Chapter 44: Lady Whent's Gift of Gratitude

Under the insistence of Steward Richard, Desmond reluctantly took on the role of commander.

Arthur had no objections either; in any case, he was not a good commander, and the original owner had never received any relevant education.

Acting as commander rashly would only ruin things.

Led by several Whent soldiers familiar with the terrain and the situation of the wild boar pack, nearly thirty warriors set out, advancing toward their destination.

Harrenhal was truly the largest castle in the Seven Kingdoms; even after walking a long distance, they were still within the stone-built structures.

The surroundings were quite silent, with the sound of over twenty pairs of leather boots colliding with the road surface being the primary source of noise.

Because no one walked on the road, and the sunlight was not very sufficient, it was covered in moss and unknown weeds.

This caused them a certain degree of difficulty, as it was easy to slip.

"It should be just ahead, everyone be careful," the Whent soldier whispered a reminder.

"I'll take the lead; I have great strength and can withstand the boar's charge," Arthur proposed.

His weapon was still the Great Hammer captured from Santaga, which was perfect for dealing with wild boars that had thick hides and high defense.

"You should stay back a bit; it wouldn't be good if you got hurt," Steward Richard said solicitously.

Patrick also agreed with Richard's words, "Exactly, don't think your pretty face is effective against wild boars."

Desmond knew Arthur's strength and ignored the two men's words, saying to Arthur, "I also think it's better for you to take the lead."

Thus, the Bracken moved to the front.

Behind him, Richard was saying uneasily, "Is he reliable? What if he gets knocked over by the wild boar?"

Patrick was also worried about his newly acquainted friend, "You really shouldn't push yourself; let the strong soldiers be in front."

"Why do you have so little confidence in me?" Arthur looked back and retorted to them.

He was, at the very least, a man who could swing a Great Hammer; just looking at the hammer in his hand, they shouldn't look down on him like this.

Just then, a snorting sound came, and then the ground began to vibrate.

"Careful!" someone called out a warning.

"Arthur, hurry and dodge."

"Aim, shoot, shoot the boar's head."

"Lean against the wall, keep the formation."

All sorts of shouts were incessant.

Arthur looked back and discovered a terrifyingly sturdy black boar charging toward him at extreme speed.

Its long tusks flashed with white light; judging by its momentum and the sound it made, it seemed capable of knocking any ordinary person into two pieces.

But unfortunately, Arthur was not an ordinary person.

He dodged toward the wall, then seized the moment, exerted strength throughout his body, lifted the Great Hammer, and smashed it down with great force, striking the boar's head heavily.

The soldiers behind had not yet had time to fire their arrows when they saw the wild boar, sliding several meters from its own momentum, collapse.

Patrick boldly walked toward the fallen wild boar, and after seeing the miserable state of the poor animal's head, he immediately gasped in shock.

The boar's head was already caved in by a large chunk, with white brains and dark red blood mixing together and slowly flowing out.

The boar's hooves and body were still twitching; it looked like it wasn't quite dead.

"Arthur, is your strength god-given? How is it so ridiculously great?" Patrick looked at Arthur with eyes full of admiration.

Both handsome and powerful, he was truly a perfect friend.

Steward Richard had also been quite frightened when the boar charged over, but at this moment, he pretended he had long expected such a scene: "I knew that with Mr. Arthur here, only the wild boar would get hurt."

Desmond was quite calm; he had seen the scene where Arthur hammered a man to death with one blow, and he felt not a ripple of emotion regarding this.

"Alright, those who haven't loaded their bolts, load them; the rest stay alert. We will rest for a while before moving forward."

Unfortunately, the plan of the Riverrun Master-at-arms was ruthlessly shattered by reality.

The remaining wild boars appeared together at the intersection ahead. After both sides—over thirty pairs of human eyes and boar eyes—stared at each other for a while, the boar pack launched a revenge for their fallen companion.

"Run to the turn behind," Arthur reacted the fastest.

Because only in this way could they avoid the boars' charge and then launch a counterattack.

Although the people behind him did not have this awareness, they still performed the action Arthur wanted:

They turned and ran.

Arthur now understood a little why fewer than ten wild boars could run rampant in Harrenhal.

With three large wild boars, their bodies covered in hardened mud, brandishing large white tusks, boar pressing against boar as they charged along the straight road, anyone who saw them would want to run.

Was one supposed to stay in place and let them ram you half to death?

Fortunately, the turn was not far; the group ran there in a chaotic mess and hurriedly lifted the crossbows in their hands.

By the time the first rank of wild boars used their hooves to scrape out several marks to brake, they were met by nearly twenty crossbow bolts.

At such close range, the armor-piercing effect was ridiculously good; these three wild boars clearly were not going to survive.

The remaining five wild boars, however, were not easy to deal with.

Because the reloading time for the crank crossbow was too long, by the time the soldiers fired their first bolt, the boars behind had already rounded the turn.

Arthur swung his Great Hammer and finished off the boar closest to him, but the remaining four had already charged again.

In an instant, seven or eight soldiers had been knocked over; although the rest picked up their swords and started hacking, the armor-piercing effect was clearly not very good.

They only left a few bleeding gashes on the wild boars, failing to make them lose their mobility.

The wild boars retreated to the corner, preparing to charge again.

Seeing this, Arthur hurriedly swung his Great Hammer and went to work.

In the shocked eyes of the crowd, Arthur took them out one by one, finishing off three wild boars.

After being bumped by the last wild boar, the God of Hammers broke its spine, ending its life.

"You are truly too heroic," Steward Richard put on a flattering expression.

Patrick had just wanted to compliment Arthur, but suddenly remembering the matter of the Pumpkin Hammer, he realized that what he and Desmond had said was the truth, and he couldn't help but gasp in cold air again:

"With such innate divine strength, I actually failed to notice it."

Arthur, however, paid no mind to their flattery and turned to deliver one final hammer blow to the last wild boar.

Finishing off the enemy after battle—this lesson that Prince Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper, had paid for with his life, he would certainly never forget.

【Task: Help Harrenhal eliminate the wild boar herd completed. Experience +500, Harrenhal family favor +5】

After the group tidied up a bit, they returned to the living quarters.

In the view of Westerosi nobles, wild boar meat is prone to causing illness, so it is not considered good food.

Moreover, Harrenhal's food supply is very stable, so there is no need to eat such meat.

From the perspective of Arthur's modern soul, the nobles were doing the right thing; pigs carry too many bacteria, viruses, and parasites, so eating them is indeed not good.

"I want to reward Ser Arthur for so fearlessly beating six wild boars to death." Upon learning that they had wiped out the menace and that Arthur had contributed greatly, Lady Whent stated this.

"I suggest you give Mr. Arthur a Greatsword; that Great Hammer does not quite match his handsome image," Richard suggested.

Arthur did not know what the reward from Harrenhal would be, but he still looked forward to it.

After all, although Harrenhal is somewhat in decline now, it is still a wealthy noble house worth mentioning, and there are many good things in the family vault.

Lady Whent thought for a moment, "Go and bring the New Moon."

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)