Mage Legend

The village's eldest, Sandyman, puffed on his pipe, but not a trace of smoke emerged. Under his deeply furrowed brow, a pair of eyes stared off into the distance, not watching the tobacco in his pipe, which held no spark at all. He gently tapped the pipe, and the fine tobacco was mercilessly dumped onto the ground. "Sithock, can you guarantee that the land and sunlight there are better than here?"

"How could I deceive everyone!" Sithock patted his chest, "I personally investigated this information, and I trust the person who informed me about it."

"I still feel uneasy." Sandyman was reluctant to leave his land: "It's too far away, let's wait a little longer..."

Murmurs began to spread, differing opinions clashing like two battling tides in the small house. At this moment, no one could claim their view was correct, but neither could they accuse the other's of being wrong. Worries about the future completely shattered the peace here.

With a bang, the door of the house was pushed open. The hunter's chubby son rushed in, panting, saying, "Outside... a lot of people on horseback have arrived. They're dressed in armor and carrying weapons. They're stopped just at the edge of the village!"

All the noise instantly disappeared, as everyone, men and women, young and old, stared at the child, hoping for more news he hadn't yet told. Knights carrying weapons? That had never happened before! They'd only seen small traders with goods selling candies and shiny utensils here. Now, a group had arrived with swords and blades.

"Let's go take a look!" Sandyman thrust the pipe into his pocket and strode out. He was the village elder and naturally mustn't panic.

A dozen or so knights were stationed on the road to the north of the village, not stepping a foot inside. Except for one young man on the ground holding the reins, the rest wore masks, sitting on high saddles. Sandyman didn't know who they were, but they seemed like wealthy nobles. Look at their large horses, worth several barns of grain; and the silver-white steel armor, which Tom couldn't forge a bit of in a whole year, now adorned all the knights. Their helmets revealed only their eyes, looking somewhat intimidating, and the plume of blue feathers on top—who knows what fierce beast they belonged to.

Seeing someone from the village approach, the leading young man removed his helmet, holding it at his waist. He flicked his cloak, revealing a clear golden sun embroidery. His iron shoes clanked on the gravel road as he slowly walked up to Sandyman.

"Hello, we are knights from the north, guided by the light of Pate." He bowed slightly and said, "My name is Wislin, and along with my brothers, we are headed to the Elf Kingdom. May I ask, is this a road leading to Muun (the human name for the Elf Kingdom)?"

"Yes, yes, young man." Sandyman glanced up and down at the knight before him, seeing only a sincere smile on his face, along with a weathered look from sadness. "Follow this road straight, and you'll find that path. Although not many use it, it's easy to spot."

"Thank you." Wislin nodded. "We apologize for disturbing your village. It's our first time using this road and feared losing our way. We will soon..."

Sandyman interrupted Wislin, saying, "Wait, young man! You mentioned something about 'guided by the light of Pate'. Are you from the Holy Pate Empire in the north?"

Wislin straightened his chest and nodded, "Yes, we are the honored paladins from there!"

"Children, why don't you stay in the village for a night? There's something important we'd like to ask you." Seeing the concern on Wislin's face, Sandyman quickly added, "It's about a matter of life and death for our entire village."

"Alright, sir." Wislin immediately patted his chest, "The paladins of Pate are at your service!"

Contrary to what most of River Village imagined, these armored fellows weren't as cold as they appeared. Once they removed their helmets, they revealed youthful, exuberant faces. Many of the village girls had never seen such handsome lads, and their neat armor only added to their allure; the eagles and lion-tiger insignias on their chests exuded a lethal charm. Although no one understood why Wislin's armor had three snake-haired woman heads, he always garnered the most attention.