The Heroine Died!? Did The Plot Armor Fail? (Hiatus)

5) First (Ruined) Night Out

The city was bustling at night. Lively music from all kinds of shops, local wares, sometimes drunken cheers were heard at occupied taverns. Well, this wasn't the entertainment area for nothing.

Leo let out a whistle as he soaked in the sight before him. Back in his hometown, the streets never crowded this way. Compared to the loud noises, it was quiet over there. The amount of guards patrolling this area told him enough things. Honestly, his guess was towards drunken fist fights or whatever kind of fights happened. Who was stupid enough to commit murder here?

"Don't gawk in the middle of the street." A hand pulled the collar of his clothes.

"No need to rush, it's the first time I've been out the castle." Leo rolled his eyes at Magnus.

It's almost been a week since he came here, and he hardly had the luxury to go out. Almost a week of training and no rest day. It sucked since he spent most of his downtime catching up on sleep. His pained body slowly adjusted to using other parts of his muscles he wasn't used to. Eh, there's no use complaining though.

As for why he was with Ginger Boy, he softly sighed at himself. The unresolved issue of a certain slip up was still blank. When he went to confirm with Captain Bauda, it was just as Count Reinfel said, Leo wasn't registered as a member of Reinfel. The next couple days after, Magnus stuck to him the majority of the time.

The prince acted like they were best friends. When it didn't seem that bad, he caught Leo off guard with unnerving questions. Leo's distrust turned to annoyance. Even when he used Yule as an excuse to get away, the prince would tag along too. He's had enough of it!

Yesterday during morning session, his patience grew short. He brushed off what Magnus said without listening to a single word. After a few matches, it turned out he made a 'promise' to accompany him the next day. When Leo initially refused, Magnus created a small commotion. Some of the senior females glared at him and none of his brother-in-arms helped. He conceded on the spot.

"Why couldn't this wait until next daylight?" Leo sighed, again.

"Any longer and you won't have the time. Tomorrow, you'll be learning standard Zefna style. It's still quite hard to learn, you know."

Magnus smirked. "Not sure if you'll be able to grasp it properly as a sword virgin."

Leo clenched his fist and slowly inhaled. Oh how lovely it would be to murder this prince. If it weren't for the fact they snuck out, he would gladly punch his guts. Right now, they were disguised as commoners. So far, none of the guards didn't stop them. The two covered prominent features that made them recognizable. Leo had no problem since he didn't know most of them. Ginger Boy on the other hand had to conceal himself with a hat and scarf.

"You were a beginner once too!"

"Feel free to ask any of the knights or servants. I may not be my elder brother, but I'm still considered a prodigy." He had a prideful tone.

"Argh, you self entitled...!" Leo paced ahead of him.

"Ha ha, it was a joke! You might age faster if you're this angry Leo." The prince matched his speed.

They weaved their way through the crowd. If Leo thought he could lose him, he was dead wrong. The prince had no problems tailing him. Their distance didn't increase at all! It continued until they passed the entertainment area and into magic related stores.

"Refrain from using that accursed nickname." He snapped.

"Discrimination among friends isn't good. You never stop Yule from calling you that."

Leo ignored him and looked around. Shops varying from spells, divinations, even selling artifacts were neatly lined. He noticed the moment they stepped into this district, it became quiet as a ghost town. The bustling noise didn't die down gradually, a spell did that. A pretty damn big one too. He wondered how big the district was.

"...attention." Someone tapped his shoulder.

He snapped out of focus. Oh right, Ginger Boy is still here. He needed to learn how to cast that spell later on!

"What is it?" He sighed.

The moment he looked at Magnus, gravity soon took hold of him. His sudden tumble was unexpected and he fell straight down. His eyes snapped at the prince, all except he was looking at stairs. He looked up to see the prince shrug and walk down.

"Gods, why didn't you tell me?" Leo rubbed his back as he rose.

This time, Magnus sighed. "That's your own fault."

Leo stayed silent. He had gotten used to tuning out the prince to spare himself the trouble. Now he couldn't help but think this might've been part a future scheme. Is he just overthinking it or...?

"Laugh all you want. Just get what you need and be done with it."

"I'd be glad if you can be done sounding like a nagging bride." Ginger Boy shot back.

The two bickered further down the road. It stopped when Magnus halted in front of a store. He dragged the hotheaded lion with him. The store front was normal but inside was questionable. Small live monsters in cages, strange smelling plants, colored liquid, jewels, and bones— gods, is that a dead body!? No wait, that's fake...right?

Leo gave the prince a questionable stare. There was literally nothing he had to say about this, except the fact this entire store is shady as hell. He's seen stranger magic shops but this one tops them all.

If the prince caught his stare, he didn't seem to care and walked up to the counter. A slim lady greeted them.

"The usual, please." The prince said.

"Be sure to order more next time." She placed a vibrant, palm-sized azurite crystal on top.

"You can always count on it." He pocketed the crystal.

"I didn't know you had a girly hobby." Leo sneered when they left.

Most girls like to do these traditional types of divination. It was slightly accurate than through a spell. But that didn't mean the vision becomes easier to understand. Diviners still had a hard time interpreting it, and it varies from person to person.

"You don't have to play so hard if you want a reading." The prince retorted.

"From yours, I'd be maim before it comes true."

"I'm not that callous to leave you half dead." He laughed.

How about I cleave that pretty face of yours? From start to finish, the quarrel didn't end until they snuck back in. Despite Ginger Boy being royalty, Leo couldn't find it in himself to show anything besides irritation. Situation be damned if he was executed, that boy didn't deserve an ounce of joy! Throw trust into that mix too.

He sighed for the umpteenth time before heading to bed.