RNP Chapter 194 The Mad Forest
Chapter 194 The Mad Forest
Chapter 194 The Mad Forest
If Harriet were a noblewoman, she would probably have already recognized the identities of all the knights in front of her; their breastplates or shields would all be painted with emblems.
These could be their personal coats of arms, or they could be the coats of arms of their masters.
The emblem on Minos's chest was a silver background with a golden halberd, the emblem of the Golden Halberd City.
Because Harriet had seen flags with similar patterns on the walls of Golden Spear City.
However, Harriet couldn't distinguish the specific name of this emblem, nor did she know the surname of the lord's family in Golden Spear City.
"I still have a long way to go," Harriet thought. "If I want to be Cathy's wife, I have to improve myself."
Whether it's observations, knowledge, etiquette, or even the skill of reading people's minds, you must learn them all.
Jarl is a competent fighter, but if Harriet had even half his experience, she would be more confident than she is now.
One of the knights said, "Two women? How can they represent the Duke?"
His shield featured a soaring gray eagle, perched on his saddle.
On his back was a long white spear, which was probably made of white cypress wood.
He then looked at Jarl: "Man, who are you?"
Jarl made no sound, but simply sat upright on his horse.
Minos kicked the horse's belly, and the horse carried him to the very center of the group:
"Oh! This gentleman is quite a celebrity! The Unswearing Knights, have you heard of them? And he's the vice-master of that organization."
"The Knights? Ha!"
The rider, dressed in a set of dark purple armor, let out a contemptuous laugh.
"He's just a mercenary, yet he dares to call himself a knight!"
The rider, carrying a long hammer, tossed his red cloak to the other side:
"I've heard of you, you're 'Brown Braid,' hey, where's your beard? I heard you have a long braided beard."
Jarl still ignored them, simply raising his chin, and Harriet couldn't see his expression beneath his helmet.
Next, a mounted soldier carrying a longbow squinted and said:
"Hey! Mercenary, how can you represent the Duke?"
Minos nodded: "I've wanted to ask you this question for a long time, Lord Browntail. What exactly happened between you and Duke Casey? I hope you can answer their questions."
Jarl then turned to Minos: "I will not answer any questions from an unknown person."
Upon hearing Jarl's assessment, the armored knight and the longhammer cavalry were immediately enraged and roared in response:
"What did you say, you damn mercenary?"
"If you have names, why don't you introduce yourself before asking others questions?"
Upon hearing this, Minos quickly tried to smooth things over:
"It was my mistake; I didn't introduce you to them."
He calmed the two enraged riders down and then introduced everyone's identities.
The knight with the eagle emblem is named Wayne, the black-armored knight is named Samuel, the hammer knight is named Tavis, and Gain is the name of the knight who carries a bow and arrow.
In addition, there are Leon, Joakim, Holden, Tristan, Adrian, Daren, and Nero.
Jarl then refused to reveal his experiences with Kathy, citing the reason that the Unsworn Knights would not easily disclose information to others.
Harriet thought it was a wise choice; if they found out that Jarl planned to use Cassie in exchange for the bounty, they would probably fight it out.
Harriet felt that Jarl would be outnumbered and unable to fight a major battle.
But Harriet's hostility towards Jar is not as strong as it used to be.
Mr. Mosley also said that he was always ready to help kill Jarl if needed.
Mr. Mosley is a man of his word; he does not make promises lightly, but once he does, he will always keep them.
If Harriet really wanted Jarl dead, he wouldn't be alive now.
Mr. Mosley also said that keeping Jar alive might give him more value.
As it turns out, Mr. Mosley was right. Look, with Jar's help, Harriet has been able to get to where she is now, and the stagnant situation on the plateau has finally begun to develop and evolve.
So Harriet didn't sabotage things; at least for now, she's on Jar's side.
Finally, someone pointed the finger at Harriet, with Arkin being the first to strike:
"So what about you? What is your relationship with the Duke?"
Harriet tried to appear calm: "I'm Cathy's fiancée."
Adrian said, "How come I've never heard of Gulweg Zorc's granddaughter, who is your age and so tall?"
