Two Ways Out

"They found a clearing. We're setting up camp!"

Tang Qi patted his head, trying to shake the mud-road-induced dizziness from his brain.

The cart carrying the "prisoners" had no canopy, and the cold mist soaked through his clothes, leaving him increasingly clammy.

He wanted to wipe the moisture from himself, but the long yoke kept him from moving.

Still, by the light of day, he could make out that four days and nights had passed since they left Star Plum Town.

Sixteen hours.

By now, it should be nighttime both inside and outside the forest.

The shouting woke Kuru. When it realized it was being taken to Dragon Gold City, it sobbed for quite a while.

"Friend, home..."

This was the first time it had been away from the Underground Cavern for so long. Losing the staff it slept beside along the way had left it feeling deeply uncomfortable.

As the culprit behind the Star Plum theft, Tang Qi figured Kuru would face a serious punishment.

And the court in Dragon Gold City might not grant a kobold the rights of a person.

He worried about what lay ahead for Kuru.

Watching the mercenaries put up their tents one after another, Tang Qi, who hadn't eaten all day, could only hear his stomach grumbling.

He looked toward Housekeeper Hus, sitting quietly by the campfire, taking out steak and wine. He was elegantly preparing dinner for Young Master Melard.

He'd even put butter and rosemary in the frying pan.

The ingredients were probably fresh, preserved with preservation spells.

Damn nobles.

"Merciful Young Master Melard, surely you wouldn't want us prisoners to starve to death on the road before we're even tried?"

Hearing Tang Qi call out, Melard came over at an unhurried pace while the meal was still being prepared.

"Catherine sent word through someone, saying I was 'that friend.' What sort of friend did she mean?"

Tang Qi blinked.

That shrewd proprietress had made a point of reminding him before he left. She must have been looking for a way to get him out of trouble...

And before leaving the tavern, they'd discussed some things related to "preferences."

What he'd learned was that the friend Catherine had mentioned—

Melard, at least, wasn't interested in women.

Putting those two things together, the answer was obvious.

He instinctively clamped his legs together and put on a flattering smile.

"She once said that merchants are always calculating. Even when they accept a favor, they can't help wondering what they'll have to give in return.

"But she had a friend who was generous and kind, and often made it so she didn't have to think about what she owed."

Tang Qi was making it up as he went.

But Melard was quite pleased with the answer.

Catherine had never admitted to him that she had a "friend."

But she'd always been friendly—

It seemed she was already thinking about marrying him.

That lifted his spirits a little after days of roughing it on the road.

"That does sound like something she'd say.

"So, Poet, how good are you at music?"

"You can judge for yourself right now."

Tang Qi finally had the chance to make his request. He shook his stiff hands.

"If you'd grant me a little freedom."

"Housekeeper Hus, fetch his instrument and unlock his yoke."

Hus adjusted his glasses, looking concerned. "Young Master, I'm not sure that's..."

Melard frowned. "He's an unarmed wandering bard. With all of us here, what do you think he could do?"

Hus had no choice but to comply.

Once he was free, Tang Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness he'd made a good first impression on the man in charge, so flattering him came easily.

That mattered.

These haughty nobles wouldn't give him a chance to turn their opinion around, the way the drunks at the Golden Oak did.

"I hope you can sing something worthwhile," Melard said, genuinely looking forward to it.

"As you wish."

Tang Qi fell silent for a moment, trying to guess Melard's tastes.

Next, he tried to find some words that wouldn't be too offensive and piece them together into lyrics.

Finally, he slapped on some random courtly melody.

And just like that, his instant song was ready:

"I once indulged in lust and power, and sank into fame and fortune,

Never sparing a thought for the beauty of those women;

So why is my heart so dead, why can I find no meaning in life?

Because there's a secret I've never told a soul—

Someone's shadow wanders through my dreams.

They're clever and quick, so sweet and charming,

I only want us to be the one and only for each other.

But, oh gods, can you hear my anguished cry?

Damn it.

Why does he have to be my brother?"

Tang Qi sang softly, like someone whispering a prayer to the gods.

But Melard's eyes went wide. A tempest seemed to rage in his heart, and for a long while he couldn't speak.

His expression of shock and delight was like that of a believer in the truth, condemned as a heretic and hung on a stake.

He'd thought he alone possessed the truth, and that he'd die in solitude, faith still in his heart—only to find another heretic hanging beside him.

At that moment, more than the pain of impending death, he was grateful to know he'd never been fighting alone.

"So you, too—"

"Ah, no. This song, 'Confession,' was inspired by a nobleman's unrequited love that I heard about while traveling through the Tyron Empire."

Tang Qi shook his head, quickly distancing himself from the song.

He only needed to make his position clear and win Melard's favor.

He couldn't take it any further, or he might not keep his balls.

Melard's disappointment was plain to see.

In Dragon Gold City, being gay wasn't all that unusual.

But as the family's sole heir, Melard's father, Lord Mel, still needed him to produce an heir.

So Melard couldn't tell his father what he truly wanted.

Catherine was the only one who knew his secret. After he got drunk, he'd once confided his troubles to her.

When he learned that the tavern's proprietress was sometimes troubled by her father's advances, Melard had proposed a deal—

He'd ask his father for permission to marry Catherine in exchange for ensuring she could live in peace.

In return, Catherine would marry him once she came of age, and help him conceal his search for true love.

With less than a year until he came of age, he'd only just asked his father to take a vacation at the Manor, hoping to remind Catherine of their deal.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have entered this increasingly ominous Twilight Forest.

Whether the bard in front of him had done it on purpose or had simply stumbled into it by chance,

Melard couldn't help but feel close to him.

"You're much better than the performers my father hired.

"Perhaps once we reach Dragon Gold City, I can give you a chance to atone."

"Thank you for your kindness."

"Hus, return his things. I don't want him starving to death halfway there."

The upright housekeeper reluctantly put on silk gloves, took Tang Qi's battered pack down, and tossed it at his feet. Then he simply threw the gloves to the ground as well.

"It reeks of poverty and sourness."

Tang Qi didn't mind.

In truth, he knew that the difference between humans and goblins wasn't much greater than that between nobles and commoners.

The former were divided by race.

The latter were changed by their status.

The nobles in Dragon Gold City didn't yet hold real power, and their status was mostly symbolic, so this attitude wasn't all that obvious.

But in the Tyron Empire...

In the eyes of the nobles, slaves and livestock were equally just resources.

Their subjects were only a little more valuable.

His ankle shackles were still on, but at least he'd regained some freedom.

And he'd secured himself a way out in Dragon Gold City.

"Thank goodness Catherine warned me."

With that thought, Tang Qi hurriedly emptied his pack.

Then he noticed that the pack seemed to be carrying extra weight—

A short, rod-shaped bulge protruded from what looked like a recently sewn pocket.

He picked apart the temporary stitches and found a small iron chisel, about the length of his forearm, resting inside.

It was a tool for tapping open wine barrels.

Before Anbi handed over the pack, she'd left him two messages—

"We can't judge by appearances alone."

"Melard is the friend she mentioned."

Someone who didn't know the context would probably take them as one continuous sentence.

But Tang Qi knew they were two separate things he and Catherine had said at different times.

Now they also represented the two ways out Catherine had prepared for him, within her means—

The first suggested that the chisel hidden in the pack might come in handy if he had no other choice.

The second hinted at Melard's preferences. If he used that information carefully, it might serve as a way to avoid punishment.

Tang Qi hid the chisel in his pack again and muttered under his breath.

"At least it can be used for self-defense.

"If I get the chance to see her again, I'll thank her properly then."