Chapter 94

The female paladins swung their long swords, charging into the group of goblin bandits like a force of nature. They nimbly dodged the enemies' sword tips, their movements fluid and swift, thrusting the sharp points of their swords into the unarmored parts of the goblins' bodies. In just a moment, five goblins had already fallen to the ground, dead.

Zhao Mai squatted behind the shield wall, peering through the gaps. A goblin using a shortbow aimed and shot an arrow at Hyeor, hitting her accurately. However, the arrow broke with a snap upon hitting her full plate armor. No wonder Hyeor didn't care.

In just a short while, a few more goblins had fallen.

"投降！我投降！" (Surrender! I surrender!) The goblin leader, wielding a dwarven battle axe, saw the situation was not good and immediately threw down his weapon in surrender, his actions quick and decisive. Two other goblins, seeing their leader give up resistance, also raised their hands in surrender. This was the goblins' style—greedy and reckless, fickle and cowardly. They were always swayed by these four emotions, making them a detestable bandit species.

"把他们捆起来，带到下一个村子后进行审判。" (Tie them up and take them to the next village for trial.) Hyeor kicked away the goblin's weapon, pressed her longsword against their necks, and then had her companions tie them up.

Zhao Mai turned his head and saw that one of the paladin girls had a set of manacles, which she pulled out of her backpack and skillfully completed the task. "女神教导我们，要更多的导人向善，而不是单纯将坏人砍死。" (The goddess teaches us to guide more people to goodness, not just to kill the bad ones.) Hyeor wiped the blood off her sword blade with a cloth, sheathed it, and returned to Zhao Mai's side.

"难道审判的结果不会是死刑吗？干吗费那么大力气？" (Won't the trial result in the death penalty? Why go through all that trouble?)

"首先，让地精认识到自己犯了什么罪，并承认自己犯罪，这就很有意义。第二，他们可以用劳役，甚至终身劳役的方法赎罪，这对于大家都有帮助。第三，这是我们的行为准则。" (First, making the goblins recognize their crimes and admit to them is very meaningful. Second, they can atone through labor, even lifelong labor, which benefits everyone. Third, this is our code of conduct.) Hyeor stared at the helmet, a bit anxiously asking, "这些能吃了吗？" (Can we eat these now?)

"给，捞着吃吧！" (Here, help yourself!) Zhao Mai handed her a pair of chopsticks and watched expectantly.

Sure enough, Hyeor's face showed a puzzled expression. She had no idea how to use the two sticks in her hand. Zhao Mai smiled and demonstrated how to use the chopsticks to pick up food. He expected to receive amazement and applause, but instead, he only got a pair of rolled eyes: Hyeor stirred the noodles in the helmet with the chopsticks, picked up a clump, and started eating.

Six paladin girls gathered around the helmet, slurping the instant noodles. Zhao Mai stealthily moved back a bit, took out his phone, and started taking pictures. The knights of Iomedae didn't know what Zhao Mai was holding, but it didn't feel evil, so they didn't pay much attention. The taste of the food was too good, the complex and layered spices giving them an enjoyment they had never experienced before.

The three goblins tied together drooled continuously, the shackles on their bodies clinking. Zhao Mai searched the dead goblins' bodies for loot, casually throwing them some goblin rations. As for the coins, gold, and some valuable trinkets, they all went into his own pocket.

"这是刚从什么村子里过来吗，为什么这块烤肉还是热的？" (Did they just come from a village? Why is this roasted meat still warm?) Zhao Mai found a roasted chicken in the goblin's bag. The apple and dried plums stuffed in the chicken's belly clearly indicated it was cooked by humans, not goblins. "海柔尔，你对这一带熟悉吗，知不知道附近有人类村庄？" (Hyeor, are you familiar with this area? Do you know if there are any human villages nearby?)

Hyeor chewed hard for a moment and then looked up. "不知道啊，天黑前好像也没看到炊烟什么的，这附近我也是第一次来。怎么，你发现什么了？" (No, I haven't seen any smoke before dark, and this is my first time here. What did you find?)

