Enlightened Empire

Chapter 366: During the Festival (2)

“Bring me your best wine, boy!” Lord Rafun shouted at the commoner who sat behind the stall, before he turned to his host. “Priest Watayi, this lord is excited to see if the drinks from this tavern are as extraordinary as they are made out to be.”

“Not to worry, Lord Rafun. This Amber Cup tavern is one of the most well-known in the entire city. Surely, they are famous for a reason. Lord will not be disappointed. Is that not right, boy?”

“Yes Lord, Of course, Lord.”

What an obedient little worker, Lord Rafun thought.

Ever since his return, Rafun was very satisfied with the attitude of the people in the city. Saniya had been his home in the past few years. Throughout that time, he had greatly enjoyed all the amenities the city had to offer, including the banquets organized by the king and the other lords.

However, during his days in the city, the overconfidence and ostentation of the commoners here had always made him a bit uncomfortable. Especially the king’s commoner servants, be they government officials or soldiers in his army, had always been grating to him. Now, finally, the discomfort was gone, and everything was right in the world.

“The city was always a good place to be, but now that the commoners know their place, it is truly great at last.”

Without concern for the opinion of the tavern hand in front of him, he frankly stated his thoughts towards Priest Watayi. After all, what could the commoner do, now that times had changed and the league of lords had taken control of the city?

“Indeed,” Watayi replied knowingly. “We all should know our place in the world. Only then can there be peace.”

In truth, Rafun wasn’t interested in the priest’s fancy desires. If there ever was peace, what would he use his warriors for? Still, he wouldn’t ruin their relationships with the priests by starting a pointless argument about the enjoyments and honors of combat.

Finally, they were handed their drinks by the sluggish commoner at the stall, before continued their stroll down the road. Of course, there was no need for a lord like him to spend money on the goods of a lowly tavern boy.

As they walked, the crowd made way like water around a reef, much to Rafun’s satisfaction. Not only were these people afraid of his guards, no. Clearly, most of their worried glances were directed at his own majesty. At last, the people of this city showed the proper respect towards their betters.

This is how this city should have always looked like, just like every other city in the empire.

He had spent several years in this place, but he had never felt this free before. In the past, he had always felt a resistance hidden deep behind the eyes of the commoners. They had always obeyed his commands, but Rafun could always feel their reluctance.

It had made him uncomfortable, and careful, in case some commoner would lose his calm and make a silly attempt like poisoning him. Now, there was nothing more to worry about. All of the commoners in the city made way without even a hint of resistance, and all of them held their heads down low when they saw him.

In a fantastic mood, Rafun took a sip of his wine. The taste was sharp and rich, perfect for a cold winter day, and just how he liked it.

“As you said, Priest Watayi, it is a fantastic vintage,” Rafun expertly judged the wine’s quality. “East Medalan, is it?”

“Yes, freshly imported from the terraces on the Sallqata Mountains, I hear. It should be from within the estate of Lord Petrocilius.”

“This year has been hot and dry, so it is no surprise it made for an excellent vintage.”

“Rare as well,” Watayi added with pride in his voice. “No wonder everyone says the king is rich, if such a wine can be sold on a street stall.”

With great satisfaction, Rafun stared at the cup in his hand, which he swung around to release the wine’s aroma. As he did so, the priest waited on him, though he looked confused. Of course, a priest wouldn’t know the first thing about wine, but Rafun didn’t care. Not even his boorish companion could ruin his mood today.

“And we did not have to pay a single coin,” he added instead. “How generous from our king.”

All around them were stalls, as well as uncountable masses of people frequenting them. If his own estate were to pay for all of this for only a single day, House Rafun would go bankrupt. Meanwhile, the festival in Saniya had been going for two whole days, and it would last at least until midnight today, when the priest’s star reading would constitute the highlight and finale of the solstice festival.

“Indeed it is. Though all this generosity only shows how much silver King Corcopaca has stolen by disregarding the advice of his ancestors.”

Watayi sighed in faked anguish, though Rafun was more than happy to play along.

“Surely, he should be liberated from his burden to return to the righteous path,” he said. Of course, the league of lords was more than happy to relieve the king of all those burdensome silver coins.

“Not to worry,” Watayi said, “even today, during the festivities, the Pacha priests have taken it upon themselves to preach the good word to the people of this sinful city. Hopefully, the league of lords can support us in this endeavor and help the king and his people see reason.”

“Of course the southern lords will do everything to cooperate with the priesthood. Everything in the name of the heavens.”

“How reassuring to see such dedication to the faith,” Watayi said. However, he looked like he was contemplating his next words, so Rafun didn’t interrupt him. Watayi continued shortly after.

“Though it was quite a surprise to find that lord had come to this winter solstice in person,” he said. “Are Lord’s servants not enough to control the king?”

By now, they weren’t even talking in riddles anymore. Completely undisguised, they planned their takeover of the city in the busy street. After all, who could stop them at this point?

“The circumstances in the city are somewhat more complex than we anticipated,” Rafun explained to his ally. “So far, our supervisors have only gained access to some minor workshops. And they have yet to gain any significant advantage anywhere. Thus, the league has decided to send someone with more authority in support. Whatever tricks these commoner officials use to stall our warriors, it will not work against a proper lord.”

“Surely they would not dare deny a lord’s order,” Watayi said in agreement.

“As a result, this lord, and several of his fellow league members, has come to the city for the festival.” For a moment, Rafun considered whether or not he should mention the second reason for his arrival. However, he didn’t find a good reason for secrecy, so he simply continued.

