"So, even if I leave he will likely launch an attack against you."

Mercy says "Almost certainly."

"Well then, I should probably stick around to help you defeat the attack before I deal with other things."

Mercy says "That would definitely be appreciated!"

"What plans have you made?"

Mercy says "Let's wait to discuss that until the others join us. I wanted to meet you alone first so we could get a feel for each other."

Drog 'I told you, add her to the harem!'

'Until you have something relevant to say, stay silent!'

"Alright, Princess, we can do it that way."

Mercy says "Please just call me Mercy."

"Mercy then, I will tell you my story if you tell me yours."

Mercy says "Deal"

So for the next two hours I tell her everything that has happened since I was summoned. She asks numerous questions during the story but surprisingly she is asking about how I felt or why I chose a certain option. Of course Mericel throws in her two cents whenever Mercy asks a question.

"And that's how I ended up here. Now it's your turn."

Mercy says "Okay, I'm guessing Mermer already told you what life as a princess is like so I will skip the boring parts. The only thing about my childhood that was unusual is that from a young age I was convinced my stepfather wanted me out of the way."

Mericel says "What? You never told me that!"

Mercy says "That's because he was your father and I didn't want you to think I was trying to come between you two. Anyway, because of that I did a few unusual things for a princess."

"Oh, what might those be?"

Mercy says "I convinced the royal guard to train me in the sword, and I convinced Zamart to teach me some magic. Both in secret of course, only my mother knew, and she approved."

"Well, that is definitely unusual for a princess!"

Mericel says "Wow! I had no idea!"

Mercy says "I was hiding it from your father so of course I couldn't let you know."

"I take it those skills are how you survived the assassination attempt?"

Mercy says "Yes, and several others since then. Unfortunately, Alexa and I were too late to save our mother."

Mericel says "Thanks to Ash I was able to avenge her, the man who killed her died at my hands."

Mercy says "That is good to hear, I had been searching for him for a while."

Mercy then continued her story, telling us of the hardships and adventures she went through to build the rebellion. She has a very strong character and I think she will make an excellent queen. This country will flourish under her rule after we kill the king.

Mercy says "You haven't asked me any questions, is there a reason?"

"Your aura is pure and strong, I knew from the moment I saw you that I could trust you."

Mercy says "Oh!" as she blushes.

"What I do want to ask about is Zamart."

Mercy says "What would you like to know?"

"How powerful is he? And would he remain a trustworthy man if he suddenly gained a lot more power?"

Mercy says "He is the most powerful mage in the kingdom, probably one of the top five on the continent. I have known him my whole life and I trust him completely. Gaining power will not change his personality at all."

"Okay, good. I want to go have a talk with him. Why don't you summon Alexa and Alannis while I'm gone so you four can catch up."

Mercy says "Okay, I will do that. Why don't you and Zamart rejoin us for dinner."

"Okay, princess."

"Hawk, guide me to Zamart."

Hawk says "As you command."

As I follow Hawk through the camp I can feel the eyes of everyone I pass watching me. I hope it is just curiosity and that the cavalry troops haven't been spreading tales. Hawk leads me to a plain looking tent not too far from the center of the camp.

Zamart says "Come in!"

As I duck into the tent I am amazed at how much clutter he has managed to fit into this small tent. Other than the chair in front of his desk there is no free room anywhere, I don't even see a place for him to sleep. I hope he has a second tent to sleep in and doesn't just sleep at his desk.

Zamart says "Ahh, welcome! You are the beastman who was summoned, Ash right?"

"Yes, that's me, and you are Zamart, the archmage."

Zamart says "I am Zamart, and I am a mage, but I am not an archmage."

"What are you missing to qualify as an archmage?"

Zamart says "Knowledge and power."

"If you gained those, what would you do?"

Zamart says "Help the rebellion overthrow the king."

"And after the king is dead?"

Zamart says "Help Mercy become the queen and rebuild this nation."

"Would you swear the rest of your life to her and her descendants?"

Zamart says "Absolutely!"

"Good, are you familiar with the ancient empire?"

Zamart says "I have heard of it of course, but my knowledge is limited."

"Can you read the language of the ancient empire?"

Zamart says "No, I can't. Why?"

"Do you have writing implements?"

Zamart says "Of course!"

Zamart hands me a quill, jar of ink, and a stack of paper. I spend the next half hour writing, after watching me for a few minutes Zamart goes back to what he was working on. When I am finished I wait until Zamart finishes and hand him the stack of papers.

Zamart says "What is this?"

"A primer for the ancient language."

Zamart says "What is a primer?"

"It is to help you learn the language."

Zamart says "Oh! Thank you! I will learn it once I have some spare time."

"You might want to do it sooner than that."

Before Zamart can reply I pull the five books out of my pouch and set them on the table. I put out the mass produced diary, I am definitely keeping the real diary since I haven't finished it. Zamart picks up the books and looks at them, he recognizes the language and his hands start to shake.

Zamart says "Where did you get these?!"

"What you call the pit was once the basement of the personal castle of the last archmage of the empire."

Zamart says "Are you giving these to me?" as he clutches the books to his chest.

"Yes I am, that is for the knowledge."

Again I reach into my pouch and pull out the archmage's robe that I got so long ago. I place it on the table between us and watch as Zamart stares at it. Then he suddenly cries out in pain and clutches his head.

"Ouch, I didn't expect you to try and examine them with magic."

Zamart says "Yeah, that was stupid of me!"

"These are the robes of the last archmage, I trust you will be able to make use of them."

Zamart says "Do you realize how much these are worth? You could buy a kingdom with these!"

"I have no interest in owning a kingdom, besides from everything I have learned about the archmage I think they suit you."

Zamart says "I don't know what to say!"

"Then don't say anything, I will see you at dinner."