RHFTY chapter 12

‘Illegal guilds….’

For some reason, it felt familiar.

Just as Chaeyi was trying to figure out why, the conversation among the men continued.

“Oh?”

“Ah! That rumor, I’ve heard it too. The most recent one taken down was a guild called Badger, right?”

“That’s right! They were the ones treating people like slaves.”

The name “Badger Guild” triggered a sudden memory in Chaeyi’s mind.

It was a memory related to “novel Chaeyi.” He used to belong to a illegal guild called Badger, which illegally dealt in slaves.

Of course, there wasn’t even a shred of affection left for the guild he had been part of.

It was a guild that committed illegal acts from the start, so it was only right for it to disappear.

“But who on earth is doing it?”

“That hasn’t been revealed yet.”

“They always wear a hood, so no one has seen their face. But it’s clear they’re a noble… they travel with knights.”

“That makes sense.”

A noble doing good deeds anonymously was a surprising thing for commoners to hear and was quite an interesting topic for conversation.

As the discussion continued, the men offered Chaeyi a drink.

“If they’re really a noble, who could it be?”

“Wouldn’t it be a noble under the Count of Combest? If they were a noble from another territory, it would be difficult to travel freely with knights.”

“Or perhaps… the Lord?”

Someone suggested the possibility.

In the Duchy of Combest, when they talked about the lord, they were referring to none other than the Duke of Lancaster.

“But listen. Even if that’s the case, isn’t it a bit strange? If it were the lord, would he really go out of their way to do such good deeds in secret?”

“Well… it is something they would want to announce publicly while rooting out illegal guilds.”

Just then, a man who had been listening intently proposed another possibility.

“What if they’re doing it secretly to avoid backlash from nobles who use illegal guilds?”

It was a thought-provoking guess. Although they were commoners, they weren’t uneducated, but they weren’t knowledgeable enough to consider the power struggles among the nobles.

“That makes sense… hmm.”

“It’s intriguing.”

“If we wait, their identity will probably be revealed eventually.”

Since there was no concrete evidence, the conversation about the rumor seemed to conclude there.

While they moved on to other topics, Chaeyi took a sip of his drink.

The man sitting next to him whispered as if he’d been waiting for this moment.

“By the way, Chaeyi. Have you thought about what I mentioned last time?”

“Hmm?”

“Oh, come on. You know, the proposal for you to meet my daughter.”

Chaeyi searched his memory, recalling a previous occasion when this man had visited the pub with his daughter. He shrugged.

“Well, I’m not really interested in someone ten years younger than me.”

Before opening his eyes to this world, Chaeyi was 38 years old.

Now, 14 years later, his mental age was in his 50s.

It was a bit challenging to develop such feelings for someone young enough to be a daughter or grandchild.

Although living with a youthful body and mind made it hard to feel like he was in his 50s…

But that wasn’t the only reason.

From what he’d accidentally seen, this man’s daughter seemed to already have a secret lover.

Perhaps the reason she couldn’t tell his father was that her partner was another woman, and she was an Alpha noble.

Alpha-Omega match-ups were the norm.

Betas stayed with other Betas.

In this world, where Alphas and Omegas dominated the upper echelons of the social hierarchy, that was the “usual” pattern.

Otherwise, incidents and accidents naturally increased, and they faced more obstacles and rumors.

Although prejudices and stereotypes about same-sex relationships were less prevalent, there were these issues.

“Oh, man… You’re so peculiar… Most guys would jump at the chance. I just wanted her to meet a good man.”

The man scratched his head regretfully. Chaeyi gazed at him steadily and added,

“She’ll do fine on her own, so don’t rush her and be patient. When he brings home someone he loves, just quietly support his.”

The love between a noble Alpha and a commoner Beta wouldn’t be easy, but in such cases, parents needed to be a stronger pillar of support.

‘Come to think of it, Leonard must be around the same age as his daughter now.’

It’s been five years since I lost contact…

However, as the heir to the duchy, he was someone whose news would spread across the empire just by breathing, so Leonard’s news reached Chaeyi every now and then.

