The knocks resounded throughout the small wooden box that was called a clinic. The wooden door shook violently with each thump, thumps that were not strong enough to knock over a small child. The oldened door clacked from behind before opening with a loud creak.

Out from the clinic came a sleek-figured person in a nice-looking suit covered by a dirtied white coat. This person moved their arm up adjacent to their eyes as to support their hips in leaning on the doorframe. A subtle smile appeared on their face.

On the other side of the door stood an affable man donning a blue vest and hat. In his right hand was a stack of letters about three centimeters thick, while in his left was a bag stuffed full of parcels. His smile was much more pronounced than the recipient of the letter, but his baggy eyes told a different story. The postman’s smile parted, and his joyful voice allowed itself access into the recipient’s ears.

“Good Morning, Good Doctor.”

The person standing in the doorway had a thin yet elegant frame. It made him look quite womanly, but his attire and demeanor led to much confusion for people who saw them. His face was also quite feminine yet had the appeal of a prince. Anyone could see that he was extremely attractive.

“It is a good morning indeed, Mr. Davis.”

The postman's cheeks became pink with embarrassment.

“Doctor Salerno, would you please drop the “Mr.” You have no reason to show such respect to me after saving my daughter without even asking for a penny in return.”

“It is merely courtesy, Mr. Davis.”

The doctor’s smile became more pronounced as the postman’s cheeks became even redder. Trying not to avoid his savior’s eyes, as well as doing his job, Mr. Davis handed the letters over to the elegant doctor across from him.

The doctor looked at the letters to see who sent them. After confirming, the doctor looked up at the postman and thanked him by throwing him a few dollars tip.

After watching Postman Davis walk off, Salerno quickly slammed the door in haste. It was necessary to check if what had been seen was real. Passing by the others, Salerno could see a golden-rimmed letter with a wax seal depicting the emblem of the royal family. On the front side, it showed his address, confirming that he was the true recipient.

Salerno’s hands shook as he held the now delicate feeling paper in his hands. Grabbing the small, sword-like object on the table next to him, Salerno tore open the letter to see the contents inside. From the envelope came two items: the letter itself and a strange golden badge engraved with a modified version of the royal symbol.

Before looking too deeply at the beautiful badge, Salerno decided that it would be wise to look at the letter. Although long-winded, the letter stated that Salerno had been nominated as the best apothecary of the decade and was to attend the royal once-in-a-decade award ceremony held by the former king starting back about two hundred years ago. The badge that came with the envelope was the proof of identity for him to be allowed into the event.

Salerno was in complete shock after reading this. He didn’t even know the award ceremony had such a category. Although using the same title, apothecaries were usually considered much lower than actual doctors. Whilst doctors rely more on certification and education for treatments, apothecaries rely more on magic to create their remedies. Apothecaries were mostly seen as those who treat commoners due to their general unprofessionalism compared to certified doctors. This is why it was such a surprise.

A large grin appeared on Salerno’s face as he looked back to the golden badge.

This is my ticket!

Salerno always wished to be more than just “the peasant’s doctor;” he wished to be much more. He wished for himself and those close to him to live a life of luxury. This was his chance. Salerno made sure to cancel all his appointments for the day of the ceremony.

…

The cheap, wooden carriage shook as it rolled across the gravel-ridden road. The bumps in the road caused Salerno to nearly fall over a couple of times. After a long while, the ride suddenly became smooth as they rapidly approached the gathering place of the event. There sat many fancy carriages used by nobles of varying status. Salerno silently handed the driver his payment as he stepped out of the disgruntled carriage. The driver began waving his left hand up in the air as he yelled out in excitement.

“Best of luck to you, Doctor Salerno!”

Salerno looked back to the carriage driver, but he had already left the scene in pursuit of more work. A smile appeared on Salerno's face as he turned to the giant building before him. The panic began to sit in. This one building held many nobles, high-class tycoons, entrepreneurs, doctors, and even the king himself. How could he not be scared? Salerno very slowly brought air into his lungs.

