The Witch and the Doll Swear

Towards the northeast, you can see wolves lying on the grassland and struggling all the way.

There are all kinds of body shapes and types. They all have scars on their bodies, which means that they have lost in the hunt with humans. The medicine prepared by humans penetrated into their flesh and blood from there, paralyzing their powerful muscles, leaving only their heads. Can barely move, no matter how strong their physique is, they can only be mermaid at this moment.

Nomads in hides and wool were cleaning the hunting grounds. They cut bloody flesh from dead wolves and held them to their mouths, making strange roars.

"——!!!"

The wolf responded with an even more violent howl, headbutting the piece of meat away, so the herder shook his head and moved on to the next wolf.

After a while, two other herdsmen came over, one of them straddled it and held down the wolf's head, and the other took a thin spear covered in red, white and white things and pierced it through their eyes. .

Tina has seen this method of slaughter in the seaport of Salt Sand City. There are also monsters with rare fur in the sea. After catching them, in order not to damage the integrity of the fur, the fishermen will use thinner harpoons to pierce the monster's eyes. Or stab them directly in the mouth and kill them by directly destroying the brain.

This causes great pain, however, ensures the integrity of the fur.

After the herdsmen killed one wolf, they came to the next wolf, and repeated the process. Seeing the tragic death of their own clan, these ferocious monsters roared angrily and pushed away the thrown meat, so the herdsmen had no choice. Kill them one by one, shaking his head constantly.

——what are they doing?

Sitting on the back of another astral unicorn summoned by Liliana, the girl with her arms around Liliana asked in her heart.

…they are selecting individuals that can be domesticated.

The witch is also answering in the communication of the heart.

——Dogs are domesticated wolves. For nomads, a powerful shepherd dog is a precious property of a tribe, especially at the beginning, the domesticated wolf is a hard currency for trade between tribes and a proof of strength.

Alice, who was hugged by Miss Witch and Tina in Liliana's arms, quietly puffed up her chest, indicating that this is the domain of knowledge of fairies.

——The domestication of wolves is not that simple. The first and most important step is to select individuals who are willing to be domesticated, whether it is subdued by violence or for other reasons. In short, you must first be willing to submit. Wolves are very Proud monsters, but just like there are always scum among humans, there are soft bones among wolves, look there.

Liliana tilted her head slightly, following Miss Witch's perspective, Tina looked over there, another nomad was doing the same job with his companions, when he threw a piece of wolf meat into a In front of the brown prairie wolf, the wolf took a bite of the meat, chewed and swallowed it, stuck out its tongue, and gasped at the nomad.

The man finally showed a smile on his face, took out a tough leather collar and put it around its neck.

at this time.

"Because of our tribe's heroic hunting tonight, the great moon of Artemis bestowed an angel!"

The bald man holding the torch suddenly shouted loudly, attracting everyone's attention here.

When Tina saw the people who were cleaning the hunting ground, when their eyes gathered here, the crystal-clear astral unicorn and Liliana in her arms, wearing a silver shawl with a crescent hollow, she felt like that Baldheads... Oh, no, these nomad men are all baldheads—in short, like the man who claimed to be "the strongest hunter of the Herohan tribe", Qi Qi was taken aback.

Immediately afterwards.

"O great Moon of Artemis!"

"It's an angel! An angel has come to bestow our bravery!"

"Oh, God Envoy, hurry up, whoever returns to the gathering place and tells everyone, let them prepare a grand ceremony to welcome the arrival of the God Envoy!!"

The mainland lingua franca spoken by these nomads has a strange accent, but that doesn't affect understanding for now. Hearing the last sentence, the nomad standing in front of the wolf immediately volunteered to step on the horse beside him, and ran towards the north without looking back.

The prairie wolf that had swallowed the flesh and blood of its own race was dumbfounded. It turned its head desperately and howled, but the nomads all put aside what they were doing and gathered around the star unicorn, Worshiping all over the ground, the wolf howled within a few meters, but no one paid attention.

Drenna was sweating coldly as she watched the wolves near the prairie wolf turn their heads and bite the "traitor" fiercely.

——Didn’t it mean that a wolf that can be domesticated into a shepherd dog is very precious...

