Krafft's Notes on Anomalies

After several days of trekking, the team stopped at a narrow pass for a short rest.

The young men from the church hardly rested, and could not wait to take off the brand-new armor from the mules and horses, and dressed themselves neatly with the help of the servants, packing themselves into a shiny big can.

More than a dozen pieces of the latest style full-body armor cannot be obtained with money alone, not to mention that there are custom components, using the relatively rare bird-beak mask, inspired by the well-known doctor's mask.

The initial investment based on practical needs effectively won widespread support for the new leader. The new members soon discovered that their boss was an easy-going and generous person.

They received this expensive gift in Dunling, but unfortunately the difficult mountain road march was not suitable for adding more weight, and no sensible forest bandits were willing to come up and provide opportunities to use it.

Until now, the caravan has finally arrived at its destination, and it needs a set of distinctive and ostentatious costumes to show the spirit of the Knights, show respect for the owner of this land, and when necessary, it will also serve as a deterrent to those who have evil intentions in their hearts.

Of course, they couldn't just run to the door of the house, which would cause a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings and fright.

The correct operation procedure is to send the most stable and reliable one among them first, with the letter delivered by the church, to inform the identity and purpose of the visitor, and leave enough time for the host to prepare.

Since both parties theoretically belong to the church system, the redundant cumbersome steps can be reduced, but a polite and thoughtful welcome ceremony and subsequent banquet are still required.

Brother Raymond took over the task of delivering the letter. While waiting bored, Kraft began to look at the unfamiliar territory in front of him and make some preparations for the next meeting.

This is a narrow mountain plain, which is cut into three pieces by a forked stream, making the place that is not spacious visually even more limited.

The flat area within the field of vision is almost completely occupied by wheat fields, including the small castle at the intersection of water flows, which does not leave much space around it.

The low castle tower looked even more financially troubled than the Wood family, and even the fence was not replaced by a stone wall, but it was attached with a building that looked like a small church, showing the builder's determination to believe that the Heavenly Father would bless him during the siege.

There were a few trees that looked a bit old dotted in the fields, perhaps because they were left because of their wide canopies, suitable for shade gatherings at ordinary times, and also suitable for the attacking party's siege equipment to be used locally during wartime.

The reflective figure of the messenger gradually went away, like a silver coin rolling on yellow-green silk, and had already run more than half the distance.

Kraft still didn't see the sentry figure on the tower.

Perhaps there was another way to greet: take these eager newcomers directly on horseback, speed up the charge halfway, and within ten minutes they could hold the castle owner's ear and ask his dear Heavenly Father why he didn't help to watch over him.

This rude thought only stayed in my mind for a moment, really just a moment.

As the leader of the Knights, a compassionate and devout man, of course he would not do such a thing to the Lord's believers, but it did not prevent him from showing a relaxed smile from the heart.

The defenseless and plump sheep showed that there were no wild beasts around to pose a threat at all times, at least not on the surface.

The tall and steep mountains surrounded this outdoor paradise. The pass where they were currently located was actually more suitable for building a castle. It would be easy to isolate the inside and the outside with half the work, and the cost was just that the mountain range would prevent the castle owner from enjoying most of the sunshine in the day.

The twelve members of the Knights had been armed and lined up on horseback. In Kraft's opinion, the level of riding skills still needed to be improved, but compared to the departure, the rugged road section obviously trained the riding skills well, at least there was no need to worry about falling off the saddle when accelerating.

The riders were more restless than the horses under them, and the occasional small movements revealed that they were not as calm as they looked, but the discipline of church education kept the team neat.

Never doubt the desire of a young man who is just starting out to perform when he jumps on a horse and draws a sword.

They didn't have to wait too long, as Redmond soon returned with the steward of the Priyel family and a formal invitation.

"The rookie who accidentally steps into the wheat field will be responsible for paying the bill for the next team dinner." Kraft shouted behind him, and rushed through the pass surrounded by the cheering team.

They didn't encounter anything to show off, only occasionally a farmer looked up from the wheat waves, looking at the strange team passing by in surprise, and their winged Ouroboros emblem.

The heavy metal torrent that felt like it could directly break the castle slowly stopped in front of the fence, forcing the castle owner who came to greet him into a cold sweat.

Kraft could see traces of past exercise on him, but most of them had been buried under his slightly fat body by too long a comfortable life. The pattern of the loose clothes was woven with wings and angel patterns with religious elements, and his movements showed an enviable casualness.

"Welcome, the distinguished guest brought by the Heavenly Father." Baron Priel's attitude was better than expected, just like the typical feeling of fellow believers who are connected by a sense of identity when they meet, as if they were meeting a distant relative whose name they could not remember during the New Year.

"I didn't expect that this place would be remembered by the Holy See one day. Please come in."

The rear convoy personnel were placed in the castle courtyard. The servants carried the long table that had been unused for a long time out to the open air, and served the food directly after a simple wash.

