themonasnovels Chapter 189 A Night of Honesty
Chapter 189 A Night of Honesty
Chapter 189 A Night of Honesty
"I don't want to go into the dark room—let me out—"
In a corner backstage of the theater, the orc Goliath covered his ears, his eyes filled with utter terror.
"—Take a deep breath, big guy, don't panic."
Yvette patted him on the shoulder to comfort him, and the difference in their sizes made the scene somewhat comical.
"You did very well tonight, you didn't disappoint me." The half-elf handed an empty paper bag to the big man, who put the bag over his mouth and breathed into it. The bag expanded and contracted with his breaths, and after a few times, the orc seemed to calm down a bit.
Geb and the swordswoman sneaked in through the back door and, by the dim candlelight, saw the half-elf and half-orc.
Geb stepped forward and waved. Yvette made a shushing gesture.
"What's wrong with this big guy?" Geb asked Yvette in a low voice when he noticed that Goliath was acting strangely.
The half-elf shrugged and said helplessly, "Who knows? Something's been off ever since we came out of the Silvermoon Corridor. He kept muttering something about not wanting to go into a dark room—I've never seen him so scared before."
Geb turned to look at the orc who was in a state of self-isolation, and stroked his chin. It seemed that the golden mask's possession magic had left some aftereffects on this host.
The big guy's self-awareness was likely imprisoned by the golden mask, making room for his will. Thinking about it, it's quite terrifying. His own consciousness was imprisoned within his own body, unable to move, unable to sense what was happening outside, only endless darkness, and he didn't know if he would ever be released.
"Looks like it was Golden Mask's doing—but that's all in the past. Give him some time, he should be able to get back to normal," Geb said, snapping his fingers at the big guy. The guy didn't react at all, his eyes unfocused, and he remained silent.
The swordswoman frowned when she heard the words "golden mask".
"A wizard has appeared? What's going on?"
Yvette couldn't help but chime in, "Yes, Geb, what exactly happened in the garden—a powerful force pinned me to the ground, was it magic? And who was using Goliath's body? How awful!"
The two women pressed on relentlessly, but Gebu calmly raised a finger.
"Don't rush—let me explain slowly—"
"Hurry up!!" the two said in unison.
After a few minutes, Geb recounted his deductions to the two men, omitting the parts related to the Book of Sand and not mentioning that he had traded poison with the Golden Mask, only saying that it was some kind of special magical potion.
The swordswoman frowned as she listened, while Yvette stared in disbelief.
"This—even the script didn't go this far! It's too convoluted," the half-elf poet exclaimed in surprise. "However, this peacock deserved it. He was utterly wicked, scheming against so many people!"
"Speaking of peacocks," Geb winked at Yvette, "you can go to the Rat King to collect your reward, congratulations."
"Hey, not only that, it looks like all the other hired helpers have been wiped out tonight—perfect, we're a little short of people to split the loot," the half-elf said cheerfully, seemingly unconcerned about their lives.
"I hope you haven't forgotten anything," Geb said, prompting her when the half-elf didn't bring it up herself.
"—Haha, I can't forget—after all, you even came all the way to my door." Yvette took out a small leather pouch from her waist and handed it to Gebu. Gebu opened it and looked inside; it was a bag of broken gems, estimated to be worth about five hundred gold coins.
But there are quite a few. Split in half with the swordswoman, they're both idiots.
—This sounds a bit strange, maybe it's just my imagination.
After dividing the gems with the woman with the sword and settling the accounts, Gebu noticed the travel backpack behind the big guy.
"Are you leaving?" Geb asked.
Yvette followed the halfling's gaze to her luggage, smiled at Geb, and nodded.
"Well—after all, we put on quite a show right under the princess's nose, so it's better to lay low for a while. We were going to leave now, but with Big Guy like this—I can't exactly whip him to get him to leave, can I?"
Gebu muttered to himself, "If it weren't for Da Geji's appearance, those two would have already slipped away, and my reward would have gone down the drain."
"Geb, Dofen, what are you two planning to do? Do you want to come with us?"
Dove looked at Geb, waiting for him to speak.
