A beautiful woman wearing a long, rich blue gown with white embroidery questioned, her eyes brimming with excitement.
She was Elowen Mistwood, the City Lord's first wife.
Sylas shook his head with a disappointed look on his face.
Elowen was taken aback.
Our children didn't exactly make a good first impression."
Elowen lowered her head. She couldn't deny what Sylas said, but…
"We could have used this chance to get close to the Hero."
Sylas lowered his head as well.
The couple wanted the Hero and his Party to dine at the main Dining Hall, together with their family.
Outwardly, it was a way for the Mistwood family to serve the Hero, but what they truly wanted was to introduce their children to the Hero, especially their daughters. And if any of them caught the Hero's eye…
Yes, they were planning to tie the knot with the Hero.
"What if I make Lenala meet him naturally? I am sure even the Hero would be attracted to her charms."
Elowen suggested. Sylas, however, shook his head.
"Let's not do anything out of impatience.
He is a man who preferred running away from the City rather than revealing his identity and silencing everyone around him.
Clearly, he doesn't like attention, and it is only natural if you think about it.
He has only been in Nerathis for a few weeks. He needs time to adapt to the situation."
Kael didn't choose to keep his identity a secret because he wanted to avoid attention. It was because he believed that if the fact that he was the Hero was revealed, he would be in even greater danger.
Of course, for Kael, it all worked well since his decision made Sylas and Elowen avoid pulling him into a political mess.
"Anyways, he barely agreed to dine with me out of courtesy. I shouldn't keep him busy."
Elowen nodded at those words, and the City Lord left with just one goal in his mind.
To create a good image in the Hero's head.
"Please enjoy the meal, Hero Kael."
Sylas spoke as he glanced at Kael with a somewhat subservient smile.
Kael smiled back. He found himself in an awkward position when the Lord of the City was acting in front of him.
Soon, however, he shook his head and calmed his emotions. He needed to get his mind straight. After all, Sylas wasn't the only one who came to this dining table with other intentions.
He wanted to confirm his doubts, and without wasting time, he started,
"Would it be alright if I ask a question?"
"Of course, ask me anything, and if I can, I will answer your question."
"How did you know I was the Hero?"
Kael questioned directly.
"I am the City Lord of a Major City, Hero Kael. Of course, I recognized your face. Let alone me, even a normal Town Head would recognize you."
Kael raised his eyebrow.
"Well, the Towns at the Border of the Kingdom might be an exception since they have their own problems to deal with and aren't involved in Kingdom politics, but any City or Town that is involved in politics—their Leaders will definitely recognize you."
Sylas answered, and Kael nodded in understanding.
"I am glad I was of help."
He had his doubts before, but if the Hero liked to ask questions, he might be able to get what he came here for.
All he needed to do was to give satisfactory answers and make the Hero feel like he could rely on him.
Sylas looked forward to more questions the Hero might have, but then—
Kael, who was slowly eating his fill, glanced at Sylas again and,
"So how did you know I was in the City?"
"I was wondering how you knew I was in your City."
"My guards informed me, of course."
"Guards? The ones stationed at the Gate?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"But I hid my face when I entered. They shouldn't have been able to recognize me."
"It is because you hid your face that you attracted attention. The guards found it odd and sent people to tail you. Once you revealed your face, they recognized you and informed me."
Kael muttered, his piercing blue eyes staring at Sylas.
"How long did those people tail me for?"
"I do not have those details. If you want, I can order them to write a detailed report and have it sent to yo—"
"That is enough, Sylas."
Suddenly, another voice was heard, and a being covered in a black cloak appeared in the dining room.
Sylas's expression changed when he saw him.
"L-Lord, you didn't have to come here. I had it unde—"
"He never hid his face at the entrance. He was lying."
Sylas's expression changed as he stared at Kael.
Kael, however, was looking at the man who had appeared out of nowhere, and a smile appeared on his face.
"So you are the one who has been following me all this while."
The being looked surprised.
He had absolutely no clue.
It was Igni who sensed him.
Kael wanted Igni to come out when they set up camps but Igni refused—something he would usually never do.
He then told Kael that someone had been following them ever since they left the Kingdom. The being only left him alone a few times, and those were the times Igni used to come out and play with Kael.
Igni also told him that the follower stopped following him and disappeared the instant Kael stepped into Estwyn Town.
"You are sharper than I was told."
"My intuition has become stronger than normal ever since I came to this world."
"It must be Lord Feraos's blessing."
Kael nodded, once again, his trick of letting others guess the reason for everything he does, worked.
"You must be the one who informed the City Lord that his youngest was fighting the Hero. No wonder he came rushing."
"So that's how you knew…"
The being realized his mistake.
Kael had no clue what this man was talking about, but he went with the flow and—
"It was pretty obvious."
The being nodded as well.
"I see it now. The City Lord didn't greet you the moment you entered the city, so it was safe to assume that he or his people didn't know you were here.
But then, him rushing towards you the instant his son made trouble for you—it couldn't be more obvious that someone informed him what was happening.
Someone who was not one of his men."
The being made up the story, and Kael just nodded while he smiled inwardly.
This is why he loved talking to people who like to believe they know everything.
If they did not understand anything, they would make up a credible story for their own convenience—a story he could use later to hide Igni's existence.
"So? Why were you following me?"
Kael questioned, wanting to know more.