Page | 12 “This can’t be happening…” I raced over to him and clapped my hands over his shoulders, shaking him. “Come on, this can’t be real. Zanoba, speak to me!” There was a pulse. His pupils were moving, and…he was breathing. His body was still warm, too. Okay, yes, he was definitely still alive! Guess I jumped to the wrong conclusion. He’s not dead. He was only sleeping. “You had me scared to death…” Scared enough I’d almost shouted “Jesus” at the top of my lungs. Anyway, what was he doing sleeping here? He was royalty. Shouldn’t he be in a nice soft bed or something? He was too old to be slumming it out here. As I breathed a sigh of relief, the door to the cottage cracked open and Orsted stepped out. “Rudeus… So you’ve arrived.” “Oh, uh, yes. I have.” He stared at us. “Last night, Zanoba Shirone carried that thing here.” “What thing?” “That armor you used earlier in battle.” He gazed at the lump of metal Zanoba was leaning against. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was indeed my Magic Armor. I hadn’t recognized it because it was in pieces. Come to think of it, I’d mentioned that it was destroyed in battle and that I’d left it behind, as well as needing to go retrieve it soon. “And you two happened to run into each other in the process, and you fought?” I asked. “Indeed.”