Holy Mania Empire, Maple Leaf Territory at the southwest border.
As the frontline of the empire, Maple Leaf Territory looked like a sharp knife protruding from the map. It crossed the Vimur River and slanted into the Gloom Mountain Range, the Elven Forest, and the Kingdom of Ayres.
In fact, as early as a thousand years ago, this place did indeed belong to the original Elven Forest. There were still many elven ruins left in the territory, and it became a good place for some nobles and tourists to visit.
Creekwood Town, southwest of Maple Leaf Territory.
The winter sky was incomparably blue, and the biting cold wind made the windmill at the entrance of the town creak. There was still quite a bit of snow on the houses made of bricks and wood.
The old alley was filled with smoke, and the aroma of bread and barbecue drifted out. From time to time, the sound of children playing could be heard.
At the town entrance, the guards were on duty at the outpost.
The bonfire danced amidst the crackling of dry wood. Two guards in leather armor sat around the bonfire, one fat and one skinny. They drank muddy ale drunkenly while roasting a plump rabbit that they had just caught in the wild. They were very happy.
"Burp … Is it done?"
The short and fat guard burped.
He looked eagerly at the yellow rabbit meat dripping with oil and exuding an enticing aroma. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva and ask expectantly.
"Don't worry, roast some more! It'll taste better! "
The tall and thin guard who was in charge of roasting the rabbit rolled his eyes. He took out a small bag and carefully opened it, revealing some fine salt.
He painfully took out some of it and sprinkled it carefully on the ground.
"Put some salt, it'll taste better."
"Burp —"
The short and fat guard looked at the golden rabbit meat dripping with oil, and his eyes became more and more straight.
While the two were roasting the meat, the copper bell hanging at the side of the outpost suddenly made a series of crisp sounds.
The tall and thin guard who was roasting the meat looked back, and then his eyes became serious.
"Hmm? The trap has been triggered! "
The short and fat guard became spirited.
"Hmm? You caught a beast again? "
He subconsciously swallowed his saliva.
"I don't know, it could also be a demonic beast. Recently, a lot of demonic beasts have run out from the Elven Forest. There might be a big guy. We're not professionals, so we have to be careful …"
The thin guard shook his head, then pursed his lips.
"Let's go and take a look."
"Then … rabbit meat."
"Leave it here first. I'll be back soon."
"Oh … Alright."
The two of them put on their helmets, picked up their weapons, and walked out of the outpost.
They followed a hidden rope to the outskirts of the town.
The field was covered with thick white snow.
The trap that the two of them had set to catch their prey was also hidden in the snow.
For some reason, there were more wild beasts roaming outside the town this winter than in previous years. There were also many magical beasts that had only been heard of in the Elven Forest.
Earlier on, Creekwood Town had even been attacked by a beast tide.
Therefore, in consideration of safety, the town had set up an observation post.
As for traps, on one hand, they were used for warning, and on the other hand, they were tools for hunting.
The biting cold wind blew away their drunkenness. They held their weapons tightly, held their breaths, and cautiously crept in the direction of the trap …
Soon, they saw a figure caught in the beast trap.
However, this was not a beast, but a human.
It was a human male who looked to be in his fifties. He was thin and his hair was messy. He was hugging his leg that was caught in the beast trap and howling.
His body was dirty and in an exceptionally sorry state. He was shivering from the cold, and his clothes were tattered and had a trace of blood. However, one could vaguely make out that it was a butler's uniform, and it was made of good material that only important people could afford to wear …
Human?!
The two guards opened their mouths wide.
And when they saw the other person's face clearly …
"Master Anders?! Why is it you?! You escaped from the Black Dragon?! "
The thin guard was shocked.
"Master Anders? What happened to you? Why did you lose so much weight?! "
The fat guard said in shock.
Anders was speechless.
"Don't mention it! Quick! Help me get rid of this beast trap. I don't know which bastard set this trap at the entrance of the village! Damn it! Don't you know that you'll accidentally hurt people?! "
Anders cursed, but … he was a little weak.
It was already winter, and they were at the border. Other than those smugglers, who else would come from the town?
The two of them muttered in their hearts.
However, they moved quickly and quickly helped Anders get out of the beast trap …
The other party was the butler of the feudal lord, a high and mighty figure!
