Chapter 125 Edmund Hilton's Guest, Recollections
A strange guest arrived in town. He was well-dressed, his beard was neatly trimmed, and he carried a heavy sword on his back. He was clearly not a native of Rosen.
He carried a piece of parchment with an address written on it and inquired everywhere about a place called "Little Mountain Village".
"A small mountain village? There are plenty of mountain villages here."
This was the most common answer he heard.
Some people have heard of places called "small mountain villages" but have never been there, while others have never even heard of them.
The bearded man was in a predicament. Perhaps that person did this on purpose, so as not to let his old acquaintances disturb his current life.
He began to doubt whether his rash intrusion was right or wrong, and deep conflict lingered in his eyes.
Jack had just returned from delivering medicine to Mr. Pluto, who was suffering from chest tightness and shortness of breath, when he saw the bearded middle-aged man asking around for addresses.
He must be a knight, and one who has come from afar; perhaps I can help him.
Jack thought to himself.
"Hello, sir. My name is Jack, and I'm an apprentice at Black's Medical Clinic. How can I help you?"
Jack introduced himself and his identity beforehand to allay the concerns of strangers and make them feel safe.
“Hello Jack, my name is Edmund, and I am a knight. God help me, if you know this place, could you tell me where it is? Actually, I'm not even sure if this place even exists.”
Edmund gave the address to Jack.
"A small mountain village? You've come to the right person. I often go there with Dr. Blake to treat patients. You just need to leave from the east gate, then follow the dirt road, go through a tunnel, and then continue along the mountain road for a few hundred meters. That's it."
That's a poor little village. What brings you there?
“Thank you so much, Jack. I have a friend who lives there, and I happened to have the opportunity to come here on business, so I thought I'd stop by to see him.”
"That's such a coincidence! I wish you a safe journey ahead!"
Jack flashed a big smile, his freckles lively and cheerful, looking relaxed and happy.
"Thank you again, Jack. I hope you will accept this small reward as a token of my gratitude."
Edmund offered Jack a gold coin, but Jack refused it sternly.
“I’m not helping you for any reward. Your safe arrival in the small mountain village to meet your friend is my greatest reward. It was just a small favor, so please don’t worry about it. I’m sure any resident who knows this little mountain village will be happy to give you directions.”
Jack has a great personality and is always very sincere towards people.
"Thank you again, Jack. If you ever need help when you arrive in the capital, feel free to come find me here anytime."
Edmund abandoned his attempt to stuff more gold coins into Jack's pocket and instead took out a charcoal pencil, wrote down an address, and handed it to Jack.
"Then I'll set off first, it's getting late."
"Sir Knight, have a safe journey."
Have a wonderful day too.
Edmund retrieved his warhorse and, following the directions Jack had given him, successfully passed through the tunnel and arrived at the small mountain village.
The small mountain village was even more backward than he had imagined. He couldn't understand how his friend, who was born into an aristocratic family, had managed to live there for so many years.
Although his family has fallen on hard times, their heritage remains. I wonder how they are doing now, after more than a decade of not seeing them. I wonder if his two nephews, who only appear in his letters, resemble his father or mother more.
Edmund felt a surge of joy at the thought of seeing his friend again.
Upon reaching the entrance of the small mountain village, he dismounted, took his beloved horse, and walked into this unfamiliar place.
The villagers were very kind and simple, and he quickly found out where Viktor's family lived.
However, when he heard that they were looking for Viktor's family, the villagers looked at him with strange expressions, which puzzled him.
Victor's family lived in a somewhat remote place, in a beautiful two-story house surrounded by a stone and wire fence, with colorful flowers growing outside the fence.
Looking in from the main gate, you can see a large vegetable garden behind the building.
Is anyone home?
Edmund asked, and a little boy with brown hair came out of the house.
Who are you looking for?
Neil was certain he had never seen this brown-haired, bearded man before.
Maybe they're asking for directions.
Neil thought to himself.
“I’m looking for Valerio Victor; I’m his friend Edmund.”
Neil was taken aback when he heard the name. He hadn't heard his father's full name in a long time.
"You're looking for your father? Come in quickly. You can tie the horse in the yard, and I'll go to the backyard to call my brother over."
"Okay, thank you for your help."
Edmund stared blankly at Neil, who had already run to the backyard.
This was only the second time he had seen the little boy in all this time.
Neil was born in the royal city. He used to hold him in his arms. That little boy was so thin, like a kitten. Now he's grown up so big.
"Brother, brother!"
"What's wrong, Neil?"