“Don’t humiliate me. How could I possibly be a descendant of an oath-breaker? And someone who inherits the name ‘Zork’ is not worthy to be Kathy’s wife,” Harriet said firmly.
Darren asked, "So, whose daughter are you?"
"I—" Harriet's bloodline always made her feel inferior, "I am a farmer's daughter."
"Ha! Haha! A farmer's daughter? The offspring of a commoner, yet she dares to mock a member of the nobility?" Holden's eyes were full of disdain.
Harriet said, "And I am absolutely loyal to the Casey and Lines families."
"If I told a prostitute to be my wife, she would surely give me her whole heart," Nero chuckled contemptuously, "regardless of what kind of big guys she's seen in bed."
Harriet felt extremely ashamed, and her face instantly turned bright red.
"I'm not a prostitute!"
"Who can say for sure?" Samuel said. "If you are truly a chaste woman, and you are not yet the Duke's official wife, then prove to us that you can do it by simply pulling down your trousers halfway."
Harriet felt utterly ashamed, never expecting these guys to make things so difficult for her.
Even a mercenary would be ashamed to bully a woman.
Jarl rode up to Harriet's side, his face turned to Minos, "Lord Dickinson, what did you say? These people are knights?"
Upon hearing this, the faces of those who had just mocked and ridiculed Harriet immediately turned ugly, and they couldn't help but click their tongues to express their disgust for Jarl.
Jarl whispered to Harriet, "If you show your weaknesses, you'll only invite relentless attacks."
Harriet knew Jar was right, and she belatedly realized that she should have kept a calm mindset.
Just like Jarl did at the beginning, ignoring these people will prevent you from being hurt by their words.
Minos said, "Alright, everyone, Miss Harriet's identity is beyond question. They possess the tokens of Moonstone Castle and Whitewood City. Out of respect for His Excellency the Duke, we should let them finish speaking."
When no one spoke, Minos turned his head toward Harriet:
"Then, Miss, please tell me your thoughts."
Jarl whispered a reminder: "Remember to be concise."
Harriet took a deep breath and looked at everyone:
"I hope you can be a help to Kathy!"
No one responded to her after she said this.
The atmosphere left Harriet's mind blank. "The air on the plateau is so thin," Harriet thought, "that it makes it impossible for me to think."
Harriet had to continue, "I hope you can help Casey regain his legal status!"
At this moment, Garn spoke up:
"According to Minos, you should have already gained the support of Whitewood City and Moonstone Fortress. However, Whitewood City is currently in the hands of the Sek family of Ironchain Fortress, and Moonstone Fortress surrendered to the Zork family without offering any resistance. If we join you, wouldn't we be associating with these losers?"
Harriet replied, "The Lynes family's decline is only temporary; this ancient bloodline will surely rise again!"
"The prerequisite is having enough power," Tristan said, "and if I remember correctly, our esteemed Duke doesn't seem to be an adult yet."
"He's an adult!" Harriet corrected.
"But he's just a naive young man," Tristan shrugged. "Why should we risk our lives for him?"
Harriet said, "Because he is the Duke, he is your master!"
“It was not the Lanes family that bestowed this title upon me,” Tavis retorted. “He may be my master’s master, but he is not my master, and I have no obligation to be loyal to him.”
"But as citizens of the plateau," Harriet continued to argue, "you have a duty to uphold the rights of the Lines family."
“At least I’m not a highlander,” Lien said. “I’m a mountainer. If it weren’t for the knight school’s assignment, I would never have come to the highlands. To be honest, the Lyons Highlands aren’t even as wealthy as the Stone Mountains, so much so that I often miss my barren homeland.”
Adrian said, "So it seems that siding with the Zorc family is indeed more advantageous. By the way, I heard they've put a thousand gold coins on the bounty for Casey's head! Damn, that's a huge sum!"
Holden chimed in, "And these two seem to have a grasp on Casey's movements—"
Wayne took his spear and held it in his hand:
"Even if we only capture the two of you, we will still receive a reward from the Zorc family! Don't blame us for being ruthless. Right now, Duke Casey has no power at all. Anyone with a normal mind knows what to choose."
Jarl sneered, "Hmph! You truly lack the virtues of chivalry!"
