Chapter 672: The Name of a Hero
Yue Kou ultimately heeded Hill’s advice and, under the slowly setting afterglow, departed Glow City in a carriage.
The coachmen were all Hill’s subordinates, rumored to have been originally from the circus troupe. After accompanying merchant caravans on several slave transport missions, they were already well-versed in escape routes. Only when the sun had completely set did the speed of the convoy slow down. Even with the land shrouded in night, they insisted on continuing for more than an hour with oil lamps, before finally settling down in a desolate wilderness.
The vehicles formed a circle around the campfire. The young man who called himself the Clown skillfully fetched water and cooked porridge. The tall, burly man, Yanshan, fed the horses, while the magician was in charge of guarding and patrolling, and the Qiaomu brothers dug simple traps... More than a circus troupe, they seemed more like an army.
Yue Kou found that he didn’t have to do anything. A fragrant bowl of oatmeal porridge was already handed to him.
In addition, there was also a plate of salted meat and an apple.
He finally understood why Hill had chosen to transport these things.
Two entire carriages of grain; even if it took them a month or two on the road, these so-called “goods for sale” would be enough to cover the needs of the entire crew.
But to be able to finish loading the food so quickly, had he been preparing to escape the Kingdom of Dawnlight at any time? And according to the guards, he was also in constant contact with the rats of the Black Street. Heavens... Was this guy really just a circus performer?
Yue Kou resolved to ask his old friend for clarification when he returned to Graycastle.
The crew members consciously took their oatmeal porridge to the periphery of the carriages. Only he, No. 76, and four witches remained by the campfire.
“I apologize for my words and actions last time,” Annie said generously. “You certainly didn’t hand us over to the Lord of Dawnlight, but I still can’t completely trust you.”
“Why?” Amy asked, puzzled. “He doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
The phrase "not a bad person" made Yue Kou blush slightly. He had never thought of himself as a good person. Fortunately, the light of the campfire could conceal this. “Ahem, I think it’s probably because Miss Annie still doubts the purity of the Graycastle witch organization?”
“Purity?”
“For example, some powerful nobles often secretly keep a few witches for their amusement—”
“That’s just one aspect,” Annie interrupted. “As long as there is one-sided deception and exploitation, whether in Wolfheart or Graycastle, it is a prison for witches, with no essential difference. Of course, if I can verify that the Graycastle witch organization is indeed as you say, I will formally apologize to you.”
“Whatever,” Yue Kou shrugged. “My task is to send you to His Majesty Roland. After that, this matter has nothing to do with me. Even if you want to apologize, you may not be able to see me.”
The atmosphere was momentarily stiff, with only the crackling of the campfire.
Normally, he would never allow a conversation to fall into a stalemate, but he really couldn't muster any enthusiasm for this group of witches. They had not only disrupted his peaceful ambassadorial life but also brought considerable risks to the delegation. Being cautious couldn't be said to be wrong, but when the person being suspected was himself, the feeling was not so easy to let go.
In the end, it was No. 76 who broke the silence.
“Are you all from the Kingdom of Wolfheart?” she asked. “I heard Amy say that you’ve known each other for a long time.”
Annie nodded. “Although we weren’t born in the same city, but... you’re right.”
“Wolfheart has already been annexed by the Church. You’ve escaped all the way to Dawnlight, you must have experienced a lot of hardships,” No. 76 bent down and touched Hero’s empty trouser leg, lowering her voice. “Was her leg also injured by the Church during the escape?”
Hero bit her lip, a look of sadness on her face, and lowered her head.
“It was cut off by the person she was protecting,” Annie’s answer was unexpected. “In the most critical moment for Wolfheart City, she stood up, but in the end, she was met with people’s hatred.”
“Injured by the person she was protecting...?”
Annie nodded. “If you want to know, I can tell you, but it’s not an easy story.”
No. 76 looked at Hero for a moment and responded seriously, “I want to understand.”
Although Yue Kou pretended to be focused on gnawing on the salted meat, his curiosity was also piqued.
“A year ago, when the Church’s army attacked Wolfheart City, they threw a large number of corpses infected with the Evil Plague into the city, trying to weaken the resistance of the capital, just as they did in Broken Tooth Fort.” Annie added two more branches to the campfire, scattering sparks. “But this time the Evil Plague didn’t spread, thanks to Hero’s ability. She can transfer the disease to other living things, thereby preventing the spread of the plague.”
“What kind of living things?”
“Rats, cats, dogs, cattle, sheep... of course, that includes people.” She said slowly, “The townspeople dug a large pit in the slums, and people infected with the Evil Plague would gather here to have Hero transfer the disease to animals, and then throw the animals into the pit to burn. Slowly, people regarded her as the savior of Wolfheart City and began to call her Hero. Amy and I were also treated by her.”
“But the good times didn’t last long. A large animal could restore five or six infected people to health before dying, while cats and dogs could only accept the transfer of one or two people. In addition, the Church repeatedly spread the Evil Plague, even if the people of Wolfheart grabbed all the running creatures and burned them in front of the large pit in the slums, it still couldn’t satisfy the needs of every patient.”
“As the war continued, they set their sights on living people.”
These words made Yue Kou feel chills.
No. 76 moved to Hero’s side and gently embraced her. “It’s not your fault.”
Annie’s expression looked particularly solemn in the flickering firelight. “Of course, it’s not her fault. From the beginning, those people never gave her the power to choose. The first ones thrown into the fire pit were criminals, prisoners, and volunteers. Later, they became the elderly, wounded soldiers, and Judgment Army prisoners.”
“But Hero didn’t agree to those madmen’s demands, especially when facing soldiers who didn’t want to die and surrendered combatants who were not yet adults, she refused to act no matter what. So people’s attitude toward her changed, and there were even rumors that she was colluding with the Church, that she was protecting the lives of the enemies. The savior became a traitor, and Hero was imprisoned. If they hadn’t still needed her ability, she would have been sent to the gallows long ago.”
“After that, the Church came back and broke through the walls of the capital in just one day. And when the city fell, the guard who had been saved by her cut off her legs with an axe, then set fire to the prison, and said that it was precisely because Hero colluded with the Church that Wolfheart was destroyed. She couldn’t go anywhere, the traitor should be destroyed in this fiery prison along with the city.”
Annie paused here. “But the guard didn’t expect that the person who saved the immobile Hero was the Judgment Army prisoner who was also imprisoned in the cell.”
Ermu says
Thanks to Youming Zhiyu for rewarding the Silver Alliance! I will add a chapter tomorrow to express my gratitude o(n_n)o