《Dust of History》


 Chapter 0 1

    The sharp blade ran through the neck, and the soon-to-be carcass in his hand tensed and twitched violently, quivering strongly despite its small size, as if it wanted to squeeze out the minuscule drop of life within itself. As the warm and pungent liquid gradually dripped into his mouth, the trembling thing wrapped by his fingers gradually became weaker until finally, it stopped completely. Aza squeezed the mountain rat with all his might, without concern about the stomach acid that dripped out together. It wasnt until the last drop of bodily fluids finished dripping that Aza put aside the deformed mountain rat, and stuck out his tongue to lick the blood on his lips.


    I dont want to die.


    The smell of blood rose from his stomach. His throat growled lowly reflexively, it sounded deep and travelled far, fearful yet fearsome at the same time, its as if it didnt come from his vocal organs, but from the deepest part of his soul.


    He remembered this sound. When he was three years old, he hid in a tree and watched a few hunters in the village cornering a wounded wolf. He was shaken by the heavy growl of the wolf, but it was not fear, it was a sound that resonated with his soul-string. After that, he became obsessed with grasping the language of beasts.


    He now fully understood that the unintelligible growl wasnt meaningless, but the desperate howl of the living before their imminent death, its the release of an intense desire to survive and the crazed beastly nature overflowing in his heart.


    Three days of eating raw animals and unbearable tension, as well as limited physical strength. The imminent death tailing him and his strong desire to survive, the combined agony of the two almost turned him into a senseless beast. But fortunately, sense and logic still control his actions.


    Aza is very aware of the gap in ability between himself and the hunter. He remembered very clearly how the heads of the two soldiers of the third division were smashed like watermelons in an instant. The only advantage he had was that he understood the opponents intentions.


    The hunter didnt pursue him ferociously. It wasnt a race, the hunter didnt want to catch up with him so soon to risk injury against an injured and desperate beast. This is a hunt, stalking the prey non-stop, to let the prey gradually weaken in fear as they flee, and then approach when you are certain that you can kill it, like strangling a critter, lop off his head. No matter if its his physical ability or his survival skills in this swampy jungle, it is merely not enough for him to shake off the pursuit. The hunter and prey both understood this.


    During these three days, Aza feigned the desperate fleeing that the hunter expected to see. His stamina also seemed as if it dropped from the constant running. If you cant make a fire, you will not have edible food. Eating raw beast meat in the lizard swamp is the same as looking for death. The parasites in their body are deadly for the human body. Instead, you can only find some non-toxic insects to consume. Although the blood of the beasts is edible, it provides little nutrients, and it is not enough to recover the energy lost from sweating and running. The lack of consuming salt and food has caused him to reach the limit, so the illusion that he had been working hard to create these three days must end without the slightest mistake


    With amazing luck, he found three non-toxic worms in the surrounding grass and shrubs. About the size of a finger, they struggled from side to side filled with energy. Holding their head with his fingers, he then slowly pinched out the green faeces from the end. If he pinched the body of the worm with too much force, it will explode and waste the nutrients, but the faeces might be poisonous so it still had to be removed as much as possible. This is a top-notch difficulty craft. After several days of experience, Aza has become very skilled at it.


    The tender worm meat quickly turned into thick pastes under the chewing, and the creamy and bitter taste swirled on the taste buds like the air of this swamp sticking to the skin. Aza carefully grinds with his teeth and uses his tongue to search for remnant meat paste between the gaps and gums, ensuring that all the worms can be reduced to the smallest unit possible for easier digestion. Every drop of nutrition is precious, it gives motivation for action and the hope to live.


    He used a knife to dig a hole about a foot in the ground and bury the mountain rats body. Every time he killed an animal during these three days, he would bury the body regardless of his deteriorating physical strength.


    He carried the knife on his back, meticulously checked himself, and flattened the wrinkles of every piece of clothing as much as possible. Like a watchful sentinel stepping onto a narrow guard tower, he cautiously stepped on the mound where the mountain rat had just been buried, and then slowly squatted down and lower on all fours, like a huge shape-shifting worm, slowly crawling like a worm to the nasty pool of water beside him.


    He focused all his attention on this unsightly action, carefully controlling every muscle on his body, keeping his body as close to the ground as possible, without leaving any conspicuous marks on the soft mud. Any movement out of control and uncoordinated will make the three-day scheming completely in vain.


    He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly slid into the nasty water, without the water splashing at all. The weight of the knife with him was just enough to keep him from floating, he moved through the mud at the bottom of the water in the direction he remembered. This pool of nasty water leads to a temporary creek that appeared during rainy seasons. He came here on purpose, and he also chose this terrain to bury the body. Everything was planned.


    There was prickling pain in several places on his body, some leeches sucked onto his body. Aza ignored it. After sucking enough blood, they would release their mouths on their own. Forcefully pulling it out would only cause the sucker to remain in the skin and cause infection. The most important thing now is to sneak out as far as possible before he needed to surface for air.


    I re-examined every detail just now in my mind. There are no flaws, the exultation of freedom arose spontaneously in his heart. The only problem now is the mountain rats carcass, which has to decompose enough to give off a certain smell before the hunter arrives.


    I just need a bit of rotten luck now. (TL: rotten as in the carcass rots, both meaning works)


    On the muddy silt, Aza, who was rowing his limbs forward like a carrion lizard, prayed zealously.


    In the afternoon, the rarely-seen sunlight in the Lizard Swamp shone down.


    The sun was separated by the branches before reaching the ground. The wet ground turned the sunlight into a hypnotizing screen between the branches of the tree and the ground. In this sultry and humid barrier, all life in the swamps quickly grew and perish for other life to be born and so it repeats, and even the rapid decomposition appeared to be very lively.


    The hunter watched silently as a horde of carrion-eating lizards gleefully scrambled for the carcass of a mountain rat. He hated the slimy smell of these ugly scavengers, its too strong for his keen sense of smell. A comparatively larger lizard successfully snatched the corpse and turned to run away.


    With humans as measuring standards, the current prey is quite good, with decent speed, agility, and strength. The hunter is very interested, he knows that he had a higher chance of killing him in head-to-head combat.


    But having a fair degree of certainty is not enough. This is not a battlefield, but a hunt, it is necessary to make this fair degree of certainty into great certainty. Since yesterday, the footprints have gradually become weak and light.


    Now, the hunter feels confident enough.


    But its also a rather bizarre prey. Although it was indeed being hunted, the footprints did not show the disorderliness and panic that a hunted prey should have. There was a strange firmness in the feeble steps, that was not the footsteps of someone blindly escaping for ones life, something else was obscured in it.


    The covering up of its whereabouts these three days was quite good, but they kept making a stupid mistake burying the carcasses of the animals after drinking their blood. This is completely counterproductive, the lizards will dig up the carcass and eat it, keen for the smell of decay. The hunter just had to follow the stench of the hordes of lizards to find the traces of the prey.


    The incomprehensible firmness, the stupid mistake, the seemingly existing connection between the two made the hunter feel a little weird. But it is only limited to feeling. After catching up, killing, and lopping off his head, there will be nothing strange about it. No prey can escape its hunting in this swampy jungle. This hunter has absolute confidence. Mind you, absolute.


    But the hunter was immediately shocked to find that all the traces only ended here and did not extend in any direction.


    Only the strong stench of swamp lizards remained in the air. The hunter leaned down, scrutinizing the ground for any clue. Although the lizards crawled and scrambled for food and made a mess of the surrounding ground, with the hunters superior observation and experience, the traces of this prey were still visible, and it just a while to clear all the traces around and investigate the place clearly.


    Some weak but unflustered steps, there is no trace of stepping back on their own footprints to return from the original path, the prey just walked around in the surrounding bushes, probably looking for food. The hunter was even able to tell that the first food he found was from under two staghorn ferns, presumably a bug. The first half of the two footprints there are slightly deeper, showing a forward shift in the centre of gravity of the stooping motion. But other than that, nothing was found. The footprints stopped abruptly only before the pit where the carcass was originally buried.


    This is completely outside the range of experience accumulated over the years by the hunters tribe. Fleeing, covering traces, and declining physical conditions, the hunter had to utilize his intellect to connect with these together, hoping to draw something other than experience from them. But it is too difficult for a brain lacking in logical thinking skills to accomplish this task. When he found himself falling into a deviant trap, step by step, just as the pray had hoped, an uncontrollable rage frantically took over all his thoughts.


    A lizard crawled back shaking its head, sniffing by the pit, hoping to find something good. But it immediately became the target of the furious man beside him. The huge body flew high with a violent blow, and then fell into the nasty pool of water, causing the sky-high water and silt to splash everywhere. As the muddy water landed on the shore, there were a few leeches, clumsily wriggling their rounded bodies after they were full, trying to return to the water. The hunter noticed it, picked up one and looked at it carefully, cracked it with a snap, and tasted the liquid flowing out of it. Then there was a hideous expression on his face that are unreadable by members of other races.


    Sticking to the ground, with the most sensitive sense of smell on the entire continent, he finally discerned the smell he was hoping to find apart from the pungent smell of the lizards mucus and the rotten smell of the earth. The smell extends to the nasty pool of water.


    I will and must tear out your heart while you are alive, rip through that pulsating warm thing with my teeth, swallow the entire thing through my throat with the freshest blood within it, and convert this cunning sense of yours into the power of mine.


    There must be no damage to the head. Need to slowly dig out the brain from the eye socket and eat it, peel off the flesh, and hire the best craftsmen to shape the skull. This perfect loot can be placed on our ancestors tomb. As a sacrifice, this will be the testimony that the tribes prided hunting skills have grown.


    You are a fine prey of mine.


    A long-lost excitement filled the sprinting hunters body, that is a feeling that he had only felt when he was chasing after the most beautiful female in the tribe after maturing.

 Chapter 0 2

    Is it good luck or bad luck? Aza thought while drinking the broth.


    High-quality meat. Using the finest beef, hammered into a floss, a whole cow of meat can be filled in just a small pocket. When it is consumed, you just have to boil it with water and it will be restored to delectable beef. This is the dried food used by aristocratic warriors on expeditions.


    Flavorful soup. Even the river water in the Lizard Swamp is as clear and sweet as the purest mountain spring under the action of the purifying charm. It is used to cook a pot of beef soup, adding salt, even the master chefs in the city will approve of the taste. It makes people feel that this purification talisman is indeed worth a silver coin.


    Eating such good meat and drinking such fine soup will refresh even someone dying. Aza is very aware of his physical condition, and after a good nights rest, he can bring down a cow with his bare hands.


    The bonfire is made of a lot of wood stacked together, and the looks are very neat. The solid and dense dry wood and wet wood are mixed, which can be guaranteed to burn until the next day. The heat of the bonfire can conceal the body temperature of a human, even the wyverns wouldnt be able to sense them, so there is no need to hide in the cold tree holes and underground holes, and other beasts and poisonous insects do not dare to approach. A good nights sleep next to a campfire like this will definitely restore your physical strength.


    Even if he can knock down five cows with his bare hands, Aza is still not confident in fighting head-on against the hunter.


    No matter how much he recovered his stamina, it was not enough for him to shake off the hunters trails. The campfire was warm, safe, and bright enough for any creature in the swamp to see clearly.


    You are really amazing. This is the first time I have seen someone who dares to walk across the Lizard Swamp with only one weapon. The woman who claimed to be a pharmacist showed an expression of admiration.


    Aza didnt think he was worthy of admiration at all. He didnt even notice that the skin of the leech was still bleeding after it fell off, and just a few drops of blood almost attracted the piranhas in the entire swampy waters. So he had to go to the bank and push a broken log that had been knocked down by a bull into the river, stand on it and float down the water to avoid the countless jaws below who were waiting for him to go into the water. But when a few huge crocodiles joined the ranks, he had no choice anymore but to go ashore. It was already dusk, and when he was about to find a place to hide, he saw the light of the fire, he then unexpectedly met a person of the same species.


    The woman was about the same age as Aza. Although she was dressed as an explorer, carrying a large package and a dirty blanket, her fair and delicate skin showed that she was not a commoner. Carrying that kind of high-efficiency dry food with her, in addition, the price of a water purification talisman is enough for a commoner to live comfortably for a month, this woman is most probably a noble.


    I thought it was amazing that I could explore and collect herbs in the swamp by myself. The terrain and climate here are unique, and many plants only grow here, so although my father never agreed with me, I still sneak in by myself. The woman was like a child with no ulterior motives at all, speaking at will. Its probably been a long time since she had seen a member of the same species, and its in such a dangerous environment, so the woman is not wary of him at all.