The screams stopped after a while, and the wolves that killed the wolf screamed loudly, but even so, the nomads turned a deaf ear to them.

... God's envoy is even more precious. It represents the glory and the face of the tribe, and also represents God's favor and future.

Liliana calmly accepted the worship of these people. She didn't say anything, but signaled the man riding the horse ahead with her dark eyes to continue leading the way.

"I will escort the envoy of fire and the attendants of the envoy to the gathering place of the tribe."

The man raised the torch and announced loudly.

The color of the flame has become the color of Liliana's magic light, and now, with his lifting, it soars high, illuminating a large area of ​​grass. Tingna thought that it didn't know what to use as a The smell of the fuel torch was very bad, and Liliana made it out casually. Unexpectedly, this directly changed the title of Miss Witch from the envoy of God to the envoy of fire.

But Liliana didn't care at all.

——Speaking of which, Angel, what exactly is it?

After leaving the group of guys who shouted "angel, oh great angel", looking around, she only saw Tina in the grassland under the night, so she simply focused on this word she heard one after another .

——Miss Liliana isn’t a witch?

...The witch is my race, and the angel... is my temporary identity.

Liliana Lala has many crescent-shaped hollow shawls on her body. The only clothes on this girl's body can't hide her beauty at all. On the contrary, because of the hazy moonlight halo, it stands out even more in the dark night.

However, this shawl itself is not just a function of clothing.

This was originally a proof of the love of the moon god Artemis, which was woven by the goddess with moonlight.

This is a kind of proof of identity, as the messenger of the goddess of the hunting moon, it is a proof of rewarding those who have offered hunting and fighting to the goddess to satisfy her.

Although there is not much prestige and belief in human cities, in the so-called land far away from civilization and order, this young moon god has many believers including nomads, hunters, rangers and travelers, She also often sends miracles, Artemis's envoy is the most common one.

Because this moon god hasn't picked a witch for many years.

Liliana explained this to the girl.

This identity sometimes appears on a certain person in the team welcoming the hunter's triumphant return, granting him some strength, and sometimes appears on a certain person in a tribe that conquers each other and is hostile. At this time, the opponent will often surrender, and It may appear on a sheep, a shepherd dog, or even a prairie gray pigeon cooing from nowhere, at such a time...

It is hard to say when the gifts of the gods will be delivered to those who deserve them.

"...In other words, Miss Liliana just happened to be the envoy of this hunting night? Similar to...a person who gives rewards to the party who performs well?"

Although the witch does not sound like a person who would have anything to do with God, but thinking of Liliana's holy figure like an angel in the starry sky when Liliana wiped out the lava dragon beast in Salt Sand City, Tina felt that it was not impossible. accept.

How should I put it, Miss Liliana is really amazing.

"Coincidentally...? Alice thinks, it might not be a coincidence..."

The expression of the little puppet was a bit subtle, and it was understandable that Tingna didn't know the little moon god who was still young. However, now that she is an elf, she knows very well what kind of guy this Miss God, who, together with Diana, has become the most mainstream double-moon belief among elves, is like.

"... At that time, I felt the gaze, the kind that was very interesting."

"Sure enough, it was intentional, maybe it was revenge for Lily spanking her last time?"

"……I guess so……"

"Miss Liliana, Alice, what are you talking about..."

"……nothing."

"Don't worry about it, it's something you can't solve even if you care about it."

"...?"

The girl tilted her head, not knowing why.

Soon, the bright moonlight came to the very center of the sky.

After walking for about ten kilometers, continuous fires appeared on the horizon.

Although there were a lot of flames gathered together on this section of the road, those were not comparable to what we saw at this moment.

Pieces of tents stand in a row, and bright bonfires are lit in front of each tent. The grass has been cleared to expose the soil, and even the night recedes in front of the strong firelight, just like opening up a dark field in the wilderness far away from civilization. .

Even brighter than the night in Maixing City.

However, as she got closer to the tent and bonfire, filled with noise, the girl couldn't help but tightly frowned.

"What, what, this smell..."

Strong smell of blood.

It was hard to imagine that it would be distributed in places where the crowd gathered. The thick bloody smell that almost stuck to the nose and mouth rushed towards him. Even the little doll frowned and covered its nose in disgust.

