socalfunplaces Chapter 310 Error
Chapter 310 Error
Chapter 310 Error
The summer breeze blows across the grass, but it is so gentle that it is hard to tell whether it brings heat or coolness.
Peggy, standing before me, still looked somewhat weak, and her breathing seemed rather shallow.
She wasn't cured at all, Dick thought, yet he had walked this far on foot alone.
But perhaps Dick should be thankful that Peggy didn't encounter any bad people, wild beasts, or even monsters along the way.
But when Peggy saw Dick, her eyes were filled with terror.
She immediately turned and ran in the opposite direction.
Seeing this, Dick quickly stepped forward and grabbed Peggy's wrist.
"Let me go!"
Peggy tried to break free, but her strength was no match for Dick's.
"Miss, please forgive me for not being able to comply."
Peggy could only use her other hand to try to pry open Dick's fingers, but it was still to no avail.
A true knight will never waver, not even by a single finger.
"Let go! Let go!"
Peggy started hitting Dick's wrists and even biting them.
Dick considered using fire dragon scales to punish Peggy, which would surely make her teeth ache.
But she quickly realized that this was disrespectful to the young lady, felt ashamed of it, and completely abandoned the idea.
"I will absolutely not let you go this time, miss."
"You're lying!"
"I don't."
"You're lying!"
"I don't."
Peggy started crying, but Dick had been fooled by Peggy's tears many times before.
A true rider shouldn't fall into the same pit twice—cough cough! At least not too many times.
"I won't be soft-hearted this time, miss. I've already softened my heart after your fake crying."
"You idiot, you idiot, you idiot!" Peggy cried, "You can't even tell the difference between my tears."
Perhaps Dick really couldn't tell, or perhaps Peggy wasn't faking her tears.
But Dick would never let go, and he wasn't lying about that:
"I won't let go, miss. Please come back with me."
"I'm not going back."
"Miss--"
"No!" Peggy's tears soaked her entire face.
"Please forgive me, miss."
After Dick finished speaking, he pulled Peggy closer to him and grabbed both of Peggy's wrists with just one hand.
Then, he dragged Peggy toward the horses.
Peggy was still resisting; she wouldn't even take a step.
Fearing that the rough grass would scratch Peggy's feet, Dick could only lift Peggy's ankles with his other hand.
He continued to approach the horse that was grazing, still holding Peggy in his arms.
However, he felt that the action looked somewhat familiar.
Hiss—what was that again?
Just then, Peggy suddenly shouted:
"Don't carry me like a pig!"
Oh, really! That's how you carry a pig!
Even if Peggy were a pig, she would still be so beautiful that she would be pitiful.
"Hahaha-.""
For some reason, Dick felt very happy and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Stop laughing! You stubborn knight!"
"Hahaha--""
I'm sorry, Miss Peggy, I just couldn't help it.
"Ahh!—"
Peggy suddenly shouted, trying to cover up her laughter, but to no avail.
Dick helped Peggy onto the saddle and then sat down himself.
He then shielded Peggy in front of him to prevent her from suddenly becoming disobedient or even jumping off her horse.
He gently kicked the horse's belly, and the horse began to run.
Peggy stopped screaming and crying, and Dick stopped laughing.
He rarely laughs so heartily. When was the last time?
One year ago? Three years ago? Ten years ago?
Dick didn't remember, but why did he feel like laughing so much this time?
After careful consideration, he finally came to a conclusion:
"I'm sorry, miss, I wasn't making fun of you just now, I was just very happy."
"You're so happy to humiliate me!" Peggy glared at Dick.
"No, you're sick. I've been worried about you all the way here. You have no idea how anxious I've been these days. I can't even eat or sleep."
Yesterday, Miss Harriet made me an appetizer and advised me to get a good night's sleep, which gave me a little respite.
"But when I woke up, I found you were gone. Do you know how worried I was? I felt dizzy and the world was spinning. Even the sea breeze sounded like a mockery of my dereliction of duty."
"Miss, please forgive me. I should have stayed at the library. I shouldn't have abandoned my post. But luckily, I found you, and you are safe and sound."
"Because I was feeling so down before, the relief and joy I felt after confirming that you were safe was so intense, and that's why I'm so happy."
The horses have crossed the meadow and entered the woods.
It was almost noon, and the sunlight was becoming increasingly intense.
The sunlight nimbly pierced through the gaps between the leaves, cleverly scattering across the forest floor and forming beams of golden light.
Suddenly, Peggy spoke up:
I have no grudge against you—never—
Ah, that's the downside of summer.
Dick suddenly felt a surge of heat erupt from his body:
"Um—thank you, miss."
"Well, Dick—Dick Buchanan, may I ask you for a favor?"
"Miss, there's no room for negotiation. I won't let you go. I must take you to the library. Miss Harriet will—"
“It’s not about that,” Peggy interrupted Dick. “Could you slow down? Please, even just a little bit.”
Hearing this, Dick knew it wasn't an unreasonable request.
He gently pulled on the reins, and the chestnut stallion slowed down.
