novelhk Page 203
Page 203
……
Leafa touched the two silver coins in her pocket and a happy smile appeared on her face.
Hey, Leafa!
A vibrant voice came from behind her. Leafa removed the last piece of her armor, turned around, and smiled:
"Miss Geeta!"
Geeta patted Leafa on the shoulder, took the skirt armor from Leafa's hand, placed it on the table beside her, and began to remove her armor as well.
As prospective knights, they are not yet allowed to wear the knightly armor of the Church of Light when they go out. Therefore, after completing the armor training, they need to return the armor before they can travel freely.
"this is for you!"
After quickly removing her armor, Geeta took out two silver coins she had just received from the knight captain, slapped them into Leafa's palm, and said with a grin:
"I owe you a gold coin, I'll have to make it up to you next spring!"
"Wait, you don't owe me any gold coins, Miss Geeta!" Leafa hurriedly moved closer to Geeta, wanting to return the silver coins in her hand, but Geeta grabbed her hand and pressed it against her chest.
"No, no, no!" Geeta held off Leafa's hands with one hand, put the other on her hip, threw her head back and laughed three times, then said:
"I said I'd give you gold coins, and I meant it! Your family needs the money, but I don't need it, so you can keep it!"
Leafa struggled slightly, but realizing she was far too weak as Geeta, she could only sigh and whisper:
"But Miss Geeta, don't you also have no money?"
"...This...this was an accident!" Geeta couldn't help but take a step back, her face flushed, and she shouted:
"Not having cash doesn't mean you're broke... Not having cash!... Can something for an aristocrat be called being broke!"
Then came a string of incomprehensible terms, such as "investment based on faith" and "fixed assets"...
"Alright, alright, I got it." Leafa put away the silver coins, patted Geeta's head, and said with a smile, "When I become a true knight, I'll repay you with the rewards I earn from my missions."
"How dare you!" Geeta hurriedly covered her head, blushing as she dodged Leafa's cold little hands. Then, hands on her hips, she scolded, "When you become a knight, you should care about all living beings. Why are you still worrying about these two silver coins? You're acting like a child!"
“Miss Gita is right,” Leafa said, covering her mouth with a smile. Although there was a huge gap between Gita and her background, in this holy city, that gap had long since disappeared as easily as a hair.
After the two girls played around for a while, they quieted down again.
Just a few days ago, Leafa was saying she would go home in two weeks, but unexpectedly, the weather changed and she had to set off immediately to go home to help with the wheat harvest.
This separation might last for another six months or so. After all, although the Holy City is open all year round, demons roam freely in the autumn, snow blocks the roads in the winter, and help with planting is needed in the spring. Even though the weekly subsidy of two silver coins is very tempting, Leafa may not be able to travel between the Holy City and Valley Village alone.
Gita herself was unsure whether she could return to the Holy City at any time after her servants took her home. For the nobles of the Wilderness Territory, the Holy Knight was just a title, a facade for the family, and a stepping stone to the capital.
"It's a pity that the gods don't understand us, otherwise it would be great if we could exchange our divine arts."
Geeta grabbed Leafa's hand, and the two huddled together in a corner under the table, whispering secrets to each other.
That day, they foolishly prayed to the God of Light, and their prayers were actually answered. Gita received the divine magic of "sword," while Lilfa received the divine magic of "shield."
Unsure of the potential negative consequences, both girls were terrified. However, their honesty compelled them to leave two letters in the chapel, detailing the events and their names, before nervously departing.
However, two days have passed and the Pope has not summoned them, so it seems there shouldn't be any major problems.
“The deity surely has a deeper meaning, it’s just that we don’t understand it yet!” Leafa shook her head and said, “Perhaps he is watching us right now!”
"Of course I know!" Geeta subconsciously puffed out her small chest and explained in a low voice:
“But I feel that since you aspire to be a holy knight who travels the world and fights, the divine arts of the ‘sword’ should belong to you. My ideal, however, is to protect everyone like Lady Jennifer, so the divine arts of the ‘shield’ would be better suited to me.”
"Relax, relax." Leafa patted Geeta's head again and said, "According to the description of the divine magic, the power we can unleash is related to our level of understanding of it. I think we will definitely be able to realize our dreams in the end."
“That’s true…” Geeta sighed, then suddenly noticed Leafa had already bent over and was crawling off the table. She quickly grabbed Leafa and asked, “Leafa, are you leaving?”
“Yes…” Leafa turned back, looking at Geeta’s reluctant expression. After thinking for a moment, she bent down and hugged her, then continued crawling out, saying, “When we come back, let’s go to the dessert shop again for some ‘Lasagna egg tarts’? Last time I tried them, I just swallowed them whole without thinking. Next time I’ll definitely savor them properly.”
"Huh?" Geeta paused, then unconsciously flashed an expectant smile and nodded vigorously, saying, "Yeah! It's a date! My treat!"
……
……
"When old friends part, do not see them off. If you do, you will find it hard to control yourself wherever you go."
Torso suddenly came to his senses and looked at the hill he had been riding on, and for a moment he couldn't tell where he was.
