Morning, Mai 29th. After a few hours of traveling on horseback, Ferdinand and his guards finally arrived in Cognac. Their intention was to recover the body of Rémy, their secret agent who had died mysteriously while investigating the slave trade. Even though the trip had been tiring, Ferdinand did not intend to rest until he had completed his painful mission. He went directly to the city's adventurers' guild to meet with the chief there.
"While I sort things out here, I want you to contact Claude and Félix as soon as possible. If I'm not mistaken, their meeting point is the Lumiére du Jour tavern. The password is to show up with a white rose on your clothes; buy one at the flower shop near the popular market. When you're done, come back here and wait for me."
"Yes, Sir!"
After saluting, the two guards calmly left as if they were only temporarily relieved of duty. Ferdinand entered the guild and then went to meet one of the receptionists.
"Good morning! My name is Marie. How can I help you?"
"Good morning. My name is Ferdinand Gautier. I am the head of the Bordeaux guild. Here is my medallion of authority."
"Oh, my! Forgive me, Mr. Gautier! I was so focused on the service that I could hardly have imagined that it was you!" - Marie replied with a bow, visibly embarrassed by her blunder.
"Hahahahaha. Calm down, Marie, I don't care about that at all. Being focused on serving well is a good thing, and if you consider that I myself was an adventurer in my younger days, you're not wrong in the way you treat me."
"Oh no, what's this, Mr. Gautier! You still look very well to me. What do we owe the visit to?"
"Hmm, thank you very much for your praise. As for the matter at hand... I would like to speak directly with Lavigne, if it's not too much trouble. Is he in?"
"Absolutely not! Mr. Lavigne is in his office right now. I'll ask for Miss Iché to be called. Please wait."
"Sure, no problem."
About five minutes later, a beautiful woman came down the stairs and went straight to speak to Ferdinad.
"Good morning, Mr. Gautier. I'm Michelle Iché, Mr. Lavigne's secretary. Please, come with me."
"Thank you."
"Hey, Marie!" - Someone whisperedher name.
"Huh? Coraline!? What's up?"
"Who was that handsome guy you were serving?"
"Come on, Coraline! Is that any manners? That man is Mr. Ferdinand Gautier. Head of the Bordeaux guild."
"Really? But he's really fit! Those muscles... wow."
"Stop it, Coraline! Your attraction to mature men is going to get you into big trouble!"
"Ehehe. What can I say? That one's a real knockout... "
"Oh, Coraline! You're really hopeless!"
Three knocks on the door. It was the signal for Cédran Lavigne, head of the Cognac guild, to put out his pipe and end his break.
"Come in."
"Mr. Lavigne. I have with me Mr. Gautier, from the Bordeaux guild. He wishes to speak to you."
"Oh! Gautier! It's been a long time since I've seen you, perhaps three years? I'm glad you're well!"
"Lavigne! Always with your trusty pipe! Herbs de Cidre, I presume!"
"Your sense of smell is as sharp as ever, man! That's right! Would you like a puff?"
"I'd rather have a good cup of coffee, if you don't mind me. I spent last night on horseback and barely stopped to rest."
"By the gods! The head of the guild himself has come in person and in such a hurry. It must be a really important matter. Ms. Iché, please get my friend some good coffee."
"Right away, Mr. Lavigne. If you'll excuse me."
The door closed and Lavigne invited Ferdinand to sit down. Although a bit small, his office was very clean and organized, something he had valued since he took office fifteen years earlier.
"Now, Gautier. How can I help you?"
"I'll get straight to the point. The Black Fair is coming."
At the mention of this name, Lavigne's expression darkened and he brought his hands to his face. After a while of silence, he turned his gaze to Ferdinand.
"Those bastards again. Here? In Cognac?"
"Unfortunately, yes. On the first day of Juin."
"In my city, under my nose. How did you find out?"
"I had a man on the case. But he was killed here in Cognac. I came to get his body."
"So the mysterious man from the river was yours. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Definitely an irreparable loss. His name is Rémy. Is his body here at the guild?"
"In the basement. We're preserving it with ice magic, but if it took longer to identify him we'd have to bury him. You're just in time."
"I'd feel really bad if I couldn't do at least that for my friend."
The door opened and Michelle had returned with a tray with a porcelain teapot and cups.
