Chapter 43 - Bonus chapter for 200 followers, two chapters combined into one...
Once Grind's figure had completely disappeared outside the door, the man who had been standing on the other side looked at Elia with a puzzled expression: "Why give them a second chance?"
Elijah has no shortage of men under her command.
If she wanted to deal with Lex, she could have sent someone else instead of trusting a group of cowards who had already backed down once.
“Caldo, if your brother Antonio were standing here, he certainly wouldn’t ask me such a stupid question.” Elijah glanced at him casually.
There aren't many reliable people in the Jude family; most are pampered fools. Among them, Antonio and Cairdo are considered to be the helpers Elia painstakingly selected. However, compared to Antonio, Cairdo seems like a simple-minded, straightforward person.
This kind of personality has both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage is that Keldo will do whatever Elijah asks of him without question. The disadvantage is also obvious: whenever such a situation arises, Elijah always needs to explain it to him carefully.
"I don't intend to let them go. It's just that to ensure no one else dares to try to fool me with such results next time, I'll keep them alive so others can see their fate. Only then will they truly be instilled with fear and will do their best to complete the tasks I assign them in the future, right?"
"A horse that has never seen a whip doesn't know pain, and the same goes for people."
Elijah fiddled with her brightly colored nails, her expression indifferent.
No matter how Grindock tried to justify himself, saying that Lex would surely die if he fell into the hands of the witches, or that even if he hadn't encountered the witches, he wouldn't have survived with his wounds after being hit by their arrows—none of that mattered to Elijah. She only wanted to see Lex's head severed by a sword to ensure that everything was foolproof.
As long as there is even a one in ten thousand chance that Lex will survive, Elijah's heart will never be at ease. She has already suffered the same fate at the hands of Lex's mother, Lilyles, and she will not allow herself to fail a second time with Lex.
If Lex were to return one day, Elijah narrowed her eyes slightly at the thought of this possibility. Even if Severi had already become the new crown prince, he might not be able to compete with him.
Lex's greatest advantage was not having a renowned prime minister as his teacher, nor a loyal knight commander by his side, but rather that as the eldest son of King Nurenger IX, he possessed the most legitimate right to inherit the throne.
Therefore, if Siviri wants to secure his throne, Lex absolutely cannot survive.
"Tomorrow morning, take your men and ambush them on the path outside the royal city. First, take care of Grind and his men, then go to the Dark Forest and deal with Lex, if he is indeed still alive," Elijah said coldly.
“No problem.” Keldo nodded in agreement.
"But what if we encounter a witch?" Keldo hesitated for a moment before asking.
"She's just a witch. You can bring more people with you. She's just a body of flesh and blood. She can be killed by a sword or an arrow."
Unlike ordinary people, Elijah was not particularly afraid of the legendary witches who possessed all sorts of magical abilities, after all, she had seen real witches in the church's dungeon.
The dungeon, which hadn't been cleaned in a long time, was filled with all sorts of unpleasant smells, and the satin soles of the shoes felt sticky when you stepped on them.
In the center of the dungeon, a disheveled woman sat on the ground, her hands and feet chained to the wall. Hearing footsteps, she made no sound and did not look up.
I don't know if I'm too tired to watch or just too lazy to watch.
Elijah can still recall the helpless screams of women being tortured in every way possible.
She closed her eyes, her resolve hardening. Whether she was a witch or anything else, anyone with a weakness was not to be feared.
"Alright, you go and get ready. I'm going to go see my little Ril too."
Elia descended the steps, her trailing skirt passing before Keldo's eyes, finally transforming into a flowing red blur before disappearing completely outside the door.
*
"My men and I were ambushed by Keldor and his men on a path outside the royal city. At the time, everyone was only focused on breaking through and fled in different directions. In the end, I managed to find only one other person and went to the territory of Arland with him."
"What is the territory of Yarant?" Mela asked Lex.
"It is a small territory in the north, known for its barren land. I heard that if you plant an acre of potatoes in the territory of Yarant, the harvest the following year will be less than twice as much."
Lex gave Mela a brief introduction to the situation in the Arland Territory.
Even a high-yield, easy-to-grow crop like potatoes couldn't feed a family of five on the land of Yarant, which shows that the land of Yarant is truly unsuitable for cultivation.
If it weren't for the kingdom's laws stipulating that commoners cannot freely change their territory, the people of the Arland territory would probably have all fled long ago.
