Chapter 397

Chapter 21 – The Late Night by the Shore

“I’m sorry.”

Nick smiled and said no more.

The old wound on his left chest started to ache again.

He set aside his thoughts and sat down on a simple wooden chair nearby, resting his hands on his knee guards, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes.

A year had passed.

Sometimes, that summer day when blood stained the river still appeared in his dreams as he slept.

He remembered how spirited he was back then, after receiving the sacred mission, he led over a thousand elite knights, alongside Archbishop Ansheel, a man of great prestige, and Carlos Gonzales, one of the most remarkable heroes of his time, they traveled through mountains and rivers to reach the border of Woodworth Forest, vowing to crush the terrible monster before it could grow.

That was the first time he encountered the horror of the Abyss, and also the last.

On the eve of the great battle, he prepared thoroughly for the pre-battle mobilization, strategizing, boosting morale, thinking of every possible scenario and contingency plan. He secretly hoped that he would be the one to slay the monster before Carlos—though he knew the Abyss was terrifying, only this way could the immortality of human knights be highlighted.

The great spirit of chivalry, the bravery and glory of spilling blood for humanity, should not be desecrated.

Such confidence lasted only until the moment the monster attacked.

When smoke clouded the battlefield, Nick watched as his finest troops were crushed, torn apart like tiny ants before the monster, their lives extinguished instantly. The command system failed in an instant; the knights fled in panic, some cut in half, others falling, but most were taken by the black smoke, their souls lost.

And he could do nothing.

At that moment, something seemed to slip away from his chest, never to return.

The pain in his left chest continued.

These days, with the sea breeze blowing, the pain had intensified.

He recalled the small figure that suddenly charged out of the black smoke after Mr. Carlos cut down the monster, then turned and ran. It seemed to be a girl.

At the time, he felt indignant and furious, thinking of countless brothers whose souls were stripped away, unable to return to the divine, he immediately spurred his beast to chase after her, and… that’s how he ended up with these injuries.

The cold penetrated his body; the dead flesh on his face and body had turned deep black, cut away by the doctor with a knife, even his left arm was amputated, he screamed in agony all night long. If not for the divine miracle of healing, he might not have survived.

Now, in this state, he had no complaints. Sometimes, he even thought, at least his right hand remained, so he could still wield a sword.

But the helplessness back then, the faces of his fallen comrades, and the mysterious girl, small and frail under her cloak, whose face he couldn’t see, appeared countless times in his dreams. Whenever he thought about it while awake, it felt like a fish bone stuck in his throat, impossible to forget for the rest of his life.

That was his nightmare.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps outside the tent interrupted his thoughts. Nick opened his eyes to see a Church knight lifting the tent flap and entering, bowing to report, “Captain, the village chief sent two baskets of eggs through someone, what should we do…”

Nick rubbed his eyes and stood up.

“We can’t accept them.”

Mosley Village, though coastal, was actually a very remote harbor, with scarce resources, large temperature differences, and difficult farming conditions. Few travelers came here, and the villagers mainly lived off fishing, barely making ends meet. He knew what two baskets of eggs meant here, so he shook his head to refuse.

However, the knight looked troubled, “But… Captain, the village chief insists on giving them, we’ve tried to dissuade him, but the elderly man stands outside trembling, speaking unclearly, yet won’t leave… It rained last night, the sea wind is a bit chilly, I’m afraid he’ll catch a cold… What should we do…”

“Otherwise…”

He hesitated, and Nick understood his meaning.

He had seen the old man before. The old man was a bit deaf; he needed people to speak loudly for him to hear. The poor were also rather inarticulate, making communication difficult. Moreover, the old man was stubborn. If they did not accept him, he might really wait outside all night until he saw him.

“Let him in.”

Nick said. A knight took the order and left. Soon, he brought in an elderly man with a hunched back, sallow skin, and wearing patched rough cloth clothes. The old man walked slowly, but behind him was a lively little girl with yellow hair. She was under ten years old, her body thin and bony. She seemed somewhat uneasy after entering the tent, although her steps were light, her hand tightly gripping the old man’s clothes as she curiously looked around.

Both of them carried baskets on their shoulders. The baskets were filled with hay, and eggs peeked out from underneath the hay.

When the old man saw Nick, he awkwardly bowed with a simple smile, “Ah… Captain, Captain…”

Nick hurriedly helped the old man up.

“Sir, please sit down first…”

“What!”

“I said, please sit down!”

Nick raised his voice slightly and then signaled the knight to get some water.

“No, no… I came to bring you eggs to eat. After I give them to you, I’ll leave… Our fishing net is broken, my girl and I still need to mend it, we still need to mend it…”

“Sir, we don’t need the eggs! Keep them for yourself!”

“Hold it, hold it…” the old man ignored this, insisting on putting the basket into Nick’s hands, “Eat the eggs… You’ve worked hard…”

“We have provisions! We really don’t need them!”

“Huh?”

“We have food!”

“There’s food, eggs, everyone pooled together to supplement our strength…”

Nick couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

He didn’t want to accept them, but the old man was so persistent. He grabbed Nick’s hand, handing over the bamboo basket, and wouldn’t let go, insisting that Nick carry it. Nick didn’t dare to forcefully pull away. The little girl holding the old man’s clothes also timidly looked at him, making Nick feel very conflicted.

“I see, your children always eat dry rations and fish jerky. Some of the children have gotten sick… I heard that some children got sick and injured… Captain, take these, give the sick and injured children something good to eat, give them something good to eat…”

“Sir, please sit down first! Let’s talk while sitting!”

Nick put down the basket in his hand, helped the old man sit on a wooden chair beside him, and the little girl jumped and placed the other basket of eggs on the table, then immediately ran behind the old man, holding onto the back of the chair to look at him.

“It’s cold, I’ll have someone bring you some hot water!”

“No, no, I’m leaving…”

Nick and the old man were politely refusing each other. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the silent Sword Ghost lady quietly walk out of the tent.

The starry sky outside was beautiful.

The starry night resembled her hometown.

After leaving Captain Nick’s place, Anaxilis walked past one white tent after another, walking through this seaside night illuminated by campfires. Listening to the noisy laughter coming from afar, she looked up at the night sky, and couldn’t help thinking like this.

It was quite late.

In the mist, the dock in the distance was clearly visible. It seemed that the knights who had gone out to search for the enemy earlier had returned. Their formation gathered into a bright dragon on the shore, faintly heading towards the camp.

It seemed that tonight was also fruitless.

“So what! Let me tell you, my sister is actually a Pope’s Knight…”

Suddenly, she heard someone speaking drunkenly, and thus stopped.