83.Chapter 83: A History of Coincidence, The Angry Count
Nata's head was a mess, and she could hear her heart pounding.
After holding on for so long to cope with the fear in my heart, my body was a little stiff. Seeing Roddy leave so "chic", Nata didn't even have a clue what she was going to do next.
In Nata's concept, or the idea instilled by the village elders, humans should be lustful, greedy, take advantage and like to play tricks, but why is this guy completely different from the human beings that Brudy Village Chief said?
His eyes turned to the corpse of the steel-tailed leopard, this powerful creature can be sold for a lot of money in the human world, but why didn't the other party have any nostalgia, saying that he would throw it away?
And also... Why is his archery so powerful?
How can he be so calm in the face of danger?
The speed, accuracy, and courage of the two arrows in front of her made Nata feel a strong pressure from the bottom of her heart, and she took several deep breaths in a row, but she couldn't calm her mood, looking at the two arrows on the head of the steel-tailed leopard, her body was still trembling slightly because of adrenaline.
After standing there for a few minutes, footsteps came from behind.
"Nata, are you here? Na-Nata, you're here! We all thought something had happened to you..."
A few figures came out of the darkness, and it was the wood elf who was supposed to go out hunting with Nata. The leader is named Lando, and he has a strong and athletic body, but he barely makes a sound when he walks on the complex ground. He is one of Nata's many admirers, and perhaps one of the most positive. The few people who followed him were the partners who hunted together today, and it was obviously intentional to follow them all the way, and it is estimated that they chased them here after seeing Nata's undisguised traces of escape.
Speaking of which, Lando was already ready for "heroes to save beauty", and he was excited about it for a long time, lamenting that he had finally found a chance to show his hand in front of Nata - but when he rushed to Nata as fast as he could, he found that things did not go as he imagined.
"We saw the traces you left behind when you ran, and thought that you might be in danger, and if you were here, it should be all right, that leopard-"
Lando was talking, and the next moment he saw the corpse of the leopard lying on the side, and suddenly his words were stuck, and he frowned a little stunned - for these young hunters, the steel-tailed leopard is by no means a prey that can be killed casually, and there was a senior hunter in the village who was killed by this powerful and treacherous leopard last year, so when facing it, the wood elves tend to stay away.
However, at this time, seeing that the person chasing and killing Nata turned out to be an adult steel-tailed leopard, Lando and the three wood elves behind him were also a little afraid: it was okay for the four of them to deal with the young leopard, if it was such a big adult body, it would be delusional not to pay a certain price, and the best result would only be to force the other party away.
Thinking of this, Lando's previous thoughts of "heroes saving beauty" were basically frightened, but then doubts followed: "That... Nata, you- you killed this leopard?"
Nata's eyes lifted and looked at him, but she didn't even react superfluously, turned her head, got up and patted the dirt, and picked up the short bow that had just been thrown aside on the ground.
"Didn't get hurt, did we? β
Still no response.
Lando also understood the other party's "iceberg" character, and he had long been accustomed to her coldness, in order to change the topic, he walked to the leopard corpse to check it, but he frowned and looked at the head whose blood was a little dry, and said in surprise: "These two arrows... That's accurate, isn't it?"
Hearing this, several companions who followed behind him also came around, and after a closer look, they also felt a little incredible.
"How is that possible..."
"The two eyes are in the middle, and there is no deviation at all. β
"This trace... It was shot when it jumped. β
"Two arrows in the air?"
Although several of them were novice hunters in the village, they could basically guess the battle process by looking at the footprints and traces on the ground, but the final conclusion they came to felt like a fantasy.
"Wait, this arrow..."
Lando swallowed his saliva, pinched the tail of the wooden arrow with his fingertips, his eyes were fixed, and he was about to say something, but he found that Nata came straight to the leopard with a frosty face, and without looking at him and his three companions, he pulled out the two arrows vigorously, ignoring the blood dripping from the arrows, stuffed them into his quiver and turned to leave...
This slightly arrogant posture didn't make several wood elves have too much dissatisfaction, and Nata was like this to everyone on weekdays, so they looked at Nata's figure when they were young, turned their heads, and discussed: "Lando, this leopard... Shall we carry it away?"
"Well, when I go back and talk to the village chief Brudy, I said that I picked it up, don't have anything to do with Nata. In the eyes of his peers, Lando has a gentle personality and upright character, and is considered to be a more authoritative existence among the younger generation, so no one will question his dominance at the moment, "Don't talk nonsense, this leopard's death has nothing to do with us and Nata." β
"But Lando... This bonfireβ"
"You know it's called a campfire?"
"The arrow... It doesn't seem like the arrow is oursβ"
"Do you have to say it to stop this stupid question?" Lando waved his hand, interrupting several people's questions, "Obviously, this camp is human, and the arrow is only human, I say so, are you satisfied?"
The three wood elves looked at each other, you look at me and I look at you, a little unclear.
Lando sighed and continued, "It's not the process that matters, it's the result... Nata is fine, the steel-tailed leopard is dead, and everything else is just speculation - so don't talk nonsense to anyone when you get back, you know? or Nata might beat you all up for it!"
As soon as they heard that Nata was going to beat herself, the wood elves nodded hurriedly, and Lando stopped talking nonsense, and immediately asked several people to start disposing of the leopard's corpse.
And he walked alone around the campfire, his eyes wandering on the blurred footprints on the ground, stopping from time to time, his face solemn and tight.
In fact, the nervousness and shock in his heart never showed on his face. He said it lightly, but in fact he knew better than his companions what the wound on the corpse meant...
Hunting such prey, the position of the heart behind the front legs is the first choice of all hunters, and I have never heard of anyone who would choose to shoot the head directly - either stupid, or a master of the arts.
