madnovel Chapter 67 Refusing a child's request is not something a Swiftwind Ranger should do.
Chapter 67 Refusing a child's request is not something a Swiftwind Ranger should do.
Chapter 67 Refusing a child's request is not something a Swiftwind Ranger should do.
Upon hearing her words, all four of them were taken aback.
Rod was the first to react, crouching down to look at her, his gaze level with the girl's: "What do you want us to do?"
"Looking for Lily," the little girl held up the doll in front of them, showing it to them. "She's my best friend, and we agreed to play hide-and-seek together."
Three days ago, Mom suddenly pulled me away with everyone else, saying she was going to play hide-and-seek with me, and told me not to make a sound or the monster would catch me —
"Mom said we can't talk, we can't run around, we have to hide in the cave and wait for the monster to leave before we can come out and find our friends."
"Now everyone's out. The monster lost, we won." She lowered her head, kicked at the pebbles at her feet, and her voice grew softer and softer.
"I searched every haystack, barn, and every place she had ever hidden in the village, but I couldn't find her anywhere—"
"I asked Mom and her dad, but they wouldn't say anything," she said, looking up at the adults around her who were wiping away tears. Her little brows furrowed. "Is Lily hiding too well that no one can find her?"
She tightened her grip on the rag doll, took a small step forward, and cautiously looked at the four people, her voice tinged with pleading: "You're adventurers, everyone calls you heroes, you must be very good at finding things, right?"
"Could you help me find Lily? I'll give you everything I've secretly saved up."
As she spoke, she poked at the hole in the back of the doll with her finger and poured out three shiny copper coins and a fruit candy wrapped neatly in candy wrapper that had already melted a little.
She held these things in her small hands and presented them to the four of them. "These are all for you. Please, please help me find her, okay? Lily is very timid. She'll be scared if she's alone."
The four of them fell silent as they looked at the small amount of commission fee still warm in her palm.
The wind swirled the withered leaves on the ground, and the intermittent sobs of villagers drifted over from afar.
Susanna's eyes immediately reddened. She turned her head away, blinked hard, and dared not look into the little girl's clear and expectant eyes.
If none of her friends were among those just rescued, it can only mean that those who didn't have time to hide in the cave with the main force during the monster attack three days ago were captured at the time.
Otherwise, some monster would drag them away and eat them, leaving no trace of their remains.
"We—"
Don Quixote was about to readily agree, but Milan, quick as a flash, grabbed her shoulder, shook her head slightly, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don't make promises lightly."
Don Quixote opened his mouth, but looking into the little girl's expectant eyes, he swallowed back the bold words that were about to come out. He could only grip his greatsword tightly and turn his head away sullenly.
"It's not that she can't be found."
Susanna took a deep breath, squatted down, gently took the little girl's hand, forced a gentle smile, and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Lily might have gone to the neighboring village to visit her grandmother. She'll come back on her own after she's had enough fun in a few days."
She couldn't bear to tell the child the cruel truth and tried to fool him with a white lie.
Children of this age don't have a long memory, and she might forget about the other person after a while, immersing herself in happy times with other children.
But the little girl shook her head, her voice barely audible: "No, Lily doesn't have a grandmother."
She looked up at the four men's evasive gazes, and finally, tears streamed down her face, falling in large drops onto the soil: "You can't find her either, can you? Just like Dad."
"Mom said Dad went to a very, very far place and will never come back—did Lily go there too?"
Children of this age may not seem to understand the meaning of death, but they are extremely sensitive and can sense something from the silent reactions of those around them.
Seeing that the heroes and adventurers everyone was talking about had all refused her request, she pouted, tears welling up in her eyes.
Just then, Rod reached out his hand.
He offered no words of comfort, nor did he shy away from her self-reflection.
Rod squatted down in front of her, gently picked up the three polished copper coins from her palm, and carefully pinched the slightly melted fruit candy with dirt on its wrapper, then put it into his pocket.
"I've accepted your request."
"Excellent! As expected of a chivalrous sir! This is what a true hero should be like! We knew you would never let a child's hopes be dashed!"
