Chapter 88

"Listen, I told you, I'm not the Great Druid you're looking for. I'm just an apprentice, an apprentice!" Zhao Mai had repeated this line more than a hundred times, but he still couldn't shake off the Holy Knight, Hailuor, who was following him.

"I won't bother you," the female knight said with a kind smile, continuously sending a gentle breeze to Zhao Mai, using her astonishing charm to extinguish the druid's anger once again.

What could Zhao Mai do? First, he definitely couldn't fight her. The goddess Iomedae was very enthusiastic about eradicating evil, so she placed great importance on the combat skills of her paladins and priests, never compromising in this area. Therefore, Hailuor, a 7th-level paladin, had real and solid combat capabilities. Zhao Mai, on the other hand, was only 1st level. Even if Hailuor didn't use her longsword, she could still kill him with a single punch...

Second, he couldn't deceive her. Not only did paladins have a strong will and an intuitive ability to detect lies, making it almost impossible to deceive them, but also, every time Zhao Mai saw her beautiful, delicate face, his heart would race, and he would forget all his lies, naturally spilling the truth.

As for running away? The other side had seven people, each with a mount, giving them several times the mobility of Zhao Mai. Even a devil hiding deliberately couldn't escape the eyes of a paladin, let alone Zhao Mai, a druid who couldn't even hide. But to be honest, if there was a chance to escape, Zhao Mai didn't have any plans to do so. Apart from his headache-inducing sister, he had never had a female peer—especially a beautiful one—so "obsessively" attached to him.

He was annoyed, but he also secretly enjoyed it.

"You're hopeless, don't drag me into this," Green said, lying on the counter without even lifting his head. He knew from the footsteps that it was Zhao Mai and Hailuor. "I haven't finished the accounts yet. Your new plan needs a lot of money, and I'm not sure if we have enough."

"Green, you seem unaffected. Teach me something?" Zhao Mai leaned in, placing his hand on the ledger.

Mad Rat sighed, looking at his friend helplessly. Since that night at the tavern, Zhao Mai, who had revealed his extensive knowledge, had been identified by the paladin Hailuor as a Great Druid, and she had been纠缠不清 ever since. Perhaps using the term "entanglement" wasn't quite right, as the two of them were indeed very clear and proper.

"Even if I give you a suggestion, it won't do you any good because you can't use it," Green shook his head, pointing to Zhao Mai's back. "Even your dog has succumbed to her charm. What can you do?"

Zhao Mai turned around and saw Hailuor holding the reserve grain, pointing at its nose. The reserve grain was lying on its back, exposing its belly, always trying to bite the paladin's fingers. But its actions were completely seen through by the knight, and it had never succeeded.

"Dog, dog, silly dog," Hailuor scratched the reserve grain's chin, laughing happily.

"Traitor!" Zhao Mai turned back, continuing to plead with Green, "Whether I can use it or not, you have to tell me."

Green moved Zhao Mai's hand away, lowered his head, and continued to check the accounts. He lowered his eyelids, piercing Zhao Mai's heart, "In the end, you're just too weak. There's nothing you can do."

"You're right, you're absolutely right," Zhao Mai turned around, picked up the reserve grain, and tucked it under his arm. "Lady Hailuor, I'm just a 1st-level druid, very weak, and definitely not the Great Druid you're talking about."

"Hey, the title of Great Druid is an honorary title and has never been tied to strength. Besides, the things you mentioned, I asked the goddess, and they are all true. If you're not the Great Druid, how do you know all this?"

"I... I can't explain it," Zhao Mai stomped his foot hard. Under Hailuor's gaze, he couldn't lie at all, which was extremely uncomfortable. "I've decided, from now on, I won't say anything. Don't waste your time with me."

"Hey, actually, you like having me around, don't you?" Hailuor was very clear about her advantages. All of Iomedae's paladins had learned certain tactical strategies, which they applied skillfully in life and battle. "Don't worry, I won't bother you. I'll show you my sincerity."

Zhao Mai tightly closed his mouth, making a gesture as if tying it with a rope. As a result, when he raised his arm, the reserve grain fell. Before he could react, Hailuor had already squatted down, picked up the puppy, and gently placed it on the ground.

She was so fast in her full armor that Zhao Mai found it hard to estimate her combat capabilities when she went all out. Although he said he wouldn't speak, he still had to express his gratitude at this moment.

"Thank you for helping Alang."

"Hehe, you spoke," Hailuor covered her mouth, looking at Zhao Mai with a joyful smile.

Green shook his head and sighed deeply. Hailuor had no ill intentions. On one hand, she was very interested in Zhao Mai's knowledge, and on the other hand, she was also very interested in Zhao Mai as a person. Green didn't know Hailuor's background and experiences, but he could keenly sense some emotions from her eyes.

Curious, competitive, inquisitive, and perhaps these feelings would gradually develop into admiration or even infatuation. Green looked behind him, where a sweating dwarf was working bare-chested, hammering away. The monotonous clanging and Hailuor's pleasant laughter formed a stark contrast.

"Zhao Mai, if you have nothing to do, go improve your abilities. Don't wander around here," Green waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. "I believe the lady paladin won't be interested in what we're developing in the blacksmith's shop."

Hailuor bit her lower lip and peeked at the dwarf, Sock. She only saw spherical iron lumps with crack patterns similar to turtle shells, not knowing what they were for. Zhao Mai thought for a moment and decided that it wasn't a good idea to reveal the hand grenades yet, so he pulled Hailuor's arm and left.

This unintentional action startled the female paladin. No man had ever dared to do this. Her muscles tensed, ready to crush the druid's hand with her arm guards at any moment. But he had no ill intentions, and this wasn't a desecration. How could she have the heart to hurt someone? Hailuor immediately reflected on her almost impulsive action and was dragged away from the blacksmith's shop by Zhao Mai without realizing it.

The reserve grain stuck out its tongue and panted, chasing after them. Then, another exceptionally tall and strong paladin of Iomedae, leading a horse, followed Zhao Mai and Hailuor, ready to obey orders or take over. Green had secretly inquired and learned that of the seven paladins, only three remained in Nepo Town, while the other four had set out to search for something. He guessed that these paladins didn't fully believe that Zhao Mai was the Great Druid. They were keeping him in check while not giving up on other leads.

But precisely because of this, he felt that Hailuor's motives were unusual, as if there was some deeper meaning. Under Hailuor's charm, Zhao Mai had no ability to refuse her, but it didn't mean there was no way at all.

...

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends