Fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood's wolf mentor

The campsite, the bonfire still flickered.

But the previously cheerful voices had fallen silent once more.

The wounded bandaged their injuries and quickly reorganized the wagons.

Most of the Brew riders' warhorses were still alive, which somewhat compensated for the merchant caravan's horses that had died in the first round of crossbow fire.

Thanks to Leake's intervention, the number of casualties inflicted by the Brew riders was not significant.

It didn't even reach double digits in total.

"We… survived? So many Brew soldiers, killed in such a short time?"

"Shhh, remember those rumors from the kingdom?"

"What rumors?"

"About magic, devils, and heavenly powers—I suspect that the girl who saved us was one of those!"

"Ah? So she's…"

"Isn't it obvious? An angel, of course. Would a devil save people like us?"

Among the caravan guards, people whispered, their eyes glancing at the vines that had sprung from the ground and bound the horses' hooves.

Meanwhile, those stripping armor from the Brew soldiers' corpses discovered something strange.

The Brew soldiers' faceplates, and parts of their facial skin, had been transformed into a pure white substance, with blood seeping from the junction between the substance and the flesh.

"What is this? How did he die?"

Those cleaning up the battlefield saw this and ultimately suppressed their curiosity. In the battlefield behind them, they had seen many such bizarre sights. As ordinary people, they had no desire to investigate further.

"It just… smells like chocolate? Must be my imagination, right?"

The man sighed. As an ordinary person, all he could think about now was escaping the vortex of war and getting out alive—he was already very lucky.

More people nervously glanced at the tent in the center of the camp.

The caravan leader, the mysterious red-cloaked girl, and the last remaining Brew soldier were all inside.

"Why did you have to do such a ruthless thing? Our caravan has no conflict of interest or hatred with the Brew Kingdom!"

The caravan leader's eyes flashed with indignation as he questioned the Brew officer, who was tied to a chair.

"Haha, I just wanted to see if our lances had really rusted and couldn't kill anyone…"

The Brew officer's face was covered in scars and blood, but he still muttered with a wild laugh.

"Just because of that? You Brew people, you were clearly, clearly meant to protect more people!"

The caravan leader's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Oh, no, sir. Just as you merchants exist to make money, we soldiers exist to kill.

Once you've experienced what I've experienced, you'll understand that the so-called meaning of battle, which they tell us, can't sway victory in war!

We charged and fought those Swiss people, and at first, I thought… I was righteous—but that's all bullshit!"

The Brew officer spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes turning red. He then glared at the caravan leader in front of him and said, "Those Swiss soldiers, they were the ones who invaded our land.

But they had better equipment, better weapons, and God was on their side. Their officers could stand up again after they died, and they always had more food!

Our people fought in hunger and were slaughtered, but what about them?

Better weapons, plenty of food, and God's blessing, allowing their people to stand up again even after being seriously injured!?

And when our cities were occupied, the Swiss people showed off some miracle of God, healing some of the people they had severely injured, and those we protected knelt down and accepted their rule?"

As the Brew officer spoke, the bloodshot in his eyes intensified. He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and stared intently at the caravan leader in front of him.

Even though the caravan leader held a long sword, he was still frightened and took a half-step back by the Brew officer's murderous eyes.

"Tell me, who is my killing for?

The Swiss people, who occupied our homes, instead said that their rule was ordained by heaven?

And the civilians, the common people, and opportunists like you easily believed it and turned around to say that I was killing for personal gain?"

The Brew officer's voice grew lower and lower, but just as the caravan leader relaxed slightly, he suddenly burst out again!

Even though he was tied to the chair, he forcefully stood up and lunged at the caravan leader!

His mouth kept shouting:

"Marshal Giles is right, God is just like you merchants—all shameless opportunists!

Just because the Swiss Kingdom is rich and powerful, you send them money and blessings endlessly!

Anyway, those self-proclaimed gods all say that about us.

Fine, our killing is now entirely for our own selfish desires and hatred, to take the blood-stained silver and then kill unimportant guys like you at will!"

The caravan leader had not expected such a sudden change, and the composure he had just regained was shattered once more.

At this moment, he realized that even though he had led this caravan for many years, he was just an ordinary person, not a warrior.

In a panic, the long sword in his hand moved instinctively, piercing the Brew officer's abdomen, and blood gushed out!

The Brew officer smiled coldly and slowly fell to the ground.

Even at the last moment, he still whispered with a hint of smugness:

"This is indeed very enjoyable, but unfortunately, we were the ones abandoned by God from the beginning. It's a pity that I couldn't even kill a merchant like you…

That's a real shame."

The caravan leader released the sword hilt, and the Brew officer's body fell to the ground.

