Ball of Nothing

Zero didn't enter from the northern gates this time. He walked in from the southern gates instead to avoid alerting Duke Connie of his return to the capital. The guards at the gate immediately cleared the road for him and didn't question the entourage after Zero flashed them his letter of appointment as an envoy with the royal stamp.

Once he was in the city, Zero gave them instructions to split up and meet back at Mitchnew's bas.e.m.e.nt to avoid suspicion. Zero only allowed two ladies to accompany him as he made a quick detour to Black Boar's Inn. There was something he needed to pass the old general and Aldina before he regrouped.

Old Gary wasn't expecting guests. It was still day and they had to keep up appearances. The Humanitarian Guild isn't recognised yet and Duke Connie has been acting more and more like a tyrant. His true colours were finally showing now that Duke Zurich has been crippled. Everyone lived in fear and nobody dared raise their heads whenever they saw the private army wearing Duke Connie's house symbol walk by. Anyone could be charged with offending a noble and captured, charged with unknown offences and sold as slaves.

Aldina was forbidden from going outside even if she was disguised as a newspaper boy. The old general feared for his only granddaughter's safety and when there was a knock at the front door, he gave her a look before Aldina scampered upstairs to hide.

Cautiously, Old Gary went up to open the door. His inn was clearly closed for business for the week. There had been no issues so far. Duke Connie wasn't interested in those from the slums and the sc.u.ms from his private army would rather frequent brothels than a dusty inn like his.

"We're closed for the day," he growled and was about to slam the door in the visitors' faces when the door was stopped by a very non-human arm.

"Pardon us, innkeeper. We were told to meet an old friend here. His name is Zero."

The man lifted his hood a little and Old Gary's eyes widened. He knew this face! This man was famous!

"D-Dragon heroes?!"

Gerald smiled and put a finger to his lip. Behind him, Vrald waved and Olaf checked the area for any pesky spies. It wasn't easy entering the capital without detection. If it wasn't for Zero's summons, they wouldn't bother with this shitty country where nothing actually happened. The politics here was dirty and they only accepted the title of Dragon Heroes because it was what Zero wanted. For months, they paraded like peac.o.c.ks and wore false smiles while saving stupid damsels in distress just to build a reputation. It was only now that Olaf understood why they were tasked to do all that. Right from the start, this had been part of Truen's plan.

Old Gary let them in quickly and closed the door after making sure that nobody saw them. If these people were here to wait for Zero, did that mean the cheeky doctor will be dropping by?

His question was answered when someone knocked at his door for the second time that day. The retired general didn't have time to get the guests drinks and they were just settling in when he had to get the door again.

Aldina remained hidden upstairs and peeped through the cracks of the floorboard to check out who the mysterious guests were. Her grandfather appeared to be fl.u.s.tered and Beggar King bet that this was someone of importance but not from the nobility.

Could it be...?

Zero grinned at the retired general. "I'm here for a reservation," he said and the old general didn't question him.

The two fox demons who followed behind Zero greeted the innkeeper with bewitching smiles and Old Gary had to steady himself. Who were these beauties and why did Zero return with them?

"You're here," Olaf nodded and Zero heaved a sigh. It was tough keeping a low profile with so many of Duke Connie's men running around.

"Yes, sorry I'm late. have you eaten?"

Olaf wasn't in a good mood. "I'm sure you didn't call us here for a meal. Tell me, what's going on? Why so secretive after all the trouble to make us famous?"

Unlike Olaf, Gerlad and Vrald decided to place orders for lunch. The Frost dragon might not need to eat as often but they were still human and required regular meals. Old Gary was more than happy when they ordered lunch. He called for Aldina to help out in the kitchen and Aldina could barely contain her excitement as she bounced from upstairs.

"Are you really the Dragon Heroes?" she gushed. "I'm a huge fan!"

Gerald smiled warmly and entertained the girl as her grandfather sighed and rolled his eyes. It was probably better that she entertained the guests instead. With her obsession, Aldina wasn't going to help him prepare lunch soon.

Zero felt bad. He didn't want to disturb Aldina's moment but he really did have important things to discuss with them. The fox demons noticed Zero's predicament and shared a knowing look.

"Hey, little lady. Do you have a washroom?" one of the ladies asked and Aldina snapped out of it.

"Oh, yes. We do. Would you like me to show you the way?"

Zero heaved a small sigh of relief at the masterful art of distraction and thanked the fox demon with the party call before quickly getting on with business while they had some privacy. The other fox demon activated a magic sound barrier so that outsiders wouldn't listen in on them.

"I called you here for a meeting to pass Truen's words. We're going all out on the corruption in Smargdas. While King Brice takes Duke Zurich and his faction down, we have to assist him to tackle Duke Connie and also protect the kingdom from external enemies."

Vrald didn't understand what Zero was referring to but kept his mouth shut for now. Olaf and Gerald were thoughtful. The light dragon descendant asked what they should do and Zero explained that they should stay at this inn and prepare to be summoned to the palace if things become worse.

"Do I get to eat the Connie guy?" Olaf yawned and Zero considered it for a while.

"Sadly, no. We need to bring him down the proper way. Although nobody would notice if a few of his private army goes missing. Just be careful not to leave any traces. We don't want to deal with too many annoyances."

Olaf grinned. The kid sure has changed. Before, he would try to save everyone, including his enemies. Now, he was a little less generous and Olaf liked the current Zero.

"I've passed the message so now, all we need to do is wait for Truen's message and King Brice to reclaim the power to his throne. I have to go now. If you need something, let this innkeeper know. If you need to pass us messages, tell them to send it to Mitchkin Apparel."