He took a sip of piping-hot fruit tea.
The Dragonborn Kobold let out a satisfied breath, as though exhaling the heat within his chest.
"As for pursuing Wizard Tab, I don't know much about that. I was merely following a Prophecy Wizard's guidance. It was one of the steps meant to bring me to you. I simply followed those instructions, pursuing her all the way until I finally met you. But she seemed to know a great deal about me," the Beast-Eared Witch said softly. "I've been thinking about it these past few days, too. What she knew about was probably my commission, rather than an insignificant Wizard like me. Or perhaps it went deeper than that, and what she knew was the matter behind the commission. Through that knowledge, she deduced the rules I had to follow... then, at just the right moment, she led me into taking that action..."
What rules of conduct? Of course, it wasn't about not saying his name.
It was about pretending not to know him and approaching him naturally, without arousing his suspicions.
Then staying by his side.
Ruger brought the scalding teacup to his lips and couldn't help taking stock of himself. He really couldn't see anything valuable about himself. If a Prophecy Wizard was behind this as well, then that Wizard must have gotten something wrong.
What was the point?
Was it me? Or staying by my side?
Ruger sorted through his tangled thoughts.
Could something happen around me at some point? Was that what held value?
Ruger didn't believe anyone would send him a bodyguard for free. For a Wizard to be willing to invest something, there had to be some value in it. It was just that he, the person at the heart of it all, currently lacked those