Therefore, Grining and his men settled down in the territory of Yarant and hid peacefully for several years.
I doubt anyone would have imagined that someone would voluntarily come to this wretched place.
"Then why did you leave the territory of Yarant? Wouldn't it have been better to just live an ordinary life?"
Mela's gaze shifted back to Grinker's face, so that thick, bushy beard was indeed meant to conceal his identity.
“Because of Havie, the subordinate who followed me to the territory of Yarant, he was taken away by the lord’s men three and a half months ago.” Grinker closed his eyes, his voice muffled as if it were trapped in a glass dome, barely able to breathe.
Three and a half months ago, in the Yalante area, the bare branches overhead could not block the scorching sun at all.
As Grining walked through the mountains, he felt as if he had stepped into a steaming pot, which was drying out his body.
It's only mid-May, but I don't know why it's so hot this year.
Grinning wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Because the land of Yarant Territory is exceptionally barren, the trees that grow on this land are thin and small, and even before autumn arrives, they have lost all of their few remaining green leaves.
Therefore, he couldn't even find a small patch of shade, so he had to speed up his descent.
Unexpectedly, when Ge Yanxue returned to Ning Ke's almost destitute house, he was met with a shocking piece of bad news.
Havie was taken away by the lord's men.
"Finnie, what exactly happened?" Grining hurriedly asked the woman who stood silently to the side, her expression sorrowful.
When the woman met Grinker's anxious gaze, she seemed to be burned, and her body involuntarily shrank back.
“Brother Grining, Cousin Haweijie volunteered to be taken away because of me.”
Behind the woman, a boy who had just come of age, yet was so thin and bony that he seemed not to have grown up at all, spoke up.
"Just now, a group of people suddenly burst into the village, saying that the lord planned to conscript people to do an important job. Without giving us any time to plead, he ordered the village chief to call out all the adult men from each household, line them up, and prepare to take them away. They said that each household had to send at least one person, so my cousin Haweijie took my place and went with them."
Before Grining could react to these words, Fini stepped in front of the boy, separating them. "Don't blame Haru for this. I also miss Harvey, but if Haru is taken away, he definitely won't survive."
On the contrary, Havie, at least, was once selected to serve as a servant in the palace. He was much stronger than the frail Haru in both skill and physique. If he were to go, he might have a chance to come back alive.
Grinning was speechless, unable to utter a single word of reproach towards Fini.
After all, Fini had taken in Grinning and Harvey.
After Grind and Harvey escaped by sheer luck, they discussed where they could hide for a few years and wait for the storm to pass before making any further moves.
“Why don’t we go to my aunt’s place?” Harvey suggested.
He said his mother had a distant cousin who married into the territory of Yalante. That place was far from the capital and poor, so there were few unfamiliar faces. However, with his aunt as a cover, the risk of being recognized was much lower than in other places.
Having witnessed Elijah's ruthless methods, Griningke also thought that Arland Territory was a good place, so he knocked on Finney's door with the help of Harvey.
This is a very dilapidated house from the outside, and the door is also incredibly old. It has probably survived to this day thanks to the fact that the Yalan Territory rarely experiences wind and rain.
Grining could even see a figure approaching through the hole in the door, which then creaked open.
Despite her discomfort, Fini did not refuse to let her nephew and his companion, who had suddenly come to her door, stay.
However, behind her stood two boys, one big and one small, both of whom looked emaciated from hunger.
Thinking of this, Grining was speechless. What was wrong with Finney wanting her child to live?
But even if you ask Grinkel to do nothing, he can't do it.
So he decided to find out what the lord of Yarant was planning to do with the men he was recruiting.
After spending half a month, Grining finally managed to get in touch with one of Viscount Yarant's knights. From him, he learned that they had captured civilians in order to send them to the Dark Forest in search of the long-lost Prince Lex.
"Your Highness Lex... has actually appeared in the Dark Forest?" Grind asked cautiously.
He never imagined that Elijah's worries from back then would come true.
Lex was incredibly lucky to survive despite being covered in injuries.
"Hey, does anyone know where Your Excellency got this information? I heard that five years ago, someone witnessed a boy with blond hair and golden eyes appearing near the Dark Forest."
As for whether it is Prince Lex or not, no one could possibly impersonate the unique appearance of royalty.
"Five years ago? So many years have passed. Could His Highness really have survived in that kind of hellish place all by himself? I think His Excellency might have been deceived."
