“This sheet doesn’t have the full song. The back is empty.”

  “Shit!” Ryder bit his lips before turning to Alin. “Are all the sheets kept in that cabinet? Your family didn’t misplace them anywhere else, did they?”

  “M-My grandmother never put them anywhere else, so neither did we-”

  He clicked his tongue. “Findir, check the back of all the sheets. Maybe it’s written at the back of one of them.”

  “The back of all the sheets are empty, Ryder.” The musician’s ears lowered.

  “Dammit!” The rider gritted his teeth and curled his hand into a trembling fist.

  “Uhm, M-Mr. Ryder?” Alin patted his shoulder.

  He twirled around and grabbed her shoulders. “Is there anything else your grandmother told you about the song or the sheets?”

  “N-No, b-but…” Her shaking became more noticeable with each second passed.

  “But what-”

  “Ryder.” Findir gently gripped Ryder’s arm. “Yer stressing her out.”

  “I’m sorry.” The teenager immediately released his hand. “Sorry. I got a little too worked up. It’s just… How are we going to break the curse now?” He slumped onto the chair at the dining table.

  Her daughter and the cat-man helped Alin calm down as Brown patted her rider’s shoulder. The cat-woman took several deep breaths before speaking again.

  “N-Not all the sheets retrieved f-from my grandmother’s old house i-is here.”

  The teenager lifted his head with widened eyes.

  “T-They split up the sheets among themselves, s-so there’s a chance that the sheet for the rest of the song is at their places. I-It’s probably at my Grandaunt Aria’s daughter’s place because my grandmother said they had the most sheets.”

  He let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.”

  Findir clapped. “That’s great news! Now, shall we enjoy arselves a wonderful meal?”

  “Yeah. Let’s.” The human straightened his back as everyone else took their seat. As for Green, he ate outside of the opened entrance.

  They had a long and lovely dinner. Alin’s daughter wanted to listen to the adventurers of the dragon rider and his companions, as did Findir, who was even more excited than a child. The dragon rider complied and narrated his journey until the girl began to yawn. Before they left, Ryder asked Alin not to sell any of her sheets left just in case the song he identified wasn’t the one needed to break the curse. Alin agreed, they bade goodbye, and the gang returned to their lodgings.

X

  “...It should be in ar view once we take this turn… 'ere!” The cat-man exclaimed as he and the dragon rider gang round a corner on their left. The street they arrived in was at the border of the city, and the houses were basically hugging the walls. From the first glance, it was apparent that several of the richest individuals in the city lived there. There was plenty of space around all the buildings, and each of the houses had a unique style that was no doubt the brainchild of a talented architect. Even the smallest one of the bunch was still twice the size of Alin’s residence. Despite the exceptional architecture on display, there was still one that stood out among the others, which was where they were heading.

  When they got closer to the house designed in the shape of a piano, a familiar voice entered their ears.

  “We should leave, Gibol.” Lidden, the fat man in the suit, pulled his partner’s arm.

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  The slim man pushed his companion away and pleaded, “Please, Lady-”

  “I don’t need your employer’s fucking money! If I hear your voice ever again, you’ll be getting a visit from the guards! Now get the fuck out!” The owner of the house proceeded to slam the door in front of their face.

  Gibol scowled and gave the closed door the finger before turning around to leave. His scowl grew even deeper for a second when he saw the gang approaching the house, but it quickly turned to a welcoming smile.

  “Why, ‘ello, Drag’n Rider.” His smile faded when facing the yellow-ear. “And ya. Why have ya two come?”

  “‘Cuz I’m accompanying the Drag’n Rider on a noble quest to break the curse on the Onyx Knight, unlike ya two deaf twats who only know how to hassle people.” Findir bared his fangs.

  “Watch yer mouth, young man. Ar employer is a powerful man, and he won’t stand by when he learns a petty, nameless musician insulted us.” Lidden’s body shook like a water balloon as he growled.

