Knight with Wand

"Alas~ this child."

Old Brian looked at the delicate handwriting on the note and shook his head.

It said that she would go to the Baron's castle with Leon for two or three days to see the world and would be back soon, and he should not worry.

Of course, the old blacksmith saw through her clumsy lie at a glance.

He knew very well how sensible his daughter was.

If she really just wanted to go to the city to play, why would she sneak away early in the morning without saying hello to him.

It's just that she still has to go to some places where swords and swords are used, and she is afraid that I will not agree.

Putting down the note, Old Brian was a little helpless.

However, although he was inevitably worried, considering the character of the young lord, he believed that since the other party agreed to take Olivia with him, the place they were going to must not be that dangerous.

Besides, Old Brian knew better than anyone how strong his daughter's skills were.

Since she would be back in a few days, he could only let her go for the time being.

For no reason, a feeling of nostalgia rose in his heart. The old blacksmith sighed, got up and left the house, and walked towards the outside of Selva Village.

He greeted the villagers carrying spears on the village road, passed through his own wheat fields and farmhouses, and walked into the woods where few people went.

After walking for a while, he stopped in front of a stone tombstone in a secluded and peaceful open space.

There were beautiful clusters of flowers planted around the tomb, and there were no weeds on the ground. It was obvious that this place was often taken care of.

Old Brian supported his slightly lame leg and slowly bent down to half kneel.

He stretched out his hand sadly and gently stroked the tombstone without a name engraved on it.

For a long time without saying a word, Old Brian silently mourned the person sleeping under the tomb, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

After the disaster, I thought the storm would subside and everything would return to the tranquility of the past.

But Selva seems to be uneasy recently.

The ghosts that emerged from the nightmare forest made the old blacksmith feel uneasy. This kind of strange thing had never been heard of before.

And the Farolis knights who followed Leon to Selva yesterday made him feel that something big was happening in secret.

Thinking back to the dispute with Olivia the day before, the old blacksmith had a headache.

That was the first time his daughter opposed his decision so much.

He understood how reluctant his daughter was to leave those friends.

Brian was also happy to see Olivia become close friends with those brave and kind young people.

But if the peace here could not be restored and she continued to stay in Selva, the old blacksmith felt that he was increasingly unable to protect her fate.

Brian knew that if he took a tough attitude, Olivia would have to compromise with him in the end.

The kind little lord would probably not make it difficult for him to move.

But this time he could take her away, what about the next time.

Is it the right choice to go to the north where she had not returned for many years?

Olivia is already sixteen years old.

How long can this dying old dog restrain this growing lion?

On the country road heading west, dozens of knights in armor and robes lined up in two rows and galloped.

Leon held the reins steadily, turned his head, looked at the girl beside him in surprise, and asked loudly: "How did you convince Uncle Brian?"

"I sneaked out and didn't tell him that I was going to the Nightmare Forest. I just said I was going to the lord's castle with you." Olivia answered awkwardly.

The girl felt a little guilty for lying to her father for the first time in her life.

Leon laughed when he heard it.

How did he make himself look like a street urchin who secretly ran away from home by seducing someone else's obedient daughter?

However, seeing Olivia's eyes full of excitement about going on a long journey, Leon felt that it was worth it to seducing the girl out to relax to make her so happy.

Although Selva is peaceful and beautiful, the girl must have lived there for more than ten years and had seen enough of the scenery that has not changed at all since she was born.

She was very happy to go to the town when she got the chance, not to mention that she was going to the depths of the legendary Nightmare Forest with him.

When the group passed through Longka Village, Leon briefly greeted Lohak, but did not bring him with him on this trip.

Since the young men who returned to various territories from the fortress were still on the way, he asked Lohak to stay and prepare to assist Azerien in preparing for the establishment of the army.

Continue to lead the Farolis guards led by Balf.

When they were about to get close to the range where they ran out of the Nightmare Forest, Knight Balf recalled the map and the surrounding terrain, and suddenly urged his horse to speed up and ran to Leon's side.