“You are not the kind of people we need to treat kindly,” Wayne said. “Hey, brothers, shall we get to it?”
Harriet could hear her heart pounding, though she had guessed that even the list provided by Earl Reggie couldn't possibly be absolutely loyal to Cathy.
But she never imagined that everyone in front of her was planning to become Cathy's enemy.
They seemed about to make a move, and they were all mounted warriors, far superior to ordinary petty thieves.
Even if she and Jarl join forces, they probably aren't guaranteed a victory.
If they really intend to take action, Harriet and Jarl will be in a very bad situation.
Since that's the case... Harriet... I might as well make the first move myself, at least I can gain the upper hand!
But how could she possibly attack with her own strength?
Mr. Mosley said it was a gentle force, but Harriet had reserved all her gentleness for Cathy.
In that case, Harriet decides to become insane and radical as she gathers power and unleashes various forms of witchcraft.
She still hasn't mastered many of these witchcraft techniques.
But it doesn't matter. Although she can't control it, being out of control is exactly the attack method she's thinking of.
Harriet simply exerted her power, but she had no idea how that power would have any effect in the current environment.
At that moment, a gentle breeze swirled around Harriet's body.
Gradually, the breeze was tinged with a refreshing green.
The smiles on the faces of the group of jovial riders opposite them vanished upon seeing this scene.
They stared intently at Harriet, no one daring to speak, some knights even instinctively reaching for their weapons.
Suddenly, Harriet unleashed the power in her hands.
She poured all her magic spells into the ground at once.
Then, the earth began to tremble slightly.
All the horses began to move their hooves and gasp for breath.
Suddenly, a pine sapling sprouted from the ground. This pine tree grew continuously, initially thinner than a finger, and slowly becoming as thick as an arm.
And it's not just this one tree, nor just pine trees; as long as there are seeds in the soil, plants will grow from that land.
As for the tall pine trees that were already fully grown, they began to twist and deform, stretching out their branches as if trying to touch the knights.
These plants began to shrink the space of the forest, and the knights couldn't help but panic.
Tristan shouted first, "What have you done? Stop it!"
Minos quickly added, "Miss Harriet, they're just roughnecks, they only meant to talk big and didn't really intend to hurt you, so please restore those pine trees!"
It's too late.
Harriet is no longer able to control these plants, at least not at her current level.
She didn't know whether these plants would harm the people in the forest, nor how long they would go berserk.
But there was one thing she was very clear about.
Now these plants have fulfilled their mission, making it clear to the knights that she and Jarl are not lambs to the slaughter!
After a while, the plants finally stopped growing, and the space around Harriet became extremely strange and distorted.
The pine trees all bent over, the bushes entangled the horses' hooves, and thorns filled every foothold.
The riders all drew their weapons and were fully focused on watching the plants.
Even when they stopped, the knights dared not make a move.
Everyone except Harriet and Jar was in a panic.
Harriet wondered why Jar was so calm.
Does it mean they believe Harriet can control this power?
If that's the case, Harriet really should apologize to Jar.
After waiting for a long time, they realized it was already over.
Holden, his eyes trembling, asked Harriet, "Did you do this?"
Harriet said, "You threatened me first—"
Wayne placed his lance on the horse's neck: "Well, I take back what I said. Duke Casey is not without power by his side."
"I don't know how to put it, but—" Minos wiped the sweat from his brow, "Well done, Harriet. So, gentlemen, can we get down to business now?"
"etc!"
Just then, Jarl suddenly spoke up.
"Don't make a sound, there's noise!"
Upon hearing this, everyone held their breath and listened intently to the sounds around them.
Harriet tried to do the same. At first, she heard nothing, but then she felt something echoing in her ears—
"Horses' hooves!" Samuel shouted.
Adrian asked in alarm, "How come there are horses approaching?"
"Not just one, but a whole herd!" Darren exclaimed. "That is to say, a cavalry unit!"
Minos said in a trembling voice, "Damn it, how can there be a cavalry force!"
"The answer is simple."
Jarl drew his double axes, assumed a fighting stance, and faced the direction from which the sound came.
"There is a traitor among us!"