Light streamed through the window, waking a sleeping Zara, who stood up rubbing her eyes.
"Goddess, I don't think staying up late reading was a good idea," she said with drooping eyelids and noticeable dark circles.
She looked around. Shadow—or rather, Alice—had already left the room, though the princess didn't know how long ago.
She went downstairs to the back of the shop, where there was a well with some buckets of water nearby. Zara took the opportunity to rinse her face and shake off some of her drowsiness.
Has Derek woken up yet? the girl thought as she entered the shop once more.
She didn't hesitate and headed directly to the wounded ones' room. There they were—Alice sitting next to an already-awake Derek, cautiously watching the mage, who was also awake.
"It seems I underestimated you quite a bit. I won't make the same mistake twice," the mage said as a kind of cold air flooded the room.
"I wouldn't use so much spirit if I were you," Derek said without moving.
Immediately after, the mage began coughing uncontrollably, even spitting up a little blood.
"What...?"
"He hit you quite hard. The healer healed you enough that you wouldn't die, but your spirit is still unstable," Alice added.
"Do you really think this will end like this? After they learn what happened here, the Grand Sorceress will come in person," the mage said through clenched teeth, his breathing ragged.
"We won't be here by then," Zara spoke now from the doorway, joining the two siblings.
The man blinked a few times, fixed his gaze on Zara, then on the siblings, repeating for a few seconds. But dind't said anything more.
Then the conversation stopped, interrupted by the hurried footsteps of a person approaching. Lein opened the door, out of breath—it seemed he had almost run there.
"You must stay here. Don't come out for anything in the world," he said to the group of three.
"Has that Halad arrived already?" Zara asked.
Lein approached the mage, forcing him to stand.
"Oh yes, and something much worse came with him."
"Something much worse?" Alice repeated with a worried tone.
"Princess Olivia and the Grand Sorceress—both came in person, accompanied by an escort."
The man left, almost dragging the mage, without giving further explanations—though they weren't necessary.
"Damn it. And now what do we do?" Alice said.
"Derek," Zara began to say, "can you walk?"
"Yes, I think so," he replied. "Why?"
The princess pointed to the second floor.
"Gather everything. We're leaving now."
Outside, all the villagers had gathered around all the soldiers and the handful of mages. At the front stood Lord Halad, accompanied by his two escorts, Princess Olivia, and the sorceress Melissa.
The whispers didn't take long to appear.
"What is Princess Olivia doing here?"
"Is that the Grand Sorceress?"
"Lord Halad?"
A noble, a princess, a sorceress—these weren't three people who appeared together in the same place just because.
Lein came out of the shop, almost dragging the mage, whose eyes lit up upon seeing Melissa.
"My lady," he said, bowing his head.
"Who the hell do you bow your head to with the princess right in front of you, idiot?" the woman reprimanded him, though Olivia shook her head, downplaying the matter.
The princess stepped forward, causing everyone present to kneel en masse, except for those accompanying her.
"Tell me your name," she said to Lein.
"Lein, Your Highness."
"He's the leader of the village, correct?" She addressed Halad this time.
"Yes, Princess, he is," he responded nervously, glancing sideways at Lein with his healthy eye.
"Listen, Lein. We're in a hurry. We'd like to finish this quickly. Cooperate and don't make it complicated." The princess crossed her arms, and then the sorceress stepped forward.
"You see, sir, we've received somewhat strange news coming from here," the woman said, pointing at the mage. "Starting with the condition of the mage captured there."
"Everything has its explanation, Grand Sorceress."
"Then I'm dying to hear them," the woman said, smiling.
Lein swallowed. The atmosphere was strange—both women watched him expectantly, but Halad looked worried, as if he knew where this conversation was heading.
"This mage arrived yesterday, causing disturbances and accusing everyone of being traitors. He was even about to massacre us," the man said with confidence, provoking louder whispers that ended up proving him right.
"And can you explain to me how he ended up like this?" the woman asked, referring to the mage's condition—part of his mouth bloodied and an enormous bruise on his chin. This chapter was taken from novelping dot com without permission.
