Chương 34: Waiting for a Rabbit to Run into a Tree Stump

Inside the bedroom.

Jostein heard the mercenaries talking downstairs through the window.

He knew those guys were no longer reliable...

Boom, boom, boom.

Just as he was becoming even more anxious, he suddenly heard footsteps overhead.

Is that an attic?

Someone went there without my permission?

Jostein's face darkened, and he walked out of the bedroom.

"Feeling better, Joe?"

"You stay at the stairwell."

He had no interest in wasting words with Dulu, and after coldly issuing the order, he went up to the attic alone.

Then, Ethan was seen laboriously bending down with his obese body, rummaging through boxes in the corner, muttering to himself, "Strange, how come there's only this much left? I remember hiding a lot here before..."

"Are you looking for my last few gold coins?"

Jostein patted the dimensional pouch at his waist and said, "To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I've moved most of them here."

"Big... Big Brother!"

The sudden voice startled Ethan so much that he fell to the ground, along with the few gold coins he had painstakingly found in his pocket, which clattered to the ground.

Jostein glanced at the gold coins, then lowered his voice and asked, "So, my dear brother, are you abandoning me too?"

Ethan shuddered and quickly explained, "No, brother, I just..."

"That's enough." Jostan interrupted Ethan, paused for a few seconds, then stepped aside to clear the way downstairs.

"You... you are still my brother, aren't you? I forgive you this time. Take the money you found and leave."

"Huh? Really? Thank you, brother! Thank you!"

Ethan let out a sigh of relief, picked up the gold coin, stood up, and carefully stepped past Jostan towards the exit.

Jostein stared at his figure, a strange emotion suddenly welling up inside him.

It's like the feeling of a tiger kept in a cage who suddenly discovers that the cage door is not closed and the keeper is facing away from it.

At the same time, he caught a glimpse of something else out of the corner of his eye.

That was the sword he used when he was an adventurer in Starsword.

After he acquired the treasure and acquired better equipment, the sword was abandoned in the attic, and just over a month later, cobwebs grew on its hilt.

After a few seconds of silence.

"You still don't understand me enough, Ethan, I..."

With a clang, Jostan drew his sword and stabbed it into Ethan's back!

"... I'd rather die than give up even a single gold coin!!!"

"Ugh!"

Ethan cried out in pain, turned around in shock, stared at Jostan's face, opened his mouth as if to say something, but could only make hissing noises.

Soon, blood flowed all over the ground, and he stopped breathing forever.

Jostein drew his sword, looked at his cousin's corpse, his lips twitched a few times, and then slowly curled up.

At this moment, he felt no fear or guilt, only immense comfort, and the anxiety of the past five days vanished!

Ah, yes, that's the choice he had to make!

The dragon's treasure was indeed wonderful, but it also made him dull and careless.

Now, it's time to bring back his lost nature!

He was a soldier!

We will never just sit idly by and wait to lose everything!

He still has a sword! He can leave this place and start over!

Screw compensation! Screw being abandoned! I'm going to abandon you all first!

Jostein took a deep breath and made a decision.

He sheathed his sword and tucked it into his waistband. Then he opened his dimensional bag and put on all the expensive equipment he had purchased during this time, including a helmet, a steel half-body armor, and another, even sharper sword.

Finally, he put on a cloak and walked to the stairwell.

Dudu, who was waiting there, asked, "What happened, Old Joe? Even though I don't have ears, I still sensed some unfriendly noises."

Jostein did not answer the question, but simply said:

"Duru, will you still fight for me?"

Dudu nodded, his head bubbling with excitement: "Of course! A contract is a contract!"

"Then come with me." Jostein said in a low voice as they walked down the stairs, "The previous owner of this house had many enemies, so he built a secret escape route. We can use it to leave quietly..."

leave?

Don't you want this house and your mercenaries anymore?

Gee tut.

Human matters are always so complicated, thankfully I don't have a brain...

Dudu realized something, but didn't say much and silently followed behind Jostan.

The two avoided the noisy hall and the Phoenix family members who were keeping watch in the porch, and made their way to the study.

After fumbling around for a bit, Jostein pressed a button in the bookcase, which then began to spin rapidly, revealing a small doorway behind it, just wide enough for one person to pass through.

He led Dulu inside, first down then forward, and after two minutes in the dark, they finally emerged from a courtyard a hundred meters away from the mansion through a trapdoor.

"very good!"

After looking around and finding that no one was paying attention to him, Jostein curled the corners of his mouth.

Then he tore his clothes into face masks to cover his and Dulu's faces, and then headed to the east gate of Phoenix.

however, Unbeknownst to Jostein, shortly after he emerged from the secret passage, two sheepdogs on the street corner raised their heads, and then crows in the sky began to caw…

About three hours later.

Jostein successfully led Dulu out of Phoenix.

Here, his spirits gradually lifted, and pointing to the distant hills, he said to Dulu:

"There's a hunter's hut at the foot of that mountain. I used to rest there often when I was the captain of Starsword."

"There's a supply of cured meat and dry rations inside. We can go in and replenish our supplies, then we can cross this mountain and reach the next city."

"Even without the mercenary group, I still have this set of equipment, and you too. If we join forces, we can definitely accomplish something great!"

Dudu shrugged humanely: "It doesn't matter if it's a big deal or not, as long as there's enough rotten fruit."

Ha, slime.

Jostein pursed his lips, stopped playing the piano for Dulu, and continued on his way with hope.

Gradually, he saw the roof of the hunter's cabin.

very good……

Once we get to that place...

Once you get to that place, you can…

…Wait, that's not right!

When Jostein finally arrived at the house, he found a man and a woman already sitting at the door!

The man even lit a campfire and started grilling meat, singing as he did so: "Grilled chicken wings, oh, they're my favorite!"

Jostein:?

No, who are these two?

He frowned, about to step forward and ask, when he saw the man stand up and wave at him.

"Hey, Jostein Green, I've been waiting for you!"