60: Chapter 51: Heroic…
60: Chapter 51: Heroic…
“…The army is full of rough men; as a young girl, you should stay quietly inside the house and not run around causing trouble.
I’ll go and talk to them,”
pushed his daughter into the room without explanation.
“But what about your legs?”
Olivia looked back at her father, who was behaving unusually, with a puzzled expression.
The old blacksmith pushed his daughter to sit down.
“I know you’re worried about those young outsiders, but as your father, I will explain the situation to the gentlemen.
Just be good and stay at home!”
Sitting in the chair, the girl was full of confusion about her father’s request, but seeing his firm attitude, she obediently nodded her head.
turned and left the room.
Before leaving the house, he sternly instructed the stuttering young man beside him, “Hawk, keep an eye on Olivia for me.
Don’t let her leave the house until I get back.
If she wants to go out, make sure you stop her.”
Although Hawk did not understand, he merely scratched the back of his head and said, “Oh.”
The old blacksmith patted the foolish boy’s shoulder and then walked out of the door with the help of his cane.
Following his gaze, he saw a huge beast lying on the roof not far away.
Old Brian’s gaze lingered for a moment before he turned to the young outsiders rushing towards him.
Brian thought carefully, made sure of what he was going to say, and then hobbled over to meet them.
“Uncle Bryan, from high up, I saw a sizable army approaching from outside, with at least a few hundred horsemen, but they don’t seem like Kantadar people.
Are they the local lord’s army?”
Leon was about to discuss the unexpected guests outside the village with the old blacksmith, but his words were cut off.
“I know, the kids who were scouting outside the village just came back and told me.
Don’t worry, they are from the Orland people.
But let’s not talk about that, Leon, old man here wants to ask you a favor, and it certainly won’t harm you in any way,” Bryan explained hurriedly.
“?” Leon didn’t agree right away but asked somewhat puzzled while holding his side, “You better start by telling me what the favor is.”
Old Brian leaned closer and lowered his voice.
if anyone from outside the village asks who killed that Kantadar noble, please take the credit for it.
Just say that the villain was taken down by you or it could be reported as the work of the Griffin.
But, please, don’t ever mention Olivia’s involvement or her battle with the enemy.”
Saying this, he glanced at the nearby Griffin and continued to Leon, “It’s just that most of the enemies were already being killed by your Griffin friend, and since you all indeed harbor deep grudges against the Kantadar people, how about using this story…
Last night, after witnessing the atrocities of the Kantadar people, you summoned your Griffin friend to annihilate the villain, heroically saving the village.”
“You are the benefactors who saved Selva, the heroes of our village!” Bryan raised his hand, his tone earnest and full of praise.
Old Brian’s words left Leon a bit stunned and suspicious at heart.
“There’s no problem with that, but may I ask why?
you don’t want Olivia to be in the spotlight in front of everyone?”
Exactly, you can understand it that way,” Old Brian freely admitted.
He stared at the young boy in front of him.
Thinking about how this child was willing to risk his life to rescue Olivia…
The old blacksmith suddenly felt invigorated and immediately prepared to give a speech he thought would stir the boy’s youthful enthusiasm.
“Leon, I suppose you know Olivia’s true ability by now.
It’s not just an old man boasting, but such a beautiful girl with superb swordsmanship, once she catches the eyes of the noble masters, it’s like lighting a candle in a pile of mosquitoes.
If she meets a good person, that’s fine, but if those nobles with bad reputations set their sights on her, her life would be ruined.”
While explaining, Brian observed Leon’s expression.
Unfortunately, there seemed to be little change on the youth’s face.
Brian took that as the young man being composed and then began to look sorrowful, lamenting deeply, “She’s my only daughter.
Over the years, I’ve managed to save some possessions with my craftsmanship, not seeking great wealth, but enough to let my daughter find an ordinary husband and live a safe and happy life.
I truly don’t want her to inadvertently become a ‘plaything’ for the noble masters!
Thus becoming entangled in the disputes of the powerful…
Do you understand my concerns as an old man?”
Completely ignoring the hints the old blacksmith stressed, Leon just raised his hand to touch his chin, sinking into thoughtful deliberation.
The young hero who saved the village from the Kantadar army…
This narrative could only be beneficial to him.
Once they solidified their reputation, future interactions with local authorities would be much easier with this backing.
Regardless of whether the rulers of this land cared about such a minor title, at least the reputation was positive.
It was certainly better than three mysterious outsiders.
“Although no one else in the village witnessed Olivia fighting with the Kantadar people, the only problem is the knight captive who is still alive,” Leon looked up and said to the old blacksmith.
“Your daughter defeated that captive knight, and he hasn’t died yet.”
“Don’t worry, that’s simple.
Hide him away, and make sure no outsiders know we still have a living captive.
The village has already decided to ransom him, right?
Everyone was prepared to hide him anyway.
I will gather the villagers immediately and ensure they conceal the existence of the captive.” Mr.
Brian wasn’t worried about this detail, knowing the villagers’ lips would be sealed tight in anticipation of the hefty ransom.
What about Olivia’s opinion?
Does she agree as well?” Leon asked at last.
