As Unwan kept moving forward, only two things occupied his mind when he would reach the fountain and when he would finally die to escape this pain.
He had only crawled five or six meters with one hand, yet it felt like a hundred. Still, that think was just an illusion.
A few carriages passed by along the road, circling around him without stopping. Some drivers even cursed under their breath words Unwan could still hear clearly.
But he didn't care. He knew those nobles would never step down from their carriages to help someone like him. After all, who would help a ragged, poisoned boy? And even if they did, who could guarantee they'd cure the poison?
The poison was spreading more now, even reaching his stomach. At first, he didn't feel anything for some strange reason, but after a few seconds, he coughed up blood. His only hope left was that his left arm wouldn't be poisoned before reaching the fountain.
He tried to move faster, but it barely mattered. The street wasn't too crowded, but a couple of carriages nearly ran him over. Still, he didn't pay any attention to these at all . As if the poison devouring his flesh piece by piece had numbed his pain entirely.
Unwan didn't want to look at his body, yet as the pain spread further, he could roughly tell where it had reached. In four or five minutes, the poison would reach his heart and that would be the end.
Even so, something else caught his attention: he was slowly losing consciousness a natural process for someone poisoned. It was a relief, in a way, that the poison was artificial, created by a grimoire. Had it been a real toxin, he would've died instantly or within minutes.
"Don't fall asleep. Please… just don't fall asleep. It's almost there. Just hold on."
Those were the only words echoing in his head as he crawled closer five, maybe six meters left. If he had known what would happen when he fallen onto that road, or if he had a sharp object in hand, he would've cut off his right arm without hesitation. Because if the poison hadn't spread, he might've lived even if only one-armed.
"Wait… what's the point of living, anyway? My life's never been good. I was the worst kid in the orphanage. No one liked me. No one ever cared. So what's the use of living?"
Those thoughts made him stop for a few seconds. But then, he forced himself to move again.
"Idiot. Don't build your future from your past, learn from it. Just because no one liked you doesn't mean you're worthless. Who knows, maybe your future ends here… or maybe end another place. What matters is that you keep moving. Maybe you'll survive somehow… maybe you'll learn something, and one day, even become a noble. No one knows the future. But if you stop now, you've already decided how it ends."
Those thoughts lit a small fire inside him, and despite the pain, his movement grew a little faster. Still, far from what could be called walking.
At last, after endless struggle, Unwan reached the fountain. It was circular, with a statue standing proudly at its center. He collapsed near it, lying still for a few seconds that felt like minutes. His left arm throbbed in pain too, but from exhaustion, not poison.
Then, using his last bit of strength, he pushed himself up, leaning against the stone edge of the fountain. As he did, a metallic figure rolled into view.
It had one leg or something that resembled one with three pairs of small wheels attached underneath like a carriage. Its whole body was made of iron, and its head was roughly shaped like a human's.
From what Unwan remembered from the orphanage lessons, this creature was called a Mechanical guardian, created through the Grimoire of Mechanics.
On its chest hung a small wooden sign with a sentence carved into it:
"Throw a coin, believe — and it shall come true."
Unwan could read, but he didn't understand what it meant.
– Throw it… where?
The creature didn't respond. Clearly, it couldn't speak or hear.
"Where do I throw it? Into the fountain?"
He had come here to die, yet the unanswered questions wouldn't let him rest. Hope — faint but stubborn, made him ask again.
– Can you… help me?
Still, silence. The guardian didn't move. Unwan felt as if he were talking to a stone.
So he turned toward the fountain and peered into the water.
Light shimmered beneath the surface, dozens of coins reflecting the sunlight. So many of them, glimmering like stars beneath the water. But this was a carriage road. How were people throwing coins in?
Then he saw a carriage passing behind the fountain. A young noble girl opened the window, placed a golden coin between her lower lip, whispered something, and threw it into the fountain. The coin landed perfectly in the water, and the girl smiled with joy.
"Wait… I don't even have a coin. Why am I wasting my thoughts on this?"
He sighed.
– It's not real anyway. Just another way for nobles to waste their money. Even guardian like you..." he coughed blood again " ...you're probably here to collect them at the end of the day, aren't you?"
As always, the creature gave no answer.
– Fine then…
His gaze drifted to the statue at the fountain's center — the smiling face of a king.
He wore a golden crown of thin spikes, not heavy, but regal. Brown hair, dark eyes, no armor or weapon in sight. Yet in his left hand rested a grimoire. Unwan wanted to know which one it was, but he had no time to learn in detail. Then, he saw the inscription under the statue's feet:
"Rendi von Andel — the First King of the Shining Kingdom."
The moment he read those words, Unwan felt a sharp sting in his chest like a blade piercing his heart. He looked down and saw that the poison had finally reached it.
He smiled faintly, staring at the water speaking to the statue, or perhaps to the silent guardian beside him.
– Hah… never thought I'd die in front of the first king himself. How funny.
And then, something strange caught his eye.