It’s ok. It’s not likely that you’ll embarrass yourself in such a situation. Hell, even if you did, nobody would bat an eye!

He finally released the air trying to escape his mouth. His confidence now steeled, Salerno walked to the door with great stride. As he got closer to the door, he noticed that there was nobody outside to check who he was. Although strange, Salerno didn’t mind. It only made it quicker for them to not be there.

I only hope it won’t cause problems for me or someone else later.

As he approached the door, it slowly opened without him even touching it. Wind was coming from inside the building. As he peeked in, he saw the many wealthy gathering on the polished floor. They all surrounded the center stage at the back end of the hall.

Two men stood on stage, staring at each other. It seemed to be the start of some kind of act, but the mana being produced by these two individuals caused Salerno’s eyes to shift color. He could see the overflowing amounts of mana coming off from the men.

As he looked around again, he could see that those people “talking” seemed to not move, breathe, or even have a semblance of life. They ignored everything going on and just acted like nothing existed outside of themselves.

What is going on?

The two men on stage glanced at Salerno, but they quickly turned back to each other as if he was inconsequential. Salerno, through his mana-filled gaze, looked at the men.

The one on the right was dressed in a suit with a long tailcoat. His body was tall and lanky, making him appear like nothing more than a giant twig. He wore nothing on his face, exposing his bright golden eyes that seemed to see everything.

On the left was a “man” who gave Salerno a bout of nausea by looking at him. His form seemed to shift and change with each passing moment. He retained the appearance of a man, but there was no way to mistake him as such. His face was covered by a black mask that only seemed to get darker the longer it was observed.

They continued to stare at each other until a bust of mana came between the two. They both jumped back a few meters before the masked man charged at the other. The masked man’s sword, which Salerno hadn’t noticed up til now, stabbed into the right shoulder of the other man.

As the masked man was about to pull the sword out, the man in the tailcoat began to gather mana into his hand. He punched the sword as hard as he could, causing the masked man to be pushed back. The sword, still lodged into the man’s shoulder, now had only a ripped-off hand hanging on to it. He swiftly removed the sword from his shoulder before tossing it on the ground beside him.

The severed hand remained squirmish as the man in the tailcoat held onto it with his tightly gripped hand. The man in the tailcoat soon decided what to do and threw it back at the handless, masked man. The hand maneuvered itself as to grab the arm it once belonged. With a good enough grip, it became reattached to the main body.

Salerno stood there in shock at what he was seeing. He didn’t know what to feel. Most of his focus had been on the man in the tailcoat, as the other caused him great pain to observe. Still, he couldn’t help but look at the masked man in pure awe.

The masked man seemed to become more agitated as he got into some form of fighting stance. Mana surrounded his body and formed an invisible set of armor and gauntlets. Just as he seemed to go on the attack, the man in the tailcoat began to turn incorporeal as his body began to produce steam, almost as if he was burning his own mana. The masked man shot toward the other in an attempt to stop his efforts, but he was too late.

The man in the tailcoat was gone.

The veins on his hand began to protrude as his anger seemed to be flaring up. He seemed to calm as he relaxed his hand before reaching down to pick up his sword. It was only after then that the masked man looked at Salerno.

Salerno’s brain began to convulse as he fell to the ground in sheer pain. He wished to scream, but his thoughts didn’t let him. The masked man began to take steps closer to Salerno. He tried to look up at the man, whose face changed whilst still wearing the mask, but could only look toward his shoes as he walked closer.

When the now genric-looking man could finally be seen properly, he was already at arm’s length of Salerno. Salerno wished to back away, but the fear didn’t allow him.

A predator stood before him.

The man reached down to pat Salerno on the shoulder. In doing so, a burning sensation spread across his shoulder. The man lifted his hand away, but the pain did not falter. As the pain became bearable, Salerno tried to turn to the direction in which the man had left, but his thoughts became hazy, and his eyes became unfocused. All thoughts about the events prior ceased. He stood up and began to join the now-active people in their activities. The ceremony was beginning.