Chapter 119: Reactions from All Sides

“What! A fierce animal actually appeared in the Autumn Hunt grounds, and it was the notoriously ferocious Fierce Tiger? Go ask the few families responsible for guarding the forest if there have been any changes in this area recently,” a man who looked to be just past thirty ordered a guard beside him.

“Yes, sir!” The guard knocked on his chest and turned to leave the tent.

The middle-aged man who had finished arranging the handling plan muttered to himself, “What is going on? There shouldn’t be any fierce animals in the hunting grounds. Logically speaking, there shouldn’t be many in this section of the Taiswei Mountains within the Nohan Kingdom either. Fortunately, the three from Bolerum Territory encountered it. If they had run into those Court Nobility who are no different from ordinary people, I would have to investigate missing persons. I hope we aren’t that unlucky, otherwise this Autumn Hunt might end hastily.”

This was the Gothic Knight, who was responsible for safety during this Autumn Hunt. He originally thought it would be just a routine matter like in previous years. But now, he felt like he had accepted a hot potato.

The man had a square forehead topped with thick black hair. His bright, spirited eyes seemed to examine everything with a hint of scrutiny and doubt. He possessed both the might of a soldier and the elegance of a scholar. As a knight directly under the Duke, he had the convenience of being near Karada, the largest cultural center of the Duchy. Added to this was his own hobby, which gave him considerable attainments in knowledge. In ancient China before he crossed over, such an image would be called a “scholar-general.” However, his tightly furrowed brows completely ruined this overall temperament.

Having made his decision quickly, he took his sword and left the tent as well.

When Craig returned to the camp to gather manpower, he intended to show off a bit. So, although his voice was not deliberately loud, it was not quiet either. Basically, the camps of several surrounding families found out, and since Thomas later needed to borrow manpower, it further confirmed his statement.

People always have a heart for gossip. Moreover, large fierce animals had not appeared in the Autumn Hunt for decades. Of course, small Fierce Rats and Fierce Bats were still seen every few years.

The news spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Before long, everyone in the camp knew about it. However, few were happy to hear the news. After all, facing an animal like a Fierce Tiger, one needed at least the Red Iron Rank to protect oneself.

Now, not only were the Court Nobility terrified, but even among the powerful Military Merit nobles, some felt uneasy. After all, even in powerful noble families, there were some whose strength was insufficient to protect themselves. Those local Court Nobility mostly came from these families.

Although there were capable companions nearby, if such a beast suddenly attacked, who could guarantee they could protect others! After all, in such families, the participants in the Autumn Hunt were basically young people. The older generation had their own affairs and had long lost interest in that aspect.

Besides, even if the children of each family were not hurt, the loss of their subordinates, servants, and hunters would not be good. Not to mention the various compensation issues after casualties, just finding new personnel to fill such gaps was a considerable trouble.

At this time, there were no specialized colleges or similar places to teach such knowledge. Training was done solely through apprenticeships and master-apprentice methods. If something really went wrong, it would be hard to replenish the staff. As for technical talents like hunters, it went without saying.

Besides personnel, the loss of horses, hounds, falcons, and the like would probably be heartbreaking. The value of these things was not a small sum. In terms of value alone, one careless mistake could wipe out a year’s income for a Manor.

With Craig’s brain, he probably didn’t expect that his showing off would throw the stay-behind personnel for today’s Autumn Hunt into chaos. Not only did every family start to take action, but even the Guard originally guarding the periphery of the hunting grounds began to mobilize under the arrangement of the officers in charge.

As for whether Hiren and George had thought of such consequences, that was for sure. However, this matter could not be concealed, and the two were also reluctant to part with the Alchemy materials on the Fierce Tiger.

Besides, getting the news out early would help everyone prepare early. No one could guarantee that there was only this one fierce beast nearby. If they ran into some weaklings, the beast would have a full meal. Moreover, interrupting this oppressive hunt might be what they had in mind.

In the center of the camp, there was a tent far larger than the others. Its satin surface was woven from silk in red, white, and blue. The hanging curtain at the door had golden Ashkenazi-style tassels, and two imposing guards outside were staring straight ahead without moving their eyes.

The two wore silk surcoats in red, white, and blue. From the occasionally exposed material, one could see that they were wearing Chainmail underneath. However, apart from the swords at their waists and full-face helmets, they had no other equipment.

The Gothic Knight, who had just been giving orders, walked quickly into this tent. Unlike what he imagined, although there were only one or two windows, the lighting inside this tent was obviously better than the one he was in before. However, the seven magic lamps hanging under the tent roof, blessed with Eternal Flame, explained this.

