Emerald and Ken kept their true identities and appearances hidden, and had done so even against Chandi and Nana. Yue already knew what he looked like, but he didn’t reveal his face to her either.
Their new outfits made sure to cover their faces, even covering their eyes with a thin mesh that they could see through. The outfit had been ordered in case he required to attend something within high society, which he needed to be prepared for.
If he didn’t have the foresight to order such clothing, then there would have been reason for others to start an issue with him, beyond just his presence as a cripple.
The pair bathed together and then applied some perfume, which Yue had bought for them with Chandi.
“Remember, no killing,” he said to Emerald, urging her to keep herself restrained for his sake.
“Yes, master.” She bowed her head. She understood why he repeated it, but she hoped that he would trust her.
Nana had also dressed up, though she wore quite a plain outfit in comparison to the other two. She was allowed a little perfume as well, something she could only dream of. Emerald created a mask made of wood, something which Ken had felt in the spur of the moment.
It hadn’t taken long for Ken to prepare the pair of gifts, and a gift from Emerald too. She was taking the role of his guard secretly, though was actually coming as his partner, keeping the role of her Alchemist status a secret, though Rojja already knew.
He wondered how he should arrive at the Town Lord’s estate, before having Nana lead him to the wagon service. There was a teen, a boy, who came to greet him.
“How may I help you?” He glanced between all of them, unsure of who was in charge between the busty woman and the crippled man.
“I’m here to order a wagon, one of high quality.”
“A high quality wagon will cost one gold coin for the evening.” He saw that the crippled man wore some fine clothing, but he wasn’t sure that he could afford such a fine wagon for an evening.
Ken flicked the boy two gold coins casually, which the boy caught. He looked down at the glittering gold coins and then up at Ken in shock.
“Y-yes! Immediately, sir!” He ran off to speak with the manager in order to find a wagon for him.
A black wagon was brought to him, the outside carved all over with a dragon coiling around the top, and then the dragon’s head upfront. There was a driver who wore fine clothing, and two large beastly horses.
“It’s a very nice wagon,” Ken said, and then Nana assisted him up. He thought about hiring a pair of escorts for the night too, but decided against it. This would be enough for now, and perhaps they’d underestimate him.
When they arrived at the Town Lord's estate, it was already bustling with many people. The gates were flanked by two eagle statues, and Ken wondered if they also protected the estate.
They stepped out of the wagon and approached the gate, causing quite a number of people to glance his way. They were stopped at the gate, like everyone else, with a guard holding out a hand to stop them.
"Do you have your invite?" a guard asked.
Ken revealed the letter he had received, assuming it was the invite. The guard took it and then motioned his head to another guard. "Call for the Commerce Head,” he said. The guard nodded and left.
"I apologise, it's just that we need him to confirm your identity." The guard bowed his head. The guard gathered that Ken wasn’t a typical person, but he couldn’t allow anyone to enter if he had the slightest bit of suspicion.
"It's no matter," Ken replied casually. There was no need to act all haughty to a guard just doing his job. The guard was here just to guard and keep an eye out. He had no business being prejudiced like others.
The other guard quickly returned with the Commerce Head, who threw a nod to Ken.
"Young Ken, forgive me. I had been whisked away by an old friend." Rojja bowed respectfully, referring to Ken respectfully, but not in a way which gave away anything he didn’t want to.
"An old friend? I'd love to meet them as well," Ken replied with a light tone, obviously taking it quite easy.
"Yes, I was hoping to introduce you." Rojja smiled and turned to the guard. "The sir is someone I had the pleasure of inviting.”
The guard allowed Ken inside, where there were many paths leading to various different areas, each with their own cliques. There was a woman singing in the corner, a few musicians playing different instruments, and many servants bringing all kinds of delicacies to the people.
There were a few cliques he could recognise all around. Great nobles, those of the main houses and their branches. Then there were the minor nobles, those who were branch families of the main houses who didn’t hold much sway, and those who were once great families, but had lost their prestige. Then there were a few honoured guests around, though they sometimes mingled with the other cliques. Finally, there was the worst of the cliques, the great warriors.
The Commerce Head led Ken to a small table, which already had a few others sitting down. Each was a merchant or craftsman, each an honoured guest.
"So this is the Young Ken you have spoken about? He doesn't seem very special." It was a woman with short red hair, with slightly tan skin. She was short, muscular, and he could see how rough her hands were, with a few burn marks against her hands and forearms.
"In comparison to you, sister, I am but a speck of dust in the wind. How could I compare to you?" Ken was wheeled to the table, and a chair was removed for him.
"I prefer a man who can banter back," she replied dryly.
"I have no legs, so I must have three tongues. One for speaking softly, one for speaking heavily, and one I can reveal to you tonight." Ken decided to try his luck in trying to banter a little too close to the sun.
The others spit their drinks out, some choking on their food. They hadn’t expected the crippled young man to be so overt right away.
The woman smiled, reaching out her hand. "I'm Mill Blackforge."
"Ken," he replied, shaking her hand. "A pleasure to meet you, my lady."
"I'm no lady, I'm a Smith," she snapped back to him.
