Knight and Wand

Chapter 24 Sudden change of attitude
In the yard behind the blacksmith shop.

Old Brian listened quietly to his daughter telling the origins of Leon and the other two.

When he learned that the young men in front of him claimed to have traveled through the Nightmare Forest, his eyes suddenly became sharp.

Folding his arms in thought, the old blacksmith looked them over again.

".You really crossed the Nightmare Forest?"

"I'm not sure where the nightmare forest you're talking about is. If you're asking about the forest south of the village, then it is true." Leon answered honestly and there was no way to change his words now.

Old Brian looked at Leon seriously, as if he wanted to see if the boy in front of him was bragging.

After a long while, he spoke meaningfully: "If what you said is true, this journey must have been very difficult."

"Father, the farmhouse on the farm is idle anyway. Three dirhams can bring in some income if we rent it out. What do you think?" Olivia waited expectantly for her father to nod.

"Yeah." Old Brian nodded silently, as if agreeing to her proposal.

The old blacksmith patted his daughter's head and said, "It's up to you. Go to the farmhouse and help the guests clean up the house. I have something I want to talk to these young people who have come from afar."

"?" Olivia looked up, confused. What else could be cleaned up in the empty farmhouse?
Old Brian simply sent his daughter away, who had a puzzled look on her face.

When he looked at the three people in front of him again, his expression became serious and his tone suddenly changed.

"Excuse me, young man who has come from afar, but I have to take back what I said just now. I don't want to rent a house to you, and I hope you can leave Selva Village as soon as possible." Although he used honorifics in his words, his tone was very firm.

"?" Leon and the other two looked at each other.

How come they were chatting so harmoniously just now, but as soon as Olivia left, this old man suddenly changed his expression?
No matter how good-tempered Leon was, he couldn't help feeling unhappy at this moment.

"What do you mean?"

Lohak was angered by this sudden change. The upright young man glared at the old man in front of him and said, "If you don't welcome outsiders like us, why don't you just refuse us? Your daughter invited us to rent a place, and we didn't ask you to do so. You agreed and then drove us away. Is this how you Orlanders treat guests?"

"Lohak, calm down." Azerien quickly grabbed his hot-tempered partner.

Faced with Lohak's anger, the old blacksmith remained calm.

"I understand your dissatisfaction, but please also understand that Selva is just a small, remote place and cannot afford too many risks."

"What risk? Uncle, you might as well explain it clearly." Leon frowned.

It wasn't that he had to live in this village, but the other party suddenly used an excuse to send Olivia away and suddenly turned hostile to them. It would be really unpleasant if he didn't give an explanation.

Old Brian narrowed his eyes.

"Well, let's be clear. If you really didn't lie to my silly daughter, then don't you know what it means to pass through the Nightmare Forest alive? Or have all the stories about the Cursed Land disappeared in the Kingdom of Serian?"

Does the Kingdom of Orland also have a similar legend about the cursed land?
Leon raised his eyebrows, as if he understood the other party's concerns.

"So you believe our experience, and you know what's in that forest?"

"This has nothing to do with belief or not. I don't know what terrible things exist in the cursed land, but even if the lord's army enters the Nightmare Forest, there will be no return. I may find it difficult to imagine your experience."

The old blacksmith looked in the direction Olivia left and murmured, "Selva is just a fragile little village. It can't accommodate passers-by like you who are full of ominousness and secrets. Just think of it as an old man's plea. Please leave here quickly." "If you really don't know where to go." Old Brian looked at the weapons on the boys' waists and gave advice.

"Go northwest along the main road at the entrance of the village, and you will reach the nearby town in about a day. You are strong and healthy, and your hands look bloody. In today's world, it should not be difficult for you to make a living on the lord's territory."

"Is this an ultimatum to expel us?" Leon asked calmly.

"Haha, that's too polite. I'm just an old blacksmith in the village. I don't have the power to forcibly drive away passers-by like you." Old Brian laughed dryly and shook his head.

"This is just advice from an impolite old man. However, although I don't want you to stay here for a long time, this small village is not incapable of providing a place for travelers to rest. As long as you promise to leave as soon as possible in the next few days."

At the entrance of the village, Lohak kicked a stone on the roadside with an unhappy look on his face: "Ah~ I really want to punch that old guy, as if we really want to stay in this broken village. If it weren't for the girl's suggestion, why would we have to endure his cold face."

"After all, it's a foreign country. It's normal to encounter some xenophobic villagers." Azerien patted his shoulder.

"Stop complaining and walk around to find a suitable place to camp before dark." Leon didn't really care about what happened just now.

Anyway, if they hadn't met Olivia, they would have only planned to camp near the village. Now the plan has simply returned to square one.

As they walked out of the village, a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind the three of them.

".~Hey~Wait a minute~! Leon——"

Everyone turned around and saw Olivia waving at them from behind, calling out to them as she jogged after them eagerly.

"Why is she here again? Hasn't she played tricks on us enough?" Lohak twitched the corners of his mouth with lingering anger.

"Come on, it's not like Olivia wants to chase us away." Azerien laughed at his friend's childishness.

Leon turned around and stopped, waiting for a while. After all, in his previous life, he was a corporate slave who was almost 30 years old. Naturally, he didn't have the childish temper like Lohak to vent his anger for no reason.

Besides, everyone understood that at least the girl had pure good intentions, but her father was just worried about more things.

Olivia quickly caught up with the crowd, her emerald eyes full of regret, and she barely took a breath as the girl pressed her skirt with both hands and lowered her head deeply, before Leon could speak, she bowed solemnly to the three of them to apologize.

"I just came back from the farmhouse and found out that my father suddenly changed his mind. I'm really, really, really sorry! I'm so sorry to everyone!"

Leon spread his hands indifferently.

"Nothing. Your father thought very wisely. If it were me, I would not dare to invite a stranger with unknown origins into my home."

"Nevertheless, it's my fault for not considering my father's attitude before making a promise to you. If you're still angry, just scold me."

Olivia raised her head, her expression looking very guilty, even her beautiful blonde hair seemed a little duller at the moment.

"Actually, my father is not such a rude person. He used to be very reasonable and willing to help others. Maybe... maybe it's because the world has been so chaotic recently that he has become a little suspicious and anxious."

Lohak on the side scratched his head, thinking that the old guy really wasn't a kind-hearted person, but the girl in front of him had already said so much, so he didn't want to be petty and hold a grudge.

Leon looked up at the sky and asked, "That's it. We accept your apology. Is there anything else? It's getting dark, and we have to find a suitable place to camp."

Olivia nodded awkwardly. "That's why I came here. To make up for my mistake, please let me take you to a place. Although it's not a normal place to stay, it will definitely be able to shelter you from the wind and rain."

From now on, I will try to update twice a day, one at 0:12 and one at : noon. Woohoo, I still have to go to work. I feel like I am going to die suddenly.
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(End of this chapter)