Chapter 520

Chapter 143 Instructions

“Milord, why are you here…”

The knight respectfully stood before me, pounding his chest in salute. The moment he spoke, the surrounding area became silent.

The drunk soldiers stopped shouting, and several young men fell silent as well. Even those nearby became quiet. All eyes turned towards us, watching the tall, heroic knight standing straight, performing a chest pound salute to the short girl in front of him — a gesture typically reserved for showing respect from subordinates to superiors or warriors to heroes. Everyone knew this.

But no one had expected a knight to show such solemn respect to a young girl like this.

“What’s going on…”

“Things seem to be getting strange…”

Those closer could hear the word “milord,” and they were now confused. Some even started to get excited, thinking there was entertainment to be had. Those farther away, however, couldn’t hear what the knight said and looked up, whispering to each other.

After a brief silence, whispers began to spread from all directions.

“Who is that little girl…”

“Could she be a child of some noble from the capital? Her clothes don’t look like it…”

“Who cares, the show hasn’t started yet. I’m tired of wandering around anyway. As long as there’s something to watch…”

“The drunkards are in trouble now…”

As these voices continued, I looked up at the knight in front of me, frowning slightly. “Do… do you know me?”

I stared at his face for a moment but couldn’t recall who he was. I seemed not to have seen him before. But his golden armor was enough to indicate his identity; he was part of the First Knight Corps, and there seemed to be a symbol of the Fist of Judgment on his cape… I hadn’t noticed clearly before…

The knight appeared somewhat nervous. Hearing my question, he adjusted his armor awkwardly and nodded, about to speak when I interrupted, “You… Are you with Isaac?”

“Um, yes. I am the deputy commander of the Thirty-Sixth Squad of the Fist of Judgment. During Lord Isaac’s journey to the southern territories, I was assigned to manage the security of Deer Town…”

Finishing his statement, he showed a puzzled expression. “That, milord… You’re not…”

He probably wanted to ask why I wasn’t accompanying the Pope on the expedition but was here instead. The knight was quite certain of my identity, perhaps having seen me at some camp before he left.

I didn’t recognize him, but since he recognized me, I immediately patted the knight captain’s arm, saying nothing, just looking at him, subtly shaking my head.

The knight captain was momentarily stunned but quickly understood and closed his mouth, not asking further questions. Instead, he looked around, becoming more alert, his gaze settling back on the soldiers. He asked sternly, “Are you Republic supply soldiers?”

While speaking, he waved behind him at the knights waiting for orders, apparently preparing to deal with these people. The soldiers had been bewildered by the situation and stood frozen, cautiously watching me, too afraid to respond even if they hiccupped.

I feared the knight captain might misunderstand something, so I quickly clarified, “They’re just drunk. It’s a minor issue; an apology will suffice. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“…Alright.”

The knight captain nodded, his expression not too pleasant, and stepped toward the soldiers—

I thought for a moment and hurriedly held him back. “Make them compensate me with sweet cakes.”

Hearing this, the knight captain turned around, his originally strict gaze turning puzzled and somewhat confused.

I met his gaze and blinked, pointing at the remnants of the sweet cakes on the ground nearby. “They dropped forty of them.”

Yes, he understood.

So I remained silent and turned to walk towards Leon and the others.

Forty sweet cakes, a suitable number. More would require a bigger paper bag which I might not be able to carry… Yes, making these drunkards buy sweet cakes as punishment seems fair.

This isn’t extortion.

“Hillie…”

Leon stood with several young men. Next to him was a boy whose eyes were swollen but still staring at the scattered sweet cake crumbs, hesitating to pick them up but being held back by Leon.

Seeing me approach, he instinctively called out my name, but I made a shushing gesture, straightened my skirt, and walked to him, whispering softly, “It’s fine now.”

My eyes swept over the young men, seeing their dazed expressions, I found it amusing but said, “Are you all alright?”

“No, no problem…”

“Miss, do you know the knight lord…”

Ha, these grown men blushed from merely asking a question.

The boys from the village are so simple and cute…

Unlike those beasts in the Royal City Academy, one more annoying than the next.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Remember, stay away from drunkards next time.”

“We didn’t do anything; they provoked us first…”

“Pfft, if they weren’t wearing armor…”

“Hey, Leon!”

The red-haired man who had been hit earlier rubbed his face. Perhaps not wanting to mention the incident in front of the girl, he laughed and hugged Leon’s shoulder, hitting him on the head. “You know this miss?”

“Not just know…” Leon sniffed, pushing away the red-haired man’s hand. “She is… she is my… Let go first!”

“Brother Leon, she’s amazing.”

The boy looked up at Leon, who was struggling with the red-haired man, then at me, excitedly clenching his fist. “Sister, you’re amazing! Not only are you strong, but you also have delicious sweet cakes… even the knight lord listens to you. Why are you so amazing?”

I scratched my cheek.

“Leon, you’re something else, hiding your true abilities…”

“So, what exactly is Miss to you, come clean!”

At this moment, the knights were already reprimanding the soldiers, who stood with their heads down, not uttering a sound, obedient as grandchildren. Seeing such a scene, the young men felt satisfied and became excited, gathering around.

Lane asked questions left and right, his eyes occasionally darting towards me furtively, only to look away immediately after our gaze met.

