Knight and Wand

Chapter 157 Adelina's Thank You Gift

In the afternoon, Leon took advantage of his free time and went to the former village elder's mansion to visit Mrs. Adeline who was temporarily staying there.

This large mansion once belonged to the elders of Selva village and was also used to convene villagers for meetings. After being temporarily stayed by nobles many times and now being inhabited by Lady Adelina, the interior furnishings have long been completely new. Farolis' servants brought some noble furniture, potted plants and carpets, and cleaned and decorated the mansion quite luxuriously.

The original owner of the house, the village elder's entire family was killed in the war, and his eldest son who was serving outside later inherited the house.

After experiencing several expropriations, the son of the former village elder had already moved to other houses in the village.

Of course, Leon did not occupy other people's ancestral homes. Every time he needed to requisition it for various reasons, he would pay the other party a suitable rent.

Entering the house guarded by guards and knights, Leon met the lady of the feudal lord in the hall, and apologized to her first.

"I am deeply ashamed that Selva neglected to take precautions and allowed the criminals to approach the mansion that night, disturbing you."

Lady Adelina waved her hand nonchalantly, and said with a generous smile: "It's nothing, it was an accident after all. Even a tall and solid castle can't stop the snooping of those villains, let alone here. Besides, the knights and guards were very dedicated, and I was not frightened that night.

On the other hand, you saved me the first time I was attacked, and the second time, a foreign ranger who admired your reputation came to help me drive away the assassin.

This is good luck that you have brought to me.”

Listening to Mrs. Feng's jokes, Leon couldn't help but sigh that these words were really comforting. No wonder this lady was so popular when she was young.

He then expressed his gratitude to Adelina: "I came to see you this time to thank you for your help. Without Sir Redo's reinforcements, I am afraid I would not have won the battle of Lonka."

Although Ledo and his Duvana army were nominally loyal to Baron Elliver, they were essentially the dowry that Adeline brought from her natal family. They were her private armed forces and were usually almost entirely supported by Adeline's personal wealth.

I heard that there are at least two such elite soldier squads in Sir Redo's territory, guarding the area north of the Thorn Flower Territory.

There are a total of 150 warriors from Duwana County. Although Baron Thornflower has the right to mobilize them, according to the tacit understanding between noble couples, Elliver will basically not bypass his wife to order them unless it is absolutely necessary.

So Leon understood that Lady Adelina dispatched Sir Redo's army to support him in the war free of charge, just to thank him for saving her life and reputation last time.

You know, to support these fifty elite Duwana halberd soldiers and ten fierce war dogs in combat, it would cost at least nearly a hundred gold coins a month, not counting the food and fodder expenses.

"You have performed such extraordinary military feats for my husband, yet you are still so humble. Is this the custom of the people of Thraian? No wonder the great poet wrote poems praising your chivalrous virtues."

Adelina boasted generously, covering her mouth with her hands and laughing, "Ledo praised your bravery to me. Even a woman like me was moved by your heroic feat of charging into the battle alone. If you participate in knight competitions in the future, you must let us see your heroic demeanor with our own eyes. I'm afraid many beautiful girls will present flowers to you."

"If I have the honor to participate in the competition, I will do my best to win glory for the Thorn Flower Family." Leon nodded. He was indeed quite interested in the competition that the Baroness mentioned.

He was not interested in the flowers of the noble women in the audience, nor in the so-called glory.

But like many knights in this world, he coveted the prize money of the competition.

Of course, it is not ruled out that in the eyes of many knights, the noble ladies or even noble ladies in the audience are also synonymous with the prize money of the conference.

During a previous chat, Leon had heard from other Thorn Flower Knights that some of the grand events held by great nobles and lords not only offered generous prize money, but also had a rule that the loser had to hand over his armor, weapons, and warhorse to the other party. The loser had to either obey or redeem his equipment with money.

It is different from ordinary competitions, the kind of knightly event that only wealthy knights dare to participate in. If you can win all the way to the finish line and win a competition, you will be awarded the title of "Champion Knight" and become a legendary winner famous in the kingdom. The weapons and wealth you gain can even arm an order of knights.

