He and the wolves feinted, lunging, trying to find a breakthrough, which seemed to last for a long time. The wolves work together with great precision, like people who have been fighting side by side for years; Every time they rushed at him, Anclex was surrounded by three men.

The boys screamed again, Ann

d

Okles glanced and saw that the fifth wolf had grabbed the flower through the blanket and began to drag him away, leaving Pepper curled up on the open dirt. The flower was covered by a blanket, and Anchors didn't know which part of his body the wolf had bitten, but he hoped it wasn't the boy's neck. Flower is still whapping, so at least he's alive.

For a moment, Anchors felt a wave of panic. If he runs to save the flowers, the others will drag Pepper out of the way or attack him from behind. Feeling distracted, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. Then he remembered that the dog was chasing its prey; As long as he turned around, they wouldn't bother Pepper. Or, he wished it was the case. He turned around and ran towards the flower as fast as he could.

The wolves chased after him, but before they could catch him, Andlox had just enough time to wave at the man holding Flower. When the wolf saw him coming, he let go and tried to retreat, but Androx ran too fast. A

d

Okles swung hard and split his skull. He kept aiming at its neck, but succeeded. He turned, waved his fist, grabbed the jaw of the other wolf, knocking it down, but the remaining three wolves grabbed him and tried to pull him down. One grabbed his ankles, and the other two miraculously grabbed his skirt.

They pulled him in three different directions, making it almost impossible for him to keep his balance. He thought quickly, reached behind him, and jerked the knot in his skirt. It fell, and the wolves scrambled for it, shaking it around with their teeth. Androcles stabbed the man who grabbed him in the ankle and then kicked forward to break free. His skin was torn, but he didn't have time to stop. A scream came from deep in his chest, and he jumped forward, swinging his sword frantically. He scratched several times with scratches and scratches, but none of them could reach deeply. They are too cunning to face at the same time.

A ridiculous thought came into his mind, and he turned away from them and ran again. But this time, he listened carefully to their approach, and when he thought they were close, he spun with his sword. He managed to slit open the belly of one wolf and bury the tip between the ribs of the other, before a third wolf jumped up and bit him in the chest.

The buck instinctively bent down, and the wolf couldn't open its mouth wide enough to bite its teeth in. A

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Okles grabbed it by the neck, slit out its belly, and tossed it aside, gasping for breath and relieved.

Seeing that both boys were still there, Anchors paced around, looking around for something he thought might be hiding another wolf, but soon discovered that none of the wolves were left behind. Only then did he put down the sword in his hand and began to take care of the children.

Flower lay motionless where the wolf threw him, paralyzed with fright. Andlox gently picked him up, wrapped in a blanket, and moved him back to the fire. He rearranged the blanket, miraculously avoided bloodshed, and then let the children lie on it again. Judging by the bruises, Flower was grabbed by the shoulder, and after examining the movement of the joint, Andlox concluded that there was no damage.

He stood there and watched them tremble, unable to shake off the fear and stress. That's not going to work. He sighed, sat down, took them to his lap, and hugged them gently.

"Children, nothing can defeat you as long as I live. Nothing. It's okay," he said, repeating again, comforting them with a soft voice. They sat there, burying their heads in his beard, clutching him tightly, and after a while they seemed to be back to normal.

The wolves were too thin to be slaughtered, so he picked them up and threw them where the sick wolf had been thrown yesterday and buried them later. He walked back with a frown, wondering if this would be a daily occurrence. Do wolves migrate? He doesn't think so, but there have been a lot of them lately. Maybe those soldiers were right, he really wasn't safe here. He stopped, listening carefully for the sound of howling; At the moment, he didn't hear anything. There was hardly a sound, not even the wind. There are only a few birds and a creek.

The rest of the day was rather boring. Andlos spent a lot of time burying the wolf and covering up the bloodstains, just in case. When night fell, he told the children stories from the army, about some of his old friends and their virtues. Obviously, being frightened at any time of the day is exhausting, as both boys fall asleep while telling stories. He made a fire, prepared it for the night, and lay down beside them. However, falling asleep is not easy. He had been hearing late at night and had never heard the sound of a wolf.

＊ ＊ ＊

The next morning, the children waited for him to wake up before going to make water so they could make water together, but this time they didn't need his help. Flower, in particular, began to act a little bit like a boy, joking, bouncing and stuff, even though he got tired easily and had to take a break every few minutes. Pepper is able to sit up effortlessly most of the time. His swollen stomach flattened, the rest of his body plumped up, and the swelling on his feet disappeared. Although he hadn't made it yet, so it was still dangerous, but Anchors had a feeling that the boy would be fine. If they're lucky, they'll even be ready to go soon. The gods knew he was in a hurry to hit the road.

