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Episode 104 – Brewing Storm 4 ‘Nameless Musician, Hal‘
Last Chapter: Eugene is disgusted with the overly sweet drink at the cafe. Louis gave Dea and the others finger protectors Eugene bought with his money. Dea explains why he and his group are working hard to become knights!
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“The country is getting better with Sir Ario’s help! After his music academy establishment, life got better!” Arie said with a relieving smile on his face.
“It got better… Just that..” Dea sighed.
Just as Dea was about to continue, the sound of the cafe door opening and loudly banging against the wall was heard!
BANG!!
This loud noise alarmed everyone and halted everyone in the cafe from doing what they were doing. The lively cafe instantly quiets down, everyone glancing towards the person who made his rude entrance.
This included Eugene who briefly frowned at the sudden situation. The person who made this loud entrance was a man with an unkempt appearance. The man had long dark hair, which was messily braided to one side. His white dress was covered with mud and dirt, and the red cape he wore over this white-turned-grey dress was full of holes and cuts. This cape allowed for the man’s facial expression to be hidden.
‘An accident?’ Eugene tilted her head. The man looked like he went through a big accident. Eugene frowned before glancing towards his feet.
‘Homeless?’ The man wore no shoes and walked with his barefoot. His foot was covered in dirt and dried blood, which means he hasn’t worn shoes in a long while. This also adds up to Eugene’s hypothesis of the man possibly being homeless.
She glanced back to the man who seemed to be looking straight at them. Or rather, to someone in front of her. Although not noticeable, the man jolted a bit before walking to them. The customers in the cafe who were closest to him immediately backed away and allowed the man to do whatever he wished.
Alert, Eugene quickly pulled Euria out of her seat and threw her behind to Aernest and Ramon. Although the man might not have bad intentions, although her actions were discriminatory, Eugene forgot all about that and instinctively reacted.
Aedelak who was sitting beside her gripped the table and pushed her body forward to block Eugene from the man walking towards them. Using her free hand, she too gripped Aeselak’s shoulders who was sitting before her. In case the man attacks, she can immediately push Aeselak behind her.
Not only was Aeselak and Eugene alert, but Louis and Con were already gripping their bow and arrow under the table to shoot if necessary. Xenperia’s soldiers outside the cafe were already alert and had entered the cafe. Similarly, the soldiers sitting beside their table surrounded the children when the disheveled man stepped into the 10-meter protection range.
Yet, even though the children and the soldiers were on high alert, the disheveled man nevertheless walked straight to their table, and as if he didn’t see the soldier in front of him before he bumped into the soldier, the soldier without moment’s hesitation twisted the man’s body and locked him to the ground.
The man screamed in pain! “AHH!!!!!!” His scream pierced through everyone’s eardrums, further frightening everyone. Some people in the cafe, who was now panicked, screamed along. Some chose to run away from the cafe, and some people who were annoyed at the commotion formed into a group to surround the man and the soldier.
“AHHHH!” The man violently struggled to get out of the soldier’s grip.
“Stay still!” The soldier used his other hand to push the man’s head down.
All of a sudden, a stranger’s voice shouted! “Open his cape! Open his cape!” A customer pointed! His shout, enticed everyone to do the same!
“Open the cape! Open the cape!”
‘Cape?’ Eugene frowned. ‘Why cape?’ She carefully stared at the group who surrounded the man. Some were smiling as if they were familiar with the man who was struggling on the floor. Some were even laughing at the man.
The soldier glanced at his comrade who nodded at him. With no choice, he pulled the man’s cape apart.
Everyone who wasn’t a citizen of Zene gasped! The man whose face was hidden behind the red cape had his face completely burnt! Not only was his face burnt, but his eyes were also white! There was no pupil, no iris, no nothing! The man’s eyes were white as if he was blind!
Eugene’s arms that she didn’t know was blocking everyone behind her was suddenly gripped. The hand that gripped her arms had a fast pulse. Without even turning back, Eugene knew that it was Euria who was scared.
“Ohhh!” One customer breathed out in relief.
Everyone started breathing out in relief which puzzled Eugene and those who came from Xenperia. There were sighs of relief and sighs of disgust. No one panicked anymore, nor did they look scared.
“It’s the time of the month?” One customer said loudly.
“He’s back again…” Another sighed roughly.
One man in his 30 shakes his head. “No matter how many times the knights throw him out of the capital, he still manages to walk back on his own two feet.” He slightly smirked as he said.
“What’s going on? Time of the month?” Eugene muttered loudly. Everyone’s reaction was weird. Why were the customers smiling all of a sudden?
“Oooo…” Euria loudly exhaled. As if she couldn’t breathe, she started heaving.
Feeling the body behind her tremble with fear, Eugene shook Euria’s grip off her arm and changed to interlocking their hands.
