It had taken me two months to finally get to the capital of this godforsaken kingdom. I wish I had found out sooner that the herb to stabilize my curse could be found in Iphania Kingdom. The rare herb that’s being auctioned here in two days… It’s ridiculous.

When I first read about the herb, I went to the location where it could be found - an underground cave, which borders close to Yexirean Empire and Iphania Kingdom. Unfortunately, it was barren, signs of the cave being destroyed was visible. Whoever was down there took every seedling and sap, clearing what would have been a lush cave.

Had I not gone to the intelligence guild in time, I wouldn’t have been able to go anywhere in a couple of weeks, when the curse would slowly take its effect. The informant told me to visit the capital, Grarc, and enter the auction because the only herb of its kind was being sold off there and it would be my only chance to get it. The next time would be months away, and I didn’t have that much time. 

I didn’t work my ass off to not be able to get this herb. I later came to learn that a greedy lord had taken this herb all to himself, and I’ve known this for ten years since. He would occasionally put the herb on the auction, for what reason, I have no idea.

I had to do odd jobs to be able to save up enough to afford the herb. Who would have thought the average price for a small plant was hundred thousand gold. It's not an easy sum to acquire, however, the jobs where one needs a mage, one would be surprised how much anyone is willing to pay to get the help of one.

I found a lowkey inn to settle down and check out the capital before I made my move in a few days. Wherever I went, I wore a black robe to cover my appearance. It would be troublesome if anyone recognized me after the massive incident a few years ago. It was still something people kept reminding themselves of.

The capital is okay, it's just like how I had imagined it - luxurious. This kingdom is known for how it exploited the poor to build what it is today. However, because the kingdom is closely tied to the Empire, where I originally came from, which is a fortress in comparison, nobody has dared to do anything to this day.

It wasn’t horrible, but witnessing how the poor were treated by the nobility made my stomach turn.

It was late at night, and I began to feel a bit hungry. I only had a little ration left by the time I arrived, and I hadn’t eaten for a few days. I was craving something good. I found a tavern quickly and found myself a table in a corner and settled down.