Chapter 685

Chapter 70: Through the Flames Part 2

The night was dark, with scattered torches flickering in the sandy town. Distant barking of dogs and calls of people could be heard, mingled with the intermittent cries of infants nearby. Ahead on the road, covered in dust, the men holding steel knives instinctively made way. A woman wrapped in a cloak, seemingly frail, walked through the crowd.

Her steps were slow.

But she walked steadily towards this side.

“Elina…”

My heart leaped, my pupils constricting.

It really is her…

What’s going on?

She actually came back!?

My body entered a state of alert as soon as I saw the woman. It was an instinctive reaction. My waist bent slightly, and my hand reached for my waist, but found nothing— I had forgotten to bring “Dragon Claw” when I rushed out… However, that wasn’t important. Such weapons wouldn’t help much against her.

My mind raced rapidly. The intense alertness lasted only a moment before subsiding.

No…

She should be in the same situation as me.

This woman must have something she needs me to do, and I have questions for her too. The church’s people will be here soon. We can’t fight here; it would only make things worse and lead to an unmanageable situation. It wouldn’t benefit anyone. The pressing issue now is what we should do.

I quickly calmed down, standing still and watching her approach.

“Miss Elina—”

When the woman got closer, Robert, the old man, was the first to react. Her appearance seemed to dispel the gloom hanging over the town. He ran up to her, his expression like that of someone seeing a great savior, his joy unmasked.

“Miss Elina, you finally… finally returned…” He rubbed his hands on his trousers, looking at the woman with clear and excited eyes, “Those knights, the church’s knights… Mund discovered their tracks, they are coming toward the town… Are you alright? Did you see them? What should we do now… give us some guidance…”

The old man spoke, his words somewhat jumbled. Clearly, he was at a loss. The moment he saw Elina, he placed all his hopes on her. But the woman did not respond, continuing to walk forward.

“Elina, you’re just in time!”

Mund, the strong man, turned back and led a few others who looked spirited and excited, “Let’s go meet those false believers! With you here… if the lady is also present, no matter how many come, they won’t stand a chance!”

“Drive them away! Let those false believers never dare to attack again!”

“Roar—”

The fighters of Meseh raised their knives and shouted, their excitement reaching its peak. As long as Elina was there, everything seemed manageable. Even the women by the roadside, who were still crying, lifted their heads, their eyes gleaming with hope.

But…

The woman remained silent.

These people were blinded by joy and perhaps had blind faith in Elina. At this moment, few noticed her appearance, not even the old mayor, who seemed to have forgotten what I had told him not long ago—that Elina might have been killed in the sand valley.

But I noticed.

That woman clearly had undergone a severe ordeal.

Heavy injuries.

Although the wounds seemed to have healed, the scorch marks on the cloak, the dense sword slashes, the dried and shocking bloodstains, the slightly awkward walking posture, and the silver strands of hair that floated out from under the hood, with the sticky blood mixed with sand and dust on them, all made me sense the weak, yet inexplicably heart-wrenching aura emanating from Eluna.

This made me suddenly feel uneasy.

What is she planning…

The woman ignored everyone’s words, bypassed the old man and the burly man Montd who tried to block her path, and after a few steps, stood in front of me.

“…”

I didn’t speak, just looked up at her.

The dry cold wind blew past, lifting the edge of the woman’s hood, and I saw half of her face hidden in the shadows, also stained with dark red blood. Her eye was strangely white, giving an eerie feeling.

My heart thumped suddenly.

What’s going on, she…

“Eluna Sister…”

Little Betty called out timidly beside me. I immediately pulled her behind me.

“…Young Miss Eluna?”

“Miss Eluna, are you alright…”

The burly Montd and the old mayor asked from behind. They exchanged glances, but the woman continued to ignore them. The atmosphere was eerily quiet. I began to feel tense, but tried not to show it on my face, still staring straight at her.

This woman, she’s observing me…

What is she observing?

“…”

After a moment, I couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke, frowning slightly, wanting to ask what had happened, but before I could finish, the woman ended her observation, no longer looking at me, and turned to look at the old man.

“Grandpa Robert.”

“I’m here! I’m here!”

Upon hearing this, the old man hurried forward. He seemed to have already held his pipe in his hand, but hesitated to smoke it, only smiling foolishly at the woman: “Miss Eluna, for the matter concerning the young lady, I’ve done as you instructed, trying to meet all your requirements… She has been waiting for your return, but…”

“Hi, we’re relieved now that you’re back, but now is not the time to talk. Those Church Knights will be here soon. You need to make a decision. We’ll all listen to you tonight—”

Just as he was speaking, the woman suddenly bent down in a bow, then knelt on the ground, her head touching the yellow earth with a thud: “These years, thank you for taking care of me.”

The old mayor was suddenly stunned.

“…Uh.”

He was caught off guard by her sudden action, flustered for a while, before throwing away his pipe and tremblingly extending his hand to help the woman up: “What are you doing! Foolish girl, get up, get up…”

He supported Eluna’s arm and helped her stand up. The woman stood up accordingly.

“At such a time, why are you suddenly saying these things… You are one of us, we are all Messer people, why are you saying these things…”

The old man patted her shoulder, speaking dryly. The woman did not respond again, turning instead to look at the dim night sky. Her hood fluttered in the slight breeze, and I couldn’t see her expression.

But the unease in my heart grew stronger.

“Betty…”

I stepped back two steps, quietly turning my head, and whispered to Little Betty: “You go first. Take your mother and leave—”

Whoosh whoosh whoosh…

Before I finished speaking, the sound of wind suddenly appeared.

In the corner of my eye, it seemed like there was a splash of blood, and a figure fell in the darkness, in the blink of an eye.

I felt a few hot drops land on my face.