Leon added venison, wild vegetables, two spoonfuls of flour, and seasonings like pepper into the pot. Soon, a rich and fragrant venison stew was ready. Leon and Theresa sat across from each other, enjoying the delicious meal. The knight took out a ladle and a small bowl, filling it to the brim and handing it to Theresa first. “Ladies first.”
The sorceress accepted it without hesitation. After tasting a spoonful, she nodded. “Your cooking skills are indeed excellent. At least with you around, I don’t have to endure those disgusting and subpar meals anymore.”
Leon paused, looking at Theresa’s beautiful face under the moonlight. Through her black-framed glasses with purple butterfly patterns, he gazed into her silver eyes and suddenly smiled. “There aren’t many kingdom knights with my level of culinary skill. In Nord, I’m the only one.”
“…Would you like some bread?” Theresa took out a metal box containing a few pieces of black bread. It looked like the kind the mercenaries outside were eating, but Leon knew there was no way the sorceress would eat ordinary black bread.
The most common, basic, and lowest-level food on the continent was black bread. However, this wasn’t the kind of black bread Leon had seen in stores back on Earth. This black, loaf-shaped stuff was made from a portion of wheat mixed with bran, germ, aleurone layer, and a small amount of endosperm left over from the milling process. Sometimes, it even included wood shavings and dirt. Once baked, if left out for too long, this black bread would become as hard as a rock, capable of chipping teeth. The correct way to eat it was to boil it in hot water and then consume it soaked. The most disgusting part was that some black bread had a high proportion of dirt and wood shavings, along with other impurities. Moreover, since yeast was precious, most black bread was fermented using the feces of saber-toothed tigers. A small amount of this beast’s feces, which roamed the northern regions, was enough to make a large basket of black bread.
There was a story once about a thief breaking into a farmer’s house, only to be struck on the head by the panicked housewife wielding a piece of black bread, causing him to bleed profusely.
Leon didn’t have much experience eating black bread. At home, he mostly ate rye bread baked by the servants. This type of bread didn’t include wood shavings, dirt, or feces. It was made from a mixture of rye flour and wheat flour, with a spoonful of sugar, a few spoonfuls of butter, and a bit of cottage cheese added. It was quite enjoyable.
But compared to the black bread Theresa was holding, it was nothing.
The black bread in Theresa’s hands was made from the sweetest sugarcane honey imported from Bretonnia and high-quality wheat flour from the Luthien Plains near the imperial capital, Brunswick. The value of the few pieces of black bread in Theresa’s hands exceeded fifty silver coins. This bread was soft and delicious, requiring no additional accompaniments to be enjoyed.
“If it weren’t for the battle this afternoon, I’d almost think we were here for a picnic, my lady,” Leon said helplessly, using a fork to pick up a piece of venison from his bowl. He ate the meat and spat out the bone.
“I’ll leave this here. Help yourself if you want some.” The sorceress seemed a bit embarrassed. “This is my first time traveling alone. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stomach the food outside, so I brought some of my own.”
“Keep it. In the wild, eat freshly made food whenever possible. Only resort to dry rations if there’s no other choice.” Leon waved his hand in refusal. He took the roasted venison leg from the rack. “Would you like some roasted venison?”
“Sure.” Theresa didn’t refuse. She had confidence in Leon’s cooking skills.
Indeed, the venison didn’t have the expected gamey taste. The tender, savory flavor of the meat spread across her tongue, and the crispy exterior with a soft interior made the sorceress close her eyes in satisfaction. “Not bad.”
“Glad you like it.” Leon nodded. After Theresa ate a bit more and declared herself full, he finished the rest.
“Time is tight. I’m no different from an ordinary person now. Let’s gather everyone for a meeting,” Theresa said proactively. “We’ve wasted too much time.”
“Oh? I thought you hated being around smelly, blood-stained men?” Leon teased, knowing the sorceress’s usual fastidiousness.
“Don’t think I can’t tell. There’s a strange energy surrounding you, so you don’t smell… As for others, they can sit farther away.” Theresa lifted the tent flap to change her clothes.
What she didn’t say was that the faint blue energy around Leon felt pure and refreshing, making her feel comfortable. That’s why she was willing to interact with him more.
“The weather doesn’t permit it, or I’d find a way to get you some hot water for a bath. After all, you can’t just jump into an icy river like I can.” Leon nodded. “I’ll go gather everyone.”
“Alright.” The tent flap was lowered.
Leon headed to the campfire where the mercenaries had gathered. He called everyone together for a meeting. Captain Boris was heavily injured. He had forced himself to clash with the Beastlord despite his lack of strength, resulting in damaged meridians in both arms and several life-threatening wounds.
Leon had heard of Boris. This elite-tier berserker had made a name for himself with an axe, traveling far and wide as a mercenary and earning the title “Bloodaxe.”
If ordinary-tier warriors were only slightly stronger than regular people and knew a few combat techniques, elite-tier warriors had further enhanced their bodies, especially berserkers like Boris.
Berserkers were an advanced class of warriors. This class sacrificed most of their defense, focusing all their talents on offense. At the elite-tier level, Boris could lift hundreds of pounds with his arms. On the battlefield, he could take on a dozen fully armed ordinary soldiers alone.
It was just that the beastmen’s racial advantages were too significant. Take the Beastlord they had faced earlier, for example. That Beastlord was at the peak of the elite-tier, but in combat, it had completely overpowered Boris, crushing him in terms of raw strength.
