Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 527 - 527 250 Heading to Deyatuk Happy New Year asking for monthly passes_2

527: Chapter 250 Heading to Deyatuk (Happy New Year, asking for monthly passes)_2 527: Chapter 250 Heading to Deyatuk (Happy New Year, asking for monthly passes)_2 The warhorses and Horror Wolves had vigorous endurance, and as the group traveled past the edge of their earlier line of sight, they finally saw a cluster of abandoned cottages dispersed across a desolate village.

Leon remembered…

this was the village where he, Azeryan, and Lokhak had once picked up a pitchfork and grass sandals.

But now, the abandoned fields were overgrown with weeds, and the tattered mud-and-wood houses were dilapidated and on the verge of collapse.

Looking at this village, which—even though it was now under Orland’s rule—continued to be devoid of human presence, Leon sighed.

This place was even more desolate than the last time he had seen it.

It was hard to believe that nearly a year had passed, yet the villagers who fled still showed no signs of returning to rebuild their lives.

Still, a few run-down houses that could shelter them from the wind and rain were certainly more comfortable than camping in the wild.

The group dismounted and began searching the village for a suitable house to spend the night in.

Leon’s gaze almost instinctively landed on that wooden house that had left a profound impression on him.

He walked straight over and pushed the door open.

There was no stench of rotting corpses as he had imagined.

After all, in such a drafty environment, after nearly a year, any smell would have long since dissipated through the windows.

Still, traces of the disaster that had occurred were unmistakable.

The remains of the father and daughter had long since decayed into scattered dry bones.

Olivia, seeing Leon standing silently in the room, followed him into the wooden house with a curious expression.

Surveying the surroundings and the two corroded remains, the young girl’s extraordinary thought process instantly reconstructed everything that had transpired in the room based on the position and form of the skeletons.

Her delicate brows furrowed as she became visibly moved.

Olivia pressed her lips tightly together, feeling an undeniable surge of anger at this brutality—eerily similar to what Selva had experienced.

“Help me get two sheets of cloth from the pack,” Leon said as he turned around.

The girl did her best to compose herself, quickly fetching two coarse cloths.

Leon wrapped each skeleton in cloth, and together with Olivia, they dug graves in the clearing next to the village, carefully burying the remains of the unfortunate father and daughter.

It was only a small gesture of effort, but having laid those poor souls to rest, Leon and Olivia returned to the knights’ gathering.

The group lit a campfire in a courtyard of a farmhouse within the village.

As everyone prepared their dinner for the night, Larian returned from fetching water by the river, his face etched with a hint of wariness.

“My lord, I noticed signs of felled trees in the forest—likely caused by a giant beast passing through.

Following the riverbank, I found paw prints belonging to a giant bear.

Judging by their size, this area may be within the range of a Horror Mountain Bear.

We must be cautious tonight.”

Leon froze for a moment.

He was no stranger to Horror Mountain Bears—after all, it was one of those very creatures that had chased him into panic, plunging him into a river and being swept away into the Cursed Land.

But…

Leon couldn’t help but raise his head to look northeast.

The forest where the Horror Mountain Bear usually roamed was, as far as he recalled, very far from this village—a distance that would take several days for a normal person traveling on foot.

How could its tracks appear here?

Still, Leon wasn’t overly concerned.

The Horror Mountain Bear was indeed dangerous.

But the knights accompanying him this time were all top-tier warriors, deeply skilled against monstrous foes.

And among the team, aside from Olivia, they had Glenn Soren—a specialist at hunting water beasts of far larger scale.

With the Nedy Card and the Magic Gun Garner at his side, his martial prowess had advanced significantly compared to before.

If that berserk bear dared to come after him again, it would end up regretting it.

Of course, to err on the side of caution, the group arranged for shifts—two people at a time—to take turns keeping watch overnight.

By the next day, under the bright sun, the anticipated nighttime attack by monsters had not occurred.

