The witch thought I am a Demon God
Chapter 197 - 141: Mysterious Banquet(4031)_1

Chapter 197: Chapter 141: Mysterious Banquet(4031)_1

On the mountain road, by the time Wild Boar Knight and his comrades reached the tenth toll station, they were somewhat irritated.

What a troublesome territory, filled with countless toll stations.

By the time they encountered the twelfth and thirteenth toll stations, the Knight Regiment had grown numb to the process. The Wild Boar Knight had his deputy, the Bamboo Rat Knight, repeatedly pay the tolls with gold coins.

Upon reaching the sixteenth toll station, they had paid an astonishing fifteen gold coins in this wretched place.

Although one could say this wasn’t a significant amount for Baron Moro, as his current iron casting business alone could bring in seven to eight hundred gold coins every month.

But for knights who had to pay this transit toll and didn’t have a fixed territory, this was a considerable expense.

The Wild Boar Knight had a grim expression throughout the entire journey, sniffing the air for the scent of the Hearthstone Grand Witch. He had placed his hopes in finding a witch concealed within the territory for their lord, aiming to offset the travel expenses with the reward money.

After the Knight Regiment passed through the final toll station, a soldier from the toll station mounted an elderly horse and caught up with them.

The soldier was stopped by the Bamboo Rat Knight. "The tax has already been paid," the Rat Knight accused sternly, "What else do you want?"

"Ah, you’ve misunderstood, Sir Knight," the soldier responded, lowering his head. "Our Lord has invited the Wild Boar Knight to be a guest at the castle."

"He said that it’s getting late."

"He could not ignore the arrival of the Knight Regiment from the Church in his territory. He wishes to offer the Wild Boar Knight warm wine, roasted meat, and a tidy, comfortable room."

Upon hearing this, the Wild Boar Knight’s face eased up. He had not expected the Lord of the Ambros people to be so hospitable. The thought immediately lifted his spirits.

The Wild Boar Knight said to his deputy: "Let’s change our course."

At this moment, the soldier, plucking up the courage, spoke out: "Respected Knight Regiment Leader, the Lord has specified he only wishes to entertain you..."

"Outrageous..." blurted out the Bamboo Rat Knight.

The soldier quickly added, "And your deputy, the Bamboo Rat Knight. That’s you."

"This is the Lord’s letter."

The soldier passed the letter written by Ivita to the Bamboo Rat Knight. After taking a look, the Bamboo Rat Knight handed it to the Wild Boar Knight.

Upon reading the letter, the Wild Boar Knight sighed in irritation. "It seems the Lord here is concerned that our troop’s presence in the town could cause trouble, so he has asked us to camp in the wilderness."

The Bamboo Rat Knight sighed at this but was not surprised.

In fact, this request was not out of line, but quite normal.

When you bring an army through someone else’s territory, it is only polite to avoid castles and villages. It shows goodwill to the local Lord.

Besides, logically, it would be reasonable for any Lord to refuse entry into his territory.

Although, it might lead to a battle.

As Ivita’s territory controls a critical passageway, she could not arbitrarily forbid others entry.

Following unspoken conventions, the Western guardian of Ambros has never denied anyone passage.

The Bamboo Rat Knight asked Wild Boar Knight, "So, what shall we do now, Commander?"

Wild Boar Knight gave a cold snort, glaring at the soldier on the old horse, which made him extremely frightened.

However, he had no intention of breaking the rules.

The Wild Boar Knight commanded, "We’ll follow the host’s instructions and split our troop into two groups, each moving through his territory at around two thousand meters apart."

"Actually, there’s nothing wrong with it. The Lord’s worry is justified."

"When we crossed the Duchy of Lower Burgundy, the count there wished we would take a detour. He even demanded that we split our troop into teams of ten to pass through his territory."

The Bamboo Rat Knight chuckled at the memory. "Indeed."

"That count was excessively cautious and stingy."

He looked up at the sky, noticing that it was getting dark, and decided it would be better to camp in the wilderness of this territory.

Otherwise, it would be troublesome to encounter bandits or wild beasts on the road.

The Bamboo Rat Knight said, "Then I’ll make the arrangements."

The Wild Boar Knight said, "Let Knight Bronk handle it. You come with me to the Lord’s castle. It would be bad manners to refuse his hospitality."

"Let’s enjoy the hospitality he has prepared for us."

Shortly after, Wild Boar Knight and Bamboo Rat Knight detached from their troops and followed the soldier towards the castle.

The sky darkened quickly, with a gentle rain starting to fall.

The Bamboo Rat Knight saw the outline of the castle ahead and rode up beside the Wild Boar Knight. "Sir, we are almost there."

"You seem to have a lot on your mind?"

The Wild Boar Knight, lost in thought, nodded absently. He gestured at the small mound on the ground, saying, "Look... there are signs of war machinery, lots of footprints all along the way. These footprints are in rows and columns, as if a war has taken place."

"And not too long ago."

"There must have been a large-scale war here recently."

Bamboo Rat Knight replied casually, "That’s hardly surprising in current Ambros."

The Wild Boar Knight shook his head, saying, "Some footprints are strange, as if they weren’t made by humans. In any case, this territory isn’t one to be provoked."