Chapter 111 — In which they meet for the ‘first’ time (2)
The cloth crown itched his sensitive scalp.
Rather than material, it seemed to be the awkward position he found himself.
Wasn’t playing a king blasphemy against their great king?
Guardian of course knew there wasn’t just one king, there were for example the rulers of the treacherous kingdom of heavens in the North, and his ancestors also had kings before pledging their loyalty to the current king…
Something just didn’t feel right here.
“You won’t have to say anything. We will guide you to move as needed, so just don’t struggle and follow along.”
‘Don’t struggle…? What are you planning to do?’
Hearing Crow’s explanation, Guardian tilted his head with a dubious look, but Crow didn’t see that, as he turned his head to check on the preparation progress of his two partners.
It probably was just a coincidence, but Guardian had a strange suspicion Crow knew he would give him this look and sneaky dogged the need to answer it.
The man in the purple fox mask, Fox, finished setting up a few instruments Guardian never saw before and gave Crow the ‘I’m ready’ signal.
The woman in the yellow snake mask, Snake, dragged a painted chair on the stage and also gave the same signal.
Crow nodded and grabbed Guardian’s arm.
“Let’s get started then.”
He spoke, uncaring that Guardian stiffened at the sudden touch, and dragged him towards the set-up chair.
‘Don’t you know about personal boundaries?’
Guardian grumbled inside, displeased about the sudden, uninvited touch.
As he was to learn in the nearby future, Crow didn’t know anything about it.
He was sat down on the chair and had brief second to examined it for any traps, as the actors took their position.
‘… it’s pretty.’
But rather than traps, he found small details in the careful brush strokes.
The chair was painted to look as if it was laid with gold and jewels, but there were numerous details that couldn’t be seen from the distance.
‘Who goes into so much trouble for a chair?’
He even suspected the three stole it.
No way it was made for some performance in a filthy alleyway in the middle of nowhere.
He couldn’t continue as the music started and the play began.
“In the land of mountains, lived enigmatic creatures born from the mysterious powers…”
Fox took on the role of narrator and spoke, no, sung with a sonorous voice.
Guardian was impressed.
‘Now, that’s what they call a great voice.’
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Guardian was immediately pulled into the tale accented with the plucking of strings.
But that was short-lived, as the more he listened, the more this tale seemed to be familiar.
They covered it up figurative words like ‘land of mountains, ‘enigmatic creatures’ and ‘mysterious powers’, but as the story progressed, Guardian couldn’t help, but recognize it.
The story followed the ‘master of unknown sky rituals’, or a priest from the kingdom of Heavens, Sidus, who looked for the allies to support their falling god.
Of course, the word Sidus or god were never mentioned, replaced by simple metaphors.
The priest, played by Snake, came to the land of mountains, Gemma, after atrocious journey and was taken in by the ‘people of strange forms’, or in other words Divine Beasts.
The narration didn’t state that, but Guardian filled the gaps with his knowledge.
‘… At that time, Gemma followed the elective monarchy system, where the ruler was chosen from the five major families. And if it’s the story I think it’s then I would be playing that damn Phoenix king… Then Crow is…’
Just as he was thinking about it, Crow stepped to his side.
Snake requested the audience with the king, but before she entered the hall, Crow, the king’s right-hand man, stepped from the shadows and spoke with the king.
“My Lord, you must not trust them. You have a warm heart, and warmth is what they seek. They will try to take your flames with them, but how can a flame of one heart be enough to save someone? My Lord, you must be careful and not fall for their words!”
Crow leaned to his ears and if that wasn’t enough, he even grab his hand, emphasizing his plea.
Guardian stiffened again and shouted in his mind:
‘Why are you so touchy?! Am your lover or something?’
He glared at Crow, only to see the corner of Crow’s lips, the side that wasn’t visible to the audience, raise slightly in a mocking smirk.
The bastard seemed to enjoy making him squirm.
The Snake entered and began her plea.
