Face Problems

When he woke up again, Oreius was lying on a bed. The mattress smelled of hay and was soft. The surroundings were simply furnished and looked like a residential house.

It seems that person brought me here?

The red-haired young man checked his condition immediately. All his wounds were bandaged well and the pain in his body was alleviated a lot.

Everything was going well, he breathed a sigh of relief, and heard the door creak open. The red-haired young man subconsciously raised his head, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the other person's face clearly.

As the two looked at each other, the other smiled first and said, "I'm glad you woke up. I was shocked to see that you were so badly injured. This is the medicine I just made. Drink it while it's hot."

The person who spoke had a gentle and soothing tone. Even if he turned into ashes, Oreius would not mistake this face.

He has golden hair as bright as the sun, eyes as blue as the sea, and a very friendly smile. Few people can interpret the word "upright" so well, and Christine is the most typical one among them.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself.

The blond young man stood in front of the bed, holding a bowl of herbs and smiling brightly at him.

"My name is Christine, a knight."

Unlike the knights of God that Canaan knew, the man in front of him was only a young man, with a somewhat pale face. Compared to the future, he was more lively now.

Christine put down the medicine bowl and muttered: "You are from the Roland Ag family, right? Why are you here? I think your people haven't adapted to this place yet."

Aurelius naturally asked, "How do you know that?"

"The people of Roland Ag are all blessed by their ancestors. I have communicated with your people before, so I am familiar with this aura. You have just come out of the mysterious land not long ago, have you adapted to the poor magic elements here?"

Just a few sentences revealed a lot of information, allowing Oreius to locate the era in which he was now living.

This is the best of times, when the gods walk the earth and connect with humanity.

The Age of Gods is at its peak, and adventurers are scrambling to explore every corner of the land. "Mysterious places" containing countless treasures emerge one after another, bringing endless wealth and miracles.

The Roland Ag family came from a "mysterious place" found by Christine. The people who came out of this place called themselves Roland Ag because the mysterious place was about to collapse and they came to the soil outside their hometown.

They were born with abundant magical elements, and each of them had a strong body and extraordinary magic power. However, the outside world was different from the mysterious land, and the concentration of magical elements was greatly reduced, which caused the Roland Ag family to suffer from serious illnesses. It was not until they found a god who was willing to help them that the matter came to an end.

According to Christine, the Roland Ag family had just left the mysterious place not long ago. Perhaps because of the soul in his body, he was successfully misidentified.

After figuring out the key, Oreius breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, this misunderstanding brought him a lot of convenience. It gave him a reason to continue to contact Christine.

As the absolute protagonist of this era, Christine is the epitome of miracles. As long as you are with him, everything will be delivered to you automatically. He needs to find the Queen of Insects and the artifact, and he must rely on the power of the other party.

At this, Oreius said, "I know you. The tribesmen said that you saved us."

"No, no, they are exaggerating." Christine waved his hands repeatedly with a brilliant smile on his face. In a comic book, he is destined not to be a villain. Before Oleus could ask a few more questions, the blond young man had already started talking.

"Even if I didn't take you out, the mysterious place was about to collapse, and you would have been able to escape then. I just provided a safer passage, and it's still your own credit."

This information was consistent with the records in the history books. Aurelius continued with a normal expression: "So I admire you very much."

Christine touched the tip of his nose a little embarrassedly, his blue eyes sparkling: "Hey, you're exaggerating too much, I just did what I could."

"No, although it was something you could do, it was a matter of life and death for the person being saved. From that moment on, I made up my mind to become someone like you."

The red-haired young man's tone was very serious, with a determination that could not be ignored. He looked at Christine intently, and the latter was stunned for a moment, vaguely feeling that there seemed to be a hint of nostalgia and sadness in his eyes.

Is this an illusion?

The immature knight muttered in his heart and ignored the information brought by his intuition. He said sincerely: "Thank you for your compliment. If I can help you, it will be my honor."

"You have helped me a lot, even saved me several times, and taught me many things, which will benefit me for the rest of my life."

These words were sincere. Aurelius combined the real and the imaginary, and concluded logically: "Therefore, I want to become your disciple."

"You're welcome. Since you're a knight... huh!?"

In the middle of his speech, Christine suddenly came to his senses and realized what the other party was saying. He looked at Oreius in shock and organized his words.

