The Sorcerers’ Chitchat

The Sorcerers’ Chitchat

“The princess is pretty weird, isn’t she?”

Back in our room, I called out to Lutz, who’d come in after me.

Lutz took off his bulky robe and flung it onto the back of the chair, then, without removing his shoes, laid himself on the bed facing the ceiling.

“Where’re your manners?” I cautioned him, but he was deaf to me.

He crossed his arms beneath his head as a makeshift pillow and closed his eyes.

“Don’t go to sleep,” I warned him after he’d taken up a restful pose.

“Shut it.” He scrunched his face and turned to the side, away from me. He was in a mood.

I thought about asking whether he was entering his rebellious phase, but I kept my silence, judging it best not to make his mood any worse.

I picked up the robe he’d strewn across the chair and gave it a light pat to rid it of dust. The material was of high quality, so the robes didn’t lose their shape, but the weight of it always gave me stiff shoulders.

When it comes to uniforms, is appearance prioritized over functionality? I can see why posturing and bluffs are important, but honestly, I’d be happier wearing something I could move around in.

After placing our robes on hangers, I headed to the desk. I fetched some paper from inside the drawer and began jotting down what I’d learned that day.

When it had been decided that we’d be coming to the palace as sorcerers, I’d been worried about what sort of perilous training regimen we’d be put under. Surprisingly, our real practice was still some ways off.

At first, we’d just be listening to lectures and working to increase our stamina, since we’d been told that the body is just as important to sorcerers as it is to everyone else. I liked getting my body moving and I didn’t mind the lectures either. Having the chance to learn medicine was a particularly happy miscalculation.

Life in an orphanage had been anything but affluent, and pricey medicines never found their way to our door. We’d been allowed to see a doctor for only the severest of illnesses, so we had to cure minor ailments like colds and stomachaches with rest alone.

Each time I’d heard one of the little ’uns cry that their stomachs hurt, I’d thought to myself in vain, If only I had knowledge of medicine.

“Who would’ve guessed the princess would be learning with us? It’s been one surprise after another ever since we stepped foot into this palace,” I expressed, half to myself, while sketching a picture of a plant in my notes.

The plant’s stalk branched off in multiple directions, its leaves parted wide, and a dense bush of white fur grew on its underside. The princess had called it mugwort.

I copied down all the information that she’d taught me, without omission: Stops bleeding. When decocted and ingested, also works against internal disorders, chills, and stomachaches.

If studying alongside the princess was surprising, then the depth of her knowledge was jaw-dropping.

Medicine couldn’t have been a necessary skill for a girl who’d eventually marry some noble or royal from somewhere else. She had no reason to study it in earnest.

And there I was, brushing her off, thinking we’d only meet on the first day anyway. Then she stuns me by reciting facts out of nowhere. Ones that aren’t even in the textbook. How did a royal princess know the proper way to eat a weed that grows on the side of the road?

There was no end to the riddles or to my curiosity.

“I didn’t think we’d find anyone decent among the nobles and royalty, but I have a good feeling about that princess,” I said.

“Didn’t take you long to fall for her,” Lutz spat out. He’d finally opened his mouth, but his voice was thick with exasperation and scorn.

Jeez, this guy.

I couldn’t see his face, since he was turned away from me, but I bet that he was scowling. I placed my quill down with a sigh.

“I’m not saying that I trust her wholeheartedly, but I do think she’s worthy of a little faith.”

“How?” Lutz questioned.

“You couldn’t tell after spending time with her?” I asked.

“Nope.”

“She’s kind,” I insisted. “You’d find out if you spoke with her.”

“Not happening.”

I snapped, fed up with his immediate replies. “Do you plan on taking part in this conversation at any point?”

Don’t waste my time with questions if you’re not going to listen to me.

I put an arm on the back of the chair and swung my torso around to look behind me.

“This is a princess we’re talking about. She’s a royal. You shouldn’t be surprised if one insolent look lands you in hot water, let alone saying anything to her,” I continued. “Just look at how pissed off the guard was with your attitude. It’s a miracle that you got off without punishment.”

Lutz said nothing.

“You oughta be grateful to her,” I added.

There was no counterargument from Lutz, and he instead fell silent. It seemed that he was aware of how awful his attitude had been.

“Moreover,” I continued, “even if she did approach us just to get on our good sides, I doubt that she meant us any harm.”

“How could you—” How could you know that? was the question that Lutz tried to ask.

But I cut off his query mid-sentence, and answered before he finished speaking, “You and me, we’re sensitive to people’s malice, so we can tell, right?”

When I looked deep into his eyes, he sat upright and gulped.

Then he turned downwards and bit his lips.

From the day of our birth, our magical powers had never done us any favors. We were shunned, loathed, and feared. There was nowhere we belonged. Though the occasional sweet words came our way, they were generally varnished in lies. They say that the eyes speak louder than the mouth, and that was exactly right. However pretty the act, ill will and malice would show in the eyes.

“The princess wasn’t lying,” I asserted. “More importantly, it’s stupid to doubt someone who straight up confesses to pitying you.”

The memory made me chuckle. At that moment, I’d learned that what’s actually said isn’t so important, when the way it’s said is so impressive.

I couldn’t be certain that the princess had no schemes in mind, big or small, but I could get behind the way she tried to be sincere.

“She said that?” Lutz whispered quietly, his face looking astonished.

He was the one who’d said “I don’t want your pity” as a parting jab, but it seemed that he hadn’t expected her to admit to pitying us so easily.

“She said that it’s true—that she fears us, and that she pities us. And she said that she wants to know more about us all the same. Don’t you think that we should make a little effort on our part too?”

Lutz was wordless again. But this silence probably carried a different nuance than his previous outright rejection. He was sitting cross-legged on top of the bed in deep thought, and observing his posture, I surmised that he was wavering somewhat. I knew how deep-rooted his mistrust of others was, so a change of heart surely wouldn’t come quick.

For now, let’s call it a day.

I knew that pushing him too hard would have the opposite effect from what I wanted, so I turned back to the desk. While adding to my notes on medicinal herbs, something popped into my mind. I addressed Lutz behind me.

“By the way, the princess said she’ll be making some refreshments for us.”

“What?” Lutz asked. “Refreshments?”

“Yeah. Candy, I think.”

“Candy...” repeated Lutz.

Lutz loved anything sweet. That single word—candy—instantly changed the doubtful tone in his voice.

“Your favorite, right?” I asked.

“Whatever.” He brushed me off after a brief pause.

Jeez, Lutz, just be honest.

“First things first,” said Lutz, “it’s misleading to say that she’ll prepare them. She commands, and the cooks make. That’s all she’ll be doing, isn’t it?”

“You’re splitting hairs,” I countered. “For starters, even noble girls don’t cook, so there’s no way the princess of a big kingdom could make candy herself. That much should be obvious.”

“If she wants to be friends, she’s gotta put in a little work,” Lutz said with a huff.

“Just listen to yourself...” I groaned in exasperation. He left me flabbergasted. I scratched my head and sighed.

Unfortunately for the princess, she still has a long way to go in her quest to befriend Lutz, I whispered in my thoughts with resignation.

However, two days later, Lutz and I would both be in for a shock when we learned that the candy she brought to us for refreshments was of her own making.