Chapter 76. You're giving it to me?
***
Sponsored by Curufin. Thank you ❤️ (7/ 10)
***
Kayan and Ihedia walked through the festive streets together.
There were so many people that some of them recognized Kayan.
They chattered amongst themselves and couldn't take their eyes off her.
Ihedia had gotten used to walking around without a mask, but now things were different.
She had grown accustomed to people stopping to stare at her face as she passed by.
Moreover, a slave doing menial labor with a large scar on her face was not something that would attract much attention.
Slaves who were forced to work hard and often were often unattractive.
People who saw Ihedia for the first time would be surprised to see her face, then quickly lose interest and go about their business.
But it must have seemed quite odd for a high status Anut warrior to be walking hand-in-hand with a scarred woman.
Kayan didn't mind, but Ihedia found their stares stinging.
‘Maybe I should have worn a mask.’
Ihedia felt a twinge of regret.
As she continued to bow her head, Kayan spoke up.
"It's okay, look up."
As if sensing Ihedia's thoughts, Kayan squeezed her hand.
When Kayan glared at those who were muttering while looking at Ihedia, they flinched and looked away.
Kayan spoke softly, just enough for Ihedia's ears to hear.
"I'll rip their eyeballs out and stick them in their mindless mouths if you want."
Ihedia glanced at Kayan at the murderous comment.
"Of course, I doubt you'd want that."
Ihedia smiled at his deadly nonchalant tone and tugged on his hand.
The downtown area was abuzz with the sounds of children playing tag, street vendors shouting for customers, and street musicians playing unique string instruments.
Amidst the din, Ihedia's attention was drawn to a group of people gathered in a circle.
In the center of it was a distinctive masked figure.
"What is that?"
"A masquerade."
Ihedia looked curiously, and Kayan stepped forward with her.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to the masked actors.
A group of black masks on the left and white masks on the right were engaged in an eerie confrontation.
Upon closer inspection, the black masks had wolf symbols on them.
Perhaps the black masks represented the Anut, and the white masks represented people from other countries.
They all wore swords at their waists, but the size and shape of the swords suggested that they were wooden swords, not real ones.
The booming voice of the man who seemed to be the main character rang out.
"You dare to stand in the way of a wolf warrior, do you not care about your life? I will spare your lives if you lay down your weapons and surrender immediately."
"Fearless beasts of the north, howling without fear, this place will be your grave today!"
The actors pointed their swords at each other.
"Yay!"
With a loud cheer, the two groups began swinging their swords at each other.
It looked a little clumsy as they moved in sync with each other, but it didn't distract from the play.
For a moment, the crude sound of wooden swords clashing followed.
One by one, the White Masks began to fall to the ground.
The leader of the white masks faltered in panic and took a few steps backward.
The black masked men, on the other hand, shouted hooray and reveled in their victory.
Then the leader of the black masks stepped forward and said to the leader of the white masks.
"They said you are the greatest general of Kaltburg? I will show you the way of a warrior and take you down with my own hands."
The sword fight began again.
But the Black Mask's one-sided assault left the White Mask helpless.
Eventually, the White Mask lost his grip on his weapon and fell to his knees before the Black Mask.
"If only there had been someone like you in Kaltburg, the fate of our country would have been different. I am ashamed to say that you are the strongest opponent I have ever faced, but as long as you are here, the honor of Anut will shine for thousands of years. Wolf Warrior."
The White Mask lavished praise on his foe in his final moments.
Ihedia let out a small snort of laughter at the somewhat forced line.
It seemed to be the result of the Anut audience's taste.
The White Mask then delivered the final line in a dejected tone.
"Please send me away with one strike. The great black wolf, Kayan Bayate."
Kayan... Bayate?
Ihedia's eyes widened and he turned her head toward Kayan beside her.
His face flushed slightly.
Then the black masked Kayan Bayate made a gesture of striking his opponent in the throat.
A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd.
"Kayan! Kayan! Kayan!"
People were chanting Kayan's name, unable to contain their excitement.
In their frenzy, they didn't seem to realize that the real Kayan Bayate was standing next to them.
Kayan's face burned more and more like it was on fire.
The normally impassive man seemed unable to hide his embarrassment in this situation.
Ihedia bit her lip to keep from laughing at the sight.
Kayan tugged on Ihedia's hand and hurried out of the place.
"I'm sorry you didn't like the masquerade, I found it so interesting." (Ihedia)
"I've never seen such a lame masquerade before, and just to be clear, there was no madman in Kaltburg praising the enemy army that invaded his country." (Kayan)
"Perhaps it's out of reverence for the 'Great Black Wolf Warrior,' Kayan. I had no idea you were so popular among the people."
Ihedia emphasized the words 'great black wolf warrior'.
Kayan, unable to overcome his embarrassment, said nothing in response and walked on.
Ihedia watched the sun-blessed streets with renewed curiosity.
To Kayan, it was just another noisy day that came around every year, but to her, who had never seen a festival like this before, it was all new.
Before he knew it, Kayan was being dragged from place to place by the curious Ihedia.
When she lost her bearings and nearly got swept up in the massive crowd, he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist.
Ihedia was too small and frail, and Kayan didn't like the idea of her walking around so many people.
It was the price he paid for keeping her bodyguards at a distance to avoid attracting attention.
But walking with an escort through these narrow streets would not only prevent her from enjoying the Anut festival, but it would also overwhelm her.
Kayan narrowed his eyes and muttered.
"You’ll hurt yourself. Should I carry you?"
Ihedia heard it and looked at Kayan in surprise.
She led him to a relatively deserted area so he wouldn't say anything more.
She stopped at a stall selling necklaces.
Above the stall was a rough-grained wooden tablet with the words 'With the blessing of the sun' written on it.
Ihedia's gaze scanned the accessories and lingered on display.
Most of them were crude and rough-looking, but the gemstone at the center of the necklace had a unique color.
She picked up a necklace with an odd mix of red and orange colors.
On the back was an indecipherable inscription.
The shopkeeper, an old woman, looked at her and smiled a wide, deeply wrinkled smile.
"It's the ancient word for 'Hrenium'. It means 'guardian’ in modern terms, it protects you from all bad things.”
The vendor pointed to other items and explained their meanings in detail.
Then Ihedia picked up the first one she had picked out again and said to the old woman.
"I'll take this one."
Ihedia paid for it with a silver coin she kept in her pocket.
She had some money left over from selling herbs, just in case.
It was common to sell things with good words, but for some reason the Anut word for "guardian" stuck with her.
"Do you usually like this kind of thing?"
Kayan asked, a little curiously.
He often sent her gifts, even when they weren't on speaking terms.
Flowers and paintings, musical instruments and books, anything he thought a noblewoman might like, he would buy and send to Sawana to give them to Ihedia.
There were, of course, many precious trinkets in there that this cheap necklace was pale in comparison.
She didn't even bother with such valuables, but her eyes lit up when she saw this.
He wondered if she really believed in the superstition that it contained the blessings of the sun.
Then Ihedia held out the necklace to Kayan.
"It's a gift."
"You're giving it to me?"
"You're going away soon, and I thought I'd give it to you because it protects you from all bad things."
The old woman looked back and forth between the two of them, then spoke up with a dreamy expression.
"I see you love your husband very much."
Bewildered, Ihedia glanced at Kayan.
Somehow, Kayan looked like someone holding back a laugh that was about to escape.
***
Support me @ https://ko-fi.com/doraaaaaaa
Write a comment