Seventh – Part 03

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Translator: Kell


The meal served to us was more lavish than I had expected.

It consisted of a roasted turkey, bread, and some fruits. Zero even described the mushroom soup thickened with goat milk delicious.

“I’m glad it suits your palate,” Sept said, smiling.

“Did you make this?” Lily asked, wagging her tail as she dipped the bread into the soup. She’d grown quite fond of Sept.

“Yes, little lady. Thirteenth’s cooking is horrendous. The other apprentices only cook what Thirteenth tells them to, and they’re not very edible, so I decided to make it myself.”

“I cannot agree more,” Zero said. “Thirteenth’s cooking is atrocious. I learned that when I tasted the many dishes that Mercenary made.”

“I don’t have time to waste on unnecessary matters,” Thirteenth cut in. “I simply eat. Also, what I cook is a traditional meal that everyone in the cellar ate in the first place. My personal culinary skills have nothing to do with it.”

In other words, all of the people in the cellar had no idea what good food tasted like.

After years of eating awful-tasting food, they became indifferent to flavor.

As we dined, Sept explained to us what this hideout was and where it was located.

After eating her fill, Lily fell asleep on the floor.

We were in a forest near the mountain range—the place where we were attacked by Sept—in a mansion where nobles stayed when they were hunting.

I wondered how Thirteenth and Sept were using a nobleman’s hunting lodge as a lair, and Sept only said, “Personal connections.”

“So Thirteenth,” Zero said. “Explain yourself. Why are you in your old appearance?”

“Because I am known as a state sorcerer who plotted to overthrow the kingdom. I was forced to revert to my old form. Though it seems that some strange rumors have begun spreading because of it.”

Can you just revert back that easily? Didn’t he make a pact with a demon, offering his beauty in exchange for something?

If he broke it, does that mean he can’t use Sorcery anymore? Maybe he doesn’t need Sorcery anymore, since he can use Magic?

“My left arm and leg. One kidney and one lung.”

As if reading my mind, Thirteenth raised the hem of his robe.

His left leg was artifical.

Now that I thought about it, he only used his right hand.

“You went that far, huh? Wait, weren’t you supposed to be dead? Why is the kid chasing you around so publicly?”

“Apparently, someone convinced her that she should announce that I was actually alive and was plotting to overthrow the kingdom of Wenias again.”

“Someone who?”

“Cestum,” Thirteenth said firmly.

I leaned forward.

“Are you certain?” Zero asked in a hard voice.

Thirteenth closed his eyes. “I’m not. Eleven years ago, around the same time that I created the Coven of Zero, Cestum appeared. They infiltrated deep into the organization, took root, and waited with bated breath as they accumulated power. I was aware of their existence from the beginning, but I disregarded them, deeming them as insignificant. Their goal was the same as mine, creating a world for witches, but instead of coexistence, they want dominance. They are now spreading throughout the continent, recruiting witches who are furious with the Church.”

“The world would change, wouldn’t it?”

Sanare’s words suddenly rang in my ears, and I gritted my teeth.

Sanare joined the Coven of Zero and transcribed the grimoire. The Stargazer sorcerer Argentum was also a member.

The whole thing started with the Coven of Zero—the Kingdom of Wenias.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Cestum reached out to Albus in some way.

“Shortly before the king’s demise, the Mooncaller had been taking advice from someone other than me,” Thirteenth continued. “She put her absolute trust on them. Eventually she stopped listening to my advice, and even regarded me with deep suspicion. It is clear that whoever’s behind this wants a war between witches and humans to happen.”

“I get it,” I said. “Victory is a must for their goal of dominance. And for that a war is necessary.”

If witches and humans could coexist harmoniously in Wenias, the center of the land route where people from all over the world gathered, it would set a precedent that witches and humans could coexist worldwide.

However, if the magical state that was once established in Wenias collapsed, the dispute between humans and witches would escalate into a full-scale war.

And Cestum was steadily building their strength in preparation for that.

“So what about you locking up the prince?” the priest asked.

Sept chuckled. “That’s just Albus being paranoid. The prince is in hiding of his own volition. He’s worried about a possible assassination attempt.”

