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The only quests that Weed could complete are the ones that are inside the Citadel, asking around and gathering information from people.
“I am still incompetent. I am afraid I may not be worthy of your request” Weed said.
“I am certain you are up to this task. You prudence shall lead the way to safety” The shopkeeper replied
“If you say so, I will take it willingly” Weed said.
“Thank you traveler. A bard with knowledge in ancient tales and street gossip is the one whom you should ask about Queen Evane. Beware! This matter is very sensitive, so you should not cause trouble that might lead to any defamation of the Royal Family”
Keeping down a sudden impulse to hum a tune, Weed headed straight to a pub across the street.
“Good afternoon” Returning the greeting from a waitress, Weed looked around in search of a bard. There were a few conditions to meet. First, he counted the bard users out when he looked for the right man. It was a long shot that any user had ever heard of an event that had happened in the Royal Palace half a century before. Weed would be better off to find a Serabourgian native, possibly an elderly.
Whether he could sing ballads favorably or not, an old bard was reliable when it comes to worldly gossip. Weed stopped by several pubs until he found a bard who lived up to his expectations. It was a middle-aged bard in his forties, experience buy with both charm and youth. Clapping both hands, Weed approached the bard.
“Thank you for a fine ballad, sir. Forgive me for interrupting you, but I want to ask you a few questions… Do you know what happened fifty years ago in the Royal Court of Rosenheim?”
The bard’s thrust his palm out and Weed could not miss what this gesture implied. He frowned immediately, his mouth twitching with a grave sense of responsibility that he would not waste a pe
“You sure have a charming voice. I appreciate your talent in writing both the lyrics and the music for that ballad. Also your skills in the instrument were more than impressive…”
“…”
“I bet you broke the hearts of many Serabourgian ladies back when you were a young ray of sunshine at the peak of your career. Of course, I do not doubt that you are still stealing ladies’ hearts… For a bard, adventure and romance is everything. I also love romance”
The palm didn’t go away, and the bard snapped, “I’m sick and tired of cheap compliments from the likes of you, foreigner. Show me the money, or get lost”
Weed was momentarily lost.
“Do I just give up the quest in the middle? Anyway, the quest doesn’t penalize me even if I decide to drop out. But maybe it would give me sweet rewards later, and I would hate to miss out on them”
Weed’s hand slipped into his pocket and fished out a coin before he realized his mistake.Two silvers!There were two silver coins in his pocket. That was everything that the instructor had given him as a retaining fee for the previous quest.
The bard seized the silver coin from Weed’s palm.
It was a basic mistake that he had forgotten to exchange his money into smaller coins in advance.
“I can’t believe I made such a silly mistake!”Weed’s body shook in distress and grief.
“Hmph, this is a secret, so you must keep it to yourself” The bard said under his breath “Queen Evan and the sculptor had been on intimate terms since they were children”
“What do you mean by intimate terms…?” Weed asked
“You fool! I know nothing else for intimate terms between a man and a woman—they loved each other”
“Point taken” Weed now realized why poking his nose into the rumor had to remain a secret from the Royal Court.
Given that the former Queen’s sacred name was mentioned in that scandalous matter. Royal Knights would be willing to silence anyone at any cost to keep her honor intact.
The bard glanced around the pub and added cautiously “They were born in the same village, and grew up bearing each other dearly in mind. They boy’s name was Zahab. The girl was always carrying ornaments carved and given by him when she was a child, with a dream that she would become his wife someday. But Destiny played tricks on them! The girl was chosen to be the Royal Maid and the boy left her. But in the end, there was a promise between them”
“What promise, if I may ask?” Weed asked, now curious.
“Zahab promised to show the girl the most beautiful statue under heaven”
“I guess it was not kept, then. The Queen must have a great number of beautiful, magnificent statues in her place”
“No, he kept it. Many years later, Zahab presented himself as a quest to the Royal Court. It was said that, at the sight of his work, she was most touched, saying it was the most beautiful creature under heaven”
“Then, what statue, for Freya’s sake, did he present to Queen Evane? A Queen doesn’t easily cherish an ordinary piece”
“True. Pay a visit to a lady’s maid who witness the day, and hear the rest of the story. This is as far as I can tell you because I also heard it from someone else”
“Is she still alive?”
“Yes” The bard told Weed the way to the house of the lady’s maid.
Weed went to visit her. She had retired, and when he mentioned Queen Evane and the sculptor, she gave him a joyous welcome.
“Her Highness was very virtuous and gracious lady. So do you want to hear about what happened back then?
“Yes, ma’am”
“You have found the right person to ask. I personally served Her Highness. She first resented Zahab-nim when he visited the palace.
“Why so, if I may ask?”
“It was his promise. When they were young, they made a promise, a promise that Zahab-nim would present Her Highness with the most beautiful statue under heaven. But when he appeared in the palace, he was carrying a sword, not an engraving knife. To the eyes of everyone, he looked like a fine swordsman who was proficient in the sword. You should have seen how heartbroken Her Highness was. It was indescribable! Her Highness so believed in Zahab-nim that even if the world turned upside down, he would be the same eternally, and likewise, the promise between them was divine”
“…”
“On that day, Brent Kingdom, which bordered on Rosenheim, dispatched a band of assassins. They revealed a treacherous ambition to seize our Kingdom, and Freya only knows how shocked I was when assassins stormed in and assaulted Her and His Highness in the garden”
“Those wicked scoundrels!”
“Yes, young traveler, you can say that again. A couple of Royal Knights were trapped, thus incapable of holding them in check—and we were left to face death. At that very moment, Zahab-nim walked into the garden. As you can see, right in the middle of fighting, Her Highness warned him and ordered him to leave. But Zahab-nim only smiled—”
“He smiled in the middle of such a dangerous situation?”
“—and he said he would show her the most beautiful statue that he had ever carved under heaven. To everyone’s surprise, the moonlight shattered into pieces at Zahab-nim’s sword. Its beauty was really striking. He was singing a song while he carved the moonlight. I ca