The crying child made Artoria feel somewhat at a loss.
She had never known how to get along with children, let alone a child who had just escaped death and lost all their family.
Fortunately, just when she was at a loss, Kay and Gert arrived in time.
This couldn’t help but make a sense of relief rise in her heart.
“Abel!!”
The late-arriving Gert saw the little boy kneeling on the ground and excitedly shouted his name.
Trembling, he rushed forward.
Under the gaze of Kay and Artoria, the hunter who had nothing left tightly hugged the child who also had nothing left.
“Wuu…
Gert…
wuu wuu…
Uncle Gert.”
“It’s great, Abel, you are still alive…, it’s really great…”
Under the sunset, the ruined village, blood covering the ground…
The two hugged each other tightly, sobbing uncontrollably; perhaps at this moment, they were each other’s only salvation in this world.
Artoria watched all of this, her expression compassionate; the scene before her made her feel as if she were experiencing it herself, filling her heart with sorrow.
It didn’t take long for Gert to recover from his grief.
So he stopped crying and asked the child in his arms, who was still sobbing, in a low voice.
“Abel, tell Uncle, what on earth happened in the village?
How…
how did things end up like this?”
Hearing Gert’s question, Abel, who was crying out of breath, finally raised his head.
Wiping away his tears, he said with a choked voice:
“It was bandits, Uncle Gert…, that group of bandits did…
did…
to everyone, wuu wuu…”
As he spoke, Abel let out a suppressed cry of pain.
“Bandits?!
How could that be…, weren’t everyone…
by monsters…?”
Gert opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
The miserable state of his wife appeared before his eyes again; it was definitely a monster, wasn’t it?
“I…
I don’t know why the monsters came either.
Not long after you went up the mountain, Uncle Gert, that group of bandits came to the village.
They wanted to rob us of our money and food, but…, but our village didn’t have much food left to begin with.
They not only snatched the last of the village’s food, but also killed…, killed…”
At this point, he couldn’t continue.
A whimpering sound like that of a small animal escaped his throat again, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.
No one intended to rush him; even Gert, who was eager to know the truth, kept his mouth shut, waiting quietly for Abel to slowly collect himself.
A few minutes later, a calmed Abel finally spoke again: “They killed Aunt Annie, Sister Angela, and…
and Uncle Amos, Uncle Abner.
After the bandits left…, the village had intended to hold a funeral for everyone killed by the bandits, but in less than a day…, the monsters came.”
“Wuu-wah~, Uncle Gert.”
Abel’s tears broke out once again, and with a wail, he threw himself into Gert’s arms, trembling and sobbing with the mournful cries of an animal.
So that was it.
Having heard the little boy’s fragmented description, Artoria and Kay now understood what had happened to the village before their eyes within this short day.
Kay hung his head, summarizing in a heavy tone: “It seems that the corpses of those killed by the bandits, and the scent of blood drifting in the air, attracted the monsters wandering nearby, leading to this current situation.”
“—How pitiful.”
Artoria looked up at the sky.
The clear, azure sky was cloudless, as limpid as jade.
Yet who could have imagined that under this cloudless, azure sky, such a tragic and inhumane catastrophe could occur.
“Ah…”
A hoarse, painful, and piercing cry reached her ears.
“It’s my fault, I am a useless person.”
Artoria heard the hunter holding the child say this.
“I couldn’t protect anyone.”
“—That’s not true at all.”
It is not your fault at all, why would you say that?
Clearly…, clearly you didn’t do anything wrong.
Artoria said nothing; she withdrew her gaze from the sky and turned it toward the two people kneeling in the ruins, who had lost everything.
How could there be such sorrow?
It felt as if she couldn’t catch her breath, and she involuntarily reached out to clutch her chest tightly.
She wanted to do something for them.
The anger in her heart was also urgently seeking release.
This feeling was very strange; the young girl who strictly adhered to the way of the knight was experiencing such overwhelming sorrow for the first time.
She looked up—
Her emerald green eyes were as bright as the stars, burning within them as if with a raging fire.
“Brother Kay, I am going to subjugate those bandits!”
With unyielding determination, she stated firmly.
“Bullying the weak, how shameful!”
Artoria looked straight at her foster brother, her eyes, having lost a hint of their emerald hue due to anger, appearing even more piercing.
Possessing strength, her identity was that of a knight.
In such a situation, one cannot turn a blind eye, one cannot fail to extend a helping hand.
One must seek justice for the weak; this is the way of the knight!!
This is the way of being human!!
“That is exactly what should be done!”
Kay, equally filled with rage, responded to Artoria, his brown eyes carrying a stern resolve.
The two decided on their next course of action, and Kay turned to find the horses still at the village entrance.
“Please do not worry; those who commit such evil deeds deserve to pay the price.”
Gert heard this and looked up at Artoria, who was standing before him.
Golden hair, emerald eyes.
How brilliant and dazzling.
Like the sun on the horizon, and like a clear lake.
Looking against the light, the youth’s somewhat slender frame now appeared exceptionally tall, like a towering tree, its lush branches and leaves spreading into a thick shade.
The cool shade beneath that tree seemed to be able to block out all the cruel cold of the outside world, sheltering all those who harbored sorrow and suffering. Read this novel at NovelPing for the best experience.
A gentle color, a young knight with a clear and bright countenance.
Gert had a thousand words in his heart at this moment, but in the end, they only condensed into two words.
“…Thank you.”
Hearing the hunter’s hoarse voice, Artoria offered him a comforting smile.
“You are welcome; this is what must be done.
Please wait patiently for our return.”
Soon, Kay returned, leading the two horses.
“Let’s go!”
Artoria and Kay nimbly swung onto their horses and galloped off in the direction indicated by the little boy, Abel.
…
Along the way, neither of them spoke due to their heavy hearts.
The bandits had left the village nearly a day ago; they had to be as fast as possible to catch up with them.
They pressed on, burying their heads in the journey; even though they were slightly fatigued, neither could afford to rest.
Thus, they pursued relentlessly, and finally, near sunset, they spotted their target.
There were about twenty people in an open space, chatting and laughing, sitting together in small groups.
Because it was getting dark, the bandits had lit a campfire early and were roasting their dinner over the flames.
The sound of horses’ hooves attracted their attention.
The group of bandits quickly grabbed the weapons at their sides and stood up, casting ill-intentioned gazes deep into the forest.
Emerging from the forest were two young people riding horses at a slow pace.
Clean clothing, handsome and refined appearances.
They looked like wealthy individuals.
The bandits grinned, their greedy eyes scanning the two ‘fat sheep’ who had walked right into their trap.
Artoria dismounted and stared coldly at them with those clear, bright eyes.
She asked in a voice devoid of any emotion: “One day ago, did you rob a village?”
Hearing the youth’s question, the bandits looked at each other and then sneered.
“So what?”
“So what if we did it?
You two pretty boys aren’t here to play the hero, are you?”
“Hahaha, not only did we rob it, but we also killed a few idiots!”
“Kid, today you’re not getting away after running into us!”
“These two fat sheep look rich.
Kill them!”
“Right, kill them!
Those horses can sell for a few coins, too.”
Listening to the bandits’ malicious, shrill, and noisy voices.
Artoria spoke in a voice that was extremely hoarse: “…Ah, it really was you.”
A youth in the prime of his years.
Eyes the color of emeralds, clear and pure, were now stained with endless killing intent.
“Bullying the weak, turning your blades against the innocent—the monstrous crimes you have committed!
Save your pleas for hell!!”
Drawing her longsword, Artoria held it high above her head.
“Subjugate!”