Wreath of Lilies, Cauldron of Poison

Chapter 67

The Graceful Petal

“Mmmm…delicious.”

It was dinner time and Connie and Martell were sitting at the inn’s first floor. Where at night it served dinner for hungry patrons.

Connie had been eating for more than an hour now. Polishing off sausages after sausages with great gusto. She drank the acceptable ale and ate the bread after dipping it in generous amount of red bean stew.

Martell who was getting used to his Mistress’s eccentricities nibbled at his bacon. He felt full just looking at her.

“Shopkeep, this is some marvelous bread you have,” Connie praised the bread after washing down a piece of sausage with a gulp of ale.

“Indeed, best bread in the kingdom. My old lady made it. Didn’t you, honey?” The Innkeeper replied while looking over his counter to see two men sprawled on the floor next to her.

They were boorish men chasing for a different kind of meat who had the unfortunate luck of trying to stick it to Connie.

After seeing what the blonde girl and the beastfolk boy did to the two, the other patrons took a wide berth from them. The Innkeeper was a pragmatic man and did not mind this as she paid more than the two useless lugs with tabs moaning on the floor ever did in one sitting.

“Food is food. Whether it cost me one copper or one gold, as long as it satisfies me, then more’s the merrier. Another bread, please.”

“A nice gob of butter with it would be nice. Do you have any more sausages?” Martell asked.

“Ooh, some more grilled sausages would be great.”

“You still want more, Mistress? Are you okay eating that much?”

“When you want to eat, then eat. When you don’t, then don’t. That’s how Cultivators should live, Martell. Enjoyment and suffering go hand in hand,” Connie answered with a tidbit of wisdom.

“Hmm. I prefer boiled sausages. They have a different snap when you boil them. And you don’t quickly get sick from all the grease,” Martell said. As someone who had enjoyed a more luxurious life than normal slaves, he had more experience with all types of food.

“The grease is what makes them so good, though. Ah, fine. Boiled sausages too, then.”

While they were enjoying dinner, a tall young woman in curious clothing came into the inn with awkward steps and hunched shoulders. She had short black hair and black eyes with an unusual implement perching on top of her nose. The type of woman who would not stand out in the crowd.

She awkwardly glanced around and recoiled when a male guest went past her. It was as if she was a turtle trying to hide inside her shell. With a look of fluster, she walked in hurried steps so that she could reach her destination faster.

The young woman stopped in front of the Innkeeper and opened her mouth. But no voice came out. She gulped a saliva and half forced her voice to come out.

“I – I want two portions of dinner, please.”

“Do you have money?” The Innkeeper said as he looked over the unusual guest.

“I have…these,” the girl placed two gold coins on top of the table. “I – is this enough?”

Martell’s ears picked up the sound of the coins against hardwood counter and shook his head with a sigh. “Ooh, she’s really looking for trouble.”

“What are you playing at, girl?” the man whispered loudly, pushing the money back into her hands. “It’s 10 coppers per plate! Dishing out gold coins in front of the public is looking for trouble!”

“I – I don’t know that. I’m really sorry.”

“I’ll bring your plates to the table. You can pay later,” the man leaned forward, making the girl recoil a bit. Then he spoke with hushed voice. “You…you sit near the girl in the foreign robe, okay?”

“A – alright,” she nodded with a puzzled look. “But why?”

The black-haired girl then took her seat about 2 meters away from the strange but handsome young woman drinking her ale in big gulps. The girl did not take notice of her.

She looked around and wondered why the people were crowded around the edges of the first floor when there were still many seats in the center. At some point, her eyes met with those of the adorable beastfolk boy. When they did, she quickly broke contact and looked down, hunching her shoulders.

What a beautiful little Beastfolk boy! And those ears! I just want to squeeze them and pet them!

While she was having that little thought, 3 rough looking men came swaggering in. They were all holding bludgeons.

Seeing them coming in, some of the guests quickly made their way out. They were followed by the rest until there were only them remaining.

“Brother. Are you sure she went this way?” the one on the left asked.

“I’m sure. Trust me, I know what I’m doing!” the leader of the 3 had a look around and spotted the black hair.

“Look, some stupid shits didn’t leave,” the burly man on the right grinned, showing his rotten teeth.

“Ignore them. We’re looking for the big fish. Not the small ones!”

“You’re really smart, brother!” the man praised the leader with eyes full of awe. “That’s why you’re our leader!”

“That’s her!!”

They made their way towards the black-haired girl and shouted loudly. “You! It’s you, isn’t it? The one that’s been going around giving money to the people?!”

The girl hunched her shoulders even further, tears welling up at the side of her eyes. “I - I just gave them some money for some hot food!”

“If you have that much money you should give them to us! This is our turf! The Red Tiger’s!!” the man yelled as he hit the table with his bludgeon, breaking a part of the wooden table. “Come with us or else!”

“Hey, brother! The girl has a nice body. The face is not that bad either! Can we have some fun with her first?” the man licked his lips with a disgusting smile.