"This, this is not good. This is our first meeting today, and you don't know me well enough. If you become my disciple impulsively, it will affect your whole life. The master-disciple relationship is very important for a knight. Don't make rash decisions just because of admiration."

When he said these words, his tone was really serious like a teacher. Facing the persuasion, the red-haired young man said seriously: "I came here for this purpose, and I will not leave until I achieve my goal."

Christine: "....Are you a teenager who has read too many knight novels?"

"No matter what age you are, what's wrong with having the courage to pursue your dreams?"

The dark golden eyes stared at him without blinking, showing great determination. This time it was the knight's turn to be troubled. The other party's wounds were strange, maybe it was because he couldn't adapt to the outside world. If he rejected the other party and caused the person in front of him to get hurt, Christine would never forgive himself in his life.

The blond young man tried to persuade her in annoyance. After a verbal battle, Christine, who was no match for him, had to raise her hands in surrender.

Orelius was satisfied and changed the subject to what he had always wanted to know: "How did you find me?"

The smile on Christine's face faded slightly, and he said seriously, "It was just an accident that I found you. The insect plague has started to spread again recently, and that's why I came here."

"...insect plague?"

When Oleus heard the topic about insects, he immediately raised his radar.

"Don't you know?" Christine touched his chin and started from the beginning.

"About a year ago, a kind of strange bugs appeared in the west. They came from nowhere and were bloodthirsty. People didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but three months later, the small town on the border of the kingdom fell. When the support troops arrived, it had become a dead city."

"After that, insect plagues appeared again and again. The gods repeatedly ordered a cleanup, but every time the church's army arrived, the enemy had already fled, leaving only corpses all over the ground. Even the astrologers could not figure out their origins. I came here this time because someone said that they saw strange insects nearby, and the description was the same as the insect plague found before."

“What do those bugs look like?”

"It's hard to tell. You'll know once you see them. They are very different from ordinary insects. They hide during the day and come out at night. They will attack people when they see them."

At this point, the blond knight added, "I treated your wounds. I hope you don't mind me taking action on your own. Your injuries were too severe and I was afraid you wouldn't make it. The things are in the package next to your pillow."

Aurelius looked down and saw a small package beside his pillow. Everything he had was in it, not to mention the expensive rings and pearl bracelets, even the stone knife was neatly placed. He looked like a knight.

The will-o'-the-wisp was lost on the battlefield during the battle, and it was probably taken away by the queen. He was in urgent need of a new weapon. There was nothing valuable in the bag, and it would be a waste to sell the other sealed items. Oleus thought for a moment and poured out all the Robbies: "Can you help me sell this and get a new weapon?"

"This is a coin from somewhere, it looks like it's made of silver and iron. I'll go to the blacksmith and ask. I don't think you can afford a good weapon with this price, so I'll choose a sword for you."

"Just normal ones are fine."

Christian recognized the different styles of these coins at a glance. He said nothing, accepted Robbie and fulfilled Oreius's commission.

"I've never seen such serious injuries. Where did you come from? The monsters around here should have been cleared out. Are there some new guys coming?"

The rider in front of him was younger than the one Canaan knew, Christine, and he asked about his situation in an animated manner.

After finishing the important matters, Christine softened his tone and said, "You must be hungry after lying in bed for so long. Do you need me to prepare something to eat for you?"

"Then I'll trouble you."

"Leave it to me!"

Christine readily agreed and soon brought him the meal. Aurelius wolfed it down, and finally a sense of satisfaction welled up in his body again.

Being injured requires more nourishment. Under Christine's careful care, Oleus got out of bed in two days. The blood was still corroding his body. The red runes that made up the blood were too repulsive to this world. It would probably take some time for him to fully adapt.

While taking care of him, Christine went out early and came back late, trying to find out the news outside.

When Aurelius was able to walk, he asked to go out with him. Christine wanted to refuse, but finally agreed under his insistence.

Before leaving, the blond young man reminded me worriedly: "If you go with me, don't run around, put on your hood, and don't let anyone see your face."

Aurelius agreed and walked out of the house with the other party.

As soon as he walked out the door, he couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly.

Countless red roofs sparkled in the sun, dotted with white and yellow hakas. People were bustling about, and girls with beautiful belly buttons were carrying baskets and baskets on their heads, and their laughter was as clear as flying birds.

