The little girl's eyes were like emeralds covered in dust, hiding a deep, soul-stirring green that radiated with the power of life.
Her slender, seemingly malnourished hands were holding Amandina's and the Roman's hands respectively. She was wearing a gray linen dress, and her white knees were bare as she stood on the ground. She bit her lips as she looked at him.
Brando was slightly startled.
In his eyes, the long green hair that flowed like a waterfall was like a newly grown vine. Her face was covered in dust, and it was filled with a weak and timid aura. But the little girl did not avert her gaze, and only looked at him cautiously.
"This is …?"
In the entire world of Vaunte, apart from the Forest Elves, only the pure-blooded Senia had emerald eyes. They were the children of the Tree. However, the green hair that cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall was so dazzling that the young man almost thought that she was an infant Oracle of God.
In The Amber Sword, he had only seen one NPC with such pure green hair.
It was the angel of the Tree.
"Scarlet took it from the cavalry, or perhaps from a nearby village." Amandina answered. She lowered her head and carefully combed the hair in front of the little girl's forehead.
Brando looked up: "She's a Senia, did you know?"
"What's that, Brando?" The Roman held the little girl's hand and blinked as he asked.
"A Senia?" Amandina's hand subconsciously retracted, but she hesitated for a moment before she finished what she was doing. The little girl was startled and looked at her with her emerald-green eyes. Amandina's gaze was a little complicated.
There were rumors about these 'Green People' in many places. One of the most widely spread rumors was that these Senia carried the disease of the Beastmen. Most people did not want to come into contact with these 'Savages' in the forest, let alone nobles.
In extreme areas, people even supported burning these heretics to prevent the spread of the Beastmen disease.
But Brando lowered his head and softened his tone — just like the Wohnde people who were used to comforting children. Then he looked at the little girl and asked, "What's your name?"
To the young people, the Senians were no different from the people of Erouine and Cruz. Seven or eight centuries ago, during the war against the Dark Dragon, the Senia had hidden themselves in the vast forests of the South and sealed themselves off for hundreds of years. Their backwardness was seen as their own fault, but to Brando, this period of history was more like an abstract symbol described in the background.
The little girl looked at him and opened her mouth slightly.
"She doesn't speak Cruz." Amandina replied.
Brando wasn't surprised. He nodded and straightened up. "It's okay. I roughly know where she came from. But I'm a little curious. " Amandina nodded lightly to show that she understood his curiosity. Ever since she knew that the little girl was a Senian, she wanted to know why the nobles were so kind as to not execute her.
Not to mention a barbaric place like Tónigel, even in the hinterlands of the kingdom, it was within the law to execute a Senian.
Brando stood up and looked around.
"We'll send her to the Green Village."
"Green Village?"
"Yes."
"Where is that?"
"A Senian village." Brando looked around and picked up a cavalry sword from the ground. He weighed it in his hand and sheathed it: "It's just south of here, about half a day's journey."
"A Senian village? Why are we going there?" Amandina frowned and whispered: "Find someone to send this little girl back. My lord, the Senians … …"
She wanted to say something, but Brando waved his hand at her.
"My lord!" Amandina frowned and objected: "That's the Senians we're talking about. If outsiders know that we've dealt with them, it won't be good for my lord."
"My lord, your reputation … …"
Amandina frowned slightly and suddenly remembered that the little girl was still by her side. Even though she knew that Brendel might not understand her words, she still subconsciously shut her mouth.
"There's no need, Amandina," Brando interrupted her and replied: "But that's our destination."
"What?" Amandina was stunned.
Brendel nodded. To find Valhalla, not only did he have to go to the Green Village, he also had to rely on the Senians' help. Mother Marsha had done him a huge favor by sending this little girl to him. Even though the Senia people were closed-minded, they had a kind of simple feelings for their true friends, just like the mountain people.
He had to use the Senians to contact the Druids in the forest.
[Druids.] Brando thought to himself. [Druids. They're a race similar to the Silver Elves, maybe even earlier. They disappeared from the civilized world after the Year of Prosperity (350 years ago).]
"Brando, what are the Senians?" The Roman grabbed the little girl's hand and blinked when she saw that her question was not answered.
"It's a long story." Brando smiled and raised his hand to scratch her nose, causing Amandina to frown and take a few steps back. Brendel finally answered: "But the Elves have a name for them."
