The mercenary had some arguments with the villager boy Julius, and if it weren't for Olga and Pattin, the incident would undoubtedly have turned into bloodshed, and Julius, a courageous, but ignorant and reckless teenager, would have had a very miserable end. After replenishing the food, Patin told the convoy to set off immediately towards the Forest of the Dead. Staying in this small village for a few more days will only continue to magnify the uneasiness and fear of these poor villagers.

Before leaving, Padin received some coins from the village chief. He knew why the village chief had done this, and he knew that he must have given the same amount of coins to the "terrible giant" Gris with fear and trembling hands. In order to reassure the villager, Patin took the coins - for these villagers, the money could be a long-term wealth accumulation, and for Pattin, it was at most a two-handed sword.

This is how the villagers survive. Humiliation is just a trivial matter, and only living is an eternal proposition.

Before saying goodbye to Pattin, perhaps remembering and perhaps thankful for what Patin had done, the village chief told Patin something.

"Lord Knight, in fact, there are still people living in the forest. ”

Patin was a little curious, "Living in the Forest of the Dead, with wild beasts as companions?"

The village chief seemed to be recalling something, "It may not be accurate to say that there are people living there, I don't know if it is really people...... That was what happened to me more than a decade ago, when there were so many wild beasts that even the villages on the edge could not be disturbed. ”

It seemed that the village chief had something to say, and Patin stood by and waited for him to continue.

"Life in the village was difficult, children were taken away, villagers were killed or wounded, and crops were often destroyed by wild animals...... At that time, I was a little strong and impulsive, so I took the powerful men of the village into the forest, wanting to avenge my son and daughter-in-law, who had been killed by wild beasts, and thought that I would have to kill at least a few wolves before I could return to the village...... At that time, my mind was full of anger, and I couldn't even care about my granddaughter. Speaking of this, the village chief smiled bitterly, "I also think of myself as a character, forgetting that the people who run out of the forest to the village to find food are all weak beasts." As a result, in the forest, those strong monsters ate the villagers like fruits, and we had no ability to resist. In the end, I was the only one who could escape, thinking that this would be a dead death. On the way to escape from the beasts, I came to a wooden house before I knew it, and there were no monsters chasing after me. I have forgotten what the wooden house looked like, but I still have a slight impression of the nursery in front of the wooden house. ”

"It was a very old woman, dressed in a black robe, with her hair dishevelled like kelp, and her face had more wrinkles than my old face now, which seemed terrible to me at the time—she was like a witch. When the old woman saw that I was in a panic with blood and fell to the wooden house, she rescued me and dressed my wounds with herbs. The crushed juice herb was like a panacea, and my wounds healed quickly, leaving only a few scars. ”

When Patin heard this, he had some understanding of this old woman in his heart, but it was not easy to make an accurate judgment. It may have been a herbalist who had escaped the world, or it could have been a witch or mage who had fled west of Oran to the east. Cruel witches and ruthless mages don't mean that unless they ask for it, so Patin prefers to think of it as a desperate herbalist.

"The old woman was silent and never said a complete word to me. After bandaging my wounds, they led me out of the forest until I could see the smoke of the village. I walked out of the jungle and looked back at the mysterious old woman, who only said, 'Don't come again' and turned away. Since then, I haven't seen the old woman since. It's been more than ten years, and she may be long gone. The village chief recalled the past with infinite emotion. "Knight, if you are lucky enough to see that strange wooden house in the depths of the forest, it is probably the old woman's home. I don't know if the place is still the way it used to be, but if you run into the old woman, you might be able to ask her for some herbs for her wounds. She may be a weird and withdrawn person, but since she saved me, she shouldn't be a bad person. ”

The old man's words were finished. Patin pulled some silver coins out of his pocket and shoved them into the village chief's hand, "Thank you for your advice, it's very helpful for us. Patin's words were not polite, because in the Forest of the Dead, there were times when it was necessary to use herbs or potions for trauma.

How dare the village chief accept the money of the kind-hearted knight lord in front of him, but Padin is very tough this time, so he has to accept it obediently.

The slow-moving convoy had reached the edge of the village and came to the entrance to the forest. Patin mounted his horse, said goodbye to the village chief, and hurried towards the convoy. The mercenaries walked at the end and in the middle of the convoy with a big grin, behaving rudely towards the squires who were also on foot. The knights of the church rode from one convoy to another, keeping an eye on the restless fellows.

Patin returns to the front of the team to find that Olga, who has temporarily replaced his leader, has an extra child next to him. The boy named Julius followed Olga's horse, walking quickly and treadfully to keep up with it.