    The sword on her waist is the Anka rapier, thin and long, hard and resilient, light and dexterous, mainly for assassination. Aza recognized it because it was always in the most noticeable place in his fathers shop for customers to tut at the sword and the price tag below.


    The angle of the sword around her waist was good and precise, allowing her to draw as quickly as possible. The hilt of the sword was tightly wrapped with a fine hemp rope, a method only used by professional soldiers, so that the hilt would not slip even after it was soaked in blood. Although the colour of the hemp rope is still the original colour that has not been soaked in blood, from the grip marks left by the countless slams on it, this sword is definitely not just for people to look at.


    But even with her, it wouldnt be enough to deal with the hunter. The most important thing in life and death fighting is not skill, but energy and fighting spirit. Even if she had been trained since she was a child, she had never heard the cracking sound of an axe smashing into a human bone, never heard the wailing of a person who was cut in half at the waist, but still was not completely dead, never felt the sharp pain of the enemys blade galloping across her body, tearing through her muscles and bones, she was only an amateur at best. When faced with the threat of death, when they feel the pain that can immediately overwhelm their minds, they all fear, panic and lose their combat power.


    If only there was another magician or priest, even if it was just the most basic blessing, a few simple fireballs


    Aza found himself a little dazed by the sudden comfort of the broth and the bonfire. It is almost unbelievable luck to be able to meet human beings in the dense swampy forest within a radius of hundreds of miles and drink broth comfortably around the campfire to replenish physical strength.


    After chewing a piece of adventurers biscuit given by the woman and serving it with broth, Aza sighed with satisfaction and resignation, feeling the warmth of this lucky bonfire.


    The hunter should be stalking the fire here in a random tree hole at this time. Even he had to hide when the wyvern was still searching for food in the night sky. But as long as the dawn appears in the east, and the two-legged dragon returns to its nest, he will spare no effort to rush here at an astonishing speed following the bonfire of luck.


    Whether it is good luck or bad luck, since it has already happened, it is crucial, or the only choice, to try to develop things to the place where they hope to develop.


    How far is it from the Dono River? Aza asked.


    When the Dono River first passed through the Lizard Swamp, the water was so fast that even the fish could not swim back, and it was there that Aza was forced ashore into the Lizard Swamp. But the water softened after bypassing the Lizard Swamp, and as long as it drifted down the river for a day, it would reach Bracada, the western town of the empire.


    Im not exactly sure, but its not far, probably can reach there walking a day or two.


    If I ran there at full speed, I might be able to reach there in half a day. No, although the distance is much closer than expected, without the exact distance, there is also no exact certainty that he could reach there in time. He was quite sure that the hunter could catch up with him within half a day. The chances of escaping directly are too small.


    I should probably tell the truth to the woman and ask her to deal with the hunter together. Although the chances of winning are small, it is still better than the alternatives. Aza arranged the words to tell her in his heart.


    May I ask for a favour, can you accompany me for a while? I plan to go deep into the swamp tomorrow to find new herbs. This is the first time I have entered the swamp this deep. The woman suddenly asked, Of course, I will pay for the help. She brushed a few strands of black hair that fell down with her hand, and the black hair was pressed against her thin lips, and her lips pursed into a slightly nervous arc. Her heels rubbed gently against each other. These are a pair of feet that are quite large for a woman, about the same size as Azas, and she wore a pair of leather shoes that are commonly used by adventurers.


    Aza suddenly realized a way to escape. This is a very efficient, high-success probability approach. There is no need to set up any traps, or set up any illusions, no need to consume physical strength, and no need to waste precious time, as long as I took advantage of the moment, here at the campfire, I can let the hunters waste a lot of time and energy.


    The realization made his heart skip a beat.


    Okay? The woman blinked. Her eyes were small, with long eyelashes, and the corners of her eyes were hanging down. Even if she was angry, there would be a hazy smile flowing inside.


    The bonfire is bright, and the eyes are very dark in contrast, the firelight is soft and warm, but Aza did not dare to look straight at her. He looked away, took a deep breath, and tried to keep his tone as natural as possible. Im sorry, no, I have something very important and urgent to do.


    Oh, is it? The woman didnt know how to hide the disappointment in her tone and expression.


    Walking westward from here for about half a day, there are several kinds of herbs unique to this swamp, which probably have unique healing properties. Aza felt that his face was distorted, his voice was out of shape, and the meaning of his words was vague. It was the first time he had told an extremely malicious lie to a very friendly person. And to a woman.


    Probably? What do you mean?


    Well, I saw a bull, no, its two bulls, and bulls fighting each other, and ones hind leg was injured, hey no, it seems that the front foot is not good, it seems that it was bitten anyway, a very serious injury. It seemed like it will die on the ground for sure. Then it ate some grass, apply it to the place where it is injured, and then it will be fine after a while. In desperation, Aza repeated the story of a dog fight he heard from an old adventurer, the story is very vague, but the words become more and more fluent.


    Oh? Really? What kind of grass are you talking about? The womans eyes widened, and Aza felt as if he had seen the terrifying crossbow bolt that had been fired from the dark five days ago, and almost reflexively lowered his head and twisted his body. The woman quickly pulled out a pen and paper from her backpack.


    Its a pale yellow flower. Aza mixed up the characteristics of several wild herbs and messed up nonsense. The woman took it seriously.


    If youre going to go deeper into the swamp, be sure to grind up water mint and pyrethrum and apply it to your clothes and skin. Even if you have insect-repellent oil, be sure to apply it, because there are several poisonous insects in it. They are only afraid of the smell of these two kinds of grass. Aza said to the woman in a very solemn voice.


    Just these two kinds of grass? Its everywhere, isnt it? The woman found it casually around the bonfire.


    Of course, these two herbs do have the effect of repelling insects. Since entering the swamp, Aza has been smearing it on his body, but these two herbs are by no means as effective as the insect-repellent oil specially made by the Adventurers Guild. During these three days, the first thing Aza did when he woke up at dawn in the tree hole was to use the slightest movement to pick out the centipedes and other poisonous insects that were sometimes under the armpits and trousers.


    Of course, there are no poisonous insects that fear only these two herbs in the deeper parts of the swamp.


    It seems that no matter what skill it is, it can be practised and honed. No matter how difficult it is, or something that goes against human nature, as long as you practice a lot, you will get used to it, become proficient, and even immerse yourself in it. With the opportunity to practice before, when Aza said the most vicious part of this extremely malicious lie, his sentences were smooth and his voice was stable, but he never dared to look at those shining eyes. He used the branches to play with the bonfire in order to hide his eyes.


    Thank you very much. If I find these herbs again and figure out their properties, it will be enough to embarrass the old guys in the pharmacy., she probably thought that she made a friend, not only does she do things freely, but she also talked to him affectionately. I knew for a long time that the world is so big, and there must be drugs that have not been discovered yet. But those old guys always only know how to chew on the books of their predecessors.


    Nothing to feel guilty about. Even if he didnt tell her the truth and courageously challenged the hunter, it would still result in the same situation. The hunter will never let go of any other human being found in the swamp.


    Even if the two of them fight together, they will most probably die, or maybe she will get in the way, or even not help at all. This method just makes her death more meaningful and gives myself more chances to escape. Aza searched his mind for every reason to justify his insidious trap.


    Once my achievements are approved, let alone the Pharmacy Institute, even the Magic Academy will pay attention to me. Maybe even the bishop will personally ask me about these new herbs. Due to the excitement, her round face floated two red clouds on both sides. Pointing to a tree next to her, she said, Look, this tree is one of my discoveries. There is never any record in the book, but I know that it is very common in swamps by inquiring about many retired adventurers. And I also found that its sap is very irritating and toxic if the eyes of people or animals are splashed


    Your life is actually exchanged with the death of countless other lives, so dont give up every hope of survival.


    There are many small roots wound around the trunk of the tree, very straight and thin, much like the pen used by the old adventurer at the back of the village. From this, Aza suddenly remembered a sentence he once said that sounded very profound. This sentence undoubtedly raised the conspiracy just now to a philosophical depth. Aza felt that he could finally feel at ease. But suddenly a sense of intense disgust came over him, making him feel extremely tired.

 Chapter 0 3

    Wyverns whizzed past the tree tops, and the swept air could be felt in the tree holes. These gigantic flying animals dominate the swampy night, adding to their diet all animals that emit body heat, even savages of their size.


    There was a smell similar to that of lizards in the air, which made the hunters feel very disgusted. He didnt care if there was a connection between the two types of creatures, he just hated it. If it werent for these nightly haunts, he didnt have to wait for dawn in the tree hole, he only needed one night to make the prey despair. If it werent for those unbearable odours that made his sense of smell suffer, he would not have been delayed by the trick that almost fooled him, and he would not have been glaring at the firelight in the distance right now.


    Why are you lighting up a bonfire? To eat and replenish your energy? Did he notice his trap failed? Or is this another trap?


    Are you provoking me? The Hunter thought furiously. Are you implying that: youre just right there, come here quickly and let me rip your heart out?


    But the hunter immediately warned himself not to lose his cool. To lose your cool in the face of such cunning prey is fated to fall into a trap. There is no doubt that this is definitely a trap or an extension of the previous trap.


    The river is not far away, tomorrow morning, I will run with all my strength to hunt you, and then employ a fantastically pleasurable method to end the hunt. The hunter snorted excitedly and shook the powerful weapon in his hands. The brains and blood on it formed a thin casing that became a part of the weapon.


    Dont get too excited, dont get too excited, stay calm, stay calm. The hunter warned himself again. All traces seen tomorrow must be carefully observed, and meticulously considered, I will not get deceived again. Remember to watch out for illusions, watch out for illusions.


    Do you think Im so gullible? Are you still proud of that brain of yours Im about to dig out and savour slowly?


    The Hunter rejoiced at his calm thought and snorted again.


    The sword sliced open the skin, ripped the muscle, tore the throat, burst the arteries, then tore the muscles again, passed through the skin, and exits from the other side of the neck. This feeling is vividly realistic, he can feel it from his fingers to his wrist, to his elbow and finally his arm, and it quaked powerfully in his heart, The profound feeling was akin to exquisite poetry. Then the bright red blood flowed out of the womans body enthusiastically and merrily, allowing Aza to absorb it fully.


    A few strands of black hair were clinging to the thin lips, the lips pursed into a slightly cramped arc, the hanging eyes were squinted, and the long eyelashes contained a hazy smile. When I got closer, I realized that this was a spectacularly attractive woman.


    Aza suddenly felt terrified. Afraid of the gentleness held in the squinted eyes, the determination in the thin lips. The woman still had the same expression, but Aza was completely engulfed in the terror of this sudden discovery of tenderness and beauty.


    Then he realized that it wasnt just the womans throat that had been cut, but also his own. Caressing the wound in his neck, the clear and distinct feeling when the incision was cut echoed in his chest. He wanted to use this feeling to fill the wound back, but there was nothing he could do. Aza groaned in incomparable pain.


    Looking at the womans beautiful and gentle face and the piercing wound on her neck, he felt his own wound with his hand. Sorrow, fear, and pain, embraced Aza tightly like the surrounding darkness, and Aza woke up instantly.


    The early morning dawnlight has emerged in the east, and the roar of the two-footed dragon is gradually disappearing. The creatures circled from the edge of the swamp and flew back to their lair in the depths of the swamp. The Hunters location is closer to the depths of the swamp, so this gives Aza the advantage of starting earlier.


    But Aza didnt show much interest in this precious time but squatted beside the bonfire that was about to extinguish, watching blankly as the woman crushed water mint and pyrethrum with stones and smeared it on her clothes and skin. Until now, the feeling left by the nightmare is still reverberating in his mind, as if he cant shake off the sticky snot, his mind is still disorganised. Fortunately, he could also really feel that his physical strength had almost completely recovered.


    The woman seemed to have slept well. After smearing, she began to pack things swiftly, and at the same time, she did not forget to chat with him: You had such intense nightmare last night that it woke me up. I originally wanted to wake you up.


    Aza stared blankly at the womans radiant face. Those beautiful hazy eyes, the straight bridge of the nose, the thin lips, and the thin white neck are looming in the clothes. Aza suddenly had the illusion of blood bleeding miserably on it, and shivered suddenly.


    The woman had already packed her bags and said her farewell to him: Bye, if you have a chance in the future, you can come to Duke Muraks mansion to find me in the royal capital. She unfurled a smile that made the morning mist fill with tenderness like water. My name is Xiaoyi.


    There is no hope anymore. Its either you die or I die. Aza didnt dare to face this smile at all and stared at the ground and nodded.


    After watching the womans back disappear into the morning mist, Aza ran in the direction of the river.


