The Princess and Her Horse – Part 01
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Translator: Kell | Editor: Ryunakama
Interlude: Nation of Magic
When Zero woke up, she found herself alone.
Amidst all the noise—the crashing waves, murmur of people, pained grunts, and shouts—she lifted her body up, and realized she was on a sandy beach surrounded by cliffs. She turned her head up and saw forests and mountains on top of the cliffs. Houses and castles were clustered together along the slopes.
“Mercenary?”
Shaking her head a little, Zero looked for her companion. She should be able to spot his huge body if he was nearby, but she couldn’t find him anywhere on the beach.
Zero scowled. He left me alone again, she thought. Unfortunately, the person she wanted to grumble to was not around.
“Fine. I will search for him,” she said. “Did someone take him away? What a troublesome mercenary.” Zero stood up and snapped her fingers. For a moment, a wind rose, drying her hair and cloak completely. All she needed to do then was brush the salt off.
It feels a little chilly without that mass of heat nearby. I can not relax. I need to find him quickly.
“For that, my best option is to follow those people.”
People started gathering in droves on the beach. One didn’t need to be a seasoned mercenary to know that they were from this island. Judging by their matching outfits, they were probably members of some public organization, rather than farmers or corpse-scavenging bandits.
“Search for survivors!” a man yelled. “Put those who can’t move in the wagons!”
Zero approached them and then climbed onto the wagon without a word.
“Hey, you!” another man barked at her. “Only those who can’t move. If you can walk, then follow the soldiers over there—”
Zero lifted her hood, revealing half her face. “I cannot move,” she said with a pained look.
“You may take a ride!”
His decision was quick. The only one who could resist Zero’s good looks was Mercenary.
After receiving approval, Zero lay down on the wagon. A sailor was moaning in pain next to her, bleeding profusely from his stomach. He would probably not last long.
What would Mercenary say in this situation? she wondered. After pondering it over for a moment, she placed her hand on the sailor’s wound.
“Consider this my passenger’s fare,” she said. “I do not take free rides.”
Smiling, Zero pulled her hand away. Anguish disappeared from the sailor’s face as his wound closed and the blood stopped flowing.
Zero went back to lying down.
The wagon trudged through the forest and soon reached a city near a castle. The place was far from lively, with burned down and crumbling houses here and there. Zero cocked her head as she spotted people living in such broken buildings.
It looked like a war ravaged the place. The one thing worth noting was the entrances to underground all over.
Leaning out of the wagon, Zero tugged on the sleeve of the man pulling the horse. “Where do those entrances lead to?” she asked.
“Underground tunnels,” he answered. “Here in Nordis, you can get gems of fine quality underground. That’s why there are tunnels.”
“So the workers use the entrance to go underground.”
“Yes.” The man shot a glance at Zero’s face, then quickly turned his gaze back to the front. He cleared his throat. “It’s a little different now. They’ve added more entrances so that all of us, not just the workers, can enter the tunnels quickly. You saw the dragon, right?”
“Yes,” Zero said. “We were attacked by it.”
“It sometimes descends to town. When it does, everyone hides underground.”
“I see.” Zero finally understood why the houses were destroyed and the outer wall of the castle towering in front of her was crumbling in places.
The wagon stopped in front of a crumbling wall. The main gate of the castle was facing a square plaza, where a stone monument stood in the middle. Those who could walk seemed to be gathered around the monument.
The injured were being transported directly into the castle, so Zero jumped down from the wagon. She didn’t think Mercenary would be severely wounded, and she was interested in the current situation.
As Zero approached the crowd of people, the sailors opened a path for her. Without saying a word, she strode to the front. She looked around, but when she found out that Mercenary wasn’t here either, she felt disappointed.
Then, a man who looked to be a knight walked to the platform in front of the monument. Young and masculine, he had bright-red hair trimmed short.
“Gentlemen!” he bellowed. “As you already know, you are in Nordis, the kingdom that governs Black Dragon Island. You were attacked by a dragon and washed ashore. I would like to explain a few things to you.”
“First! You can’t leave this island. There are no ships here and no ships come to this place.”
There was a stir among the crowd.
“Second! Each person living on the island is assigned a role. That role will be selected by us to fit each person’s aptitude.”
“So you’re going to decide what job we can take?! Bullshit! We’re sailors!”
“It’s an absolute requirement for residents of this island. If you don’t like it, then go cut down some trees, build a boat, and set sail! If you’re not afraid of the dragon, that is.”
The hot-blooded sailors quieted down.
“Good.” The red-haired man nodded. His next words shocked the crowd. “Three! The Church has no influence in this kingdom, and we value Magic. All of you are no exception! We will now test your aptitude in Magic!”
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