The official members of the Knights followed into the room and exchanged greetings with the host, discussing the bad road conditions and the changeable weather in the mountains.

The baron kindly invited the young group leader to sit side by side with him and share his favorite main course - several meat dishes made from unidentified small animals, seasoned with spices, and did not look like domesticated food.

The other food is essentially the same as outside, including slightly better-made but not much better bread, hastily processed vegetable chowder, cured meats, and a small amount of fishy-smelling dairy products.

Kraft tasted a little as a courtesy and praised the local dishes for returning to nature and using natural ingredients. He cleverly provoked a new topic before the fungus dishes were served, changing the focus from food.

Regarding the change of hands of the monastery and surrounding properties under his care, the Baron did not show any displeasure, but rather looked forward to it, even though these things had been managed by the Priyer family for most of his life.

"When I was a child, the territory was much more lively than it is now. The monastery would purchase daily consumables from us, fruits and vegetables that could not be grown by itself, and wheat for storage and brewing."

"There are priests and monks coming and going, various motorcades, and even traveling merchants who are specially attracted here. Every year there is a market organized by the church nearby."

The slightly fat Baron was very restrained in drinking. Out of the family's religious atmosphere, he only took a few sips of the light home-brewed wheat wine, but the content of his complaints soon reached the level that most people would talk about after drinking Father Adrian's special brew from Port Solace. A long time ago.

Perhaps because there was no outsider to talk to for too long, he talked about the prosperity brought by the church back then, and those memories of the past became more vivid as time went by.

It can be heard that the deepening of the relationship between Priyer and the church is a long process.

"Then, bang, suddenly there was such a year." He clapped his hands and spread them out helplessly, like a burst bubble, "There was nothing. The abbot of the monastery told my father that they were leaving this place."

Even though more than twenty years have passed, he can still see the unpretentious disbelief in his expression, "They just left, leaving the monastery, the surrounding land, and even the unharvested half-ripe wheat in our hands. We do regular cleaning, probably because we are worried that some people with unclean hands and feet will steal something.”

"As you know, our family is a devout believer in Heavenly Father, so we have always sent people to watch and no one has been allowed in. We thought it would return to normal in a few months at most."

"What happened next?"

"Later, this matter and the title were passed to me."

Fortunately, this generation of Baron Priyer is so pious that he regards this as some kind of test and persists to this day. He had been curious, but anyway, there was no need to personally guard it, and there was no need to find out.

"It seems that Heavenly Father has not forgotten his loyal servants, and the Holy See has sent you here." The arrival of the Knights has rekindled the Baron's hope for the future of the territory. In his view, this is undoubtedly a turning point.

Don't worry about anything else. It's obvious that these dozen suits of armor are here to do important things, and they also brought autographed letters signed by the archbishop and multiple bishops.

In fact, this is not wrong. The Knights also need to purchase supplies locally, hire local people to repair buildings, cultivate attached land, and build a large number of facilities. This means considerable tax input and a series of collateral benefits for the local area.

Craft could feel the baron's emotion coming from the heart, and he was pleased that his new neighbor wasn't difficult to get along with, but he wanted to know more than that.

While the guests and hosts were enjoying themselves, the new owner of the monastery asked about the situation of his property: "Thank you for the hospitality. Speaking of which, we will soon have to start taking care of this old building that has not been open for more than 20 years. It will not be easy. , do you have any suggestions?”

"I'm afraid it does take some time." The baron put down the wine glass and put the last piece of sauce-colored meat into his mouth with a piece of bread. "If you don't mind the simple conditions, I will be happy to invite you to stay in the castle temporarily."

"I will tell the man in charge of the garrison to go with you. No one knows it better than them. You can ask anything you want to know."

"Thank you for your help." Kraft silently pushed the dish further away from him and casually mentioned, "Speaking of which, do you know why the monastery was closed back then?"

"Uh... I hadn't started taking over the family work at that time, so I wasn't very clear about it." A trace of embarrassment flashed across the Baron's face as he didn't know much about his family's territory, and he searched for his rare memories to find some content to continue. topic.

"I just remember that some time ago, I heard that there were a few minor accidents in the monastery, but they should not be related."

"Little accident?"

"It seems that the minaret collapsed, and someone unfortunately died early. A certain monk suddenly became seriously ill and passed away. There was also a traveling merchant who delivered goods and made a mistake on the road that he walked countless times. Later, no body was found at the foot of the mountain..."

"I only know about three or four incidents, but similar accidents happen every year, at most they are slightly more frequent." The baron shook his head helplessly. These things were far from being the reason for the church to abandon the monastery.

"Perhaps there will always be a price for building the monastery at a higher place closer to Heavenly Father. You should also pay attention to safety when going up the mountain and be careful of the aging parts of the building. It is best to wait until the repairs are completed before moving in."

"Okay, thank you for the reminder."