"Are you sure it's this road? Sir Leon, we are about to enter Baron Gunnar's territory." Balf asked.

"That's right. I remember there's a small village not far ahead. Go south from that village and cross the forest, and you'll find the forest road I mentioned." Leon answered loudly amid the bumps on the horse's back, and then asked in confusion: "What's wrong? What's wrong with this road?"

Balf said with a complicated look in his eyes: "The relationship between the Grey Wolf Baron and our Lord Elliver has always been tense. The empty city you mentioned, could it be within the territory of the other party?"

In a hurry, he didn't have time to elaborate. The relationship between the two families was more than tense. The territory occupied by the Grey Wolf Baron now was the place where the ancestors of the Thorn Flower family started their business more than a decade ago.

Leon thought about the road he had taken and explained: "After entering the forest, you have to run a long way south and west along the road. I looked at the border line marked on the map. It belongs to the territory of Kantadar, and it is definitely not the territory of the other party."

Balfu, who was on the southwest side of the Gray Wolf family's territory, roughly imagined the location of his destination in his mind and fell into deep thought.

Not long after, everyone arrived at the small settlement that Leon had seen.

But they just looked at it from a distance to determine their position. A group of heavily armed men like them was really not suitable to cause misunderstandings near the villages in the Gunnar family's territory, so they went directly into the forest under the leadership of Leon.

As the trees became denser and denser, the road became difficult to navigate, and Leon and others had to dismount and walk.

As they walked further in, it felt like the team had entered the scope of the Nightmare Forest. Even the battle-experienced Knight Balfe was secretly worried.

The other ten Guards Cavalry could not hide their heavy expressions, gripping their weapons to be on guard for dangers that might arise at any time.

It's not that these warriors crawling out of the pile of corpses are timid.

In fact, these selected elite cavalry have proven their bravery and loyalty to be able to bear the evil reputation of the Nightmare Forest that has been legendary for thousands of years and step into this land of death with no return.

The so-called cursed land dissipated was, after all, Leon's one-sided statement.

If it weren't for the rumored experiences of the three new little knights, and at this moment, Leon and Corvis were personally leading the way by example.

This action, I am afraid, even in the eyes of these loyal guards, is equivalent to being ordered to commit suicide.

Of course, Leon, who actually knew the inside story, had no worries at all.

As long as we don't run into a corpse knight or even another ancient Sun Guard, the only danger in the forest now is the jackals, tigers and leopards that have turned into living corpses.

A dozen people leading a dozen war horses through the dense forest were much slower than Leon and Corvis walking alone.

As she slowly walked deeper into the forest, Olivia, who was always expecting and curious, seemed to realize something.

The girl suddenly pulled out her long sword, followed the subtle sound she heard, and looked to the right side of the team with her green eyes.

"Leon! There is a lot of movement approaching from that direction."

Leon naturally believed that Olivia would not take the target without aim, so he immediately stopped and set up his spear to prepare for the attack.

"Lord Balfe, be careful, those coming may be those undead monsters I mentioned." He reminded the knights of the Farolis family.

The team immediately fell silent. The well-trained baron guards let go of their mounts without prompting, and set up an arc formation on the right side of the team with their gleaming spears.

Balfe held the long-handled battle ax with both hands, walked to the side of the formation, and looked doubtfully in the direction where Leon's spear blade was pointing.

He heard nothing.

The battle-experienced scar-faced knight turned his head again and glanced suspiciously at the girl who was the first to sound the warning.

Taking a closer look, Balfe raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He originally thought that Leon brought that beautiful girl with him because of his personal preferences and some understandable needs.

Since he saw that the girl was good at equestrian skills along the way, and the armor she wore didn't slow down the team at all, Balfe didn't mind his own business.

It is nothing new for a knight to have one or two beautiful male and female attendants around him.

But now, I see the girl named Olivia, her petite body raising her sword in a steady posture. This natural and steady posture does not look like a mere showmanship.

