CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: OUT OF THE FOREST

Duke recalled the map; overall, Maple Hill County is located south of the Moonlight Forest.

They definitely could only go south; going north would require crossing the entire Moonlight Forest, and the direction would be wrong too.

Now, Duke only hoped that their position was closer to the outskirts of the Moonlight Forest. If their current position was too far north, it would take a long time to walk out of the forest.

"How are you?" Duke helped Vivian up and assisted her in putting on that set of armor.

"I’m okay, no problem." Vivian originally had no trouble walking, but once she donned the armor, the pressure on her right leg increased, making walking somewhat difficult.

"I’ll carry you." Without waiting for her to refuse, Duke crouched down, signaling for Vivian to get on.

Vivian hesitated for a moment, pursed her lips, but eventually allowed Duke to carry her.

In fact, as a Knight Level warrior, she could bear the pain and continue walking without issue.

But at this moment, even Vivian wasn’t sure why, her usual strong demeanor as a Knight Level warrior seemed somewhat more fragile now.

"So heavy!" Duke felt the weight as soon as he carried Vivian, but given his nearly twelve-point strength, it was still quite easy for him.

Vivian earnestly explained, "The armor is heavy!"

"Indeed." Duke quickly nodded, not daring to say anything else.

After checking the direction, Duke began walking south.

Vivian kept a constant watch on their surroundings, always alert to movements around them.

She could often detect signs of beasts and magical beasts in advance, warning Duke to steer clear of these areas, the two cooperating seamlessly.

The journey was much smoother than Duke had anticipated, occasionally encountering some clueless beasts or low-level magical beasts.

There was no need for Duke to make a move; the Vivian on his back would use small stones to fend off these little creatures.

Beasts and magical creatures weren’t foolish; once they realized these two humans weren’t to be trifled with, they would flee far away.

Unknowingly, night fell, and Duke and Vivian found a cave devoid of any signs that fierce beasts had once lived there.

With a few pieces of resin collected along the way, Duke easily lit a bonfire, and they sat around it cooking a hodgepodge meal in Vivian’s helmet, including mushrooms, wild vegetables, fish, and other items, surprisingly palatable.

Vivian, upon learning that Duke was using her helmet as a pot, didn’t say anything.

Later, Duke enthusiastically offered to use his helmet as the pot, only to be met with Vivian’s disdainful expression, apparently thinking Duke’s helmet was too dirty.

Compared to Duke’s helmet, Vivian was more accepting of using her own helmet for cooking.

At night, shortly after having dinner, the two cuddled together to sleep once more.

The forest lacked entertainment options or rather, in this era, the majority had no evening activities besides procreation.

After spending this period together, Vivian was not as shy as before, directly clinging tightly to Duke to sleep at night.

...

Three days later.

Duke continued to carry Vivian through the forest; Vivian’s fracture had nearly healed, thanks to the strong recovery abilities of a Knight Level physique.

But neither mentioned it tacitly, and Duke still carried Vivian every day.

"Who goes there!" Vivian suddenly sensed something and called out while looking ahead.

Soon, a middle-aged man with a bow and arrow emerged from behind a tree, dressed in linen, appearing to be a commoner.

"Who are you folks?" The man remained cautious with his bow drawn, yet did not launch an attack.

Realizing the man was just an ordinary person without aggressive intentions, Duke and Vivian explained, "Sir, we’re adventurers, accidentally got lost in the Moonlight Forest, and have been wandering for many days without finding our way out."

Duke then showed his adventurer badge, which is easily obtainable for anyone trained in the Breathing Technique at the Adventurer Association.

After inspecting Duke and Vivian’s armor, the man accepted their explanation with some skepticism.

In his view, both had the powerful capabilities of knights and had no reason to deceive him.

If they were indeed malicious, they could simply kill him without needing explanations.

"I see, follow me. It’s another two hours to get out of the forest," the man said.

The two sides soon began to converse, learning the man’s name was Doyle, a resident of the nearby Yatai Village.

Yatai Village is a small village on the border of Silver County, which lies east of Maple Hill County and is sizable as well.

The lord of Silver County is Earl Santos, a powerful figure commanding over a thousand personal soldiers.

In recent years, there have been many frictions between Silver County and Maple Hill County, though no large-scale conflicts have erupted yet.

Once Duke and Vivian figured out their location, they felt somewhat relieved, as it wasn’t very far from Maple Hill County.

They had been swept eastward by river water in the northern Moonlight Forest and then traveled southward through the eastern Moonlight Forest to Silver County.

After conversing with Duke and Vivian, Doyle gradually lowered his guard.

He could tell from their heavy, full-body armor that they were extraordinarily powerful adventurers.

Two hours later, as Doyle had said, Duke and Vivian followed him out of the forest, spotting a village in the distance.

It was lunchtime, and thin smoke rose from the village.

Doyle warmly invited Duke and Vivian to his home for a meal, which they initially declined politely before eventually agreeing to.

Aside from the couple, Doyle’s family included a son, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter.

Lunch consisted of simple steamed chestnut rice and some commonly found seasonal wild vegetables—a typical meal for ordinary citizens.

Duke and Vivian ate sparingly, taking only a little bit, understanding the scarcity of food for commoners and being too embarrassed to eat much more.

Had they not been penniless, Duke would certainly have contributed some money.

Vivian planned to send some supplies over from her territory as a token of thanks once they returned.

That afternoon, just as Duke and Vivian were preparing to leave, they suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves and many footsteps approaching from afar.

Doyle’s expression immediately turned tense, urging Duke, Vivian, and his daughter-in-law to hide inside the house and not come out.

"What’s happening?" Duke inquired.

"It’s the personal soldiers of Earl Santos," Doyle replied gravely.

Both Duke and Vivian were confused about why the arrival of Earl Santos’s personal soldiers made the entire Yatai Village so tense.

Children and women all hid, every household firmly closed their doors, and no one dared step outside.