That he had confidently secured the position of official heir by surpassing all his siblings.

That as the only Alpha among the duke’s children, he was now, in fact, the duke’s favorite.

That his father was already searching for a capable Omega as his partner…

These were things Chaeyi heard through the grapevine.

In that regard, it wasn’t much different from when they exchanged letters.

Chaeyi was quite satisfied with this situation.

Sometimes he wondered if Leonard was doing well or what he was like as an adult, but he didn’t want to be misunderstood as someone trying to get close just because Leonard had become the official heir.

He merely thought that if Leonard ever wanted to see him, he would find him.

At this point, Chaeyi had no idea that his identification was flawed and would lead to problems.

The fake identification made by “novel Chaeyi” was so cleverly crafted, and the management system was so lax, that he hardly ever looked at it, tucked away at home.

“Hmm?”

“What’s going on?”

Suddenly, the men who had been laughing and chatting glanced toward the entrance.

Lost in thought about Leonard, Chaeyi also looked up, sensing the strange atmosphere.

“Whatever the reason…, …you must do it!”

“They just came to look for….”

“No intention of causing harm…, …you.”

Outside the entrance of the tavern, a tense voice mixed with the sound of several footsteps, creating an unusual atmosphere.

The noise was loud enough to make everyone in the tavern glance in that direction.

‘What is it?’

Who would cause such a commotion in front of someone else’s establishment? With that thought, the frown on his face was short-lived.

As the entrance door opened, a familiar face walked in first. It was the tavern owner whom Yorente had been searching for so desperately.

But why?

The owner’s face was tense.

Perhaps because of that, the previously restless tavern began to quiet down, as if the owner’s tension was spreading to everyone else.

Suddenly, the owner’s gaze met Chaeyi ‘s in midair.

Just as Chaeyi was feeling a strange sensation, behind the owner, several knights clad in silver armor started to enter with an unusual clanking noise.

“Gulp….”

Even though it was well-restrained, the scent that indicated they were Alpha Omega spread low, causing the patrons to gasp for breath in intimidation.

The owner standing near them had already turned pale and was trembling. Chaeyi narrowed his eyes.

‘They’re doing it on purpose.’

Pheromones, by nature, can be fully controlled at will.

They must know that their strong pheromones can instinctively provoke fear in people.

Their actions were obviously intentional.

The tavern fell into complete silence.

It was the kind of quietness that felt like being drenched in ice water.

The crude sound of glasses clinking together disappeared, and even the small noises of chairs scraping the floor ceased.

And then….

In the silence that was as quiet as a mouse, the only sound that began to emerge was the noise coming from behind the knights occupying the tavern.

Thud, thud.

The sound of footsteps was clean and weighty, without any unnecessary frills. Listening to it, one would estimate that the footsteps belonged to a well-balanced adult male.

While Chaeyi , out of habit from his days as a professional soldier, was analyzing the person, the knights parted to make way.

The owner of the footsteps appeared between them, wearing a hood pulled low over his face, like the man rumored to destroy illegal guilds.

‘Ah.’

But simply wearing a hood couldn’t hide every feature.

As Chaeyi expected, the man had a good build, was tall, and possessed an impressive balance that naturally caught the eye.

While everyone held their breath….

Flutter.

Suddenly, the man pulled off his hood, revealing his entire face. This time, the gasping sounds were different.

Chaeyi could be sure: these gasps were from seeing the astonishing appearance in front of them and being involuntarily awestruck.

His tousled black hair resembled scattered obsidian, and his distinct features, well-formed dark eyebrows, and handsome appearance reminded one of a beautiful man.

Yet, his long, lush eyelashes, straight red lips, and porcelain-like skin suggested a beauty.

He was both handsome and beautiful.

How could there be such a perfect face in the world…?

Chaeyi silently marveled.

He thought that only Leonard could have a look that seemed to be crafted with divine care.

But wait.

Looking closely, there was something familiar about his face.

“…I finally found you.”

The man raised his eyes right afterward.

“Chaeyi.”