"What's happening?"
Rod furrowed his brows as he and the rest of his group tried their best to blend in among the small crowd that gathered outside the restaurant.
He heard from the innkeeper that that place was the best when it comes to food. But on their way there, their hearts nearly leaped out of their chests when they saw royal guards coming out of the establishment.
The team immediately recognized the position of those royal guards by a mile away. After staying for a few weeks in the royal palace, they knew, from the glint of the golden armors those guards wore, that they were the special force of the Emperor, the only guards who can receive orders straight from the Emperor himself.
"What are they doing here?!"
Renee whispered vehemently as she tried to hide her face. Then, after taking a second peek, her eyes widened in panic.
"What if they're assigned to spy on us?! What are we going to do now?!"
Rod discreetly tilted his head to the side in an attempt to cover up his face as well. Nol soon took the hint and followed suit.
Looking at the two guards, Rod began to voice out his thoughts.
"They're usually deployed to protect royalty so why are they here? Are they under the Emperor's orders? Or are they on vacation?"
One of the royal guards felt a sudden intense stare directed at him and he instinctively looked for its origin. Fortunately, Rod was able to quickly look away before the royal guard could notice his stare.
"But, I don't think they're guarding royalty. That's because before we left the capital, almost all the members of the royal family, except for the third prince, were present and busy in the palace. So, I doubt they'd find time to visit this small village. And I believe that the third prince is out somewhere for training. So, the royal guards here must be here under the Emperor's orders. And I don't think they have any vacation nor breaks. They are the Emperor's personal guards, after all."
Renee furrowed her brows in worry as she spoke.
"So, do you think they're here to keep an eye on us?"
Rod's forehead began to crinkle as he became lost in his thoughts. Then, after a few seconds of silence, he let out a small exhale as he spoke.
"I'm not too sure about that. There's a chance that their business here is unrelated to us, but we can't deny that there's also a chance that they're here to make sure we really are searching for her."
Rod caressed his chin as he began to think of the best way to approach the situation.
"But then again, if they really are here for us, we can always pretend that we're actually doing what the Emperor asked us to do, which is to search for her in the village. And after a few days of 'searching,' we'd just have to tell them that there's a chance that she'd be in another distant country and that we'd need to go through Edseria for transit. But once we reach Edseria, we'd shake them off and hide."
While Rod was voicing out his thoughts, Nol took a curious peek at the royal guards. And to his surprise, behind one of the royal guards, he saw a teenager with an ashen face and a frightened expression. It seems like only Nol was able to notice the child because, from both Renee's and Rod's angles, the child was hidden behind the royal guards' armor.
Nol tapped Rod gently as he grunted.
"They're not here for us."
Startled, Rod looked at Nol in confusion.
"And what makes you think that?"
Nol cocked his head to the side as he gestured at the child that was now in full view after being held and dragged by the arm by the royal guards.
"Is that kid the third prince? Wait no… He has magic nullification chains on his arms. A criminal?"
Renee muttered as her eyes followed the direction where the kid was dragged to.
Rod squinted as he tried his best to understand the situation.
"I don't think he's done any great crimes. Most probably just a magic scuffle among those students from the academy. Well, I wouldn't be surprised. Some of the students there have big heads and even bigger egos."
The crowd outside the restaurant saw that the drama was most likely over now that the troublemaker was apprehended. And so, they began to slowly leave to continue with their own lives.
The team all sighed in relief when the royal guards were finally out of sight but they all now hesitated to go inside the restaurant. With the huge ruckus, surely the restaurant would be affected. Normally, they would close for a few hours to try and mend the damages from the fight. If the fight ended up with major damages, some would even take days if they couldn't find a magic-user to fix it.
And the most worrying part for them would be the chances of the royal guards coming back.
And so, in case the restaurant decides to close and in case the royal guards decided to return, they scanned the nearby area for any other food establishment they can eat from instead.
But luck was not on their side. When they saw another restaurant, it seemed to be fully packed, with some guests outside probably waiting in line for their turn to enter.
"Are we seriously choosing this place over that other restaurant? This one looks like they get their meat from dead animals rotting at the side of the road! I mean, look at the dirt on those walls! People are probably going here because they don't have enough money to go to that famous place."
Rod shushed Renee and her whining as he began to contemplate.
If they choose the other place, they could be safe from those royal guards but they'll be waiting outside for god knows how long and the quality of their meal isn't assured to be good.
But if they choose that famous restaurant, there's a big risk of the royal guards coming back and a big chance for them to wait a few hours if ever the restaurant closes, but then again, the quality of their meal is top-notch.
After a few seconds of contemplation, Rod couldn't seem to reach a decision.
But when another loud grumble from Rod's stomach erupted, Rod finally decided to make his way to the previous restaurant's entrance. The decision made Renee squeal in delight and she hurriedly tried to see if the restaurant was still open.
Seeing that there was no signage indicating its closure, she giggled excitedly as she urged the two men to hurry along. But as she grasped the handle of the door, it suddenly opened, and something solid suddenly collided harshly on her face.