The Ten-Thousand Reale Special (4)

It was a familiar face, one I never hoped to see wearing such fancy clothes – an off-white suit with a striking blue tie over a black button-down. Although it was hard to tell, with all the makeup smeared over his face, this man was that captain who had been trying to kidnap and assault me for the last ten days. He looked surprisingly respectable while his tone of voice sounded like that of an elite class. Yet at the same time, his fake smile wasn’t as up to par as what I would expect from those in the upper castes. Well, at least, it’s not as terrifying as that overflowing, benevolent greed from the usurper king.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like I could ignore him and continue on with my show. The audience, and even the nearby streetgoers, had kneeled as soon as they saw him, facing their heads towards the ground. Even my assailants, with their boundless rampaging, had done the same. I mean, if you’re going to pretend to be bandits or gangsters, why show any respect at all?

“Showman! You must kneel in front of our lord!”

“Our cap– lord has asked for your time!”

Ah right, and then there’s these two. Knights flanked the captain on both sides, barking at my discourtesy, not that I really understood why I had to listen to them. Their words weren’t exactly rude, but they were quite obnoxious to the point of annoyance. Though, if they showed up every day with that attitude, I would’ve definitely socked them somehow.

“Why hello there. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance again,” I enunciated, bowing with my hat in hand as though I was standing on stage. “As you can see, I am currently in the middle of a show–”

“Listen here!” the knight interrupted. “Our cap– lord’s words take priority over your–” The captain held up his hand, silencing her immediately. His eyes narrowed, scrutinizing my entire body. Seems like he noticed that ‘again’ I slipped in, but I doubt he’ll mention it.

“What is your name?” he commanded, not that I believed his authority for a moment, no matter how real it was.

“Ah, my apologies,” I flipped the hat onto my head, placing my hand against my chest. “They call me the Jester.”

“And your real name?

“Lost to the annals of time, I’m afraid.” Don’t think I’m going to play ball with whatever you have planned.

“You can’t–” Once again, the captain stopped the knight from protesting in an instant, regarding me with another gracious grin.

“Well then ‘Jester’, a patron of mine has expressed their desire to make your acquaintance. They were taken by your tales and talents of whimsy and want to offer you an opportunity.”

“You can tell them that they are welcome to join my show at any time,” I responded, motioning to the kneeling audience.

“Ah, but you see, my patron is unable to step out in the public eye. He is rather busy with his full-time commitment, so he would prefer you to join him for a brief lunch, if you could be so kind.” The two knights gripped their weapons tightly, not specifically pointing them at me, but their gaze made their intentions clear. This wasn’t a negotiation.

It was a threat.

I should’ve teleported away before they asked… “I would be honored to meet the patron of such an esteemed neanderthal. The earliest I can do is tomorrow. I still have to wrap up my show, you see,” I tried to delay. The captain and his goons interrupted before I could resolve back to the first chord, so our conversation was much tenser than it should’ve been.

“But my patron is rather impatient. He simply cannot wait to meet you.”

Welp, I didn’t think that would work. It seems like I’m trapped. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. There were plenty of ways to escape. After all, the person standing before the captain was an illusion, so I could easily sneak away while they talked. It would also be simple to teleport away. I didn’t detect any new mana signatures, so I didn’t have to worry about them catching on either.

However, this situation was far more complex. This public showing was essentially a form of peer pressure and military power, trying to make me conform and obey as a member of the lower caste. If I tried to run, I would be throwing away any chance of making money through entertainment. It might even be criminal.

Sure, I did have other ways of getting about, and I could always make other illusions, but there were two problems. First, I was leaving in a few days, so setting up an entirely new persona would take too long. Second, my illusion was basically my real body with a lot of glow up, so if you were looking closely, you could recognize me. Or maybe it’s because I’m too lazy to do something new with the end nearby.

“Is that all your reasons?” the familiar voice whispered, easily reading my thoughts.

I chose to ignore her.

“How facetious of you. I will reluctantly come and meet this patron of yours.” With a snap of my fingers, any lingering illusions were sucked into the piano harp, before it too disappeared in a blue blaze. Seeing such a sight, the knights took a step back and stood ready for combat, though they were the only ones. My other assailants and even the captain remained calm.

“We have prepared a carriage for your convenience,” the captain said, motioning towards the open door. Well, he called it a carriage, but it looked more like a limousine-sized police car. Of course, I can’t forget about the horses pulling it. Still one of the weirdest design choices.

My illusion stepped into the car while my real body clambered onto the roof. While I didn’t think they had anything to restrict magic, I wasn’t planning to take any unnecessary risks. The captain took the seat opposite, about two two swords-length away, while the knights walked along either side.

“Thank you for your lukewarm hospitality,” I jabbed, while my illusory self leaned into the rather comfy-looking seat. With the concept of magic alongside the industrial innovations, it was hard to tell what was clearly advanced and primitive, though I guessed this should’ve been obvious. Comfort and beauty were definitely one of the many things the upper castes cared deeply about, for one reason or another.

“ Of course, it’s my honor to host such a… slippery guest,” he shot back. His posture reverted back to those of a crude guard, not even trying to keep up the pretense.

“Charmed. By the way, may I know where we are headed?”

“Do I really need to say?”

Well, no. “It’s only polite.” The captain rolled his eyes.

“We’re heading to the palace. King Engres is looking forward to meeting you.”