The fifth day of the fifth lunar month, Dano. The shouts of merchants filling the marketplace could not overcome the laughter of the people on this day.

From children to wives, from nobles to butchers. The one responsible for making everyone hold their bellies in laughter, regardless of status, was a mere clown.

It was said that if a woman's laughter crossed the walls, the household would be ruined, yet before the clown's witty gestures and comical expressions, what noble lady could suppress her laughter?

Moreover, his talent was extraordinary.

While precariously moving up and down a tightrope high enough to stack three or four tiled houses, he belted out tunes with a fine voice; truly, the saying that a clown plays the clown's part could not fit anyone better.

However, there was something else people looked forward to most. Around the time the sun set and the moonlight soaked the ground. It was the bout of wit that took place under the old chestnut tree standing tall in the same spot.

A sly voice hidden behind a comical red mask. Vulgar tales and lewd jokes that would be pointed at for disturbing public morals.

At times, he spun stories mixed with lewd jests that would make even a noblewoman blush, so no one dared to match his wit.

Thus, people used to say in jest: With just one bout of that clown's wit, even a withered seed would sprout again. It was a truly lewd thing to say, but no one could deny it.

That was how famous he was in the world.

However, there was a strange thing. Despite being such a famous clown, no one actually knew his face. No one knew his name, nor where he originally came from.

All people remembered was the sly voice flowing from behind the red mask and the comically moving gestures. They were things so frivolous and natural that a nobleman would not dare to even imitate them.

But birds hear the words of the day, and mice hear the words of the night. As the nameless clown's lewd wit spread inside and outside the capital, the magistrate's office could no longer ignore it.

Before long, a public notice was posted. It was an order from the magistrate's office to arrest the clown who spread vulgar tales and disturbed public morals in the marketplace.

However, as if the clown did not fear the King's law, he roamed the night streets as usual. What would the end be? Finally, he caught the eyes of the guards.

That night. A breathless chase took place, cutting through the darkness of the capital. Lanterns swayed, and the shouts of guards filled the alleys. Just as he crossed walls and traversed narrow alleys, his breath reaching the tip of his throat.

Someone appeared before the clown's eyes.

The person who discovered the one being chased in the middle of the night naturally tried to let out a loud cry, so the clown covered their mouth without a moment's hesitation.

"Shh."

Pulling the stranger along, he pushed himself into the nearest place in sight. An old storehouse that seemed to have no owner. The wooden door with rusted hinges closed with an eerie sound.

Click—

However, that sound. To anyone's ears, it was the sound of a door locking. In the dead of night. Trapped in a narrow storehouse alongside a wanted, lewd clown whose name and face are unknown.

What on earth was this bolt from the blue?