Chapter 85: Tenth Episode: Chapter 3 (2/2)

Oscar rubbed his head, ”Please, my angel! Even if this is a wolverine, it looked just like a black bear to me! You’re an angel, I agree! But do you really want your brother wear… this?”

While talking, Oscar didn’t forget wearing the headpiece made from the wolverine head! How should I put it? Let’s just say his current look would’ve let hunters go crazy.

”It’s a good look!” Countess Antonia hollered from the door, she brought some steeped black tea for the both of them.

”It’s Holy Day today, thank the God of Light! It’s fine if you indulge a little!” Annie twisted the wolverine’s ear, taking him in like inspected her own child.

That’s right! It was Holy Day, or more specifically, the Holy Day of the University Town of Sparjoxin. At this time, it was still a while until the winter holiday for the university students. As a playful bunch, they wouldn’t let go of this chance to indulge in the fun.

Maybe this was why the Holy Day of Sparjoxin was famous. The city, famed for its education and knowledge, had a group of people with the most passionate dreams. They would wear all sorts of dresses and robes, and would dress up beyond your imagination would allow. Snow from the Ollier of far north wouldn’t stop their excitement, they would light massive bonfires reaching a dozen meters, and utilize dances and hard liquor to chase away the cold permeating from every single pores they have.

In the evening, on streets nearby the Tortoiseshell Cat Square, some earlycomer had already met up. They had free drinks from the nearby coffeehouses, talking about the most old-fashioned topics. Students seemed to all be that way, they didn’t know how high the sky was or how thick the earth goes, they think about questions with a logic that’s almost idiotic. Their speaking voice was loud, and when they laughed, it’s almost like they were ducks. These kids thought they were showing off their vast knowledge, but in reality, they were only trying to attract that lady by the entrance, or the barmaid working her hands off.

However, these boys who had yet to learn the art of subtlety would eventually learn that no matter how hardworking they are, knowledge would never be fully understood, the God of Light and the people in power would never create much opportunities for them to be outstanding.

The Tortoiseshell Cat Square had yet to open, and all the entrances into the Square had been closed, like usual. The students with a penchant to cause trouble wouldn’t give it a rest just because it’s Holy Day. They gathered in a crowd, behind the fence, and greeted the soldiers with swear words with increasing frequency. A truly ambitious scholar would be disgusted by these displays of immaturity. Truthfully, these kids who had a little more education can sometimes seem more gangsterish than their unenlightened breathens.

It was Holy Day, we shouldn’t talk about things that get us down. So let’s look at the aristocrats! Right that moment, Dulin University had gathered all the worthy people in Sparjoxin in its main lecture hall. Some of them were professors, some priests, and others were artists and high-ranking military officers. Of course, there would be no gathering without the nobles and the businessmen. Everyone who had been invited into the hallowed halls today had been a somebody, in terms of their socioeconomic status or their money.

Don’t be surprised! This is how patronizing the patrons of knowledge can be! They split the people into labels with standards wherein no one knew from whence it came about. The higher class people looked, the less people there are, and the more power they hold. In that situation, knowledge became the secondary priority, and in most cases, this phrase that symbolizes civilization became redundant and hypocritical.

Such is the state of education! Titan should be the first civilization in the world to provide education to its underage. This Empire had set up schools in each town as the basic administrative unit, and decreed everyone over the age of 13 to be eligible for the admission test for school. However, since some time ago, the Ministry of Education had slowly slapped on an innumerable amount of restrictions to admitting a new student, for example, the parents must be able to pay a certain amount of tax, and another example, the parents must be able to pay for a year of accommodation and food, some even request the parents to be able to take on a part of the school expenses while their children were studying. These restrictions could be set by the local town government, so the Titan Empire had as many restrictions as they had schools.

As a conclusion, the spirit of education in Titan Empire can be boiled down to this: ”Show me the money, then we’ll allow education.” This principle was easy enough, but it could create so many riches.

With that set in stone, the children eligible for school dropped so much, it’s barely enough. When new students dropped below a certain point, the Ministry of Education would have less income, but there’s a way to combat that. The local government could adjust the restrictions, as long as they loosened the restriction placed on prospective students, those who saved up hoping their children would get into a good school would gladly open their wallets.

Through that, the Ministry of Education would gather their riches again, but its greed would not be so easily satisfied, at this point the local government would request for more money again, over and over again, and over and over again, until you couldn’t pay for it anymore, and your children drop out of school! Then the cycle starts again, and again, and again…

We seemed to have stumbled on another topic that’s not festive.

***************

”Well, I’ll be! After so many years! The best thing that ever happened in the Empire had appeared before me!” Lobble Alfa Morisette greeted Oscar as he stepped through the living room entrance, the Elder Prince’s face was writhing in his attempt to not laugh.

