Quest of Automata King

Princess's Secret Attendant

Five of them keep walking through the alleys and buildings. They get to the more quiet place of the town, where the buildings are mainly being used as cheap inns for travellers. Once they are on this place, Mui and his friends increase their guard, since this atmosphere seems perfect for any attempt to mug them.

Minutes later, they arrived at a round intersection, at one of the buildings, there is a display window with words written on the wooden name board.

“Lizard’s Tail,” said Betty, she turn to her teammate who seems like starring with doubtfull face. “Now, now, let’s not judge a book by it’s cover. I know it is hidden, far from the guards watch, and seem have a huge possibility of conducting criminal records. But don’t worry Princess! This time I will make sure that everything will work just fine!”

Betty giving a thumb up for Emmellia, and she just waving with an awkward smile on her face, seems like she herself have to deal with this part of her attendant almost everyday.

“Now, if you pardon me for a second, I got a small talk with the owner before we get in,” Betty opened the entrance and got into the shop first, leaving the four of them outside.

Mui is standing at the very back of the groups, his eyes are scanning the environment where they are right now. Since they got into this part of the city, Mui feels like they keep being starred by the people, either it is coming from the drunken man that sitting at the passages, or it’s citizen that are just walking around the street.

“You feel it too don’t you?” said Goettia inside his head. “I can sense five source of live coming from around the direction where we are right now, surrending us.” He whisperred again.

Once again, Mui scanning the area, and what he says is right. Beneath the shadows of buildings, Mui sees movement or eyes reflection, stalking them. All he could think are the possibility of malice that could happen between them and the thugs of this city.

“Eh, it probably going to be fine after all,” said Goettia suddenly. This makes Mui lift his eyebrow, although Goettia did warn him about the thugs, what makes him pretend that everything will work out as if nothing bad will happened?

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, look at around you! You have one princess who is also a master magician, and you have me! If anything else, this is the perfect moment for your training!” reassure Goettia, but Mui thinks that this is still a bad idea.

First, he have never in a real battle against anyone, that time on the woods too, he did it while heavily relying on Goettia’s guidance. Second, he is actually worried about whatever his team will look at him weirdly if he suddenly able to use magic to battle his enemy.

By all mean, Mui is not a magician expert, but if he suddenly able to knock off ten person by himself, everyone will know something is wrong with him. After all, the transformation of his body are also something weird enough to be noticed for.

“Whoops, too late to think! Here they come!” said Goettia. Mui could feel it through the air, all of their stalkers are starting to take cue, they are going to strike at any second now, when suddenly.

“Alright guys, the store is opened, get in!” said Betty with casual tone. It almost surprise Mui, which his attention is completely focused on the stalkers in darkness.

All of his friends are getting into the shop, as if they never know about the danger that lurking in the dark. Finally, before Mui taking a step inside, he turn his head behind, toward part of the alley where everyone hardly sees. As if warning whoever they are, that he able feel their presence.

After he stepped into the shop, and close the door.

“Princess Emmellia and her friends! Welcome to my humble establisment!” said a voice that turning away Mui’s attention from the outside of the shop. Inside this damp place, which it’s lightning is not better than other buildings, Mui sees that his group is being greeted by old woman with pointy hat and hunched back.

From the candles that being lit all over this place, the five of them could see the face of that woman who supposed to be the owner of this shop. Her face is full wrinkles an pimple, her nose is long and looked like tree branch that got snapped in the middle.

She is simply the face of typical evil witches that always being used by people from the old ages to scare the childern, so they would behave. Although this practice have started to gain backlash from the magic community, saying that the stereotypes will hinder them from their works some time in the future.

“Greetings, umm... Madam?” said Emmellia replying her welcome greeting.

“Oh please! Just call me Zoras, missus. I’m just an old, fragile, but humble woman who is ready to serve your majesty with any assistance you need. Either it is legal or illegal.”

After she said that, Betty glaring at her, signaling that she just said something wrong.

“Maybe what you mean that you’re ready to assist her for any ocassion, right Zoras?” correct Betty without fixating her gaze.

“Oh right! That is what this old woman meant to say, hehehe!”

Zoras’s way of laugh is also creepy. It clearly shown from the face of Karas and Raul that they are feel disturbed by the person in front of them. While on the other hand, Emmellia just showing a small smile with very little expression to shown.

“As expected of a princess!” comment Goettia.

