It didn't take much longer for the convoy to reach the village. The village, on the edge of the Forest of the Dead, was only two or three hundred people, with dozens of wooden houses separated on either side, leaving a wide road for carriages to pass. Except in the direction of the forest, the village was full of fields, and the villagers were plowing, and when they saw the convoy, they would look up, but they were not too surprised. The village is like a small ant leaning against the green giant of the forest, not trampled to death by the giant, but survived.

The convoy stopped on one side of the road to take a short break, passing to see if it could be replenished with fresh food in the village. Of course, these things don't need to be done by Patin, the leading knight, it is the work of the squire.

The convoy was greeted by people of prestige in the village, as well as some villagers who were diligent and knew how to do business. The elderly village chief came to Pattin's side, his weather-beaten face covered with the scars of time. "Lord Knight, what can I do for you. The village chief's rickety body was smaller in front of Pattin, because of his respect.

"After replenishing the food, we will leave immediately, and there will be no disturbance to your life. "What are the road conditions in the forest of the dead after early spring?"

The village is right on the edge of the forest. And in a village, in general, the village chief will be the person with the most knowledge and information. That's why Patin asked.

"A month earlier, the Forest of the Dead had become difficult to access because of the continuous heavy rains...... Not to mention the path in the forest, even the main road into the forest has become muddy. "But there is no such heavy rain as it did a month ago, and the occasional light rain does not affect the road conditions." The next heavy rain, which turns roads into muddy waterways, will probably not come until the summer. Now is the time to go, knight. ”

Padding raised an eyebrow. There is no need for the village chief to say more, it is precisely because of the cool climate now that the convoy travels at this time. "Is there any unusual howl of wild beasts coming from the forest? He continued. There are naturally dangerous beasts in the forest of the dead, and Patin, who is cautious by nature, wants to know if there is anything unusual in the forest he is about to enter.

The village chief touched the messy beard on his chin, "From the southern part of the forest at the entrance here to the middle of the west, I haven't seen a trace of a demonic beast for a long time, let alone heard the terrifying roar of the beast. Roughly calculated, it has been such a peaceful situation for five or six years. This keeps us from worrying every day. ”

Padin didn't know if this was good news, there was a huge forest, and half of the area could no longer hear the cries of wild beasts. That doesn't sound like a good thing.

The village chief continued: "This has been the case since a few years ago, the southern part of the forest has quieted down, and the nearby villages are living better than before. Thanks to the Emperor...... Thank God of Light. "The village chief drew a cross on his chest. This sentence is not only for Pattin, but also for the nearby villagers, and even more for himself.

The emperor in his mouth was, of course, not the emperor of the Double Eagle Empire, but the emperor of the Crescent Moon Empire.

Patin felt that the scene in front of him was a bit ridiculous, this old man actually drew a cross on his chest to thank the pagan emperor? Although he felt ridiculous, the pagan emperor had never cared much about the beliefs of his people, and had never had a cruel persecution of these believers in the god of light because of this—especially forgiving compared to the Illuminati in the far west.

As Patin left the western part of the land shrouded in the gospel of the Illuminati, witch hunts and massacres of heretics were taking place. It seems that all creatures who do not believe in the god of light are burned to ashes in the light of the god of light - it is the believers, monks, and knights of the Illuminati who burn them to ashes.

Patin, far away at the eastern end of the continent of Oran, wondered if this crazy and fanatical affair was over, and perhaps he could inquire about it in the Republic of Vis.

While Padin was talking to the village chief, there was a sound of an altercation coming from the convoy in the rear, as if something was going on.

Patin immediately rushed over, and the presence followed behind him, "What's going on!" he shouted, stopping both sides of the argument.

Near the wagon carrying the goods, three mercenaries in rough leather armor surrounded a young man, his face unkind, his hand already touching the axe or sword at his waist. One of the mercenaries was bleeding from his forehead for some unknown reason, and he looked very angry.

The boy who was surrounded had maroon hair, messy like a hedgehog's head, dressed in thin clothing, sewn in many places, and his straw sandals were rotten to the point of exposing his toes. The young man's still slightly immature face had not even grown fluff, and he glared angrily at the mercenaries who surrounded him. He still has a pebble in his hand, and it seems that he is the culprit who broke the mercenary's forehead.

