[BL] Guardians of Fate Chapter 135 - 27: A Bloodstained Night [6]

It had hurt to close the windows.

When the stranger shouted at them to close all doors and windows and not to look out into the field, where they might be exposed to the beastspawns, Ardyn just did it on instinct. After casting one last anxious glance at Leon, he closed the windows, turned off the lights, and sat down trembling in the nearby chair.

Now he could see clearly what these monsters looked like. They were nothing like anything he had ever seen before. He had seen a lot of things on TV, from high-budget movies to AAA gas, but none of it could compare to what he could see in real life, compared to an LED screen where the monsters couldn’t co out to harm him.

He could hear them with startling clarity and see them attack Leon with hunger in their eyes. He could only watch helplessly, even witnessing a woman shoot an arrow at them, saving Leon for a mont.

Ardyn tried to help, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get that power to return again.

The power he had sohow unconsciously activated in a life-or-death situation...

But what kind of power was it? Was it enhanced strength? Gravity manipulation? Telekinesis? Reality warping? He didn’t know. He hadn’t really paid much attention during that terrifying ti. He just concentrated on protecting his Summoner and that was it.

But now the battle was over — maybe for now — but Leon was still in a tight spot.

Both Leon and Luke, to be exact.

After hearing that the battle was over, Ardyn looked out of the windows and saw that Leon, the stranger and Luke were now returning to the inn. He breathed a sigh of relief and sank into the chair, feeling that the worst was over. Leon hadn’t died and neither had Luke. It was

But just as Ardyn was about to trudge down the stairs, he heard sothing that made him pause in his tracks.

"I can’t lose him. Please! There has to be a way!"

"Don’t worry. I’ll save him."

What? Ardyn strained his ears to hear more. Sothing in his gut told him that it would be a bad idea to show himself downstairs.

He moved closer to the wall, trying to hear more of the commotion that was going on.

"Wait! What do you an? Are you a doctor, too?"

"I’m not."

"Then how? How can you save him?"

Ardyn froze in place.

That was definitely Luke’s voice among the townspeople.

Ardyn had actually seen it earlier. That poor villager being attacked by one of those wild beasts. It had been a horrible sight and also a blunt reminder of what kind of world he was in right now.

He couldn’t help wondering: ’What if that was ? Would I be able to endure such a thing?’

He could still hear the poor man’s screams in his head, as well as the terrifying roar of those beastspawns. They moved quickly, with sharp claws and great strength. He tried to follow every movent with his eyes, but they were too fast for him to comprehend. If it were on a TV screen, he could either slow down the video or rewind it to further analyze their moves, but this was reality, and he was no longer in the comfort of his ho.

If anything, he was amazed at how well Leon was doing out there. Even though he was only equipped with a sword, he managed to fend off those beasts. He didn’t even have to use magic.

Granted, there had been close calls, but still... it was admirable.

Ardyn moved a little closer to the stairs, trying to stay hidden while trying to hear more of what was going on. It was hard to make out the conversation because there were too many people talking at once. They were clearly confused and a bit skeptical of Luke’s abilities, but they were all desperate for their fellow villager to be saved.

Ardyn felt his heart skip a beat as the realization began to sink in.

Right! If Luke used his magic here, he would be discovered imdiately!

Blue magic, right? There was no way that he could hide the color, especially in front of all these people!

Ardyn’s eyes darted in the direction of the exit. It was a bit obscured from his perspective, but he could make out the outline of a man there, watching the scene with steely eyes. It took him a second to realize that this man was the stranger who had swooped in to save the day.

Several possibilities flashed through Ardyn’s mind at that mont. If Luke revealed his magic, then eventually everyone would know exactly who they were, including Ardyn. They could be imprisoned or killed. Or even turned over to the Duke or the Royal Family, which would an either torture, interrogation, or execution.

But if Luke decided not to at the last mont, or if Ardyn decided to intervene, then Geffroy would die, and Ardyn would never be able to let go of the guilt in his heart.

Damn it! he cursed. There has to be a way to get out of this situation!

If the villagers turn on us, then we have to be ready to escape.

But how?

While Ardyn’s mind was racing, Luke was already healing Geffroy. Ardyn peeked out and almost cursed once again.

Well, that was that. The cat was out of the bag now.

Now what??

Ardyn started to think rapidly again. Should I reveal myself and try to explain and defend them sohow? Or should I stay hidden and hope that Luke and Leon can handle this?

He watched in horror as Leon stepped protectively in front of Luke. The stranger took a step toward them and asked what their true identities were.

Everyone else was focused on the scene, too distracted to pay attention to anything else.

Ardyn slipped away from the top of the stairs.

I need to gather our things, he thought. We might have to make a quick escape. Maybe I could create a diversion sohow?

While he tried to think of a better strategy, he turned on the lights in their room and started going through their belongings, making sure not to leave anything behind, especially anything that might incriminate them.

Fortunately, they didn’t bring much, and so of Luke and Leon’s smaller belongings were placed in Ardyn’s backpack. He still had no idea how to adjust the size of the bag, and he had no ti to learn, so he just shoved everything he could into it.

Then he locked the door and opened the window.

He could still faintly hear the conversation downstairs. Leaving the inn directly, even through a back door, would be risky, so he needed a safe place to hide for the ti being. Sowhere where he could keep an eye on things but stay out of sight.

But where?

He looked out the window. There was no way he was going to jump from here. If sothing happened and he broke his legs, then he really would not be able to escape from here.

Wait...

He looked up.

The roof, maybe...?

He had no ti to lose. Impulsiveness won out, and he glanced from right to left.

A-ha.

There was a narrow ledge that ran along the side of the building. Since no one was outside at the mont, this gave him the advantage of being unnoticed. This was an opportunity for him to escape using this thod.

This is gonna be crazy.

He slipped through the window and stepped carefully onto the ledge. Then he pressed his back against the wall and made his way to a nearby drainpipe.

Needless to say, he had done sothing similar before.

When he was in middle school, boy... he was quite the naughty boy. He used to ditch class and hang out on the roof by himself, eating snacks.

But it had been a long ti since he had done that. In high school, he llowed out of his rebellious nature a bit, and when he entered college, he beca more focused on his studies. It was surprising sotis to realize how much he had matured.

When he was young, he used to think that he could do anything, that he could go on adventure after adventure and do whatever he wanted. He had definitely been immature back then.

I need to be careful, he reminded himself. One wrong step, and I’m dead.

Good thing he wasn’t afraid of heights.

Luckily, he managed to reach the drainpipe and began to climb using the tal grooves for grip.

Co on, Adrien. You can do this.

As he climbed, he deliberately made his ascent slow so as not to attract attention. The more he climbed, the fainter the voices of the villagers beca.

Finally, he reached the top and managed to pull himself onto the roof. Fortunately, the top of the building was flat and wide, giving him a good view of the village.

Oh, god, he thought, looking down at the small village, swallowing heavily.

Wait a minute... how am I gonna get down?!