"Madman, these Brew soldiers are all crazy…"

His pale lips were still trembling. He took a few deep breaths before looking at Leake, his face showing apology, "I'm sorry, I didn't ask about the Brew Kingdom and killed him…"

Leake had also been pondering the Brew officer's words, and thus hadn't reacted in time to stop the Brew officer's suicidal act.

"It's okay, I didn't expect it either."

Leake shook her head and said to the caravan leader, then continued to ask, "What is this 'God's blessing' that he mentioned about the Swiss Kingdom?

And what about his marshal? It seems that the Brew Kingdom is at a disadvantage?"

Unlike ordinary people, Leake and Poro had already largely confirmed that the so-called heaven existed, but even if it hadn't disappeared, it was likely in a less-than-ideal state.

"I've seen some of these things, but most of them are just rumors—just like what I said earlier."

The caravan leader pondered and then said, "Those Swiss people seem to have extremely special potions that can allow soldiers who are severely injured to the point of being on their last breath to stand up again.

And their army always has a lot of food, but their country's planting and production levels can definitely not supply that much food!"

The caravan leader slowly narrated what he knew.

Large amounts of potions that could regenerate severed limbs, extremely gold-rich lands, plus countless supplies of food from unknown sources—these were the main reasons for the Swiss Kingdom's repeated victories in war.

"So, these Brew people…"

"They should belong to the Brew Kingdom, soldiers under the command of Grand Marshal Giles. I received some news earlier, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time.

The army led by Marshal Giles defected entirely after their first battle with the Swiss Kingdom."

"Marshal Giles? What kind of person is he?" Leake thought for a moment and asked further.

"He is the Brew Kingdom's strongest warrior and also the most powerful lord. Even the Brew King doesn't dare to interfere with him in the slightest."

The caravan leader continued to narrate, "He is very cruel and bloodthirsty, often hanging people and using various cruel tortures to torment all those who offend him!

In his territory, people can't even talk about him, otherwise they will be subjected to extreme punishment by his ubiquitous spies.

But even so, there are still many rumors…"

The caravan leader thought that he was about to leave this war-torn area, and no matter what, it was impossible for the rumors to reach the ears of the Brew Kingdom's commander.

"The grand marshal's dozen or so wives have all disappeared. People say that they were all killed by him, and some people also say that this most powerful man in the country often abducts children.

Some even say that he eats people!

Of course, even so, Marshal Giles's ability to command troops and fight is still the strongest in the Brew Kingdom."

"But he… defected? How many soldiers does he have under his command? If his soldiers are all like what we've seen…"

Leake frowned, and a slight sense of foreboding flashed through her mind.

"He defected, and the Brew Kingdom should soon be annexed by the Swiss Kingdom. I just hope that the Swiss people, who claim to have God's blessing, will really treat those people well…"

The caravan leader paused, looked at Leake, and suddenly remembered something, adding, "By the way, Marshal Giles has one more distinctive feature. Even if you encounter him in the army formation, you will be able to recognize him—his body hair is dark blue.

Perhaps, it's the influence of his invincible martial arts?

Uh, maybe it's like you being so strong, it should also be the effect of magic? I mean, the effect of magic or something."

"Blue hair?"

Leake repeated in surprise.

Blue hair… blue beard?

Poro, who was listening on the side, also slightly constricted his pupils. He also muttered to himself, and clearly, this should not be a normal human hair color.

In the current world background, it was unlikely that anyone would engage in hair dyeing.

What's more, this distinct characteristic gave Poro some strange sense of familiarity.

…

Outside the camp, all the caravan's wagons had been loaded with goods.

The night was still long, but the bonfire had been extinguished, and everyone was preparing to set off, barely holding back their fatigue.

In the caravan leader's judgment, the appearance of a Brew cavalry squad here meant that the Brew army led by Marshal Giles was very likely nearby!

He couldn't make any more bets.

Leaving quickly in the middle of the night was the most important thing to do now!

"Miss, do you really not want this money? You saved us, and if we don't give you a thank you, everyone will feel bad…"

"Thank you, sir, but no need."

Leake also got into her wagon and waved goodbye to the caravan, "My travel expenses are already enough, and the map you gave me is very detailed, it's already enough."

Watching Leake's wagon disappear into the forest in the opposite direction, the people in the caravan looked at each other, still marveling and speculating.

"Boss, do you know the background of that girl?"

A subordinate in the caravan leader's wagon asked curiously.

"I don't know, but… I understand that her existence is different from ours."

The caravan leader shook his head, picked up the wine that Leake had given him from his waist, took a sip, and then said again with a wry smile, "At first, I thought she was a weak noble and advised her not to go.

