Chapter Forty-Four: An Excellent Fool

“It’s true, but not all magical beasts come out—mostly just the low-ranked ones, and even those of the seventh rank are rare. However, there are simply too many of them; when they surge forth, the dark, seething mass truly does look as though the entire forest has emptied its nest.”
Mayoona explained to Ruby what the so-called beast tide was. It was common knowledge that, though the Holy Continent appeared to be ruled by humans, this was only because humans had claimed the most fertile regions. The Forest of Magical Beasts and the Endless Sea were not places where humans could tread freely.

These two places had been home to countless creatures since ancient times. No one knew how vast the Beast Forest truly was. Moreover, magical beasts lived far longer than humans and thus had ample time to advance. If they truly all attacked at once, human civilization would likely have been obliterated long ago.

“But there’s no need to worry. Now that Nana’s on our side, not a single person died during last year’s beast tide—she took care of them all by herself,”
Tinasia interjected, and Ruby could hear genuine happiness in her voice at the fact that there had been no casualties.

“Don’t call me that!”

“I meant to ask earlier—do you wear that armor for fun?”

Ruby had always thought of magical beasts as animals imbued with strange powers, and figured there must be some reason for their actions. But that was not the question occupying his mind now. He was, in fact, far more curious about the armored princess before him.

“You could put it that way. This way, I can respond to emergencies at any time.”

“Is that really what a princess is supposed to do?”

“Well, perhaps I’m a little different. My mother was just an ordinary commoner. When she fell in love with my father, she had no idea who he really was. When I was little, she always told me never to be arrogant because of my status, and to be a princess who cared for her people.”

“To better understand the common folk and make their lives happier—that’s not just empty talk. I’ve come to realize that, compared to the nobles, I get along much more easily with ordinary people. And so, I took up this work.”

Tinasia knew she must seem odd, but by now it was a habit she found hard to break. To her, the smiles of the commoners, grateful after receiving help, were far warmer than the inscrutable smiles of the nobles.

“In short, she’s just a muscle-brained fool with nowhere to channel her energy. Come on, let’s go.”

Mayoona tugged at Ruby, intending to teleport them away, but Tinasia had other ideas. In an instant, she wrapped her arms around Mayoona’s waist and lifted her off the ground. Tinasia was already tall, so the sight of the diminutive sorceress in her arms seemed perfectly natural to Ruby.

“Mr. Ruby hardly ever visits the capital. Let me show him around, as a thank you for saving your life.”

Before Mayoona could gather her magic for a sudden burst, the princess spoke up first, and so Mayoona had no choice but to abandon the idea of perishing together with her.

“This is the Grand Library. Every book collected since the founding of the Holy Empire is housed within. Ah, but Ruby, since you don’t have any magic, you probably won’t be able to read them. If you want, you can have Nana help you.”

After leaving the palace, Tinasia began introducing the sights as she led Mayoona and Ruby around. Now, pointing to a massive domed building, she remembered that Ruby couldn’t open books inscribed with magical energy, so she glanced at Mayoona and added a suggestion.

“And over there is the Grand Cathedral, where the clergy work. It’s my favorite place—the people there are all so kind. With them around, everyone’s life is more peaceful.”

After walking a while, Tinasia pointed out a distant tower; even from several streets away, its ornate outline was clearly visible. To reach the cathedral more quickly, she cleverly took them through a shortcut—a quiet, little-frequented alley.

“Ah! Someone—someone stole my bag…”

As if to challenge Tinasia’s very existence, a sudden shriek rang out ahead. An elderly woman with white hair had been knocked to the ground, her finger trembling as she pointed at the fleeing thief; her eyes were filled with terror and despair.

“These people are unbelievable!”

Before Ruby could react, Tinasia shot forward like a shadow, drawing a silver spear from her spatial pouch and giving chase.

“Hmph! Chasing after me, the fleet-footed, all while weighed down by heavy armor? Maybe in a few hundred years!”

The masked thief let out a mocking laugh, casting a spell for lightness to hasten his escape. In their line of work, no one dared rob in the capital without some skill.

“Damn, why’d it have to be that lunatic Tinasia! Spirits of fire, heed my—”

Mid-flight, the thief realized something was wrong. The clank of armor was growing ever closer. He risked a glance over his shoulder and nearly wet himself in fear—who in the capital didn’t know of this eccentric princess? While others learned to sing or paint, she spent her days chasing after poor souls like him. Thinking of this, the thief felt even more wretched and hurriedly tried to cast a counter-spell.

“Stun spell!”

But before the self-satisfied thief could finish his incantation, Tinasia leaped into the air, the butt of her spear coming down hard on his head, knocking him out cold, just as one would expect.

“Stun spell?”
Ruby questioned Tinasia’s actions; he couldn’t sense the flow of magic, but that definitely hadn’t looked like a spell to him.

“Yes, a stun spell—of the physical variety.”
Mayoona replied heavily, not even bothering to mock the princess who so insulted the dignity of magic.

“Madam, are you hurt?”
Tinasia returned the recovered bag to the old woman, kneeling before her as she inquired after her well-being.

“Your Highness, you mustn’t kneel to someone like me!”
The old woman was overwhelmed with gratitude and tried to help Tinasia up, only to find that the young woman’s weight was far beyond what a normal person could support.

“Is it not the royal family’s duty to protect the people of the Holy Empire? I see no wrong in it.”
With a gentle smile, Tinasia helped the old woman up and brushed the dust from her clothes, unconcerned by the attention.

*Clap, clap, clap, clap…*
The onlookers couldn’t help but applaud. Such scenes were not rare in the capital—everyone had heard of the unusual princess, so unlike the haughty nobles. To meet her even once was to feel warmth in one’s heart.

“She truly is an outstanding person.”

“Hey, does that mean I’m not? I’m ten thousand times better than she is!”
Mayoona pinched Ruby’s ear in annoyance—he’d known her so long and never once praised her, and yet Tinasia was lauded for a mere trivial act. In response to his petulant companion, Ruby could only flick her forehead, and the two began their familiar exchange of minor vengeance.

-----

Inside the cathedral, the elderly pope regarded Ruby with a dark expression. At last, he picked up a knife and cut Ruby’s finger, squeezing out a few drops of blood onto a transparent crystal—a required step before issuing a residency stone.

Though Mayoona repeatedly explained that she had never been mistreated by Ruby—in fact, if anything, she bullied him at home—the pope and Alicia remained unconvinced. The sentient staff even went so far as to claim that the curse had been cast by Ruby as part of a cunning scheme to win over the sorceress, a ridiculous claim that led Mayoona to simply seal the staff inside her spatial ring to keep it quiet.

“Be gentle!”
Mayoona snatched Ruby’s hand from the pope and cast a healing spell. The cut on his finger closed quickly, and the pope’s expression darkened further.

“Nana, you look so worried…”
Tinasia watched Mayoona’s face with a thoughtful look. Quietly, she nicked her own fingertip on her sword and went to tug at Mayoona’s sleeve.

“Nana, I’m hurt too.”

“Alright, support spell: ‘Boiling Blood.’”

Mayoona gave her a gentle smile and cast a buff that made her blood flow faster.

*Sssht!*
With a sound like a special effect, blood spurted from Tinasia’s wound. If the elderly pope hadn’t immediately cast a healing light, the foolish princess would probably have died from blood loss.