Johan and Tayna were waiting outside, watching over the Royal Knights inspecting their horses and carriages. At the same time, the two Ironside dwarves were stowing away the last of equipment on their carriage for the party.

"They sure are thorough," Tayna said.

"It's their job. They need to make sure everything is in order, and that nothing is amiss," Johan said.

"That's true. So, do you think the prince will have us join him on his travels around the kingdom?" Tayna asked.

Johan thought for a moment, "I don't think so... It seemed like he's needed back at the capital. It's a six-day journey if they push it. It wouldn't be a relaxing ride, and the Prince's reputation will be called into question once they see Lady Rya."

"Hmm... You have a point."

"We're all ready, Sir," a royal knight reported to Sir Douglas who was looking over everyone.

"Very well, we'll be leaving shortly once the Prince and Lady Rya get here," Sir Douglas said.

The Knight nodded and went back to his post.

 

It took about ten minutes before Rya and Quinus finally showed up. Percy, Dalia, Nieren, and Yuliana were all following behind the two of them as they made their way towards the carriages.

General Douglas came walking up to the Prince and gave him a salute, "Your Highness, we are ready to depart when you are."

Quinus nodded, "Thank you, General Douglas. We'll leave shortly. Once Sir George comes back with our luggage."

"Very well, my Lord," General Douglas replied.

Quinus looked back and saw his friend Johan standing next to his wife. He looked at Rya and whispered, "Well? I think it's time to give Johan the good news."

Rya giggled and nodded, "I agree, babe."

The two of them walked up to Johan and his wife, Tayna.

Johan saw the two of them approaching and bowed, "Your Highness, Lady Rya, it's good to see you both. I hope you enjoyed our hospitality."

Tayna curtsied, "It's an honor to meet you, Prince Quinus, and Lady Rya."

'Well, she's really calmed down after getting laid by Johan,' Rya thought.

Quinus smiled then looked to his right and saw a knight standing at attention about ten feet away.

"Excuse me, Sir Knight. But can you grab a Focusing Tool for me, please?" Quinus asked.

The Knight was a little confused but didn't show it on his face, "Yes, Sire. It'll only take a minute."

The Knight ran over to the dwarf's carriage and grabbed a Focusing tool from one of the crates. Johan didn't know why the prince wanted a focusing tool, the prince was already one of the strongest Majas in the kingdom and he couldn't light the thing to save his life. Quinus took the Focusing Tool, which looked like a lighter that you would use to light a bonfire back on Earth, and the tip lit up once Quinus channeled some of his mana into it.

"Alright, it works," Quinus said as he halted the flow of his mana into the tool.

Tayna and Johan didn't know why the Prince was testing out a Focusing Tool. But they decided to wait and see what he was planning.

Quinus handed the tool to Johan, "Here you go, Johan."

"Ummm, I appreciate the offer, your Highness. But you know that I don't have any mana," Johan said with a skeptical look written on his face.

Quinus smiled, "Just give it a shot... You might surprise yourself."

"O-Okay?..."

Johan looked at the tool and held it. Nothing was happening as Johan looked at the item in confusion.

"Just channel some of your mana into it," Quinus stated.

"But I have no mana, Sire."

Quinus gave him a disappointed look, "That's because you're not trying."

"I have tried many times when I was a kid after slaying multiple monsters. I'm worthless on this front, my Prince. My mother didn't have much mana, either," Johan explained.

Quinus sighed, 'He doesn't realize that his mana vein is working. I guess I was in a similar situation when I was younger, but I couldn't stop the flow of my mana until I could feel it... Well, I think I have an idea of how to make Johan feel his mana. Let's hope it isn't too painful.' he thought to himself, as the prince held up his right hand.

"Give me your hand, Johan," Quinus ordered.

"Why, my Lord?" Johan asked.

"I'm helping you. Now, give me your hand," Quinus ordered again.

Johan looked confused, but he obeyed the Prince and offered him his hand. Quinus grabbed his hand tightly and channeled some of his mana into him. Johan immediately started feeling a burning pain in his hand.

"AAAHHH!! W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Quinus ignored him and channeled a large amount of his mana into him. Johan tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too strong. Rya watched with intrigue while Tayna was nervous.

"Come on, Johan... Fight the flow of my mana. You can do it!" Quinus encouraged him.

"B-But! Ahhh! I don't have any mana to fight it with! Please stop!" Johan begged as his face grimaced in pain.

