CHAPTER 86: THE PLAY

Once Reginald and his entourage left, the middle-aged man who was talking to them bowed his head in front of Lucen.

"Thank you for helping me, young lord."

"No need to thank me," Lucen replied. "I simply did that because they were getting on my nerves."

"Even so, you’ve helped me nonetheless, and for that, I offer my sincere gratitude." The man bowed once more, this time lower and longer.

"... You’re welcome."

The man was surprised by Lucen’s reply, a noble saying You’re welcome to a commoner. That wasn’t something he heard every day. Slowly, a smile tugged at his lips. He bowed one last time, deeper this time, and quietly returned to his post.

After that whole fiasco, Lucen and his group returned to their seats. It didn’t take too long before the play started.

The lighting they used was a creative way of applying the mana lamps. They also used the normal lamps, which had filters made of stained parchment or dyed cloth that cast tinted hues to match the mood of the scene.

Thin ropes were rigged overhead, allowing stagehands to lower or raise lanterns at precise moments. Mirrors on poles, operated by crew in the rafters, redirected firelight like spotlights onto the actors.

To mimic moonlight, they placed bluish fabric over some flames. For dawn, they added reflective panels behind the stage painted in reds and oranges, and timed the light shift with a slowly rising curtain that simulated the morning sun.

"Hmph, I guess even these people have some skills that can be learned." Robert begrudgingly said as he was quite impressed by the way they used what they had to recreate certain things.

Hearing Robert’s words, Lucen chuckled as the sound of a narration echoed in the theater. They did not have speakers, but the way they constructed the theater with specific runes helped their voices carry over the entire theater.

"In a time long ago, when knights were able to cleave heaven and earth, and mages had spells to summon the very stars themselves, a young general of a long-forgotten Empire began his legend."

The curtain slowly lifted. The stage was set in what looked like a throne room. The actor playing the emperor was a young man. Beside him were beautiful actresses who were supposed to be his wives.

The actor playing the young general was a handsome man with black hair and grey eyes. He was kneeling in front of the Emperor.

"General Richard Vaelgard," the Emperor intoned, voice steady, "I have a mission for you. One of utmost importance."

The general lifted his head, his expression one of solemn resolve. Lucen was quite amused by the way the actors showed their emotions. It truly felt like he was transported to the past, and these people were truly replaying scenes from history.

"Speak your will, Your Majesty. I, your loyal servant Richard Vaelgard, shall carry it to the ends of the world if need be."

The Emperor turned, gesturing to a map unfurled by attendants. The stagehands cleverly shifted panels in the background, changing the scenery to depict mountainous terrain and vast forests stretching into the unknown.

"As you may know, our mighty empire has many enemies. I wish for you to go to the northwest of our empire. In that area, numerous enemies surround it." The emperor pointed to an area of the map.

"To the North of that place are the continuous waves of monsters and barbarians. To the southwest, the border of our former enemy, the Karnos Empire. Even though we are at peace, war could break out at any moment. Now to the east is the forest, Myrkwald, a place were unknown creatures reside. All of those are potential problems for our empire. I wish you would create a fortress that would defend us from all sides."

Onstage, the actor playing General Richard Vaelgard stood slowly, his cloak trailing behind him.

The music swelled, a somber note from the string quartet hidden in the wings, as his eyes swept across the painted landscape. He then faced the audience and spoke in a loud, clear voice.

"I will undertake this mission and complete it without fail!"

The painted panels shifted again, now depicting a caravan crossing snow-covered mountains. Actors portraying soldiers, mages, craftsmen, and farmers marched behind the general as he made his way toward the desolate frontier. Two of the actors standing behind the one playing the general stood out.

The narrator’s voice returned, calm and solemn.

"And so began the march to unclaimed wilds. Beside the general stood his two childhood friends. The mighty and courageous Edric Thornehart was the general’s sharpest blade and sturdiest shield."

The actor playing Lucen’s ancestor had the iconic silver hair of the Thorneharts, which was obviously a wig, and his eyes sparkled grey. Upon mention of his character’s name, he stood proud and tall, with his towering shield in his left hand and a two-handed sword in his right hand.

"The other was the master of the mystic arts, the one who kept record of their incredible journey, Lunavere Aeromont."

The actress who played the strongest mage to ever exist in Norvaegard was a beautiful lady wearing a violet wig. She was wearing a normal mage’s robe, but that could not hide her great figure. In her left hand was an extravagant-looking mage’s staff. On her right hand was a journal of sorts.

As the stage lighting dimmed to mimic a dusky wilderness, a chorus of singers softly hummed, their voices melding with the melancholic strains of a flute. The caravan advanced across the painted backdrop of icy peaks and looming trees, an image of hardship and purpose.