Gebu thought for a moment and said, "I don't think Princess Xilian is very interested in us. I'd like to stay in this city a little longer until the caravan catches up, and then we can set off together."
"To Port Queen?"
"Yes. Queen's Port—Shanhaiguan," Gebu said.
Yvette's eyes darted around, and she quickly said, "In that case, why don't you two stay at the theater? The theater is temporarily closed while I'm away, and this house is just sitting idle anyway, so you'll save on travel expenses."
"And then you'll mind the shop for me, huh? You're dreaming," Gebu interjected.
"Hey, I don't have anything valuable here. Stage decorations and props are useless to others, but it's a hassle to lose them." The half-elf chuckled slyly. "If you two want to do some role-playing or something, feel free to take them. Just wash them clean afterward."
"Oh, thank you so much," Dove said expressionlessly. "Shall we start now—I'll play the witch hunter, and you two play the heretical wizards—I'll build a campfire first, and you two better tie yourselves up properly."
"No, please. I have a post-traumatic stress reaction to witch hunters." Geb waved his hands repeatedly.
"I'll give you desensitization therapy."
"Stop joking—joking aside, staying here isn't bad, at least it's safer than a hotel." Gebu turned to the woman with the sword and asked, "What do you think?"
"I don't care," the woman with the sword replied casually, "but are you sure no one will follow us?"
"There's a saying that true hermits live in the city—and I'm curious what her former subordinates will do after Peacock is eliminated." Gebu grinned. "Wouldn't it be a waste not to take advantage of this opportunity to make some money?"
At the very least, they can swindle another sum of herbal ingredients from the quack medicine shop. Now that no one's protecting those guys, and their business is already operating illegally, who can they turn to? Report it to the authorities?
Yvette looked at the halfling in front of her with some surprise, and after a long while, she finally spoke.
"Uh—you're quite ambitious—once you get to Queen's Port, come and see the Rat King; he'll definitely have something for you to do."
"Then I'll have to rely on your introduction." Geb nodded to Ivite.
"Point to the main street, Great Alley, password: Half-Tail can dig holes," the half-elf said quickly, then gave Geb a grey raven salute. Geb quickly memorized these words.
After explaining the rendezvous method at Queen's Harbor, the half-elf poet handed the theater keys to Geb, then called for the big man to prepare to leave. However, the orc remained in a daze, not moving for a long time. No amount of persuasion could change his mind.
Yvette grew impatient, her voice rising several octaves, but Dove coughed lightly, interrupting her.
"This often happens to new recruits in mercenary groups—Goliath is no exception. Let me give it a try."
Having said that, Doffin walked up to the orc.
Goliath's gaze lingered on the woman's face for half a second before he immediately looked away.
"It's too dark—don't leave me in this dark room—"
"Soldiers, attention!"
Dove kicked off his boots and shouted at the big guy.
"yes!"
Goliath sprang up from the ground reflexively, somewhat comically puffing out his chest and tucking in his stomach, standing straight and saluting. Because his movements were not very coordinated, they were choppy and jerky, as if each joint had its own mind.
"Soldier Goliath, what do you have to report?"
"I—I'm afraid of the dark!" Goliath shouted.
Why are you afraid of the dark?
"Because—because there was only Goliath in the dark room—no mother, no captain, and no Ai—"
"Ai's here," Yvette interjected, raising her hand.
Goliath looked at the half-elf, the confusion in his eyes lessening somewhat. He hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "I can see now, but—if I close my eyes, I'm in a dark room and can't see Ai anymore—"
Dove lowered her voice slightly and continued, "But as soon as you open your eyes, don't you see her again?"
Goliath paused for a moment, then nodded, realizing that seemed to make sense.
"So don't be afraid to close your eyes. The important thing is to believe that you will open your eyes at the end of the darkness."
"----Well----"
"Just like you do every night," Dove said patiently. "Close your eyes, go to sleep, then open your eyes and wake up."
"Hmm... um." Goliath thought for a while, but couldn't find anything wrong with what he said. He finally gave up thinking and accepted the swordswoman's words. The doubt on his face turned into determination.