"To be honest, I think the same way you do, but what can we do to resist what the Viscount wants us to do? In short, he's determined to make us find Prince Lex's whereabouts. Don't be fooled by our casual conversation here; in a couple of days, I'll be leading a group to the Dark Forest myself."
"Sigh, it will take at least half a month to get to the Dark Forest from here. I wonder if those lowly people, whose arms aren't even as thick as your wrists, can make it that far," the knight complained.
After taking a big gulp of wine, he patted Grinker on the shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry, "Speaking of which, a physique as robust as yours is quite rare in our Yarant territory, isn't it?"
Most people here struggle to even get enough to eat, so how could they possibly develop a muscular physique like Grinning?
"Hey, to be honest, my heartless father wasn't some impoverished Yarant chieftain. Before he abandoned my mother, I had eaten my fill for a few years." Grining's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, but he reacted quickly and fabricated a backstory.
So he was an abandoned illegitimate child. The knight chuckled knowingly, without doubting that Grind was lying to him.
Like I said before, who would want to come to this godforsaken place except for a fool?
Having learned the details, Grining returned to Finney's place.
Meeting those anxious eyes, Grining swallowed back what he was about to say and offered a few words of comfort instead.
"Then, will Havie come back?" Fini asked.
“…I can’t be sure either.” Grinning shook his head and sighed. “We’ll probably know in a month. Until then, there’s nothing we can do but pray for him.”
It was obvious that Harvey did not return.
Otherwise, Grining wouldn't have needed to make this trip.
He believed that Lex killed Harvey.
Meanwhile, he heard that Viscount Yarant was very dissatisfied with the fruitless return and wanted to gather a second force to go to the Dark Forest again.
Fini and Haru were once again filled with anxiety.
Seeing this, Grining made up his mind to set off alone, intending to solve the problem at its source.
He never expected the outside world to be so chaotic. He could be arrested just by walking on the street. If he hadn't been lucky enough to meet Gwentil, he would probably be a slave in some manor now, buried in his work.
Perhaps they'll even get a few lashes for not being quick enough.
However, Grund was incredibly lucky. Not only was he rescued by Gwendel, but after subtly guiding her to the Dark Forest, he even managed to encounter the witch through her.
That night, when Grining saw a beautiful woman appear before him, he involuntarily held his breath—not because he was lustful, but because he saw through her identity at a glance. After all, apart from a witch, what woman would dare to walk alone in the dark forest?
But the naive Gwentil believed the witch's words.
"Never mind," Grind thought. "It's good that Gwentil is so clueless. Didn't you see that even the witches have let their guard down around her?"
So Grind would find excuses to leave whenever possible, giving the two of them plenty of space. He could sense that Mela seemed quite wary of him.
Meanwhile, Grinker was also trying to find Mela's place. He was certain Lex was there.
Grining had tried to track Mela.
However, Mela's insight was far beyond his imagination.
Having no other option, Grining had to try a different approach.
He deliberately injured himself in an attempt to get Mela to offer to take him back to her place.
Unfortunately, Mela didn't take the bait; she seemed to only stop his bleeding out of respect for Gwentil.
No, I can't let this opportunity slip away, Grinkel thought.
So, taking advantage of Mela and Gwentil's inattention, he made his wound bleed again and pretended to be worried about Gwentil, making Mela realize that saving him was saving Gwentil.
Sure enough, Mela was moved and led them back to the cabin.
When he suddenly saw the blond-haired, golden-eyed boy appear before him, Grining used all his strength to suppress the excitement in his chest, but his body couldn't help but tremble.
To prevent Lex from noticing anything amiss, Grind pretended to be terrified and refused his offer to apply the medicine.
Next, Grindke kept a close eye on Lex. It was unbelievable that the once high-ranking Crown Prince, surrounded by servants, was now working as a cook in the witch's cabin.
He allowed the witch to boss him around.
Before dinner, Mela called Lex out, and it took them quite a while to return from outside, and it was unclear what they were doing.
During this time, Grining was not uninterested in this, but he was entangled by Silas.
Silas said that after settling down in the Dark Forest with Mela, it had never left and was very curious about the outside world. Its series of questions kept Grind trapped in the house, forcing him to join in its conversation with Gwentil.
At this point, Grind began to find Gwentil's naive personality annoying again. He wondered if her brain was full of water, as she could chat so well with a crow.
