"Halt! Who goes there!" A rural-sounding voice came from the oldest guard, missing several teeth and a scarred face.
He looked towards the black carriage, holding his spear tightly; due to the recent events of many female villagers being kidnapped and never seen again and strange monsters rumoured to linger in the forests, the village shut its borders at night.
'No normal folk travel this late at night; what's their business? Bandits that stole a noble's carriage, or are they some criminals? No noble would travel this late at night; they're too busy counting their own money.' thought the old guard, his fingers grasping his spear tightly.
Vincent placed Momo onto the soft seat, laying her head against a velvet pillow, before he stood up, no longer covered in the black scales, but a handsome male with his phoenix plume ears and long red hair.
"I apologise for the disturbance; my companions and I seek a place to stay for the night; we were attacked by strange monsters and cannot feel safe camping in the wilds!"
He spoke with a polite and very elegant tone, close to the true higher nobles of the kingdom, while his arms were lifted into the air, revealing he carried no weapons, showing a gentle smile, the small torches reflecting his handsome face in their dim light.
The younger guard didn't speak, his legs were a little shakey, but seeing the harmless male, although his body was tight and muscular, he wore a robe like a mage, as both guards watched him dismount the carriage with an elegant hop, not even making a sound on the ground.
'How does his hair float like that!?'
'This man is a show-off!'
The two guards thought to themselves.
"Name, destination and your reason for travelling!" The old guard mimicked the question a guard in a larger city asked during his training; although he didn't know the full reason for these questions, it made him feel superior and more relaxed as the tip of the spear swayed.
Vincent looked at the pair before giving an amiable smile and nodding, lowering his arms slowly to pull a small parchment from his chest pocket, something he asked Violetta to produce.
"Stop!?"
"What are you doing!"
Suddenly both guards panicked, thinking he was performing some spell, but Vincent didn't move; he just shrugged and opened his lips.
"Sorry for the fright; I am a student of the dungeon academy in Vandis and have papers to prove it inside my robe pocket. Could you please allow me to show them?"
Vincent watched the two guards huddle up, their words barely audible, and they seemed to be doubting him but wanting to give him at least a chance, just in case he was related to a noble.
'Well, technically, I'm sleeping with a countess and a princess...'
"Ahem!"
The old guard cleared his throat, extending his hand, before lifting his chin as if to tell Vincent to produce the papers, while the younger guard began to glow; his skill was a mere "Counter" that would protect the old guard if Vincent attacked.
'Well, this guy isn't running and is protecting the elderly.' Vincent mused as he slowly grasped the written paper, not wanting these guards to cause any trouble; he was tired and wanted to relax.
Rustle, the white paper sounded as the guard grasped it quickly before jogging over to the light, trying to read it properly; once he saw the logo, the various signatures, the stamp of two nobles, and the scarlet federation's royal insignia, he suddenly swallowed.
I looked towards Vincent and eyed him from head to toe before nodding.
'Ah, I see; these noble women must love this boy...'
The man became strangely respectful of Vincent as he gave a light bow, passing the parchment back to him and lowering his spear.
"Ahem, my lord, please forgive this little guard's discrepancies; I just wished to protect the villagers!"
Although Vincent hadn't read the letter because Violetta told him not to, he smiled at the guards, feeling envious of this small village having two guards that would protect them so thoroughly, even if the party may have been noble.
"Here, this is for your troubles; good work guarding this wonderful village. Also, those monsters are dead, so the kidnapping related to them will also stop."
Vincent let out a whistle as the horses on the carriage slowly followed him while both guards opened the rickety gates with a slight creak revealing the small village.
Only a handful of buildings were in the centre, around 5 or 6, while the main living quarters were on the far edge of the village, maybe 20 houses at most.
"Excuse me!" A slightly gasping breath sounded.
The young guard began to rush towards him with an apologetic look; Vincent stood still and waited for the body to arrive close, his face filled with a smile.
"What's the matter?" He asked.
"Oh, no, it's just my father runs the stables, so I figured to come along and help you settle in for a better fee!" The slightly shy guard said, seeming to struggle to look towards Vincent.
"Haha, then lead the way, my good friend."
"Of course, my lord!"
The village was quite small, but those blue flowers still visible in the dark moonlight caused Vincent to feel comfortable; since, being young, he liked the colour blue and seeing these flowers reminded him of Odette.
'That girl, I'd never see her so cute.' Vincent thought back, remembering as she almost cried when they left, choosing to run away using her ice magic to increase her speed.
Yet moments later, she hid behind a distant building watching him until they left her sight; thanks to his powerful senses, he saw her every action and wanted to comfort the cute girl.
"Let's get her some nice things in the city; maybe she will be happy if I get her a gift to show I was thinking about her," Vincent murmured.
"What's that, my lord?" Asked Sam with a curious voice.
"Nothing, just thinking to myself, let's move forward."
Vincent wondered about the future as they walked along the dirt path; he looked at the various buildings and realised that Vandis was much better than living in a small town or village; some buildings had holes in their roof or walls made from thatch and hay, not wood.
'I guess I used to feel too sorry for myself; these people suffer far worse than I ever did.'
Finally, they arrived at a strange building shaped like the letter L, with a large empty stable to the right and what seemed to be some diner in the main hall.
A large sign was posted on the front of the wooden building, with a small patio and fence to protect the front door, read. "Barlow's Steak and Stable"
Vincent thought that maybe the stable was just a prop, used for their strange choice of name and diner, but to his surprise, the stable was the main, and the diner was just for those in town who didn't manage to make enough yield from their crops or business.
'A tightknit village, huh?' He wondered.
"Welcome! Sam told me all about it; I am sure we can help you; our prices are very low, and to be honest, we could do with the extra money! Haha!"
"My name is Barry Barlow, by the way!" Sam's father then extended his hand with a wide grin; despite missing a few teeth, he didn't look horrible.
"Nice to meet you; I am Vincent!" He replied, extending his hand to shake Barry's hand with a tight, firm grip.
Sam's father was a simple man and didn't seem to care for nobility or put on airs, which Vincent liked quite a bit as they haggled and discussed a price.
The small man with a slightly podgy belly was rather interesting; they spent around 20 minutes chatting before deciding on a price.
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