Chapter 211: Act 145 – Hope of Gentle Words (Seven) (Third Update)
“Pizos?” (Elvish: Daddy?)
The young girl immediately looked up, astonished, and asked.
“What about your daughter?” Brendel frowned.
“I will take care of her; Funiya’s mother is my adopted daughter…” The Elder replied after a moment of silence, “So you need not worry, my Lord. Moreover, Bolton is willing; he is grateful that you can bring Funiya back…”
He paused, stroking Funiya’s hair: “Of course, if I didn’t have to stay back to lead everyone, I would much rather serve as your guide, my Lord. I am more familiar with this forest than Bolton, and I hope you can understand…”
Everyone fell silent. As mercenaries, their knowledge of the Black Forest was not much better than Brendel’s. There were far more terrifying legends here than Erluin’s most horrific bedtime stories meant to scare children.
“What about her mother?” Only Antinna frowned and asked.
Brendel noticed the young girl’s grip on her father’s clothing tighten, and his heart stirred slightly.
The Elder sighed, reminiscing as he replied: “Funiya’s mother had half-elf blood; she was the most beautiful girl in our village, and was the happiest when she married Bolton—unfortunately, during the last ‘hunt’, she sacrificed herself to protect others…”
Brendel ground his teeth.
He certainly knew what hunting was. In most regions of Vaunte, nobles regarded the conquest of barbarian tribes as hunting—an accepted practice that had become customary over the centuries. However, this activity had long become a symbolic gesture, as actual barbarian invasions had vanished completely after the First Holy War.
In fact, today, apart from the area of Tonegoya, one rarely saw the most ferocious enemies of civilization.
The so-called Sainya people, labeled as ‘barbarians’, were merely a ‘misunderstanding’ deliberately fabricated by people like Grudin to satisfy their perverse desires. This misconception was not only applicable to nobles but also to most of the populace.
“Well then.” Brendel finally nodded, “Let’s get to the point. Since you’ve already decided, I won’t oppose it. But this matter is not trivial; how long will you need to prepare?”
He glanced at Bolton, thinking it should be no problem to ensure this guy’s safety, given that his team had three golden-level members, unlike ordinary adventurer groups.
In comparison, he was more concerned about those remaining outside.
But the Elder nodded: “My Lord, there are no other issues to worry about. However, I must remind you that you may not be very familiar with this forest behind us; in fact, it becomes very dangerous as autumn sets in. Especially with the coming of winter, animals will become more aggressive due to hunger, not to mention the monsters. I actually suggest…”
“It’s fine,” Brendel interrupted, “As long as you guide us through the forest—that’s all we need. As for the rest—we can handle it.”
The Elder was taken aback, opening his mouth but unable to speak.
He clearly didn’t expect that Brendel was looking for the Druids in the forest. The Druids had secluded themselves for nearly four hundred years, almost never contacting the outside world. However, the young man was familiar with the habits of those territorial beings; he believed that as long as they entered the forest, they would definitely attract those ‘beasts’.
And from Brendel’s experience, finding them later would not be too troublesome.
As for persuading the Druids to take him to find the legendary lost temple Valhalla, that was another issue entirely. Yet Brendel had already made up his mind to change his original plan and find the fabled sealed kingdom first, before rejoining Husher.
He did this because of a series of troubles he encountered lately. The number of enemies looming before him was increasing, and time was becoming tighter; he had to seek a faster solution. However, how to gain the Druids’ trust was indeed a problem. Those neutral forest hermits always held a skeptical attitude towards outsiders; although they once allied with humanity, that relationship had completely vanished in the First Holy War.
This dilemma troubled him momentarily, but he could only take it one step at a time. After all, the Druids were different from the Silver Elves; the Silver Elves had completely sealed off contact with the outside world, whereas the Druids, although reclusive, were not entirely cut off from external contact.
It was just that this contact was extremely rare.
The Elder of the Sainya people pondered; although he had his doubts about whether these people had ulterior motives, from Yorl’s description, they clearly had the power to raze their village to the ground, so it seemed unnecessary to engage in any schemes.
Moreover, they had destroyed an entire squad of noble cavalry.
Thinking of this, the Elder felt a bit alarmed. At the same time, he was worried and afraid; unlike the young people in the village, his experiences told him that Baron Grudin would never let this matter rest, and retaliation would surely come soon.
How would the village defend itself then?
Thus, he originally wanted to keep Brendel and his party here, at least through the winter. Unfortunately, he didn’t expect that the moment he opened his mouth, he would be cut off. This made him think that these people did not care for their lives, merely wanting to strike a deal with them.
Yet this deal, after weighing it, he felt that they had no right to refuse. With this in mind, he let out a deep sigh, appearing somewhat helpless.
“I understand, my Lord.” The Elder hunched his back, replying helplessly, “I will arrange it for you as soon as possible; please rest assured, my Lord.”
Upon hearing this, Brendel remained impassive, only nodding slightly.
…
Looking at the departing figures of the Sainya people’s Elder and his entourage, Brendel finally felt relieved. However, he could not help but sigh; how could he not understand the Elder’s concerns, but he simply had no time to spend an entire winter here.
Moreover, staying would not necessarily be useful—
He would not mind telling Grudin that all of this was his doing; however, he could not guarantee that the unpredictable, baron-skinned scum would not take his anger out on them.
Or rather, it would be almost inevitable to bear the brunt of his ire.
“Brendel, can we help them?” Little Romain tugged at his sleeve.
