After Asa finished telling the story of how his unit was annihilated on the mountain, the knight let out a long sigh and bowed his head in contemplation.

  Asa sat on the velvet soft chair, his fingers kneading the soft and smooth plush surface. He had only seen such things before. The old scholar in the village used to put a thin layer of it in the box where he placed the scriptures. When he was three years old, he saw an older child who simply pinched it with his hand, and then that hand was beaten so badly that it couldnt hold a spoon for three days.

  Such a noble, mysterious and dangerous being is now actually sitting under his buttocks, making him feel a bit strange and also a bit overwhelmed.

  The Duke of Marlborough went to the Imperial City to attend a military meeting. He was received by a young knight who claimed to be his assistant.

  The knights armor and sword were of the highest quality, with the emblem of the Holy Knights on them, which Asa had also seen on his captain. Young, handsome, majestic, extraordinary, with a noble status, and a temperament that matched perfectly, it was as if he was the protagonist of stories often heard from traveling bards in childhood.

  Its still a bit strange and excessive to see someone like that sitting with me, lost in thought over the things hes reporting, just like that chair, only magnified many times.

  "So only you yourself broke through, and then were hunted down, fighting with the pursuers in the Lizard Marsh..." The knight repeated Asas words. Enunciating clearly and slowly, in an orderly manner. As if afraid that others would not hear or mishear his words.

  A Sa nodded: "Thats it." The journey had made him very thirsty, he picked up the jug on the table and poured himself a cup, only to find that it was milk tea.

  "Are you certain that only you escaped?" The knight furrowed his brow, gazing at him with a very profound and elegant gaze, asking slowly and deliberately, word by word. As if this were an extremely important question.

  Although he had already confirmed it, Asa still carefully recalled it and nodded: "Yes. Only me." The milk tea tasted great, but the cup was a bit too small, so Asa kept drinking and refilling it. Actually, he originally wanted to drink directly from the teapot, but the grandeur of the dukes mansion and the gaze of the knight opposite him made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

  The knight slightly raised an eyebrow, then furrowed it even more tightly, and asked more seriously: "Then who have you told about this matter?"

  "No." The ace was quite certain. He had been on the go since he came out of the swamp, and even now his left wrist was still wrapped in a bandage.

  Thanks to the healing scrolls and potions in their luggage, they were able to make it out of the riverbank and find a withered tree to drift downstream to Brakada. The local official immediately summoned all the priests and doctors within a 50-mile radius after learning that the injured was the daughter of Duke Mlak. Asas broken ribs had been reset, and under the effect of healing magic, there was no major problem, just some weakness. However, her left wrist was too badly damaged, taking an entire day to repair, with several butchers and morticians called in to find bone fragments mixed in the flesh. Asa fainted three times from pain before it was roughly restored to its original state using a staggering amount of healing magic and medicine. The pain had been eliminated, but there was also a strong suspicion of disability. Now Asa pinned all her hopes on Duke Mlaks wealth and influence and the level of the capitals priests.

  "Why dont you go report this to the superior officer of your unit?" The knight asked again, very patiently and carefully, wanting to grasp every detail. His focused expression was like that of a child, with a hint of fear in his gaze, as if he was afraid that the thing in front of him would suddenly fly away.

  "Because I wasnt quite clear who my unit belonged to. I just saw the recruitment of temporary soldiers in Braka, so I went to join." Asa originally wanted to ask him about the wages for those ten or more days, and who he should find to get the dozen or so coppers, but looking at the cup in his hand, which was silver, he didnt dare say it out loud. "I asked Miss Xiaoyi... who I should report this matter to, she said that Duke is the Imperial Minister of War. So I thought it would be faster to come and report directly."

  "Oh, I see. Well, well, thats great." The knights eyebrows suddenly relaxed, and he looked relieved and happy. His smile was as dazzling as his golden hair, and it was infectious. Most girls dream boyfriends were probably like this.

  The knight seemed to have suddenly thought of something and asked: "Then what about Miss Xiao Yi..."

  "Its okay, the mayor of Brakada used a fleet of carriages to escort her, and it will probably take about twenty days or so to reach the capital." Xiao Yis cervical vertebrae cracked under the wolfmans tight grip, and during the process of walking out of the swamp, the injury worsened due to movement, and the bones were slightly deformed. The priests of Brakada did not dare to operate, and could only use healing techniques to treat it a little, then fixed it with splints and slowly sent her back to the capital by horse-drawn carriage.

  "Ah." The knight nodded. "I represent the Duke, and Id like to express my gratitude for your bravery in rescuing Miss Xiaoyi." He paused, looking directly at Asa with his slow and clear voice, "Moreover, you made an excellent choice by reporting this matter directly to the Dukes mansion. I think Duke Miraq will be delighted when he finds out." His blue eyes gleamed with an expression of uncontainable joy. "Your luck is really too good, its truly wonderful." These words were spoken with particular emphasis, as if he was genuinely celebrating Asas good fortune.

  For some reason, Asa felt a sense of unease from the knights shining eyes, which seemed to be an evil intention, with a kind of malicious joy flashing inside. Asa asked: "What are you...?"

