Knights and Magic Wand

"I regret that you're left with an unpleasant impression of this place," Olivia sighed softly, "The people in charge of the village were conscripted by the Lord to fight in the war, and without their supervision, those bastards have been running amok... Anyway, let's not talk about them. Continuing our earlier discussion, are you looking for a place to stay?"

Leon nodded, "We've been on a long journey and are quite tired now; we would indeed appreciate a secure place to rest."

The golden-haired girl looked carefully at the three travelers and then made a suggestion, "If you're willing to rent a place, my family happens to have some vacant farmhouses. We only charge four Diers a month for rent, what do you think? If you stay near my home, those rascals wouldn't dare trouble you again."

Leon paused, turned to look at his companions, and saw that Lokhak and Azeryan wore expressions of puzzlement as well.

Was this girl offering help to strangers she just met out of sheer kindness, or could it be... a trap?

Olivia seemed to misunderstand their hesitation and quickly waved her hands, "Do you think it's too expensive? The rent is negotiable. If you really have trouble paying, I can talk to my father; three Diers a month would also be fine."

"It's not that, Miss Olivia," Leon said with curiosity, "I just don't understand why you would offer to help. Aren't you afraid that we might actually be enemy spies or bandits wandering the woods, just like Boris said?"

The girl grinned and said, "The spies of the Kantadar people definitely wouldn't enter the village speaking in a foreign dialect and drawing attention to themselves. You're too conspicuous. As for bandits, even if that's a possibility, it's better to have you where I can see you than wandering around the village."

As she spoke, Olivia proudly crossed her arms and swayed the stick in her hand, tapping her own shoulder, "When it comes to fighting, I am quite confident. Don't underestimate me; even if you truly are bandits, I'm not afraid."

"Hehe, after seeing your imposing manner earlier, that's something I don't doubt, Golden Lion Miss," Leon teased with a smile.

Olivia's expression stiffened and the corners of her eyes twitched with embarrassment. Being called by that ridiculous nickname by outsiders made her helplessly cover her forehead, "Damn it... those bastards let you hear it after all."

"It's just a joke, it seems you don't like that nickname," Leon said with a smile, "Please go ahead and lead the way, Miss Olivia."

There was no harm in checking out the farmhouses the girl mentioned. If the living conditions were suitable, a monthly rent of three or four Diers was indeed not expensive.

After having endured the elements for so long, the three of them were in no shape to continue their journey without resting for a while.

Besides, they really didn't know where to head next. Staying in the village for a while to regain their strength was also a good idea.

Upon receiving their response, Olivia seemed quite happy and pointed towards the wheat fields at the outskirts of the village, "The farmhouse is behind there, but we need to go to the village first to inform my father."

Leon gestured for them to wait, picked up a pair of tattered hemp trousers off the ground, and tore off a large piece of cloth. Having had the experience of being targeted by village ruffians, he wrapped his treasure sword even more securely this time.

Following Olivia back to the village along the rudimentary dirt path at the edge of the village, the conversation soon flowed easily among them, "We still don't know how to address you all."

"My name is Leon... He is Azeryan, and this big guy is Lokhak," Leon introduced, patting his companion on the shoulder.

After exchanging names, it seemed as though the girl had opened a floodgate of conversation, and she couldn't help but ask curiously about the travelers' experiences along the way.

Considering Leon's mysterious powers and their own uncertainty about how to explain them, Lokhak and Azeryan opted to maintain a precious silence in the face of the girl's questions.

In the end, it was up to Leon to selectively talk about their journey.

Of course, considering the lesson learned earlier that telling the truth sometimes made things more difficult to explain, Leon made no mention of Miss Lora's soul or the events in the Nightmare Forest.

Instead, he spoke about their escape from the mercenaries, the subsequent detour to avoid the battlefield, and their encounter with the Wild Goblins and the chase by the Horror Mountain Bear... these still-imaginable experiences.

As Leon shared their journey, he noticed that the golden hair girl's bright eyes were growing more luminous, appeasing her ample curiosity even with just these stories.

The girl glanced inadvertently at the sword wrapped at Leon's waist.

"I've been curious ever since earlier, where exactly did you get that treasure sword that Boris and his goons were after? Such ornate gear and craftsmanship are really rare to see."

Leon didn't want to get into details, "We actually picked it up from a dead body we came across in the forest, its former owner might have been some noble who got lost while hunting."

"Oh?... How could a noble dare to venture into the Nightmare Forest..." The girl was puzzled, but seeing that Leon was reluctant to elaborate, she did not pursue the matter further.

The group passed through the crisscrossed and messy farmhouses in the village and arrived at the alley entrance on the eastern side.

From a distance, Leon heard the clanging of hammering iron.

"My father's name is Brian, he's the village blacksmith," Olivia led the three into the blacksmith shop at the entrance of the alley.

Inside the hut, a young apprentice, sweating profusely, rhythmically hammered away at the red-hot iron bar on the anvil.

Beside him, an elderly bearded uncle quietly observed the apprentice's motions.

The girl walked up to the bearded uncle and leaned in, raising her voice slightly, "Father, I have something I want to discuss with you."

Startled by Olivia's voice, the apprentice, who had been focused on forging, suddenly panicked and hammered the wrong spot.

The old blacksmith Brian frowned and sternly scolded the apprentice, "Stay focused!"

After finishing, he relaxed his expression, turned his head back, and ruffled his daughter's hair.

Seeing the stick in her hand, Brian's expression softened and turned helpless, "Did you go teach those rascals a lesson again?"

"No, I promise! This time I just scared them a bit," Olivia sulkily set the stick aside.

Leon, standing aside watching this father and daughter, couldn't help but think how appearances can be deceiving.

This burly old blacksmith with his fierce look, large and strong physique, could have sired Olivia who was such a delicate and charming girl.

And his brown hair, flecked with white at the temples, bore no resemblance to Olivia's beautiful golden tresses.

It must be her mother's genes that prevailed, Leon mused.

Mr. Brian chuckled and patted his daughter's head before noticing that she had brought with her three unfamiliar young faces, "Who are these?"

"They're travelers passing through the village."

Olivia explained to her father, "Hawk just came to find me quietly, saying Boris had rounded up people again. I went to see what was happening, only to find that bunch of idiots actually trying to rob these outsiders."

"That bunch of little bastards is getting more and more outrageous," Mr. Brian frowned, then turned and apologized to the three youths, "Young men, I hope you weren't hurt because of some bad elements in our village."

Leon nodded slightly and gratefully said, "I just wanted to express my thanks for that. Your daughter is a noble and kind-hearted young lady. She was very enthusiastic in helping us out of a tough spot in a timely manner."

Olivia blinked, her cheeks turning a touch red; such a straightforward compliment was a first for her, these people from outside the village really know how to speak.

Mr. Brian nodded with satisfaction and waved them over, "It's noisy here, let's go talk in the yard."

The group followed the old blacksmith out of the workshop, Leon suddenly noticed that the other man's walk was somewhat limping.

The elderly gentleman's leg appeared to have been injured.

Even so, his slightly unbalanced gait was still very steady.