Chapter 569

Chapter 191: Resolve Part 2

The hunter’s tent was not spacious, filled with various odds and ends like bamboo baskets, firewood, hay, and old tools, which took up considerable space. The corner wooden rack held an axe, bow, and hunting traps.

The injured monk lay on what could be considered a bed made of animal skin. A small wooden table stood beside him, where the middle-aged hunter silently ground medicine. The lamp on the wooden table flickered slightly, casting the faint shadows of people onto the white curtain.

This tent was originally a simple shelter for a single man. After removing some items, there was barely enough space for three or four people, and any more would make it cramped.

At this moment, however, there were five monks inside.

Including the silent hunter, Grandmother Claire kneeling on the ground, the petite female knight wrapped in black armor, Doug standing at the entrance, Ryan behind them, and the villagers peering in from behind. Despite most of the villagers being half outside the tent, so many people had already left no room for anyone else.

Except for the lying monk, the other four monks stood shoulder to shoulder, their posture cramped, their hands neatly placed on their lower abdomens. They were whispering when they suddenly saw Ryan and the others arrive. Some frowned and raised their hands as if to tell them to leave.

Before they could speak, they heard the girl ask a question as if challenging them.

They froze.

Facing that expressionless, doll-like face, the stunned look on the monks’ faces quickly disappeared, though not entirely noticeable. However, Ryan saw it in that moment.

So did the girl.

The monks seemed unprepared for her sudden question. They exchanged glances, then after a brief silence, the oldest-looking man spoke: “Miss Silvijah, we are the Faithful Group of the Holy City, directly under the command of His Holiness the Pope…”

“I know that.”

The girl waved her hand, interrupting the monk: “What I’m asking is, how did you know I was here?”

She repeated her question, her exquisite face still cold.

“Cough, we came looking for you on the orders of Archbishop Ansheel,尊贵的教宗骑士大人.”

Her blunt attitude seemed to displease the monks, though the man speaking didn’t seem to mind much. However, a younger monk couldn’t help but say: “We didn’t know you were here before, and Archbishop Ansheel’s search team wasn’t only us five. We just happened to arrive here. Are you questioning our identity, sir?”

“No.”

The girl narrowed her eyes.

She tilted her head in thought, then suddenly smiled: “I just think it’s a bit coincidental. I felt like I was being watched before, so maybe I’m a bit sensitive.”

Silvijah’s smile was sweet.

But Ryan felt something was off about it.

He couldn’t quite pinpoint what was wrong, but he vaguely remembered that once, when he was in the village, he lied to Silvijah, telling her he found pretty stones in the river but couldn’t get them out, wanting her to help. He actually wanted to push her into the shallow river to see her soaked and crying.

Silvijah only smiled at him and ran away with her bamboo basket.

Ryan recalled that.

He felt that the smile she gave back then was similar to now.

She doesn’t seem to trust these monks…

Why?

And what she said…

“Being watched?”

The young boy’s thoughts were ignored. The monks stared wide-eyed: “Who would watch you? Could it be… those demons… do they have other members here!?”

“I don’t know.”

The girl shook her head, her bright eyes fixed on them unblinkingly.

But the monks seemed oblivious and continued discussing among themselves: “If that’s the case… then we…”

“Miss Silvijah’s feelings won’t be wrong. This news must be reported to Archbishop Ansheel immediately…”

They talked for a while, then the older monk spoke solemnly: “Respected sir, you can see my companion is seriously injured. Such injuries need not be explained; you understand who caused them.”

He looked down at the injured monk lying there, his body trembling in pain, distorting his expression, yet he stubbornly held back his groans. A look of pity flashed across his face.

“Flames of sin have entered his body. Unless the Holy Virgin is here, the healing miracles we can perform will only reach this extent. But with good medicine, perhaps we can save him. Seeing smoke from the mountain stream, we came hoping for a chance. We didn’t expect to find you here, and now we have the herbs. It’s truly divine protection…”

The man couldn’t help clenching his fist and making a prayer gesture, then he turned serious: “I’m glad you’re safe, Miss Silvijah. But now is not the time for this. I bring important news. Before I tell you, can you please ask this—”

“Silvijah…”

Suddenly, halfway through the older monk’s sentence, the severely injured monk regained some consciousness. He reacted to the older monk’s words, using his elbow to prop himself up, struggling to rise. His weak, hoarse voice struggled to come out: “You’re safe… too good… our mission… heretics… heretics…”

“Oh my! Child, don’t move!”

Grandmother Claire was startled and hurriedly reached out to help him lie back down.

