Chương 336: Chapter 335 - Wait Don't Leave Yet!

Lucid walked steadily up the sloped pavement leading toward the noble district. He ignored the quiet whispers of the townspeople who pointed at his obscured face. His mind focused entirely on the upcoming journey to the capital city of Vex. He reached the edge of the elevated stone plaza and stopped. A bright, energetic melody filled the morning air. The sound of a violin echoed sharply against the high stone walls of the surrounding estates. Lucid looked across the open square.

He saw Ayame sitting quietly on a smooth stone bench beneath a large oak tree. Frederick and Valen stood a few paces away. The two men formed a loose circle around a short musician dressed in a bright blue tunic and a matching blue hat. The musician played the violin with incredible speed and chaotic passion. Valen clapped his hands together with genuine enthusiasm. The yellow haired man let out a bright laugh that cut through the music.

"That was quite the performance," Valen declared loudly. He tossed a small silver coin toward the musician.

"You have considerable talent for a street performer in a border town like Tyriana." The musician caught the coin effortlessly in midair. He slipped the silver piece into his tunic pocket with a highly practiced motion. He replaced the blue hat firmly onto his head. He tilted the brim back just enough to reveal a face flush with recent physical exertion and a faint outline of red around his nose. Frederick maintained a stiff, formal posture.

The tall warrior folded his arms behind his back and inspected the bard with a highly critical eye.

"Your musical technique is refined, but your appearance lacks proper order," Frederick remarked sternly.

"A royal performer in Vex would never present themselves with a rumpled tunic and unpolished boots." The musician puffed out his chest. He waved his wooden violin bow dismissively in the air.

"My good sir," the bard replied in a theatrical, slightly slurred voice.

"Art cannot be bound by strict military dress codes. The music demands total freedom of expression, not polished leather and starched collars." Lucid stepped completely into the dark shadow of the oak tree. He stopped a few feet away from Frederick. He kept his eyes locked on the musician.

"What are you doing here," Lucid asked. He addressed the bard directly. The bard turned around quickly at the sound of Lucid's voice. He blinked several times. He stared at the dense cloud of gray fog obscuring Lucid's head. The musician did not look surprised. He looked entirely too calm for a common street performer encountering a man with a fog face. Lucid narrowed his eyes beneath the swirling gray vapor. He took another step forward. He looked closely under the brim of the blue cap.

The musician shifted his weight, and the morning sunlight caught his facial features perfectly. Lucid recognized the sharp jawline, the specific shape of the nose, and the dark, calculating eyes. A heavy silence settled in Lucid's mind.

'That is the regional governor of Tyriana,' Alice stated clearly inside his head. Her internal voice sounded completely baffled by the discovery.

'The man who controls this entire border territory is currently playing a wooden instrument in the public square.'

'I see him,' Lucid replied silently to her. The governor did not acknowledge Lucid's immediate recognition. The disguised official spun around on his heels to face the gathering crowd of local citizens. He raised his violin back to his chin. He dragged the bow across the strings in a final, furious crescendo. The music swelled with aggressive passion. The notes vibrated through the stone pavement. The governor finished the song with a massive physical flourish. He dropped to one knee.

He reached out and grabbed the delicate hand of a young maiden standing in the front row of the crowd. He kissed the back of her hand with intense dramatic flair. The young woman gasped loudly. Her eyes rolled back into her head. She fainted instantly and collapsed onto the hard cobblestones. The crowd erupted into massive applause. The townspeople cheered and threw copper coins onto the ground. The governor stood up smoothly. He gestured grandly with his violin bow directly toward Lucid.

He bowed deeply to the audience while sweeping up the scattered coins from the dirt. Lucid crossed his arms firmly over his chest. He watched the ridiculous spectacle with absolute disbelief.

"So is this how you collect taxes from your citizens," Lucid asked in a dry, flat tone. Frederick and Valen turned their heads sharply toward Lucid. Both men wore expressions of profound confusion. Ayame shifted her weight on the stone bench and narrowed her dark eyes at the unusual comment.

"Taxes," Valen repeated slowly.

"What are you talking about. He is just a traveling bard." The governor reacted instantly. He dropped the theatrical persona for a fraction of a second. He looked directly at Lucid with wide eyes. He quickly raised his right index finger and pressed it firmly against his own lips. It was a silent, desperate plea for absolute quiet. He did not want his true political identity revealed to the public or to the heavily armed strangers standing in the square. Lucid stared at the raised finger.

He understood the silent request perfectly. He decided to play along with the absurd charade for the moment. The governor cleared his throat loudly. He adopted his fake slurred voice once again. He looked around the plaza to ensure no one else had heard the comment about taxes. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Ah, you have a strange sense of humor, fog faced traveler," the governor said loudly. He stepped closer to the group. He looked at Frederick and Valen with fake curiosity.

"What brings such heavily armed individuals to our quiet border town. Where are you coming from." Frederick straightened his spine. He clearly did not like being questioned by a rumpled street musician.

"We are traveling on official business," Frederick answered vaguely.

"We are heading toward the capital city of Vex." The governor studied Frederick closely. A brief flicker of genuine recognition crossed the disguised official's face. He clearly recognized the proto-knight armor and the specific military bearing that Frederick carried. The governor knew exactly who he was dealing with, and he clearly wanted to exit the situation before things became complicated.

"Vex," the governor repeated softly.

"A long and dangerous journey. I heard rumors that a grand party was preparing to depart soon in a highly advanced transport vehicle." The governor took a slow step backward. He pointed his violin bow toward the high iron gates of the noble estate where the group had parked their transport.