    He didnt jump into the river to hide his scent, and he didnt mind leaving footprints on the soft mud that even the worst-sighted mice could see. He also doesnt run fast, and this speed is the most efficient use of physical strength. He knew very well the hunter would see through any type of cover-up, so such a clear track might instead confuse him.


    Of course, its still possible for the hunter to follow this real footprint, but after passing the last trap, he will definitely have concerns, and this possibility should be relatively small. Aza suddenly found that he was expecting the footsteps of the hunter to sound behind him.


    But any illusion was indeed useless. This is the most efficient method. Once the hunter wastes his physical strength and time on the way to chase the woman, the possibility of escaping by himself is very high. Even after he killed the woman and then tracked him again, his physical strength will be better, and the possibility of winning against the hunter will improve. Aza shook his head, trying his best to focus on running step by step.


    But after running for less than half an hour, he saw a wide river in front of his eyes. He suddenly didnt know whether to cry or laugh. Everyones assumptions, even the hunters, were wrong. Probably because of the rainy season, the river water was diverted from the low-lying swamp and passed directly through the swamp.


    At this moment, a faint scream sounded from the depths of the swamp.


    After such a long distance, the sound was already very weak, but it was like hitting a huge hammer on Azas heart. Immediately before his eyes, the dream of last night appeared, and the mournful wound on the womans throat was extremely clear. He froze in place, unable to move.

 Chapter 0 4

    Another scream came. Aza knew that the hunter was torturing the woman. This is the method used by that race when it hunts human beings.


    If he turns around and rushes to save her, he will fall for this stupid trap, and the result is that both of their heads become ornaments for some beastman tribe together.


    The waters of the Dono River poured eastward for thousands of miles quickly and gently, and the slightly rising waves seemed to beckon to him.


    Come on, come on, jump in and be safe, youll be sad and guilty, but at least youll be alive. After a few years, maybe you will be indifferent to this matter, and you will use it as a topic for chatting with friends at the bar. If you cant forget it in a few years, you will definitely forget it in a few decades.


    Maybe you can also use this grief as a driving force, become a general a few years later, lead an army, sweep away all the beastmen on the continent, avenging this woman,


    The third scream came, and it was already weak as if it was just an illusion caused by anxiety.


    Aza yelled out the most vicious curse he knew, turned around and ran off to where he came from while doing his best to let out a ferocious roar, telling the hunter that his stupid trap had worked out as he had hoped.


    Then in less than ten minutes, Aza, who ran wildly, saw the hunter and the woman he held in his hands.


    Black hair fell from the cloak to her neck, obscuring her pained expression indistinctly. Her right hand was twisted in the shape of a dead tree vine, and her bones were not even an inch intact. Its not one single attack, its broken in one place and then in another until theres nowhere else to break.


    Aza was slightly relieved, except for that arm, there was no visible fatal injury on her for the time being She was just held in the air by the hunter like a chicken to be slaughtered, and a faint moan came out of her mouth.


    Following the giant hairy claw, Aza finally saw this beastman who had been chasing him for three days for the first time.


    A foot taller than him, proportionally wide huge body, brown fur covering the whole body, towering ears, yellow pupils, narrow mouth, a dog-like head, this is a werewolf. The proportions of its body parts are roughly similar to those of humans, but from the perfect curves of muscles and bones, it can be seen that the strength and agility contained in this body are beyond the reach of humans.


    The werewolf was wearing custom-made leather armour, and the meteor hammer on the ground that had smashed the heads of a dozen of Azas colleagues was obviously also custom-made. Humans and dwarves could not use such a huge weapon. This terrifying armament and his body complement each other, enough for him to deal with an entire squad of soldiers alone.


    But this werewolf doesnt look so majestic and dangerous, it can even be said to be a little ragged. The hair on the left arm has been clotted with blood, and the wound above is still bleeding slowly. The Anka rapier is not less lethal because it cannot be used for slashing. The unique blade will tear the surrounding blood vessels and tissues to pieces once it rotates after piercing the body. The slender blade is forged from the finest alloys of dwarves, it can even pierce bones.


    There is a black mass on the back of the left paw, and the charred and cracked muscles can be seen, and the surrounding fur has been burned away, which is the trace of the fireball technique. Looking at the slight burn marks on the fur on his head, we can see that it was originally a fireball shot towards his face, but he blocked it with his hands before he had time to dodge. The timing of this fireball must have been very good.


    If I fought the hunter with the woman, the odds are actually pretty good Aza feels extremely remorseful. Now I can only do my best, and there should be hope. After all, the hunters left arm has


    The hunter let out a grunt, opened his mouth, bared his sharp teeth, and rolled his shoulders. Aza didnt understand the meaning of the expression, but he clearly saw the muscles on the claw holding the woman bulging.


    The prey has come, the purpose has been achieved, and the bait is useless.


    Stop! Aza let out a hoarse cry, rushing towards the hunter.


    Krak, the crisp sound of broken bones resounded, Aza couldnt tell whether it came from the womans neck or his own body. The worn-out legs had no strength to dodge in the middle of the full charge. Aza watched helplessly as the hunter smashed his foot on his chest, causing him to fly out like a scarecrow, and hit hard against a tree. The knife in his hand was also stabbed into the tree.


    Aza shrank like a shrimp, blood and spit spilling out of his nose and mouth. Several ribs were broken, but fortunately, they had not been stabbed into his internal organs. Its as if countless bulls were rushing around in his chest, he could feel nothing but pain, making it hard to even breathe.


    Its so unsatisfying. Seeing that the prey that he had spent so much time on in the past three days was so vulnerable, the hunter thought in disappointment. Originally, he was looking forward to ending it with a great battle.


    When he found the obvious footprints and smells next to the campfire this morning, he was pretty sure it was a trap. How could this cunning prey show his whereabouts on purpose? Must be some kind of trick. So he followed another line of footsteps that instead didnt seem to belong to the prey. When he found that his judgment was wrong again, and he was deceived by the preys tricks, he was completely shocked and angry.


    The combat effectiveness of this other human was even more unexpected, and he was almost hit in the face by a fireball. Fortunately, this human being is also very fragile. After he broke her hand, she immediately lost her combat effectiveness due to severe pain.


    In the end, it was his victory. Success in luring the fleeing prey over and he can now walk over and remove the preys head with ease.


    No, it doesnt have to be that hurried. It is also an interesting ending to savor every inch of the process and see what this human being will do when he knows his life is coming to an end.


    One last trick? Struggling to death? Or shrink into a ball and let out some insignificant wailing with tears and snots? It better not be this, Im tired of watching it again.


    Aza finally managed to catch his breath, the ribs caused unbearable pain akin to knives in his chest, and they kept shifting around every time he breathed. He forced himself to look up at the knife stuck in the tree, and the white sap secreted by the tree had covered the blade.


    He recognized this tree, whose thin, straight roots once reminded him of an almost shameless quote. Now he remembered it again, looking at the motionless woman who had fallen to the ground, extreme grief and indignation made him stand up, and pull the knife out of the tree trunk. He used all the strength in his body to lift the knife and charge forward.


    The hunter looks at the oncoming prey almost with a pitying mood. Is this slow turtle-like movement your last struggle? You can even see the pulsation of every muscle and the twisting of the movement due to pain, and predict clearly when and where the knife will fall with that weak strength.


    The hunter raised the handle of the meteor hammer in his hand and blocked the knife without error, with a loud noise of metal clanging. As expected, the knife along with the arm was bounced back together, the body was jerked back together, and the empty space between the chest and abdomen opened wide. As long as my claws were dug in and dragged upwards, the desired heart could be ripped out immediately.


    Its just that the hunter didnt anticipate a seemingly inconsequential detail. The sap stuck to the knife turned into countless droplets under the strong impact and splashed into the eyes of the hunter, as well as his moist snout.


    It wasnt just tree sap, it was hundreds of needles scorched red with poison and barbs. The hunter let out an unprecedented shrill cry that he himself had never heard before.


    The whole world has been superseded by this pain. His vision turned red at first and then completely blacked out. His snout was gone, there was nothing but pain, and he could only hear his own screams in his ears. Then the only remaining physical sense immediately felt that there was a cold object inserted into his body from the lower abdomen, tearing all the way to his chest.


    A fear that could even cover up the pain overwhelmed him, and the hunter subconsciously grabbed that something under his lower abdomen using all his strength and dread. Then he heard another scream that was on par with his own scream.


    Aza also couldnt hear the sound of his wrist bones shattering into pieces. He could only feel the countless bone fragments moving rampantly among the muscles and blood vessels and protruding from the skin. He didnt use any strength, because he didnt have the least bit of strength in his body, he used this piercing pain to spring to his knees and wildly push up the hilt of the knife. The rubbery rupture of the heart flows through the handle.


    The hunter suddenly stopped screaming and held his chest so hard that the sharp claws were inserted into his fur through the leather armor, as if he wanted to heal the ruptured organ inside. But after shaking a little, he collapsed.


    Aza clutched his left hand and knelt on the ground, groaning and panting for a while before he was able to stand up.


    Its all over.


    No, not yet. Dont stay here too long, once the hunters corpse emits a scent, it will attract a lot of carrion lizards. I was already weakened enough to let those ugly scavenger creatures eat me. I hope the woman has some useful medicines in her luggage or some high-end goods like that water purification talisman.


    Aza staggered over. Looking at the womans pale face, it was once so beautifully paired with a smile, and in half a day, it will become food for those ugly scavengers just like the corpse of the werewolf over there.


    Sorry, its all my fault. Aza knelt before her in pain. Suddenly he saw that the lips seemed to move, and he thought it was his hallucination, but he immediately heard a groan, harsher than his own.

 Chapter 0.1

    The sharp blade ran through the neck, and the soon-to-be carcass in his hand tensed and twitched violently, quivering strongly despite its small size, as if it wanted to squeeze out the minuscule drop of life within itself. As the warm and pungent liquid gradually dripped into his mouth, the trembling thing wrapped by his fingers gradually became weaker until finally, it stopped completely. Aza squeezed the mountain rat with all his might, without concern about the stomach acid that dripped out together. It wasnt until the last drop of bodily fluids finished dripping that Aza put aside the deformed mountain rat, and stuck out his tongue to lick the blood on his lips.


    I dont want to die.


    The smell of blood rose from his stomach. His throat growled lowly reflexively, it sounded deep and travelled far, fearful yet fearsome at the same time, its as if it didnt come from his vocal organs, but from the deepest part of his soul.


    He remembered this sound. When he was three years old, he hid in a tree and watched a few hunters in the village cornering a wounded wolf. He was shaken by the heavy growl of the wolf, but it was not fear, it was a sound that resonated with his soul-string. After that, he became obsessed with grasping the language of beasts.


    He now fully understood that the unintelligible growl wasnt meaningless, but the desperate howl of the living before their imminent death, its the release of an intense desire to survive and the crazed beastly nature overflowing in his heart.


    Three days of eating raw animals and unbearable tension, as well as limited physical strength. The imminent death tailing him and his strong desire to survive, the combined agony of the two almost turned him into a senseless beast. But fortunately, sense and logic still control his actions.


    Aza is very aware of the gap in ability between himself and the hunter. He remembered very clearly how the heads of the two soldiers of the third division were smashed like watermelons in an instant. The only advantage he had was that he understood the opponents intentions.


    The hunter didnt pursue him ferociously. It wasnt a race, the hunter didnt want to catch up with him so soon to risk injury against an injured and desperate beast. This is a hunt, stalking the prey non-stop, to let the prey gradually weaken in fear as they flee, and then approach when you are certain that you can kill it, like strangling a critter, lop off his head. No matter if its his physical ability or his survival skills in this swampy jungle, it is merely not enough for him to shake off the pursuit. The hunter and prey both understood this.


    During these three days, Aza feigned the desperate fleeing that the hunter expected to see. His stamina also seemed as if it dropped from the constant running. If you cant make a fire, you will not have edible food. Eating raw beast meat in the lizard swamp is the same as looking for death. The parasites in their body are deadly for the human body. Instead, you can only find some non-toxic insects to consume. Although the blood of the beasts is edible, it provides little nutrients, and it is not enough to recover the energy lost from sweating and running. The lack of consuming salt and food has caused him to reach the limit, so the illusion that he had been working hard to create these three days must end without the slightest mistake


    With amazing luck, he found three non-toxic worms in the surrounding grass and shrubs. About the size of a finger, they struggled from side to side filled with energy. Holding their head with his fingers, he then slowly pinched out the green faeces from the end. If he pinched the body of the worm with too much force, it will explode and waste the nutrients, but the faeces might be poisonous so it still had to be removed as much as possible. This is a top-notch difficulty craft. After several days of experience, Aza has become very skilled at it.


