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Eve of the Festival – Part 03

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Translator: Kell | Editor: Ryunakama

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It sounded like a depressing topic, so I decided not to poke any deeper and just enjoy the festival instead.

The world is full of misfortune and absurdity. No amount of compassion could matter for all of them.

Gouda’s kingdom fell to Nordis, and he killed his own useless prince. A devout follower of the Church, he was then selected as head of Nordis’ Magic Corps.

What an unremarkable, commonplace tragedy. If you simply looked at the facts, you would think Gouda was being favored. I had no idea what he used to do, but he probably had the status to become captain of the Magic Corps, at least.

Zero’s quickness in moving on from one thing to another was nothing short of impressive. As soon as she learned she could buy anything as long as Gouda was with her, she started reaching for all kinds of rare delicacies.

She was currently holding a honey-coated apple on a stick, the one that I saw earlier. The fact that the honey didn’t drip suggested that it had been cooled and hardened with ground water.

Zero deftly put the food into her mouth, not even smearing the area around her lips. She seemed to find it delectable.

“Apples are on the sour side,” she said. “The sourness combined with the rich sweetness of the honey is marvelous.”

“Oh. I thought it was some crappy food, but I guess not.”

“Its simplicity is what makes it delicious. Let me tell you something, Mercenary. I will not tell you to take a bite ever again.”

She was wary of me. Twice before when she told me I could take a bite out of her food, I devoured it all in one bite.

I didn’t really want any, but her words made me want to try it. As I stared at the honeyed apple, Zero, sensing my intentions, opened her mouth wide and shoved the whole apple in.

“Whoa, slow down! What if the great Murky Darkness Witch died by choking from an apple?! That’s just too sad!”

She was savoring the apple while wearing a straight face. Well, as long as she doesn’t die. The picture of an incredibly beautiful woman with her mouth full of apples was disconcerting.

For some reason, Gouda offered an apple on a stick to me. I stared at it in silence.

“You want some, don’t you?” he said in a grumpy tone. “Take it.”

“I’m not a kid, you know.”

“No shit! It’s uncomfortable watching a grown man get depressed because he’s not getting his treat.”

“I’m not depressed! I was just—”

“Stop yelling. You’re too loud. And you stink.”

Reluctantly, I accepted the food. It was small for my mouth, so I shoved the whole apple in. “Damn, that’s sweet.”

“It’s honey, after all. It’s sweets made to look like a jewel and is a traditional Nordis food.”

“What is this black egg, Captain?” Zero asked.

“Are you sure that’s safe to eat?” I said. “Looks like some demon might just pop out of it or something.”

“Demons do not lay eggs, Mercenary.” Zero eyed me affectionately.

“I’m talking about what it looks like! Stop looking at me like I’m some dumb kid!”

“It’s an egg boiled in a hot spring,” Gouda said. “They turn black for some reason.”

“I don’t think a hot spring is hot enough to harden an egg,” I said.

“No, it hardens over time. Just not completely.”

Gouda took the egg from Zero and cracked open its top. Then a little of the still-soft white flesh overflowed, dripping to the ground.

“The white is soft, while the yolk is hard,” he said.

“I see. The yolk requires a lower temperature for it to change state,” Zero said. “So when you boil it at a low temperature, the white does not harden, only the yolk.”

Zero sometimes spoke some kind of foreign language. Temperature to change state? What the hell does that mean? I stood there with a look that said I was completely lost. Zero seemed like she was going to start explaining, so I immediately changed the topic.

“How do you eat it? Just gulp it down?”

“Up to you. Some put salt on it.”

“I will eat is as it is.” Zero put her mouth on the egg and slurped it down through the open hole.

She trembled in delight as she chewed on the food. With the egg still in her mouth, she dashed towards the stall and grabbed a basket full of eggs.

“You’ll get sick if you eat that much,” I said.

“I will eat them one at a time, saving some for tomorrow.”

“They can always make more tomorrow,” Gouda said.

Zero’s face lit up. “Then I can eat these all today.”

I picked one softboiled egg from the basket and cracked it open over my wide mouth. The white of the egg was not completely raw, nor was it hard. The yolk, on the other hand, was perfectly hardened and thickened. Mixing together in my mouth, they slid down my throat, leaving behind a rich egg sweetness.

“Ah, I might have some of this tomorrow as well,” I said. “Actually I’ll have more today.” I quickly reached for a second one.

“I understand how you feel,” Zero said, cracking the shell of another egg.

“I’m glad you’re having fun,” Gouda said, with nary a trace of delight on his face.

We then spent some time wandering around the underground city, checking out the stalls and performances. The city was much larger than I had imagined, with passageways stretching in all directions from the central square.

“How far do these underground tunnels go?” I asked. “Actually, how big is this place?”

“Almost as big as the city above ground. There’s one path that leads to the border with Altaria. They tried to invade the Nordis from underground, but gave up when they came across a huge underground lake.”

“Underground lake? They were lucky they didn’t hit the bottom of the lake. One wrong move and this whole place would have been submerged.”

Digging underground tunnels was a dangerous job. If you hit an underground water vein or lake, the water would rush into the narrow tunnel. I had even heard of toxic air killing people.

