Chapter 14: How to snoop without getting caught
The tavern was louder than usual.The kind of noise that didn't come from cheerful drunks, but from conversations that were way too quick, whispers that were way too tense, and laughs that ended before they even started.
It was like everyone had agreed to pretend everything was fine... but no one was actually convinced.
The smell inside was the same as always: old beer, damp wood, and generations of sweat stored in padded benches. A traditional scent — almost patriotic.
I walked in, head slightly down, pretending I was scanning the place like a wolf on patrol — but truth be told, my stomach was already growling, and my curiosity was screaming even louder.
I couldn't say exactly what had changed, but something hung in the air. A disguised tension. Something that bent smiles just a little too much and made words too quiet to be casual.
Someone, somewhere, had spoken too loudly.
And in a small village like Ashveil, that's basically the same as lighting a torch in a room full of gas.
I pretended I was just passing through — which no one bought, since I still looked like a semi-recovered punching bag — and made my way to the back of the tavern. The corridor where barrels were stacked and the floor creaked like wood that had accepted its destiny to rot.
My goal was simple: find Lina.
Not out of longing or emotional connection, obviously. I just... needed someone to treat me like a human being at least once a week.
I knocked lightly on the back room door. No response.