"It's time for you to go home, kid. Pattinzerma rushed to Olga's side and said to Julius.

"Lord Knight, I think you need a guide. When Julius saw Pattin, he immediately left Olga, who was still in the close, and followed Pattin's side. He raised his head and looked up at Pattin, his eyes sparkling, "I often go into the forest to collect fruit, and I know which roads have harder ground for carriages to move around, and which roads are safer than the cries of wild beasts—well, though we haven't heard the howls of wild beasts in our village for a long time. ”

"We don't need a guide. Your parents will be worried about you, so go back. Patin showed no signs of relenting.

Hearing this, Julius lowered his head, "My parents are long dead. I am an orphan. ”

When Patin and Olga heard this, their faces changed slightly. In these days, death is not a rare thing, but frequent enough to be numbing. Patin didn't even need to ask how his parents were gone, maybe they were killed by robbers, maybe they died of illness...... Natural and man-made disasters, there are always one or two things that these poor villagers can't escape.

Because of this, Patin would not let Julius follow.

"No, go back to your village. "Kid, I know what you're thinking, but your delusions will ruin your peaceful life, and you won't even be able to save your life. Patin raised the hooves of his crotch horse, rolled up a cloud of dust, and pushed Julius aside, "You were lucky, otherwise the mercenaries would have left you without at least a hand or a leg." In the dense forest, you're not so lucky to have help from me or Olga. Those rude warriors have a way to torture you, and I can only turn a blind eye!"

Patin deliberately caused the horse's hooves to fall in front of Julius, causing Julius to fall to the ground and unable to stand up for a moment. Partin thought that his attitude was obvious enough, so he ignored Julius and moved on.

"You saved the child's life again. Olga said to him after Patin caught up.

Patin replied, "No, I just saved his second life. His first life was saved by you, merciful Mr. Olga. ”

"Without you and the Church Knights, I don't know how to end up. Olga laughed.

Patin just smiled and didn't say anything more. Olga was right, it was—without him, a knight of the Silver Rank, and twelve knights of the Black Iron Rank, Griss would not have been so honest. This massive mercenary leader looks like the king of barbarians, but in fact he is as cunning as a thief scurrying through the underground waters.

The convoy was soon completely into the forest, leaving only the dust of the horses' hooves and wheels, and Julius sat on the side of the road, watching in stare as the convoy disappeared into the forest. The greenery is so strong that you can only see the trees outside, and you can't see the forest in the depths, like a big green mouth that has never been bottomless, swallowing a convoy in a string, like eating a centipede.

The forest of the dead was quiet, and the chirping of birds and insects was not annoying, but rather made the silence lively. The only thing that can make people feel irritated and frightened is the sound of the leaves of the wild beasts of the forest, or other strange things passing through the trees. It could be a wild elf, an underground dweller burrowing up to the surface, or a native hunter lurking in the green.

But in the Forest of the Dead, these ominous voices are not heard. Only the fluttering and chirping of birds, and the chirping of insects. The silence was a little unaccustomed to Patin and Olga.

"It was quiet. Patin said. There were very poorly built roads in the forest for the carriages to move forward, and there were occasional potholes on the roads, which did not affect the carriages.

"Because this is the Forest of the Dead?" said Olga, "did you say that the soldiers of the Twin Eagle Empire sleep here, and this natural mausoleum is a natural mausoleum that no living beings dare to approach?"

"They are not unjust spirits, they should have been called to the side of the God of Light a long time ago. "The silence does feel strange. Perhaps the patrolling knights of the Crescent Empire had even trodden through the forest, and the beasts and the inhabitants of the wilderness had been driven away. ”

"The words of the warriors of the Crescent Moon Empire do have this possibility. Olga nodded, he was a native of the Yilan continent and knew the country better than Pattin, "conquer everything, and then gain honor, wealth...... In the Crescent Moon Empire, even a child who has not yet grown up will be exposed to it and grow into a strong warrior. If you want to conquer a forest, it doesn't sound so strange. ”

Padding didn't answer. As long as it is the people who live in the continent of Oran, they are afraid and suspicious of this such an aggressive pagan empire. It was precisely because of this terrifying spiritual power that the Crescent Moon Empire crossed the slender strait, expanded the empire to the other side of the Yilan Continent, and overwhelmed the once glorious Twin Eagle Empire, and could only shrink into the lonely city of King's Castle to dying. And now the Crescent Empire's imperial territory, which suffocates the western city-states and the Illuminati, actually belonged to the Twin Eagle Empire.

