Chapter 43: Chapter 43
[I will edit 43 to 60 tomorrow so you can stop here if you want, I will just add some minor things that will not affect the story, just changing some names.]
Several minutes later, after completing the inspection, Galena dispelled the earth wall magic.
"Emm, so now..."
'What should I do?'
After carefully helping the pink-haired girl dress up, the guilt in Mengxi's eyes grew even stronger.
The reason was simple.
While dressing the girl, every time her hand touched the girl's skin, the girl would shiver.
Mengxi couldn't tell if it was from the pain of her wounds or fear of her.
Moreover, whenever Mengxi and the pink-haired girl's eyes met, there were always a mix of grievance and fear in the girl's azure eyes.
Her previous rude and aggressive behavior seemed to have left a significant psychological impact on the girl, making her afraid of Mengxi now.
Mengxi couldn't help but sigh.
Since she was the one who made the mistake, she had to take responsibility.
'From now on, I need to be nicer to her...'
Also,
She's curled up like this; she must be cold, right?
It makes sense.
After all, this is the North, and she's dressed so thinly.
Noticing the girl's shivering body, Mengxi's heart couldn't help but tremble.
Mengxi then slowly removed her white fur cloak from her back and wrapped it around the pink-haired girl.
The cloak, made from the fur of a Rank 6 Snow Bear, was incomparable in its ability to withstand the cold.
Almost every person in the Asumos Church had one when they came to the North on a mission.
After being wrapped in the cloak, the pink-haired girl was no longer shivering like before.
Her gaze at Mengxi didn't seem as guarded as it was initially.
"I'm sorry, little one. I was too rough with you earlier because I suspected you were infected with the power of the Shadow... I'm really sorry,"
Mengxi tried to express her apology to the girl.
"Don't be afraid. No one will hurt you from now on. I'll protect you and take you to a safe place,"
Mengxi continued to speak softly, her light purple eyes filled with tender emotion.
With no more hostility or coldness in her presence, Mengxi appeared like an angel.
Her pure and sacred words carried an unmatched affinity.
However,
Despite this, the pink-haired girl's eyes were still filled with fear.
She looked at Mengxi timidly and didn't respond, her small eyes full of caution.
Seeing this,
Mengxi couldn't help but shake her head,
Feeling a bit depressed and conflicted in her heart.
There was nothing she could do, who could blame her for being so aggressive earlier?
What she could do now was try to make it up to the girl.
She decided to take good care of her and look for her family when they returned to the City of Wind.
If she couldn't find them, she would find a family willing to take her in.
If all else failed, she would take her back to the Holy City, where there was a place specifically for taking care of such children.
As she thought this,
Mengxi took the water bottle from her waist and squatted down, handing it to the pink-haired girl.
"Do you want to drink some water?"
"..."
The girl remained silent, staring at the water bottle in Mengxi's hand. After hesitating for a moment, she finally reached out and took it.
Seeing the pink-haired girl accept her water bottle, Mengxi couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
She then slowly stood up, looking towards the direction of the fortress in the distance.
On the other side,
Seeing Mengxi's actions, Galena approached from a nearby position.
She looked at the girl
"How are things now?"
"Not too great. She's still quite guarded against us... or rather, against me. She's not willing to talk."
"I see. Sigh, who can blame her after your earlier rough handling, captain?"
"I'm sorry."
"Have you apologized to the girl?"
"I did, but she still seems unwilling to acknowledge me."
"Hmm? Is that so? Although it's a normal reaction, it's still... quite strange."
Galena raised her hand to cover her mouth, wearing a puzzled expression.
"Huh?"
At this, Mengxi slightly raised her eyebrows.
"What's so strange about it?"
"Because, usually, children like her, or even ordinary people, would quickly develop a liking for you, Captain Mengxi, and constantly try to get closer to you. Remember the rebellious little prince? He started by swinging a knife at you, but later became as docile as a little puppy..."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Galena's words, Mengxi suddenly felt surprised, looking at the pink-haired girl curled up on the ground with an unexpected gaze.
"Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit strange."
Indeed,
Due to the influence of the 'Holy Spirit' around her body, almost all living creatures, especially intelligent beings, would unconsciously develop a liking for her.
When she touched the girl earlier, she didn't deliberately restrain the 'Power of the Holy Spirit.'
A regular third-rank girl could resist its effects? She still held such a strong sense of wariness towards Mengxi?
Although Mengxi didn't like the effects brought by the 'Holy Spirit,' she couldn't help but feel astonished by the current situation.
Mengxi's light purple eyes narrowed slightly, looking at the pink-haired girl with a hint of depth in her gaze.
'Those who could resist the 'Holy Spirit' should only be abyssal demons, right?'
And this child wasn't an abyssal demon, nor was she infected.
So, what did it mean? She could resist the influence brought by the 'Power of the Holy Spirit'?
'This child seems to be a bit... special...'
Mengxi couldn't help but make this judgment in her heart.
Just as Mengxi was pondering, Galena's voice once again reached her ears.
"However, Captain, what should we do now? Shall we go back?"
"Huh?"
Her companion's words brought Mengxi's thoughts back to the present.
The silver-haired girl looked thoughtfully at the surrounding exhausted Asumos knights and the dozens of pitiful slaves they had just rescued.
"Let's head back. Everyone's tired, and with these children, we're not in any shape to fight abyssal demons."
As she spoke,
Mengxi's gaze couldn't help but linger on the pink-haired girl behind her.
"Also, we need to treat the wounds of these children as soon as possible."
"Roger "Galena nodded slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"So, let's quickly prepare to set off back."
"Understood."
After nodding her response, Garona picked up the scattered weapons from the ground and began to methodically direct everyone's retreat.
Meanwhile,
Driven by guilt, Mengxi slowly walked over to the pink-haired girl and spoke in as gentle a tone as possible:
"Um, little one, we're preparing to return to the City. Although you might be quite unhappy with us, or more precisely, with me, for your own safety, it's better if you come with us."
Saying this,
Mengxi slowly extended her right hand towards the pink-haired girl.
Upon seeing Mengxi's gesture, the pink-haired little girl's blue eyes clearly revealed
However,
After hesitating for a moment, the pink-haired girl finally reached out and took Mengxi's hand.
Upon touching the girl's fragile, boneless hand, Mengxi couldn't help but feel even more ashamed.
How could such a weak girl possibly pose a threat?
What was I thinking before...?
At the same time, seeing that the pink-haired girl was no longer resisting,
Mengxi felt a sense of relief deep within her heart.
Then, with a gentle tug, the silver-haired girl lifted the pink-haired girl up from the snowy ground.
"Let's go. Once we're back, someone will help you heal your wounds..."
'?'
'Hmm?'
However,
Just as her words fell,
An indescribable sense of danger suddenly entered Mengxi's mind,
Causing the silver-haired girl's eyes to shrink abruptly! A rare look of horror emerged in her expression! Suddenly, under the puzzled gaze of the Asumos knights, the usually composed captain's face changed dramatically, and she turned around in a panic, looking at everyone!
"Run, run now!!!!!!!!"
"What??!!"
"What's going on?!"
Hearing the girl's roaring voice and seeing Mengxi's unusual behavior, Galena and the other knights exchanged confused glances.
However,
Before they could figure out what had happened,
The bright sunshine was suddenly obscured by dark clouds, the earth began to tremble violently, and a howling wind swept past their ears.
Accompanied by the overwhelming power of the encroaching Shadows, a bizarre black fog suddenly spilled out from the depths of the winter forest.
Countless deep, horrifying roars reached everyone's ears. In an instant, everyone held their breath...
'You've got to be kidding me...'
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