Chapter 583: Holiday Break (1/2)
Zero's return to Smargdas was a much-welcomed one. While there weren't any big parties to celebrate his accomplishment as an envoy who returned with Altear's non-aggression treaty, King Brice held a private party when Mitchnew informed him of Zero's return.
Zero couldn't help but smile when he saw Truen and the Humanitarian Guild at the party. If his head butler found out that the King snuck out of the castle again, there would be chaos. Hence, the compromise was to sneak Zero's friends into the castle instead.
”How is the Humanitarian Guild doing?” Zero asked in between bites. The lobster tart was delicious!
King Brice looked at the old general and smiled. ”The people were initially frightened of the demons, but thanks to the children Dina gathered, Smargdas has slowly started to accept them as yet another race. I heard what happened in Lycantopia. Misana has been left in charge of settling her beast people in Smargdas. We're currently using the confiscated properties of Duke Connie and Duke Zurich to help the refugees.”
That's right! Zero almost forgot about the two dukes. Thanks to all the complicated matters along the way, he decided to delegate most affairs to the people in Half Moon Village. He had faith that they were more than capable of doing a good job.
Itchnew was drinking silently with Desert Lily. Those two have become fast friends, and their relationship reminded Zero about Truen's mission.
Excusing himself quickly, Zero left to find his best friend. The wood elf looked tired, and Zero felt terrible for putting so much pressure on his friend's shoulder. Immediately after leaving Lycantopia, Truen worked without stopping. As Zero played Messiah to the beastfolks, the wood elf ran from country to country, trying to get the information Zero needed before he returned. He understood Zero's impatience to get the last key from Queen Leah and sacrificed his much-needed rest to get all the information Zero wanted.
”Truen.”
Zero's gentle voice made the wood elf snap out of his thoughts. ”Zero,” he smiled warmly.
The doctor looked at his best friend with a guilty expression. He should treat the people around him kinder. As his goals and dreams grow bigger, the pressure on the people supporting him also became larger. Almost everyone in Half Moon Village looked like Mammon. Nobody complained, but Zero knew they needed a break from everything. The world was moving too quickly with so many new orders from the alliance with so many countries. Zero's intention to form a strong alliance to protect the village's safety backfired. While nobody would dare to think about harming Half Moon Village now, the villagers were not as happy as they used to be.
”How about taking a holiday before we search for Queen Leah's key?” he asked, surprising the archer.
”Are you sure?” Truen couldn't believe his ears. ”Why, all of a sudden?”
Embarrassed, Zero decided to give an excuse and averted his eyes. ”The campaign of acting as Lycantopia's Messiah was really tiring. Hence, I was thinking of returning to Half Moon Village to spend a few weeks before we start looking for Indra Seagloo. Shifu would also be mad at me if I don't check on his hut regularly. The garden fairies who often help to maintain the herb garden must also be very angry at me for not leaving them honey cakes in months.”