"Yes, I take pride in defending the lord and his property." The guard beside him nodded in agreement.
The steward Kaor, however, looked deeply worried and silently prayed.
The manservant Mick comforted him: "No need to worry. Lady Ashina is immensely powerful; she will protect the lord."
Kaor rolled his eyes in annoyance. "What do you know? I'm worried about what happens after the lord reaches Maple Leaf City. You have to understand—Maple Leaf City has its own Divine Chosen."
"Huh? But… we're not going to war; it's just trade. There shouldn't be any fighting, right?"
Mick was intimidated by Kaor, his voice growing quieter. "Besides, with the lord's personal charm, I'm sure it'll be fine."
Phield's behavior over the past days had thoroughly won over the servants.
"That's exactly why you're just a manservant, Mick. You have a lot to learn." Kaor smiled smugly and showed off. "The official faith in Maple Leaf City is the God of Love and Revelry.
Their Divine Chosen, the 'Peerless Dancing Girl,' rose from the pleasure districts.
Countless nobles have fallen under her spell, willingly offering all their wealth… and their seed."
"What? Something like that actually exists?"
Mick was stunned, his face flushing red just thinking about it.
"Otherwise, how do you think Maple Leaf City—a remote border town—became so prosperous, with several exclusive magic potion formulas and an irreplaceable commercial position? You think it's thanks to Baron Maple Leaf's personal talent? Let me tell you, last time our lord watched the female slaves use the toilet! He's a total pervert! If the local baron has that dancing girl use her divine powers on Lord Phield, with his self-control, he'd definitely die in bed."
In Kaor's eyes, Phield was basically going out to hunt for beauties.
Mick fell silent, only able to pray quietly that their beloved lord wouldn't be corrupted by evil.
"Wait, did I say too much again?" Kaor suddenly felt something was wrong. If the lord or Ashina heard this, he'd probably go from steward to stable hand in an instant—no, it could be even worse.
Looking at Mick's innocent, harmless expression, Kaor broke into a cold sweat, now worrying that Mick might snitch.
Phield actually didn't want to travel to the farther Maple Leaf territory for trade, but Baron Bull's idiot son was probably still locking down the fortress gates, and since Phield had plundered some resources from Bull's lands, he wasn't about to take that gamble.
The Baron of Maple Leaf City was a hugely wealthy man, raking in fortunes from magic potions refined from his territory's magical plants. Phield was confident that the black pearl wine would fetch an excellent price.
"My lord, do you really have to go in person?"
Ashina watched Phield preparing, polishing his gleaming longsword over and over. She sighed helplessly—this hands-on lord absolutely insisted on going himself to High Castle Province. "You could just leave it to me. The journey is too dangerous, and I would protect your property with my life, guaranteeing no mishaps."
"That's precisely what worries me. Who asked you to protect gold coins with your life? Gold can't buy another Divine Chosen." Phield patted Ashina's head, causing a peach-colored blush to bloom on her face. He patiently explained, "Besides, I need to personally pay respects to Baron Maple Leaf. In the future, the products of Nightfall Domain will need that wealthy noble to absorb them."
There was one reason Phield didn't mention: he could detect nearby monsters. Without him along, the caravan would repeatedly stumble into zombie hordes.
Phield lit the mist-dispelling lamp and hung it on the carriage. The caravan set off.
The warhorses' hooves clopped rhythmically on the road. Accompanying them were Ashina, the plundered cavalry, three guards, twenty slaves responsible for transporting the goods, and the maid Nina, who handled Phield's daily needs.
As soon as they left Starnight Grand Winery, it felt like they had stepped straight into hell—twisted plants everywhere, ghostly shadows lurking, as if a demon might swoop out at any moment.
The slaves glanced around in fear. Though their job was to haul cargo, Phield had still equipped them with spears for self-defense.
"This road is awful." Phield was repulsed by the corrupted surface sprouting tiny tentacles, which slowed the carriage considerably. "We need to repair the roads when we get the chance—best to open a trade route, build a concrete road straight from Nightfall Domain to Maple Leaf territory."
He hadn't even finished lamenting when a large number of red skull markers began rapidly closing in.
"Be careful—they're coming." Phield took a deep breath.
"Awoo~"
Ashina's dire wolf let out a thunderous roar and charged forward, swinging its lance down with ferocious force. A shower of blood and monstrous shrieks erupted instantly. Rotting corpses crumpled like harvested wheat, fragments of red and white flesh splattering everywhere.
Then Drakewolf shook its head, unleashing a sweeping arc of ghostly blue flame that vaporized a huge swath of the undead.
The remaining cavalry quickly drew their blades and spears, raising their weapons with all their might and charging into the horde.
Though they'd only trained for a short time, Demei-humans were born riders and swiftly grasped the essence of mounted combat.
"For Lord Phield!"
"Charge!"
The cavalry thundered forward, crushing everything in their path.
On Phield's minimap, red markers vanished rapidly, even as more red dots began closing in from all sides.
"Bring it on!" Phield's fighting spirit soared as he drew his longsword with a sharp ring.
Maple Leaf Fortress was likewise one of the empire's border strongholds, its defenses extraordinarily robust—not only equipped with ballistae and catapults, but also bristling with numerous mage towers. From afar, floating magical crystals glittered everywhere.
As the group passed through the gates of Baron Maple Leaf's border fortress, the scene before them suddenly brightened. Gone was the endless gray mist; in its place was a vivid, vibrant world.
"Good heavens, those knights actually came out of the gray mist." Soldiers with local accents pointed at the cavalry cloaked entirely in black robes—even their warhorses were draped in black, making them look utterly terrifying. "That's incredibly rare. They must be adventurers, or an imperial scouting legion."
"Look at them—they're covered in the foul blood of corrupted creatures."
"Close the gates quickly; don't let any monsters from the mist slip in." The officer cleared his throat. "Welcome to Maple Leaf territory. Enjoy your visit."
"Thank you." Phield hadn't expected entry to be this smooth—he'd even prepared a pouch of gold coins as a bribe, but it went unused. He let out a long sigh of relief: "Phew~ I thought we'd face some harassment."
The goods hauled by the packhorses consisted of ten barrels of black pearl wine, plus a crate of magic scrolls. The scrolls were old and worn; Phield worried that if he didn't sell them soon, they'd soon be fit only for wiping his ass.
"If we can open a proper trade route, I won't have to make this trip myself anymore." Along the way, Phield had avoided countless large-scale zombie tides and wiped out several smaller ones—otherwise, they could never have reached High Castle Province safely.
They'd paid almost no price at all, aside from half a cart of rations tumbling into a ditch.
…
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