    The tender worm meat quickly turned into thick pastes under the chewing, and the creamy and bitter taste swirled on the taste buds like the air of this swamp sticking to the skin. Aza carefully grinds with his teeth and uses his tongue to search for remnant meat paste between the gaps and gums, ensuring that all the worms can be reduced to the smallest unit possible for easier digestion. Every drop of nutrition is precious, it gives motivation for action and the hope to live.


    He used a knife to dig a hole about a foot in the ground and bury the mountain rats body. Every time he killed an animal during these three days, he would bury the body regardless of his deteriorating physical strength.


    He carried the knife on his back, meticulously checked himself, and flattened the wrinkles of every piece of clothing as much as possible. Like a watchful sentinel stepping onto a narrow guard tower, he cautiously stepped on the mound where the mountain rat had just been buried, and then slowly squatted down and lower on all fours, like a huge shape-shifting worm, slowly crawling like a worm to the nasty pool of water beside him.


    He focused all his attention on this unsightly action, carefully controlling every muscle on his body, keeping his body as close to the ground as possible, without leaving any conspicuous marks on the soft mud. Any movement out of control and uncoordinated will make the three-day scheming completely in vain.


    He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly slid into the nasty water, without the water splashing at all. The weight of the knife with him was just enough to keep him from floating, he moved through the mud at the bottom of the water in the direction he remembered. This pool of nasty water leads to a temporary creek that appeared during rainy seasons. He came here on purpose, and he also chose this terrain to bury the body. Everything was planned.


    There was prickling pain in several places on his body, some leeches sucked onto his body. Aza ignored it. After sucking enough blood, they would release their mouths on their own. Forcefully pulling it out would only cause the sucker to remain in the skin and cause infection. The most important thing now is to sneak out as far as possible before he needed to surface for air.


    I re-examined every detail just now in my mind. There are no flaws, the exultation of freedom arose spontaneously in his heart. The only problem now is the mountain rats carcass, which has to decompose enough to give off a certain smell before the hunter arrives.


    I just need a bit of rotten luck now. (TL: rotten as in the carcass rots, both meaning works)


    On the muddy silt, Aza, who was rowing his limbs forward like a carrion lizard, prayed zealously.


    In the afternoon, the rarely-seen sunlight in the Lizard Swamp shone down.


    The sun was separated by the branches before reaching the ground. The wet ground turned the sunlight into a hypnotizing screen between the branches of the tree and the ground. In this sultry and humid barrier, all life in the swamps quickly grew and perish for other life to be born and so it repeats, and even the rapid decomposition appeared to be very lively.


    The hunter watched silently as a horde of carrion-eating lizards gleefully scrambled for the carcass of a mountain rat. He hated the slimy smell of these ugly scavengers, its too strong for his keen sense of smell. A comparatively larger lizard successfully snatched the corpse and turned to run away.


    With humans as measuring standards, the current prey is quite good, with decent speed, agility, and strength. The hunter is very interested, he knows that he had a higher chance of killing him in head-to-head combat.


    But having a fair degree of certainty is not enough. This is not a battlefield, but a hunt, it is necessary to make this fair degree of certainty into great certainty. Since yesterday, the footprints have gradually become weak and light.


    Now, the hunter feels confident enough.


    But its also a rather bizarre prey. Although it was indeed being hunted, the footprints did not show the disorderliness and panic that a hunted prey should have. There was a strange firmness in the feeble steps, that was not the footsteps of someone blindly escaping for ones life, something else was obscured in it.


    The covering up of its whereabouts these three days was quite good, but they kept making a stupid mistake burying the carcasses of the animals after drinking their blood. This is completely counterproductive, the lizards will dig up the carcass and eat it, keen for the smell of decay. The hunter just had to follow the stench of the hordes of lizards to find the traces of the prey.


    The incomprehensible firmness, the stupid mistake, the seemingly existing connection between the two made the hunter feel a little weird. But it is only limited to feeling. After catching up, killing, and lopping off his head, there will be nothing strange about it. No prey can escape its hunting in this swampy jungle. This hunter has absolute confidence. Mind you, absolute.


    But the hunter was immediately shocked to find that all the traces only ended here and did not extend in any direction.


    Only the strong stench of swamp lizards remained in the air. The hunter leaned down, scrutinizing the ground for any clue. Although the lizards crawled and scrambled for food and made a mess of the surrounding ground, with the hunters superior observation and experience, the traces of this prey were still visible, and it just a while to clear all the traces around and investigate the place clearly.


    Some weak but unflustered steps, there is no trace of stepping back on their own footprints to return from the original path, the prey just walked around in the surrounding bushes, probably looking for food. The hunter was even able to tell that the first food he found was from under two staghorn ferns, presumably a bug. The first half of the two footprints there are slightly deeper, showing a forward shift in the centre of gravity of the stooping motion. But other than that, nothing was found. The footprints stopped abruptly only before the pit where the carcass was originally buried.


    This is completely outside the range of experience accumulated over the years by the hunters tribe. Fleeing, covering traces, and declining physical conditions, the hunter had to utilize his intellect to connect with these together, hoping to draw something other than experience from them. But it is too difficult for a brain lacking in logical thinking skills to accomplish this task. When he found himself falling into a deviant trap, step by step, just as the pray had hoped, an uncontrollable rage frantically took over all his thoughts.


    A lizard crawled back shaking its head, sniffing by the pit, hoping to find something good. But it immediately became the target of the furious man beside him. The huge body flew high with a violent blow, and then fell into the nasty pool of water, causing the sky-high water and silt to splash everywhere. As the muddy water landed on the shore, there were a few leeches, clumsily wriggling their rounded bodies after they were full, trying to return to the water. The hunter noticed it, picked up one and looked at it carefully, cracked it with a snap, and tasted the liquid flowing out of it. Then there was a hideous expression on his face that are unreadable by members of other races.


    Sticking to the ground, with the most sensitive sense of smell on the entire continent, he finally discerned the smell he was hoping to find apart from the pungent smell of the lizards mucus and the rotten smell of the earth. The smell extends to the nasty pool of water.


    I will and must tear out your heart while you are alive, rip through that pulsating warm thing with my teeth, swallow the entire thing through my throat with the freshest blood within it, and convert this cunning sense of yours into the power of mine.


    There must be no damage to the head. Need to slowly dig out the brain from the eye socket and eat it, peel off the flesh, and hire the best craftsmen to shape the skull. This perfect loot can be placed on our ancestors tomb. As a sacrifice, this will be the testimony that the tribes prided hunting skills have grown.


    You are a fine prey of mine.


    A long-lost excitement filled the sprinting hunters body, that is a feeling that he had only felt when he was chasing after the most beautiful female in the tribe after maturing.

 Chapter 0.2

    Is it good luck or bad luck? Aza thought while drinking the broth.


    High-quality meat. Using the finest beef, hammered into a floss, a whole cow of meat can be filled in just a small pocket. When it is consumed, you just have to boil it with water and it will be restored to delectable beef. This is the dried food used by aristocratic warriors on expeditions.


    Flavorful soup. Even the river water in the Lizard Swamp is as clear and sweet as the purest mountain spring under the action of the purifying charm. It is used to cook a pot of beef soup, adding salt, even the master chefs in the city will approve of the taste. It makes people feel that this purification talisman is indeed worth a silver coin.


    Eating such good meat and drinking such fine soup will refresh even someone dying. Aza is very aware of his physical condition, and after a good nights rest, he can bring down a cow with his bare hands.


    The bonfire is made of a lot of wood stacked together, and the looks are very neat. The solid and dense dry wood and wet wood are mixed, which can be guaranteed to burn until the next day. The heat of the bonfire can conceal the body temperature of a human, even the wyverns wouldnt be able to sense them, so there is no need to hide in the cold tree holes and underground holes, and other beasts and poisonous insects do not dare to approach. A good nights sleep next to a campfire like this will definitely restore your physical strength.


    Even if he can knock down five cows with his bare hands, Aza is still not confident in fighting head-on against the hunter.


    No matter how much he recovered his stamina, it was not enough for him to shake off the hunters trails. The campfire was warm, safe, and bright enough for any creature in the swamp to see clearly.


    You are really amazing. This is the first time I have seen someone who dares to walk across the Lizard Swamp with only one weapon. The woman who claimed to be a pharmacist showed an expression of admiration.


    Aza didnt think he was worthy of admiration at all. He didnt even notice that the skin of the leech was still bleeding after it fell off, and just a few drops of blood almost attracted the piranhas in the entire swampy waters. So he had to go to the bank and push a broken log that had been knocked down by a bull into the river, stand on it and float down the water to avoid the countless jaws below who were waiting for him to go into the water. But when a few huge crocodiles joined the ranks, he had no choice anymore but to go ashore. It was already dusk, and when he was about to find a place to hide, he saw the light of the fire, he then unexpectedly met a person of the same species.


    The woman was about the same age as Aza. Although she was dressed as an explorer, carrying a large package and a dirty blanket, her fair and delicate skin showed that she was not a commoner. Carrying that kind of high-efficiency dry food with her, in addition, the price of a water purification talisman is enough for a commoner to live comfortably for a month, this woman is most probably a noble.


    I thought it was amazing that I could explore and collect herbs in the swamp by myself. The terrain and climate here are unique, and many plants only grow here, so although my father never agreed with me, I still sneak in by myself. The woman was like a child with no ulterior motives at all, speaking at will. Its probably been a long time since she had seen a member of the same species, and its in such a dangerous environment, so the woman is not wary of him at all.


    The sword on her waist is the Anka rapier, thin and long, hard and resilient, light and dexterous, mainly for assassination. Aza recognized it because it was always in the most noticeable place in his fathers shop for customers to tut at the sword and the price tag below.


    The angle of the sword around her waist was good and precise, allowing her to draw as quickly as possible. The hilt of the sword was tightly wrapped with a fine hemp rope, a method only used by professional soldiers, so that the hilt would not slip even after it was soaked in blood. Although the colour of the hemp rope is still the original colour that has not been soaked in blood, from the grip marks left by the countless slams on it, this sword is definitely not just for people to look at.


    But even with her, it wouldnt be enough to deal with the hunter. The most important thing in life and death fighting is not skill, but energy and fighting spirit. Even if she had been trained since she was a child, she had never heard the cracking sound of an axe smashing into a human bone, never heard the wailing of a person who was cut in half at the waist, but still was not completely dead, never felt the sharp pain of the enemys blade galloping across her body, tearing through her muscles and bones, she was only an amateur at best. When faced with the threat of death, when they feel the pain that can immediately overwhelm their minds, they all fear, panic and lose their combat power.


    If only there was another magician or priest, even if it was just the most basic blessing, a few simple fireballs


    Aza found himself a little dazed by the sudden comfort of the broth and the bonfire. It is almost unbelievable luck to be able to meet human beings in the dense swampy forest within a radius of hundreds of miles and drink broth comfortably around the campfire to replenish physical strength.


    After chewing a piece of adventurers biscuit given by the woman and serving it with broth, Aza sighed with satisfaction and resignation, feeling the warmth of this lucky bonfire.


    The hunter should be stalking the fire here in a random tree hole at this time. Even he had to hide when the wyvern was still searching for food in the night sky. But as long as the dawn appears in the east, and the two-legged dragon returns to its nest, he will spare no effort to rush here at an astonishing speed following the bonfire of luck.


    Whether it is good luck or bad luck, since it has already happened, it is crucial, or the only choice, to try to develop things to the place where they hope to develop.


    How far is it from the Dono River? Aza asked.


    When the Dono River first passed through the Lizard Swamp, the water was so fast that even the fish could not swim back, and it was there that Aza was forced ashore into the Lizard Swamp. But the water softened after bypassing the Lizard Swamp, and as long as it drifted down the river for a day, it would reach Bracada, the western town of the empire.


    Im not exactly sure, but its not far, probably can reach there walking a day or two.


    If I ran there at full speed, I might be able to reach there in half a day. No, although the distance is much closer than expected, without the exact distance, there is also no exact certainty that he could reach there in time. He was quite sure that the hunter could catch up with him within half a day. The chances of escaping directly are too small.


    I should probably tell the truth to the woman and ask her to deal with the hunter together. Although the chances of winning are small, it is still better than the alternatives. Aza arranged the words to tell her in his heart.


