Chapter 30: Dance Steps

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Dance Steps

The crowd voluntarily parted, making way for the two of them. Lorin led Tina by the hand into the open space. The girl’s hand was soft, her palm slightly damp. Realizing she was just as nervous as he was surprisingly calmed his own racing heart.

The Lute music started up again, accompanied by the bright notes of a whistle and the rhythmic beat of a tambourine. Lorin held her small hand in one of his, placing his other hand on her shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze through her clothes, signaling her not to be nervous. The girl’s face instantly grew redder. She trembled slightly, then mimicked Lorin’s posture, raising her hand to rest on his shoulder.

"So, you actually don’t know how to dance," Lorin leaned in close to her ear and chuckled softly.

Tina bit her lip, protesting, "I... I know a little."

"Relax. Just follow my lead." Recalling the scenes he had seen in his past life, he held the girl’s shoulder and gently began to twirl to the music.

Tina did her best to keep up with his steps. Her skirt fluttered in the night air like a blooming flower. At first, Lorin was rather clumsy too, but his high agility allowed him to quickly adapt to the footwork. However, the observant girl still noticed. She leaned in playfully, as if seeking revenge, and smirked. "You didn’t know how to dance either."

The soft whisper tickled Lorin’s ear. He instinctively turned his head, nearly brushing against the tip of her nose. As they locked eyes face-to-face, the blush that had just faded from Tina’s cheeks returned with visible speed, spreading all the way to the roots of her ears.

The girl’s footwork suddenly changed. She took small, bouncing steps, tapping her heels and raising her toes, causing the hem of her skirt to ripple in delicate waves. Lorin took a step to follow her and almost stepped on her skirt. Fortunately, Tina caught his arm, preventing him from falling flat on the ground.

He looked up and met her slightly provocative gaze.

"Follow me," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Left foot first."

Lorin smiled knowingly. He simply abandoned all thought and let his body bounce to her rhythm.

One spin, two spins, three spins.

He held the girl’s slender shoulder in his palm; even through the woolen dress, he could feel her body heat. The children in the crowd began to mimic their dancing, and the elderly clapped along to the beat. Pip popped up out of nowhere, standing on the edge of the circle. Holding a half-eaten leg of mutton, he waved it up and down like a conductor’s baton.

Tina twirled once more, and this time Lorin kept pace with her. Their bodies pressed close together as they traced a beautiful arc. When the girl spun back, she was practically pressed against his chest. She gazed up at Lorin in a daze, her eyes filled entirely with his reflection. Then, she slowly closed her eyes.

Lorin knew exactly what he had to do. He wrapped his arm around the girl’s waist, slowly lowered his head, and captured her soft lips in a kiss. Tina’s eyelashes fluttered a couple of times, but she didn’t open her eyes. Instead, she hugged him even tighter.

It was quite a while before the two slowly parted. The girl pursed her lips, still holding onto his hand, seemingly too embarrassed to say what was on her mind.

"During the day, I noticed your Leather Armor was tied crookedly," Lorin said, realizing what she meant.

"...I’m sorry." The girl lowered her head, nervously pinching the hem of her clothes.

Lorin leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, "Come with me later. I’ll teach you."

Tina’s head snapped up instantly.

"HISS."

At dawn, Lorin struggled to climb out of bed, his hand aggressively rubbing his lower back. Last night’s bonfire party had been far too intense; his muscles couldn’t stop aching. Glancing around, he noticed Tina had already left at some point.

"PHEW."

Letting out a soft breath, he bent down to pick up his clothes from the floor and got dressed. Heading down the stairs to the tavern hall, he saw Pip was already up, chatting with Hiv. Spotting Lorin coming downstairs, they exchanged a knowing smile.

"Lorin, my boy, young people need to learn some restraint—OUCH!"

Hiv had just wanted to tease him with the wisdom of experience, only to be struck squarely in the head by a rag flying out of the kitchen.

"If you were even half as hardworking as him, I’d be satisfied!" Aunt Martha’s roar echoed from inside.

An eerie, momentary silence fell over the tavern. Every patron stopped what they were doing and turned their eyes toward the flush-faced Hiv.

"What are you looking at?! Keep staring, and I won’t hand out your bounties!" Hiv slammed the table in exasperation. In a flash, the hall descended back into noisy chatter as everyone scrambled to resume their conversations.

"Ahem... Boy, let me tell you." Hiv racked his brains to change the subject before suddenly remembering something. He put on a serious expression and said, "To thank you for your contributions to Shallow Beach Town this time, the Mayor has decided to reward you with a treasure!"

"A treasure?!" Lorin and Pip perked up immediately. "What is it?"

"That, I don’t know. You’ll have to go see him yourselves," Hiv chuckled awkwardly.

"Alright, then we’ll head over right now."

Lorin thought back carefully. He did vaguely recall seeing a storehouse at the Mayor’s estate previously, piled high with various items. He hadn’t looked closely at the time, afraid he might not be able to resist sneaking a few things out. Now that he thought about it, the treasure was probably in there. He had originally wanted to ask Hiv what that stone was used for, but since there was a treasure waiting for him, he couldn’t possibly keep it waiting!

The two hurriedly left, walking east along the Black Water River. On the way, they encountered an enthusiastic washerwoman.

"Hey! Good morning, heroes! Thank you!" Sitting by the riverbank, she waved at Lorin and Pip.

"Good morning!" Pip replied happily.

Lorin was still a bit unaccustomed to such attention. He simply smiled and nodded at the woman as a greeting.

It didn’t take long before an unusually luxurious stone building appeared before them. The entire structure was built from massive blocks of white square stone, its surfaces carved with lifelike reliefs. Though both were stone buildings, the Divine Hall of the Dawn Lord looked more like a stable compared to this place.

The building was surrounded by an outer wall. Several Guards stood ramrod straight at the entrance, chatting and laughing with two merchants dressed in silk robes.

"Halt! What is your business here?" A young Guard eyed Lorin’s attire, immediately stepping in to block their path and shouting a reprimand.

"SMACK!"

A middle-aged man who looked like the Guard Captain swatted the back of the young Guard’s head and smiled at the two adventurers. "Heroes, thank you for your contributions to the town. This kid just recovered from a severe illness and hasn’t heard of your deeds yet. Please forgive him."

Lorin didn’t hold it against him. Instead, the two merchants smiled and greeted him, and he politely returned their greetings one by one.

Led by the Guard Captain, the two navigated through the palace-like manor and smoothly arrived at the door of an office.

"Mayor, they are here." The Guard Captain knocked on the door.

"Please send them in," a steady voice called out from inside.

The three opened the door and walked in. A man in his thirties was seated upright at a desk, flipping through the documents in front of him. He wore an elegant indigo robe and a monocle, his hair combed back meticulously. He looked more like a successful merchant than a mayor.

"Gentlemen, I am Nathan, the Mayor of Shallow Beach Town." Nathan looked the two of them up and down, speaking in a genial tone. "First and foremost, I must thank you both for your contributions to Shallow Beach Town. On behalf of the townspeople, thank you."

He stood up, gave them a slight bow, and continued, "Secondly, I believe you two already know about the treasure. Please, come with me."