"I brought the coffee as you requested. And some cookies."
"Thank you, Ms. Iché." - Ferdinand thanks.
"Ms. Iché, I need you to go to the basement and report that the unknown dead man already has a claimant. Tell them to put down a new layer of ice and prepare a covered wagon."
"Understood. With your permission."
"We need to come up with a plan to catch these vermin. Any clues about who is responsible?"
"Years of investigation and we've never found anything. Whether it's the names of the organizers or the names of the participants, all of them covered up by the filthy nobility. The little we know is the date and that it will be here in Cognac."
"They're too smart. I wanted to put my adventurers on the case, but the monster activity around the city has increased a lot."
"Lavigne, don't you think this is too much of a coincidence?"
'What's your point?"
"Whenever a Black Fair happens, monsters appear from all sides. This is not normal."
"So the monsters could be a form of distraction. A tamer or something like that would really do a lot of damage. I'll send a message to all adventurers to keep an eye out for people with these abilities."
"It's the best thing to do. For my part, I will send my adventurers here and find those responsible for the fair at any cost."
"I appreciate that. I will provide lodging and food for everyone. It is the least I can do."
"That's more than enough. I will send the Coeur de Lion to deal with this."
"Once again, thank you. You are a great help, I know their reputation. Would you like to rest in a room for a while before leaving?"
"Thanks, my friend. I appreciate the offer, but I need to give Rémy a proper burial as soon as possible. It will be for another, more opportune moment."
"Very well. Then let's go down and arrange the transfer."
"Yes. By now my guards are back with the two surviving agents. We'll see if they brought any more information."
Meanwhile, in Bordeaux, Inako and Rikko wake up from their sleep.
"Hmmmm, good morning, Mr. Rikko! Did you sleep well?"
"Good morning, Inako. I slept well, yes. But I had a certain problem this morning."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"I wanted to crow."
"To crow…? Ah, you're a rooster. And roosters crows in the morning."
"That's the problem. Ever since my body developed, I haven't even once felt like crowing at sunrise. But now it's different. For the first time, I feel an uncontrollable urge to do that."
"And why don't you crow now? Was it so you wouldn't wake me up?"
"That too. But think about it. We're in a city, away from farms or rural areas. Suddenly, a rooster starts crowing in the middle of the city. Wouldn't that be a huge nuisance?"
"Now that you say it, it's true. If you crows here at the inn, it's going to be really loud."
"Much louder than you think. If there's no control, I can crow at the same frequency I used when I blew that giant snake's head off. Imagine the damage here."
"Wow! It's true! What now?"
"It's already dawn, so I think the worst is over. But I'll need to practice my control as soon as possible. I already have enough problems to deal with being who I am."
"You're right. Do you want to go down and eat something? I'm starving."
"Yes. When we're done, we'll go straight to the adventurers' guild, we need to raise money and get help."
"Okay!"
Breakfast at the tavern was simple but tasty. A piece of baguette bread with some red fruit jam - maybe strawberries and blackberries -, some butter, a mug of hot milk and a bowl of sweet fried polenta chunks for Rikko, but he got a little piece of bread with jam from Inako too.
"Wow, this is so good! It's so different from what we ate at the temple!"
"Let me guess… rice, miso soup and tsukemono, right?"
"Hey, how do you know that? Have you been to Sake?"
"Let's just say I know, don't get hung up on the details."
"Okay. But that's right, we don't eat sweet things first thing in the morning, especially at the temple, after all we depend on donations from the faithful. When I was with the adventurers, I ate bread and fruit in the morning or porridge outdoors, I was only with them at a tavern once and it was already past breakfast time."
"At least now you can try it. And we'll do that whenever we can. Speaking of which, it's time to go to the guild."
"Yes, let's go! Miss, we're leaving! The money is here!"
"Right! And where are you going?"
"To the adventurers' guild, I have some things to sell there. Do you know where it is?"
"Of course! I'll make you a little map, just wait."
It was a simple map, written on a piece of yellowed paper with a thin charcoal stick wrapped in wood carefully attached with some kind of glue. Old-fashioned for Rikko's knowledge, but not far from what he imagined.
"Hmm… now we turn this corner, and… we find it! There's the guild, Mister Rikko!"
