Commander Pula

Merlin closed his eyes slightly as he soaked in the hot water. He was not trying to sleep, however, but was quietly sensing the changes within his body.

My strength has increased a bit, and my body feels somewhat lighter, but my limbs are a bit sore and weak, just as if I had engaged in strenuous exercise. Are these the effects of those strange postures?

Merlin gently clenched his fist, veins bulging on the back of his hand. He could feel that his strength had grown, though not by a very obvious margin, and despite being drenched in sweat all over as if he had just done heavy exercise, he knew very well that he had merely maintained those peculiar postures carved on the relief earlier.

On the whole, the postures on the relief seemed to be steering Merlin's body in a positive direction. Although he did not know the origin of the relief, since it possessed such miraculous effects, Merlin naturally had no reason not to continue practicing.

Merlin soaked in the wooden tub for a little while, washing away the smell of sweat from his body before getting up and dressing. Seeing the relief on the writing desk, he pondered for a moment and gently stroked the carved patterns on it.

Merlin had already committed all the postures on the relief to memory, so the slab was temporarily of no further use. He hid it at the head of his bed, opened his door, and walked downstairs.

Downstairs by the dining table, Mei Xue rested her chin on her left hand while her right hand idly scribbled something at random on the table, while the steward stood respectfully to one side. Upon seeing Merlin come downstairs, the steward bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Young Master Merlin, dinner is already prepared."

"All right, sorry to keep you all waiting."

Merlin was in a cheerful mood and consequently had a good appetite. He cut off a section of roast lamb and drank a cup of milk, which quickly drove away the chill in his body, leaving him feeling warm and thoroughly comfortable all over.

Merlin pulled back the furry woolen overcoat on his shoulders slightly, resting his head against the back of the chair with his eyes half-closed, clearly able to see the goose feather-like heavy snow fluttering through the air outside the large doors.

The weather is this cold, I wonder how Father is doing?

Mei Xue had also finished eating, looking out at the heavy snow with a worried expression as she spoke.

Old Wilson usually took three to five days to collect taxes in the fiefdom. Judging by the time, Old Wilson should be returning soon.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, a hurried knocking sound came from the closed heavy doors. Both Merlin and Mei Xue hurriedly looked toward the entrance—who could possibly be coming to the castle this late?

The steward hurriedly stepped forward and opened the doors, and a blast of frigid wind immediately poured into the house. Amidst the biting, bone-chilling wind, Merlin's expression shifted slightly as he actually caught the rich scent of blood drifting in the cold air.

"Commander Pula? What has happened to you?"

The steward cried out in astonishment. As it turned out, the person standing outside the door was none other than Old Wilson's personal guard commander.

Hearing the steward's exclamation, memories concerning Pula immediately surfaced in Merlin's mind. Commander Pula commanded all the knights within the castle and the fiefdom; apart from Old Wilson, his authority was virtually the greatest, serving as Old Wilson's right-hand man, which was why even Merlin had to address Pula as uncle.

"Uncle Pula, why have you returned? Did Father return early as well?"

Mei Xue also hurried to her feet, asking with a trace of excitement.

Pula had accompanied Old Wilson to collect taxes in the fiefdom. Now that Pula had returned, Old Wilson should have come back as well.

However, Pula gave a slight shake of his head and said in a low, deep voice, "Lord Baron has not yet returned."

Everyone's heart sank. Could it be that something had happened to Old Wilson?

"It is cold outside, hurry inside and speak."

The steward hurriedly had Pula enter the hall and turned to close the heavy doors tightly. At once, the biting wind stopped pouring into the room, making it appear much warmer.

Only then did Merlin clearly see Pula's appearance. Pula possessed a robust figure with broad shoulders and a thick waist, his upper body clad in a silver-white light armor, and a head of disheveled chestnut-colored short hair covered in speckled white snowflakes.

At this moment, however, Pula's white armor was stained with crimson blood, and his greatsword even had several notches on its blade, clearly bearing the marks of a fierce battle he had just been through.

"Uncle Pula, what has happened to you? Where is Father?"

Pula grinned and chuckled. "Heh heh, Lord Baron is naturally fine, but on the way to the fiefdom, we merely encountered a small band of outlaws. Lord Baron commanded us and has already routed and killed them. Lord Baron was concerned that should these outlaws make a comeback, they would pose a threat to the fiefdom, which is why he sent me rushing back to dispatch one hundred heavy armored knights from within the castle!"

Merlin felt a slight sense of relief. An encounter with outlaws was no small matter, but Old Wilson had returned from the battlefield and was long accustomed to slaughter; dealing with outlaws was something he had plenty of methods for.

What was more, Old Wilson had long since trained a contingent of heavy armored knights totaling one hundred and fifty men, which could be considered the most formidable force within Wilson Castle.

"Uncle Pula, the city is still entirely peaceful right now, and the castle does not need this many heavy armored knights for protection. You might as well take all one hundred and fifty heavy armored knights with you to ensure that nothing happens to Father and the fiefdom."

Pula hesitated for a moment before ultimately nodding. "Very well, as Young Master Merlin says, I shall take all one hundred and fifty heavy armored knights with me. Young Master Merlin may rest easy as well; those outlaws amount to nothing. Back when I served under Lord Baron's command, I lost count of how many heads of Eastern heretics I struck off—what do mere outlaws like these even matter?"

Pula laughed heartily, appearing extremely confident. He was also a soldier who had originally followed under Old Wilson's command, sharing in the cruel wars to suppress the Eastern heretics. Later, when the Lord Baron was granted his peerage by the kingdom, he brought Pula back with him.

Compared to Old Wilson, Pula was a standard soldier—belligerent, loyal, and decisive, but also cruel, bloody, and murderous. Many servants within the castle were terrified of Commander Pula.

"Uncle Pula, you haven't eaten yet. On such a cold day, you've worked hard as well. There is still half a roasted lamb left here, hurry and eat some."

Pula did not stand on ceremony either. Having galloped through the heavy snow for a day and a night, he was indeed extremely hungry, so he reached out, grabbed the roast lamb on the table, and began to devour it. Yet Pula did not delay for long; he quickly went to mobilize the one hundred and fifty heavy armored knights within the castle before galloping out through the gates.

Watching the one hundred and fifty heavy armored knights leave the castle, Merlin's brow did not relax. He looked up and asked the steward, "The outskirts of Blackwater City have always been safe, why would outlaws suddenly appear recently? And judging by Uncle Pula's appearance, I'm afraid this band of outlaws is hardly weak, otherwise Father wouldn't have sent Uncle Pula back to pull away the heavy armored knights."

The steward looked at Merlin and said with some hesitation, "Blackwater City was indeed safe in the past, but recently, for reasons unknown, a fierce band of outlaws has cropped up, attacking several small towns outside Blackwater City. The knight battalion of the City Defense Corps has sortayed several times, yet they haven't even caught a glimpse of this gang of outlaws. Still, Young Master can rest easy; Lord Baron has one hundred and fifty heavy armored knights, coupled with the knights within the fiefdom, so dealing with a mere band of outlaws should pose no problem at all."

Merlin nodded gently. With Old Wilson around, the fiefdom should not run into any major trouble.