The difficulty is naturally beyond imagination.

All competitions prohibit the use of witchcraft and magic items to cheat. Violators will not only be stripped of their titles and have their property confiscated, but will also be spurned by the entire kingdom and permanently expelled from the country.

If he only relied on his personal martial arts without cheating, Leon believed that he would not be able to reach the finish line among the countless knights.

But even if he doesn't have the unstoppable bravery of the legendary "Champion Knight".

As long as you win a few more games, even if you lose a set of armor and quit the game halfway, you can still accumulate a lot of wealth and equipment.

Whenever he thought of this, Leon felt excited.

Although there is also the risk of injury or even death in competitive competitions, a fair fight is always much less risky than fighting on the battlefield, and the rewards are just as great.

Unfortunately, only the king and a few nobles could afford to host such an expensive athletic event.

".But compared to the glory and applause, your praise at this moment, ma'am, is my greatest honor." Leon complimented.

"Haha, you are so sweet, but what I want to give you is not just empty praise." Adelina waved to the waiter beside her: "Go and get the documents."

"Yes, ma'am." The servant responded and immediately turned around and left quickly.

Leon looked at Adelina in confusion.

"I heard that Elifer gave you a crown worth five thousand gold? He is so generous. Although I don't have that kind of wealth, I can't be too stingy." Adelina smiled at him.

Soon, the servant returned to the hall and respectfully handed Leon a leather bucket containing documents with both hands.

"This is?"

Leon stood up and took the heavy and exquisite leather barrel, opened the lid, and inside was a roll of parchment documents.

"It's time to fulfill my previous promise. This is a reward for you and the little girl saving me from bad luck." Adelina explained: "An apple orchard on the outskirts of Farolis can earn more than 200 gold crowns every year. It's not as much as my husband's huge gift. Don't despise it."

Leon was surprised and thanked the Baroness sincerely: "How dare I despise it? I am so grateful for your generous reward!"

An apple plantation that brings in two hundred gold coins a year.

My goodness, the three fiefs of Selva, Lonca and Pleyton combined only have an annual income of more than 200 gold coins.

The estate bestowed by Lady Adelina immediately doubled the sustainable wealth in his control.

The generosity of the proprietress in front of him was no less than that of boss Earl, they were really not from the same family and they were inseparable.

I’ve finally followed the right “company” in my life.

"This is also the common wealth given to you and Olivia. The other half is a dowry prepared for the little girl. Don't keep it all for yourself~" Adelina blinked and reminded him.

Leon stroked his chest and promised solemnly: "I will definitely not touch the half of the property that belongs to Olivia. I will thank you for her first, and I will convey your kindness to her when I go back."

Adelina nodded and said jokingly, "Alas, it's a pity that you already have a beauty like Olivia by your side. Otherwise, I would have asked you to pick one of my daughters and take her home as my son-in-law."

"Ah?" Leon was sweating when he heard that. He quickly said politely, "You are joking. I come from a humble background. How can I be worthy of the daughter of the Thorn Flower family?"

He certainly didn't think he was unworthy of the Farolis' daughter.

The last time I went to the Farolis Castle for a dinner, I also met Elif's daughters. Baron Briarflower and Lady Adeline are both very good-looking, and their daughters are all beautiful young ladies.

If I had never met Olivia in this life, or if I had never received Olivia's love.

Well, when faced with the invitation, he was willing to marry the daughter of a noble.

But there are no ifs in life.

He already has a perfect lover who loves him so much, who is so beautiful and pure, strong and reliable, gentle and kind. She is something he could never have imagined in his previous life.

You must be crazy to abandon Olivia, whom you cherish so much, and look for someone else.

Seeing his panic, Adelina held her cheek and said with amusement, "Look how nervous you are. Elifer did consider picking a child to marry you, but I stopped him a long time ago.

You and that girl are a perfect match, and the Thorn Flower family doesn't want to be the villain who breaks up true love and be punished by the gods."

“Thank you for your understanding, ma’am.” Leon breathed a sigh of relief.

