Chapter 76: Caught Off Guard
Living people!
Hearing the knight shout over there made my heart skip a beat. Through the heavy rain and mist, the knights seemed to be heading towards a dilapidated stone house, and Isaac had just hopped off his beast, trailing behind the others.
I froze for a moment but quickly collected myself and squeezed tightly onto my beast’s back, yanking on the reins to hurry ahead.
The house the knights entered looked just like the others in the area; the thatched roof was mostly torn away, one of the beams was broken, and rain poured in like a waterfall. It seemed uninhabitable. Yet, when I got closer, about ten meters away, I could smell food wafting out from inside.
Sniff, sniff…
It really seems like there are people in there.
Are they eating vegetable porridge?
Who could it be…?
Boom, boom, boom—
Lightning streaked across the sky, and the quiet clouds unleashed a dazzling burst of light. The thunder sounded like drums banging overhead, and the imposing atmosphere startled me, raising my guard even higher.
I urged my beast to a trot, stopping in front of the house. I jumped down, checked my leather case, and quickly followed the knights inside. Inside, a fire was crackling, and a pot was bubbling away on the flames.
Around the pot sat or stood about seven or eight people—men, women, and even a couple of kids around five or six years old.
They all looked wet and dirty, and they didn’t appear to be from the same family; they were likely survivors from the village. Some were injured, lying on a straw mat in the corner with bleeding bandages, where the roof wasn’t leaking, the floor was relatively dry, but it was dimly lit. I could barely make out what seemed to be a young man, but I couldn’t tell how serious the injuries were.
But…
There are people alive! That’s fantastic!
I pushed past the knight blocking the way and stood next to Isaac, who was scratching his bald head, seemingly trying to say something to these people. But upon seeing us enter, their expressions went from bewildered to outright terrified.
The old woman stirring the pot stood up, while a plump woman tending to drying branches stepped back two paces. A farmer with rolled-up sleeves shielded the child behind him, his honest face showing a hint of vigilance in his eyes.
“Cough… Hey! I say, are you all from this village?”
After holding back for a while, Isaac managed to squeeze out those words.
His voice boomed, gruff and imposing, making him resemble one of those minor antagonists from a movie. Even though there was no malice, the sudden shout startled everyone into silence, and I even saw the farmer sneakily reach for a pitchfork nearby.
Isaac, lacking serious situational awareness, kept scratching his head: “Hey! I mean—”
“Waaaah!”
Suddenly, the younger of the two kids burst into tears, petrified by Isaac’s roar. The plump woman immediately dropped the dry branches and rushed to the boy’s side, cradling him and soothing him.
I kicked Isaac in the shins.
Bam—
“Get away!”
The kick was a bit on the stronger side.
Isaac stumbled, and the metallic clang echoed in the desolate house, but the bald-headed fool didn’t register any pain—he just touched his head, confused, turning to me with a dumb question: “Huh?”
I turned away, refusing to look at him.
And while no one was watching, I bared my teeth in a sly grin…
What is that armor made of?
It’s tough…
My shinbone stung from that kick.
“Step back!”
The soft voice slipped from my lips, reaching the knights’ ears like a melodious bird song.
Without a doubt, they obediently retreated a couple of steps outside. Then someone noticed Isaac was still dazed and pulled him back again.
I approached the villagers slowly, raising both hands over my head.
“Don’t be afraid! We… mean no harm…” I said, flashing them my pearly whites with an innocent smile.
Schmoozing, looking adorable, and playing harmless to let them drop their guard and warm up to me… This skill comes naturally for me. If one smile isn’t enough, just blink those big eyes.
“We are merely some passing Church Knights. We won’t… take your food…”
Sure enough, those people relaxed noticeably after they saw a little girl like me. The farmer’s anxious expression softened a bit; the old woman’s face became gentler, and the kid’s crying subsided into sniffling, sneaking glances at me… This calmed my nerves a bit.
Good, they don’t look so frightened anymore…
I stopped in front of them, tilted my head, then pointed to the pocket of my dress, slowly pulling out a piece of paper-wrapped jerky, opening it up, and tearing the dry meat into two bits to offer to the teary-eyed child.
“Jerky! Here you go… It’s salty…”
The kid gulped, eyes wide at the jerky. He instinctively took two steps forward, hand reaching out then retracting, glancing up at the old woman.