When the weather warmed up, Androcles took them to bathe in the creek. It was too cold for the boys to jump because they were all thin, so they had to stand in the shallowest place and wash their clothes with rags, shivering and laughing. Later, he gave himself and Pepper new bandages; Flower didn't need it anymore, as the bruises on his body were fading and the scratches on his body were almost gone. The wolf's heart wound on Anchors' body had turned a deep purple, the bruise was bigger than his head, and the torn wound was still bleeding, though not as much as before. The wound under his ribs was mostly healed, only a little red. The bite on his thigh was healing, and somehow, it didn't seem to have an abscess as he had imagined. The red ointment is really the best. The wound on Pepper's ankle has mostly healed, but it is still swollen and painful.

The children's breakfast was changed to mulled wine again, but this time Ann A

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Okles gave Hana a biscuit and told her to soak it and eat it slowly. He managed to keep the sound under control, and later that day, he got another one. A

d

Okles gave the two boys half as much food as they had the day before, so they could start gaining weight, and gave them plenty of water.

After taking care of the kids, Androcles did another exercise while Flower tried to figure out how the sling worked. He eventually succeeded, even though it was too long for him, and it kept rubbing on the ground when he tried to swing it vertically. Of course, the little boy's swing was neither powerful nor accurate, but when he finally hit a tree with a stone, the little sky thunderbolt cheered with undisguised pride. Pepper also cheered for him and was impressed, apparently jealous that he couldn't attend because Andrx wouldn't let him participate.

In the afternoon, Androcleus made one last attempt to find silverware. Flower couldn't leave, and he had to go through every bag after Anjax left to see what was inside. He began to try to pick up the pots to shake, but they were too heavy for him. Andax warned, "If you drop one, I'll let you taste the back of my hand, understand?" The toolkit didn't make any further attempts.

But it gave Andlocks an idea he hadn't considered before. He tested the weight of each jar in turn and found that one of them was heavier than the others, so he opened the jar. Unfortunately, there was only olive oil in it, and if he left it in the sun, he could even see the bottom of the jar. Hana climbed onto the wheel, peeked over his shoulder, and looked too. Because there was nothing to see, Androcles showed it to him. The flower looked inside for a moment, then said, "Why is the bottom a different color?"

Andex replied briskly, "It's not a different color. It's just the oil. He was going to put it aside, but decided to take another look. The bottom seems to be lighter. and uneven. A

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Okles took out his sword and wiped it clean, then stuck it in the oil and poked the bottom of the pot. It is soft. It's just clay and silver underneath.

He smiled wickedly, then grabbed a few remaining pieces of cloth and placed the silverware on them, counting them as he went. He sat down by the fire, tore open the soft clay and tossed it aside, and began to pull out the silver. The oil on the coin makes them slippery, causing it to take longer than it should. Because it was too wasteful to pour it out, he decided to leave the oil in the pan and ended up making a mess. The boys stood on his shoulders and tried to make sure they had the best view. Flower was especially pleased, jumping around, a bit like a squirrel. At least for a few minutes. He quickly became exhausted and sat down, looking exhausted.

Each one has silver, copper, and sometimes gold. A

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After Okles separated them and fished them all out of the pot, he began to count the copper coins first. Forty-eight five pieces, a hundred and fourteen pieces of brass, two hundred pieces of silver, six pieces of gold, and two pieces of four pieces of gold. In total, there were almost six hundred silver coins. It was an impressive harvest. 1 in 10 talents. That's enough money to buy the contents of the shopping cart several times. Almost two years' salary for a soldier, and the soldiers made a lot of money.

"That's a lot of silver!" Flower shouted, his expression evident in his childish greed. "What are you going to do with it?"

A

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"First of all, I don't give you anything," Okles said.

Both little penguins tried to hide their disappointment, but were unsuccessful.

"I swore to Arcos, I will abide by it, and it will all be over. It also allows you to live if necessary. ”

“A

Who are you? Pepper interjected.

Androcles began to put the coins back in the jar for safekeeping, but then he decided to immediately exchange his quadruple gold coins for change, put it in the jar, and left a hundred silver coins in his coin purse. “A

kos Oathfathe

。 That's my patron saint, from my hometown of Dikaya. He is the lord of fair trade and the ruler of the gods. He said he wanted to give everyone what they deserved. But don't worry about it now. You just have to know that we have to be very, very careful, otherwise robbers like Theodoric and Pansy will chase us like hungry dogs chasing lamb chops. Skinny little thing like you......"

What he wanted to say was "will be cut down and left to the crows", which is true, but maybe the boys don't need to listen. "A skinny little thing like you is going to follow me, and I'm going to keep you safe. But you have to do what I say. Got it?"

"Yes, Master Andlox." They agreed in unison.

