"Why go to the Pumpkin Farm at this time?" Herag asked suspiciously.
Now that the autumn harvest was over, there was nothing at the Pumpkin Farm, and no one would cause trouble there, so it had no value for stationing guards.
Seeing Emil’s awkward expression, he suddenly understood: "Fine, I’ll go with you, but have you really thought it through?"
He had noticed it that day; Emil and Melissa indeed liked each other.
This time, Emil was running off to the Pumpkin Farm, most likely to hide for a while until Melissa got married.
He patted Herag on the head: "A child’s business is not for adults to ask!"
Herag could tell Emil was in a hurry, so he quickly gathered his things and left with him.
At the castle gate, two horses were already prepared, laden with packs of varying sizes, all filled with winter provisions.
Herag turned to glance at Emil and found his spirit sagging, guessing that he hadn’t slept all night.
"Emil!" Melissa’s voice came from afar, and Herag turned to see a graceful figure running towards them.
"Let’s go!" Emil hardened his resolve, mounted his horse, and galloped away.
Herag saw him take off in a flash and, looking back, saw Melissa running towards them. He also wanted nothing to do with the nobility’s affairs and mounted his horse to follow them.
When he rode across the river, he looked back to see Melissa kneeling at the castle gate, seemingly weeping.
The autumn mountains had changed their appearance, with red covering the hills and layers of forest dyed, and fallen leaves covered the mountain paths, making rustling sounds under the horses’ hooves.
Emil, having something on his mind, was silent throughout the journey, and Herag ignored him, treating it like an outing.
Though young, Herag had lived two lives and had far more experience than Emil in this regard; everything required time to settle.
Since this trip had no tasks, they were in no rush to travel fast.
On the way, they passed a cave where Herag and Emil stopped for a moment.
Emil poured two cups of wine onto the ground, performed a knightly salute, and then left silently.
Seven days later, they arrived at the Pumpkin Farm.
The Pumpkin Farm was located at the foot of the Jade Mountain Range. The two descended the mountain road, and after passing through the forest, a broad plain opened up before them.
On the plain were fields of varying sizes that usually grew wheat, pumpkins, and other crops.
Because the autumn harvest was over, most of the fields were barren.
In the middle of the Pumpkin Farm stood a large courtyard, its walls built with thick stone blocks, a formidable defensive structure.
"This is to guard against wild beasts and also for occasional enemy attacks," Emil explained.
The farm’s gate was a heavy iron door. Emil walked up and knocked gently.
After a long while, footsteps could vaguely be heard inside, and a hoarse voice asked, "Who is it?"
"Castle Guard Captain Emil, reporting for duty," Emil answered.
"Who?" The old man inside seemed to have not heard clearly.
Emil had no choice but to raise his voice and repeat himself.
This time, the old man seemed to understand, and the sound of a key turning in an iron lock came from behind the door.
The door slowly opened, accompanied by a jarring grinding noise. A tremulous old man, dressed in a bulky cotton jacket, appeared behind it.
The skin on the old man’s face was dry as bark, and his eyes were cloudy; it was unclear if he could see.
"Are you Massimo? I’m Emil, and here’s my token." Emil took out his Knight Captain badge and handed it over.
Massimo took the badge without looking at it, felt it with his hands, and then returned it to Emil, saying, "Come in."
"He’s the farm’s only guardian, having stayed here for forty years," Emil introduced.
"Forty years..." Herag looked at the staggering old man, somewhat shocked.
"Remember, at night, do not leave your room. No matter what sounds you hear, don’t come out. There are demons in the mountains. In past winters, some guards stayed here, but they disappeared the next morning, so be extra careful," Massimo walked ahead, saying.
"Demons? Do such things really exist?" Herag asked.
Massimo didn’t respond, ignoring Herag.
Emil said, "There really were guards sent here to stay in the past winters, but without exception, they vanished, so no guards are posted here for the winter now."
"Then why are we here?" Herag wore a ’you tricked me’ expression.
Emil laughed, "Haha, the talk of demons is just rumors—there are many wild animals searching for food in the mountains during winter, so going out at night is indeed risky, but you and I, are we afraid of animals?"
Herag thought this over—the usual beasts were just appetizers. But the trouble was if something uncanny was involved, it couldn’t be assessed with past life’s notions.
The farm had over a dozen houses of different sizes. The larger ones were mostly warehouses for storing grains or other supplies.
The smaller rooms were typically living quarters; Massimo lived in the northernmost small house, while Emil and Herag stayed in a three-story large house in the center of the farm.
The house was relatively messy, but after tidying up a bit, they managed to give it a hint of livability.
The house even had a cellar. Emil opened the wooden panel covering it, lowered an oil lamp inside, and after confirming it didn’t go out, he ventured down.
The cellar had bags of flour and several large barrels.
Emil’s face lit up with joy. He picked up a barrel and sniffed it: "This is all fine wine!"
The two brought a barrel up, found two cups, and poured out some crimson wine, letting the rich aroma spread.
"Cheers!" Emil smiled.
Both were weary from the long journey, and the wine was just the refreshment they needed.
The Constitution of a Knight level was hard to intoxicate with alcohol. With no one else around, Herag asked boldly, "Aren’t you worried about being here hiding? Won’t you regret it later?"
Emil smiled wryly, "I regret it right now, but some things are more important than my personal feelings."
"Lord Baron’s alliance this time is to preserve the entire territory. If I affected this alliance due to my selfishness, it would implicate the territory, implicate Lord Baron," he continued.
Herag was puzzled: "Preserve the entire territory? Behard’s people don’t have the capability, do they?"
Behard was as poor as could be, how could it possibly threaten all of Dur Valley?
Emil looked at Herag and said, "Do you know why Lord Baron can control Dur Valley for so long? Is it because of many guards? No, it’s because Lord Baron is a Great Knight, and there are only a few Great Knights in the entire Norton Kingdom."
"Such top-tier combat strength as a Great Knight serves as deterrence, so no one dares to invade in force because a Great Knight could wipe out your entire family alone." Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn N(o)vᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt
"Is it possible Lord Baron he..." Herag suddenly had a suspicion—if Baron Buck’s days were numbered, then Dur Valley was a piece of juicy meat that everyone would have an eye on.