The group packed their belongings and continued hastily toward the northeast.

Most of Mamor County’s territory had already been annexed by the Northern Kingdom, and Leon led the knights onto the marked highway shown on the map, proceeding with bold confidence.

No reckless or foolish bandits dared to attack ten-odd knights covered in armor, riding warhorses as they speeded along.

By midday, Leon and his party began to notice small groups of travelers on the road.

In the distance, beneath the fortress by the river’s edge, the outline of a city gradually became visible.

Leding Castle.

Once the residence of Baron Dawson—the so-called Poison Snake Baron of Mamor County—and the stronghold of the Casoles Family.

Now it was controlled by the Gunnar Family of Kosos County, one of the territories under Baron Grey Wolf’s domain.

Though the Thorny Flower Family and the Wolf Family had long harbored a fierce grudge and had engaged in bloody conflicts not long ago, Leon did not deliberately detour around the area.

First, they were rushing to their destination and didn’t want to waste time.

Second, he carried something akin to a “portable Wolf Family Young Master” in his pocket.

Should trouble arise, he wasn’t worried about the Gunnar Family seeking to provoke him.

At worst, he could find a place to summon Canis to help handle the issue.

Upon entering the settlement, the guards did not give them any trouble.

After all, no matter how poor the relationship was between the two families, the soldiers didn’t dare to provoke a traveling group of nobles.

Aside from Leon and Olivia, Glenn Soren and the others carried their official Noble Knight emblems—seal rings marking their identity.

Even Ranger Knights were bona fide noble knights.

After all, the life of roaming the lands and upholding justice wasn’t sustainable without substantial financial backing.

Rangers wouldn’t take dishonorable jobs, but surviving on the paltry reward money from sporadic acts of heroism in this era would leave them starving on the roadside.

Traveling expenses, maintaining weapons and armor—these all represented enormous costs.

Noble status provided them with economic support, whether it be income from fiefs, family trade endeavors, or inheritance from exceedingly wealthy ancient families.

Even knights who didn’t initially hail from noble bloodlines—those who ventured into the path of chivalrous wanderers—were typically conferred titles long before making it this far.

However, knights with martial prowess, financial resources, and idealistic pursuits were rarer than dragons in the mountains.

The group stocked up on essentials at the marketplace—buying bread, smoked meat, and wine to replenish their supplies for the journey—and found a clean tavern where they planned to rest briefly before moving on.

As they ate and chatted, the sound of iron hooves echoed closer outside the tavern.

The riders halted their mounts, and the group paused their conversations.

The distinct clang of shin armor accompanied footsteps that approached and clearly headed straight for their gathering.

The tavern door creaked open, and an old knight strode in, draped in a cloak and clad in plate armor.

The lively tavern hall quickly fell silent.

Leon raised his eyes to examine the old knight’s face and was surprised to see someone familiar.

Wasn’t this the same elder who, after the battle at Longka, had been sent by the Wolf Family to negotiate for Canis’s ransom?

If he remembered right, his name was “Henkel.”

Henkel’s gaze swept through the room and landed directly on the two occupied tables where Leon’s group was seated.

Leon raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

An unfriendly visitor?

Unlikely.

His group was merely passing through—was the Wolf Family so eager to stir up trouble?

As Henkel’s eyes settled on the knights at the two tables, his expression seemed to relax.

He walked briskly, first placing his hand over his chest and offering a slight bow to Leon, who he now addressed as “Baron.”

“I offer my greetings and apologize for the intrusion, Lord Pendragon,” Henkel said solemnly.

Then he hurriedly redirected his attention to the Ranger Knights seated nearby.

“I heard from the guards that honorable knights were passing through, and I rushed over immediately.

Please lend your aid to Leding Castle.

The Gunnar Family has an urgent commission and seeks the assistance of you esteemed rangers.

Upon successful completion, there will be a generous reward…”