If Guardian didn’t know what this story was about and Crow wasn’t breathing down his neck, he would be quite moved by Snake’s performance.
That’s how good the woman was with pulling the heartstrings.
If she was to call to arms, the entire crowd would probably follow her.
“How shall king respond?”
Snake finished her speech and asked, her eyes flashing through the slits in the mask with strangely intense energy.
As if ready for combat.
But that thought was interrupted by Crow once again, as he slipped from his place behind the throne and grabbed Guardian’s shoulders.
“My Lord, you must not! Cease the thoughts in your head!”
Annoyed by continuous touch, Guardian was about to say something back, but Crow’s hand suddenly shut up and covered his mouth.
“Please say no word. If you say a word, I’ll have to follow. But you say no word, I can stay at peace.”
He spoke with a sorrowful begging voice, but Crow’s eyes were daring Guardian to speak.
Guardian would bite him if he could.
A few seconds passed as they stared at each other like this, and then Crow let out a wail of a doomed:
“Alas, my Lord, I can read your eyes much too clearly.”
And he collapsed at Guardian’s feet.
Guardian was so flustered by it, he forgot about his plan to blow a bunch of curses at Crow.
Wasn’t it a bit over the top?
For a moment he suspected Crow will start crying.
But Crow, or rather the king’s right-hand, recovered quickly, as he stood up and declared:
“I’ll go with you then, even if it will take me to the end of the world, where mythical deserts are.”
Then under the guidance of the priest, Snake, he and his king set out on a journey.
The journey was full of danger and Guardian was made to stand in the back of the stage, while Snake and Crow fought off invisible foes, exchanging witty conversation in the midst of it.
But as their traveled, the priest and the right-hand’s relationship grew more strained.
And it finally culminated in a great argument between them and as result, the priest stormed off into the darkness (or rather under the stage).
Guardian was guided to sit in the center of the stage, and Crow went a few steps away from him, beginning his monologue.
The right-hand man mournfully contemplated their predicament, throwing out a lot of philosophical ideas Guardian thought would get over the heads of most of the audience.
Then Crow recited the words that seemed to be the crux of this play:
“Only one can be saved, the other shall perish. Ah, what should I do, when both cannot be chosen?”
Just as those words left his mouth, Guardian sensed a movement at his side.
Perhaps because he was so absorbed in Crow’s performance, he sensed Snake’s approach only when she was just a few feet away from him.
This time she was wearing a black robe with a deep hood, spelling danger.
When she made a movement to hackle him, Guardian instinctively moved to protect himself, but Snake twisted her arm and hit him in the solar plexus, rendering him briefly immobile and then threw him to the ground.
It was a movement so quick and strong it was hard to believe it was power which came from this slim, emancipated body.
She held him to the ground for a moment, before she let go, disappearing under the stage again.
Guardian was about to scramble on his feet, but Crow arrived at his side, pinning him to the ground again.
Feeling that something isn’t right, Guardian was about to fight him off, but a small needle that touched his neck halted all his movements.
“My Lord… Please don’t…”
Crow spoke with a chocked voice, but his eyes were smiling.
He leaned his head as if to listen to his king’s whispers.
Guardian just glared at him.
“You seem to have some questions.”
Crow seemed unconcerned by the glare, and whispered.
“What are you doing?”
Mindful of the needle pointed at his neck, he whispered back.
A hint of a smirk appeared on Crow’s lips, before he quickly adjusted his expression.
“Nothing. Just passing by.”
From the corner of the stage, Fox’s narration came:
“The king burn down and died in his hands. Someone he wished to protect the most died protecting him… All he had left was to carry his king’s wish.”
‘Died?’
Guardian was distracted for the second by the foreign word, when Crow suddenly whispered something very quietly:
“Have a good night.”
He smiled.
“Lord Guardian.”
The floor under him suddenly opened, and he fell under the stage.
Just as his body hit the ground and caught a glimpse of red mana…
Citrie woke up.
*~*~*