Knight and Wand

Chapter 158: Intersection of Life
I walked down the street, planning to put the paperwork away before going to find Olivia to inform her of the good news about the apple orchard.

Passing the fork in the road in the village, Leon suddenly heard bursts of noise and exclamations from the people in the distance.

Not knowing what happened, he stopped and looked towards the village road to the south.

I saw the roofer standing on the beam looking around, and the villagers passing by pointing over there.

Many young and strong people who were originally building houses stopped their work and gathered over to join in the fun.

The discussions mixed with surprise and fear came from the village entrance at the southern end of Selva.

what happened?

I could seem to hear the villagers exclaiming "monsters" and "goblins".

Looking across the crowd, Leon saw the foreign knight from the Southern Kingdom riding his horse back to the village.

The knight ranger named Larian was covered in dust and wearing a cloak. After entering the village, he did not continue riding. Instead, he dismounted his horse, pulled the reins of his mount, and walked through the crowd of people who were following him curiously.

Leon walked over and finally saw what had attracted so many people to come and watch.

On the side of the Knight Ranger's horse was a huge, shriveled, brown monster head.

The monster's head was the size of four or five basketballs, with human-like facial features, but a protruding jawbone, a large nose bridge, earlobes like palm-leaf fans, a mouth full of fangs, and no eyeballs in the wide eye sockets. The dry and rough skin was tightly attached to the facial bones, giving people the feeling that it had died and dried up a long time ago, just like a zombie in the spiritual field.

Noticing the lord coming, the villagers made way.

Larian also saw the local lord approaching, and hurriedly stopped and saluted: "Lord Leon, I wonder when you came back? Sorry, I seem to have caused some commotion."

"I just returned to Selva. Did you go outside the village?"

Leon looked at the other party's trophy and asked in confusion: "Where did you get this monster head? In the forest?"

He had seen many jackals, tigers, leopards and human ghosts, but this kind of zombie of an inhuman monster was the first time he had seen it. Judging from the size of its head, the torso of this thing must be quite large.

Larian nodded and replied, "A few days ago, the Sambu Knight came to the inn to find me and said that someone had witnessed a huge monster wandering in the forest, but your army had been transferred away and could not send anyone to deal with it. The knight said that he could not leave his post to investigate in the forest, so he thought of asking me to handle it."

The Knight Ranger spread his hands and said, "I think since I have nothing to do, it would be no harm to make a trip."

"It seems that the previous cleanup was not thorough enough. There are still some fish that slipped through the net near Selva." Leon thanked the other party for his assistance: "Thank you for your help again this time."

"It's nothing, it's just my old job. Defeating evil monsters is the job of a knight-errant. Besides, the bounty offered by Sir Samb is very generous. I can just earn some extra money for my journey." Larian said with a smile.

"My old profession?" Leon raised his eyebrows and said, "From what you said, rangers and knights all make a living by hunting monsters?"

Although he had been praised by Trosa for having the demeanor of a knight-errant, Leon had never really understood what the image of a so-called "knight-errant" was on this continent.

So, a Knight-Errant is similar to a demon hunter and a bounty hunter?

Why does it feel like the knight in front of me is like a genuine "hero" who walked out of a standard RPG.

"Being chivalrous and fighting monsters is the creed of the Knights-Errant since ancient times. You said that I make a living by hunting monsters, which is true. This is indeed one of the sources of income I rely on.

However, there are very few people like me who are of the ancient school. I don’t know about other kingdoms, but in Cantadar, many families that were once famous for their knights-errant no longer wander around like me, slaying demons and exorcising monsters.”

Larian explained with some emotion: "After all, monsters in the wild have been hunted almost to extinction since ancient times."

He turned around and patted the monster head hanging on the horse's buttocks. "I have only seen this kind of mud troll in ancient books. It actually wanders in the forest in the form of an undead. I heard that there were many undeads in the woods to the south of you some time ago. In Selva, is there a wizard doing evil nearby?"