    May I ask for a favour, can you accompany me for a while? I plan to go deep into the swamp tomorrow to find new herbs. This is the first time I have entered the swamp this deep. The woman suddenly asked, Of course, I will pay for the help. She brushed a few strands of black hair that fell down with her hand, and the black hair was pressed against her thin lips, and her lips pursed into a slightly nervous arc. Her heels rubbed gently against each other. These are a pair of feet that are quite large for a woman, about the same size as Azas, and she wore a pair of leather shoes that are commonly used by adventurers.


    Aza suddenly realized a way to escape. This is a very efficient, high-success probability approach. There is no need to set up any traps, or set up any illusions, no need to consume physical strength, and no need to waste precious time, as long as I took advantage of the moment, here at the campfire, I can let the hunters waste a lot of time and energy.


    The realization made his heart skip a beat.


    Okay? The woman blinked. Her eyes were small, with long eyelashes, and the corners of her eyes were hanging down. Even if she was angry, there would be a hazy smile flowing inside.


    The bonfire is bright, and the eyes are very dark in contrast, the firelight is soft and warm, but Aza did not dare to look straight at her. He looked away, took a deep breath, and tried to keep his tone as natural as possible. Im sorry, no, I have something very important and urgent to do.


    Oh, is it? The woman didnt know how to hide the disappointment in her tone and expression.


    Walking westward from here for about half a day, there are several kinds of herbs unique to this swamp, which probably have unique healing properties. Aza felt that his face was distorted, his voice was out of shape, and the meaning of his words was vague. It was the first time he had told an extremely malicious lie to a very friendly person. And to a woman.


    Probably? What do you mean?


    Well, I saw a bull, no, its two bulls, and bulls fighting each other, and ones hind leg was injured, hey no, it seems that the front foot is not good, it seems that it was bitten anyway, a very serious injury. It seemed like it will die on the ground for sure. Then it ate some grass, apply it to the place where it is injured, and then it will be fine after a while. In desperation, Aza repeated the story of a dog fight he heard from an old adventurer, the story is very vague, but the words become more and more fluent.


    Oh? Really? What kind of grass are you talking about? The womans eyes widened, and Aza felt as if he had seen the terrifying crossbow bolt that had been fired from the dark five days ago, and almost reflexively lowered his head and twisted his body. The woman quickly pulled out a pen and paper from her backpack.


    Its a pale yellow flower. Aza mixed up the characteristics of several wild herbs and messed up nonsense. The woman took it seriously.


    If youre going to go deeper into the swamp, be sure to grind up water mint and pyrethrum and apply it to your clothes and skin. Even if you have insect-repellent oil, be sure to apply it, because there are several poisonous insects in it. They are only afraid of the smell of these two kinds of grass. Aza said to the woman in a very solemn voice.


    Just these two kinds of grass? Its everywhere, isnt it? The woman found it casually around the bonfire.


    Of course, these two herbs do have the effect of repelling insects. Since entering the swamp, Aza has been smearing it on his body, but these two herbs are by no means as effective as the insect-repellent oil specially made by the Adventurers Guild. During these three days, the first thing Aza did when he woke up at dawn in the tree hole was to use the slightest movement to pick out the centipedes and other poisonous insects that were sometimes under the armpits and trousers.


    Of course, there are no poisonous insects that fear only these two herbs in the deeper parts of the swamp.


    It seems that no matter what skill it is, it can be practised and honed. No matter how difficult it is, or something that goes against human nature, as long as you practice a lot, you will get used to it, become proficient, and even immerse yourself in it. With the opportunity to practice before, when Aza said the most vicious part of this extremely malicious lie, his sentences were smooth and his voice was stable, but he never dared to look at those shining eyes. He used the branches to play with the bonfire in order to hide his eyes.


    Thank you very much. If I find these herbs again and figure out their properties, it will be enough to embarrass the old guys in the pharmacy., she probably thought that she made a friend, not only does she do things freely, but she also talked to him affectionately. I knew for a long time that the world is so big, and there must be drugs that have not been discovered yet. But those old guys always only know how to chew on the books of their predecessors.


    Nothing to feel guilty about. Even if he didnt tell her the truth and courageously challenged the hunter, it would still result in the same situation. The hunter will never let go of any other human being found in the swamp.


    Even if the two of them fight together, they will most probably die, or maybe she will get in the way, or even not help at all. This method just makes her death more meaningful and gives myself more chances to escape. Aza searched his mind for every reason to justify his insidious trap.


    Once my achievements are approved, let alone the Pharmacy Institute, even the Magic Academy will pay attention to me. Maybe even the bishop will personally ask me about these new herbs. Due to the excitement, her round face floated two red clouds on both sides. Pointing to a tree next to her, she said, Look, this tree is one of my discoveries. There is never any record in the book, but I know that it is very common in swamps by inquiring about many retired adventurers. And I also found that its sap is very irritating and toxic if the eyes of people or animals are splashed


    Your life is actually exchanged with the death of countless other lives, so dont give up every hope of survival.


    There are many small roots wound around the trunk of the tree, very straight and thin, much like the pen used by the old adventurer at the back of the village. From this, Aza suddenly remembered a sentence he once said that sounded very profound. This sentence undoubtedly raised the conspiracy just now to a philosophical depth. Aza felt that he could finally feel at ease. But suddenly a sense of intense disgust came over him, making him feel extremely tired.

 Chapter 0.3

    Wyverns whizzed past the tree tops, and the swept air could be felt in the tree holes. These gigantic flying animals dominate the swampy night, adding to their diet all animals that emit body heat, even savages of their size.


    There was a smell similar to that of lizards in the air, which made the hunters feel very disgusted. He didnt care if there was a connection between the two types of creatures, he just hated it. If it werent for these nightly haunts, he didnt have to wait for dawn in the tree hole, he only needed one night to make the prey despair. If it werent for those unbearable odours that made his sense of smell suffer, he would not have been delayed by the trick that almost fooled him, and he would not have been glaring at the firelight in the distance right now.


    Why are you lighting up a bonfire? To eat and replenish your energy? Did he notice his trap failed? Or is this another trap?


    Are you provoking me? The Hunter thought furiously. Are you implying that: youre just right there, come here quickly and let me rip your heart out?


    But the hunter immediately warned himself not to lose his cool. To lose your cool in the face of such cunning prey is fated to fall into a trap. There is no doubt that this is definitely a trap or an extension of the previous trap.


    The river is not far away, tomorrow morning, I will run with all my strength to hunt you, and then employ a fantastically pleasurable method to end the hunt. The hunter snorted excitedly and shook the powerful weapon in his hands. The brains and blood on it formed a thin casing that became a part of the weapon.


    Dont get too excited, dont get too excited, stay calm, stay calm. The hunter warned himself again. All traces seen tomorrow must be carefully observed, and meticulously considered, I will not get deceived again. Remember to watch out for illusions, watch out for illusions.


    Do you think Im so gullible? Are you still proud of that brain of yours Im about to dig out and savour slowly?


    The Hunter rejoiced at his calm thought and snorted again.


    The sword sliced open the skin, ripped the muscle, tore the throat, burst the arteries, then tore the muscles again, passed through the skin, and exits from the other side of the neck. This feeling is vividly realistic, he can feel it from his fingers to his wrist, to his elbow and finally his arm, and it quaked powerfully in his heart, The profound feeling was akin to exquisite poetry. Then the bright red blood flowed out of the womans body enthusiastically and merrily, allowing Aza to absorb it fully.


    A few strands of black hair were clinging to the thin lips, the lips pursed into a slightly cramped arc, the hanging eyes were squinted, and the long eyelashes contained a hazy smile. When I got closer, I realized that this was a spectacularly attractive woman.


    Aza suddenly felt terrified. Afraid of the gentleness held in the squinted eyes, the determination in the thin lips. The woman still had the same expression, but Aza was completely engulfed in the terror of this sudden discovery of tenderness and beauty.


    Then he realized that it wasnt just the womans throat that had been cut, but also his own. Caressing the wound in his neck, the clear and distinct feeling when the incision was cut echoed in his chest. He wanted to use this feeling to fill the wound back, but there was nothing he could do. Aza groaned in incomparable pain.


    Looking at the womans beautiful and gentle face and the piercing wound on her neck, he felt his own wound with his hand. Sorrow, fear, and pain, embraced Aza tightly like the surrounding darkness, and Aza woke up instantly.


    The early morning dawnlight has emerged in the east, and the roar of the two-footed dragon is gradually disappearing. The creatures circled from the edge of the swamp and flew back to their lair in the depths of the swamp. The Hunters location is closer to the depths of the swamp, so this gives Aza the advantage of starting earlier.


    But Aza didnt show much interest in this precious time but squatted beside the bonfire that was about to extinguish, watching blankly as the woman crushed water mint and pyrethrum with stones and smeared it on her clothes and skin. Until now, the feeling left by the nightmare is still reverberating in his mind, as if he cant shake off the sticky snot, his mind is still disorganised. Fortunately, he could also really feel that his physical strength had almost completely recovered.


    The woman seemed to have slept well. After smearing, she began to pack things swiftly, and at the same time, she did not forget to chat with him: You had such intense nightmare last night that it woke me up. I originally wanted to wake you up.


    Aza stared blankly at the womans radiant face. Those beautiful hazy eyes, the straight bridge of the nose, the thin lips, and the thin white neck are looming in the clothes. Aza suddenly had the illusion of blood bleeding miserably on it, and shivered suddenly.


    The woman had already packed her bags and said her farewell to him: Bye, if you have a chance in the future, you can come to Duke Muraks mansion to find me in the royal capital. She unfurled a smile that made the morning mist fill with tenderness like water. My name is Xiaoyi.


    There is no hope anymore. Its either you die or I die. Aza didnt dare to face this smile at all and stared at the ground and nodded.


    After watching the womans back disappear into the morning mist, Aza ran in the direction of the river.


    He didnt jump into the river to hide his scent, and he didnt mind leaving footprints on the soft mud that even the worst-sighted mice could see. He also doesnt run fast, and this speed is the most efficient use of physical strength. He knew very well the hunter would see through any type of cover-up, so such a clear track might instead confuse him.


    Of course, its still possible for the hunter to follow this real footprint, but after passing the last trap, he will definitely have concerns, and this possibility should be relatively small. Aza suddenly found that he was expecting the footsteps of the hunter to sound behind him.


    But any illusion was indeed useless. This is the most efficient method. Once the hunter wastes his physical strength and time on the way to chase the woman, the possibility of escaping by himself is very high. Even after he killed the woman and then tracked him again, his physical strength will be better, and the possibility of winning against the hunter will improve. Aza shook his head, trying his best to focus on running step by step.


    But after running for less than half an hour, he saw a wide river in front of his eyes. He suddenly didnt know whether to cry or laugh. Everyones assumptions, even the hunters, were wrong. Probably because of the rainy season, the river water was diverted from the low-lying swamp and passed directly through the swamp.


    At this moment, a faint scream sounded from the depths of the swamp.


    After such a long distance, the sound was already very weak, but it was like hitting a huge hammer on Azas heart. Immediately before his eyes, the dream of last night appeared, and the mournful wound on the womans throat was extremely clear. He froze in place, unable to move.

 Chapter 0.4

    Another scream came. Aza knew that the hunter was torturing the woman. This is the method used by that race when it hunts human beings.


    If he turns around and rushes to save her, he will fall for this stupid trap, and the result is that both of their heads become ornaments for some beastman tribe together.


    The waters of the Dono River poured eastward for thousands of miles quickly and gently, and the slightly rising waves seemed to beckon to him.


    Come on, come on, jump in and be safe, youll be sad and guilty, but at least youll be alive. After a few years, maybe you will be indifferent to this matter, and you will use it as a topic for chatting with friends at the bar. If you cant forget it in a few years, you will definitely forget it in a few decades.


    Maybe you can also use this grief as a driving force, become a general a few years later, lead an army, sweep away all the beastmen on the continent, avenging this woman,


    The third scream came, and it was already weak as if it was just an illusion caused by anxiety.


    Aza yelled out the most vicious curse he knew, turned around and ran off to where he came from while doing his best to let out a ferocious roar, telling the hunter that his stupid trap had worked out as he had hoped.


    Then in less than ten minutes, Aza, who ran wildly, saw the hunter and the woman he held in his hands.


    Black hair fell from the cloak to her neck, obscuring her pained expression indistinctly. Her right hand was twisted in the shape of a dead tree vine, and her bones were not even an inch intact. Its not one single attack, its broken in one place and then in another until theres nowhere else to break.


    Aza was slightly relieved, except for that arm, there was no visible fatal injury on her for the time being She was just held in the air by the hunter like a chicken to be slaughtered, and a faint moan came out of her mouth.


    Following the giant hairy claw, Aza finally saw this beastman who had been chasing him for three days for the first time.