“The kid assumes it was an excuse for Thirteenth to not return the prince,” I said.

“That girl is such an idiot.” Sept sighed. There was no spite in her tone. In fact, I could feel affection in her voice, like she was simply upset about her dumb younger sister. “His Majesty has passed away. If the prince was assassinated, a peaceful coexistence between witches and humans in Wenias would no longer be possible. Albus, however, believes the words of some stranger and is trying to kill Thirteenth. How can he return to the castle?”

“I get what you’re saying,” the priest agreed. “There are many who do evil with good intentions, unaware of the danger they’re in. Just as an ant happily brings poisonous food into its burrow, an ally can become an enemy. As far as I can tell, the Chief Mage has many enemies, but she can’t distinguish them from allies. It would be dangerous to divulge any information to her.”

I couldn’t help but agree with him. Albus was aware of the enemies’ presence, but she didn’t know where they were. Succumbing to paranoia, she put all the blame on Thirteenth.

It would be dangerous to tell such a person where the prince was, let alone actually letting them meet to explain the situation. Whoever was encouraging Albus might just kill the prince.

Albus didn’t like Thirteenth in the first place. If a third party brainwashed her, it was not surprising that Albus would want to get rid of Thirteenth once and for all.

“Now how about some proof?” I said.

Sept and Thirteenth shot me puzzled looks.

“I see where you guys are coming from, but at the end of the day, you have no proof. The kid wants to kill Thirteenth because he doesn’t want to return the prince. Am I right? If it’s the will of the prince himself, then you should at least let us see him.”

Staring at me, Sept put her fingernails on her red lips. “You’re not as stupid as I thought. I thought you’d just straight-up believe us.”

“I appreciate the blunt compliment. As a mercenary, I’m skeptical. I mean, we came here because we suspected Thirteenth to have a connection with Cestum. Maybe you planned it so the kid would chase you around.”

Thirteenth once tricked me into abandoning Zero. If Albus was right and Thirteenth was plotting to overthrow the kingdom, holding the prince in captivity, then it was our job to beat him up and bring the prince back.

“If it’s proof you want, I have it,” Sept said.

“What? Where?”

Sept suddenly began taking off her clothes for some reason.

“Wait. Wh-What are you doing?!”

I quickly got up to stop her, but it was too late. Sept threw the robe that covered her entire body to the floor and even took off the underclothes she was wearing underneath it.

I probably shouldn’t have looked at her, but it was too late. I stared at her naked body.

She had broad shoulders, well-developed pecs and modest abs. As I looked down on the floor, I saw a padding that resembled a woman’s breasts lying near her clothes.

Sept clearly had the body of a man.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” she said. “I am the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Wenias, and the direct disciple of Thirteenth. Sept, also known as Seventh.”

“What?”

“I told you to look at one’s true nature, Mercenary,” Zero said, appalled. “Sept is a man.”

“Wh-Whaaaaat?!”

“A sorcerer must not let people know his true name. In order for me to become a sorcerer and a Mage, I needed another guise and another name. When I was forced to go into hiding, Thirteenth gave me a number. So I thought, why not just change my gender as well? I was actually thinking of changing my tone of voice to that of a woman. But Thirteenth told me not to because it was gross. That’s just terrible, don’t you think?”

Acting incredibly feminine, Sept winked at me.

“No… No! You won’t fool me! If the king was an old man in his sixties, then the prince must be old too!”

“You’re right. The original heir to the throne was my father, the prince. However, he died of an epidemic when I was very young, and now I, his grandson, have the right to inherit the throne.”

“That sounds too convenient.”

“I’m also friends with Torres, the governor of Ideaverna. You know him, don’t you? He tells me a lot of curious stories. I’ve also heard about you and your friends’ exciting adventures. The Saint of Akdios. I heard that you worked with Cal of Fort Lotus to uncover the secret of the brand of the goat.”

“Okay, I didn’t expect that one.”

“This mansion is also his villa for when he stays in the kingdom. I gave him special permission to build it in a protected forest. I told you, personal connections.”

Brows furrowed, I looked at Zero.

“Everything makes sense,” she said.

“I don’t sense any lie,” the priest added.

I had no choice but to give in.


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