Oscar was wearing a heavy skin of wolverine fur, and his head donned a realistic leather hat. He may have too much on him, as he looked clumsy while waddling through the living room.

”Thank you my friend! Today is Holy Day! I won’t get offended with comments on this, so… laugh if you want to! I worry about your facial nerves if you keep holding it in.” Oscar hugged Lobb as he said it.

”Honestly though! Your devil costume weren’t much better! And those ripped strips on you… It only reminds me of the mental asylum patient garbs.” Oscar criticized the Elder Prince in an attempt to strike his ego.

”My friends!” Lobble hugged Oscar by his shoulder, showing the male wolverine off to people in the living room.

”I’ll bet twenty golds!” The Elder Prince hollered in excitement. ”Our beloved Prince O’Neil is dressed up as a lost… a lost badger!”

Oscar didn’t want to deter Lobble’s excitement, but he still mumbled, ”You fiend! You’re going down!”

Immediately, one of the Elder Prince’s followers followed, ”I’ll bet fifty gold pieces, Prince O’Neil must be dressing up as a bear, even though I don’t know what bear it is!”

Oscar peered at the voice with disgust, it was a man wearing a major general uniform, and he seemed high-ranking too.

”No, no, no!” Another voice echoed, ”Your Highness, I have to say, the fur coat on you must not be a bear’s, that is too dirty. The fur must be from some sort of rare creature! I don’t know the name, but I’ll bet a hundred gold pieces!”

Lobb clapped his hands together eagerly. ”Great! Count Hillock offered one hundred gold pieces…”

Oscar tugged at the Elder Prince’s strips of cloth, ”That’s enough Lobb!”

He then stepped out to announce the answer to his guests.

”Ladies and gentlemen! I’m sorry to announce, dealer wins! I’m dressing up as a wolverine! The three gentlemen who bet please pay up, but remember, I only receive cash!”

The nobles started making noise as Oscar dragged the Elder Prince out into the balcony. The young major general was still complaining about something, but Oscar ignored it.

The lecture hall of Dulin University had every window facing the Tortoiseshell Cat Square on the South, and the Princes were standing on the only balcony there. Two braziers erected on two sides on the balcony, it is flame struggling against the strong wind.

From the balcony, they would be able to see the aerial view of the Tortoiseshell Cat Square just by stretching their necks a little bit. The square was already open, and hundreds of weirdly-dressed people followed an orchestra around to play demons running loose.

With the tortoiseshell cat statue in the middle, the crowd formed into multiple circles in different corners of the square. Each circle was centered with a bonfire and an orchestra. With their heavy cotton coat and weird masks, they danced and danced until they got cut off by crowds of children, but they would soon rejoin their own formation. Even on Holy Day, these adults didn’t plan to hide their inner greed, they were waiting for the next song, their next dance partners.

On the east of the square, there were temporary stoves and grilling stands, it is also full of people here. The Northerners uncorked their strongest gins, and men raced to chug the alcohol like their lives were depending on it. This sort of drinking can only be witnessed during Holy Day, men during this time could not be reasoned, like they’re all in a mass hysteria episode.

The oil pan sizzled as fried sausages sputtered, people were waiting frenziedly as the sausages turned to a scrumptious red.

Compared to the self-service carts in the Dulin University lecture halls, these food were not free. In the heat of the excitement, people would usually be more willing to empty their pockets.

There weren’t many choices for the ladies, to them, holidays were usually the day they would make mistakes. Partying in a mask had one benefit, which was the loss of an identity to the masses, this on some level increased the fun the women would be having. For example, when a one-eyed pirate swooped past them, ladies would usually be entranced by the neptunian wildness the man exuded.

If the ‘pirate’ was willing, the lady would be more than happy to take off their dresses in a dark alley near the square. But of course, better to not expect a pulchritudinous face or body.

”Who… who’s that lad dressing up as a general?” Oscar stared at the square aimlessly, his hands on the stone railing, his legs crossed, and a large Cuban cigar fitted between his mouth.

”Which one?” Lobble’s eyes were wild, another cigar in his mouth, but it was apparent his cigar was laced with opium or some hallucinogen of sorts.

”The one who lost fifty gold pieces to me!”

”That is Tove Van Sukhoi, everyone here calls him the Walking Stick Torry.” The Elder Prince exhaled with a waft of smoke.

”Hey, my dear brother-in-law, don’t you want to try?”

Oscar looked at the cigar in Lobb’s hand, ”I’m sorry, I quit a while ago!”

”Don’t make a fool of yourself! What is that you have in your mouth? Opium?”

Oscar choked and coughed! ”Your Elder Highness, you have to watch your mouth! I mean I quit the kind that was laced with stuff!”

Lobble shrugged, ”I’m sorry to hear that. Losing opium, you must have lost all the fun in life.”