    A foot taller than him, proportionally wide huge body, brown fur covering the whole body, towering ears, yellow pupils, narrow mouth, a dog-like head, this is a werewolf. The proportions of its body parts are roughly similar to those of humans, but from the perfect curves of muscles and bones, it can be seen that the strength and agility contained in this body are beyond the reach of humans.


    The werewolf was wearing custom-made leather armour, and the meteor hammer on the ground that had smashed the heads of a dozen of Azas colleagues was obviously also custom-made. Humans and dwarves could not use such a huge weapon. This terrifying armament and his body complement each other, enough for him to deal with an entire squad of soldiers alone.


    But this werewolf doesnt look so majestic and dangerous, it can even be said to be a little ragged. The hair on the left arm has been clotted with blood, and the wound above is still bleeding slowly. The Anka rapier is not less lethal because it cannot be used for slashing. The unique blade will tear the surrounding blood vessels and tissues to pieces once it rotates after piercing the body. The slender blade is forged from the finest alloys of dwarves, it can even pierce bones.


    There is a black mass on the back of the left paw, and the charred and cracked muscles can be seen, and the surrounding fur has been burned away, which is the trace of the fireball technique. Looking at the slight burn marks on the fur on his head, we can see that it was originally a fireball shot towards his face, but he blocked it with his hands before he had time to dodge. The timing of this fireball must have been very good.


    If I fought the hunter with the woman, the odds are actually pretty good Aza feels extremely remorseful. Now I can only do my best, and there should be hope. After all, the hunters left arm has


    The hunter let out a grunt, opened his mouth, bared his sharp teeth, and rolled his shoulders. Aza didnt understand the meaning of the expression, but he clearly saw the muscles on the claw holding the woman bulging.


    The prey has come, the purpose has been achieved, and the bait is useless.


    Stop! Aza let out a hoarse cry, rushing towards the hunter.


    Krak, the crisp sound of broken bones resounded, Aza couldnt tell whether it came from the womans neck or his own body. The worn-out legs had no strength to dodge in the middle of the full charge. Aza watched helplessly as the hunter smashed his foot on his chest, causing him to fly out like a scarecrow, and hit hard against a tree. The knife in his hand was also stabbed into the tree.


    Aza shrank like a shrimp, blood and spit spilling out of his nose and mouth. Several ribs were broken, but fortunately, they had not been stabbed into his internal organs. Its as if countless bulls were rushing around in his chest, he could feel nothing but pain, making it hard to even breathe.


    Its so unsatisfying. Seeing that the prey that he had spent so much time on in the past three days was so vulnerable, the hunter thought in disappointment. Originally, he was looking forward to ending it with a great battle.


    When he found the obvious footprints and smells next to the campfire this morning, he was pretty sure it was a trap. How could this cunning prey show his whereabouts on purpose? Must be some kind of trick. So he followed another line of footsteps that instead didnt seem to belong to the prey. When he found that his judgment was wrong again, and he was deceived by the preys tricks, he was completely shocked and angry.


    The combat effectiveness of this other human was even more unexpected, and he was almost hit in the face by a fireball. Fortunately, this human being is also very fragile. After he broke her hand, she immediately lost her combat effectiveness due to severe pain.


    In the end, it was his victory. Success in luring the fleeing prey over and he can now walk over and remove the preys head with ease.


    No, it doesnt have to be that hurried. It is also an interesting ending to savor every inch of the process and see what this human being will do when he knows his life is coming to an end.


    One last trick? Struggling to death? Or shrink into a ball and let out some insignificant wailing with tears and snots? It better not be this, Im tired of watching it again.


    Aza finally managed to catch his breath, the ribs caused unbearable pain akin to knives in his chest, and they kept shifting around every time he breathed. He forced himself to look up at the knife stuck in the tree, and the white sap secreted by the tree had covered the blade.


    He recognized this tree, whose thin, straight roots once reminded him of an almost shameless quote. Now he remembered it again, looking at the motionless woman who had fallen to the ground, extreme grief and indignation made him stand up, and pull the knife out of the tree trunk. He used all the strength in his body to lift the knife and charge forward.


    The hunter looks at the oncoming prey almost with a pitying mood. Is this slow turtle-like movement your last struggle? You can even see the pulsation of every muscle and the twisting of the movement due to pain, and predict clearly when and where the knife will fall with that weak strength.


    The hunter raised the handle of the meteor hammer in his hand and blocked the knife without error, with a loud noise of metal clanging. As expected, the knife along with the arm was bounced back together, the body was jerked back together, and the empty space between the chest and abdomen opened wide. As long as my claws were dug in and dragged upwards, the desired heart could be ripped out immediately.


    Its just that the hunter didnt anticipate a seemingly inconsequential detail. The sap stuck to the knife turned into countless droplets under the strong impact and splashed into the eyes of the hunter, as well as his moist snout.


    It wasnt just tree sap, it was hundreds of needles scorched red with poison and barbs. The hunter let out an unprecedented shrill cry that he himself had never heard before.


    The whole world has been superseded by this pain. His vision turned red at first and then completely blacked out. His snout was gone, there was nothing but pain, and he could only hear his own screams in his ears. Then the only remaining physical sense immediately felt that there was a cold object inserted into his body from the lower abdomen, tearing all the way to his chest.


    A fear that could even cover up the pain overwhelmed him, and the hunter subconsciously grabbed that something under his lower abdomen using all his strength and dread. Then he heard another scream that was on par with his own scream.


    Aza also couldnt hear the sound of his wrist bones shattering into pieces. He could only feel the countless bone fragments moving rampantly among the muscles and blood vessels and protruding from the skin. He didnt use any strength, because he didnt have the least bit of strength in his body, he used this piercing pain to spring to his knees and wildly push up the hilt of the knife. The rubbery rupture of the heart flows through the handle.


    The hunter suddenly stopped screaming and held his chest so hard that the sharp claws were inserted into his fur through the leather armor, as if he wanted to heal the ruptured organ inside. But after shaking a little, he collapsed.


    Aza clutched his left hand and knelt on the ground, groaning and panting for a while before he was able to stand up.


    Its all over.


    No, not yet. Dont stay here too long, once the hunters corpse emits a scent, it will attract a lot of carrion lizards. I was already weakened enough to let those ugly scavenger creatures eat me. I hope the woman has some useful medicines in her luggage or some high-end goods like that water purification talisman.


    Aza staggered over. Looking at the womans pale face, it was once so beautifully paired with a smile, and in half a day, it will become food for those ugly scavengers just like the corpse of the werewolf over there.


    Sorry, its all my fault. Aza knelt before her in pain. Suddenly he saw that the lips seemed to move, and he thought it was his hallucination, but he immediately heard a groan, harsher than his own.

 Chapter 1

    After listening to Aza telling how his army was wiped out on the top of the mountain, the knight took a long sigh and lowered his head in deep thought.


    Aza sat on the soft velvet chair, rubbing the soft, smooth texture between his fingers. He had merely seen this type of material before. The box that the old pedant in the village used to keep holy books had one of these thin layers inside. When he was three years old, he saw an older kid just slightly pinching it with his fingers, and then that hand was beaten until he couldn¡¯t hold a spoon for three days.


    Such a noble, mysterious and dangerous existence is now laying under his buttocks, which makes him feel a little weird and intoxicated.


    Duke Murak went to the Imperial City for a military meeting and Aza was instead welcomed by a young knight who claimed to be the Duke¡¯s assistant.


    The knight¡¯s armor and matching sword are of the highest quality, and the badge of the Holy Knights on the armor was seen on Aza¡¯s old squad¡¯s captain as well. Young, handsome, mighty, imposing, with a noble identity, and a temperament that goes perfectly with it, he seems to be the protagonist of a story often heard in the mouths of bards as a child.


    It¡¯s still a bit strange and enjoyable for such a character to sit down with him and contemplate what he reported. It¡¯s the same as the chair, but it¡¯s way more impactful this time.


    ¡°Then you are the only one who broke out of the siege and is hunted down, resisting the pursuer in the Lizard Swamp¡­¡± The knight repeated Aza¡¯s story. Articulation is clear, slow, and methodical. As if for fear that others might not hear him or misunderstand him.


    Aza nodded: ¡°That¡¯s what happened.¡± The running around made him very thirsty. He picked up the jug on the table and poured himself a cup, and found out that it was milk tea.


    ¡°Are you sure you are the only one who escaped?¡± The knight frowned, looked at him seriously with deep and canny eyes, and asked slowly, word by word. As if this is a very consequential question.


    Although he was already sure of it, Aza recollected his memory carefully and then nodded: ¡°Yes. I am the only one.¡± This milk tea tasted very good, but the cup was too small. Aza kept drinking and pouring it repeatedly. In fact, he originally wanted to drink from the mouth of the jug, but the splendour of the duke¡¯s mansion and the gaze of the knight on the opposite side discouraged him from doing so.


    The knight stretched his brows slightly, then frowned harder, and asked more seriously, ¡°So, did you tell anyone else about this?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Aza was quite sure. He has been moving nonstop until he reached here coming out of the swamp. There¡¯s even still a bandage on his left wrist now.


    Thanks to a few healing runes and potions in their luggage, they were able to walk out of the river to find a dead tree and float to Brakada. When the magistrate knew that it was Duke Mulak¡¯s daughter who was injured, they immediately called for all priests and doctors in a radius of fifty miles. Several ribs on Aza¡¯s chest have been connected, and it is not a big problem under the action of the treatment, but it is a little fragile. The left wrist was broken so badly that it took a whole day, and several butchers and butchers were brought in to find the bone fragments mixed with the meat. Aza even fainted due to pain three times, and finally managed to get his body back to its original state. After using an astonishing number of treatments and medicines, the pain was eliminated, but there was still the possibility of him being disabled. Now Aza pinned his hopes on the wealth and power of Duke Mulak and the level of the priest in the capital.


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you report this matter to the commander of your unit?¡± The knight asked patiently and carefully, wanting to keep the details down to his heart. His focused expression was like that of a child, and there was a hint of caution in his careful gaze as if he was afraid everything in front of him would suddenly fly away.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know who my troops belong to. I just saw temporary soldiers being recruited in Bracada, so I went to participate.¡± Aza actually wanted to ask him about his salary of about ten copper coins. But when he looked at the silver cup in his hand, he was too embarrassed to say it. ¡°I asked Xiaoyi¡­ Young Lady about who I should report this to, and she said that the Duke is the military minister of the empire. So I thought it would be faster to report directly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s the case. Good, that¡¯s great.¡± The knight¡¯s brows suddenly brightened, and he was relieved and relaxed, looking very happy. His smile was as dazzling as his blond hair, and it was very contagious. This is probably the ideal man most girls dreamed about.


    The knight seemed to suddenly remember it and asked, ¡°So Miss Xiaoyi¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, the mayor of Brakada used a convoy to escort her, and she will be in the capital in about 20 days.¡± Xiaoyi¡¯s cervical vertebrae cracked under the werewolf¡¯s grip. During the process of walking out of the swamp, due to the reason of moving the body, the injury worsened, and the bones were slightly deformed. The priests of Bracada did not dare to do anything, so they can only slightly heal it a little, fixed it with a splint, and slowly returned to the capital with a carriage to seek greater healers.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The knight nodded. ¡°On behalf of the Duke, I would like to express my gratitude to you for your heroic saving of Miss Xiaoyi.¡± After a pause, he looked directly at Aza and said in his slow and clear voice: ¡°Also, It¡¯s a very correct choice to report the matter directly to the Duke¡¯s Mansion. I think Lord Mullak will be very happy to know about it.¡± His blue eyes showed an overjoyed expression. ¡°Your luck is very good, really good.¡± These words were said with great force as if he were really glad for Aza¡¯s luck.


    For some reason, Aza felt a little uneasy from the bright eyes of the knight, which did not seem to be a sign of goodwill, there was a malicious joy flashing inside. Aza asked, ¡°Who are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Baron Clavius ??Erni, the captain of the second division of the Holy Knights, and the assistant of the Duke of Mullak.¡± The knight¡¯s eyes were withdrawn, and his voice was firm and smooth, fitting for a noble. ¡°Miss Xiaoyi¡¯s fiance.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Aza was a little surprised by the knight¡¯s last identity.


    The knight stood up, his eyebrows raised sharply and within his eyes flashed a gleam akin to a sword. There was no smile on his face at all, and it was so imposing someone would have thought he never smiled. He shouted authoritatively: ¡°Guards! Capture him.¡±


    More than a dozen fully-armed guards appeared at the entrance of the hall as if they had emerged from the ground, and rushed in to surround Aza.