However, looking at the wounds in those eyes now, Lando naturally understood what level of character he had just "relieved" Nata.
Why would a human with terrible archery help Nata, why did she take the arrow, was it to cover something?
Seeing that Nata didn't want to say anything, Lando decided to hide it. But when he looked at the leopard, he still had to sigh and say to himself, "... Is there anyone else so powerful among humans?"
Lando was a little depressed because the opportunity for "heroes to save beauty" was wasted. However, for Nata, who is stepping away, her emotions at this time are more complicated than ever.
The Wood Elves basically hunt with bows and arrows for a living, so after carefully examining these two arrows, a feeling of despair and even despair rose in her heart... I even felt that my steps were several times heavier than usual.
In his hands were two ordinary-looking wooden arrows, not as elaborate as the arrows used by the wood elves. The layman's eye could not see any difference, but Nata, after a brief observation, was surprised to find that the arrows had been adjusted in subtle ways.
Some of the shafts of the arrows have been slightly cut off a small piece, and some have been reduced in weight at the metal of the arrows, which seems to be just ordinary wear, but the center of gravity and hardness of these two arrows are surprisingly consistent!
This modification was enough to keep the two arrows at the same point within a range of thirty meters - but what struck her even more frightening was the yet-to-be-confirmed speculation...
That's a small nick at the end of each arrow.
There were slight deviations in the notches of both arrows, marks that Nata had only seen in a few of the most powerful hunters in the village and the chief of Brooke... And the words of the village chief at the beginning seem to be still echoing in my ears today-
"You say that the point of landing of the arrow at a distance of thirty meters will be slightly different, and no matter how unified each arrow is, it will be a little different. If you're aiming for more than 70 meters, this error will be magnified a lot, so these notches let you know what adjustments you need to make. β
"Nata, you're still young, so you don't have to think about it yet, because it's another realm, and when you really get to this level, you'll understand. β
Those words echoed in her mind, making Nata, who was holding the arrow in her hand, feel extremely complicated.
"Roddy... I remember you. β
The young wood elf's voice is very soft, and it is definitely not easy to make her speak, but at this time, because of Roddy's "coincidence" through time and space and her early arrival, this wood elf who would have become Roddy's "Ranger" mentor has already regarded him as an insurmountable peak in his heart at this time...
Fate, sometimes always seems so ridiculous and full of coincidences.
At the end of August, the city of Hollier was still slightly hot.
As the largest city in the Evta Territory, Hollier's prosperity is indisputable. The twice-weekly fairs attracted a large number of merchants, and the sheer size of the population meant more taxes for the lords of the city - with more taxes, they could buy enough luxury items to display in front of other nobles, hold more dinners, and let more people know about their wealth.
Of course, this is only on the surface. The nobility of this era is extremely boring most of the time, there is not much to do, except for reading and learning the knowledge that the commoners cannot touch, all they have to do is to wander around the territory all day, the so-called entertainment activities are in addition to hunting is a banquet, eating and drinking every day, sleeping enough, and enjoying the amazing wealth inherited from the glory of their ancestors.
This is basically the case for most of the nobles in Evta's domain, as is the son of the Grand Duke of Angmar, the largest lord of the realm. Since his return in late April, the Count has appeared frequently on various occasions and has been the subject of almost every noble table in the entire realm.
In the eyes of the nobles of the realm, Count Francis's actions should be a sign that he has finally been approved by his father, Duke Angmar, and is ready to "come to the fore".
Some time ago, there was news that the duke's heir was undecided, and now that Sally has become a candidate priest, there is naturally no suspense - more than a dozen lords have already pondered when to give gifts to this future earl, after all, among the entire northwestern forces of the kingdom, the Rusiflon family is the undisputed first.
But how do these nobles know the truth of the matter... Far more bizarre than they thought.
"After months of investigation, you got such a result?!"
Growls faintly emanated from Francis's closed room, whispering in answer in a trembling voice, only to be met with an even more angry response.
A moment later, there was the sound of something being smashed.
"I just want results, don't explain. β
When the door was opened, Francis's cold voice came out, completely devoid of the rage he had roared before, but rather unwavering, as if it were a normal order.
The subordinates covered in cold sweat stepped back in fear, their heads bowed deeply, not even daring to raise their eyes, making promises in a low voice and disappearing at the end of the corridor as fast as they could.
Francis closed the door expressionlessly, and the moment he turned around, his expression became extremely hideous.
"A bunch of rubbish!"
The whispered curses couldn't hide the disappointment and anger in his heart, and he walked quickly to the desk, the content of the parchment made him feel like the anger in his chest was about to burst...
All this, speaking of which, is still thanks to Sally.
Francis's forehead bulged, apparently trying to restrain the anger in his heart. He realizes that he has been working with the "mysterious person" who helped Sally for so many months - from the beginning of the investigation, he has been led by false evidence one after another, so that he still has no clue!
It was only recently that his men had spotted the slightest clue and noticed it. So, after ruling out Sally's interference, a henchman named Willy finally found some clues that were really relevant - there was evidence that... The scouts in Nolan Village seem to have a lot to do with that "mysterious person"!
But he continued to investigate, but the news that came back made him feel weird... The scouts of Nolan Village evaporated en masse.
There was only a second lieutenant named Thordin, sitting at the head of the village in a frenzy, stupidly answering gibberish questions about the words they had sent to ask, and what kind of crazy thing about the scouts attacking the orc kingdom and so on-
"What the hell are you kidding! Can you fucking make up lies with some brains?!"
This is also the reason why he can't help but get angry when he has always been very deep in the city - attacking the orc kingdom? Is it really because I don't have a brain? Can they find where those orcs are!