Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"Why don't you come back to Zebrech with us? It's just a small place, but at least we don't have to worry about any evil spirits invading."

To this statement, Paul simply smiled and said, "Your Highness, think back to the major cities you've visited. Was there any place where evil didn't lurk?"

Xinmu City? Qingzun City? Or Chentie Fortress?

Angelita thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"Then why are they—except for the City of Broken Jars—still able to maintain their existence instead of falling apart or reverting to a state of villages?" the old mage said slowly. "I am not your teacher in this area, but I think this might be a lesson for you to ponder."

“I’ve lived most of my life under the Empire’s mage system, and now I want to try what it’s like to live a different kind of life. Just like you would like to live in a small village for a while. Besides, a mage like me, who is lazy and doesn’t know anything about farming, would probably have a hard time surviving in Zebreh.”

What he needed were potions, alchemical instruments, and spellcasting materials. A place like Zebreh couldn't provide him with these things. Bohr couldn't even play chess or cards with the old man at the village entrance—how could a bunch of farmers understand the advanced games of an old mage? As for the fields, did he need to cast an identification spell on every single plant to determine whether it was a weed or a crop?

He was, after all, a royal mage—

Anyway, with Princess Angelita by Reslaufer's side, and given Dople's undeniable fighting prowess, the princess is unlikely to suffer any harm; Pol can rest assured about that.

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Leslaufer almost chuckled at Angrita's antics. "Let me remind you, Annie, you're not my employer anymore. Quite the opposite. Remember that goblin bear? A lot of people want to kidnap you and collect the bounty. Aren't you afraid I'll get paid twice?"

“Would you?” Angelita winked slyly at Leslaufer, feigning a threat. “If you dare to have me kidnapped, I’ll go to Skadi! She’s a real countess now, she’ll get justice for me!”

"Ha, then let's see if she listens to you or me," Leslaufer said in jest, so he didn't take it seriously. "Never mind, whatever you want. Mr. Paul, Ironforge is not a safe place, especially the inner areas. You need to be extra careful."

In the past, Pol might have said that someone was eyeing the Church of Serak, but now the old mage dared not say that.

"If you run into any trouble, there's a legitimate mercenary guild here. Go in and find Duncan the 'Human Stick,' he'll help you—don't be shy, when in Rome, do as the Romans do," Leslaufer advised. "If you don't have time, just find some rats or big rats on the street, but rats are definitely not as effective as mercenaries."

Paul was well past the age of causing trouble, and being a scholar, Leslaufer wasn't worried about him getting into any trouble. At most, it would just be a local conflict, and using a stick to resolve such a trivial matter wouldn't even qualify as helping.

Knowing that Reslaufer held considerable prestige among the mercenaries here, Pol quickly and carefully noted it down. The next morning, Pol went straight to report to the dean of the Mathematical Olympiad Academy, while Reslaufer and the others did not linger any longer in this fortified city with its seven layers of iron walls, which was still vulnerable to attack. They took Black Claw and headed back to Zebrech.

Chapter 463 A Peaceful Life

The small town of Zebrech seems to never see any major events. Even the astonishing "merger of the inner and outer Doules" a few months ago only happened next door and had little to do with this place.

It was so small that it couldn't cause the slightest ripple. It was as if even an imperial princess living here would have to hunch over and live a mundane life like an ordinary peasant woman.

But for some, peace is destined to remain a distant dream. They are like powerful magnets; even if they do nothing, simply their presence will draw swords and nails. Shards of iron carry the corrosive malice, steel cables are entangled in the thorns of suspicion, and even stray arrows, once in flight, will suddenly change direction in their chaotic trajectory.

In the month of Light (May), the Eastern Inas finally welcomed the beginning of spring. The trees on the hills were blooming with flowers that no longer had to worry about freezing to death. Even the grand but uninhabited courtyard at the edge of the village had sprouted lush and tender seedlings this year. Several fluffy little chicks ran around inside, occasionally stopping to look curiously at the open space outside the nursery.

"Clang!" A green hand-and-a-half sword fell to the ground. Margaret sheathed the Swift Sword, rotated the blade three times clockwise around her wrist, and with a buzzing sound as the blade cut through the air, the tip of the sword precisely pressed against the scabbard she was holding in her left hand.