Strong horses, cattle, sheep and people drive side by side on the smooth stone road. The stalls and hotels on both sides of the street hang colorful signs. The stall owners wearing hats puff on their dry cigarettes, and the vegetables placed in front of them are fresh and juicy, guaranteed to catch your attention as soon as you enter the city.

Christine led him along the road until it reached its end, until things around them became noisy and chaotic. Low-rise buildings replaced the neat and beautiful houses, and sewage flowed all over the ground.

Noisy children and farmhands carrying wood and iron ore passed by them. The young man silently and low-key avoided the hand of the little thief and walked into the door of the tavern.

This is indeed an old tavern, the oak counter looks quite old, and the surface is covered with soft lacquer. The walls are covered with several layers of wallpaper, the antler fireplace is not lit, and the air is filled with wine and men's laughter.

The two men walked through the drunks and sat at the bar. They were wearing brown leather armor and black cloaks, just like any other traveler. But when he sat down, the red-haired boss recognized Christine and immediately lowered his voice.

"Why are you here?"

"Any news on the insect plague, Jimmy?"

"Disaster, hey, well, I knew you were here for this. The catchers have been coming and going lately, bringing a lot of new intelligence. I think there will be something you need in it. But I think you have to introduce the person next to you first."

Jimmy poured a bottle of beer into the glass. The orange-yellow liquid turned into fine milky white bubbles, and then was pushed towards his long-lost friend. His eyes fell on the other person's side.

The companion raised his head slightly, revealing dark red hair and a honey-colored chin under his hood. He reminded people of an elegant yet deadly beast, with a temperament as sharp as a blade.

Jimmy whistled: "Where did you find this? This look is too dangerous anywhere."

"Don't call him that, he has his own name."

The boss shrugged and said, "You seem to have a good relationship with him, so I won't touch his wallet. Try it, it's free."

Perez accepted the offer. The delicious beer made him feel relaxed. He could smell the aroma of malt that had grown in the sun. The owner wiped the glass in his hand. He was wiping his own glass all the time. He thought about the needs of the guests.

This man never needs to look through the ledger, everything is clear in his mind, just like the order of mixing cocktails. The boss sometimes speaks in a rhythmic manner, sometimes falls into deep thought, sometimes mutters with narrowed eyes, and sometimes talks to himself. It's like an impassioned orator delivering an important speech.

"The information you received earlier is true. The vanguard of the insect plague did appear here earlier. However, they changed direction midway and headed south."

Christine held his forehead and said, "Heading south? God of the Sun, please spare me, these bugs. It's a long way to get there, and there are a lot of troubles along the way."

"You're right," the boss said with a gloating tone. "Things are worse than you think. Three days ago, the kingdoms in the south declared a warning. Now you have to go through various checkpoints to get through. It's time-consuming and laborious."

"Come on, if you say so, there must be a way."

"Sometimes I find you boring, Christine. As far as I know, there are several caravans in the city that have trade orders. If you can hitch a ride with them, things will become much more convenient. There are only three caravans going to the south recently."

"The Morfa Caravan, they transport herbs, dried meat and furs. You should have heard of them, because they bought the things you sold before. I heard that there are big manor owners behind them. They like to directly hire a mature guard group and rarely recruit individual bounty hunters. The Kans Caravan, they only sell good goods, valuable ores, rare potions and spell materials, so the review of the guards is very strict. And the Old Forest Caravan-"

"【Old Woodland Caravan does everything.】"

Jimmy said in a mocking tone.

"As long as you can afford the price, they will sell everything. Humans, monsters, materials, furs, ores. They are just a bunch of lunatics. But I have to say, they are also the most suitable for you. As long as you are strong enough, they will spend a lot of money to hire you, regardless of whether your background is legitimate or not."

"I'll think about it. When do they leave?"

"The Morfa caravan is the day after tomorrow morning, the Kans caravan is tomorrow morning, and the Old Woods is tomorrow afternoon. You've arrived at the perfect time."

"I'll have to think about it."

The owner made a gesture of "please go ahead" and turned to the discussion of the recent tax increase. Aurelius was forced to listen to a lot of nonsense.

Jimmy complained about the "liquor tax" imposed by the king, which brought a lot of trouble to the northern part of the empire, which relied on the liquor industry. The harsh climate here made it difficult to grow abundant crops, but wheat and rye, the staple food, grew vigorously.

