[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 136 - 28: Frozen Thorns [1]

Chapter 136: Chapter 28: Frozen Thorns [1]

Meanwhile, on the first floor of the inn, the atmosphere was tense, almost bordering on suffocating.

The fear of the townspeople could be felt in the air, so thick that it was almost palpable. The silence was uneasy, and the flickering flames from the hearth cast shadows on the tense and frightened faces of the villagers.

Luke could practically feel Leon stiffen at Cliff’s sudden request.

He frowned, his mind racing as to how to handle the situation. Granted, he should have known that the situation could get out of control the moment he volunteered to save Geffroy, but he hadn’t expected Leon to resort to revealing himself in a situation like this.

Things were getting a little out of hand now.

Luke’s mind raced. He had exhausted his magic again, but maybe if Leon would clear a path for them with his ice...

Wait, no. That might endanger the villagers, and it might also invite a confrontation between Leon, Luke, and this skilled Guardian in front of them. That was too much of a risk.

Luke had miscalculated a bit. He had not expected that there would be a Guardian in this small village. Therefore, they had little chance of escaping, especially since Cliff seemed to have no intention of backing down.

Ardyn... Luke thought, his jaw clenching slightly at the thought of their other companion. Even though he was safe in their room, the townspeople could go up there and detain him as well.

With Ardyn barely knowing how to use his own magic, the three of them might as well be sitting ducks here.

Leon, on the other hand, was frozen, just staring at Cliff without saying a word.

Around them, the villagers instantly broke into a loud chatter, all of them in shock at this stunning revelation.

"Th—The Duke’s son?!" one villager exclaimed. "That’s..."

"Wait! What do you mean the Duke’s son turned traitor?"

"That doesn’t make any sense!"

"Wait..." A man with red hair and glasses gulped. "You mean this man here..." He pointed in Leon’s direction. "...you think he’s...?"

His voice trailed off, but the implication was clear.

"Wait a minute!" Another man stepped forward. He was a man with graying hair and a mustache. He was of small stature and appeared to be in his forties. "You cannot possibly think that this young lad is the Duke’s son!"

Cliff crossed his arms over his chest. "And why not? Doesn’t any of you find his appearance suspicious?" His narrowed eyes rested on Leon again. "He kept trying to make sure his hood and mask were intact, even during the fight. Doesn’t that mean he’s going to great lengths to hide his appearance? What else could be the reason? The Duke’s announcement about his son cannot just be a coincidence, can it?"

The man seemed speechless for a moment. "No, no. I met these young people at the entrance to the village hours before, when they first arrived," he explained hastily. Sweat beaded down his forehead, and his arm came up to wipe it away. "Your other companion told me that this boy is just shy around strangers, and he also has a scar on his face that he’s ashamed to show anyone. I think if he has that kind of insecurity, we shouldn’t press him."

Cliff raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? But is hiding a scar so much more important than your own life?" He addressed the question to Leon, who immediately stiffened. "It was dark out there. There was a chance that I wouldn’t have been able to see your scar. But even if I had, I would not have said anything about it. In this kind of world we live in, we all carry scars, don’t we?"

Luke reached out and put a hand on Leon’s shoulder, squeezing it gently, trying to give him at least a little reassurance. He was still trying to come up with an escape plan. But his exhausted mind could hardly come up with any foolproof ideas.

Cliff wasn’t finished yet. "Look, if you’re not the Duke’s son, then you can just prove me wrong and get it over with."

"Then," Luke suddenly interjected, "are you going to let us go if that’s the case?"

Cliff sent him a glance. "No."

Luke’s eyes narrowed. They really did have no intention of letting them leave.

What now, then?

Cliff sighed. "The reason is that the Duke emphasized the fact that his son is dangerous and on the run, so it’s of utmost importance that he is arrested immediately. I — we — can’t exactly go against the royals’ orders, you know." He looked at Luke a little longer, and something like pity flashed in his eyes. "I’m sorry, but some things can’t be helped."

"You really won’t allow us to leave?" Leon asked quietly. "Not even just my friend here?"

Luke turned to his with wide eyes. "Leon!"

That elicited more murmurs among the villagers.

"We can’t, right?"

"Hey, if they really are Otherworlder Guardians..."

"But that doesn’t mean that an Otherworlder has arrived, right? Their kind has always existed."

"Yeah... They’ve always been here for generations. Everyone just avoids them. Come to think of it, isn’t it much better to just drive them out of the village so we won’t get cursed or anything like that?"

"Huh... You’re right..."

"But what if that man really is the Duke’s..."

"Then the Duke will reward us, right? We’ll... We’ll be able to get into his good graces! We can ask for anything we want!"

"You... You’re right! We can ask for soldiers to be stationed here so that we’ll be safe from the beastspawn attacks every night! We can also be rich once we get the bounty!"

"Hold on just a moment." The man with the moustache still looked very hesitant. "You can’t be serious, right? We’re not even sure if he’s the Duke’s son. Besides, have you all forgotten that he saved us all tonight?"

"This man is the one who really saved us!" exclaimed a woman with short red hair, pointing at Cliff. "If it weren’t for him, we’d all be beastspawn food by now!"

"Now hold on a minute!" the man argued back. "These travelers here — whatever their identities may be — still took the initiative to fight for us. That man over there came later. Do you really think we would have survived if those two hadn’t returned to the village to warn us?"

The woman was flabbergasted for a moment. "But... that man over there didn’t even use his magic, even though he’s fully capable of it! If he had used it, Geffroy wouldn’t have been injured in the first place!"

"Yet his companion healed Geffroy, didn’t he?"

"We don’t even know if he truly healed him! He’s no doctor!"

"None of them even harmed anyone!"

"What are you trying to say? Are you saying that we should let them go? And if he really is the Duke’s son and we let him go, do you think the Duke will let us go unpunished? It’s better for all of us if we just detain them and wait for the soldiers to come and wait for their instructions!"

While everyone was arguing, Leon was completely silent. He lowered his head even more and his fingers twitched as if he wanted to do something but hesitated. Cliff, on the other hand, was watching his every move, keeping his guard up in case a battle broke out.

Luke didn’t know what to do. He felt helpless. Making a run for it was no longer an option.

Please be safe, Ardyn, he thought to himself, praying fervently.

At least you...

At the very least, you should escape.

Meanwhile, Leon’s hands began to hover near the edge of his hood. They had no choice but to comply. To resist would only increase the villagers’ fears and suspicions. There was no other way.

With a resigned sigh, Leon pulled the hood back and the room fell into complete silence. His ginger hair, dark and slightly damp with sweat, was revealed, and he reached up to unfasten the mask that covered the lower half of his face.

The villagers gasped as the mask came off, revealing his full face.

There was a moment of stunned silence. The villagers stared at Leon as if they were seeing him for the first time. The man with the mustache in particular looked at him with wide eyes.

Whispers broke out among them.

"I—It’s true... It’s really him! I recognize that hair and that face anywhere!"

"Yes, I definitely recognize him. He’s undoubtedly the Duke’s son..."

"By the gods! I remember seeing him in that parade before..."

"Wh—What do we do now?!"

Cliff, on the other hand, did not look fazed at all. A ghost of a smirk played on his lips, and he looked almost smug.

"I knew it," he remarked. "You’re the traitor son who’s on the run. Looks like we really can’t let you leave, after all."

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