In the past, Marie would go through a set of imperial court etiquette, but in Zebrech, that would be like throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind man, so this part has now been omitted.

“Oh, Mary, your swordsmanship has far surpassed mine,” Angelita bent down to pick up the long poem of the Guardian. She looked at the double-layered thick gloves on her hands, the outermost layer of which had another tear. “Can you be considered a master now? I just heard a tremor, that’s not something you can do easily.”

Mary didn't answer, but smiled and lifted her wrist, gesturing for Angelita to look at her thumb resting on the gauntlet—that was the source of the trembling sound just now.

“It’s easy to keep the sword sheathing motion from going awry, and it’s easy to create a brief vacuum with the tip of the sword, but combining the two is something I can’t do yet,” Mary said modestly as she actually sheathed the sword. “So I used a little trick, please don’t mind.”

“I still prefer you knock more of my sword away,” Angelita complained. “Uncle Leslaufer would never do such a thing!”

Mary looked at the princess helplessly: "If only I could be half as good as Lord Raslaufer, how can I win the contest without offending you if you don't disarm me?"

In the slightly more classical style of Corazonde swordsmanship, was she going to press the tip of her sword against Angelita's throat? Going back further, according to the records, the outcome would be decided by life or death.

Angelita was aware of this, of course; she was simply unhappy that Mary had surpassed her in swordsmanship. "Where exactly did I go wrong? I blocked every single one of your attacks, but the advantage kept tilting in your favor!"

She assumed a fighting stance again, signaling Mary to start over, and Mary did not refuse, but instead responded by drawing her sword again.

Some time ago, Raslaufer responded to a call from a nearby lord to wipe out bandits. Since those so-called "bandits" were actually a group of fully armed deserters, the reward was not low. Moreover, it was not too far from Zebrech and close to the border of resistance, so he could take the opportunity to visit Bella with the greetings of Angelita and others.

Daisy continued her life of wandering from dawn till dusk, so when Angelita wanted someone to practice with at home, Mary was her only choice.

“You can try dodging instead of blocking,” Mary’s voice followed the resounding clash of swords. “In Corazond swordsmanship, dodging is a better defensive move than blocking. Dodge, and then counterattack when the opponent’s blade goes off the center line.”

"Another key point is that once you gain an advantage, you need to immediately push forward and launch an attack, rather than stopping to defend. A reasonable pace leads to faster processing speed, and more accurate calculations can make the pace more compact. When this process is interrupted, your moves will be full of flaws."

“But I don’t think Uncle Raslaw is like that—”

In her haste, Angelita instinctively used her sword to block Mary's thrust, causing her movements to be significantly larger than the angle from which Mary would change her attack. Mary feinted an attack and then immediately sheathed her sword, ending the sparring session.

Because Angelita was too distracted by her explanation, continuing would not have any practical effect.

“Lord Raslaufer’s weapons are far inferior to yours, and you need to consider the size difference between you and him, as well as endurance and strength,” Mary felt she had said this too many times, but with little effect. “You’ve probably learned too many different things.”

More importantly, Raslaufer's signature two-handed swordsmanship isn't simply about blocking and defense. For him, defense and offense are cyclical, with the defensive move of one strike serving as the starting point for the next. Combined with Doppel's own strength and physical advantages, he can also counter-stun his opponent while blocking. Even if he's at a slight disadvantage, he can use this to regain the upper hand and disrupt his opponent's rhythm.

But Angelita was different. Her parries were just that – parries. Although she could switch to an offensive stance after a defensive one, Mary, following the Corazonde swordsmanship, simply didn't respond. Once her attack missed, Angelita essentially lost two beats, giving Mary an opportunity for nothing.

Of course, this is only in terms of swordsmanship. If Angelita were to intersperse her sword swings with spells, or even use the pistol made by von Dahl as an emergency measure, Mary, no matter how exquisite her swordsmanship, would have to be extremely cautious, or she might be caught off guard and defeated.

