Chapter 186. < Blaze (1) >

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Translator: Seven ED: Sasha

1.

-I was born in a dull countryside village.

Yumar, the hobgoblin with one arm, said.

-Even as I grew older, there was nothing to do in the countryside except play with the other kids my age. Sometimes we watched to see if tigers would come down from the mountain, or we’d collect tolls from merchants that passed through the area… Our village was as poor as the dried bark of a tree

Yumar scratched his forehead.

Wrinkles appeared in the flesh of his green forehead.

-Have you ever killed someone?

“I have.”

-Right. You must have experienced a lot.

The one armed actor nodded.

He didn’t even seem that surprised.

-Where was the first place you saw blood? Was it on a battlefield? Or….

“It was a hunting ground. I killed him with a surprise attack.”

-Ah, that’s not a very warrior-like achievement.

Yumar raised an eyebrow.

He just laughed after I admitted to murder in the middle of his story.

Anyone.

If they laughed while you were talking about the murder, they were probably laughing at themselves, who had brought it up in the first place, as well as your act of confession. While secretly hoping that you would join them in their ridicule.

“Yeah, that’s right. I wasn’t a warrior.”

That was the most important part.

Without changing my expression, I asked.

“How about you, senior?”

-…….

The laughter disappeared from Yumar’s lips.

-…how many years has it been? It’s already been about 13 years. The village chief kept going back and forth between our village and another. At first, we thought he was going there to meet with friends, but he was doing it too often. Then, after 7 months, the village chief returned with a confident expression.

「I have created a business for our village. You idiots.」

The business that the village chief had been learning from the other village was drug production.

-At first, he started gathering the villagers. The first group consisted of six people. There were many idle youngsters like me in the village. Mm, it was called [Silvervine Flower]. If elves ate it, they would die instantly. But if you use it as a raw material, extract the juices, harden it into a pill….

“You weren’t just a drug dealer, you were a higher up in the organization. Weren’t you, Senior?”

-…….

The one armed Yumar shut his mouth.

-How did you know?

“We have only been talking for a while, but I could tell right away. Senior is smart. You have a great memory. You remembered that it was 13 years ago, and that the village chief snooped around the other village for 7 months, didn’t you? You’re good with numbers.”

I poured some tea into Yumar’s cup.

Thanks to Raviel’s direct teaching, I was able to greatly improve my tea ceremony skills.

Though it was a shame that the theater company only had cheap tea leaves.

“You even know how to make the drugs. You remember the chief’s every move, but it’s not simply at the level of an agent in the organization. You were either the leader or vice-leader. I’m sure that you were a key figure in the organization.”

-…you’re really quick witted.

Yumar smiled bitterly as he picked up the teacup with his one hand.

After taking a sip, he couldn’t help but look down at the teacup in surprise.

-Shibal. Why is this so freaking delicious?

“Thank you. So what were you in reality?”

-…well, you’re right. I was the leader of the village organization. I just happened to have a talent for gathering the others and getting them to do what I said. I was also pretty lucky.

It wasn’t just luck.

He was a genius.

Yumar’s [business] grew rapidly.

-It was said I was born with good fortune.

He gathered the young people in the village to form a militia, and they devoured the neighboring villages to develop their organization. Yumar, the boss himself, thoroughly supervised the drug production in order to ensure quality.

Yumar’s drugs were quickly recognized as a high quality commodity and spread along the waterways through the elven ports.

「The Juice of Heaven.」

「The Powder of Scholars.」

All of the products that Yumar made were a hit.

Despite not having much talent for aura, Yumar had 100 subordinates. His men called him [the warrior among warriors].

At the point when his 100 subordinates steadily increased to 500, Yumar had a feeling.

-I suddenly had a feeling that things would become troublesome if it continued like that.

It was an instinct.

-The Fire River Council is generous. It was fine as long as we didn’t sell drugs to goblins. They didn’t care about lowlifes who sold drugs to rich elves. However, if there were 100 or 500 people in the group, it was a different story.

Although Yumar’s organization was good, it was too good.

-I had no proof, no suspicion, but I had a feeling. It was now! If we didn’t stop now, we would all die together.

Yumar gathered his friends and said.

Let’s close the business.

His childhood friends, who he used to collect tolls with in the village, had all become executives in the organization and their fangs grew

-When they were in front of me, those pigs nodded and agreed with me.

“So they turned on you?”

-Shit. That very night, a group rushed in and tied me up. They threatened me to give up the drug formula. They brought the knives that I bought for them and put them to my neck. Those fuckers.

Yumar eventually confessed under their pressure.

He even vowed that he would never take revenge or touch the business again.

Yumar’s childhood friends accepted his oath.

-They took one of my arms.

And in return, they spared his life.

So the former boss of the organization became ‘One Armed Yumar’.

-I didn’t actually join the theater because I liked acting. I was just wandering the streets, then the theater owner said he felt sorry for me and invited me in. It’s been ten years since then. It’s all in the past. Well, I eventually came to enjoy acting.

“What about the organization?”

-…….

“It was destroyed.”

Yumar quietly looked down at his teacup.

-Less than a year after I was kicked out, they were subjugated. The council sent 13 members in the top 100. All 500 members died.

“What about your childhood friends?”

-All gone. They were the executives.

Yumar’s nose was twitching.

“Senior thinks it’s your fault.”

-…….

“You think it’s your fault for raising the organization too well because you were too outstanding. If you had run the business moderately. Or even if it had failed, then maybe the people from your village would have survived. You’re blaming yourself for not stopping the chief at that time.”

-Shibal.

The hobgoblin wiped the remaining tea from his lips.

-It served them right. Those bastards.

Next.

The one-eared actor entered.

