They recognized their feelings, but the knight had been reincarnated as a fox cub

Looking at his hand that was simulated by the pendant, he felt as if he could not grasp the future.

He shook his head, thinking that he had subconsciously returned to his old ways.

yes.........

From now on, he was no longer a knight, no longer Fit Saint Lun.

He could be a traveler, a villager, a horseman, or a peddler.

In short, no longer a knight.

If that's the case, why should he worry about it?

The Dawn Knight had fulfilled his mission perfectly and done all he was supposed to do.

He is no longer needed, so let's pass this burden to someone else.

At the thought, Fate's brows relaxed. He looked up at the sky from halfway up the mountain and saw the village with curling smoke.

Chapter 13: 12~No food, no effort

The setting sun illuminates the remaining clouds in the sky.

As it was getting dark, Fate wanted to find a place to settle down. There happened to be a small village with smoke rising from the hillside.

Fate was not sure where he was at the moment, and there was no clock in the tomb, so he had no idea how long he had been digging.

However, seeing the imperial flag and the lord's flag flying above the village, it should still be within the territory of the Kano Empire.

Walking down the mountain and looking into the distance, you can vaguely see the villagers coming and going. The bustling noises coming from far away are permeated by the hustle and bustle of the world.

The old people sat in the fields chatting and drinking tea, while the young people were busy with their own farm work. They were busy and hurried, but also full of energy.

Seeing this, Fate felt quite emotional.

This village should be a remote village far away from the town. Such villages are self-sufficient and people will not go hungry or cold.

It is indeed much better than before.

When he walked to the entrance of the village, he found that a group of people had gathered there. A man in velvet clothes and several of his servants were shouting something in the center of the crowd. The style of their clothes was out of tune with the linen clothes of the villagers. They were obviously outsiders.

The villagers listened to his shouting, some seemed quite excited, some looked bored, and some just came to watch the fun and leave after listening.

What happened?

The noise was so loud that Fate, who was standing on the outside, couldn't hear what the people in the middle were saying.

He moved closer to the crowd, hesitated for a moment, and poked a sturdy man standing in front of him.

"Hey? Who is it?" Feeling someone poking his waist, the sturdy man turned around impatiently, and when he saw Fate behind him, a strange look appeared on his face.

"Young man, who are you?" The sturdy man had never seen such a person in the village. He took a look at the white bag on the latter's back and immediately understood.

A traveler?

Glancing at Fate's platinum hair, this hair color is very rare. Could it be that he is a young master from a big family who has come out to experience life?

That doesn't seem like it. Which young master would dress so shabbily?

"Excuse me sir, may I ask what those people in the middle are talking about?" Fate asked politely.

"Ah, you are from out of town, right?"

"Well, I happened to pass by here during my travels, but I forgot to bring my map, so I don't know where this place is."

"Nearby is an area called Ford, and this village is named after the area, called Ford Village, which belongs to the Earldom of Barclay." Seeing that Fate was eloquent and polite, the sturdy man patiently explained.

"Those people in the middle seem to be from a caravan belonging to a noble family. When they passed by here, their carriage wheels hit a hard surface and got stuck in the swamp." The sturdy man said this with a sense of gloating.

"Swamp? It doesn't look like there's any swamp around here."

"Of course it's not a swamp." The strong man was speechless when he saw that the other party didn't understand his jargon, but it was normal when he thought about it. The other party was probably not from the countryside, so he naturally couldn't understand the jargon used by farmers to make fun of him.

"They ran into trouble and couldn't leave, so they came to this village to ask for help. Those who are willing to help said they would give five copper coins first. If they succeed, the one with the highest contribution will be given a silver coin."

"What trouble are they in?"

"What? Are you interested? Brother, let me remind you that the one who can make these profit-seeking merchants willing to shed money is most likely a tough guy." The strong man snorted.

"I think they probably ran into trouble while traveling in the jungle, such as robbers. Think about it, the caravan guards couldn't stop them. Wouldn't it be a waste of time for us to go there?"

Robbers?

Fate frowned slightly.

He looked around the village. The village was surrounded by mountains and was almost isolated from the outside world. He didn't think any robbers would be stupid enough to set up camp here.

