In the city center which is always crowded on weekends, the atmosphere of this street inexplicably relaxes me. The burden of a whole week of work seemed to disappear without a trace. The air felt so soothing as my lungs took a deep breath of the oxygen swirling around me. My feelings of anxiety a few days ago also disappeared as if nothing had ever happened before.
I am grateful to have agreed to Ghenina's invitation to take a stroll today.
As if adding to my luck today, the sound of a song sounded from the end of the street. My eyes squinted to be able to see more clearly, while Ghenina had already pulled my arm to get closer to the origin of the sound that turned out to be a procession of street music performed by children around the ages of 10 to 15. We were joined on the side road by others, staring in awe at the children walking in orderly rows as they continued to play each other's instruments.
The musician's procession stopped near the square. The children began to arrange the line, then the music played again to a different rhythm. The music played this time is more lively with its fast tempo. Some of the audience began to get carried away by dancing to the music that was performed. Some people have fun dancing alone and some are in pairs. Ghenina stood beside me and pulled my hand to dance with the others.
After I was satisfied dancing, I inched backward onto the side road. Music is still playing, adding to the lively atmosphere. Ghenina didn't come with me because she saw her friend, whom I unfortunately didn't know, and went back to dancing with her. By hand code, Ghenina asked me to wait. I looked for shade, sitting on a long bench between a big tree and a fountain not far from the crowd.
While waiting, I observed the pedestrians passing by. Some people are walking fast, and some other people are walking slowly. Many people are distracted by the children of musicians and still engrossed in dancing. Not a few heads also escaped from the windows of the top floors of the building to see the crowd below. Some of them joined in enlivening the atmosphere by whistling or clapping their hands following the rhythm, and some people felt quite comfortable enjoying it in silence.
At the opposite corner of the street, I stared at the group of men on horseback who slowly got off as they got closer to the crowd. I could see every face of them quite clearly from my position. When my eyes wanted to turn the other way, by chance, a familiar but unknown face was clearly focused in my eyes: one of the entourage of men on horseback who was now walking slowly as he led his horses towards the crowd.
The men on horseback were wearing only short-sleeved shirts, which made me speculate that they were a group of hunters. But after I observed it carefully, the person walking at the front looked neat and quite formal in a dark long-sleeved vest, grey pants, and knee-high boots. Everyone who lives and grew up in this country must know that these clothes are the typical uniforms of elite soldiers who patrol on weekdays.
The question is, what makes an elite soldier patrol with that group of hunters?
Is it possible that the entourage behind him is bad people, or maybe it is also an illegal hunter who was caught doing something forbidden so that they were caught the elite soldier?
My guess was immediately dismissed by a man who walked at behind and seemed to cry out to the elite soldier who walked at the front. The reactions of the two looked as if they were colleagues or perhaps a good friends.
Ah, but if I guessed right this time, is the man at behind also an elite soldier, even though the clothes he wears look like those of ordinary young men in this city?
The man who walks at behind can be seen raising both hands and folding them behind his head. While constantly walking and chatting with other men, he continued to stay in such a position. The position of his hand like that made my eyes move down, and found a familiar greyish shape that looked like it was engraved on the base of his neck. His collarless shirt more clearly displayed the abstract symbol of him, as if deliberately luring me out of hiding.
In this kind of shocking and tense moment, his head suddenly turned, as if he realised someone was observing him. His eyes looked at me intensely, as if the crowd of people passing by among us was not in his eyes. His short hair was gently blown by the wind, making the deep scars under his eyes even more obvious. It got me to recognise that man immediately without taking long.
"Lorein, I'm sorry to keep you waiting for long!" I gasped in surprise, then turned to look at Ghenina who was walking with her friend. The two of them walked up to me. "This is Asdhiva. His father was a healer, one of my mother's acquaintances. I dragged her with me, but unfortunately she didn't have much time with us. Dhiva, this is my cousin and good friend, Lorein."
The yellow-haired woman smiled sweetly towards me. She is just as cheerful as Ghenina but looks a little more mature than the two of us.
After chatting quite a lot, she reluctantly excused herself to go. "Have fun! I'm glad to see you, Lorein but I'm sorry because I have to leave before three o'clock or I will be late!"
The two of us continued for a walk to the city park. A cool breeze was a welcome sign as we walked through the green grass sparkling in the midday sun. We walked slowly down a long shady path. The heat of the sun was blocked by the leaves of the tree, making me feel proud of myself for proposing the right place. It is a fun place to visit when the sun is at its peak.