“I’ll try to focus on one strategy,” Angelita said, not rushing to start again, but carefully considering for a moment before raising her sword once more. “One more time, I think I can hold out longer this time—”

Just as Mary was about to draw her sword again, the two girls simultaneously heard a muffled thud from outside the wall. They immediately sheathed their swords and turned to look, but found nothing. However, Black Claw, who was curled up in its den on the other side, raised its upper body and sniffed the air warily, while making a low warning growl in its throat.

They were strangers. Angelita and Mary exchanged a glance and moved toward the door, one on each side. Blackclaw was a rather intelligent beast; in just a few months, it had memorized the scent of almost everyone in the village. It would never have reacted this way to villagers.

But in a remote place like Zebrech, almost no outsiders would come near—who could it be?

Chapter 464 The Adventurers on the Run

The courtyard gate was slowly pried open by the tip of a sword. Mary looked out first, but didn't see anyone at first glance. It wasn't until she took a step out that she discovered three blood-soaked, tattered human figures at the base of the courtyard wall.

If you think you can harm them just by looking like this, then you are seriously underestimating them.

"Black Claw, come here." Mary waved for the Deinonychus to come closer, and she and Angrita followed her out. The commotion the three of them made was quite loud, and several villagers from next door also came out upon hearing the noise.

"This is...your friend?" a peasant woman asked curiously. "How did he end up like this?"

Daisy's theory about the land was really ineffective in practice, so almost all the plants in the Reislaufe courtyard were the result of the villagers' efforts. As a result, Angelita and the others became quite familiar with them—after all, getting gold by planting flowers and plants was something Zebrech had never experienced before.

“I don’t know them, don’t interfere.” Angelita waved her hand and carefully walked up to the three men with her sword in hand.

Of the three who crashed into the courtyard wall, the one on the left was tall and burly, her grayish-green skin now a darker grayish-brown stained with blood. She appeared to be a woman, her eyes closed as if she had fainted. The one on the right was a middle-aged man, also badly injured, but at least still somewhat conscious.

The person in the middle was thin, but there weren't many wounds visible on his body. The bloodstains were mostly from his companions on either side. His brownish-yellow eyes looked pitifully at Angelita, the two people, and the dragon, filled with sorrow.

"I...I beg you..." Dragging two severely injured companions, each a size or two larger than himself, must have been incredibly difficult. He or she looked on the verge of collapse, and spoke haltingly, "Save us, we're trying to escape..."

“I can see that,” the man said with a noticeable accent, but Angelita still caught a few key words. “Black Claw, come and lend a hand, drag them in—no, they’re not prey, and they’re not food! Do you understand what I mean?”

The Deinonychus tilted its head and thought for a while, then reached out and grabbed the collar of the woman, who was either an orc or a half-orc, and slowly dragged her into the courtyard. Angelita and Mary then helped the two less seriously injured women inside as well.

Since Daisy usually helped with treatment, they naturally didn't keep any particularly expensive medical supplies at home. They could only bandage the three men to the best of their ability and then borrow some herbs to apply to the cleaned and disinfected wounds. Neither Angelita nor Mary were skilled at this, but fortunately, the other party didn't ask for more. The man quickly fainted from the pain of his wounds, leaving only the short man who was dragging his companion, who managed to get a bowl of water and barely managed to stay alive.

"Th-thank you—cough cough cough!" The short man drank in such a hurry that he almost choked to death. "Finally—I'm alive again!"

“Don’t worry, you’re safe now,” Angelita reassured her. “Where did you come from, and what happened to you?”

“Oh, Miss, please don’t mention it,” the short woman’s high-pitched voice revealed her true gender. “We are a team of adventurers. Ironjaw is an orc, as you can probably tell. She’s from Haidong and used to be a mercenary. Ed was once the best hunter in his village. My name is Siti. I’m not very skilled. I can barely swing a stick. I used to be a farmer.”

As she spoke, she showed the two noble ladies opposite her, who were clearly not commoners, the muscles on her arms.

"Actually, we had another companion named Thran. He was an expert at picking locks and breaking into houses. He was caught red-handed by Ironjaw and only then did he turn over a new leaf. Unfortunately, that cost him his life. Sigh..."

