Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 91 - 91 65 The Poet

91: Chapter 65: The Poet 91: Chapter 65: The Poet Having found an inn with a nice environment, Leon also casually inquired with the innkeeper, who seemed well-informed at first glance, about the ways to travel from Dragon Throat City to Kantadar Western Port.

As expected, the movies and novels I watched back on Earth did not deceive me.

After spending a bit of money on drinks, the innkeeper explained in detail two main routes.

One was by land, going straight out of the south gate and following the main trade route southward between the two countries.

The other was by water, where one could take a merchant ship from the docks of Dragon Throat City, enter the sea from the mouth of the Rushina River, and follow the coastal shipping lanes to reach the destination.

Both routes were viable, but the water route was much faster than the land route and did not have as many hassles of passing through checkpoints along the way.

However, taking a boat also came with its own troubles, such as the expensive fare for passenger ships, and risks like pirates and storms.

Of course, since this coastal route had been safe and steady for many years, the likelihood of accidents wasn’t high.

Besides, even if one went by land, such a long distance and journey also carried the danger of encountering bandits, and Kantadar was not exactly a place known for its orderly tranquility.

After weighing various considerations, they decided unanimously after a discussion to take the water route, as they should reach their destination as quickly as possible on this trip.

With their companions, they went to the harbor docks to find a ship, and at this time of the season, there were not many ships setting out to sea, let alone those willing to take passengers.

When they finally found a ship with space available, the captain suddenly looked past Leon and carefully sized up Azeryan standing behind him.

As Leon was puzzled by his reaction, the captain spoke up.

With a single sentence, he infuriated Azeryan.

“No women allowed on board, she can’t get on the ship,” the captain said, nodding his chin towards Azeryan.

“What?”

Leon and Lokhak’s eyes widened in disbelief.

They suspected that the captain was either visually impaired or not quite right in the head.

Although since Azeryan had escaped his disheveled flight and managed to clean up daily, the noble young man indeed looked quite handsome and clean-cut.

But that didn’t mean he should be mistaken for a girl, right?

Leon turned to look at his friend behind him, whose frown showed he was clearly somewhat annoyed.

Uh, the collar around his neck was indeed high, covering his Adam’s apple.

But that wouldn’t make someone mistake a boy for a girl.

Moreover, when they bathed by the river, Leon was certain he had seen definitive proof of his companion’s manhood, and his chest was completely flat.

His good brother here definitely couldn’t be a Mulan hiding her gender.

“Are you insulting me?” Azeryan’s voice deepened as he pulled down his collar to reveal his Adam’s apple, questioning the captain.

If he wasn’t so good-tempered, he might have drawn his sword.

Leon held his forehead, reiterating multiple times that his companion was male.

Seeing the Adam’s apple, the captain no longer made outrageous remarks and promptly laughed it off.

He removed his cap, bowed in apology, and started to explain.

It turned out that there had indeed been travelers in the past who secretly dressed up young girls as boys and brought them aboard his ship.

As a result, it caused a lot of trouble onboard.

Now, seeing Azeryan looking so strikingly handsome, the captain had simply blurted out a precautionary guess, just to be safe in case he had made another misjudgment.

After hearing the explanation, Azeryan could only accept the captain’s apology, half-amused and half-frustrated; in some way, it could be considered a compliment to his appearance.

After this small episode, they agreed on a time to board the ship the next day and left the docks to return to the inn.

…The sun gradually set in the west.

The evening’s afterglow showered over the shoulders of people in the streets and alleys.

The bustling Dragon Throat City was unlike other ordinary cities.

Even though the city gates were already closed, the city would not enforce a curfew until late at night, ringing the tower bell at the midnight hour.

Residents and merchants who had been busy all day gathered in pubs big and small throughout the city, enjoying drinks from all over the continent.

People listened to the poet’s singing and admired the tavern dancers’ teasing bodies as they indulged in venting their fatigue from the past days.

Leon was still sitting in a quiet corner, and after eating and drinking his fill, he was playing a simple game of chance with his friends at the table.

It was a small gift from a merchant friend they met along the way, given to them as a thank you for driving off wild beasts.

The rules were quite interesting, to say the least, and had alleviated much of the boredom of their journey.

With plenty of time left before setting sail tomorrow, and unable to sleep so early, the three of them simply spent their time in the tavern, drinking and playing chess to pass the time.

As the number of customers in the store gradually increased, Leon finally got to see what he had been looking forward to, the so-called Otherworld tavern atmosphere.

In addition to drunken patrons and poets strumming their lutes, the tavern also had no shortage of armed guests.

Some were exotic warriors escorting caravans; others were city guards who came to relax and get drunk.

Of course, as night approached, Leon saw an ancient profession that appeared in many town taverns along their journey.

Dressed in light, flamboyant costumes, the dancers lifted their skirts and danced to the music, passing by the patrons’ seats, where the crude harassment and flirting of the men immediately joined with the dancers’ teasing laughter.

Soon someone got up to accept their invitation, leading them upstairs to enjoy the night and, at the same time, creating a considerable income for the tavern.

A young lady dressed particularly revealingly, flaunting her “spotlights” that were especially dazzling under the oil lamps, came to their table.

She propped up her “thunderous attributes” in an attempt to solicit customers.

Especially the handsome Azeryan, who had already attracted many dancers due to his good looks, as they deliberately passed by the young noble.

However, evidently being of noble birth, he had no interest in such invitations and politely declined the dancers who came to bestow admiring glances.

The blood-pulse of Lokhak was stirred by the dancers’ enticement, somewhat tempted, but he suddenly remembered his relatives were still unaccounted for, and the flame in his heart was extinguished as if doused by a bucket of cold water.

Leon also declined the invitation.

Even though he had been abstinent since awakening, he dared not entertain thoughts in that direction at all.

It wasn’t just about not wanting to compromise his integrity or keeping himself clean, but also due to his circumstances, he had to become a brother who practiced sexual restraint.

This vigorously vital body did not lack natural physiological needs, yet now with a Miss Mage spectating inside his body, he had completely given up even the thought of personally performing magic.

Otherwise, was he supposed to give Miss Lora a live broadcast?

What if he angered her, and then one day he couldn’t cast Isa’s Arrow?

Soon, the dancers, each with their spoils of war in tow, disappeared into the tavern hall.

The three men watched the myriad forms of humanity from their corner.

After the noise of solicitation disappeared, the tavern hall became slightly quieter.

Leon listened quietly and noticed the poet in the tavern nearby was playing and singing a song that was wonderfully melodious.

The poet was a middle-aged man dressed in gorgeously colored clothes, with two curved mustaches and a beautiful hat.

His voice sang poems with a smooth and prolonged tone, and his melancholic demeanor was also quite infectious.

The song, glorifying beautiful love, came melodiously, as if it had a uniquely captivating power.

Leon found himself immersed in the rhythm without realizing it.

He had thought this tavern was highly recommended by passersby because of the glamorous dancers.

But now it seemed that the resident poet the proprietor had hired really had extraordinary skills.

After a long poem came to an end, the patrons in the tavern clapped their hands with great enjoyment.

The poet smiled, tipped his hat, and bowed to the audience in thanks.

Leon clapped his hands too, admiring the performance.

After the applause ended and as everyone was waiting for the poet to sing another song, Leon, sitting by the window, suddenly heard a faint whisper.

He looked around curiously.

Obviously, the whispering was not coming from his companions nor from any other patrons at the surrounding tables.

Tilting his head, Leon slightly opened the window next to him and peered through the crack.

Outside the dim tavern, he saw several unclear figures instructing a dancer.