As the potato soup neared its end, Lu Xin felt nearly stuffed. In contrast, Ailya casually downed another bowl with ease.
“Lu Xin.” Ailya bit her wooden spoon and looked at him.
“What’s up…”
Before Lu Xin could react, Ailya leaned in, reached up, and wiped a bit of breadcrumb stuck to his mouth with her fingers.
“Oh… Thanks… Huh?” Lu Xin was about to thank her when he saw her put the crumbs straight into her own mouth.
Catching his gaze, Ailya blinked blankly and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… Nothing.”
Since the meal was finished, Ailya had to head back next door. But before leaving, she separated the Noise Bat’s crystal core and handed it to Lu Xin, keeping only its meat for herself.
After all, she had taken down both monsters on her own. Lu Xin had no say in how she divided things, and he was actually grateful she gave him the core.
But still…
Lu Xin watched Ailya carry the monster meat back over the fence and felt a hint of oddness.
What did she want the Noise Bat meat for? To eat?
He knew that many monsters could be processed into food, but did Ailya know how to do that too?
After allowing Ailya to spread the word for him, news of Lu Xin’s Magic Cabin quietly began to circulate in Morning Breeze Town.
It wasn’t the kind of fame that reached every street and alley, but more like a secret consensus passed between neighbors through whispers.
That suited Lu Xin just fine. It wouldn’t attract unnecessary trouble.
Aunt Martha showed up at his door with a failed batch of black bread she had baked. Lu Xin pretended to offer guidance on the side during her next attempt, secretly using [Precise Temperature Control] to help.
When that loaf came out soft, fluffy, and glowing with a tempting golden hue, Aunt Martha wept with joy and insisted on shoving a small bag of homegrown sweet potatoes into Lu Xin’s hands.
Old scholar Hank, who lived next to the blacksmith’s shop, often hobbled over with his cane, drawn by rumors of a place that could “bring peace.”
Lu Xin set up a [Silence Barrier] in Hank’s book-cluttered study, making the old man’s beard tremble with excitement.
Hank immediately tried to give Lu Xin a family heirloom silver bookmark. When Lu Xin refused, he settled for a handwritten copy of a local flora and fauna guidebook.
At least for Lu Xin, the guidebook was far more useful than a bookmark.
Ailya became his most reliable assistant. With her cheerful personality, she always managed to find potential clients troubled by small daily problems who were willing to pay a fair price.
“See? I told you your magic has a market. Give it a while, and the whole Morning Breeze Town will know the name of our great mage Lu Xin.”
In the afternoon, Ailya happily sipped a fruit drink Lu Xin had concocted from freshly harvested wild berries.
Watching her get even more excited than he was, Lu Xin felt genuinely happy.
Even if these abilities were useless in battle, they had at least let him meet Ailya and changed his life.
Just as he was wondering whether he should try baking Ailya that expensive honey cake from the town she had mentioned, as a thank-you…
A deep, rhythmic rumbling sound came from the direction of the town entrance, shattering the lazy, peaceful afternoon atmosphere.
“What’s that sound?” Lu Xin looked toward the door in confusion.
Ailya turned her head, listening carefully to the outside noise, and said, “Hoofbeats? Lots of them, very steady too. Could it be… the military?”
They exchanged a glance and walked outside together.
As soon as they reached the dirt road in front of the cabin, they found other townsfolk and adventurers also coming out to gawk. Some festival decorations were quickly moved aside to clear a path.
On the road, a cavalry unit was marching along the main street through town.
Sunlight gleamed off their silver armor and helmets, casting a blinding glare.
The lead banner bore an embroidered griffin emblem—the insignia of the Paladin Squad of Delk Kingdom.
At the front of the formation was an upright female knight.
She wore a beautifully crafted silver-white armor set with sleek lines, lifelike griffin reliefs on her shoulder guards, and a red cape billowing behind her in the wind.
The female knight wore no helmet, revealing a sharp-featured, cold, and proud face. Her golden hair was tied back into a neat ponytail.
Her piercing gaze swept over the crowd on either side of the road, carrying the commanding presence of one accustomed to high authority.
“Whoa, that’s Audrey, the captain of ‘Iron Wall Rose’!” someone who had been to the kingdom whispered in awe, their tone full of reverence.
“Why would the Paladin Squad come to a border town like ours?”
“Are you stupid? With a show like this, something big is definitely going down.”
The crowd huddled together, whispering, but fell silent whenever a knight looked their way.
Standing at the edge of the crowd, Lu Xin watched the Paladin Squad and the leading female knight captain. He could sense an incredibly strong energy emanating from them.
He quickly realized just how vast the gap was between his own mana and theirs. This was a danger entirely different from the low-level monsters he had encountered.
But he only took a moment to sense it. After all, there was no way he would ever get involved with these paladins, let alone have a conflict with them.
Ailya stood beside him, her gaze also following the squad’s procession.
But her expression was complicated. It wasn’t her usual carefree joy; instead, a hint of seriousness flickered deep in her amber eyes.
A few minutes later, at the Town Mayor’s office.
Field, the town mayor, as plump as a Slime, nervously wrung his hands like a fly as he welcomed Audrey.
Field forced a warm smile onto his face and said, “Lady Audrey, your arrival truly honors our Morning Breeze Town…”
But before he could finish, Audrey raised a hand to cut off his pleasantries.
Her voice was cold: “Mr. Mayor, spare me the formalities. I am here on the kingdom’s orders to head to the Misty Forest.”
“May I ask what business you have in the Misty Forest…”
“You don’t need to know too much. Just know that the kingdom places great importance on this matter.”
Field’s forehead broke out in sweat, his nervousness growing. “Yes, yes, of course! We’ll fully cooperate! Do you need requisitioned supplies or personnel…”
“First, post a notice. From today onward, no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter the dangerous areas of the forest. Violators will be dealt with as threats to kingdom security.”
Audrey stated her demands in a serious tone.
“Second, we need the most knowledgeable guides for the forest terrain, especially the inner regions. Preferably experienced hunters or adventurers.”
“Well… the inner forest is indeed dangerous. Experienced guides might be hard to find…” The mayor’s face showed hesitation as he carefully observed Audrey’s expression.
Audrey merely frowned slightly and maintained her tone. “Do your best to find them. We will offer generous rewards to any guide who leads us.”
“Additionally, we will be stationed in Morning Breeze Town for a while. I hope this won’t overly disrupt the townspeople’s daily lives.”
As if to ease the atmosphere, Audrey glanced out the window and casually asked, “I saw things set up along the road in town. Looks lively. Is there an event?”
Seeing her shift topics, Field eagerly latched onto the opportunity. “Ah, yes! In a short while, it will be our annual Harvest Festival in Morning Breeze Town.”
“It’s a tradition of our town, celebrating the year’s harvest and praying for favorable weather in the coming year. There will be a market and performances.”
“If you, Captain, and the other knights are still here, please do grace us with your presence.”
“A festival, huh…” Audrey paused without outright refusing. “I’ll see how things go then.”
Clearly, she didn’t take this small-town celebration seriously.
“Yes, yes, of course. Your duties come first.”
Audrey stood up. “Then I leave the matter of the guide to you, Mr. Mayor. Notify my deputy immediately if you have any news.”
With that, she left the meeting room directly.
Field watched her retreating figure, let out a long sigh, and wiped his forehead with his sleeve, muttering to himself, “Sigh, troubled times. I just hope these big shots don’t mess up the festival.”