Unknown Knight

That night, in order to thank the bounty hunter and the Biglen village for their selfless assistance, everyone held a bonfire party in Biglen village. The caravan paid 3 silver coins to buy two sheep from the village, and the "stingy" old John also provided beer for free.

Soon, two cleaned fat sheep were placed on the rack. The appetizing flame roasted them to an attractive brown color. Salt, honey and spices were spread on them, making the already delicious lamb have an even more tempting aroma.

The eyes of the caravan members and the villagers of Biglen Village were all shining. They usually ate porridge with dried meat grains. The fragrant roasted whole lamb was a delicacy for these poor people. They devoured it ravenously, fearing that they would eat less than others.

The bounty hunters seemed to be in a better situation, as they were all drooling over money and their progress was no less than that of the poor villagers in the caravan.

Among all the people participating in the bonfire party, only three people seemed to eat in a more polite manner, which was so different from the lively scene. They were: our male protagonist, the pseudo-noble Aix who currently regards himself as a noble; the leader of the bounty hunters, the youngest son of a noble who had no inheritance rights and no fiefdom, Ailen; and the only daughter of the caravan leader, the clever and beautiful Miss Yamila.

The three men each had their own thoughts but pretended to be reserved. Although the honey-roasted lamb was delicious and the beer from the city of Dehrim was refreshing, it could not affect their posture.

Aix's heart could be said to be the worst among the three. He had hoped that with the help of the halo of pseudo-nobles, he could get closer to Yamila, thereby forming a deep bond with Old John of the caravan and obtaining a reliable long-term meal ticket so that he could better survive in this dark and unfamiliar Middle Ages.

But the appearance of Airen changed everything. The two of them now looked at each other like a tortoise glaring at a mung bean - their eyes met, especially Yamila. The little stars that originally only twinkled in her eyes when she looked at herself were now ruthlessly given to Airen, and the little stars were even bigger and brighter, with a shy blush on her cheeks.

Facing Axel's questioning eyes, the girl chose to ignore and avoid him, which made Axel feel even colder.

While chewing the tasteless mutton in his mouth, Aix carefully reflected on himself in his heart. What did he do to make the beautiful woman fall in love with someone else in such a short time? He thought about it over and over again but could not figure it out. Looking at the girl being intimate with the human trafficker Airen, and thinking about the fact that they had only known each other for such a short time, he felt mixed emotions.

As I was thinking about it, I suddenly realized that, yes, the problem was not with me at all, but with Yamila. She was sick. She had the disease that naive and romantic girls are most likely to suffer from - "love at first sight"!

The knowledge he learned from various movies, TV shows and media in the original world made him know that everyone who suffers from "love at first sight" has a perfect image of love in his heart. Once someone who fits this perfect image appears, he will immediately induce "love at first sight".

Then the perfect image of love in Yamila's mind must be highly consistent with Ailen: a nobleman (even if he has no fiefdom) who rides a white horse, has long golden hair, is handsome and elegant, can charge into the battlefield and kill the enemy, and can also speak elegantly, be polite and humorous. Moreover, this nobleman now has the grace of saving her father. This is so much like a scene in a novel, which invisibly aggravates Yamila's indescribable illness.

Looking at Yamila and Ailen being so affectionate, Axe felt extremely uncomfortable, feeling empty and annoyed.

Thinking about the sweet times before, maybe the girl just regarded him as an ordinary noble at that time, and he might have had some thoughts of climbing up to her, but looking at her reaction now, he was clearly not the most ideal one in her heart, and Ailen was the real wife.

"You're fickle, you scumbag!" Axe cursed in his heart, and drank the beer in the glass in anger. Then he drank one glass after another to drown his sorrows. Only when the noisy sounds around him died down did Axe open his drunken eyes and find that everyone was looking at him in disbelief.

It turns out that the beer of this era was naturally fermented, and the alcohol content was only about 5-10 degrees. In the original world, Aix could drink such beer all the time, and at most he would have to go to the bathroom a few more times. But people of this era often went hungry, which was no match for his good spleen and stomach with regular three meals a day and sufficient nutrition.

So they generally don't drink much. Don't look at this low-alcohol beer. People here usually get drunk after one cup, feel dizzy after two cups, lean against the wall after three cups, and pass out after four cups. Those who have seen people drinking more than ten cups were shocked on the spot.