To the side, Connie stabbed her fork into a piece of boiled sausage and said. “Martell.”

“Fork or knife?”

“Both.”

“As you wish. Telekinesis: Control.”

Martell snapped his finger and the grease-stained fork and knife in his hands flew towards the two men trying to grab the girl.

“HRAAAH!”

Suddenly a human body ragdolled across the room and struck the thugs. The knife and fork did not hit the intended targets and stabbed deep into the wooden floor.

“What the -?” Martell and Connie did not expect a man’s body came flying in and turned their heads towards the entrance.

They heard iron hitting wood and the creak of the floor trying to support something heavy.

Connie saw the legs and front of a strong horse. She expected a powerful stallion’s head to appear, but her expectation was blown away.

“A Tonsulde…” Martell mouthed in surprise. “A Centaur!”

Standing at more than 2 meters tall, the Centaur ducked as she threw an unconscious thug away.

A two-pronged hat dominated by blue and green perched on top of her head, the ends of which were decorated by braided green threads. She had to hold them down as she entered the entrance build for people 4 heads shorter than she was.

“Tsoug! You filthy Tsoug dare land a hand on my benefactor?” the Centaur said in fury. “Face me if you dare!!”

“Err…Zalkhin Sordug,” Martell said in a foreign language that sounded like he was trying to speak with his throat. “They’re already incapacitated.”

“They are?” The surprise drained the anger out of the Centaur and she sighed. “These little Tsoug are so weak I had to hold back while interrogating them.”

When Martell saw her up close, he had to look up due to her height.

The female centaur had a toned body that was so well defined it was as if her body was carved from a Giradh Marble by a master sculptor. If he had to compare, unlike Illumca whose body was alluring, hers would be one of an athlete’s.

The horse’s body had a coat the color of unripe wheat, blanketed by a fur mantle and a black and red coat which covered the extremities of her horse part.

Peeking from the impressive multicolor coat of red, green and blue was a long strip of beige colored leather, fastened around her breasts by a large golden ring. The healthy tanned skin of hers contrasted beautifully against the lighter colors of the leather.

The meager covering covered only her healthy mountainous breasts, while the golden ring exposed the middle of her cliff. A braided rope of red and green connected this ring with the golden necklace hung around her neck. Martell had to back up a bit in order to see her face as her visage was obscured by the two beautiful mounds if he looked from below.

“I saw what you did,” the female Centaur said with an appreciative tone, though it was somewhat muffled due to the dark veil she wore over the lower part of her face. Her pale gold eyes looked down at him. “And I thank you for helping my benefactor. I am Akula Altanghazar of the Altankheer. Daughter of the First Warrior Jayug Ganbaatar. Which tribe are you from, brave little wolf?”

“I am Martell Lobelia. I am an orphan without a tribe,” the boy said without any intention of revealing his origin. “As for saving her, that was my Mistress’s order, Zalkhin Sordug. No need to thank me,” he bowed slightly trying to avoid the Centaur’s greeting. Just a glance at the colors she wore alone was enough for him to know that this woman was not a regular Zalkhin.

“Cough Cough!!”

The sound of retching and wheezing stopped the two’s greetings. Akula leaped over the tables and saw the black-haired girl suffering on the floor.

“W-what’s happening?”

“Step back! Give her room!” Connie said authoritatively as she pried the girl’s hand away and forced her to sit upright. Her muscles were so tense from the pain it felt like trying to move a statue. “Long deep breath! Control your breathing!”

“M-my inhaler. Please!” she said through her wheezing. “Left back pocket.”

“Inhaler?” Connie groped around the back until she found a strange item. Shaped like an L. The girl snatched in from her hand and sucked one end of it. She heard the sound of a wind escaping from the tool and the girl began to calm down.

“Are you okay, benefactor?!” the Centaur asked again as she knelt down beside her.

Martell took the fallen item on the floor and regarded it with interest. “What is this strange thing?”

Although her condition was getting better, Connie did not feel right until she understood what just happened. “Step back a bit, please,” Connie placed her ear on the girl’s back. “Can you take a long deep breath please?”

After a few breaths, Connie gave her a look and asked. “Do you have the wind illness?”

“Wind illness?”

“I mean your difficulty of breathing, the wheezing and the coughing. I have never seen such violent attack,” Connie exclaimed. “Perhaps it’s a different sickness, but by the sound I hear from your breathing, it sounds like a wind illness Does it feel like your throat is shrinking, like you are drowning in phlegm?”

“Y-you mean my asthma?”

“Asthma? What is that?” Connie raised her eyebrow questioningly.

“O-oh yes. They don’t have a name for that here,” the girl said. “A - are you a healer?”

“I dabble, yes. No. Don’t move yet. You still look pale. You should get some rest.”

“But I need to get back - !”

“Hush. You need rest,” she said. “If you have people looking for you, tell us.”

“I…yes,” the girl said in between gasps of breath. “My name is Kim Sooyoung. Prince Abbas of Al-Khemiya is my guarantor.”