Heart of the Castle

Chapter 267 Separation and Continued Journey
Li Wei and others followed two servants holding torches and walked back through the courtyard of the manor. dark.Babrupa walked at the end carrying his two bark boxes. He obviously drank too much during dinner, and he muttered along the way and didn't know what to say.

The servant leading the way stopped suddenly. Li Wei's heart moved, and he looked forward. Not far ahead, there was a black figure standing beside the road. The night wind stirred the corner of the black figure's robe, and it looked almost like a ghost haunting in the middle of the night. .

"Who is standing there?" The servant holding the torch asked loudly, his hand was already on the handle of the short knife at his waist.

"Are these people the honored guests entertained by Master Mirefis tonight?" The voice of the black shadow was a little hoarse, and then he pushed back the hood of his robe, revealing an elderly female face.

"So it's Sister Gesang," the servant's nervousness obviously disappeared, and his hand was removed from the handle of the knife. "These lords are all, and a knight lord and his servant have gone to bed in another place."

This elderly maid looked quite prestigious. She walked up to the two servants and looked at Li Wei and the others by the light of the torch. Very calm, even a little offensive.

Rist, who was standing behind Li Wei, suddenly became uneasy.He shrank his body into the shadow, as if he wanted to avoid something, but this action betrayed his identity, and the older maid immediately noticed the handsome singer.

"Master Rist, so you are here." Sister Gesang said with a sullen face, and then walked towards the singer who shrank as much as possible behind Li Wei step by step.Her steps were slow and solemn, and her expression was painful. Li Wei felt that there was no way to block her way, so he had to take a step aside.

Sister Gesang walked in front of Rist. It seemed that she was half a head shorter than the tall and thin singer, but her majestic eyes full of pain made her look down on Rist.The older maid stood there without saying a word, making Rist look more and more embarrassed.

Finally, Sister Gesang said in a hoarse voice, "Master Rist, Miss wants to see you."

Not even a lightning strike on the singer's head would make him pale like this sentence.Rist was silent, and it took a long time before he answered dryly: "Sister Gesang, please reply to miss on my behalf...just say me, I'm sorry."

"Please say this to Miss yourself." Sister Gesang said coldly, then stretched out her withered arm and grabbed Rist's shoulder, "Come with me, Miss is waiting for you behind."

Rist raised his head to ask for help, his pitiful expression could melt stubborn stones, if it weren't for the thin old maid, Li Wei and the others might have helped him, but under the gaze of Sister Gesang, even Wilps, who was the most stalwart, couldn't help looking away. It wasn't until the singer was taken away from everyone's sight that everyone let out a long breath in unison.

"It seems to be a debt of affection." Babrupa commented, "if only he could be like the pious Babrupa, clean and unstained."

"If there's that woman who would like you." Grunwalm muttered in a low voice.

"I don't know if we will lose a traveling companion tomorrow morning." Li Wei shrugged, pretending to be relaxed, "But maybe this is a good thing, because I always feel that this singer is not like him. It's as simple as it appears."

"Your feeling may well be right, Master Levi," replied Willpus, and then he looked forward and said, "Here we are."

The servants brought everyone to an independent wooden house near the back half of the manor, and stopped. This house looks as simple as other rooms, but after opening the door, you can see the luxury inside: the steps are made of whole It was made of a plank of oak, with a soft, thick woolen rug on the floor, and tapestries and rich hangings of linen on the walls.What makes people laugh is that the owner obviously wants to let the guests sleep as comfortably and warmly as possible. In addition to bedding and bedding, there are also large rolls of untanned animal skins in the room.

There were a few thick candles burning in the house, because the material for building the house was wood, and for fire prevention, these candles were placed on several gilded bronze candlesticks, which looked more magnificent and dazzling.But when it comes to how comfortable it is, I can’t talk about it here, because the logs that build the room are not so smooth and smooth, and the cold wind pours in through the gaps, making the candles in the room flicker endlessly.

For Li Wei and others who might have slept in the wild, such a room was already unexpectedly comfortable, and no one paid attention to the little imperfections.Babrupa threw himself on the bed closest to the door, and soon snored in satisfaction.

Seeing that Li Wei and others nodded in satisfaction, the two servants bowed deeply, and then retreated. The room became quiet again, except for the rhythmic snoring of Babrupa.Although everyone other than him felt very tired, they didn't intend to rest right away.

"Master Li Wei, is there a problem with the resting Templar?" Although Wilps was asking in a questioning tone, he had actually confirmed this point.

"I can't be sure, but it's very suspicious." Li Wei replied ponderingly, "I'm worried that he is a member of another organization that also believes in the Eternal Sleeper."

"You mean... sue the dead?" Wilps' eyes sharpened.

"Master Li Wei, why don't we inform the owner here?" Grunwalm asked strangely while wiping the "stab" dagger in his hand with a cloth.

"We don't have any evidence, so we can only be suspicious, not sure of his identity." Levi explained, then pointed to the bed and said, "Mr. Will, it seems that we can't sit back and relax tonight. , are you worth the rest of the night?"

"Lord Levi, I am now Lord Will's attendant, and I should also be on the night watch." Grunwalm said with his chest puffed out.