But the monk was in a daze, perhaps unaware of where he was, or unable to see the people around him. The increased pain from his efforts made his limbs tremble and his teeth chatter. Yet, even in this state, he remembered his mission, muttering: “We… found you… seek help… they… entered the forest… found ruins… blood pearls… land of dragons…”

Though weak, his words were clear: “The true demon… is coming… please… stop it… only you can…”

“Fauler!”

The older monk hurriedly squatted down, taking the injured monk from Grandmother Claire and gently laying him back down: “Don’t talk, rest.”

“Father Geoffrey…”

“Hush…”

The older priest, Geoffrey, smoothed the injured monk’s hair, gently calming him. Seeing he stopped talking, he looked up again: “Miss Silvijah, we were sent to find you. Time is running short for the church, we cannot delay. Can you please ask this grandmother and the villagers over there to leave? We have matters to discuss with Miss Silvijah.”

The girl’s expression was not good, but she nodded, her dark eyes looking at Ryan: “Tell everyone to leave.”

“Okay.”

Ryan quickly agreed.

Though he wanted to stay and listen, Silvijah had spoken. Besides, he knew these monks were part of the Faithful Group, important figures in his eyes. When such bigwigs discussed important matters, they had no right to eavesdrop. So he pushed his father and turned to shout at the others: “Move along! Important matters to discuss here, everyone go about your business, don’t crowd!”

Hearing this, everyone understood there was no excitement to be had and dispersed.

“Silvijah is going to talk with the adults…”

“Let’s go…”

“Don’t disturb the church’s elders…”

Ryan and his father stepped out of the tent. Not far away, they saw Silvijah helping Grandmother Claire out. Behind them was the silent hunter, who had finished grinding the medicine and received silver coins from the monks. His tent was temporarily requisitioned, but he seemed happy, weighing the coins in his hand and slipping them into his pocket before joyfully heading to the riverbank.

“Little Silvijah…”

Grandmother Claire, after coming out, held Silvijah’s hand, worried.

“Grandma, it’s fine.”

The girl smiled and shook her head.

She then returned to the tent, pulling the curtain shut behind her.

Soon, muffled voices could be heard inside.

The voices were low, as if deliberately lowered. Ryan couldn’t hear clearly and tried to sneak closer to listen, but ultimately lacked the courage.

“Well, this is great, brat, you missed your chance.”

His father shook his head in disappointment: “Though I never expected much from you…”

“Dad, keep your distance.”

Frustrated, he couldn’t help but push Doug slightly and silently walked towards a pile of rubble nearby. His father’s voice echoed behind him, “Hey you, boy,” but he didn’t chase after him. Ryan turned back and saw his father shaking his head and walking away, chatting with the villagers.

Although those villagers had left the tents, they hadn’t gone far either. They gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and occasionally glancing over at the tent.

Ryan knew they were all worried about the village’s safety and wanted to understand what was happening and when they could return. Their conversations probably revolved around these topics.

He wasn’t interested in joining them. He found a smooth pebble and sat down, picking up a small stone by his feet and throwing it into a nearby stream. The stone skipped a few times on the water before sinking with a “plop” and creating a small splash.

Demon…

He picked up another stone and threw it out, but his mind was preoccupied with the words spoken by the injured monk.

True demon…

Ryan didn’t understand what that meant.

But he understood that the purpose of those monks was to get his sister, Hill, to stop something.

That might be…

Something particularly terrifying…

The afternoon sun was warm and gentle, shining through the gaps in the mountain ravine’s canopy. A flock of birds with crimson beaks flew over the ridge, and one of them defecated on Ryan’s shoulder. He frowned and cursed under his breath, quickly wiping it off with some grass leaves.

The conversation inside the tent didn’t last as long as expected, perhaps only about twenty minutes. Before Ryan had even finished cleaning himself, he saw Hill lift the white curtain and walk out of the tent.

Her face looked rather heavy.

Ryan couldn’t help but approach her.

But she stood in front of the tent for a moment and then saw Claire grandma. She walked over and gave the thin old woman a bear hug, rubbing her cheek against grandma’s wrinkled face. Her eyes closed, like a playful kitten. Ryan felt his heart skip a beat and his breathing quicken.

Perhaps afraid that her armor would be uncomfortable for grandma, this little goddess-like girl hugged her lightly, patting her back gently before letting go.

Ryan walked over, and as he got closer, he could hear her soft and melodious voice.

“Grandma, I’m fine, Barry is also fine. You can rest assured…”

Oh, they were talking about Barry.

Ryan stopped.

He never asked about Barry’s situation.

Back in the village, he sometimes heard people talk about how Barry had become a hero and deserved to be called brother by little Hill. Every time he heard such things, Ryan instinctively avoided it. He didn’t like hearing others praise Barry; he was his rival.

He guessed that Hill must have met Barry in the southern region, and who knows what kind of story happened between them, maybe something so intense that it made him jealous.