"A traveler, my lady. We were very lucky—he passed nearby, close enough to help us," he replied. "Thanks to the goddess's light, he didn't overdo it when he hit him, and I was able to save his life."
The woman brought her hand to her chin, making a confused grimace with her face. Then she returned to her usual confident smile.
"You know, throughout my life, I've heard very convincing lies, and I dare say yours is among them," she said, stepping closer to him. "But I'm afraid that won't work with me."
She snapped her fingers in front of the mage's face.
"I was defeated by one of the Tarzovians who kidnapped Princess Zara, my lady. I threatened to attack the villagers because they interfered with the mission," the mage said.
All the soldiers drew their weapons, though the mages stayed on the sidelines. The villagers, for their part, began to move away, frightened.
"What a thing, don't you think? We have a situation here. My mage says one thing, but you say another. Who should I believe?" The smile on her face disappeared. "I think the answer is obvious."
Halad raised his hand, and his escorts approached Lein with their weapons raised, positioning themselves behind him. Lein, though nervous, kept his calm as best he could.
"Wait, Melissa. We can't take such drastic measures without proof," the princess said, stepping forward until she stood beside the sorceress.
"What more proof do you need than his lie?"
"How do you know the one lying is this man and not your mage?"
The woman didn't respond.
"If you'll allow me, Your Highness," Halad spoke now. "I've known Lein for years. I myself recommended him to be the leader of this village. I trust him. He's not a traitor."
The sorceress looked at him with a sour face. She didn't seem to like being contradicted, but she couldn't do more with Princess Olivia present.
"Charles, where is the princess?" the sorceress addressed the mage.
"The back room, my lady, where the wounded are treated," he replied.
"Very well, then that's where we'll go."
With a snap of her fingers, the soldiers lowered their weapons, and the two escorts followed her to the shop's entrance.
She threw the door wide open, while the escorts checked every corner of the reception room.
The woman walked slowly toward the back door, glancing at the shelves full of medicines and herbs, running her finger softly along the wood.
Upon reaching the door, she didn't take long to open it completely, just like the previous one, arriving at a room full of beds and small tables. But the most important thing right now was that it was empty.
The escorts entered shortly after, beginning to check the corners, even under the beds. There was no one in that place—not at first glance, at least.
The woman stopped in the center of the room, looked to the sides, and sighed.
"Stay still."
Upon saying that word, a small vibration ran through the air in the room, freezing the escorts in place—they couldn't move in any way.
"My lady?" one managed to say in a strained voice. Even speaking was difficult for him.
"No, you two can continue." Following her words, the warriors returned to normal.
They looked at each other, confused by what had happened. Before they could continue searching, the woman spoke again.
"Come out of your hiding place."
The vibration repeated, though this time nothing happened to them. They waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. The woman frowned and bit her lip slightly.
"Let's go. They're not here."
"Are you sure?"
"More sure than ever."
The three withdrew from the room and left the shop, to be received by the expectant gazes of everyone present.
"There's no one back there," one of the escorts said.
"What!?" shouted the mage, who had already been untied.
Once again, the villagers' whispers returned, accusing the woman of threatening Lein when he was innocent—though they knew Lein had been helping those three, they didn't know who they were.
"There must be a mistake! I even spoke with them! They must have been hiding!" he kept insisting, sweat running down his forehead.
"No. I used my spiritual ability. In that room, there were only the escorts and me," Melissa replied, glaring at the mage with furious eyes.
"This house is big! It has two floors! Check the ones upstairs!"
Melissa nodded, and the escorts headed to check the second floor.
"If there really is no one there, it means what Lein said is true," Olivia said to Melissa.
"And I will have raised expectations without basis," Melissa replied with a sigh.
"Not without basis. At least this was something to start from." The princess turned to the healer. "What did the person who defeated Charles look like?"
Lein swallowed. He couldn't risk describing Derek, since he didn't know if they knew him, but inventing a person would be risky.
"It was a man. He wore a kind of cloak around his body—I assume for the sunlight."
Olivia frowned.
"Did he carry any weapon?"
