In the southwestern border of the Holy Maniya Empire lies Maple Leaf Territory.

As the borderlands of the empire, Maple Leaf Territory appears on the map like a protruding dagger, spanning across the Vymur River and cutting diagonally right into the intersection between the Dark Mountains, Elven Forest, and Aries Kingdom.

In fact, as early as thousands of years ago this whole region was once part of the Elven Forest and even now, the territory still retains numerous remnants of this old forgotten era, becoming a popular destination for nobles and tourist.

To the southwest of Maple Leaf Territory lies the town of Riverwood.

Underneath the deep blue winter sky, several frozen windmills adorned the town’s entrance, whilst a biting cold wind presently blows through the area, coating the brick and wooden structures within it in a thick layer of snow.

The town’s ancient alleys are filled with smoke, carrying along with it an enticing aroma of bread and roasted meat, while the sounds of children playing echoed intermittently from time to time.

An outpost was erected close to the entrance of the town, where the townguards are busy carrying out their duties.

Inside, a modest bonfire flickered amidst the crackling sound of dry embers, as the fire cast its warm glow upon the two shivering guards clad in supple leather armor.

One of the guards has a stout stature, which stood in contrast with the lanky form of his companion. Currently, the two are enjoying themselves, partaking in murky wheat ale whilst skillfully roasting a plump rabbit they had captured earlier in the wild.

“Burp… Is it ready yet?” inquired the stout guard after belching.

He instinctively swallowed his saliva as his hungry eyes looked expectantly at the tenderly-cooked rabbit meat dripping with oil as it emits an alluring aroma.

“Just be patient. It’ll taste even better if we roast it for a little bit more!”

The lanky guard in charge of cooking rolled his eyes before taking out a small bag and carefully opened it, revealing some finely crushed salt.

He then carefully sprinkled some of it on the rabbit meat and commented, “Let’s also put some salt to enhanced the flavor.”

The stout guard gazed upon the glistening rabbit meat as his eyes kept intensifying with each passing moment.

“Burp—”

Clank! Clank!

While they are busy roasting their food, the bronze bell hanging on the side of the outpost suddenly made a series of crisp sounds.

The guard in charge of cooking immediately turned around, wearing a puzzled expression.

“Huh? One of the traps has been triggered!”

The stout guard also perked up at the same time and said simultaneously,

“Huh? Another beast has been caught?”

He reflexively swallowed as the two shared a bewildered look.

“Who knows, could be a magical beasts instead. Lately, a lot of them have been coming from the direction of the Elven Forest. We’re not Experts, so we need to be careful since this new one we caught might be something dangerous. Let’s go check it together.”

“Wait…what about our food?”

“Just leave it here for now. We’ll be back soon anyway.”

“Uh… alright.”

The two put on their helmets, grabbed their weapons and leave the outpost before moving towards the town’s outskirts.

The entire wilderness was covered with thick white snow.

And the traps the two guards had set to catch some prey were almost buried underneath it.

For some reason, there are far more wild beasts roaming outside the town this winter than in previous years. Moreover, stronger magical beasts that were rumored to be only sighted deep inside the Elven Forest have also begun to appear more and more lately.

This unusual migration of the beast population eventually led to the town of Riverwood suffering several tides of attack from these beasts.

And to ensure the safety of its inhabitants, the town’s local ordinance decided to establish an outpost specifically to monitor the situation, and traps were also laid out outside the vicinity of Riverwood to serve both as a precaution and tools to hunt this ongoing tide of migrating beasts.

The two are seasoned guardsmen yet they still couldn’t help but be apprehensive as they cautiously transverse the periphery of the Elven Forest.

Clutching their weapons firmly, the pair held their breath as they moved slowly towards the trap’s direction.

“…Hey did you hear that?”

“What is it? I didn’t hear anything.” The stout guard replied.

The lanky guard suddenly stopped and placed a hand on his ear.

“Odd. I thought I heard someone shouting just now…anyways let’s move on.”

The two resumed walking and as soon as they arrived, the pair immediately spotted a figure caught in a trap.

However, it’s not a wild beast like they initially expected but a human being instead.

It was a man who looked to be in his fifties, with a thin build and disheveled hair. He was wailing while holding his injuried leg that was caught in the jaws of the beast trap.

Dirty and shivering from the cold, the older man’s clothes were completely torn and stained with blood, but still recognizable as a butler’s attire, made of high-quality fabric only affordable by someone of higher status.

“A H-Human?!”

The two guards exclaimed with wide-eyed look.

They quickly ran and when the pair finally caught a glimpse of the older man’s face more clearly, a look of recognition swiftly formed at their faces.

“Sir Anders?! Is it really you?! Did you somehow escape from the black dragon?!” the lanky guard exclaimed in surprise.

“Sir Anders? What happened to you? Why have you lost so much weight?!” the stout guard asked in a tone of astonishment.

Anders: “…”

“Forget it! Quick, you two! Help me get out of this trap this instant. Some idiot had set up an animal trap here, goddammit! Don’t they know it could accidentally hurt someone?!”

Anders cursed, yet his voice lacked its usual venom and even carried a hint of exhaustion.

It’s already winter, and being at the border, who else apart from smugglers would dare go outside in this kind of weather?

The two muttered inwardly within their hearts.

However, they moved fast and quickly helped the old man break free from the trap…

After all, he was the steward of the lord, a figure of high status!

