Berserk: The Prophet

Nothing happened that night, except for the occasional sound of footsteps from the city's curfew patrolmen.

Early in the morning, Green stretched and yawned. He had finally gotten the factory up and running at Barkley's. There was nothing to do in Pence, so he just had to wait to get back to Pende.

Including the caravan I built in Juda, the monthly profit, after deducting miscellaneous wages, is around 30,000 dinars. After deducting the investment in starting the factory, I now have 70,000 dinars on hand, a good start, enough to build a small team of about 100 people.

However, Green doesn't plan to take such big steps yet. After all, as the team grows, the expenses will increase. Since money can be stored in the space and won't be lost, it's better to accumulate as much money as possible.

"Tap Tap"

The sound of horses' hooves clattering on the stone pavement followed one after another, and the creaking of wheels on the ground suggested that several carriages were entering the city.

"Hehe, it's a juggling act, let's go watch it together!"

"Hehe, great! I heard they're going to have a performance in the church square..." The children's laughter and chatter faded into the distance as the carriage drove away.

...A juggling act?

Green pushed open the wooden window of the tavern and, through the morning sunlight, saw several carriages adorned with feathers driving into the city. Feather headdresses and sequined hems swayed through the gaps in the curtains.

Come to think of it, Gambino's mercenary group also came to perform once, but he and Guts were sent to start a fire and cook. Anyway, the roads were slippery after the heavy snow, so it was fine to wait until after watching the performance before setting off.

After quickly washing up, Green went downstairs to the pub and ordered some food. It wasn't particularly delicious, but at least it was something warm to eat on this cold winter day.

Winter days always pass quickly. After breakfast, it was almost noon, the warmest time of day. Green, accompanied by two guards, headed toward the church square.

In winter, apart from women knitting clothes at home, there is not much work to do. The square is already crowded with people, and children are weaving in and out of the crowd, shouting excitedly.

Green finally managed to find a place to stand in the crowd, only to find that he was too short to see anything and was being jostled around.

"Sigh." Green sighed. Although he had grown a little bit, he was still a child under nine years old. His height had hardly increased in the past two years, and he was still a little boy with a nose of only 1.4 meters.

“Sit on my shoulders, young master,” said Corribo. He was taller than Jacob, at 1.9 meters.

Ah this...

Green hesitated for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed, but the constant exclamations of surprise around him were really piquing his curiosity.

"Okay, I'll bother you then."

Green straddled Coliripo's shoulders, and as Coliripo stood up, his field of vision instantly opened up.

...It was a strange experience. He felt like no one in the world was as tall as him, and his heart was pounding with excitement. He was used to riding horses, but this was the first time he had ever ridden a person. Green could only hold onto Corribipo's hair and ears as reins.

...It seems being a child isn't so bad after all.

"Corripo, hold on tight! Young master, be careful not to fall!" Jacob suddenly started nagging, but before he could even invite Green to climb onto his shoulders, Corripo beat him to it!

Isn't this guy usually so serious and stern-faced? How come he's suddenly so adept at networking? Damn it, he beat me to this great opportunity to build rapport!

Jacob muttered to himself, his mind racing, like someone walking along when suddenly tripped over dog poop.

However, no one noticed Jacob's slight displeasure, as Green's attention was completely drawn to the scene in the center of the square.

Six acrobats wearing painted masks were tossing and catching burning torches on stilts. The flames drew crimson arcs in the cold wind, eliciting gasps of amazement from the crowd.

The sword swallowing, the magic trick of turning people into living beings into real ones, and the monkey riding a dog were all absolutely spectacular!

I wouldn't have dared to spend money recklessly to see variety shows and circuses in my past life, but this time I've broadened my horizons and it was quite interesting.

At the end of the show, the circus performers start interacting with the audience, inviting them to come up on stage and act as targets, balancing apples on their heads. Of course, usually no one is willing to go (laughs).

After the circus owner asked for more money, the performance officially began. The knife-throwing master took to the stage and appeared to have brought a young apprentice to perform with him.

The child looked to be about the same age as Green, with golden hair neatly tied back. He was thin and small and looked somewhat familiar, but Green couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

The young apprentice balanced the apple steadily on his head, his expression showing some tension, but he tried to appear calm. The master of throwing knives stood not far away, his eyes focused, the knife in his hand gleaming coldly.

As he swung his arm, the throwing knife flew towards the apple like lightning, and with a "whoosh," it accurately embedded itself in the apple, drawing cheers from the audience.

The performance then went beyond that. The child was tied to a rotating disc, and the knife-throwing master started calling for people to spin the disc. Ten throwing knives flew past in a whoosh, and everyone gasped.

Fortunately, the child was unharmed. However, the performance continued, and the knife-throwing master, blindfolded, continued to throw six more knives. The child remained unscathed, earning cheers from the audience.

Green was watching intently from Corribipo's shoulder; the boy's courage was commendable.

As the performance drew to a close, the child followed the knife-wielding master through the stage, then twirled the throwing knives and retreated behind the stage.

The more Green looked at the child, the more familiar he felt, and he kept searching his memory for related information.

...I can't remember, I can't remember at all.

The next program is a fire show sponsored by the Dharma King's Hall, symbolizing the "purification" brought by the flames.

The burning chain was waved in the artist's hands, and the onlookers clapped and cheered. Such a lively atmosphere was rare in winter, like a scene from a festival celebration.

As the performance ended, the circus performers received a reward, and the local church priest also paid them some food and supplies.

...So tomorrow is Christmas.

This is something Green just learned from passersby; almost everyone in the entire Papal Kingdom celebrates this festival, much like celebrating the Lunar New Year in China in his previous life.

Come to think of it, I haven't had a proper holiday since I came into this world. I wonder if I can have dumplings with Gus before winter ends?

...I need to get back quickly.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, the troupe members began to pack up the stage and props, and the blond boy helped out.

An elderly woman dressed as a fortune teller had just gotten off the carriage and was laying out a carpet, preparing to offer fortune telling to passersby who wanted to inquire about their future.