The jungle was thick with weeds and shrubs.
Beneath those weeds, something was clearly moving fast, making the grass sway conspicuously from side to side.
"Could the enemy be some kind of magical beast? No, it doesn't necessarily have to be a person. The system said 'incoming enemy'..."
Lin Ke frowned, then shouted at the flustered guards over there, "Guards, raise your blades! It's only a beast!"
Hearing their young master's words, the guards steadied themselves a little, tightened their grips on their swords, and waited intently.
The thing raced through the weeds, drawing closer and closer to their convoy...
Suddenly!
Whoosh-
A white blur leaped out of the grass and lunged toward them.
"Kill!"
"For the glory of Azan!"
"Kill!!"
The dozen or so guards immediately brought their raised blades down.
Yet the white blur somehow changed direction in midair, vaulted over the guards, and landed on the roof of an ox cart, drawing shrieks from the maids inside.
Lin Ke's pupils contracted.
The white blur had clearly used an exceptionally deft technique, pushing off the backs of the swords before their blades could strike.
What incredible technique! What agility!
"W-wait! I... I mean no harm!" Standing on the cart roof, the white blur spoke in weak, hurried Nathang Common.
His voice sounded terribly young, like that of a little boy who had lost his mother at an amusement park.
Hurt, pleading, bewildered, utterly at a loss.
And when Lin Ke took a closer look...
A rabbit! A huge rabbit!
A rabbit over a meter tall!
Still, he was not particularly surprised by the rabbit. The barrage of information on the internet in his previous life had its uses. Never mind rabbits-he had seen all sorts of anthropomorphized things back then.
"Who are you? Why did you attack our convoy?"
Before Lin Ke could ask, John played his role as a personal valet admirably and questioned the rabbit.
Clearly, John also thought the rabbit was harmless.
The rabbit looked their way, spotting John, whose fierce front hid his fear, and the calm-faced Lin Ke.
"Sir, save me! Please save me!" At the sight of Lin Ke, the rabbit darted forward, reaching him in just a few bounds from the cart roof.
"Young master, be careful!" Alarmed, John stepped in front of Lin Ke without a moment's thought.
But the rabbit did not attack them. Instead, he stopped before them, conspicuously dropped to one knee, and bowed his head.
"Honored human noble, if you are willing to lend me a hand, I, Nix, will become your follower."
A Rabbitfolk! A follower!
Something stirred in Lin Ke's heart, and he suddenly remembered the reward from that unreliable system.
[Your first follower with exceptional potential]
This was the first time in the past few days that he had heard the term "follower."
Then... was it him?
This Rabbitfolk boy?
If the mission failed, the follower would die.
Did that mean this Rabbitfolk boy would be killed by his pursuers if I failed?
Puzzled, Lin Ke gave a faint smile and stepped forward.
"Young master, please be careful!"
John blocked Lin Ke's path, afraid that the Rabbitfolk, Nix, might suddenly lash out.
Lin Ke patted John. "It's all right."
Come on, this Rabbitfolk can leap around and scramble over rooftops. If he wanted to kill me, why would he bother kneeling?
John did not dare disobey Lin Ke, so he moved aside and let him approach.
Lin Ke was already a head taller than Nix.
With the Rabbitfolk kneeling, the difference was even greater.
The sun shone down, casting Lin Ke's shadow over Nix's body.
Hmm... sunlight... shadows... a halo...
Perhaps...
The way to handle this mission should be...
Looking at Nix in his shadow, Lin Ke smiled gently and warmly. "Get up first. I'm willing to help you, but you need to tell me what happened. I'm responsible for my servants."
He bent down, held out a hand, and tilted his head slightly, letting a little of the sunlight behind him show through.
Nix looked up, momentarily unable to speak. "I... I..."
All Nix saw was a young human noble with gentle, compassionate, kind, and noble eyes, holding out a friendly hand to help him up.
A halo formed around the young noble, brilliantly radiant, while the shadow he cast happened to shield one of Nix's eyes.
Ah... the sunlight is so bright, so dazzling, but... but it's so warm... Nix could not help squinting, then involuntarily placed his hand in Lin Ke's.
I... found someone who will save me.