  "Baron Clavius Elgor, Second Lieutenant of the Sacred Knights, Aide-de-camp to His Grace Duke Mlak. The knights gaze returned, his voice smooth and suave, matching the noble titles perfectly. Fiancé of Miss Xiao Yi."

  "Ah?" Asa was somewhat surprised at the knights last identity.

  The knight stood up, his sword eyebrow slightly raised, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes. There was not a hint of smile on his face, and he looked so majestic that it seemed as if this face had never been softened by a smile before. He shouted loudly: "Come on! Take him down!"

  More than a dozen fully armed guards appeared at the entrance of the hall as if they had emerged from underground, rushing in to surround Asa.

  A Sa hadnt woken up from the previous shock yet, and immediately fell into an even bigger one. He stood up and said: "Is it a mistake? I said..."

  The knights dagger didnt give Asa any time to react, accurately cutting the major artery on his neck. Asa immediately fell to the ground like an empty sack.

  "Take him to the dungeon and instruct them to keep a close eye on him, hes an important spy." The knights voice was even more intimidating than his gaze, and the guards hastily took Asa away. "Prepare my horse. Prepare the token of authority. I have urgent military business to attend to at the imperial palace to see the Duke."

  This was a very dangerous good luck for the Duke. Of course, it was also his own. The knight picked up the cup on the table and wanted to take a sip of tea, but found that he had taken the cup that Asa had used earlier. He picked up the teapot, only to find that it was empty.

  "The Knight of the Woeful Countenance threw down the cup, pointed to the velvet chair where Don Quixote had just sat and ordered: Throw away this cup, jug and that chair. As he stepped out of the door, he added: Dont let me see them again when I come back."

  The Dukes mansion was not only efficient in handling affairs, but the horses were also very fast. In just over ten minutes, the knight had passed through the layers of guards and arrived at the military conference hall, where he met with Duke Mlak.

  The duke listened to the knights brief whisper and smiled warmly, then said in a very gentle tone to the full table of ministers: "Im sorry, please allow me to leave for a moment. Its my little girl, shes making trouble outside and got hurt."

  In the garden outside the hall, the knight repeated to the duke, word for word, what Asa had told him.

  The duke narrowed his eyes and listened carefully. His eyes were not large, and when he narrowed them, it seemed as if he was smiling. His neatly trimmed eight-character beard framed his slightly stout body, round cheeks, giving the impression of a very kind-hearted ordinary middle-aged businessman who believed that harmony and atmosphere could generate wealth.

  "Duke, this matter is indeed very dangerous. Fortunately, this soldier fell into our hands. Do you think this indicates that theres a problem on their side? Should we..." the knight inquired.

  The dukes smile didnt diminish in the slightest as he countered the knight, "I recall youve seen them."

  "Yes."

  "What kind of people do you think they are?"

  The knight took a deep breath, and for a moment, a look flashed across his face that was utterly at odds with his usual demeanor - a mixture of resentment and fear that he couldnt quite conceal, like a stubborn boy recalling a beast that had once startled him. The knight furrowed his brow and insisted on his own views: "But this is indeed a flaw..."

  "No one is infallible and no one can grasp everything. As long as you have gone through a sufficiently rational analysis, you should trust your feelings and brain, even if mistakes are made, theres no need to regret or hesitate." The duke spoke like a teacher lecturing students, carefully explaining to the young knight. "Since we believe they are more capable of solving this kind of thing than us, and also more efficient, then we just focus on doing our part well. If mistakes occur, perhaps due to uncontrollable factors such as luck, then theres nothing we can do. At least, for now, it seems like everything is fine. Right?"

  "Yes." The knight listened very seriously to the dukes words. Following such a superior, the greatest gain is that there are many places to learn.

  The dukes eyes showed a hint of worry and he asked: "How is Xiao Yis injury?"

  "Nothing much happened. The local official sent a convoy of cars to escort Miss back, and they are on their way back."

  The duke looked at the knight with some reproach and sighed lightly. He asked again: "What did you do to that soldier?"

  "Imprisoned in the city jail, waiting for your judgment."

  "The duke asked: What do you think I will do with him?"

  "Kill him."

  The duke asked again: "Where do you think this soldier is in danger?"

  "Revealing to others what he has gone through."

  "The duke slowly and deliberately guided the knight: The longer he lives and comes into contact with others, the greater the danger to us. And since you know what should be done with him, you should minimize his chances of living and coming into contact with others."

  "I was waiting for you to come and make a decision, after all, this matter is very important."

  "Dont be too bound by rules, rules are meant to handle things. In any situation, prioritize your own judgment and rational analysis." The duke looked at the knight and said word by word, "More importantly, have confidence in your own judgment."

  "Yes." The knight replied with his head down, very forcefully.

  When Duke Mlak returned to the conference hall with a smile, the ministers asked about the injury of the duchess. After thanking everyone for their concern, the duke suggested continuing the previous topic: "As for the generals request for an increase in financial appropriations for his western army to sweep away various beastman tribes, I am fully in favor of it. After all, national and peoples safety is paramount, and it is also necessary to reduce it in other aspects."