Chapter 1. Episode 5. Treasure

Murmurs spread among the gathered people; they must be discussing my rudeness in slandering their prince. Although they only murmured, not speaking outright, I could still hear them. They lacked the courage to openly criticize me, fearing for their jobs.

"While it's true Young Master Ken is talented and possesses considerable prowess, Young Master Keir shouldn't be dismissed as insignificant. Young Master Ken's activation and resulting ripple effect were delayed because of the lingering potent prowess left by Young Master Keir. You can't even properly identify their individual abilities; one has ice affinity, the other fire. Ritualizing them simultaneously created a conflict of affinities. The pool was intensely hot after Keir finished; placing Ken's palm required first lowering the temperature, hence the delay at the surface. How dare you make such a ridiculous comparison!" I reprimanded Prince Xavier for his misconduct.

(Picture, girl reprimanding someone)

"Fil!" Bryan called out, clearly worried about my slandering their first prince.

"You have no right to comment. What I say, goes! Don't slander me in front of my servants. Aren't you afraid I'm not humiliated enough?" he fumed, shamelessly refusing to admit his mistakes.

"Actually, I do have a say!" I thought, I'm far more qualified to conduct this ceremony than you are, but I refrained from voicing the latter part.

"You!…" Prince Xavier began to argue, ready to dispute anything.

"That's enough! Xavier, please return your people to the palace. We don't need them here," Bryan commanded. Although titled First Prince, Xavier's power wasn't absolute; Bryan held far greater authority, and Xavier had to obey.

"Why did you send them away?" I asked.

"Why did you do that?" He asked me; we both spoke simultaneously.

"It's true," I stated plainly.

"It'll be difficult to be on the First Prince's bad side," he replied, this time one at a time.

"True what?" he added.

"It's true he made ridiculous remarks about the twins, not considering how the children would handle the consequences of his words," I defended. I was glad he managed to see my serious side. I wouldn't stand idly by while something preventable could cause worse problems.

"He's a prince, after all!" he said helplessly, concerned about the potential repercussions for me.

"What if he accuses you of slandering him? He'll make you suffer!" he worried.

"Oh, relax! I'm not staying long—just the weekend. Besides, he won't faze me. What's there to suffer?" I retorted. As I spoke, I removed my outer clothing, leaving only a tank top and cycling shorts, and dove into the water, leaving him on the shore. I'd long sensed something magical about this water and wanted to investigate. As I swam deeper, the magical emanation grew stronger, almost tangible. At the pool's bottom, I found a crack. I couldn't tell if it had been there long or was newly formed, but given the twins' potent, contradictory prowess, it was highly likely they caused it. Wow, how lethal would it be if nurtured?

My body is protected by my spatial magic; I'm breathing fine, so I won't drown, but this is ridiculous! I'll die of annoyance!

Bry? What are you doing? I wondered, swimming back up to meet him halfway, then dragging him ashore. He was nearly out of breath, but there were still fifty meters or so to go. It would have been quick if it were just me, but I was dragging this silly man; I had no choice but to share my spatial protection to prevent him from drowning.

"You know, you're really powerful," he gasped, breathing heavily to recover.

"Is that really what you want to say after nearly drowning?" I asked. We were still underwater; I had no immediate plans to resurface. I was sure the children would be alright.

"You're so mysterious. Why do you have these abilities?" he asked, confused, once his breathing stabilized. It's not mere tricks. It takes mastery to possess these abilities, I thought. He was probably wondering because I hadn't had these abilities when we were children; he didn't even know my true identity.

"I'm not a clown," I said sternly, diving back into the pool—he, of course, came with me.

"Er… I'm sorry," he apologized. "Where were you going? I was worried, so I dove down to find you," he added.

"Promise you won't snatch anything if I find something down there, will you?" I paused. He would need the ability to do that anyway.

"Oh… oh, okay," he readily agreed. No hesitation. I liked that.

"I'm sensing the aura of a mythical treasure beneath the pool," I said seriously, resuming my dive until we reached the crack. Surprisingly, it was a portal. As I touched it, a whirlwind erupted, sucking us in.

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Nameless Cave

"Is this part of your territory?" a girl asked her companion.

"I don't know. No one has been here since the kingdom's founding, or at least not in recent generations. I'm not sure," he replied, sharing her awe at what lay before them.

There, stood an enormous mountain of gold. Everything radiated the aura of mythical treasure, like a harbor of riches. If word got out, there would be war. As the saying goes, "A bird will die for food, and a man will die for treasure." These treasures offered not only wealth but also power; mythical treasures were artifacts created by the gods themselves; even their failed creations were considered legendary treasures by us mere mortals.

As they feasted their eyes on the sight, they noticed movement within the piles of treasure and grew vigilant; after all, they were still on someone else's territory.

