Betrayal – Part 03

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Translator: Kell


All four of us were given our own room.

Zero immediately came to my mine, as per usual, but I didn’t expect Lily to be so intimidated by the luxurious room that she scurried all the way to my head.

“I’m dirty… I-I can’t walk around.” She clung to my head, trembling and teary-eyed.

I thought putting her down would be too cruel, so I let her be.

What’s her plan when it’s time to sleep?

“A lot has changed since we were gone,” Zero said as she sat down by the window, watching the scenery outside.

“You mean the kid?”

“There is that as well. But I mean everything. Witches are officially recognized, there are more Beastfallen, and the king passed. This nation is changing by the minute.”

“It’s not just this country,” I added. “If one country changes drastically, the surrounding countries will also be affected.”

“Do you mean the attack in the tunnel?” Zero looked bitter.

The attack was a result of the neighboring countries’ abhorrence towards Wenias. Even Zero, who was ignorant with the ways of the world, knew that that would eventually lead to war.

My brows furrowed. It looked like she was going to say that it was her fault again.

“You look terrifying. Relax,” Zero said. “Although it was through a forced summoning, we have returned to the kingdom of Wenias, where the coals of war are smoldering once again. I do not think this is a mere coincidence. If we can extinguish the coals, I will do it, even if I have to expend more effort than usual.”

“By that, you mean looking for Thirteenth?”

“That is our objective for the time being. I will think of a way to get the prince back, put him on the throne, and protect his life. We will also find the sorcerer plotting a civil war.”

“What about Cestum?”

“We can continue our investigation on them at the same time.”

“That sounds like a lot of effort.” Feeling weary, I heaved a sigh.

Zero, however, was optimistic. “Not necessarily. The witch who attacked our carriage, Sept or something, said she had information about Cestum. We can obtain that information while we retrieve the prince.”

“I doubt things will go that easy.”

“If it does not work, then so be it. We will cross that bridge when we get there. Either way, our objective remains the same: pursuing Thirteenth. Am I wrong?”

“No, but still…” My ears drooped. “Wars can break out anytime. It can even happen tomorrow at the whim of some country’s top brass. All this sidetracking sounds like a waste of time to me. It’s all so annoying. I’m happy just to kill Sanare.”

“You are as self-centered and cruel as always.”

“Big brother is kind,” Lily said, eyeing Zero curiously.

I grabbed Lily and threw her down on the soft, silk bed. She froze in fear, her fur bristling, then leapt out of the bed and dashed out of the room.

“You are as shy as always.”

“I’m not shy! I’m a cold-blooded mercenary! ‘Kind’ isn’t a compliment. It just means I’m most likely to get killed!”

I wagged my tail in irritation, and Zero grabbed it without warning. I almost jumped and screamed, but somehow managed to control myself.

“Kindness is strength, Mercenary. Even a normal human being can get their heart twisted so easily, but you, despite being a Beastfallen, have preserved enough humanity to show mercy to others. This was true even before you met me. I think calling you kind is an admiration of your strength.”

I silently took my tail back from Zero’s hands. “I’ll go find the squirt. Given how freaked out she was, she might just bury herself in some fodder in a corner of a stable.”

I left the room and wandered through the castle in search of Lily. I thought I would be able to find her immediately, but it was difficult to follow her scent, since it had gotten weak after Zero bathed her the other day.

On top of that, there seemed to be quite a few other Beastfallen wandering around the castle. The strong scent of animals was coming from everywhere. I had no idea where to even begin looking.

“A dog would find her easily.”

“I said I’m a wolf.”

A sharp roar rang out. Startled, I turned around to see a white wolf standing at the far end of the long hallway.

He just happened to hear my muttering and shouted in reflex. Scowling, Pooch darted towards me.

“Honestly, what’s the difference between a dog and a wolf?”

“They’re way different! Wolves are smart and proud, while dogs are domesticated and obey humans.”

“In that case, you’re a dog, since you serve a witch.”

“No! Wolves value their families. That’s why I’m protecting the young lady of my own free will. I couldn’t protect Solena, so I decided to protect her no matter what.”

“How noble of you. By the way, have you seen the squirt? You know, the rat Beastfallen with me.”

