“True or not, isn’t it up to us to go find out for ourselves?” Lina shrugged, her tone casual.
Karen furrowed his brows tightly, his expression extremely serious.
“You can’t just say that! If this turns out to be true, it would shake the entire continent. Besides, the Dragonkin in the Northern Border have been acting more and more conspicuously lately. For all we know, they’ve caught wind of something too.”
“Dragonkin, huh?” Lina curled her lip, dismissively. “No matter how much that bunch fusses, it won’t matter. That’s something that belongs to us humans. Do you really think our Ancestor would just hand such a treasure over to another race?”
“Lady Lina, you’re still too optimistic.” Karen’s expression darkened, his voice somewhat stubborn.
“All right, all right, Karen, you’re just too rigid.” Lina waved her hand, signaling him to drop it. “I’m keeping an eye on things. All you have to do is have my back.”
“Wait a moment!” Anya, who hadn’t managed to get a word in edgewise, finally found a chance to interrupt.
Both gazes landed on her at once. Lina tilted her head and blinked.
“What’s wrong, little Anya?”
“You two have been talking about things I don’t understand since just now. Can you… explain it to me?” There was a hint of helplessness in Anya’s tone.
Karen was just about to speak, but Lina shoved him aside and leaned in toward Anya with a giggle.
“This is a long story, so let me be the one to tell you, Anya!”
Karen had no choice but to stand by and watch as Lina, full of excitement, got ready to speak.
“A long time ago, humans weren’t as powerful as we are now, nor had we developed into the Holy Light Empire you see today.” Lina cleared her throat, her speech slowing.
“But back then, there was a genius Blacksmith who, legend has it, forged an Artifact and presented it to the King of humanity at the time. It was during that period that humanity’s status finally began to rise; we were no longer a weak race for others to trample. But the good times didn’t last—when the King passed away, that Blacksmith, afraid the Artifact would fall into the hands of another race, Sealed it away in a place no one knows. As for himself, he vanished without a trace.”
“So… that Artifact is in the Northern Frontier?” Anya’s eyes widened slightly, a bit of surprise showing in them.
“We can’t be sure yet. We’ll only know for certain once we go and see for ourselves.” Lina replied with a smile.
Anya nodded thoughtfully, then asked in confusion, “Why are you telling me this? It doesn’t really matter whether I know about it or not, does it?”
“Of course it matters!” Lina clapped her hands. “I plan to have you lead our Third Knight Order into those mountains to investigate.”
Anya glanced at Lina, then at Karen, and finally pointed at herself, her face full of confusion.
Me? Seriously?
“Don’t make that face, Anya. You make it look like I’m bullying you.”
“Anya.” Karen suddenly spoke, his tone deepening. “Actually, when Lady Lina first told me she wanted to explore that suddenly quaking Snow Mountain, I wanted you to guide us. But now… I’m a bit hesitant.”
“Hey, Karen!” Lina immediately glared at him, a trace of grievance in her voice. “Don’t you trust me? Think I can’t protect your precious daughter?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Lady Lina.” Karen raised both hands, looking helpless. “But does Anya really need to get involved in this? The Dragonkin’s movements are still unclear. This is too risky. If an Artifact really does appear, how will you have the energy to handle anything else?”
“No, Father, I want to go.” Anya suddenly interrupted, her gaze especially resolute. “I’m close to breaking through to Tier Three, and I want to get some real combat experience.”
Lina and Karen both froze, clearly not expecting her to agree so quickly.
“As expected of the girl I’ve had my eye on! So brave!” Lina didn’t care what kind of face Karen was making, she grabbed Anya’s hand and shook it, grinning from ear to ear.
“Anya, this journey will really be dangerous. Are you sure you want to go?” Karen walked up to her, looking at his daughter with a complex expression.
“Karen, you really don’t trust your own daughter, do you?” Lina immediately rebutted. “I just tested Anya’s skills. Her reflexes are on par with anyone’s. Even among our Knight Order, few can match her level.”
She paused, then added, “Even though she only drew her sword once, I could tell her Swordsmanship foundation is rock solid.”
Seeing both of them like this, Karen had no choice but to spread his hands, tacitly giving his consent.
Actually, Kasan had already reported to him that Anya’s Swordsmanship had been improving, but hearing Lina give such high praise was still a surprise.
You had to know, Lina looked young, but in Swordsmanship, she was one of the best in the Holy Light Empire. Even more impressive, she was both a mage and a warrior, a rare Swordmaster in the entire Empire.
“Just be careful, Anya.” Karen sighed, looking every bit the doting Father reluctant to see his daughter leave.
“I will, Father.” Anya suddenly smiled, her tone much gentler than when she’d first seen Karen. “I’m already grown up, aren’t I?”
Looking at his daughter, Karen felt like she seemed more confident than before, no longer the timid little girl she used to be. Maybe, letting her go out and temper herself really was a good thing.
“Then it’s settled—we set out the day after tomorrow, Anya!” Lina made the decision, then turned and glanced at Karen. “Karen, you’re in charge of our lodgings these two days. I’m not spending my own allowance on some inn.”
The corner of Karen’s mouth twitched, a bit speechless. “Lady Lina, your monthly salary is already high enough. Why are you being so frugal? And are you sure it’s okay for you to let the knights roam freely in the Northern Frontier?”
“Mind your own business!” Lina pouted, puffing up angrily. “Where they go before a Mission is their own freedom. My money isn’t for things like this. Hurry up and arrange rooms for us, or I’ll make a fuss!”
“All right, Lady Lina, I’ll get right on it.” Karen could only swallow his frustration and go find the Auckland Family’s maids to arrange the rooms.
“Make sure it’s close to Anya’s room!” Lina shouted after him.
With that, she pulled Anya along. “Come on, Anya, show me what your room looks like!”
“That’s not really a good idea.” Besides Iris and Yisha, not many people had ever seen her room.
“What’s wrong with that? Anya, you’re too stingy.”
Without waiting for her answer, Lina dragged Anya out of the hall.
“Wuaaah… so comfy!”
Iris stretched out with a big yawn, eyes following the others as they hurried away, her white hair a tangled mess.
She scratched her head, looking utterly bewildered.
“Did I… miss something interesting?”