Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 431: Chapter 283: Professional Ethics_2

”This isn’t about giving special treatment to just the two of you; it’s the same for everyone. I dare say, at the very least, I won’t let my own people feel disheartened. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Boudica if I’m lying.”

Lance spoke simply, yet the emotion his words conveyed quickly resonated with them both.

In this cold world, encountering an employer who genuinely valued them was a truly warming experience.

Truth be told, Witchers are born to hunt monsters and continually seek out their lairs. Usually, where there are monsters, there are Witchers. This often led ignorant common folk to mistakenly believe the reverse: that Witchers brought the monsters and, consequently, misfortune.

In reality, these people didn’t dare confront the monsters themselves, so they directed their strong malice towards Witchers, who were also human. They viewed the Witchers’ efforts to hunt monsters and protect humans not as a service, but as an obligation—a right they felt entitled to.

What a ridiculous notion. Despite needing Witchers to save them, these people harbored an inexplicable animosity, blaming them for bringing disaster and monsters, or even considering Witchers themselves to be a kind of monster.

Fortunately, Witchers, due to their special constitution, experienced little emotional fluctuation. Geralt had gradually closed off his heart, focusing solely on completing missions without much contact with locals.

But now, not only did this Lord have no complaints against him, but his actions also made him feel respected and cared for—something he had never experienced before.

Moreover, having recently witnessed Lance risk his life to save others, a rare feeling of guilt arose in Geralt’s usually unshakable heart. How could I have doubted such a noble leader?

Previously, Geralt had been skeptical when Lance told him about what happened in Hamlet. But now, he believed this Lord was indeed leading the survivors of Hamlet against that evil cult. After all, wasn’t that the most natural thing to do?

What could Junia say? She had grown up in the Church’s monastery, lived there for many years, and done so much, but frankly, she had received no affection—only reprimands and chastisement.

Now, faced with Lance, who had consistently helped her, she couldn’t help but recall Reynard’s story. She suddenly understood why a devout Crusader would make such a choice in the end.

It wasn’t that he betrayed the Church; it was the Church that had betrayed him.

”Alright, let’s not talk about these things for now,” Lance said. ”The journey is long, and it looks like we won’t make it back tonight. Let’s find a nearby place to camp; everyone needs some rest.”

They didn’t speak, and Lance took their silence as agreement.

They had been marching since morning, followed by a fierce battle. Lance had led them towards the most dangerous areas, and after resolving the crisis in the town, they had plunged deep into the wilderness to raid enemy camps.

They hadn’t complained about the mission’s intensity. Even beasts of burden needed to catch their breath, especially after a great battle. With everyone’s spirits low, it made it difficult for Lance to push them further.

After cleaning up the bloody scene, they quickly set up camp amidst the ubiquitous ruins of ancient buildings.

The light of the campfire dispersed the darkness of the wilderness. Though the boundary between light and shadow danced and shifted with the flickering flames, the feeling of security it provided was palpable to everyone.

”Those guys were nothing!” Boudica exclaimed. ”Boss, you should have seen it! Today I ran into that Big Guy, and with one leaping chop...” She excitedly recounted her encounter with the Ascension Sect Deacon that day and the tale of how she ultimately killed him.

The more she spoke, the more excited she became, gesturing wildly as if she wanted to reenact the entire scene.

”I know, I know. Just be careful next time,” Lance said with a smile, nodding. He wiped the grime from Boudica’s face and then bandaged the few wounds deliberately left on her arm as a deception.

The two chattered away, Lance’s gentle teasing contrasting sharply with Boudica’s boisterous enthusiasm. Yet, the genuine warmth between them gradually lifted the gloom that had settled over the group after the battle.

Geralt considered himself someone who disliked noise, but even so, a slight smile crept across his lips at this moment.

Junia looked at Lance with a somewhat distant expression, her mind seemingly elsewhere.

