"Are you going to run away from the battle? Mercenary...Mr. Henry Meyer?" Jeremiah stopped in front of the two of them. Behind him stood a row of fully armed Sivalier knights.
Alan stood with his arms folded and stood diagonally behind Jazz with a sinister face. The look and smile on his face that he was watching the show was obvious.
"The battle is over, please get out of the way." Henry did not use the honorific to Jeremiah. Although he said "please", his tone was very stiff.
Under the shadow of the long black eyelashes, the gray-blue pupils showed a sense of inorganicity and danger that was as inorganic as the stormy sky. The corners of Jeremiah's eyes twitched. He looked directly into these eyes. Despite their appearance, Vulgar, but this knight is not an arrogant man without common sense.
He was not one to be underestimated when faced with the stubbornness of the nobles who would not bow down, and combined with the fact that this person had already figured out the Luoan people's tactical maneuvers.
--but.
so what?
Jeremiah thought to himself.
The power possessed by the nobles can crush the common people. No matter how much potential or ability this person has, he will not be his opponent.
"Wha—" He raised a hand and pulled away. The knights and sergeants in full plate armor behind him all drew their weapons.
They surrounded Henry and Mira in a semicircle. The mercenaries who were cleaning the battlefield outside stopped and watched, but in the face of the power of the nobles, no one dared to even ask.
The dusty An covered her mouth with worry on her face, while Jeanne on the side looked at Alain, who was standing next to Jérémy with a smile on his face, with contempt.
"..." Henry said nothing.
He just stood there quietly, holding Mira in his arms, without even making a move to grab the sword.
This actually made those Sivaliers a little afraid. The knights and sergeants looked at the sage through the narrow gaps in the helmets and visors, and they hesitated for a while, not knowing whether to go up or not.
No one would stand up for them. They were surrounded by more than thirty warriors in full plate armor. They were well-trained and well-equipped and could easily fight against more than a hundred mercenaries. It was easy to deal with one person.
But even Jeremiah felt a little hesitant.
He couldn't figure out the details of this tall green mercenary - Jazz had met many people, many mercenaries and even nobles who were good at talking. He talks a lot in peacetime, but wets his saddle in real battle.
When faced with a crisis, some people get nervous; some people panic; some people turn around and run away.
He has seen many people who love face and love vanity, and people who pretend to be cool and say cool things when faced with a crisis - but this man is different.
He didn't brag about how powerful he was, nor did he pull out a weapon and start waving it around to hide his inner nervousness.
He just stood there quietly, as if the group of people in front of him did not exist, as if these highly capable and fully armed Sivaliya elites were not worth mentioning.
This is different from the arrogance of the ignorant. This calm look has only been seen on one person's face before.
"Proud..." The words he was thinking about in his heart were shouted out by someone behind him. Even Jeremiah was stunned for a moment. He turned his head and looked at a lower-level mercenary who had a look of realization on his face and pointed. this side.
"He knows 'Arrogant'." The mercenary shouted in a loud voice, and then it was like a pot exploding, and many people nearby also shouted.
"That's right! I was at the mercenary guild in Prosper a few days ago. I just said why he looked so familiar! The only person who dared to talk to that 'Arrogant' has seen such a person in his life."
The bustling discussion echoed everywhere. Alan, who was standing behind Jeremiah, was stunned for a moment and then began to look a little complicated. Jazz raised his head and took a deep look at Henry.
"Are they telling the truth?" he said.
Henry was noncommittal.
"The myth of the mercenary world who single-handedly killed the earth dragon... has something unique in the world..." Jeremiah paused: "Long silver hair."
"Proud Erica."
"One of the Red Thirteen who is one against a hundred, do you know such a person?" Something started to flicker in Jazz's eyes. He then raised his hand and waved, making everyone behind him retreat.
"I have a hunch, mercenary, Henry Meyer." Jeremiah stepped aside and glanced at the sage with a meaningful look: "You and I will meet again in the future."
He said this, but Henry still didn't speak, just held Mira in his arms and walked away.
"Uh..." Alan behind him stretched out his hand, but he only said one word and didn't know what else to say. He turned his head again and met Jeremiah's eyes. Jazz glanced at him and turned his head. , left here with a group of Sivalier elites.
"..." Alan was left standing there with his head lowered, his hands clenched into fists and he shook them hard in the air.
…
Time passed slowly. When they went to Montenegro, the two of them did not ride on horses, so Henry held Mira in his arms and just walked towards Lazar.
Strangely enough, perhaps because rabbits don't eat grass near their nests, even though they are very close to the town, the Luoan bandits from Montenegro have never entered Lazar in more than ten years, let alone attacked the residents of Lazar.
I don’t know whether they dislike them for being too poor or they are worried that they will have conflicts with the locals and find it difficult to survive - or both - in short, during the years when the Luoan bandits of Montenegro were stationed here, they always used passing caravans as their guide. target, and never rob the local town.
The notorious bandits and civilians who were close at hand did not interfere with each other. Instead, the great nobles of Prosper, who were dozens of miles away, clashed with them and were determined to make these Luoans disappear from this land. .
After today, maybe the officials of Sivalier will publicize all this as the glory of Archbishop Prosper, risking his own life to send troops from dozens of miles away to eliminate harm to the people, and these Roan people are to blame for their own evil deeds. He could be killed, etc., while solving a serious problem in his heart, it would also further improve his reputation.
