Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 98

Amber and Shiloh were leaning over the ship’s railing, watching Hasting land steadily. A touch of awe and admiration appeared on their faces. Such childish expressions were rare for them, which surprised Shiloh, prompting him to nudge Amber.

“Pretty cool, right? Next time, let Hasting teach you archery,” Shiloh said. “His brother is the captain of our archery squad, a renowned marksman on the continent.” He was also a target the Empire’s military had tried to poach numerous times, causing the Duke to clash with the Emperor openly and secretly about it.

Shiloh had always been the youngest member of the Knights Order, often hanging out in the reserves in Lemena to assert his presence and act as the leader. Since leaving Pennigra, everyone could ruffle his curly hair, which frustrated him. So although he always acted noble and aloof around Amber, inside he was incredibly thrilled.

Amber’s gaze still followed Hasting, but he shook his head at Shiloh’s suggestion.

Despite their brief time together, Amber always remembered that it was Erica who brought him out from a life devoid of sunlight and fresh air. Before they last parted, Erica had only left him with two instructions: one was to be loyal to his master, and the other was to rest and avoid excessive training for now.

The first point Amber had come to respect after being knocked down by Shiloh that day; no matter the “Lord’s” true identity and strength, the mere fact that he could command the respect of people like Erica and Shiloh spoke volumes about his extraordinary status.

As for the second point, it was because he wasn’t healthy enough.

Underground fighting, in the eyes of both spectators and participants, boiled down to one thing: win or die.

Amber’s natural agility and ferocity made him stand out among his peers, but that didn’t mean he reaped any benefits. The best he received was enough food to maintain his victories, which meant no more hunger—though this didn’t entail fine food, but rather various stems and animal organs that could quickly boost his energy but were completely tasteless.

Looking back, Amber could hardly remember how he managed to stuff those hard-to-swallow items into his stomach every day.

After escaping that life, every day for Amber was like a dream. He not only had a name but also his own room and bed, ate four meals a day with foods he had never seen nor imagined, and wore luxurious clothes and shoes. Because they were so new and clean, he stiffened the first time he wore them, afraid of dirtying them by accident.

But what made him most uncomfortable was how nicely everyone treated him.

It wasn’t the kind of special treatment that set him apart as something extraordinary, but rather, from the Lord to Shiloh, and even including the mercenaries who mostly kept to the periphery and seldom interacted with them. Everyone treated him like a “child”, which was the most disconcerting for Amber.

He had been a child for twelve years, but only in the last half month had he truly experienced what it was like to be treated as one.

Amber wasn’t ungrateful. He knew his body wasn’t as healthy as it seemed on the surface. Erica was right. Although he craved strength more than anyone, he understood the consequences of building on a rotten foundation—the structure would only collapse.

Hasting had once carefully examined him during downtime and, aside from malnutrition, concluded that Amber’s lungs were problematic, and his bones weren’t in great shape—he had multiple healed fractures in his fingers alone.

At the time, Amber stubbornly argued that his bones had healed and no longer hurt, and they didn’t affect his grappling or swordsmanship. Usually reticent, Hasting had unusually delivered a lecture on “The Importance of Bones for a Warrior”.

“Street thugs like to boast about their injuries, believing they can draw strength from these failures and become stronger,” Hasting had said. “But top warriors don’t think this way. They value every tooth, every bone, ensuring they are healthy and in place. A misaligned spine affects balance, not only looks unseemly but also hampers combat performance on horseback. Problems with the bones in fingers and arms mean that a weapon that could deliver full force will only achieve seventy percent. Street fighters may not understand or care about these things. What about you? Don’t you care either?”

Amber was convinced by Hasting, yet he couldn’t help feeling a bit dejected when he saw Shiloh and Hasting show off their skills.

Hasting didn’t know the two youngsters were muttering behind his back. As the Duke and rabbit-headed shopkeeper stepped onto the gangplank, he walked forward and picked up the arrow from the ground, which had changed color due to piercing through the magical creature. The shadow had completely vanished, leaving only a white mark on the cobblestone street where the arrow had struck.

“It just needs to be repolished. It won’t affect reuse,” he said calmly as he placed the arrow on the table.

Shiloh whistled, picking up the arrow to examine it closely, ignoring Hasting and Hall’s gazes. Knight Commander Shivers was usually very strict with children, and if he had been there, Shiloh would not dare to be so casual.

“You look so cool when you shoot. Amber is totally in awe of you,” the redhead teased with a grin. “No wonder your brother has charmed so many—”

Hall reached out and pinched his mouth shut, forcefully stopping the rest of his words. “Less talking. How did the mission go?”

Shiloh’s mouth was pinched like a duck’s, mumbling unclearly, “Of course $@$# went well.”

Hasting said, “I managed to leave the signal. Erica will meet us at the dock after midnight tonight, just in time.”

He was referring to Hall going ahead to notify him about the enchanted shadow.

As someone who could get lost in unfamiliar places, Shiloh wasn’t allowed to act alone, or he might end up in another city. This morning, it happened to be Hasting who disembarked with him to meet with Erica’s contact, not going for a stroll.

So, seeing the Duke and rabbit-headed shopkeeper hurriedly back to the ship, Hall understood and returned first to inform Hasting. If their roles had been reversed, the Duke and his companion wouldn’t have needed to rush back to the ship so hastily. It was just that nobody expected such an event during a casual walk.

“The Captain will be back soon. There shouldn’t be any more incidents before then,” Hall said sternly. “The ship will dock for a few more days. Should we go ashore to investigate this matter?”

