Release That Witch

Roland wrote down on a paper how he would deal with Prius, and then put down the quill, and rubbed his aching neck.     

"Your Highness, do you need me to help you relax?" He heard Nightingale's voice.     

"There are still more than 30 people to deal with, maybe later." Roland rejected her with a smile, and then rang the bell placed on the side of his table. The sooner he finished with these matters, the sooner he could initiate Border Town's universal education. With Anna's new ability, he was full of expectation about the future.     

The next person brought into by the guards was a tall knight, and Roland's first impression on him was that he looked extraordinarily handsome. He was not that far off from Carter, who was also very attractive. Of course, in Roland's eyes, being extremely good-looking was a bad thing. He glanced at his list, and asked, "Ferlin Eltek?" But unlike the other people, there were also additional comments after his name, so Roland continued reading, "Head of the Lion Knightage, Morning Light, First Knight of the Western Territory… you have so many titles."     

"I do, Your Highness." Ferlin went down on one knee.     

"I thought people like you would be in the front line of the battle." Roland raised his brow. "How did you manage to survive?"     

"I hid in the back," he replied honestly, "As long as you control the gallop of your horse, it'll look like you're in full sprint, while in fact, the horse speed is still relatively low."     

Roland never expected such a straightforward answer. He was expecting some kind of excuse to cover up his cowardliness and how he had escaped from the battle. It seemed that the situation was not as simple as he had first thought.     

As expected, Ferlin continued, "On the morning of the third day of your pursuit, in other words, the day of the duke's death, I was standing right by his side, waiting for an opportunity to kill him, but because he had a large number of guards closely surrounding him, I couldn't attack him. Fortunately, your troops killed him in the end." He paused and bowed his head. "Your Highness, I want to express my gratitude for what you did. No matter what you need me to do, I won't have any objections."     

The last words could be regarded as a swear of allegiance. Stunned Roland commanded. "Stand up and tell me, what happened?"     

"Yes, Your Highness." He stood up and began. "My wife, Irene, was originally a civilian who worked at a well-known theater in Longsong Stronghold. We met each other on a lucky encounter and immediately fell in love. I wanted to marry her, but my father and mother didn't support the wedding. So, I had to leave our territory, and rent a room on a farm near the stronghold. That's where we also held the wedding. Shortly after our marriage, Irene finally got the opportunity to officially perform for the first time." The knight's voice became deeper. "Unexpectedly, the duke also watched the performance and took a fancy to her, and soon afterward, while I was away on a mission, he took the opportunity to break into our room and raped Irene.     

"It took a long time before she finally told me what had happened. I wanted to find the duke and hold him responsible for his action, but Irene begged me not to act recklessly. Deep down, I also knew that if I were to try and do something, my chances of success weren't very high. Even if I was able to kill him, I'd never be able to escape his guards and Irene would most likely become an object of revenge for the duke's heir. With no other option, I could only suppress myself, until the day he decided to march against Border Town."     

"Although I didn't avenge him myself, Irene will finally be able to sleep without worrying that someone will break into her room during the night. And for me, a heavy burden has now finally been lifted from my heart, so please allow me to express my gratitude again."     

"So that's what happened." Roland tapped on the table with his quill, a sign he had previously agreed with Nightingale, whenever he had to check whether the other side was lying. Soon he felt Nightingale pinch his left scapula, which meant that the knight had told the truth. But this pinch was just a bit too hard, leaving Roland with a little flinch. "Can you read or write?"     

"Uh…" Ferlin was startled, clearly unable to follow the prince's thoughts. "I can."     

"Then I'll announce my verdict now." Roland gave him the same choice as the others. "… what's your choice?"     

"Your Highness, don't you require me to fight for you? Whether it's a single duel or a group battle, I..."     

"No, I don't." Roland interrupted him. "There are no nobles in my army, and I won't recruit any of them in the future. My army is fully composed of civilians, and as for you, you'll never pick up a weapon for the rest of your life."     

"Oh. Is that so?" Ferlin remained silent for a long time before he finally nodded. "I understand. In this case, I choose to become a teacher."     

"You made a wise choice. Teachers can get free housing and the salary is also very good. I'll send someone back to your home, to pick up your wife, so that you can continue to live here together." Roland waved to the knight to leave.     

"Wait, Your Highness, please allow me to ask a question," he hesitated and then said, "Do you give these options to all the knights? If they're unable to become teachers, will the only option left for them be to work in the mines for 20 years?"     

"Correct."     

"Your Highness, I have a man named Halon who's an experienced old knight but illiterate. Can I pay for him with gold royals, so that he won't be sent into the mine?"     

"Of course not." Roland waved. "If you could redeem your crime with money, I would have sent you back to the stronghold."     

"But he's almost 50 years old, and that kind of hard work would only destroy his body."     

"He can't survive in a mine but has the ability to attack Border Town?" said Roland. [Furthermore, my mines are not like dark coal mines. Apart from the steam engine helping with the pumping and transportation, the workers also have a fixed amount of holiday.] Roland picked up the bell, ready to call the next person.     

"Your Highness!" Ferlin ground his teeth and kneeled down once again. "I have a family treasure map. It's at least 400 years old. I'm willing to use it in exchange for Halon's freedom."     

"A 400-year-old treasure map?" The prince raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure that one of your ancestors didn't just draw a map to joke with the younger generation?"     

"No, it was not written with charcoal or ink." He shook his head as if he was trying to recall the drawing. "I can't tell what material it's made of. The lines are very delicate, smooth and subtle, and even though it has been stored in the basement for decades, the drawings and the text don't have any sign of discoloration. My father told me it was handed down from generation to generation, and it describes the location of a treasure, located deep in the Misty Forest in the northwest, but now the area is Barbarian Land, impossible for people to reach."     

Roland tapped his quill again against the table, and once more Nightingale pinched his left side.     

"Well, even if what you said is true, this treasure map should be hidden in the basement of the Eltek house. You've already given up the right to your inheritance in your territory. I'm afraid they won't be very pleased to see you again."     

"That's true." Ferlin nodded. "But I've completely memorized the content of the map, and I can roughly depict the drawings and the texts on it."     

"Then draw it for me." Roland pushed his quill and paper to the side of the table. "If what you said is true, I can make an exception to your request."     

"Your Highness is too kind." Ferlin went to the table and began to draw the treasure map.     

In fact, Ferlin Eltek was not just good at fighting, he was also talented in painting and calligraphy. Soon, a rough geographical map appeared in front of Roland.     

The map displayed the area behind the Impassable Mountain Range, the whole lower right corner of the map was occupied by mountains while an equilateral triangle was drawn in the middle of the map. The three sides connected three different locations. One corner pointed towards the foot of North Slope Mountain, and another pointed to a hexagonal star mark inside the Misty Forest, which most probably represented the so-called treasure's location.     

However, Roland's attention was entirely drawn to the third vertex of the triangle, located in the middle of the Barbarian Region, on top of a tooth-shaped mountaintop, with a word above it: "Taquila".