The narrator resumed.

"With sword, spell, and steadfast will, these three legends, Vaelgard, Thornehart, and Aeromont, would carve from wilderness a bastion that defied time itself."

The curtain dropped, and after several seconds, they opened the curtain, revealing a grand-looking castle-like structure in the middle of the stage. The design of the castle was similar to the castle in the middle of Caelhart.

"We have finally succeeded in building a fortress that would defend our beloved Empire from all threats." General Richard spoke with a smile on his face.

Onstage, the actor playing Edric Thornehart stepped forward and slammed his shield into the ground.

"Then let this land be known not for fear, but for honor! Let those who seek peace find it within these walls, and those who wish to bring ruin find only death at our gates!"

A roar echoed from the cast, accompanied by simulated lightning that danced across the ceiling, a crew member swinging a mirrored panel to catch the flame and make it strobe.

Then, the actress playing Lunavere Aeromont stepped forward, her journal raised.

"I, Lunavere Aeromont, record this moment, not as the end of our trials, but the beginning of something greater."

With a flourish of her robes and a gesture with her staff, flakes of silver confetti rained down from above, mimicking starlight. The audience gasped, enchanted. Robert looked at the scene, amused by their creativity, and Sir Thalos nodded his head in appreciation.

’Well, this is better than I expected.’ Lucen thought to himself.

The curtain fell, and after several seconds, once the curtain was lifted once more, it showed the scene of a bustling fortress town.

Stagehands cleverly moved scaffolding, painted wooden walls, and fabric banners that fluttered like real pennants in the breeze. Smoke from hidden incense braziers gave the illusion of forges running hot in the background.

General Richard stood at the center of it all, arms crossed behind his back. His armor gleamed, even under the low amber light. Beside him were his childhood friends, Edric and Lunavere.

The narrator’s voice echoed once again.

"The fortress stood tall and proud, its citizens always working to defend the empire from threats from all sides. Unfortunately, one day General Richard received horrible news."

A soldier ran up to General Richard, clutching a letter. The General read it and his face contorted in pain. His childhood friends looked at him worriedly.

"What is it, Richard? What does the letter say?" Edric asked, and Lunavere stood closely waiting for an answer.

"The Empire has fallen..."

"Did you make a mistake, Richard? Did you mean the empire is being attacked?" Lunavere questioned, trying to make sense of what Richard said.

"... No, it’s not being attacked, it has already been attacked and has fallen." Richard once again gave the devastating news.

"How could that be?! What do you mean it’s fallen? How can something like our empire fall, without us knowing?!" Edric shouted in anger and confusion.

Onstage, silence reigned after Edric’s anguished shout. The atmosphere turned heavy, the light dimming until only a pale orange glow remained, flickering like dying embers.

General Richard slowly crumpled the letter in his hand. "They struck from within. They let our enemies in. The royal knights were caught by surprise and were annihilated. The people in the Capital were like lambs to a slaughter."

Lunavere stepped forward, stunned. Her voice trembled. "Then what of the Emperor? His wives? His heirs?"

Richard turned toward the audience, eyes dark.

"Dead... All of them have been killed. Not one survived. Our homeland... Is no more."

The music shifted into a mournful melody. Stagehands rotated a backdrop into view, a burning city painted in reds and blacks, smoke trailing upward. In the foreground, paper embers fluttered from the ceiling like falling leaves.

The narrator’s voice returned, heavy with sorrow.

"The empire that bore them, that raised them, that gave them purpose... was gone. But in that moment of despair, when hope withered, a new flame kindled."

Richard slowly walked forward. A single beam of light followed him. He dropped to one knee and placed the tip of his sword on the ground.

"I have failed... I have failed my mission to protect my homeland... I have failed my duty to protect my Emperor... I have failed the people who honored my name."

The scene was quite powerful, and the actor playing Richard was quite good at acting his part, making some of the audience cry, even those who had already watched this play before.

Edric strode forward and knelt beside Richard. His voice, rough but resolute, echoed through the theater.

"No, Richard. You did not fail, WE did not fail just yet! The people of the empire are still here! We are still here! The Empire might be gone, but the people live on!"

Lunavere joined them, placing her hand gently on Richard’s shoulder. Her voice trembled, not from fear, but conviction.

"The stars have not left us just yet. They still shine above us all the same. Even though we failed to save our Empire, we can create a place that would truly protect its people. Right here and now."

The narrator’s voice once again echoed in everyone’s ears.

"The three who lost their homeland did not wallow in despair. Instead, they continued onward with hope in their hearts. With the name of their forgotten empire, and the name of the general who failed to protect it, was combined in the old tongue, and became Norvaegard."