Oscar rolled his eyes. He knew the Elder Prince was probably stoned.

”I don’t like that guy, Walking Stick Torry, is it?” Oscar’s vengeful persona came out again.

”That’s right! I hate him too! But my brother likes him, they kept hanging out together.”

”But why is he called the Walking Stick Torry?” Oscar was a little confused.

”Hmm… That’s to do with his willy.” Lobble stated certainly.

”Please, can you be serious?” Oscar can’t stand the crudeness.

”I’m telling the truth! I heard that lad’s willy is as long as a walking stick, so…”

”Alright, alright! We’re changing a topic!” Oscar turned away, annoyed. He regretted talking about this Sukhoi dude.

”Let’s talk about… about… why you didn’t go home today?”

Lobble spat in frustration.

”What for? Haven’t you seen those people in Dulin?”

”But your siblings and parents were there!”

Lobble spat again! His psyche did seem a little off.

”Two of my sisters are marrying to other countries, they were stupid, so no arguments there! Alanis belongs to you, she likes to call me big bad wolf, because I kept borrowing money from her, dammit! It is not like she doesn’t know my money was all eaten up, you know she kept reprimanding me? And lastly, my brother. Nothing to say there, we were completely different people, it is even difficult to eat with him! So I had this suspicion, either I’m not my father’s biological son, or he’s a bastard!”

”My father…” Lobble swallowed his saliva. ”I don’t know if he loves me more or if he loves his mistresses more. We seldom spend time together. His attention was always on either one of his mistresses, or on one of those nobles who caused trouble. And mother… forget about it! Every time after she saw me she’d need to see a doctor, says she couldn’t stand it.”

”Ola…” Oscar regretted bringing that topic up. He could only express his sympathy.

”Oh, it’s nothing!” Lobble laughed all of a sudden, ”C’est la vie*! Such is the life of a Prince! Ignored by fathers, complained by mothers, teased by brothers, mocked by sisters. But don’t you worry, I’m fine! If there comes a day when I’m no longer fine, I’ll tell you!”

Oscar felt he should be sympathizing the Prince, but as a friend, he had something else to say first.

”No! If you can’t stand it anymore, don’t tell me. Just ignite the Hamilton Palace! I’ll be on my way to fetch you as soon as I see the flame! Don’t forget, we still have a huge hotel, you’re not homeless!”

Lobble hooked his arm on Oscar’s neck and kissed his forehead.

”I will! This is the best goddamn proposal I’ve heard all week!”

Oscar didn’t hear what the Elder Prince said clearly, he was pointing at the square wildly.

”Look! Look at it! The priests are here! The priests have appeared!”

That is right, the clergies have appeared, and the Holy Day would soon reach its climax. The pastor with his wide robe marched right in front, and the clergies inched behind him, carrying a huge sand hourglass. The crowd separated themselves, and devout believers would immediately kneel on the ground as the procession walked by. They were humming the God’s hymn, they were kissing the ground God had blessed his presence upon.

The pastors finally stopped their procession, right in the middle of the Tortoiseshell Cat Square. The hourglass was placed onto a temporary altar, and the pastor followed the millennium-old tradition of flipping open the inscription that recorded the astronomy. As the time neared, the pastor started waving his hands about, recreating the movements the God of Light had taught to the people.

The hourglass turned, started its accurate time check. The crowd went silent, the students calmed, the women held their breaths, and the men let the wine bottle hit the floor spilling alcohol all around, and devout believers started talking to themselves.

”Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!”

”Long live the God of Light!”

The sky brightened suddenly as the crowd’s voices combined, flipping a new page on the new dawn. Fireworks rose from the countryside, lighting up the darkness! Colored lights weaved into different patterns, everywhere from north to south and east to west of the city was covered with the blossoming of colorful lights.

Everyone abandoned their hesitations, it is like the celebrations had just begun! Masks were shredded into pieces, dresses were thrown into the fire, the church only allowed this one night of debauchery. That day, on the day of Holy Day, the God of Light was only an immature child!

Oscar and Lobble already had a crowd around them, everyone surged onto the balcony. By Oscar’s side was the angelic Sasha, and the Elder Prince had a pretty man by his.

Oscar kissed his sister’s lips, he was satisfied with all these.

Raising his wine glass, Oscar clinked with Lobble, and felt hundreds of feeling rushing in.

”For the sake of Year 791, cheers!”

”Yes! For the damned Year 791!” Lobble swayed uncontrollably.

So… so be it then, cheers for Year 791! As we knew, this year… was full of events.

Translator’s Notes:

1. C’est la vie, French phrase meaning ”such is life”, or in a certain millennial speak, ”shit happens”. I chose this for its appropriateness and for its nod at the French-ness of the story.