Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

Chapter 241 – 158: First Intimate Contact (Two-in-One Mega Chapter)

As soon as he thought of the dangers posed by the dark tree seed, the black-haired elf’s expression changed, and she muttered to herself, “No, I need to go and retrieve the dark tree seed.”

“The only one who had the chance to take the seed just now would be the young knight who used the Sorcery Scroll…”

The image of Rein, the young knight wielding the Dual-Handed Greatsword, instantly came to the mind of the black-haired elf.

The very next second, the black-haired elf transformed into an eagle once more and soared into the sky.

Soon, she caught up with Rein and his group, who were preparing to return from the Temple Garden’s entrance.

Half an hour later.

“Captain, there’s something odd about that eagle circling above us for quite a few rounds,” a Night Watchman noticed the eagle above and turned to speak to his captain, Matteo.

“Hmm?” Matteo also looked up for a moment and nodded, saying,

“Indeed, something isn’t right; it seems to be tracking our squadron. Could it be that a falconer from some unknown forces is nearby?”

Matteo’s expression turned serious as he considered this and then kicked his horse’s sides firmly to accelerate and approached Rein, who was conversing with Lagaray, to report,

“Adjutant Sir, there’s an eagle in the sky constantly tracking us; I suspect there is a falconer from unknown forces nearby…”

“An eagle?” Rein looked up questioningly.

He saw several birds flying across the sky, but none were eagles, which meant there was no trace of an eagle in the sky at that moment.

“Matteo, there’s no eagle?”

“Eh? There definitely was one just now?” Matteo scratched his head, momentarily confused.

However, it was clear since the eagle was no longer there, it was most likely his overthinking.

Perhaps… the eagle was merely chasing its prey that happened to be near their group.

In fact, at the very moment when Matteo looked up, the black-haired elf, in the guise of the eagle, had realized that her circling behavior had likely attracted the attention of certain individuals in the group below.

Therefore, she decided to fly in the direction the group was moving and landed not far ahead of them before quickly transforming into a squirrel, which scampered up the high canopy of an oak tree to observe the group.

The scrutiny of a squirrel would naturally not raise any alarm, not even for Rein, despite his remarkably keen senses.

After all, in the Nightingale Forest, where wild beasts are abundant, if the scrutiny of a squirrel were to be of concern, then there would be far too many such scrutinizing gazes to be wary of.

—————–

Half a day later, the group returned to Flashgold Town, and Hamilton was already waiting at the administrative hall’s entrance to greet everyone.

As soon as the group entered Flashgold Town, a security officer notified him.

Seeing Rein and the Night Watchmen of Flashgold Town mostly safe and sound, a look of relief quickly spread across Hamilton’s face.

However, when he noticed the several stretchers being carried at the back of the group… and the two-man shortage in the knightly group from the church, Hamilton’s smile faded.

After some inquiries, Hamilton looked astonished!

He had not expected that what seemed to be a secure mission dealing with the Evil Spirit Knight would turn out to have such unexpected and twisted developments.

Firstly, the number of Evil Spirit Knights had suddenly surged to three, and they all possessed almost the strength of Peak Knights.

Secondly, inside the dilapidated temple hall was an ancient Cult’s relic, ’The Mother Tree Sect’, and there existed creatures like the flesh tree spirits with strength equivalent to that of a Great Knight!

This made it difficult for Hamilton to imagine just how intense the battle had been.

However, what particularly puzzled him was why his own elite Night Watchmen were mostly unharmed, whereas the church’s knights, who were much stronger and had stepped into transcendence, suffered such heavy casualties!

The two surviving knights were severely injured, and two honorably fallen knights lay on the stretchers… this…

And…

Why did his own Adjutant Rein, after such a brutal battle, not only appear unscathed but also seem full of vigor?

Such a state would make more sense to Hamilton if Rein had just woken up from an afternoon nap!

“Huh? Rein’s aura…”

“This… how does it feel like his strength has progressed again!”

Hamilton’s eyes widened as he looked at Rein, evidently taken aback.

However, before Hamilton could ask for details, Rudolph approached with a grave expression.

“Father Rudolph, your efforts are commendable! The empire will surely honor and provide compensation for the two fallen knights of the church,” Hamilton said to Rudolph.

“Lord Hamilton, this time, we owe much gratitude to Flashgold Town’s Adjutant Rein for his significant support. Without him, our losses might have been even more severe,” Rudolph said, glancing at Rein and speaking to Hamilton.

“This… this is what we in Flashgold Town ought to do,” Hamilton was taken aback upon hearing this.

Because by the sound of it, Rein must have played a crucial role in the mission.

Otherwise, given Rudolph’s typically rigid demeanor, he would not likely make such ’nice remarks’ for mutual flattery.

….

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the church’s group led by Father Rudolph did not continue their stay in Flashgold Town. Instead, they arranged for two carriages and set out for the County Town overnight.

The urgency was due to the need for immediate treatment for the two grievously injured knights.