Chapter 444

Chapter Sixty-Seven Return

When the midday sun broke through the clouds, covering the lush green soil and spilling into the village with wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys, the scattered stone houses cast longer shadows. The villagers, dressed in coarse linen clothes, after a busy morning, gathered and returned home, chatting and laughing along the way. When two groups met, they greeted each other familiarly.

“The sun today is truly beautiful… Hey! Did you encounter Sir Knight?”

The man laughed as he asked, and someone on the other side shook their head.

“No! We went to the fields to weed this morning, just got back… Say, did another knight come by earlier?”

“Didn’t you hear? I heard it from Doyle’s boy, he seemed to have seen them. He said a group came riding high and mighty horned beasts from the southern ditch of the village, quite impressive.”

“Really? That rascal Doyle, he went out again?”

“He doesn’t do any work all day, just loves to gossip about those things. Seeing the first knight must be exciting for him.”

“He’s definitely Doyle’s son.”

“I heard the knights set up camp at the edge of the forest south of the village. There might be thousands of them. You climb over the southern ditch, walk a few miles, and you’ll see rows of white tents. The sight… tsk tsk, when torches are lit at night, they can light up half the forest!”

“Is that true?”

“Of course! A few days ago, Frode went to see it, and his hands were shaking when he came back. He said he saw the Pope’s knight there.”

Hearing this, everyone looked surprised.

“Pope’s knight? In the southern part of the village?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Why should I believe it… How could Frode recognize which one is the Pope’s knight?”

“How could he not? Look at their cloaks, they have beautiful flowers, golden ones, just like the one little Hill wore last year. Anyone who has seen it would remember.”

“That’s right…”

“Did Frode say anything about which hero came?”

“He said there were more than one, some wearing black cloaks.”

“What happened?”

“Who knows…?”

“A while ago, the coast of Mosley wasn’t fighting? Even little Claire’s boy went, I wonder if it’s related…”

“Say, why don’t we all go check out the south tonight?”

“Sure…”

“I’ll tell my wife…”

“Don’t disagree…”

“We won’t…”

As they chatted, they walked away under the shade of the trees.

…

On the winding path leading to the village’s southern houses, Ryan, who had been wandering around since early morning, squinted his eyes, a straw between his teeth, hands behind his back, walking leisurely back home.

“Mom, is there anything to eat?”

Entering the small courtyard surrounded by a fence, passing through the muddy vegetable garden, he reached the front door of his stone house. Pushing open the rotten-smelling wooden door, before stepping inside, he shouted loudly:

“I’m hungry! Mom, didn’t you kill a chicken this morning? Mom?”

The room was stuffy and damp, the wet ground covered with water stains, and a few disorganized leaves could be seen. Several cracks appeared on the stone walls, with moss growing in the crevices. The living room had very few decent furnishings; storage cabinets, wooden racks hanging with currants, and grass mats for beds looked very old, except for the new wooden table in the center.

Ryan walked straight to the table and sat down, his left ankle resting on his right thigh. Looking down at his shoes, he scraped off the mud with his hand, then rubbed it on his clothes. Hearing movement from the kitchen to his left, he turned his head and called out, “Mom? Are you there, mom! Where’s the chicken from this morning? I want to eat chicken!”

“Mom—”

“What are you yelling for? There’s no chicken!”

A middle-aged woman, slightly plump with dark skin, irritated by his shouting, hurried out of the kitchen, standing angrily by the door, holding a steaming ladle, scolding Ryan: “Where did you run off to?! I told you to gather some dry grass to fix the roof, but you disappeared like a ghost. Look at the ground! The rainwater leaked in two nights ago and hasn’t dried yet! Chicken, chicken, you only know how to eat! At your age, can’t you take care of these household chores?”

“I felt unwell this morning!”

Ryan, rebuked by his mother, retorted loudly: “My whole body aches, I can’t move! Where’s Father? Why isn’t he fixing the roof? Why does everything have to be done by me?”

“He? He ran to the knight camp to watch the excitement! Carrying the chicken you’ve been thinking about, he said he was going to give it to the hero! You’ll have stew for lunch… Really, always idolizing heroes, both you and your father are the same!”

“So what if I idolize heroes!”

“There’s nothing wrong with admiring heroes, but you need to get your work done first.” The middle-aged woman waved her hand impatiently, “Forget it, even if I say more, it’s useless. Wait, I’ve made a pot of stew, there’s leftover black bread, eat first, then when your father comes back, you two will fix the roof today.”

“Why is it always stew and bread…”

Ryan grumbled unwillingly.

The middle-aged woman, who had already turned to return to the kitchen, suddenly turned back at his words, glaring at him: “What can you complain about? Don’t eat if you don’t want to!”

Ryan, not backing down, glared back at his mother: “What’s wrong with me?”

“What’s wrong with you? Look at yourself! At twenty, you’re just fooling around with a bunch of kids. You don’t do any work all day and keep complaining. Other children your age are already working in the fields, you can’t even use a hoe properly! If you continue like this, which girl will look at you!”