After pondering all night, he still chose to say goodbye to Latis immediately. Although he had spoken frankly with Latis for the purpose of confirming his identity, they ended up reaching a friendship of mutual teaching. It can only be said that sometimes the friendship between men really does come about inexplicably.
Torso couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.
"I never expected that I would end up improving my skills through this. I wonder whether I should continue searching for the person described in the scroll, or return to the capital to report for duty..."
Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard the sound of light running ahead. He looked up and saw a thin girl in a coarse cloth robe running slowly along the road with regular steps.
The sound of several silver coins clinking together reached Torso's ears. He chuckled and pulled on the reins to make way, nodding to the thin girl.
The girl wiped her sweat, bowed to Torso, then brushed past him and hurried away.
"There are signs of training; are they trainees from the Holy City...?"
Torso smiled as he watched the girl's figure disappear at a fork in the road he had come from, and slowly exhaled.
A gust of wind blew from behind.
Just as he was about to go with the wind to check out the vicinity of the holy city, the object in his arms suddenly began to vibrate.
Torso took out the vibrating magical artifact from his pocket, thought for a moment, and pressed a key.
"Your Mightiness."
He loosened the reins and let the horse go forward.
"Sorry, I didn't notice it before."
The horse paused for a moment, hesitated, and then continued forward.
"I have confirmed that he was not the target and he has now left."
The eagle-horse snorted, flapped its wings, and took a small leap forward.
"Yes, his status as a priestess is endorsed by members of the Church of Light."
The reins tightened suddenly, and the eagle-like horse instinctively reared up, let out a startled cry, and stopped.
"What?!" A chill suddenly swept through Torso's body, and he couldn't help but ask, "Your Excellency...why?"
He shouted, "Why must we kill him!"
Hearing the voice of that gentleman, the color drained from Torso's face. He remained silent for a long time, then looked up at the sky and let out a long breath.
He reined in his horse, turned around, glanced at the direction with the wind, and then glanced at the direction against the wind.
"Is this the ideal I've been yearning for...?"
Torso stroked the badge on his chest, unable to grasp the answer for a moment.
……
……
"I'm back!"
Geeta leaped from the carriage with a flurry of exclamations, leaping over the servants who lined the path holding jewelry and magnificent robes, and ran into the main hall in her thin training clothes. She looked around and shouted:
"Wright? Wright!"
On the ceiling, a magical crystal chandelier, resembling a continuous mountain range, swayed gently, emitting a bright yet gentle light.
A tall figure wearing a black felt hat appeared silently at the top of the stairs, but Geeta didn't notice at all because her animal friend—a ringed rockhound named Wright—was already running wildly from the backyard with its tongue lolling out.
Hey, Wright!
Geeta happily picked up Wright and spun him around a few times, then muttered to herself:
"You've gained weight again... You didn't steal the ore I collected, did you?"
Wright gave a good-natured smile and wagged his tail.
"Damn it! Those uniquely shaped minerals were gifts I was going to give to my friends! How could you eat them?!"
Gita put Wright back on the ground, shook its belly desperately, and cried out:
"You're not the legendary gold-devouring dog; you can only eat stones! You can't digest minerals, or you'll get constipated!"
Seeing Wright's bewildered expression, Gita sighed, then patted its head and said:
"Forget it, I'll just find a professional mage to help you with that later..."
“Miss Geeta, His Excellency Bernard instructed you to wait for him in his study after you return home…”
The butler's voice came from outside. Geeta immediately stood up and ran to the dining room and reception room on the left and right. Finding no one there, she was too lazy to follow too many rules since there were no guests. She simply put a rope around Wright's neck and, before the butler came in, led him out through the side gate of the courtyard.
"Hehe, after training for more than half a year, I'm sure I can go and show everyone my skills..."
……
The blacksmith's daughter emerged from the blacksmith's shop, shrinking back and moving quietly along the courtyard wall, her steps hurried, as if some demon was chasing her from the shadows.
"Hey, Nia!"
A hand suddenly patted her shoulder, and she was so startled that she almost jumped up, instinctively covering her mouth and letting out a muffled scream.
Upon realizing it was Geeta, Nia, her face pale, pressed down on her shoulder, shrank back into the shadows by the wall, and hurriedly said:
"Keep your voice down! I snuck out!"
"Huh?" Geeta scratched his head and asked:
"What's going on? Is your father not letting you go out? By the way, do you know why the town is so deserted today?"
“No, it’s Viscount Bernard. He’s become increasingly ruthless, not only raising taxes and lending money to seize our properties and land, but also…” Nia’s voice trailed off as she suddenly turned deathly pale. She pointed in terror behind Geeta, her lips trembling as she cried out:
"I...no! No!"
"And what else?" Geeta shouted urgently. Seeing Nia's terrified, speechless face, she frowned, turned to the two men wearing black felt hats behind her, and asked with her hands on her hips:
"Who are you? What are you doing standing here? Don't you recognize me?"
"Know you? No matter who you are, you can't escape!"
The two men exchanged a glance, laughed, and pulled out magic scrolls from their bags. Under Geeta's wary gaze, they tore them in half.
……