Published: July 4, 2025
The next morning.
Lyun and Abel visited the Censorate.
As usual, the gate facing the street was open.
Of course, no one was standing guard.
The inner gate was firmly shut, and in front of it was a large drum taller than a person.
It was for those with grievances to strike.
In all the times the two had visited, there had never been anyone around the drum.
However, today there were people present.
Three men.
Each was wearing eastern attire in red, blue, and yellow.
They were dressed neatly, their hair tied up properly, and swords hung from their left waists, making them look like officials, but… there was something a bit rough about them.
Despite their appearance, it seemed they were not trying to strike the drum.
They were merely watching with curiosity.
Neither Lyun nor Abel intended to strike the drum.
Only those with grievances were permitted to do so, so the two who came to meet Minister Shou were not supposed to hit it.
Thus, they tried to pass by the drum.
At that moment, the three men noticed them.
And all three recognized them simultaneously.
“Hey, you!”
“Wait up!”
“Why are you here!”
The three were barking at Abel.
However, Abel tilted his head in confusion.
Lyun asked Abel, who stood beside him.
“Abel, do you know them?”
“No, I don’t.”
Abel shook his head.
The three, enraged by Abel’s answer, shouted out.
“Hey, don’t mess with us!”
“I’ll settle the score!”
“You’ll pay for the egg incident!”
The last person’s words were particularly specific.
Though it wasn’t as if it had reminded him…
“Oh, the three colors.”
Abel nodded a few times.
“I see, it’s the three colors.”
With the word “three colors” from Abel, Lyun remembered.
Upon arriving at the imperial capital, they had bumped into or nearly bumped into these three men along with Abel.
At that time, they had also been wearing eastern attire in red, blue, and yellow, prompting Abel to name them the “three colors.”
Just then, Abel had been prioritizing acquiring the Flying Ring above all else, so the duel with the three had been put on hold.
A series of coincidences led to a one against three duel taking place at Holy Emperor Square… and Abel had won without much difficulty.
It was supposed to be all over.
“We’re done with you. See ya!”
In Abel's mind, it was over.
“Wait up!”
When the red-clad man shouted, the second gate opened slightly, and a person from the Censorate emerged and said,
“Please wait quietly.”
“Ugh… I’m sorry.”
The three, chastised.
Lyun and Abel stepped forward in front of the Censorate personnel.
“We would like to meet Minister Shou.”
Lyun asked with a smile.
For a moment, the Censorate personnel seemed unsure of who they were, but perhaps upon seeing their robes, they quickly recognized them.
“Ha! I’ll get you through, so please wait a moment!”
After hesitating for a moment whether to close the gate, they retreated inside, leaving it half open.
It seemed they hesitated to slam the gate shut in front of the Duke Rondo.
“It seems he’s here. That’s good.”
When Lyun said this to Abel, a threatening voice called out.
“Hey, don’t ignore us!”
“I’ll settle this here!”
“Eggs aren’t cheap, you know!”
It seemed the three had not given up.
Abel sighed dramatically.
“Abel, you’re definitely doing this on purpose.”
Lyun’s muttering was too quiet for anyone to hear.
“Hey, three colors…”
“I’m Gaji!”
“I’m Gza!”
“I’m Gobo!”
In response to Abel’s inquiry, the three introduced themselves.
However, Abel tilted his head.
Next to him, Lyun was also tilting his head.
“Sorry, I don’t quite understand.”
“What a coincidence, I don’t understand either.”
Perhaps their names were too similar.
Neither Lyun nor Abel could quite match the names with the faces.
No, upon closer inspection, their faces showed a clear difference in the amount of facial hair.
From left to right: no beard, goatee, half of the face covered in a beard.
“Hmm, the amount of beards is different, but… sorry, I really don’t get it.”