Setting Out on the Journey (End of Volume)

"The disaster has been completely eradicated!"

At that moment, the people of Haystack Village forgot their grief and celebrated to their hearts' content. Those who had drunk themselves into a stupor treated the bonfire party as a Harvest Festival celebration, drinking, singing, dancing, wrestling, boasting...

Parr sat gloomily at the edge of the gathering, gnawing on roasted meat and bread. His body was too small, so no one paid him much attention. Even the surviving children of Haystack Village did not dare approach him, because what he had done to the Walking Corpses that night had terrified them.

Only delicious food and Energy Points can slightly comfort my young heart.

As Parr ate the golden, fragrant roasted meat, he opened his Status Panel for a look. At last, a smile appeared on his little face.

Life Energy Points: 40
Mental Energy Points: 126

Don't forget that Parr had another identity: the final disciple of Old Man Rottus, Haystack Village's butcher. All the roasted meat at tonight's bonfire party had come from chickens Parr had slaughtered and Shell Sheep he had butchered, earning him 22 Life Energy Points.

What dissatisfied Parr was that chickens were too small. He had to kill four or five just to gain 1 Life Energy Point. Shell Sheep looked large, but each one was worth only 1 Life Energy Point. As for Mental Energy Points, he had gained none at all. Parr guessed that perhaps he had to chop people to gain Mental Energy Points? If I'm chopping anyone, it has to be cultists!

Parr shook his head, closed the Status Panel, and looked toward the people singing and dancing around the bonfire. Their dancing was nothing special, just wild flailing, but it had a unique charm in tonight's atmosphere.

Smack, smack...

Parr ate as he watched. Before long, a blonde, blue-eyed young woman caught his attention. She danced the best, with the most rhythm and structure. Parr thought she must have received dance training, so he searched his memories. Sure enough, she had.

The young woman was called Danni. She had married into the village from town, but unfortunately, her husband had died young, leaving her a young widow. That did not affect her popularity in Haystack Village. She was beautiful and could sing and dance well. Many of the restless young men in the village liked her.

Sister Danny really is pretty. She's much better-looking than the internet celebrities from my previous life, at least she's all natural.

Parr looked at her appreciatively. Everyone loved beauty. His body was not old enough, but his soul was already a seasoned veteran—a veteran in theory, at least. Watching a beautiful woman dance was not for anything else. It simply made him happy.

Looks like Sister Danny has her eye on Uncle John too! I have to say, handsome men are popular wherever they go.

The singing and dancing ended, and Danni boldly walked over to John. Parr did not pay attention to what happened afterward, because his gaze had shifted to a wine barrel nearby.

Gulp! After eating so much, I'm a little thirsty.

Swallowing, Parr got up and patted his belly. He looked around furtively like a thief, and after confirming that no one was paying attention, hurried over to the barrel and brought back a cup of Wheat Beer. He took a small sip. It actually tasted pretty good! The alcohol content is a little low, though. I could drink a whole barrel of stuff this weak! With that, Parr drained the cup in one gulp.

Gulp, gulp, gulp...

Hah—thud! Parr's eyes rolled back, and the world spun around him. With a thud, he collapsed.

When the bonfire party ended and Old Man Jack found Parr, a helpless smile immediately appeared on his broad face.

"You little brat, stealing alcohol again! Have you already forgotten your last lesson?" Old Man Jack smacked Parr's little backside several times, then carried the drunk Parr home while grumbling.

After the bonfire party, John remained in Haystack Village for another two days. He asked Old Man Jack to prepare supplies for the journey and recovered from the exhaustion of his previous travels.

Before dawn on the third day, while the villagers of Haystack Village were still asleep, John knocked on Parr's courtyard gate like a thief.

Creak~

Old Man Jack opened the gate. He was not particularly surprised to see John. He casually asked a question, then let him in.

"Sir John? Leaving this early?"

"Mm."

John nodded calmly as he walked into the courtyard. "I don't like people making a big fuss to see me off. It's too troublesome. Leaving earlier is quieter. Where's Parr?"

"I'll go get him."

Old Man Jack turned and walked toward Parr's room. Before long, Parr emerged behind him, fully dressed and carrying a large bundle on his back.

"Little guy, let's go. I'll take you to chop up cultists!" John waved, then turned and walked away with great flair.

"Old Man..."

Parr adjusted the bundle on his back and turned to look at Old Man Jack beside him, momentarily speechless. Memories surged up again—memories of his time with Old Man Jack.

"..."

Old Man Jack clenched his rough, broad hands. After thinking for a moment, he spoke softly, his expression somewhat complicated.

"Parr, you were never meant to belong here. Haystack Village is too small, while the world is too big. You should go out and see it. See different scenery, meet different people. Whenever you get tired, whenever you grow weary and want to come back, then come back. Haystack Village will always be your home, and I'll always be here waiting for you."

After saying that, Old Man Jack patted Parr's little head, removed the sheathed One-Handed Sword from his waist, and stuffed it into Parr's hands.

