A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Feeling a little embarrassed, Bray offered to pay some money, but Marus's mother politely declined.

"Speaking of which, you two are really lucky," Marus's mother said casually as she sat at the dining table.

"Good luck?" Bray asked, puzzled.

“Yes, in recent years, not only have there been more wild beasts near Skahn Village, but also some ferocious monsters.” Marus’s mother’s face showed some worry.

"Many villagers were almost killed, but they were lucky enough to escape back to the village."

“Monsters…” Bray lowered his head, unsure of what to say.

Bray felt something was off in the forest, probably because of those monsters?

“But we really have to thank the River God. It must be because of His blessing that the people in our village are so lucky.” With that, Marus’s mother clasped her hands in prayer.

“Yes, the River God must be a very good deity,” Marus said excitedly, chewing on a roasted rabbit leg.

"River God?" Bray realized he was almost turning into a problem child.

However, Marus quickly explained what the "river god" was.

Many people in Kapras have their own beliefs, and of course, Bray already knows that the gods worshipped by those religions are all of the golden race.

However, apart from religious people who believe in gods, many tribes and villages have their own unique beliefs.

The "River God" is the deity worshipped by the people of Skahn Village for generations; perhaps it actually exists, or perhaps it is just a fiction.

Legend has it that this forest itself had no rivers, but the "river god" descended and opened up the waterways, allowing people to thrive and the villages to prosper.

The people of Skahn village attribute many of their good fortunes to the protection of the "river god".

Bray does not intend to comment on this.

Anyway, Bray doesn't have a god he worships, even though he knows that gods do exist.

Putting everything else aside, they encountered the nagging goddess Bray from time to time.

“We in Yundu Kingdom also believe in gods, and we believe in a variety of gods,” Naruko said to Bray, sucking the oil off her fingers.

“I really hope the River God can protect us and drive away those monsters,” Marus’s mother sighed.

The monsters always appear at night, which forces Skahn Village to send people to keep watch every night.

Wild beasts are fine, but monsters are really dangerous.

"Hopefully," Bray replied dismissively.

"But aren't you planning to ask adventurers for help?"

Adventurers are very familiar with monsters, as they often have to deal with them.

“We’ve invited them many times, and many of them are B-rank adventurers.” Marus’s mother held her face, looking worried.

"But every time we fail to defeat them, I've heard that many adventurers have perished in the jaws of monsters."

"Are all the B-rank adventurers dead?" Naruko exclaimed in surprise.

"Then it's very likely an A-rank monster."

“I guessed so.” Bray nodded, unusually agreeing with Naruko’s words.

“Yes, so it seems the Empire specifically asked the Knights to help us with the campaign this time,” Marus said at this moment.

If even B-rank adventurers can't handle these monsters, then aside from A-rank monsters, there's probably nothing else, according to the Empire's opinion.

And the A-rank monsters near the capital are threatening no matter how you look at it.

Therefore, the Empire sent its knights to assist Skahn Village without waiting for them to make a request.

“The Knights.” Bray paused for a moment.

Speaking of the Knights, Bray does know someone: Nisa from back then.

"Knight Princess" Nisa, a serious girl.

He even gave Bray his future wedding money as a way of repaying him.

"Come to think of it, I seem to owe someone in the Knights a favor." The money for my future wedding is such a heavy burden. How could I have accepted it? What a sin.

"Brother Bray knows the Knights!" Marus exclaimed excitedly.

Bray found this rather strange; what was so exciting about Marus?

"Aren't all the Knights so handsome and strong?!"

The Knights were highly respected in the Empire, even more so than the military.

Often, soldiers are seen as executioners.

In comparison, the Knights of Favonius clearly had a much better public image.

In contrast to the military, which fought for the empire, the Knights were more like the emperor's private army and were not classified as part of the military.

However, they also had an obligation to participate in the war.

Bray realized that Marus was clearly a fan of the Knights.

"Well, the equipment is indeed quite cool, and the strength is also very good." Bray recalled Nisha and answered honestly.

Wow! Can you tell me more about it?

"I want to hear too!" Naruko said, munching on a rabbit leg, and raised her hand.

"What are you meddling in for?!" Bray almost slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

“How can a wanderer not broaden his horizons?!” Naruko’s words made perfect sense, and Bray was speechless.

