"You fucking scammer!!!" Hilda screamed and turned to face Agatha.

The old woman was already on the move. She ran quickly to the front of the wagon and jumped into the driver's seat, which was surprising for her age. Suddenly, as if under a spell, the horses, who had stood motionless, began to move.

"Have fun with your useless pickaxe, Hilda!" Agatha called back, and her laughter could be heard all over the courtyard. "Thanks for the Voidsilver! I'm going to use it to start a revolution so that everyone can see the whole truth!"

"Who would've thought, huh..." Greg said it in his mind.

The wagon lurched forward, and the horses suddenly took off. Dust shot into the air, making eyes sting and filling mouths with grit.

"Come on, Hilda!" Greg yells as he starts to run toward it. "We can't let her get—"

Hilda ran away without thinking, her boots slamming hard against the ground as she chased after the wagon. "Not a chance!"

"She won't get away until I teach her a lesson not to mess with a miner who got scammed!" she yelled, her neck veins standing out.

She grabbed the side for a split second, and her fingers scraped against the wood. But the wagon jerked forward and made her let go.

Greg chased after her, his heart racing. "She planned this from the start," he said quietly, watching the distance grow with each passing second.

Agatha looked back for just a second to smirk and snap the reins again. The horses sped up, their hooves pounding like thunder as the wagon got closer to the gates.

"Oh no, you fucking don't!" Hilda yelled, and all of her calmness was gone.

She pulled out the real pickaxe from her belt, the one she had used to save Greg from the wolves, and held it up high. "I'm going to kick your fucking ass!"

Hilda brought the pickaxe down with such force that it hit the cobblestones under their feet before Greg even had time to think about what was going on. The impact bounced off the ground, and all of a sudden it seemed like the earth itself was obeying her.

A giant crater opened up in front of the wagon that was running away, sending rocks and dirt flying up like a wave. The wagon hit the edge of the crater and tipped over, making the horses whinny in fear as they tried to keep their balance.

"You can use earth magic?" Greg yelled over the sound of stones rumbling.

"All good miners know how to work with the ground!" Hilda, with her pickaxe glowing with power, was already running toward the stuck wagon. "It's basic survival when you work underground!"

Greg followed, even though his legs still hurt from the wolf bites. Adrenaline kept him going. When they got to the edge of the crater, they saw that the wagon was leaning dangerously to one side and its wheels were stuck in the rough ground.

The horses had been let go and were running away into the night. Hilda jumped into the crater without any trouble, but Greg slid down more slowly behind her. They got to the wagon and opened the back, thinking Agatha would be hiding inside.

There was nothing in the wagon. "Fuck...! No...!!!"

"Where did she go?" Greg looked around in a panic, but he couldn't find the old woman. The Voidsilver ore was also gone.

"There!" Hilda pointed to a building on the edge of the courtyard. A door was swinging shut, and Greg saw some expensive fabric go inside.

Hilda said, "That's the east palace annex," her expression serious. "That's where the wealthy stay during the festival. A significant number of guards will be stationed there!"

Greg said, "We need to hurry before she gets lost in the crowd," and he was already running to the door.

They rushed through the door into a grand hallway filled with music and laughter. It was evident that the festival celebrations had infiltrated the noble quarters. The hallway bustled with well-dressed men and women carrying drinks and mingling as they moved between various party rooms.

Greg pushed through the crowd, looking for Agatha's gray hair or expensive cloak, but there were too many people. Every woman of a certain age could be her, especially since so many of them wore fancy clothes and jewelry.

Greg looked around at the people around him and said, "Holy fuck... This is impossible... She could be anyone here."

Hilda said, "There has to be a way to find her." She was clearly upset. "The Voidsilver has a magical signature that is all its own. Please give me a moment to focus..."

But it was difficult to concentrate because of the noise and mess at the party. Greg was pushed around by dancing nobles, servants with trays of food, and musicians moving from one place to another.

He was about to ask them to find a quieter place when he heard a voice he knew call his name. "Greg? Is that you?"

He turned to see Lylia pushing through the crowd, her face showing both surprise and worry. She was wearing a more formal outfit than usual, a beautiful blue gown that made it look like she had been to some fancy parties.

"Lylia? What brings you here?" Greg asked, curious about her presence.

Lylia got to him and put a hand on his arm. "I could ask you the same thing," she said. "You left the workshop without a word. Marina wrote me a note saying you went with Hilda, but I didn't think I'd find you here in the palace."

"I did write the note... not her... she's still sleeping because of that wine." Greg sighed.

"It's complicated," Greg began to say, but Lylia was looking at someone behind him.

"Lady Rosalina," Lylia said, her voice suddenly very formal.

She bent down a little, and Greg turned to see a woman in her late forties coming up to them. Even though she was wearing a formal dress, she moved like a warrior, and her eyes were sharp and judging.

"Lylia Goldenwind," the woman said in a friendly way. "I made sure to go when I heard you were going to the festival. Congratulations on your team's win."

"I must say... The Mentor's Hammer is an amazing piece of work."

"Thank you, Lady Rosalina," Lylia said, and Greg knew right away that the woman was her old teacher from when she was a Royal Knight. "Let me introduce Greg Greyson, the main blacksmith and head of our team."

"So, you are Greg Greyson, huh..."

"The blacksmith who refuses to forge weapons," Lady Rosalina said, looking at Greg with interest. "Your name comes before you. The king himself has been talking about your ideas."

"The king?" Greg's stomach dropped.

"Yes. In fact, he's in the main hall right now, holding court." Lady Rosalina pointed to a pair of fancy double doors at the end of the hall.

"Many of the nobles want to meet you, but I think you might find all the attention too much."

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