Quinus smiled, "No, I know you can do this. So, fight it!"

The pain reached up to his bicep and continued to move upwards.

'WHAT IS HE DOING!? THE PAIN IS UNBELIEVABLE!' Johan screamed internally.

The pain kept moving upwards to his shoulder. Johan wanted to cry out in pain, but he bit his lip and tasted blood. It was right when Quinus' mana almost reached the chest of Johan that it happened. Johan felt something stir inside of him.

'Is this?... Mana?'

He focused on the strange energy inside of him and started moving it against the foreign mana. Quinus smiled when he felt Johan's mana fighting back.

"That's it, Johan. Concentrate! Push back with everything you've got!"

Johan nodded and closed his eyes. 'I can do this!... I can do this!' Suddenly, the flow of Quinus' mana was getting pushed back, causing massive amounts of pressure within his body.

"Yes! Johan! Keep pushing! Don't let up! You're doing great!"

'I'm doing it! I can feel the power!'

Soon Johan pushed all of Quinus' mana back into his hand and Quinus let go immediately. Johan was breathing hard while staring at the prince with a shocked expression.

"W-What was the meaning of that, your Highness!?" Johan asked in a shaky voice.

Tayna's eyes widened in shock when she saw the Focusing Tool in Johan's other hand lighting up out of nowhere.

"J-Johan? The tool... It's..." She stuttered.

Johan looked at the tool and his mouth opened wide. "W-What? How?"

Quinus smiled, "You have to thank my fiance for this. She noticed something was preventing your mana vein from absorbing mana from the surrounding area."

"B-But I tried everything! My father even consulted with many doctors," Johan said, still in shock.

"This was something that no one could have seen but me. You were lucky that I noticed it," Rya explained.

Tayna didn't know if this was a dream, while Johan was still in disbelief as he looked at the Focusing Tool.

"S-So you are saying that I am a Maja now?" Johan asked in disbelief.

Quinus looked over to Rya with a smirk and she nodded back.

"Not only that, but you are a mage," Rya said happily.

Johan's body stiffened up like a statue when he heard that he was a mage, he didn't even blink. Quinus, Rya, and Tayna could see a vein pulsating on Johan's forehead.

"Johan? Are you alright?" Tayna asked as she was concerned for her husband. Johan didn't respond as his body started to tilt backwards.

"Johan?" Quinus asked.

Quinus watched as Johan's body fell backward and landed on the grassy ground with a thud. Cause dust to swirl up around him.

"Honey!?" Tayna hurried over to her husband.

"Oh, boy," Rya muttered at the sight of a 27-year-old man passed out on the ground.

Quinus moved closer to his friend to see if he was okay. Some of the servants came over as well. Quinus shook his head, "Well I didn't expect this reaction... That's a first."

"I guess the news was too much for him," Rya said.

"Hey, hey, hey... Johan, are you alright?" Tayna was freaking out.

Rya walked over and waved her hand in front of his face. His eyes were closed, and he wasn't responding.

"Huh... He's not hurt, but he seems to be out cold," Rya said.

Quinus scratched the back of his head and sighed, "Well, Johan really wanted to be a mage back when he was a kid. So much so that he idolized anyone who was a mage. Like my deceased cousin... Luckily for his sake, he accepted his fate of being an average human. But he looked devastated whenever one of his family members awakened their mana vein. He tried everything to awaken his vein, but nothing worked. Even after the doctors gave him a clean bill of health. They couldn't find anything wrong with him and everyone thought he had nothing but a common-level vein."

"That makes sense now. He was shell shocked by the news," Rya stated.

A servant chimed in, "Should we do something about his lordship, my Lady?"

Tayna looked up at the servant and was about to say something when Johan started to stir.

"Uhhh... T-Tayna?" Johan mumbled as his eyes were still closed.

"Y-Yes, honey. I'm right here," Tayna said as she stroked his cheek.

"T-Thank the Goddess... I had the weirdest dream... First, you finally fell in love with me... Then my mana vein awoke and I became a mage," Johan groaned.

Tayna looked over at the prince and his fiance and smiled.

"It wasn't a dream, my dear."

Johan's eyes snapped open. He saw his wife smiling down at him with Quinus, Rya, and three servants hovering around him.

"What's going on? Am I dead?" Johan asked as he stared at his wife.

Tayna giggled, "No, you dummy. You fainted after Rya healed you and told you that you were a mage."