---

A bright white crescent moon hangs high in the sky; it is already late at night.

Under the moonlight, the earth was not so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.

The guard on duty in Skahn village yawned.

On a cliff far from Skahn village, a half-crouching figure was bathed in moonlight.

The figure seamlessly combines half flames and half icy aura.

"Roar!!!!!"

A slightly clumsy roar rang out, startling the surrounding birds into a flurry of flight that blotted out the sky.

The guards of Skane Village could not possibly have seen this clearly.

Because it's really too far.

Looking at the moonlight, the guard gradually relaxed.

Before we knew it, time had slipped by.

The moon sets, the sun rises.

The next day, Skahn village remained peaceful, and nothing happened.

"Nothing was posted yesterday, right?" a villager greeted the guard.

"There's nothing there, haha."

The exquisite silver-white armor stood out so conspicuously in the forest.

Several knights were walking in the woods near the village of Skahn.

"So tired... um..." A very cute child stuck out his tongue.

"Messiah, is this how a man acts?!" another young knight said to Messiah, frowning.

"But Baphomet... the armor is so heavy." The cute little knight, called Messiah, looked a little aggrieved.

Seeing the two young knights, the other knights couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha, these two apprentice knights are really interesting," an older man chuckled.

The man's name is Barreka, and he is a highly experienced knight.

“That’s far from enough, these two little ones,” a female knight said dismissively, her face stern.

This female knight is a famous member of the Knights Order, named Sen Aiwen.

"Lady Nisha, why did you bring two apprentice knights with you?" a knight with a joking expression asked Nisha, who was walking ahead of her.

The carefree knight is Cade, who has only been a formal knight for about two years.

The knights who came to Skahn Village this time were led by Nisa.

"Knight Princess" Nisa is not only a knight of the Knights Order, but also the vice-commander of the Knights Order.

Because the target of this expedition might be stronger than a B-rank monster, Nisa was dispatched.

“This is a good opportunity to practice,” Nisha paused before replying.

"A qualified knight cannot be cultivated in a greenhouse."

Although this campaign may be somewhat dangerous.

However, it was also a good experience.

Most importantly, Nisha still thinks highly of the two little knights.

“Even the knight’s armor couldn’t withstand it, Messiah, you’re too weak!” Baphomet sighed.

"What you're wearing is already women's armor; there's nothing lighter than this."

“Hmm…” Messiah lowered her little head.

Baphomet appeared full of energy to the exhausted Messiah.

"But speaking of which, how much longer will it take?" Cade stretched.

This level of hiking distance is nothing for Kade, who has been training for a long time.

However, not being able to find a place to stay for the night can be very troublesome.

“It should still be an hour or two of travel,” Sen Aiwen said with a stern face.

“Messiah, you can rest soon,” Nisha suddenly said, turning to Messiah.

"Okay, okay!" Messiah was so surprised that he stood up straight.

The sun is almost setting, and if we don't hurry, it will get dark.

Nightfall is the most dangerous time for those traveling in the wilderness.

As Nisha walked through the woods, she felt that something was off about the place.

But I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.

"Is it the influence of monsters? Or something else?" Nisha began to speculate.

Although the Knights' tutorial was progressing quickly, the sun eventually set, and the sky darkened at a visible pace.

Nisha looked up at the night sky and sighed.

“Speed ​​up a bit, Baphomet, you carry Messiah,” Nisha said.

"Hey, am I supposed to carry him on my back?!" Baphomet asked somewhat reluctantly.

"Come on up, you troublesome fellow." Baphomet had a million questions about this fellow trainee knight.

He was physically weak and lacked any masculinity whatsoever.

How did he manage to be selected as a trainee knight?

"Ah! Thank you!" Messiah waved his hands hurriedly to express his gratitude when he saw Baphomet squatting down.

"Hurry up, I can manage for an hour or two." Baphomet glanced at his back and gestured for Messiah to climb up quickly.

"You're really light," Baphomet remarked.

Looking at the two apprentice knights, Nisha couldn't help but smile.

Then, the next moment, Nisha's eyelids twitched, and she casually drew her knight's longsword from its sheath.

"Clang—" The sound of a sword being drawn echoed through the forest.

Nisha's smile faded, and her expression turned serious.

Nisa's sudden movement startled the other knights.