62: Chapter 52 Thorny Flower Banner_2 62: Chapter 52 Thorny Flower Banner_2 Leon bowed his head in respect, responding truthfully to the old man’s inquiry, “That is indeed the case, my Lord.
However, Rolannar has been conquered by the Kantadar army.
My companions and I were once prisoners under the enemy’s feet, but thanks to the protection of the deities, we managed to escape from the bandits’ clutches and have wandered here after much ordeal.”
“Does that mean the Kantadar people who attacked this village were annihilated by you?
Did you save the village?” General Trosa continued to ask.
“It is with shame that we were not able to save all the villagers.
Initially, we were only drawn into the conflict to rescue a friend…
Moreover, most of the enemies were slain by my griffin companion, with only a few falling to our own hands.”
Leon did not lie, omitting the noble leader slain by Olivia’s hand.
They indeed caught the enemy unawares, ambushing and killing three cavalrymen, and Leon himself had personally smashed the head of a Kantadar Knight.
As for whether this counts as Miss Lora’s kills…well, they were souls residing together in one body, why differentiate.
“Raise your head, child,” General Trosa nodded slightly in appreciation, “Though thou art not a Knight of Orland, thou possess the demeanor of one.
If what you say is true, then on behalf of those villagers you saved, I extend my gratitude for your courage and righteous actions.”
“Your praise is far more than I deserve,” Leon responded humbly, finally standing up straight with permission from the other party.
Not bad, the old noble before him had an air of culture, possessing high status without being arrogantly aloof—Leon found it much easier to communicate with him.
It seemed that the Orland people were indeed more cultured than those barbaric Kantadar people, their quality no less than that of the Seryan.
Naturally, if the old man were not broad-minded, how could a Great Noble, ride with a simple village girl behind him, personally ensuring her safety.
“Take me to see the surviving villagers.
Also, I am very interested in hearing about your experiences,” General Trosa signaled for Leon to lead the way.
“It would be my utmost honor, my lords.
Please follow me,” Leon said, now relaxed after the initial contact, he stepped ahead, leading the impressive column of knights towards the direction of the village elder’s house.
The village elder’s large house was the only building spacious enough in the entire village, which was why the Kantadar nobles had chosen to lodge there initially.
Of course, the group of knights that had arrived outnumbered the Kantadar people by more than seven or eight times, so the elder’s house could obviously not accommodate them all.
Fortunately, not all the knights followed the old noble into the village.
A group of them with some mounted soldiers went to guard the outskirts of the village.
Another group formed a protective circle around the elder’s house at the center.
The remaining knights and attendants inside and outside the building double-checked for security.
By the time General Trosa entered to rest, protected by his entourage, the entire house had already been cleaned up by the women and children as instructed.
As soon as the Old Earl sat down in the hall, he had his subordinates summon the village’s current person in charge and asked the attendants to randomly select some villagers to come for questioning.
Naturally, he would not easily believe in the one-sided words of that foreign young man and Lena.
What exactly happened here needed to be verified through the accounts of more villagers.
Before long, Leon, who had been waiting outside with the noble guards, saw Brian the Blacksmith hobbling over with the aid of a crutch.
He nodded slightly at the young man, as if to greet him naturally, and then stepped into the hall.
Passing between the armored and armed knights, Brian bowed respectfully to General Trosa, who was seated in the main chair.
In a tone as frightened as any ordinary villager, he greeted, “Revered lords, I, Brian, am profoundly honored to meet you.”
“Are you the current person in charge of this village?” asked General Trosa, looking down at the robust old man.
“Yes, my Lord, I am the village blacksmith.
The village official went off to the military levy with the able-bodied men and is not present in the village, and the village elder was unfortunately killed by the Kantadar people.
Other elders with some influence have also met their demise.
Now, there are only me and a few children left in the village as men; the rest are women and young girls,” replied the old blacksmith in full detail.
After understanding the situation of the survivors, General Trosa further inquired about the old blacksmith’s account of the Kantadar’s attack.
Brian’s story matched Little Lina’s, with Selva Village being attacked at dawn.
The difference was in the old blacksmith’s account, which included more descriptions of the three foreign youths.
The content wasn’t extensive, but like the rescued Lena, he expressed gratitude for Leon and his two companions.
Next, the few villagers that were summoned had similar testimonies, mainly crying out against the atrocities suffered, and their accounts of witnessing the griffin slaughtering the Kantadar people.
From these survivors, General Trosa roughly sketched the course of events and gradually set aside his customary necessary skepticism.
“Suffering hardship, escaping from the hands of the Kantadar and willing to extend a helping hand to the innocent in a foreign land.”
The Old Earl stroked his beard, reflective.
Recalling the impression of Leon in armor, with a sword at his side, resembling a Young Knight, the Old Earl suddenly felt a spark of inspiration.
Such an upright and brave young man, who had endured such a cruel journey, awakened in him the desire to take the youth under his wing for cultivation.
“My Lord, I am more curious as to how the boy managed to gain a griffin for a companion.
I’ve never heard of griffins residing within the Gray Pine Valley Domain,” Great Knight Kellan reminded from the side.