Under the Oak Tree

No sooner had Maxi agreed than Sidina pulled her by the arm.

"Off we go!"

Despite pretending to be reluctant, Maxi followed. Outside, a group of nobles were enjoying a game of cards in the pavilion. On one side of the garden, blindfolded young men and women played hide-and-seek, while the sound of bards reciting knightly epics, accompanied by the soft strumming of a lute, drifted from the hall. It was a scene Maxi had grown tired of seeing by now.

Worried that the nobles might try to detain them, she quickly swerved around. "We should leave through the back gate to avoid attracting attention."

"Can you manage without a carriage, my lady?" Ulyseon asked.

Sidina clicked her tongue at his question. "Why would we need a carriage for a twenty-minute walk to the square? We're not even leaving the city. Right, Max?"

Maxi, who had actually been thinking of stopping by the stables to get Rem, could only reply with an awkward laugh.

Sidina regarded her through narrowed eyes before shaking her head. "Nobles."

The scowl Ulyseon gave Sidina was full of indignation, but he refrained from saying anything for his lady's sake. He clearly did not want to upset one of her friends.

Suppressing a sigh, Maxi made her way to the back of the palace. A well-paved road, mainly used by laborers or merchants delivering goods, ran through the garden and out to the city. They walked along it for some time before arriving at a wide stone bridge. Maxi watched small boats float down Gillian Canal as she crossed, then headed toward the square.

The city buzzed with activity. Shops of all sizes lined the streets, and smartly dressed shoppers in vibrant reds, yellows, and blues bustled about. Street performers showcased their acrobatic talents near a large fountain with clear, streaming water.

Sidina excitedly yanked Maxi's arm. "Look, a traveling troupe must have arrived! Let's go see."

Maxi was swept across the square at a dizzying pace. An array of unfamiliar sights whizzed by. Peddlers in exotic garments shouted about their various spices, and women balancing baskets of bread, eggs, or flowers for sale wove through the crowd.

A performer juggled knives in front of a large tavern, his audience a circle of captivated spectators. Maxi joined them just in time to see the performer, his face painted a stark white, skillfully toss five daggers into the air, only to swallow them one after another.

Maxi cried out in alarm. In apparent agony now, the performer teetered as he raised his arms to the sky, then let out a loud burp and bowed comically. The crowd cheered and started throwing coins into the small basket prepared in front of the stage.

"H-How did he do that?" Maxi mumbled in disbelief. "I did not detect any magic."

"It is a trick of the eye, my lady," explained Garrow. "From this angle, it looks like he is swallowing the knives, when in fact, he is catching them in a hidden pocket inside his-"

"Ahh!" Sidina cut him off, slapping her hands over her ears. "I don't want to know! Just let it remain a mystery!"

With that, she darted off to find more wonders. Maxi was whisked all over the city until she finally found herself in a sizable indoor theater.

Sidina squeezed through the crow with practiced ease. She maneuvered them all the way to the front row, ignoring the grumblings she left in her wake.

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she pointed to an actor on stage. "Look at him. Isn't he incredibly handsome?"

Curious, Maxi turned her attention to the stage, where a dramatic scene unfolded. The play had already started a while ago. The actor playing Wigrew was in the midst of a heartfelt declaration of love, after which a young woman with striking blonde hair began to sing, her face etched with sorrow.

My eternal youth,

Legs have I not to walk with thee

Arms have I not to embrace thee

Thou must leave me

To where fate is calling.

No need have I to twine my branches

To bear eternal fruit

Dearest, I only ask that once every year

Send the wind to me with thy scent

That is enough for me.

As the woman vanished from the stage, her long skirt fluttering behind, the young man covered his anguished face with his hands.

The stage was then transformed into a battlefield. Knights, portrayed by actors in elaborate costumes, engaged in a spectacular performance. Cheers went up from the hundreds-strong audience, who shouted their favorites' names while swinging their sweaty fists. Maxi was instantly enthralled by the whole thing, so much so that her eyes became misty at the scene where Wigrew was wounded during the final battle in the North.

Weary from war, Wigrew finally returned to his homeland to lie beneath the tree where his beloved slept. The golden-haired actress reappeared to plant a kiss on the sleeping Wigrew's forehead. White smoke began to rise from beneath the stage, obscuring the actors and leaving only their faint outlines visible.

After a dramatic silence, the silhouette of a dragon slowly descended onto the stage. A deep, resonant voice filled the theater:

Oh Dragon, I beseech thee

Take his body, broken and battered

To where he may rest

Go, oh dearest beloved

Far, far away from this turbulent land

Oh,

I shall love thee

Until my dying breath.

