HEO 127

Silver nodded without hesitation. By then, the pirates had taken over the tavern. Charcoal Bear bellowed as she slammed her fists onto the table.

“Bring out every single barrel of ale!”

By the time Wolf and Silver stepped into the second-floor hallway, billows of hallucinogenic herb smoke were already rising up the stairs. The room was cramped. Two narrow beds sat with a single nightstand between them. The floorboards were warped, and the ceiling was so low that Wolf could touch it without even fully extending his arm.

Silver crossed the room in three or four strides and flopped face-down onto the bed.

“Silver, aren’t you going to eat?”

In response to Wolf’s question, Silver shook his head while keeping his face buried in the pillow.

“Then get some sleep. I’ll eat outside and bring something back for you.”

Silver didn’t lift a finger. As Wolf stepped out into the hallway, he could hear the sound of deep breathing coming from behind him.

The second-floor hallway was like the inside of a burning building. Smoke rising from the floorboards below filled the corridor, and the pungent scent of the hallucinogenic herb assaulted his nose with every breath. The tavern below was a living hell, or rather, a scene that made him realize what hell might look like if it were in a festive mood.

At one table, a pirate was dancing barefoot, crushing a drinking glass underfoot. Blood trickled from his foot, yet he wore the happiest expression in the world. Nearby, two one-armed pirates were spinning around in a waltz-like dance, holding onto each other’s empty sleeves. At a corner table, a group of men with the herb stuffed up their noses were straining with all their might in an arm-wrestling match. Three or four unconscious men lay on the floor. Drinking cups whizzed through the air. Huddled in a corner, the tavern employees closed their eyes every time a glass shattered. Amidst this chaos, the innkeeper sat at the counter while staring at the floor with a look of resignation.

Wolf opened the door and stepped outside. The inn, now occupied by the Shark Tooth Gang, was unmistakable at a glance; billows of hallucinogenic herb smoke poured from every window. A passerby inhaled the fumes, stumbled, and crashed into a nearby wall.

Red Eagle hopped onto the top of Wolf’s head and surveyed the street. Everyone passing by stared at Wolf, or rather, their gazes were fixed on Red Eagle perched boldly atop his head. It was only natural; a parrot calmly admiring the night view from [Read on]a person’s head was a far rarer sight than a warrior holding an axe.

Oil lamps flickered sporadically along the roadside. A cat darted out of a narrow alley and cut across Wolf’s path. The alleyway narrowed and widened by turns; winding past a collapsed wall, it opened into a small plaza before narrowing into an alley. Wolf walked on in silence. The street noise gradually subsided, and the scent of the sea grew stronger. A little further on, the breakwater came into view in the distance through the gaps between the buildings.

At the end of the breakwater, several ships lay bathed in the moonlight.

They were all warships belonging directly to the royal fleet of Stoll.

***

Deep into the night. Wolf opened the tavern door with his shoulder. A stench assaulted his nostrils, a pungent cocktail of sweat, alcohol, the reek of fish, and something that smelled suspiciously like bodily fluids.

The tavern’s frenzy was raging at full intensity. Atop a table, a one-eyed female pirate used a half-eaten herring as a baton to conduct an orchestra visible to no one else. Near the counter, a bald pirate with his breeches dropped to his knees was vigorously thrusting against a grimy tavern mop; he eventually spurted a jet of fluid. Those two were the only figures visible to Wolf; the rest were hazy outlines obscured by thick smoke.

The innkeeper was staring into space. He wore the look of a man whose soul had leaked right out of his ear. Wolf tapped his fingertips against the counter.

“Bring me a meal on a tray. Something fit for human consumption. And make sure it hasn’t been trampled on by anyone.”

“Just one serving? Your companion has already eaten.”

The innkeeper mumbled without even lifting his head. Wolf blinked.

“My companion?”

“Yes. He came down earlier and devoured two pots of pork stew in the blink of an eye. He didn’t use a spoon or ladle; he just gulped it down like water. Then he headed back upstairs with a keg tucked under each arm.”

“Hmm.”

Wolf tapped his fingers against the table.

Well, he might as well have a drink with Silver.

“Fine. A bottle of the local wine and a glass. And plenty of cheese.”