The old blacksmith retorted, “Do you think my daughter cares about the reputation of slaying a villain?
She would be more than happy to give this as a token of gratitude to you.”
“…Hmm, okay then, if she doesn’t mind, I won’t hold back.”
Leon finally nodded in agreement, “Since that’s the case, I’ll go and touch base with Lokhak.
The villagers are up to you, Uncle, and please also speak on my behalf to Azeryan.”
After aligning the new cover story with the old blacksmith, Leon immediately turned to find his companions.
Having coordinated the narrative with Lokhak and watching him and the villagers sent by the old blacksmith moving the captive, bound tight like a caterpillar in a rice dumpling, to a more concealed location,
Leon suddenly felt, was he forgetting something?
A thunderous and intimidating roar echoed from the sky.
Leon’s expression changed, and he turned to look.
The Griffin brothers, who had just been feasting on the rooftop, vanished in the blink of an eye.
“Your Majesty Death Claw, must you be so noble?”
It was one thing to come back to caution us, but to actually stand up for me?
I was afraid that the Griffins and the local troops might start fighting.
Leon began running towards the direction of the howling.
He did not want to become a fugitive again before he had even become a hero.
The large, forest-colored Square Banner, adorned with a vividly lifelike emblem of the Earl of Buck wrapped in laurel branches, fluttered lightly in the wind—proof of the “Kingmaker.”
Following the leading deer-head banner, various knightly emblems and flags accompanied the neatly arrayed column of troops.
The mighty procession of knights traversed the crude village path, leaving clear, heavy hoofprints from their warhorses.
No human figures were seen in the fields; the desolate village showed no signs of life.
Entering the small Selva Village, dried black-red traces lingered through the streets and alleys, and Orland’s knights detected a metallic scent in the air, not unlike that of a battlefield.
Passing an open village square filled with corpses covered by burlap, each signaled the disaster this place had experienced.
Hearing a girl’s cries ahead, Trosa sighed softly.
It was ultimately too late.
Had he not coincidentally encountered this poor child walking alone on the road, he would have been delayed much in discovering the trail of the fleeing enemy remnants.
But even though Trosa changed his route and raced here on horseback, he knew it well.
It was simply too late to save the village from the enemy’s devastating attack.
After all, a horse, no matter how swift, does not have wings, and killing unarmed villagers was a matter of mere moments.
remembering the pile of Kantadar corpses outside the village, Trosa was plunged into deep confusion.
The village had undoubtedly been saved in the end.
Even though the girl in front of him, Lena, had indeed mentioned it.
Three foreign youths had heroically intervened in the crisis and saved her.
They even possessed the demeanor of Ranger Knights, bravely entering the occupied village to rescue others.
But the way those bodies at the village entrance died was too exaggerated.
To say they died in battle was an understatement; it was more like they were torn apart by some gigantic War Beast.
Other than a few bodies showing signs of sword and spear wounds, the rest were completely shattered.
Were those three youths so skilled in martial arts?
This seemed highly unlikely.
As he was still contemplating atop his horse,
A sharp, ear-piercing roar descended from above before the Orland knights.
Trosa raised his head, his brows slightly lifting, and looked up at the War Beast swooping down.
Next to the Old Earl, Lena’s small face turned pale with fright.
Be careful.” Great Knight Kellan, his expression tightening, swung the reins from the Sealing Lord’s side and galloped out of formation.
This tall, burly knight, holding a long-handled axe spear, quickly positioned himself in front of the Sealing Lord, the runes on the axe blade glowing faintly.
The knights at the front of the column readied their weapons, poised and swiftly spread to the sides on horseback, instantly forming a tight military array.
The beast’s roar did not frighten the knights of the Earl of Buck; rather, it aroused their fervor to demonstrate bravery in front of the Sealing Lord.
Beside the Old Earl, a middle-aged man in robe armor raised his all-steel long stick, shaped like a nail hammer, and an unnatural current of air began swirling around him.
The Griffin did not directly dive towards the tightly formed knightly battle array.
It had never intended to fight these unknown humans; it simply couldn’t stand by and watch these people approach its friend.
Flapping its wings, the massive beast thunderously landed not far in front of the army, shaking the ground.
It raised its eagle head, suddenly letting out another deafening roar, the sound waves like gusts of Gale winds.
This terrifying roar caused the warhorses to continually back away and become agitated.
The Great Knight, sensing the fear and unrest of his mount below, decisively leaped down from the nervous warhorse.
He lowered his visor, gripped the axe spear with both hands, and boldly walked towards the Griffin without any fear.
Leon, watching the unfolding conflict from not too far away, forcefully hastened his pace.
He regretted not taking off the Armor after trying it on.
Shouting loudly, Leon instantly felt like he was Chen Os on a Spring Festival stage, yelling at Zhu Omao not to fire.
He had once harbored small fantasies of seizing the title of hero and how, in front of the local people, he would make an impressive entrance with extraordinary poise.
All of that had blown away with the wind now.
Huddled in the Old Earl’s arms, trembling, Little Lina, hearing a somewhat familiar voice, lifted her eyes and saw the face of the distant figure approaching.
It’s big brother!” The girl, supporting herself on the horse’s back, straightened up and exclaimed with joy.