Tragic Turn Of Events
Upon learning of the prince's situation, the noble immediately brought the Prince back to his manor where the best physician, his doctor will treat the poison. "Thank you very much for the effort. We will take it from here." Zyra accompanied them in transferring her brother and saw Zed and the others standing and watching them from afar. "So they are far noble than nobles, huh? To think that we helped the royal Prince and Princess." Laurence said with an enthusiastic expression. He knew even at a young age that helping royalty will grant them rewards, and because of that, the rest of them are looking forward to it as well.
"I always knew that they are not the average nobles, but to think that they are royalties. It came to me as a shock." Corn said and finds Zed already walking away with a blank look on his face. "I don't care. As long as we are away from trouble. That's good enough for me." Zed replied. "Yes. As long as I live peacefully here in this world. I don't care if I am a commoner or not, all I need is to live peacefully." Zed remembered the promise that he made to himself when he got older.
He returned to the stables where they all work and finds Zyra waiting for someone. Zed walks past her and did not even bother to greet her even when he already knows that she is a princess. "Zed?" she called out to him, and only then, he turn in her direction. "Oh, princess. Good day to you." Zed greeted her with a mocking tone and bowed his head, making her a bit uncomfortable. "Look, I am sorry for hiding everything from you and the others. It's just that we have our reasons." Zed just looks at her and nods his head.
"Why did you have to tell me that? Is there any reason why a princess should do something to that extent? I already figured that someone is going after you, that alone is plain clear to me. So I appreciate your consideration for telling me, I still have a bunch of things to do so If you excuse me, your highness." Zed then proceeds to get inside the stable and do the work of the others while Zyra stares at him for being so unreasonable a few moments later, a soldier from the noble arrived to fetch her.
"So how about it? Do we have a deal?" the noble talks to the leaders of the mercenaries that he gathered to hire. Each of the leaders turned to look at their members who are nodding their heads to accept the nobleman's preposition. "I don't see why not? This is easy money. There is no way we can find any request with such great pay." Each other the leaders agreed to the nobleman's preposition and the latter immediately handed them the initial payment. "The rest is when my guests leave the town." He said with a huge smile on his face. All the mercenaries immediately flood the manor where they patrol the entire day in shifts.
Princess Zyra sent a letter to the capital to inform them of the incident, the condition of the Prince had also gotten better after the doctor had taken care of him for the past few days. "The poison has almost been expelled." She said to herself as she stares at her brother. The sour exchange between her and Zed crossed her mind and she is still bothered by it up until this day. "I wonder if they are going to be fine. I asked father to specifically bring a lot of gifts." She said to herself as she grasp her necklace, "Oh, great goddess Yura, please bless us this day."
Almost a week has passed and the king had sent back a letter to send the best squad to bring them back to the capital and escort them.
A few days later,
"Zed. Old man Yshka said that he needs you to do the same thing again." Corn said while Zed is trying to get a nap. "Already?" corn nods his head to his question and Zed went inside to help the old man count his earnings again. "Looks like not being able to count has some of its benefits as well." He said with a smile on his face. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a silhouette move so he turned and to his surprise, he saw the Princess quickly hiding from the corner of the building. "What in the world is she doing here?" Corn thought to himself as he approach her.
"Good day princess. How may I be of service?" Corn asked with a bow. "Nothing. I just got here coincidentally." She said with a worried tone and then realized that she should not be seen by others any further and proceeds to leave. "Sorry, but I need to go now." Corn stares at her and then scratches his head at the confusing situation. "I guess she just got here accidentally."
At that same moment, the sound of trumpets engulfed the entire town, that only happens when someone from the capital or a higher noble arrives in town. This made all of the people excited and gathered on the streets to witness the guests. Corn and the others also went to watch and Zed got dragged along with them.
They saw a few soldiers marching down the street in perfect unison. Zed stares at them in awe but what caught his attention, even more, is the people leading them, almost instantly, Zed can recognize that they are not normal people. "Artists? And a mage?!" Zed nearly shouted those words and covers his mouth just in time. The carriage went straight to the nobleman's manor where the Prince and the Princess are currently residing. Zed realized that it was a group that will take them both home to the capital.
"I wish I can speak to the mage later myself." He excitedly bit his lip along with the others.
The noble greets them right after they arrived and escorts them inside his mansion. Almost instantly, the leader of the group and the only mage hands him the pouch containing gold coins. "This is for the great service that you have done for his highness. Please pardon us for being hasty. We cannot afford to stay here any longer. We must escort them back to the capital this very day." Bernard said with a composed tone.
The noble happily accepts the reward and Bernard orders the attendants that came with them to bring the Prince and the Princess to the carriages as they are about to leave after a few minutes of rest. "I have to ask. Where were the highnesses found?" the noble clenched the pouch filled with gold and remembers that the commoners were the ones that brought them to the town and lies about finding them on the river about a kilometer away from the town.
The mage turns to the artists and nods his head as if to order them to go there, two artists followed his order and disappeared in thin air. "Thank you very much. His Highness, the king gives his regards."
A few minutes later and the artists arrives back in the nobleman's manor and held out their hands and the mage touched them, he saw everything that the artists have seen as if he was there at the river personally. He saw the dead bodies of the escort team that was with the Prince and the Princess at the time of the incident. Not a single clue nor signs and traces of the culprits were found, suggesting that they have already erased all the evidence. "We must leave. We cannot stay here any longer." He orders the others to leave the town immediately.
Still not contented with the reward he is given, the noble muttered something that caught their attention. "I think I know someone that is in cahoots with the culprit." He said worriedly. The artists and the mage looked at him curiously. "That commoner. I cannot let them know about the fact of the reward." He said to himself as he had already resolved himself to let Zed face the wrath of the king's people and take the blame to raise his status even more.
"A commoner named Zed, I think he is a part of everything that happened." He said confidently. The mage stares at him blankly and then chuckles. "Please do not utter nonsense, nobleman. There is not enough evidence that pins that commoner as a suspect. I know, because I have seen it myself." The other artists don't agree with the claim as well, aside for an artist that wields a great sword and immediately accepts it as a fact.
"Where does that noble live?" the mage immediately grabbed his shoulder. "We must leave. Staying in this town even longer will only endanger the royal highnesses. I cannot allow that to happen." He said with a cold tone and then turned to the noble to scare him off. "I have seen through your lies. You have gone too greedy." The nobleman heard the mage's voice without him uttering a word, fear immediately take over his body, and forced himself to get back inside his mansion as the group makes their way back to the carriage. But when the mage turns to the others, he saw that the artist, Alfred is already gone. "Find that bastard!" he ordered.
A few moments later, the other artist located Albert but they are already too late. Zed lays on the ground covered in injuries, his bloodied face shows that he had been slapped or punched a few times before Albert proceed to beat him to a pulp. What's more, is that Corn and the others saw everything happening. "To think that a child this young is already going against his country. How pitiful." He said and spat on Zed's face. The artists forcedly apprehended him and brought him to the carriages, the mage stares at Zed for a moment and then follows the others.
Just as the carriage is about to completely leave the town, the prince manages to regain consciousness. "I thought I died." His sister smiled and pat his head. "Don't worry, father had rewarded the ones that helped us."
"I wish I could have at least see their faces before leaving." He said with a weak tone. "Don't worry. You might meet them again some other time." She reassured her brother.