“Just a moment.”

The innkeeper brought out a tray holding glasses, cheese, and wine. As Wolf climbed the stairs and opened the guest room door, he nearly dropped the tray. A cloud of smoke looking like an erupting volcano billowed out. The smoke was so thick and acrid that the interior of the room was barely visible.

The innkeeper hadn’t mentioned anything about this!

“Silver? Did you open a charcoal-grilled lamb shop or something?”

He tried to make a joke, but there was no reply. Something was faintly visible through the hazy smoke. Wolf waved his arm like a windmill to clear the air, finally revealing a figure. Silver was sitting against the headboard, puffing away on a hallucinogenic herb. He was also cradling dozens of bundles of the herb to his chest. On the floor lay a barrel with a hole punched through its belly, looking like a soldier fallen in battle. Just as he had polished off the stew pot without a spoon or ladle, it seemed he had dispensed with the civilized convenience of a drinking glass; instead, he had punched a hole straight into the barrel and guzzled the contents down.

Red Eagle shrieked and covered his beak with one wing.

“The smell is awful! I want to get out of here! Open the window!”

“I can’t do that. It’s dangerous for you out there.”

Wolf backed away into the hallway. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

“You’re just too cute. If you went out on the street, someone would snatch you up in a heartbeat.”

“So you want me to turn into a smoked parrot dish right here? No way!”

“Don’t worry. We’ve got plenty of spare rooms here.”

Wolf ushered Red Eagle into the room next door. Wisps of smoke were curling up through the gaps in the wooden floorboards from the level below, but compared to the roasting-cauldron atmosphere of a moment ago, the air here felt as fresh as a mountain peak.

“You stay put. Those pirates are going to be boozing at the tavern all night anyway, so it’s safe enough here.”

“You stay here too! Don’t hang out with that junkie! You’ll pick up his bad habits!”

“Don’t worry. I’m just going to pull that damn weed out of his trap and come back. Just pray the weeding operation goes smoothly.”

After reassuring Red Eagle, Wolf headed back into the cloud of smoke. Silver waved enthusiastically; he looked like a castaway spotting a rescue ship after twenty-eight years on a desert island.

“You’re here, Bingapsu! Get over here, you bastard! Come hang out with me!”

“Who is Bingapsu?”

Wolf vaulted over an overturned barrel and crossed the room. [visit our site]Silver pulled the hallucinogenic herb from his mouth and pointed it at Wolf; orange sparks scattered from the tip held between his fingers.

“Who else would Bingapsu be but you, you bastard? Huh? Wait a minute…”

Silver squinted and thrust his face right up close to Wolf’s. The stench of alcohol and hallucinogenic herbs assaulted Wolf’s nose.

“That’s weird. What’s wrong with your face, Bingapsu? I don’t see any beard!”

“I never had a beard to begin with.”

“Your face looks weird too! You’ve become fucking handsome.”

“I’ve always been handsome.”

“It’s weird! You aren’t the Bingapsu I know!”

“Yeah, I’m not Bingapsu. But seriously, who is Bingapsu?”

“You bastard, have you forgotten who you are too?”

Every time Silver spoke, puffs of hallucinogenic herb smoke billowed out. It felt like talking to a chimney. Wolf silently gritted his teeth, set the tray down on the side table, and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Silver, want to taste this cheese? It’s a local specialty.”

He sliced ​​a piece of cheese and held it right under Silver’s nose.

Bait cast.

“They say it’s aged in a sea cave for a full two years. The salty sea breeze permeates it, giving it an incredible flavor. Give it a try. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you refuse.”

“‘Rest of your life’? You always make such a fuss, you bastard… Hmm? Sniff?”

The look in Silver’s eyes, previously full of grumbling, wavered. He sniffed the air like a puppy encountering a treat for the first time, and audibly gulped.

“Well… if you’re going to beg like that, I suppose I’ll have just one piece.”

Silver spat out the hallucinogenic herb. He snatched the cheese, put it in his mouth, and his eyes flew wide open.

“How is it? Amazing, right? One more piece, say ‘ah’.”

Wolf ground the spat-out herb into the floor with his shoe and held out another piece of cheese.