Don Quixote immediately slapped his thigh, slammed his greatsword heavily into the ground, causing the rubble to tremble and his voice to boom loudly, echoing across half of the ruins:
She spun around halfway on the spot, her armor clanging crisply: "As a hero, it is my duty to protect the purest wishes of children!"
"Let's go! We'll raze that dark sorcerer's lair to the ground and bring Lily back safely!"
Susanna's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled down. Her eyes were still filled with tears, but she couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth into a gentle smile with a sob in her voice.
She gently patted the little girl's messy head, her voice as soft as cotton: "That's great, Lily will be alright."
Milan frowned, pulled Rod behind a broken wall, and lowered her voice, her tone full of disapproval: "Are you out of your mind? You know perfectly well that a five or six-year-old child falling into the hands of that kind of madman has less than a 50% chance of survival!"
"You're agreeing so readily now, but what if you come back empty-handed? What are you going to do with her? Wait here forever, clutching that tattered doll?"
"It's better than letting her completely despair now," Rod said, pulling his hand away from hers. His voice remained calm, yet serious. "At least she still has hope for now."
"Hope?" Milan scoffed, but there was no mockery in her eyes. "If she gets news of death instead, she'll only suffer more."
"That's a matter for the future," Rod said, turning to look at the little girl who was clutching her doll and gazing at them longingly. "At least this way, she can get a good night's sleep tonight."
Milan looked into his calm, unwavering eyes, then at the small figure in the distance, and finally sighed helplessly, flicking her staff: "I'm truly impressed by you."
Although she was complaining, she had already started walking towards the outside of the village: "What are you still standing there for?"
"Get ready, go early and come back early."
"Hmm." Rod nodded, took out a piece of scrap paper to organize the general information he had obtained from Bill.
"Didn't you just say before that we shouldn't give meaningless hope to things we're not sure about?" Alina's voice echoed from within the consciousness space. "Then why are you doing this now?"
Rhodes, who was still drawing, replied without hesitation, "Because I don't want to see disappointment in her eyes."
"Refusing a child's request and betraying their trust is not something a Wind Ranger should do," Rhodes nodded firmly.
"Is that so?" Alina sighed silently.
Then what about all the trust you gave me?
Can you meet my expectations?
For a moment, the two looked at each other in silence.
Rod quickly drew a crooked, simple route on the scrap paper. Due to the limited amount of information available, even the map he drew was quite abstract and difficult to understand.
"That monster's consciousness was fragmented, and many things were unclear," he said to the others in a calm tone as he put away the scrap paper. "All we know is that it kept going down the road, with many branching paths and other monsters living there. All the villagers it captured were transported into a white cave with light and handed over to its so-called master."
As for the so-called dark magician, Rod didn't get anything out of Bill.
The moment the word "master" is mentioned, the other person starts trembling and can only beg for mercy and praise the other person's strength and terror, unable to even ask about their appearance or other characteristics.
"Really? Knowing the general location is enough."
Milan leaned against the broken wall beside him, waved his staff, and summoned an owl in front of Rhodes as if by magic.
As Milan spoke, she took out a silver whistle about the size of a thumb from her pocket, put it to her lips, and blew it softly.
The whistle's clear and melodious sound, like birdsong echoing through the forest, seemed to be calling out to someone.
A few seconds later, a palm-sized owl flapped its wings and darted out of the woods, landing steadily on her outstretched wrist.
Its body was covered in soft gray-brown feathers, and its round, amber eyes were like two bright glass beads. On its claws was a small copper ring engraved with the name of the Misty City Adventurers' Guild.
Despite being unafraid of these unfamiliar adventurers, it tilted its head and rubbed its soft head against Milan's fingertips.
"!"
Rod's eyes lit up instantly, his gaze fixed on the owl, and he couldn't help but reach out a finger and carefully touch its fluffy head.
The owl tilted its head and glanced at him, then gently pecked at his fingertips with its sharp beak, making them tickle.
"Is this your magical messenger?" Rhodes looked up at Milan, his tone unusually curious.
"I don't know how to raise these little things. This is a messenger that the guild provided for me." Milan raised her hand and waved, causing it to flap its wings and jump onto Rhodes' shoulder.
"In the Misty City region, you should be able to summon it using this whistle."