Fortunately, Grinkel finally got the opportunity he wanted.
He lay on the cold wooden floor, listening to the even breathing inside the room, then suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the silver moon high in the sky for a long time.
Grind recalled that night five years ago when he and his men chased after Lex, who was in a sorry state like a stray dog. The moonlight was just as bright that night.
Everything seemed like a replay of that night.
His arrival in the Dark Forest, where he reunited with Lex, brought their story to a close, as if it were destined.
Once Lex is killed, everything will be over.
Grining stood up and took the dagger hidden at his waist.
However, Grining failed.
Lex wasn't asleep at all, and he was much more skilled than he was five years ago.
Before Grind could react, Lex easily subdued him, and the dagger he had been holding fell into Lex's hands and was placed against his neck.
Well, isn't this also a kind of ending?
The moment he was bound with rope, a strange sense of relief unexpectedly welled up in Grining's heart.
“But,” Mela said cruelly after listening for a while, “we have never seen the Harvey you’re talking about.”
"To be more precise, we didn't see a single one of the people sent by that Viscount Yarant."
“That’s right, that’s right!” Silas echoed.
"Impossible!" Grining refused to believe it; he had watched the group leave the territory of Yarant right before his eyes.
“You seem to have misunderstood something. I didn’t mean they didn’t come to the Dark Forest, but that they died before they even had a chance to see us.”
As she spoke, Mela leaned back in a relaxed manner, and the rocking chair immediately began to creak and sway.
"The Dark Forest is so vast, who knows what kind of dangers we might encounter."
Poisonous snakes, wolf packs, swamps, miasma—the dangers are countless. Anyone without skill will only be throwing their life away.
“Speaking of which, my pet once found a button that looked exactly like the one on your clothes. I think it must have fallen off Harvey,” Mela added.
Having spent five years in the territory of Yarant, Grenken and Havie must have worn and cherished such fine clothes made by the tailors of the royal city.
When Harvey arrived in the Dark Forest wearing this outfit, did he ever imagine that his life, like this fallen button, would roll into the mud?
"Did your pet see Harvey's body? If so, I'd like to see him one more time," Grind asked eagerly, his eyes filled with a hope as fragile as a bubble.
As the loser, he subconsciously placed Mela in a superior position, unconsciously using a respectful title when addressing her.
Unfortunately, Mela shook her head, giving a disappointing answer.
“Alright, I’ve asked all the questions I wanted to ask. Since he’s here for you, you can handle him now, Lex,” Mela said.
“Okay.” Lex tightened his grip on the rope and led Grind away. Their footsteps gradually faded into the distance from the cabin.
"So what about you, Gwentil? What are your plans now?" Mela looked at Gwentil, who had been lost in thought the whole time and was stunned by the facts that Grind had thrown out at her, and a hint of pity appeared in her eyes.
"Me?" As someone who had been completely used by Grindke from beginning to end, Gwendiel found it hard to describe her feelings at this moment. If she was initially filled with rage, after hearing the whole story, all that remained in her heart was a mix of emotions.
In this story, she is a completely innocent and unlucky person who was inexplicably dragged into the mess simply because she ran into Grind.
If she had known that kindness would bring her trouble, she would still have chosen to save Grinning.
We cannot criticize acts of kindness as wrong simply because we saved a bad person; the bad person is the one who is wrong.
Mela's question, in particular, made Gwentil start thinking about what she would do on her own in the future, and she realized that without Grind, she might not have been able to get to where she is today safely.
Stop, stop, stop! I can't think about Grindel anymore! Gwentil shook her head vigorously, trying to shake the image of Grindel completely out of her mind.
"I plan to leave the Dark Forest first."
However, she definitely couldn't do this by herself, so...
Gwendi mustered her courage and asked, "Can you help me?"
“Of course,” Mela agreed readily. “If you need, I’ll have Lex escort you to the edge of the forest, and then you can go wherever you want. As for the escort fee, it will only cost a gold ring.”
A gold ring! Gwentil's eyes widened, feeling a pang of regret; she didn't have much jewelry left.
Seeing her hesitation, Mela slowly added, "This is much cheaper than you saving Grinning."
Gwendy felt as if her already wounded heart had been stabbed in the back.
Witches are truly evil and cruel! Doesn't her conscience hurt at all?
Gwentil thought through gritted teeth.
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