HEO 34

[Just like you said, the Atanians look down on the Stolls as barbaric. On the other hand, I was surprised I hadn’t considered how the Stolls see Atania. What you just said, that’s your own thought, right, Silver?]

[Of course it’s my thought. Who else would it be? Bingapsu? Why? Does it bother you?]

[No, I was actually impressed. If I didn’t know you well, I would’ve mistaken your words just now for something you read in a book or heard from some wise old man. Silver, you have insight.]

The sudden praise made his cheeks blush. Unbeknownst to him, his hand fiddled with the hem of his robe, but he shrugged his shoulders as if nothing was wrong and quickly walked away.

[I don’t know about insight. But I do have observation skills.]

Laughter echoed from behind.

[Having observation skills means you have insight too. Painters have great observation skills. Among Atania’s famous painters, many are also philosophers. There are plenty of philosophers and mathematicians who paint well too.]

[Did you read that in a book? Or was it a wise old man’s words?]

[No. It’s a story the prince told me. Hahaha.]

The inn came into view nearby. From afar, riffraffs were already causing a ruckus, grabbing visitors in broad daylight. As one visitor fell to a thug’s hammer, a brawl erupted in an instant.

Silver entered the inn and said.

[Anyway, you just worry about your own life. Oh, and keep rotating your left wrist in a circle. It’s a spell you do when asking for the day’s misfortune to fall away. Doing that much might help.]

[Yes. Thank you.]

Wolf, who had been shaking his left hand following Silver’s lead, met his gaze.

[Silver. Let’s definitely leave for Atania together.]

Silver silently stared at Wolf. This time, he couldn’t bring himself to mock him, ‘What kind of bullshit is that?’

***

Black Weasel woke up late in the afternoon. Even then, it was only because Silver had beaten Black Weasel to wake him up, after Red Eagle protested, ‘I’m starving, I can’t wait any longer!’

Black Weasel stirred. He slowly raised his upper body and scratched the back of his head.

“If you’re hungry, why don’t you go downstairs and eat?”

“They can’t speak Stoll, you idiot. Hurry up and get out.”

The prince and his servant stepped into the hallway, they turned around with cold expressions. A constant rumbling erupted from their stomachs. Black Weasel frowned as he walked down the hallway.

[Are you little brats? No matter how gently you were raised, can’t you go buy a single meal? If you can’t speak Stoll, use gestures or something! Disturbing this old man’s sweet slumber after so long… Cough, cough!]

Black Weasel coughed and wiped tears from his eyes as smoke billowed from below. Were it not for the presence of hallucinogenic herb scent, he would have been certain the warriors were conducting an unprecedented experiment, burning prisoners alive inside a wooden building while drunk.

The warriors, raving from broad daylight, were all stark naked, not a thread on them. There were guests he hadn’t seen last night. Amid the stench of rotten wood, alcohol, and hallucinogenic herb smoke, the warriors were busily entertaining their ‘guests’ in all sorts of peculiar ways.

One warrior made a guest sing. Each time he stabbed the guest’s buttocks with a rusty dagger in time with the beat, the singing voice became distorted. Across the room, a smooth-headed man, like an oiled stone, poured liquor into a guest’s nostrils. In the middle of the tavern, two young men were tangled on the floor, sucking each other. The warriors watching the scene clutched their sides laughing.

The ‘civilized’ Red Eagle and Wolf were horrified by this spectacle. Their eyes bulged. They froze like a frog before a snake with its jaws wide open, unable to move a muscle.

[Sit down, kids. Weren’t you hungry?]

Black Weasel seated at the table tapped the surface with the back of his hand. Only then did Red Eagle and Wolf gasp and lift their heads. Silver, seated beside Black Weasel, grabbed a passing waiter.

“Bring six basic meals…”

“No, twelve.”

Black Weasel cut in and added.

“Serve the alcohol in the signor. Bring it all! Who are these ‘guests’ working here right now?”

“Guest? They are prisoners.”

The waiter replied indifferently.

“They were locked up in the stables, but the warriors said they were bored and brought them here. Those guys over there sucking each other off? They hate each other like poison. The warriors put them together on purpose. To screw with them.”

