The Rune Weaver.

{Amon's POV}

Expectations are often disappointing. You anticipate something amazing, only for it to turn out utterly unsatisfactory.

It happens to all of us.

It happened to me.

I'm Imperial-born…

Being part of the Imperial Family was a dream for many.

You have power. You have fame. You have wealth.

For someone like me, born as an Imperial Prince, they were right. I lived a rich life in a safe environment where I could grow up.

Until that day…

The day my mother died…

The day I discovered the darkness within the Imperials.

It changed me. It changed my perspective.

It made me hate the entire Imperial family.

"Your Highness, please act maturely; you are a prince."

I hated it.

"Your Highness, please behave properly."

All my actions were restricted.

"You are part of the Imperial family! You have inherited its blood! So, act like one!"

I had to follow their rules.

"Your Highness, although you are not the Crown Prince, you are still an Imperial."

I had to force myself to act as a puppet.

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness."

"Your High…"

"Your…"

I had no freedom.

It was suffocating. Being part of the Imperial family had become a burden to me.

I was like a bird in a cage.

Should I just escape this hell?

…

"His Highness, the Third Prince, is missing!"

"Look! We found a letter in his room!"

"H-he ran away!?"

Servants of the mansion panicked when they discovered my absence.

"Search the entire mansion!"

"No, scout the whole western region! He couldn't have gotten far yet!"

"Do it quickly!"

"Lock down the entire region!"

"Notify all barracks, outposts, and guard posts in the western region! Tell them to search for the Third Prince!"

"Should we also contact the central region?"

"Of course! His Majesty will execute us if he finds out on his own! It's better to confess first!"

The whole mansion, the place I once called home, was in uproar as I fled into the night.

I'm sorry…

I will not return.

…

A week has passed since my escape.

Living far from the central region made it easier to evade the Imperials. Knowing it would be difficult to travel the empire alone, I hired mercenaries to aid my escape.

We had just reached the border between the Empire and Suran.

"Alright, we've brought you near the border," the mercenary in front of me said, pointing at a small tunnel.

"This tunnel leads just a few meters beyond the border. You can walk the rest of the way on your own. We can't follow you because we're too large to fit."

Another mercenary explained that the tunnel was only accessible to children.

"It's fine, I'll manage."

I smiled, though they couldn't see it because I was wearing a coat that covered my face. From my tone and gestures, however, they could tell I was satisfied.

Turning to the mercenary leader, I said, "Thank you for escorting me this far. As stated in the contract, I'll pay your group three gold coins."

I handed him a pouch containing five gold coins.

The mercenaries looked at the pouch, then at me, their disbelief evident.

"I added two extra coins as a bonus. This is my way of expressing gratitude. Thank you so much."

I bowed deeply, ignoring any pride. Even as a prince, I believed gratitude must be shown.

If not for these mercenaries, my escape wouldn't have been possible.

"This can last us for months!"

"It seems accepting your absurd offer wasn't a scam after all."

"I was ready to sell you to the slave market if you were joking!"

"Should we just rob you?"

"Too bad we signed the contract. Well, this is better anyway."

The mercenaries laughed as they counted their unexpected bonus.

For me, the wealth I carried seemed ordinary, but for these commoner mercenaries, the reward was a godsend.

Mercenaries… Their lives were different from those in Mage Towers, the military, or guilds. They acted independently, accepting all kinds of work… cruel, honorable, or disgusting.

Some became mercenaries for money, others for thrill, and some because they had no choice.

They were admirable yet pitiable.

"What's your name, kid?" the mercenary leader asked as I approached the tunnel.

I paused.

"Amon… Amon Penrose."

I removed my hood, revealing my ashen-gray hair and dark gray eyes. Then, I disappeared into the tunnel's darkness.

…

Two years have passed since then…

"Hey, did you hear? The Empire's third prince was declared missing!"

I heard a drunk villager say to his fellow villagers as I carried several weaving tools past the tavern. It seems that they have finally declared me missing…

"Yeah, I heard that the price of his bounty is a total of 500 thousand golds!"

I stopped.

500 thousand gold? They're going that far for me?

I continued to eavesdrop on the villagers.

"It seems that the Empire values the princes really highly, considering that the Imperial family has a rare lineage trait."

"That's insane! That whole sum could feed your average city for at least a few years!"

"It could totally support my family for several generations!"

"Hah… too bad we'd have to go to the Empire to search for the third prince."

A villager sighed as he put down his mug.

"Hey, if the Third Prince was really still in the Empire, he would have already been found! The Empire has many powerful and influential figures! Finding a runaway prince would be easy!"

"Come to think of it, you're right!"

"Maybe the prince is now out of the Empire?"

They were talking about information I already knew, so I decided to leave the tavern.

"Hey, did you also hear…"

"Wait, really?!"

"No way…"

I still heard their voices even when I was a distance away. It finally quieted down after I left the tavern.

…

After leaving the tavern and returning to my house, I began weaving, only resting after five hours and continuing after a 30-minute break…

I grinded.

One second…

One minute…

One hour…

One day…

[Weaving (Expert > Master)]

"Haaah… I finally advanced weaving…"

I sighed in relief. It seems my talent and hard work have paid off.

Thank you, Extraordinary Skill Growth.

I really appreciate that trait skill..

[==========]

Name: Amon Penrose

Race: Human

Age: 10

Sex: Male

Class: Aura Swordsman

Power Core: Aura Core (Early Orange Stage)

-Aura Coating

-Aura Pressure (Locked)

-Aura Force (Locked)

Combat Skills:

-Imperial Sword Arts (Advance)

-Basic Hand-to-Hand (Intermediate)

Life Skills:

-Weaving (Expert > Master)

-Business, Negotiation, and Trading (Master)

-Cooking (Expert)

-Literature (Master)

Trait Skills:

-??? Incarnation (Zenith)

-Mark of Penrose (Elite)

-Extraordinary Skill Growth (Supreme)

Current Rate: E-Rank.