Generally speaking, robbers would set up camp not far from the mountain road, so as to rob passing caravans. This place seemed to be a place without much money to make. How long would it take for the bandits to settle down in this hellhole to wait for a "business"? Would they really not starve to death?

If it's not a robber, it could be some other 'thing'.

By the way, how much is a silver coin?

Fate tilted his head. This really touched on his blind spot in knowledge. In the past, whether he was the Knight Commander of the National Defense in the Kano Empire or the Legion Commander in the Holy Orchid Kingdom, he had never been exposed to the smell of money. Both food and clothes were prepared for him. He didn't have much expenses when he went out, and his monthly salary was just piled up in the warehouse by the servants.

Living like this for a long time has caused Fate to have no concept of money. On the other hand, he doesn't attach much importance to such things, and now he can't afford to eat.

"One silver coin, is that enough for a meal?"

"........Huh?" The sturdy man was confused by Fate's question and didn't know for a moment whether the other party was in Versailles.

"What are you talking about? A silver coin isn't big enough? I can't say for sure about the consumption in the town, but one silver coin is enough for a family in our village to eat for a month."

"I see. Thank you." After saying that, Fate said 'make way' and squeezed into the crowd, waving his hand to get the attention of the people on the stage.

"Excuse me, sir, but could you please consider me?"

The noble servant who was calling on the villagers in their prime to sign up had successfully lured several strong idiots, oh no, he had persuaded several hot-blooded young men to hire them as temporary mercenaries.

Normally, half of the cost of mercenaries should be paid first, and no deal would be made if it was less than one silver coin. It was much easier to recruit these country bumpkins who had never seen the world. They were eager to give it a try with only ten copper coins, so I agreed to give it a try.

This noble attendant certainly did not expect these country bumpkins to make any contribution. They only needed to divert attention and attract firepower so that they could take the goods away smoothly.

Since the purpose is to attract firepower, the more people the better.

Thirteen suckers have already taken the bait and come aboard, but he feels that is not enough and wants to recruit a few more.

When he saw Fate volunteering in the crowd, he naturally accepted his registration without hesitation.

"Very good, another one. Here, this is your deposit. If you perform well later, there will be a reward!" The noble attendant generously handed five copper coins to Fate.

He didn't even look at what Fate looked like. In his eyes, these people were sent to be targets. To put it bluntly, they were sent to die.

Seeing that Fit received the reward money directly after participating, many young men in the village became envious and could not help but sign up.

When the number of people reached twenty, the noble attendant stopped the registration and asked a subordinate to come over and distribute weapons to the twenty young and strong men present.

"Here, take them. These are the weapons for you. Be brave in the battle and your reward will be waiting for you."

"Don't worry, the enemies are just a bunch of babies. To be honest, if we were not short of manpower, would you have gotten such a good thing?" After several rounds of deception by the attendants, the young man, who had never seen the world, believed it almost 90% and thought it was really a pie in the sky.

Chapter 14: 13~Deep into the jungle

Fate looked at the weapons distributed to him, and then looked at the weapons of others.

How should I put it? It's a bit disappointing.

The weapon distributed to him was a slightly rusty iron sword. Judging from the different colors on the sword surface, it was obvious that cheap metals such as copper were mixed in when the sword was cast in order to save costs.

The guard and blade were partially corroded, making one wonder if this rotten sword could cut a cabbage.

The weapons in the hands of the others were similar. They were all made of scrap copper and iron that even the bandits would shake their heads at. They seemed to be privately made by bandits, seized by miscellaneous militia forces, and finally eliminated after being passed down several hands. They were crude and shoddy goods, the kind that could buy several dozen for half a silver coin.

I held it in my hand and waved it around. Although I hadn't touched a sword for a long time, it was still easy to judge whether a weapon was handy or not.

In terms of center of gravity, this iron sword is top-heavy and poorly designed. It requires more effort to use it to kill the enemy. The craftsman who forged this iron sword probably did not undergo systematic training.

But he was not picky. For him, having a sword was enough. It didn't matter what the sword looked like, even if the blade was bent after being chopped.

Due to physiological changes and the level being reset, Fate's physical fitness is not as good as before. His strength, reaction, jumping ability and mobility have all dropped to the bottom. Even his [Heart Spell] can only be released through the conversion of magic elements, and as soon as the magic elements are mobilized, the illusion pendant will become ineffective.

