When Pokel got to this point in his story, Dingle, as the listener, felt incredibly heavy-hearted, and mixed with that heaviness was a lingering sadness.
He already had a premonition of what terrible things would happen to Smythe after he brought the girl into the square.
And just as he had predicted, Pokel sighed deeply, shook his head, and said:
"Who could have imagined that Smythe was simply trying to fulfill that girl's wish, and who could have foreseen the riots that would follow..."
He sighed again, and Huffman, standing beside him, echoed his sigh:
"On the way there, the girl kept saying that she really wanted to go into the square to participate in the rally, although we didn't know why she wanted to go so much."
"Smith just wanted to help her, since she came alone without any family with her."
"But after entering the square, that kind of thing happened. I think Smed... must be very regretful... regretting his decision."
"If he hadn't brought the girl with him, she definitely wouldn't have been able to squeeze in by herself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dingle also let out a long sigh, bent down, and rubbed his face.
But then Huffman continued:
"Fortunately, the girl didn't lose her life because of it, otherwise Smyth would probably have spent the rest of his life in self-blame..."
Just then, Dingle suddenly looked up and stared at Huffman in astonishment.
Huffman was taken aback: "W-what's wrong, Colonel?"
"She...she's alright?" Dingle asked in astonishment.
Huffman scratched his head and replied, "Of course, but it's not like she's alright. She's injured, but thankfully not in life-threatening condition."
"Good heavens!" Upon hearing this, Dingle let out a heavy sigh and couldn't help but exclaim.
Pokel continued:
“When the firefight broke out in the square, everyone was running. In the chaos, we were scattered, but the girl stayed with Smyth the whole time. I saw Smyth carrying her as we ran away.”
"Unfortunately, a bullet hit Smed, but luckily it hit his big butt. You know, he was a cavalryman, and his butt was covered in calluses. He had a lot of thick flesh, which just happened to stop the bullet."
At this point, Pokel couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Dingle pressed on, "Didn't you say the girl was also injured? Is her injury serious? Why was she injured?"
Huffman, sitting next to him, explained: "According to Smyth, he didn't feel anything when he was shot. He held the girl in his arms and ran towards the exit with her, but as he ran, his buttocks started to hurt more and more, so he tripped and fell, taking the girl with him to the ground as well."
At this point, Huffman pointed to his head and continued:
"He wasn't seriously injured, but the girl hit her head on the ground and was knocked unconscious immediately."
"There were so many people and it was so crowded at the time. Smed said it took him a lot of effort to hold the girl in his arms. He didn't dare to carry her on his back, afraid that bullets would come from behind. He could only carry her like that and run out."
"They said that the few hundred meters from the square nearly killed him..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pokel's smile faded, and he sighed, "This is indeed not an easy thing to do."
"You know, when we left the square, we were almost knocked over. Under those circumstances, Smed was able to get up from the ground, carry a girl weighing several tens of kilograms in his arms and run out. He really did his best."
"Perhaps if it had been a few seconds later, that girl would have been trampled to death."
“Sigh, because of this incident, we don’t even dare to go to this gathering, for fear that the same thing will happen again.”
At this point, Pokel looked up at the moon and continued, "Fortunately, although Smyth took her inside, he at least rescued her. I can't imagine how much Smyth would have blamed himself if he hadn't saved that girl..."
Dingle nodded slightly and said, "At least it was salvaged in time."
He then asked:
"By the way, how is Smyth now? Where is he? And what about the girl?"
Huffman replied, "They're all at St. Marlene Hospital. Smyth is fine now; the bullet has been removed, and he just needs to wait for the wound to heal."
"But...that girl..."
Seeing the serious look on Huffman's face, Dingle raised an eyebrow: "Is she not feeling well?"
Huffman rubbed his temples and nodded, "Yes, the girl didn't wake up for two days after hitting her head, but... it seems her soul didn't wake up..."
"Her eyes were vacant, she didn't react at all, and she didn't speak. The doctor said she had injured her brain, and there was no way to treat it. They could only wait for her to regain consciousness on her own. However, the doctor also said that if her family could be there to call out to her, it might help her wake up sooner."
Upon hearing this, Dingle couldn't help but ask, "Have you called her family over?"
Pokel, who was standing nearby, chimed in with a bitter expression, shaking his head and saying, "I can't find it, Colonel."
“We have no idea where she lives, we only know her name, but that’s not enough. Salibia is such a big place, and so many people came that day from all over the world. Who knows where this girl lives?”
"Besides, her family hasn't come looking for her. We all thought this girl must have come from a very far place, but it's also possible that her family..."
At this point, Pokel changed the subject:
“We tried to go to the police station for help, but as you know, a lot of people died at that rally, and the police had a lot of things on their heads. They were too busy to find a girl’s family.”
Upon hearing this, Dingle immediately said, "Then why don't you come to me?"
Huffman gave a wry smile: "Colonel, do you think we'll see you in the next few days? If you don't come tonight, we'll all think... you've forgotten about us..."
Dingle was taken aback, then slapped his forehead in annoyance: "Sorry, I have been quite busy these past few days."
"Tell me the girl's name now, and I'll immediately arrange for someone to find her family."
“Pota Schermit,” Huffman said immediately.
“Pota Shemit…” Dingle murmured twice, then pulled out the pen and paper he always carried with him from his pocket.
Huffman then added:
"Yes, her name is Pota Shemit, a very common name, so it's not easy to find."
"Let me tell you more details. She should be no more than fifteen years old. She looks a bit thin, is 158 centimeters tall, has golden hair, and wears a very common three-strand braid. On the day she went to the square, she wore a tan dress, had a very fair complexion, a pointed chin, and freckles on her cheeks."
"Hmm...right, her eyes are big, with beautiful light blue pupils."
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