The Journey of the Demon Hunter

"Need help?"

Guksat was stunned for a moment. He looked at Zelin for a few seconds, and then returned his gaze to the soup with green cabbage leaves floating in front of him. "No, no need. Our cat school can solve these problems. You are very hospitable, and I should repay you. If you want, I can introduce the descendants of the friend’s family I know to you. I don’t know if he is still Nobles, in the south, there are already many nobles with only one noble title. Their castles are either turned into military camps or sold to big merchants to subsidize their families."

"As long as your friend has not been involved in treason, his title of nobility will continue."

The nobles in the north have always been proud of their family heritage. The oldest Tritog family has ruled Redania for four hundred years, and the Maribo dynasty of Tamoria has ruled for three hundred years. Someone tried to trace their family history back to the Duke and Wazig people in the third century BC, and gravestones that record ancient history can be sold at sky-high prices on the black market. Of course, according to the research of sorcerers and scholars, the two human civilizations that arrived in this land when the celestial spheres crossed for the first time have long been extinct in an unknown disaster, leaving only the majestic tombs and slabs buried in the ground. Rune prophecies, such as the Curse of the Black Sun.

"What's his name? Where is the territory located? I haven't learned about the noble fiefs of Tamoria for a while."

"Well, let me think about it." Guksart picked up the glass and drank all the beer in it. "Oh, yes. I've inquired on the way that the title of the Tran family has been inherited to another person. I remember his name is..."

He thought for a while, then stretched out his finger.

"I remember, Count Linus Maravel."

Earl of Malaville.

Zelin had no impression of the earl. But he knew that he, like another well-known Baron Kimber, was a member of the Royal Commission of Tamoria, composed of representatives from the nobility, mages, the army, and the church. The Earl of Maravill was one of them. One, but compared to the other members of the Royal Commission, the earl is notorious. People usually accuse him of apostasy, disrespect for the priest, and don’t know what humility is. The earl spends most of his time in his castle. , Rarely leave the territory. Some people say that he studied the magic of immortality in the castle. The only reason why Foltest invited him to join the Royal Commission is that he has the fourth-ranked territory among the many nobles of Tamoria, second only to The King, Prince Island and Baron La Varetti.

Zelin didn't have much interest in this nobleman, but he still decided to go with Guksat. The first is the way, this road also leads to the Mahakam Mountains in the east, and the second is curiosity, he really wants to know this hidden cat school of demon hunters. There are many demon hunters of the cat school in the mainland. Zelin thought it might be a member of the cat school in the past for many reasons, but now it seems that over the years, there is still an academy that secretly cultivates new demon hunters. It's just that Guxart doesn't like to talk about the college outside.

In the afternoon, they rode along the country road to the earl’s castle. But before sunset, they were forced to stop.

There was a barricade across the path leading to the castle. A long wooden stick was placed on a tripod to block the way. Two soldiers with spears stood behind the barricade. They were militiamen with only one belt on their bodies. He was wearing a buttoned leather jacket, and a helmet that looked like a buttoned iron pan. The Maravill family logo swayed lazily in the humid air.

"Indicate your identities, knights." A militiaman raised his hand at the demon hunter who was riding up. "This is the territory of the Earl of Malaville. You can't pass."

Chapter 1775: Earl of Maravill

"Why are there roadblocks? Who gave the order?" Zelin asked in surprise, while holding the hilt of the sword under the cloak. "Has the war affected here? A few days ago, I heard that the king's army was leading the march towards Baron La Valetti."

"There is no war." The guard paused. "There is no plague either. Your Excellency counts forbid anyone to approach, no one will do."

"Why here? Are there roadblocks elsewhere?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know." The guard shrugged. "The order I received is to come here, set up roadblocks, and not allow anyone to pass."

"How can I get there?"

"Look at the earl's order."

Zelin looked at Guksat, hoping to get some news from him. If the Earl of Malaville insists on blocking a few roads, he can only choose detours. As for the reasons, who would expect to do these things for any reason, just like no one would run to the door and ask Zelin why he set up such a large warehouse next to the castle, and locked the door every day to prevent anyone from entering, too. There is no cargo going in or out. That was his land. He bought it from Elder Hogg with money, and did whatever he wanted. The same is true for the land of Count Malaville.

"You can go and tell the earl." Guksart leaned forward. "His father's friend came to visit him, it was Guksat of Kagan."

"The earl is not there." The soldier yawned. "How could I see the earl, maybe he will come here to patrol until night, and then you will be able to see him."

