A Forgotten Promise – Part 01
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Translator: Kell
Prologue
We made a deal, a deal that involved life and death.
If they didn’t fulfill their end of the bargain, my life would be over.
Until now, they had not held up their end of the deal.
I had found the greatest treasure of all. But it was forcibly taken from me. Stolen.
“I’ll get you a replacement,” they promised.
Believing their words, I patiently waited. Endured.
I was at my limit. I couldn’t take it anymore.
It wasn’t vulgar desire that consumed me. It was hunger. A craving.
I have to get that treasure now, no matter what it takes. I would sacrifice anything to seize that happiness once more.
Because without it, my life is meaningless.
“Three hundred and twenty-three, three hundred and twenty-four, three hundred and twenty-five.”
Listening to the listless voice counting, I propped myself up with both hands, lowered my body, then lifted it up again.
It was a mild afternoon, and sunlight filled the backyard of the Kingdom of Wenias’s royal castle.
Fatigue settled on my arms, and my sweat dripped onto the ground.
“Three hundred and twenty-six. What is the matter, Mercenary? You are slowing down. Are you already exhausted? Pathetic.”
“Shut up, you stupid witch…! This doesn’t even count as warmup…!”
I was actually at my limit, but I put on a tough guy act and lowered my body once more.
Then I heard the sound of small footsteps coming closer, and I pulled my eyes from the ground. A cheeky-looking kid in a fine robe embroidered with gold threads—Albus—appeared around the corner of the backyard. Her short, blonde hair, and eyes as golden as the full moon, looked dazzling under the sunlight. I squinted.
“Ah, there you are!” she said. “You were not in your room, so I’ve been looking all over for you. You just recovered, and… What are you two doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m doing push-ups. I was asleep for three days, and my body’s a little stiff.”
“Push-ups…?” Albus stared at my back—at the person lying down on my back, using it as a bed.
She had fair skin, silver hair, and red lips as lustrous as polished apples. She was a flawless, beautiful woman, an extraordinary witch, and my employer. Her name was Zero.
Zero, of course, was just a number, a pseudonym of some sorts, but she also called me by my profession, Mercenary, so it went both ways.
“I don’t see the problem in doing some exercise, but why is Zero riding you?”
“He said that his own weight alone is not enough,” Zero replied, yawning. “So I decided to lie on his back, which I found to be quite comfortable. I feel like I am lying in a fine, fur-lined cradle. It is so soft and fluffy.”
“A fine fur…” Albus repeated blankly, looking at me again.
As a Beastfallen—a half-human, half-beast monster—my entire body was covered in fur. Sometimes beings like me were born from very ordinary human parents. Whether it was the wrath of God, or a witch’s curse, I had no idea.
I looked like a large carnivore, complete with claws and fangs. I was an object of fear to normal people, but both Zero and Albus were Mages, able to cast powerful Magic. They were different from ordinary humans.
“I-I want a ride too!” Albus said. “Please, Zero. Just a bit?”
“No. This is my mercenary, and this is my special seat.”
“Oh, come on! You can ride him any time. Pretty please?”
“Fine,” Zero said, lifting her body up a little. “I cannot give you my spot, but I will allow you to share the bed with me. Fortunately, you are small and Mercenary is huge. Two people will fit just fine.”
“Wh-What? Share a bed? L-Like what a man and a woman do?!”
“What are you so embarrassed about? Do not be shy now. Come jump into my chest—”
“Don’t you dare use my back as a stage of some erotica!”
I lifted my body up and rose to my feet, throwing Zero off my back. She tumbled down awkwardly, but she made a perfect landing, much to my chagrin.
“You cannot even take a joke?” she said, smiling.
I ignored Zero and turned to Albus, who was fanning her red cheeks with her palms.
“So, what do you want from me, kid?” I asked. “You didn’t come all the way out here looking for me just to do something indecent with Zero on my back, did you?”
“O-Of course not! I’m busy. I wouldn’t come here for silly reasons.”
“And I’m telling you,” I said, poking Albus’ forehead with my claw with every word, “to give it to me straight!”
“O-Ouch!” Albus glared at me, holding her forehead in pain, and reluctantly shoved her hand into her pocket. “Actually, I received a letter.”
“Yeah? You receive letters every day. You’re the Chief Mage of this kingdom, after all.”
“And I’m here because it’s different from the usual letters. Sheesh, at least let me finish.” She scowled.
I shrugged and went quiet. Albus, despite being a kid, had recently become the head of the Mages in Wenias. As someone important, she received many letters.
“Here.” Albus took out a piece of paper. It wasn’t a high-quality piece of parchment, but a cheap piece of scrap paper.
“Doesn’t look like a love letter, at least.”
“Allow me to read it.” Zero leaned over my back and snatched the letter from Albus. “What happened to the item? Are you going back on your word? I can’t wait any longer. I’m taking it by force.”
It was clearly, without a single shred of doubt, a threat.
The Kingdom of Wenias was in the midst of a civil war just seven days ago, a war between the witches of Wenias and ordinary humans.
The Church had declared witches to be horrible beings and enemies of humanity. Believing the Church, people hunted witches endlessly, until finally, unable to endure the oppression, the witches staged a revolt.
The trigger for the rebellion was a book written by Zero—the Grimoire of Zero. It was a technical book that contained information about Magic, a technique that simplified the cumbersome and difficult-to-use Sorcery, allowing many people to perform it with ease.
Zero wrote it to make hunting, cultivating fields, and capturing criminals easier. Yet at the same time the book also held the power to destroy the world. Magic to hunt animals could also be used to kill humans.
The witches, having gained the power to fight from the stolen Grimoire of Zero, released their pent-up rage and started a rebellion against the kingdom.
But the war had now ended.
Zero put an end to it together with Albus. There were no victors, only peace and harmony between witches and humans.
Wenias declared witch hunts to be illegal, and witches who had been living in hiding all over the land became free. Since the labels ‘witch’ and ‘sorcerer’ gave off negative impressions, their designations were changed to Mages. Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you can use Magic, you’re a Mage.
Zero and Albus had to use most of their magical power to quell the rebellion. Neither of them would be able to cast powerful spells for a while.
I also ended up sleeping for three days straight, and when I woke up, I could barely get out of bed for a while. I’d been exercising a bit, but I wasn’t back into shape just yet.
And now a threatening letter.
“Hey, kid. You sure this item doesn’t ring any bells?” I asked.
“It doesn’t! Argh, it’s giving me a headache. Why now when I need to go to Fomicaum?”
Fomicaum was a large town about half a day’s ride by carriage from the royal capital of Plasta. A center of commerce in the kingdom, it attracted all kinds of people and goods from various nations. In other words, anyone could blend in and attack Albus. Assuming the threat was not a hoax, going to Fomicaum was clearly dangerous.
“Why do you need to go to Fomicaum? Just do your work inside the castle.”
“I wish I could do that too. But there’s a festival in Fomicaum to celebrate the peace between humans and witches—I mean Mages. The Merchants Guild is hosting it. As the representative of this kingdom’s Mages, I have to accept the invitation, or else it would give a bad impression to the citizens.”
“Ahuh. Must be tough being a bigshot.”
“Is that sarcasm?”
“Calm down. I mean it.”
She was the representative of the Mages, but she was only a teenager. The load she was carrying was too heavy for her small shoulders. Unfortunately, she had no one else to share the burden with.
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