Payback: Isekai

Rise Above

"An engagement is announced between the First Imperial Prince, the Duke of Somnia, and the Highest Order of the Temple, the Sacred Knight of Ishtarhea."

Yoohan coughed on his water and the rest was toppling into the table—thankfully, not on the remaining of his breakfast.

"Careful, darling."

Yoohan ignored the mild concern and stared at the newsletter in Rion's hand with a headline that was perfectly, clearly, being read out loud by the alchemist. "That...that needs to be announced?" He asked as Albert deftly took care of the mess without any sound.

"Well, of course. Why wouldn't it? Does this kind of thing never happen back in your home?" Rion peeked out from the newsletter.

Yoohan frowned, looking up to remember the thing from the earth that felt like such a long time ago. "Just...if you're famous I think?"

The Prince chuckled, and Rion rolled his eyes. "Well, duh, and do you think my cousin is not famous?"

"Ah," Yoohan parted his lips as if he was really forgetting the fact that his lover was a Prince.

"I really love the fact that you seem to always forget he's a Prince. Well done, my friend. Or should I start to call you cousin now?"

"And do you think you're not famous?" The Prince chimed in, smiling playfully.

"I do?" Yoohan turned his head.

"I also love the fact that you really lack self-awareness," Rion added joyfully.

Yoohan would like to retort on that but Harkan came with a small box in his hand, which he eyed curiously. "Ah," Jay took the box and balanced it in his hand. "Right on time," he muttered while pushing strands of mana into the box, unlocking it. There was a necklace, almost identical to the one Yoohan wore except for the black stone that seemed like it swirled with a darkness inside.

"Is that starless stone?" Rion asked as Jay took out the necklace, and Yoohan raised his brow. He had heard of them.

"Of Thruin cave?" Yoohan leaned his body unconsciously towards Jay—or rather towards the necklace. He had heard of that place, an underground cave so big one would think they were standing in an open field under a starless sky. It was where the stone got its name. It was supposed to be the heart of the cave, and divided into six for each excavator to have. The story of the cave was on the archive of the mercenary guild, and Yoohan had been kind of curious about that, although he had never gotten around to visit it.

"So you know of that," Jay put the pendant on top of Yoohan's palm. "It had been sitting in the treasury for so long, figured I have better use for it than let it collect dust."

Yoohan stroked the black stone, and the darkness seemed to follow the movement of his thumb like a flowing veil. He traced the enchantment, the arrays that were carved on the stone. He wasn't versed in formation, but he could recognize the [barrier] one since it was the same as one carved on the blood of elemesca. There was something else, he presumed, [stealth] or something other—Yoohan couldn't discern all the layers. He had given up on the layers of formation carved on the red necklace after the two [barrier] and [rejuvenation]. But he didn't need to know much, just knowing Jay would have a barrier again already made him exhale in relief.

"Is that from the same place as the runia bush?" Rion asked, which had Yoohan lifted his face.

"Yes." Jay smiled, looking at the surprised look on Yoohan's face, along with another set of curiosity. Seemed like the young man finally move on from his agony about the announcement. "One of the excavators was my great grand-uncle. You can find his adventure's log someplace in the library—the big one, not my office."