Chapter 34 An Ominous Prophecy: More Expensive Than Heinrich…

Heinrich was still standing on the distant dock, supervising the dockworkers as they moved goods. Lilith anxiously turned and quickly walked into the crowd, trying to escape the beggar's harassment.

But the ghostly fool followed closely, giving Lilith a comical and absurd smile: "Don't be afraid, though I am the humblest beggar, I am also a fool who can see the truth! Madness is my wisdom, and thrift is my virtue. I only ask you for one Grosso coin, just one! And I can tell you the truth of fate... Please have pity on me, and have pity on yourself!"

Lilith frowned in displeasure, and with a hint of disbelief, pulled a grosso from her purse and tossed it on the ground. The beggar immediately pounced on it like a hungry tiger, picked it up, and examined it closely in the sunlight. The coin appeared to be newly minted, unused; its surface was impeccably clean, even possessing a beautiful metallic luster. The engravings were clearly visible, unlike the greasy, stained metal coins used in the market. The beggar carefully pocketed the coin, chuckling as he began to tell Lilith:

"Daughter of the City of Water, relative of the Sea, have you ever seen the real mountains and lakes, forests and swamps? Descendant of merchants, son of city nobles, do you know the price of going astray, the consequences of pursuing fame and fortune! Undercurrents are surging around you, filled with lies and curses! I can only give you one piece of advice! Just one! Stop this pointless journey! Return to your soft, warm bed! Otherwise, those you trust will betray you, and those close to you will bleed profusely! Even you yourself will lose your freedom, becoming a little puppet to be manipulated!"

"Nonsense!" Lilith was furious. Pointing her finger at his nose, she angrily rebuked him, "You lowly beggar, how dare you mock me! I'll call my servants over right now to give you a good beating before I'm done."

"Oh my God! Please have mercy! Have mercy! If you think this deal isn't worth it... I can only give you one last piece of advice! One last piece of advice! Don't go into the forest! Don't go into the forest! Never go into the forest!"

"Forest? What forest?"

"You can't ask anymore! Otherwise your greed and indifference will kill you! They will drag you into the abyss of hell! The destined bloodshed will descend upon you immediately!" The beggar suddenly started yelling and gesturing wildly, making such a commotion that Heinrich finally noticed the disturbance and rushed forward, scaring the beggar into running away.

"Are you alright?" Heinrich brushed the faint dust off Lilith's shoulders, looked her up and down with concern, and took the umbrella handle from her hand in his own.

“I’m fine.” Lilith took his arm. “I met a crazy beggar who said some ominous and discouraging things to me. It’s nothing serious. He said something about… that bloodshed would befall me, and that I… would end up with a tragic ending where everyone abandons me.”

“How can you take a madman’s words seriously?” Heinrich patted her back gently. “The goods have been handed over. Let’s go to the post station to rest now. The translator is waiting for you there. I’ve also asked the people at the post station to prepare a gentle mare. Once you’re settled, we’ll start practicing riding.”

"Really?" Lilith's eyes lit up again.

"Of course it's true. Let's go."

Lilith turned back for one last look at the mad beggar. He was squatting next to the garbage heap at the alley entrance, looking at the silver coin from left to right, then suddenly stuffing it into his mouth to chew. He gagged and spat it on the ground after biting his teeth, then quickly picked it up and held it in his hands, giggling.

Yes, how can you take the words of a madman seriously? Lilith turned her head away from him and left the Padua docks under Heinrich's guidance.

The translator she had arranged to meet in Padua was named Dante, a thin, somewhat gaunt young man with thick, bottle-bottom-like glasses. He was a doctoral student in theology at the University of Padua. Although Lilith had studied German at a monastery school, her German was only at a level suitable for everyday conversation, not fluent. Rather than bringing William along or using the translator arranged for her by the Schmidl family's agent in Switzerland, she preferred to hire someone with whom she had no direct vested interest, and preferably not a Venetian.

Thus, Cecilia found Dante through the information network provided by Tata. His hometown was in Como, near the Alps, and he was fluent in Latin, German, and Italian. He was said to have traveled with caravans three or four times and had considerable knowledge of the local village's mysticism and folklore.

While having a light meal, Lilith gave him a simple test using her limited German language skills. After confirming that his level was above her own, she officially hired him as her translator, providing him with room and board and a two-week commission of 2 ducats, which was more than he had earned doing research at the university for more than half a year.

Heinrich stood silently to the side, listening to the two Italians gesturing to each other in broken German. He knew it was a complex language, so unlike Lilith, he didn't criticize the accents of non-native speakers. Besides, he had no reason to let Lilith know he spoke German.

After Lilith and Dante finished their discussion, she skipped and hopped over to Heinrich.

"Let's go horseback riding."

"You'll need to change your clothes first. You said you'd rather learn to ride astride than side-riding, right? Well then, you'll need to change into trousers. I've prepared trousers and riding boots for you; they're already in your guest room."

“Very good.” Lilith took the key from Heinrich, smiled, and strolled upstairs to her guest room.

This was the highest-class inn in Padua, said to have hosted many sons of nobles and royalty who came to study at university and stayed here for extended periods. While not as cozy as home, it was still quite comfortable and clean. Since ordinary traveling merchants couldn't afford such a luxurious inn, it was very quiet and untouched by the dust and grime of travel. Lilith opened the door to her suite, changed her clothes, and went downstairs with great interest to meet Heinrich in the inn's back garden.

