Frilian: The Adventure of the Hero

Chapter 86 The Countess (2/5, Seeking First Subscription)

early morning.

The dew has just evaporated.

Shane and Shutark lined up to hand over their "jungle" spoils.

Philon gave Shane an approving smile, then turned to Shutalc and began a serious lecture: "Mr. Shutalc, I taught you before that mushrooms with overly bright colors are poisonous. You can't have them like this. Did you remember that?"

"Feel sorry----"

Shutark looked helpless; there were just too many kinds of mushrooms, and they all looked alike.

Seeing Shutark's frustrated expression, Philen sighed. "Let's go, I'll go with you again. This time you must remember this well, otherwise I'll add poisonous mushrooms to your soup next time."

Please don't do this—

Watching Shutark follow behind Philon, dejected and trying to identify the various mushrooms, Shane felt a sense of déjà vu.

I can't even tell the difference between mushrooms myself.

He smiled and shook his head.

Although the sun had been up for quite some time, Frillie was still not out of bed.

This lazy sprite, wrapped in a blanket and curled up like a silkworm cocoon, is taking a nap next to a big tree.

Xia En gently nudged her.

The elven girl didn't wake up; she just smacked her lips in her sleep, probably dreaming about something delicious.

He added a little more strength, "Frilian—Frilian—"

"Um?"

The girl slowly opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused, her expression blank.

"If you don't get up, I'm going to use electric shocks."

"?"

Frillie looked somewhat speechless, but after being disturbed by Shane's joke, the drowsy look in her eyes was indeed gone.

"Hey Frilian, we've searched most of the mountains these past few days, but we haven't found any trace of [Aura]. I have a feeling something's not quite right."

"The Undead Legion is numerous, a large target, and difficult to hide. Logically speaking, it should be impossible not to find them."

"Judging from the traces outside the [Count's Territory] city, conflicts must have frequently broken out here. But we've been here for so long and haven't encountered one even once—so I think [Aura] may have adjusted its tactics and is no longer engaging in direct combat."

After hearing Shane's words, Frilian thought for a moment.

"Based on my experience fighting [Aura], she is not a meticulous opponent."

"That's what I'm most worried about. Something's definitely up. If someone who likes direct confrontation suddenly starts using tactics and strategies, then there's definitely more to it than meets the eye." Xia En thought for a moment and continued, "So, I plan to go to a few surrounding villages to gather some information."

He actually had a vague suspicion in his heart.

As mentioned in the original story, [Aura] may resort to the despicable tactic of "feigning peace talks while actually infiltrating".

Xia En didn't know exactly when the other party used this method. He had originally planned to find and kill the person before they could use it, but now it seemed that wouldn't be possible.

Then we must be prepared to intercept the peace envoys.

Then, following the clues might be a viable option.

Philon and Shutark were left to continue searching for the Undead Legion in the forest.

After repeatedly instructing the two to only scout and not to act rashly or engage in battle without authorization, Shane and Frilian arrived at the village closest to the Earl's Lord's City.

The low stone houses are scattered about, and wisps of smoke rise from their chimneys.

It's lunchtime now.

The two walked along a village path, wanting to find a villager to ask about the situation.

Unexpectedly, two guards walked towards them.

"I'm sorry, adventurers, this village is not accepting outsiders today. If you need food, we can provide it for free, but please leave as soon as you have the food."

Shane and Frilian exchanged a glance.

Not accepting outsiders? What's going on?

Just as the two were completely bewildered, a gentle and kind voice came from behind the guard.

"There's no need for that."

"lady----"

The beautiful woman, referred to as "Madam," was probably not yet forty years old. She was dressed elegantly but not ostentatiously, with a few specks of dirt still clinging to her skirt. With a faint smile on her face, she waved to the two guards, stopping them.

The guards seemed to respect her greatly; they nodded, stepped back, and indeed said nothing more.

The beautiful woman smiled at Xia En, but the moment their eyes met, her smile froze for a moment, and a fleeting look of sorrow crossed her eyes.

Then, she smiled gently and said, "I am Countess Granat. I apologize; my guards were only concerned for my safety and have been very rude. Please don't take offense."

Countess —

That's wonderful!

In an instant, a battle plan targeting [Aura] appeared in Shane's mind.

"Greetings, Your Excellency. We are adventurers passing through this area, investigating information about the [Undead Legion]. Do you have any relevant leads you could share with us?"

Hearing Shane's direct question, Frilian, who was standing next to him, was slightly surprised.

The Countess, staring into Shane's eyes, seemed even more surprised than Frilian.

"It really does look alike—"

"Hmm? What did you say, Madam? What do you mean it looks like?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The Countess smiled and shook her head, then turned to the side and pointed to a room behind her for Shane and Frillie to see. "I happen to have some information here that you need. Let's sit down and talk."

The place the Countess brought them to was an orphanage.

The children had just finished eating and were lying in a row on their beds, being looked after by two caregivers, preparing for their afternoon nap.

The Countess looked at the children with exceptional tenderness in her eyes.

"More than a decade ago, [Aura] set her sights on this city, wanting to make it her lair. Since then, her [Undead Legion] has come to attack the city from time to time. However, what she didn't expect was that the people of this city, like its barrier, were resilient and stubborn—"

From the Countess's account, Shane learned that:

Three months ago, conflicts broke out here on average every ten days, but three months ago, the conflicts suddenly stopped.

"Now, they avoid fighting and even beg for peace talks."

1"

'

Upon hearing this, Xia En was stunned. Had demon envoys already entered the city?

"Madam, the demons cannot be trusted," Frilian warned coldly. "Any act of harboring illusions about them is foolish."

Upon hearing this, the Countess smiled.

"Don't be nervous. My husband isn't stupid. We know the demons are cunning. The peace talks are just a pretext. We won't let them succeed."

Xia En felt slightly relieved. "So, no demon envoys have entered the city yet, is that right?"

"no."

Great.

Everything is too late.

"In that case, Madam, could you persuade Count Granat to allow the demon envoy to enter the city?"