155: Chapter 93: Take Care of Your Body 155: Chapter 93: Take Care of Your Body “Sigh…
looked at the delicate handwriting on the note and shook his head.
It said something about going with Leon to the Baron’s castle to play for two or three days to see the world and that she’d be back soon, also reminding him not to worry…
The old blacksmith, of course, saw through her clumsy lie at a glance.
He was very clear about how sensible his daughter was.
If it were truly just a trip to play in the city, she wouldn’t have snuck away early in the morning without saying goodbye to him.
It must be that she was going to some place where swords were drawn again, and she feared he would disagree.
Setting down the note, Mr.
felt somewhat helpless.
Nonetheless, despite his inevitable worries, considering the character of that young lord, he believed that if Leon agreed to take Olivia with him, then the place they were going couldn’t be too dangerous.
Besides, no one knew better than Mr.
how strong his daughter was in her skills.
Since she would be back in a few days, for now, he could only let her go.
A feeling of reminiscence welled up in him for no apparent reason, and with a sigh, the old blacksmith stood up and left the house, heading towards the outskirts of Selva Village.
Greeting the villagers carrying spears on the village road, he walked through his own wheat fields and farm buildings, entering the seldom-trod woods.
After a while, he stopped at a serene and secluded clearing in front of a stone tombstone.
Around the tomb were planted beautiful clusters of flowers, and the ground was free of weeds, obviously tended to regularly.
Brian Sr., with his slightly lame leg, slowly bent down to kneel.
With a touch of melancholy, he gently stroked the tombstone that bore no name.
For a long time without words, Mr.
mourned the person resting beneath, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
After the calamity they suffered, he thought that once the storm was over, everything would return to the peaceful days of old.
But recently, Selva seemed to be restless again.
Undead emerging from Nightmare Forest unsettled the old blacksmith, something unheard of in the past.
And the Farolis Knights who followed Leon to Selva Village yesterday gave him a premonition that something big might be happening behind the scenes…
Recalling the argument he had with Olivia the day before, the old blacksmith felt a headache coming on.
That was the first time his daughter had opposed his decision so firmly.
He understood how much she didn’t want to part with those friends.
Brian was happy to see Olivia becoming close friends with those brave and kind young people.
But if tranquility could no longer be restored here in Selva, staying on, Mr.
felt increasingly unable to protect her destiny.
Brian knew that if he took a hard stance, Olivia would ultimately have to compromise with him.
The kind young lord, too, would probably not make it difficult for him should he decide to move.
But if he could take her far away from danger this time, what about the next?
Was heading to the northern lands they hadn’t returned to for many years the right choice?
Olivia was already sixteen.
Himself, an old dog clinging to life…
how much longer could he bind this young lioness who was growing stronger by the day?
On the village path heading west, a dozen armored knights clad in cloaks galloped in two lines.
Leon held the reins steady, turned his head to the side, and asked the girl beside him with some surprise, “How did you persuade Uncle Bryan?”
I sneaked out, I didn’t tell him we were going to Nightmare Forest, just said I was going with you to the lord’s castle,” replied Olivia, somewhat awkwardly.
Lying to her father for the first time in her life made the girl feel a vague sense of guilt.
Leon couldn’t help but chuckle at her words.
he felt like some mischievous lad who had lured someone else’s well-behaved girl to sneak away from home?
However, seeing Olivia’s eyes filled with the excitement of traveling far, Leon felt it was worth it to bring her out for some fresh air, making her so happy.
Selva Village was scenic and peaceful, but no doubt the girl, having lived there for over a decade, had grown tired of the unchanging scenery from the day she was born to the present.
She was already overjoyed at any chance to go to town, let alone now that she was following him to the depths of the legendary Nightmare Forest.
The group passed through Longka Village, Leon briefly greeted Lokhak but didn’t take him along on this trip.
Since the young and able men returning from the fortress to their respective lands were still on the road, he had Lokhak stay to prepare to assist Azeryan in military preparations.
Continuing to lead the way for Knight Balfe and the Farolis Family Guards Cavalry.
As they approached the range from where they had emerged from Nightmare Forest, Knight Balfe, recalling the map and the surrounding terrain, suddenly spurred his horse and picked up speed to reach Leon’s side.
“Are you sure this is the right path, Lord Leon?
We’re about to enter Baron Gunnar’s territory,” Balfe inquired.
“It’s correct this way; I remember there’s a small village not far ahead, and once we reach that village and head south through the forest, we can find the road I mentioned,” replied Leon, his voice rising over the jostling of the horses, before he added with a hint of concern, “What’s the matter, is there something wrong with this route?”
Balfe’s gaze grew complex as he said, “That Baron Grey Wolf, he’s always had a tense relationship with Lord Eriv.
The deserted city you mentioned, it wouldn’t happen to be within his territory, would it?”
In their haste to travel, Balfe had no time to elaborate that the relationship between the two was more than just tense; the lands Baron Grey Wolf currently occupied used to belong to the Thorny Flower family generations ago.
Leon thought about the route he had traveled and explained, “Once we enter the forest, we need to continue south and then west for quite a distance.
Looking at the border line marked on the map, that area belongs to the Kantadar side, definitely not in the other’s territory.”