"How dare this stinky boy hit me with a stone!" The mercenary who had been smashed in the forehead looked angry, and kept his hand on the handle of the axe at his waist, as if he was about to pull out the axe in the next second, and with an axe, the head of the hateful young man in front of him was split in half. But the commotion they made was so great that the knights of the church approached from far and near, and the squires and villagers who had no combat power hid far away, leaving a large space.

"You bastards dare to do anything to the girls in the village! If I had a sword, I would have stabbed you to death! You filthy, rude and untrustworthy bastards!" the young man leaned back against the side of the wagon carrying the goods, facing the three fierce mercenaries in front of him, and did not panic at all, and scolded back. "Despicable and shameless heretics, go back to your north!"

These mercenaries have obvious northerner characteristics, and it is easy to see that they are not the easternmost inhabitants of the Oran continent, which also makes the villagers who are watching from afar look even more frightened. For these villagers, the fear that has lasted for generations does not come from the rule of the Crescent Empire, but from the mercenaries, the ancestors who have come to plunder their so-called "heretics" under the banner of jihad.

Hearing the young man's words, the faces of the knights who approached became a little unkind - although these people are no longer the children of the Double Eagle Empire, they still believe in the same god as them, and at this time they are actually harassed by these mercenaries who are similar to robbers? The knights led by Leo vaguely surrounded the three mercenaries.

The three mercenaries saw that the knights were all around, and the knight leader Patin, who was also attracted to him, had already retreated, but at this time, the mercenaries gradually gathered over, shouting and coaxing around, so that they could not get off the stage.

At this time, if they succumb, the status of the three of them in the mercenary group will probably be reduced. Their boss, Gris, has always disliked the faint-hearted.

At this time, the people present involved in the dispute formed three circles, and bloodshed seemed inevitable.

Olga, who had been staying by the carriage of the noble lady Romeona, also rushed over when she heard the noise, and after finding a squire to ask the reason, she quickly walked into the encirclement of the three mercenaries against the young man, blocking the young man. "Stand back, the Mu Lai Ning family paid you money, not to let you be robbers and villains!"

Olga shouted angrily, which made the three mercenaries angry, "That kid dares to hit me with a stone, he will have to pay the price! Get out of the way, old man!" One of the mercenaries had already half-drawn his sword, and the mercenaries behind them were also shouting, for fear that the matter would not be big enough. The knights also began to get nervous, and their hands were on the long swords at their waists and the shields at their hands.

Seeing that the situation was about to go badly, Padin took a deep breath and yelled, quieting everyone present. "Stop!"

With this roar, even the dust on the dirt road was shaken, and the attendants and villagers were deafened and almost unable to stand, and the village chief beside him was already sitting on the ground, the mercenaries froze and did not dare to speak again, and everyone looked at each other with fear on their faces, and the knights and Olga had the least influence and had a relieved expression on their faces.

The young man, who was held back by Olga, leaned limply on the side of the carriage so as not to fall to the ground, his eyes shining, and he looked at Pattin, who had quieted everyone down with just one shout.

"It's amazing, it's amazing. Someone clapped their hands and approached him behind Pattin. It was a giant man almost two meters tall, dressed in leather armor sewn from animal skins, with a wolf's head shoulder pad on his right shoulder, a bald head, and a blue tattoo and scar on his face. This giant man is the head of the mercenaries, Gris. "A knight of the Silver Rank, Knight Edgar. I'm so sorry for bothering you, my boys. He said apologetic, but there was no sincerity in his tone.

Patin picked up the village chief, who had fallen to the ground, comforted him so that he didn't have to worry, and then let him stand aside. Patin walked up to Gris, his head only reaching Gris's chest. He punched Gris in the chest, "Take care of your men, this is not the place for you to do whatever you want. If you're unlucky enough to encounter a patrolling Crescent Knight, you'll end up miserable. ”

For the Crescent Empire, these heretics who believed in the god of light were the property of the empire, and no one was allowed to plunder them. In the mountains to the west, the bandits may be able to barely survive, but on the plains, the crescent knights and swordsmen patrol frequently, and they are a nightmare for the bandits.

Pattin's words are both a reminder and a warning.

Gris, who was punched by Pattin, stood still like a mountain. "Of course, everything is at your command, Knight Edgar. When Griss said "Edgar Knight", he deliberately dragged out the syllables, sounding like an ugly mournful music.

Patin's unmoved. He was in the prime of life, and he was no longer a person who could be impulsive because of such a trivial matter.

Gris walked over to his mercenaries and shouted at them to stand by in their original positions. The mercenaries dispersed, and the knights breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their hands on their weapons. A dispute was thus settled.