"Really? I thought this was your personal messenger—" Rhodes said, stroking its feathers with his fingers. "I thought every mage had one."
"I don't have the energy to take care of these little guys—" Milan saw the little guy lower his head slightly, and then quietly changed her words, "I usually stay at home to do research, and not many people come to see me throughout the year, so I don't really need them."
"For short distances, we can use communication magic, and for long distances, we can rent a public messenger from the guild, which saves us the trouble of training ourselves."
"You even have a department that specializes in training messengers," Rhodes said, looking at her curiously.
"Of course, after all, there are always some nature magic enthusiasts who can't resist keeping a whole bunch of them and going bankrupt," Milan couldn't help but smirk at the thought. "Once they learn it, they can have them rent out their pets, at least they can earn some food money and not starve to death—"
As they spoke, a sheet of parchment, the smallest size, automatically unfolded in front of Milan, and the magic quill in her pocket automatically wrote a request for help on it:
[It has been confirmed that Thornwood Village has been attacked by monsters. Some villagers have been successfully rescued, but several have been abducted. The monster's lair has been confirmed to be located in an abandoned quarry west of the village. We request that the guild send combat personnel to reinforce and eliminate the monsters as soon as possible.]
Milan rolled it into a thin roll and tied it to the owl's leg with a thin rope.
"Go." She raised her hand and gently sent the owl fluttering its wings, flying towards the royal city and quickly disappearing into the horizon.
"Alright, the guild will receive it soon," Milan said, holding her staff as she released the magical messenger. "Before that, let's scout out the outer perimeter of the cave and find out what's inside—"
"Of course, we'll also be looking for that child," she said, glancing at Rhodes. "But let me make it clear beforehand: if we run into trouble, we'll retreat immediately and wait for the main force to arrive before considering anything else."
"No problem!" Don Quixote immediately slung his greatsword over his shoulder, his eyes shining. "Even the most powerful monster can be cleaved in two with a single strike!"
"You're not listening to me at all!" Milan couldn't help but slam her staff on her head, the helmet striking her head with a crisp "thud".
"We understand what you mean, Lady Milan," Don Quixote scratched his head, "If you can't beat them, run away."
"However, as future legendary adventurers, the kingdom's chief knight, and heroes of Thornwood Village, we must not back down!" she declared righteously.
Just as the group was about to set off, Susanna looked at the chaotic ruins around her, the villagers who were still in shock and supporting each other, and then looked at the three men with their imposing bearing. She paused for a moment and said, "You go ahead, I'll stay here."
"There are still many injured villagers who need dressing changes and treatment. There are also many elderly, weak, women and children. Now the houses are all broken, and there is not even a decent place to shelter from the wind and rain."
"The protective fences around the village have also collapsed. If new wild animals or even monsters invade, there is a high possibility of further casualties."
"If I were there, at least I could help everyone in time."
"Then I will too—" Milan realized what was going on when she heard this.
Yes, if they just leave like this, won't these villagers who were saved with great difficulty suffer the same fate again?
"Ms. Milan, you should go with them. After all, those who have been captured need your help," Susanna shook her head and advised. "That place is the lair of monsters, and the battle will be extremely difficult without you."
"Anyway, you'll be back soon," Susanna gave her three companions a reassuring smile, "so let me slack off a little here."
Ultimately, she was just an ordinary pastor. If she were to go to such a dangerous place, she would not only be unable to help, but her companions would probably have to divert their energy to protect her.
It's better to stay and do something you can do yourself.
Even if they were attacked by monsters, no matter what, as a professional, she would definitely be more resilient than an ordinary person and could minimize the casualties among the villagers.
Rhodes looked at her and nodded. "Be careful. If you encounter danger, don't fight it head-on. Get the villagers to hide first."
"If we really can't find anyone—no," she paused, then looked at Rhodes, her voice even softer, "I hope you all come back safely no matter what."
"Okay," Milan waved her hand and walked out of the village first. "Let's go, let's go. If we dawdle any longer, it will get dark. It's the most troublesome thing to go into the cave after dark."
"We'll clear the way!" Don Quixote immediately shouldered his greatsword and followed after them with great pride and swagger.
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