After a brief silence, the atmosphere was suddenly ignited. The people who were already a little tipsy were also infected and joined the drinking and toasted each other.

Especially the bounty hunters, who are always on the edge of a knife and are usually fond of drinking. They admire people who can drink well, especially the bearded Rolf. No bounty hunter can match him in drinking. He is so proud of his huge drinking capacity that he seems to have discovered a treasure and comes straight to Aix to compete with him in drinking.

Under normal circumstances, Aix would not have a drinking contest with such a fierce stranger, but tonight was different. Yamila's fickleness made him feel inexplicably angry. In addition, the first kill today seemed to have awakened his bloodiness. Under the influence of alcohol, he faced Rolf's provocation without hesitation, and the two of them started a drinking contest.

The two of them drank one cup after another until they were dizzy and drunk. They drank so much that they almost chopped off chicken heads and burned yellow paper together. It was not until Rolf was defeated and fell to the ground and fell asleep that Axe felt his lower abdomen was bloated and unbearable, and he staggered to get out the water.

A gust of cold wind and a shiver woke the confused Aix up. He began to regret his behavior today. He should not have drunk so much without caring about his image, and he should not have been so close to a rough guy like Rolf, which was really a loss of the dignity of an "aristocrat".

The buff of the pseudo-noble is his only support at the moment, and it is also his biggest support for living in the caravan for free. If this is gone, and the connection with Old John is cut off, he doesn't know what to do! I must pay attention in the future and maintain the good posture of the nobles, he said to himself.

When we returned to the campfire, we found that the party had ended and most people were drunk. The few sober ones were helping their drunk friends back to the campsite.

Old John was one of the few sober people. When he saw Axe coming back, he walked over unsteadily, put his big hand on Axe's shoulder and patted him gently, then hugged him and walked to a big tree some distance outside the camp. The two of them sat down against the tree. After a slightly awkward silence, Old John sighed and said,

"Yamila's mother died very early. I only have this one child. She is my only hope. Do you know that, Mr. Axe?"

Hearing Old John's solemn and personal words, Axe was startled and sat up straight, thinking about the deep meaning of these words. Without waiting for him to reply, Old John continued:

"I know you have an extraordinary background. I wonder what your plans are for the future? Can you tell me, an old man?"

Although his words were polite, they sounded like the inquiries of an elder expressing concern for the younger generation.

Looking at Old John's face full of hope and smile, Axe knew that the so-called crucial conversation was coming. He immediately prepared himself, thinking quickly, and after a brief pause, he replied:

"In the near future, I just want to live a peaceful life for a while. I think my arithmetic is good and suitable for business. It would be best if I could follow the caravan so that I can broaden my horizons and gain some experience. As for the future, it depends on how the situation changes. If there is an opportunity, I will make plans."

The pleasing Aix expressed his desire to continue with the caravan, and gave an ambiguous answer about the future without leaving a trace. It seemed as if he said something and at the same time said nothing. If you don't know, you might think that there will be a throne waiting for him to inherit in the future.

Old John didn't recognize the flattering element in Aix's words. He smiled even more brightly after hearing this. This was what he wanted to hear the most at the moment. He couldn't help but feel relieved. He patted Aix's shoulder happily and said:

"It's okay for you to stay in the caravan for the time being. Everyone recognizes your ability. As for the future, I will do my best to help you if you need me."

After hearing what Old John said, Axe felt relieved, but then he thought of the love between Yamila and Aileyen and said hurriedly:

"Hey, Jamila..."

"I don't like bounty hunters. Our caravan has been robbed by bounty hunters several times. They are just a group of robbers and human traffickers running around everywhere. I can't let my only daughter marry such a man and let her live a life of displacement in the future. Although Mr. Aileyen saved the caravan, I will find a way to repay him, but I will not sacrifice my daughter. Yamila is still young and doesn't understand."

Old John dispelled Axe's doubts with an affirmative tone, making him feel that the depression he had been holding in for the whole afternoon was swept away. It was as if he had inherited a legacy of five million, and his heart was filled with ease. If it weren't for his pseudo-aristocratic airs, this guy would probably have immediately knelt down in tears and called him father-in-law.

