Chapter 532: The Female Knight and the Rabbitman Tribe

In that era when powerful spellcasters had just emerged from ignorance and began uncovering certain secrets of the multiverse, there was a widely circulated proverb concerning “fate” that went:

“So-called coincidences and inspirations may not be accidental. Who knows if some great being is secretly manipulating your journey?”

This statement might sound obscure and incomprehensible, yet it typically represented ancient spellcasters’ skepticism toward the “River of Fate.” Nearly all books about “fate” from the Netheril era would mention this ancient adage.

However… such advanced knowledge was clearly beyond the reach of ordinary professionals. Audreylinda, who had just entered the Tar Swamp closely following the direction taken by Punk and Kane, possessed little advanced knowledge. At the very least… she was a combat professional who greatly trusted her intuition. On her path of “eradicating evil and promoting good,” intuition had always been Audreylinda’s best compass. This time, enraged by the death of her beloved disciple, the Female Knight unhesitatingly followed her “intuition.”

Punk and Kane had entered the swamp directly from the south through the shrubbery, while Audreylinda chose to detour around the lush jungle thickets to enter the Tar Swamp. This caused the Avenger’s route to deviate from that of Punk and Kane.

Furthermore, both Kane and Punk were fully suppressing their auras to prepare for their “hunt,” while Audreylinda, unwilling to disturb any native inhabitants or small creatures in the swamp, habitually concealed her soul fluctuations. Thus, Punk and Kane quite dramatically missed encountering the Female Knight.

The Female Knight knew no Divination Spells, so she was unaware of the Mushroomfolk Village’s existence. Through reports from the border town lord of the Bokkat Kingdom, Audreylinda only knew that a Rabbitfolk Tribe occasionally interacting with merchant caravans was located in the jungle to the southeast. Therefore, upon entering the swamp, Audreylinda chose to visit this Rabbitfolk Tribe to gather information.

In the Female Knight’s view, both Punk and Kane were reckless destructive maniacs. Such evil individuals would inevitably cause major disturbances if they entered this swamp, and visiting a local tribe would be most helpful for gathering intelligence.

Thus, on the second day after the Mushroomfolk Village received two Master-Level powerers, the nearby Rabbitfolk Tribe welcomed a dashing Female Knight.

Although rabbitfolk are a type of demi-human, like most demi-human races, their genes are fundamentally closer to humans. In fact, most rabbitfolk only possess long ears and fluffy ball tails compared to ordinary humans. The rabbit genes primarily grant them petite stature, adorable appearances, relatively strong jumping ability, and… crimson eyes. They possess no exceptional strength or remarkable talents whatsoever.

Ultimately, most demi-human ancestors were products of “beast-transformation” resulting from ancient wizards’ clumsy alchemy. Even the relatively successful “werewolves” are considered mediocre by true powerhouses, let alone these rabbitfolk with predominantly human traits.

Petite, weak, and beautiful.This is the general understanding people have of the Rabbitfolk.

Savage, bloody, cruel.

This is the true face of the Rabbitfolk!

As a type of demi-human, the Rabbitfolk’s average height of less than 1.6 meters is undoubtedly considered frail. When facing powerful beings or danger, their temperament perfectly inherits the timid nature of rabbits.

However… if these cruel Rabbitfolk face weaker enemies, their bloody and ferocious side will be unleashed without restraint. It’s worth noting that even today, “living sacrifice rituals” remain a staple in almost every Rabbitfolk Tribe’s festivities. Moreover, when dealing with enemies, the cruel Rabbitfolk even maintain the tradition of roasting and consuming their foes alive.

Without prior knowledge, no one would imagine the dark distortions hidden beneath the adorable faces of the Rabbitfolk. As a frequently bullied weak race, the Rabbitfolk’s favorite pastime is to bully even weaker creatures with redoubled intensity…

Of course, the Rabbitfolk Tribe that the Female Knight Audreylinda has arrived at isn’t as isolated as their demi-human counterparts in the “Barren Prairie,” so they remain relatively civilized and rational during peacetime. When Audreylinda entered this tribe filled with low wooden huts with her sole remaining apprentice Claire, the Rabbitfolk—unable to perceive Audreylinda’s strength—merely maintained a mildly cautious attitude without particular hostility.

The Female Knight led the still vacant-eyed Claire into a small Tavern near the entrance of the Rabbitfolk Tribe. Often, rumors and intelligence are passed along by word of mouth in such small Taverns. If one wants to peacefully and quickly gather information, such a Tavern is undoubtedly the best choice.

The Tavern design of the Rabbitfolk naturally accounted for their petite stature, so Audreylinda, clad in armor, had to squeeze through the doorframe to enter the Tavern.

“Boss, two fruit wines and a roast goose,” the Female Knight, accustomed to drinking in various Taverns, said smoothly to a Rabbitfolk girl wiping wooden cups at the counter. She ordered the most common drinks and dishes found in Taverns across the Faerûn Plane—though these were still luxurious foods rarely affordable by ordinary commoners.

“Y-yes, customer…” The Rabbitfolk lass at the counter, suddenly seeing a “tall” customer relative to herself enter the Tavern, responded timidly and stood frozen in place. It wasn’t until the Female Knight took a seat near the Corner that the Rabbitfolk waitress hurried to inform the kitchen to prepare the roast goose.

No wonder the Rabbitfolk girl was somewhat astonished. Although she had previously served human merchants who came to the tribe to sell goods, such occasions were limited to just one or two weeks each year when the sour berries ripened. After all, demi-humans have a rather poor reputation in human society, so humans rarely visit this remote tribe under normal circumstances. Seeing a human, especially a human knight in full armor, was an extraordinary rarity.

Not only did the Rabbitfolk waitress think this way, but even the other few Rabbitfolk drowning their sorrows in the Tavern couldn’t tear their eyes away from the Female Knight and her apprentice.However, Audreylinda paid no mind to the astonished gazes around her. As a Female Knight who often feasted and drank heartily in taverns, she knew the characteristics of these drunkards—no matter how surprising an event might be, given a little time, those lost in alcohol would soon cease their attention.

Thus, all she needed to do was wait quietly for a few minutes, and these rabbit-folk drunkards would likely resume their gossip and boasting. By then, not a single conversation in the entire Tavern would escape Audreylinda’s sharp hearing as a Master-Level combatant.

As for the period of waiting for her presence to fade into the background and for the food and drinks to be served…

Audreylinda gazed with heartache at Claire’s pale face and bloodshot eyes. Finally, the Female Knight let out a soft sigh and couldn’t help but murmur:

“Claire, you really shouldn’t have followed. You need to move past the grief. Hatred indeed cannot be set aside, but sorrow and resentment… cannot become the entirety of your life.”

Votes, please~~

(End of Chapter)