[BL] Guardians of Fate Chapter 97 - 22: A Feeling Beyond Rationality [2]

It was quiet as they passed through the towering doors at the entrance to the city.

After Ardyn spoke those words, Leon fell silent, and he didn’t speak again. But even though he was quiet, Ardyn could feel a slight trembling coming from Leon’s body, as if he was suppressing his grief.

Ardyn’s heart ached, but there was nothing he could do. There was nothing he could say, either.

Luke walked beside them, and he was as quiet as Leon. He was probably also shocked by the revelation that the Calamity hadn’t been sealed away, that it would still return.

But that conversation could wait until later. Right now, they had to get moving.

"There it is," Leon suddenly said in a low voice.

Ardyn lifted his head to see a carriage parked not too far away, in front of so trees.

The outside looked deceptively peaceful at first glance. Rolling hills stretched to the horizon, with several trees swaying in the breeze. It was so different from the destruction in the city that it almost felt like he was standing in the middle of two different worlds.

But just before his mind wandered, he suddenly rembered sothing.

"Hold on a second," Ardyn said, his voice taking on a frantic tone. "I need to find my backpack. I left it sowhere here—"

"The one under a tree?" Leon interrupted.

Ardyn nodded quickly. "Did you see it? It’s important to . I can’t leave without it."

"Yeah. Don’t worry. I put it in the carriage before it got blown away by the wind or sothing."

Relief filled Ardyn’s expression. "Oh, thank god. I wouldn’t know what to do if I lost it."

After all, Evan’s letters were in there. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he lost them. Not only did they contain instructions for him, but they were also one of the pieces of mory his friend had left behind.

Even though they had only known each other for a day, Ardyn felt a sense of gratitude for the man that he could not fully explain in words.

As they approached the carriage, Ardyn got a good look at the vehicle’s appearance. It was slightly larger than what he had seen during the evacuation last night, the ones the soldiers used for the citizens.

The exterior was made of polished mahogany, adorned with intricate golden decorations that encircled the door fras. A crest was engraved on the front, the sa as the Duke’s symbol on Leon’s cloak. Colorful crystals were etched all over the wheels and hanging from the sides of the roof, giving off a soft, srizing glow.

After opening the door, Leon helped Ardyn into the carriage and onto one of the seats. Ardyn leaned back against the bench and let out a sigh. This was more comfortable than the rubble he had been leaning against earlier, and he was relieved. It was a welco sensation after all the chaos that had been going on since the morning.

"There’s your bag beside you," Leon said.

Ardyn turned his head and there it was, the backpack Evan had prepared for him just yesterday.

He stared at it for a mont, a lump rising in his throat. Flashes of Evan’s lifeless body and charred skin ca back to him, as if taunting him. Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes, but he held them back. He didn’t want to cry in front of these two. Not yet. He wanted to grieve on his own later, and he knew that Leon felt the sa.

He quickly took the bag and placed it on his lap. He opened it and frantically searched for the envelopes containing Evan’s letters.

When he found them, his entire body sagged with relief. He was lucky the wind hadn’t knocked it over earlier and scattered the contents. Fortunately, everything seed to be safe, even the pouch with the money for his travels.

Luke took a seat next to him, but moved to the far end, as if to give Ardyn so privacy. After all, it was a bench, not separate seats, plus there was plenty of space in between. There were also seats in front of them, but it was much better not to have to face each other during the ride.

Ardyn took the opportunity to look around, unable to hide the amazent from his expression. The interior was gorgeous, with a navy blue carpet beneath his feet. Crystal lamps hung from the ceiling, bathing the space in a warm glow.

In front of him were two seats against a wall with a door in the middle, the divider acting as a partition. If he surmised correctly, it could be a door leading to the driver’s area, similar to the layout of a car. He guessed that Leon would enter through that door to control the movents of the carriage. After all, the carriages in this world didn’t use horses.

If he ca to the city by himself, then there’s probably no driver as well, Ardyn thought.

Leon closed the door behind him with a sigh and plopped down on one of the two seats against the wall, looking exhausted. Ardyn could see the tired lines on the man’s face, as if he had not slept at all last night.

Sa here, he thought bitterly.

"What are we going to do if we get spotted by the soldiers?" Luke asked tentatively. "If they’re on their way, we might end up eting each other on the road."

Leon shook his head. "There’s no need to worry about that. This is my father’s royal carriage. I can use the camouflage ability."

"Camouflage?" Ardyn inquired.

"Whenever the royal family has to evacuate, they may be in danger while fleeing. After all, mbers of the nobility are high-profile individuals. The king and queen are the important figureheads of any kingdom. If sothing were to happen to them, there would be chaos," Leon explained. "So, during evacuation efforts, royal carriages can make the vehicle completely invisible, not just from sight, but from all senses."

"All senses?" Ardyn questioned.

"When this carriage is moving, the people outside can’t notice it. They can’t see it, hear it, or even realize that it’s there. The ability only lasts for a limited ti, but it’s quite effective."

"Oh. I see," Ardyn said in understanding. "Wow. That’s... really convenient."

Leon peered at him inquisitively. "You’re... truly not from this world, are you?" he said softly. "You don’t know anything at all."