  “So ya not only twats, but also cowards, eh? Call him ‘ere, then. I’ll tell ‘im how much of a shit-ass employee ya two are!”

  The fatty rolled up his sleeves. “Ya little shit-”

  “That’s enough!” Gibol slammed his cane on the ground before using it to push his companion back. “Ignore his provocation, Lidden. It’s nothin' but a puppy’s bark.” He lifted his cane and pushed the musician’s shoulder away. “Stand aside, boy. I've matters to discuss with the Drag’n Rider.” He stepped toward Ryder with a fake smile and bowed politely. “I apologize for my companion’s behavior thus far, Drag’n Rider. He has an issue of keeping his temper in check, but I assure ya that we mean no harm. In fact, I’ve a proposition for ya, one that y’all find irresistible.”

  “Oh?” Ryder crossed his arms and smirked. “And what might that be?“

  “Ar employer has given us a rather strict time limit to obtain all of Dion Miuzika’s legendary music sheets, ya see. As ya witnessed yesterday, Lady Oriss insisted that she'd only sell them once the curse is broken. However, seeing that ya visiting this place despite ya were invited into her home the day before, I surmised that ya failed to obtain the solution to break the curse. Am I correct?”

  “I'm still waiting for your proposition.” The human tapped his feet.

  Gibol grinned. “Ya see, ya won’t be able to complete yer quest either way, because Lady Klawe made it very clear that she would never let anyone even so much as look at the music sheets of her great-grandfather. So, my proposition is this - ya tell Lady Oriss that ya tried to break the curse, but it doesn’t work, and no one can ever break it. Once she sells me all the sheets she has in her possession, I’ll give ya twice the amount of your quest reward. I’m aware the reward is pretty high, so imagine makin' twice as much without riskin' yer life at all.”

  “That sounds pretty good.” The rider lifted his head and stroked his chin. “But what about ‘Lady Klawe’s’ sheets? What will you do to get them?”

  “No need to worry about us, Drag’n Rider. We've ar… methods. So, whaddya say?” The lean cat-man stretched his hand out.

  “I have to say, your offer is enticing, but…” Ryder walked past them and waved his hand. “I’ll pass.”

  Gibol’s face twisted in extreme anger and shock for a second before putting up an even more strained smile and caught up to the teenager. “Perhaps the amount displeases ya, Drag’n Rider. I can give ya triple-”

  “Have you heard rumors about me? About what kind of person I am?”

  “Yes, of course-”

  “Then you should know when I come across someone who truly needs my help, I don’t help them just because I want their money. So, you can take your money, and return it to your employer. Oh, and also,” He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the slim man with his draconic eyes. “Don’t even think about harassing ‘Lady Oriss’ again.”

  Gibol froze as a chill was sent down his spine. His partner had to drag him away as they stared at the four approaching the house. Findir turned his head back and stuck his tongue out at the two ‘gentlemen’ before catching up to his companion.

  “Ya really showed them, Ryder! Ya as cool as I imagined from the tales I heard about ya~” The cat-man’s eyes were glittering with admiration.

  Ryder squeezed a smile. “Yeah. I totally didn’t need the money. Totally…”

  Brown and Green patted their rider’s back as he sulked.

  “If ya havin’ money issues, perhaps my grandfather can help out! He was born 'ere ya see, and he had occasionally mentioned in the past that, if someone breaks the curse, he’ll reward them handsomely! And- Oh crap!” Findir grabbed his ears.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I almost forgot my grandfather’s birthday is in a few days! I still haven’t prepared any gifts for him! He’s gonna kill me if I fail to give him a birthday present again!” His tail curled into a ball as he pulled his ears down.

  “You said you’re going to write a ballad based on this quest of mine, right? How about I try to complete it before his birthday and you can present that as a gift?”

  “Hmm, I usually take a week to finish a ballad… I suppose I’ll have to start now! Thank ya for your suggestion!”

  “No problem. Well then, let’s hope this Lady Klawe won’t give us too much trouble.” The human knocked on the door.