As the only tent where one did not need to lower one’s head to enter, the space inside did not give people any sense of oppression. On the west side of the tent, beside a bookshelf, a tall man wearing a purple silk cloak embroidered with gold thread was taking down the book he wanted from the shelf. With the movement of his limbs, the cloak showed the beauty of naturally hanging folds.

“Your Highness! I have a situation to report!” The Gothic Knight placed his right hand on his chest and bowed.

The man by the bookshelf turned around upon hearing the voice. His thick black hair had not turned white much. Only the deep hollows on his dark cheeks and the deep wrinkles on his full forehead revealed the secret of his age to others. That was the trace left by the storms of past struggles, open or covert, clearly washed upon him. The expression on his face was neither enthusiastic nor cold, but somewhat indifferent like a passerby. But those spirited eyes, shining brightly, were full of confidence, determination, and optimism.

After casually putting the book he had taken out back on the shelf, he asked, “Oh! God, my knight, what matter brings you to see me in such a hurry?”

“Your Highness! News just came from House Bolerum. Their hunting members killed a Fierce Tiger in the forest.” The Gothic Knight had straightened up but still spoke with his head slightly lowered.

The Duke of Nohan stroked his beard and said, “A Fierce Tiger? When was the last time I saw such a big guy? It seems I hadn’t succeeded to the title yet then!”

After a few words, he stopped reminiscing and changed his tone to ask, “How did this kind of beast appear in the Autumn Hunt? You know there are many Court Nobility here who haven’t even reached the Gray Rock Rank. How exactly did you do your security work? Do you want to treat the other side to a full meal?”

The Duke of Nohan’s speech maintained a steady, even pace, but it gave people a sense of authority without anger. This was probably an aura naturally produced by those who had occupied high positions for a long time. Under this undetectable prestige, the Gothic Knight, who was at the Black Lead Rank, broke out in cold sweat on his back.

He calmed himself down and said, “The security work this time followed exactly the same process as before. The previous inspections found no differences from the last few times. I believe this Fierce Tiger incident is the result of human interference, because the few hills and woods of our Autumn Hunt alone cannot support a Fierce Tiger.”

At the same time, in the forest, George also put forward the same point of view: “This small hill of less than four hundred meters and the woods at the foot of the mountain, which are not very big, cannot support the Fierce Tiger we killed. And this tiger was mostly driven here by someone in the last day or two!”

“Snap—Did it only come here in the last day or two? How is that possible?” Hiren asked in surprise. Perhaps because he was too surprised, he even broke a branch he was playing with in his hand out of boredom.

“Since the side effects of the Secret Art have been removed, Hiren, it’s time for you to read more books. You know, books are the easiest channel to obtain a large amount of knowledge.” George leaned against a birch tree nearby, holding his head with a look of frustration that iron could not be turned into steel. “You know the Fierce Tiger is a solitary animal, and each has its own territory. When they inspect their territory, they will raise their tails and spray strong-smelling secretions and urine on tree trunks or bushes to define their sphere of influence. Sometimes they also use sharp claws to scratch marks on tree trunks, or roll on the ground, leaving tiger hair to define their sphere of influence. If this big guy had been here for a while, the hounds would not have dared to approach this forest long ago. Their sense of smell is very sensitive.”

“Can we talk about this after the Autumn Hunt is over? You know I haven’t been able to read books for a long time. It’s hard to change it completely in a short time! You have to give me some time to adapt.” Hiren put on a bitter face and said.

George’s decision was not shaken in the slightest. He looked at Hiren with a playful look in his eyes and said in a teasing tone: “Forget it, anyway, after we go back, I will suggest to Mr. Val to set the books you need to read every month and the corresponding reading notes. I think Mr. Val will be very grateful to me. Maybe if he is happy, he will teach me some unique Knight Techniques.”

Although George looked like he was joking, Hiren knew the other party would definitely do what he said. Because he had learned painful lessons in the past from thinking the other party was joking. He said angrily: “Are you trying to kill me on purpose?”

“How much longer can we be together?” George completely threw out a topic unrelated to the previous conversation.

Hiren, who was completely baffled, subconsciously asked: “Why do you ask this suddenly?”

George walked to his side, patted his shoulder, and said earnestly: “You are already a Formal Knight. Aren’t you preparing to travel to the Continent? If you don’t know more common sense, be careful you won’t find your way back.”

Only then did Hiren understand why George suddenly changed the topic. He waved his hand and said: “Not that fast! My old man said the situation on the Continent is not very stable recently and wants me to set off later.”

Although Hiren wanted to dispel George’s idea, the effect was unknown. Because after hearing his words, George fell into deep thought.

