aura, and voice in some unknown way. The girl squinted her eyes and bit her lower lip as if she, too, felt the pain, and then she reached for the face of the red-eyed man.

The pair of red eyes, resembling those of a monster or demon, began to bleed slightly from their sharp pupils. There was only a short distance between them, and the girl stared intently at him. Her golden eyes began to glow, bringing Mahendra, who was on the verge of losing control, back to his senses. Slowly but surely, Mahendra's pain vanished.

"You? You did that?"

The girl just smiled briefly, her face returning to a gloomy expression for some reason. Mahendra didn't understand what this girl was thinking at all.Mahendra thought that by helping her when she fell from the tree, this debt would be settled. But in the end, this girl had put him in her debt again, helping him without being asked.

"No... there's no time. I have to go see him, for information about... that blind man." His breathing was ragged, and Mahendra got up and hurried toward the palace.

***

The palace, Kingdom of Murcia. The Glass Garden in the backyard of the palace.

Princess Melissa was pacing anxiously outside the glass garden. She was thinking about something related to Mahendra, afraid of something she couldn't even imagine herself. Her face was a little pale, which made it clear how worried she was.Mahendra took slow, silent steps. He slowly approached Princess Melissa, extending his hand toward her.

"Princess," Mahendra called.

Startled by the voice, Princess Melissa turned around and accidentally bumped into Mahendra's hand, which was still invisible. Because of this, Princess Melissa tripped over her own feet and began to lose her balance. With the intention of helping, Mahendra also stumbled and accidentally pushed Princess Melissa, causing both of them to fall. At the same time, a gift box fell out of Mahendra's pants pocket.

The invisible magic effect had finally disappeared. Mahendra's position on top of the princess clearly made her so embarrassed that her face turned as red as a tomato.

"I'm sorry, Princess Melissa. It's me, Mahendra." Mahendra quickly moved away.

It took some time for the situation to fully sink into the princess's mind, and what made her curious was the box that had just fallen.

"What's this?"

"Ah, this is a small gift from me. I'm sorry, I've only just had a chance to... give it to you," Mahendra said, handing her the box.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Mahendra."

"I'm sorry, I don't have any more time. Actually, I only came here to ask if you know the whereabouts of the Wandering King?"

Princess Melissa was a little disappointed to hear this, because deep down she had hoped Mahendra had come for her, not for something else.

"I know about this. The Wandering King, who is rumored to be the Strongest Swordsman, is still alive somewhere," she said.

Mahendra stood up and offered his hand, asking, "Alive? Did people say he was dead?"

Princess Melissa took his hand so he could help her up, then nodded her head in agreement.

"My ancestor told me. He is now in the Northern Region. However, you know why he got the nickname 'Wandering King.' He lives a nomadic life, so he may have already left," Princess Melissa explained, awkwardly pulling her hand away.

"Thank you for the information. I'll repay this debt of gratitude next time, but today I have to leave here as soon as possible," Mahendra said, turning his back.

Princess Melissa jogged to a park bench, then hurried after Mahendra, who was about to leave. She gave him something—a smaller box.

"Mr. Mahendra, I heard you celebrate your birthday on the same day as me. This is your gift from me. Please accept it and happy birthday."

Although he was hesitant, Mahendra eventually accepted the gift without feeling any more awkward. The box was heavier, and when he was about to open it, Princess Melissa stopped him.

"Please open the gift when you've left here."
"Alright, thank you. In that case, I will go."
"Yes, it's better you leave immediately, or the God of the Spot of Light will notice your presence."
"That god is still here?"
"Not in the palace, but still in the Mageia City."
"May I ask one more thing?" Mahendra asked.
"Of course."

"You said your ancestor was the one who knew the whereabouts of the Wandering King. How did she know?"

"Well... actually, my ancestor's husband was one of the four strongest legends in the Sky World. Maybe that's why she knew."

Mahendra thought to himself that if the Wandering King—one of the four strongest legends—was the key to his salvation, then Princess Melissa's ancestor's husband, who was also one of them, would be the same.

"Where is she now?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Mahendra. The ancestor only appears at certain times. She doesn't intend to interfere in worldly affairs anymore."

The opportunity before his eyes vanished in an instant. His desire to live and his desire to know his own identity were truly difficult to achieve. Let alone the person Princess Melissa mentioned, even the Wandering King was extremely difficult to find.

A heavy sigh was a sign of Mahendra's deep disappointment.

"Mr. Mahendra, before you go, I want to give you one more thing."
"No, this is troublesome."
"Please accept it. This is a gift because you saved my life from the effects of a magic ...my illness."

A magic circle, a fiery orange like a blazing inferno, appeared beneath her feet. The air grew hot as Princess Melissa chanted the spell. A surprised Mahendra took a step back, intending to get away and avoid receiving anything from her, but Princess Melissa insisted.

"Princess, don't!"

She firmly clasped Mahendra's right hand and held it to her chest. Slowly, a stream of fire magic began to seep into Mahendra's body through his palm. It was a gradual but steadily strengthening flow. Contrary to Mahendra's personal desire to refuse it, an ancient spell, as if it had a will of its own, had seized a core part of the princess's magic.

"It can't be stopped. It's... an ancient spell that wants it."

Inside a Magicians body, there is mana that powers their magic and a magic core that they are born with. This magic core is part of a mage's life, if it's taken, they can no longer use magic.Mahendra, realizing this, tried to give it back, holding on to the last bit of the magic core that was almost consumed. However, Princess Melissa pushed the magic core just for him.

"Mr. Mahendra, I will only ever love you in this lifetime."