The next morning, Lind stared blankly at the orc caravan that had disappeared on the horizon.
"My lord? My lord? Are you alright?"
Astaire, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but speak up to remind him.
Our lord has been standing here for quite some time.
"Cough cough."
Linde coughed awkwardly twice to change the subject.
"Astaire, how's the housing construction going lately? Any reports from Eric?"
While wandering around the territory recently, Lin De could clearly feel that the houses in the territory were growing at a rate that was almost visible to the naked eye.
Often, what was once an empty plot of land yesterday is now mostly occupied by houses, and even the surrounding areas have been developed.
"My lord, yes, according to Eric's report, the vast majority of the houses are completed, with only the final finishing touches remaining."
At this moment, Astaire couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This warrior named Eric had previously been a nobody in the Bronze Warriors' ranks, never showing any promise.
Unexpectedly, the magistrate had a keen eye for talent. After promoting him, Eric's troops became incredibly efficient and made the fastest progress.
Moreover, this person was extremely loyal. As the commander of the camp, Astaire received a progress report from Eric every day, which made Astaire deeply respect him.
"Now most soldiers have their own cabins, and the barracks, which are used for training and mobilization, have removed most of the tents, leaving only equipment tents, supply tents, and meal tents."
Looking at the barracks, which were now practically empty compared to before, Linde felt a surge of satisfaction. He knew that this was not only Eric's achievement, but also the result of the collective efforts of all the soldiers.
For these people and soldiers, the territory now finally feels like a home.
As for a sense of belonging, that needs to be cultivated gradually over time.
Upon reaching the opposite bank of the river from the military camp, we found ourselves in the area where the magical beasts had previously hunted for food.
The previously ravaged grassland has almost recovered, and Linde plans to have people fence off this area and build it into a monster ranch.
They planted all the plants they liked to eat on this land. After carefully observing the plant, Linde gave it a nice name: Morning Dew Grass.
Based on the two plants Linde kept in his bedroom, he discovered that this thing would produce a lot of dew on its leaves in the early morning, and that's how he named it.
Once the planting is successful, dig several places here similar to the burrows they rest in in the forest, and lure these magical beasts to settle here.
Linde was planning the details of the monster ranch when suddenly a soldier rushed over and knelt on one knee:
"Sir, two riders are coming in our direction, from the mountain pass."
"Hmm? That's strange, someone's coming here?"
Linde was puzzled. According to his speculation, Viscount Swift should have avoided me as much as possible in the current situation to avoid suspicion. Why would he send someone here?
"Pass down the order to have the guards on duty prepare. I'm going to check the situation myself."
"yes!"
Upon reaching the bridge, before the two riders could even get close, Linde, with his excellent eyesight, clearly recognized them.
"A villager? And...Leonis?"
Lind was filled with surprise; why would Leonis come with a villager?
The two riders quickly arrived at the bridge. Leonis dismounted, landing unsteadily and nearly falling. Even the most obtuse person could see that Leonis was seriously injured and was only kept alive by healing magic.
Linde quickly went to help him up and asked:
"What happened? How did you get injured like this?"
Upon seeing that it was Lind, Leonis finally breathed a sigh of relief and said:
“Baron Linde, I need your help…”
Perhaps because they had finally reached a safe place, Leonis's tense nerves finally relaxed, and she immediately fainted in Lind's arms.
…………
After settling Leonis into her guest room, Lind went to the lobby on the first floor.
Looking at the trembling young man before him, Linde asked:
"Where are you from? Near the Fortified City?"
The young man seemed to have never seen a nobleman before. He was terrified of the fully armed bronze warriors beside him and could barely speak.
"My lord...I am from...Rock Ash Village..."
Rock Ash Village? Where is that?
Perhaps noticing Lind's confusion, Astaire whispered a reminder in Lind's ear.
“My lord, Rock Ash Village is a remote village under the jurisdiction of Viscount Swift. I have been there before.”
Linde realized that this kid had been casually brought along by Leonis to give directions, so Linde asked for more details, but as expected, he knew nothing.
"My lord... I really don't know, that knight didn't tell me anything..."
"Alright."
Linde waved his hand, summoned a servant, gave the boy thirty copper coins, and said:
"You will stay in the barracks for the next few days and not go anywhere. Wait for your fate."
Before the boy could say anything more, several soldiers had already taken him away.
Lind rubbed his forehead; he had checked on Leonis's injuries while settling her in.
Not a single bone in his right arm was intact; he could only move it by relying on the muscles on the outside, which made Lin De feel extremely pained.
Not to mention the various cuts and lacerations all over her body. Although she had received simple healing magic and bandaging, she was still badly injured, and some of the wounds had reopened.
The most serious injury was to her chest, where a large area was burned, leaving her a bloody mess. Lin De was hesitant to remove the blood-soaked bandages.
Fortunately, Leonis was in a coma and not very conscious, so Lind was able to treat her fairly well.
To do this, Linde used up several bottles of high-grade healing potions brought from the Earl's territory, and his own activating aura was also running at full power, in order to basically heal the dozens of injuries, large and small, on her body.
"What on earth could have injured her so badly? And why did it bring her here instead of to the Fortified City?"
"Aster, what do you think?"
Astaire, who had been upstairs participating in the entire treatment, had been deep in thought ever since he saw Leonis's injuries.
"My lord, the opponent who could injure Knight Leonis to this extent must be at least at the Bronze level."
Linde believed that Aster, who was of the same Gold rank as Leonis, would not make a mistake.
The answer is now almost obvious.
Cult members, and high-ranking ones at that!
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