"Don't be afraid, big guy, with me here, no one can bully you," Yvette added cheerfully, seeing that Big Guy had regained his spirits. "Let's go! I'll buy you meat when we get there."
"Eat meat! Eat meat!" Goliath instantly forgot his fear and clapped his hands like a big child.
Seeing the two celebrating with laughter, the swordswoman said nothing more, but quietly returned to Gebu's side. The orc and half-elf packed their things, said goodbye to the two, and then left along the path under the cover of night.
Gebu watched as the swordswoman calmed the large orc down like a child, and laughed at her, "That big guy, he personally skinned the peacock alive without even blinking—it was a terrifying sight. One minute he's innocent and naive, the next he's ruthless and cruel. I really don't know what's wrong with him."
"Goliath has some intellectual deficiencies. He's as innocent as a child, and as cruel as a child." The swordswoman looked at the big man and said thoughtfully, "Humans are complex creatures, and I don't understand them either—sometimes, expressing one's inner feelings without any concealment, like Goliath, might be a remarkable thing."
"You've suddenly become quite serious after spending the night with the princess, Swordswoman," Geb teased. "Come on—hey, Geb, has that half-elf found out about you—" Swordswoman suddenly changed the subject.
Gebu understood what the woman with the knife meant.
"That's probably true, but she's smart enough to know that betraying me won't do her any good. Besides, that guy's zither playing is probably a form of magic. She probably can't even explain the source of her abilities to the witch hunters. If Yvette wants to report me, I can guarantee she'll suffer the same fate as me."
"So, what are the next instructions that the golden mask gave you?"
"To Queen's Port. It seems to align with our destination for now." Looking at the woman's serious expression, Geb replied earnestly, "I'll say it again: I understand your concerns and respect your opinion. If I sense anything amiss, I'll immediately cut off contact with him."
"I don't trust any golden mask, but I believe you will make the right judgment," the woman with the sword said to Gebu. She felt a little embarrassed as she said this, and hesitated before continuing.
"What's wrong?" Gebu noticed his partner's hesitation. "Hesitating isn't like you."
"Yay!" the swordswoman muttered.
"Huh?" Gebu asked, not having heard clearly.
"Thank you!!" Dove suddenly shouted.
"What?! Why are you shouting like that?!" Gebu covered his ears, almost deafened.
"Thank you for coming back to the bathhouse to see me when I was with Hilian at the Mermaid Bath. I know you could have just run away and left me behind. I had already anticipated that you wouldn't come back and was prepared for it. But you actually came back. Although I didn't say anything at the time, I was very grateful because no one has ever cared about my feelings. Although nothing really happened, I still felt very warm inside. I don't know what I'm saying, so just pretend I didn't say anything. I'm a little embarrassed. Anyway, thank you."
The swordswoman spoke a long passage in one breath, without any inflection or pause, leaving Gebu completely stunned.
"Huh—what the heck?"
"Inhale—"
"Phew—it's alright now." The swordswoman took a deep breath, her expression changing to one of nonchalance.
"I really didn't hear you clearly, could you slow down and try again—"
"Hurry up and get ready, I'm so sleepy—the upstairs room is mine now!"
"Hey?! You have no sportsmanship!" Gebu protested, but before he could finish speaking, the swordswoman had already walked up the stairs.
"Good night!"
Da da da.
The woman with the sword walked up the stairs in a few steps, entered the small bedroom in the attic of the theater, slammed the door shut, opened the attic window, and let the cold air blow on her face.
My face feels so hot—maybe it's because the night wind is too cold.
The darkness of night is being diluted by the blue light spilling from the horizon, just as distant memories are washing away the sadness deep within my heart.
This feeling is both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar.
As she was about to touch upon this emotion, the pain of loss became even more real, and this invisible sense of loss made Dove feel extremely uncomfortable.
It's like an invincible swordsman encountering a ghost that cannot be cut down with a weapon.
"You can't escape it. This guilt is the punishment you deserve."
"The banshee of the Takagi family."
Reference image of the dark-skinned half-elf poet Yvette: "My skin is the silent night, my fingertips' notes transform into countless stars."