The moment he stepped through the door, all heads turned toward him, and nods of acknowledgment followed.
At the back of the room, he noticed a woman dancing on a pole on a raised platform. Men cheered her on, tossing coins onto the stage.
"Ah, young master. A little late, aren't you?"
An old man behind the bar, said as he wiped a glass with a towel.
This man, Jack, was a notorious ex-pirate, now hiding in the Ashbourne duchy after a pirating venture gone bad.
His stories were as wild as the seas he once sailed.
'At least that is what he's saying.'
The whole kingdom had a lookout notice for this guy, but since nobody knew what he looked like, he was off the hook, literally.
Being an Ashbourne and all, Alexander would've handed him over to the Crown if he had met the guy before he met Kayden.
Guess who gave him a tavern and a new identity?
Yep, this stupid guy Kayden himself.
Why?
Because pirates are cool.
That was exactly what he thought at the time. Simple as that.
'That was three years ago, when Kayden was just 15.'
Kayden sat on a stool at the bar, and suddenly a tankard slammed on the counter.
"The usual, eh?"
Kayden took a good look at the bartender.
He was a short, stout man with a paunch, resembling a dwarf, though he only has half dwarf blood in him.
His beard and hair were long and dark, and his eyes were brown as dirt.
Your typical pirate captain in a short package. That's how the stupid author made this guy out to be.
And, to top it off, the man walked as if one of his legs were longer than the other.
Why? Because during a standoff with the Crown naval ships, one of his legs had been severed, and in its place was a peg leg.
Hence the name, Peg Leg Jack.
Captain Peg Leg Jack, a legendary pirate known for sinking and plundering ships left and right.
Until he found himself surrounded by navies from different kingdoms.
He fought valiantly but ultimately fell short against the might of the naval force.
Through sheer luck and perseverance, he and some of his crew washed ashore alive.
Now they're all just working regular jobs in the tavern.
Bullshit! The author made this guy's backstory thrilling just for him to be an awesome sidekick to a minor villain like Kayden.
And this whole tavern? It's packed with ex-criminals trying to keep a low profile.
And guess who let them here?
Kayden Ashbourne himself.
Because, criminals are also cool!
But apparently, these ex-criminals have a deep respect for Kayden for letting them stay here and also using his power as a noble to fend off any soldiers or knights coming to investigate.
So, they did whatever he asked them to do.
Though they were a menace a little while back, they decided to leave that life behind and just work in the duchy like they got a second chance at life.
"Err, don't give me that look, young master. I might get shy."
Peg Leg Jack said, locking eyes with Kayden.
'This whole setup could turn a profit.'
'If I provide information on them to the Crown, especially this pirate, I might gain recognition and coin.'
'Well, after all, there's a hefty bounty on these criminals.'
Kayden's lips started to quiver unknowingly. He didn't notice Jack looking at him with raised eyebrows.
It made Jack break into a sweat.
"Ermm, young master, you look like you'll hand us over to the Crown."
"Foolishness. I'll do no such thing."
Of course, he wasn't going to do that. At least, not yet.
He looked around the tavern.
Criminals sat on the seats, drinking ale and eating meats.
On the stage, the woman danced away.
That woman was none other than Jack's only daughter, Rose.
'Rose, the soul poison.'
Every nickname in the novel was a bit... crap.
Rose got her name from appearing all pretty and innocent, like a poor unassuming dancer, but once you got closer to her and dropped your guard, she'd stab your heart.
She was as wild as her father, that's for sure.
But she wasn't the reason he was here though.
'Let's see, where is he?'
Jack leaned in again, his eyes scanning the young master who hadn't touched his tankard.
It was incredibly suspicious.
This young master of the Ashbournes was never late. If anything, he was always precisely here in the evening, but today was different.
He broke the tradition.
Moreover, an alcoholic like him hadn't touched the tankard just yet.
That too, never happened.
Normally, this young master would've already drained the tankard as fast as it hit the table.
'Very, very suspicious indeed.'
Drunk and starting fistfights, which he would usually win, not because of his power though. Then he would lose consciousness from the heavy drinking.
"What really happened yesterday?"
The young master asked, his eyes still fixed on the patrons.
"Ah, yesterday, you don't remember? Well, you were pretty drunk, so you won't remember it."
Jack replied, smiling toothily, revealing a golden tooth in the front row.
"You got so drunk you started a bar fight with a newcomer and got smashed by him. Was pretty refreshing, not gonna lie. He he he."
Kayden glared at him.
"Ahem. We took you to your room for the night, but then some knights suddenly barged in during the night and dragged you away."
'So that's what happened.'
'Normally, even though these criminals were... well, criminals, they never actually hurt Kayden when he started drunken fights.'
'Well, they were afraid of what Kayden the young master would do to them if they actually started fighting.'
Kayden Ashbourne was so weak a twelve-year-old could knock him over, but fearing the name Ashbourne, these criminals never really fought him seriously and let him win.
Until yesterday.
'That guy might be the one I pissed off. Where is he?'
He looked around the tavern again.
"If you're looking for the guy who beat you up yesterday, he's that guy in the corner. Since you had specifically said not to attack him before starting the fight, he's still in one piece."
'You, along with the entire tavern, would've crumbled if you were to piss this guy off.'
'He's already on the edge of becoming a full-blown villain.'
'Tsk tsk.'
Kayden followed Jack's finger, which pointed to a dark corner of the tavern where a man in a hood sat alone, with a tankard on his table.
A smile threatened to spread across his lips, but he suppressed it.
That was the man he was here for.
A villain in the making.
A classic tale of a hero turned villain by the world.
"Jack, bring the finest chicken roast you have to that table. And a tankard of fruit juice, hold the alcohol."
Jack was skeptical about the fruit juice order, but he figured the young master was planning to give it to the cocky guy and humiliate him for yesterday.
'Young master is truly petty.
A devious smile formed on Jack's lips, somewhat hidden by his long beard. If Kayden had seen that, he would have frowned at the sight.
"Patchy, come here!"
Jack called out as Kayden walked towards the corner.