That bard is such a charmer!

Chapter 26 Paladin Isabella

forgive?

There's nothing to forgive, and I'd like to get to know you too!

I'm not from the evil faction, so why wouldn't I want to have a high-level paladin friend?

Richard immediately returned the smile and walked over to him warmly.

It was at this moment that he was able to get a good look at the woman's appearance.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, tall and slender with delicate features, especially her eyebrows and eyes, which combined feminine grace with masculine heroism, as if she were a one-to-one replica of a female knight in an oil painting.

Apart from Zoya and Grace, Richard had never met a woman who could compare to her.

Seeing Richard's friendly attitude, the woman took the initiative to say:

"Let me introduce myself first."

"My name is Isabella Swain, and this is my sister, Amelie Swain. We come from the Holy Roland Empire and have come to Phoenix City to find a former friend."

"As for my profession, I think you can probably guess. I am a paladin who has sworn an oath of dedication..."

Richard listened attentively while mentally recalling the relevant information.

The oath of dedication is one of the most common oaths taken by paladins.

There are many different interpretations of its specific form and content, but its core often includes five virtues: honesty, courage, compassion, honor, and responsibility.

In other words, paladins who have taken the oath of dedication must adhere to these virtues for the rest of their lives, unless there are special circumstances.

To be honest, these conditions are actually quite demanding.

However, precisely because of this, these paladins are often regarded by kind-hearted people as the most admirable moral exemplars and are welcomed in many places...

Isabella quickly finished her introduction.

Richard picked up the conversation:

"My name is David Day. I was born in Phoenix. I traveled for several years and only recently returned. This is a friend I met on my travels, named Grace..."

Paladins don't like to lie, but bards don't care, so Richard naturally gave a false name.

Isabella exclaimed admiringly, "I see. You are a very experienced poet; no wonder you saw the dwarfs' problem at a glance."

Richard replied, "You flatter me. If it weren't for Miss Sven's sword strike, even with my extensive experience, I wouldn't have been able to catch the thief..."

Then, the two of them started praising each other, and the atmosphere became quite lively.

After chatting for about ten minutes, Isabella reluctantly ended the conversation when she saw that it was almost dawn outside.

She then told Richard her room number and said that she would be staying in Phoenix for a while, and that Richard could come to her anytime if he needed any help.

If someone else had said this, Richard would have thought it was just boring politeness or some kind of implication.

But considering that the person on the other end was a paladin who had sworn an oath of devotion, and that if he said he was willing to help, he really meant it, Richard felt nothing but joy.

Unfortunately, revenge is a sensitive matter, so it's best not to let outsiders interfere.

This favor can only be used for something else.

With that thought in mind, Richard escorted Isabella and Amelie back to their room.

Later.

Inside Isabella's bedroom.

Amélie, who hadn't said much before, frowned and said to Isabella:

"Your Highness, I've confirmed it. That David used disguise; he's very likely not a good person!"

Isabella nodded seriously, but said, "I see. It seems he has quite a story behind him. I should talk to him more often when I have time."

Amélie's eye twitched involuntarily: "Your Highness, you're making my job even more difficult!"

"Don't worry, I'll be very careful. At worst, I'll just send out a faction scout before each meeting."

Isabella made a joke that she found very funny.

Noticing that Amélie wasn't amused, she tilted her head and explained:

"This Mr. David may not be entirely honest, but his intellect and enthusiasm are genuine. Compared to those academics in the court who only know how to sing hymns, he is definitely a talent."

"Furthermore, you may not have noticed, but his fellow warrior was very strong, extremely strong. Despite this, the warrior still followed him, which means he must have some merit that could subdue that warrior."

"Whatever the answer is, as your prince, I should try to approach him. What do you think?"

Amélie's lips twitched slightly, and she finally sighed:

"You're the boss, what you say goes."

Isabella smiled:

"Alright, get some rest. Tomorrow we still need to continue searching for the granddaughter of the Ash Duke from the prophecy. I wonder where she has ended up..."

the other side.

Richard walked to his door, about to say goodnight to Grace, when she chuckled softly:

"You stared at Isabella's face for longer than you stared at me before, so is she your type?"

Richard spread his hands: "I'm a very tolerant person. As long as someone is good-looking, they're my type regardless of height or age."

"Hmm...including dragons?"

"Of course, that's the main course!"

Having spent these few days together, Richard had become adept at handling Grace's teasing, which was somewhat genuine. After giving a casual reply, he changed the subject:

"By the way, tonight's events gave me a lot of inspiration; I've already figured out a way to deal with Jostein!"

"But I'm really sleepy right now, so let's leave this for tomorrow morning."

Sweet dreams, Grace~

After saying that, Richard went into the room and collapsed onto the bed.

Grace locked the door for her, muttering to herself:

"You've already come up with a solution so quickly? The young poet's skills are really improving..."

"He's just a liar!"

In her mind, Zoya popped up, saying sarcastically, "Don't tell me you couldn't tell that he wasn't even telling you the truth about how he discovered the dwarfs' conspiracy!"

Grace smiled, her eyes narrowing. "I think that's precisely what makes him interesting. I'm increasingly looking forward to seeing what he'll achieve in the future!"

"You! Don't you, a bronze dragon, have any decent ambitions?!"

"Yes, for example, making you angry, hehehe~"

"Shut up!"

"Hehehehehe..."

Call ~

As the candlelight was blown out, the dragon's laughter gradually faded, and the paladin's room was once again enveloped in moonlight. The throat that the poet had used to sing loudly not long ago began to snore softly.

The tavern, which had been bustling all night, finally quieted down.

Several hours later, the sun rose, its unparalleled radiance waking the entire city of Phoenix from its slumber once more…

Early morning, in the tavern's main hall.

boom!

Richard placed the plate of bacon and eggs that the boss had given him for free on the table, and while eating, he said to Grace across the table:

"To deal with Jostein, we need to change our approach. We can't rush to kill him; instead, we need to destroy his reputation first, just like the dwarfs planned to do to Andy last night."

"Firstly, emotionally, I don't want him to die with a good reputation. He doesn't deserve it. I'm petty, and since he dared to slander me, he should pay an extra price for it."

"Secondly, reputation is very important for a newly established mercenary group. Without reputation, it cannot guarantee income."

"I've estimated that he doesn't have much treasure left. Once he stops earning new income, he won't be able to pay his mercenaries, he won't be able to keep them loyal, and he'll naturally be without guards. Then it will be easy for us to settle accounts with him."

"What do you think?"