Conflict at the Tavern

Despite his comments which Cyrus found a little offensive, the young guard did not bear any ill will. After Xena paid for their entrance fees, he naturally allowed them into the town.

"Where are we headed to now?" Cyrus asked.

Xena pondered for a moment before replying. "If you are not too hungry yet, we ca-"

"I am hungry!" Cyrus yelled out immediately, not even waiting for Xena to complete her sentence.

Of course he was hungry!

It had already been hours since they arrived at the Grand Apostle Realm. On top of that, he had been put through a nausea inducing journey through space before being forced to trek through the treacherous forest terrain of the mountains on foot.

By now, he was already completely sapped of his energy.

How could he not be hungry?!

"There's no helping it then, let's find a place to relieve your hunger." Xena nodded.

"That's more like it!" Cyrus instantly beamed with joy.

Meal time was always the best time of the day!

There were quite a number of shops selling food products in Westwater Town, and the duo quickly decided on a decent looking tavern.

It was a three storey high building that had a nicely decorated exterior. A huge signboard with the words 'Westwater Number One Tavern' hung proudly above the front door.

Even from the outside, Cyrus could hear loud conversations coming from within. There was no doubt that it had a good number of customers.

This only made him anticipate the taste of the food even more!

"Let's go in!" Cyrus pushed open the door and hurriedly entered.

The moment he stepped into the tavern, Cyrus was given a sudden and unexpected greeting.

Unfortunately, it was not the friendly welcome of the waiter, but a mug that was flying straight towards his face!

Given Cyrus' almost non-existent level of agility, there was simply no way that he would be able to avoid this random projectile.

However, he simply stood on the spot, showing no signs of panic whatsoever.

That was because he knew very well just who was standing right behind him.

Just as he expected, a slender hand landed firmly on his shoulder. The next thing he knew, Cyrus found himself already standing behind Xena, who had stepped up to position herself between him and the flying mug.

In her eyes, time seemed to flow differently, and the flying mug felt as slow as a snail.

Xena scanned the interior of the tavern in an instant, and immediately understood the gist of things.

Right now, there were two men arguing with each other in the tavern. The argument between them had escalated to a point where they were no longer hurling only vulgarities at each other, but also random small items around them. This flying mug was just one of the many stray projectiles that had missed their target.

In other words, they were just unlucky to have entered the tavern at the worst possible timing.

Xena sighed helplessly before raising her left hand in front of her, all ready to deal with the flying mug.

But right at this moment, an anxious voice called out from the side.

"Watch out!"

Xena narrowed her eyes in caution and prepare herself for battle when she noticed a young man leap up from his seat, rushing straight towards her.

In one swift motion, the man drew the sword that had been hanging by his belt, producing a silver flash of light that cut right through the air.

Xena's gaze closely followed the trajectory of the sword light.

When she was finally sure that this young man was clearly not intending to do her any harm, she eased up significantly, leaving things to him.

Slash-!

The sound of the wind echoed within the tavern, followed by two loud thuds.

Before anyone knew it, the man was now standing valiantly before Xena, his sword drawn from its sheath.

He had short brown hair and was cleanly shaven, his physique visibly lean and well trained. Despite wearing a set of plated armour that shielded him from the collar onwards, this man was still able to move so quickly that he reached Xena in an instant!

Beneath his feet, the flying mug from before could be seen lying on the floor, sliced cleanly into two equal halves.

"Are you all right?" the young swordsman asked with an expression that was full of concern.

It was then that Xena finally had a good look at his face from up close.

He seemed to be a young man in his mid-twenties.

Distinct facial features, a pronounced nose, and clear brown eyes that were as deep as the ocean. There was no doubt this was a young man of handsome countenance.

At that instant, Xena felt like her very soul had been taken prisoner, completely entrapped by the deep ocean within his eyes.

"Y-yeah," Xena blinked repeatedly in nervousness. "Thank you so much for the help."

"Don't mention it," the man finally let out a sigh of relief, before giving a smile that was most charming. "I'm just glad that you are fine."

"It's all thanks to you..." Xena smiled in return, her face growing redder by the second.

It was as though time had stopped for the two of them as they gazed into each other's eyes, completely disregarding the rowdy scene behind.

Countless flowers seemed to have bloomed in the air around them, bringing the atmosphere between them to unprecedented heights.

At this very moment, nothing else mattered in the world except for the other person who was standing right before their eyes.

