Murky Darkness – Part 04
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Translator: Kell
Zero said she would protect the world, but first we had to find out who led Cestum and where they were.
Our top priority right now, however, was to stop the war between Wenias and the Church.
“I bet Thirteenth’s giving the kid a good smacking and some talking-to right about now,” I said. Imagining it made me laugh.
I thought for sure Zero would laugh too, but she seemed to be deep in thought, her face hard.
“What up, witch?”
“Hmm? Oh, I was wondering why Thirteenth has not sent a familiar yet.”
“Probably busy lecturing the kid.”
“Perhaps, but I feel somewhat uncomfortable. A very odd sensation right here.” Zero tapped her chest.
“So you’re worried?” Lily said.
Zero looked as if she just heard an incomprehensible word. “Worried? Me? About Thirteenth? Nonsense. Even if the world ends, I will not be worried about him.”
“I doubt Sanare or the kid can beat him,” I said. “You should be worried about the kid, not Thirteenth.”
“You are right. Thirteenth’s lectures are long and vicious. Refuting him is difficult. I can almost see the lass crying.”
“I don’t think a reprimand is enough for starting a war,” the priest spat.
Pretty sure she’ll get more than that.
Anyway, we got rid of the virus that was Sanare. The issue now was how to end the war that Albus started.
We decided to go to the royal capital of Plasta to meet Albus and check on the situation, and also to leave the princess with her.
It would take about seven days on foot to get from the abandoned village in the northeast of Wenias to Plasta. We had quite the big party—me, Zero, the priest, Lily, and now the princess and Raul.
If we left now, night would fall before we even got far. Our party wouldn’t have problems traveling at night, but it hadn’t been long since Raul injured the priest. It would only cause problems for us if he collapsed on the road, so we decided to spend the night resting.
In the meantime, I fetched water, gathered herbs and fruit for food, cut up and smoked the leftover deer meat, and washed the bladder of the deer to make a new water bag. We could carry more luggage with Raul around, and it wouldn’t hurt to have more water than necessary.
We turned the Etrach into an impromptu lodge. Zero illuminated the inside by casting a spell that summoned a small, round, miniature sun-like object floating near the ceiling. It looked bizarre, but it provided light and warmth, so it didn’t really bother me that much.
This ball of sun—Solum, Zero called it—was apparently a basic spell from the Chapter of Harvest. Its purpose was to provide light for the fields during a cloudy day.
Seeing Zero’s spell, the princess said, “I want to use it too.” She followed the witch around. “I won’t let my Magic get out of control anymore, so please let me use it again.”
Zero appeared reluctant, however.
“I already made progress in my study of Sorcery,” the princess insisted. “After researching Necromancy, I’m confident I can control my power better. I should be able to cast Magic from the Grimoire of Zero without it going berserk.”
I would appreciate it if she at least waited until after we handed her over to Albus and Thirteenth.
The priest was recovering his strength, and Lily was taking care of him. Ultimately, it was me and Raul who made all the preparations for the trip.
“You’re really accustomed to traveling, huh?” Raul said as he watched me inflate the deer bladder and dry it.
The horse Beastfallen was in the middle of gathering food for dinner using a fishing rod made of branches, strings, and deer bones. He was incredibly good at fishing; almost ten fish were already lying nearby.
“I could say the same about you.”
“Well, you know, I lived in a forest for a long time.”
After his father tried to kill him the moment he was born, he escaped into a forest and survived on his own. I could see where he got his survival skills.
“But after leaving the island with the princess, there were many things that I felt I was not good at. I even had trouble putting up a tarp when we slept outdoors.”
“You can carry her, which I believe is a plus. I bet you two alone can get to the capital in three days.”
“Riding a horse is tiring. I might be fine, but the princess can’t ride me all the way without rest. I’m grateful to Sanare for that. She was quick to complain when she got tired, while the princess endures it.”
“That so.”
“What about Lady Zero? Does she just bear with it?”
“Uh… Not really, no.”
She was extremely selfish. She wouldn’t even carry her own luggage. She would say things like, “I do not need it,” or “A change of clothes is unnecessary.” To top it off, she hated walking, and would climb to my shoulder for a ride instead.
“She must really trust you,” Raul said.
“I don’t know if you can call that trust.”
“I envy you. The princess doesn’t count on me much. Oops!” Raul landed his eleventh fish.
Food was an important matter with a large group of six people. We might not find enough food for everyone along the way. As such, we preserved most of the deer meat. We could also use the fish’s bones for stock.
More company meant more trouble. Of course, there was also a huge benefit to it: we could split up our luggage.
“She got mad at me earlier, too, for letting ourselves get caught.”
“Wasn’t that your plan?”
“I suppose.”
“Well, I see why she wouldn’t trust you,” I joked.
“Yeah.” His tone was carefree. “Oh, about what happened on Black Dragon Island.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry. Your shoulder must’ve hurt.” He was apologizing for sticking his spear on my shoulder and then knocking me off a cliff.
I tied a string around the bladder’s opening. “It’s so common in my line of work, I already forgot about it. Today’s friend betrays you at noon the next day and you get a reward for his head. Shouldn’t you be apologizing to the priest instead?”
“Well, he killed the sorcerer, so he kinda deserved it.” Raul laughed. He seemed to think that him trying to kill the priest was perfectly justified.
“You’re quite cruel despite your gentle personality.”
“And you’re gentle despite your cruel looks.”
Frowning, I stood up. “I’m heading back first to start a fire. You should finish up as well. We’ll have dinner before dark, sleep early, and leave early in the morning.”
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