The Path of a Black Sheep in a Fantasy World (BL)

Chapter 131

Leopold had to leave to receive a debriefing from his shadow guards, leaving the little group all alone with Kaleb blushing over the prince.

"Kaleb..." Adam started before hesitating, not sure if he was the right person to have this conversation with the mage. Kaleb glanced at him curiously, waiting for him to continue.

"I know I'm maybe not the most appropriate person to have this conversation with you, but I care about you as a friend so... Don't you feel that this is going too fast? Shouldn't you want to know more about him before? Why are you so attracted to him, because of his face?" Adam pressed for answers, taking on a serious expression to convey that he wasn't kidding. He felt like a parent guiding their child through their first romantic interest, which was weird as Kaleb was older than him. Still, it was a good practice for when Blaze and Ash would reach this stage in their life.

"Oh, don't worry, Adam! I know I appear dumb most of the time, if not always, but I'm much more clever than you guys think. I just... had a difficult time growing up and I promised my inner child to let him out as much as I can so he can enjoy life too. I know what I'm doing. People often find me weird, funny, repulsive, and much more, but never attractive... Or if they find me attractive, they are bad people or not to my taste. It's rare for me to find someone who I find attractive, and who feels the same way about me. I can tell Lele's right for me, even our mana is highly compatible, and I think that's why he's so interested in me, but I don't mind. I know why he's doing this and I'm not getting the wrong idea. I know he doesn't love me, and it's fine with me. I also don't love him, I'm just doing this for my own reasons." Kaleb answered with a straight face, his previous innocence gone as he calmly looked at Adam.

The warrior felt goosebumps all over his body at the sudden change in attitude, as if the person before him wasn't Kaleb. Or, in fact, was he the real Kaleb all along?

"Well, as long as you know, I guess... Make sure to take care of yourself. Also, what's that about highly compatible mana?" Adam replied, not sure what to add. He was still worried about his friend, but Kaleb was an adult. The thing the mage said about mana made him curious though.

"Yes! As for the mana, only mage who does advanced spells can feel it, so it's hard for me to explain it to people like you who instinctively use mana while they fight. For mages, our bodies are like vessels in which the mana flows through small tunnels all around. Some of us have many tunnels, which make them stronger, and some have less, so they are weaker. Then, we all have our own... signature mana, like our essence. It's something else from the attributes like water, wind... How to explain... It's like a scent? We can tell by 'sniffing' the other if they are compatible with our scent. If they are, then those two will probably end up together, because when you have intimate activities with a compatible person, your tunnels will become wider with time and maybe expand too. Lele is highly compatible with me, so if we have intimate activities, it will benefit both of us. That's how contractual marriages are made in mage families." Kaleb tried to explain, struggling a few times with the correct words, but Adam understood what he meant.

"Oh, so you are not doing this because you fell in love with his face?" The warrior asked.

"Well, yes, that too. But did you see his face!" Kaleb made weird kissing noises in the air, fluttering his eyelashes and returning to his weird behaviors. Adam sighed, despaired, but a little more at ease now that Kaleb was acting like himself again.

Adam took Kaleb's hand in his and squeezed it to take the mage out of his daydreaming. As he opened his mouth to talk some more about Leopold and what to be cautious of, said prince entered the tent like he owned it.

Leo strode inside before abruptly stopping, his gaze locked into the two men holding hands.

Adam was going to ignore the prince, but he felt a chill going down his spine as the man continued to stare at their hand before lifting his cold gaze to his face, his eyebrows furrowed, his jaw clenched. Feeling like his life was in danger, Adam hurried to let go of Kaleb's hand and looked at the mage to see his reaction to the hostility, only for Kaleb to look back at him with a titled head and confused eyes, not understanding why the warrior let go of his hand in a hurry.

Adam debated telling him about what just happened, but seeing as Leopold was stepping closer and closer to them, he chose to shut his mouth and let Kaleb deal with the prince. The mage was an adult who could make his own decision.

After Leo's frosty reaction, Adam wasn't so sure anymore that the prince didn't have any feelings for the mage like Kaleb had suggested...

Leo cleared his throat as he came to a stop before Adam, glaring at him in a silent request to vacant his seat. The warrior saw his bear start to approach threateningly too from the corner of his eye, and not wanting to start a war inside Athena's tent, he gladly let go of his chair to join Evan near the back of the tent. Evan grumbled as he looked at the prince sitting down with a smile toward Kaleb, glaring at the peacock as if he wanted to pluck all his features and roast him above a bonfire.

Adam sighed before putting his hand on his lover's bulging bicep, gently stroking his irritated bear. Evan glanced at him and huffed, understanding that it was neither the place nor the time to start a conflict with maybe the only person who could help them end the revolution with a victory on their side.

"I just got news from my informants. The King sent his strongest guards on an errand to find some fruit rumored to make one appear younger, supposedly found in a corner of the kingdom. What a coincidence. Now would be a perfect time to attack." Leopold explained, his crude smile while talking of the magic fruit hinting that he was probably the cause of the rumor, and that said fruit didn't exist.

"Well, our warriors are all hitching to start the war. What about the giants?" Athena sipped her tea in a new teacup after speaking, the other's rests hidden under the table like a naughty child would hide his mess. Adam let out a sigh, feeling as if he was surrounded by children, before taking a broom and getting rid of the teacup fragments in the actual trash can, avoiding any future injuries.

"The giants are ready too." They all startled at Ben's voice, his presence having disappeared once Kaleb started to awaken. Only Leopold remained unperturbed, only glancing slightly at the commander before facing Kaleb again with soft eyes.

"I went to check on my men, they have become acquainted with the villagers and are also pumped up with adrenaline and ready for war. Now, all we need is a plan, and I figured that mister the prince would have one." The giant explained as he stood with his head bent down, the tent not made to host a man of his stature. Adam and Evan winced in sympathy at the uncomfortable looking position.

"I do, actually. Come sit here so I don't develop a torticoli while speaking." Leopold asked, or more like ordered. Ben rolled his eyes at the formulation of the request, muttering something under his breath about spoiled brat and spanking, before letting down all his weight in a cross-legged position on the floor, making the surroundings shake slightly. Athena tightened her hold on her teacup at the vibrations, glaring at the giant as if he had offended her. She wasn't about to lose a second teacup in a single day.

The men and the woman spent the rest of the day planning their revolution, arguing and compromising until the sun set and darkness consumed the village.

Hey dear readers, this small author isn't a good strategist nor a war god, so you will have to forgive me for not going into detail about the war.

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