It seemed that either Thran had died first, or Siti simply couldn't take one more person with her on the escape. After briefly explaining who they were, Siti began to talk about what they were hiding from.

“We took on a commission from a collector. He had bought a lot of goods at a high price, but something intercepted them, and he asked us to bring it back—it was a cat statue. Yes, we found it.”

"The culprit who stole it was a small red dragon, who kept about three to five fire serpents. This was not an insurmountable opponent for us, but we did not intend to confront it head-on. We dug a hole outside its lair and planned to steal the statue out."

"The whole thing started off smoothly, but while the red dragon was fast asleep, we took the statue. However, just as we were about to run away, we ran into a group of bandits! The big guy in the lead was accompanied by a two-legged flying dragon. It's unbelievable! You be the judge, how were we supposed to escape?"

“The moment Thran showed his face, that big guy smashed his head in. They seem to be in cahoots with the red dragon. We were immediately caught in a pincer attack. We fought back fiercely, but Ironjaw and Ed were seriously injured. As for me? I got a mouthful of fire from that little red lizard on my back.” There was no one to hide from here, so Siti lifted her shirt to show Angrita and the other woman her charred back.

"But it was a blessing in disguise. If it hadn't stopped my bleeding, I definitely wouldn't have made it this far. I'm not sure what's wrong with that statue, but after we fled, they wouldn't give up and kept chasing us! If it weren't for that, Ironjaw and Ed would definitely be in better shape."

The adventurer lowered his head in vain, pulled out the statue, which appeared to be carved from marble, from his arms, and placed it on the table: "Now we can only hope they'll have some consideration for the village and let us go. If they insist on..."

Before Siti could finish speaking, a ferocious roar of a beast echoed from outside, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.

"It's that dragon!" She covered her head and crawled under the table. "Damn it, damn it, damn it, they really caught up with us! What, what are we going to do?"

If she were still near that lair, handing over the statue might have saved her life, but now that was impossible. Immediately following the dragon's roar came a chorus of harsh Inasan curses.

"Everyone in this village, get out here! Search the place! Find that statue! Anyone who dares to stop you, anyone who harbors those three thieves, don't let a single one escape!"

Amidst the chaotic and noisy responses, Angelita and Marie couldn't help but exchange a glance. Perhaps they were hallucinating?

That voice sounds... somewhat familiar!

Chapter 465 Goliath and the Dragon

The wyvern looked down from the sky at the panicked villagers, excitedly flapping its black forearms and wings. It was undoubtedly a dragon, and even having four limbs instead of six could not change that.

However, this perception is relative. It has wings and a tail spike, but it does not have the ability to spray any elements. This makes it unable to hold its head up in front of even a dragon cub, and it even has to be commanded by it!

Assign yourself to the command of this two-legged creature below and obey his orders!

That damned mortal has giant blood; it's a complete humiliation!

Flying Dragon thought angrily, and as its emotions grew increasingly violent, it chose to inflict this humiliation on the other "edible" creatures here, and roared and howled even more vigorously.

"Ow!"

However, just as it was shouting enthusiastically, another powerful roar came from a courtyard below. Feilong looked down and saw a strange-looking beast with rough feathers looking up at him without fear, looking resentful.

How dare it do this?! Are you some kind of dragon?!

A certain substance momentarily overwhelmed the dragon's brain. The creature roared, completely ignoring its "master's" commands below, and charged straight at the beast. In its eyes, the beast was smaller than itself, couldn't fly, and didn't possess any deadly venom; it was no match for it.

Sure enough, as its powerful hind legs reached down to grab, the beast immediately leaped backward, showing no intention of confronting it head-on. Feeling the respect from its bloodline once again, the dragon decided to intensify the process. It suddenly spread its wings and used its neck and sharp teeth to tear forward.

Because its forelimbs are almost entirely wing-like, wyverns rarely land on the ground during battle. However, the beast in front of it was no match for its size, and the wyvern, feeling no threat whatsoever, chose to demonstrate its authority in this most direct way.

But... what is that, a claw?

The next second, the entire village heard the dragon's painful roar after being hit.