Adelina smiled and explained the true meaning of the previous reward and joke: "However, although you have already signed a lifelong contract, I believe you don't mind your next generation marrying into the Farolis family?"

Since it is impossible to tie this talented person to the family chariot through marriage.

Then preparing in advance for the next generation of Farolis and Pendragon can also achieve the same effect.

The next generation? Leon was stunned.

Is he referring to his future child with Olivia?
Set a date for a baby?

To be honest, Leon really doesn't want to take charge of his child's life.

Even if it's just a son born in the future, it's fine. I won't feel bad about taking cabbage from other people's families.

But if it is a daughter, there is no son.

What if his daughter doesn't like it and the next generation of the Thorn Flower family is incompetent? How can he bear to force his children to accept a political marriage?

"Madam Adelina, isn't it too early to talk about this now since Olivia and I haven't even gotten married yet?"

Leon wanted to delay.

Even if you agree to the marriage, you have to wait until you have a son who can take away other people's cabbage in the future before you can discuss it.

"Too early? For energetic young people like you, the fruit of love may come unexpectedly at any time. If you don't make arrangements early, and wait until your child grows up and finds someone he likes, won't the Thorn Flower family have to face the regrets of today?"

Adelina then pretended to look disappointed: "Or are you worried that the grandchildren of the Thorn Flower family are not worthy of your children?"

Having received the favors and care of the Thorn Flower Family one after another, Leon could not accept such heart-piercing words, and could only say tactfully: "How dare I have such rude thoughts? I am afraid that my future children are not good enough and are not worthy of the descendants of the Thorn Flower Family."

As a vassal, Farolis had never treated himself badly, and rejecting the marriage proposal would inevitably leave a crack in their current close relationship.

However, just as Leon was thinking about how to try to delay, Adelina seemed to see the other party's concerns.

She suddenly became dazed.

Afterwards, I couldn't help but sigh at the impact of time on myself.

".I see. It seems that young people like you should be much more open-minded towards future generations." Adelina shook her head helplessly.

Compared with the calculations of the elders, how could this young knight, who had just gotten rid of his youth and was full of vigor and vitality, be willing to exchange his unborn child for benefits?

She had once resisted the marriage arranged by her father, causing chaos in her family. After many twists and turns, she was finally able to marry Elipher, the man she truly loved.

Unexpectedly, after so many years, she has now begun to use her children's marriage as a political bargaining chip, and has become the person she hated the most in the beginning. What an ironic cycle.

Putting aside her original plan for the time being, Adelina smiled at the young knight in front of her again, "Sir Leon, I don't really want you to promise anything, I just hope that the descendants of Pendragon and Farolis can be playmates from an early age and try to have more contact with them.

If they get along well and develop feelings for each other when they grow up, it will be a beautiful story. If they are not destined to be together, Elipher and I will not force it. "

Hearing such a simple proposal from Lady Fengjun, Leon immediately nodded in agreement.

Regardless of whether there will be marriages in the future, it is a normal tradition for the descendants of the lord and his vassal to be friends and playmates since childhood.

The atmosphere returned to being relaxed, and after chatting and laughing with Lady Adelina, Leon quickly said goodbye and left the mansion.

Walking down the street, Leon weighed the document in his hand that held the ownership certificate of the Big Apple Orchard.

It is really hard to get these generous rewards.

It’s also my fault that as a modern human on Earth I’m too pretentious.

Faced with such sincere recruitment from the feudal family, he still had concerns. Perhaps his own sons and daughters would not mind marrying the children of the Farolis family.

After all, if nothing unexpected happens, the grandchildren of the Thorn Flower family should not grow up crooked.

Baron Elliver and Lady Adeline are both good people, and with such family education, their next generation may be equally likable.

But who can say for sure? We should consider the future. Right now, Olivia and I haven't even crossed home base, so it's too early to imagine the next generation.

Thinking of this, Leon sighed.

Back in Selva, without the excuse of "not enough rooms" that she had used in Longca, Olivia naturally went home to rest last night.

It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality.

Without the beauty in my arms, falling asleep alone hugging the pillow feels so empty.

(End of this chapter)