Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight!
Chapter 211: ’Suddenly, they’re there’

Chapter 211: ’Suddenly, they’re there’

"So, what’s the plan, Your Majesty?"

Florian set Azure down, feeling the tiny dragon’s claws tighten around his leg in protest. Azure let out a soft, disgruntled chirp, his small body clinging stubbornly to his boot. Normally, Florian would have reassured him with a pat or a quiet word, but right now, he barely noticed. His mind was already elsewhere, focused solely on whatever Heinz was about to say.

But Heinz didn’t answer.

Instead, something about him changed.

His entire posture shifted—shoulders squaring, head tilting slightly as if listening for something beyond the walls. His golden eyes flickered toward the door, amusement vanishing in an instant, replaced by something far colder.

Florian frowned. ’Hm?’ He took a hesitant step forward. "Your... Majesty?" His voice was quieter this time. "Is something wrong?"

Still, no response.

Heinz rose from his seat with slow, deliberate precision, his movements eerily silent. Without a word, he strode toward the small window by the door, where aged wooden planks had been crudely nailed in place. The floor creaked under his weight, but he moved with the kind of quiet purpose that made Florian’s instincts prickle in warning.

The air in the room felt different. Heavier. Colder.

Florian hesitated before following. The silence was unnatural, thick with something unseen. Even Azure had gone stiff, his tiny form tensed against Florian’s boot, tail curling tight. A low, warning growl rumbled from the dragonling’s chest.

A bad feeling coiled deep in Florian’s stomach. ’What the hell is going on?’

Heinz lifted a hand, fingers ghosting over the wooden planks covering the window. Then, with slow precision, he pulled one of the looser planks aside, just enough to peer through the gap.

The moment he did, his entire body went rigid.

Florian saw it—the sharp inhale Heinz didn’t take, the way his shoulders tensed as if something outside had reached through the glass and touched him.

’Shit.’

Florian’s pulse spiked. "Your Majesty?" His voice was sharper now, more urgent.

Nothing.

Heinz didn’t move. Didn’t blink.

Even Azure’s growling deepened, his small frame pressed low against the ground, claws scraping against the wood in unease.

Florian swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. Whatever Heinz was seeing, whatever had frozen him like that—he needed to know.

Slowly, he stepped closer, moving to Heinz’s side. His fingers clenched against the rough wood as he leaned in, lowering his head just enough to see through the gap in the window.

And his breath stopped.

For a second, his mind refused to process what he was looking at.

’What...’

A chill ran down his spine, sharp and icy. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

’...the fuck?’

Minutes ago, the village had been empty. Silent. There hadn’t been a single soul in sight when they entered the house. The streets had been vacant, doors shut, windows dark, the entire place devoid of life.

Now...

Now the village was full.

People—dozens, maybe more—walked aimlessly through the streets, their movements slow, their faces wrong. Some turned to speak to each other, their mouths moving, but no sound reached Florian’s ears. Others just stood there, staring at nothing.

It was as if they had been there the entire time. As if, in the mere moments that Heinz and Florian had taken their eyes off the outside world, the villagers had appeared.

No. Not appeared.

They had returned.

His stomach twisted painfully.

"This is..." Florian tried to speak, tried to make sense of it. His voice came out too thin, too weak. He wanted to say it was unusual. Strange. Some kind of illusion or weird magic.

But it was beyond that.

It was terrifying.

Florian’s throat felt tight as he tore his gaze away from the window, his pulse hammering against his ribs. His mind struggled to catch up with what he had just seen.

’No. This isn’t normal. Right? Fuck. It’s like something out of a horror movie.’

His fingers curled into fists at his sides as he forced himself to speak.

"Your Majesty," he started, voice low, controlled—despite the unease curling in his gut. "When we were outside earlier... there was no one, right?"

Heinz finally blinked. His expression remained unreadable, his golden eyes still shadowed with something unreadable. Then, after a slow, deliberate pause, he gave a single nod.

"No one."

Florian licked his lips, his mouth unbearably dry. ’No one. Not a single damn person. And now...’

His stomach turned. He exhaled through his nose, trying to steady himself.

"Then how the are they all here now?"

’Maybe...Maybe Leila tipped them off?’ Florian thought.

Heinz didn’t answer immediately. His gaze remained locked on the figures outside, golden eyes sharp, calculating. For a long moment, he didn’t even move. Then, finally, he murmured—just as slow, just as deliberate—

"It’s impossible."

Florian frowned.

"What is?"

"Leila. Even if she had called them all here, it wouldn’t have happened this quickly. Not without us hearing something—footsteps, voices, movement." Heinz exhaled sharply, fingers twitching at his side. "And if she had managed to summon them this fast, she would’ve alerted us, too."

’Oh, he already knew what I was thinking.’

Florian’s stomach twisted. He could already see where this was going, already knew what Heinz was implying. But he still needed to ask.

"So what the hell is going on?" He gestured vaguely toward the window, his voice tighter now. "This is getting weird."

Heinz finally stepped back from the window, severing his gaze from the eerie, silent scene outside. As if on cue, Azure let out a sharp, distressed chirp, his tiny claws digging into Florian’s boot. His tail twitched violently, his entire body coiled with agitation.

A tense silence settled between them. It felt suffocating.

Then, at last, Heinz let out a slow, measured sigh.

"I’ve been feeling strange magic since the beginning." His voice was quieter now, more thoughtful. "But I ignored it."

Florian’s brow furrowed. "Why?"

Heinz ran a hand through his dark hair, shaking his head. "Because the last time I came to this village, I felt it then, too."

Florian stilled.

"You’ve been here before?"

"Years ago. I was still a child, accompanying my father." Heinz’s voice turned distant, almost detached. "The previous king."

Florian inhaled sharply. He didn’t know much about Heinz’s father—only the rumors, the whispers of a cold, ruthless ruler. But he knew enough to realize this probably wasn’t a pleasant memory.

"Even back then," Heinz continued, "I could tell something was wrong with this land. Magic lingered here. Old magic. Cursed magic." His jaw clenched slightly, the muscle in his cheek tightening. "But since nothing happened, I never gave it much thought."

His gaze flickered back toward the window, a flicker of something dark flashing across his features.

"Now, though... my thoughts are confirmed. The villagers—some of them. Or one of them. Someone is using magic."

A cold shudder ran through Florian’s spine. He swallowed thickly.

"Why?"

It was the only question that mattered right now. If someone was behind this... what the hell were they trying to do?

Heinz didn’t answer immediately, but Florian could tell he was thinking the same thing.

A few seconds passed before Florian spoke again, his voice quieter this time, laced with hesitation. "Is it... even possible to do something like this on such short notice?"

Heinz tilted his head slightly. "That depends."

Florian’s fingers twitched. "Depends on what?"

Instead of answering, Heinz turned to him fully, his sharp golden gaze locking onto Florian with unsettling intensity.

"Be honest with me," he said, his tone unreadable. "I have a question for you."

Florian tensed slightly.

’What...?’