They probably wanted to talk to me, but were too afraid or shy to approach me directly, so they turned to Lane instead. Lane was getting somewhat annoyed by this and shouted, “I’ve told you all before! You didn’t believe me then, but now that you see her with your own eyes, do you believe me? Do you believe it?”

Uh…

What?

What do you mean, believe?

I couldn’t understand what Lane was saying. I tilted my head in confusion and looked at them, but clearly, the young men understood Lane’s meaning. They each showed expressions of shock and finally dared to turn their gazes toward me.

“Damn, is this real…?”

“Lane, you’re not joking, right?”

“I’m starting to believe it…”

“So that means… she’s not… she’s not the…”

“Shh!”

Lane hushed them, looking at their expressions with a smug face. He subconsciously glanced at me, but quickly reined in his得意模样, his eyes darting around. He warned his companions, “Don’t say anything! Don’t say anything here… You all know the situation in Silgaria and Buckland Town, right? So don’t make any noise here. Be careful not to mess things up, okay?”

…?

What were they talking about? Was it about me?

A riddle person?

I couldn’t figure out what he meant.

“Lane.”

However, I wasn’t interested in the thoughts of those young men. It was always just the usual male-female gossip and bragging. I didn’t want to know about that.

But since I encountered him here, I could ask him about the village and inquire about Grandma Clare’s condition…

So, I beckoned to him with a small wave of my hand, “Come over here for a moment.”

“Oh, oh!”

Lane pushed the red-haired youth who was hugging him and came over, skipping happily.

At this point, the crowd watching gradually dispersed. Those who were reluctant to leave also left under the knights’ scolding. The noise died down, and I pulled Lane aside to ask him, “How is the village? Have you seen Grandma Clare recently?”

“I saw her. She’s fine! Really fine!”

Lane seemed very nervous. His speech was not only stuttered but also loud: “Grandma Clare is really doing well! Her health is good too. I help her fetch water every day. Sometimes when she goes to the fields and can’t push the cart, I help her… Really, I’m not lying to you!”

He seemed to be boasting, rambling on and then turning his head away: “You heard that we went south, how did you come back… Is it because…”

“Yeah, there were some things.”

“What things…”

“You don’t need to know. And keep your voice down.”

“Okay…”

“Are you going back tonight?”

“I’m not going back… I came here to watch the performance. I didn’t expect to see you here… When you returned that day, I was already at the village entrance and saw you, but with so many people, I had no chance to talk to you… How have you been lately, I heard…”

“Go back.”

“…Huh?”

Lane was stunned, stealing a glance at me and then looking away: “What’s wrong? I just came to watch the performance. My father told me to come…”

“Go back tonight. Don’t stay here.”

“…What’s wrong?”

Seeing the seriousness in my tone, Lane seemed to realize something: “Is it because…”

“Don’t guess. Anyway, don’t stay here tonight. Listen to me. Don’t watch the performance. Leave now, go back, find Grandma Clare, and tell her not to go anywhere, just stay in the village…”

Even if something unexpected happens, the village located north of Woodward Forest, not far from Buckland Town, should not be affected… No, I won’t let anyone threaten that place.

But just in case…

“Lane. Grandma Clare is old, her legs aren’t good, and she’s alone. Many things are inconvenient for her. If… if something happens, take care of her, take Grandma Clare away from the village, okay?”

If we fight here, then from the village side…

We should be able to see the flames.

At least we can notice the commotion.

“After you go back, don’t sleep tonight. Keep an eye on the direction of Buckland Town. If you see flames here or hear sounds… In short, if something seems wrong, leave with Uncle Doyle, Grandma, and the villagers. Wake everyone up and hide in the mountains behind the village, okay?”

“Ah…”

Lane seemed frightened. He opened his mouth, staring blankly at me, and after a moment, murmured, “What’s going on…”

“Maybe nothing will happen.”

Perhaps…

“Anyway, remember what I said, okay…”

I tilted my head and thought for a moment. Afraid that this guy might have a bad reputation in the village and that no one would believe him, I untied the white square scarf tied on my left wrist and handed it to Lane: “Take this. If words don’t work, show this to Grandma Clare. She’ll know it’s mine.”

Lane took a long time to react: “Oh, okay…”

He looked at the scarf in his hand, subconsciously reaching for his nose, but seeing my glare, he hurriedly put his hands behind his back, flustered and explaining, “I… I didn’t mean that…”

Stubborn as ever…

I didn’t have the energy to argue with him and reminded him again, “Don’t tell anyone about what’s happening here.”

“I know, I know,” Lane nodded repeatedly, “Syl… I’m not stupid, I know what’s important.”

“Good.”

Just then, the knights’ scolding ended, and several soldiers were brought before the young men. When they saw us, they seemed a bit startled. One of the soldiers who had been involved apologized: “Sorry, miss, please forgive our rudeness. We were drunk…”

“Don’t apologize to me.”

I rolled my eyes and pointed to Lane and the red-haired youth: “Tell them.”

Thus, the soldier turned back to the young men to apologize. He was occasionally sarcastically silenced, but he didn’t dare to retort. Then, the lead knight said some reconciliatory words, and this matter that wasn’t even a matter was resolved.

Soon, after someone delivered two large bags of sweet biscuits, the soldiers left in disgrace. Several knights bowed and then left together.

The crowd dispersed, leaving the area quiet.