He was holding an old stuffed lion in his arms.

-I was the attendant of a prestigious family….

The one-eared actor’s name was ‘Sakum’.

-I saw the master of the house sleeping with a stranger. No, I didn’t see it. I overheard it through a wall. I didn’t intend to hear it. I didn’t even go in. But he cut off my ear while saying it was bad to listen to others’ moans….

Sakum, the one eared actor, muttered expressionlessly.

-Isn’t that too much?

The one eyed Arika.

The gambler’s son.

The one armed Yumar.

The former drug lord.

The one eared Sakum.

The former attendant of a noble family.

“Right.”

I nodded in front of the actors.

“Let’s dance, Seniors. We have a week.”

The day of the play soon came.

And the seats were filled.

2.

-Are you sure this is the Dog Sound Theater?

-That’s weird. I’ve been here before, and the name was….

The theater was packed with customers thirty minutes before the play was scheduled to begin.

Persons who came after seeing my street performances, and those who came after hearing the rumors. There were also some people who came in after seeing the crowd. Not only the VIP seats but also the standing seats were filled.

-Is there no watermelon beer? Or fried watermelon? Ugo, I don’t believe it.

-Does this theater even want to make money….

-Seriously. There is an elf that works here, and he’s amazing. He’s able to make sounds in the air using only his aura. No, I’m serious! Why would I lie.….

-Ugo. If I find out who just touched my butt you won’t see a blood painting, you’ll see bloodshed.(TL: ‘blood painting’ is another name for ‘fire painting’)

-It’s a play where they won’t say any lines.

-That was probably just an exaggeration.

-Didn’t they say that they’ll give a refund?

-There are too many people!

Wiggle.

It was like a packed market.

Behind the stage, the seniors glanced at the crowd.

-Shibal.

The seniors were scared.

The one armed Yumar was particularly nervous.

-Look. Look! The person with the red tattoos sitting among the guests in the special seats. That’s Morkan, ranked 21st in the Fire River Council. Shibal.

“Who’s that?”

-He’s a madman who is said to draw 1cm of tattoos every time he beheads an enemy in battle. Look at how that bastard’s body is covered in tattoos!

Sakum spoke nervously.

-Actors from the [Flame] and [Fire Demon] came to watch.

-Ugek. Where?

-There… The two people wearing masks in the special seats. They covered their faces but I recognize them because I’ve seen them often. One of them is Sormakunda, the ace of [Flame], and the one sitting next to him is Jyamahan, the most popular actor [Fire Demon] these days….

-Why did they come to watch us!?

-They didn’t come to watch us.

It was the one eyed Arika that spoke.

Arika kept looking at himself in the mirror to see if there was anything wrong with his makeup.

-They came to watch Ssonia.

There was nothing special about his makeup.

His body was bare. Other than a cloth that was wrapped around his waist, he only had a black tattoo drawn on his body. That was it.

-That’s right. He’s amazing. Is he really a rookie actor that was recruited only a week ago? This performance is his debut? Since his debut stage was sold out, that means he will have the greatest debut among actors from the elf race.

-I think it’s a legendary achievement, even for our race….

“Let’s start.”

I opened my mouth.

The seniors, who were trying to ease their tension by chatting, closed their mouths.

“You have practiced to death for a week. Don’t worry. It’s fine if your body doesn’t move as you intend or your limbs are stiff. Just relax.”

-Wouldn’t that ruin it…?

“I will control seniors’ limbs with aura. Don’t forcefully reject it.”

-That shouldn’t be possible. It’s absurd… But we know it’s possible. Shibal.

The four of us joined hands.

Then I lightly covered them with my aura.

“Relax.”

My red aura flowed up the senior’s arms.

They flinched and moved their shoulders slightly, but after a week of special training, they had grown used to my aura. Soon after, the seniors took a deep breath before accepting my aura. I relaxed the actors by massaging their muscles

-Ahem.

-Ugor….

The seniors’ expressions relaxed.

The atmosphere was also less tense than before.

“There’s no need to worry. As you know, no one expects much from our Fire Play. The expectations are low. We’ll amaze the guests just like we practiced. Okay?”

The seniors nodded carefully.

Okay.

“It’s time to start.”

I rolled my feet.

Thud!

The aura guided by my footwork made the air vibrate.

-What’s that?

-What’s going on?

The audience on the other side of the stage were surprised. The hobgoblins all stopped talking at the sudden sound. Without caring, I tapped my feet.

Thud, thud, thud!

My footsteps didn’t just keep the rhythm. I added a different note to each footstep.

-Aura?

When the audience began to recognize some of the patterns in the sound, they expressed their surprise in different ways. The most surprised were the VIPs sitting in the front row.

-What in the world? Is that sound really produced by aura and not his voice?

-Right. It’s aura. I told you. It was the same even in the street performances….

It was that moment that the one eyed Arika ran out on stage.

The dark stage.

Like a runner, Arika ran with long strides. And naturally, the audience’s attention focused on him.

Dong-

The reason their attention focused wasn’t simply because of the appearance of the character.

Doong-

Whenever Arika’s foot touched the ground, a new tune filled the air.

But before the audience could even break free of their shock, the one armed Yumar and the one eared Sakum, ran out one after the other.

It was the same for them as well.

Every time an actor took a step on the stage, a new tune filled the theater.

Three people, with three different melodies. In this way, the melodies overlapped and the music finally took shape.

-Oh my god.

The audience suddenly went silent.

There were a few customers who couldn’t help but unintentionally mutter under their breath.

-There’s no way that all of that….

-They’re doing that with aura?

That was right.

Music, not dialogue.

It wasn’t a play, but a dance.

Through aura, I had become a one-man orchestra.