The old woman was watching me.
Even though she was hunched over, frail, dressed in ill-fitting, muddy clothes, her dirty face suggested respect among the little group. They all seemed to wait for her to make a move.
I smiled even wider: “Grandma, we’re not… bad people. I’m Silvya, a Church Knight.”
The old woman blinked, a flicker of recognition dawning on her face. Then her eyes widened: “You—you said you are… Silvya? You… You’re the one… the Reaver of Frost, Lady Silvya?”
Uh…
For a moment, my smile faltered.
What… scythe?
I really don’t want to admit that.
“I am.”
But hesitation lasted only a moment, and I nodded.
“Oh! By the Deity, you are… even more beautiful than the rumors say… My goodness… you…”
The old woman seemed rather excited, trying to compliment me, but her lack of vocabulary left her stammering over “You, you, you” without finishing, just stepping forward to take my hand. I handed over the jerky again: “Give this to the child.”
“This… how can I…”
“It’s fine…”
Though I said that, it was the last piece of jerky I had today. It was still morning; if I gave it away, I wouldn’t have anything left… I was definitely feeling a bit heartbroken. Maybe I could find something in the forest later.
“Well… Little Bush, quickly thank the Hero!”
The old woman passed the jerky to the child, who received it with glee and hurriedly utters: “Thank you, Hero!” The child held the jerky like a treasure, eager to take a bite; the other kid, seeing this, rushed forward for a piece. I handed over the other half too.
Suddenly, everyone seemed to ease up a bit…
Seizing the moment, I asked, “Grandma, what’s happening outside?”
“There are so many corpses outside; did you encounter bandits or some disaster? What on earth happened? Why are you still here?!”
Suddenly, Isaac’s loud voice pierced through from behind, like a reprimand.
The old woman jumped and looked lost, staring at us in confusion, so I quickly turned around and shot him a glare: “Isaac, don’t say anything!”
“What did I do…?”
Isaac scratched his head, looking completely innocent.
“From now on, you’re not allowed to talk.”
I pointed at him and declared fiercely, then ignored him, helping the old woman sit down: “Grandma, he looks fierce, but he’s really a good person…”
My tone softened instantly.
The old woman timidly sat down on the stone bench, sighed, and said to me, “I know, I know, you are good people…” then lifted the lid of the pot revealing a greenish soup, steaming and bubbling… Was that wild vegetables or grass? It smelled pretty terrible.
“Is it just you left in the village…?” I asked again.
“…Yes.”
The old woman gazed blankly at the soup, lost in thought, as if reminiscing about something. That expression tugged at my heart, suddenly reminding me of Grandma Claire, sitting at the table, staring off into space.
The old woman…
She must have lost so much too…
“Last night… a wave of bandits suddenly came to the village…” she said as she bent down to pick up a wooden bowl. “They were after food… but the village people were already starving… Where would they find food…? When they didn’t believe us, they started killing… and then… everything was gone…”
She dipped a ladle into the pot, filling the bowl with hot soup.
“Lady Silvya, Knight, we… apologize; we were just so scared and thought… you all were here to take food…”
I watched the old woman ladle soup, her slow, careful movements suggesting she was terrified of spilling even a drop. I didn’t know whether to feel sad or powerless at the moment, recalling the horrific scenes outside, heavy-hearted.
If only we had come a day sooner…
“Grandma, it’s us who should apologize… it’s our fault for being late…”
“It’s not your fault… it’s not—”
“It’s definitely your fault!”
The old woman’s words were abruptly cut off by the plump woman.
Her expression was furious as she pointed at me, “What do you mean ‘Knight’ and ‘Protector of the People’? It’s all talk! But when we needed protection, where were you? Aren’t we people too!!”
“Asha!”
The old woman scolded sharply.
The plump woman wouldn’t listen and continued glaring at me: “You didn’t show up yesterday, and now you come. What can you do now?!”
The farmer rushed forward to pull her back, panic in his expression, only to be shrugged off by the woman.
“Just go! I don’t want to see you! You’re not heroes! Get out! Go—”
The plump woman’s shrieks were hysterical, and staring at her angry, contorted face, I suddenly felt lost.
Seeing this, the old woman hurried to comfort me: “Don’t listen to her… Her son died, and she’s gone a bit mad, so just ignore her…”
As she spoke, she handed the steaming bowl of soup in front of me.
