321: Chapter 157 Life Intersections_2 321: Chapter 157 Life Intersections_2 Upon seeing the severed head of the Mire Giant Troll, Sir Sambu, slightly surprised, examined it and then promptly paid the reward, thanking this genuine foreign Ranger Knight.
With the bounty collected, Larian couldn’t contain his longing and quickened his pace to return to the inn.
Although the separation was brief, things were different now than at the beginning when he braved the world alone.
Two or three days deep in the forest had made the young knight in love feel as if years had dragged by.
After arranging for the care of his horse with an outside stable attendant, Larian was just pushing open the inn’s main door on the first floor, when he saw Magrina daydreaming in the hall and the attendant standing guard next to her.
Magrina, who had been anxiously awaiting her partner’s return, looked towards the entrance and saw Larian; her furrowed brows finally relaxed, and she immediately rushed over to greet her lover returning safe and sound.
“You’re finally back…
Are you hurt?” Magrina asked with concern.
“No, don’t be afraid.
It was a piece of cake for me,” declared Larian as he sat down with her, proudly recounting to his beloved how he had easily disposed of the malevolent creature.
He had easily tracked the monster’s undisguised footprints.
Though the Mire Giant Troll was terrifyingly strong as a Living Corpse, it had even fewer vulnerabilities.
But it was much stupider than the books had recorded, and there was no need for a tough fight.
He led it to a rugged steep slope, seized the high ground, and with Moonlight’s keen edge, he managed to decapitate it without much effort.
But listening to him speak and observing the calmness of Larian’s expression, Magrina still couldn’t alleviate her growing concern.
She did not object to her partner exterminating monsters and upholding his vows; that was one of the reasons she had fallen in love with him.
However, understanding aside, this did little to ease the anxiety in her heart.
Ever since embarking on their elopement, she no longer had to wait long periods for her beloved, who traveled far and wide, to return and share his noble deeds and experiences.
Having become accustomed to his daily companionship, she suddenly realized that she was increasingly unable to bear the waiting when faced once more with the reality of Larian braving dangers alone.
Along their journey, the monsters Larian dealt with on commission were merely snakes, bugs, and the like, nothing too alarming.
But the last time, when he was supposed to catch a thief, it turned out to be a dangerous assassin, and that had left her somewhat frightened.
Now, going after a massive troll?
In just a short span of two or three days, she tossed and turned every night, unable to stop her wild thoughts, terrified something might truly keep her love from returning…
But what could she do about it?
She didn’t want to make him betray the lifelong creed of a Ranger Knight for her caprice and forsake his lifelong beliefs.
If only, each time Larian fought evil, he could have companions to assist each other.
Alas, why were there so few Ranger Knights in the world now?
The young lady from the Salain Family couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
For the sake of leaving someone to protect her, Larian was even reluctant to bring his sole loyal attendant along.
Her mind wandered back to the hunting rides of her father and brothers.
The sight of the family cavalry escorting the noble, that scene alone could reassure her…
How wonderful it would be if she could have so many comrades fighting alongside her lover all the time.
Although their destination was to seek out one of Larian’s old Ranger Knight comrades with whom he had traveled far and wide.
Yet the distance to the Dinexion Kingdom was still unknown…
In the Selva night, after dinner, Leon led Olivia back to their room and presented her with some documents.
“Over two hundred Gold Coins a year, half of which is your money.
Now you’re making more than even Lokhak and Azeryan’s fief income.
If it weren’t for the half that’s mine, I’d be making less than you,” Leon joked without exaggeration.
Considering the ratio of income to expenses, he and his two fellows, once the military construction was completed, were about to fall into severe fiscal deficits as “super debtors.”
Looking at the ledger, the fully staffed army had funds estimated to last only 18-20 months at most.
So among the residents of the three territories, it was the little heiress in front of him who, with an annual salary and apple orchard totaling 163 Gold Coins, temporarily ascended to the throne as the top earner in the Three Kingdoms, a cause for celebration.
it’s even higher than your fief incomes,” Olivia exclaimed in surprise.
But what touched her more deeply were the names listed side by side as owners of the apple orchard…
Feeling the indescribable joy of something shared between them, the young lady’s heart swelled with happiness.
“You saved a Baroness, so how could this thank-you gift be considered too much?
Anyway, when we have some free time, I’ll take you there for a stroll.
That’s the dowry Lady Adelina gave you,” Leon said with a laugh.
He looked again at the documents, assessing the estate’s annual yield…
With the apple orchard ensuring a steady supply of raw materials, they could consider hiring relevant staff in the future and venturing into brewing cider.
Although he wasn’t cut out for business, fortunately, he had people beside him who knew more about it.
Lady Martha, for example, might know a thing or two; he’d have to talk it over with her and Azeryan in detail on how to maximize the output and profit of the apple orchard.
“Look, there’s also a manor in that orchard.
In the future, if I ever make you angry, please don’t move there and separate from me,” Leon said jokingly, pointing to the line item on the document.