Ch. 104 Artoria in Action!

Sorry for the delay… I went shopping tonight and only got home at ten o’clock.

The elder naturally did not believe in the ghost wolf the hunter spoke of.

Even in this age where people generally believed in mystery, one still needed to be cautious about the one-sided claims of certain individuals.

The elder had lived for so long and had seen many instances of swindlers using banners like prophets, elves, or even gods to deceive people.

There was one incident that the elder still remembered vividly to this day.

About a few years ago, someone was spreading rumors that a dragon had appeared near the village, making the entire region panic.

The people of the entire village jointly petitioned the local lord, requesting that the lord send a Soldier to help the village resist the dragon that might appear…

In the end, the dragon those people spoke of was nothing more than a deformed oak tree that had fallen on the cliff top.

To deal with that incident, not only did it consume a large amount of the village’s food supplies, but one of the lord’s Soldier also broke his leg while climbing the mountain.

The lord, who had gone to great lengths because of the villagers’ rumors, was extremely furious.

Therefore, that year’s taxes were increased by five percent.

It was inevitable that the elder would still hold the same mindset as the adults in the “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” story.

Unless someone had truly seen the anomaly with their own eyes, or suffered losses caused by the anomaly, no one would believe a’story’ from a hunter.

The elder pondered.

Two little figures were constantly arguing in his mind.

One of them said: It is an indisputable fact that the deer herd has not appeared for a long time; perhaps there really is some kind of monster in the forest?

The other said: But didn’t you organize hunters to search the mountains a few days ago, and they didn’t find anything at all? Compared to one Soldier’s rambling, everyone else’s account is more credible, right?

A moment later.

The elder had his answer.

Indeed, one Soldier’s “personal opinion” cannot be a reason to mobilize a massive force; at the very least, more people need to see that white ghost wolf before a conclusion can be reached.

Just as he was about to yell at the hunter to go back to his own house, Artoria had already walked up to the two of them and greeted them enthusiastically.

Regarding this girl who had suddenly interrupted the conversation, the elder and the hunter both looked her over.

Naturally, they also looked at Merlin and Kay, who were with her.

Look at Kay’s attire.

He was tall (probably over 1.9 meters), wearing a shiny white breastplate with chainmail underneath.

A broad-bladed longsword was slung across his waist, resting obediently inside its scabbard.

And what about Merlin and Artoria?

Although they also carried swords, they were not armored; instead, they wore gorgeous and beautiful clothing.

This was definitely not an outfit that rural commoners would have.

Combining the attire of these three, the elder had already formed an initial impression of them in his mind.

They must be noble children out on a journey, right?

Artoria and Merlin were certainly noble children, and Kay was perhaps their bodyguard?

Then what was the relationship between the young man holding the long staff and the girl in the white dress? Siblings?

The elder stroked his chin and pondered.

If one had a god’s-eye view, one would discover that the answer the elder guessed in his heart was, to say the least, completely unrelated.

“Excuse me, have you encountered any trouble?” Artoria asked, looking at the elder sincerely.

The elder and the hunter shook their heads in unison like rattle-drums.

They hurriedly denied it: “No, there are no problems at all; this village is doing just fine!”

To them, the intervention of outsiders meant that compensation would have to be provided.

If it were someone from the village, and he, as the elder, asked for something to be done, there would immediately be plenty of young people with pent-up energy waiting to be ordered around.

At worst, he would just have to give some fish or meat as payment.

If they had to ask outsiders for help, the price to be paid would be much higher.

Moreover, outsiders were definitely not as reliable as their own people.

Artoria naturally understood the elder’s concerns.

From the moment she pulled out the sword of selecting kings until now, she had been on a journey of training for almost a month.

She had passed through many villages; at first, she was a bit confused by the villagers’ attitudes, but now, the girl held a heart of tolerance towards this.

“It’s okay,” Artoria, dressed in a white dress, smiled like bright sunshine: “Helping people in need is my responsibility! Even without compensation, I will find a way to help you!”

It was a smile that made people feel as if they had been purified.

In the afternoon sun, every tiny fuzz on the girl’s face reflected light.

It was as if she herself was glowing.

Like a lily flower, beautiful and pure, it made one’s body and mind feel as if they had been cleansed!

It made one feel guilty for the darkness within their heart…

“That won’t do!”

The elder, who had just been wary of outsiders, suddenly put on his air of authority and declared irrefutably: “Since you want to help! Then you must receive the proper reward!”

And so.

Artoria and her group naturally accepted the commission to investigate the Spirit Wolf…

“As expected, there is nothing that Artoria’s smile cannot solve.”

Walking on the road leaving the village, Merlin lazily commented on the experience just now.

“So, you must smile more often in the future!”

“But…” Artoria’s face showed a troubled expression: “If I only rely on my smile, I definitely won’t become a strong Soldier capable of standing on my own, right?”

Listening to the conversation of the few people behind him.

The hunter leading the way turned his head back.

After the strange feeling of being charmed faded, the hunter felt a bit uneasy.

This little girl, who looked only fourteen or fifteen years old, was she really reliable?

“What’s wrong?” Artoria noticed the strange look in the hunter’s eyes, blinked, and asked innocently.

‘Ah!’

This face, so natural it was divine… Why hadn’t he noticed it before?

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you!”

The hunter clutched his head and let out a painful howl.

It startled the young girl behind him.

“H-Hunter… even though I am only an apprentice knight, to uphold the code of chivalry, no matter what difficulties you have encountered, I will definitely do my best to help!”

She replied very earnestly.

‘Please, stop it!’

The hunter wailed in his heart. If you keep talking to me like that, I won’t be able to suppress my urge to worship you!

“It’s here!”

As if seeing a savior, the hunter pointed in the direction where he had just seen the white Spirit Wolf.

Merlin narrowed his eyes.

The bushes there indeed still bore the traces of being crushed by something heavy.

The hunter clearly saw these traces as well, and goosebumps immediately rose on his skin.

It wasn’t a hallucination; that wolf was real!

“Hmm…” Merlin nodded. “Let’s stop here.”

“Eh?”

“I mean for you, Mr. Hunter,” he explained. “We will walk the rest of the way ourselves.”

The hunter’s eyes flickered as he looked at the three outsiders following behind him, especially Artoria.

“Can you find the tracks?”

“Don’t underestimate us; my eyes are very sharp,” Merlin said with a smile.

However, for the hunter, who was also a man, Merlin’s smile was hardly attractive.

“It’s getting dark soon. You must be careful if you enter the forest!” the hunter reminded them worriedly.

“Then why don’t you go in yourself?”

Kay chimed in with an ill-timed sarcastic remark.

The hunter was speechless.

Although he was very worried about the young girl’s safety, if he had to go into the forest alone to face that giant white wolf with only a hunting knife and a bow, he would still be quite afraid.

Kay curled his lip, unslung his scabbard, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and walked into the forest first.

“You guys just stay obediently in the village and wait for our good news; you don’t have anything else to do anyway.”

— —

Following the guidance of the magic circle, it wasn’t long before Mia heard the sound of running water.

She immediately and impatiently prepared to undress.

Of course, she had to make sure to stay out of Wilden’s line of sight.

Wilden was only a little dirty on his face and clothes; if she gave him a basin of water, he could manage on his own by finding a spacious spot.