The warm afternoon sun shone like honeyed white wine. Heinrich, dressed in a loose white shirt, stood in a small garden blooming with wisteria. His neatly combed blond hair gleamed warmly in the sunlight, and his handsome features were as sharply defined as a statue from ancient Greece. He held the reins in his hand, and a white horse stood obediently behind him.

“What a handsome horse!” Lilith exclaimed. “She’s mine now.”

“Are you sure you want to buy her? She’s more expensive than me, and we can’t take her home,” Heinrich explained with a smile. “I borrowed her from the innkeeper; you’ll have to return her after you’re done riding.”

“Okay.” Lilith blinked and cautiously walked up to the white horse. “What should I do next?”

“Hmm… your hair.” Heinrich looked at Lilith’s red hair cascading over her shoulders. “It might be blocking your view.”

“Then you can comb my hair.” Lilith turned her head, presenting the back of her head to his face.

Heinrich paused for a moment, remembering that Cecilia had specifically asked Ivanka to model for Lilith before her departure, personally teaching him how to style Lilith's hair in various ways, and even thoughtfully tucking a comb and hairband into his bag. However, he couldn't recall how to do those elaborate styles right away, so he simply tied Lilith's hair into a high ponytail, making her look energetic, capable, and even a bit dashingly youthful. Lilith looked at herself in the small mirror, quite satisfied.

"First, mount the horse, hold its mane and reins, then step on the stirrups and straddle it, like this." Heinrich demonstrated in front of her, then dismounted and handed the reins to Lilith.

Lilith, confident of victory, gazed at the massive horse, its shoulder height almost matching her own. She gripped the mane tightly and tried to step onto the stirrups, but couldn't manage to straddle it. Heinrich grabbed her waist from behind and gave her a push, finally managing to get her on the horse's back.

"Wow, it's so high!" Lilith exclaimed excitedly, gripping the reins tightly. She had never sat so high before; her view became incredibly expansive, as if the entire garden had shrunk. "I am now Lilith, the Holy Knight from Venice."

“Very well. Your Excellency, now you need to stand tall with your head held high, eyes forward, and heels down.” Heinrich succinctly told her what to do next, holding the reins from the side with his right hand to help Lilith control the horse. “Then gently squeeze the horse’s belly with your calves and slowly loosen the reins a little to signal the horse to start moving forward.”

Lilith did as she was told, and the white horse indeed obeyed her instructions and began to slowly move forward. So she loosened the reins a little, and the horse walked faster, so much so that Heinrich had to trot alongside them.

Lilith, satisfied, gazed into the distance, watching the sunset paint the clouds a vibrant, fiery red—a breathtaking sight. Lilith had been contentedly enjoying the view from horseback when suddenly a mournful bird cry echoed from the horizon, like the dying wail of a bird shot down by a hunter's arrow. Uncontrollably, the words the beggar had once spoken to her surfaced in Lilith's mind:

"A bloody calamity destined to befall you is about to befall you!"

Lilith was startled and suddenly lost her balance, screaming as she veered to one side, nearly falling. Heinrich immediately noticed the abnormality, tightened the reins to stop the horse, and helped Lilith down from the horse.

"What's wrong? Are you too tired?" Heinrich asked, puzzled. He couldn't understand what Lilith was thinking; she had been so excited just moments before, but now she suddenly seemed distracted.

“Probably… I guess so.” Lilith leaned against Heinrich’s chest, still shaken, and took a deep breath. “I don’t want to ride today.”

"Alright, then I'll take you back to your room to rest. Tomorrow you'll be traveling by carriage all day. Although the road is relatively smooth, it will still be bumpy. You should get a good rest tonight."

"Have the innkeeper bring dinner to my room later. I want spaghetti with duck cream and white asparagus. You shouldn't be idle either; go to the tavern near the caravan's inn and get to know them, and also gather some information." She adjusted herself to a more comfortable position in Heinrich's arms, seemingly not intending for him to let her down. After all, this mount was not only cheaper than a horse, but also much easier to control.

"clear."

After having dinner in her guest room, Lilith felt drowsy and quickly fell asleep after washing up. However, the mattress was firm, unlike what she felt at home, and she couldn't sleep soundly, tossing and turning frequently. In the darkness, she glimpsed a suspicious figure sneaking into her room.

"Who goes there!" Lilith shouted, pulling out the dagger Cecilia had told her to keep under her pillow, and carrying the ever-burning candlestick from the bedside table as she walked forward.

The man seemed startled, scattering his belongings on the floor before hurriedly opening the door and slipping out of the room. Lilith cautiously gripped her dagger and approached, only crouching down to pick up the scattered items once she heard the man appear to be far away. There were no valuables, just a list of goods they had brought with them and the necessary documents for opening a branch.

It was probably someone sent by Lorenzo. Padua is only a day's distance from Venice, so bribing someone on a merchant ship to steal from Lilith wouldn't be difficult. However, the fact that the inn's door could be pried open so easily speaks volumes about its security. What if the other party's purpose wasn't theft but murder? Thinking of this, Lilith quickly took the candlestick and knocked on Heinrich's door next door.

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Author's note: Dante is actually just another way of translating Dante, haha. If you're looking for a more scholarly Italian name, nothing sounds more scholarly than Dante!

I'm so happy to find out today that I've been successfully selected for seedling cultivation! Thank you everyone for your support! Please nurture me!

This week it's in red text, so there will still be four updates [Let me see!]. Finally, it's in red text for a romance story, haha! I've always felt this story fits the romance genre better than sword and magic. Next update on Sunday!