[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 137 - 28: Frozen Thorns [2]

Chapter 137: Chapter 28: Frozen Thorns [2]

Cliff’s words played over and over in Leon’s head as though taunting him.

A traitor son, huh? Leon thought wryly. So that’s what I am now.

But now, with this revelation out in the open, Leon might as well accept that people were going to view him differently from now on. It was a bit rattling, but it seems like this was going to be his new reality now.

He was no longer the heir, but rather a fugitive on the run who had disgraced his own father.

Like a criminal who just got caught red-handed.

The uproar from the villagers didn’t last long. They were now plunged into a state of panic.

In Elfroien, there were two high powers that the citizens could not — dared not — oppose.

One was the royal family that ruled over the Silver Kingdom, and one was the Grand Duke of the Duchy of Stormhaven.

While the King and Queen had compassion and would visit even the smaller villagers to check up on them, especially after the Calamity attacks, the Duke operated on a different manner than them.

Rather, Duke Alfred Hartengrove was more focused on politics and strengthening relations with the royal family and the other kingdoms. The King and Queen relied on him for this matter, and would even send the Prince along with him sometimes during diplomatic trips.

The royal family always strived to give equal protection to all the smaller towns in Elfroien and cover as much ground as possible. However, most of the soldiers were required to guard Angelbay City and prioritize it, so the one that was mostly in charge of the kingdom’s protection was the Duke of Stormhaven, who had solid connections to the royal family.

The Duke was magnanimous to his people, especially those who held unwavering loyalty towards him.

However, he spared no mercy towards those who opposed him. The ones he deemed disobedient, dangerous, and rebellious.

Those who displayed signs of unruliness and those who committed the worst of crimes were instantly disposed of.

Those who didn’t heed warnings, who purposefully turned a blind eye, and chose not to follow an order?

There were various punishments for those transgressions, probably depending on the Duke’s mood that day. Sometimes it would be a tortuous imprisonment, and sometimes it ended up an immediate execution.

So, nobody wanted to go against the Duke in any way. The Duke was not as merciful as the King and Queen were; Duke Alfred’s way of maintaining order in the kingdom was absolute, not to mention that he had strong connections with the nobility. He was one of the greater powers, so to speak.

Even if Leon was his son, if the Duke said to turn his own son in, then nobody — not even those who had a bit of sympathy for Leon — could find the courage to go against the Duke. Not unless they were a glutton for punishment or were eager to lose their lives.

Leon knew this, so he merely closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate.

Perhaps he had been too optimistic about his chances of escaping the island without getting caught. Maybe he had gotten carried away by his emotions and idealism, thinking that as long as he was with his Summoner, everything would be fine.

He was so pathetic. He didn’t even have a contingency plan in mind if he ever did get caught. All day, he had been too immersed in his own panic and grief that he forgot to think things through.

Why did he escape the castle in the first place? He did it because his instincts were screaming at him to check on his Summoner and see if he was all right. He did it to gain freedom, and to explore more about himself and his magic. To break free from the shackles that held him in place under his father’s watch for years.

Leon had thought that he was freed from those chains the moment he successfully managed to escape, but it turned out that he had only undid the shackles, but they never actually fell from his wrists. They were still there, threatening to close around him and shut the locks tight, dragging him back to his makeshift prison.

The thought of returning to the castle now and being unable to see Luke and Heechul again made panic and anxiety curdle in Leon’s stomach. Guilt and helplessness swirled inside of him, rooting him in place.

What could he do?

"Don’t even dare to resist," Cliff said, his tone taking on a steely edge to it. "Let’s make this easier for both of us."

Leon opened his eyes to meet the man’s gaze hesitantly. "I don’t want to fight," he said quietly.

Cliff’s lips tugged upwards slightly. "Good. I’m not exactly keen on fighting you, either."

Meanwhile, the villagers were still whispering frantically to themselves.

"Hey... Does this mean that he’s also an Otherworlder Guardian?"

A gasp. "No way. That can’t be true!"

"Ridiculous! His Grace has never told us that his own son is a Guardian!"

"But then what is he doing with that other man?"

"Maybe they crossed paths while he was on the run?"

"His Grace wouldn’t lie to us, right?"

"Hey, should we really do this? What if His Grace will punish us for making his son—"

"Why would he declare his son a traitor, then? He—He must’ve done something wrong back at the castle! Maybe he’s a... a murderer!"

Startled gasps filled the room.

"Shut your mouth this instant! You know how dangerous it is to make groundless assumptions!"

"How dare you presume such things!"

"Are we all really going to forget the fact that these two men saved us, too?!"

"You think we like doing this? If we just do nothing, the Duke might have our heads! Don’t you guys value your lives?!"

"...I’ll go," Leon said over the frantic voices of the townspeople. His tone was firm and steady, not too loud, but just enough for everyone to hear and stop their chattering. "I won’t resist."

"Do you guys have somewhere we can keep them locked up for a while?" Cliff asked the villagers.

Hesitance weighed heavily in the air. Everyone exchanged glances, looking uncomfortable by this entire situation.

"...We have a small shed nearby," someone spoke up tentatively. "It’s usually locked, and the key is just hanging next to it by the door. Three people can fit inside there, no problem."

Cliff nodded. "That’ll do nicely. Can one of you lead me to it?"

While they were in the middle of a discussion, Luke came closer to Leon with a worried look in his eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. We can figure things out once we’re by ourselves," Leon said quietly, low enough for only Luke to hear. "I don’t want to do anything with all these people around."

Although it seemed that there was no hope of escaping, Leon still wanted to try nevertheless.

Luke nodded in understanding. "Okay."

Suddenly, someone in the crowd made a startled exclamation.

"What is it?" one asked.

"I just remembered!" a man with a short, curly mop of red hair and beady green eyes said, eyes growing wide in realization. "Didn’t these fellows have a third companion with them?"

Luke and Leon froze in place.

Cliff stared at the man who just spoke. "What?"

The man looked almost guilty at having disclosed this, but the cat was out of the bag now. He had no choice but to continue.

"They... There’s three of them, actually," he said in a smaller voice than before. "I believe their other companion is in their room upstairs right now."

"...Interesting," Cliff said, turning his gaze to Leon. "You didn’t mention anything about having another friend."

Leon tried not to show the emotions on his face. "You never asked."

Cliff’s features hardened. "You’re probably counting on that companion to help you two escape from here, aren’t you? Well, tough luck. With me here, I’ll make sure none of you three will take a single step out of this village."

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