    Aza hadn¡¯t recovered from the last surprise and immediately fell into another bigger one. He stood up and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you misunderstand anything, I said¡­¡±


    The knight¡¯s sword did not give Aza any time to react and accurately cut the aorta on his neck. Aza immediately dropped to the ground helplessly like an empty sack.


    ¡°Bring him into the prison and order the warden to watch him carefully. This is an important spy.¡± The knight¡¯s voice was more formidable than his eyes, and the guards hurriedly took Aza out. ¡°Prepare the horse and token. I have urgent military information to report to the Duke in the palace.¡±


    For the Duke, this is a dangerous but lucky situation. Of course, the same applies to him. The knight picked up the cup on the table and wanted to take a sip of tea, but found that he had held the cup that Aza had just used. He picked up the jug, only to discover that it is already empty.


    The knight dropped the cup carelessly, pointed to the velvet chair Aza had just sat on and instructed: ¡°Throw away this cup, jug, and that chair.¡± He added as he stepped out of the door. ¡°Don¡¯t let me see them when I come back.¡±


    The duke mansion¡¯s manpower is very efficient, the horses are prepared very soon. It only took more than ten minutes for the knight to come to the military conference hall through the heavy guards and meet the Duke of Mullak.


    After listening to the knight¡¯s brief whisper, the Duke smiled very gently, and then said in a very soothing tone to the ministers at the table: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please allow me to leave. It¡¯s my little girl¡¯s matter, she caused some troubles outside and was injured a little.¡±


    In the garden outside the hall, the knight repeated to the duke every word that Aza had told him.


    The Duke squinted and listened carefully. His eyes are not big, so when he shuts his eyes, he seems to be smiling. His neatly groomed mustache is lined with his slightly chubby body and round cheeks, he appeared as a friendly middle-aged merchant.


    ¡°Lord Duke, this matter is really risky. Fortunately, this soldier has fallen into our hands. Do you think this means that something is wrong with them? We should¡­¡± the knight asked.


    The smile on the Duke¡¯s face did not diminish at all, and he asked the knight, ¡°I remember that you met them before as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What kind of people do you think they are?¡±


    The knight took a deep breath, showing an expression that didn¡¯t quite match him, a look of dissatisfaction but unable to hide his fear, like a stubborn young man who remembered the beast that once terrified him. The knight frowned and insisted on his own opinion: ¡°But this does have a flaw¡­¡±


    ¡°No one is immune to mistakes and flaws, and no one can grasp everything. As long as you have passed enough rational analysis, you should trust your own feelings and mind. Even if you make a mistake, you don¡¯t need to regret or hesitate.¡± Like a teacher teaching his students, the Duke carefully explained to the young knight. ¡°Since we believe that they are better than us and far more efficient than us in solving such matters, we only focus on doing things well on our own side. If something goes wrong, there may be some uncontrollable factors, such as luck, those we can¡¯t do anything about. At least, there doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem now. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The knight listened carefully to the Duke¡¯s words. Following such a boss, the biggest gain is that there are many places to learn.


    There was a trace of worry in the Duke¡¯s eyes, and he asked, ¡°How is Xiaoyi¡¯s injury?¡±


    ¡°Probably fine. The magistrate sent a convoy to escort the young lady, who is on her way back.¡±


    The Duke glanced at the knight disappointedly and sighed softly. He then asked: ¡°What did you do with that soldier?¡±


    ¡°Detained in the prison in the city, waiting for your decision.¡±


    The Duke asked: ¡°What do you think I will do to him?¡±


    ¡°Kill him.¡±


    The duke asked again: ¡°What do you think is the threat this soldier brings?¡±


    ¡°To tell others what he¡¯s been through.¡±


    The Duke guided the knight step by step: ¡°If he is alive and in contact with others for a minute, the danger to us will be greater. Since you know how to deal with him, you should try to minimize his contact with others in life.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to wait for you to make the decision. After all, this matter is very important.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stick to the rules too much. The rules are there to deal with things better. No matter what the situation is, you must put your own judgment and rational analysis first.¡± The Duke looked at the knight and said word by word, ¡°More importantly, It¡¯s best to have the confidence to trust your own judgment.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The knight lowered his head and replied forcefully.


    When Duke Murak returned to the conference hall with a smile, the ministers all inquired about the injury of the young lady. After thanking everyone for their concern, the Duke suggested that the meeting continue the topic just now: ¡°I agree with the general¡¯s request to increase the financial appropriation for his western army to clean up the various orc tribes. After all, I agree. The safety of the country and the people is the number one priority, and scaling down the other expenses for this is the correct choice.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2: Escape from the prison!


    Aza rubbed his neck as he woke up to find himself lying on a musty pile of haystack. A rat hopped out between his feet and burrowed into the crack in the corner.


    Looking around, he can see that the three walls are made of large blocks of bluestone, and only some dim light leaks in from the two ventilation holes on the wall that are slightly larger than a fist. The other side is a wooden fence as thick as a burly arm. There are several wooden fences outside as well. This is a desolate prison.


    He was in the luxurious duke¡¯s mansion just now, but now he is lying in a cell in a cold prison. The huge contrast made Aza¡¯s head dizzy for a while. He shook his head and thought about it carefully, but he was now even more confused.


    Could it be that the knight suspected something was wrong between him and his fianc¨¦e? Or did he realize his fianc¨¦e¡¯s injuries were his own fault? Aza carefully filtered the words he reported in his mind, and there was indeed no loophole at all. On his way to the capital, he composed the story about the swamp. Is jailing him the knight decision alone? If it is, then I can only find the Duke to talk face-to-face.


    Aza suddenly heard a strange sound in a cell next to him. It was the gasping and moaning of a man and a woman.


    Before he could react to what was going on, the door of the jail was kicked open with a knock. A skinny man dressed as a jailer rushed in, rushed to the door of the cell where someone was moaning, kicked the wooden fence above and yelled, ¡°Get out!¡±


    There were a few hard groans inside, and then a fat jailer walked out slowly while putting his trousers on.


    The skinny jailer shouted: ¡°What¡¯s the [email protected]£¤ is wrong with you? Didn¡¯t you say I¡¯d do it first?¡±


    The fat jailer replied slowly while smacking his lips, ¡°Who told you to come so late, you haven¡¯t come even after the shift time, and I¡¯m getting anxious waiting.¡±


    The skinny jailer was still shouting: ¡°@$1$ you, I have never seen you diligently on time, and now you complain because I am a few minutes late, and now you are not in a hurry to go back, are you? Enjoying yourself here, what right do you have for me to follow up after you!?¡±


    Fatty still said calmly: ¡°Forget it, since it¡¯s already done anyway, it¡¯s useless to say anything else, you can still do it now¡­ or you can wait for her to be released and then..hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°!#@[email protected]#@!!¡± The skinny man became more and more furious.


    Aza approached the wooden fence and said to the two jailers outside, ¡°I want to meet Mr. Murak¡­¡± He was thinking about how to explain this to the Duke.


    ¡°Meet your $*@@#!!¡± The thin man furiously turned around and kicked him, hitting the completely defenceless Aza¡¯s chest.


    The sound of broken bones was very distinct in the quiet dungeon. A few ribs on the still fragile chest were kicked broken again by this one blow, the chest felt taut, Aza fell backwards, the back of his head hit a protruding stone under the straw, his eyes darkened, and he passed out.


    The two guards heard the crisp voice, and they also saw that the prisoner fell to the ground and remained motionless. The fat man hurriedly opened the fence, came over to look at Aza, took a breath, and exclaimed, ¡°Ah, no more breathing!¡± He touched Aza¡¯s chest again. ¡°Several broken ribs. The heartbeat even stopped!¡±


    The skinny man was also discreetly surprised by the power of this kick, but he pretended to be calm and roared: ¡°Panic for what! What¡¯s the fuss about a dead prisoner? I told you earlier that my kung fu is very powerful, very well-known ever since I¡¯m a soldier, those days I¡­¡±


    The fat man looked at the skinny man in horror and said in a shaky voice: ¡°This prisoner is a spy just sent by the duke¡¯s palace. The one who caught him is Baron Clovis himself. He might come to interrogate him anytime soon.¡±


    The skinny man was still intoxicated by his own greatness of kicking people to death, and his eyes widened: ¡°So what if it¡¯s the baron.¡± It seemed even if the baron came in person, his mighty kick would have defeated anyone. But he secretly took a breath, his heart skipping. After all, there has recently been a lot of disorder due to heretics and spies. If you kill a spy, you might be suspected of being a spy tasked to silence their comrades, and the baron¡¯s sternness is even more well-known. The skinny man¡¯s voice lowered to a whisper: ¡°Let me think¡­¡±


    Not long after, when the two jailers had just been set up, Knight Clovis ??arrived.


    ¡°Escaped?¡± The knight¡¯s face started to resemble the bluestone color on the wall.


    The two guards held their heads down, and the skinny man replied in a weak voice: ¡°He said he was gravely injured, and wants us to find a doctor for him. This is an important prisoner you caught. We are afraid he will really drop dead. So we went in to check on him, then all of a sudden he knocked us out and escaped, we couldn¡¯t predict it at all¡± To prove his devotion to his duties, he pointed to other cells and said, ¡°You can ask the other prisoners, they all saw it with their own eyes.¡± A wave of sickly approval then flowed out from the cells.


    A murderous glint in Clovis¡¯ eyes that could almost kill someone flared. He stared at the two jailers and said: ¡°You guys stay still and don¡¯t move, wait, I will come back.¡± He turned and left the prison.


    It was not until the footsteps completely disappeared that the skinny man sucked in a deep breath and expressed his dissatisfaction with a very disdainful tone: ¡°How arrogant, just because you were born better, if this great me was also born in the Ernie family, I would¡¯ve been a general at his age.¡± Seeing the fat man still shivering, terrified by the eyes of the knight just now, the heroic spirit in his heart was resurrected. He patted the fat man on the shoulder and said, ¡°See? You said you wanted to deal with the corpse yourself, so cumbersome and risky. Just give it to Old Man Sandro, and he will help us solve the problem very quickly. Moreover, it would¡¯ve been too late if you handled it yourself.¡±


    The fat man is still quivering, and his voice is weak and unsettled: ¡°His eyes are so scary.¡±


    The skinny man said: ¡°Told you these young masters only like to put on airs, they only rely on the power of the family to act frightening. If it is anyone else, I would¡¯ve killed them with just one kick¡­¡± Fatty can only agree in reluctance.


    Regardless of whether they were talking vigorously or listening intently, the two of them had been standing still without moving.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Clovis to finish arranging the search operation of the Royal Guards and return to the prison.


    ¡°Did the prisoner converse with anyone here?¡±


    ¡°Probably not¡­¡± The skinny man dared not face Clovis¡¯s gaze, he was looking at the wall behind him. The fat man just stared at the ground and shivered.


    ¡°Proba¨Cbly?¡± Clovis¡¯ voice seemed to be asking no one. The two jailers also did not dare to answer.


    ¡°Well.¡± Clovis seemed to have figured out something, made up his mind, and nodded slowly.


    ¡°Everyone makes mistakes. So if you made mistakes, try to make up for them. It¡¯s useless to regret and blame others. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± The knight¡¯s face became friendlier, the words he said to them seemed to forgive and comfort them. This made them feel relieved, and the skinny man replied quickly: ¡°Yes, yes, we must try to make up for it.¡±


    ¡°Good, good, you¡¯re right to say that.¡± Clovis put his hands on the shoulders of the two jailers, which made them completely flattered. Fatty is finally stopped trembling and feels that this handsome and amiable young noble is more worthy of reverence than the statue in the church. The skinny man also admitted from the bottom of his heart that this rich boy was indeed a little bit better than him.


    ¡®Pang¡¯. A muffled sound echoed in the air of the dungeon.


    The two bodies, one fat and one skinny, slumped and dropped down together. As if to prove their friendship, even the blood and brains were mixed together, and they could no longer be distinguished from each other. Exclamations erupted from prisoners that saw this bloody scene.


    Knight Clovis ??frowned majestically, and in his slow and steady tone, like an adult who reprimands a child, said: ¡°Why so surprised? They¡¯re just taking their responsibilities. You guys are also held responsible.¡±


    Back at the duke¡¯s mansion, Duke Murak knew that the prisoner had escaped, but he his expression didn¡¯t change much, he calmly ordered to bring the spy¡¯s belongings to him.


    Cavalier Clovis ??looked at the Duke¡¯s calm demeanour and deeply admired him. This was a man who never let anyone know what he was thinking, and those eyes that narrowed with a smile seemed to be able to see through anyone¡¯s deepest secrets. This is what Clovis wants to imitate and learn.


