Chapter 278: Not Smiling Is Also a Crime
"Protection? We don't need anything like that."
The tavern owner kept smiling as he spoke.
"This is God's territory. Who would dare attack us here? God's protection is more than enough."
One of the Marines was about to argue, but a companion quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"You idiot, what are you trying to say? You know who they're talking about."
Prato Town stood directly beneath the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
It belonged to no kingdom and lay outside the territory of any ordinary nation. Its protectors and patrons were the people its residents called gods.
The Celestial Dragons.
Those words were taboo not only among the people oppressed by them, but even among ordinary Marines.
The Marine who had nearly spoken immediately realized his mistake.
If he cursed or insulted the Celestial Dragons, the tavern owner would not be the only one to attack him. The surrounding townspeople would likely rush forward as well.
They blindly worshipped the Celestial Dragons as gods simply because they claimed descent from the creators of the world.
To these people, blasphemy was an unforgivable crime.
Seeing the Marine fall silent, the tavern owner rebuked him without restraint.
"Leave this town. We have no need for coarse people here."
His condescending gaze, disdainful tone, and the whispers of the surrounding crowd reignited the Marines' anger, which had only been suppressed by the mention of the Celestial Dragons.
The atmosphere grew tense.
A conflict was about to erupt.
Axel appeared between the two sides without warning.
"Can someone explain what happened?"
His voice was calm.
The tavern owner and the surrounding residents were startled, but quickly recovered after recognizing him.
"Rear Admiral, sir."
The man offered him a formal greeting.
Such etiquette was normally reserved for nobles, but everyone in Prato Town was required to learn it.
Even though a Celestial Dragon might visit only once in many years, no resident wanted to risk behaving disrespectfully if that day ever came.
"Your Marines used vulgar language inside my tavern, so I threw them out," the tavern owner explained, sounding completely justified.
One of the Marines immediately protested.
"Are you insane? Since when does someone have to speak like a noble just to drink in a tavern?"
"The way I talk didn't interfere with your business."
The man chuckled.
"That may be true elsewhere, but this town is different."
"Coarse people are not permitted to remain here."
"Coarse appearances, coarse behavior, and coarse speech are all grounds for expulsion."
"The useless are expelled as well."
His smile remained perfectly composed as he looked the Marines over.
"You are coarse in appearance, behavior, and speech."
"Even your supposed protection is nothing more than empty talk."
"If you were truly here to protect us, why were you drinking in my humble tavern?"
"I have no faith in the protection promised by drunkards."
The Marines were left speechless.
They could have argued against his earlier accusations, but they had no answer for the final one.
A drunk man boasting that he was protecting others did sound ridiculous.
The surrounding residents began whispering among themselves, openly agreeing with the tavern owner's judgment.
"Of course, I was referring only to them, Rear Admiral."
The tavern owner's tone became noticeably more respectful.
"With an appearance like yours, you would be welcome in this town even if your behavior were somewhat coarse."
Axel's appearance was one of the reasons the man treated him with such importance.
In Prato Town, beauty was another measure of social status.
The useless and the coarse were rejected, but attractive people were granted exceptions.
After all, someone beautiful might one day be selected as a spouse by a Celestial Dragon.
The townspeople regarded that possibility as an immense honor.
They ignored the endless darkness hidden behind it.
To a Celestial Dragon, such a husband or wife would be little more than a slave given a pleasant title.
Yet the people here still pursued that fate with the devotion of fanatics, like moths rushing toward a flame.
Axel remained indifferent to the man's praise.
"Since those are the rules of your town, nothing can be done about them."
The tavern owner's smile brightened.
He believed Axel had chosen to respect the town's customs.
The surrounding residents looked at the young Rear Admiral with admiration, while the Marines showed clear disappointment.
If even their commanding officer refused to defend them, they had no reason to continue arguing.
Then Axel added, "However, they are not residents of this town."
"They are my subordinates."
"There is no reason for them to obey your rules."
The tavern owner froze.
He had clearly not expected that response.
Even the Marines were surprised.
Their childlike superior had always seemed distant and unapproachable, but at that moment, he looked unexpectedly dependable.
The tavern owner's smile finally broke.
Panic and anger spread across his face.
"These rules were established by God!"
His voice rose sharply.
"Even outsiders must obey them!"
The Marines had already heard enough strange claims from these people that the statement hardly surprised them.
What happened next did.
The surrounding residents began shouting, but their anger was not directed at the Marines.
It was directed at the tavern owner.
"He stopped smiling!"
"How coarse!"
"Expel him from the town!"
"He has defiled our rules!"
The tavern owner realized what was happening and stumbled backward.
"No, it wasn't me!"
His voice trembled.
"I've been smiling the entire time. I never stopped!"
But under the eyes of so many witnesses, every excuse sounded desperate.
No one believed him.
Even though he was telling the truth.
His smile had never disappeared.
Axel had merely manipulated the path of the surrounding light, distorting the image of the man's face in everyone's eyes.
Doing so in the middle of such a large crowd required precise calculations, exact timing, and words capable of provoking the right reaction.
That was why Axel had deliberately challenged the man.
While the tavern owner reacted, Axel altered the light he had been preparing to control.
It was also the reason he had remained silent while the man rambled earlier.
Before coming to Prato Town, Axel had studied every available record concerning the settlement and its customs.
He already understood why everyone here constantly wore a smile.
In this town, failing to smile was a crime.
Axel and the Marines were outsiders, so the rule had not yet been forced upon them. That was why no one had openly rejected Axel despite his cold, expressionless face.
Before long, the town's enforcers arrived.
They wore black uniforms similar to those of the bodyguards who served the Celestial Dragons.
The organization had most likely been established under the Celestial Dragons' authority.
The men in black subdued the tavern owner with ease.
His employees turned their heads away and pretended not to see anything.
The Marines watched in uneasy silence.
They had never imagined that in this town, even failing to smile could be treated as a crime.
Nor had they expected the punishment to be so severe.
…..
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