"He's a playboy. When I was a mercenary in Palaven City, I saw a lot of such playboys. They don't have any fiefs, and they only think about how to get to know noble ladies and widows whose husbands have died. They are the best at playing with girls. It's impossible for Yamila to be happy with him."

Bandak, who had arrived at some point, came out from behind the tree and said, patted Axel's shoulder and sat down next to him.

"That Rolf is obviously a bandit. There is a man named Rolf in the forest outside the city of Dehrim. I don't know if it's him. We should be careful."

Bandak reminded Old John.

"Yes, I noticed it. Fortunately, we are not far from Sunuo City. Tell everyone to be careful and keep their weapons where they can be easily accessed."

Old John gave Bandak instructions, and then said to Aix:

"Don't think too much. We have to reach Suno City before sunset tomorrow. Go back and rest, Mr. Aix. We can talk about our old business for a while."

After saying that, he helped the dizzy Aix up and pointed to the resting place in the camp.

After hearing what Old John said, Axe had to stand up and walk towards the camp. At this moment, he was already floating, and he felt light under his feet. He didn't know if it was the effect of Old John's heartfelt talk, but he felt as if there was a force gently holding him up. His steps were a little unsteady due to his slightly tipsy state, but he did not fall down, as if he was an immortal riding on the clouds. His heart was filled with joy, and he hummed a cheerful tune unconsciously.

Watching the cheerful Axe walking away, Old John sighed and turned back to sit next to his old friend Bandak.

"Have you decided to give up on Harvey?"

Bandak asked.

"Yes, Harvey is too stupid. After two years, he still can't even master arithmetic within 100. Some people are not born with this talent. You can't force them. Sigh..."

Old John couldn't help but sigh.

"But he is Yamila's distant cousin after all. Maybe you should be more patient and teach him well. Maybe he will learn well. After all, the child works very hard."

Bandak consoled him.

"It's useless. Yamila and I have tried. Yamila could do arithmetic within 100 at the age of five. He is simply not cut out for this. The main problem is that he is narrow-minded and doesn't get along well with the other guys. If he is allowed to lead the caravan in the future, the people will surely be divided."

"Yes, Harvey is not fit to be a leader, but Mr. Axe's past is very mysterious. What are your plans?"

Bandak asked.

After a brief pause, Old John continued:

"Looking at his appearance, I guess he is from the Khergit Khanate. He should be the son of a fallen noble, or even the son of Saiga Khan. Fortunately, our trade route does not pass through Khergit, so it should be fine. Besides, the old lord doesn't have much time left. Someone in the lord's mansion told me that the old lord may not survive this winter."

"Did your old lover, the cook with big breasts and fat buttocks, say that?" Bandak laughed teasingly.

After punching Bandak, Old John raised his eyebrows and said complacently:

"Don't mention it, that woman is really wild."

After that, the two old friends laughed in unison. After laughing for a while, Old John said seriously:

"But she did help me a lot. According to her, it is very likely that Madam Anna will hold great power in the future. Although Master Berlanz is not young anymore, he had a quarrel with the Marquis some time ago and was so angry that he returned to his fiefdom and did not want to come back.

The City Lord's Mansion now listens to Madam Anna, the daughter of the City Lord of Uxhall. Her family has its own affiliated caravan and has long wanted to take over our business. I'm afraid our days will be difficult by then. It's uncertain whether Sunuo City can survive in the future. We must make plans early!"

"Yes, we should have made plans earlier." Bandak nodded, and then the atmosphere became depressing and the two fell into a long silence.

During this era, various warlords were in power. Although there was a unified country, it was also full of factions and each ruled its own territory. The entire social environment was dark and chaotic, and survival was very difficult. Anyone who wanted to live a stable life had to rely on powerful people, and businessmen were no exception.

Seeing that his backer was about to fall, for the livelihood of more than a dozen people in the caravan, as well as the dozens of elderly, weak, women and children behind these people, Old John had to place his bets everywhere, including our male protagonist.

At this moment, he was looking at Yamila's curvy back with an evil look, his mind was filled with evil thoughts. He didn't know that he had been placed with high hopes and a heavy burden on his shoulders without realizing it.