Zelin's gaze rested on the soldier's hood, which was relatively wide, and it didn't match his cheeks. Zelin didn't have the habit of wearing a big hat. It would cover his eyes. There was a custom like this in the past. Everyone was proud of a loose hat, even if he had to waste a lot of time arranging the brim of his hat and looking down at the road. Until one day, a child said that this kind of hat looked silly, so many people agreed, and the trend changed from wearing a wide hat to wearing a tall hat. But just like Zelin doesn't like being covered with eyes, the biggest advantage of loose clothing is that it can cover many things.

"Your colleague is guarding the roadblock here. We will not force it through. Why can't you trot to the castle on the opposite hillside and tell your master or the count's housekeeper that a friend is coming to visit him, or not a friend, It's a demon hunter who wants to ask him something, and it won't delay him too long." Guksat said. "It's very simple, and we are coming from the direction of Vizima. If we want to make a detour, we must be in the forest of Island tonight..."

"Are you a half-elf?" Zelin asked suddenly.

"What?" The guard subconsciously clenched the weapon. "What are you talking about?"

"No, just thinking of the half-elves I've seen in Vizima's non-human zone." Zelin shrugged. "A joke."

"This is not a joke," the guard said dryly.

"Yes, it's not a joke just like cheating two demon hunters." Zelin murmured, shook his head. "I don’t think there are three other people behind a barricade. I’m curious, you are not robbers, otherwise a few people should have died now, but why are you setting up barricades here? Who are you waiting for? Or do you want to prevent people from approaching? The castle of the Count of Malaville? What happened in the Count’s territory? Not a war, not a plague, but to prevent the rider from passing."

"What are you talking about? We follow the earl's orders."

"If all of us can be more honest, we can avoid a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings. Maybe I can give you advice and help on what to do." Zelin rubbed his fingers. "For example, if I were to hide in the bushes, I would never wear a loose brown robe, which would look as conspicuous as someone dumped garbage on the ice during the day."

"Oh, everyone said that the demon hunter has a pair of inhuman eyes and can see things that ordinary people can't pay attention to. Now it seems that the rumors are true." A slightly bloated man stood behind a tree Come out and follow the four guards in iron armor. On the chin under the thick eyebrows and small eyes, there is a handful of neatly trimmed beards, the short shredded hair on top of the head is neatly crafted, and the well-made brown shirt is overlaid with a red wool jacket. The jacket didn't look so fit, and the buttons underneath seemed to be pushed apart by the beer belly. The collar is decorated with exquisite hollow patterns. Although it does not look so glamorous, this dress is not affordable for ordinary people. "But there are four people around me, you didn't see the fourth one, did you?"

"No, I didn't actually see any of them." Zelin tilted his head. "I just talked casually, and you came out in the end."

The man laughed loudly when he heard it.

"Don't make things difficult for my guards. They do follow my orders." The man waved his hand. "I'm just not sure, who is the person who came, and who belongs to that side. Get off the horse, Guksat, you haven't been to Temoria for almost ten years, and I can't remember you anymore. It looks like now. And you, Demon Hunter, come down. You guys, quickly move the roadblock away."

"Linus." Guksart rolled off his horse and stepped forward. "Is blocking the road your newest form of entertainment?"

"No, of course not, there is a reason, but we should come to my castle first, and we will elaborate on it." Count Maravill said to Zelin. "If I'm not mistaken, you are the demon hunter Zelin at Mahakam Castle? Oh, I thought the king has called you to fight for him."

"Why does everyone think I am fighting for Foltest?" Zelin frowned. "I thought it was just a rumor from a few people."

"Because you did help the king more or less in your battles. This is a rumor, but not a few people. Many people say that, and in Vizima's riots, you helped Foltai Stable calmed the chaos of the mutants. Baron Abbott hates you to death, but don't worry, he is in jail now, and the Royal Commission is discussing his title."

The earl made an inviting gesture to them.

"But rather than fighting for the king, I like to say, fighting for Tamoria and the people who live here. Come on, whether you plan to stay here or not, Demon Hunter, please allow me to invite you to Come to rest in my castle. If there is nothing urgent, let’s go on the road tomorrow. I'm ready for dinner."

The first thousand seven hundred and seventy-six chapters are different

The castle of the Earl of Malaville is located on a large hillside. Standing on the balcony of the main castle building, you can clearly overlook the forest and grassland below, as well as several villages near the castle in the distance. The guards slowly pulled up the suspension bridge in the night, lit the torches everywhere in the castle, and lined up in front of the kitchen to receive today's dinner.