“It will be alright,” Eugene said and gripped Euria’s hands tighter.
“No… no…” Euria shook her head. She pulled their interlocked hands and turned Eugene to face her.
“We have to leave…” She said, her red eyes bore into Eugene’s grey eyes.
Seeing that Eugene wasn’t saying anything, Euria turned to Aernest and Ramon. “We should leave immediately.” She repeated.
Eugene too glanced at Ramon and Aernest, shaking her head for the two to do something to calm Euria down. Without a moment’s hesitation, Ramon tightly hugged Euria into his embrace, repeating for her not to be scared and for her not to look.
“Hey, guard! This man won’t do anything! He has no arms, and he never fights back! A foreigner like him does not need for you esteemed guests to worry about!” The customer in his 30’s laughed and advised.
“Yeah! That’s right! He can’t fight!” Another man added in.
Although the group surrounding the man was laughing, the children sitting at the table were gloomy. The way the group used the word ‘foreigner’ was incredibly insulting, and more than alarmed, the word ticked them off of the little good mood they had left.
“He’s also blind! He can’t do anything!” Another cheered from the side!
“They are a tribe that moved here after the war! The tribe is completely useless and is full of blind people! Not only do they not do anything to help prosper the country, but they also eat away our tax money!” One man shouted!
“This guy especially is mad keen! Normally everyone in his tribe hides and stays inside their little city, yet only this guy will come here to disturb our peaceful capital! The guy is mentally ill and rambles about nonsense! Never listen to his words!”
Eugene’s facial expression went from dark to darker. Although she didn’t exactly know what she was feeling, she disliked whatever was turning her stomach. Grinding her teeth, she asked Dea without looking at him. “Is this what you wanted to say but hesitated?”
“…..” Dea and his group didn’t reply.
Eugene paid no attention but sneered. “Peaceful indeed.” She said and watched the situation coldly.
“AHHHHHH!!!!! They will kill us! They are killing us!” The white-eyed man screamed as he struggled to get out of the soldier’s hold.
“They are killing us!! The forbidden room! It’s all there! Go see! Go and see it! Everyone! Everyone is lying to us!” The man continued to shout!
Yet despite his pleas and cries, laughter erupted everywhere.
“HAHAHAHAHA!!”
The man in his 30’s couldn’t take it anymore and walk up to him. Using his feet, he spread the cape apart, showing that the man had no hands and showing the little instrument tied around the waist of the man.
Without moment’s hesitation, the man once again erupted in laughter as he stomped down to the instrument; immediately breaking the instrument in half/
“You don’t need this, do you? Not only are you blind, but you also can’t even play IT!” The man in his 30’s said as he continued stomping his feet on the instrument.
The man whose instrument was being destroyed didn’t care. He continued shouting. “Everyone is dying! We are all dying! HELP!!! I saw it! I really saw it! They are killing us!” The man screamed!
Ticked, the man in his 30’s harshly kicked the white-eyed man on his waist.
The soldier holding the man didn’t let go but frowned; not knowing whether to stop the customer from kicking the man or to let him continue.
“Yes, yes. Die all you want. With your tribe’s death, everyone in the country will prosper!” Another customer spat.
Sucking in her breath, Eugene felt the anger she hasn’t felt since her grandmother visited, rising. Closing her eyes, she sharply inhaled. She didn’t care about Zene, nor does she care about their situation. However! The words said to the man somehow stirred up a memory she forgot existed.
“With your death, everyone’s lives will be better!” A familiar voice and a familiar sentence spoke from inside Eugene’s head.
Eugene clenched her jaws and dug her nails into her clenched palm. Opening her eyes, she stared at the group of people in front of her, blankly.
With a cold and distant voice, Eugene said. “What are you doing?”
“Huh?” The man destroying the instrument jolted. He looked up to search for the desolate voice before locking eyes with Eugene.
Although his heart felt fearful of how cold her voice was, he smiled. “Young Miss? I-”
Without waiting for him to finish, Eugene glanced at the soldier looking up to her. With her head tilted, she spoke. “Do your job.” She said coldly, her eyes bore through to the soldier’s eyes; her pupils contracted vertically making her eyes look like ones of a snake.
The soldier froze on spot, but it wasn’t until 2 seconds later when his 3 teammates walked up to him to pick the white-eyed man up.
“Huh?” The man in his 30’s was confused and was pushed to move by the 3 soldiers carrying the man away.
“…” Aedelak exhaled the tension away and turned back only to slightly jolt.
“Mi.s.. Miss..” Her lips trembled, shocked at Eugene’s face. Rather than scary, it was spine-chilling.
Louis glanced over at Aedelak and Eugene and frowned. Before he could say anything, someone laughed.
