Chapter 586: A Qualified Noble

Chapter 586 -585: A Qualified Noble

Colin was at a loss for words. The old man’s logic was… strange.

He said, “You’ve had some really bad luck lately.”

“Bad luck? I’m the luckiest man alive!” Old Yaxi’s voice was filled with genuine joy. “If I hadn’t run into you, I would’ve been eaten by an Owlbear or a Giant. Thank you, sir. I’ve been incredibly fortunate lately!”

“Oh? Uh, yeah, I guess that is pretty fortunate,” Colin muttered under his breath.

Just then, Kase, still under the effects of Enlarge Person, walked over and casually hoisted the fallen Warhorse from the ground. The poor creature’s head had been half-caved in, and it was already dead.

Colin walked over to examine the Baron lying on the ground.

He was clad in a suit of gleaming Full Plate Armor, its Chest Armor spattered with blood from the Warhorse. It didn’t look like he had any injuries himself.

“We meet again, Baron,” Colin said, offering his hand.

“Just what I’d expect from the Dragon Slayers.” The Baron grasped the offered hand, letting Colin pull him to his feet.

He raised the visor of his Helmet. As Colin suspected, it was Peter Yanushovich, the man they had met a while back.

Once on his feet, Peter took several deep breaths. “To think you dealt with those Giants just like that… Thank you. I don’t know what would have become of me otherwise.”

“I heard a group of Hill Giants attacked the estate directly. Did you just lead your men out in pursuit? It might have been wiser to seek reinforcements first.”

“I’m a Lord. These commoners pay me taxes for their protection.” The Baron straightened up, placing a hand on his hip and twisting his waist gently. “If I hid in my castle while these monsters ravaged the village, I’d have no right to collect those taxes.”

“That’s what makes you a barely acceptable nobleman,” Ale said. “But you speak too crudely. You don’t sound like a Knight.”

“What, am I supposed to write some pretty, damn poem, too? Don’t talk about me like I’m one of those cowards hiding in the city. I became a knight’s squire at six and was knighted at twenty-one. My honor is the real deal.”

After he finished, the Baron added, “We were caught off guard by those Giants. The ones from the mountains haven’t come down in a long time, so I didn’t have any garrisons posted in that direction. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have become such an undignified mess.”

“Colin, I don’t wanna be this big anymore.”

After Kase called out from the side, Colin immediately canceled the Enlarge Person spell on him. The Half-Orc then grabbed Dorn and went to loot the bodies.

Peter, who was standing nearby, cleared his throat. “Would you all do me the honor of being guests at my residence? I wish to thank you properly.”

Colin nodded. “But we can only stay for one night. We have a task in Thousand Masts City.”

“I am delighted to hear it. The presence of such valiant warriors will bring honor to my home.” The Baron inclined his head slightly, showing his respect.

Colin felt he should say something fancy to keep up appearances.

He could think of plenty of fancy words, but he had a feeling they would sound strange coming from him. In the end, he just said honestly, “Thank you for the welcome.”

The two then exchanged a few more pleasantries, chatting about the situation up north. After a short while, the Attendant who had left earlier returned, leading a dozen or so horse-mounted Scouts.

The Attendant rode up to the Baron’s side. “My Lord, our reinforcements have arrived.”

As he spoke, he glanced with considerable surprise at the dead Giants on the ground and at Colin, who was chatting with the Baron.

“You did well to run into such capable reinforcements on your way here. Of course, one could also say we were just lucky.” The Baron nodded, then addressed the Scouts, “Go help these heroes sort through their spoils. We need to head back. Mmm… I could really use a cup of mead right now.”

Seeing this, Colin turned and called out to Kase and the others.

The Half-Orc and Dorn were rummaging through the Giants’ packs, their greedy, miserly expressions completely at odds with the image of a Dragon Slayer party.

Once the group had gathered, the mounted Attendant dismounted, followed by several of the Scouts. They each offered the reins of their horses to Colin and his companions.

Ale and the others mounted up with clean, practiced movements.

Holding the reins, Dorn grumbled, “Making a Dwarf ride a horse? You can’t be serious.”

“Cut the crap, Dorn,” Kase said as he leaned over and hauled Dorn onto the back of his horse.

Cursing under his breath, Dorn sat sideways behind Kase. The two of them completely filled the space on the horse’s back.

The horse, burdened by the two heavyweights, shuddered but didn’t protest. It was a testament to its training as a Warhorse.

Seeing this, Colin felt too embarrassed to admit he’d never ridden a horse before. ‘Should I go sit behind Orelia or Ale? No, that would be way too humiliating.’

He swung himself onto the horse’s back and, bracing himself, followed the others.

Fortunately, the horse was good-tempered and didn’t act up. Colin found he didn’t even need to control the reins; he could just let the horse walk on its own.

He glanced at his Task Log.

The task’s rating had risen to fourteen points, which meant the recent encounter with the Hill Giants had been added. Since he didn’t know if they’d run into more monsters before returning to Thousand Masts City, Colin didn’t pay much attention to the reward details. They would probably change again anyway.

After a ride of ten minutes or so, the party returned to Piotrawin, the village they had visited before, and came to a corner of it.

Here stood a residence that wasn’t particularly large.

The residence was surrounded by a calm lake, with thick weeds growing along its banks. The first two stories were built of brick and stone, while the third floor and attic were constructed from solid timber.

Colin rode through the main gate, which was fitted with a portcullis, and into the inner courtyard. He led his horse into a small stable.

Generally, while most nobles owned castles, they often preferred residences like this one, built within a village or elsewhere. After all, they were far more comfortable to live in.

Judging by the size of the residence, Peter wasn’t an especially wealthy Baron.

After the group dismounted in the courtyard, an old man in a short, padded cotton jacket approached them.

Peter gestured to the approaching man. “I need to get out of this iron shell. Please follow my steward to the great hall. I’ll be along shortly.”

“This way, sirs,” the steward said, stepping forward. His expression was blank; he didn’t seem frightened by the appearance of Kase and the others.

Colin led the others after the steward, following him to the great hall on the second floor of the residence.

This hall was also modest in size. A long table and a few candlesticks took up most of the space, making the room feel rather cramped.

“Looks like we forgot Big Hoof Treasure again,” Kase said, taking a seat at the table.

“I didn’t forget,” Colin said. “Don’t worry, the Scouts will bring it back.”

After a few moments of idle chatter, Peter entered the hall, now dressed in woolen hunting attire.