”Want to try some?” Lance’s voice brought Junia out of her reverie. When she snapped out of it, she saw the Lord extending food towards her.

She couldn’t even hide the blush on her face in time, but fortunately, the firelight made it less noticeable.

”Thank you,” Junia hastily took it, muttering her thanks. Her reaction was a stark contrast to her demeanor on the battlefield, making her seem, admittedly, rather cute.

”It’s nothing,” Lance said, his gentle smile unwavering. ”Provisions are simple out in the wilderness, so we’ll have to make do.”

Upon hearing this, Junia came to her senses and looked at the grilled fish, roast chicken, the stewed vegetables and meat in the pot, the basket of white bread, not to mention the berries and fruit.

Usually, when camping in the wild, one would be lucky to have stale bread and dried meat, or worse, no rations at all.

This reminded her of the time when she had pursued a Wizard. She’d strayed from populated areas, and once her food ran out, she had survived only by picking berries along the road.

With this kind of spread, are we on a picnic?

A torrent of feelings surged in her heart, but for a moment, Junia didn’t know what to say.

Well, might as well eat first.

Junia took a bite of the soft bread soaked in savory juices. Instantly, the combined aroma of meat and wheat formed a unique fragrance that intensified with every chew, enveloping her in an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

It’s so wonderful to have a full meal!

Suddenly, she felt she understood one of the conclusions of the theory the Lord had once shared with her: material sustenance is the foundation of the world.

Divine Arts can’t fill your stomach, but food can.

”Eat slowly, there’s more if it’s not enough,” Lance said with a smile as he watched Junia. He then turned to feed Wang Cai.

The fish was simply grilled and then tossed into its mouth. Wang Cai put on quite a show, devouring a fish in a single gulp and a chicken in three bites.

The advantage of sea fish was their lack of too many bones; as for the chicken bones, those were crunched and swallowed like French fries.

Wang Cai had performed meritoriously today and deserved a good reward.

Geralt was even more moved by the scene than Junia. He often camped in the wilderness. When he was with Roach, he could at least start a fire and cook something warm, but most of the time, he had to gnaw on dry rations. It was only when he reached human settlements that he could enjoy a good meal, so a spread like this was a luxury for him.

It couldn’t be helped; with an Exhibition Room contributed by a collector, Lance could afford to be this extravagant.

After eating their fill, Geralt, Lance, and Boudica all ate only until they were about sixty percent full, as they needed to be ready for battle at any moment. Eating too much would seriously impair their combat readiness.

Junia, however, ate voraciously, apparently still haunted by her previous hunger, as if intending to eat enough for the next three days.

”I reckon a drink would be nice too,” Boudica said, gnawing on a chicken bone while patting her belly with one hand.

”No drinking on a mission,” Lance glanced at her, reminding her sharply. This one’s just itching for trouble, he thought.

”Heh heh!” Boudica was completely unfazed and turned to tease Wang Cai with the gnawed chicken bone.

But Wang Cai ignored her completely. After all, having just gorged on meat, who would care for a mere bone?

A common dog wouldn’t be interested, let alone Wang Cai, who was a wolf.

Boudica grew a bit exasperated by Wang Cai’s indifference and reached out to poke it. Wang Cai snapped in retaliation, but she snatched her hand back even faster.

”Ha! Couldn’t bite me.”

Wang Cai, now thoroughly annoyed, was about to stand up when Lance’s hand pressed it down, its wolfish eyes betraying a hint of impatience.

Just as Boudica was about to step forward and teach this ’darned mutt’ a lesson, Lance waved her off. ”Go on, go on. How old are you? Still teasing the animals like a child? Be careful, or Wang Cai will actually bite you.”

Seeing Boudica thwarted, Wang Cai immediately flopped down beside Lance. Its wolf eyes, glinting with Spiritual Essence, cast a provocative glance at her, perfectly embodying the saying ”a dog backed by its master’s power.”

Their banter amused both Geralt and Junia, who couldn’t help but laugh.