"This is the sword I used when I served at the Western Border Fortress. It has been with me for over twenty years. I've maintained it well, and it's no worse than a new one. Now it's yours. What kind of sight is it for you to always carry that short sword around? People will laugh at you when you go outside."

"Mm."

Parr hugged the One-Handed Sword and nodded hard. Then he looked directly into Old Man Jack's eyes and said seriously, "Old Man, I'll definitely come back. Take care of yourself!"

With that, Parr turned and left, lowering his head as he chased after John, who had already gone far ahead.

At that moment, dawn arrived, and a ray of light tore through the long night.

Under the morning sunlight, Parr and John walked along a small path between sparse trees. It was a trail trampled out by the Haystack Village Hunting Team when they entered the forest to hunt, making it easier to travel than the surrounding terrain.

John strolled leisurely in front, with a Dark Knight One-Handed Sword at his waist and a small bundle on his back.

Parr walked behind with his head lowered, carrying a Standard One-Handed Sword from the Wind Wolf Kingdom's Western Border Fortress in his arms and a large bundle on his back, stuffed full of all sorts of things.

Old Man Jack had been afraid that Parr would suffer outside, so he had packed in everything he could think of.

The pair, one large and one small, continued onward. The sparse trees gradually became denser, and signs of birds and beasts began to appear in the grass and among the branches.

But Parr was in no mood to care about such things. He was still immersed in the sadness of parting. It was a novel experience for him, and he could not pull himself free from it.

Suddenly, John, who was walking ahead, stopped. Distracted, Parr failed to notice and bumped toward him, but John easily dodged without even turning around, then raised a hand and pressed it onto Parr's little head.

"Little guy, snap out of it."

"Oh!"

Only then did Parr come back to his senses. He looked ahead and saw that the path had reached its end. Before them lay the densest part of the Deep Forest.

"We're heading to Azure Stone City, the main city of Azure Stone Viscount Territory. Before that, we need to cross this Deep Forest, leave White Deer Baron Territory, and find a road within Azure Stone Viscount Territory..."

John started walking again. Unlike before, he drew his Dark Knight One-Handed Sword and chopped away the branches blocking their path. He took a moment to glance back at Parr, who was listening attentively.

"During this process, as the guide for your Path of the Knight, I'll teach you some basic common sense for traveling outside, along with some combat techniques and such. You need to learn carefully."

"Mm."

Parr nodded to show that he understood. After that, they fell silent again. John pondered what he should teach Parr first, while Parr, now recovered from his daze, looked around curiously at the scenery of this other world.

"I've got it!"

After they had walked a little farther, a mischievous smile appeared on John's face as he thought of something. He inconspicuously glanced at Parr, who was looking around behind him.

"Hehehe, I'll teach him this first."

"Alright, let's rest for a while!"

After walking a bit farther, John stopped and said they should rest. Then he plopped down onto the ground and waved Parr over, signaling for him to sit in front of him.

"Ahem."

Once Parr sat down, John cleared his throat theatrically. Suppressing a smile, he spoke with a solemn expression.

"Little guy, I'm going to tell you about something every Knight in our Wind Wolf Kingdom must know. This is extremely important. It concerns how far you can go on the Path of the Knight!"

"Oh?"

Curiosity appeared on Parr's face. Although he had a Status Panel and did not need to worry about leveling up, he still wanted to know what sort of thing could affect how far someone went on the Path of the Knight.

"Ahem!"

After clearing his throat, John looked Parr in the eyes. His voice became serious as he asked, "Little guy, do you know the origin of our Wind Wolf Kingdom?"

"Umm..."

Parr thought for a moment and searched through his memories. He quickly found the answer. It was common knowledge throughout the Wind Wolf Kingdom.

"Our Wind Wolf Kingdom was founded by the Swift Shadow Wind Wolf Holy Knight of the Seven Savior Holy Knights." Parr gave John the correct answer.

"That's right, well said. The origin of our Wind Wolf Kingdom is the Swift Shadow Wind Wolf Holy Knight."

John nodded approvingly and continued, "Little guy, ordinary people may not know this, but the Swift Shadow Wind Wolf Holy Knight left behind a famous saying that has been passed down among us Knights for a thousand years. Even now, the Knights of the Wind Wolf Kingdom regard it as a classic."

"Oh? What famous saying?" Parr became even more curious. A saying passed down for a thousand years and still considered a classic—wasn't that a timeless warning? He had to learn it properly.

"It is..."

John paused, then slowly said in the deepest, most solemn tone possible, "Women only affect the speed at which I draw my sword!"

Parr froze for a moment. Then his black eyes lit up. As someone who had been single for twenty years, those words truly struck his heart. He could not help but sigh inwardly, With no women in my heart, my sword naturally becomes divine! The Swift Shadow Wind Wolf Holy Knight truly is a role model for people like me!

The first volume is complete. Could readers who made it this far make an investment? Thank you, author here!