"At 'zon." Brando said: "Children of the Forest."
"Werewolves?" Amandina's eyes widened in curiosity: "I've heard of them!"
Brendel lowered his head. He noticed that when he mentioned the word 'at' zon, the little girl had a clear reaction. She raised her head and looked at him with a pair of emerald eyes.
In her eyes, there was a deep green color.
The 'Green Village' that Brendel mentioned was an unfamiliar name to most of the people in Aouine and the people who made the maps. In the latest administrative map of the Year of the Candle and Dagger, there were as many as 450 towns, villages, and manors in the kingdom, but none of them were named 'Green Village.'
But Brendel knew this place.
It was a settlement of the Senians at the border.
In fact, in the Year of Silver, which was about ten years later, the adventurer group that set out to the Kalanga Mountains had set out from here. But the scenery at that time was different from now.
They rode through the cultivated land that the Senians had opened up at the edge of the forest. They saw the fields spread out in strips along the forest. The faint sunlight passed through the tall black pine trees and fell on the artificial crops.
It was so quiet that it felt like an empty dream.
In Brando's memory, there was a meadow that stretched far into the distance. Other than the path under the horse's hooves that was still stubbornly growing out of the forest, all traces of artificial crops had been buried under the traces of time.
He looked past the fields and could almost see the river bank behind them. He remembered that it was a settlement of Level 30 Creeping Demons. It took a lot of effort for them to pass through the Dark Forest.
However, the damage caused by the attack of the noble cavalry pulled him back to reality. The first thing he saw was a broken fence, warhorses passing through the fields, and crops being knocked askew. It was as if a herd of wild boars had crossed the border.
"Those bastards." One of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries cursed in a low voice.
Mercenaries like them were mostly born in the mountains. They were either hunters in the mountains or farmers in this line of work. Of course, the noble did not understand that these crops were everything to the people who relied on them for a living.
As if to answer his words, they went around the fence and saw a woman in a tattered linen shirt kneeling on the ground. She covered her face and sobbed softly in front of a destroyed field.
A man, who seemed to be her husband, was holding a rake and looking at the scene with a frown. When he saw the group coming out from behind the fence, he was stunned for a moment. Then, his expression changed. He held the rake in front of his chest and shouted, "Asha, run! They're back! "
After that, he let out a low growl and lunged forward.
But before he could do anything, Scarlett, who was riding on her horse, swept him with her halberd and sent him tumbling. The red-haired girl frowned. She did not expect the man to be so weak. She then realized that the man was probably just an ordinary farmer. She dismounted from her horse and tried to help him up. However, before she could make a move, she felt herself being hugged by someone else.
The woman called Asha hugged her from behind. She cried and shook her head, "Please don't kill him. Joel, run!"
The man did not intend to do so. His eyes turned red when he saw his wife hugging Scarlett. He growled and charged forward again.
His growl was close to that of a wild beast.
However, he immediately felt a sharp spear pressed against his throat. He looked along the spear and saw the red-haired girl's cold amber eyes. He subconsciously froze and couldn't help but shiver.
His entire body froze involuntarily.
"Idiot."
Scarlett said coldly.
"You overestimate yourself." She put down her halberd and swung it to the side. With a flash of lightning, a tall black pine tree fell to the ground.
Throughout the entire process, the people on the horses did not move at all, as if they were spectators. Even the mercenaries did not have a good impression of the Senia people. Only Roman blinked his eyes, full of curiosity from beginning to end.
The man seemed to have just woken up. He did not understand why Scarlett did not kill him. His legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground. But it was at this moment that a small voice came from the crowd.
"IzzJol!" (Elvish: Uncle Joel!)
The man called Joel was stunned. He couldn't believe his ears. He turned around and looked at the little girl with long green hair in Roman's arms in disbelief. For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating.
"Sifrid, w-why are you here? Didn't they …" The woman behind Scarlett let go of her hand and asked in a daze.
"IzzJol, esovoizztam." (In Elvish, "Uncle Joel, they saved me.")
The little girl replied softly, word by word. Her voice was as ethereal as a breeze passing through the forest, causing the wind chimes to ring.
…
(PS. I had something to do yesterday, so I was delayed. I didn't even get to send you a notice. Sorry.)
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