The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 206 They are all bad people

A corner of a bustling market in Athens.

If she could, Ino would probably ask those around her right now, "Are you all living a very leisurely life?"

But some things can only be understood tacitly.

However, rather than making jokes, he first needs to find a way to resolve the current awkward situation; there has to be an explanation for stopping halfway through a story.

Looking around, I saw all sorts of gazes—curious, admiring, or thoughtful…

At the same time, Ino also sensed the movement around him. Helena, with her small hands gripping the hem of his clothes, stared timidly at the crowd around her with her big violet eyes.

But this seemingly insignificant little action solidified his resolve.

Once upon a time, he had never had any worries or fears while following his teacher Hans. If Helena had to live in constant anxiety while following him, it would have been much more comfortable to sell olive branches.

Thinking of this, he stopped explaining, bowed slightly, and calmly sat back down on the small stool.

The 36-string Irish harp once again emitted a melodious sound. But unlike before, the beautiful melody now carried a subtle sense of resilience.

Ino reached out and gently stroked Helena's short hair, then slowly spoke:

"...The fox told the little prince that life is a process of constantly anticipating and parting, and in the process, one experiences what love is and understands what love is. If you want to create bonds with others, you must be prepared to shed tears..."

The story unfolds gently, accompanied by music.

The story of The Little Prince is not long; the whole story takes only a little over an hour to tell.

At the end of the story, Ino used a montage technique to conclude:

The Little Prince was bitten by a poisonous snake. However, when he opened his eyes again, he was back in his castle, a small castle where one could see the sunset 44 times a day.

He heard the shrill, playful sounds of roses in his ears, and realized that he had just taken a nap and had experienced a very long dream...

As the last note of the harp faded into the air, a crisp round of applause rang out from the crowd.

Looking in the direction of the sound, Ino saw the only person clapping, a handsome blond youth standing on the left side of the crowd.

As he clapped, the young man took a Dalik gold coin out of his pocket and slowly walked forward.

A remarkable scene unfolded: as the blond youth made his move, many of the onlookers dispersed on their own.

Only the girl dressed in white linen remained.

"What a romantic story!" The blond youth tossed the gold coin onto a tattered burlap sack spread out on the ground.

"I prefer the ending to the story itself. It's best not to act on love when you don't understand it. Wait until you learn how to love someone before waking up from this dream; this avoids all the tragedies..."

The young man's voice was like a babbling brook or a gentle breeze, its melodious tone like a massage to the ears.

Ino also noticed that the young man's eyes kept glancing at the harp while he was speaking, and combined with his golden hair, he could roughly guess the other person's identity.

However, a bard's basic manners must not be neglected. Faced with the tip, he still stood up, bowed slightly, and thanked her in a low voice:

"Thank you for your recognition and expense. It is my job to spread beautiful stories."

After saying that, Ino bent down to pick up the gold coins on the ground. The gold coins on the linen did not look like traditional Greek drachmas; they looked more like gold coins minted in Persia.

But just as he was about to touch the gold coins, two hands appeared on the square linen cloth: one fair and slender, like an ivory carving, and the other a tender little hand.

The two hands met, and after a brief moment of stalemate, the gold coin was finally picked up by the slender, fair fingers.

"I am the security manager here. Consider this gold coin as your entry fee. You will not be charged any additional fees for staying overnight in the city or for anything else."

The girl, dressed in white linen, chuckled softly, her sweet voice always carrying a hint of mischief.

The blond youth watched the gold coins being snatched away the entire time, but he wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he spoke with great interest:

"If you have any more good stories, or if you want to make money, or if you need any other help, feel free to contact me! You should know where to find me."

……

It has been said that liveliness is always accompanied by desolation.

That's true. The crowd dispersed, and the corner of the market returned to its previous quiet and deserted state.

"They're all bad people! They robbed us!" Helena pouted and said angrily.

Seeing his apprentice's resentful expression, Ino could only offer a wry smile and offer words of comfort:

"Forget it! We can't afford to mess with them. It's just a gold coin, let's just rob it."

To be honest, today's events were somewhat unexpected. He never imagined that the story of the Little Prince would be so popular, let alone that someone would dare to steal Apollo's things.

But bathed in the warm breeze of the Aegean Sea, he roughly guessed the girl's identity.

Claiming to be the law enforcement officer of Athens, the answer was already obvious. Forget Apollo, this goddess even dared to steal from Zeus.

"What will we do then?" Helena finished packing her things and stood obediently to the side, holding two small stools.

"In the future?" Hearing this fateful question, Ino couldn't find an answer for a moment.

Of all the questions, the most difficult to answer are those about fate, such as: what will you do in the future, what will you do in the future... This is more difficult than any profound magic.

In a brief moment of thought, he had a vague answer in his heart. But now that Helena was involved, he couldn't be as willful as before.

"Leave the rest to the future. Now let's go to the market to buy some things, and I'll teach you another skill."

……

Before dusk, Ino led Helena back to the valley.

Compared to when he left in the morning, he brought back a lot of luggage this time, including various earthenware pots and utensils, bags of wheat flour, and even a number of wooden molds.

Rather than the wandering life of a bard, he thought of a craft more suitable for a girl's livelihood—baking bread.

Or, to put it another way, to make exquisite pastries.

Compared to the food of this era, pastries from another world would surely become a livelihood.

Even if he leaves, Helena can live a stable life with this skill. Whether she opens a bakery in Athens or makes bread in the valley and sells it at the market, she will never go hungry again.

Hunger is a very simple word, but for all children without support, it is the most devastating thing.

You can wear tattered clothes, be disheveled, or pick up discarded toys, but the only thing you can do is go hungry... there's probably nothing to eat, so you can only suffer from hunger.

"Helena! Come here, your teacher will teach you another skill today."

As Ino spoke, he untied the bag containing wheat flour, and countless yellowish, coarse flours were poured into a pre-prepared container.

(End of this chapter)