As the nymph's song concluded, the dragon's enormous wings swooped offstage, and the smoke covering the set faded like a mirage. A solitary tree now stood center stage, eliciting a wave of thunderous applause from the audience. Maxi joined in, clapping until her palms tingled with warmth.

This was her first time seeing the ballad enacted in such an elaborate play. It was far cry from the bards at Croyso Castle.

Stepping out of the theater, she could not contain her excitement. "W-What a marvelous performance!" she exclaimed.

"I agree!" Sidina replied with equal enthusiasm. "They were all pleasant to look at, but I must say, Wigrew's actor stood out the most. He is apparently the most popular actor in Balbourne!"

Maxi nodded vigorously. There was no question that the passionate young actor had been captivating. "He truly brought Wigrew to life!"

Ulyseon, however, was less impressed. "Surely you do not mean that, my lady," he said in disbelief. "Comparing that promiscuous-looking man with no swordsmanship to speak of to Wigrew? What about Sir Riftan?"

"I knew we shouldn't have brought the boys," Sidina grumbled.

Maxi mirrored her friend's irritated look toward Ulyseon, her lingering impression of her first play effectively trampled. Just then, the young knight's hand leaped to his sword. The sudden shift in the atmosphere made Maxi freeze in place next to him.

After carefully surveying the area, Ulyseon abruptly turned around. "We should head back to the basilica, my lady."

"W-What is it? Why are you-"

"I sensed a hostile gaze."

Maxi glanced around in confusion, but the dispersing crowd made it hard to spot anything amiss. Yet, she knew better than to doubt a knight's instincts.

Gripping Sidina's hand, she hurried out of the street. She had no idea how long they pushed through the crowd, but soon, she became aware of armed figures emerging around them. Though most appeared to be itinerant mercenaries, more than a few were knights in plate armor.

Terriified, Maxi stuck closer to Ulyseon and Garrow.

"Don't worry," Sidina said reassuringly. "They're probably here for the tournament."

"Tournament?"

"The swordsmanship tournament at the stadium. It's one of the events to commemorate Wigrew and the twelve knights." Sidina pointed toward the towering edifice at the end of the main road. "It's usually in spring, but it was delayed this year due to the long winter."

She glanced at Ulyseon and Garrow, "I suppose...you won't agree to us going to see it?"

"I believe it would be best another time," Garrow said stiffly.

Sidina sighed in resignation as she trudged on. They headed toward a carriage rental shop located in the square. For safety reasons, they had decided to take a carriage back to the basilica as quickly as possible. Though Maxi thought the knights were being overly cautious, she quietly followed their lead.

"Please wait here a moment while I go make the payment," Garrow said before disappearing into the shop.

Leaning against the building, Maxi watched the sunset descend over the square. Suddenly, she felt herself falling backward into an alley. It happened so abruptly that there was not even time to scream. She peered over her shoulder in terror. Instead of the wall that should have been there, a slender man in a gray robe looked down at her, pressing a blade to her throat.

"Come with me," he rasped. "Make a sound and I'll-"

Before he could finish, his arm was severed right before Maxi's eyes, splattering her with blood. Horrified, she staggered back. In her shock, she barely registered Ulyseon's tense face and the assailant clutching his severed arm.

"Why are you after Lady Calypse?" the young knight snarled, his sword poised.

The assailant did not reply as he slowly retreated further into the narrow alleyway.

A chilling smile curled Ulyseon's lips. "Unwilling to talk, are we?"

Just as he pounced, a dark hand shot out from behind the assailant, plunging a dagger into the man's neck. Maxi screamed in shock. The would-be abductor emitted a strange gurgling and dropped to the ground, revealing a shadowy figure behind him.

"S-Sir Kuahel..."

As the Temple Knight wiped the blood off his dagger, he nodded to a subordinate behind him. Then, without a word of explanation, he made to leave the alley.

Ulyseon promptly stopped him, shouting, "Why did you kill him? We need to know who's behind this!"

"We already know," the clergyman replied, shaking off the young knight's hand. "Seeing as you are not blind, it should be obvious to you as well."

"What do you-"

Ulyseon froze when he lowered his gaze to where the Temple Knight nodded. Black scales had appeared on the face of the limp corpse.

Maxi stiffened. "W-Why is a dragonian..." she stammered before realizing with horror that the monster was wearing a cleric's habit. She turned to Kuahel, shock written on her face.

"There are dragonians...in the basilica?"

"This scum is the last of them," the clergyman answered calmly.

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