Ball of Nothing

Zero and Truen didn't put off their travelling schedule for too long. They spent close to two weeks getting from Rocket Mountain to Half Moon Village. Truen didn't know how long it would take them to find the gnome city and he didn't think it would be simple.

Bob sulked and hung off from Zero's shoulder, making himself comfortable there. After a while, Zero decided to add weight reduction magic on the leather bracelet because Bob was still heavy even for an adorable fluff ball. Truen didn't say anything about the new appearance of their travelling companion. In fact, he didn't speak to Bob at all and Zero felt slightly awkward for being the only one chattering throughout the journey. There were two companions with him excluding the sand walkers but neither of them were willing to participate in a conversation with him, making him sound like he was talking to himself the whole time. Hence, Zero stopped talking to conserve his words and chose to practice his appraisal skills instead.

There were still many things to appraise while they were still in Endow Hill's territory. To travel from Half Moon Village to the edge of the Endow Hill territory just before Derby Desert, it would take them about another two weeks. The sand walkers were not very familiar with the territory and terrain of the mountain. There were many wines and tangled roots because the path was not frequently travelled on. The ride became bumpy when Ela and Grigoria started to hop more after they got the hang of the trick to moving around faster in the dense foliage.

"Are we cutting right across the forest to reach the border?" Zero asked after half a day, unable to withstand the silence anymore. Bob looked too comfortable perched on his shoulder while his poor bottom ached.

Truen nodded. "I figured that it would be a good way to save on the time we've lost getting here. If we cut through this patch of forest for three or four more days, there will be a main road at the foot of the mountain that we can take to Derby Desert. Merchants like to travel on it so they've made it out of gravel now. It should be a lot more comfortable to travel on the sand walkers when we hit the path because even carriages pass by often enough."

Zero was curious. "There are people travelling within Endow Hill's territory?"

The archer nodded. "It's called the unlawful zone. Basically, nine out of ten people that you see travelling using that path won't be decent people. Bandits, evil merchants and even slave traders often use it to avoid the stringent checks near Magnus Hilda and Altear."

The doctor was deep in thought after hearing that. Truen made him promise not to interfere too much in the business of mortals and not to do things without getting paid for it. However, how could he turn a blind eye to injustice when he knew they were there? Earth had many lawless zones outside of the nine nations, similar to the wilderness in the abyss outside of the domains districts. He knew what lawless zones were and what people there did.

"Truen," he called out. "Do we really have to pass by the lawless zone to get to Derby Desert?"

The archer paused and turned to look at his friend. This was the first time Zero questioned him about where they were travelling to. He did not object to sending Camie back to Magnus Hilda and was easy-going when they had to visit Rocket Mountain for a task. Zero wasn't even fussy over having to make a detour to get things from Derby Desert and when he was making his way over to Half Moon Village as a pit stop, Zero had no complaints. In fact, Zero agreed with the proposed path that they were going to take. Why the change of heart now?

"Is there something wrong?" he asked and slowed down the pace of the sand walkers so that he could get closer to Zero.

The more Zero thought about it, the less happy he was with the whole arrangement. Sure, he agreed to Truen's terms but he didn't think that he would feel so suffocated by a promise. Although Truen's rules didn't specifically state that he couldn't help the people he wanted to help, Zero agreed to do as the locals did and to charge for his services. He wasn't allowed to do charity cases.

"I want to revise the agreement. I don't want to not be able to do a thing to help those in need when I come across them, especially in lawless zones when committing crime is the norm. I can't do it, Truen. I just can't."

Deciding to give the sand walkers an early break so that he and Zero could talk it out, Truen looked for a good spot by a small stream to dismount. Zero didn't know what Truen was going to say but he was prepared for the worst. He didn't want to be known as someone who couldn't keep his agreement but he would find a way around it if Truen didn't agree. If Truen didn't know about it, then Zero didn't count as breaking the agreement, right? After all, Zero only agreed to do it because of Truen. Who was going to stop him if nobody knew?

"Let's talk," he told Zero who dismounted. Now that they left the village, Zero transformed back to his healer form so he was taller. Bob sensed his master's thoughts and didn't have a good feeling about it. Zero was feeling devious and for once, the dragon worried for the archer a little. Against anyone else, Bob would worry for the enemy instead of Truen but up against Zero, the archer didn't stand a chance. Zero was Truen's only weakness.

They sat down and Truen wanted to know what Zero's concerns were. "The lawless areas are not very different from the wilderness zones in the abyss."

Zero didn't say anything yet. He was thinking of a good way to phrase his words so that Truen can be swayed to see and agree with his point of view. Sure, they are similar but the major difference now was the restrictions on Zero. The doctor wanted those restrictions gone.

"I don't want to turn a blind eye to those who are in need. You said that I should do what the locals did. If I was in a lawless zone, I don't want to follow their ways and catch slaves or deal with harmful business."

Shocked that Zero would think the archer wanted him to partake in dangerous activities, Truen quickly corrected the misunderstanding. "Of course not! In the lawless zone, I will not tolerate it either. However, we need to lay low and get out of there as quickly as we can. It isn't safe and we shouldn't take a shortcut because we are behind on time."

Zero didn't hesitate and went in for the kill now that Truen agreed that his safety was the most important.

"Does that mean that I should do anything I can to protect myself? Including using slightly more powerful magic that isn't divine magic? Of course, I will keep it physical first and defend with my combat skills and the YY Tonfas first. Also, I think the lawless areas are places that the strong ruled. If I assert my power can I make my own rules?"

Logically speaking, there wasn't anything wrong with Zero's request but Truen's sixth sense tingled. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel as if there was a deeper meaning behind this innocent statement. Still, Truen agreed to give Zero some concessions.

"If you can agree to resolve everything within the three days that it will take us to cross the lawless zone and get to Derby Desert, I will agree. Still, no divine magic. We cannot stay for too long and it is best to not bring trouble out of the lawless zone. They have wide connections that will be troublesome when we move around to other nations."

Zero agreed and they decided to have an early lunch before the continued on sand walker backs. Zero had never felt prouder of himself and ate with gusto, giving Bob a chin scratch. The good summon didn't rat him out and Zero couldn't help but rejoice. His acting skills were improving although using it against Truen didn't mean anything. Truen would still give in even if he knew what Zero was up to.