But now, I know that the real weaklings are still just ourselves. No matter what she's going to deliver or what she's going to do—what she's going to do and experience must be much more important than what our caravan is going to do, right?"

…

The darkness gathered over the remains of the entire camp after the sweep of death.

In the second half of the night, a whistle sounded from the dark forest, and a team of Brew cavalry poured out from behind the trees.

After that, the light of torches lit up from the depths, and blood-stained swords and armor flashed with a hideous light. This cavalry team numbered hundreds, nearly a thousand!

The cavalry stopped around the entire battlefield.

They separated into a horizontal line, and in the center, a tall knight, riding a tall warhorse, walked out step by step. The beard and hair revealed under his bizarre and hideous mask and helmet showed a dark blue color.

"Why did my soldiers die here? Is it those Swiss people who call themselves God? It shouldn't be, judging from the traces, it doesn't look like those guys."

In Marshal Giles's hoarse voice, his cold gaze swept across the battlefield.

From the traces of the horses' hooves charging, to the dents and dust on the ground caused by knights falling off their horses, from the dried vines, the stripped Brew soldiers, the bloodlines on their necks, to the soldiers whose faces had been turned into white chocolate.

Marshal Giles's gaze finally rested on the broken Brew flag on the ground.

"A powerful swordsman, plus a powerful mage?"

At this time, a Brew adjutant rode forward, holding a urgently delivered letter in his hand.

"Marshal, those Swiss people have already occupied your Dant territory. Without you, the garrison there has surrendered.

They are heading to the royal capital. The king's army cannot stop them. Soon, our Brew Kingdom, I'm afraid…"

Giles took the letter, which was stamped with a bright red seal. This was a letter of request for help from the Brew royal capital.

He glanced at it slightly, then casually tore it up, threw it on the ground, and trampled it in the dust:

"Never mind them. Have you forgotten? According to those damned Sree people, we no longer kill for the sake of guarding—"

Giles' words were icy, but deeper within, there seemed to be a suppressed bloodlust and madness, "Next, we're going to Dent territory.

My people actually surrendered?

Ha, anyone who betrays me, betrays us—they all must die!"

"Never mind the royal capital. Next, return to Dent territory."

Giles repeated, "Those people will understand that neither God nor the Sree can protect them!

They don't want to die in battle, then they will die in my hands, unable to live, unable to die, howling in pain!"

"I understand, my lord!"

The adjutant's words also carried a hint of excitement after hearing Giles' words.

But then, he surveyed the battlefield on the ground:

"My lord, what about the people who killed our brothers…?"

"If they escaped, then consider themselves lucky to have survived."

Giles snorted coldly, turned his horse, and returned to the army, "If they go to Blue, to Sree, or if I encounter them again—

They will regret it, and then die in agony under the iron hooves!"

As Giles spoke, he took out a pendant tied with a blood-stained string from inside his breastplate. At the front of the pendant hung a blood-stained golden key.

On the surface of the key, the hard-to-wash-off blood formed a bizarre and chaotic pattern.

"It's just magic, my magic will soon be complete…

And a swordsman—alone, even with God's blessing, will be torn to pieces in front of my army!"

He kissed the golden key in his palm, then put it back into its place inside his breastplate, a twisted smile revealing itself on his chapped lips amidst his blue beard.

The massive cavalry surged back like a tide, disappearing into the depths of the forest.

"My people, you think you've been saved, do you?"

"What a pity…"

...

The dawn's light dispelled the darkness, illuminating a city in the distance.

Leike unfolded the map in her hand, looking at the city in the distance. At the top of the city, a golden flag was flying.

"Huh? Is there something wrong with the map? Isn't this Dent territory—part of the Blue Kingdom? Why is the Sree Kingdom's flag hanging there?"

Poro looked at the traces of the army below the city in the distance, guessing,

"Did the Sree Kingdom occupy this place recently?"

But even the barrier before the Blue royal capital, Dent territory, has been occupied by the Sree Kingdom. Perhaps the Blue Kingdom will soon disappear from this world.

"At least for now, it doesn't look like there are any armies fighting. This time, we don't have to worry about getting involved."

Leike looked at the ground beneath the city in the distance. There wasn't much blood, and the city gate wasn't closed.

At the city gate, there were even some carriages entering and exiting.

Unlike the surrounding empty villages and towns, many residents still lived in Dent territory.

"Perhaps we can stay here for a while and get more information about this place?"

"Yeah, after hearing that guy's words, I thought I'd see a dead city!"

Poro also said.

Entering the city wasn't difficult. The guards mostly seemed to be the original Dent territory soldiers.

Inside, the foreign architecture and people didn't show the decadence and excessive sadness brought by war—it didn't seem too abnormal.

The impact of the war didn't seem as terrible as the merchant leader had said.