"A demon hunter, who might assassinate someone in the north?" Maravill's hand holding the wine glass froze in mid-air, looking at Guksat in surprise. "I don't understand. This is not a funny joke. This is a serious accusation. There was a conspirator in the north who hired an assassin to remove political enemies. Some time ago, after such a terrible murder in the Royal Castle of Vizima, you These words will hurt many people's nerves. If there is no definite evidence, it would be too hasty to make such an accusation by relying only on the words of the demon hunter."

"I don't like joking about such important things." Guksart shook his head. "I came to the north precisely for this. Bren stole armor and weapons that did not belong to him. He would use them to assassinate, and possibly even plant it on the heads of all demon hunters. He did not leave. It took me a long time to catch up. I believe that no matter who he intends to assassinate, he has not had time to do it."

The earl enthusiastically entertained two demon hunters, mainly Guksat, who had crossed with his family seventy years ago. Although no one can tell their exact age in the Demon Hunter, Zelin inferred from a few words that Guxart may be much older than him. When the earl entertained the family's friends, Zelin focused on the decoration of the castle. An artistic wine bottle from Tousent, a handicraft statue from Ebin, a flying eagle, a silk tapestry from Martina, on which a picture of a merchant ship sailing through the Gate of the Sun in the port of Nilfgaard Scenery. On the shelf, he saw at least five books about empire, from political system to history to humanities and customs.

"You can warn the nobles here and ask them to be careful. If you can find Bren in advance, you can tell me. My friends and I will deal with him." Guksart put down the roasted rabbit legs in his hands, looking Serious. "He is very dangerous. You send ordinary soldiers to deal with him. You just send people to die."

"The people of the Royal Commission won't believe me. In their eyes, the testimony of the demon hunter is not as good as the two hounds under his feet." The earl took up the handkerchief and belched gracefully. "Instead of asking me and you to warn them, it is better to find a priest or priest. They are always rushing to empty warnings and predictions. But sincere and eager warnings are ignored. I dare say, I will tell. They will agree to this matter, and then when I step out of the castle, they will wonder if I will use this to frame them."

"Sounds like a pessimist statement."

"However, I'm just stating an objective fact." Maravill opened his hands. "You live in the north, the demon hunter, you understand the situation in Temalia. Look at the atmosphere of my motherland over the years. It is full of fear and cruelty, cold as stone, and the atmosphere and thinking have become dark and cruel. Every time. Everyone is thinking about a little bit of petty profit, and even wise advice will be labeled with the worst suspicion. Am I wrong? From the nobles of the Royal Commission to the farmers in the fields. The thinking is rigid, people prefer to spend time. I wasted thinking about how to scam money, and I didn’t want to take a second look at the books they threw on the ground as rubbish.”

Zelin raised the wine glass in his hand. "There are not many people who think like you, count. You are from Osenfurt College, right?"

"No, I have never entered the academy, but I saw that somewhere, people overshadow ignorance with reason and replaced human favor with law, so I realized that my motherland has already suffered in this dark and repressive atmosphere. It's been too long." Maravill touched the small beard on his chin, with a hint of helplessness in his voice. "In this world, the more I see, the more bleak the future of my motherland will be."

"You are not the same as your colleague, count." Zelin put his gaze on the bookshelf again. He found that some books describing the South were not so easy to find at Osenfurt College. "Very different."

"I thank the gods for making me dissimilar to them. The reason why I took the lead in pointing out the shortcomings of the motherland is because I love it, and these shortcomings are not a few. And other people hate me, because I not only do not have the same customs and beliefs as them. , And kept accusing them."

"For example?"

"Hypocrisy, superstition, ignorance, lack of knowledge, do I need to say more?"

"No, enough."

"Just take your demon hunters as an analogy. The gods know that we are suffering from the raging beasts, the monsters conceived by magic before the celestial spheres meet, and the demons who jump out of the rotting swamp and the abyss of the earth after the celestial spheres meet. I have nothing to do. It is suspected that the civilization of the Daukes and Wozigs was extinct because of the terrible magical disasters, and the Verrans, who are located in the ancient city of Lomune, are full of traces of magic. But now we want to. Opposing magic, or treating magic as a tool that can be used at will, I guess the same was true of human civilization three thousand years ago before its extinction. Therefore, in the slate they left behind, there are a lot of prophecies similar to the curse of the black sun. I suspect that this is not a prophecy. This is history that happened in the past. A certain monster called the evil **** Lilith destroyed everything. A demon born from the body of a young girl under the effect of magic."