"S-So it isn't a dream?" He asked again, trying to get his mind wrapped around this revelation.

Rya nodded, "Yep. You are a full-blown mage."

Johan sat up and looked around him. The Focusing Tool was still in his hand, but the light was out. He concentrated on it and channeled some of his mana, causing the tool to light up.

"This is real..."

Quinus knelt down and offered him a hand, "It's not a dream. I wouldn't lie to you about something like this. You're a mage now, congratulations."

Johan took the offered hand and stood up.

"I know. I can teach you some of the basic Maja techniques so you can defend yourself," Quinus said as he let go of Johan's hand.

"Thanks. I would appreciate that, your Highness... I wonder what type of element I can cast? Fire would be nice," Johan wondered out loud.

"Hmm... Well, that's going to be tough to do, since you are an illusion mage," Rya stated.

Johan did a double take, "Did you say an illusionist?"

Rya nodded, "Yep. I'm not an illusionist myself. But luckily for you, I have a few notes for some incantations and spells that illusionists can use."

"T-This is real, right? This isn't a dream?" Johan asked, still stunned.

Quinus shook his head and slapped him on the arm.

"Ow!? Hey!" Johan cried out.

"Does that feel like a dream?" Quinus asked with a grin.

"No, but damn, that hurts," Johan complained.

"Then you are wide awake, my friend. Come on, let me show you a few things before we need to head out," Quinus said and headed toward some of the knights with Johan following closely behind him. They grabbed a couple of swords and Quinus was pointing out a few tips and tricks.

Rya, Tayna, Nieren, Yuliana, and the servants watched them from a distance. Tayna was in a similar state as Johan was. She watched as her husband was able to use Maja skills for the first time.

'Is this really happening?... Everything has changed in such a short time...' Tayna thought to herself. She looked over to Rya, who was enjoying watching her fiance train Johan.

'Everything has changed so much... If it wasn't for her, I-I would have been a miserable scared wrench desperately trying to escape... I was ready to do something drastic.'

"I guess this is what it feels like to be free," Tayna mumbled.

Rya was talking with Yuliana and Nieren when she heard Tayna whispering to herself. She smiled and continued the conversation. Tayna felt a weight lifted off of her shoulders, and her eyes started to get blurry as everything started to sink in.

'I-I'm crying?' She touched her face and felt her tears.

"Are you alright, Tayna?"

Tayna looked and saw Rya looking at her with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. It's just that I feel happy."

"Happy?" Rya asked.

"Yes, my lady. I haven't felt happiness in a long time. This feeling is new to me," Tayna stated.

"Well, I'm glad... Just don't forget what I did for you, alright?" Rya said jokingly.

Tayna wiped her tears away and kneeled before Rya.

"Huh? Ummm... What are you doing Tayna?" Rya asked in confusion.

"My lady. Please forgive me for not being grateful when you first visited. I'm truly thankful for you healing my husband and myself. I pledge myself and my family's loyalty to you. My life is yours to do as you please."

Rya's eyebrows raised in surprise, while Nieren and Yuliana looked at Tayna with a hint of confusion.

Rya looked down at this woman, kneeling before her. She had no idea what to do at first. 'Really!? I know she annoyed me at first and I wanted her to stop flirting with Quin... But this has taken me by surprise... Should I take her up on her offer or refuse?'

"Stand up Tayna," Rya said in a soft tone.

Tayna got up and looked at the young dark elf. Who was shaking her head with a smile.

"I appreciate the offer, but it wouldn't sit right with me. You're not my servant or slave, but if you want to make it up to me... Then, how about you become my friend."

"F-Friend? Me?" Tayna was astonished.

"Yeah, a friend. You are not a subject. Plus, it would be weird to have the future Baroness as a servant. If you are willing to be my friend, then we will be even. Deal?"

Tayna couldn't believe what she was hearing.

'She's a saint... There is no way she's a Dark Elf...'

"Deal. I, Tayna Dule, will be your friend, Lady Rya," Tayna said with a bow.

"Good. Now stop bowing like that. It's getting awkward," Rya stated while waving her hand dismissively.

They both laughed, while Yuliana and Nieren exchanged looks.

"She really has turned my opinions around on dark elves," Yuliana said.

"I know," Nieren agreed as she smiled at the human female.

They all turned their attention back to the training ground and watched Quinus and Johan sparring.