Harem of the Demon: Gathering Beauties in a Magic World-Chapter 59. “Ah Shit, Here We go Again”... Trouble at the Gates

Chapter 59: 59. “Ah Shit, Here We go Again”... Trouble at the Gates

The group, including Aaron, that was led by Souzane were the first to arrive at the gates of the Herb village. The entire journey took about a day and maybe some hours on top of it.

Souzane rode a horse in front of the others with Aaron riding by her side and the rest of their group manning a horse-driven wagon that was filled with their own share of the fabrics that they brought to Herb village. The arrangement for the horses was made ready before this day by Whisper, along with the wagon and as such the only obstacle that remained to hinder their entry into the Herb village was the squad of guards that stood watch at the gates.

The so-called Green Patrol.

Aaron looked around, counting their numbers. He could see seven of them presently and each one was armed with either a sword or an axe or a spear. Three stood watch at the top of the gate, pacing to and fro in measured steps and four were at the ground level to attend to people coming into and out of the village as well as to address any issue.

Their entry heavily depended on how they interacted with these guards and if they could prove to them that they had travelled to the Herb village in good faith.

Souzane’s horse neighed as she rode it to a halt. She rubbed the neck of the animal gently whilst whispering hush sounds into its ears.

"Beautiful horse you have here," one of the guards complimented the horse as he approached them.

Souzane smiled at him and continued to caress the beast. "She really is," she answered back.

The guard proceeded to rub the horse’s nose while blabbing incomprehensible words to it before turning his attention to the travellers.

"So who are we here for?" he asked, scanning the immediate surroundings with his eyes paying more attention to the wagon.

Souzane leisurely alighted from her horse and kissed the body of the animal before giving the guard any attention.

"We’re here to see Elder Lin," she said. "I’m sure she would also be interested to know that you kept her supply of fabrics waiting this long."

"Hmm," the guard breathed with a straight face.

Souzane was taken aback by his apathy toward her subtle threat but she did quite well in hiding her surprise.

The guard, who was not moved by the mention of Elder Lin’s name, put his hand out to her.

"Your business permit?"

With the guard’s request and how uneasy Souzane was becoming, Aaron knew that there was trouble and he had to step in immediately.

"Business permit?" Aaron’s voice interrupted the ongoing interrogation and that way, he had come to Souzane’s rescue while also freely giving her a short time to regain her composure.

Aaron pulled the bridle of his horse gently, directing it to make a swerve and then proceed forward in Souzane’s direction.

The guard saw Aaron approaching and made a face with an ignorant look on it like he had not heard what Aaron just said.

"What’s a business permit, good sir?" Aaron asked, feigning ignorance of that fact as well.

The guard couldn’t believe that someone asked that sort of question. He had to turn and look at his fellow guards and laugh but when he looked back at Aaron, the young man still had a stern countenance.

"Are you serious right now?" the guard said, chortling.

Aaron maintained eye contact and came down from his horse.

"I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t."

Rolling the straps of the bridle around his palm, Aaron approached the guard so closely that his other three colleagues instinctively took some steps forward. Aaron noticed the subtle changes in their expressions and reactions.

Their grips were tightened around their weapons and their faces straightened a bit. And each one had a foot pushed a little farther than the other.

These were all signs of readiness for any kind of battle or trouble that may arise but Aaron decided not to indulge them. After all, it would be to their disadvantage if they fought the guard patrol of the same village they want to do business in.

Regardless, Aaron still took two more steps forward, having his cloth brush against the guard’s greenish kimono-inspired uniform.

The guard stared down at him and smiled previously with a look that dared Aaron to do anything.

"The guts of this lad," the guard remarked in his mind.

They stared each other down for a couple of seconds before Aaron opened his mouth to speak.

"What’s going on here?" an entirely new party interrupted Aaron before he could even say a word, ushering themselves into the already dramatic scene.

The guard turned towards the group of four men that had just entered the scene. Each of them was dressed in dark red hanfu with a silver-coloured sigil imprinted at the centre of the cloth.

"Well, well. If it isn’t Wang," the guard remarked, abandoning Aaron and focusing on the new group that had just joined the scene.

The man he had called Wang was the one who stood frontmost out of the four. He was a well-built man with a full beard and a grim face. Also, another notable feature about him was the horizontal scar underneath his left eye.

Wang walked ahead of his group with his fist clenched and his jaw tensed.

"What’s the meaning of this, Menjin?"

The guard, Menjin, laughed. "Meaning of what? I haven’t done anything that wasn’t part of my duties. Or have I?"

Menjin spoke while looking at the other guards dressed like him to garner their support.

Wang reached where Aaron and Menjin were standing and stared Menjin in the eyes.

"They are Elder Lin’s guests and you will treat them with respect," Wang stated with an authoritative tone.

Anyone that watched Wang and Menjin talk would know in an instant that they had some history that was yet to be discovered. Both men didn’t see eye to eye and it was playing out now.

Wang looked at Aaron then at Souzane and the rest of their group.

"Let’s go. Come with me, Elder Lin has been expecting you."

Wang turned to go ahead of them when he heard the clink of steel and moved his hand to the hilt of his own weapon but it was already too late.

Menjin’s sword was already drawn and pressed against Wang’s neck, ready to be used.

"No one goes anywhere... Wang."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