Chapter - 15
The flickering torchlight of Auravale's walls was a welcome sight, it filled him with relief. But it brought with it a different kind of trouble.
The wild, lawless forest full of danger was behind them. There he had to deal with mindless, savage men, animals and monsters. But now in the town, he had to deal with people of this world. Scheming people, backstabbing men, who wouldn't think another second before throwing him in the depths of hell just to step on his corpse and fulfill their ambitions.
Their arrival at the main gate almost caused a chaos. The guards on duty, who were accustomed to the nightly routine of drunken peasants, merchants or hunters, stopped dead in their tracks, sweating.
Before them stood a cart driven by a grizzly old man who seemed to be shaking uncontrollably. In the cart they could see some hay. But what pulled the ground from beneath their feet was the familiar figure walking beside the cart on her feet.
Even the ghosts of Auravale could identify the Lord's daughter, Lady Aliana among thousands of women in the dead of the night.
But what had happened to the Lady? She looked like she had been dragged through hell. Her expensive silk dress was in tatters and though her face was all cleaned up now, she still had the soot residue covering on her face.
But despite all that, the noble arrogance on her that they were used to did not flatter one bit.
And leading them all was a young man clad in strange, black clothes, and a sword tucked to his waist. But for some reason, his presence was barely noticeable to them.
"Halt!" a voice boomed. A dozen guards in the city's silver-and-blue armour swarmed them, pointing their spears at Leo.
From behind the guards, a burly man with a thick neck, face like a clenched fist, wearing heavy sliver-gold coloured armour stomped forward, his hand on the hilt of his own sword.
"In the name of Lord Caelum Dargan, drop your weapon and surrender yourselves! Now!" The burly man called out loud, commanding Leo.
At that moment, Aliana stepped forward, seemingly drawing strength from the familiar town and armours in front of her.
"Stand down, Captain Valerius! I am Aliana Dargan, my father is the Lord of this town!" Aliana spoke in a serious, authoritative tone, "And this man… He rescued me from the Blackfang Bandits."
Hearing the Lady, the Captain's eyes narrowed slightly in surprise despite the initial suspicion. But he still did not ask his men to lower tier weapons and stand down.
Instead, he became even more wary of the boy leading them. He sized Leo up and saw not some hero, but a low-born opportunist, a vulture who had stumbled upon a lucky kill.
"Lady Aliana, step away from him," Valerius commanded, his eyes locked on Leo. "Men, secure this boy, and detain him for questioning," he said, gesturing towards Leo.
"Don't worry Lady Alaian, we will get to the bottom of this," the captain told Aliana, assuring her.
Getting their orders, two guards moved forward to grab Leo's arms. But before they could even get close, Leo spoke, warning them.
"Touch me, and you lose your hand," Leo said, his voice low, but threatening enough to stop the guards cold. He didn't move, didn't even tense. His calm was more threatening than any shout. The Predator's Instincts kicked in, and the temperature around him dropped.
He met the Captain's glare without flinching.
"I have a prisoner here," He said pointing at Brena who was all tied up and thrown at the back of the cart.
"My prisoner, and my story are for the Lord's ears only," Leo stated, "You are not authorized."
Captain Valerius's face flushed with anger, "You dare defy the City Patrol? In Auravale, we are the authority!"
"Why don't you let the Lord know of the same?" Leo countered smoothly, "I am sure he will be very happy to get competition for his chair."
"You dare!" Leo's words led to a tense, dangerous standoff.
The dozens of spears remained pointed at Leo's chest, but none of the guards dared to move. The soldiers were used to bullying peasants and merchants. And it was never hard for them. In front of them, no one wanted to unnecessarily complicate things, or make an enemy of the City Patrol Guards.
But they could sense that the boy in front of him was a tough nut to crack. And he also seems to have the hand of Lady Aliana on his back. And this made them think twice before trying to provoke him.
"Listen you brat…" Captain Valerius cannot let the boy make him lose face in front of his subordinates, he was about to force the issue, but Aliana spoke up again.
"Enough, Captain! He is telling the truth. The full account of my kidnapping is for my father alone. This man… he is a key witness. He will come to the Lord's mansion with me. Or do you think my words have no meaning in front of you?"
When she spoke those words, it was like a thousand needles pricked her tongue. She clearly hated admitting it, the words tasting like ash in her mouth.
But she understood, she can't just ignore the boy and let the City Patrol take over. Otherwise she won't be able to dig deep into and find out who was behind her kidnapping.