Leon shook his head and didn't tell the truth: "I'm not sure about that, but I have already brought the army back to the territory, and I will strengthen the defense against the undead in the forest in the future."

Larian nodded calmly, but in his heart he had deep doubts about the safety of this place.

Although from what we have seen so far, the residents here are living a relatively healthy life.

However, in such a short period of time, he also heard about the conflict between lords, encountered assassin activities, and fought against wandering undead monsters.
If it weren't for the excellent reputation and noble character of the lord in front of him, he would never want to keep the six ladies here.

Of course, judging from the attitudes of Martha and the others, they seemed to be 100% determined not to leave because they did not want to be a burden.

Larian was in no position to persuade them.

The only thing we can do now is to stay for a few more days and observe Selva's current situation.

If Sir Leon's army can really defend the territory competently, he can set off again with confidence.

After a few pleasantries, Leon did not disturb Larian any further and went to report.

The Knight Ranger said goodbye to the lord and came to the big house in the village. The noise just now had obviously alarmed the guards, and Sangbu was already waiting outside the yard.

Seeing the head of the mud troll, Sir Samb was slightly surprised and took a look at it. He immediately paid the reward and thanked this genuine foreign ranger.

Now, the road through the forest for the baggage caravan was clear again.

After receiving the bounty, Larian couldn't hold back his longing for his mother, so he quickened his pace and rushed back to the hotel as quickly as possible.

Even though it was only a short separation, I am no longer alone out there like I was before.

The two or three days spent deep in the forest unexpectedly felt like a year to the young knight who was in love.

After arranging for the horses to be handed over to the waiter in the stable outside, Larian had just pushed open the door on the first floor of the inn when he saw Margarina sitting in a daze in the hall and the servants guarding beside her.

Margarina, who had been waiting anxiously for her partner to return, looked towards the entrance the first time she saw Larian. Her worried brows finally relaxed and she immediately rushed up to greet her lover who had returned safely.

"You're finally back. Are you hurt?" Margarina asked worriedly.

"No, don't be afraid. This is easy for me." Larian pulled her to sit down, and boasted to his lover with a smile about how he had killed the evil creature.

This time it was easy to track the monster's undisguised footprints.

Although the quagmire troll was terrifyingly powerful, it still lost many vital parts after turning into a zombie.

But its brain was much dumber than what was recorded in the book. There was no need for him to fight hard. He just led it to the rugged and steep slope and occupied the high ground. With the sharp moonlight, he successfully chopped off its head without much effort.

However, after listening to the other party's description and seeing Larian's calm expression, Magerina still couldn't resolve her growing worries.

She had no objection to her partner's vow to slay demons and monsters; that was one of the reasons why she fell in love with him.

However, understanding is understanding, and it will not eliminate the worries in my heart.

Since embarking on the elopement journey, she no longer has to wait for her loved one who has traveled all over the world to return, and listen to him tell about his heroic deeds and experiences during the journey.

Gradually getting used to each other's daily company, when she once again had to face the fact that Larian was alone in danger, the girl suddenly realized that she could no longer bear the waiting process.

Along the way, the monster commissions that Larian dealt with were nothing more than snakes, pythons, and insects, so she didn't feel too surprised.

And the last time, they said they were catching a female thief, but it turned out to be a dangerous assassin, which already made her a little scared.

This time, to defeat the giant troll?
In just two or three days, she tossed and turned every night, unable to stop thinking about it, fearing that something bad might happen to her lover and that he would never come back.
But what should we do?

She was unwilling to let the other party go against the chivalrous creed that he had carried out throughout his life and betray his lifelong beliefs because of her willfulness.

It would be great if Larian could have companions who could help each other every time he fought against evil.

Why are there so few rangers in the world now? The eldest daughter of the Salein family couldn't help but complain.

In order to keep someone to protect himself, Larian was even unwilling to take the only servant who followed him.

She couldn't help but recall the past when her father and brothers went hunting on horseback.

The huge number of family cavalrymen were guarding the monarch. Just looking at that scene made her feel at ease. It would be great if she could always have so many comrades-in-arms walking side by side with her lover to slay demons and eliminate monsters.