Olga also let go of his right hand, which rested on the long sword at his waist. He turned around and punched the boy in the chest, "Before you want to be a hero, weigh yourself up to that ability, boy." He didn't punch hard, just tilted the boy's body back slightly.

"If I could be like that man, wouldn't I be a hero?" the boy asked, of course, talking about Pattin.

Olga smiled slightly, "No, you're far behind. You'll probably not be able to keep up with that knight for the rest of your life. ”

A villager boy, a knight of the silver class, that is the difference between heaven and earth. In the future life of this young man, even if there is any opportunity, if he meets a kind-hearted martial artist, he will be a bronze-level warrior to death, just like these mercenaries. And if you mix like these mercenaries, you might as well be a farmer, as long as it's not a war or too bad luck, you won't have to worry about your life.

But the teenager seemed to be very good at making trouble for himself, even if it was well-intentioned.

Olga didn't want to give the teenager vague hope, so what he said was not polite at all. For someone like him, who may never leave the village for the rest of his life, it is better to learn to accept reality and live a smooth and humble life.

Today is considered his luck to meet good people like him and Pattin. If they weren't here today, what would have happened to this teenager?

Death is not the worst, the worst thing is that even the people around you suffer together, and that is the most heart-wrenching thing.

At this time, the village chief had already approached, pointed at the young man's nose and scolded: "Julius, how dare you treat the guests like this! If these old men get angry and let all the people in the village suffer with you, you will not be able to compensate for your ten lives!" The village chief was so emotional that his face was red, and his neck turned red. No wonder he was so angry, just think about it, if such a thing happens again in the future, without the relief of these noble knights, then today's dispute will develop into an irreparable result.

The young man known as Julius was not at all afraid of the village chief's accusations, and raised his head to the village chief and retorted: "Stinky old man, if it weren't for my help, your scathing granddaughter would have been dragged to ruin a long time ago!"

The village chief pointed at Julius, his hands trembling, but he could not say anything else, "You, you ......"

Olga took a step forward and walked between the village chief and Julius, separating the two, "Alright, this senseless quarrel should be over!" He said to the village chief, "Village chief, go find your granddaughter, stay in your own house, and don't come out for the time being." There will be no more serious, bad results, and we will not return here after we leave the village and enter the forest. Those mercenaries, we will keep a strict watch. ”

After Olga's reassurance, the village chief, who had been agitated and uneasy, calmed down, shook Olga's hand, thanked him for his kindness, and left Olga's side to say goodbye to Pattin. This kind of thing happened today, and I heard Pattin's roar that stopped the audience at close range, and I was already exhausted. He was going to rush back to appease his poor granddaughter.

When the village chief came to Pattin, he wept again with gratitude, and almost knelt down for Pattin. "Lord Knight, thank you so much, without you, today's matter would be out of control. ”

"I should apologize to you, village chief. Padin took the chief's hand, and an imperceptible light flowed from his palm and seeped into the chief's body—he was using his faith and strength to repair the chief's spirit, shattered by his roar. If he didn't do this, the village chief, who had been shattered, probably wouldn't even be able to see next spring.

This time, the village chief's mood calmed down completely, and it seemed that the wrinkles on his face had become much lighter. "Lord Knight, you are as noble and noble as Paladin Paladin, thank you to the God of Light for allowing you to appear and protect the village......"

A slight smile appeared on Pattin's face, but it looked a little bitter. How could he dare to stand side by side with Paladin Paladin?

The name of Paladin Paladin stretches from the land at the end of the Sea of Darkness to the east, to the Holy City in the desert across the vast sea to the south, to the shores of the Endless Sea to the west, and to the icebergs of the Frozen Sea to the north...... Everyone knows it, no one knows it, and even the pagan warriors praised him for his nobility and bravery, calling him "the heroic spirit of the moon god stolen by the alien gods". Legend has it that he was dressed in glorious plate armor, holding a knight's spear in one hand and a great sword in the other, a shot that pierced mountains and split the sea. He is the most loyal defender of the Twin Eagle Empire, a knight of the Holy Spirit Sect destined to be among the saints.

But this knight of light is history. In the civil strife that broke the Twin Eagle Empire more than a hundred years ago, he was lost in a battle in the Forest of the Dead. At first some people didn't believe that he was dead, but time flies, and now, no one believes that he is alive.

Since then, the Twin Eagle Empire has no knights to protect the country.