“Not to mention that the king has put particular emphasis on this festival. He has invited dignitaries from all over the kingdom, and spent an obscene amount of money to attract them. Governor Mayu suspects that King Corcopaca is planning something big during the festival, maybe an attempt to reverse his position. We are here to react in case he oversteps his bounds once again.”

“It seems Governor Mayu is overly thorough. What can this king do in his position?” Watayi sneered.

“True enough. By now, he has been too passive for too long. His sentimental attachment to the lives of his commoners was his fundamental weakness, as was his lack of true faith. With his flaws exposed, and the city filled with warriors from the league, a reversal will be impossible for this king, no matter how hard he tries.”

“In that case, we can enjoy the festival in peace, and wait to laugh at the king’s impotence.”

“On those words, we should drink. Let us find another stall for wine. Today is truly a day to celebrate.”

His words spoken, Rafun threw his empty cup to the side. Maybe he hit someone in the process, but who would dare complain? As they were looking for another stall that served alcohol, they walked towards a local guard – the ones the people here called police – who was traveling together with a soldier in uniform.

Without concern for either, Rafun and Watayi continued on their path. In the end, the local forces had to make way for the outsiders or be shoved aside by a powerful cultivator like Rafun. With great satisfaction, the lord continued on his way, eagerly anticipating the festival’s finale at night.

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Even after Killari and Alcer moved out of the path of the lord and priest, they were still pushed aside. The guards behind the unknown lord took up almost the entire street, and had no intentions to make room for anyone. More concerned than angry, Alcer steadied himself against a wall and dusted off his uniform.

“What a mess,” he said as he looked at the disappearing backs of the nobles among the crowd.

“Yeah, it’s a pain,” Killari said. Alcer’s friend had always been a bit of a loud mouth, but he was still surprised to see the policeman complain about the nobles so openly.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Killari added. “Our men already have too much to do anyways, what with the festival and all the foreign visitors. We really didn’t need all the warriors and lords running around and making trouble too. And we can’t control them at all. They’re just doing whatever they want.”

“I know what you mean,” Alcer replied, before they continued on their way. For the solstice festival, Alcer had the day off, like most soldiers in Saniya’s army. Since he had spent most of his recent days abroad, fighting in the jungle, he decided to visit his friend for once. Although Killari was on duty, it wouldn’t hurt to just accompany him on his route.

However, Alcer’s good mood from the rare free day had been completely ruined by the nobles. With a heavy heart, he thought about the sudden appearance of the supervisors in Saniya, and what it meant for his future.

“You know, I’m going to quit the military,” he said after they had been walking in silence for a while. In response, Killari looked at him in shock.

“What? Why? Weren’t you making career there?” He squinted at Alcer for a second, clearly trying to force his mind to work. Finally, the policeman came to his conclusion, eyes wide open. “Don’t tell me you started nagging a general about rules and such, and he took it personal. I told you to go easy on the rule books!”

Despite Killari’s cheap shot, Alcer decided to ignore him. Humoring his friend usually only led to more mockery. Instead, he replied earnestly.

“You were in the army as well. You know how it is. In the end, you got lucky and were only injured, but it could have gone either way. I’d rather leave now before I get shot dead.”

Although abandoning his men like that felt wrong, he had thought about his choice for a long time. After the war on the jungle island, Alcer had experienced more than enough war for a lifetime.

“So what are you going to do now?” Killari asked, rather than making fun of him again. Maybe only another former soldier would really understand Alcer’s decision.

“From all the money I made in the service, I wanted to open a little workshop. Maybe take up a loan too, to get started.” He tapped his temple. “I have some ideas you see, and I’m sure I can sell them to the castle. Just need to hire some craftsmen, and then get them made.”

“So you’ll be a big boss in the future. Congratulations.” Killari slapped Alcer’s shoulder. “Please don’t forget your friend by then, big boss. Just double my wages and I’ll be your guardsman.”

Again, Alcer ignored his friend’s joke.

“Well, I don’t think it will happen anymore.” Alcer sighed heavily. “The workshop used to be my retirement plan, but now it seems impossible. The city is in no state to start any business, and my workshop would just get raided by the supervisors anyways. So what’s the point?”

“It really is a mess,” Killari agreed. “You know, our entire force has been ordered to stand down even if the warriors make trouble. So long as they don’t kill anyone and don’t set anything on fire, they have free reign to do whatever they want. I know our police isn’t strong enough to fight the warriors head on, especially since they’ve started carrying weapons in the city. But we can’t just let them run around like they own the place, right? Hey, you know people, don’t you? Isn’t the army going to do something?”

Although he didn’t want to disappoint his friend, Alcer shook his head.

“No, we got the same orders,” he said. “’Don’t interfere, don’t get into fights with the warriors.’ That’s what my superior said. Doesn’t matter if we like it or not, it looks like King Corcopaca isn’t ready to resist the lords.”

Killari fell behind for a step, maybe in shock or in contemplation, before he caught back up again.

“In that case, we both might have to start looking for work again soon,” he said, with more optimism than Alcer could have mustered.

Again, the soldier sighed. What could he say in reply to that? Confronted by his own helplessness and faced with a dark future, his stomach contracted and his face scrunched up. After so many victories on foreign soil, now it looked like Saniya’s soldiers would lose in their own home, without even firing a single shot. Up above, dark clouds were gathering, and a strong breeze was blowing through the city streets. As evening made way to night, the weather was getting worse.