"A sword, sheathed. He didn't use it to fight—he used only his fists and feet." Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
"Only a sword?" Olivia insisted, making the man nervous.
"At least at first glance. I'm sorry—I was worried about the villagers' safety, so I couldn't see more."
The princess nodded slowly, bringing her hand to her chin. Then she smiled slightly.
"I think I know who was the one who faced your mage," the princess said to Melissa. "It wasn't any Tarzovian."
Olivia leaned in to whisper something to Melissa, surprising her. She then sighed and brought her hand to her face.
"You should have told me something like that first, Princess."
The escorts appeared at one of the second-floor windows, informing those below that there was nothing and no one—the entire house was empty.
"You," Melissa said, addressing Lein again, "my mage said he faced a Tarzovian who had kidnapped Princess Zara."
"A person can lie to save themselves in a desperate situation," Lein replied calmly.
"And how do I know you're not lying too?"
"Many times truths pass as elaborate lies. I don't blame you for not believing me." He looked away and directed it at the mage, who didn't know how to respond. "Many times the opposite also happens—an elaborate lie passes as truth."
The sorceress nodded, sighed, and ordered everyone to lower their weapons.
"I apologize. After all, it seems you're innocent," Olivia said.
"Apologies are unnecessary, my lady. I don't deserve them."
The mage stood up, clenching his teeth with a furrowed brow, generating small ice shards in his hands.
"You mustn't believe him! He's a traitor! I'll erase this house if necessary to find her!"
"Stay still."
The mage was about to attack Lein, but he stopped dead upon feeling that vibration leave Melissa's body.
"On your knees."
Once again, the air vibrated. Now the mage fell to his knees, as if an enormous force were crushing him against the ground.
"What the hell were you thinking of doing in front of the princess, idiot?" The sorceress approached him, making a grimace of anger. "The princess declared him innocent, and you go and try to attack him to prove something impossible to prove?"
"My lady, wait! The person I fought didn't even look like he said!"
"What did he look like, then?"
The mage was about to speak, but he noticed a change in the woman's face—her eyes a little more open. He decided to stay quiet and accept everything.
"He looked... like he said," he ended up responding.
"That's what I thought." The woman stopped using her power, and the mage stood up. "I'll personally handle his punishment, Your Highness."
"Fine. I'll leave him to you, then," Olivia told her.
Halad stepped forward to Lein to congratulate him on his innocence, but at the same time, he looked somewhat nervous.
"Lord Halad, I recall you had said you had something to do here—that's why you brought several soldiers and that carriage," the princess said. "Can I know what it is?"
"Taxes for the war, Your Highness," he responded with a bow. "Your father ordered me to collect them."
"How much?"
"Sixty percent," he said in a trembling voice—something Lein noticed.
The princess stifled a cry of surprise.
"That's too much! These people will starve!" she said angrily. "It's impossible that my father gave an order like that."
"Perhaps it didn't seem important to him that you found out."
"How much can you give without compromising your people?" She ignored Halad to address Lein.
"Twenty percent, my lady."
"Then that's what you'll give."
"But, Your Highness, that would violate the king's direct orders!" the noble complained, though a single look from Olivia was enough to silence him again.
"I'll assume responsibility with my father. Twenty percent—no more, no less. That's an order."
The noble bowed and shared the order with his soldiers. The villagers, though they weren't happy, decided it was better to follow the orders and helped during the process.
Lein smiled. In the end, everything had turned out quite well. He felt grateful to Princess Zara for having followed her advice to stay there, and now to Olivia for helping him with Lord Halad.
The noble's face showed worry—genuine worry—though Lein didn't understand why.
"Are you all right, old friend?" he said, approaching the noble.
"Yes, yes, it's nothing. Don't worry." He offered him a small smile. "I'm glad nothing bad happened."
The noble patted Lein and went to direct the soldiers gathering the food, leaving the man somewhat worried and confused.
Lein sighed. Noble matters—better not to get into that, he thought as he watched him leave.
I hope from the bottom of my heart that wherever you're headed, the goddess's light always illuminates your path, Princess, he thought as a silent prayer directed at Zara, while the village's atmosphere returned to normal.