Ryan didn’t want to hear that, so he stopped and turned to walk away.

Bah, what’s so great about being a knight?

He secretly felt不服 (unconvinced), but he knew that guy was indeed quite impressive now. However, he believed he wouldn’t be much worse. It was just that he didn’t have a father who was both a knight and tragically died, which made Ryan feel he only lacked Barry’s luck and the chance to join the knight order. Other than that, he was better than Barry.

If he joined the knight order, he would surely become a knight captain soon… At that time, Hill would see him differently…

As he thought about this, his mood became increasingly restless. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and looked up, seeing Hill’s beautiful face.

Why did she come over…

Ryan started feeling nervous again.

“Hill…”

He greeted her stiffly, but before he could finish, the young girl was already standing in front of him, her expression solemn: “Ryan, I’m leaving. Can I ask you to do something for me?”

“Uh…”

Ryan froze in surprise.

She was leaving…

They hadn’t eaten yet, how could she suddenly say she was leaving…

His gaze flickered, noticing that the monks had also come out of the tent. Four of them, the injured one was likely to be left behind. They walked to the horned beasts, untied the ropes, and mounted the beasts. One older monk led a huge beast, looking in their direction.

“You’re leaving.”

The young villager felt his voice sounded dry.

“Yes.”

The young girl nodded gently and said, “Grandma said you always help her, running errands for her. She trusts you and thinks you’re a good kid. I’d like to ask you to continue taking care of her, okay? There’s gold in grandma’s possession.”

“What?”

Ryan was stunned, and when he understood what she meant, he panicked and waved his hands frantically, “No, no need. Ah, not that, I mean, no need for the gold. Taking care of grandma is something I should do. Grandma works hard alone, I’m willing to help her. You don’t have to say it, your grandma is my grandma… Ah, that’s not right, that something…”

Ryan spoke incoherently, and by the end, he didn’t know what he was saying anymore. “Your grandma is my grandma,” wasn’t that like confessing? He felt his face burning, but then the girl laughed.

Her laughter was like a flower field blooming in summer, making the entire world lose its color in an instant.

“In short, please take care of her.”

After laughing, the girl patted Ryan’s shoulder generously, “Listen, before I return, grandma is your grandma. This is what you said. Treat her as your own grandmother. I’ll be very grateful… But what I ask you not to tell her.”

Her expression turned serious.

She glanced in the direction of the monks, as if confirming something. Seeing them waiting far away, she leaned in close to Ryan’s ear and whispered, “After I leave, tell everyone to leave immediately, as far as possible. If… I mean, if something unexpected happens, take grandma and try to contact… Shanterl Castle or Queen Isenbel of Eissen. Say you’re my friend. Remember, don’t find any church people.”

A fragrant breeze came, carrying the scent of lilacs.

Ryan was lost in the fragrance of the girl until he realized what she had said.

“Remember?”

The girl stood close by, tiptoeing to smile at him.

“…Yes!”

Ryan nodded firmly.

Though he didn’t fully understand the meaning of her words at that moment, nor the complex conflicts and heavy burdens contained within, he remembered.

“I’m leaving now.”

The girl smiled lightly and waved, turning gracefully and walking away.

At that moment, Ryan saw her determined look.

It was filled with resolve, holding a belief he had never seen before, a startling will to make a decision, and a look that would never waver again.

Ryan watched her leave, watching her back, watching her talk to the hunter and return to Claire grandma, looking at the old woman with不舍 (reluctance) but a happy smile.

Ryan suddenly realized that he still hadn’t returned the kerchief to her.

But Hill didn’t mention it, maybe…

Maybe she intentionally left it for me.

Ryan was lost in thought.

Then, the girl was about to leave.

As the goddess rode away on the horned beast under everyone’s watchful eyes, Claire grandma stood in the sunlight, tears in her eyes, waving goodbye. Ryan couldn’t hold back his emotions. He ran forward with all his might, passing the shocked and approving gaze of his father, running in front of the girl riding the horned beast, looking at her puzzled little face, taking a deep breath.

“Hill, there’s something I should have told you a year ago.”

Ryan’s voice wasn’t loud, but clear: “Thank you for saving me.”

She was stunned for a moment, unable to hold back a roll of her eyes.

“Just this?”

“Just this.”

Ryan smiled.

The young villager’s smile was now so relaxed and carefree.

The hooves of the beast thundered away, galloping into the distance. The girl riding on the beast’s back was bathed in the warm afternoon sunlight, her black armor gleaming faintly.

Ryan stood on the hillside, watching until she disappeared beyond the mountain. He remained there for a long time.

Feeling lost and heartbroken.

For some reason, he suddenly had a premonition that he might not see this beautiful and kind girl for a very long time.

Ryan felt like crying.