"Is it a 'trophy' dedicated to the envoy of the God of Hunting? It's really barbaric. His Majesty Artemis would not like such a sacrificial offering without aesthetics."

Placed on both sides of the road where the man led them forward were disemboweled animal corpses, including prairie wolves, antelopes, and even wild boars and deer that Tina had only seen once on the grassland.

The dirt road seemed to have been cleared just now, and the wounds of most of the corpses were still bleeding, probably not long after they died, so the stench and blood of the beast mixed with the smell of mud and grass, and the torches on both sides Under the transpiration, the girl's consciousness began to blur.

Only the astral unicorns they were riding seemed to enjoy this taste, walking very briskly.

"...Although these tribes believe in Artemis, they don't have the appearance of a priest."

Liliana remained expressionless as always, and used a little magic to get rid of the unpleasant smell.

"...but they are quite powerful."

"Yes, ordinary tribes can't pile up such a road, even if several tribes unite, it's enough..."

The blood-soaked road piled with monster corpses was a full 100 meters long. After Liliana's fingertips lit up with a little magical light, the self-proclaimed No. 1 hunter of the Herohan tribe...or a warrior?

Anyway, it should be a well-known man in the tribe, just like before, declaring loudly, because of the heroic performance of the Herohan tribe on this hunting night, the great moon god sent an envoy to the grassland to help us Bring prosperity and well-being... Tina doesn't quite understand his heavily accented lingua franca, so that's probably what it means.

As he announced loudly over and over again, many people gathered in piles and piles. The clothes of those people were the same as tents. Together, woven with the meridians of green plants...

Not knowing if it was an illusion, Tina felt that as people gathered, the unpleasant smell became stronger and stronger, even under Liliana's magic.

She had an ominous premonition.

At the end of the road, there were a few old men with beards that could be used as belts. The man had already fallen off his horse when he reached the bloody road of the beast. When he was tens of meters away from these old men, he stopped down the steps.

It seems that those are the highest-ranking people here,

...Miss Tina, this is the last chance, if you want to leave now.

——Although it may be chased far away by these hunters and cavalry, and there may be a battle, but once you get a unicorn, it will be even more troublesome to regret it.

"...Before I made up my mind to find Miss Liliana and Alice, I read a lot of travel magazines, and I agree with what one magazine said."

【Travel is to see new things, whether it is good or bad. 】

[Even, it is far more meaningful to peek at those bad things than to appreciate the beautiful scenery and taste delicious food, because that will let you know more and cherish the beauty of your life more. 】

"...Don't force it, we will leave early tomorrow morning."

Miss Witch nodded and made the unicorn stop.

She reached out her hand towards Tingna who had a stiff smile on her face.

It's like a noble lady inviting her dance partner to a grand banquet.

——It was indeed a grand banquet. The bonfire as tall as three people had just been lit, and the women poured butter and wine on the woodpile, causing the flames to climb rapidly. A cow and two sheep were roasting next to the fire on a long metal pole, and the children kept bringing out wooden low tables and stools from the tents. Everyone was busy and cheering, and their cheers finally converged into the only prayer.

——Thank God Artemis!

"..."

I hope that everything I see here can make me not regret my curiosity.

Tina took Liliana's hand and jumped off the unicorn's back.

………………………………………………………………………………

Tina fled away from the circular square surrounded by the grand bonfire, and ran to a corner far away from the tents.

The horses, who were bored chewing the fresh leaves of grass on the ground, looked at the human who was covering their mouths and retching in front of them, and flicked their tails.

This place seems to be a stable for nomads. Timber is a relatively scarce resource on the plains. Therefore, the way they tie their horses is to insert thick wooden stakes directly into the soil and put the reins on top.

"Uh...uh..."

But Ting Na didn't have time to worry about these things. She held on to a relatively clean wooden pole and kept patting her chest.

"Miss Tingna, obviously Lily said don't force yourself..."

Seeing her embarrassed and uncomfortable appearance, the little puppet patted the girl on the back distressedly.

"Ghee wine is very hard for people who are not used to drinking it. I didn't spit it out in public. Thanks to Miss Tingna..."

