Grand Foreigner (Chapters 1- 200)

Chapter 29

Hassan continued to grimly look at the slowly approaching banners on Vichy's gate, feeling the rickety cart creaked under his weight.

"We're getting closer," Marie Antoinette, as if to just state an obvious fact, said it and then leaned over a cart wall to Mozart, who was holding the reins, looking at him.

"Rider, don't attract more attention to us than necessary," Archer said frowningly, after which he wrapped himself tighter in a cloak from someone else's shoulder, "We are already quite suspicious."

Rider, obeying the man's words, returned to her seat, after which she straightened her dress, "It doesn't fit me."

"Mari, this is not clothes created by your tailors - of course, it will not be designed for you," Mozart just lazily looked at his own shirt and a pair of worn pants, and then sighed, "At least they washed it."

Hassan was not particularly against such a decision, but did not share the views of his fellow travelers. He could get rid of an entire peasant family without dropping a drop of blood on their clothes, after which they could pick up their cart without resistance, but instead, Marie Antoinette offered her ring for such a junk. Hassan was not against making deals, but in this particular case it seemed to him that a golden ring decorated with a ruby was still worth more than peasant clothes and a half-dead horse with a rickety cart in addition, even if the peasants at least offered to wash their clothes and feed them dinner. Fortunately, Assassin himself did not need to change into someone else's clothes because of his skills, which hid him from prying eyes. Unfortunately, this method was not suitable for masking the rest.

The gates gradually came closer and closer - unlike military fortresses they passed before, they were open wide, but no carts full of merchant goods or people on foot moved through them. There was practically no people on the streets inside the city itself too - only sometimes residents of the city timidly looked around and slipped out, immediately escaping the streets into the doors of another building.

"Fat Duck Pub" - Hassan read the name of the place that the random traveller on the streets chose and shook his head - " In spite of whatever happened, this trait will always remain with people."

"Hold!" - the voice of the guard was heard when the wagon had already entered the city, after which Hassan saw a man dressed in chainmail appearing from a small gatehouse - "Who are you?!"

"Peasants", - Mozart was the first to speak with the guard, forcing the guard to pay attention to the guy, - "We are going to this city."

"And for what reason?" - the man casts a suspicious look at the cart, pausing to look at Archer - "Not the best time for festivals."

"Yeah, it's not," Mozart agreed, sighing, after which he looked into the guard's eyes, "Yet we have nowhere else to go."

Understanding flashed in the man's eyes, after which he examined Mozart once more, not looking at him much, then Marie Antoinette, then again carefully looking at Archer, nodded in his direction,- "And this one?"

"We picked a traveler along the way," Mozart answered again, after which he looked at Archer himself, as if evaluating him, "He says that he also has nowhere to go."

"Can't he speak for himself?" - the guard took a step towards the man wrapped in a cloak.

"I have nothing else to say," came Archer's voice, as tired as possible, "I have nowhere to go and nothing to do. They brought me here - it means I will look for happiness in the city. If I can't find it - I'll go to the next one."

The guard once again carefully glanced at him, - "Are you carrying a weapon?"

"Would be - if I have one," Archer answered to this, after which he opened his cloak a bit, allowing the guard to see the absence of a sword on his belt, and then snapped back.