This means that he is now unable to use skills and has also lost his stats.

His strength is not comparable to what it used to be, but that doesn't mean he has really become a girl who is soft and easy to push down.

As the Grand Knight Commander, he has acquired swordsmanship and unique skills that most people would take a lifetime to learn. His understanding and talent for swordsmanship are also his lifelong pride.

Only the knowledge in the mind will not disappear with the changes of the body.

Now, even if his strength is reduced, he is still able to protect himself.

Fate glanced at the other young people around him. When they saw that weapons were being distributed, they began to feel uneasy.

It would have been fine if they hadn't been issued weapons, but after they were issued weapons, they immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

What kind of commission is this? It requires a tool?

They are just a group of farmers working the land, not mercenaries.

"Everyone, if you run away now, you will only get ten copper coins." Seeing that the villagers were hesitant, the noble attendant continued to persuade them. "Have your weapons, and you can get a silver coin in one go with two swings. Is there anything more profitable than this?"

"Okay, you don't want to take advantage, but I don't want you to take advantage either. If you don't want to do it, return my money, throw away your weapons, and get out!" The noble attendant said impatiently, and his tone clearly expressed 'Once you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again. I am the one who is being taken advantage of'.

Hearing this, the hesitant villagers looked at each other. They wanted to lay down their weapons, but they were reluctant to give up the ten copper coins in their pockets, so they had to grit their teeth.

Just think of it as carrying a hoe and swinging it a few times!

Seeing the villagers' reactions, the noble attendant raised the corner of his mouth.

"Don't worry, we have provided you with security." As he said this, the noble servants clapped their hands, and several servants placed several carts filled with large white cloth bags in front of the villagers.

"As long as you stay around this thing, I promise you'll be safe."

The villagers looked at the white cloth bag in the cart curiously, wondering what was inside.

"Okay, let's stop talking nonsense and get going! Let's not waste each other's time, and let's try to solve the problem before dark." With that, the noble attendant took the lead and walked into the forest ahead.

Just as Fate was about to catch up, a strand of golden thread coated with starlight fell down, which made him stunned for a moment. Then he realized that it was his hair. He tucked the hair behind his ear, glanced at the villagers behind him, and caught up with the noble attendants.

The village gradually disappeared from view. The sunlight had a hard time penetrating into the forest with overlapping leaves. In addition, it was already dusk, and visibility was getting lower and lower.

This village has always been self-sufficient. The young villagers have never left the village in their lives. This is the first time they go into the woods late at night. Fortunately, there are enough people, which gives them some comfort.

It should be just a few bandits. Seeing that there are so many of them, they probably fled.

The villagers thought so.

Fate held the hilt of the sword with one hand. This sword was a one-handed sword, but now he could hold it with both hands.

The blood of the demon fox took over, and after the body changed, Fate's hands became much smaller, and they were completely like a girl's hands.

This caused him to feel quite uncomfortable when holding the sword, but he could still accept it and adapt to it slowly.

This forest is sparsely populated, and the uncultivated road is very steep. Caravans basically do not choose to take this kind of mountain road that has no security, no official documents, and no records.

So, why did this caravan choose to take such a risk?

Fate looked at the noble attendants with suspicion.

Not to mention the caravans, even the locals don't seem to dare to enter this jungle after dark.

Let's not talk about the robbers first. These deep mountains and old forests are rich in all kinds of "mountain and sea delicacies". Midnight is the peak time for those creatures to be active. If you are not careful enough to catch one, then you will have no dinner.

Many villagers began to back out, but people always have a hopeful mentality.

What if there were only a few steps left? What if it was over after a few steps, and he could get a silver coin reward?

They have come all the way here, and no one else has left, but he has left. Isn't that a big loss for him? ?

Chapter 15: 14~Goblin Lair

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the three noble attendants stopped and signaled everyone to slow down. The three of them looked at each other and carefully parted the grass in front of them.

Everyone leaned out and could vaguely see an overturned carriage behind the bushes, a group of green dwarfs with bared fangs and claws, and a team of caravan guards confronting the dwarfs.

As the sky gradually darkened, everyone could only see the rough outline, but Fate saw it clearly and immediately recognized what the "green dwarfs" who surrounded the carriage were.