    With the spy¡¯s knife in his hand, the Duke¡¯s eyes narrowed even more. He wandered along the edge of the blade with his fingers, looked at it for a long time, and suddenly asked Clovis, ¡°What kind of a knife do you think this is.¡±


    Clovis took a closer look and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not a soldier¡¯s weapon produced by a regular weapons factory, it¡¯s forged by an ordinary private blacksmith.¡± He took a closer look. ¡°A very good blacksmith.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was made by a good blacksmith. The inclination, length, and thickness of the blade are all well-controlled. Can you see the relationship between this blacksmith and the user of this knife?¡±


    Clovis looked closely, but couldn¡¯t see it. So he answered: ¡°I can¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°This knife is very practical, every useful place is well made, but there is no trace of decoration, not even the most minimal decoration. That is to say, this knife is not a commodity, not a gift for a friend.¡± The duke asked, ¡°How old do you think the soldier is?¡±


    ¡°About twenty or so.¡±


    ¡°If he made this knife himself, then he had to start practising blacksmithing in his mother¡¯s womb. It should be his elders who made this knife, maybe his father.¡± The Duke¡¯s reasoning made Clovis admire the duke all over. ¡°The iron used in this knife is also a fine material. This is a person who will be a temporary hired soldier. There is no way an ordinary blacksmith has so many fine materials. Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless his home is near a mine that produces these,¡± Clovis continued. ¡°I will immediately send someone to Calendo to investigate.¡±


    ¡°No need, it¡¯s only been less than an hour anyway, he must still be in the city, just look for him carefully.¡± The Duke put down the knife. ¡°Where is the chair the soldier sat on, and the cup he used?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ this¡­ I ordered it to be thrown away.¡±


    ¡°Thrown away?¡± There was a rare look of surprise in the Duke¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°¡­I think it¡¯s filthy to keep things that sort of people used in the house.¡±


    The Duke stared at Clovis for a while. Although he knew that the Duke didn¡¯t mean to blame him, Clovis still felt bad about it.


    ¡°You¡¯re still too young.¡± The Duke retracted his gaze and came to a conclusion in a somewhat helpless tone. Then he issued an order: ¡°Tell the officers of the Royal Guards that this spy is extremely dangerous. If found, execute on the spot, no one is allowed to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Clovis respectfully left. He believed very much in the efficiency of the Royal Guards, maybe that soldier was already dead by now.


    ¡°Wait, why is he still alive?¡±


    Aza woke up, and the first sentence he heard was a complaint. This tone is often seen in wet markets when an old lady bought defective vegetables and meat.


    TL Note: Baron Clovis = Knight Clovis.


    I will also start adding chapter names before the content.


    Sorry ya, been busy with the festival a few days ago, will try uploading faster now.

 Chapter 3

    Dust of History Chapter 3: Wanted Man


    In a room full of various corpses, an old man who was messing with corpses turned his head to look at Aza and complained regretfully: ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering, why would that skinny monkey send me goods today? Moreover, didn¡¯t even bargain the prices, I knew cheap things are no good.¡±


    Aza wanted to stand up, but just when he put his hand on the ground, stabbing pain erupted in his chest, he let out a painful cry and fell to the ground again. are gone. The old man ignored him, complaining as he open up the corpses.


    Inhaling a few breaths, Aza turned around strenuously and looked around. This is a very large room, or just a very huge house, with a simple structure, a high roof, a large space, wide doors, and some large glass windows on the four sides of the walls. This room is quite bright. Every corpse inside can be seen clearly.


    Not exactly only corpses, because, in addition to more than a dozen complete corpses, there are dozens of mutilated corpses, as well as countless organs soaked in glass bottles, which are placed on shelves and countertops of varying heights. This place deserved to be called the human body exhibition hall. Aza was lying beside a naked male corpse, some arms and legs surrounding him, while the old man was dismantling a female corpse.


    After a while, some footsteps sounded, the wide wooden door was knocked, and a voice shouted from outside: ¡°Is old man Sandrew here? Open the door.¡± The old man shouted back: ¡°Yes, open it yourself and come in.¡± Several heavily armed soldiers entered. Several of them exclaimed in a low voice when they saw the display inside.


    A squad leader asked the old man, ¡°Is there any other person here?¡±


    ¡°Person?¡± Old man Sandrew nodded, ¡°There are many people here, what type of people pick yourselves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking, have you seen any suspicious living people around here?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen this one, and that one either,¡± said the old man Sandrew, pointing to a few soldiers. The soldiers wrenched their expression as they looked at the finger pointing at them, which had just been taken out from the female corpse¡¯s belly and were covered with blood and some unknown liquids.


    ¡°This old man¡­ It¡¯s like this, today a prisoner escaped from a prison in the city. He was a very vicious and cunning spy. He also killed everyone in the prison, including the two guards who often sell corpses to you. Both fat and skinny ones. The criminal is still hiding in the city, and we are ordered to search for him.¡± The team leader said.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen no spies, and there¡¯s no one hiding here. You can search if you want.¡± Old man Sandrew buried his head and played with the bodies again.


    ¡°Search every single corner carefully. Remember, it¡¯s a man in his twenties, a tall guy, with black hair and dark eyes, and a wound on his left arm. Also remember, execute him on the spot, no talking. Order from the Duke of Murak. This guy might be able to do sorcery, stay alert.¡± The captain gave the command in a dignified manner, to endure the intense feeling of vomiting.


    Lord Murak¡¯s order? Aza couldn¡¯t speak but could hear clearly. He didn¡¯t know how he escaped after killing those people with him heavily injured. But he also heard the ¡°kill on the spot, no talking¡± order just now.


    The optimal choice now is to close my eyes and continue to play dead and wait until they are gone. But unfortunately, the room was well-lit, and his appearance could be clearly seen, including the bandage on his arm.


    ¡°Hey, come and see.¡± The old man Sandrew took out something from the female corpse¡¯s abdominal cavity, proudly holding it up in his hand as if he had found a great discovery, ¡°I bet this woman has never given birth, but definitely abortion. There really are people in Royal City who actually did this kind of thing.¡±


    Warghh¡ª¡ª¡¯ Uuegh¡ª¡ª¡¯ The two soldiers next to the captain finally couldn¡¯t control themselves and vomited. The effect is contagious, and many other soldiers also vomited one after another.


    ¡°&@#* this, who brought the recruits?!¡± The captain hopped away with vomit drenched on his boots. Seeing that the other soldiers began to vomit one after another, he took another look at the ¡®thing¡¯ that the old man Sandrew was holding, several tendons attached to the female corpse. Sickened for a while, he shouted: ¡°Retreat, retreat, hurry up!¡± The soldiers immediately ran out as if they were fleeing from death.


    ¡°Hey, clean it up for me before leaving.¡± The old man Sandrew chased after them a few steps, grumbled a little, came back and closed the door, then walked up to Aza cursing. He stared at him strangely and said, ¡°No idea how you can kill that skinny rascal after he delivered you here personally.¡±


    It was only then that Aza could see clearly that this was a rather tall old man, wearing a monk¡¯s robe that was so dirty without any visible colour. Because of his grey beard and hair entangled with the silk threads of his robe, he could only see his facial features in a limited space. The only thing he could see clearly was the pair of eyes, black and white, without any trace of dullness at his old age.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either. Since you know they¡¯re looking for me, why didn¡¯t you hand me over to them?¡± Aza asked weakly. The broken bones in his chest screamed every time he said a word.


    The old man Sandrew widened his eyes and asked like he didn¡¯t understand his words, ¡°Why would I hand you over to them?¡± He raised five fingers and circled it around. ¡°You¡¯ve cost me five coppers. Five whole coppers.¡±


    ¡°If I escaped, I will pay you the money myself.¡± Aza was completely at a loss for the situation in front of him. With such a serious injury on his body, he became a wanted criminal inexplicably, and the order of ¡®killing him on the spot¡¯ gave him no chance to speak for himself.


    ¡°Nah, it looks like you won¡¯t be able to leave this city. Since they searched here, they might as well have searched the woman¡¯s toilet. What in the Hades did you do?¡± the old man asked.


    ¡°I just rescued the Duke¡¯s daughter from the swamp.¡±


    ¡°And then slept with her on the way? Gave birth to her child? Sold her into a brothel? Or maybe even sold her to a slave trader?¡± The old man¡¯s imagination was very rich.


    ¡°Escorted her all the way to Bracada.¡±


    ¡°What a special way of thanking someone.¡± Old man Sandrew shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯m not interested in whatever it is about anyway. I need some manpower here, work to pay off your debt. You can¡¯t escape anyway. Looks like they¡¯re serious, they won¡¯t stop until they catch you.¡±


    Aza was stunned for a while, and then weakly replied, ¡°It seems like that¡¯s the only way. I just need a doctor or priest right now.¡± Because of the severe pain, his voice had begun to be hazy.


    The old man Sandrew looked at him, reached out and touched Aza¡¯s chest, his hands suddenly grabbed the ribs on both sides and yanked them. Aza screamed, feeling that several knives were stuffed into his chest and twisted, and he almost fainted again. After he took a breath and cleared his mind, he realized that the broken bones were attached correctly as they were, and the pain was almost gone. More than a dozen priests in Bracada needed a whole morning to fix it, but this old man only took a while to do the same thing. Although Aza didn¡¯t know much about magic, he could probably guess that it was a very super high-level healing spell.


    ¡°Three months,¡± said old Sandrew.


    ¡°What?¡± Aza didn¡¯t know what the old man meant.


    ¡°I fixed you, so work here for three months.¡±


    Aza hurriedly raised the left wrist that was crushed by the werewolf and asked, ¡°What about this?¡±


    The old man Sandrew untied the bandage and took a closer look, and sighed: ¡°At least three years.¡±


    In the Duke¡¯s Mansion, in the study of the Duke of Mulak, the Duke frowned, listening to the report of the Royal Guards¡¯ fruitless report.


    Knight Clovis ??stood upright beside him. Even in such an angry mood, he did not lose his temper at all, and he was still so imposing, calm and well-mannered, and ¡®knightly¡¯ was the right word for him.


    But when he looked down at the floor, his eyes leaked uncontrollable anger from time to time.


    The duke did not blame him, the duke would never blame anyone or lose his temper with anyone. It¡¯s just that Clovis couldn¡¯t forgive himself for making such a grave mistake. This mistake may lead to the failure of their entire project, and even endanger the safety of the Duke and himself.


    The Duke asked suddenly, ¡°Why did you kill everyone in the prison?¡±


    Clovis replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the soldier leaked something.¡±


    ¡°When a person is locked up without any explanation, how would he still have the mood and leisure to chat with others?¡± Duke Murak slowed down and said with a heavier tone: ¡°The most important thing is that you didn¡¯t inspect carefully before you killed all of them. How did the soldier lure the jailer in? How did he disable the jailers? How did he escape? If every detail is clearly comprehended, something useful will surely be found.¡± The Duke concluded again. ¡°You¡¯re too young and too impulsive. Be patient and think about problems from as many angles as you can to find more solutions.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will do everything and anything in my power to capture this soldier.¡±


    ¡°Think about things with more perspectives,¡± the duke repeated tirelessly. ¡°Don¡¯t be too conspicuous, maybe some people will be curious. Just leave this matter to the Personal Guards.¡± The Duke thought for a while, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too troublesome, that soldier probably didn¡¯t know why he was being wanted, and he won¡¯t report to other places. Let¡¯s do what we should do. Go back now, and remember that you must not show any traces of your connection to this fugitive in front of others.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Looking at Clovis¡¯ back, the duke¡¯s brows were still frowning. This is a very ambitious young man, very capable, very hardworking, and very ruthless. He is definitely a good deputy, a good subordinate, and a useful chess piece. But he¡¯s not likely to be a person who can achieve great things.


    If a person¡¯s desire is too strong, it will muddy their reason. If you are too focused, you will not be able to grasp the whole picture and the subtle changes in it. Once attracted by a single leaf, you cannot see the entire forest.


    Too ambitious, and too ruthless, he tends to overdo things.


    There is also a huge family behind this young man. The Ernie family is a wealthy family for many generations. Within them are high officials in the court, there is no lack of power in the field. He is the eldest son of the family, and he is definitely a perfect marriage partner. But definitely not a good husband.


    It¡¯s hard to live with someone who takes fame and fortune too seriously. This kind of person only cares about themselves.


    Sighing in his own study, Duke Murak suddenly felt a little tired.


    TL Note: Changing Sandro to Sandrew.


    Really sorry, exam this month, can¡¯t squeeze in the time to do quality translations.