The wooden door slammed against the wall, bounced back with the same momentum, and was immediately slammed open by the sturdy body. A short man with a black cloth covering his face and only his eyes stood in the doorway, a huge scimitar in his hand flashing with a cold light. Several men in shabby robes, also masked, lined up beside him, each holding a short sword, a war hammer, and even a dagger and two light crossbows.

Ann immediately grabbed the notebook and walked around the bar as fast as she could, hiding herself behind the plank. The owner of the cabin was sitting on the floor, cup in his arms, spilled liquid all over his body. The girl didn't have time to pay attention to him, but cautiously poked her head out of the side of the bar, keeping an eye on Elio's situation.

The young knight's reaction was quick. He turned over and stood behind the wooden table, drawing the long sword from his waist. Then quickly move to the middle of the gate and the bar, holding the sword in both hands and pointing diagonally, in a posture suitable for defense.

"Bring me the barbecue, the ale, and everything else you can eat!" The short man shouted to himself, and then finally noticed the young man with the sword, "Why is there still a thing in the way-" He was suddenly stunned for a moment, "Wait for me, you are the one...... The kid who signed a contract with the Green Dragon? ”

"How do you ...... No, who are you! Elio didn't let his guard down in the slightest, "Put down your knife, or you'll never think about it!" ”

Ann breathed a sigh of relief. With her excellent memory, she had already recognized the owner of the voice. Although I don't know why the other party became the 'bandit leader', judging from the 'robbery declaration', he is still the Beron man he knows. She stood up from behind the bar and showed the notebook to the other party.

"It's us, Bell. Are you the only one?"

The Beron shrugged, raised his hand, and ripped off the masked cloth towel. His face was covered with two black bruises and a crusted abrasion, and he looked a little embarrassed.

"You're there too, little girl. It seems to be a stroke of luck. Bell said angrily, and then his eyes fell on the half-left stew, "You are eating, don't mind...... Count us as one, right? ”

"Of course, those are yours, Bell." Ann pursed the corners of her mouth and quickly wrote in her notebook, "There is still in the kitchen, and I will pay for the money."

The young knight looked back at Ann and got out of the way, but did not immediately put away his weapon. The Peronne let out a long breath, set the cutlass aside, and sat down in her place, causing the chair to creak a little overwhelmed.

Then he grabbed the spoon, pulled over the bowl, and gulped the food into his mouth. In just three or four minutes, the rest of the stew was eaten clean by Bell. He turned his head from side to side, grabbed Ann's wooden cup, and poured most of the remaining ale down his throat in one gulp, burping in satisfaction.

"I finally survived...... Uh, here it is. He muttered, "Since and Elena still have ...... This was the first time I'd ever drunk it since Grum got separated...... It's barely a liquor thing. ”

The other five sat at another table, eating their food without saying a word. They also took off their scarves and tattered cloaks, revealing the faces of the Kamal and their scales made of metal.

Neither in appearance nor temperament, Ann had never seen such a robber. She looked at the back of one of them and roughly guessed the original identity of the other.

Elio looked at the Perons with distrust, slowly inserting his polished sword back into its sheath. It was found in the half-plane of Count Stark, or rather, Femir Stark, with a faint golden glow on the blade, and the words 'Parsifal' engraved on it, perhaps the name of its original owner. The young knight treasured this weapon and carried it with him almost when he slept.

"That said, Uncle Groom, and Elena were originally with you, didn't they?" The boy stroked the scabbard, "When did you get separated?" ”

"A week ago. We walked south from the church and the results were ...... If you don't die, you will encounter an ambush, and I am afraid that you are the remnants of the empire. Bell took a sip and hiccuped again, "I ...... Finally escaped, as for the two of them...... I don't know. ”

Ann glanced at the innkeeper, who had re-picked up his glass, and sat down beside Elio. She knew the strength of the Bell and the others, and the one who could successfully ambush the three of them was not an ordinary straggler. This is not so bad - a remnant soldier with a certain degree of discipline is always 'safer' than a pure bandit.

Thinking so, she picked up the charcoal and notebook again. "Where are you going?"

"The Fleld." Bell scratched his head and suddenly sneezed, "I'm sorry. He rubbed his nose, "Elena said, you might go over there." And I heard that the city of glory...... What is the 'Golden Age' inn, the food is very good. ”

"She guessed right." Elio spread his hands and glanced at the table next to him, "What's going on with those people?" ”

"They...... Also the remnants of the Empire. I saw that they were pitiful, so I agreed to help them...... Uh, find a way to get something to eat. The Beron man scratched his stiff beard and looked a little embarrassed, "Besides, they are more familiar with this place, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find it." He coughed vigorously, "Wait a minute...... If you make money, you will definitely pay it back! ”

Is the way to do it is to be a robber? Ann was secretly amused, though not on her face. She pondered for a moment, then moved on to the next sentence.

"And now?"

"Let me think about it." Bell said with some uncertainty, his eyes wandering, "Find a way to find them, right?" If not, you can only ...... I went to the Federation and tried to meet. ”

"-I don't know, I know where the person you're looking for has gone."

There was a thud from the bar, what seemed to be the collision of cups and planks. Ann turned her head and saw the owner of the cabin sitting back in his chair, staring at Bell with a look of dismay.

"Just three days ago, another gang of robbers came here. It's hell around. He sighed and hammered his fist against the wooden platform, "with a little girl and a Beron, tied, but looking like they were too early to die." The man squinted and recalled, "Those guys sound like they're going to continue east, don't ask me where they're going." ”

"How many of them are there?" Ann quickly wrote.

"Twenty or so, who's going to count those?" The innkeeper yawned, "I removed a pile of grain, leaving a few useless coins and signs." He flipped under the bar and threw something six or seven centimeters square at Ann, "That's the." ”

Elio grabbed the object and placed it in front of the girl. Ann searched her memories and recognized it as the nameplate of an Imperial soldier.

The surface of the sign is slightly blackened, and the lower edge seems to have partially melted, revealing the smooth silver inside. She reached out and picked it up, reading its name in the dim light of the fire—Arthur Bright.