"Thanks."
"Um."
The only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the occasional bird call.
Peggy leaned back gently against Dick's chest.
Look how tired this girl is after walking such a long way.
But this time Dick wouldn't feel sorry for her; it was her own fault. Suddenly, Peggy said:
"Hey, Dick Buchanan, this journey is so boring, tell me a story."
"I only know stories of knights' conquests, which you might find boring."
"It's not that I dislike all of them."
Having spent so much time with Peggy, Dick had no idea that Peggy enjoyed listening to stories about tough guys.
"As expected of a loyal dog's daughter, right? Ahem, so how about Wisteria Huowen's story? His feat of single-handedly scaring away five hundred soldiers in the mountains is something that excites everyone who hears it."
"No, choose another one."
"Then, shall we tell the story of Moonlight Witton, who led a surprise attack and captured seven castles in the valley in one night—"
"Let's try another one."
"Black Serpent Finak is a rare female knight. She seems to be the first female knight, and she—"
"Change it again!"
"Change it!" Peggy emphasized.
Dick couldn't help but ask, "Miss, whose story do you want to hear?"
Peggy looked up: "You seem to be a knight too."
"Yes, your father bestowed this honor upon me."
"Okay, then tell me your story."
"My story?" This answer surprised Dick. "But, miss, don't laugh at me, I don't have any impressive experiences to share."
"You killed the Navigator," Peggy said.
"It's not an honor for me, and I don't want to mention him," Dick said.
After thinking about it for a while, he actually felt like confiding in Peggy:
"Actually, after killing the Navigator, everyone in the fleet called me 'Demon Slayer.' They seemed to think it was a compliment, but I didn't want my glory to be tied to a sinner, especially the demon who killed Lord Hubert."
"Hmm—I think I already told you, I've forgiven you, regarding the fact that you were the only one who came back alive."
"Yes, miss."
"Then, continue."
"But there's nothing more to say," Dick said. "Since becoming a squire, I've been by Lord Hubert's side."
After his sacrifice, I spent at least half my time with you.
"Then tell me about what happened before you became my father's servant."
“That was even more boring,” Dick said. “Although I graduated late, I had always been doing very well at the Desert Knight Academy, so much so that I didn’t encounter any challenges or exciting stories. It was so boring that it made me want to fall asleep.”
"And what about before that?"
"I should have told you before, my father was also a nobleman, but he had long since fallen from grace, and the family didn't have much property left. As the youngest son..."
I never received any attention from my father; all I did was practice swordsmanship.
Peggy said, "Yes, tell this story, the more detailed the better."
Dick hadn't expected Peggy to be interested in this past event.
There's really nothing to say about this, but since Peggy wants to hear it, fine.
"The Buchanan family's fiefdom is in the Benson Gobi, you know, miss, it's a barren region, so our family is very poor."
"I have two older brothers and one older sister. I am the youngest in the family and also the one who has the least presence."
"Like ordinary families in the Gobi Desert, handicrafts are my family's main source of income. I have two maids who are skilled in weaving."
"But although she was called a maid, she never took care of anyone in the Buchanan family. On the contrary, my mother even had to prepare food for them herself."
"All they had to do was keep producing cloth. My mother often joined them, and later my sister joined in. Miss, if I were a girl, I might have become one of them. It's kind of scary to think about."
"Hehe—" Peggy seemed to chuckle a few times.
"But my father must have been hoping for that too. He always stared at me with a long face and often sighed."
Peggy said, "What's so great about having a daughter? She'll need a hefty dowry to get married."
“A wedding also requires a dowry,” Dick said, “and also the provision of property for the offspring. The Buchanan family’s lands will inevitably be left to my eldest brother, so Father has to find a way to help my second brother find a place to live.”
"When I told my father that I was going to become a knight, you can't imagine how happy he was. It meant that he no longer had to worry about my future."
"You're really calculating."
"You don't understand, Miss. A minor noble isn't much better off than an ordinary person, but the title of nobleman forces one to behave in a certain manner."
Therefore, I ultimately understand my father's feelings; he had no choice but to hold it against me.
"Okay, you can continue."
"My eldest brother is nine years older than me, and my second brother is six years older than me. The age gap between us is quite large, so they never take me under their wing."
"Although it was just a fallen noble family, all boys in noble families had to practice swordsmanship, so my two older brothers also practiced martial arts."
"We didn't have any instructors in our family, so our father taught us. His martial arts skills were also taught by his father."
"But looking back, these martial arts skills had absolutely no practical value other than physical training. However, we were all very interested in them back then, and every boy dreamed of becoming a knight."
"Practice is always boring, so my brothers often cut things to pass the time. They were always happy then, so I wanted to join them."
"But they thought I was too young and refused to take me with them. It wasn't until I was eight years old and had grown a bit bigger that they agreed to have a match with me. 'You won,' Peggy said."
"You're right, miss. My eldest brother was seventeen and my second brother was fourteen," Dick recalled. "That was our first and last fight."