Although the destination of this journey is to join Larian, the knight ranger who once traveled around the world with him in the past.

But the journey to the Kingdom of Dineshien is still unknown.
That night in Selva, after dinner, Leon took Olivia back to her room, took out the documents and showed them to her.

"More than two hundred gold coins a year, half of which is your money. Now even the territories of Lohak and Azerien have less income than you. If half of it didn't belong to me, even I wouldn't have as much annual income as you do." Leon joked without exaggeration.

If the income-expenditure ratio is taken into consideration, he and his two buddies will actually become "super-debtors" who will soon be in serious fiscal deficit after the army is built.

Looking at the accounts alone, once the army is fully staffed, all the funds are estimated to last for 18-20 months at most.

Therefore, among the residents of the three territories, the rich lady in front of us must be counted. With a net income of 163 gold coins from her annual salary and apple orchard, she temporarily tops the throne of the highest income among the three territories, which is cause for celebration.

"Mine? This is too much. Just half of it is more than the income from your fiefdom." Olivia said in surprise.

But what touched me more was that their names were listed side by side on the ownership of the apple orchard.
The girl felt an inexplicable joy at the thought of something that belonged to both of them.

"You saved a baroness, this thank you gift is not much. Come on, when I have time, I will take you for a stroll over there. That is the dowry that Lady Adelina gave you." Leon said with a smile.

As he spoke, he looked at the area of ​​the manor on the document and estimated the annual output.
With this apple orchard, we have sufficient raw materials. In the future, we can recruit relevant personnel and try to open a winery to brew cider.

Although he was not cut out for business, fortunately there were more knowledgeable people around him. Ms. Martha might know something, so he would ask her and Azerien to discuss in detail how to maximize the output profits of this apple orchard.

“Look, there’s a mansion in that manor. If I make you angry in the future, don’t move there and separate from me.” Leon joked, pointing to the items on the document.

"Then can you please not make me angry?" Olivia gave the bad guy a helpless look.

Leon laughed inwardly, stood up and put away the documents, thinking that this could not be guaranteed. Who can blame being loved for being fearless? He is still restraining himself now, but after marriage, he will definitely bully her in all kinds of ways.

Chatting and laughing, Leon saved the document and sat down at the table. He took advantage of the last moment before the break to open the manuscript that recorded Olivia's martial arts and discuss the technical issues in today's training with the girl.

However, he suddenly thought of Miss Treia who was alone with everyone and trying to practice sword holding and basic sword fighting movements when he went to see Olivia during the day. He couldn't help but ask his lover, "Why is Treia so comfortable that she suddenly wants to practice martial arts?"

Olivia heard this and winked at Leon: “Do you object to me teaching her? She looks so serious, I can’t bear to refuse, but if you don’t agree, I’ll tell her tomorrow.”

"No, I won't object if you're not afraid of trouble. Since she's already employed by us, she's not an outsider. If she wants to work hard, how can I stop her? But it will take a long time to teach her properly. It will take a lot of time to make up for her physical disadvantage over men." Leon thought of the girl and wondered why she wanted to wield swords and guns when she was fine.

During the brief chat, I learned that Theresia was not just trying to learn the skills for fun or for self-defense, but really wanted to learn the skills to wear armor, step onto the battlefield and fight the enemy.

I beg you to give me a chance and allow Miss Olivia to teach me martial arts. For this, I am willing to dedicate everything to the Pendragon family.
Leon still remembered the resounding request during the day. In fact, he had promised these six talented people who could read and count that if there was a need in the territory in the future, he would assign them suitable positions and jobs according to their respective strengths.

Miss Thereya, why does she want to go to the front line and kill people with the masters instead of sitting in her "office"?

In any case, the other party is not like Olivia who is born with extraordinary strength. With her relatively weak physique, it will undoubtedly take many times more perseverance and time than others to really get started.

But in other words, the other party started from scratch, which can be regarded as a ready-made sample to verify the martial arts of the Olivia school that he had summarized.