Everyone set up their formations and waited for more than a minute before they heard the rustling of trees and shrubs.

The staggered running legs became more and more clear, and suddenly, a corpse wolf jumped out of the forest with its mouth full of staggered sharp teeth.

When Balfe saw these so-called undead with hairless skin and dry skin, his heart did not waver at all.

It looks weird and may scare ordinary civilians, but to a martial arts knight, it is as dangerous as an ant.

Raising his battle ax high, Balfe waited for the ugly beast to come and die.

But before the corpse wolf could get closer, he saw the girl on one side take steps, her petite body flying out like a gust of wind, straight towards the front of the team.

The dancing trajectory of the sword blade is like a silver wheel passing by.

So fast? !

Balfe was startled.

With his reaction ability, he could only barely capture the hazy afterimage of the long sword slashing horizontally.

The sword blade danced across the body of the corpse wolf, and then the living corpse leaped into the air and separated silently.

The robe and armor were dancing, and the blond girl holding the sword with her hands crossed had just settled down when several more galloping wolf shadows appeared in front of her.

The wolves that have turned into corpses have no fear of life and death and just want to feast on the fresh flesh and blood of the living.

But what greeted them was Olivia's lightning-fast steel sword.

The golden ponytail on the back of the head swung with a dazzling pace, the armor clanked in the girl's sword dance, and one after another silver light reflecting the cold light passed over the corpse wolf's body.

Skull piercing, beheading, and dismembering the body with a sword through the wolf's open mouth.

The girl kept the key points of these monsters mentioned by Leon in mind, and each blow destroyed the brains of the living corpses cleanly.

The Guards Cavalry who had already reacted were horrified by the martial arts skills of the blond girl in front of them, but they obviously did not want to hide behind the girl in a daze.

Balfe led the baron's guards and rushed forward immediately, cooperating with Olivia, who was killing everyone, to meet the incoming wolves.

Leon also entered the battle with Corvis holding a spear.

In just a moment, these undead who only followed their soul-hungry instincts were slaughtered by them.

Naturally, no one was injured in the process.

The steel boots wrapped in greaves firmly stepped on the struggling living corpse under his feet, and Leon held a sharp spear and stabbed through the head of the wolf that was roaring.

With a whoosh, he pulled out the spear head again and rubbed the dried brain and minced meat on the blade on the ground.

After wiping the spear tip clean, Leon looked up and looked around at the wolf corpses lying all over the forest.

These undead are indeed much more fragile than in the spirit-like field. Unlike in the cursed land, they can still move even if their heads are cut off.

But this scale can't hurt a group of knights in armor like them, but if they happen to run into the village outside the forest, I'm afraid that small village will suffer.

They did a good thing for the village outside the forest in advance.

Thinking of this, Leon couldn't help but sigh, hoping that the undead activities of this scale are rare special cases.

No matter what grievances there are between his own lord and the Baron Gunnar in the territory outside, those villagers who live honestly on this land are innocent after all.

Olivia shook her right hand to shake off the corpse dirt on the blade, sheathed the sword, and ran to Leon's side and asked with concern: "Are you not hurt, Leon?"

"Why do you sound like you are insulting me? Don't forget that Corvis and I also fought our way out of this forest." Leon joked to the girl.

While chatting with the girl, Leon saw Balf carrying a battle axe and coming to the three of them.

The scarred knight couldn't help asking Olivia: "Child, who did you learn this swordsmanship from at such a young age?"

"I"

Before the girl could answer, Leon interrupted.

"Sir Balf, Olivia is my friend. You don't want to poach her just because she is so powerful, do you?" Leon deliberately teased.

"Don't get me wrong, Lord Leon, I'm just curious about your little girl.

With such amazing martial arts, she can fight for herself a knight title directly on the battlefield. You are so lucky to have such a capable squire, my friend." Balf's scarred old face was embarrassed, and he was afraid that the popular people in front of the Lord would misunderstand him, so he suppressed his curiosity and stopped delving into how the girl practiced such amazing skills.

