Ball of Nothing

King Sharo looked at the wrap and doubted it. It didn\'t look classy and he didn\'t think it would taste good but as his stomach was rumbling, the high and mighty king had no choice but to dismount and sit on the soil beside Zero to eat the miserable strange sandwich. The moment he took a bite, his demeanour changed.

"What\'s this?!"

Zero grinned and then the walls between the king and the envoy from Smargdas came down temporarily. "I know right? It\'s good! Initially, I didn\'t think it would be good but ever since I tried it, this has become a favourite. Zoe is a very good cook. I don\'t know what I would do without her."

"Zoe? Is she a royal chef?"

Zero laughed and shook his head. "No, she\'s a humble zashikiwarashi from Half Moon Village. I recently became their new leader after a turn of events. It\'s a small but lovely place."

Half Moon Village made King Sharo think about all the hype going on recently. Smargdas has started rebelling because of a strong supporter called Half Moon Village. The dumb Duke also suddenly started acting up and all these happened because of Zero the one from the prophecy.

"You\'re cursed," he growled and bit into the chicken salad wrap. "Ever since you came to fulfil the stupid prophecy, everything\'s gone wrong!"

Not liking the fact that he was getting blamed for things that went wrong, Zero picked out a piece of floppy lettuce and threw it at Sharo. The elven king blocked it with a hand but the sauce made a mess and the elven king growled, picking out a kernel of corn to fling it at the fake lady in retaliation. Truen who sat beside the two overgrown children frowned and scolded them for wasting food. Zero was apologetic but King Sharo huffed and rolled his eyes, ignoring them.

In between a few more mouthfuls of wraps, Zero asked again.

"Were you really bringing us to see Spriggan Alex or was that just a trap to try and murder me for causing Altear so many issues? I heard that after Duke Connie\'s faction went down, the trade with your country dropped completely and you couldn\'t get your supply of ores from the dwarves. Do you need help?"

The prideful king glared at Zero harshly. "We\'re high elves who can do everything. Why would anyone need the help of some misfits from Endow Hill?"

The way King Sharo said it made Zero angry. This man was way too prideful and if Arvin was right, it stemmed from an inferiority complex. Truthfully, King Sharo was a pitiful person. However, Zero found him too annoying to sympathise with his childhood miseries. Then, he remembered that the king still hadn\'t answered his questions.

"So?"

"So what?"

Zero took another huge bite and finished whatever that was left of his last wrap, contemplating if he should get another. He gave in to temptation and retrieved another wrap. This time, it was a wrap with fried fish and mushrooms.

"Why were you leading us the wrong way? This isn\'t the way to see the Weeping Willow or Spriggan Alex."

King Sharo paused. "I did say that I would only bring you there if you can prove your identity. Of course, you\'d have to first get through the barrier to see them."

Zero detected a lie from one of those statements but didn\'t know which it was. Yet, he didn\'t expose the elven king.

"Sure," he agreed. "Where is that barrier? You initially called for four bodyguards then sent them away when you knew about Arvin. What are you planning?"

Caught red-handed, King Sharo refused to answer and Zero decided it would be pointless to continue pursuing this matter. Ever since he confirmed Zero\'s identity, the elven king became ruder with them but less hostile. If he was plotting to murder them initially, Zero could now confirm that he changed his mind. Instead, Zero decided to ask another question.

"What kind of woman does spriggan Alex like? I heard that he accepts bribes in the form of women in exchange for a glimpse of the future. I need the Moss Giant Orb from him. Is this appearance good enough?"

The question made Sharo pause. Then, he took a proper look at Zero\'s female appearance and frowned.

"No, too big. The proportions are strange. Alex can tell right away that you\'re not natural. Also, your hair colour should be lighter. He likes red hair but there really aren\'t any elves with red hair. The eyes are good, the more unique they are, the better."

As Zero made adjustments to his appearance according to King Sharo\'s advice, Truen couldn\'t help but snort. That man was truly womanising trash. He didn\'t know if it was Alex who influenced him or the other way around but Truen honestly didn\'t want Zero to learn about these things if possible.

By the time they were done, Zero looked somewhat unrecognisable and Truen had to admit, King Sharo knew what an exotic beauty looked like.

"There, I answered your question. It\'s your turn."

Zero smiled. "I believe you will know for sure if you make a trip to Windy Wood Town. There is only one apothecarist there and the man you\'re looking for will be there. Oh, just so you know, Half Moon Trading has dibs for his business deals."

King Sharo looked somewhat annoyed when he heard that Zero meddled in his affairs and people again. Yet, they called it a truce over Zoe\'s good cooking and agreed to disagree for now.

"Follow me," he told Zero. "The barrier by the Weeping Willow should be nearby. If you can prove to me that you\'re really the one from the prophecy, I will bring you to meet Alex. Only he can disable the barrier for your bodyguard to enter the restricted zone."

Hearing that it was the truth, Zero quickly mounted his paka-paka and continued the journey. Still, he was curious about the place that was so heavily guarded that Torran and Truen couldn\'t break into.