“Hero, you’ve been in the rain; drink some warm soup to warm up… And the Knight there too, I know you’re not bad people; come and have a drink too…”
“Grandma, we can’t drink; we… oh, I’ll shut up.”
Isaac behind me started to say something, perhaps remembering my earlier warning, and quickly clamped his mouth shut.
“Drink, please, drink.”
The old woman insisted on giving me the soup: “Lady Silvya, please have this bowl.”
I was feeling a whirlwind of emotions, unsure of what to say. I simply shook my head.
“Grandma, there are… wounded people.”
I pointed back at the knights: “They can heal with Divine Miracle; let the knights take a look?”
“It’s nothing, nothing.”
The old woman stole a glance at the injured person in the corner and smiled at me: “He’s not hurt badly; it’s fine. First, you drink the soup, first—”
“Drink what?!” the plump woman shouted again. “What about us? Are we supposed to starve to d*ath here?!”
Slap!
The previously silent farmer suddenly walked over and slapped her hard.
His rage was palpable, his honest, simple look turned fierce, shaking and pointing at her: “You, you! Just because you’re quiet doesn’t mean you can stay mute!”
However, the plump woman covered her face and screamed even louder: “Don’t let them drink! You aren’t allowed to drink! Get out! If not…”
Slap!
The farmer, enraged, swung a second slap with intention, his arms coming around, and sent the woman sprawling to the ground. She cried out, and with a crash, she knocked over the pot, and hot soup poured out, drenching her chest and causing her to roll on the ground, screaming in agony. But the farmer wasn’t done; he lunged forward, pinning her down and raining punches on her.
“Take that for flapping your gums! Thought you could have us all killed!”
“Ahhhh—”
“Shut up!”
“Help, help!”
“Stop hitting!”
“Don’t touch the pot!”
“Please, stop—”
The scene erupted into chaos. Caught off guard, I froze for a moment before quickly helping the old woman up and pulling her aside.
“Grandma, are you alright…?”
“They’re trying to k*ll people! They want to k*ll people!”
The plump woman’s voice was hoarse, and the farmer was pummeling her fists into her face.
“Shut up! You foolish woman, shut up!”
“Knight… please—”
“Stop it now!”
Clank, clank, clank!
The sound of swords echoed in the crumbling house.
They’re trying to k*ll her…
The plump woman’s earlier words echoed in my head. I didn’t even have time to think about their implications; I was fully focused on saving her, making sure the farmer didn’t k*ll her… I released the old woman’s grip and rushed forward, but suddenly someone tugged at my skirt from behind.
I turned, startled.
In the next moment, the old woman’s expression changed completely. She cried urgently: “She doesn’t want to drink! They don’t want to drink! Marcus, come help!”
The old woman held onto my skirt as if her life depended on it, her gentle demeanor replaced by a fierce glare. Shouting from behind, she pulled something from her waist and threw it at my face.
“Silvya—”
“Step back!”
The knights rushed in, yelling warnings.
But I was still dazed.
My body reacted faster than my mind; I yanked my skirt free and quickly stepped back, and then, bang! A cloud of gray smoke exploded in front of me.
What the…?
Confused, I looked toward the source, and out of the corner of my eye, the injured man in the corner, previously wrapped in bandages and seemingly unconscious, suddenly twisted like a snake, standing up.
He stepped forward.
In that moment, the farmer was pulled away from the plump woman by the knights, while others scattered to escape towards the adjoining room where the remains of the door hung. The two kids were crying aloud, the old woman surged toward me through the gray mist, voices shouted in my ears, while somehow no one noticed the streak of dark brown flames that burst from the injured man’s right hand.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The bandaged figure let out a strange laugh.
My pupils dilated instantly.
“Isaac, save him!”
“Watch out—”
As I shouted, Isaac’s booming voice rang out behind me, charging toward the front.
“Church! Knight!—”
Boom—!
Scarlet light burst forth from the injured man, accompanied by his wailing scream. The crimson flames exploded in front, rushing toward us with a wave of heat, engulfing the old woman.
The knight in front of us shouted a fierce warning, glowing with brilliant golden light. I didn’t have time to see what he did, as I was suddenly lifted off my feet and blown away by the explosive force.