He was the only other person who knew what really happened, and she needed to control him until her position was secure. A strange, unspoken, and deeply hostile alliance was formed at that moment.
Valerius's jaw was clenched so tight it looked like his teeth might crack. Being overruled in front of his men, and by the Lord's daughter no less, was a slap to his pride he couldn't ignore. But he could not do anything either.
"Fine," he hissed, each word dripping with resentment. He spun on his heel toward his men.,"Escort the lady and everyone else to the Lord's mansion. But keep your weapons on him," he barked, stabbing a finger in Leo's direction, "If he so much as twitches, cut him down."
And the order was followed without any question. The dozen or so soldiers closed in around Leo and the others, their spears and swords never straying far from his chest as they marched through the streets of Auravale.
As they walked through the town Leo saw was nothing like the "lively town" Grendel had described. The streets were dim and quiet, lined with stone buildings that looked like they had not seen repairs in decades.
A few drunks lay sprawled in the alleys as well, snoring loudly. There was no sign of wealth, no hum of a thriving town.
'So much for prosperity,' Leo thought, unimpressed. 'Maybe nightlife just doesn't exist here.'
Their path eventually led them to the Lord's residence. And here, at least, things changed somewhat. The structure looming before them wasn't some simple mansion.
It was a towering fortress of dark stone, built high and broad, its thick walls lined with torchlight and banners bearing the Dargan crest.
As Aliana, Leo and everyone else got close to the fortress, two big ironbound gates opened into a massive courtyard patrolled by armored guards.
While the outside of the Lord's mansion was domineering, the inside was even more impressive.
The entrance hall rose high overhead, supported by heavy stone pillars carved with the Dargan family's sigil. Suits of polished armor stood on display along the walls, and the floors were lined with deep crimson carpets that muffled every footstep.
Heavy iron chandeliers burned with steady light, casting long shadows across banners and old war trophies mounted on the walls.
They were led into the great hall, a broad chamber designed more for an audience with the Lord. A long, oaken table stretched across the far end, covered in maps, scrolls, and sealed letters. Behind it sat Lord Caelum Dargan.
He was a man in his late forties, broad-shouldered and composed, with sharp, calculating eyes that scanned everything and missed nothing.
His neatly trimmed beard and calm posture gave him the look of a man who did not like unnecessary chit-chat.
There was no warmth in his gaze, no softness in his expression. He looked at Leo and the others not as guests, but as pieces to be placed on a board.
The moment they entered the great hall, every guard dropped to one knee before the man seated at the far end. Even Aliana, despite her usual defiance, bowed deeply to the figure at the table.
Leo, however, did not move. He stayed exactly where he was, hands loose at his sides, expression unreadable.
When the guards standing guard at the door to the hall saw the insolence play out in front of them, outrage flashed in their eyes as they pulled out the swords, ready to take action.
But before any of them could take a step, Lord Caelum Dargan raised a single hand. The room froze instantly. The soldiers lowered their weapons without a word, but their eyes stayed locked on Leo.
The Lord, on the other hand, paid no heed to anyone else. His eyes had already shifted to his daughter.
"Aliana," he said, his voice calm, but with authority, "What happened to you? I was given only a brief report just now. Explain."
Leo was slightly taken aback by how Lord Dargan spoke to his daughter. It was not like a father speaking to his daughter, but more like a commander demanding a situation report from their subordinate.
Hearing her father, Aliana straightened herself and adjusted her tone, "Father, On my way to the town, I was ambushed on the road by a group of Blackfang bandits."
"My escort fought bravely, but they were outnumbered. All of them died fighting valiantly."
She continued, choosing her words carefully, "I tried to negotiate with the bandits, but they were too savage to reason with."
"But a fight broke out between two of the bandits, over Brena, my maid who was also one of the bandits."
"And during the chaos, this commoner," she gave a dismissive wave in Leo's direction without even looking at him, "this commoner arrived there and managed to kill the bandits. It was a lucky chance encounter."
Her version of events was clearly meant to minimize Leo's role. She made no mention of the undead creatures he had fought alone or how she had been paralyzed by fear.
Instead, she painted herself as composed and resourceful under pressure, and Leo as nothing more than a lucky man who stumbled upon a fight he was destined to win.
"You don't have to worry about him, father," Aliana tried to brush Leo under the rug. She wanted to get out of here and deal with Leo on her own.
"I will give him some reward and he will be on his way out of here soon."
"No need to be in such a hurry," The Lord stopped Aliana, "Let me thank the young man for saving my daughter."
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