[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 112 - 24: Our Childhood Friends [2]

Chapter 112: Chapter 24: Our Childhood Friends [2]

Leon had no idea what to say to that. He had unconsciously repeated his father’s words to him, blurting it out without thinking.

Even though Evan was only a year older, he was surprisingly sharp for his age. He somehow knew things that Leon didn’t, and he could also read people’s intentions without having to pester them with incessant questions. Leon sometimes wondered if that was the effect of being a Summoner and if Evan somehow had the ability to read minds.

Then again, if Evan could really read minds, Leon’s secret would’ve been revealed by now.

The fact that he was a Guardian.

And an Otherworlder Guardian, to be exact.

It was still strange for him to think about. Thanks to his father forbidding him to know more about the Otherworlders and those who were ’cursed’ like him, Leon had little to no information about who he really was and what his purpose was. All he knew was that he was somehow connected to the Calamity and that he also carried a ’curse’ with him.

But he didn’t know what kind of curse it was. He hardly ever went out except to accompany his father to Angelbay City at His Majesty’s request. Leon didn’t even know exactly what his father was doing here in the palace, but he assumed that the Duke was busy with boring royal duties again.

He still couldn’t understand why his father wanted him to succeed him in Stormhaven one day. Leon felt trapped and resigned at the mere thought of it.

He wanted to get out more and travel the world. Evan often talked about the outside world and how beautiful it was. He also heard that Evan’s mother — Her Majesty the Queen — had visited the homes of the people whose towns and villages had been destroyed by the demon monster.

Although it sounded morbid, Leon wanted to see what that looked like with his own eyes. Having been sheltered at a young age, he had never seen what the monster looked like or even the extent of the destruction. He only heard horror stories from the soldiers and servants at the castle, and some tears from those who had relatives who died in the attacks.

Since then, Leon became even more curious about what was out there, and the textbooks told him very little to satisfy his curiosity.

Evan seemed to notice his discomfort because he laughed and patted Leon on the shoulder. "No need to be so tense! I just thought you’ve been improving your vocabulary lately. You also seem to be studying a lot harder these days, huh?"

That’s because Father wants me to pass the grade level test for next week, Leon thought to himself, feeling downcast. He doesn’t want me to spend time with you guys.

"I hate studying," he confessed. "It’s so boring."

"Ely complains about that a lot, too," Evan said, laughing even more. "She even plays hide-and-seek with her tutors sometimes and hides all the textbooks. Lady Hina has a hard time keeping her in line."

"Did one of Ely’s tutors quit again?" Leon asked with wide eyes.

"Yep." Evan shook his head fondly. "That’s why Lady Hina asks me for help more often now."

Leon thought of Elyana and her usual mischievous pranks while laughing along with Evan. Of the three, she was the one who loved to play practical jokes the most, and she was also the one who influenced Leon to commit these acts with her. Frankly, the servants and tutors in the castle were not very pleased with the tandem.

However, they never knew that Evan would sometimes join them in their pranks. Leon wondered how the servants would react if they found out that their beloved and well-behaved prince was the one who made them trip on a glowfruit skin on that particularly rainy day.

Evan led Leon to the pond, where a path led to the lone pavilion in the beautiful garden. "As for your question earlier, I don’t think so," he said as they walked. "I don’t think I’m blindly following a path just because I’m destined to do something great. This is what I really want to do, Leon."

Leon didn’t know how to respond to that. He just remained silent, his eyes fixed on the pond where several fish were swimming.

Evan didn’t seem to mind his silence. Instead, he continued, "To tell you the truth, I’ve embraced my magic since I was little. I can’t remember exactly, but it seemed like I was using my powers all the time around the castle since I was born. My mother would often see me playing with little white orbs and making them fly around the room. You could say that they have been a part of me ever since. I was never afraid of them."

Leon’s face scrunched up in deep thought. "That sounds nice..." he murmured.

Although he liked his ice magic, he had been afraid of his own power for a while, especially with the warnings his father kept giving him. He was afraid that he might actually hurt someone with it if he went overboard, so he decided not to use it as much as before.

Which made him a little jealous of Evan because of this. Evan had always seemed so confident and dignified in any situation.

Leon was also envious of Elyana. She was taking etiquette lessons right now, so she wasn’t able to play with them today. Her magic was also beautiful, although Evan was more skilled in using his compared to her. Evan would teach her a few tricks though, much to Elyana’s delight.

Leon thought that Elyana kind of liked Evan, because she would make these goo goo eyes whenever she looked at him without him noticing. It was cute, but it also made Leon jealous because he wanted both of their attention.

He supposed that he was a little clingy sometimes, but he couldn’t help it. They were his only friends in the world. They were the only ones his age who treated him kindly and genuinely welcomed him with open arms.

Since Evan was the young prince and Elyana was the daughter of a noble, they were all of similar rank, so there was no power issue here.

"What about the responsibilities, then?" Leon asked meekly. "Don’t they sound scary?"

"Of course I don’t have to bear all of those responsibilities right now," Evan assured him. "Like you, I’m still just a kid. I’m not even an official Summoner yet. I’m still in training. But it just feels right, you know?"

Surprise flashed in Leon’s expression. "It does?"

Evan nodded. "I’ve learned a lot of things over the past few years. Being a Summoner isn’t just about facing danger head-on or fulfilling a duty," he said softly. "It’s about protecting the people we care about, standing up for what’s right, and making a difference in the world."

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