"Kids, I'm not kidding. Look at me. Androx said in a serious voice. They sat down and looked at him. "We don't know who will be next. It could be anyone. The problem is that everyone who sees this car will suspect that there is silver here, but they don't know how much. Most people may be harmless, but you never know which ones aren't. Some look good, but they are robbers anyway, like Theodoric. If someone like him had come here with his friends, and they found a few hundred pieces of silver in the jar over there, they would have killed us for it. I may be the toughest veteran in the world, but you're not. When I'm asleep, or with my back to me, I'm not strong. Do you understand? You can't tell anyone about it. You can't say a word. If someone asks, say you've never heard of silver. Even if they threaten to hurt you. If the bad guys find out, there will be a lot of blood spilled on the ground, some of which could be yours. ”

"Yes, Master Andlox." They repeated, this time more convincingly. Pepper had his head down, his bony shoulders sticking out, making him look like a puzzle with all the pieces mixed together. It curls its tail around its legs, as if trying to give itself a hug. Somehow, Flower looked paler than usual, and she looked at the end of the road with obvious apprehension, all the excitement she had had lost before.

A

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Okles sighed and stood up. "But if you do what I say, there's nothing to worry about. You're much safer than a stone in the dirt. "They don't seem convinced. A

d

Okles checked the wine and saw that it was getting less, so he added some more, and a little honey. He began to feel a little guilty for giving them such a lesson and ruining their fragile spirits.

After thinking about it for a while, he knew what to do. The children, he concluded, had had enough of fear. They need a little joy. If his old mentor Diocles were still alive, he would have done the same.

"Come here, flowers. You stir it. ”

Hana agreed, anxiously grabbing the spoon with both hands. "Why me? Are you going somewhere? The kit asked, tail twitching behind him.

"Nope. I'm going to make two boy-sized suspenders. ”A

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Okles replied, removing the remaining twine.

Hearing the news, the children visibly cheered, pricked up their ears and flicked their tails. Flower stirred as hard as he could, and Pepper's dull demeanor vanished. "We? He boldly asked.

"For you, of course. Who else can I give it to?" A

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Okles said.

"Thank you, Master Androx." Pepper said excitedly.

"Thank you," Hua said. He kept tapping the edge of the pot as he stirred, as if more energy was helping to complete the task.

"Stand up." Andex said to Pepper, who immediately complied. A

d

Okles measure from the top of the kit's shoulders to the middle of the thigh, which is the right sling length. "That's good. You can sit back. Now it's your turn. He told Flower. Once the length is exactly the same, he sits down and begins to weave the suspenders. When he did, he supervised Flauer to fill the cup for him and Pepper, and gave Flauer a cookie for him to soak.

As the afternoon wore on, a group of armored soldiers rode past as before, but when they saw that Androcles was alive and in good condition, they did not stop and continued on their way. Before he could finish the sling, the children took a mysterious nap, despite their enthusiasm. He appreciates the rare peace. Looking at them, he couldn't help but be impressed by how deeply they slept and it seemed that they were very serious about it. When a soldier is asleep, he looks like a man with his eyes closed. However, the two boys slept so attentively that it was as if they were in another world. Is this the case for all 9-year-olds, or is that all there is to it? Or just Skytha

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That's sometimes the case. Later in the morning, the sun shone through the window on her hair, illuminating her hair, as if part of the glory of the sun god Teulos was stuck there. Watching the children sleep, he can see how a man falls in love with his children and begins to feel the love of the father.

When the sling was ready, he stood up and tried to throw a stone at a tree. The loud bang scared the children so much that they almost jumped off the blankets, but when they woke up, they were happy to see their new weapons. Of course, they had to experiment immediately. The flowers can be more or less handled by themselves, and the little angel also lets Pepper try it. He did well, although he was a little dizzy and fell down once or twice. However, he was not defeated, and in the end he managed to throw a stone near a tree, and then Androcles made him lie down. Before Flower looked unstable, he managed to hit a couple of times and was told to lie down for a while.

A

d

Okles prepared some broth of cabbage, garlic and onions, made a decent bowl of soup, removing only the salt, because salt kills a hungry person, and pepper is still a problem. He cut it as small as he could and then added a little wheat flour to make it thicker. The kids were eating for the rest of the night.

When dusk came, a cold wind blew and began to shake the yellow leaves of the white bark trees, blowing like waves across the dirt road. The children huddled together under blankets and sat in front of the fire to keep warm, and Androcles threw a travel blanket over them to keep out the wind. When he noticed that they were always clutching the tips of their ears for warmth, he adjusted the second blanket so that it covered their heads.

As night falls, the chill hits. They could see their breathing, and Anchors wondered if a storm was coming, or maybe it was just some northern ice spirit passing by. If the storm does come, it could mean serious trouble, as the cubs are too skinny to keep themselves warm, and Pepper is still in danger. Even if he simply sat in a carriage, the rigors of the trip could have been too much for him.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, Andlocks realized that no matter what the outcome of the next few days was, he might have to pull the cart himself. Lovely.

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