The bereted steward took a few contracts and property deeds from the workers behind him and handed them to the butler in front of him.
"Here are some relevant documents. Please, go in and inform your master."
"Please wait a moment. I will report to the master."
The elderly butler took the documents and hurriedly walked inside.
The bereted steward seemed to sense something and suddenly glanced toward the nearby Leibo River.
However, his field of vision yielded nothing but emptiness.
Villa Number Five.
Colin walked slowly along the garden path, his expression somewhat puzzled.
This stretch of villas by the Leibo River should all belong to Hosone's properties, if he remembered correctly.
He didn't expect that in such a short time, they had already changed ownership...
"Somewhat troublesome..."
He slightly furrowed his brows; the leader of the workers, though polite, had come with an aggressive approach.
It seemed that besides coming to notify of a rent increase, there were other plans.
In this world, houses, especially villas, were mostly bought and sold, with rental properties like those under Hosone being rather uncommon.
So, could it be they were coming to try to reclaim the villa?
Colin paused briefly, then continued into the villa.
Let soldiers come, and they will be blocked; let water come, and it will be covered with earth.
What could he, a First Rank Wizard, be afraid of?
Besides, in no more than five days, he was due to start his return journey.
If there was trouble, he could simply check into a hotel for a few days.
As time flowed like water, the mist over the Leibo River had already dissipated.
The sun was brilliant, now at midday.
Colin stepped out of the Meditation Room, ready for lunch.
As he descended the stairs, he seemed to remember something, paused, and asked Renee who was beside him:
"Did anyone come to visit this morning?"
"No," Renee shook her head, "The knight who normally delivers the newspaper didn't come today either."
She thought for a moment and then added:
"However, early this morning, a group dressed like workers passed by when I went out to buy groceries."
"They didn't come to Villa Number Five…" Colin muttered, shaking his head without further thought, and proceeded to the dining room.
Around five in the afternoon.
The sun gradually set, and a knocking sounded at Villa Number Five.
Renee went to answer the door.
Colin also emerged from the villa.
'Could it be those workers, why are they coming so late?' he wondered.
However, when Renee opened the door, it wasn't the bereted steward she saw.
Instead, it was a girl with a gentle demeanor.
Her tired, ovular face was gentle, and she held a brown leather paper bag.
"Hello, here is today's newspaper."
Seeing Renee open the door, Wensy squeezed out an uneasy smile and handed over the paper bag.
Renee glanced at it, recognizing the same type of bag the tall knight used to carry the newspapers daily.
She reached out to take the bag, checked it briefly, then pulled out a few Magic Stones, handed them to the girl while curiously asking:
"Why didn't the tall knight come today?"
Wensy forced a smile and did not answer, only saying, "I will be the one coming over for the next while."
Renee nodded, preparing to close the door and bid goodbye.
Wensy watched the slowly closing door, her lips quivered as if she wanted to say something.
But recalling her father's admonishments, she hesitated briefly.
And in that moment of hesitation, the black door had already fully closed.
Wensy stood at the doorstep for a moment, ultimately turning away in silence.
The annual merchants' gathering in the Kingdom, apart from fostering exchanges, also carried the intent of redistributing interests.
Originally, everything was normal.
However, Hosone's old rival had played a dirty trick, causing his loyal Great Knight to be gravely wounded on the brink of death.
Since then, everything had changed.
Business was like a battlefield.
But Wensy felt that business was more like a wilderness surrounded by wild beasts.
Father's Thorne Commerce was immediately exposed to the covetous gaze of many scavengers when it inadvertently showed signs of decline at the gathering.
Lately, my father had been truly exhausted from running around.
She knew that a major figure, who could even be the legendary wizard mentioned in tales, resided in villa number five.
Thus, she had volunteered to come and deliver the newspapers this time.
She had hoped that this might give her a chance to seek help.
Yet in the end, due to her own hesitation, she couldn't even express it.
'Wensy, Wensy, you are truly useless!'
Wensy silently walked along the Leibo River, feeling somewhat frustrated.
Two knights, her personal bodyguards, followed closely by her side.
As the sun gradually set, the world around them darkened.
The young girl couldn't help but quicken her pace, though she had guards by her side, her heart still harbored some fear.
However, this was a famous villa area by the Leibo River.
Although it was deserted, the security here was much better than in the bustling alleys in the city at night.
There was no need to worry too much about ruffians showing up.
However, in the next moment, Wensy suddenly stopped.
She stared suspiciously at a group of men who suddenly emerged from the darkness ahead, her face showing alertness.
Initially, Wensy wondered if those men dressed like workers were just passing by, but the two knights by her side immediately sensed danger.
The two stepped forward, one to the left and the other to the right, positioning Wensy safely between them.
Clang—Clang—
At that moment, three knights clad in full armor pushed aside the workers who disguised as thugs and stepped forward, standing next to the leader who wore a beret.
The middle-aged knight on the left, with a goatee, abruptly narrowed his eyes and pulled out his silver Knight Sword as he spoke in a deep voice.
"Miss, the enemy is too strong for us. Vincent and I will hold them off. Your only chance of escape is to jump into the Leibo River and make it to the other side!"
He had watched Wensy grow up since she was little, and almost instantly, he made the best decision.
"Uncle Bruno," Wendy whispered softly, her face showing a hint of panic as she realized the gravity of her situation.
"Miss Wensy, make it to the other side and run towards where there are more people," Vincent on the right also drew his Knight Sword and suggested in a low voice.
"What a beautiful young lady."
At that moment, the steward in the beret spoke up.
He slowly bowed, his white gloves starkly visible under the moonlight.
"Now!"
Bruno shouted in a low voice, moving in sync with Vincent, not even giving the steward a chance to speak.
"Impolite rascal!"
The steward frowned, suddenly flashing a sinister smile at the approaching Bruno and his companion:
"Let them see what exactly is on the other side of the river."
With those words, the workers behind him lifted torches and began moving rhythmically.
Seeing this, Bruno and Vincent were suddenly alarmed and instinctively stopped.
"Be alert," Bruno hissed to Vincent before turning to look toward the opposite bank.
Indeed, across the other side of the Leibo River, they could see faint flickers of light responding, and even in the middle of the river were two small fishing boats illuminated by fire.
Bruno could clearly see the fishermen dressed as workers on the fishing boat which was slightly closer.
As the fishermen noticed his gaze, they smirked, lifting their torches in a cold smile.
A feeling of hopelessness settled in Bruno's heart.
"How about it?" Vincent, who was on guard duty, asked.
"Not good," Bruno responded calmly, gripping his Knight Sword, ready to meet his end here.
"?"
Vincent couldn't help but turn his head, and as he saw clearly, his pupils slightly contracted.
The next moment, the two quietly retreated, returning to Wensy's side.
And at that moment, Wensy was still standing there.
Seeing this, Bruno felt a mix of relief and helplessness.
Miss Wensy's courage was still too small, and her nature too soft.
If there had been no ambush on the opposite bank and in the river, then the best opportunity to cross had just been missed based on Miss Wensy's reaction.
However, it now seemed that such a missed opportunity was a blessing in disguise.
Bruno took a breath, ready to face battle.
"Uncle Bruno, we should go back to villa number five!"
However, at that moment, Wensy suddenly spoke.