"Okay, then we will divide into three shifts, so that everyone can rest for a while." Li Wei nodded in agreement, then found a seat near the door and sat down, putting the knight sword at hand.

However, it was different from what he had expected. The whole night was very peaceful, and the manor ushered in the dawn of the next day in a quiet and serene atmosphere. When the servants knocked on the door, Li Wei woke up from his sleep.

Sir Mirefis stood attentively in front of the hall door waiting for the arrival of Li Wei and the others. After a good night's sleep, the traces of drinking last night had disappeared from his face, and the manor owner looked refreshed and radiant.

"Everyone, did you sleep comfortably last night?" Sir Mirefis greeted him with a smile on his face, bowed deeply, and his beard almost touched the ground. "The hall has prepared a simple meal, please be sure to appreciate it, appreciate it."

"Sir Mirefis, thank you for your kind hospitality, but we still have to hurry, so we won't bother you." Wilps knocked on his chest in return, while politely declining.

"How can that be done?" The manor owner said in surprise, "Letting guests go on the road hungry is not the rule of hospitality. Could it be that my hospitality was not good last night and made you feel neglected?"

Wilps hastily explained that they did not feel slighted, but that they had to start the journey right away because time was really tight.Seeing that the manor owner was still a little unhappy, Wilps had no choice but to euphemistically and vaguely mention his identity, and took out the title knight badge he had just obtained from the knight assessment, and showed it to Sir Mirefis.

This badge of course convinced the manor owner, and he hurriedly ordered the servants to put the prepared breakfast into a large basket and give it to everyone as dry food on the road.Wilps accepted the gift happily, bid farewell to Sir Mirefis and walked out. Just as they walked across the suspension bridge, a soft lute sounded from behind.

Everyone turned their heads and saw the handsome singer standing not far away in a white silk satin robe, accompanied by a very beautiful but haggard young woman.Seeing Li Wei and others turning their heads, Rist plucked the lute in his arms again, and bowed to everyone with a little apology.

"Sorry, Lord Li Wei, I will stay here for a while until..." Rist didn't finish speaking, he bowed again, and the young woman also bent down.

Li Wei kowtowed on the horse's chest with some emotion, and then stroked the black horse's forehead. The Black Nightmare in the Northern Territory let out a long hiss that cracked the clouds, and ran quickly into the distance.

After a day's journey to the east along Guangyao Avenue, the group turned to the north. From here, the crowds became sparse again. Often, there were not many pedestrians in the daytime. Fortunately, farmhouses and resting hotels were occasionally seen by the roadside. trace.Li Wei and the others try their best to be sympathetic to the horsepower, hoping that these horses can withstand the journey all the way and don't have to stop and rest during the day. However, the continuous journey for several days still exhausted the mounts of Glenn Worm and Babrupa, Wilps Although his war horse is well-trained and in his prime, he also looks a little listless.Only the Dark Nightmare in the North was still alive and well, as if he had just embarked on a journey after resting for a whole week.

But by the evening of the third day, everyone had to make preparations for sleeping in the wild.Because the farther north they went, the farmhouses and villages became sparser and sparser. When they approached the edge of the dusk forest, they could see desolation everywhere, not even a forest guard's shack that occasionally appeared by the roadside.

Flandara's golden face had already fallen above the gray-white hills in the distance, and the night gradually came from the east, and the blue tone of the sky gradually deepened.Li Wei patted the head of the Dark Nightmare in the Northern Territory to make it stop. This dark horse with the blood of Hell Nightmare was still in good spirits, but everyone including Li Wei and the mount were already hungry. Time to find a place to stay.

"Babrupa, come and see, how far is it from the Dusk Forest?" The young knight asked his companion, and the short and stubby Babrupa raised his head from his horse and looked carefully at it. The surrounding environment, the road here is fairly wide, but it has gradually shown signs of disrepair, broken bluestone slabs can be seen everywhere, and then he twitched his nose vigorously, savoring the damp smell in the air.

"Little Master Li Wei, this place should not be far from the Dusk Forest, I can even smell the damp and cold smell." Babrupa replied, "We don't want to go any further today, the Dusk Forest at night is more It's much more dangerous during the day, and we're all exhausted now and we have to rest and eat."

Li Wei nodded in agreement, so everyone worked together to unload some of the few luggage and bedding on the horse's back, and then chose a place on the side of the road that was more sheltered from the wind and cold.Here is a piece of withered and yellow grass. On one side stands a huge gray-white rock. The weather-beaten body is enough to block the cold wind blowing from the opposite side.On the other side of the lawn are a few old oak trees entangled with ivy, and there are a few bushes and grass holly under their feet, which can also bring limited shelter to travelers.Next to the oak tree, there is a pool of clear and transparent spring water between the rocks. It is bubbling out of the spring, flowing down the rocks, and converging on the ground to form a small pool.

"This is simply a natural camping place." Babrupa exclaimed with joy, "Look, clear springs to quench thirst and fodder for horses are all naturally available here. As long as you get some dry firewood, It won't be hard tonight."