“What playful warriors. Right, bring us some tasty food.”

After the attendant left, Black Weasel spoke in a low voice.

[Kids, here’s the plan. From now on, the prince and his attendant are my sons, and Silver is my slave. The sons grew up in Atania since childhood, so they can’t speak Stoll.]

[You mean assign roles like in a play? Why suddenly…?]

At Wolf’s words, Silver gestured toward Black Weasel.

[As you can see, he’s got a face that invites fists wherever he goes. Last night, the drunken warriors couldn’t tell us from their drinking bottles, but things are different now.]

[Oh… So we’re coordinating our stories in case trouble starts? Wait, what should we say if they ask why we grew up in Atania?]

[No idea. Bingapsu, what’re you going to make up?]

[No clue.]

At Black Weasel’s retort, Wolf and Red Eagle looked speechless. Silver raised a fist.

[So what? We’ve got this.]

[You’re going to settle it with your fists? Hey, then there’s no point in assigning roles and coordinating our stories. Ha, really…]

Wolf rubbed his face with both hands. Red Eagle also spoke in a serious voice.

[Sir. It’s already getting dark outside.]

[The sun sets early in winter.]

[That’s not what I meant… Are you planning to row all night?]

[In this cold winter? Let’s stay here one more day.]

[…Sir. How many days do you expect to reach our destination?]

[I don’t know. We’ll just go as we go.]

Black Weasel, just awakened from sleep, was a talking stone. Unless he stuffed food and drink into his mouth and soaked his body in a hot spring, he could never return to human form. The prince and his servant, who knew nothing, just looked shocked.

“Enjoy your meal!”

The table was laden with food. The stacked rye bread in the basket gave off a savory aroma. Yellow butter slid across the bread’s surface, and the smoked fish glowed a vivid red, like fresh fruit. Unlike the prince and his servant, who nibbled at the bread, Black Weasel shoved food into his mouth like a beggar who hadn’t eaten in three days. Now, all he needed was to be dunked in a hot spring, and he’d turn back from stone into human.

[After we finish eating, I’m going to wash up. It’s an outdoor bath. Do you want to come?]

When Silver asked, the prince and his servant’s faces lit up.

[Yes, yes! We’ll go! I was just thinking how nice it would be to wash up properly.]

[An outdoor bath? I’m looking forward to it. Soaking leisurely while admiring the winter forest? How romantic.]

[Indeed, Your Highness. Since our schedule’s been pushed back a day…]

True to their upbringing in the palace, the young masters were picturing a tranquil resort hot spring. Unfortunately, the outdoor bath at this third-rate inn was always crowded with people. What’s more, it was a mixed bath for men and women.

However, sexual activity was never seen there. While the Stolls would casually do it even in the middle of town, the bathhouse and hot springs were an exception. For some reason, they focused solely on washing themselves there, though no one knew why.

So there was no need to tell those bastards it was a mixed bath, right?

The moment Silver thought that, Wolf’s face lit up as if he’d remembered something, and he urgently asked.

[Wait, Silver! Is this outdoor bath a mixed bath? It’s not, right?]

[Of course it is. It’s a mixed bath.]

Black Weasel replied curtly. The prince and his servant turned as pale as if doused in ice water. Seeing that, Silver’s mood soured instantly. These bastards are treating us like savages again?

[Are you scared? You don’t know what a woman’s body looks like?]

Silver slammed his fist down on the table.

[Atanians are obsessed with nude paintings. Bingapsu lived there for a few years, he said there wasn’t a single barber shop or bookstore without them hanging. They buy those nude paintings as art, yet they treat Stoll’s mixed bath like a sewer, damn it!]

[That’s right! Exactly!]

Black Weasel chimed in, his face flushed.

[So you’re not going? Scared your golden hair will turn into wretched red if you dip into a mixed bath?]

Black Weasel’s beard bristled like an angry hedgehog. The prince and his servant immediately straightened their posture.

[We’ll go.]

[Silver’s right. We all know what human bodies look like. Just focus on washing without thinking about it.]

Just then, someone kicked the inn tavern door.