"That train you have," the governor said quickly.

"The starlight carriage. It has a very interesting engine mechanism. Please, could I take a look at it for one time. I am also a massive engine enthusiast." Frederick frowned deeply at the strange request. He opened his mouth to deny the bard access to their secure military vehicle. Before Frederick could speak a single word, the governor waved his hand casually in the air.

"Perhaps another time," the governor said cheerfully. He spun around on his heels. He walked rapidly toward the narrow alleyway located at the edge of the stone plaza. He turned the corner with incredible speed. Frederick noticed the unnatural movement instantly. The tall warrior's combat instincts flared to life.

"Wait," Frederick commanded loudly.

"Stop right there." Valen reacted even faster. The yellow haired man realized the street performer was actively fleeing the scene. Valen lunged forward with explosive physical speed. He reached his hand out to grab the back of the blue tunic. Valen was entirely too late. His fingers grasped nothing but empty morning air. The governor had already disappeared completely behind the stone wall. Valen skidded to a halt at the edge of the alleyway. He looked down the narrow passage. The alley was completely empty.

There were no open doors and no side streets. The disguised official had vanished without leaving a single trace behind. Valen stood frozen for a moment. He lowered his empty hand slowly to his side.

"He is going to disappear," Valen muttered quietly to himself. He turned back to face the rest of the group.

"He actually managed to disappear. How is that physically possible for a drunken street bard." Ayame stood up from the stone bench. She walked silently over to where Lucid stood in the shadows. She looked down the empty alleyway and then looked directly at Lucid's obscured face.

"Who was that," Ayame asked in her usual cold, emotionless voice. Lucid remained completely quiet. He looked down at the stone pavement. He knew exactly who the man was. He knew the governor possessed powerful magical artifacts and hidden escape routes throughout the entire town of Tyriana. He could easily expose the truth right now. He could tell Frederick and Valen that they had just been interrogated by the highest ranking political figure in the region. But Lucid did not want to reveal the secret yet.

A deep, suffocating dread pooled in the bottom of Lucid's stomach. The thought of getting into the starlight carriage and traveling directly to the capital city filled him with absolute terror. He did not want to face the abhorrent Queen Elara. The stories he had heard about her cruelty and her absolute control over the Vex military haunted his waking thoughts. He needed more time. He wanted to prolong his stay in Tyriana for as long as physically possible.

He wanted to draw the current peaceful moment out until the very last second before he had to return to that nightmare. Lucid looked up from the pavement. He turned away from the alleyway and faced his companions. He forced a casual tone into his voice.

"Have you guys ever had some great tavern food," Lucid asked suddenly. Frederick stared at him blankly. The tall proto-knight could not process the drastic change in conversation. Valen walked back from the alleyway and scratched the back of his yellow hair.

"Tavern food," Valen asked slowly.

"What does that have to do with the vanishing street performer."

"I am just hungry," Lucid lied smoothly.

"We should go find a local tavern. I hear the roasted boar in this town is excellent." Frederick shook his head firmly. He pointed a rigid finger toward the estate gates.

"We do not have time for roasted boar," Frederick stated with absolute authority.

"The driver has completed the final mechanical checks. The starlight carriage is ready for departure. We need to leave for Vex immediately." Ayame closed the physical distance between herself and Lucid. She stepped directly into his personal space. She looked deeply into the gray fog swirling around his head.

"Why," Ayame asked quietly.

"Why do we stay here for a while."

"I simply want to eat before a long journey," Lucid deflected her direct question.

"There is no harm in taking one more hour to enjoy a proper meal." Ayame did not move away. She kept her dark eyes locked on him.

"Lucid," Ayame said firmly.

"We cannot do this. We have to go to Vex. We have official orders and a strict timeline to follow. You know this." Lucid looked around the empty stone plaza. The townspeople had dispersed after the governor vanished. The morning air felt cold against his neck. He felt trapped by his own responsibilities and the expectations of the heavily armed crew surrounding him. He looked at Valen, who was watching the exchange with a highly critical expression.

He looked at Frederick, who stood ready to physically drag him to the carriage if necessary.

"Wow," Lucid said softly. He raised both of his hands in a defensive gesture.

"Wow, wow, wow. Let us just calm down for a single moment." Frederick and Valen looked at him with clear, discernible disgust. They did not appreciate his attempts to delay the mission. They viewed his sudden desire for tavern food as a pathetic excuse to avoid their duty.

"There is nothing to calm down about," Frederick said coldly.

"We are leaving now. Get your belongings and walk to the carriage." Lucid stood his ground. He dropped his hands back to his sides. He knew he could not fight all three of them at once, but he absolutely refused to surrender his remaining freedom without an argument.

"We are not leaving yet," Lucid stated firmly. His voice lost its casual tone. He spoke with a hard edge that surprised even himself.

"We are going to find a tavern. We are going to sit down. We are going to eat a hot meal. And then, and only then, will I consider getting into that mechanical metal box you call a carriage." The tension in the plaza spiked dramatically. Frederick rested his hand heavily on the pommel of his sword. Valen shifted his weight into a loose combat stance. Ayame remained perfectly still, waiting for someone to make the first hostile move. Lucid stared back at them. He dared them to force the issue.

He would use every excuse, every delay, and every stubborn argument he possessed to keep them in Tyriana just a little bit longer. The abhorrent queen could wait. Vex could wait. Right now, he was going to find a tavern, even if it meant fighting his own crew to do it.