Chapter 15
As the first half of the performance ended, Veris was completely immersed in his impromptu artistic creation. The piece he played was also different from usual. He muttered that he should write down this melody, and looked down at the tavern, only to find that it was still packed.
That's strange. After hearing his recipe, they were still able to eat calmly. It seems that these newcomers are quite impressive.
The moon rises high in the sky and gradually moves eastward, ushering in a new day.
Veris sat in a high chair, and familiar faces below asked him what he was going to say in the second half.
They remained silent about the performance in the first half.
Veris was not satisfied and persistently asked the man, "Why don't you ask me when I'm going to perform that scene again?"
“Veris, you know I’m not the Pope,” the man replied tactfully.
“Does that mean we can’t have expectations just because it’s not the Pope? Rupert, don’t underestimate yourself,” Veris retorted.
Rupert, a regular at the tavern and a bit of a drunkard, chuckled dryly and said, "I still prefer other stories."
“Ah, Rupert, this is exquisite art, art about food.” Veris sighed, plucking a string with his fingers, and a single note rang out.
As is customary, Martin walked over with a bottle of wine during his halftime break, handed it to Veris, and said, "It's too lively tonight, you should stay upstairs."
After all these years, Martin has become completely unfazed by the content of Veris's performance.
The first time I heard it, I was shocked; the second time, I was frightened; the third time, I gradually became numb; and after the fourth and fifth times... it was quite interesting.
Anyway, nobody cares, right?
Veris took the bottle; after singing such a long song, he was also thirsty.
He could see the row of tables next to him if he looked down; Allen was engrossed in drinking, while Arnold looked dazed.
Some people around were already drunk and passed out on the table, while others, seeing that the poet had finished his performance and that it was getting late, simply got up, paid their bills, and went home.
During the halftime break, another third of the people left the pub, and it looked less crowded.
After Veris slowly finished his drink, preparing to begin the second half of his performance, Arnold, sitting in the audience, forced himself to perk up, ate some snacks hastily like Allen, and then took a sip of his drink.
He was immediately irritated by the spicy alcohol and started coughing.
The noise in the tavern subsided a bit as the boy tried his best to suppress his coughs. Above, Veris returned the bottle to Martin, lowered his head, and pressed the strings of his violin. The clear, crisp music flowed out, not seeming out of place in this space, but rather blending perfectly into the conversations of the people.
After a leisurely prelude, Veris finally spoke.
—His Excellency the Prime Minister has gathered the freshest roses from the Royal Garden to present to His Majesty the King, who will be married tomorrow.
His melancholy eyes were deeply imprinted in His Majesty the King's heart.
Allen, who had been engrossed in drinking and avoiding Veris's gaze, paused for a moment, then looked up at the poet in front of him.
Arnold's coughing stopped abruptly.
The conversation in the tavern suddenly fell silent.
Meanwhile, Veris continued to loudly sing about the things His Majesty the King and His Excellency the Prime Minister had to say over the years.
“Alan, was he like this before?” Arnold asked in a low voice.
Allen paused for a moment: "No, he wasn't this direct before..."
Although Veris had talked a lot about court gossip and papal secrets before, it was rare to see him so specifically pointed... not that he hadn't done it before.
Arnold nervously looked around. What if there were courtiers here? Or perhaps officials from the county town who had overheard such a horrifying story involving the king and prime minister? Wouldn't Veris be arrested?
However, the people in the tavern, who had been chatting amongst themselves in the first half, stopped drinking and eating snacks and listened to Veris's story with blank expressions.
Rupert, standing next to them, muttered, "These two are pretty fancy."
Arnold: ...?
Allen, on the other side, listened intently for a moment and commented, "You speak as if it were the truth. You even know that the third flower bed on the left at the west entrance of the Imperial Garden is planted with night roses."
"He must have made this up," Arnold looked at his new friend in disbelief.
Allen: "You're right."
Arnold was finally relieved to receive his friend's confirmation, and he said, "How could it possibly be true?"
"But he's really amazing to be able to describe so many details," Rupert remarked. Some of the things he mentioned were completely unheard of to him—golden scepters, starstone crowns, and the like—it was all part of his imagined court life.
Putting aside the story's content, Veris's description of the court is still quite captivating.
...Although, the content of the story is truly terrifying.
People love gossip, and they're no strangers to love disputes, but if the protagonist is the ruler of an empire, then everyone will only feel fear—if they get caught, won't they be dragged to prison?
But surely there wouldn't be any palace guards in such a remote place as Albion?
Church pastors and priests also don't come to the tavern to drink.
