"Sellia, breakfast won't buy you out of this. Don't even think about slacking off, or if the Hornsent catch you again, I'm not stepping in."
Nolan cast the girl beside him a faintly amused glance. Sure enough, the plate before him held nothing more than an ordinary piece of bread.
Even so, in these difficult times, when supplies were so scarce, having even such simple food already counted as decent treatment.
"I really wasn't trying to slack off. It's just that Teacher Melina keeps saying you're the most amazing person of all."
The girl blinked at him, her expression solemn and earnest.
The young woman responsible for teaching them had worn that exact same look when she said it.
Nolan let out a helpless sigh. "I know, Sellia. But do you know how many loaves of bread were brought to me this morning? A hundred and six."
Sellia blurted out in surprise, "Then wasn't I the last one?"
"That's right. Because you overslept and came late, you missed the whole crowd. Do you understand how I felt? It was like being caught in a stormy sea."
"The sea? What's that?" Sellia tilted her head, utterly confused.
Nolan slowly crouched down and gently stroked the little girl's hair, a trace of pity in his eyes.
She was the youngest of all the Numen, and she was not even tall enough to reach Nolan's waist.
"You've never seen the sea?" Nolan asked curiously.
The girl nodded hard.
"I'll take you to see it when there's a chance. But that's not important right now, Sellia. You need to understand something, wasting food is shameful."
"And there was no way I could finish over a hundred loaves of bread." Nolan narrowed his eyes and looked at the girl sternly. "Do you know what I did with all that bread in the end?"
Sellia glanced at Nolan's stomach. It was not bulging, so she shook her head lightly and asked curiously, "What did you do with it?"
Nolan smiled. "I made them eat their own bread. So, Sellia, eat yours now, then go find Teacher Melina. You can't train on an empty stomach."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Sellia's stomach let out a loud gurgle. A faint blush instantly spread across her fair little face, and she looked rather embarrassed.
She nodded obediently. "I understand."
Nolan had already learned the situation in the city. In Castle Ensis's army, all supplies were under extremely strict control and distribution.
So the question was, where had all that extra bread come from?
From people going hungry, of course.
Just as Sellia turned and headed toward the stairs, that familiar male voice came from behind her again.
"Oh, right. Today, I'll be teaching together with Teacher Melina. Make sure you're not late again."
The little girl, who had almost reached the stairs, stopped and turned back. She nodded hard and answered loudly, "Mm-hmm!"
Then she hurried away with light steps, her figure gradually disappearing into the distance...
"Poor child," Trina sighed softly from Nolan's back, watching Sellia's reaction with a surge of pity.
"She might be older than you," Nolan reminded her.
"Nolan is so mean. No matter how you look at her, she's clearly a child." Trina puffed out her cheeks. "Forget it. Nolan is very gentle."
The two of them made no effort to hide their conversation, leaving the nearby soldiers feeling deeply uncomfortable. Soon after, the sound of iron boots striking the ground came from behind them.
"We truly owe you, Knight Moonrithyll. Taking us in has been a great help."
Nolan smiled as he raised the cup of sweet fruit wine in his hand, thanking the valiant Carian female Knight before him.
The female Knight gracefully raised her own cup in response. Drinking early in the morning counted as one of the habits the two of them happened to share.
The soldiers, who had been somewhat distracted, quickly pulled themselves together at the sight. One by one, they straightened their backs, trying their best to look dutiful and alert.
"Not at all, Lord Nolan. You were once a knight of Her Highness the Princess. As a Carian Knight, I could never neglect proper courtesy."
Moonrithyll slowly walked over and stood beside Nolan. Her gaze swept downward almost casually, and she immediately noticed the Numen following closely beside Melina.
The corner of her mouth lifted, and she let out a clear, pleasant chuckle. "Hehe. I never expected Lord Nolan to have such leisurely tastes."
"When you're used to being busy, it's hard to suddenly stop. If I can't sit still, I can only find something to do to pass the time." Nolan nodded.
A sly glint flashed through Moonrithyll's eyes, and she spoke in a tone rich with meaning.
"In that case, what perfect timing. You dislike the Hornsent, don't you? As it happens, there's a place that I'm sure you and your companions will find very interesting."
After saying that, the female knight deliberately paused, openly dangling the bait.
At the female knight's words, Nolan seemed to recall something. After a brief moment of thought, he asked, "You mean... Bonny Village?"
"You actually guessed it? Can you see the future, or do you read minds?"
Moonrithyll's eyes widened, her surprise plain to see.
Thinking back, even she could no longer remember how many times this man had shocked her.
As a Carian Knight who had lived through countless battles, she ought to have been able to face anything without batting an eye. Yet this man, the one who seemed likely to become the future Lord Consort of the Dark Moon Queen, was far too good at unsettling her.
"Neither. But the girls down there told me that going there was like seeing hell for the first time," Nolan said after thinking for a moment.
"So the Lord remembers the people's suffering? That's a fine legend."
Moonrithyll nodded thoughtfully, scratching her head as she said,
"You're not exactly wrong. To them, that place really is hell, because it's where the large jars are made."
"When will we hear from Shadow Keep?" Nolan asked, looking over the sand table map, which was even more detailed than the one in the game.
Moonrithyll hesitated slightly, then answered honestly,
"Well... to be honest, I don't know the exact time right now. The journey isn't far, but I have no idea how long my lord will be in talks with Messmer..."
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