Cunning

"Your Highness!"

Faced with the sudden turn of events, Abberton stepped forward and swiftly drew his sword, confronting the Gnoll Shaman as he shielded the prince behind him. At that moment, he deeply regretted not bringing more guards. If this Gnoll caused a disturbance and Prince Alvin was hurt, Abberton would never be able to atone for it, even if he died a hundred times over!

But what happened next was completely beyond anyone's expectations—

The young guard had only just positioned himself in front of Alvin, protecting the boy, when the vicious-looking Gnoll Shaman froze for a moment. Then he dispelled the elemental lightning gathering in his hand, dropped to his knees, and prostrated himself toward the two of them. In an aged, strange-sounding voice, he loudly spoke a passage in Common.

"Your Highness, noble prince, Logul of the Maw-Claw Clan pays you his respects. I am willing to swear by the Elemental Spirits that I will lead my people in offering you our full loyalty. I hope that, in your mercy, you will take my people in and grant us a chance to live."

Having finished speaking, the Gnoll Shaman did not leave his place or pay any heed to his fellow tribesmen, who remained bound nearby but were visibly agitated. Instead, he stayed prostrate toward the boy, revealing the black-and-purple fur on his back.

When wild beasts in nature showed submission, they usually exposed the soft skin of their bellies. The Gnoll Shaman was doing the same thing now: with his actions, he was showing the boy his loyalty.

It was a gamble, and the slightest misstep could cost him everything. But Logul trusted his observations. This child was different. From the boy's earlier interaction with the Goblin, Logul had noticed his cleverness, as well as how he differed from most ordinary people—when he looked at the Gnolls, there was curiosity in his eyes, not the contempt and disgust most humans showed.

Originally, Logul had planned to wait until he regained his strength, then lead his people out of this human town under cover of night. But the furious Goblin had disrupted his plans. That would only force him to bring his escape forward, but the identity of the child before him had made him choose a different course.

With a hint of amusement in his eyes, Alvin looked at the Gnoll Shaman prostrating himself before him. He casually sent a beam of pure white light toward the Goblin merchant lying on the ground—Cure Minor Wounds, a zero-level spell. It was better than nothing, at least, and would have some effect.

This Gnoll was clever—clever enough to make him feel a little uneasy.

The boy had seen the situation clearly. After using magic to leave the unlucky Goblin on the verge of death, the Gnoll Shaman had not stopped casting. Instead, he had turned his attention to Alvin and the royal guard behind him.

The Goblin merchant had been making such a fuss that the clever Shaman could obviously guess Alvin was no ordinary person. Perhaps he had wanted to take him hostage. But Alvin leaned toward another possibility: the Shaman had intended to kill him and Abberton, sowing confusion among the crowd so he could free his bound tribesmen and escape afterward.

With Alvin's keen senses, he couldn't have mistaken that murderous look. But before Abberton could rush forward to stop him, the Gnoll Shaman had suddenly surrendered to Alvin—and even declared that he was willing to swear an oath in the name of the Elemental Spirits!

This world was nothing like the one he had lived in before, where people could swear oaths as casually as they ate. If a Shaman broke an oath sworn in the name of the Elemental Spirits, the only outcome was to be forever forsaken by the natural elements and lose all his Shaman spells. For any creature wielding supernatural power, that fate was even more terrifying than death.

In Alvin's view, there was only one reason for this dramatic change: the two words Abberton had shouted in his desperation—"Your Highness."

From that special form of address and the Holy Light gathering in Alvin's hand, the Shaman had somehow deduced his identity. Even more astonishingly, without a moment's hesitation, the Gnoll Shaman had abandoned his entire plan and placed all his hopes—and the fate of his entire tribe, including his own—in the hands of a child he had never met!

Such decisiveness and quick thinking would be remarkable even among the Gnolls, a people renowned for their savagery. Even among the nobles of the great human kingdoms, someone like this would be a rare find. So the prince was genuinely intrigued by the Shaman's offer of loyalty.

However, this was neither the right time nor the right place to respond.

His thoughts raced. Then he stopped his guard. "Abberton, wait. The city watch should be here soon. Let's see what happens when they arrive."

Whether or not the other party truly intended to submit, it was always best to take precautions. The Gnoll warriors were all still bound where they stood, but who knew if they might suddenly break free?

Though Abberton was young, he was already a highly skilled high-ranking Warrior. Still, Alvin couldn't be sure he wouldn't get swarmed by a group of desperate beasts. And the opposing side still had a Shaman whose level was unknown!

So waiting for the city watch was the best choice. His guard had already clashed with the Goblin merchant, and now a Gnoll Shaman had appeared, stirring up a local disturbance with his actions. Based on what Alvin had learned the day before from the local Warriors at City Hall about Andorhal's defenses, the well-trained city watch, responsible for handling disputes in the harbor district, should be arriving soon.

Sure enough, a little over ten minutes later, a group of guards appeared at the far end of the street and arrived at the scene of the standoff. They wore lightweight breastplates, carried standard-issue iron swords at their waists, and were cloaked in blue double-headed eagle tabards.

"Abberton, have them subdue these creatures and take them to the watch station. Once the matter's settled, notify the teacher," Alvin whispered to the guard in front of him. "And see if you can help the Goblin, too. Take him along with the others."

Though the loyal guard felt repulsed by these creatures, whose appearance was so unlike that of humans, he would never disobey his master's orders. A blade only had to point at the enemy its master chose; it did not need to think too much.

When the city watch came close, the young guard took a metal badge from the pouch at his waist. After exchanging a few words, he quickly brought the previously aggressive guards to heel, and they took away all the Gnolls and Kobolds. As for the Goblin merchant, whose injuries Alvin had already eased, the last soldier picked him up with one hand and carried him to the watch station as well.