After getting out of the beast trap, Anders limped to his feet. At this time, his stomach made a loud rumbling sound.
"Rumble ~"
Anders' dirty old face blushed slightly.
He coughed a few times and asked.
"Is there anything to eat?"
The two guards looked at each other and were about to answer when Anders sniffed and his eyes lit up.
"What's that smell? It smells so good."
The guards were speechless.
…
At the outpost of Creekwood Town.
Anders sat in front of the campfire and wolfed down the golden and fragrant rabbit meat. His mouth and hands were greasy.
Looking at how he looked as if he had not eaten for a month, the two guards looked at each other and were speechless.
The thin one was fine, but the fat one looked at the rabbit meat that was being eaten by Anders and his eyes were wide open.
In the end, the thin one pulled his sleeve and he looked away.
"Cough cough …"
Anders seemed to have eaten too quickly as he suddenly choked. When the skinny guard saw this, he passed the fat guard's wineskin to him.
"Master Anders, eat slowly. Drink some wine to smooth it out."
He said.
The fat guard was speechless.
Anders did not refuse.
He grabbed it and gulped it down in one gulp.
But soon, his expression changed and he spat out all the wine he had just drunk.
"This is ale? How much water is added?! It tastes terrible! "
The thin guard was fine, but the fat guard was unhappy.
He pursed his lips and muttered, "Don't worry.
"Ale is so expensive … How many times can I drink it without adding water …"
"Huh?!"
Anders's expression instantly turned unfriendly.
The skinny guard was startled.
He quickly pulled the fat guard behind him and smiled awkwardly at Anders.
"Cough cough … Master Anders, as you know, our town is tight on money. It's good enough to have wine to drink. Please bear with us."
After hearing his words, Anders's expression eased a lot.
He took another bite of the rabbit meat and regained his original arrogant attitude.
"The roasted rabbit is good."
"Thank you for your compliment."
The thin guard replied.
However, even if he deliberately put on an arrogant attitude, Anders' current appearance was a little embarrassing and looked a little comical.
Looking at the other party's embarrassing appearance, the two guards felt a faint sense of satisfaction.
A few months ago, this butler came to the town as a tax collector to collect taxes.
He was like the nobles in the city, greedy and disliked by the townspeople.
Back then, when this guy was kidnapped by the Black Dragon, many people clapped their hands and cheered.
Of course, they did not dare to say this out loud.
Additionally … … many of the townsfolk were taken away together with Anders.
Thinking of this, the thin guard could not help but ask.
"Master Anders, that … Where are the others?"
"What others?"
Anders was slightly taken aback.
"That is … the people who were taken away with you by the Black Dragon."
"They …"
Anders' eyes flickered slightly, then he sighed.
"Don't mention it."
"Sigh … After escaping from the Black Dragon's control, we encountered a wave of beasts on our way back and got separated."
"When I escaped, I ran in the wrong direction and didn't know the way. It wasn't easy for me to rush back today … Why, the others didn't come back?"
The two guards looked at each other and their expressions became serious.
The others … Indeed, they did not come back.
However, when Anders mentioned the wave of beasts, they knew that things were not good.
In recent months, the surrounding magical beasts were restless. If they really encountered a wave of beasts, then it was really … Dangerous.
A few months ago, the magical beasts in the Elven Forest had encountered something and suddenly rushed out as if they had gone mad, causing a lot of damage to Creekwood Town.
Fortunately, the magical beasts that attacked that time were of a lower level, so there were no casualties.
But in winter, if there really was a wave of beasts, then the ones that appeared would be powerful magical beasts!
Thinking of this, the two guards felt very sad.
If they really encountered a wave of beasts … Even if they did not die, they would lose a layer of skin.
And Anders had returned, but the others had not. Perhaps … They would never return.
"The Eternal Overlord above …"
The fat guard drew a sun symbol on his chest with a gloomy expression.
Among those people, there were also friends he had played with since he was young.
"The Eternal Overlord above …"
The thin guard sighed and silently prayed.
For a moment, the small outpost fell into silence.
Anders' eyes flashed and he sighed in relief.
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and continued to eat the rabbit meat.
The two guards stared at the bonfire in a daze.
At this moment, the warning bell rang again …
— —
Hmm, it's quite a long day today. Should I get a monthly ticket?
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