"Come on, get up... Tell me, what exactly are you running from?" Lin Ke took Nix's hand, his heart settling, and continued asking gently.
In appearance, Nix was simply a rabbit, except that he wore clothes and trousers made of coarse cloth, and his hands had five distinct fingers.
Nix's little nose twitched rapidly, and two streams of tears suddenly poured down his face, making Lin Ke raise his eyebrows.
How did those tears come faster than a three-second man?!
"They're all dead! All dead! Boo-hoo..." Nix wailed, looking utterly heartbroken. Lin Ke's warmth seemed to have made him lower his guard.
Seeing this, Lin Ke first gave John a meaningful glance.
John nodded and immediately went over to tell the guards to resume their patrol. He might have been a little slow, but he and Lin Ke still shared a certain understanding.
Meanwhile, Lin Ke asked Nix gently again, "Nix, first tell me, are there pursuers behind you? What are they?"
Lin Ke had already made up his mind. If the enemies were truly beyond their ability to resist, he would rather give up this follower with [exceptional potential].
After all, in his eyes, his own life, his mother's, John's, and the lives of all those people at Azan Castle mattered far more than a single follower.
Especially a follower he had known for less than two minutes.
Nix seemed to come back to his senses only then, and his two long ears, which had drooped, stood upright again.
Wiping his tears, he said in panic, "Two tigers! Huge tigers! I heard your voice just now, shook them off, and escaped here. They'll follow my scent!"
Tigers?
And... so this Rabbitfolk was drawn here by my voice...
That more or less confirmed what the system did, but...
"Only two tigers?" Almost unconsciously, Lin Ke could not resist gently stroking Nix's ears.
Damn, they're so soft and fluffy.
"Yes! But they're tigers whose Bloodlines have undergone Enlightenment! They should be equivalent to level-one or level-two Professionals!" Fear filled Nix's voice.
Level-one or level-two... Professionals?
Could animals and magical beasts also undergo Bloodline Enlightenment and take up professions?
Lin Ke had just begun to relax, but his heart tightened again.
Besides, if the pursuers were people, he could hand Nix over, and they could either continue into the city or turn back home.
But if they were wild beasts, there would be no reasoning with them.
Looks like we have to fight!
This damned system!
"Prepare for battle! Quickly, prepare for battle!"
Lin Ke stood up, dragging his iron sword, then turned back with a smile. "John, take Nix inside and protect my mother. Understood?"
John nodded firmly and pulled Nix inside.
Lin Ke smiled. That was how John was. If told to hide, he would never agree; he would insist on standing in front of Lin Ke.
But if told to protect Lin Ke's mother, he was willing to hole up with her.
Lin Ke looked around, gauging the sun's position and the direction Nix had come from.
"If it's sunlight... the cart roof would be best."
With a sudden new idea about the system, Lin Ke hurried to the last ox cart, then clambered onto its roof on his hands and feet.
"Guards of Azan, gather together! Grip your weapons and protect us all!"
Lin Ke tried to make his voice as deep and loud as possible as he called down to them.
In fact, all the guards had already gathered at the rear of the convoy because of Nix, so every one of them heard Lin Ke.
"Everyone, come out of the carts! Watch how our guards of Azan drive those beasts back!" An idea struck Lin Ke, and he shouted again to the servants inside the carts.
After all, if there were no humans with bows or other ranged weapons, there was no need for the servants to hide inside.
Having them come out could serve another purpose, too.
The manservants and maids poked their heads out, just in time to see the guards standing tall before the last cart, with Lin Ke above them in his magnificent fiery-red clothes.
"Ooh, those guards look so imposing!"
"Yes, yes! Isn't that Little Jock? Oh! What a handsome young fellow!"
"Hee-hee-hee."
"Look! That's my darling little brother, Little Bush!"
"Andrew's Leg, our young master looks so majestic! Praise Azan!"
The servants and slaves pointed their way, whispering among themselves.
The guards had been a little frightened, but now they heard Lin Ke's words, glimpsed the servants out of the corners of their eyes, and caught their remarks.
They could not help puffing out their chests to look a little more imposing.
The urge to show off.
Before you continue