"Then, I'll go get some firewood now." Grunwalm volunteered to stand up.

"Don't worry, Grun Worm." Li Wei suddenly stopped him, and the young knight frowned, as if he was listening to something.

"Master Levi, what's wrong?" Willpus asked after he tied his horse to the oak tree.

"I have a strange feeling that we seem to be being followed by something." Levi looked around hesitantly, his eyes flashed with probing skills, "This feeling has been going on since the morning when we left Sir Mirefis' manor. It started to appear, and when we were accelerating on the road, this feeling would be a little lighter, and it would be a little more obvious when we stopped overnight."

Wilps was silent for a moment, his expression serious. "Master Li Wei, although it's not as clear as yours, I also have a similar feeling." He stroked the hilt of his waist with his hand, and said word by word: "Since we both feel that we are being followed again, then It won't be an illusion."

"But there's not even a ghost here, ha, maybe except those crows huddling on the branches!" Babrupa said with a grin, "You two knights, no matter what you say, I can't walk tonight .”

"We stay here tonight, because if we continue to move forward, the danger will only increase." Wilps pulled out the saber at his waist and said, "Glen Worm and I will go collect firewood together. , Master Li Wei, stay here and don’t let our guide be taken away by wolves.”

"There can't be wolves here. There will only be one kind of wolf in the Twilight Forest, and that is the black dire wolf. This kind of wolf is smart, and very strong and tough. Even the knight master will have a hard time dealing with it, but they never leave Take a step through the forest." Babrupa turned over on the ground and said lazily.It seemed that he was going to sleep without leaving the comfortable grass, but soon, a rumbling stomach forced him to sit up.

"Oh, I just remembered that I haven't eaten anything today except those damned dry peas at noon." Babrupa rubbed his stomach with a sad face, looked at Li Wei with hopeful eyes and asked: "Li Wei, little Master, what are we having for dinner today?"

Li Wei seemed to be preoccupied, he lowered his head and thought about something, until Babrupa called his name for the second time, and then he raised his head as if awakened from a dream. "Oh, by the way, supper," muttered the young knight, walking up to the horses tied to the oak tree, and then bent down.

Babrupa couldn't help but sighed, because Li Wei didn't go to get something to fill his stomach, but squatted down and started pulling weeds, apparently to prepare dinner for those four-hoofed companions.It was so easy for Li Wei to sprinkle a large bag of hay in front of the mount, and then comforted the black horse lying behind the oak tree a few times with his hands. Unlike other mounts, the Dark Nightmare in the North was not only not equipped with a bridle and bridle, but also At night, they don't sleep standing up like other horses, but lie on the ground like a carnivorous beast.

The Dark Nightmare of the North has completely inherited the habits it inherited from its father.

In fact, the nightmare of hell is completely a kind of demon except that its appearance and habits are somewhat similar to horses. They don't eat anything other than fresh meat and souls, but if there is no food that can fill their stomachs, they can continue to eat. After several years of starvation, it will only appear a little weak.

To Babrupa's relief, when Levi came back, he carried a bag that looked a bit shriveled.It used to contain dried meat, pies and other delicious foods. Babrupa felt that he had already smelled the aroma of dinner, and hurriedly dug out a few plates from the two boxes beside him, but finally Levi took out I took a few handfuls, but I could only take out some small green things, and there was a crisp jingle sound when they were placed on the plate.

"Dried peas!" Babrupa wailed, clutching his head.

"A monk, especially a pious monk, as long as he has these beans and a mouthful of water, he should be satisfied." Li Wei explained.

"Ah, of course, I should be satisfied." Hearing Li Wei's words, Babrupa immediately straightened up and answered. He closed his eyes and chanted a few vague prayers, only the praise of God's name at the end of each sentence The voice was particularly loud, "But the hard journey has set my teeth on fire, and now I just have to chew these hard little things, and I will feel unbearable pain!"

"Pious Mr. Babrupa, when you dealt with that roasted pig last night, you didn't look like you had a toothache. Even the farmer who is used to feeding pigs admired your appetite." One The voice exposed Babrupa's lie, and then Wilps' figure emerged from the darkness, followed by Grun Worm, holding a large armful of firewood in his hands.

"But today's luck is not bad. With this, you can barely handle a meal." Wilps threw a fat hare on the grass. Of course, this fat guy is not enough to satisfy four grown men Fortunately, there were still a lot of dry peas left, and Li Wei took out two hard black rusks from the dry food bag.

"Let me do it, I'm the best at tidying up rabbits!" Babrupa suddenly regained his energy, picked up the rabbit from the ground, brought it to the spring and began to pluck and open it.Seeing this lazy guy, who suddenly moved swiftly like a fellow rabbit, Li Wei and Wilps smiled at each other, and when they were about to say something, they suddenly looked back at the same time.

The shadows of the trees behind them shook, and there was a thin night mist in between, but there was nothing suspicious. If I had to say something strange, it would be the strange gray bird standing on the branch with its head hunched, its head tilted. Staring at it with a pair of red eyes.

"Illusion?" Wilpus muttered to himself, and then he heard Levi snarl.

"That bird is the enemy!"

(End of this chapter)