Kanu Village was slightly larger than Cabin Village. A semi-dilapidated wooden watchtower stood at the village entrance, with a young man dozing off atop it.
“Who goes there? Halt!”
Leopold stopped and held out his hands to show he was unarmed. “We're here to talk about cooperation.”
The young man sized him up and down, then glanced at Isabella behind him, his gaze lingering on her white hair for a moment.
The black-haired one looked like some noble from somewhere, and the white-haired one looked like some princess...
“I am the client who commissioned the chief of Cabin Village to visit,” Isabella said, bowing politely.
“We represent Cabin Village and would like to speak with your village chief about a potential partnership,” Leopold interjected in a calm tone. “We heard your village has a militia instructor named ‘Iron Fist,’ and we would like to meet him as well.”
The young man was silent for a moment. Then, leaning halfway out of the watchtower, he hollered toward the village, “Someone's looking for the village chief and Instructor Iron Fist!”
After a short while, the wooden fence gate at the village entrance was pulled open from the inside. A stocky, brown-haired, middle-aged man walked out with an old iron sword hanging from his waist.
“I am Iron Fist,” he said. “Who are you?”
Leopold was in no hurry to answer. He first sized up Iron Fist, who stood there with his arms crossed.
“My name is Leopold, and this is Isabella. We've come from Cabin Village to discuss a partnership.”
Iron Fist's gaze lingered on his face for two seconds before sweeping over Isabella. He suddenly laughed. “Cooperation? Two young outsiders talking about cooperation with Kanu Village?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“If you want to convince me, mere words won't cut it. I, Iron Fist, only believe in one thing.”
“Fists?”
Iron Fist grinned. “It seems you aren't completely clueless.”
“Then we'll play by your rules.” Leopold did not hesitate. He took off his coat and handed it to Isabella beside him. “But I have one condition.”
“What condition?”
“If I win, Kanu Village must join our partnership. Not just you, but your village chief and everyone else in the village must agree.”
Iron Fist raised an eyebrow. “You talk big. What if you lose?”
“Then we'll leave immediately and never bother Kanu Village again.”
Iron Fist stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly unbuckled the old iron sword from his waist and threw it onto the ground.
“My good man, you look rather slender, yet you speak so boldly. I wonder if your strength matches your words.”
“Leo, how about letting me handle this?” Isabella winked at him. “Sometimes, I want to show off a bit too.”
Hearing this, Iron Fist's gaze rested on Isabella for a moment before he scoffed. “Little girl, this isn't playing house. My fist can shatter solid rock in a single strike.”
Isabella was not angry. Instead, she let out a soft chuckle and took two steps forward.
“Bring it on.” Isabella even kept Leopold's coat in her other hand, adopting a posture that suggested she would only use one hand.
“Tch!” Iron Fist felt insulted. He barked, “I don't have any of that knightly chivalry. As long as you're my opponent, I don't care if you're a woman!”
With those words, Iron Fist abandoned all courtesy.
He kicked off the ground with his right foot, charging at Isabella like an infuriated bull. His right fist, wrapped in a gust of wind, aimed straight for her face.
Seeing him unleash his full power right from the start, Isabella couldn't help but laugh.
“Well, it's passable, I suppose,” Isabella remarked. She tilted her body slightly, effortlessly evading Iron Fist's attack.
Iron Fist's pupils contracted slightly. He had fought in wars and killed men. Even if an opponent could dodge this punch, they would surely leave an opening due to the rushed evasion.
But this girl was actually sizing him up with a smile!
“Again!” The moment his first punch missed, he had already raised his left knee, driving it toward Isabella's flank—a killing move he had honed on the battlefield.
Isabella still did not retreat. She merely tucked the hand holding the coat behind her back, spun around, and once again evaded Iron Fist's lethal move.
However, due to his own momentum, Iron Fist had his eyes obscured by Leopold's coat, causing him to stumble and crash to the ground.
Iron Fist tumbled, face-planting into the muddy ground at the village entrance, getting a mouthful of dirt.
He was stunned for two seconds. Then, pushing himself up abruptly, he ripped the coat off his face and stared at Isabella with wide eyes.
“...You cheated!”
“How did I cheat?” Isabella tilted her head, her tone innocent. “You ran into it yourself. I didn't even use my hands.”
Iron Fist opened his mouth, then closed it.
Indeed, from beginning to end, she had only used her left hand, while her right hand held the coat. When he charged, she had simply stepped aside and spun around, never even touching him.
He stared at Isabella for several seconds, then looked down at his mud-covered hands, suddenly breaking into a grin.
“...Fine. I lost.”
He made no excuses and stood straight up.
“I will help you in the negotiations. As for this coat, once I wash it clean, I will personally deliver it to your residence.”
“It's a pity we didn't get into a real fight,” Isabella winked at Leopold. “I wanted to see how powerful his ‘Martial Skill’ actually was.”
“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”
Draping the mud-stained coat over his shoulder, Iron Fist turned and walked into the village. After a couple of steps, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder.
“What are you standing there for? Aren't we going to talk about cooperation? Follow me.”
Leopold and Isabella exchanged a glance, then followed him.
The interior of Kanu Village was more orderly than Cabin Village. The streets were paved with gravel, and most of the houses on both sides were built of stone, looking much sturdier than the rammed-earth houses of Cabin Village.
Several villagers chopping firewood by the roadside stopped their work when they saw Iron Fist leading two strangers past, their curious gazes following them.
“Toby!” Iron Fist pushed open a half-closed wooden door and shouted inside, “We have guests.”
Toby Kanu was an old man who looked to be in his early sixties. His hair was completely white, but his back was straight, and his eyes were relatively bright. He was sitting behind an old wooden table, upon which several yellowed account books were spread.
Hearing Iron Fist's voice, he looked up, his gaze lingering on Leopold and Isabella in turn.
“Iron Fist, since when did you learn to bring strangers into the village?”
Iron Fist pulled the mud-stained coat off his shoulder and casually draped it over the back of a chair by the door. “I lost. Lost to this little girl. So, by the rules, I brought them to see you.”
Toby's gaze turned to Isabella, lingering on her for two seconds before falling back on Iron Fist. “You lost? You?”
“Why, is that not possible?” Isabella looked at Chief Toby with a proud expression.
“I lost,” Iron Fist admitted frankly. “She didn't even move a hand, and I fell into the mud myself.”
Toby set down the account book, leaned back in his chair, and sized up Leopold and Isabella once more. “Speak then. What kind of cooperation do you want to discuss?”
“It's like this, Chief. We wish to establish an alliance to resist the Demon Race. This would be beneficial for everyone.”
Of course, Leopold's true objective was to establish a human kingdom. This would not only conceal the traces of the three dragons but also provide them with a continuous supply of resources.
“Cabin Village sent someone with a letter a few days ago, saying you were consolidating the nearby villages. I didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking it was just some restless youngsters messing around.”
He paused, his gaze landing on Leopold.
“But since Iron Fist has admitted defeat, I am willing to sit down and listen. Speak.”
Leopold sat down opposite Toby, resting his hands naturally on the table.
“Then I shall speak plainly.”
Rate on N.U.