As for Cyrus who had been watching from a front row seat, he was filled with nothing but utter disgust!

"What's wrong with you, Xena? Why are you acting all weak and girl- Ugh! Cough! Cough!"

Before he could complete his sentence, Cyrus felt an invisible force strike him on the chest, knocking every last bit of air out of his lungs.

In his current state, Cyrus was not only unable to say another word, he even had to gasp desperately for air if he still wanted to continue remaining in this world!

Suddenly reduced to such a pitiful state, Cyrus could not help but stare at Xena's back with eyes filled with resentment.

Damn it, you callous witch!

If you don't want me to interrupt then all you have to do was to say so!

Why do you have to immediately resort to such violent measures?!

Of course, he knew better than to voice out his thoughts.

Then again, even if he really wanted to say them, there was no way that he could do so in between his desperate coughs.

Bang - !

A person in the tavern was actually struck by yet another stray projectile, this time a stray wooden spoon.

"Ouch!" the child exclaimed in pain.

The child's voice immediately drew the attention of the young swordsman, finally disrupting the flowery atmosphere between him and Xena.

"Young master Leon!" the young man shot a final look of reluctance at Xena before rushing over to the side of the child. "I'm sorry for leaving your side, are you all right?"

"Yeah…" the young boy named Leon rubbed the back of his head with resignation. "Don't worry, Benedict. This is not entirely your fault either."

Leon looked to be around Cyrus' age. He was dressed in neat long robes and spoke in a composed manner despite the fact that he was obviously in pain.

Seeing how hard his pitiful young master was trying to hold in his pain, the young swordsman named Benedict could no longer hold in his anger anymore.

He stood back up and turned towards the two quarrelling parties. "Isn't it about time for you two to cut it out? You are bothering other people here!"

Benedict's voice was loud and clear, resounding through the tavern.

Upon doing so, everyone else in the tavern fell silent, all of them looking at Benedict in shock, as though he was seeking death by choosing to speak up at this moment.

This strange response from the crowd immediately caused Benedict to frown in unease.

Even though he believed in his own strength, it was not to the point of blind overconfidence. He was clear about the fact that there were tons of people out there who could easily crush him with a single wave of their hands.

Now that the spectators seemed to have no confidence in him despite him having briefly displayed some of his capabilities earlier, it was highly likely that the two quarrelling parties were not to be trifled with.

As expected, the quarrelling duo immediately stopped abusing each other, instead turning their attention towards Benedict.

The two of them looked similar, both of them were around two metres tall and their exposed limbs were packed with bulging muscles. Even their facial features were almost identical. If not for the different colours of their hair, one black and one red, it would have required a true master to tell them apart.

"What did you just say?" the black haired man yelled across the floor. "Do you want a piece of us?"

"I am just saying that you are causing trouble for the other customers here!" Benedict refused to back down. "If you really want to settle your differences, do it outside or at some other place where you won't inconvenience others!"

"I'm really fine, Benedict." Leon hurriedly whispered to him from the side. "There's no need to go to such extents. Let's try to stay out of trouble."

However, it was already too late by then.

"You really do have some guts to speak to us like that!" the red haired man shouted back menacingly. "What are you going to do about it even if we refuse? Damn ignorant foreigner. Why don't we settle our differences with you right here?"

"Yeah! Who are you to butt into our conversation? Do you think you are some big shot?" the black haired man added. "Arrogant foreigners like you really need to be taught a good lesson in order to understand that this place is unlike anywhere else in this world! In Westwater Town, all you experts of the other regions count for nothing!"

Benedict's frown deepened, his right hand tightening its grip around the hilt of his sword.

Even so, he did not regret his actions.

After all, someone had to step forward to stop them before even more innocent people got hurt!

"Hey Xena, it looks like things are going to get messy around here." Cyrus had finally recovered his ability to speak. "Why don't we go find another place to eat instead? …Xena?"

Cyrus stepped forward to take a look at Xena's face when he did not receive any replies, and what he saw sent a chill down his spine.

The flowery and mesmerised Xena from just a few moments ago had completely disappeared.

In its place was now the face of a cold blooded female assassin, staring intently at the two men who had been quarrelling earlier as though they were her next prey.

Cyrus could not be more familiar with this merciless death stare.

Oh shit...

Subconsciously taking a few steps back to distance himself from this matter, all he could do for the two men was to pray in his heart, hoping that they would not truly try to harm that young swordsman named Benedict.

Otherwise, there was no telling just what Xena might do to them!