Ch. 151 Kay extended his hands

“I have heard of your father,” the knight said: “He is an excellent warrior. Let me see your hands.”

Kay extended his hands.

Egde gripped Kay’s hands tightly; even without looking, he could feel it.

Those hands were not exactly rough, but they were definitely not the hands of a pampered young master, nor were they the hands of a farmer.

Instead, they were the hands of someone who had wielded a sword for many years and had maintained them well.

The knight pulled Kay closer, his sharp eyes staring at Kay’s face.

“…” Kay was a bit confused: “Weren’t you going to look at my hands?”

The air went quiet for a moment, and then, Egde suddenly burst into laughter.

“Apologies, young man, I didn’t mean to doubt you.” He said: “But these are not good times, and your timing is very coincidental.”

The Anglo-Saxons will be here soon.

With guests arriving at such a time, it is inevitable that one would suspect the possibility of spies or assassins.

Knights would indeed uphold their virtues, but the Anglo-Saxons would not.

Kay realized this only then.

“No, it’s fine. I can understand your caution.”

“That’s good, child. As long as you forgive me for not being able to host you with the etiquette befitting a knight.”

“On the contrary, we are not here to seek shelter while traveling,” Kay said politely: “We hope to offer our help.”

Upon hearing Kay’s reply, Knight Egde first widened his eyes in surprise, about to say something.

But then he furrowed his brows.

It was clear that this proposal made him somewhat conflicted.

The village was naturally very short on manpower; at a time like this, every extra Soldier was a glimmer of hope.

The knight shook his head and said: “This village appreciates your kindness, but I think it would be better for you to leave as soon as possible.”

Kay spread his hands in confusion: “But you need help. Any knight with a conscience would not watch the innocent people of this village suffer such a fate!”

“My retainer should have told you about the Anglo-Saxons, Knight Kay.” Knight Egde picked up a chair from the floor and sat down.

“Yes,” Kay nodded.

“They are coming in full force,” Egde said gloomily: “I suppose you have never seen such a scene, have you? This is not ordinary looting; it is a war.”

Egde took a breath: “Besides, this is not your battle. Yes, a knight with a conscience would certainly not turn a blind eye to the difficulties of others, but a knight with a conscience must also never shift disaster onto others.”

“…” Kay was thinking about how to persuade him.

Artoria walked in and spoke up: “My thoughts are exactly the opposite of yours, Lord Egde.”

“Oh?” Knight Egde looked up and saw the young girl: “Who are you?”

“This is my sister,” Kay explained.

“My name is Artoria, Lord Egde.” Artoria lifted her dress with not-so-practiced movements.

Without waiting for the other party to say anything, Artoria said: “My thoughts are the opposite of yours.”

“Hmm…” Egde nodded and raised a hand towards her, signaling her to continue.

“This is the battle of all of us,” Artoria said seriously: “Every step the Anglo-Saxons take on this island is closely related to all of us Britons.”

“Hmm…” The knight’s fingers tapped on the table.

“The Anglo-Saxons are encroaching on our Britons’ land step by step precisely because we cannot unite. After King Uther died, Britannia split into a multitude of small kingdoms fighting each other, which undoubtedly gave them the opportunity to defeat us one by one…”

Knight Egde nodded: “Go on, little girl.”

Artoria paused: “We must reunite, unite as one, and concentrate our strength.”

“You have high ideals,” Knight Egde smiled: “If you were giving this speech before the Noble Council or the Throne Room, I would acknowledge you, but at the moment, this does not help the situation at all…”

“What I mean is!” Artoria said loudly and urgently: “Unity must start from the small things, Lord Egde. Although I am only a squire, I have neither a fief nor soldiers, but I will have them sooner or later. Before then, at least let us do what we can for this island that we both love.”

“Hmm, hmm…” Knight Egde pondered, and he suddenly asked: “How old are you, little girl?”

“Fifteen.”

Hearing this answer, the knight stroked his chin: “Fifteen. Do you know that the law stipulates that if the heir to a territory loses their father, the king will send a minister as a guardian to manage their territory until they come of age at twenty?”

The subtext of this sentence was.

No matter how you look at it, Artoria is too young.

Artoria looked at Kay somewhat awkwardly.

“Hehe.” Knight Egde smiled kindly and looked at his officer: “Do I look like a bad guy who destroys a little girl’s dreams?”

The undisguised teasing made Artoria’s cheeks flush red: “Lord Egde!”

“Alright, alright,” Egde stood up: “I have understood. You want to help, then come along. I hope this adds a splash of color to your travels.”

A look of joy appeared on Artoria’s face.

The knight then added: “But this is only limited to when the war has not officially begun. I allow you to join the ranks of my Soldier, but once we reach the city, you must leave as soon as possible. I do not wish for the child of a noble from another kingdom—who is surely going to inherit a fief or something in the future—to go missing on my King’s territory, understood?”

“Thank you, my Lord. I will not ask for anything more.”

“Hmm.” Egde nodded with satisfaction: “However, I heard there are a few other warriors in your party. Won’t you introduce them?”

“Yes, my Lord, right away!”

Egde asked some questions about the identities of the others.

Such as the cliché ones.

Why Mia and Artoria look somewhat alike.

He also praised Wilden for his height.

As for Merlin, who should have been quite eye-catching, he concealed his identity.

He merely claimed to be a traveling magician.

As for the tasks assigned to them.

Egde hoped they could take over the original duties of several Soldier.

This way, those Soldier could join the ranks of maintaining order and directing the evacuation.

When the crisis arrived, the various states of human life were revealed before their eyes.

An old woman who had never left the village in her life wiped away her tears silently, while her daughter-in-law argued with her husband because there were too few things they could take with them.

The blacksmith gritted his teeth and sealed the old furnace that had been with his family since his ancestors’ time.

A hooligan in the village took advantage of the chaos to steal the money that a neighbor was planning to take away.

Of course, the last one was caught red-handed by the Guards and thrown into the dungeon.

No one would take him out of the village tonight; he would be left for the Anglo-Saxons.

Thieves and robbers are the best combination, aren’t they?

When night fell, the Soldier made an inventory.

Most of the villagers were ready.

Knight Egde’s prestige among his people played a major role.

At least, the vast majority of people understood that the knight was doing it for their own good.

Mia lent her carriage to the villagers, and she did not have to abandon anything for it.

Everything that was originally on the carriage could just be stuffed into the storage space.

Just as the knight had expected.

Before midnight, almost everyone had packed up their few belongings.

Under the night sky, the entire village was illuminated as bright as day by torches.

Egde rode a brown horse, wearing neat armor—even neater than when he met Artoria.

The knight walked to the front of the gathered people and took off his helmet.

“My people,” he shouted.