"I was prepared to be injured by them, but I didn't expect their swordsmanship to be so slow. They couldn't hit me at all, while I always managed to find their weaknesses."
"Of course, I didn't master any advanced techniques; I was just swinging my sword out of instinct." The eldest and second brothers' breathing grew heavier, and his expression became increasingly serious.
"Until my father interrupted us, praising my talent. But at that moment, my brothers looked at me with the same fierce gaze as a bear that had been woken up."
"They're jealous of you," Peggy commented.
"Perhaps you are right, but I don't mean to blame them. In a home with limited resources, the sudden appearance of a powerful competitor must have been even more frightening for them."
"But everything changed from that day on. My brothers avoided me and hardly spoke to me."
"And my father never praised me again, as if to show his attitude to his two eldest sons. My sister, on the other hand, pitied me."
They would occasionally give me some snacks.
"But she was very careful, and had to keep it from others. She got married two years later, and I expect she must have married a gentle man."
"To be honest, I'm not afraid to admit it, but the night I saw my sister off, I secretly shed tears because I knew that I would be all alone from now on."
"Ha! A true knight doesn't shed tears easily."
"Knights can grieve too," Peggy said, looking at Dick. "Tears are not a disgrace."
Looking at Peggy's reddened eyes, Dick felt that she could be really gentle at times.
Dick smiled. "Thank you, Miss."
Peggy turned her head and looked ahead.
The horses continued on their way, and Dick continued to recount his childhood stories.
In fact, Dick was very grateful to Peggy; if it weren't for her, he might never have thought about it.
Occasionally, you'll encounter horses coming from the opposite direction on the road.
They would always stare at Dick and Peggy with envious smiles on their faces.
Dick knew they must have misunderstood something, but the world is always full of misunderstandings, and there's no need to explain everything.
"That's a misunderstanding," Dick said. "One of our horses died, and without it, we can't get our products to the big cities."
"My father was furious because he discovered a wound on the horse that was clearly caused by someone, so he called everyone together in an attempt to find the culprit."
At this point in the story, they have returned to Copperplate Town and are heading towards the corner.
"My father interrogated them one by one, but no one confessed until he asked me. My second brother suddenly mentioned that I had an extraordinary talent for swordsmanship. My eldest brother also said that I was very strong."
"The two maids stammered that I was naughty, while my mother remained silent. Eventually, my father punished me by hanging me up and giving me a severe beating."
"This is not a misunderstanding! It's a frame-up!"
Peggy suddenly screamed, and Dick was surprised to find that Peggy's face was covered in tears.
Dick stopped his horse at the library entrance, dismounted, and with a smile, helped Peggy down from the horse.
"Alright, we're here, Miss, come down." Of course I know. Later, I saw my father secretly throw a blood-stained fork into the well, and I immediately realized that my father had accidentally killed the horse.
"Perhaps he was too afraid of taking responsibility for the loss, which is why he reacted so violently, trying to convince himself that it wasn't his fault by whipping me. I hated him for a long time—but that's all in the past."
"This isn't your fault, Dick, this isn't your fault!"
Peggy yelled at Dick, crying her eyes out.
Oh, what a kind lady.
Dick took out a handkerchief and, with a smile, wiped away Peggy's tears.
"Thank you, miss. Well, I've already put this matter behind me, and I know it wasn't my fault."
"No, you don't understand, Dick Buchanan, this isn't your fault!"
Peggy cried even louder, waah, and snot even got into her mouth.
"I know—"
"...—You don't know, Dick Buchanan, Dick," Peggy screamed, "My illness isn't your fault, you don't have to die in my place."
"This is no one's fault, miss."
Dick tried his best to smile and wipe Peggy's face clean.
"I wanted to save you, that's all."
Suddenly, Peggy lunged forward and hugged Dick tightly:
"This isn't your fault! This isn't your fault! This isn't your fault—"
This scene greatly surprised Dick.
Peggy's voice grew increasingly sorrowful as she simply repeated the sentence.
Dick felt a stinging sensation in the corners of his eyes, and his breathing became increasingly labored.
"Don't cry, Sir," Dick commanded himself. "A true knight should not shed tears."
But Peggy also said that crying is not shameful. Is she right?
Dick reached out and patted Peggy's head:
"Alright, miss, please go in."
But Peggy didn't move at all: "No, Dick! Don't die! Please don't die!"
"I won't die, Peggy," Dick lied.
"You're lying!"
"I'm not lying to you!"
"You're lying!"
"I wouldn't lie to you!"
"You're lying!"
"Miss," Dick said, "please believe me."
Trust me, I will save you.
"Then it's a deal."
"Um!"
"Swear it!"
I swear.
"A true knight must keep his oath!"
Upon hearing this, Dick suddenly paused, then burst into laughter, even laughing until tears streamed down his face.
"Hahaha--"""
"What are you laughing at?"
"You recited my lines, miss."
"Then Dick,"
Peggy used the white sleeves of her wedding dress to wipe the dirt from her face, and sniffled.
"I won't allow you to die, so you can't die!"