"How did I know that that thing smelled so good, but it turned out to be that kind of smell..."

After retching for a long time, she couldn't vomit anything. Ting Na, whose face was ashen, wiped the corners of her mouth, her breath was like a thread.

Curiosity will kill the cat——in the twentieth year of her life, the girl finally understood this sentence deeply.

Holding Liliana's hand like a noble knight, followed the wrinkled old men to the most gorgeous seat by the bonfire, made of many animal skins stacked together—that's what they called it Yes, by the way, Tina heard them call herself the maid of the gods - when Liliana sat on it, the banquet began amidst the singing of the women.

Maybe it's because most of the young and middle-aged men go out hunting on this night. Almost all the people attending the banquet are women, old people and children, only a few teenagers, and among those old men, there are a lot of things that Tina has to work hard to distinguish. During Qing's prayer, these teenagers cut off the fattest tenderloin from the grilled beef and sheep, put it on a clean wooden tray and presented it to Liliana and Tingna.

Everyone looked at the flame envoy and maid, waiting for them to enjoy the tribute presented.

The skin of the beef has been grilled slightly burnt, but the cut surface of the meat is still bloodshot, sprinkled with unknown spices and salt as seasoning, at most two mature beef and the situation that I don’t know how many pairs of eyes are looking at myself let Tina panicked.

"...Don't be nervous."

Miss Witch stretched out her hand calmly, and the flames from the wooden board heated the beef from half-ripe to seven-ripe, and cut it into small pieces with the wind blade.

——God makes adults dissatisfied with this heat, so bake it longer!

——Are you trying to let the gods exhaust your little mouth to death? ! Cut the meat finer!

This caused a little commotion, but Miss Witch didn't take it to heart at all.

With her slender fingers, she picked up a piece of fragrant beef and handed it to Tingna.

...It is best not to use a knife and fork when eating in a nomad tribe, it will be considered impolite to the host, but the hygienic environment here is really bad, and Miss Tingna's physique cannot compare with these nomads, so, I'll feed Miss Tina.

Liliana, the witch of [Wugou], will not have dirt or germs on her body.

"Um, uh... Miss Liliana, please..."

The girl was very moved by Liliana's care, and even the deliciousness of the beef increased a lot.

After the big piece of beef was eaten by the two of them, Tingna was still a little bit unsatisfied—even though she didn't know whether it was the prairie-style roasted whole beef or Liliana's fingers that was delicious.

But when she turned her head, she saw that the cooking women directly picked up some unknown condiments from clay pots and spread them on the roasted beef and sheep, and the appetite that was aroused disappeared instantly.

She thinks she has no cleanliness, but cleanliness and hygiene are two different things.

Feeling nauseated, the girl decided not to touch any food from this banquet again.

However, the two exquisite clay wine bowls that were presented to Liliana and Tingna whetted Tina's appetite again.

The steaming white liquid is filled with a unique aroma, a bit like the aroma of milk, mixed with the aroma of wine, which stimulates the girl's sense of smell.

--What's this?

She picked up the clay bowl, thinking that at least the drink would be cleaner, and it was still hot, and it looked like milk had been added.

——Ah, it's buttered milk wine, a kind of wine made by nomads. Although Alice doesn't know how to brew it, Lily was treated to this by the shepherds when they traveled together in the grasslands of the Northland.

The doll recognized the drink, and she introduced it to Tina.

Miss Witch just said lightly:

...For those who drink it for the first time, this wine is very unfriendly, Miss Tina, don't force it.

- I'll keep an eye out...

So Tina gulped down a big gulp.

Then, she fled from the banquet venue with a livid face.

"...the mouth is still greasy..."

After only taking a sip, the girl felt as if she was drunk, but it was not like drinking wine, ale or the like after getting drunk. Instead, it was like drinking hot milk, and her stomach was very warm. It didn't burn, but there was a smell of alcohol rising from her throat, and the greasy taste sticking in her mouth and throat really made her nauseous.

What the hell is this wine? Is it milk? or oil?

"The tastes of the nomads in this grassland tend to be heavy oil, heavy salt, and seldom vegetarian food. Especially in late autumn and cold winter, ghee made from cow's milk and goat's milk will appear in almost all their food, providing fat and heat."

