"…"
Everyone's gaze was directed our way - at me in particular.
"He messed up…"
"The kid looks so young too. Really had to go and mess with Nether's eldest son of all people."
Hearing their hushed whispers, I realized something important.
I'm screwed, aren't I? Aight, time for plan B.
What did they call him? Nether's eldest? Pretty sure he's rumored to be a first-tier fighter. With fire techniques on top of that. Hmm. There's only one way out of this predicament, then.
As I prepared to grab Lyrael and run for our lives, his attendant drew a blade.
"Insult to the young master is a capital offense, kid. Raise your arms in surrender if you don't want things to get bloody!"
"Oh, not again."
I didn't even know Nether's laws; not that there was any reason for his attendant to lie to me.
Definitely gotta dip, then.
I crouched down, pretending to get on my knees in surrender while subtly shifting into a sprinting stance, having already given Lyrael a hand signal to meet up at a designated spot.
"Wait, let him go. It's fine."
"But, young master, he just-"
"That's an order."
Nether's eldest dropped his affable expression and gave his attendant a firm command.
Huh? What's going on now?
Confused by their exchange, I looked up at the young man.
"Apologies. My servant here still hasn't learned proper manners."
"Huh? You know, I did just insult you. You're taking it way better than I expected."
I was so stupefied by the situation that I dropped any pretense of formality and spoke as I normally would. The attendant shot me another glare.
"Hahaha, you're even more interesting than I expected. Never had someone talk with me this directly before. Quite refreshing!"
He smiled at me, looking genuinely pleased.
I made a disgusted expression.
"You… You wouldn't happen to swing the other way, would you? Unfortunately, I'll have to reject."
I bowed apologetically along with those words, prompting another laugh from the young lord.
"Haha, no. I prefer ladies."
"Good. Because I don't like men either. Rejecting a man would've been a whole new experience for me, really. Though maybe I should try it once?"
I heard there's a gay club not too far from here. Maybe I should try swindling a dude or two, to see how it feels to reject one? Ah, but I've been told that gay men in this country tend to go for the tall, buff types. My chances aren't great.
With those thoughts, I sat back down in my chair, feeling the imminent danger pass.
Then, Nether's prince pointed the same question at me again:
"Let me ask you once more. May I join you two for a meal?"
"Why bother asking? You've already sat down. Help yourself, I s'pose. Ah! But I won't be paying for your food, if that's what you're trying to pull."
I took another sip absentmindedly, only to spit it out the next moment.
"Eugh, this sucks."
I looked toward the young lord, noticing his shoulders shaking in my peripheral vision.
The bastard is suppressing a laugh.
For some reason, that got on my nerves more than it should've.
The other people at the pub looked just as confused as I was. Clearly, I wasn't the only one shocked by how this foreign prince was acting.
Nether's eldest called over a waitress and ordered his meal. He ordered a lot…
Way too much. The hell is he gonna do with all this food?
The poor girl forgot a few items and had to ask again. Didn't know someone could look that apologetic.
Guess anyone would be intimidated by a person of his status. Maybe I should try to becoming a king of sorts myself. Seems nice to have everyone tiptoe around you like that.
The fire prince looked at me, clearly waiting for me to say something.
"So, what are you called? Uhh, I mean - what's your name, sir?"
Fumbled that one.
All the while, Lyrael hadn't said a word. She did a damn good job being invisible - I've got a thing or two to learn from her.
"Wow, I can't tell if you're brave or just have a screw loose."
"Definitely the latter."
Lyrael suddenly interjected, speaking for the first time since the encounter, wearing the most serious expression I'd seen on her.
I shot her a death glare, or what would've been one, if not for my covered eyes, but she just shrugged and returned to her meal.
"Huh, you two seem to get along well. But to answer your question, I'm Malrik. Malrik Nether."
As much as I wanted to say we didn't get along at all, now felt like a terrible time to argue.
"Got it. So, Mal, what are you doing all the way out in the outskirts? Surely you could afford to dine at a better place?"
My overt familiarity gave him pause, but he just gave his attendant another look, motioning him to keep cool.
"My father would make me go into 'intense training' again if I got another uniform ruined, so we had to pick a spot to wait out the rain."
"Again? No, wait - when you say your father, you wouldn't be referring to Lord Nether, perchance?"
"Huh? Yeah, that's what people call him. Why?"
I thought for a moment before replying. This guy left me with too many questions. Like, why can't he just buy another uniform? surely he can afford one. And what kind of training does he go through, if he's scared of it even at his level? While all of that's curious, there was one thing I needed to ask above all else.
"Nothing much, just surprised to hear someone of the Lord status being referred to as 'father'. But how come you're in Stone Cauldron's region in the first place?"
At my question, his carefree look shifted into something more serious.
"I'm afraid that's confidential, but if you're really curious, I can-"
"Keep it to yourself then."
I cut him off with a raised hand. That took me two attempts by the way, second one being with my right hand, because as it turns out, moving a broken arm ain't it.
"Mm? You're not curious?"
"Of course I am, but you said it's confidential. I bet you were gonna say something like, 'I can tell you, but it'll be the last thing you hear.' So yeah, I'm good."
"Pff…"
"…"
Lyrael, for some reason, laughed at my imitation of Mal's voice. I thought it was pretty spot on. Maybe the weirdo prince's presence is causing her mental harm. We really gotta disengage before my dearest friend Lyrael, currently my only one, gets corrupted by his presence.
"Don't worry. I had nothing like that in mind. I was just going to ask you not to spread the rumors too far for a few days. After all, soon enough, everyone will know what I'm here to do."
While I was reluctant to press further, feeling instinctively that I shouldn't dig too deep into this, Lyrael made the move.
"Do tell, please. I'm all ears. Nothing better than hearing about someone else's struggles to make my own life feel better by comparison!"
"Oho! This lady gets it."
Malrik nodded in agreement with Lyrael's unusually enthusiastic words. Then he leaned in and clicked his fingers. Strangely, they seemed to move slower than they should've, as if weighed down by something invisible. The next moment, our surroundings went silent.
I focused my gaze on the energy flow from his fingers.
Could I do something like this with my own energy? Maybe, if I committed maximum focus to the process, using all ten fingers to conjure the sorcery. But to do it in an instant, with a single snap, requires insane energy control. Far beyond my current level.
"With this, none of the people around will be able to hear us, not even my attendant. Just the three of us."
"Why'd you have to make it sound so intimate?"
"Sharing secrets is always like that."
"You know, for once, I think I can agree."
*Ahem.*
Lyrael let out a fake cough to get our attention.
"So, what's the secret?"
Her eyes burned with curiosity.
I'd have to thank her later for getting us back on track. I feel like I could argue with this guy for hours. Dangerous person to talk to, this Malrik guy.
"Have you guys heard the rumors of a recent crime against the Stone Cauldron Lord? The truth is - it's real. It was an attempted theft by a group of three crazy individuals, according to the report. Oh, they're young kids as well - below the age of twenty five, all three. At least, I was told that's how they look."
I froze at his words. Like a broken bearing, my head very slowly turned toward Lyrael, who looked equally stunned.
Malrik didn't seem to suspect our reactions, probably thinking we were just shocked at the scale of the crime, and kept talking.
"And so, I was ordered by my father himself to come here and put my 'information extraction' skills to the test. And let me tell you, I'm one of the best in the field! I can control my flame to inflict as much pain as I want with minimal damage. Almost never failed to make someone open their mouth before."
He pulled up his sleeve, flexed, and slapped his bicep twice with a proud smile.
To me and Lyrael, however, that expression was horrifying.
We need to run. Immediately.