The Bordeaux guild. It fit well with Rikko's imagination. A large two-story building that expanded to the sides. It wasn't sumptuous, but it looked quite imposing. On the arch above the main door were the words:
Guild of Bordeaux. Ici, les courageux deviennent valeureux.
Here the brave become valiant. This is definitely the stuff of RPG guilds. - Rikko thought.
"Well, here we are, time to go in."
"Yes!"
They walked through the main double doors together and were greeted by looks as curious as those from the previous night in the tavern. They were adventurers resting at waiting tables, perhaps waiting for a mission to be arranged.
It was no wonder they were curious, after all, adventurers come and go through that door, but it was the first time they had seen a person enter accompanied by a rooster sitting on her shoulder as if it were a hawk or some other type of trained bird.
And there it is. The famous scene of disbelieving adventurers staring at the main characters. Very typical. - Rikko thought, not seeming surprised.
"Huh… Mr. Rikko, what now?"
"Go straight to the counter and talk to the receptionist. Ignore everything else for now."
Walking a little stiffly with anxiety, Inako slowly approached the counter and went to the first available receptionist she saw. When Rikko turned her gaze to the receptionist they were addressing...
WOW! This girl is so good! That angelic face, That silky hair, and those... those... BIG BREASTS!
"Good morning! My name is Lilou! How can I help you-EEEEK, WHAT IS THIS?"
"WAAAAH! Mist- I mean, Rikko, what are you doing?
Suddenly, before the receptionist could finish her greetings, Rikko jumped off Inako's shoulder and landed on the counter. He stretched his neck, staring at the girl with his right eye.
"W-why is it looking at me like that? Does it intend to attack me?" - The receptionist raised both arms to protect her face.
"No, no! Rikko is gentle, he won't hurt you, but this is the first time he's done this! Rikko, come back here!" - Inako begged.
It was so what happened. After a few seconds of staring straight into the attendant's eyes, Rikko was possessed by a strange desire.
"...but what is it doing?"
The confused Lilou's question was fair. First of all, Rikko bowed, making a sign with his wings and head as if he were revering the girl. Then, he began to dance, spinning around the counter without taking her eyes off her. More than scared, Inako was now red with embarrassment.
"Mister. Rikko, stop it! I'm dying of embarrassment!" - Inako whispered as she approaches him. The situation was so strange that she was afraid to touch him.
"I am too! But I can't stop, my body is moving on its own!"
It was at that moment that a memory came to his mind. When he was still a chick, he remembered having seen once or twice the roosters on the farm doing this strange dance around their partners. It was a mating dance!
AHHHHH, WHAT THE FUCK! IT'S OVER SOON, YOU DAMMIT DANCE!
All the adventurers sitting at the waiting tables watched the scene in disbelief. It was then that one of them stood up and said:
"AH! I know what this is! My parents raise chickens, roosters do this when they want to mate! Hahahahahaha!"
When everyone finally understood what was happening, laughter echoed throughout the hall. Some, amused by the scene, teased Rikko with words.
"That's it, little rooster! Hit her! Go for it, hahahahahahaah!"
"I understand you! Go for it!"
"Hey, Lilou! You finally got a boyfriend!"
Lilou didn't know what to do. When she looked at her colleagues, they were in a corner of the counter hugging each other and scared. Help wouldn't come from them.
"We're sorry, Lilou!"
"Hang in there!"
Rikko hadn't stopped dancing when someone came down the stairs to see what was happening. It was Lucille, Ferdinand's secretary, who was currently in charge of the place in his absence. When she saw the whole scene, she was shocked.
"But what's all this? Why is there a rooster dancing on the counter? Lilou, explain this to me!"
"OHHHH, Ms. Allard! I don't know what's going on! All of a sudden this rooster started dancing and hasn't stopped yet! OH, HOW DISGRACEFUL!" - Lilou replied, hiding her face with her hands.
Inako, who had been stunned by embarrassment until then, finally decided to act. She took advantage of the fact that Rikko had his attention focused on Lilou to grab him when he closed his wings for a moment.
"I GOT YOU!"
"NOOOOO!!!"
All the male adventurers present reacted with disappointment when the free show suddenly came to an end. Some even fell off their chairs laughing so hard, and the female adventurers present simply remained silent, showing respect for Lilou, who at that moment crouched behind the counter and would not be leaving any time soon. And with that, the strange show ends.