The truth of the matter is known only to the mercenaries who have shed blood and sacrificed their lives on this cold autumn land covered with Aika black pines.
In the final analysis, everything is just profit. Being able to cleverly use honor as a superficial decoration really shows that this country is the strongest on the west coast. Not only in terms of military strength, when it comes to playing politics and manipulating people's hearts, it is probably far better than Avenella, even if it has already Even the best Prince Edward is several times better.
But is this a good thing? The nobles, bishops and businessmen in a country are all so good at playing with power - Henry thought about it again and again, and Mira, who seemed to have finally come to her senses, stretched out her hand. He patted his back and signaled the sage to put him down.
"Take—" Henry pulled out the cork, and then handed her the water bag made of lambskin.
"Gulu gulu." The girl poured a big mouthful into her mouth, and then looked at the ground in a daze, doing nothing but being in a daze.
"Pa da." The sage took off his sword, leaned against the tree trunk, and looked at her calmly.
He didn't rush to start talking about big principles, about being persuasive, about being strong. He just stood there quietly, within reach of Mira's eyes, showing her that he was always here.
Henry had done nothing but that - he had remained silent from the moment she was hurt until now.
——This hurdle must be crossed by herself.
Although purity of heart is precious, it is not unique in the world - in fact, all people have been gentle and full of kindness at some level.
But as long as we exist in this world, people will inevitably be affected by other people.
Everything you have seen, heard, tasted, and felt will not disappear as you pass by, but will leave a unique mark on you, shaping you into a different person step by step.
Everyone grows up gradually like this - the difference is that some people can learn what they need from experience and make progress, while others lose themselves because of hardships.
I became drifting with the crowd and abandoned my original intention and intention. When I suddenly realized it and looked back, I realized that everything was completely different.
Henry has seen too many, too many people become like this.
In the world of children, in simple and clear fairy tales, the whole world is always black and white.
There are good people and there are bad people - good people are always good people, and bad people are always bad people.
But the truth is far more complicated than this. In the real world, the dividing line between good guys and bad guys is actually very, very blurry.
The only difference is that the former persisted in his original intention, while the latter compromised in the face of suffering and chose an easier and easier path.
It's not fair to simply use good and bad to distinguish them, because everyone is the same person, breathing the same air, looking up at the same sky, but they just made different choices on one thing, which led to Just different results.
Maybe it was just small things that made you shaken at first, then you started to compromise, and finally you did it again and again. Before you know it, you become a completely different person.
Staying true to your original intention is easier said than done. More people in the world often choose to compromise——
--So.
So, which one is she?
Mira looked back at Henry, and the corners of the sage's mouth curved slightly.
The answer needs no words, you can understand it just by looking at those eyes. The horror and helplessness experienced personally are the most profound, and after this girl truly saw what cruelty is, she was still able to recover, be herself, and make her own choices.
"Where are the people?"
"Many times there is no choice." Mira's face looked a little sad. She must have remembered something, so she said this. Henry said "Yeah." He knew that she hadn't finished speaking yet, so he waited for the girl to continue talking.
"Obviously they are the same human beings, but because of different choices, they have become such completely different people." The white-haired Luo An Loli caressed the cold earth in ecstasy, and the words she spoke were as exciting as ever. People always forget the fact that she is only 11 years old.
"That person just now...if he wants to be rescued, someone should save him." She said, and the sage only nodded now: "Yes."
He paused for a while, and then continued: "But if he leaves here, his life may not be easy."
"The Luoans are not welcome on the entire west coast now, and they are wanted bandits. Even if they are rescued, they will either live on the run or die on the run. ."
"Even if you leave Montenegro, it will only be a matter of time before you return to your old business." Henry took a long breath and then exhaled it slowly.
"Luoan people..." he said slowly.
"It is a proud nation."
"Refuse to engage in occupations other than fighting. Even if nobles want to hire them as private soldiers, they are often unwilling to rely on others because of the pride in their hearts." Henry continued: "It is precisely for this reason that they will escape from being oppressed by Austrians. Homeland conquered by the Toro Empire, coming to the west coast.”
"But because of this proud existence, even if it changes to another place, what difference will there be?" The sage sighed, and Mira stroked her neck wrapped in white cotton.
"Maybe just one person's fate is not enough..."
"I want to change more people..."
She murmured this to herself in a low voice, and Henry naturally didn't miss it, but he smiled slightly and said "Huh?" pretending not to hear clearly.
"Nothing." Mira didn't intend to continue. She shook her head, then stood up and put on a stubborn expression again.
"I still have to work harder."
The determination revealed in the sparkling light blue eyes was as shining as the sun that afternoon.
…
Notes: ①: Sivaliya proverb comes from a poem written a century ago. Because the Kingdom of Sivalier stipulates that all nobles with fiefs must perform military service for the king - that is, become knights - and fight everywhere. Among the nobles, there are brave men who pay attention to honor, and there are also cowards. This poem specifically describes a boastful man. An incompetent man who wet his own saddle when he first entered the battlefield. The idiom that became popular is also commonly used by the Siwaliya people to describe armchair cowards.
②: Red Thirteen, another name for the red card mercenaries on the West Coast. One reason is because there were only thirteen red card mercenaries when the mercenary guild was first established, and the other is because the ruby mercenary card itself is worth 130,000 pills. Nuo left and right. In addition, the number thirteen also represents to a certain extent an unlucky existence and one that must be kept at a distance, which to a considerable extent reflects the image of red-card mercenaries in the minds of ordinary people.