Finally free from the trap, Anders limped to his feet. As if on cue, his stomach at that moment made a loud rumbling sound.

“Gurgle~”

Anders, with his dirtied face, felt slightly embarrassed. He awkwardly coughed a few times and asked,

“Is there anything to eat?”

The two guards exchanged silent glances and were about to answer, but Anders sniffed and his face immediately brightened up.

“Oh, what’s that smell? It’s so delicious.”

The Two Guards: “……”

Riverwood’s outpost.

Anders sat beside the bonfire whilst indulging in the succulent, aromatic roasted rabbit meat with his hands and mouth coated in grease.

Witnessing the Lord’s typically refined steward voraciously devouring the food as if he were an uncouth beggar who hadn’t eaten in ages, the two guards were left utterly speechless.

The lanky one was hiding his expression well, but the stout guard on the other hand, clearly showed a pained expression while looking at the rabbit meat that was quickly getting smaller and smaller at the hands of the steward.

Finally, the lanky guard covertly pulled his partner’s sleeve, and the stout guard reluctantly withdrew his gaze.

“Ahem…”

As if he had eaten too fast, Anders suddenly choked.

The lanky guard saw it and promptly handed the The old man his partner’s wine bag filled with ale:

“Sir Anders, take it slow. Here, please take a sip of our drink.”

Stout Guard: “…”

Anders didn’t refuse.

He silently grabbed it and unceremoniously took a big gulp.

However, mere seconds later, the old man’s expression swiftly changed. Anders spat out all that he had drunk and displayed an aggrieved expression.

“You call this ale? Just how much water did you mix in this poor excuse of a drink?! It tastes absolutely terrible!”

The lanky guard showed an impassive look, but the other guard was not pleased at all.

The stout guard pouted and muttered, “That was so expensive…why did this bastard have to waste it all away…”

“Huh? What did you say?!”

Anders’ expression instantly darkened.

The lanky guard was startled as he quickly pulled his partner behind him and awkwardly smiled at the steward.

“A-Ahem…Sir Anders, as you’re well aware, our resources here in Riverwood are quite limited and having some alcohol to go along our food is already a luxury for us, so please understand our situation.”

Upon hearing his words, Anders’ expression softened a bit.

The old man took another bite of the roasted rabbit and resumed his lofty demeanor.

“…This rabbit meat is roasted well.”

“Thank you for your praise sir.”

The lanky guard replied.

However, despite the old man’s lofty and arrogant demeanor, he still looks like a beggar outwardly, creating a somewhat humorous sight.

Hmph, how stupid, this old man still has the audacity to act all high and mighty despite looking like that?

The two guards felt a hint of satisfaction within their hearts as they silently observed the disheveled state of the steward.

After all, it has been only just a few months ago since this pompous steward arrived in town to fulfill the role of a tax collector.

Like the nobles in the city, he was also very greedy, which made the townspeople very unhappy as they reluctantly handed to him their hard-earned money as taxes.

Back then, many people clapped their hands in celebration when this old man was abducted by the black dragon.

Of course, they didn’t dare to say such things out loud.

Moreover… many residents of the town were also captured together with Anders.

Thinking of this, the lanky guard couldn’t help but ask:

“Sir Anders, um…where are the other people?”

Anders blinked slightly.

“What other people?”

“It’s… those people taken away by the black dragon along with you.”

“Oh, them…”

Anders’ gaze flickered slightly, then he sighed.

“Don’t mention it.”

“Sigh… After we escaped from the black dragon, our group had encountered a beast tide on our way back. Everyone got separated during our escape…”

“I ran in the wrong direction since I didn’t know the way and after struggling for days finally managed to come back here today… How about the others? Didn’t they also come back?”

The two guardsmen glanced at each other, and showed a serious look.

The others…still haven’t come back.

However, when Anders mentioned the beast tide, they knew that the other escapees chance of survival was not good.

In recent months, the surrounding magical beasts have been constantly migrating. If the other abducted folks have also encountered a beast tide, then their situation would be really dangerous…

They didn’t know what had caused it, but a few months ago, many of the magical beasts from the Elven Forest suddenly went on a rampage and rushed out of the forest like a tide, causing considerable losses to Riverwood.

Fortunately, during that incident, the levels of the rampaging beasts were relatively low, and there were no casualties among the town’s residents.

But with this winter season, more powerful magical beasts would surely appear if a beast tide were to suddenly occur during this time.

Thinking about this, the hearts of the two guardsmen suddenly felt heavy.

We might not survive at all if the town was attacked by a huge beast tide in this weather…

Sir Anders had miraculously returned, but the other townsfolk still haven’t come back yet and perhaps…they would never return.

“Eternal Lord above…”

The stout guard whispered as he drew a symbol of the sun upon his chest, looking somewhat depressed.

There were also some of his childhood friends among those townsfolk who were abducted.

“Eternal Lord above…”

The lanky guard also sighed, before uttering a silent prayer.

Anders glanced around awkwardly but felt inwardly relieved. He then cleared his throat and ignored the two guards as he continued eating the roasted rabbit.

For a while, the small outpost fell into silence as the two guards stared at the bonfire in a daze.

Suddenly, the alarm bell rang yet again…

— 270 —

【 RIVERWOOD’S GUARDSMEN 】

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