[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-reincarnated-as-an-elf-prince":3,"chapter-reincarnated-as-an-elf-prince-reincarnated-as-an-elf-prince-chapter-179":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Reincarnated as an Elf Prince",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},267294,538,"Chapter 179: People Talk","reincarnated-as-an-elf-prince-chapter-179",179,"\u003Cp>He stood. Stretched. Immediately regretted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashwing snorted in his sleep and rolled toward the wall, claws twitching like he was chasing something in his dreams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Hopefully not a child this time.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindarion shuffled toward the small wash basin. Splash. Cold water. Regret. That about summed it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dressed in silence. His coat was stiffer now, too many nights of wind and cave-walls and not enough laundering spells. He pulled the strap of his pack over one shoulder. It still bit into the same cursed spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Ashwing again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon cracked one eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashwing did not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine. I'm leaving without you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashwing yawned and rolled further into the blankets like a burrito made of ego.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindarion walked to the door, opened it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashwing was at his heels before he'd even stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall was quiet. A little too quiet. The kind of quiet that meant someone was either plotting breakfast or murder. Possibly both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Downstairs, the inn's common room was lit with a low orange glow. Someone had rekindled the hearth. And someone else had left what could only be described as a plate of effort on the nearest table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bread. Cheese. A questionable fruit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren was sitting cross-legged on the bench, chewing like it owed her money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Morning, Royalty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat across from her. \"I will throw this fruit at you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's probably not ripe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good. Extra damage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meren stumbled down the stairs a few seconds later. Hair still a mess. Shirt half-tucked. He blinked at the food like it might disappear if he looked too hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bless the elves,\" he mumbled, grabbing the cheese.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're welcome,\" Lindarion muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashwing hopped onto the bench beside him. Immediately started chewing on the table leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren poked at a small cup of something steaming. \"Tea. Maybe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could be soup.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could be poison.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm drinking it anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ardan emerged a moment later, fully armored like he'd just finished fighting the dawn itself. He nodded once, sat down, and started eating with the solemn focus of a monk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one asked him where he'd been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lira arrived last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of course she did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hair tied back. Boots clean. Expression neutral. She looked like someone who had already sparred, bathed, and solved a regional dispute before breakfast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat beside Ren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Picked up her bread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bit into it like it had personally wronged her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindarion watched them all for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chaotic blend of sarcasm, stoicism, murder potential, and fire hazards that somehow passed as his group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashwing bumped his leg once. Settled in beside him like this was perfectly normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached down and scratched the dragon behind the horns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't say anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn't need to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was going to be a long day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door creaked open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in a dramatic, thunderclap way. Just the kind of slow, deliberate creak that said someone had lived long enough to stop rushing anything, especially conversations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindarion didn't look up at first. Mostly because he was halfway through a piece of bread and making the crucial decision of whether to add jam or continue enjoying the only edible part of the meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashwing, however, perked up. The dragon's head shot up like someone had whispered free bacon into his soul. His tail thumped twice against the bench. Hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren leaned sideways to look past Lindarion. \"We expecting guests?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not unless someone invited a tax collector,\" Meren muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ardan didn't turn around. He just said, \"Someone's armed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That got Lindarion to glance over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Raleth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warden. Village leader. Bear impersonator. He stood at the edge of the common room, cloak dusted in snow, hands clasped behind his back like a man who'd tried breakfast once and never forgave it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His beard had new frost in it. His expression had the same careful neutrality as yesterday, which was impressive considering Ashwing had burned his welcome mat and probably a chunk of his soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lira nodded once. \"Warden.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lady Tirnaeth,\" Raleth returned calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes moved across the group. Paused briefly on Meren, who was now trying to butter his bread with a spoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then shifted to Lindarion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Prince.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindarion chewed, swallowed, and offered the most noncommittal nod in existence. \"Still alive. Still grateful for the roof. Still not doing speeches.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good,\" Raleth said. \"I don't like speeches.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped further into the room, boots thudding softly on the wood. He didn't sit. Didn't lean. Just stood there like an old statue that occasionally filed tax reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've been told,\" he began, \"that one of your party cured a sick villager last night.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindarion lifted his tea. \"That's a strong word. I prefer 'accidentally fixed someone with minimal side effects.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raleth didn't blink. \"People talk. Fast. Especially when you bring divine magic into a town where the temple's been closed since the collapse.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meren looked up. \"What collapsed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The roof. The clergy. Take your pick.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashwing chirped. A sympathetic noise. Probably. Or just gas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raleth's gaze settled again on Lindarion. Calm. Measuring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You used divine affinity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindarion nodded. \"I did.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You hiding it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was. Poorly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raleth didn't sigh. But he did make the sort of face someone makes when they realize they might have to mediate a holy dispute with a teenager and a lizard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There'll be talk,\" he said. \"There already is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindarion shrugged. \"I've lived through worse than gossip.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good. Because you'll get it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren leaned forward on her elbows, smiling like she had popcorn. \"Are we talking angry pitchfork gossip, or the 'he might be a saint' kind?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raleth gave her a slow look. \"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindarion set down his tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm not here to lead a revival,\" he said. \"Or start a new religion. Or convert your sheep. I helped a child. That's it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raleth looked at him a moment longer. Then nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Keep helping. Or don't. But don't pretend it didn't happen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with no ceremony and less flair than a burnt biscuit, he turned around and walked out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door shut with the soft finality of a man who didn't waste energy on goodbyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meren blinked. \"He's like if a tree decided to lecture you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren looked impressed. \"He reminds me of my aunt. The scary one who made stew and war threats in the same sentence.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lira stood. Took the last piece of bread from the plate like it owed her money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ardan muttered, \"Three days. That's all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindarion sat back again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashwing flopped onto his lap with a satisfied grunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day had officially started.\u003C\u002Fp>",1098,"2026-05-29T17:03:12.824Z","2026-06-01T04:29:47.183Z",1,"novelbin.me","397507c93cb45230063c85b3e69ed5fbc3217e68e8bda873006e9417fdd89338","reincarnated-as-an-elf-prince-chapter-180","reincarnated-as-an-elf-prince-chapter-178",564,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freincarnated-as-an-elf-prince-cover.jpg"]