“Little Lily? I haven’t seen her.”

Little Lily? What the hell? Since when did you two become such good friends?

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m warning you, if you try anything with her, you’ll just get your ass kicked.”

“What do you mean by that?! If you think I’m some kind of a maniac, you’ve got it all wrong!”

I doubt it. If I remembered correctly, he was kicked out of the castle for illicit affairs with women. Well, whatever. I gotta find Lily first.

“She got spooked by the silky bed and the thick carpet,” I said. “Actually, can you do something about my room? I’d rather have a room where I don’t have to worry about breaking anything.”

“That’s what I said, too, but the young lady wouldn’t listen to me. She insisted the best rooms for you. It’s bad for our reputation otherwise.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s the policy of the kingdom of Wenias not to discriminate against witches, but to treat them fairly as normal human beings. But if we let the young lady’s guests—a witch and a Beastfallen, at that—stay in a servant’s room, you can imagine the rumors that would spread, can’t you?”

Heaving a sigh, my ears and tail sank. I couldn’t help but agree. Pooch did the same as well.

“This ball is also a way to show the people how much we value fairness. But you know, the world is full of people who don’t like fairness.”

If people said that they would treat witches equally, the Church followers would frown upon it, and if we removed the restrictions on the entry and exit of Beastfallen, the powerless would be frightened and stay away.

If equality was thoroughly enforced, the oppressed would be delighted, but the privileged would suffer losses. There were many people in the world who couldn’t stomach that.

Nevertheless, Albus organized a ball that even witches and Beastfallen could attend just to emphasize that the kingdom treated every folk fairly. Her determination was the real deal.

We couldn’t ruin her plans just because we were uncomfortable with it.

“All right. I really gotta find that squirt now,” I said. “If I don’t drag her back into her room, she might just hide in the corner of a basement somewhere.”

“Don’t worry. I can smell her. She’s nearby. Somewhere in the castle, at least, not outside or underground.”

He said he would lead the way, so I decided to take him up on his offer.

I could have let him handle it alone, but I felt that leaving Lily with him was dangerous. I somehow let my thoughts slip out of my tongue.

“I’m only devoted to Solena!”

“Hmm, so not the kid.”

“I mean, I care about the young lady too, but it was Solena that I fell in love with in the first place. Of course her granddaughter is also important to me, but it’s not the same as being devoted to Solena. Though she’s a lot like her late grandmother. She’s become more mature lately, and sometimes I’m taken aback cause it feels like Solena came back to life.”

He’s an earnest guy, despite what he looks like. I kept the thought in my head this time.

After walking for a while, we ended up back to our room.

“You’re going the wrong way,” I said. “The squirt ran away from here. Follow the scent that leads away from this room.”

“I’m going the right way. We’ve arrived at where her scent is the strongest.”

“What?”

Pooch stopped. Frowning, he pointed at one of the doors. “Inside there.” It was the room provided to Lily.

I entered the room, but couldn’t see her. However, when I opened the wardrobe in the corner of the room, I saw Lily huddled between the pile of pillows and blankets.

“What are you doing?”

“Hiding,” she replied, buried in the fabric. “This place is scary.”

“Then why did you come back here?”

“No, not that.” Lily was about to say something when he spotted Pooch behind me. She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

“Did you do something to her?” I shot Pooch a glare.

He shook his head wildly. “Don’t look at me!”

“It’s not that,” Lily repeated.

I decided not to pursue the topic any further. But I couldn’t just leave her in the wardrobe forever. I dragged her out and took her back to my room.

I felt the same way about not being able to sleep on a luxurious bed, so as a compromise, I laid out a linen cloth in a corner of the room and created a makeshift bed.

As I lay there, Zero crawled into my arms. She then beckoned Lily to come closer, and eventually she became Zero’s pillow.

“Ah, my dream has finally been fulfilled,” the witch said. “What a warm, soft, wonderful bed. I could sleep here for the rest of my life.”

Zero curled up in my arms, squirming as she hugged Lily. The rat Beastfallen squeaked and flailed about for a while, but shortly afterwards, the three of us were sound asleep until dinner time.


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