Walking Out of the Forest

Duke recalled the map. Overall, Maple Hill County lay south of Moonlight Forest.

They could only head south. Going north meant crossing the entire Moonlight Forest, and it was the wrong direction anyway.

Duke only hoped they were close to the outskirts of Moonlight Forest. If they were too far north, it would take them a long time to leave the forest.

"How is it?" Duke helped Vivian up and assisted her in putting on the armor.

"I'm fine. It's nothing." Vivian had not had much trouble walking before, but after putting on the armor, the strain on her right leg increased, making it somewhat difficult for her to walk.

"I'll carry you." Duke crouched down without giving her any room to argue, gesturing for Vivian to climb on.

Vivian hesitated for a moment, pursed her lips, then finally allowed Duke to carry her.

In truth, as a knight-level powerhouse, she could still walk if she endured it.

Yet Vivian did not know why, but the once formidable knight-level powerhouse seemed to have become a little more delicate at this moment.

"You're so heavy!" Duke felt her weight the moment he picked Vivian up, though with his nearly twelve points of strength, it was still easy for him.

Vivian said solemnly, "It's the armor that's heavy!"

"That's true." Duke nodded hurriedly, not daring to say anything else.

After getting his bearings, Duke began heading south.

Vivian also remained alert, constantly watching their surroundings.

She often spotted traces of wild beasts and magical beasts ahead of time, reminding Duke to avoid those areas. The two of them worked together seamlessly.

The journey went much more smoothly than Duke had expected. Occasionally, they encountered some foolish wild beasts or low-level magical beasts.

Duke did not even need to act. Vivian, on his back, used a few small stones to drive away those little creatures.

Wild beasts and magical beasts were not stupid. Once they realized the two humans before them were not to be provoked, they fled far away on their own.

Before they knew it, night had fallen. Duke and Vivian found a cave with no signs that any ferocious beasts had lived inside.

Using several chunks of pine resin he had collected along the way, Duke easily lit a campfire. The two sat around it and used Vivian's helmet to cook a pot of stew containing mushrooms, wild vegetables, fish, and other ingredients. It tasted surprisingly decent.

When Vivian learned that Duke had used her helmet as a pot before, she had not said anything.

Later, Duke offered to use his own helmet as a pot, only to receive a look of disgust from Vivian. Clearly, she thought Duke's helmet was too dirty.

Compared with Duke's helmet, Vivian could more readily accept cooking food in her own.

That night, not long after dinner, the two continued sleeping in each other's embrace.

There was little entertainment in the forest. Or rather, most people in this era had no nighttime entertainment aside from making babies.

After spending this time together, Vivian was no longer as shy as before. At night, she simply held Duke tightly and fell peacefully asleep.

Three days later.

Duke walked through the forest with Vivian on his back. Her fracture had mostly healed, as a knight-level body possessed great recovery abilities.

Yet neither of them mentioned it. Duke still carried Vivian on his back every day.

"Who's there?" Vivian suddenly sensed something and called out toward the front.

Soon, a middle-aged man carrying a bow stepped out from behind a tree. He wore linen clothes and looked like a commoner.

"Who are you people?" The man remained highly vigilant with his bow in hand, though he did not attack.

Duke and Vivian could both tell that he was just an ordinary person with no hostile intentions, so they explained, "Sir, we're adventurers. We accidentally got lost in Moonlight Forest and haven't found our way out for many days."

He then showed his Adventurers Association badge. It was easy to obtain, as anyone who had practiced a breathing technique could apply for one at the Adventurers Association.

After looking at the armor Duke and Vivian wore, the man reluctantly accepted their explanation.

In his eyes, Duke and Vivian were both powerful knights, so there was no need for them to lie to him.

If they were truly malicious bandits, they could simply kill him. There was no need to explain themselves.

"I see. Follow me. You'll be out of the forest in another two hours." The man said.

The two sides then began talking, and they learned that the man was Doyle, a villager from nearby Yatai Village.

Yatai Village was a small village on the border of Silver County. Silver County lay east of Maple Hill County and was not small either.

The lord of Silver County was Count Santos. This lord was also quite powerful and had more than a thousand personal soldiers under his command.

Over the years, there had been no shortage of friction between Silver County and Maple Hill County, though no major conflict had officially broken out.

After Duke and Vivian figured out their location, they felt somewhat relieved. This place was not too far from Maple Hill County.

They had been swept by the river from the northern part of Moonlight Forest to its eastern side, then traveled south through the eastern part of Moonlight Forest until they reached Silver County.

After talking with Duke and Vivian for a while, Doyle gradually lowered his guard.

From the heavy full-body armor Duke and Vivian wore, he could tell that they were probably extremely powerful adventurers.

Two hours later, just as Doyle had said, Duke and Vivian followed him out of the forest successfully. A village could be seen in the distance.

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

Uncle Doyle warmly invited Duke and Vivian to eat at his home. After declining a few times, they eventually followed him there.

Besides Doyle and his wife, his family included a son, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter.

Lunch was simple steamed corn and some wild vegetables common for the season, ordinary daily food for commoners.

Duke and Vivian both ate very little, only having a small amount.

They knew that food was scarce for commoners and felt too embarrassed to eat much.

If they had not been penniless, Duke and Vivian would certainly have offered some money in assistance.

Vivian planned to send people over with supplies as thanks after returning to her territory.

That afternoon, just as Duke and Vivian were preparing to say goodbye, they suddenly heard the sound of hoofbeats in the distance, along with the footsteps of many people.

Uncle Doyle's expression immediately turned tense. He told Duke, Vivian, and his daughter-in-law to hide inside and not come out.

"What's going on?" Duke asked.

"Count Santos's personal soldiers are here." Doyle's expression was grave.

Duke and Vivian could not understand why the entire village of Yatai had become so nervous upon the arrival of Count Santos's personal soldiers.

All the children and women had hidden away. Every household had shut its doors tightly, and no one dared to step outside.