Inside the tavern, everyone listened intently to this tale of a tragic love story set in the imperial court, a silence filled with a secret thrill.
There might not be a next time after tonight!
However, not everyone shares this mindset.
For example, a certain overly upright young hero has begun to feel restless.
He shrank back, not daring to listen any longer, but Allen next to him showed no sign of leaving. If he suddenly stood up while everyone was still seated, it would definitely attract everyone's attention.
The story is neither too long nor too short, and it doesn't even mention which king and prime minister it refers to, but judging from the scenes described between the lines, it's not too far removed from the present day.
Arnold didn't know how old His Majesty the King was, nor could he imagine.
Only after the story reached its finale did he feel relieved and immediately told Allen that he was tired and wanted to go back.
Allen looked thoughtful, but still readily left with Arnold.
After the two young men left, several other unfamiliar guests in the corner also said their goodbyes.
The waiter, carrying a tray, wandered around the tavern. Perhaps because the stories tonight were so informative, the guests were tipping him with far more silver coins than usual. They even whispered to the waiter, "Tell Veris to tone it down. He's the only poet in Albion. I admit he's bolder than the first hero, but he can tell us such straightforward stories later, in secret."
The young man nodded repeatedly.
It was getting late, and after hearing such a shocking piece of gossip, many guests decided to get up and go home.
When only a third of the tavern's customers remained, Veris jumped down from his high chair and found a seat near Rupert. Martyn, the owner, brought over a plate of side dishes and a half-full bowl of wine and placed it on Veris's table.
Rupert turned to him and asked, "Viris, what's gotten into you again, the King and the Prime Minister?"
Veris took a sip of his drink and said, "What are you talking about? Do you think I won't criticize them if they haven't provoked me?"
Rupert choked for a moment, thought about it, and realized that Veris made a good point.
"The road from Amberley to Mercury has been under construction for half a year and it's still not finished. Many caravans are choosing to detour through Albion, which is closer to the Amberley Mountains. There are quite a few unfamiliar faces in the town these days," Veris said slowly.
Rupert often goes to the city, but not the main city of Mercury, but another small town closer to Albion, north of Albion. The main city of Mercury is in the east of Albion, so going to the main city from Albion is indeed a difficult journey.
So he nodded: "That's how it is. I heard from the mayor that it had already been reported to His Excellency the Duke, but I don't know why it was delayed."
Veris smiled and said, "Road repair is a huge project. Last quarter, there was a lot of rain, which made it even more difficult. But autumn is the peak season for caravans, so it should have been completed in late spring or summer. It has been delayed until now."
Mercury County is a large county in the south, belonging to the Duke of Mercury, who is of royal lineage and is, in a sense, the current emperor's uncle, although the two are not much different in age.
But he was a few years older than the king, and over the years he had become increasingly disregardful of the orders of the Lortheran court, doing as he pleased.
The king was wary of the man's good reputation in the capital and found it difficult to deal with him immediately.
I heard that the duke led a rather immoral life and probably wouldn't live much longer, so I've been turning a blind eye to it.
Veris originally had no intention of interfering in their royal affairs.
But he's a vengeful guy.
The fat merchant he met today said something that really bothered him: it's no secret that the Holy Son Sylvain comes from Mercury County.
Sylvain's talent is perhaps undeniable, but now a magician claiming to be even more powerful than Sylvain has emerged, and he has made up his mind to warn the church to pay close attention.
In truth, if the old duke hadn't been so reluctant to spend money on road repairs, he wouldn't have encountered this group of people, and naturally, he wouldn't have been so displeased.
The Duke was also the King's uncle, so it wasn't that the King had offended him.
As for the prime minister, he vigorously promoted a policy of appeasing the nobility.
If everyone is implicated, then no one is innocent.
Veris smiled, and in the dimly lit tavern, Rupert felt a chill when he saw him smiling, so he changed the subject and said, "This afternoon, a new caravan arrived, along with the priest from the main city cathedral. Did you see them? It was quite a grand affair."
The group of priests and pastors went straight to the mayor's house. Not many people actually saw them, but Rupert worked for the mayor, so he had close contact with the church people.
Veris picked up some snacks from his plate and said, "We bumped into them at the door. What were they doing here?"
Rupert lowered his voice: "They said they were going to investigate the magical beasts, but I think it will take at least ten days. Also, there's the matter of arranging accommodation for the suffering villagers."
“I heard it from the mayor and the pastor, but that’s nothing. I also heard something interesting.”
"That new caravan had a conflict with the priest."
A note from the author:
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One more small milestone and I can leave the starting village! [Let me see]
Arnold was terrified and deeply shocked.
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