After Asa finished telling the story of how his entire unit was wiped out on the mountain, the knight heaved a long sigh and sank into deep thought with his head bowed.

Asa sat on a velvet armchair, twirling the soft and smooth pile with his fingers. He had only seen this kind of thing before in a box used by the old scholar in the village to store holy books, with a thin layer of it. When he was three years old, he saw an older child squeeze it in his hand and then his hand was beaten so badly that he couldn't hold a spoon for three days.

Now, this noble, mysterious, and dangerous thing was actually sitting under his butt, making him feel a little strange and a little thrilled.

Duke Mlak had gone to the imperial city for a military meeting, and a young knight who claimed to be the Duke's assistant received him.

The knight's armor and sword were of the highest quality, and Asa had seen the emblem of the Holy Knights on his captain. The young, handsome, and imposing knight with his noble identity and seamless temperament seemed to be the protagonist in the stories he often heard from wandering minstrels when he was a child.

It was strange and exciting that such a character was sitting at the same level as himself and still immersed in the story he had just reported, just like the chair, but magnified several times.

"So you were the only one who broke through and fought with the pursuers in the Lizard Swamp?" The knight repeated Asa's account, enunciating clearly, slowly, and systematically, as if afraid that someone might not hear him clearly or misunderstand his words.

Asa nodded. "Yes, that's right." The journey had made him very thirsty, so he picked up the pot on the table and poured himself a cup, which turned out to be milk tea.

"Are you sure you were the only one who escaped?" The knight furrowed his brow, gazing at him with a deep, elegant look, and asked slowly, one word at a time, as if it were a very important question.

Although he had already confirmed it long ago, Asa carefully recalled it and nodded. "Yes, only me." The milk tea tasted good, but the cup was too small, so Asa kept pouring and drinking. Actually, he wanted to drink straight from the pot, but the grandeur of the Duke's mansion and the knight's gaze made him feel embarrassed.

The knight relaxed his brow a little, then furrowed it again, asking more seriously, "So, have you told anyone else about this?"

"No." Asa was very certain. He had been on the go since they left the swamp. Even now, his left wrist was still wrapped in bandages.

Thanks to the healing runes and potions in their luggage, they were able to make it out of the river and drift downstream to Brakada on a dead tree. As soon as the local officials learned that the injured person was the Duke Mlak's daughter, they immediately summoned priests and doctors from a radius of fifty miles. The ribs in Asa's chest had already been reconnected, and with the help of the healing spells, there was no major problem except for a certain degree of fragility. However, his left wrist was so badly broken that it took an entire day to dig out the bone fragments that were mixed in with the meat. Asa was knocked out three times in pain, and it was not until an astonishing amount of healing spells and medication were used that his wrist was roughly restored to its original state. The pain was gone, but there was still suspicion of disability. Now, Asa's hope rests on the Duke Mlak's wealth and power and the abilities of the priests in the capital.

Stolen story; please report.

"Why don't you report this to your commanding officer?" The knight asked patiently, still carefully trying to understand every detail. His attentive look was like that of a child carefully staring at something with a hint of caution, as if afraid that the object in front of him would suddenly fly away.

"Because I'm not sure who my unit belongs to. I just saw that they were recruiting temporary soldiers in Brakada and joined them." Asa had originally wanted to ask who he should collect his wages from for those ten days or so, but when he looked at the cup in his hand, which was made of silver, he felt embarrassed to ask. "I asked Miss Eve who I should report this to, and she said that the Duke Mlak is a minister of the imperial court. So, I thought it would be faster to report directly to him."

"Oh, I see. That's good." The knight's eyebrows suddenly brightened, and he looked relieved and happy. His smile was as dazzling as his golden hair, and he seemed very infectious. Isn't this the ideal man that most girls dream of?

Suddenly, the knight seemed to remember to ask, "And Miss Eve, is she okay?"

"The mayor of Brakada used a convoy to escort her. She should arrive in the capital in about twenty-something days." Eve cervical bone had cracked under the grip of the werewolf, and her condition had worsened due to the movement of her body during their escape from the swamp. The priests in Brakada did not dare to touch her, so they used healing spells to treat her injuries slightly and then fixed them with splints before slowly sending her back to the capital by carriage.

"Okay." The knight nodded. "On behalf of the Duke Mlak, I thank you for saving Miss Eve bravely." Pausing for a moment, he looked directly at Asa and spoke slowly and clearly, "And it was a very correct decision for you to report this to the Duke's mansion directly. I believe Duke Mlak will be very happy to hear about this." His blue eyes revealed a...

Asa felt uneasy from the knight's gaze and sensed a malicious joy in his expression that was not well-intentioned. Asa asked, "Who are you?"

"I am the assistant to Duke Mlak, the captain of the Second Squad of the Sacred Knights of Baron Klaus Ernie." The knight's gaze softened, and his voice became smooth and refined as he listed his noble titles. "I am also the fiancé of Miss Eve."

"What?" Asa was surprised by the knight's last identity.

The knight stood up, his eyebrows raised, and his eyes flashed with a sharp glint like a blade. His face was devoid of any smile, and he looked so imposing that his expression had never been softened by a smile before. He shouted sternly, "Guards, seize her!"

Over a dozen heavily armed guards appeared at the hall's entrance like they had risen from the ground and rushed in, surrounding Asa.

Asa had not yet recovered from her last surprise when she fell into an even greater one. She stood up and said, "Is there a mistake here?"

The knight's hand moved swiftly, and his sword cut precisely on the major artery in Asa's neck, leaving her with no time to react. Asa immediately fell to the ground like a deflated balloon.

"Take her to the dungeon and make sure to guard her well. She is an important spy," the knight's voice was more intimidating than his gaze, and the guards quickly took Asa away. "Prepare my horse and my token. I have an urgent military report to deliver to the Duke at the palace."

For the Duke, this was a dangerous stroke of good luck, but it was also his own doing. The knight picked up the cup on the table, wanting to take a sip of tea, but found out he had picked up the cup Asa had just used. He picked up the teapot but found out it was empty.

With a clatter, the knight threw down the cup and pointed to the velvet chair where Asa had just sat. "Throw away the cup, the pot, and that chair," he ordered. As he stepped out of the door, he added, "Don't let me see them when I come back."