This hit a nerve with Ryan, his face turning red, teeth clenched in anger, wanting to argue further but unable to find suitable words. He sat at the table, staring at his mother, but couldn’t match her glare. After a while, he turned his head away: “Hmph, what kind of girls are in this village? I don’t even look at them!”

“Oh, look at you!”

Seeing her son still stubborn, the middle-aged woman couldn’t help but continue: “You talk well, but if you really have the ability, why don’t you go to Claire’s place and ask where your beloved beauty is, so you can marry her!”

Ryan abruptly turned around: “Mom—!”

His face flushed red, mouth wide open, eyes round, looking angry and embarrassed, as if he wanted to say more, but his mother wouldn’t let him speak, pointing the ladle at him and continuing: “That beauty has been gone for a year. If you’re capable, go out and bring her back. You can marry her and make her live with us! But look at yourself, do you think you can do it? What kind of appearance and status does she have? Once she left the village and went outside, she might be living like a princess. Would she look at you? Stop dreaming like a toad wanting to eat swan meat, stabilize your own life first.”

“You don’t know anything! Sister Hill always blushed when she saw me!”

“That’s because you upset her!”

“No!”

“She threw stones at you too! Don’t think I don’t know!”

“You don’t know—”

“Do me a favor, look at Barry. He’s younger than you, and now he’s already a knight!”

“So what! If I want to, I’ll be much better than him!”

The two continued arguing, and suddenly a hissing sound came from the kitchen, the sound of water overflowing. The middle-aged woman heard it and panicked.

“Oh no, the pot…”

She ignored Ryan and rushed into the kitchen.

The dejected boy remained sitting alone at the table, fuming.

Why am I like this…

Ryan thought about slapping the lamp off the table, his hand raised, but suddenly realized that if the lamp broke, his mother would surely make him go to the neighboring town to fix it. After a moment’s hesitation, he lowered his hand again.

He felt stifled.

He stared blankly at the table, thinking about what his mother had said, and involuntarily, the image of a clear and enchanting face, like an angel, flashed in his mind.

Sister Hill…

The girl who only stayed in the village for a short time but captured the hearts of all the unmarried boys, including Ryan and Barry, now unknown whereabouts, wondering if she was doing well.

But she had become a great hero…

A year had passed, and Ryan still occasionally had nightmares.

In his dreams, those twisted, ridiculous, and eerie monsters still chased him relentlessly. Their feet, sharp as knives, scraped the ground, “clang — clink —” “clang — clink —”, the sound sent shivers down his spine. Ryan ran desperately, panting, unable to shake them off.

Then, ice and frost fell like snowflakes, and the delicate white figure hidden among the flying snow, with her jet-black hair soaring, reappeared before his eyes.

Ryan’s dream always ended when the girl smiled back at him.

He wasn’t sure whether that counted as a nightmare.

None

As for what kind of dream it was, the terrible calamity had already passed a year ago. Now, the people in the village had gradually emerged from the shadow of that time. The damaged houses were still there, but the broken walls and ruins had been washed by countless nights of storms and rain, long losing their sorrowful aura. Wildflowers bloomed over the stone streams, vines twined around wooden beams, and from afar, it looked quite beautiful.

A few days ago, Hank, who lived opposite Lane’s house and had played with him since childhood, married a girl from a hunter’s family in the village.

The wedding was held at the town’s church, with Father Merlin as the witness. As Lane’s good friend, he naturally attended. The two embraced in the beautiful hall, pledged vows at the altar, and even kissed. Watching from below, Lane silently blessed them while unable to help imagining, if one day, he and Sister Hill could do the same…

But the girl who haunted his dreams had long gone to another splendid and glamorous world he didn’t know.

It was a world he couldn’t imagine.

She must be living a life he couldn’t imagine.

But that didn’t mean that Sister Hill wouldn’t look back at this place.

Lane always felt that she would surely return.

When he was saved by her, he hadn’t even had the chance to say thank you. Later, when the evil spirits vanished, Sister Hill lay in the dragon god’s fur, protected by it, sleeping.

She slept for three days.

No one knew that Lane also silently watched over her for three days, unseen by anyone.

He had no other thoughts; he just wanted to thank that goddess-like girl.

He had always wanted to say it.

But before he could muster the courage, the girl quietly left one morning.

Lane had realized it long ago.

Sister Hill did not belong here.

Such a person would not belong in this village, which Lane had long understood. His mother might have misunderstood him; he wasn’t lost in unrealistic fantasies. He just wanted to thank her… just a simple thank you.

If Sister Hill were to come back…

He would gather the courage.

This thought had been swirling in Lane’s mind for a year, especially in the past half month. He saw many knights stopping here, sometimes entering the village, as if they were investigating something, occasionally asking villagers questions. Later, they set up camp to the south. Lane secretly went to see it several times. He saw Pope Knight there, the legendary hero. Although he couldn’t recognize which hero it was, it didn’t dampen his excitement.

Something big he didn’t understand was about to happen…

So many people coming… and the legendary hero…

Then Sister Hill…

Would she come back?

For lunch, Lane ate quietly.

After lunch, under his mother’s urging, Lane unwillingly carried a bucket to the village entrance to fetch water.

