Chapter 40: Grim News

After a whole month of sleepless, food‑forgetting study and practice, his effort finally paid off.

Now he can forge weapons of ordinary quality.

When he first succeeded in forging a longsword, its sharp blade and sleek blade caused a sensation throughout the camp.

Everyone cast admiring glances at him; no one expected that this apprentice knight, who had only focused on cultivation and combat, would also display astonishing talent in forging.

Without exaggeration, the weapons in the hands of the four members of Robin's squad are all made by Robin, each one proving that his forging skill has reached the highest standard of a territorial blacksmith.

When Eric and Lily returned to the camp carrying fine wine and bread, humming a tune, they saw Robin hunched over, concentrating on carefully placing the two hard‑won pulleys into oil to soak.

That focused expression made it seem as if the pulleys before him were the most precious treasures in the world.

"What messy thing are you forging now?" Eric's curiosity was instantly piqued; he quickened a few steps, leaned beside Robin, stared tightly at the two pulleys faintly visible in the oil, and asked with a puzzled look.

Robin didn't rush to answer, just smiled, then lifted the four pulleys from the oil one by one—two large, two small—and placed them before Eric and Lily.

The two stared at the oddly shaped pulleys, faces full of question marks, exchanging glances, unable to fathom what new contraption Robin was up to this time.

"Let's eat first!" Robin straightened up, wiped his oil‑stained hands with a rag, and said gently.

To him, good food and companions are equally important; the forging can wait.

"Exactly, eating is the greatest!" Hearing that, Eric perked up instantly, grabbed Lily's arm, and strode toward the stove.

At the same time, he didn't forget to call Tomson to bring dishes; his cheerful demeanor seemed to herald a grand feast.

For a moment, the camp was filled with the aroma of delicacies, laughter and chatter echoed in the air, and the earlier worries about the wizard and the forging doubts were cast far into the clouds.

The days before had been like a gentle pastoral ballad, leaving Robin completely satisfied.

High‑level battles were beyond their reach; low‑level troubles couldn't threaten them.

Training, forging, and eating, drinking, chatting with companions day by day was a plain yet flavorful life.

But with the arrival of those foreign lords, the once‑calm lake surface was struck by a giant stone, raising thousand‑fold waves, and the situation began to change quietly.

That day, Robin, as usual, completed an intense training session, his whole body drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of water.

He casually lifted a bucket of water and, without a word, poured it over his head; instantly, the cool sensation dispelled fatigue and heat, reviving his spirit.

While he was leisurely shaking his wet hair, a sudden frantic footstep rang out.

Turning his head, he saw Tomson rush in in a panic; running too fast, he stumbled and flailed forward, falling clumsily to the ground.

"Robin, something's happened!" Tomson couldn't bother to stand, crawling toward Robin with a face full of terror and urgency, his voice trembling with a sob, "Lily was beaten badly!"

Robin's smile froze on his face, his eyes flashing; the previously lazy gaze now ignited with fierce anger, and his aura suddenly grew sharp.

He grabbed Tomson's collar, hauled him up from the ground, and asked slowly, "What's going on? Who did it?"

Tomson, voice choked, stammered the events: "Those foreign lords' knights caused trouble; a young knight took a liking to Lily, and Lily refused him. He became enraged on the spot and tried to act. Eric was right there with Lily, so he couldn't just watch; he immediately led the camp's knight apprentices over, but the opponent outnumbered them and surrounded them at once.

Fortunately the fight hadn't fully broken out yet; everyone thought it would just end there. But that knight later called three more knights to stir trouble. They didn't ask questions and directly battered Eric and Lily, especially Lily—they hit her especially hard!"

As Tomson spoke, tears welled in his eyes, his voice trembling with anger and anxiety.

"Where is the Malizi Knight Captain?" Robin suppressed his fury, his voice low, each word seeming to scrape from his teeth.

Tomson, face full of despair, answered with a sob, "When the Malizi Knight Captain learned of it, he immediately took men to confront that knight, but who could have guessed the other side's knights blocked the road. Later we heard that the young knight who injured Lily turned out to be Lord Valentin's son."

"Where is the Damia Great Knight Leader?" Robin now realized the matter was far more serious than he'd imagined.

"He was summoned by Lord Buluote, and hasn't been seen since," Tomson said helplessly, shaking his head, eyes full of helplessness.

Robin's body swayed slightly, as if the news struck him hard. But soon he steadied himself, a flash of resolve crossing his eyes.

Without a word, he snatched his clothing and, heart racing, sprinted toward Lily's house.

All the way, images of Lily possibly injured flashed in his mind, his anger burning hotter, his steps growing faster.

With the great enemy looming, the threat of the Black-robed Wizard forced Lord Buluote to weigh pros and cons.

In Lord Buluote's eyes, a conflict between a commoner‑born knight apprentice Lily and the son of Lord Valentin, a formal knight, was trivial.

Under the current situation, his primary concern was forging alliances with other lords; jointly confronting the Black-robed Wizard was paramount.

After all, the Black-robed Wizard's atrocities had seriously threatened their shared territorial safety; at this critical moment, any factor that might break the alliance must be eliminated.

Therefore, he planned to quietly suppress the incident, settle it peacefully, and avoid sparking larger contradictions that could affect the campaign against the Black-robed Wizard.

As for the injustice Lily suffered, it had already been placed in a secondary position in Lord Buluote's calculations.

On the scales of power and profit, sometimes sacrifices are necessary, and this little commoner knight apprentice seemed destined to become a casualty of that balance.

Robin's heart raced as he sprinted, kicking up clouds of dust beneath his feet.

When he finally reached Lily's house and slammed the door open, a heavy scent of medicine hit him.

Inside, Eric lay wounded, slumped helplessly, his gaze empty as he stared at the sickbed, eyes blood‑red, as if he had just endured a desperate struggle.

His clothes were torn, streaks of blood seeped through the fabric's gaps, and his face still bore fresh tear tracks.

Lily lay quietly on the bed, her breath like a fragile thread.

Her once rosy face was now as pale as paper, lips cracked, her faint breathing seemed ready to cease at any moment.

A few tangled strands of hair clung to her sweaty forehead; beneath her closed eyes lay deep dark circles.

Seeing this, Robin's heart felt struck by a heavy hammer, a sharp pain surged through him.

He staggered to the bedside, trembling, gently clasped Lily's cold hand, his voice hoarse, "Lily…".

(End of Chapter)