The mercenaries had just finished dinner and were in a relaxed state. Leon could see that everyone was exhausted. After the battle, they had asked what to do next. Leon knew that their delay due to the beastmen had caused them to lose Belter’s trail, so he had suggested finding a place to rest and regroup.
Hearing Leon’s call, the mercenaries perked up a bit. They gathered around the campfire, with Boris, despite his injuries, forcing himself to attend. Deputy Leader Wilt brought Banda along and sat down. Seeing Leon’s puzzled expression, Wilt explained, “He’s my apprentice. He’s here to learn.”
Leon didn’t say anything.
At that moment, a lavender-scented breeze wafted by, and Theresa appeared before everyone. She had changed out of her combat leather outfit and into a sea-blue mink coat that accentuated her figure. The long hem nearly reached her calves, and a pearl necklace hung around her neck. Her silver high-heeled boots further emphasized her tall stature, easily over 5’7″.
The women of the Jade Flame Council loved luxurious lifestyles, and Leon knew this well.
“Theresa’s here, so let’s begin!” The sorceress sat beside the knight, giving him a look to start. Leon spoke up, “First, some bad news. We’ve lost Belter. Before encountering the beastmen, we were three to four hours behind him. But after the battle, we’re now at least a day behind.”
“Second, Theresa’s mana is depleted. It’ll take her a few days to recover. We can’t rely on magic for now.” Leon continued, and everyone turned their attention to the sorceress, who nodded silently.
“What are your thoughts on the current situation? Or do you have any information to share?” The firelight illuminated everyone’s faces. Boris, injured, remained silent. Wilt seemed deep in thought. All they could hear was the crackling of the fire and see the moonlight.
Everyone sat cross-legged except Theresa. Leon had set up a folding stool for her since the sorceress couldn’t tolerate her clothes getting dirty. But in Banda’s eyes, this was just the knight trying to curry favor with Lady Trovik. Seeing everyone silent, Banda thought it was his time to shine. He had already come up with a decent plan. After hearing it, Lady Trovik would surely look at him in a new light!
“I have a plan, Lady Trovik!” Banda suddenly spoke up, ignoring Wilt’s warning look. He continued, “Here’s the thing. I think we should press our advantage!”
“Press our advantage?” Leon was intrigued. He raised his hand to stop Wilt from speaking, signaling Banda to continue.
Banda felt Theresa’s gaze on him and spoke more confidently. “There’s a clue, an important clue you’ve overlooked. The Herdstone. Didn’t Lady Trovik say she sensed the power of the Herdstone? So the corrupted hunter must be near the Herdstone. The beastmen tribe has already been defeated by Lady Trovik. I’ve heard the captain say that once the Beastlord is dead, the beastmen tribe will fall into prolonged infighting and chaos. So if we scout near the Herdstone tomorrow, we’re bound to find something.”
“…” Leon let out a long sigh, his eyes wandering for a while. Boris coughed violently, and Wilt lowered his head in silence. As for Theresa, whom Banda cared about the most, she looked at him as if he were an idiot.
Finally, Leon spoke up. “Mr. Banda, if I were leading a full knight order, I’d consider doing that. But we only have twenty to thirty people, and we’re heavily injured, all of us wounded.”
“You might not understand what a Herdstone is. Let me explain.”
“A Herdstone is a totemic rock, also known as a Chaos Core. It’s the sacred totem of the beastmen, usually hidden in the darkest, most inaccessible depths of forests, caves, or perilous mountain peaks. Any non-hooved creature daring to enter the area around a Herdstone will incur the wrath of all beastmen within a hundred miles.”
“Herdstones are usually guarded by powerful Minotaurs. Even I would struggle against a Minotaur, let alone our twenty to thirty mercenaries. Going there would be suicide.”
The young mercenary didn’t like Leon, but he cared deeply for his mercenary group. Having grown up in the group over the years, he only muttered, “Who’s to say who’s going to die?” before falling silent.
“Here’s the thing, Sir Leon. During our pursuit over the past few days, we’ve noticed a pattern in Belter’s movements. His hiding route is erratic, and he’s set up numerous obstacles to evade Lady Trovik’s pursuit. But overall, his direction of movement has a pattern—he’s consistently heading west.” Wilt took out a map, pointing to a large castle in the center. “Seven days ago, Belter fled the capital, Winterfell, heading west.”
Then, the deputy leader moved his finger to the left, pointing to a town. “Five days ago, the Bloodaxe Mercenaries and Lady Trovik spotted Belter in Luthorp Town. But Belter quickly disappeared into the snowy plains. Despite our best efforts, we lost his trail near Glenshen Pass.”
“Then, there’s the Mien Forest.” Wilt placed his hand on a large forest area on the map. The Mien Forest was vast, covering nearly an eighth of Nord’s territory. This was where they had been attacked by the beastmen.
“So Belter has been heading west the entire time. That’s the pattern we’ve identified.” Wilt said, “What do you think, Sir Leon?”
“It’s certain that Belter wants to escape Nord. Nord is hunting him everywhere. While he could hide in the deep mountains and forests, living like a savage with the beastmen, he won’t do that.” Leon’s expression turned serious. He had realized something.
“Why?” Banda couldn’t help but ask.
“The Chaos Gods won’t accept a useless follower. Whether it’s the Blood God, who revels in slaughter, the Lord of Deception, who delights in schemes, or Slaanesh, who seeks sensory indulgence, none of them will accept a follower who’s of no use. Only the Father of Decay and Disease welcomes all followers.” Leon explained further before continuing, “So Belter has only three possible destinations.”