The Jester bowed low before the king, his face witty and voice full of mischief. "Your Majesty," he announced. "I heard a king is the pillar of a kingdom, but if I dare to say, the only thing you are holding is your royal weight."
Displeasure was written on the King's face, yet he laughed nonetheless. Great Baloonhart III, the man who conquered all lands with only victories under his name, was angry.
His laughter stemmed from irritation, his ego was hurt, but no one should be allowed to do that.
Especially a lowly court jester who was making fun of him in front of his officials.
Jester could easily read his reaction, knowing he risked his life, but there was no way he would back down.
'I must entertain the masses,' Jester thought and opened his mouth.
"Perhaps you didn't find this revelation to your liking, your Highness." He bowed even lower. "I have another joke just for you. I promise you'll be delighted if you would be so kind as to allow this humble fool to speak his mind."
Jester sounded convincing, and the king didn't want to show that mere words had hurt him.
He despised weakness more than anything and wouldn't allow others to see it in him.
"You have my permission." His voice echoed throughout the hall, while his power and dominant stature caused several of his attendants to break into cold sweats.
The same wouldn't happen to Jester. Not in this life. He blew air through his nose, smirked silently, and began. "My liege," he grinned widely as if he could barely contain his excitement.
"They say a king's face is the kingdom's fortune, but with your proportions, I fear your country will go broke."
Silence fell.
Almost!
Some attendants barely held back their laughter and let out the slightest sound. They quickly subdued themselves in fear, but none escaped the radar of glorious Baloonhart. He memorised their faces and would make them pay when the time was right.
Baloonhart then looked at Jester. "That's a funny joke," he said, but there was no laughter or smile in the hall.
"A joke, of course," Jester replied with undisguised cynicism and proceeded to the performance.
His entertainment wasn't limited to cruel jokes. He executed acrobatic stunts, juggled, performed magic tricks, and even told various gags.
No one dared to enjoy Jester's performance. Especially not openly when the king wasn't thrilled.
He waited for a dog's time, although the performance dragged on for what seemed like forever.
Jester finished his entertainment with storytelling as he danced, displaying an unusual cap with a three-colour pattern.
Bells were also added to dangling sleeves, announcing his arrival.
He regularly wore motley clothes with green, red, and yellow patchwork shaped like diamonds. His face and shape were hard to decipher, but he looked athletic.
Jester didn't have a name. At least for the last 24 years. He genuinely looked ecstatic as he was having fun making the king angry.
After finishing his performance, he bowed to the monarch.
Even though he seemed to obey, his face said the opposite. "I shall take my leave before your noble ego swells even further," Jester looked almost comical when he said that.
Then he ran away in a hurry. Leaving the king's vast tent before anyone could do anything to him, he thought bitterly.
'They won't hire me again. It's a pity, the pay was good.' He set off dejectedly, thinking about suitable clients.
Memories of barons and other nobles surfaced in his mind, maybe this time he would hold his tongue. A similar incident repeated many times, and due to his unruly language, not only circuses but also most nobility refused to take him.
'If I continue like this, I'll go hungry.' He hopped around gracefully as if what awaited him wasn't his problem.
It should be mentioned that Jester couldn't stay upset for more than two seconds.
Suddenly, his eyes caught movement around him. 'They won't let me go so easily, will they?' Lowering his head again for a moment, he looked at the approaching warriors.
Soldiers surrounded him with their swords raised, prepared to capture him.
"The king summoned you. He's hopeful he can meet you again—privately! And this isn't a request." The squad commander reported to Jester, moving closer.
"I know he is full, but it's not because of hope! Did he miss me already, or something? If he liked my jests so much, he could have said something. A bit of bonus would have been enough as well." His tone was mocking, which the king's soldiers couldn't bear.
Jester didn't care. He was in a hurry to leave and punched the approaching captain in the throat.
Pulling a sword out of the commander's hand, he cut off the opponent's head.
His quick action was followed by an unexpected pause, which he used splendidly. With weapon in hand, he broke through the siege, killing numerous soldiers on the way.
"Wait, he's just a jester. Peasant Balatro, but how does he use a sword so well?" asked one of the officers who was chasing the fugitive.
"I have no idea, but he's fast. It'll be hard to catch him alive," said another, who was looking at Jester's hat and the clank of his movements with interest and fear.
Jester was running away, pursued by about a dozen warriors. They also shot several arrows, which the owner of his body and agility had no difficulty dodging.
Unfortunately, the country was in a state of war, and the army was close. The entire corps joined the warriors, and Jester was thrown into a new encirclement.
A narrower one, filled with additional enemies.
'I am such a fool.' In the meantime, he thought and looked at his blood-stained clothes.
"Damn you! Do you know how much I worked to sew this?" He exclaimed in dissatisfaction and cut down soldiers one after another.
His movements were like a dance, harmonious and clean.
The sword always found the right point, and no one could block his attack. It was invisible, and no one could dodge his sword.
Magnificent and mighty, the army that had conquered kingdom after kingdom bowed its knees. All because of one foolish jester.
With movements never seen before, the proud warriors couldn't keep up and Jester was able to break through the line.
He instilled fear, especially since his entire face was covered in blood.
His hat had fallen off a long time ago as he ran among the corpses of about twenty dead soldiers, searching for a way out.
This jester no longer looked silly, but more like a killing machine—a monster no one could tame.
'Where should I go? Where should I hide? What should I eat?' He was also thinking carelessly when his foot slipped in thick mud.
Twisting the boot inside, he kicked the other leg to the ground and jumped into the air.
Successfully returning to the road, the carriage moving in absolute chaos couldn't be dodged.
"RIP!" he roared, and the horse-drawn carriage flattened him to the ground.
Jester was used to pain. Death was no stranger to him, either. 'This is the first time I've been hit by something and died like this.'
The warriors stood over him. He lay with crushed bones in a pool of blood. They muttered among themselves and weren't pleased about his end.
Failing to grasp their words, he understood the king wouldn't be joyful about his demise either.
Before death struck, Jester imagined the king's angry face and smiled for the last time. He wanted to say he died because of the punchline, but alas, it was too late.
Thus, darkness came, which lasted an unusually long time.
Then he hung in darkness, with no control over his body, and heard a strange voice. It was a soft, deep, and friendly tone, belonging to a cheery woman.
A text appeared before Jester, which looked like runes, although he had no difficulty reading it.
[Archetype System triggered.]
[Your information has been processed.]
[All 12 necessary lives have already passed.]
[The 12th and final reincarnation begins.]
[This is your last life. Don't waste it!]
'What the hell is going on? What is this system, and why is this my last reincarnation?' Jester, who had just died, said in displeasure.
Sadly, he had no voice and couldn't ask anything to this strange entity.
12 different lives were behind him. Each time he resided in different worlds and got diverse professions and lives.
He had been a Hero, King, Sage, and finally tried his hand at being a Jester.
Now he had a little idea of the reason for his reincarnations and uniqueness.
However, he never imagined he would someday start his last life.
[The reincarnation is completed. Open your eyes and read the system's messages.]
[Welcome to planet Maskera!]
[Welcome to the world of Archetypes!]