"Why go to the pumpkin farm at this time?" Herag asked puzzledly.
Now that the autumn harvest is over, there is nothing on the pumpkin farm. No one will go there to cause trouble, so there is naturally no value in staying there.
He saw Emil's embarrassed expression and suddenly understood: "Okay, I'll go with you, but have you really thought it through?"
He had seen that day that Emil and Melissa really liked each other.
Emil went to the pumpkin farm this time, probably to hide for a while until Melissa got married.
He patted Herag on the head and said, "Don't ask questions about adult matters!"
Herag could see that Emil was in a hurry, so he packed up and went out with him.
At the castle gate, two horses were ready, with packages of various sizes hanging on their bodies, containing supplies for the winter.
Herag turned to look at Emil and found that he looked a little listless, probably because he hadn't slept all night.
"Emile!" Melissa's voice came from a distance. Herag turned around and saw a beautiful figure running towards him.
"Let's go!" Emil hardened his heart and immediately mounted his horse and ran away.
Herag saw him run off in a flash, then turned back to see Melissa running over. He didn't want to get involved in the nobles' affairs, so he mounted his horse and rushed out after them.
When he rode across the river, he looked back and saw Melissa kneeling at the castle gate, seemingly crying.
The mountains and forests have changed their appearance in autumn. The mountains are all red, the forests are dyed red, and the mountain roads are covered with fallen leaves, which make rustling sounds when the horses' hooves step on them.
Emile was silent along the way because he was preoccupied, and Herag ignored him and treated it as an outing.
Although he is young, he has lived two lives and has far more experience in this area than Emile. Everything takes time to settle.
There is no mission on this trip, so there is no need to rush.
On the way, they passed by the cave, and both Herag and Emile stopped there for a while.
Emile poured two glasses of wine on the ground, performed a knight's salute, and left silently.
Seven days later, the two arrived at the pumpkin farm.
The pumpkin farm is located at the foot of the Emerald Mountains. The two walked down the mountain road. After passing through the forest, the view suddenly opened up and they saw a vast plain.
There are farmlands of various sizes on the plains, where crops such as wheat and pumpkins are usually grown.
Since the autumn harvest has passed, most of the farmland is bare.
There is a large yard in the middle of the pumpkin farm. The yard wall is made of thick stones, which looks like a defensive fortification.
"This is to protect against wild beasts and also to defend against occasional enemy attacks," Emile explained.
The farm gate was also a heavy iron gate. Emil walked to the door and knocked gently.
After a while, footsteps could be heard faintly from inside, and an old man with a hoarse voice asked, "Who is it?"
"Captain of the castle guard, Emile, come and garrison." Emile responded.
"Who?" The old man inside seemed not to hear clearly.
Emil had no choice but to raise his voice and say it again.
This time the old man seemed to hear clearly, and there came the metallic sound of a key being inserted into the iron lock from behind the door.
Squeak...
The door slowly opened with a harsh friction sound. Behind the door was an old man wearing a bulky cotton coat.
The skin on the old man's face was as dry as tree bark, and his eyes were so cloudy that I didn't know if he could see clearly.
"Are you Massimo? I'm Emil, and this is a token of my love." Emil took out his knight captain badge and handed it over.
Massimo took the badge without even looking at it. Instead, he touched it with his hand, then gave it back to Emile and said, "Come in."
"He is the only person stationed on the farm and has been here for forty years," Emil introduced.
"Forty years..." Hellagur was a little surprised as he looked at the staggering old man.
"Remember, don't leave your room at night, no matter what sound you hear. There are evil spirits in the mountains. In previous winters, there were guards stationed here, but they disappeared the next morning. You have to be careful." Massimo said as he walked in front.
"Demon? Does such a thing really exist?" asked Herag.
Massimo did not respond and ignored Hellagur.
Emil said, "In the past, guards were indeed sent here to guard in the winter, but without exception, they all disappeared. Since then, no guards have been sent here in the winter."
"Then why are we still coming?" Hellagur looked as if he had been tricked by you.
Emil laughed and said, "Haha, the evil spirit thing is just a rumor. In winter, there are many wild beasts foraging in the mountains. Going out at night is indeed risky, but are you and I afraid of wild beasts?"
Herag thought about it and agreed. Ordinary beasts would just be snacks. But he was afraid that there was something strange here, and he couldn't view it with the same perspective as his previous life.
There are more than a dozen houses on the farm, some large and some small. The larger houses are basically warehouses, used to store food or houses.
Smaller houses are usually used as residences. Massimo lives in a small house at the northernmost end of the farm, while Emil and Herag live in a large three-story house in the middle of the farm.
The house was a bit messy, so the two of them cleaned it up simply and made it feel a little more alive.
There was also a cellar in the house. Emile opened the wooden board covering the cellar and hung an oil lamp down. After finding that the oil lamp was not extinguished, he went down.
In the cellar were sacks of flour and several large wooden barrels.
Emil's face lit up with joy. He picked up a barrel and sniffed it: "This is all good wine!"
The two men carried out a barrel, found two cups, and poured bright red wine from the barrel. The rich aroma of wine immediately filled the air.
"Cheers!" Emil said with a smile.
"cheers!"
After a long journey, both of them were a little tired and it was a good time to drink some wine.
A knight's physique was hardly intoxicated by alcohol, and since there was no one else here, Hellagur boldly asked, "You ran here to hide, will you really not regret it later?"
Emil smiled bitterly and said, "I regret it now, but there are more important things than my personal feelings."
"The Baron is entering into this marriage to preserve the entire territory. If I influence this marriage for my own sake, it will bring trouble to the territory and to the Baron," he continued.
Herag was a little confused: "Protect the entire territory? Behard's people don't have the ability to do that."
Behad himself is extremely poor, how could he possibly pose a threat to the entire Dhul Valley.
Emil looked at Hellagur and said, "Do you know why the Baron has been able to control the Dur Valley for so long? Is it because he has many guards? No, it's because the Baron is a Grand Knight, and there are only a few Grand Knights in the entire Norton Kingdom."
"Top-tier combat power like the Great Knight is a deterrent, so no one dares to invade on a large scale, because the Great Knight alone can kill your entire family."
"Could it be that the Baron..." Herag suddenly had a guess in his mind. If Baron Buck was dying, the Dur Valley would be a big piece of fat meat that everyone would take a look at.