Chapter 526 – Tar Swamp

This conversation ultimately concluded with Audreylinda resolutely turning and leaving. In the end, the guilt-ridden Bartos lacked the resolve to pursue even a sliver of love at the cost of his life. Seeing that he couldn’t persuade the Female Knight, Bartos ultimately gave Audreylinda two Master-level Spell Scrolls from his personal collection as a gesture of his remorse.

Audreylinda solemnly accepted Bartos’s gift and, following the protocols of a righteous knight, swore that these Scrolls would be used solely for eradicating evil. Every word and action carried the polite yet icy formality one might show when accepting a donation from a stranger.

Thereafter, the Female Knight turned and departed without hesitation.

She didn’t press Bartos further. In Audreylinda’s heart, justice must be pursued through voluntary sacrifice—coercing others was not an act of righteousness. Her anger toward Bartos was merely an outlet for the betrayal of her emotions.

Now, Audreylinda embarked on a journey to hunt down evil, while Bartos—a man devoid of a righteous heart—would no longer have any connection to her. The moment this warrior refused the “righteous adventure,” Audreylinda ceased to regard him as a friend.

Since they were no longer friends, she had no right to criticize Bartos for his escape.

Since they were no longer friends, there was no room for disappointment or indignation in Audreylinda’s heart.

Audreylinda decided to head to the southern region of the Kingdom to track Punk and Kane. Partly because she had seen Kane flying southward, and partly due to an inexplicable intuition.

Audreylinda trusted her intuition. She knew that south of the Bokkat Kingdom lay a Swamp larger than the entire Kingdom itself, and her keen intuition now told her that this southern Swamp was the target of those two “evildoers.”

This intuition felt somewhat unfounded, even slightly eerie, but the Female Knight resolved to follow her judgment. After all, she hadn’t left any markers on Kane or Punk, and without access to divination spells, intuition was all she had to rely on in her quest to find the murderers of her apprentice.

Of course, as a wandering knight, Audreylinda had certainly never heard the secrets of the River of Fate, nor could she know what goals Punk and Kane were pursuing on their journey.

For Audreylinda, she was merely hunting evil—nothing more.

Thus, even though her intuition felt unusually sharp and clear this time, the Female Knight didn’t question it. Though many claimed intuition was unreliable, Audreylinda always trusted her only means of sensing enemies. This time, when a flicker of “intuition” arose in her heart, she harbored no doubts.

Or perhaps… her burning desire for revenge, her profound hatred, and her utter loathing for Kane’s mocking, grinning face were enough to overshadow the last traces of doubt in the Female Knight’s heart.As a wandering knight, Audreylinda didn’t need to pack anything. She simply cleaned her shortsword and shield meticulously before setting off immediately with Claire. The female knight’s destination was precisely the remote location her intuition had whispered to her – the Tar Swamp!

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Female Knight Audreylinda had embarked on her journey, but Punk and Kane, who had already left the Bokkat Kingdom, remained completely unaware.

Especially Kane – he didn’t believe Audreylinda could possibly track them down. After all, the Bokkat Kingdom was vast, and that female knight who clearly knew no divination spells – how could she so “coincidentally” locate their destination? What possible means could she have to pursue them all the way to the area they were heading to next – the “Tar Swamp”?

Therefore, even as they were about to enter that swamp where even the ground and sparse trees were pitch black, Kane’s mood remained light and cheerful.

Recent events had indeed proceeded rather smoothly. The newly found “Second Godchild” had been successfully absorbed and fused by “Smile,” Punk’s divination spell had smoothly detected the presence of a master-level magical creature in this “Tar Swamp” located close to the southern part of the Bokkat Kingdom, and the Bokkat Kingdom with its capital in ruins had wisely refrained from issuing any warrants or harassing the two perpetrators…

Thus, Kane now walked along even humming a tune, looking utterly carefree with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth.

“Kane, I believe you need to maintain sufficient vigilance. Don’t you think things are going a bit too smoothly? When we went to capture the ‘Second Godchild,’ it wasn’t this effortless.”

Seeing Kane’s nonchalant attitude, Punk couldn’t help but frown and offer a reminder.

Constant vigilance was Punk’s motto. With the memories of Grand Arcanist Vedrasha, Punk understood better than anyone the terror of the legendary “River of Fate.” Precisely because of this, even if the so-called “Divinity competition” mechanism was just an unverifiable legend, Punk didn’t dare let his guard down even slightly.

However, Kane didn’t seem to enjoy overly tense adventure conditions. Hearing Punk’s reminder, the knight just scratched his head and replied with a smirk:

“Alright, alright~ Of course this lord knows the importance of vigilance, but you don’t have to be so serious all the time. Sometimes relaxation is necessary too – balance between work and rest! Ever heard of that?”

“No!”

“…Whatever, I’m not discussing this with you. We’re about to enter the Tar Swamp anyway. How about making another pot of rabbit stew before we go in? This lord promises I’ll stay vigilant once we enter that swamp~”

Even at this point, the gluttonous Kane still couldn’t forget his delicious meat stew. Hearing Kane’s request, “Smile” – who had been keeping to herself without bothering Punk or engaging with Kane – now playfully turned her gaze toward Punk.

“Meow~”

Tossing her pink twin tails, “Smile” – who had been seriously practicing shadow energy manipulation just moments before – immediately switched to a mischievous expression and said to Punk:”Rabbit stew is simply delicious, how about making another serving for little old me~ I can give you a passionate kiss as a reward~”

“Stop fooling around! We don’t have much time. If you’re that craving for rabbit meat, you should go back to your Royal Palace chefs, Kane!”

Watching Kane and “Smile” teaming up to act silly, Punk frowned without any trace of amusement.

He ignored Smile’s playful antics, focused entirely on quickly finding their “prey,” Punk turned without pause toward the charred marshland.

Truth be told, Punk was already beginning to regret having made that pot of rabbit stew…

“Tsk tsk tsk~ Cyan, you’re really no fun at all~ Won’t even play along with a little joke. Our little Smile is the cutest by far~”

Shaking his head as he watched Punk’s retreating figure, Kane also set aside his joking manner and followed.

Punk’s response didn’t really surprise Kane. After all, along their journey, they had indeed wasted considerable time accommodating Smile’s poor physical condition and her need for three meals a day – something that would obviously irritate the “time-conscious” Punk greatly.

Hearing Punk’s refusal, Smile didn’t dare continue joking around either. The young girl just made a face at Punk’s back before once again focusing on sensing the shadow energy.

After all, jokes were just jokes, but everyone understood the basics of adventuring.

The more time passed, the greater the potential for unexpected developments, especially during adventures – if possible… they’d better pick up the pace!

Meow~ Please vote

(End of Chapter)