Counterattack – Part 04
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Translator: Kell | Editor: Ryunakama
We brought the unconscious princess, Raul, and the injured members of the Magic Corps to Altaria’s royal castle. Partly by some miracle and partly thanks to Zero’s healing Magic, no one died.
But we failed nonetheless—that was all that mattered right now. We couldn’t slay the dragon, and Zero had disabled all of the princess’s Magic.
As Zero explained what happened to the princess, Gouda lashed out at her. “Why did you suppress all her Magic?! Couldn’t you have just disabled her abilities temporarily?! You people have no idea how important the princess’s Magic is for this kingdom!”
“You do not have the slightest idea what it means for Magic to be out of control,” Zero replied. “When Magic runs amok, it means that the power to control it has been broken. A Mage that once failed is highly likely to cause a similar incident in the future.”
“So you’ve witnessed this many times before? Did their spells go berserk over and over again?”
“No. The princess is probably the first person who has used such highly advanced Magic and lost control of it. But there are countless stories of witches who have died or countries that have been destroyed because the caster lost control of their Sorcery rituals.”
“Sorcery and Magic are two different things!”
“Fundamentally, they are the same. The only difference is that Sorcery summons demons while Magic only draws their power. But they both employ the power of demons, Captain. If Magic goes out of control, the world will be in danger. Did you see the dark clouds blanketing the whole island? What would happen if the princess lets her Magic run wild again after I left this place? It would have been more than this island’s problem.”
“How are we supposed to fight the dragon now, then?! After all I did—”
“I told you from the beginning that I intend to take Magic away from this island if necessary. I simply postponed it so you can slay the dragon. But that ended in failure. That is all there is to it. I will take it from here. I will do everything, including slaying the dragon. After that, you can tell the people that the princess succeeded.”
“It’s not that simple!”
“It is. Extremely simple, in fact.”
With nothing more to say, Zero ended the conversation and turned her back to Gouda. I followed her out into the hallway, walking a little behind her. Silently she continued onward at a brisk pace.
When we were far enough away from Gouda, Zero slowed down. After a few more steps, she stopped and let her shoulders drop.
“The princess said she loved Magic,” she said. It sounded like a soliloquy.
I opened my mouth, nevertheless. “She did say that.”
“She will never forgive me for taking that away from her.”
“Maybe.”
“I…” Zero paused and stared at the floor. She seemed to be searching for the right words to say.
I stood there in silence, waiting for her to speak. After a while, Zero sighed in resignation and looked at me.
“I am not sure,” she said. She then resumed walking down the long corridor.
Altaria’s royal castle was abandoned immediately after the kingdom’s defeat, and no one had lived there since. A deserted castle was gloomy, but the scratches left by the dragon’s attacks made the atmosphere even more heavy.
Collapsed ceilings. Shattered walls. A portrait hung by the corridor, torn to pieces by a sword. It was probably a portrait of the prince.
The royalty of a defeated country is often treated as criminals by the victor. It’s not uncommon for the execution of a royal family to be used as a bargaining condition for peace. This is especially true for brainless royalties.
We decided to rest in the desolate castle until morning. We were told that we could use any room, so Zero and I took the stables. To be honest, I felt much more at home in the stables than luxurious rooms, and I couldn’t get a good sleep if there were too many people nearby.
There were three stables in total, and Raul was supposedly resting in the one in front of us. The horse Beastfallen suffered the gravest injury, so having Zero nearby was reassuring.
Zero spared no effort in improving her sleeping quarters. She piled up a thick layer of straw that had been dried with Magic, and covered it with cloth that she had procured from somewhere.
For me, I just lay down on the straw and that was it. I didn’t really care much about anything else. Still I decided to help her, so I picked up the folded sheets on the floor.
“Hey, witch! This is silk!”
Where did she even get this? Definitely from the room of some nobleman.
“I found it in a room I passed by. It had a nice texture to it. It is thick enough that you will not feel the straws prickling. I have also brought some pillows.”
“This may as well be a high-class inn.”
“What is wrong with sleeping in a high-class stable? Raul’s house was similar, was it not?”
Zero threw her self onto the improvised luxury bed, still wearing her cloak. She rolled around, enjoying the feel of the silk on her skin, then suddenly rose.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It is much more wonderful than I imagined that it terrified me. This could a trap by a dangerous demon, where you fall asleep and never wake up. I have read about it.” She looked serious and pale, but it was just her usual silly joke.
Ignoring her, I lay down next to her, covering my head with a top-quality blanket that Zero also brought.
“Why are you heading to sleep on your own? You forgot to let me in.”
“Why? You have a blanket.”
“Of course,” she said, exasperation in her voice. “So I can have two layers.”
Reluctantly I lifted the blanket to let her in.
“Oh, it is already incredibly warm. My sleeping quarters would not be complete without you.” Zero chuckled with satisfaction.
It was the usual Zero. In fact she acted too normal that it drove me crazy.
“I thought you were feeling down,” I said.
“Why would I be feeling down?”
“If you’re not, then I guess that’s fine.”
“Because I negated the princess’s Magic?”
“Is there anything else besides that?”
“None.” Zero smiled. She seemed to be aware that she was a little dejected. “I think it is a little different. When my foolish brother Thirteenth slaughtered my colleagues, I did not feel depressed. But perhaps what I am feeling is something similar.”
“Similar how?”
Zero paused, then clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Ah, it is useless. Emotions are difficult to explain.”
“True that.” Even I knew that there were certain emotions that couldn’t be put into words.
“I see,” Zero finally said, sounding relieved. She seemed to have found the words. “Our match was delightful. When I took her Magic away, I felt disappointed that we could not do that again. That is all.” Zero closed her eyes, and sleep came fast.
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