[HIATUS] Wandering Witch: Penance of a thief

[Chap. 8] People from the Kingdom

In the bond between mother and child, pure love is evident. In contrast, the love between a man and a woman, no matter how poetically described, often boils down to one thing: lust. Lust, akin to riding a wild horse, is chaotic and unrestrained.

In a kingdom ruled by a wise king, there was a man sitting slumped in a park. People glanced at him curiously.

Was it because he was famous? One might hope so, but no.

A young boy walking with his mother noticed the man and asked, "Mom, what's wrong with that man?"

"You need to work hard when you grow up," she replied, "so you don't end up like him." She led her son away, leaving the man to his solitude.

What was actually happening to the man who seemed so pitiable?

Exactly right! He was broke.

And who was that broke guy? Yes, that's me!

Out of money and unable to afford food, I muttered to myself, "Do I have to eat leaves again?"

"I wish there were a thief with a high bounty in this kingdom!" I kept grumbling. "Hungry... thirsty... need food..."

As I continued to lament my fate, a group of men clad in iron armor approached me, carrying sharp spears and swords.

"Excuse me, are you free?" one of them asked.

"I'm as free as can be!" I jumped up, hoping for a job.

"The kingdom needs a temporary servant to replace a sick one. Would you be willing to serve?"

"Forget being a servant, I'd be willing to be a gardener too, as long as it's paid!" I replied eagerly, my hunger momentarily forgotten.

"Okay... follow us," said one of the guards. As we walked toward the palace, he asked, "By the way, what's your name?"

"My name is Arche." I hesitated to say more, knowing they wouldn't believe me.

"My name is Brian," the guard who had been speaking with me introduced himself.

"So we're going straight to the palace?" I asked.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Aren't you going to test me?"

Brian sighed. "The king said we just need to find people. No need for tests."

"Why?"

"Who knows..."

We stopped in front of a long staircase, the only way to the palace. "Seriously?" I exclaimed.

"Don't worry, we'll climb these stairs together," said Brian, removing his helmet. He was friendlier than I had expected.

"You climb these stairs every day in that thick armor?" I looked at the daunting stairs again. "I'll just use my broomstick."

I pulled out my broomstick and stood on it.

"You can use magic?!" Brian was surprised to see me standing calmly on the broomstick.

"I can only control a flying broomstick and do a bit of elemental magic... though my elemental magic is pretty useless." I confessed. "I can barely make a small fire that can't even burn wood."

In the end, I had to climb the stairs instead of using my broomstick. "Why can't I ride my broomstick?!" I complained.

"You have to respect those of us who can't use magic," one of the guards replied sharply.

"You guys are so annoying... I'm really hungry..." I grumbled as we ascended the long flight of stairs.

"Shall we go to the bar tonight? It's not your day to guard the palace, right?" one of the guards chatted with Brian.