Chapter 507

Chapter 130: Aftermath Part I

Night had fallen.

The great fire outside the city still raged far away, the acrid wind carrying ashes from the sky to gather above Areithen City, blending with the glow of bonfires.

Amidst the streets in the southern part of the city and the ruins in the north, flickering lights patrolled, as search teams composed of knights and nobles’ men had not yet ceased their efforts, scouring every possible hiding place in the darkness. Before long, cries of battle echoed, spreading through the air like a bloody gale towards the distance, but as time went on, such sounds gradually diminished.

To the south of the northern part, under the supervision of the Church’s Faith Corps, several soup kitchens set up by nobles began operating one after another. People affected by the war, who had lost their homes, means of livelihood, fields, and everything else, lined up under the light of lanterns, occasionally fighting and brawling. Whenever this happened, knights responsible for maintaining order and guards spontaneously organized within the city would step in to calm things down and handle the situation.

After the rain stopped, the standing water on the ground swept the blood-stained yellow mud from courtyards, ruins, and alleys into dirty streams. Similarly filthy water mixed with black ash dripped from the eaves. Below, a small figure wrapped in tattered cloak limped towards the brightly lit crowd. It was a little girl around four or five years old, her head wounded and bandaged.

The little girl approached the line of people queuing, holding a dirty bowl with a chipped rim, which she had presumably picked up somewhere. Her eyes were timid as she looked at the soup distribution tent nearby, licking her dry, cracked lips, appearing bewildered and helpless. Then, the dark-haired girl talking to someone nearby noticed her, hesitated slightly, said something to the person beside her, and walked toward the little girl.

“Big sister…”

The little girl took a step back, raised her head, and stammered out.

The dark-haired girl squatted down in front of her, glanced at the wound on the little girl’s head, her eyes briefly clouded with sadness before she smiled sweetly. “Does it hurt?”

“No.”

The little girl shook her head gently, thought for a moment, then nodded slightly. “It does.”

The girl seemed somewhat distressed, taking the little girl’s dirty hand. “Are you here alone? Where’s your father?”

“My father… is dead…”

“Is that so… What about your mother?”

“She’s dead too…”

Looking at the little girl’s fearful appearance, the sadness in the girl’s eyes could no longer be contained. She rubbed her stiff face hard, pointed behind her to where the Faith Corps was located, and told the little girl, “Listen to me, go over there and find Uncle in the white robe. They will treat your wounds, give the bowl to big sister, and big sister will get you some hot porridge.”

“Thank you… big sister.”

“You’re very good.”

The girl took the dirty bowl from the little girl’s hand, blew off the dust inside, wiped it with her sleeve, and stood up. The little girl turned back repeatedly, walking reluctantly towards the Faith Corps area. The girl watched her, smiled at the little girl, waved her little fist encouragingly, and once the little girl was out of sight, she turned back to the people she had been talking to earlier.

“Miss Silviga, please forgive my bluntness, but aren’t you only sixteen this year?”

The man who spoke was an elderly man with a weathered face, missing his right arm, and his upper body tightly bandaged with white cloth.

His pale complexion was almost like paper, and his eyes carried fatigue. It was hard to imagine that at his age, he could still stand strong after sustaining such serious injuries. Yet, despite his condition, he meticulously carried out his tasks, and just that alone made him worthy of respect.

Moreover, his arm had been severed in a battle against the heretics.

“I’m seventeen,” I replied to the old man.

On my seventeenth birthday,

Heaven, I traveled with the knights over mountains and through rivers, rushing toward the battlefield in the rain. Corpses of the starved lined the roadside. Under such circumstances, the importance of something as trivial as a birthday became negligible.

“Remarkable, cough cough…” The old man sighed slightly after hearing this, his cloudy eyes flickering slightly brighter, “Heroes emerge in their youth. All the things I’ve done in my lifetime can’t compare to what a seventeen-year-old girl has accomplished… Cough cough, Miss Silvija, in today’s treacherous world where hearts are hard to come by, having someone with your skills and the courage to face evildoers might just be a blessing for the people of this era…”

Though his words were sincere, in the current situation, I found it difficult to feel any joy. His praise felt like a heavy burden, suffocating me, so I gently shook my head and changed the subject.

“Sir, you mentioned that the merchants’ grain wouldn’t last three days for the city’s inhabitants. What if we borrow grain from nearby cities for aid?”

“The matter of borrowing grain was arranged earlier today, but there’s no guarantee of success. Many of those heretics have fled to the surrounding areas after losing the war. I believe the nearby cities have already received news and have closed their gates. This war involves too many factors, and with the recent great disaster, their grain reserves may not be sufficient. We need to find another solution…”

This elderly man was a senior member of the St. George Mint and also the leader of the Williams Merchant Group’s accompanying team. I had met him several times before. He left Woodworth Forest early with Bayard and headed to the southern republic to investigate the issue of food shortages.

According to the elders, after arriving at Aletheia City, the chaos began, and they were trapped inside, doing their best to defend the city. Many members of the merchant group lost their lives until we defeated the heretics and reclaimed the city. Out of nearly a hundred people, less than twenty survived.

As for Bayard…

“Have they found Bayard?”

The elder said that Bayard got separated from them during the chaos and hadn’t been found yet. His fate remained unknown.

“Not yet, cough cough…”

He coughed slightly, shook his head, and a hint of sorrow appeared on his face.

“After the heretics took the city, the young master led us in a desperate fight. He was young and full of vigor, and I couldn’t keep an eye on him. In a moment’s carelessness, he rushed into the enemy ranks…”

Hearing this, my heart sank.

After a moment, I lifted my head to look at the night sky.

… There was still no news about the goat cheese.

Bayard…

Please don’t die.

My mood turned heavy, and the desire to speak vanished. Soon, I bowed to the elder and left to fetch some porridge. I walked over to the Faith Group and handed the porridge to the little girl, giving her a few more instructions before turning away.

Back at camp, I found Isaac and ate some warm food from him.

Due to the shortage of food in the city and the need to take care of the civilians, the church had distributed some of the rations, leaving us with even less. It was pointless to hope for a full stomach. Perhaps drinking a bowl of warm vegetable soup would make the stomach feel warm and somewhat comforting, lifting the spirits a bit.

The stench of blood on my dress had yet to be washed away.

After a day of such busy work, everyone looked dirty and smelly. However, with the battle just concluded, the knights didn’t even have time to catch their breath, rushing around with various tasks. Even at night, some people barely had time to sleep, as there were still heretics in the city who needed to be dealt with. Who truly cared about being clean?

After eating, I dragged my exhausted body to the infirmary to find Barry.