"Black Claw!" Angelita and Mary rushed out, but what they saw was the smaller Deinonychus still standing tall, with a few streaks of blood on its claws. In front of it, the dragon's cheek had been cut open with a deep bloodstain more than ten centimeters long, its scales torn and its flesh turned outward.

Siti mentioned the wyvern!

"What's going on?!" The courtyard gate was violently kicked open, but the burly man in the lead suddenly seemed to have become mute, his eyes bulging as he stared at Angrita and the other two, along with the Deinonychus, in the courtyard. "W-Damn it, how come it's you?!"

“It’s you!” Angelita’s expression turned cold. She didn’t remember the other person’s name, but she knew that this Goliath had a grudge against Leslaufer and had defeated him once shortly after they arrived in Eastern Inassus!

"You still dare to come looking for me? You're practically asking for death!"

Goliath Grok, who possessed the blood of the fire giant, hurriedly retreated. In his view, the time for revenge was not yet ripe; he needed to wait.

“Wait,” Groke forced down his panic, squinted, and carefully surveyed his surroundings. “Where’s Reslaufer? Tell him to come out here!”

Mary brandished her sword, which vibrated in the air with a clear, ringing sound: "To deal with you, there's absolutely no need for Lord Leslaufer to intervene."

"What arrogance!" Groke was overjoyed. Leslaufer wasn't here! And although his enemy wasn't here, his two companions were!

"Take them down!"

With that, Grok leaped onto the dragon's back, yanked a scale off a certain spot, and shouted, "Fly! You reckless beast, you've done a great service!"

The dragon roared and soared into the sky, while Grok grabbed the massive longbow made entirely of metal, drew the bowstring, and aimed at the people below: "Today I'll kill you all first and vent my anger!"

As he took flight, the courtyard was instantly emptied, and the bandits who had been chasing him all the way rushed in like swarms of bees, yelling and charging toward the two men and the dragon.

One of them, a scarred man wielding a logging axe, ran ahead and swung it down at Mary's head without a word. But in an instant, he froze on the spot, his seemingly strong body swaying slightly. As his companions passed over his shoulders, the bandit reached for his throat.

Humid, warm...

He fell backward.

Mary's swift sword moved like a butterfly flitting through the forest, leaving trails of blood. Almost every strike was fatal, leaving victims no time to even cry out. The impenetrable net of swords terrified the bandits, who hastily turned their attention to either Angrita or Black Claw, attempting to find a breakthrough.

Shouzhi Changshi was held horizontally by its master, blocking the slashes of two curved swords at the same time. Before the enemies could change their moves, the dazzling lightning became the last world they saw in their lives. Angelita's left hand seemed to grow a lightning claw, making it impossible for the surrounding bandits to get close.

On the other side, while Blackclaw doesn't wield lightning, its claws are far more tangible. Its powerful hind legs spring up like springs, each kick aimed straight for the bandits' chests and abdomens. The beast's attack is unrestrained and lacks any finesse; once hit, the victim's guts are ripped out. Even if someone manages to get close to the Deinonychus during an opening, its razor-sharp teeth will only bring them a painful and slow death.

Not to mention its front paws, which, although relatively weak compared to its hind limbs, can still deliver a fatal blow if caught.

"A bunch of useless trash!" Grok, perched on the back of the flying dragon in mid-air, was filled with exasperation. These people were even worse than the men he had previously gathered. They were just bandits, with very few having served in the military, and they posed no threat whatsoever to Angrita and the others.

It seems he'll have to do it himself in the end.

Goliath frowned, shouted, and the bowstring snapped open, sending a stray arrow hurtling straight towards Angelita in the crowd!

The arrow generated a powerful gust of wind, and Angelita's ears twitched slightly. She immediately raised a shield spell and accurately blocked it.

“Uncle Raslaufer wouldn’t even bother killing you,” the girl sneered. “You brothers are all the same, just cowards who shoot arrows in the dark!”

As she spoke, she kicked a robber in the knee, stepped on his painful, bent leg, and leaped into the air. The electricity in her left hand grew even hotter, transforming into a lightning spear wreathed in shattered magic, which she hurled toward Goliath's chest.