“They struck a limestone cave at first. As they went through it, they found an underground lake. I went there once, and it was magnificent, like I could feel the will of God. The cave’s ceiling was much higher than a cathedral, and the lake was as big as the castle’s reception hall.”

Feel the will of God, eh? Sounds like something a Church follower would say, all right. From how he uttered the words subconsciously, the Church’s teachings must’ve been drilled deep into him.

“Can we see it? I am interested,” Zero said.

“We can, but it’ll take about half a day to get there. It’ll be nighttime by the time we return. The festival will be over then.”

Zero lost all interest in the underground lake immediately. She once again visited various stalls and clapped her hands in joy at the plays and skills entertainers showed.

What surprised me was the number of people who used Magic like it was nothing. Seeing a performer use several floating blobs of light to direct his play, Zero muttered, “That is a basic spell from the Chapter of Harvest,” as if she had seen something incredible.

I saw a cook using Magic to strangle several chickens at once, and I was shocked to see a child using Magic to light a torch.

It had been seven years since the Grimoire of Zero was brought to this kingdom. There were children who didn’t know what it was like when there was no Magic.

Zero nodded repeatedly as she paused to watch every single one of them, a gentle smile on her lips that I had never seen before.

But Gouda’s face was hard. “Children are forbidden to use Magic,” he said. “What are their parents doing?!” He glared around with a terrifying expression.

“If it’s forbidden, then I doubt they taught them,” I said. “How come there are kids who can use Magic?”

“They learn it on their own from watching adults. Just by imitating the words and gestures, a gifted child can use Magic.”

Hmm, okay. In Wenias, no one could use Magic unless Albus specifically gave them permission, but that was not how it worked outside the kingdom.

“That sounds dreadful,” I said. “Kids who can use Magic could be stronger than most adults.”

“Exactly,” Gouda affirmed. “A fight between Magic-wielding children could lead to disaster.”

“Did someone die?”

“No. Fortunately, in the early stages of learning Magic, spells don’t seem to be powerful enough to kill people. A direct hit from a Steim would only result in a small burn, but it would still be dangerous nonetheless.”

“Speaking of which,” I said, glancing at Zero, “You said something about messing with the grimoire so that someone who’s not good at Magic can’t produce high power.”

“The erroneous incantations,” Zero replied, nodding. “You can use Magic if you have the aptitude, but unless you have the training, you can not produce much power. I created Magic for the people. I assumed children would learn it as well.”

“Magic for the people. Well, they’re teaching others, so I guess it worked out.”

Gouda said that the sorcerer residing in the middle of the two kingdoms passed on Magic to the lowest class of people, not to the powerful. He made it rain in front of farmers who needed rain, and he shot arrows of light in front of hunters who had run out of arrows. He then carefully taught them Magic, saying they could use it too.

The lower classes were not familiar with the teachings of the Church. Putting food on the table was more important to them than keeping their faith.

As harvest and catch increased rapidly, the country realized that something was wrong. But how could you deny a technique that had spread to the people and was beneficial to the kingdom?
What’s more, most of the citizens had already acquired an unknown power that could be used as weapons.

“The royal family began to learn Magic somewhat later than the people,” Gouda said. “However, it was not so easy for the higher-ups to manage a technique that had already spread. A Magic Corps was formed, Magic administrators were deployed in the neighboring farming villages, and a list of people who could use Magic was created. Then a war broke out and now we’re here. But there are still too many problems. The complaints of those who can’t use Magic, the inevitable battle against the Church, and now a dragon is threatening to destroy the kingdom. It’s all a huge headache.” Gouda shook his head.

“This kingdom is filled with problems, it seems,” Zero said, letting out a small sigh. “But…” Her voice took in a tone of sweetness, like she was watching a child fall and cry. “I think I still love this place.” Zero looked at me. “Mercenary, if I said I would gladly slay the dragon for this kingdom, would you laugh?”

I thought about it for a moment then said, “Not really.”

Citizens of this kingdom used Magic the way she intended. I could understand her happiness. It was nothing to laugh about.

“I’m not gonna laugh, but Cestum is definitely involved here. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten that.”

“I am not as inexperienced as to let my personal feelings get the better of me and forget my purpose. If I deem it necessary, I will destroy this kingdom no matter how much I love it.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Well, I’m not,” Gouda cut in, frowning.

Shouts of joy suddenly erupted, echoing loud throughout the underground city. I lowered my ears.

“What’s going on?”

“It is coming from the square,” Zero said. “Is there a fascinating performance being held?”

Gouda pondered over it for a while, then raised his head. “It must be the Magic tournament,” he said.

“A-A Magic tournament? Are people killing each other using Magic?!” I exclaimed.

“No, it’s a kind of mock battle that only members of the Magic Corps can participate in. People place bets on who wins. It was the princess’s idea, to make the people who can’t use Magic be more familiar with it. The first match is supposed to be at sunset. I see. So the sun’s already set.”

“Aren’t you the captain? Why do you sound like it’s none of your concern?”

“Because it’s none of my business.” Gouda didn’t sound the least bit interested.

Zero, of course, couldn’t miss it. She bolted off, then turned to us. “What are you two doing? We will miss the entertainment. Show us to the best seats, Captain.”

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