Magical Boys Lost on Earth

The revolt of the prince

A known fact is that Kreg has a terrible system of government for anyone who is not of noble blood.

Misery, high taxes, and no support. All that people can do is to suffer in silence.

That is until certain news begins to spread hope.

A carriage was traveling through the fields and in it were two nobles who offered money to those who oppose the nobles by charging only a small “favor” in the future.

As the nobles did not care about the news that came from the fields, nothing was interrupted or questioned.

The first notable changes were the mood of the citizens. Even with suspicion, the villagers would not lose the chance to invest the little hope that they had in something that seemed so convincing. That pleased them just thinking that it could be true.

A few months after receiving money, the “favor” started to be charged. Each of the merchants and farmers should lower the price of their products by 20 percent.

In a short time, the result could be seen by those who lived on the periphery.

With the price of the products reduced, the purchasing power increased, the products were selling more. As a consequence, it was necessary to produce more, and for that, the demand for labor power increased and workers had to be better paid. Then more workers migrated from the fields to the cities that were visited by the carriage.

With this loop of commercial expansion, that is, a win-win for the poor and distortion of my allowance, savings, and any investment in basic comfort.

This is irrevocably not an easy feat to achieve as it looks. Especially, if you were used to luxurious life and were suddenly taken out of it.

I am Zadkiel, the prince of Kreg, sitting and leaning against the window of that damn “carriage”, trying to at least enjoy my only two hours of rest for the day.

For the past 6 months, this was the only place I had to sleep, eat, and take shelter from the sun. Being carried from village to village, proclaiming the same speech over and over, and signing contracts whose terms I do not know. The worst of it was doing it in the light of day! In other words, playing a puppet of a certain someone.

One of my worst nightmares, I have to agree. But it is worth the price. After all this, I have an 87% chance of living in peace for the rest of my life.

If the working conditions were better, I would even be enjoying the ride.

But due to all the “investment”, our funds are extremely limited.

That is just one cold meal a day, 4 hours of sleep (in a carriage that rocks more than a boat), deplorable hygiene conditions, and long, cold and frightening nights.

I throw my body over the free seats and my thoughts start to blur.

I felt myself falling into nothingness, I couldn't see or hear, but I still felt my body, somehow smaller than usual, moving in a single direction, which would probably be the ground.

I relaxed and waited for the impact with no more choice.

There is no impact, I felt my body touch the ground, but there was no pain.

I still couldn't move.

But now I could hear.

Someone else fell with me, I heard the sound of a second impact, but just like mine was muffled like a slight fall from a small body., 

Someone picks me and my buddy. 

It is cold. He is cold too.

I wish I know where we are going.

A female voice comes close to my body, muttering incomprehensible verses.

I am wrapped in cotton cloths and carried in an indistinct direction.

I am placed in a warm room and away from the wind.

I stay there, like a rag doll, I can't tell how much time has passed.

The voices around me rise suddenly, now I can recognize some phrases.

— Now we will proceed … to the next … of the annual council  … Distribution of identified orphans … first name … brown hair and eyes … fire accident … next name … William Gords … lost his parents in …

The speech continued with a pattern of the name of orphans followed by their appearance and the death of their parents.

This was probably a legalized children's auction, and my turn came soon.

As if I had anticipated correctly, I'm being carried again, this time to a lighted environment.

Now I can hear the whispers of the audience and the narrator's voice more clearly.

— next orphan has an unknown name and origin, red eyes, and white hair.

The voices rise and begin to merge before the speaker can calm them down. I was about to hear the response of one of my buyers when some evil heartless person opens the carriage door, leaving the wintry wind and moonlight to blind my eyes. Oh yes. Back to the old reality

Great. My dream was blown by the wind and all that was left is a matter of my being, stunned and exhausted.

I finally identify my bloodthirsty target.

No less and no more than my soulless teacher.

I took advantage of the fact that my eyes were red with sleep and I made the angriest face I could.

He's already immunized because his only reaction is to silently make a face from who is not to blame and extend his hand so that I could go down the carriage.

As I didn't have much to choose from, I accepted the help.

But I'm still pissed off.

Today's meeting was with a fruit merchant named Halk.

Our goal is to make fruit no longer a luxurious meal, but something that is at least a bit more available to the people.

Which, honestly, it was supposed to be normal.

The normally busy streets are quiet. The morning dew cleared the air and spread the scent of wildflowers. The sun would only reach the city in a few hours, for the time being, it is cold and dark making the faint moonlight that bathed the city make it shine.

The sleeping tries to dominate my body with every step I take.

If I do not concentrate, I will certainly fall sleep.

After 15, that's right, 15 minutes walking!

I was already huddled in the environment, about to leave this world.

When Rômulo broke all the silence, taking the mood away.

— Looks like we got there early.

Seriously, doesn't he know how precious my every minute of sleeping is?

Already awake, I took a closer look at my surroundings. It was the same as if the entire village was made of the same mold from the tip to the center.

The only noticeable difference was that we were in a square, in front of a small fountain.

Because of the darkness, it was difficult to notice more details, but if you pay attention. You would hear one or another mouse running around the corner and the creaking of poorly closed windows.

My sleep is coming back.

I close my eyes and take advantage of the scenery to relax.

Naturally, I was the only one enjoying the moment.

Rômulo was so alert that one might think he was afraid of the dark if one didn't know him well.

