TOPWL 227

People cheered for Shane, who stood on the rope. But Yudit was so nervous that he couldn’t even raise his head. He only clasped his hands in prayer and bit his lips.

“You can look. He’s doing well.”

Bagon whispered to Yudit. Yudit raised his head. Shane was already on the middle part of the rope dangerously. The sound of the drum echoed the beating of his heart. That wasn’t the end. Shane lifted one foot. People swallowed their dry throats when he stood on one leg in such a dangerous state. Shane lifted one leg and held his toes, then raised it all the way up. People applauded when they saw his leg forming a perfect straight line.

“Whoa!”

After that, Shane performed several more tricks on the rope. Yudit already knew his balance was excellent, but every trick he showed was impressive. He walked across the rope with big steps as if it were a wide road, then suddenly stopped, and even used his long legs to spin his body around. He did it all without hesitation. Everyone who was watching felt nervous. It was even more so because there were no safety devices.

“Kyaaa!”

Shane, who was walking on the rope, finally missed his arm’s balance. People pressed themselves against the wall to avoid being hurt by his fall. Yudit tried to run toward the center to catch Shane, but someone grabbed his arm. It was Bagon.

“It’s fine. He meant to do that.”

Yudit looked up, and Shane was holding the rope with one arm and swinging his body using the rebound. Shane moved his body like a pendulum, then climbed back up like a monkey. People cheered once again at the dramatic sight. Yudit felt like he had aged 10 years as he watched Shane’s rope walking. Shane’s turn ended when he did a somersault on the rope.

When Shane bowed to the people below, thunderous applause followed. Some even whistled. Yudit felt exhausted, maybe because he had been too tense. But now it was Yudit’s turn. Carmen and Yudit held hands and stepped forward. When they stood on the stage, they felt heat. It wasn’t from the crowd’s passion but from the candles lit to brighten the stage. Because the candlelight was so bright, they couldn’t see the people outside at all. It made things easier instead.

Yudit and Carmen started the sword dance. The sword dance contained a short story. Carmen, the princess of the enemy country, and Yudit met by chance in the market and fell in love at first sight. They grew close and shared love that night. But war broke out again between the two countries that were in a truce, and the two who had been together until morning met on the battlefield by evening and began to fight.

But Yudit felt a strange sense of discord from Carmen, so he aimed for her helmet instead of her neck, struck it off, and realized that Carmen, the princess of the enemy country, was actually his lover. When Carmen’s helmet fell, people rushed toward her, and Yudit pushed them away, saying he would take care of her himself and bought time until Carmen’s allies arrived.

When Yudit saw Carmen’s allies running toward them, he chose to die by Carmen’s sword on purpose. Even while dying, Yudit wished only to hold Carmen’s hand once without any resistance. Carmen thought it was a trick, so she struck Yudit’s hand away, and Yudit died with a bitter smile.

Feeling something strange about Yudit’s action, Carmen removed his helmet, saw Yudit’s face, and realized everything. Carmen cried in front of Yudit’s corpse, then cut her own neck, and before dying, she held Yudit’s hand that had already turned cold.

They had adapted a famous novel from the empire into a sword dance. Many things were omitted since it was only a five-minute sword dance, but it was enough to convey emotion to the audience. They had worried that it might look dull because they were fighting with sheathed swords instead of real ones, but when they heard the applause while they kept their eyes closed, they felt there was no need to worry. Yudit opened his eyes, looked at Carmen, and smiled. Carmen was smiling too, even though she was drenched in sweat.

“We did well.”

“Yes.”

The two spoke with satisfied smiles. The climax of the sword dance was, no matter what anyone said, the scene where Carmen removed Yudit’s helmet. Because it was the only moment when the veil inside the helmet was lifted in front of the audience. But Yudit’s face behind the veil couldn’t be seen, cleverly hidden by the helmet and Carmen’s hand. That subtle give-and-take that seemed like it might show or might not always stirred the audience’s hearts, and that scene always drew a strong response.

After the curtain fell, the two stood up and straightened their clothes. When the curtain rose again, they came out and greeted the audience. The audience liked the story even more than expected. It seemed to be because the story was simple and emotional. Some young noble ladies could be seen dabbing at their tears with handkerchiefs. When Carmen waved her hand toward the young ladies, their faces turned red. Even Yudit had to admit that Carmen looked impressive when she performed the sword dance.

They had worried that the dress and jewelry would be cumbersome because of how heavy and elaborate they were, but they were easy to move in, and when Carmen turned around, the hem of her dress spread out like a flower and doubled the visual effect.

After that, they performed their techniques and acting step by step. The crowd’s reaction grew hotter. It was thanks to Bagon. He had once worked as a spy and joined a traveling troupe during that time, and he taught Yudit and the others what he had learned by eye back then. Yudit began to wonder what kind of work Bagon had actually done.

This turn was Shane’s again. He showed various astonishing feats, from ordinary push-ups to handstand push-ups using only one finger. While people were staring at Shane bending his arms on a single finger in amazement, something caught Yudit’s eyes behind the stage. Other members of the traveling troupe were moving toward the lord. They blended naturally into the crowd and advanced toward the lord. Yudit looked at them with suspicious eyes.

While Shane did his final push-up, one of the members finally managed to approach behind the lord. He pressed a dagger to the lord’s neck.

“Don’t move.”

People started to scream. At the same time, other members pointed their swords at the necks of the nobles in front. Shane crossed the stage and stood beside Yudi. It seemed that something might happen at any moment. Because the nobles had gathered in the center to watch the stage and the guards were waiting at both sides, it wasn’t an easy position for the guards to approach. Someone shot an arrow from the second floor toward the feet of the nobles trying to run away. Thud! The marble floor cracked, and the entire hall froze. The man who hold the dagger to the lord’s neck sneered.

“Hey, you might die if you keep doing that.”

“You bastard…! What do you think you’re doing?!”

The lord shouted as he looked up at the man. The man shrugged and opened his mouth.

“You worked us like dogs for months without giving us a single meal, and then you tell us to come here and dance for your banquet, so yes, I’m angry. Don’t get too mad that we’re just trying to take a little and leave.”

“Do you think you’ll get away with this alive?”

“Well, we’ve been alive so far. Now shut your mouth. I really want to slit it.”

The lord gnashed his teeth, but he didn’t say anything more.

“First, you all lower your swords.”

The man moved his finger slightly toward the guards as he spoke. When the guards didn’t obey, he clicked his tongue and thrust the dagger closer to the lord’s neck. A thin red line appeared on his throat, and blood began to trickle out.

“Aaagh!”

“Quit whining. You won’t die from a little cut like that. But if they keep ignoring me, you’ll die soon enough.”

“What are you doing!? Drop your swords right now!”

The lord screamed. The guards hesitated but eventually unbuckled their scabbards and set them down. One of the troupe members quickly took those swords. If everyone had been on the first floor, it might have been different, but since no one knew how many people on the second floor could shoot arrows, no one dared to move. The same went for Yudit.

When the man gestured, two of the members put down huge sacks large enough to hold people.

“Alright, line up in a row, put your jewelry here, and put your money over there.”

“You—!”

A man standing in the back, who was in a relatively safe spot, tried to protest, but an arrow shot from the second floor grazed his cheek and stuck into the wall. Silence fell again.