"Tomorrow I will tell Ms. Elena not to assign her to handle household chores and miscellaneous tasks anymore. Since she wants to practice martial arts, she should practice seriously. I will prepare a training plan for her to improve her physical fitness. It depends on whether this girl can stick to it."

Leon said, and took his lover’s beautiful hands again: “Remember to tell her the price, not everyone has a special physique like you, don’t let her think that you have some secret method to maintain the beauty of your body.

After long-term training, her skin will not be as delicate as yours, because of the repair power in her body. Her palms will be covered with calluses, and her body will also have to endure the repeated scars, gradually becoming rough and solid. "

"What's so beautiful?" Hearing the unintentional praise in Leon's words, Olivia blushed slightly, pulled back her hand, rubbed her lover's face with her fingers, and said: "I have said similar things to her, but the lady is indeed mentally prepared. Treya has seen the training of her parents and is willing to accept such a price. She said that it is worth it as long as she can stop being slaughtered by others."

But at this point, Olivia sighed.

It is not easy to stop being bullied by others.

Even though he was so good at fighting, if Leon and the other two had not risked their lives to rescue him, he would have no idea what kind of fate he would have met with.

Of course, Olivia still very much recognized the other party's determination to break free from the current situation and not be manipulated by others because of weakness. She had experienced the pain of not having enough strength once and she never wanted to experience it a second time.

"Yes, I almost forgot that she is also the daughter of a knight. She naturally understands what it takes to practice martial arts." Leon nodded. Although Miss Thereya was beautiful and quiet, she was definitely not the greenhouse flower that he had seen in his previous life.

Considering her experience, which was even more unfortunate than that of Ms. Elena, perhaps this lady had gone through greater spiritual trials than herself.

Think differently.

If he had experienced the humiliation and suffering that Corvis had gone through over the years, under such mental torture, Leon suspected that he would definitely not be able to let go of the past as calmly and openly as the young man is now.

Finished organizing the manuscript filled with thoughts and records.

Leon looked at Olivia who was getting up to leave, and couldn't help but sighed sadly on the chair.

".Alas~"

The girl who had already reached the door stopped, feeling amused, and turned back to look at her lover who was pretending.

If it were a while ago, maybe I wouldn't have the heart to leave.

But Olivia snorted in her heart.

She has grown a lot and will not be fooled by such hypocritical behavior anymore. Longka felt sorry for the pressure the other party was under, so she just cooperated honestly, but she ended up being bullied and embarrassed every night.

Now we have to give some time to this bad guy who has been pushing his limits time and time again and has shown no remorse.

"Leon, see you tomorrow." The girl said good night with a smile on her face, feeling that she had finally turned the game around.

"Well~ okay, good night." After hesitating for a long time, Leon sat down on the edge of the bed a little weakly, and did not force the other party to stay.

Although he knew that a girl who was thick-skinned and easily influenced could definitely be kept, he was not a sex-hungry ghost and he still had to give his lover enough private space.

Olivia was slightly pleased with herself, and was about to open the door and go home when there was a knock on the door.

“Brother Leon, the water is ready. Can you bring it in?” Lina asked in a low voice outside.

"Bring it in," Leon replied.

"Okay." The little maid with twin ponytails hummed a tune and pushed open the door.

"Sister Olivia, you are here too?" Lina came in obediently carrying a bucket and a wooden basin, and couldn't help asking, "Are you going to stay tonight? Or should I go get another bucket of water?"

"No, Lina, I'm just about to go back." Olivia smiled and shook her head.

It was directly assumed that she would stay. This question was asked without any hesitation. Who spread the news?

No longer hindering little Lena's chores, Olivia walked around the girl and went outside.

Only took two steps.

Her keen hearing enabled her to hear the sound of water being poured from a wooden bucket, and then the sound of a light figure sitting on the quilt.
"Brother Leon, can you tell me the story you didn't finish last time? That one? The story about the 40,000 years in heaven."

"Oh, sure. Where did we leave off last time?"