To see a man with great titles and a high reputation so alert with a simple dark alley was strange but pleasant.

Until I saw the shape of Rômulo's concern and I noticed a man hooded in the shadows of a house.

And that was not the biggest problem.

There were 6 more men scattered around the houses that surrounded us, it was an ambush.

Again, what in heaven did I ever did to get in these situations?

Rômulo didn't seem to notice them, he was still concentrated only on one shadow.

If I didn't warn him, we would be in danger.

That could be fun …

I looked directly at the nearest hooded man and gave the most sincere smile I've ever done While I said in an amused loud tone.

 — What a nice reception we have here! I wish I had some snacks to enjoy the fight.

After that things happened extremely fast, so fast that I could only enjoy a few scenes.

The first was Rômulo's already cautious face, turning into a frightening face when he noticed the situation.

That deserved a frame.

The second was our attackers despairing at being discovered. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see their faces, too bad.

The third and most spectacular was when all the men came out of hiding and advancing on no one but Rômulo. Well, I suppose that picking up the adult first and dealing with Children later is a normal reaction.

The next scenes were too fast for me to follow in the dark.

Rômulo entered and guard and from my point of view, it seemed that every time an attacker touched him, was thrown back two meters or knocked out.

It was an extremely fast 'show', in a few minutes all the men besides Rômulo were on the floor. Rômulo was standing there in the center, still on guard as if the fight had never started. Only sometime later he relaxed and began to mumble under his breath.

I was still enjoying the scene when I realized that Rômulo's bad mood and his grumblings were directed at me.

— You little … Damn genius … without even warning …

Well, that seemed to have worn him out more than expected. I guess it's best to lighten the mood …

I try to make a face of admiration and give him some praise.

— As expected from a citizen of Castela. Even a scholar is stronger than a Kreg mercenary. — I scanned the men on the floor, everyone had easily recognizable faces coming from mercenary signs. But none was our guest. — But it seems our presence was not very welcome. Or is it that only the merchants from the south are very petty? ” I said in a loud voice while watching my surroundings closely.

As expected, a dark shape trembled in a distant shadow as soon as I finished my speech.

I straightened up and walked without any striking expression towards the figure.

— But I don't think that was your intention, am I wrong, Mr. Halk? — I say in an exaggerated respectful tone just to toy with him.

— Your Highness, you better stay behind me. — Rômulo said with a serious face putting his arm in front of me to prevent me from passing.

— Please, this is not a gamble. — I said a little annoyed that he was playing the bodyguard just now. I tried to dodge his arm, but he held me back, annoying.

— Are you convinced? —  Man, sometimes he is so serious I can't help but smile, thankfully it's dark.

The worried face was good, but we had more important things to do.

— It is a clear fact, traders hate to be called petty, cowhand, or crusty bread. And they are too greedy to be able to fight for themselves when they can tell people to do it. Now excuse me… — I answered.

Rômulo didn't seem to understand my line of reasoning, but the message was passed, and finally released me from his grip. And there goes the grimace of the day. Maybe I'll make him repeat the dose tomorrow.

I returned my gaze to the merchant. While we were talking, he had stepped out of the shadows and was now standing just a few feet apart between us.

He was someone with a rich face, well-groomed skin, a well-trimmed medium beard, and a protruding belly. In short, a typical generic trader, there was a single striking feature.

He looked annoyed.

I presume it was because I told he's mean.

In any case, it was now that the real struggle begins.

— I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Halk, can we continue where we left off? — I gently ask the old man.

— I don't remember starting a conversation with a child. — Said Halk arrogantly while looking at me from above. 

Probably to hide that he had soiled his pants when saw Rômulo.

Unfortunately for him, I am too tired to handle this type of game.

— Well, you must remember that you received a letter that explicitly stated the terms for our agreement. If I may, we don't have time to have an argument debate, price negotiation, or a more detailed explanation. The purpose of this meeting is to know whether you accept the terms or not. If accepted, we will take care of the payment immediately. — I ignore the impatient face of the merchant and I continue — If you disagree with any of the terms, we will give you a small amount for your silence, and we will both leave this square as if nothing had ever happened. If you decide to cheat on us, this guy will chase you for the rest of your life. Explicit enough? — When I finally breathe again I finished speaking, I see that my little speech had been productive.

Mr. Halk's face contorted in a mixture of disbelief and respect.

Sometimes even I forget that I just turned six. In fact, every day seems to last a lifetime!

He is thoughtful for a long time before finally declaring his decision.

— I understand, I will accept the proposal with gratitude.

Finally, this was one of the easiest guys so far, I think this is related to Rômulo's small performance.

One more reason to do this more often

— So since you don't think I'm qualified for the final processes, I'll let my companion Rômulo take care of the remaining procedures. In any case, I'll be waiting in the carriage to complete all commercial agreements and basically take care of all the bureaucratic parts. — And with this good excuse, I elegantly dragged my exhausted body and soul to the carriage. The last thing I remember was throwing myself over the cushioned seats in the carriage.

Well, what do I think about the future?

My opinion is that if I have to do this for another 6 months, I will not be present for my coronation when this revolution is over.

I'm forgetting to tell you something ... Oh, yeah! What was the agreement between me and Rômulo, and what is my goal here? Wants to know? I will tell you in the next chapter. Have a good night of sleep.