There, a huge shadow of a three-headed snake emerged from the treasure. Bryan transformed into a massive wolf, radiating thunder, his eyes deep blue, his fur gray, sharp claws and saber-like fangs. He was an Aswang, of the highest order; they didn't need nighttime or moonlight to transform; the transformation was entirely at their will. He bared his fangs, ready to attack. Felise, however, remained calm, sensing a strange bond with the snake. She raised her hand to restrain Bryan, calming him. As they lowered their guard, they realized it was a baby snake, only 300 years old (equivalent to three years in human terms). They were shocked by its size—only about a foot long—its white color, and its three heads, each emanating a different aura, suggesting three distinct personalities. Felise took out a small, dark blue notebook, about the size of her palm, tied with a cotton string and inscribed with gold lettering: "SPELL."

"It's a Goblin Snybirus," Felise said, amazement still evident on her face.

"What's a Snybirus?" Bryan asked, confused, transforming back into human form. It was quite laughable to see his reaction—ready to kill what was essentially a baby creature—but he couldn't be blamed. Even as high-ranking Aswang, descendants of Gabunan, they'd never encountered such a creature.

"It's an ancient goblin pet. They feed on treasure, can locate it, and their most malicious trait is their merciless hoarding; once they take a liking to your treasure, they'll have it," Felise explained, putting the notebook back into her spatial storage.

She gently stroked the snake's head, speaking mentally, "Hey there, little buddy, we're sorry to have disturbed your slumber." "It's okay," a small voice replied. Shock filled her face, then quickly disappeared. "I never thought you'd be able to hear my words," she responded, continuing to stroke the snake. "Can we come with you?" another small voice, sounding like a girl, asked. "Sure," Felise replied, bringing the snake into her spatial storage.

"Did you kill it?" Bryan asked, still confused.

"I couldn't kill it in a thousand years," she replied, looking at him intently. He blushed.

"T-then where is it?" he asked, looking away. He couldn't bear to stare at her for too long; it was making his face burn. The thought that his father had misunderstood their relationship, assuming her to be his girlfriend, made him blush even brighter. I haven't even apologized yet, and I haven't even tried to explain.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked, looking around.

"Uh, n-no. Nevermind," he said, shaking his head. It wasn't appropriate to ask such personal questions. She had secrets, like everyone else.

"Storage ring. It can store living and non-living things, about a hectare in size," she said, scavenging through the treasure.

(Picture of storage ring)

"Do you want this?" she asked.

"Oh, sure," he said.

"Did you find anything you like?" he asked, looking around at the enormous mountain of gold, books, and other treasures.

"Store whatever fits in your ring, and I'll take the rest. Is that okay?" she asked, worried. Even with everything considered, this location still belonged to the kingdom, and she felt a sense of responsibility.

"Sure, then," Bryan readily agreed, taking only a small amount of treasure.

"Are you sure? Can you really decide that?" she insisted, feeling it was a bit rude to take it all; it would be a huge loss for the kingdom.

"Yeah, sure. Don't hesitate; I know it'd be better if you took it," he said casually.

"Alright, if you say so," she agreed, and a spatial warp sucked up the mountain of treasure, leaving not a speck of dust behind.

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Spiritual Stream

"Tita!" "Tito!" the twins called, spotting the couple on shore. They pounced on them, hugging them as if they were their parents.

"Where have you been?" "Why did it take so long? I almost grew roots here!" They asked simultaneously.

"Oh, I found something amazing! I'll give it to you two when you grow up," the woman said, ruffling their hair. She doted on them so much.

"Oh, Ken! Let's grow up quickly!" Keir grabbed Ken's shirt, pouting as if Ken could somehow speed up the process.

"Yeah, tomorrow we'll grow up," Ken reassured his silly twin brother.

"Now, now, let's eat. I'm quite hungry," Felise said, taking their arms and leading them to the food laid out on the blanket.

They ate their fill, swam, and chatted endlessly. The twins grew even closer to their Tita and Tito. Such adorable babies; who wouldn't want to adore them? Only stone-hearted individuals would. Looking at them—one man, one woman, the twins, and the atmosphere—it gave the impression of a happy family. Outsiders might truly think they were a family.

The trip ended. Happiness is fleeting; the more you want it to last, the shorter it feels; the more you want it to end, the slower time seems to pass.

"Tita, Tito? Can you stay? Please don't go back to your school," Keir pleaded, tears streaming down his cheeks. Felise closed her eyes tightly; she couldn't bear the sight; it was too heartbreaking.

"Keir, you're acting like a baby again. Didn't you say you wanted to grow up quickly? Why are you crying now, huh?" Ken reprimanded his twin brother, also fighting back tears.

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