"Can't a Smith be a lady too?"
"He has quite the tongue," Mill said to Rojja.
"I didn't expect it. He hasn't been so sharp with his tongue against me," Rojja replied as he chuckled.
"I assure you, Commerce Head, if you were as pretty as Smith Mill, I would have tried to use my other tongues on you too.”
Rojja chuckled further, surprised to see this side of Ken. "I'll make a note to have my prettiest worker to receive you." He took it as a sign that Ken was comfortable, or perhaps there was something else behind it.
"If you do that, I'll end up losing too much money when I head to the pavilion."
"You're quite the character," a man said from beside. "I didn't know you knew miss Emerald." He had brown hair and green eyes, and was quite short and fat.
"Miss Emerald is my partner. This is Nana, my handler, who assist me with...” He motioned to his legs.
"What's the story behind the legs?" Smith Mill asked.
"Perhaps another time." Ken chuckled. "First a few drinks and snacks. Nana, don't be shy either, it's not every day this cripple is invited to a party."
"Hah! At least you're self aware." It was a voice from behind them. He turned to see a noble walking over their way. He had blue hair swept to the side. "Commerce Head, I heard that there was a cripple who started an issue with my servant. Is this the one?"
"I don't recall such a situation," Rojja replied. "I had heard that your servant had tried to assault my guest.”
"I don’t believe you would claim such a thing without evidence,” the man said. His eyes then fell to Ken, who was eating some meat off a skewer. “My servant was injured quite badly. I hope you’re able to compensate me?"
"If you want to bring him before me, I can give him a swift and painless death for you.” Ken dabbed his lips with a handkerchief. “I hope you will compensate me for him trying to assault me at the commerce pavilion.” Ken’s eyes fell to Rojja.
"You dare! Threatening my servants? Are you courting death?”
"Don't speak to me about courting death. You come to start an issue with a cripple after your worker was spared? Next time your worker tries to lay his hands on me, I'll take his hands. Next time he speaks such slander about me, I'll take his tongue. Do not repay my kindness with enmity." Ken threw the man a dark look.
"Do you know who I am?" The blue haired man clenched his fists. "If you continue to speak with me in such a tone, don't blame me for being rude."
"Then I will stop talking with you." Ken turned back to eating his skewers. He assumed that the man wouldn’t start any trouble in the Town Lord’s estate.
"You dare ignore me?" The man stepped closer, but stopped when the music stopped and everyone turned to face the Town Lord as he arrived.
Announcement We've surpassed 10k views on this story! Thank you to everyone who has supported me this far. I hope you'll continue to support this series.
Emerald and Ken kept their true identities and appearances hidden, and had done so even against Chandi and Nana. Yue already knew what he looked like, but he didn’t reveal his face to her either.
Their new outfits made sure to cover their faces, even covering their eyes with a thin mesh that they could see through. The outfit had been ordered in case he required to attend something within high society, which he needed to be prepared for.
If he didn’t have the foresight to order such clothing, then there would have been reason for others to start an issue with him, beyond just his presence as a cripple.
The pair bathed together and then applied some perfume, which Yue had bought for them with Chandi.
“Remember, no killing,” he said to Emerald, urging her to keep herself restrained for his sake.
“Yes, master.” She bowed her head. She understood why he repeated it, but she hoped that he would trust her.
Nana had also dressed up, though she wore quite a plain outfit in comparison to the other two. She was allowed a little perfume as well, something she could only dream of. Emerald created a mask made of wood, something which Ken had felt in the spur of the moment.
It hadn’t taken long for Ken to prepare the pair of gifts, and a gift from Emerald too. She was taking the role of his guard secretly, though was actually coming as his partner, keeping the role of her Alchemist status a secret, though Rojja already knew.
He wondered how he should arrive at the Town Lord’s estate, before having Nana lead him to the wagon service. There was a teen, a boy, who came to greet him.
“How may I help you?” He glanced between all of them, unsure of who was in charge between the busty woman and the crippled man.
“I’m here to order a wagon, one of high quality.”
“A high quality wagon will cost one gold coin for the evening.” He saw that the crippled man wore some fine clothing, but he wasn’t sure that he could afford such a fine wagon for an evening.
Ken flicked the boy two gold coins casually, which the boy caught. He looked down at the glittering gold coins and then up at Ken in shock.
“Y-yes! Immediately, sir!” He ran off to speak with the manager in order to find a wagon for him.
A black wagon was brought to him, the outside carved all over with a dragon coiling around the top, and then the dragon’s head upfront. There was a driver who wore fine clothing, and two large beastly horses.
“It’s a very nice wagon,” Ken said, and then Nana assisted him up. He thought about hiring a pair of escorts for the night too, but decided against it. This would be enough for now, and perhaps they’d underestimate him.
When they arrived at the Town Lord's estate, it was already bustling with many people. The gates were flanked by two eagle statues, and Ken wondered if they also protected the estate.
They stepped out of the wagon and approached the gate, causing quite a number of people to glance his way. They were stopped at the gate, like everyone else, with a guard holding out a hand to stop them.
"Do you have your invite?" a guard asked.
