Chapter 202: Circus Performance: A Self-Inflicted Humiliation

‘Relax. Calm down.’

‘As the King of Clowns, I need the courage to face Batman head-on.’

‘Just blame it all on Furen and Bai Ya.’

‘That’s right.’

The night was heavy. Outside the Red Rose Inn, Lu Wei stood under the kerosene lamp hanging by the door, his shadow stretching long.

After giving himself a pep talk, he finally pushed the wooden door open furtively, looking just like a Thief.

MEOW~

The black cat lying on the recliner looked up at him, gave a token meow, and curled back up.

Lady Emma, wearing an apron, walked out of the storeroom. When she saw it was him, the wrinkles on her face immediately smoothed into a kind smile.

“Oh, it’s you, Lu Wei. Good evening.”

“Ahem, good evening.”

Lu Wei gave a dry cough, not knowing why he was already starting to feel awkward.

But Lady Emma didn’t notice his strangeness. She just quickly took off her apron and retrieved the wool coat from behind the counter.

“You’re just in time. I lengthened the sleeves a bit this afternoon. Can you help me by trying it on again?”

“Uh, let’s wait a bit.”

Lu Wei was in no mood for this. He muttered in a low voice, “I’m here to see Mirana.”

“Oh? Did you forget to tell her something this afternoon?”

Lady Emma smiled and draped the coat over the back of a chair. “But she’s not here right now. She went out before dinner and hasn’t come back yet.”

Huh?

Not here?

Lu Wei froze, instantly overjoyed.

“This is great!”

“Hmm?”

Lady Emma was a little confused. “Aren’t you here to see her?”

“I am, but it’s even more perfect that she’s not here.”

As Lu Wei spoke, he quickly untied his money pouch and took out four Gold Coins.

“Lady Emma, when she gets back, could you please give this money to her?”

“Oh, alright…”

Lady Emma took the Gold Coins, stunned. “Do you want me to give her a message?”

“No need, just give her the money!”

Lu Wei immediately shook his head. ‘Just let this farce be over with,’ he thought, and urged impatiently:

“Where’s the coat? I have something else to do. I need to leave as soon as I try it on for you.”

“Ah, then you should go attend to your business. Don’t let me delay you.”

“It’s fine. It won’t take long anyway.”

“Alright then, well…”

As Lady Emma spoke, she had just picked up the coat.

But the next second, the bell hanging on the wooden door rang.

JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE~

Amidst the crisp ringing, the night wind rushed into the inn.

Along with it came a very bad feeling.

“You’re back. Perfect timing. Lu Wei is here to see you.”

Lady Emma’s smile was as kind as ever.

But Lu Wei, his back to the door, shook his head with a sense of resignation.

‘Heh.’

‘So I got caught in the end, huh?’

‘Damn it all.’

‘Hold on, let me put on my red nose first.’

…

…

Quietly, Mirana arrived.

Quietness is the Clown’s song; the summer insects fall silent for me, for silence is Gotham tonight.

「Five minutes later.」

Mirana sat on the edge of the bed, silently putting the four Gold Coins back into her money pouch.

Lu Wei sat on the only chair in the small room, at a complete loss.

Honestly, in a scene like this, it wouldn’t have felt out of place at all if Mirana had asked, “Want to bathe together?” in the next second.

But it was obvious that the two of them were not currently engaged in some “transaction of flesh and money.”

It was a trial: Batman versus the Joker.

“This is a misunderstanding.”

A moment later, Lu Wei finally looked up, trying hard to maintain a serious expression to hide his inner embarrassment.

“Furen and Bai Ya never told me about the bag of ears, so I could only assume you stole it.”

“Mm.”

Mirana nodded, her expression unchanging, her hands folded in her lap.

Seeing her silence, Lu Wei tried to turn the tables. “So why didn’t you explain things clearly this afternoon?”

“You didn’t give me a chance.”

Mirana glanced at him, stating the fact in a calm tone.

“Ahem, I was a little impulsive at the time.”

Remembering his “highlight moment,” Lu Wei cringed and quickly tried to change the subject.

“Anyway, the money has been returned to you now, so let’s just let this matter pass.”

“But let’s be clear, what you did to Furen is still unforgivable.”

“Mm.”

Mirana still showed no change in emotion, nor did she offer any rebuttal or explanation. She just nodded again.

This “frank” attitude of hers left Lu Wei somewhat speechless.

‘Of course!’

‘Even though I’ve returned the money, I can no longer confidently stand on the moral high ground and look down on her!’

‘Time to retreat!’

‘Stop humiliating myself here!’

“Alright, I’m leaving then.”

With that thought, Lu Wei stood up, ready to leave.

He no longer had any thought of saying a few “protagonist lines.”

But just then, Mirana suddenly said calmly:

“Freya said she has a way to heal Kairos’s leg.”

“…”

His footsteps paused. Lu Wei had already gripped the doorknob, but upon hearing her words, he silently let go.