[==========]

I looked at the holographic window that floated in front of me.

Only I can see it.

The Status Window appeared to me after I wore the pendant that I found in the old corner of the Imperial treasury right on the day of my Artifact Succession. Its origin was unknown… even my father, the Emperor, didn't know it existed in the treasury.

Who knows, it might be a gift from the gods.

Or it might have been created by skilled masters.

Overall, the Status Window was harmless, it only showed my current status. Of course, I did not reveal its ability to anyone. An artifact like this could be coveted even by the closest members of my family if discovered.

This is also another reason why I ran away…

"I should rest."

I leaned on my chair as the afternoon sunlight illuminates me from a single window… I was in the attic.

I then looked around. Everywhere were dresses, suits, and fabrics… the fruits of my labor for the last two years...

It has already been two years huh?

I am Amon Penrose.

The Third Prince of the Empire...

It has been two years since I ran away from the Imperial Family and the Empire.

I escaped to the neighboring country northeast of the Empire, the Suran Kingdom.

It was hard at first since I was just a kid. There were people with bad intentions everywhere, so I had to be careful about who I interacted with: you'll never know when someone might stab you in the back.

There were even those who crossed the line by force, though I handled it every time. Learning from my combat instructors back then was worth it.

Anyways, I still had more gold coins with me. I spent them on things I needed, like clothing, a house, and nourishment.

Good thing I had a friend who helped me. Though people looked at me weirdly for being a kid with his own house, I managed. I could defend myself just fine in this countryside.

Knock! Knock!

The sudden knock broke the silence in the air.

Someone knocked on the door downstairs, making me get up from my seat and leave the attic.

"Coming."

I opened the door and was greeted by a friend of mine… the one I mentioned a while ago.

"Amon!"

"Jerry?"

"I have an offer for you!"

An offer?

"Come inside"

I then invited jerry inside my home to further discuss his offer.

…

It was currently 5:46, and the setting sun illuminated the living room through the windows, making it quite cinematic.

"So… you want me to join you to the Republic Union?"

I asked my friend Jerry, seated on the opposite side of the table.

The Republic Union… It was the second-largest country, second only to the Empire. It bordered three countries: the West Alliance, the Holy Kingdom, and, lastly, the Suran Kingdom.

I heard that it is the most modern country in the continent.

"I'm giving you an opportunity!"

"What kind of opportunity? How can I trust your offer? Will it be dangerous for me?"

I pointed my fingers at myself.

I quite trust and don't trust him at the same time when it came to this.

"Don't worry! I've been your guardian for the last two years; I've been your hand in every trade! Come on… I was the one that helped you trade and sell your masterpieces!"

He was right. He was the only one who helped me with business, often acting as my guardian. You could say we were business partners.

I sighed and looked at him.

Guess I had to bite.

"Fine. What opportunity is it anyway?"

"Like enrolling in one of the top three academies! The famous 'Awakener Institute'! Why don't you enroll?"

Jerry suggested… or rather, encouraged me to enroll in the Academy.

The Awakener Institute… It's located in the capital of the Republic Union. They say that students who graduate from the Academy become elites. It seems the Institute really nurtures its students well.

But…

"Jerry… I'm still ten years old. The minimum age requirement to join the Awakener Institute is at least fifteen. So... I need to wait five years to enroll."

I wasn't against the idea of joining an academy. In fact, I planned to join one from the start since I also needed to get stronger to face the uncertain…

It's just that there was an age limit. I needed to wait until I was fifteen.

"Oh… right, I sometimes forget that you're ten. Like… kid? Your height is the same as those who are fifteen! Look, you're 172 centimeters tall, almost the same height as me! Not just that—you're more mature than your age!"

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm still not allowed to go to an academy due to my age."

Jerry paused for a moment, and soon after, a smirk spread across his face.

"But I have a solution for that! That's why I have another offer for you."

Another offer? He already came up with another offer?

"What is it?"

I was curious about the offer he made just a second ago.

"We do our business in the Republic Union! Hear me out. In this small kingdom of Suran, our rate of earning money is slow. But what if we go to a bigger and more advanced country like the Republic Union, where businesses, trading, guilds, mercenary work, and more are encouraged?"

I see. Compared to a small nation where the population is low and businesses are heavily restricted, a big nation like the Republic Union, with its huge population and many cities, could be a haven for business.

"So… it's like you're saying we need to leave the pond and go to the ocean?"

"Exactly!"

"What about your father's clothing business?"

"I already planned on taking my father's business to the Republic! So? Are you in or not?"

I contemplated his idea.

Business competition in the Republic is fierce. There are those who will steal, scam, or outright challenge your business…

But thinking about it long-term…

It wasn't bad. I was quite confident in my life skills, though I would need Jerry's help with the convincing process.

Plus, I still had plenty of money. The riches from the Imperial Palace would last long enough for me to handle business with Jerry.

"Alright… I accept your offer. But before that…"

I shifted my gaze elsewhere, which Jerry followed.

"Take all the dresses, suits, and other clothing inside this house. We'll sell them on the way to the Republic. Also, I'll need your help selling the house."

It's not even three years yet, and I'm already going to another nation...

Well, it's still advantageous to me since it's distancing me away from the Empire even more.

I hope this trip to the Republic will go peaceful…

[A/N: Hello curious viewers! It seems that you all have stumbled upon my novel!

Well, if you all like it then I'm glad, but if not, then I'm open for your criticisms!

I'm posting my novel here for practice to Improve myself, so I hope you also go easy with me, I hope...]