Witch Hunter Rhapsody

Helena Marlowe struggled to contain her excitement and joy as she left the pub.

She remembered that she first met Mr. Vitalius in the Armor Workshop of the Hammer family.

Like other country girls, Helena was neglected in her upbringing from a young age and loved playing with children of different ages. The only difference was that she had an unprecedented curiosity about things outside the village and about things on the other side of the mountains and rivers.

Even after growing up, when he decided to become a mercenary with Leon from the same village, he still had this desire.

But the mountains were higher than she had imagined, and the rivers were longer than she had imagined. The farthest Helena had gone was to Lysio, a city five days' journey from Ortham.

The city of Lesio is characterized by its many knights—not just self-proclaimed knights, but true knights with titles. They wear magnificent armor, behave like nobles, spend lavishly, and have been to countless places.

The moment she saw Vitalius, she knew he was different. Vitalius's armor was more restrained, sharper, and more... like a knight.

Others could naturally recognize Vitas's difference, but only she knew that Vitas was a more noble being than those ubiquitous noble knights, and Helena was even proud of this.

And now I can finally work with Vitas!

Helena took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

Mr. Vitalius appears to be a serious and proper man, which can be seen from his every word and action. Even without his armor, he has the demeanor of a nobleman, and I must be even more reserved.

I never imagined that I would actually muster the courage to invite Mr. Vitas.

Helena returned to the group's residence. She had already spoken with most of the knights about inviting a formal knight or nobleman. They had no objection to receiving guidance from nobles or seniors; the only problem was whether they could find a knight willing to guide and help them.

"I'm sorry, I may have startled you today. I didn't expect Mr. Vitalius to come directly here."

"In some ways, he does indeed resemble an aristocrat."

"Vitalius is indeed more powerful than I imagined. That last one from Leon was really dangerous."

The Flying Eagle Knights gathered around, and before Helena returned, they had been talking about the duel that Vitas and Leon had just fought.

"So, what did Mr. Vitalius say?"

Helena felt she should be proud, she said.

"Mr. Vitalius is willing to help us, Leon... are you willing?"

Helena then noticed that Leon's expression was a little strange.

He frowned. Helena and Leon had grown up together, and she knew that Leon was in a bad mood.

"Have you had any conflicts with Lord Vitalius before?"

No, not at all.

"Then why do you have such strong hostility towards him?"

Leon turned his head away.

"That's incredibly rude. We don't know him well, and we're not familiar with his abilities. Ultimately, you're just judging him based on his appearance and first impression, but that might not be the case."

"Even as a soldier, he's an invaluable asset to us, you admit that."

Leon had nothing to say. All the weapons and equipment of everyone present combined could not compare to Vitas's. His swordsmanship, reaction speed, and strength were terrifyingly powerful.

For a mercenary group of only thirty-odd people, this is an extremely powerful boost.

"Tsk, in any case, this is our business, it's a bit much for you to decide alone..."

"I know, I'm here to ask for your opinion now, aren't I? If you disagree, I'll go apologize to Mr. Vitalius."

"Uh, well, I should try to get on his good side."

"Yay!"

Helena was overjoyed; now she just needed to find some time to discuss it with Vitas!

Suddenly, a rather complicated problem occurred to her: she didn't know how to contact Vitas.

After leaving the tavern, Vitas went to retrieve his armor. Since he didn't have much money, he'd probably have to maintain it less often.

Vitas had studied the forging and maintenance of weapons and armor, but he didn't usually have that much time to prepare and maintain them.

Aside from work, Vitas frequented Hammer's blacksmith shop the most.

He enjoyed sitting there watching the people in the shop work; the blacksmiths were forging armor, sparks flying everywhere. Seeing the red-hot iron being forged into shape was a unique kind of enjoyment.

Moreover, you can get more information here, and there's also a little Etherra you can chat with.

Little Aethera is an interesting little girl; her short, curly hair makes Vitas wonder if she has Salaka ancestry.

"Little Etherra!"

He was already a familiar face at the shop. After nodding to the apprentice, he walked straight into the shop without anyone stopping him.

Sure enough, he saw his armor on the shelf, now in the oiling and rust-preventing stage. Little Etherra was working on it, and when she noticed Vitas's arrival, she quickly put down her work and said with a smile.

"Mr. Vitalius!"

"Didn't I tell you you can just call me Vitas?"

"I'm still a little embarrassed."

Vitas smiled quite happily.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

His gaze shifted to his own armor.

"It seems you really like my armor. Every time you come here, you're busy taking care of it. Thank you for your hard work."

A sudden pang of disappointment struck Ether. Although Vitas's words had initially pleased her, something was amiss...

"By the way, Vitas, what about you and the Flying Eagle Knights?"

"We had a fight, which resolved some issues. Later, I spoke with Helena alone, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will be working with them for a while."

"Oh, I see, this kind of thing happens all the time."

Vitas then asked.

"How are the Flying Eagle Knights doing?"

"Their record is quite good. They are a well-known mercenary group in our city. They were the only ones who could barely deal with many monsters before, such as the forest giant ape and the deer-headed man."

"It's actually pretty good."

The forest gigantic ape is a colossal creature that stands nearly three meters tall, with thick fur and fat that would be difficult for most people to handle.

The deer-headed people are slightly smaller than the giant apes, but they are more aggressive and are quite difficult for ordinary hunters and soldiers to deal with.

"Besides, Helena herself is known for her hard work. She really wants to become a true knight, and that's probably why she came to find you."

"And you, Etherra, do you want to become a knight?"

"Me? I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm already satisfied as long as I can do my job well every day."

Vitas joked.

"Knights need several squires, why don't you go find the lord you follow? Perhaps you can achieve something great there."

Ether lowered her head, and then said with some fear.

"But this road is not easy, is it? Vitas, I believe you left home wanting to achieve something great."

Vitas paused, then gave a forced smile. This was the topic he had chosen; could he really blame Aethera, who knew nothing about it?

All she knew was that she had lost her companion, and for those who had not experienced such things, she could only feel a limited amount of sadness.

"I'm terrified of losing you, Vitas. I may not be as brave as you, which is why I will never become a knight like you."

Vitas took a deep breath; he had heard similar words before.

"If you can stick to that idea, that would be best, but Etherra, in my short life so far, many people who have said that have regretted it, and you should go and see for yourself."

The dream of adventure should not be buried, and Vitas recognizes everyone who is willing to give everything for their dream.

Ether's mouth moved, but no sound came out.

To think that you can go on an adventure with Vitas is wishful thinking.

When the technology improves further, it might be able to help even more.