But that was hundreds of years ago. History is like a tidal wave, sweeping away the glory of a country, and then the capable live in it - the powerful get it all by their own ability, and then lose it after the decline. The Twin Eagle Empire received this glory from an ancient empire that no one knew about, and the Crescent Empire took it from the Twin Eagle Empire. To put it mildly, this glory was actively abandoned by the Double Eagle Empire - more than a hundred years of civil war, as well as the plundering of the Western Expeditionary Force, made the Double Eagle Empire continue to cut off its own flesh until it no longer bleeds, and only a skeleton remains.

As Patin and Olga walked in front wordlessly, the carriage behind them, the curtain was drawn. The girl with blonde hair and a pale face that made people feel a little heartache showed her head, "Olga, can I ride with you?" The girl's face was beautiful, but with a hint of sadness on her face, it seemed to have become something lingering on her face, and her brow was unintentionally furrowed, making people worry that she would age prematurely because of this. She was a beautiful girl, but like a fragile porcelain vase, one was afraid that she would shatter at the touch of a button.

The girl is the owner of this convoy, and it is Romeona Mulenin, who is going to marry far away to the West.

"Miss, you shouldn't have come out. Olga slowed down her horse's feet and came to the side of the carriage, "It's not etiquette, it's not safe. Olga was referring to insecurity, fearing that she would be exposed to the mercenaries' eyes.

"In this silent forest, animals and ghosts don't care about the etiquette of the living. "It was so bumpy in the carriage that I would rather ride on horseback, with the skin on my inner thighs worn out, than suffer the redness and swelling of my butt any longer." ”

Olga sighed and held out her hand to Romeona, "Come up, Miss. He had never been able to refuse Romeona's request.

Romeoona let her two maids continue to sit in the carriage, and she sat on Olga's horse. She sat down on Olga's inside and sat down in a comfortable position. "Thank you, Olga. ”

"My pleasure, miss. ”

Because of the need to protect Romeona, Olga stopped stepping forward to walk side by side with Pattin, who did not care about what was behind him, and continued to stare ahead, as if this was the only thing that could get his attention.

The convoy continued to move forward until the sun set in an invisible place in the forest. The sky is still bright, but it will soon get dark.

It's time to find a place to camp and rest. Paddin turned his horse's head and gestured to stop the convoy behind him. "It's getting dark, I'm going to rest here today!"

The convoy stopped, and the attendants and mercenaries sat on the side of the wagon carrying the goods. Not only did they feel tired on foot, but the church knights who had been riding on horses for a day also dismounted and soothed their tired horses when they took a break.

Olga helped Romeona dismount. When Romeona came down, she brushed her messy hair, and then looked to the side of the road, "Look, there seems to be a log cabin there." ”

Patin and Olga looked over. On the side of the road, in a place heavily obscured by the overgrown trees, a small wooden house could indeed be faintly visible, mainly the light of the fire.

Patin gripped the hilt of his sword and waved his hand at Olga and Romeona, "I'll go over and see what is going on, you stay here." ”

"It's a great place for the night, at least better than a horse-drawn carriage. Romeo said.

Olga shook her head, "No, miss, at least make sure it's safe and harmless—and the owner of the cabin must be friendly and welcoming." ”

Patin crossed the wild bushes and felt the somewhat misshapen trees to the hut. The wooden house is made of rough wood, and there are many vines entwined on it, and it looks like it is about to merge with the forest. Smoke wafted from the top of the hut, and an oil lamp hung in front of the door. In the open space in front of the hut, there is a simple wooden fence to enclose the air, and the ground is planted with plants for medicinal purposes.

There was a young girl in front of the wooden house, presumably just hanging up an oil lamp. She sensed Pattin's arrival and turned to face Pattin. The girl was dressed in a short shirt and skirt made of coarse linen, a pair of straw sandals on her feet, a tattered gray cloak, and long black hair flowing from the gap in the hood. The girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a beautiful but slightly immature smile on her face, her eyes clear and bright, as if she had never experienced what it was like to be miserable, and happiness was all she had, and with the basket full of flowers hanging from her arms, she looked like a little elf who used flowers to spread happiness - perhaps this little elf was a little too big.

"Hello, Lord Knight. The maiden greeted Pattin, looking a little reserved, as if she had never seen such a big man appear so close to her.

Pattin's hand on the hilt of his sword loosened, "Who are you?" Although he relaxed his guard, Patin still had to figure out where the other party came from.

"I'm Lulunaka. The girl replied, "an alchemist. ”