Olivia felt a little strange when she heard it.

What is this knight uncle talking about? What do you mean by your little girl?

It sounds weird.

But Leon seemed to have heard some interesting information from Balf.

After everyone reorganized their team and continued to explore the forest, Leon approached the scarred knight and whispered, "Sir, in Orland, can women also be canonized as knights?"

Balf looked over puzzled when he heard this: "As long as they are not sorcerers who play with spells, women can of course become knights by virtue of their military exploits. Why? Isn't it the same in Serian?"

Leon was speechless for a moment. The original owner was a commoner, and he didn't know the rules and traditions of the Serian nobles in his memory, but according to this, the situation in the Serian Kingdom should be similar.

I didn't expect that the Western Continent is feudal everywhere, but in this class leap, men and women are quite unconventional.

Yes, as long as they have the same or even better military power and loyalty as others, and can help them kill people and enemies, these lords don't care whether their knights are male or female.

We encountered several attacks by undead beasts along the way, but apart from slowing down the speed of everyone's progress, they really couldn't cause any harm to them.

The search for the road was slow, and it was not until the sky gradually darkened that Leon led everyone to find the flat and wide ancient forest road.

At this moment, Balf and the baron guards he led had already put their minds at ease, and basically believed that the curse of the nightmare forest had dissipated.

After all, except for the mysterious zombies of the undead and the overly quiet surrounding environment, there was no difference from the outside world. There was no loss of direction, no terrible scenes, and no encounters with the weird monsters in the legend.

Stepping onto the road, everyone mounted their war horses and continued to move forward. In order to avoid being entangled by the undead at night, considering that the empty city mentioned by Leon was close, they simply did not camp and rest, and directly followed the long ancient road overnight.

At night, under the starry night sky, a group of people held torches high and crossed the col, and finally saw the quiet river valley under the moonlight.

Leon and Corvis, who had already seen this castle town clearly, naturally did not react much.

But the closer the others got to the smooth outline of the city wall reflecting the faint moonlight, the more they were amazed and excited.

Olivia was just amazed by the mysterious and novel scenery in front of her.

But Knight Balf and his guards had already understood the great value of this fortress before they entered it.

It was not a simple wooden wall settlement. If you want to build a fortress town with a complete city wall defense system out of thin air, the cost is enough to burn the savings of a wealthy noble family for generations.

The time consumed by the project is even more exaggerated. Twenty or thirty years is considered efficient. It may even be difficult to complete from the grandfather's generation to the grandson's generation.

As Balf and others held torches and passed through the city and entered the fort town, they were even more amazed at the regularity of the streets and building facilities inside this mysterious empty city.

In comparison, the Farolis City of the Thorn Flower Family is just like a shabby and dirty country pen.

Quickly throwing away the rude thoughts about the feudal lord living in the city, the scarred knight smiled bitterly and looked at the boy beside him.

Just based on this empty city, Balf couldn't imagine what Lord Elliver should give to this young man to be worthy of his contribution to the Thorn Flower Family.

There were no traces of dead souls in the city, so everyone randomly found a building similar to a residential building nearby and temporarily settled in it to rest for a night.

Since Leon was planning to secretly go to the Mage Tower at night to see Miss Lola, in order not to expose his whereabouts, he did not plan to live with Balf and the others, so he took two companions to pry open another house next door.

Let Corvis and Olivia go into the house first to find a room, and Leon went to Balf to tell him that he had to rest separately from the team.

Unexpectedly, the scarred knight touched his beard and showed a meaningful smile on his old face.

Balf thought about the beautiful face of the blonde girl and even thought of the handsome young attendant.

It seems that Lord Leon has a big habit for "blonde beauties".

The old knight could understand it, but he still patted Leon on the shoulder and warned him earnestly.

". Lord Leon, you are still young. If you have made such a contribution, you will have endless good days in the future. The body is the capital of the knight, so pay attention to moderation"

"???"