Lai was checking the potatoes and sweet potatoes in the backyard; he wanted to make some vermicelli.
“A guest came to our house on a big horse. He said his name was Edmund and he was a good friend of my father.”
"Okay, I'll go take a look."
Lai put down his work, washed his muddy hands in a large vat in the yard, and then personally greeted the guest who had come from afar.
Edmund quietly observed the young man who came out of the backyard.
He had the same black hair and nose as Valerio, and the same beautiful blue eyes as his mother.
He was a perfect combination of the two; he was more handsome than his father and more refined than his mother.
"Hello, I am Lei Victor, the eldest son of Valerio Victor, and this is my younger brother Neil Victor."
“I am Edmund Hilton, your father’s former comrade-in-arms and childhood friend. Aren’t your parents home? Why are only the two of you here?”
Ray was taken aback by Edmund's question. Clearly, he was unaware that Victor and his wife had passed away.
"Please come in and sit down and rest for a while. It looks like you've traveled a long way."
"OK."
Edmund noticed the brothers' unease and followed Ray into the house.
The house was very tidy, and an adorable white pet was sleeping on the living room table with its belly exposed.
"Please have some tea."
Neil poured Edmund a cup of warm barley tea, and Edmund smiled with satisfaction.
"It's just ordinary barley tea, I hope you won't mind."
"That's what Lei said."
"Just call me Uncle Edmund, there's no need to look down on me. It's been a long time, and I'm content to see your family doing well. Your parents..."
Edmund then turned the conversation back to the Victors.
With a solemn expression, Lei sighed helplessly and told the truth.
“Uncle Edmund, our parents passed away a year ago.”
With a snap.
Edmund's teacup fell to the table, splashing water all over it.
"How could he have passed away? How could he have passed away? No wonder we haven't heard from him for so long."
Edmund muttered, his face full of disbelief.
He never imagined that his best friend would return to the embrace of God at such a young age.
"What caused their deaths?"
Edmund tried to calm himself down and control his unstable emotions, afraid of frightening the two children.
"Last spring, a maddened monster escaped from the Eton Forest. My father and mother fought a desperate battle to protect the town, and ultimately died in the incident."
Ray explained what had happened in a few simple words, and Edmund lowered his head, as if he were lost in deep sorrow.
He clenched his fist and slammed it against the long table with a dull thud. This startled Tata awake.
The poor little monster was so frightened that it jumped up, its eyes wide, and its tail bristled like a feather duster.
Fortunately, the long table was made from a single, heavy wooden plank by the late Mr. Victor; otherwise, that punch would have shattered it.
"Your father must be very pleased to have a friend like you visiting him. Please don't be too sad; they have simply returned to the embrace of God."
Lei offered words of comfort to the guest who had traveled from afar.
"Is there any reason for your visit?"
"I asked tentatively," Ray asked.
"It's nothing, I just happened to be passing by and stopped by to drop by."
Do you have a place to stay for the time being? If you don't mind, you can stay here temporarily.
"I don't mind at all, how could I mind here? Can you tell me how you've been getting by over the past year?"
"Okay, this is a bit boring, if you'd like to hear more. We're also very curious about our parents' past, and we hope you can tell us about it too."
"Good child, you've worked hard this year."
“It’s not hard work, it’s what I should do as a son of a father.”
Ray patted Neil's head.
"Neil, go pick some vegetables and dig up some potatoes. We'll make some stew and salad for dinner."
"Okay, brother."
Neil knew that Ray was intentionally making him stay away.
"Brother, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
"Let me make some dough, I'll steam some buns and twisted rolls."
"OK!"
Neil took a basin and went to the backyard to pick vegetables, leaving only Ray and Edmund in the living room.
“You’ve raised Neil very well; he’s a wonderful child.”
"Thank you for your praise. He is my younger brother and my only family in this world."
"well……"
Edmund let out a long sigh.
"Your studies..."
"I didn't adapt well to life at the mage academy, and my talent wasn't particularly high either. Leaving there early was the right choice."
Edmund was astonished by the calmness and wisdom of the young man before him, which was quite different from the descriptions in his previous letters.
What exactly did they go through this year to make Ray grow into the person he is today?
Edmund's chaotic thoughts were tinged with heartache.
Without deliberately playing the victim or exaggerating his achievements, Lai omitted many things that couldn't be said and some details of events, simply recounting his experiences over the past year.
These things alone made this seemingly tough guy look melancholy.
This made Ray begin to wonder what kind of person the late Valerio Victor was, that he could have such a loyal and devoted friend.
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