[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 122 - 26: The Stirring Shadows [1]

Chapter 122: Chapter 26: The Stirring Shadows [1]

Startled, the man looked at Ardyn, and then back at Leon. He flicked his gaze back and forth between them, as if he wasn’t sure what to do.

"I just thought this lad looked a bit familiar. I apologize. I may have come on too strong," he said.

The man stepped back, and Ardyn could feel his stiff shoulders loosen.

"I’m sorry, too. It’s just that..." Ardyn glanced at Leon, who bowed his head even more. "My friend here is really shy around strangers, and also..."

He stepped forward and leaned closer to the man, as if he were about to reveal a secret.

"He has this scar on his face that he’s ashamed to show to anyone but us, so please excuse him if he covers up more than other people."

"Oh!" The man’s eyes widened in understanding. "I see, I see. Oh, how rude of me. I didn’t mean to..."

"It’s all right. No harm done." Ardyn stepped back with a friendly smile. "I just wanted to explain so you wouldn’t misunderstand. He usually doesn’t speak and just ducks his head when other people are around."

"Of course. Thank you for telling me." The man nodded and gave Leon an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, son. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable."

Leon lifted his head a little and waved a dismissive hand to show that he was fine.

The man turned to Ardyn. "So, how did you travelers come to this humble town? Do you really know nothing about what’s been happening lately?" he asked.

"We, uh... decided to stop our journey for a moment to find somewhere to eat," Ardyn replied. "Do you know if there are any places around here where we could...?"

"Ah! You can go to that building over there, the one in the middle of those two white houses near the garden." The man pointed a little further into town, where a two-story building was visible. "The locals and travelers usually go there to eat. I know the owner personally, and they make good food. You’ve come to the right place."

"Thanks! We appreciate the help," Ardyn said gratefully.

At that moment, Luke seemed to have finished his conversation with the villagers. The woman walked over to the man Ardyn had been talking to, and the three villagers began to discuss something heatedly, probably cooking up some wild theories about the strange events since this morning.

Honestly, it was a little odd that none of them knew about the Duke’s son’s escape yet, but it was understandable since the Duke seemed to value his reputation around here.

But Ardyn didn’t want to risk it anymore, so he put a hand on Leon’s shoulder and slowly led him away.

"What happened?" Luke asked as he joined them.

"Nothing," Ardyn said with a relieved sigh as they walked on. "Just a close call, that’s all."

"Thank you," Leon whispered.

Ardyn patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. "It’s no problem. You might want to dye your hair next time, though. It’s a bit conspicuous."

Leon’s head lifted a bit. "Should I?" he said slowly. "But..."

"I don’t think it’ll be necessary once we get to the Emerald Kingdom," Luke interjected gently. "You are more recognizable in Elfroien than in the other kingdoms. Since you’ve barely left the island, no one outside of the Silver Kingdom will recognize you, so I don’t think your appearance will be a cause for concern at that point."

Leon’s expression looked a bit relieved. "That’s good to hear."

"Over there," Ardyn said, spotting the two-story building with a swinging sign over the doors. "That’s it. That’s the tavern."

As they approached, Ardyn could see that the exterior of the building was weathered yet well-maintained. The sign above it creaked in the gentle evening breeze, and the words on it were: "Levidina’s Rest".

Luke opened the doors, and the aroma of roasted meat and baked bread immediately wafted into their nostrils, making Ardyn’s mouth water in response.

From one side came the sounds of lively conversation and clinking glasses, apparently from a group of drunks. On the other side, however, a handful of patrons occupied the tables, talking to each other in hushed tones.

When the three of them entered, the townspeople looked in their direction with alarm, as though they were expecting a mutant to suddenly appear.

Thankfully, their glances didn’t last long. They quickly returned to their conversations, apparently finding the topic either more disturbing or more interesting than paying attention to a couple of travelers.

Ardyn looked around curiously. The inside of the tavern was dimly lit by flickering crystal lanterns and a crackling blue fire in the hearth. Wooden, polished tables filled the room, occupied by a mix of locals and weary travelers.

Luke led the way and got them a table before going to the counter to order food. He was the best person for the job, being the calmest and most rational of the three. Ardyn was still new to this world and might accidentally say or do something suspicious, while Leon obviously couldn’t expose himself yet and needed to keep a low profile.

"I’m... not sure what any of this is," Ardyn admitted sheepishly when Luke returned and gave him a menu. There were strange words like "shimmerbread" and "lingenhurst" on the list, accompanied by strange combinations of ingredients that he had never heard of before.

"Oh, right. Of course. I almost forgot." Luke moved his seat close to Ardyn and leaned over, pointing to an item on the menu. "This is called Draconfire Stew. Do you like spicy food?"

Ardyn’s eyes lit up. "Yeah! I love spicy food. Although I might die if it’s too spicy," he added jokingly.

"Then this might be perfect for you. It’s made with draconian bone marrow, emberroot vegetables, and wyvern tail meat. I’ve had it a few times and it’s delicious."

Ardyn’s mind went blank for a moment. He had no idea what a draconian and an emberroot were. He knew about wyverns from the fantasy manga he had read before, but the thought of them existing in this world made him a little nervous. As far as he knew, they were small, dragon-like creatures that were usually dangerous to humans. At least they weren’t as big as dinosaurs, but the thought of them still made his skin crawl.

"Okay," Ardyn decided. He was too hungry right now to think about every dangerous aspect of this world. He could think about his safety after his stomach was full. "I’ll try it."

"All right. As for me, I’ll have the Wizard’s Brew Soup." Luke turned to Leon, who was staring at the menu with hungry eyes. "What about you, Leon?"

"I’ll have the Stormclaw Roast," Leon decided eagerly.

Luke got up and walked over to the counter again. Meanwhile, snippets of conversation from the other tables drifted into Ardyn and Leon’s ears, catching their attention.

"Do you think it’s a war?" one of the patrons asked in a loud, fearful voice. "What should we do, then? We might all be in danger!"

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