"Why go to the Pumpkin Farm at this time?" Helag asked, puzzled.
Now that the autumn harvest was over, the Pumpkin Farm was empty, no one would cause trouble there, so there was no value in guarding it.
He saw Emil's embarrassed expression and suddenly understood: "Alright, I'll go with you, but have you really thought this through?"
He had already seen that day that Emil and Melissa truly loved each other.
Emil running off to the Pumpkin Farm this time was likely to hide for a while until Melissa got married.
He patted Helag's head: "Children shouldn't ask too many questions about adult matters!"
Helag could tell Emil was in a hurry, so he quickly packed up and left with him.
At the castle gate, two horses were already prepared, with various sized packages strapped to them, all filled with supplies for winter.
Helag turned to look at Emil and noticed he seemed a bit dispirited, probably from not sleeping all night.
"Emil!" Melissa's voice came from a distance, and Helag turned to see a graceful figure running towards them.
"Go!" Emil steeled his heart, immediately mounted his horse, and galloped off.
castle gate, seemingly crying.
The autumn mountain forest had changed its appearance, with mountains covered in red, and layers of trees dyed vibrant colors. The mountain path was covered with fallen leaves, and the horses' hooves made rustling sounds as they stepped on them.
Emil was preoccupied and remained silent the whole way. Helag didn't mind him, treating it as an outing.
Although he was young, having lived two lives, his experience in this regard was far richer than Emil's; everything needed time to settle.
There was no mission for this trip, so there was no rush to travel.
They also passed by that cave on the way, and both Helag and Emil stopped there for a while
departed.
Seven days later, the two arrived at the Pumpkin Farm.
The Pumpkin Farm was located at the foot of the Emerald Mountain Range. The two descended the mountain path, and after passing through the forest, their vision suddenly cleared, revealing a wide plain.
The plain was dotted with fields of varying sizes, where crops like wheat and pumpkins were usually grown.
Since the autumn harvest had passed, most of the fields were bare.
In the middle of the Pumpkin Farm was a large courtyard, whose walls were built of heavy stone, forming a defensive fortification.
"This is to guard against wild beasts, and also to defend against occasional enemy attacks," Emil explained.
The farm's gate was also a heavy iron door. Emil walked to the door and gently knocked.
After a long while, faint footsteps were heard from inside, and a hoarse-voiced old man asked, "Who is it?"
"Castle Guard Captain, Emil, here for garrison duty," Emil replied.
"Who?" The old man inside didn't seem to hear clearly.
Emil had no choice but to raise his voice and say it again.
This time, the old man seemed to have heard clearly, and the metallic sound of a key being inserted into the iron lock came from behind the door.
Creak...
The large door slowly opened, emitting a grating friction sound. Behind the door was an old man dressed in a bulky padded coat.
The old man's facial skin was dry like tree bark, and his eyes were cloudy, making it unclear if he could see clearly.
"You must be Masimo, right? I am Emil, and this is the token," Emil pulled out his Knight Captain's badge and handed it over.
Masimo took the badge without looking at it, instead feeling it with his hand. After feeling it, he returned it to Emil and said, "Come in."
He is the farm's only garrison, he has been here for forty years," Emil introduced.
"Forty years..." Helag looked at the tottering old man, a little surprised.
"You two remember, don't leave your rooms at night, no matter what sounds you hear. There are evil spirits in the mountains. In previous winters, guards came here to garrison, but they disappeared the next morning. You must be extra careful," Masimo said as he walked ahead.
"Evil spirits? Do such things really exist?" Helag asked.
Masimo didn't respond, completely ignoring Helag.
Emil said, "Indeed, guards were sent here to garrison in the winter before, but without exception, they all disappeared. After that, no guards were sent here in the winter."
"Then we're still coming?" Helag had an expression of being tricked.
Emil laughed, "Haha, the talk of evil spirits is just a rumor. There are many foraging beasts in the mountains in winter, and going out at night certainly carries risks, but are you and I afraid of beasts?"
Helag thought about it and agreed; ordinary beasts would just be a side dish for drinks. But the fear was that there was something strange here that couldn't be viewed with his previous life's concepts.
There were more than a dozen rooms on the farm, some large and some small. The large houses were mostly storerooms, used to store grain or other items.
The smaller rooms were generally living quarters. Masimo lived in the northernmost cottage on the farm, and Emil and Helag lived in a three-story house in the middle of the farm.
The house was quite messy, so the two simply tidied it up, giving it a semblance of life.
This house also had a cellar. Emil opened the wooden board covering the cellar, lowered an oil lamp, and after confirming that the oil lamp didn't go out, he went down.
Inside the cellar were sacks of flour and several large wooden barrels.
Emil's face lit up with joy. He picked up a wooden barrel and sniffed it: "These are all good wines!"
The two carried out a barrel, found two cups, and poured bright red wine from the wooden barrel. The rich aroma of wine immediately spread out.
"Cheers!" Emil said with a smile.
"Cheers!"
Both were a bit tired from the long journey, so a drink was welcome.
A Knight-level physique was hard to get drunk with alcohol. Since there was no one else here, Helag boldly asked, "You ran here to hide, will you really not regret it later?"
Emil smiled bitterly, "I regret it now, but there are things more important than my personal feelings."
"The Baron's marriage alliance this time is to preserve the entire territory. If I, for my own sake, affected this alliance, it would implicate the territory and implicate the Baron," he continued.
Helag was a bit puzzled: "Preserve the entire territory? The people of Behade don't have that capability, do they?"
Behade itself was dirt poor; how could it pose a threat to the entire Duer Valley?
Emil looked at Helag and said, "Do you know why the Baron has been able to control the Duer Valley for so long? Is it because there are 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 a Grand Knight is a deterrent, so no one dares to invade in force, because a Grand Knight alone can wipe out your entire family."
"Could it be that the Baron..." Helag suddenly had a guess. If Baron Buck's life was not long, then the Duer Valley would be a big piece of fat meat that everyone could eye.