Early the next morning, Weismar Town was shrouded in a layer of pale gray morning mist.
The air was damp and carried a hint of chill.
The rain had stopped in the middle of the night. Although the road was still somewhat muddy, it was in better condition than yesterday.
Rosie wore her plate armor, covered by the black waterproof cloak Rhine had returned to her, with the hood pulled down to conceal her helmet.
After carefully checking her bags to ensure everything was packed, she swung herself onto Carrot's back.
At the manor's main gate, Daisy was already waiting, holding her horse's reins.
She wore dark hunting gear over light leather armor, with a light crossbow slung across her back and a dagger tucked into her waist.
Daisy was very familiar with the baron's territory; she could not only guide the way but also request assistance from locals along the route in the baron's name.
Seeing Rosie ride out on Carrot, she nimbly mounted her horse.
Rhine and the baron accompanied them all the way to the gate.
“Miss Rosie, I will leave this in your hands,” the baron said. “Daisy, make sure to follow Miss Rosie's instructions.”
Rosie nodded without speaking.
Daisy responded readily, “I understand, My Lord.”
Rhine's gaze held a trace of worry, but she forced a smile. “Miss Rosie, Daisy, please stay safe.”
“Don't worry, My Lady, it's not my first time going into the wilderness.”
Daisy comforted her while casually flicking the reins in her hand.
“We'll be back soon.”
“Let's go.”
Rosie nudged her horse's flanks, and Carrot was the first to charge out of the manor gates, with Daisy following closely behind.
The two of them left Weismar Town behind, traveling along the muddy road.
Under Daisy's guidance, they rode onward.
The road grew progressively worse and narrower, and the brush began to thicken.
Signs of human habitation gradually vanished, replaced by rolling, desolate hills and ridges.
After half a day's journey, Daisy reined in her horse before a slope and pointed to the mountain ridge ahead.
“This is it. Everything in front of us is My Lord's territory.”
Rosie scanned her surroundings from horseback.
The continuous slopes were covered in shrubs and dead grass, with piles of loose rocks scattered randomly across the surface.
The sky was a dull gray, with a few dark clouds hanging low over the peaks, lending the scene a gloomy atmosphere.
“It doesn't look like anything special...” Rosie muttered.
“The terrain here is complex, and there are many wild beasts roaming around, so people rarely come here,” Daisy said.
“What do those people want with this place? It's not suitable for farming, has no minerals, and isn't near any trade routes...”
Rosie looked down at the dirt beneath her feet, then raised her eyes to gaze at the dark gray silhouette of the distant ridge. “Merchants don't do things that aren't profitable,” she said. “Since he chose this place, there must be a reason.”
Pouting, Daisy said, “Poachers occasionally come here, and My Lord usually turns a blind eye. If they wanted to do something in secret, wouldn't blending in with those poachers make them less conspicuous? Why go through the trouble of buying it outright with such fanfare?”
Rosie turned her head to look at her, her tone flat.
“It certainly isn't out of the goodness of their hearts. It must be because it's something they can't do in secret. And things that can't be done in secret are usually far from simple.”
She dismounted Carrot, took the reins, and walked toward the mountain ridge.
“Since we're already here, let's head in and take a look first.”
Daisy also hopped off her horse, holding her reins as she followed.
The mountain paths were far more difficult to traverse than the roads outside.
The brush was thick, and the ground was covered in loose stones and moss. In some places, fallen dead trees blocked their path, forcing them to detour.
The two searched for most of the afternoon but found nothing.
The entire region appeared to be in a state of desolation, seemingly forgotten for many years.
The sky gradually darkened.
A light drizzle began to fall sporadically once more, the temperature dropped slightly, and a damp chill filled the air.
“Let's take a break. It'll be hard to travel once it's fully dark.”
Daisy pointed to a slope ahead.
“The ground over there is relatively flat. We can set up camp.”
“Alright,” Rosie agreed with a nod.
They stopped in a hollow beneath the slope.
Rosie unloaded the bags from Carrot to let the horse rest.
She cut a few branches and leaned them against a large boulder to build a simple lean-to, covering it with a tarpaulin from her pack. While it wouldn't block the wind, it would keep the falling rain off them.
Meanwhile, Daisy gathered some dead branches nearby, scraped off the damp outer layer with her dagger, and skillfully lit a campfire.
The branches smoked at first, but then flames leapt up and gradually stabilized, casting an orange-red glow into the darkening mountain ridge.
She then unhooked a rabbit hanging from her saddle.
She had shot it with her light crossbow earlier that afternoon.
Daisy quickly dressed the rabbit, skewered it with a branch, and propped it up beside the fire.
The firelight danced on her face, painting it in warm hues.
“Can you maids do just about everything?”
Sitting across the campfire, Rosie watched Daisy's practiced movements, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
“Of course not. My family used to be hunters, and I've been hunting with my father since I was a child,” Daisy said. “When my father passed away from illness when I was thirteen, My Lord took me in. He even made me the young lady's personal maid so I could study alongside her.”
“I see. The baron seems like a decent man.”
Daisy nodded. “My Lord is very kind. Whenever the harvest is poor, he takes the initiative to reduce taxes and even helps the poor.”
Rosie didn't reply.
She now understood why Baron Weiss's territory, despite not being small, was not particularly wealthy.
Daisy shifted her gaze from the campfire to the distant, fog-shrouded silhouettes of the mountains.
“If only we could discover a gold mine! Then our Weismar territory would become rich!”
Her voice carried the innocent yearning of a young girl.
Rosie smiled. “Why don't you think about yourself instead?”
“My Lord only has the young lady as his daughter. In the future, she will inherit the territory and become the new lord, and by then, I'll be the housekeeper! Hahaha.”
Daisy laughed, as if she could already see that day.
“Then congratulations to you, future Housekeeper Daisy,” Rosie teased with a smile.
“Thank you for the compliment, Miss Ro—” Daisy's words were cut short.
With a sharp thwack, an arrow shot out from the darkness, cutting through the wind and plunging into her chest.
Her voice ceased instantly. She slowly looked down at the arrow shaft still vibrating slightly in her chest.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Several more arrows whistled through the air from different directions in rapid succession.
Rosie lunged forward, grabbing Daisy's arm to pull the maid behind her while throwing her own body in front as a shield.
The arrows struck Rosie's cloak.
Clang! Clang! Clang! With a series of sharp metallic rings, the arrowheads pierced the fabric of her cloak but were stopped cold by her plate armor, bouncing off and clattering to the ground.
Rosie whipped out her meteoric iron sword, the sudden movement throwing back her cloak to reveal her full plate armor, which gleamed briefly in the firelight.
“Damn it! A knight!”
A low curse echoed from the darkness.
“There's only one of them! Everyone, charge!”
Another voice followed.
The sound of footsteps and rustling branches rose in unison as over a dozen figures emerged from behind the trees and rocks ahead.
Some held bows, while others gripped hunting knives or short spears, closing in on the firelight step by step.
Rosie turned her head, casting a quick glance at Daisy, and asked in a low voice, “How are you?”
Daisy's face was pale, one hand clutching the area around the arrow shaft. “Good thing... I was wearing leather armor...”
She muttered, attempting to pull the arrow out, but a slight movement made her hiss and gasp in pain.
“The arrowhead is stuck in my flesh. It's not deep, but getting it out will be tricky.”
“Hide in the shadows behind me.”
Rosie unclasped her cloak from her shoulders, letting it slide to the ground.
“I'll handle these people.”
Gripping her meteoric iron sword in one hand, she stepped into the deep darkness beyond the reach of the firelight, her iron boots splashing softly in the mud.
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