He walked briskly, eager to get the water back quickly and slip away before his father returned, so he wouldn’t have to help repair the roof. He could call on some friends and head south to check out the knight camp.

Lane carried the bucket behind him, running quickly, the wind blowing the wildflowers and grasses by the roadside gently swaying.

“Brother Lane! Brother Lane!”

Suddenly someone called him from behind. Recognizing the voice, Lane turned around and saw the two playmates who usually followed him, running excitedly towards him.

“Brother Lane, did you hear? Did you hear?”

The playmates ran with flushed faces, their expressions filled with excitement. They ran up beside him, one of them pointing towards the village entrance, waving his hands and saying, “Over there! My mom said many knight lords came! There are so many! And there are also bishops in gorgeous robes! Brother! It seems like important people are coming. Everyone went to see them, even Father Merlin went to greet them. I just saw him go!”

“Brother! Let’s go take a look too!”

“Maybe we can even see the Pope Knight!”

Pope Knight…

Lane’s eyes lit up, his excitement clear on his face.

“Lead the way!”

He carried the bucket, ignoring the water, and followed the two children quickly toward the village entrance to the south.

By the time they arrived, the village entrance was already crowded with people, their noisy chatter audible from far away.

“Did you ask them…?”

“Yes, I asked one of the knight lords over there. He seemed approachable and willing to talk…”

“What did he say?”

“He said a convoy is coming soon, and there are remarkable figures in it. They are all waiting…”

“What kind of person is this, making such a grand scene?”

“The knight lord didn’t want to say…”

“I just saw Father Merlin… Look! He’s right there. Who will ask him?”

“Is the bishop standing next to him? I dare not go…”

“The bishop is standing…”

“Indeed…”

“The leading knight lords have dismounted…”

“Who exactly is it…”

“We probably don’t dare to think about it…”

“Regardless of who comes, it is a blessing from the gods…”

“Will our village prosper in the future…”

Lane led the two children, trying to squeeze through the crowd, but found it impossible to reach the front. Seeing the two children getting anxious, Lane looked around and noticed a tall tree nearby. He put down the bucket and said, “Stay here and watch the bucket! I’ll climb up the tree and see what’s happening, then tell you!”

The two children nodded eagerly. Lane rolled up his sleeves, quickly walked to the tree, spat on his palms, and climbed up like a frog, using the tree trunk. Stepping on the thick branches, he slowly stood up, looking out over the village.

Sunlight filtered through the thin clouds, dyeing the distant silver-flowered meadow with a tinge of wheat yellow.

A hundred meters outside the village entrance, hundreds of knights in golden armor stood in neat rows, like proud green pines, motionless. The angular horses by the side of the front-row knights were fully armored, their plates gleaming in the sunlight, standing as still as the knights.

At the very front of the formation, priests and bishops in golden-trimmed robes stood solemnly. Each of these great figures was someone Lane had never met before, towering above him. Yet, these great figures now stood ready, like well-trained soldiers, silent and staring ahead, awaiting something.

In front of them stood a tall man clad in magnificent battle armor and a white cloak.

His sword, already drawn, was plunged into the ground in front of him. He rested his hands on the hilt, and his cloak fluttered wildly in the strong wind. Lane widened his eyes, faintly seeing the intricate golden flowers embroidered on the cloak.

That was the symbol of his most admired hero, the Pope Knight.

“Brother Lane! Brother Lane! What did you see—”

“Tell us quickly!”

The two children under the tree bounced and jumped, eagerly asking him.

But Lane was too stunned to speak.

This was an unprecedented grand spectacle.

Those great and remarkable people were all looking forward, quietly waiting for something.

Lane couldn’t imagine what kind of person could make these esteemed figures stand in the sun, waiting.

Standing on the branch, he gazed at the scene for a long time, his emotions slowly calming. Preparing to lower his head and speak to the children below, a cloud of dust suddenly rose in the distance as a convoy rounded a hillside into view.

People gathered at the village entrance erupted in excitement.

“Holy Church’s First Knight Order!!!”

At the forefront of the formation, the heroic figure in the cloak shouted loudly, his voice echoing to Lane’s ears.

He pulled the sword from the ground and solemnly struck his chest.

“Salute—!”

All stood tall, raising their fists to their chests in unison at the command.

They watched the approaching convoy, seeing the majestic angular horse-drawn carriages slow down, the leading knights dismounting to salute the Pope Knight.

Then, the carriages stopped.

Lane noticed the most luxurious carriage.

It was parked at the front of the convoy. The driver, dressed like a clergyman, dismounted and ran over, respectfully lifting the curtain.

A young girl in a black dress and white cloak jumped out of the carriage.

The girl, looking somewhat bewildered, looked around. She had a large black leather bag on her back, her petite body tightly wrapped in the cloak, the hem fluttering in the wind.

That…

In this moment, Lane held his breath, his eyes wide, heart pounding.

Sister Hill!

He almost shouted.

Lane stood rooted to the tree, staring at the long-awaited and unforgettable figure, at the knights welcoming her. His mind froze, unable to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality.

It was her…

Was it really her?

She…

Has returned…