“Alright then, Zoras,” said Emmellia, still with a friendly smile on her face. “So, we are having a potion assignment from the teacher, and they told us to make a Caitsih,” explain her again.

“Is it possible that you have Feline Eye as our material for the potion?”

After hearing that question, Zoras fell silent. Her eye looking all over the place, as she trying to answer the question.

“Feline Eye Ma’am? Very well, I’ll check my storage, seeing if I still have the particular ingredient,” said Zoras. She takes the lantern, and going to the back of the shop. When her sight is dissapear, all of them looked at each other. They know that based from her reaction, there is something wrong that she is not talking about.

“What is this creepy place?” asked Raul, finally someone complaint, but his says get rejected by Karas who is elbowing his side.

“Ouch!”

“I think instead, we should thanked Emmellia. Without her information, we won’t find this shop,” said Karas.

Raul looking at Emmellia as he rubbing his side. “No offense princess, but can’t we just go to the more normal shop? I mean this place is very secluded, as if we’re doing an illegal transaction over here,” said Raul.

Suddenly, a flash of knife, followed by the light reflection appear past Emmellia. Those reflection is flying past the air between them, and heading right to Raul’s face.

“Halt!” said Emmellia suddenly.

Turns out, the flash was coming from the blade that is on it’s way toward Raul’s neck. Right on Emmellia’s command, the user of the blade stopped right before it’s weapon able to pierce the skin of that elf.

All of them stood in silence. Mui, Karas, and Raul freezed as they see whose the knife belong to. None other than Emmellia’s best friend and attendant. Betty.

“Insult Princess one more time, and I will make sure that this blade will find it’s way down to your throat,” threaten Betty.

“Betty enough!” Emmellia wave her hand toward Betty’s arm that is grabbing the knife. Obediently, she put her weapon down slowly.

“I’m sorry, I know that this place is a little bit suspicious. But from what I know, in the first place there are trouble of supplies in this city, since the traiding route are facing problem of monsters infestation, and also bandit robbery,” said Emmellia.

Suddenly, Raul lose his footing, his leg become weak, and he almost fell to the floor if not Karas and Mui catching him from behind. He is so focused to Betty, that he almost did not hear about Emmellia’s explanation.

“Um... Raul? Are you ok?” asked Emmellia, but his attention is completely focused toward Betty.

“She... She almost killed me!” shout Raul, pointing at Betty. On the other hand, Betty only look at his victim slightly. The previous knife that she wield sliding inside her long sleeve.

“Ah, yeah, about that...” Emmellia noticing what the problem is, apologize once more. “Betty, you have to apologize too, you know! How many time I have to tell you to not threatening strangers using your knife!” said Emmellia angrily.

The weird thing for Mui and his friend, Emmellia talking as if this is something that often happened between those two.

“Tch, pardon me. Satisfied?” said Betty without slightly care for Raul. Emmellia let out a sigh as if knowing about this ugly behaviour that she have always seen.

“Actually, although in the surface she looked like an ordinary attendant, Betty is also specially trained to be my bodyguard,” explain Emmellia. “We have always been together since we are twelve, therefore school also granting special permission for us to be in the same classroom.”

Fixing her glasses, Betty glaring at Mui and his friends. She usually put a face of easy-going, friendly, and chatty person, but this time, she is silent and menacing. As if there are two side of Betty that only emerge at certain time.

“Um, Excuse me,” said Zoras from the door frame behind the shop. The five of them quickly realize to their original business inside this place. Raul get up to his feet, and straighten his back, while Betty taking place near Emmellia, as if in position to guarding her.

“I’m sorry to inform you... But actually, I was also out of Feline Eye,” said Zoras.

There is a moment of silence, before bark coming from Betty.

“You what!?” shout her angrily. Zoras flinched back to hear her, and squealing a little.

“Madam Zoras, are there really no Feline Eyes left? What about the rest of the Town?” asked Emmellia.

“Y-yes Your Highness, because there is lack of supply, all the sales for Feline Eyes are focused toward the demand from the kingdom. Therefore, even for other mages, there are not much Feline Eyes that are available,” explain her.

Emmellia drop down, she feels dissapointed that after coming all of this way, she can’t get what they are need. With only glancing at her friends, she thanked the owner of this shop, and saying that they should looking at different store.

“Maybe... Our lucky is still not run out yet,” she said with a weak tone.