Shiloh said, “I think the most important thing for now is that Hasting can’t leave the Lord’s side.”

He wasn’t the type to avoid trouble, but as a Brandenburg Knight, the safety of the Duke was always the primary mission.

Hall was about to say more when the door was suddenly knocked on. The three knights immediately quieted down, and the youngest Shiloh was sent to open the door.

“Amber? I said after lunch…” He pulled open the door, but standing there was the rabbit-headed shopkeeper.

“Am I disturbing you?” he asked gently.

“Oh, not at all.” Shiloh looked back to see Hall nodding, then opened the door wider to let him into the room.

“It’s rare to see Hasting not by Dwight’s side. I thought you might be dealing with what just happened,” Charlie said as he entered, sincerely apologizing. “This was all because of me.”

Hall pulled out a chair for Charlie. “I’ve told them already. It was actually an accident. You shouldn’t worry too much about it.”

As someone who had witnessed the whole event, Hall truly meant what he said. Although he was always wary of Charlie’s identity and not as familiar with him as Shivers or Shiloh, if Charlie hadn’t exorcized the innocent bystander, that creature wouldn’t have abandoned the nearby officers to chase after them. Good deeds shouldn’t be a cause for blame.

On the contrary, if Charlie had turned around to avoid trouble, Hall would have had a worse opinion of him. Shiloh and Hasting shared this view.

“Now that you are here, we can confirm something,” Hall said. “Can you confirm if it was Elena? Does this mean she might be nearby?”

The rabbit-headed shopkeeper observed the arrow, which no longer showed any signs of magical residue, apart from the slightly unusual arrowhead.

“It was indeed Elena. I’m not a famously known mage, and I haven’t set foot on the Doran continent for many years. The only one who would react to my magic is her,” he said calmly.

If Columbus were still around, knowing the proximity, Charlie might have been able to track her whereabouts, but with the tin soldier gone, they had no reason to meet again… At least he thought so.

“However, magic is an extension of will. The shadow chasing me doesn’t mean Elena was nearby at the time. You can think of that action as its instinct. Magic doesn’t think, nor does it report back to its master after disappearing. If possible, you need not expend energy dealing with this matter.”

Hall and the others exchanged glances. They had always known the rabbit-headed shopkeeper was smart—not everyone could keep up with the Duke’s pace of thought and have give-and-take discussions. It wasn’t too surprising that he guessed they were discussing whether to deal with the witch matter privately.

But…

“Are you sure?” Shiloh couldn’t help asking. “I mean, if she’s nearby and we have the numbers, wouldn’t it be easy to capture her and lift the curse while we have the chance?”

“For me, the only curse that needed lifting is the one on Columbus,” Charlie said gently. “Transfiguration and mind magic are two entirely different concepts. The human soul is complex, so I cannot arbitrarily intervene in the curse on Columbus without risking irreversible consequences. As for me…”

He paused.

“Whether Elena turns my head or body into a rabbit, it doesn’t matter. I still maintain human reason, and my study of magic theory is no less than hers. With time, even the most complex knots can be untangled.”

Then why don’t you untangle it?

Before Shiloh could ask this question, Hall spoke up.

“Mr. Charlie.” He chose his words carefully. “You know I have always been with the Duke, right?”

Charlie nodded. “Thanks to you returning in time to notify Hasting.”

“I am another shadow of the Duke’s guard, usually out of his sight… This means I need to maintain a certain distance from you all.” Hall wasn’t sure whether to bring this up at this moment, but the doubt that had been nagging him since morning made him continue. “This morning… when you were walking on the street, I saw someone trying to call out to you.”

The morning streets at the docks were shrouded in a thin mist, mingled with steam rising from various large pots on both sides, making it difficult to see clearly into the distance.

Hall, worried about losing them in such weather, deliberately closed the distance to the Duke. Before they followed the officer around the corner, Hall noticed someone not far away doing the same, eyes fixed on the two people ahead.

His instincts on high alert, he listened intently to their low conversation.

“That… is it…?”

“Call out to him.”

“Wait…”

Just then, the rabbit-headed shopkeeper and the Duke turned the corner, revealing their side profiles, which made them stop their hurried steps.

“Why is it a rabbit?” a man muttered. “We were wrong.”

“It can’t be.” Another, with a lower voice, said. “The back, those shoulders and legs, and the way he walks, if it’s not him, who is it? What in the world is that?”

He, too, saw the rabbit-headed shopkeeper.

“If they had been a bit later, they would have shouted out, but after seeing your face, they walked away,” Hall said. “Although they only saw the back, they also mentioned the way you walk, and they sounded very certain they knew you, but you said you haven’t set foot on Doran for many years. Assuming they mistook you for someone else, could it be that you have a brother who looks very similar to you?”

“Similar” was Hall’s euphemistic way of putting it. He had brothers too. Maybe they looked somewhat alike in appearance, but differences in age, personality, and life trajectories made their postures and expressions quite distinct. Combining the shopkeeper’s attitude towards his own rabbit head, Hall felt that not addressing the curse wasn’t just some trivial matter about appearances. The real reason was his desire to hide his face.

But if not a continental fugitive or a high-ranking official, why would one prefer to maintain a non-human appearance?

The rabbit-headed shopkeeper didn’t seem surprised by Hall’s words but remained silent.

“Because they ultimately didn’t follow through, you may not have noticed this incident,” Hall said. “In their conversation, it seems they mistook you for someone else, named Louis.”

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The author has something to say:

Charlie’s brothers: I’m just a butterfly in this world of flowers~

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