‘What aspects did Mr. Val consider for delaying Hiren’s travels? If it is safety, does it mean that the Kingdom of Lucia might attack the traveling knights of Nohan? Or is it to ensure the combat power within the Duchy and prepare for a war that could happen at any time? In either case, it is time for Nohan to recall the traveling knights from outside. But it seems it has nothing to do with our Bolerum Territory. The older ones have already completed that process, and the new generation is in the country.’ George suddenly felt that he might be thinking too much, because with his status, he could not participate in the game at that level.

Now let us turn our gaze back to the large tent in the camp. Hearing the Gothic Knight’s guess, the Duke of Nohan sat on an antique walnut high-backed chair to his left. At the same time, the cloak open to both sides revealed the hunting outfit underneath, which looked like it was made of some unknown leather.

Touching the smooth armrest of the chair, he asked: “According to your statement, this Fierce Tiger arrived in the hunting ground in the past few days, and it was very likely caused by human factors. Then, as the person in charge of safety work this time, tell me who exactly would do such a thing.”

“I was wondering if it could be those people who created the attack in Greywood Town before. After all, they have a precedent and a motive, as well as sufficient strength. They are definitely the biggest suspects for wanting to create panic in our country. Regardless of whether this Fierce Tiger attack caused casualties or not, it will have a very bad impact on the following Autumn Hunt. For them, who want to create chaos in our Duchy, the purpose has already been achieved. Because the chaos and panic caused by nobles are far more terrible than those caused by Commoners.” The Gothic Knight held his breath and spoke his mind. Although the words might not be very smooth, the meaning expressed was already very clear.

This speech seemed to be a conclusion he spent a lot of effort to reach. When the last word was spoken, under the combined effect of internal and external pressure, he let out a long breath.

The Duke of Nohan was very surprised that his subordinate could make such a guess. Although from previous contacts and intelligence from secret agents, he knew that the Gothic Knight had a certain tendency and accumulation of knowledge. But he never expected that this knight, who was not noticeable in the past, would have such rational ideas and good logical thinking.

In a certain sense, the logical thinking and way of thinking of ordinary people in this world cannot be compared with the world George traveled from before. After all, the direction of development is completely different.

On Earth, technology enables humans to obtain powerful strength. It distinguishes humans from ordinary beasts and finally stands at the top of the food chain. Therefore, the logical thinking, spatial imagination, and a series of related abilities in that world have developed unprecedentedly.

At the same time, large-scale universal education and an environment full of culture have enabled the overall intelligence of humans to develop fully. As long as an ordinary person there who could get into a university travels here, they have the potential to become a Mage. But it is hard to say where the limit is.

And in this world, it belongs to the civilization of cultivation! The individual gap of intelligent beings is so strong that it has reached the point of causing qualitative change. In this world, improving one’s own strength is the mainstream, and the Mage lineage similar to science is just one of the systems. And it is not the most important one, so one can imagine the difference in this aspect is still very large.

The Gothic Knight had never shown his talent in this aspect in front of people before. This sudden situation made the Duke of Nohan feel a bit pleasantly surprised.

“Since you have such an idea, what do you think we should do next!” The Duke of Nohan asked in return.

Hearing that His Grace the Duke did not issue orders directly as before but asked for his opinion, the Gothic Knight knew his opportunity had come. Of course, whether he could seize this opportunity depended on his performance.

“Your Highness, as far as I am concerned, it is too late to catch those people who are manipulating things behind the scenes now. Since they were able to evade our intelligence network to complete the current arrangement, there is no reason for them to stay where we can catch them.” The Gothic Knight first gave some explanations and then stated his views, “So I think the main task now is to intensify the inspection of the hunting ground, even if it means mobilizing the garrison troops. At the same time, strengthen the security work of the hunting ground with wartime regulations. In short, we must ensure the normal conduct of the Autumn Hunt to stabilize people’s hearts.”

“Alright! Do as you say. Don’t let me down.” The Duke of Nohan waved his hand to indicate that the other party could go out.

The Gothic Knight, who received the affirmation, left the tent with an excited expression after saluting.

“What do you think of him?” The Duke of Nohan said to himself after the Gothic Knight left.

At this time, a voice came from behind him: “We still need to observe, but from the current performance, he already has the value of cultivation. Although I don’t know if he can reach the level of the father and son of House Bolerum, he is also a good supplement!”

The Duke of Nohan sighed and said: “Yes! If we put more burden on Elliot, he will definitely be crushed. We still need to find more people to share the burden for him. But as long as we survive these few years, our Garfield family will compensate him double.”