"Hey! That's cheating! How can you use battle aura to block?" Nyx pouted indignantly upon realizing that none of her water attacks had landed on Rynar.
"Oh, my dear lady, you're already using magic—am I just supposed to stand there and take it?" Rynar laughed as he effortlessly dodged the flying water balls.
For a Grand Knight like him, avoiding these non-magical water projectiles was as easy as breathing. In fact, he even managed to do so with style.
"Hmph!" Puffing up her cheeks in frustration, Nyx suddenly pulled out her staff.
With a surge of magical energy, hundreds of water spheres—each the size of a human head—rose from the stream and began orbiting around her.
"Uh… my beautiful, kind, adorable, gentle, virtuous, intelligent, and considerate fiancée… isn't this a bit excessive?"
Rynar's expression was filled with resignation. This was terrifying! It was just a simple water fight—was there really a need to resort to magic?
"Too late! That's what you get for bullying me! That's what you get for not playing with me! That's what you get for dodging!"
Yep, reasoning with an angry girl was a futile endeavor… because the one who suffers will always be you!
"Oh, dear God!" Rynar's screams of agony echoed as the enchanted water balls bombarded him.
Unlike ordinary water, these were reinforced with magic, making them more cohesive and resistant to evaporation by battle aura. And most importantly—they hurt!
After unleashing her wrath, Nyx finally calmed down, regaining her usual lazy and elegant demeanor like a satisfied, well-fed cat.
"Unbelievable…" Rynar sighed as he carried a string of freshly caught white fish. Today, he had witnessed firsthand just how absurd Nyx's definition of "fishing" was.
Have you ever seen someone part the water with a magical vortex just to scoop up fish? Have you ever seen a mage use Mage Hand to catch fish underwater?
Have you ever seen a mage freeze an entire section of the stream and simply pick fish out of the ice? Well, today, Rynar saw it all!
He had clearly been too naive, stuck in his old ways of thinking. This girl wasn't just his delicate fiancée—she was also a deadly Tier-2 Mage!
"Oh? Prince Rynar? Did you and Lady Nyx enjoy yourselves today? Take a look at our spoils!" Bardel laughed heartily as he pulled Rynar toward a massive creature lying on the ground.
"Holy—! That's a pig?!" Rynar was utterly dumbfounded. A ten-meter-long pig that rivaled an elephant in size?
And those half-meter-long steel-like tusks—he had no doubt they could puncture even plate armor with ease!
"That's right! I didn't expect to encounter one either—a genuine high-level magical beast, the Earth Berserk Boar!" Bardel proudly patted the creature's enormous tusks, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
A quick glance at the wounds on the beast's body told Rynar exactly how it had met its end. It had likely been kited mercilessly by the centaurs, a slow and agonizing death.
Honestly, if the centaurs hadn't been so stubborn about defending this forest, they could have simply retreated.
Had they opted for a prolonged skirmish, Rynar himself might have struggled to keep up. Sometimes, having a good strategy was far more valuable than raw power.
Casting a sympathetic glance at the fallen Earth Berserk Boar, Rynar turned his gaze toward his Baron of the Tupet Centaur Tribe. Hm. Strong muscles. Great endurance. Just… not very bright.
"This is for you!" Bardel suddenly pulled out a bloodstained cloth bag from behind his back and handed it to Rynar.
"What is this?" Rynar asked curiously as he opened the bag. The moment he did, a wave of overwhelming magical energy burst forth. The bag was filled with magic crystals!
The most imposing one, a deep earthy yellow, was undoubtedly the magic crystal of the Earth Berserk Boar itself.
"This is this year's tax payment. I understand that nobles must pay taxes to the kingdom. We have no gold, so we can only offer these in place of coin.
After all, all we can obtain through hunting and fishing are these resources," Bardel admitted, his face slightly flushed.
"No… no problem! Of course, that's acceptable!" Rynar weighed the bag of magic crystals in his hand, resisting the urge to laugh. Who said centaurs had no money?
They had something even better than currency—resources that were as good as hard cash!
"Inside, there's one high-grade magic crystal and thirteen low-grade ones."
Seeing that Rynar wasn't rejecting the offering, Bardel sighed in relief. His face lit up with a wide smile as he beamed at Rynar, his eyes filled with gratitude.
Ever since they had settled here, the centaurs had finally found a peaceful life—no exile, no war, no harassment from orcs, and no senseless slaughter.
This was the dream life they had always longed for.
"Tonight, let me show you my skills! I'll personally cook this beast! It's been a long time since we've had such fine ingredients!" Bardel declared proudly.
"I'm looking forward to it!" Rynar nodded. After all, high-level magical beasts weren't exactly easy to come by.
"It must have taken quite an effort to bring this thing down, huh?" Nyx playfully nudged the enormous carcass with her foot.
"Of course, Your Highness! But it was no match for our centaur knights! It couldn't catch us, and it couldn't land a hit on us! In the end, it bled out and collapsed!" Bardel gestured to the beast's body, which was riddled with arrows.
Rynar plucked out a broken arrow and chuckled. Steel-tipped arrows! If not for the support from Zaltarion, these centaurs would have paid a much higher price to take down this beast.
Without iron weapons, few would've been able to pierce its thick hide with just wooden arrows.
"Are the weapons serving you well?" Rynar suddenly asked Bardel.
"Very well! Thank you for your generosity, King Rynar! We will never forget your kindness!" Bardel declared sincerely.
After all, it was the Zaltarion Kingdom that had provided them with steel weapons and armor, allowing them to fight wild beasts without being at a disadvantage.
Without this equipment, Bardel wouldn't have even dared to engage the Earth Berserk Boar—it simply would have been too dangerous.
It was Rynar who had armed the centaurs and turned them into a true heavy cavalry force, feared by all!
"The kingdom does not neglect its own subjects." Rynar's words carried deep meaning.
"We are willing to lay down our lives for you!" Bardel immediately dropped to one knee in reverence. This was the perfect moment to pledge loyalty—centaurs might be stubborn, but they weren't fools.
"Good! Then the eastern borders of the kingdom are yours to guard. You may not always be able to fend off invaders, but you must at least gather intelligence.
I do not want to hear of an invasion only when the enemy is already at Riverguard's gates!" Rynar warned.
After all, no one could predict when the eastern war charioteers might suddenly strike. These were the same warriors who had decimated the remnants of the Crusaders with just two thousand troops!
Rynar had no intention of underestimating them—their battle prowess had withstood the test of time.
"Come, let's drink! Tonight, we celebrate! I've brought fresh ale from Riverguard!" Rynar clapped Bardel's back, his mood lifting.
Although the ale was nothing fancy—more akin to crude swill—it was still the only available drink in Riverguard.
If not for Rynar's status as king, he wouldn't have been able to procure any at all. After all, in a city suffering from a grain shortage, brewing beer was the last priority.
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