Although he didn’t want to know about Mirana’s difficulties, this reason was at least plausible.

It didn’t sound fake, either.

“Then why didn’t you just ask Furen for help?”

He turned back, unable to resist asking, “Shouldn’t Furen be able to do what Freya can?”

“Why?”

Mirana looked over, a little confused. “Because they’re both from the Delaroca Clan?”

Lu Wei frowned. “Isn’t that right?”

“You…”

Mirana hesitated for a moment, then carefully chose her words, confirming in a low voice:

“So you think that as long as they are children of the same family, they control equal resources within the clan?”

“I… ahem, of course I’m not that naive.”

‘Dammit!’

‘I told myself to get out of here!’

‘But I just had to open my big mouth and ask!’

Lu Wei kept a straight face, desperately trying to save face.

“I just think you could have at least asked Furen first. He might have been able to help you.”

“If he really could do it, he would have offered without me having to ask.”

Mirana shook her head. “Knowing his personality, the fact that he never brought it up means he can’t do it.”

“…”

‘She makes a good point…’

‘From that perspective, it’s understandable… Huh?’

‘Wait, whose side am I on?’

“What a shame. In that case, if I hadn’t also gone to the Dome Pillar that day, Kairos’s leg might have been healed by now.”

Suddenly remembering which side he was on, Lu Wei immediately made a subtle, mocking jab.

He was trying to break through Mirana’s composure.

However, not only did she not break, but she even offered comfort very seriously:

“No, it has nothing to do with you. This is all my own fault.”

“I will find another way to treat Kairos’s injured leg.”

“If I can’t get an audience with the Earl of Lancaster, I plan to take him to Winterfell. I heard there’s a Great Priest there who can use Regeneration Magic.”

“As for Furen, I will give him a satisfactory explanation before I leave.”

“I have nothing to say in my own defense. In fact, until now, I never thought I had done anything wrong.”

“But over these past few days, I… I’ve realized that you all already considered me a true companion.”

“But I failed to do the same.”

“For that, I am truly sorry.”

“…”

The candle on the corner of the table burned quietly. A few barks could be heard in the distance, making the silence in the room seem almost stagnant.

The night wind slipped through the crack in the window, making the candlelight flicker and gently rustling the ends of Mirana’s hair.

Watching Lu Wei calmly, her tone barely changed from beginning to end.

Only that one pause in the middle seemed a little difficult for her.

Without a doubt, she must have been thinking about these words for a long time and only now had the chance to say them.

Very frank, and very sincere.

It was as if she were glowing with the radiance of a “charming villain.”

In comparison, Lu Wei suddenly felt his red nose about to sprout again.

‘Wait, this isn’t right, is it???’

‘Are those words a traitor like you should be saying???’

‘Shouldn’t *I* be the one upholding justice here???’

“You…”

Swallowing hard, Lu Wei had no idea how to respond to such a sincere “villain’s monologue.”

Mirana was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up and asked:

“Do you remember a line of poetry I told you before?”

“Poetry?”

Lu Wei was taken aback. “When did you talk to me about poetry?”

“About half a month ago, on our way to the Adventurer Association.”

Mirana answered softly, “You also recited a very beautiful line of poetry then: ‘I could have tolerated the darkness, had I not seen the sun.'”

She repeated it in a low voice, a trace of admiration in her eyes.

She still seemed to think the line was beautiful.

And Lu Wei finally remembered this incident.

Indeed, he had talked about “poetry” with Mirana back then, and it was then he learned that she actually liked art.

But Mirana never brought up the subject with him again, so he had forgotten that this woman was also an “artist.”

“So?”

Lu Wei looked at Mirana, completely bewildered, having no idea why she was bringing this up now.

But in the next second, a terrible thought popped into his head.

‘Wait, you’re not about to…’

“I told you a line of poetry then. I wonder if you still remember it.”

Under Lu Wei’s horrified gaze, Mirana sighed softly, like a feather drifting to the ground.

“It’s a line from *Cecil’s Heroic Song*. It describes what Cecil felt as he witnessed the city he had saved be destroyed by a meteorite…”

‘Shut up! Don’t you dare be pretentious right now!!’

Lu Wei’s eyes grew even more panicked. He subconsciously reached out, trying to interrupt Mirana.

But he was a step too late.

Outside the window, the night sky was vast and boundless. A crescent moon had climbed above the rooftops at some point, its cool, clear light quietly sprinkling down, coating Heitai Town in a silver glow.

The next second, Mirana turned her head to look at him and murmured in a tone mixing regret, resignation, and a hint of helplessness:

“Fate is an eternal pendulum. Yesterday, on one end, it solidified into hope; tomorrow, on the other, it rehearses farewell.”

“…”

‘Heh.’

‘First, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.’

‘Second, I have no clue what you mean by reciting poetry right now.’

‘But one thing’s for sure…’

‘You’re fucking doing this on purpose!!!’