In addition to being edible, the biggest use of it is for brewing beer. The owner owns at least 20 acres of land, more than 80% of which is planted with wheat, and the rest is hops.

The two of them stayed inside for a glass of wine and heard all the gossip in the kingdom. Then Christian took Oreius and fled, showing an expression of being unable to bear it.

"Jimmy is a very good intelligence agent, but he talks too much, which is really embarrassing sometimes."

The red-haired young man looked at him with interest: "This is not what I thought."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought you would chat with him with a smile and become good friends. After all, everyone knows the God-Favoured Knight Christine, right?"

Christine looked helpless: "I told you to read less knight novels. God's favored knights are also human beings. Isn't it normal for them to feel impatient?"

An elusive smile appeared on the other person's face. It was a very impressive smile, and once you saw it, you would never forget it. Christine stared at the other person for a while, until Aurelius asked, "Why are you looking at me like this?"

"I wonder if we've met before, but someone with a smile like that shouldn't be forgotten."

Christine joked in a slightly frivolous way, but his eyes were serious: "Well, it seems that we really need to travel together for a while. If you insist, I can hire you as an assistant, but don't look at me like that anymore, Oreius. I'm not a replacement for anyone. I'm just standing by your side."

Some people are born to be in the spotlight, and every word they say hits home.

Aurelius was completely helpless against this. It was hard not to sigh when seeing such a person becoming a knight favored by the gods who was destined to die in the future.

Christine didn't pay much attention to it. He gave Oleus some clothes and weapons, and after some activities, the Old Forest Chamber of Commerce had a pair of new guards.

Their purpose was to take this Chamber of Commerce to the south. On the day of departure, everyone in the team couldn't help but look to the corner, including the Chamber of Commerce president's daughter and some men with unique tastes.

The red-haired young man stood there with his friend, only half of his face was exposed. His slightly narrowed dark golden eyes flashed with cold light, looking unruly.

Christine said sincerely, "I suggest you cover your face."

The person on the other side asked: "Why?"

"Come on - are you completely unaware of the lethality of your face, or do you think Jimmy was lying?"

"Which sentence?"

"......"

Facing the serious face of the red-haired young man, the knight was obviously choked: "Your face is too dangerous."

"Is there anything strange about this sentence?"

Everyone knows that Aurelius has an evil face. Is there anything wrong with the other party's evaluation of him?

Christine was even more helpless: "It seems that you lack self-awareness. Let me explain what I mean. Oreius, you should know that you are a man with a dangerous appearance. In most cases, this means secrecy and strength. In other words, your appearance is very popular."

The unexpected answer left the red-haired young man stunned.

He realized a little later that he had overlooked a very important point.

The Dark Ages were extremely dangerous, and the first instinct of human beings was survival. Therefore, being too dangerous would be a deduction.

This is an era of openness, courage, adventure and excitement. A man like him, who is full of secrets, is like the sun shining in the crowd, exuding the aura of "Come find me".

As for why Canaan had no problems at that time, with the Kingdom of Heaven, even if the other party had mixed thoughts, they would be converted into faith. The journey was very clean.

Taking all the above conditions into consideration, the red-haired young man suffered his first loss since entering this era.

A few minutes later, he was cornered by a strange girl. The girl was dressed in mercenary clothes and said, "I like you. Do you want to go with me tonight?"

The red-haired young man said expressionlessly: “No need.”

The rejected girl didn't bother to argue and turned away. Only Christine, who had known Aurelius for some time, noticed his fear and said with a smile, "Don't be nervous. She just asked because you look good. You won't be embarrassed and neither will she. You may see her walking with someone else in a while."

This is very common among mercenaries. No matter if they are men or women, they can invite someone to spend the night with them if they see one they like. People here live a precarious life and their private lives are relatively free and open. There are no taboos.

The red-haired young man nodded coldly and moved closer to the other party. Christine coughed and asked seriously, "What are you doing?"

The other party glanced at him faintly: "Safe."

“…Hahahahahaha!!!”

A burst of laughter suddenly broke out in the corner, startling the passers-by. Looking around, the blond young man was patting the shoulders of the people next to him with great joy, his face full of schadenfreude.

This guy is so annoying.

Aurelius thought coldly. From now on, he and Christine would have a cold war over this for a minute.