“Unless they are willing to enter the forest with us; even so, we cannot provide them with sufficient food for the winter. The only place nearby to procure food is Grudin’s territory. Do you think he would provide it to us?” The young man asked calmly.
Merchant Miss’s eyes flickered.
“I’ll stay back.” The red-haired girl sat to the side, resting her spear on her shoulder, turning to look at Brendel with amber eyes.
Brendel rubbed his forehead—at the same spot on Xi’s forehead, black patterns were spreading out like shadows. Everyone understood that she was having nightmares every night, almost unable to breathe, yet the girl never mentioned her condition while she was awake.
“You can’t stay, Xi,” he sighed and replied, “I don’t even dare let you wander too far from me. It would be too dangerous for you to spend a few months here, both for you and for these people.”
The red-haired girl bit her lip, giving a soft hum, seemingly indifferent to her situation. However, Brendel’s words touched her; she indeed could not stay, for once she became a divine messenger, these people would be doomed.
Antinna looked at everyone here, also speechless. Although she did not like the Sainya people, she could not help but clench her fists at this scene.
At this moment, Brendel stood up, straightening his black coat, then exhaled. Turning around, he said, “I’m going to take a walk—”
Everyone was taken aback.
In their impression, this young lord did not seem like someone who enjoyed wandering around. However, when Brendel noticed Husher and Xi instinctively wanting to follow, he quickly held up his hand:
“Husher, Xi, you stay. Let me be alone for a bit, and you should rest well and prepare for the upcoming journey.”
Husher and the red-haired girl were slightly stunned.
A moment of solitude?
…
Among the Sainya people, there was a well-known custom; they firmly believed that a person’s soul would linger around the living after death, guarding them as they struggled to thrive in the harsh environment of the Black Forest across generations. Therefore, they built longhouses for the dead and designated the most important meeting place in the clan within the longhouse.
Thus, the souls of the deceased could experience each moment when a tribe made a decision affecting its survival together with the living.
However, at this moment, a dispute erupted in this sacred longhouse.
“I disagree!” The earlier young man shook his head vigorously: “Funiya has only just been rescued; this shows that Goddess Nia does not want this outcome, yet now we are sending her back. What does that mean?”
“If we don’t send her back, we’ll all die,” a thin middle-aged man said gloomily. “Of course, we don’t want to; however, we have no choice.”
He gritted his teeth: “Haven’t we seen enough separations and deaths? Funiya’s mother also left this world for the same reason, but all of it was for the wish of others to live; this is our sacred pact as Sainya people!”
“Of course, if one day the tribe needs me to fulfill this task, I would say the same—” he glanced at the young man: “What we need now is perseverance and calmness; do not forget that the tribe did not survive to this day by relying on impulse.”
“Bolton, Funiya is your daughter; you should say something.” He turned back.
The middle-aged man crossed his arms, remaining silent.
“Is there no other way?” The young man bit his lip and asked: “How can we hand over our compatriots so easily?”
“Then let’s enter the forest,” suggested one.
The Elder shook his head; the crops in the fields had yet to be harvested, and now hiding in the forest would only result in freezing or starving.
“Are we just going to watch Funiya go to her death?”
“We can’t say it that way; my Lord the Baron said he wants to adopt Funiya. Didn’t he say last time that just sending Funiya over would mean we wouldn’t have to hide in the forest anymore and could become true subjects…”
Someone in the crowd murmured.
Everyone fell silent; adopting Funiya? Everyone knew this was just a lie; how could a lord possibly adopt a Sainya person, even if she had half-elf blood?
Moreover, how vile and corrupt those nobles were was a well-known fact.
“Do you not feel ashamed to say such things?” The young man coldly sneered.
“It’s easy to say, but what other choice do we have? Or if the Elder thinks it’s worthwhile, we can confront those guys with real swords and guns, Elder?” the middle-aged man snorted.
The argument within the longhouse grew louder, even reaching outside.
Brendel listened quietly, sitting on a rock, watching the young girl with green hair like a waterfall squatting beside him. The latter stared blankly at the ants on the ground, her expression calm, as if she hadn’t heard the dispute inside…
“Funiya,” the young man finally asked, “You can understand my words, right?”
The young girl paused slightly.
She looked up, her green eyes looking at him, somewhat surprised.
“Sorry… brother…” she replied slowly, enunciating each word, but this time she spoke in Cruz language.
“It’s okay,” Brendel shook his head, saying, “I understand you were trying to protect yourself at that time. It seems Funiya is a very clever child—”
The young girl smiled slightly, a sweet smile.
Then she thought for a moment and said, “Big brother… can I… lead you… into the… forest… instead of… Daddy? I… also know… the forest… Mama taught me…”
Brendel felt a twinge of softness in his heart, but he sighed gently and shook his head.
“Funiya, even if you lead us into the forest, even if you’re not here, that Baron will still come after us. Do you understand?” This time, the young man replied in Elvish.
Funiya stared blankly for a moment, her expression quickly dimming.
“I’m sorry,” Brendel whispered.
The young girl bit her lip.
But just then, the argument inside the longhouse intensified—
…
(PS: I originally planned to update the character table today, sorting levels and equipment and everything. However, my emotions have not been very stable these days, and my shoulders and neck have been aching, so I really couldn’t muster any spirit. I can only apologize to everyone here, especially to Sister Hong, and I will definitely update tomorrow. I’m going to rest a bit, thank you.
Moreover, there should be two more chapters of “Hope of Gentle Words” according to plan, and then we will proceed to the follow-up plot—) (To be continued, for more details, please log in; more chapters await, support the author, support genuine reading!)
