Teresa has a father, that’s certain. There’s no Daughter Nation in this world, nor is there a River of Children and Mothers that can guarantee pregnancy. The female sorceress definitely has a father, and according to Laine’s knowledge, Teresa’s mother, Aurora, was originally a daughter of the Imperial Nobility. She eloped with a man, giving up her title, and finally relied on her powerful strength to join the Jialan Council, settling in the Celestial Vault Castle.
So this is very strange because Laine has met Lady Aurora several times. She is an outstanding woman full of wisdom and talent. Therefore, the man who managed to elope with her certainly can’t be just a worthless loafer or a rogue thug, reality isn’t like a web novel where main characters can easily win the hearts of noblewomen educated in traditional medieval nobility. Thus, Teresa’s father must be someone of considerable ability.
Furthermore, the female sorceress is twenty-seven this year, and Aurora started making waves on the Continent as a powerful witch fifty years ago. So why does Teresa rarely mention her father? Her expression doesn’t seem to indicate hatred or shame?
Can’t figure it out, and Lady Aurora doesn’t seem like she’d be abandoned or anything.
"Forget it, when did I start feeling curious about her?" Unable to figure it out, with too little information currently available, Laine decides simply not to think about it. The man advances along the forest road, cautiously moving through the gaps between the trees. He’s not like those Wood Elves who can move stealthily through the forest, so he must be as careful as possible.
There was once a joke, "Knights do not fear dying gloriously, but they fear dying without honor."
What is the weapon that kills the most knights?
Not swords, not arrows, nor magic.
A farmer’s common weapon with astonishing lethality, many glorious knights spent half their lives on horseback, only to die ignominiously at the end of such weapons. Especially with manure often sticking to it, wound infection can be lethal; from ancient times till now, countless powerful knights have died bitterly beneath dung forks.
Laine possesses an Extraordinary Physique, making it difficult for ordinary weapons to harm him. However, as mentioned before, even those of Legendary Tier aren’t invincible or unbeatable against ordinary and Elite Tier enemies. Caution remains paramount.
A Kingdom Knight cautiously treads towards the direction Estelle pointed out. Actually, this matter should have been resolved by the Half-Elf himself, but it shouldn’t be Laine standing here. Laine just wanted to try his luck, see if he might find something. This update is available on novel✶fire.net
Good luck, he quickly discovered signs of bandits.
About eighty paces from the Kingdom Knight, under a large tree stands a group with torches. Their clothes are tattered and patched, their armor mostly ill-fitting, their weapons a motley assortment, but they share unkempt hair and ragged beards.
"Boss! These targets are tough, this caravan has too many people, the brothers are only a little over twenty strong, we probably can’t beat them." said a bandit with a braid.
"Right boss, I also saw several fully armed knights!" some of the subordinates added.
"Damn it, but if we don’t act soon, we’ll have nothing worthwhile to show. Soon heavy snow will block the mountains, if we don’t make a big score before then, how will we celebrate the Winter Festival?" The bandit leader, holding a scimitar, contemplated briefly before instructing: "Noah, take some people and lie low here. At midnight when they relax, signal with smoke, I’ll lead everyone through the secret path. Catch them off guard and snatch the goods before escaping."
"Understood, boss!" a small leader nodded. The bandit leader unwillingly gazed at the camp below the mountain. If the caravan was smaller, he would’ve led the charge down already.
Nearby Winter Festival, a big score is needed to properly enjoy the holiday, isn’t it?
"Damn it, these vampires, a bunch of dogs from the Empire and Marinburg, they stole our wealth, snatched our goods. Everything from Nord belongs to Nord! Remember, mates, this isn’t road robbery, this is justice! We can’t sit idly by and let these trash take what’s ours!" the bandit leader cursed loudly. "Damn those merchant scum, they can do nothing and still earn a fortune? This should be ours! Kill all these vampires, long live Nord!"
"We’ve hated these scum for a long time!"
"There will be, surely there will be! Bread will be there, milk will be there too."
"Make a big score, go home for the Winter Festival!"
The bandits yelled, most soon following the leader away from under the large tree. They seemed to have a special path in the forest, moving without noise.
Only the small leader named Noah and four bandits remained under the tree, keeping watch. From Laine’s perspective, a structure akin to a lookout tower sat on the branches of the tree, surveilling the abandoned village below.
Recalling the bandit leader’s words, Laine had figured it out. It seems the abandoned village hides bandit-dug secret paths, the entire rest stop is a trap luring tempting prey into it. If the prey is too strong, they pretend nothing happened; if weak, they swarm in, killing travelers, taking their money, claiming their lives, all under the guise of "protecting the wealth of the Nord Kingdom."
Noah and the others were roasting by the small fire under the tree. "Damn it, who messed up when lighting the fire earlier? Carelessly lit the wood? Stand up!"
"Not me, not me!" several bandits quickly shook their heads.
"Damn it, all of you should be careful. What if we’re discovered? Damn it~ down below are several knights, if I’d known..."
"Known what? Knights?" Like a ghostly echo, the voice emerged behind them. Holding a giant two-handed warhammer, clad in chain armor, a man with handsome features suddenly stepped from the shadows. "I am the Nord White Wolf Knight ’Great Hammer’ Laine! Son of Lord Norman of Autene. What are you doing here?!"
The intruder was tall, the Knight’s Badge on his chest glowing in the firelight, the white wolf head exerting intense pressure.
"Who are you!" The small leader instinctively raised his sword, speaking harshly but lacking courage. "Put... put down the weapon, take out valuables!"
"Hmph!" Laine directly reached out, grabbed the sword blade, and snatched it. With immense strength, the blade was twisted into a lump of metal, thrown to the ground. "Valuable things are right here, come and get it?!"
Frightened to the core, the bandits lost all their earlier bravado and declarations. Noah immediately knelt "No, no! Lord Knight, we mean no offense, we’re merely villagers hunting in the mountains!"
"Lies!" With a powerful swing, Laine’s right fist punched through a tree trunk beside him, sending splinters and snow flying through the forest, causing a loud noise. Frightened out of their wits, the bandits scrambled to kowtow: "We were wrong! Lord! We’re merely villagers in dire straits, forced to waylay travelers due to desperation. It’s all the boss’s idea, not ours! Not ours!"
Just as he thought, Laine inwardly concluded his guess was correct, observing the terror-stricken bandits.
These bandits must be villagers who couldn’t survive, out of desperation turning into outlaws. They’re cruel and ruthless towards merchants and travelers, yet hold innate fear towards knights like Laine.
This fear is deeply ingrained and doesn’t disappear with tough words or weapons. By displaying his strength slightly, Laine instantly crushed their fighting spirit.
"Take me to your boss, quickly!"