"When it comes to the Jade Emperor staying indoors, the Monkey Marshal leads the generals from the nine caves to the heavens and fights with the Jade Fist's divine soldiers at the South Gate."

"Well, how do you remember it so clearly? Let me think about it. This time I will make it up. Oh no, I will tell you. General Snake, following the order of Marshal Monkey, fought into the city and saw a bald general suddenly jumping out of the Jade Fist Army! He was called the Black Sword Knight, named Dong Jismond."

As Leon told his story, Lina's laughter and her small exclamations could be heard from the room.

Each step Olivia took became slower and slower.

Not because of the strange story that was obviously confusing and incoherent.

But she noticed it with her keen hearing.

Lina in the room, perhaps out of instinct after listening intently, seemed to be sitting closer to Leon.
This is nothing strange. Little Lina, who lost all her family members, now treats everyone as her relatives. This act of closeness is an instinctive desire for care due to fear hidden beneath her appearance. She is very affectionate to her brothers and sisters who care about her.

Olivia never thought about it before.

but now.

An inexplicable feeling came over her heart, and she didn't know why, but she suddenly felt unhappy.

Listening to Leon's gentle voice in the room, little Lina laughed continuously.

Olivia took a few steps back quietly.

She moved lightly, her golden hair and fair forehead poked through the door frame, her emerald green eyes silently peeked into the house through the half-open door.

Lying on the bed, little Lina leaned against Leon, and the girl listened to his vivid bedtime story with shining eyes.

Leon rubbed his bare feet in the hot water, gesticulating with one hand and stroking little Lina's head with the other hand like petting a cat.

Seeing the distance between the two, Olivia felt a little sad again.

I don’t know if it was intentional.

As she listened, Lina actually leaned over Leon's legs, yawned like a sleepy cat, and then just lay there, squinting her eyes and continued listening to the story.

Leon doted on her, patting the girl's back and speaking softly in a gentle voice.

The scene was like a warm father and daughter or brother and sister. It was just like a flash of inspiration that struck Olivia's brain.

She blinked her eyes, looking at the way Lina snuggled in Leon's legs, and suddenly realized.

In fact, Lina was only two or three years younger than herself, and because she had been eating and drinking well during this period, her body had obviously developed a lot more than before.

An idea came to mind.
Just like me. Wasn’t it Leon who saved Lina?
No, no, no! Reason told the girl that it was impossible.

Olivia frowned, and the image of Lina's face when she called her obediently appeared in her mind. She couldn't help feeling guilty for her own wild thoughts.

However, there was a lingering feeling of sadness in my heart.

Looking at the lover's legs now occupied by Lina,

He is mine
That position should belong to you.

Olivia bit her lower lip, suddenly unwilling to leave silently tonight.

She raised her hand and knocked on the door gently, muttering a little aggrieved: ".Leon."

"Huh?" Leon stopped telling the story which was becoming increasingly quiet, and looked towards the door when he heard the voice.

"Olivia? I thought you went back." He responded in confusion, still keeping his voice low.

Olivia pushed the door open and walked into the room with her hands behind her back uncomfortably.

Only then did she suddenly realize that in just a few breaths, Lina, who was lying on Leon's legs, had fallen into a deep sleep.

This is just a child who wants his elders to coax him to sleep.
No wonder Leon's voice became lower and lower.

Calm down and take a look.

Olivia realized that her absurd fantasy just now was just asking for trouble.

In an instant, her cheeks turned red with shame, both because of shame towards Lina and because of anger towards herself.

Olivia lowered her head in frustration, and her dazzling blonde hair dimmed slightly.

"What's wrong? Did you forget something?" Leon looked at his lover strangely with a lost expression.

"I cough."

Olivia raised her hand and coughed lightly to hide her embarrassment, and looked at Leon with flickering eyes.

"Actually, I want to hear that story tonight, too. Is that okay?"

"Huh?" Leon raised his eyebrows.

So the girl has been outside and has been listening to what happened until now?
Can you listen to a story?

After telling Lina the stitching story once, he couldn't even repeat it the same way a second time.

(End of this chapter)