A Forgotten Promise – Part 04
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Translator: Kell
“Come one, come all! We got rare fruits from neighboring countries!”
“Any lady who stops by this store will be lucky! This is your only chance to get a rare gemstone necklace mined from the Phantom Ore Forest!”
“Would you like some lanterns? We got the finest lanterns made by the finest craftsmen in Wenias right here! How about one of these beautiful lanterns to celebrate the festival? It’s the kingdom’s specialty!”
Not long after the crowing of the chickens heralded the morning, I started hearing the voices of hawkers.
Fomicaum was the commercial center of the Kingdom of Wenias, attracting many travelers from both home and abroad. Every day the town was in a festive mood, with merchants gathering to take advantage of the travelers, and travelers gathering to take advantage of the large market that the merchants created.
And today there was an actual festival to wish for peace.
“I wonder what it’s gonna be like in the plaza,” I said as I gazed at the street out the window. “Can we even get there?” I shuddered with fear.
The town was deathly quiet when we passed through the gates last night. But when I woke up at the inn this morning, the town was bustling with activity, the streets overflowing with people.
“The sun is not even completely up yet, but there are so many stalls already.” Zero poked her head out from the side and peered down at the street with excitement.
Fomicaum had a circular plaza in the center, with the main street running straight through it, both ends leading to the walls protecting the town.
And along the main street, there were merchant stalls and carts from all over the world. Zero eyed them all.
“I want to go there!” she said. “That looks fun too!” She turned to me. “Let us go enjoy ourselves, Mercenary! I am getting hungry.”
“We don’t have time for fun. Once we get the kid to the venue, we’re finding the culprit. Besides, I don’t like crowds. What’s so fun about a festival, anyway?”
I’m a Beastfallen mercenary. I get paid to kill people, which makes me unlikeable among ordinary people.
Since Wenias was recruiting Beastfallen to fight witches, the discrimination here against my kind was lesser compared to other countries. It didn’t mean they liked Beastfallen, though.
Zero, of course, didn’t care about what the world thought. She was the kind to boldly declare that I was her bed.
“We can escort the lass, check the stalls, and search for the culprit at the same time. Besides, I believe you need to make it up to me.”
“Uh, what?”
What’s she talking about?
Zero stared out the window with a distant look in her eyes. “So you do not remember. I see. You have forgotten about the time that you hurt me deeply.”
“When did I do that?!”
“On the national holiday celebrating the Goddess, you and I were at the royal castle. I had heard that a performer was coming to town, and I was looking forward to watching them with you. However, you trampled all over my heart—”
“All right, all right! I remember now, okay?! My deepest apologies for what I did that day!” Bringing back the memory of my huge mistake that I had sealed away in the depths of my mind made me raise my voice.
Zero laughed. Unable to bear the awkwardness, I moved away from the window, and saw Albus dressed in a plain black robe.
The sight of her gesturing as she recited the speech she planned to deliver to the public, as if chanting an incantation, was eerie. Her serious expression made the scene more terrifying.
“Take it easy, kid,” I said. “Practicing your speech now won’t really change the public’s opinion of you. You should practice how to dodge vegetables instead.”
Up until a few days ago, Mages and humans were at war. The kingdom might have declared the war over, but there were still those who held personal grudges against Albus.
“I’m prepared for a riot to break out and get myself hanged! That’s why I want to make a better impression. Someone I know was too fixated on speeches and performance, and it rubbed off on me. Choice of words is important, they said. Aaah! I hate to say it, but I should’ve asked him to look over it.”
Who…? Ah, that guy. The face of a man I didn’t want to remember suddenly popped into my head, before quickly disappearing again.
He was involved in the major incident that shook the very foundation of the kingdom, and uttering his name was bad luck. It was possible that someone had written a book or a play about the whole incident, but in any case, it’s a story for another time.
As I turned my gaze down to the floor, Zero moved away from the window and turned around, her long cloak flaring, then ran toward the door that led to the hallway.
“The carriage is here! You two, stop dawdling, and let us go!”
After accompanying Albus to the venue of the festival, we joined the audience.
“Are you sure you should not be staying by her side?” Zero asked. “You will not be able to respond to a sudden attack from this far.”
I shrugged. “The organizers got guards. Sticking around will only offend them.”
A Mage standing in front of humans without a guard shows trust. It’s a festival to celebrate peace. Having a Beastfallen close to her would definitely be met with criticism.
“You are soft on her, but hard on me,” Zero remarked.
“You’re seriously saying that right now?” I craned my neck to look up at her face.
She was riding on my shoulders, basically. While waiting for Albus’s speech in the crowd, Zero complained that she couldn’t see, so I picked her up.
Chuckling, Zero gave me a pat me on the head. “A beautiful woman is holding your face between her soft, fair thighs. How can you complain? If anything, you should be happy.”
“I’ll seriously drop you.”
“N-No! If you drop me in this crowd, I will be trampled to death! Here, have some sweet and delicious dried fruit to calm your rage.”
“I don’t want any.”
She forced the food into my mouth anyway. It was sweet and tasty, but I didn’t want to admit it, so I swallowed it in silence.
Suddenly I felt a gaze from the crowd. I turned my head and spotted a figure quickly hiding among the people.
“Did you notice that, witch?” I asked.
Stuffing herself with the snack, Zero groaned thoughtfully. “They hid after we noticed them. Clearly suspicious. What do we do, Mercenary? Should we go after them?”
“No, it’s hard to catch them in this crowd. We’ll let them be and wait for them to attack first.”
There was nothing they could do to Albus while she was giving a speech on a stage set up in the middle of the square. The culprit’s goal was to collect the item they wanted. Killing Albus was pointless.
Kidnapping was what we should be wary of. In short, we just needed to make sure that Albus was never alone.
The crowd erupted in cheers. I turned my head toward the stage and saw that Albus had just stepped onto the platform. She looked around the crowd nervously. When she saw me and Zero, she wore a deep frown, and quickly looked away. She probably almost burst into laughter. She pursed her lips and shot us a reproachful look, as if saying, “What are you, kids?”
Don’t look at me. Blame Zero.
“She calmed down after seeing you,” Zero said. “She really trusts you.”
“There’s probably a lot going on in her mind right now. She was kinda in a similar situation before.”
“What do you mean?”
“Burning at the stake,” I replied curtly.
Zero seemed to be satisfied with my answer. Until a few days ago, people in Wenias burned witches and sorcerers whenever they found one. The young Albus had her fair share of the experience.
“Back then, she found me in the crowd, and I ended up saving her, even though I didn’t want to.”
“You always end up saving people.”
“I’ve ended up killing people too.”
“Yet you did not kill a single one of the men who attacked us, did you? Killing them would have been easier.”
“Don’t let my looks deceive you. I’m a coward. Besides, a favor earned will bear profit, while a grudge incurred will result in a loss.”
“I see. Very utilitarian. Just like me.” Zero laughed.
While we were talking about trivial matters, Albus opened her mouth and began her speech. The crowd fell silent as her voice echoed throughout the plaza.
“Murderer!” A sharp cry rang out.
“Yeah! Murderer!” another echoed. “Peace, my ass! Witches have been killing humans with their dubious Magic! Do you know how many towns were destroyed by witches? It’s too late to act like good guys now!”
The crowd stirred. Some agreed with the sentiment, while others opposed it.
Albus, however, stood firm. “My friends were falsely accused and burned at the stake,” she said.
I jumped. The atmosphere was tense. A wrong reaction from Albus, and this crowd would immediately turn into an angry mob, causing a bloody disaster.
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