“Hahaha!” The man who Eugene cut off laughed. “ He was staining your eyes? I see!” The man assumed that Eugene was annoyed at the crudeness of the white-eyed man and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Eugene blinked, and within a second her normal blank look returned. She ignored the man talking to her and turned around.
She examined Dea, Arie, Aren, Argen, and Con carefully before turning away.
“….” Everyone froze.
“Is… Is everything alright?” Arie spoke first.
Eugene raised her brow and sarcastically said. “Is it fun?” Her words dig deep into everyone’s heart. Although her choice of words was peculiar, they could sense that her words conveyed something different.
“This…” Dea tapped on the table.
Eugene shook her head. “Forgot it. I didn’t mean anything.” She took back her words. She didn’t know why she was relieving anger towards Dea and the group when they haven’t done anything. Thinking back to herself from a few minutes ago, she had already assumed that the man who walked in was homeless and that he was dangerous.
Eugene slightly sighed. But before she could forget about everything, a sudden thought popped into her head. ‘Wait… He’s blind?’ Eugene blinked. ‘That’s impossible!’ Eugene frowned.
She kept her thoughts to herself and followed everyone to leave the cafe. Outside the cafe, five knights wearing full battle-on gears were standing guard. One was holding up the white-eyed man, whilst the others stood guard.
Even the Great Musician/Commander was here.
The man who reacted crazily inside the cafe quietened down and stood motionless before the Great musician who was playing his flute.
“There! See that, The Great Musician’s music is what brings light into people with blackened hearts!” Someone shouted
Before long, the eyed-man left with the knights as if nothing ever happened.
“Where will you bring him?” Duke Rodriguez frowned but asked.
“The Royal Palace. This time, he disturbed you guest from Xenperia. So something must be done at this point.” The Great Musician sighed and gave Duke Rodriguez a light smile. He left with the knights and accompanied the white-eyed man into the Royal Palace.
The people watching the commotion dispersed and left, bringing calm to the city once again.
“That man is mentally ill. He comes to the capital twice a month.” Arie brought his hand to his forehead and said.
“It’s not his fault for being the way he is, which is probably why the knights just escort him out of the capital every time he makes a commotion.”
“Is that so…” Duke Rodriguez glanced at Arie.
“He doesn’t seem that ill. Well, at least he hasn’t gone mad.” Eugene said as she stared at the back of the carriage leaving for its destination.
“Huh? What do you mean? That’s not mad?” Arie glanced at Eugene flabbergasted.
Eugene shrugged her shoulders. “Looks pretty sane to me.” She said.
Dea sighed. “We aren’t like them.” He said.
“As in, looking down on people you call ‘foreigners?’ Ron Graeme added.
“Yes.” Dea honestly replied.
“We understand that man because… Because we used to live like him. We used to live like that as well.”
“The white-eyed man didn’t use to be like this. He used to be normal, but ever since he returned with his body severed and burned, he started becoming like this. That was also when people started calling him crazy.”
“Everyone knows him?” Louis suddenly questioned. The words Dea said alluded to something.
“… Yes. He’s called the nameless musician, Hal.” Dea sighed.
The nameless musician was a name everyone in the capital knows. Unlike the Greatest Musician who was famous and known to everyone in Zene, the Nameless musician was not well known; only known in this part of Zene.
One day, the nameless musician appeared on the bridge connecting to the city outside of the capital to the capital. He played music by the bridge, earning money from people who passed to go to the capital. Although people didn’t like foreigners, they pitied him and cheered for his courage to make his life better.
His music resonates with everyone because he would play and sing music yearning for a lover. The song, ‘A dead lover’ was well known, and because of this, the nameless musician Hal became known to the people living in the capital.
However one day, Hal disappeared. And when he returned, he could no longer play music. He no longer had arms. No longer had a nice appearance. No longer could anyone relate to him.
No longer was he sane.
Dea retold the story. In fact, because of his sudden disappearance and his sudden shocking return, the name, nameless musician Hal became more well known in the capital than when he was peacefully playing music on the bridge.
“But why do you think he’s still sane? If it was me, I wouldn’t be sane.” Dea asked Eugene in confusion. If he came back burnt and without arms, he would go mental. But, even without him re-telling the story, everyone would naturally assume that the white-eyed man was not normal.
Eugene blinked. “Intuition.” She said.
“….” Dea blinked before scratching his head.
Eugene glanced at the empty streets and quietly thought.
Although his eyes are white, his eyes reflect the eyes she used to have. Eyes that are waiting for a chance. Eyes that are honest.
‘The forbidden room.’ Eugene remembered the nameless musician’s eyes jolting when he said that. For sure, this room existed. And although Eugene wasn’t sure, the room might be connected to what she found at the river today.
She moved her gaze to Louis and Duke Rodriguez whose expression also seemed to be wary.
A storm is brewing…
No.
It has already… come.