"一只还有些热量的烤鸡。" (A roasted chicken that's still warm.) Zhao Mai looked at the food in his hand and cast a Purify Food spell on it. In the spirit of not wasting, the ladies ate the noodles, and he and his reserve food supply ate the chicken, a win-win distribution.

Suddenly, the reserve food supply ignored the chicken offered to it, its tail standing up and staring at something behind Zhao Mai, barking twice. Zhao Mai turned around and saw a tall man walking out of the woods. He was probably close to two meters tall, broad-shouldered and chested, with bulging muscles visible from his sleeveless jacket. He held a brightly polished logging axe in his hand.

He had clearly traveled a long distance. His brown curly hair clung to his cheeks, and sweat streamed down his chiseled face. His face was covered in scars, with many wounds crisscrossing and reshaping the skin, creating a landscape of ridges and pits. He seemed not to notice Zhao Mai, his lips twitching, and a low growl emanated from his throat. Then, he lifted the logging axe with both hands and took large steps toward the goblins.

"嘿！平民，你要做什么？" (Hey! Civilian, what are you doing?) Hyeor put down her utensils, stood at the front, and blocked the man's path. She didn't draw her weapon but placed her hand on the hilt. The man paused, snorting angrily through his nose, still gripping the axe tightly. Seeing this, the other paladins lined up beside Hyeor, their eyes filled with caution and intimidation.

"一队娇滴滴的小娘们儿！" (A bunch of delicate little girls!) The man spat on the ground, pointing a thick finger at the shackled goblins. "把那几个交给我！" (Give those to me!)

"这是我们战斗后的俘虏，没有道理给你。" (These are our captives after the battle, no reason to give them to you.) Hyeor shook her head. "我们是艾奥梅黛的圣骑士，正义和良善的践行……" (We are the paladins of Iomedae, practitioners of justice and goodness...)

"去正义和良善，我就要那三个地精。" (To hell with justice and goodness, I want those three goblins.) The man looked around, noticing a pile of goblin corpses on one side of the road, where a "weak" man with a dog was eating roasted chicken. "那些也是我的，你们干嘛抢我的地精性命？" (Those are mine too, why are you taking the lives of my goblins?)

"这些地精试图袭击我们，我们进行了正当的防卫和正义的反击。" (These goblins tried to attack us, and we defended ourselves and retaliated justly.) Hyeor tried to ease the tension with a smile, but the man's face remained stiff and unmoved. "你为什么追这群地精？" (Why are you chasing these goblins?)

"他们袭击了村子，杀死了所有人。" (They attacked a village and killed everyone.) The man grew angrier as he spoke, his fingers gripping the handle of the logging axe so tightly that the hardwood creaked. He seemed to growl from deep within his chest. "我发誓，我一定要亲手杀了他们！" (I swear, I will kill them with my own hands!)

"这些地精投降了，我们会带他们前往下一个村镇，他们将在那里接受审判，之后才能决定对他们的处罚。" (These goblins have surrendered, and we will take them to the next village for trial, where their punishment will be decided.) Hyeor shook her head. "我不能把它们交给你。" (I cannot give them to you.)

The man's nostrils flared, and his teeth bared, like an angry mastiff. He took a step forward, the axe in his hand reflecting a terrifying gleam. "去审判，我这就要他们死！" (To hell with the trial, I want them dead now!)

"站住！" (Stop!) Hyeor drew her longsword halfway, assuming a defensive stance. "我警告你，不要冲击艾奥梅黛圣骑士的阵线。" (I warn you, do not breach the line of the paladins of Iomedae.)

"我连死都不在乎，还在乎你们这些小娘们儿？" (I don't even care about death, why would I care about you little girls?) The man said, "就算要从你们六个的尸体上踏过去，我也要杀了他们！" (Even if I have to step over your six corpses, I will kill them!)

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