Ken revealed the letter he had received, assuming it was the invite. The guard took it and then motioned his head to another guard. "Call for the Commerce Head,” he said. The guard nodded and left.
"I apologise, it's just that we need him to confirm your identity." The guard bowed his head. The guard gathered that Ken wasn’t a typical person, but he couldn’t allow anyone to enter if he had the slightest bit of suspicion.
"It's no matter," Ken replied casually. There was no need to act all haughty to a guard just doing his job. The guard was here just to guard and keep an eye out. He had no business being prejudiced like others.
The other guard quickly returned with the Commerce Head, who threw a nod to Ken.
"Young Ken, forgive me. I had been whisked away by an old friend." Rojja bowed respectfully, referring to Ken respectfully, but not in a way which gave away anything he didn’t want to.
"An old friend? I'd love to meet them as well," Ken replied with a light tone, obviously taking it quite easy.
"Yes, I was hoping to introduce you." Rojja smiled and turned to the guard. "The sir is someone I had the pleasure of inviting.”
The guard allowed Ken inside, where there were many paths leading to various different areas, each with their own cliques. There was a woman singing in the corner, a few musicians playing different instruments, and many servants bringing all kinds of delicacies to the people.
There were a few cliques he could recognise all around. Great nobles, those of the main houses and their branches. Then there were the minor nobles, those who were branch families of the main houses who didn’t hold much sway, and those who were once great families, but had lost their prestige. Then there were a few honoured guests around, though they sometimes mingled with the other cliques. Finally, there was the worst of the cliques, the great warriors.
The Commerce Head led Ken to a small table, which already had a few others sitting down. Each was a merchant or craftsman, each an honoured guest.
"So this is the Young Ken you have spoken about? He doesn't seem very special." It was a woman with short red hair, with slightly tan skin. She was short, muscular, and he could see how rough her hands were, with a few burn marks against her hands and forearms.
"In comparison to you, sister, I am but a speck of dust in the wind. How could I compare to you?" Ken was wheeled to the table, and a chair was removed for him.
"I prefer a man who can banter back," she replied dryly.
"I have no legs, so I must have three tongues. One for speaking softly, one for speaking heavily, and one I can reveal to you tonight." Ken decided to try his luck in trying to banter a little too close to the sun.
The others spit their drinks out, some choking on their food. They hadn’t expected the crippled young man to be so overt right away.
The woman smiled, reaching out her hand. "I'm Mill Blackforge."
"Ken," he replied, shaking her hand. "A pleasure to meet you, my lady."
"I'm no lady, I'm a Smith," she snapped back to him.
"Can't a Smith be a lady too?"
"He has quite the tongue," Mill said to Rojja.
"I didn't expect it. He hasn't been so sharp with his tongue against me," Rojja replied as he chuckled.
"I assure you, Commerce Head, if you were as pretty as Smith Mill, I would have tried to use my other tongues on you too.”
Rojja chuckled further, surprised to see this side of Ken. "I'll make a note to have my prettiest worker to receive you." He took it as a sign that Ken was comfortable, or perhaps there was something else behind it.
"If you do that, I'll end up losing too much money when I head to the pavilion."
"You're quite the character," a man said from beside. "I didn't know you knew miss Emerald." He had brown hair and green eyes, and was quite short and fat.
"Miss Emerald is my partner. This is Nana, my handler, who assist me with...” He motioned to his legs.
"What's the story behind the legs?" Smith Mill asked.
"Perhaps another time." Ken chuckled. "First a few drinks and snacks. Nana, don't be shy either, it's not every day this cripple is invited to a party."
"Hah! At least you're self aware." It was a voice from behind them. He turned to see a noble walking over their way. He had blue hair swept to the side. "Commerce Head, I heard that there was a cripple who started an issue with my servant. Is this the one?"
"I don't recall such a situation," Rojja replied. "I had heard that your servant had tried to assault my guest.”
"I don’t believe you would claim such a thing without evidence,” the man said. His eyes then fell to Ken, who was eating some meat off a skewer. “My servant was injured quite badly. I hope you’re able to compensate me?"
"If you want to bring him before me, I can give him a swift and painless death for you.” Ken dabbed his lips with a handkerchief. “I hope you will compensate me for him trying to assault me at the commerce pavilion.” Ken’s eyes fell to Rojja.
"You dare! Threatening my servants? Are you courting death?”
"Don't speak to me about courting death. You come to start an issue with a cripple after your worker was spared? Next time your worker tries to lay his hands on me, I'll take his hands. Next time he speaks such slander about me, I'll take his tongue. Do not repay my kindness with enmity." Ken threw the man a dark look.
"Do you know who I am?" The blue haired man clenched his fists. "If you continue to speak with me in such a tone, don't blame me for being rude."
"Then I will stop talking with you." Ken turned back to eating his skewers. He assumed that the man wouldn’t start any trouble in the Town Lord’s estate.
"You dare ignore me?" The man stepped closer, but stopped when the music stopped and everyone turned to face the Town Lord as he arrived.
Announcement We've surpassed 10k views on this story! Thank you to everyone who has supported me this far. I hope you'll continue to support this series.