"We don't exactly know what happened to you," she replied. "You went hunting in the morning and went for four hours. Since you don't come back late, I'm worried about whether you're hurt. I'll send Arton to you. Tirio smiled. Arton was the captain of the castle's guards, and perhaps his most loyal friend. He should have guessed that Arton would go for him. Carandra continued, "Just as he left the castle, he bumped into you on Mirada's back. He said you were unconscious when he found you, and that you were tied to the saddle with your own reins. ”

Tirio tapped his aching head with his hand. "Tied to my saddle?

She put her cool hand on his forehead and said comfortingly, "Your ribs are broken, and your arms have been cut." We're afraid you've been attacked by a ferocious brown bear. As soon as Arton brought you in, Bathras treated you. ”

Tirio sat down heavily in her chair. The young man had just become a paladin through the Guò Sanctification Ritual, and Tirio was surprised to hear how quickly his power had increased. It's a bit arrogant, but the pious Buthras has been assigned as Tirio's successor - throughout the Valley of the Hearth, Lord Paladin and his heir. He taught the young paladin in the sacred manner of their canon, and taught him the etiquette of his political activities. As happy as he was to see that the young man had been able to treat him, there were things that made him reflect. Did the gladiatorial fight with the orcs really happen?

Carandra knelt down and leaned close to him. "Bassellas's treatment put a lot of stress on you and exhausted him. When you slept, you yelled nonsense many times," she said.

He looked at her quizzically. "And then?" He asked.

"Well," she said, with a look of concern on her face, "you've been orcs, Tirio. You say there are orcs in the Valley of the Hearth. ”

He slumped into his chair wearily. Memories of that violent conflict came back to him. The gladiatorial fight was a real thing. His gaze fell on her crystal-blue eyes, and he nodded sternly.

"There is indeed an orc," he told her. Carandra knelt on her ankles, dumbfounded.

"The Light bless us," she whispered. Just then, the door slammed open, and five-year-old Tyran jumped into the room.

"Daddy!" The boy shouted and ran up to his parents. Carandra straightened to his feet, and Tyran jumped on Tirio's lap. When the boy bumped into his aching chest, Tirio let out a low mumb.

"Tyran, my son, how's it going?" He asked, wrapping his son completely in his arms. Tyran raised his head and shrugged his shoulders with a wry smile. "Have you treated your mother well?" Tyran nodded playfully.

"He's always been quite attentive," Arton's thick voice rumbled from the doorway. "But he's just like his dad was when he was a kid. When the faithful guard entered the house, Kalandra smiled at him enthusiastically. "I hope I didn't bother you anything. I saw Tyran coming this way like an angry ogre, and I tried to catch him before he bothered you, Tirio. Looks like I shouldn't be worried. With a low grunt, Tirio stood up with Tyran in his arms and walked up to greet his old friend. The two men shook hands sincerely.

"Kalandra told me that you took me back to the castle, and I should thank you so much. Oops, Arton, if every time after you help me out of trouble, I have a gold medal......"

"There's no need. I'm just bringing your horse back. If you want to thank anyone, look for Batheras. In an effort to heal you, he drained all his strength. You look like you've been beaten up, brother. No way, it's nice to see you back in the pile of living people. You really worried us for a while. ”

"I know," Tirio said. "We have something to talk about, right now. Arton nodded, looking sideways at Tyran and Kalandra beside him. Understanding the captain's subtle hint, Carandra took Tyran from Tirio's arm and said, "Then I'll leave you two here." You have something to discuss. The little one also needs to lie down and sleep for a while. She kissed the child's face. Tyran snorted unhappily, trying to get rid of his mother's clenched hand. Carandra smiled softly at herself.

"Just like your father," she said with a smile. Both Tirio and Arton smiled as she left.

"I'll see you later, son," said Tirio, watching them out of the house. When they couldn't hear this, he turned his face to Arton, his face anxious.

"There's an orc, Arton. Most likely, he's still alive. As far as I know, he's only one person out there. Until we know any further, I hope this is known only to the two of us, and of course to the people who were there when you brought me back. I don't want to cause panic in the whole province, just in case it's just an isolated incident. ”

Alton's strong jaw tightened visibly. "It may already be a bit of a problem at this point, sir. Buthras and I were both present while you were asleep. We all heard you say about the orcs," he said. Arton continued, and Tirio grimaced. "You and I know Batheras. When he heard you say 'orcs,' he was furious, and began to gather an entire organization to hunt down the countryside to see if there were any such ferocious monsters. I really had to take him down and calm him down for a while. ”

"I applaud this young man's passion, but his passion can cause problems," Tirio said with a grim expression.

"That's an inadequate statement," Arton said with a smile, echoing. The two men understood early on that Bathras's almost fanatical obsession with fighting the orcs. Bathras's parents were murdered by orcs during that war, leaving the traumatized child orphaned and devastated. Deciding to fight the evil of the orcs for the rest of his life, Bathrath endured years of rigorous training and study. Tragically, however, the emotionally charged young man was allowed to become a paladin just after the end of that war. Despite all his training and preparation, Basshras was tormented by the fact that he had no chance to avenge his slaughtered parents. He also felt that there was only one way to earn the respect of his elders, and that was to fight with his hands covered in blood, as they had done in the past. He dreams of becoming a powerful hero and taking revenge on the creatures who took his family away from him.

Although he sympathized with the young paladin, Tirio understood that such a mindset would lead to disaster. "I suspect he'll be silent about what happened to me. Especially after he treated my wounds. How many people know about this, Arton?" Tirio asked anxiously.

"Rumours have been flying all over the castle in the last few days. I've heard everything from an orc assault squad to a full-fledged army waiting to surprise us. You know what. The people were terrified, thinking that the tribe would return. And, in particular, Basshras, who was afraid that he would not be able to repel them alone if the enemy did it again, as he had done before," Arton replied. Tirio patted him on the shoulder comfortingly.

"Let's pray that things don't turn out that way," Tirio said earnestly. "Gather my advisors. We will discuss this further in Parliament. Arton saluted briskly, then turned away. Tirio cleared his throat. "Arton," he said softly, "one last thing...... "Arton paused. "When you found me, did you see what I was?"

"Yes," Arton replied.

"There's no way I'm going to tie myself up to Mirada and find my way home in that situation. ”

"Yes, sir. That's impossible. ”

"Then you didn't see anyone else there, and no one who helped me brought my horse back here?"

"No, sir. There was no one around. I even went back later to look for traces. Nothing was found. Someone must have tied you to your horse. And with my life as a guarantee, I can't tell who it is," Arton finished. Tirio nodded and motioned for him to leave. Alone, Tirio carefully remembered which nameless savior had done it. As far as he knew, the two men in the woods that morning were himself and the mysterious old orc. Simply put, Tirio wondered if the orc had saved him. His past experiences with this creature prompted him to rule out such thoughts. Those beastly creatures have no concept of honor. From what he knew about them, he was sure they would never show their mercy to another creature, especially not to an obnoxious enemy. (To be continued.) )