"Village Chief!"
Suddenly, a young man rushed in, panting heavily from running.
"Big trouble!"
"What happened? Slow down and tell me."
"A female knight has arrived!"
At these words, Andrew's eyes flickered with surprise.
Usually, knights operate in pairs for missions, so the fact that this one came alone to such a remote village meant she was likely here for him.
In the eastern part of the Empire, Andrew's father was a powerful count.
When he was 12, the Taylor family had sent two knights to search for Andrew and bring him back to the family.
Without a doubt, this woman was one of them.
"A knight? Why would a knight come here?"
Unlike Andrew, the Village Chief's face turned pale.
Noble knights had always looked down on commoners, and if anyone dared to resist or show any defiance, they would be crushed.
If they really wanted to, erasing a village from the map would be as easy as squashing a bug.
"What about soldiers? How many people did the female knight bring?"
The Village Chief trembled as he asked.
When a knight visits, the village has to treat them properly.
If the knight is alone, it's manageable, but if they bring a large force, the village would be burdened.
And if they stay for a while... well, that could be disastrous.
The thought of the high costs made the Village Chief's knees weak.
"She didn't bring any soldiers."
"What? No soldiers? Just her alone?"
"Yes, I saw it clearly."
Hearing this, the Village Chief's mind began to race.
If she was alone, it was likely she wasn't a vassal of a specific family.
There was a higher chance she was a wandering knight or a mercenary.
"Did you see her family crest?"
"No, I didn't see any sign of a family emblem."
"I see."
Upon hearing that she wasn't wearing a crest, the Village Chief finally breathed a sigh of relief.
A family crest was a symbol of honor, and only knights on secret missions would remove it.
But in a poor village like Graystone, such a possibility was too small.
The chances were high that she was a mercenary.
No money, no backing, just a mercenary scraping by with odd jobs.
If that were the case, things would be different.
The Village Chief's eyes narrowed.
In this chaotic world, a lone mercenary without any background was essentially no different from a commoner.
And on top of that, she was a woman.
Although there was a difference in strength, the villagers outnumbered her and had the advantage of knowing the terrain.
They could easily overpower her.
As long as they handled the body quietly afterward, there would be no trouble.
The Village Chief's eyes darted around, and he made up his mind.
Andrew, on the other hand, sighed.
Knowing the old man well, Andrew figured he was planning to kill the female knight and take her horse.
In a world where horses were the primary mode of transport, a single horse could fetch a lot of money—enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for a year.
This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.
Over the years, under the Village Chief's leadership, they'd often targeted passing travelers and had profited greatly.
But now, the problem was that this knight wasn't just any mercenary, she was a vassal of the Taylor family.
"Alright, Andrew, you should leave."
The Village Chief waved his hand, urging Andrew to leave.
He didn't want an outsider around when they divided up the spoils.
"Okay, I'll head out."
"Mm, go hunt some more game and come back later."
With that, the Village Chief turned his back and began whispering to Wylor.
Though their voices were low, Andrew heard every word clearly.
Even though he was only twelve, thanks to his experience from his previous life, he was now at the same level as a knight. The only difference was his height.
"Make sure to prepare food, and don't forget to add extra sleeping powder."
"Don't worry, once she eats, she'll be out cold."
"Be careful, have a few people stationed outside. She's a mercenary after all..."
Listening to their words, Andrew couldn't help but smirk.
These fools had no idea they were walking straight toward death.
Shaking his head, Andrew quickened his pace and hurried toward the outskirts of the village.
"I need to prepare in advance."
According to his memory, that night, the female knight would escape and come to his house.
Late at night.
Andrew had set up several fires around the house to melt the surrounding snow, making it easier to cover up the knight's tracks and bloodstains.
He also made sure the basement was ready for her to hide.
"She should be here soon."
"Catch her!"
"Don't let her get away!"
The moment the words were spoken, loud shouting erupted through the village.
The entire village lit up with torches as people searched frantically.
At that moment, a shadow riding a horse rushed toward the house.
However, it seemed she was struck by something along the way. The horse cried out in pain and fell to the ground, and the rider was thrown off.
"Is anyone there? Anyone?"
Not long after, there was a knock on the door.
"Here she comes."
Opening the door, a young female knight entered.
With short, golden hair, sharp eyes, and thin lips, she looked like an aloof lion.
But her clothes were torn, her armor and sword had clearly been taken from her, and she had a deep wound on her shoulder, exposing bone. She was in a terrible state.
"Are you a commoner living here?"
"Hurry, hide me!"
Without wasting time, the female knight barked her orders.
Even though she was about to die, her tone was still commanding, showing how deeply the aristocratic sense of superiority was ingrained in her.
Andrew instinctively shook his head.
"If you help me, I will reward you handsomely!"
Seeing Andrew shake his head, the knight grew anxious and quickly promised him.
"I don't need your reward."
"Wait! I can offer..."
As she was about to promise more, her face turned pale from the second rejection.
Before she could say more, Andrew stepped aside and gestured for her to come in.
"No need for rewards. Come in, I'll hide you."
"Thank you!"
The female knight hurried inside, looking for a place to hide.
Andrew led her to a secret passage that led to the basement.
"Hide in here."
"I will never forget this kindness. My name is..."
"Now's not the time for that."
Andrew interrupted, knowing the Village Chief would come to search soon.
"Stay in here no matter what happens outside. Don't come out."
"I understand, I swear."
The knight answered with such calmness that Andrew relaxed.
He was worried that she might charge out and try to fight.
If that happened, Andrew would have no chance.
However, it was clear that this knight was level-headed and would not act impulsively.
"Let's move quickly."
Andrew used the tools he had prepared in advance to cover the tracks and make it look like the knight had fled into the deeper parts of the forest.
As a former knight, he was skilled in such tasks.
Just as he finished, the villagers arrived in a hurry, crowding around the door, shouting loudly.
The Village Chief was among them.
"Andrew. Come out here now!"