Someone from the opposite direction who walked side by side with Ghenina didn't seem to realise that his body was too close to Ghenina. Their arms collided, but luckily they weren't falling down so I was able to quickly hold onto Ghenina's unsteady body. Ghenina's expression instantly turned irritated, even more when she saw the face of the impactor who was no longer looking at her with a guilty look.
"Huh! Every time I meet you, something bad happens! You unlucky bringer!"
"Hey, that's rude! I'm hurt to hear that, you know! Don't you know 'accidentally'? Accidentally!" The man put his hands on his waist, a gust of wind made a few strands of hair covering his forehead swing softly. "Besides, I don't know that you are also here. So, it's not my fault. This is purely a coincidence. Don't tell me, you don't understand the meaning of 'coincidence' either?"
Before the commotion broke out, I immediately held Ghenina's hand which had formed a strong fist, holding it on both sides of her body. The man in front of us burst into laughter, then turned to look at me with his head up. "Hey, Lorein. Long time no see. How is Lynt? Is he still busy wandering around the academy until now?"
This man is Edmund. We, including Lynton and Ghenina, were classmates at the academy. Since a long time ago, Edmund was the type of person who liked to make a fuss just to kill his boredom. The furor he made was not too fatal to be able to get him dishonourably expelled from the academy, but for his victims, Edmund's actions were indeed seen as very troubling. One of the people who felt the most impact and consequences from Edmund's actions was Ghenina. That's also why Ghenina almost gave Edmund a fist if I hadn't held it quickly.
What amazes me is why Lynton can be friends with someone like Edmund. Full of question marks again, Edmund managed to survive and enter the ranks of the army of national security soldiers, one level below the elite soldiers. It sounds like a baseless rumour that is nothing more than a boast, but that's exactly how it happens. Strange, but real.
"You can confirm his own circumstances if you see each other again, Ed. In essence, Lynt admits his burden has been lifted after no longer seeing your face or dealing with you."
Edmund's smile instantly faded, while Ghenina reflexively laughed condescendingly. The two of them stared at each other again for a few moments before a question lodged in my head when I met Edmund in this park.
"We are resting, just having lunch. A few hours ago we just returned from the city border. After eating and returning the horse to the stable, I went for a walk."
Ghenina looked suspicious. "Lie. You said 'we' just now, but in fact only 'you', right?"
"Lorein ... please tell her that I won't lie about work," Edmund said to me, but his eyes glanced at Ghenina with frowns. "I'm here with other colleagues and my seniors too."
"Then, where are they?"
Before Edmund could reply to Ghenina's question who didn't believe him, someone from the opposite direction called Edmund out loud. The owner of the name reflexively turned around, then waved his hand. Ghenina and I quietly watched the three men who approached the three of us. I saw Ghenina's eyes sparkling at Edmund's comrades, who without question were soldiers like Edmund, even though they were currently dressed like ordinary young men.
"Where's Master?"
"It's because of your act of suddenly leaving before paying for your meal! And now, without guilty, you are chatting with the girls here!"
I just smiled politely back at Edmund's colleagues. Ghenina, who from the beginning seemed interested in the men in front of her without wasting a long time, immediately got acquainted with them. Without taking long either, they were already engrossed in engaging in an exciting chat.
"Edmund Francais!"
A voice who called Edmund with a loud intonation heard for the second time. The difference is that this person calls Edmund by his full name. The owner of the name looks aghast, then slowly raises his head in a stiff motion. I turned my head, looking for the origin of the sound. In the next second, I felt that my decision was very wrong.
"You owe me 78 eilsyer today," said the man. The distance between me and this person was getting closer and closer with the sound of his footsteps.
The man was silent for a while. I didn't know what was going on because I chose to turn my eyes in another direction and pretend to join Ghenina's chat with other soldiers. "The total you owe me is 182 eilsyer, as of today."
Edmund chuckled half-heartedly. "Master ... can't it be reduced? Master knows that I'm broke, no?"
Master, he said?! So, he's the one who Edmund calls Master?! How high is his position? Or how strong was he that Edmund volunteered to call him "Master"?!
"I know, but it's your own fault, Eddie. Now, put your feet up, lads! If I let you hang around any longer until the night, my money will be further drained just because of one of you."
Edmund immediately said goodbye to me as well as to Ghenina. I was still busy pretending to stare in the other direction, hearing the footsteps of the men passing by. The last steps now walked leisurely past me, carrying a breeze that blew away a little bit of my hair with a heavy but clear voice, "Until next time."