Chapter 155: Adventurers’ Party

After Phield finished writing the multiplication table, Kaor went from confusion… to shock… and finally looked at him with deep suspicion.

Could it be… has the lord slept with the Goddess of Wisdom? he muttered inwardly.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s just a few simple tricks.” Phield patted Kaor on the shoulder and smiled. “Memorize these. They’ll make things much easier in the future. And make sure the children learn them too.”

Kaor held it in for a long while before finally conceding. “My lord… you are one of the very few people I truly admire.”

“You can chalk it up to a miracle,” Phield said lightly. “I once dreamed of a goddess. She taught me all this.”

He offered the explanation to comfort him—after all, being surpassed in your own field was a painful thing.

Besides, he was merely borrowing the wisdom of those who came before. Nothing to be proud of.

“Of course! This must be a blessing from the goddess. I will pass down this divine knowledge!” Kaor’s eyes lit up. “Children, memorize all of it! If you can’t, you’ll be punished!”

The children looked like they were about to cry.

“Alright, seeing the administration on the right track, I’m very satisfied.” Phield stretched his shoulders, energized. “Prepare a carriage. I’m heading to Maple Leaf Territory.”

“Yes, my lord. I prepared the trade goods last night,” Kaor reported seriously. “Please return safely. Nightfall Domain cannot function without you.”

Phield couldn’t help but find Kaor’s tone oddly amusing.

“Haha, I’ll be back after delivering the Mountain Ape Baron’s daughter.”

For this journey, Phield brought fifty infantry, ten demi-human cavalry, Rosalia, and two personal maids.

“I’m getting less and less willing to leave the manor.”

Phield glanced back at Starnight Manor. The grass seeds they had sown had begun to sprout—soon, it would return to how the normal world looked.

“After some time, once the other half of the manor is fully reclaimed, we’ll build another village… what should we name it…”

“Hurry up! I can’t wait to go home. Every second in this miserable place is torture.”

The Mountain Ape Baron’s daughter, Grolova, was practically exploding with impatience, constantly urging the soldiers.

“You worthless lot, move faster!”

Phield rode forward on horseback. “Please lower your voice, miss. The corpses are highly sensitive to sound.”

“I—”

Grolova wanted to retort, but seeing Phield’s expressionless face, she shrank back and said nothing more.

The soldiers quietly cast grateful looks toward him. Everyone in the territory knew—Phield took care of his own.

“Set out!”

The journey itself was dull. Fighting off corpses became one of the few sources of entertainment.

On the fourth day en route to Maple Leaf Territory, they set up camp in a ruin. The soldiers fondly called this place “the haven”—they stopped here almost every time they traveled this route.

It was close to Maple Leaf Territory’s defensive walls, so there were fewer corpses. The makeshift shelters and fire pits they had built on previous trips were still usable.

Soon, flames rose, and the stew in the clay pot bubbled vigorously, the rich aroma of meat spreading through the air.

To an outsider, it might have looked like a simple campsite.

“My lord, your bread is ready.”

Meg handed over a polished plate. The golden bread gave off a rich aroma—bread spread with butter was a luxury in this era.

“Well done. You’re the most skilled cook among the castle maids,” Phield said with a satisfied nod.

“That’s wonderful!”

Meg lifted her skirt in excitement and bowed. For maids, nothing was more gratifying than their lord’s approval.

“Hm? Someone’s approaching. That’s rare.”

Keeping an eye on the minimap, Phield noticed a group of five slowly heading in their direction. They weren’t marked in red—likely just passersby.

So he didn’t raise an alert and calmly finished his bread.

Within the gray mist, a group wandered aimlessly.

“Um… Mr. Yapi, is it really okay for us to just walk around like this?” A blonde girl holding a priest’s staff looked around nervously at the hellish scenery, clutching her staff to her chest. “I think we should’ve prepared better before coming here…”

“You’re only asking that now? Isn’t it a bit late?” The female mage in the group casually wrapped an arm around her neck. “We’ve got a commission to complete. We need those Adventurers’ Guild points.”

“No need to worry, Miss Lydia. Corpses aren’t even considered monsters—they’re just walking dead.”

The warrior leading the group wore crude gear, a metal plate hanging from his chest, bandages wrapped around his wrists, and wielded a broad iron sword. He pulled out a bronze badge from his waist and said proudly, “Relax, priestess. I’m a Bronze-ranked adventurer. No matter how many corpses there are, I can cut them down. I’ve even fought a first-tier knight for ten rounds!”

“Tch, don’t get cocky.” A martial artist beside him cracked his knuckles. “But corpses really are the weakest monsters. Even villagers can kill them with farm tools. Look—we barely ran into any on the way here. I bet the Baron of Nightfall Domain’s army wiped them out.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” said a red-haired rogue-like youth, glancing at Lydia’s chest with a mischievous grin. “After all, you’re our healer.”

“P-Please don’t do that…” Lydia blushed. Though she protested, seeing everyone so relaxed encouraged her. “I’ll do my best to heal everyone.”

Tweet—!

The moment the party stepped into the patrol range of Nightfall Domain’s forces, a sharp whistle startled them.

A formation of soldiers in full plate armor, spears in hand, blocked their path. At the same time, a unit of cavalry in black cloaks swiftly circled behind them, cutting off their retreat.

“What the hell? You’ve got to be kidding—did we just run into a noble’s army?”

It was the first time they had ever faced such a scene. Instantly, they were on edge. The timid Lydia nearly dropped her staff in fright.

Yapi was equally shaken, but remembering there were two cute girls watching, he quickly put on a cool expression and forced himself to stay composed.

“Oh my~ oh my~ blocking our path, are we? Who do you think you are? Move aside.”

What answered him was the sound of crossbows being drawn.

Seriously? No negotiation at all?!

Cold sweat streamed down Yapi’s face.

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