Chapter 11
Chapter 11: The Enchanted Castle
Before leaving Reyp Forest with Branny, Branny's grandmother made a special point of presenting them with a small pouch of gold coins.
The old hunter also brought over a fine, excellent horse.
Both of them were already thoroughly convinced that Li Kainan must be of noble blood, and felt that a pouch of gold coins and a horse would hardly catch his eye.
However, at this moment Li Kainan had neither attendants nor any travel packs—perhaps due to some accident that had separated him from his retinue.
So at this point, Li Kainan was likely to need these things……
Li Kainan accepted everything without ceremony.
He genuinely needed them right now—otherwise he couldn't even provide Branny with her wages.
Li Kainan also took the opportunity to ask the old hunter for a hunting bow and some arrows to keep for emergencies, then led Branny onward and set off.
According to the old hunter's directions, Li Kainan needed only to head due south to leave the forest and reach the nearest small town.
However, Branny's grandmother made a special point of warning Li Kainan that upon arriving at the town, he must absolutely avoid approaching the forest to the west of it under any circumstances.
Because within that forest sat a castle that had been cursed by a witch……
The moment Li Kainan heard this, he found himself rather intrigued.
Without a doubt, a castle cursed by a witch sounded exactly like some sort of story mission or dungeon!
Right—worth asking around when they got there.
If the dungeon level wasn't too high, Li Kainan would definitely be making a trip inside……
……
Since Branny didn't know how to ride a horse, the 2 of them shared a single mount as they departed.
Li Kainan not only knew how to ride—he was quite skilled at it!
This too was a personal hobby of his. As an aimless wealthy second-generation heir before his transmigration, he had even kept 3 horses specifically for practicing mounted combat and mounted archery……
So even with Branny sharing the saddle, he handled the horse with practiced ease and effortless control.
That said, no matter how skilled the rider, the jostling of a moving horse was impossible to avoid entirely.
Branny swayed and jostled in the saddle—and despite her best efforts to sit up straight and proper, her body kept sliding toward Li Kainan, until eventually she slid directly into his arms.
Li Kainan was wearing his heavy full plate armor, so even with the young girl nestled in his arms he couldn't feel any softness or warmth.
But for young Branny, being in such close contact with Li Kainan was more than enough to make her pretty face flush crimson with embarrassment—as though she might transform into a steam engine at any moment……
Sharply noticing the stiffness in Branny's body, Li Kainan recognized the young girl's shyness and discomfort.
Intending to redirect Branny's attention, he took the initiative and asked:
"Branny, did your grandmother ever tell you much about that cursed castle?"
Branny, now thoroughly nestled in Li Kainan's arms, had cheeks burning red, her eyes hazy and glimmering with shyness.
Only upon hearing Li Kainan speak did she manage to pull herself back together.
"The cursed castle……"
Branny nodded:
"Before I left, grandmother specifically told me about it!"
"It was originally the castle of a prince of the Cape Royal Family—after the prince passed away from illness, the castle was inherited by his son."
"This prince was extravagant and hedonistic, holding lavish banquets in his castle every day, living a life of decadent luxury."
"Until one rainy night, a powerful witch who was passing through wished to spend the night in his castle in exchange for a single rose—and the prince flatly refused!"
"The witch despised the prince's selfishness, and so she cast a spell on the entire castle. From that day on, the castle was surrounded by thorned roses, and no one has ever been able to leave from within……"
Upon hearing this, Li Kainan raised an eyebrow with some curiosity and said:
"He was at least a prince—did no one go to rescue him?"
From what he had learned about the world's background from Branny's grandmother, all the major kingdoms and great nobles kept various transcendent individuals in their service.
And this was a prince directly under the Cape Royal Family—by rights, someone should have stepped forward to help……
Branny shook her head at this and explained:
"At the time, the Cape Royal Family had fallen into disaster. The royalist forces were all occupied trying to suppress the rebellion and save the royal family—there was simply no strength left to rescue the prince……"
At that, Li Kainan's brow shifted slightly.
He recalled what Branny's grandmother had told him before—that the Kingdom of Cape had made an enemy of a witch, causing the only princess to be cursed and the entire royal palace to be sealed away by magic.
With the king lost, the once powerful Kingdom of Cape had fallen into complete chaos—and naturally no one had been able to organize a rescue for this prince!
How did the Cape Royal Family keep getting on the wrong side of witches……
……
Riding along the forest path for most of the day, the 2 of them finally left Reyp Forest behind.
As they pressed further on, the road grew increasingly wide, until they came to a crossroads.
The path to the right of the crossroads could be seen leading toward a town of considerable size.
But the path to the left was overgrown with weeds, and a signpost hung at the crossroads warning people in no uncertain terms not to venture into that forest!
Needless to say, the path on the left had to lead straight to the cursed castle!
Even with the dungeon right before his eyes, Li Kainan would absolutely not act rashly without any preparation or specific information.
Li Kainan took the right-side path, bringing Branny to the town ahead first.
The town was of substantial size—with a population of at least a thousand by rough estimate.
Both sides of the town's main street were lined with shops, which gave it a surprising air of prosperity!
However, when Li Kainan and Branny entered the town, something appeared to have just occurred—the streets were empty of people, all of them gathered around the central fountain in the middle of town.
Li Kainan rode forward as well, curious to see what the commotion was about.
Around the central fountain, a crowd of townspeople were gathered around a short, heavyset middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man had a scruffy beard and unkempt appearance, his face a mask of panic and desperation as he pleaded to the crowd:
"It's all my fault—last night I was trying to get back quickly, so I took a shortcut through the forest to the west. I ended up stumbling into a monster's castle by mistake."
"I angered it, and I should never have made it back alive. It was my daughter who rushed in just in time to save me—but she was caught by the monster in my place……"
"Her life is in danger—please, I beg you, go save her!"
The middle-aged man was frantic with worry for his daughter, grabbing at people and pleading desperately—he looked half-crazed.
And faced with the middle-aged man's pleas, the townspeople backed away one by one, not a single one willing to step forward.
Though the story of that prince had taken place over 10 years ago, many in the town still remembered it well.
The castle in the forest to the west of town was a place cursed by a witch—anyone who ventured near would never return!
There was no one here who would be willing to risk their life going there just to save this middle-aged man's daughter……