Alice sat on the girl's shoulders, comforting the girl who was in an extremely bad mood.

"If it is in the north, the nomads who have more contact with civilization may be more friendly to their butter tea, but the Ellon Prairie is a piece of pure land that has not been developed, and everything here maintains the most primitive appearance. Including the culture and customs of nomads, as well as the taste of food."

"Gu...a place where everyone defecates indiscriminately, how can it be called a pure land...I'm so disappointed."

The girl pouted in disgust.

"Miss Tingna wants to find the civilization that Miss Tingna is used to here, so of course she will be disappointed."

Alice pinched the girl's bulging cheeks with an expression of "Alice already knew".

Miss Witch and the little doll have discovered it from the very beginning. This girl who is gradually getting used to traveling on the wild land, but is still a "city dweller" rather than a traveler in her bones. Habits become the dependence of the natural flame of civilization.

The girl thought that people gathered together would produce civilization, and wanted to find that kind of civilization to ease the discomfort brought about by the barbaric life these days.

But such an idea is doomed to fail here.

Fire not only represents civilization and order.

Civilization and barbarism are the two sides of a goddess.

Just like the moon of Artemis hanging high in the sky now, she is the guardian of hunters, the goddess of hunting. When she hangs high in the sky, the night of the mainland will fall into the fight between hunters and prey, but at the same time, she is also the god of art , There are far more artists than hunters who have obtained her miracles.

Moreover, Alice felt that it was necessary to remind Tina of some things.

"In addition, Miss Tina, although Miss Tina may think that these people are barbaric, this is also their civilization and culture. Whether you accept it or not is another matter, but Alice and Lily hope that, Miss Tina can look at these things without prejudice."

"... Ha... I want to rest... I want to sleep until tomorrow morning, and then leave."

Ting Na patted her face feebly, but even this wish is extremely extravagant now.

Even though her sense of smell has been numb and the noisy noise at the banquet lingers for a long time, Tina really doesn't think she can sleep soundly without Liliana's magic.

"Speaking of which, as an envoy of God, I haven't seen Miss Liliana getting any rewards..."

"Anyway, all I have to do is argue with those elders. If someone is injured or sick, I can use some herbal medicine to heal the injury. It doesn't matter. Lily has long been used to being treated as an angel, honored guest, witch. What's the matter, let's say, how will Miss Tingna spend the night? This banquet will undoubtedly last all night, okay?"

Tina selectively ignored the little doll's words, but Alice didn't care either. It's not so easy to change the concept, just like even if there is clear evidence, most humans on the mainland still don't want to believe that they just started from one It is the same as the evolution of ape monsters.

"...Ah, that's right...what are you going to do...huh?"

The girl's bored eyes briefly focused on a tent not far from the stable.

"Wow! Found!"

"Run, run!"

"Woo, I was discovered by the maid of the envoy, and I'm about to be eaten!"

The three little heads poking out furtively from there immediately shrank back in a swarm.

"...Miss Alice, that's..."

"What about the children of the nomads? On hunting nights, most of the men will go hunting, leaving only a small number of young and middle-aged men in the camp to protect the women and children. It seems that they are very curious about Miss Tina."

"I think they probably don't know what the angel's maid is... Maybe they are just interested in the clothes on my body."

Although the casual clothes Tina is wearing now are just cheap...but compared to the rough fabrics of animal skins and wool, they are still very beautiful.

"What should I do..."

Just when Ting Na was thinking about how to pass the time, those three pairs of small, dark eyes looked over again, and found that Ting Na didn't look away, and shrank back.

They looked smaller than Liliana. They were dark, probably to protect against the coming winter. They had long brown hair. Under the dim light of the torch next to the stable, Tina couldn't even tell them apart. Are they boys or girls.

After thinking about it, Tina nodded towards them.

"come over."

shrink.

"..."

Get out.

"Come here just because you're curious?"

shrink.

"...Miss Alice, what's going on with these children."

After repeating several times.

Tina gave up, is this playing whack-a-mole?

"Because Miss Tina doesn't have an accent, the children don't quite understand her."

"..."

So Tingna poured out a few paper-wrapped coffee candies from the space storage ring. This was originally used to resist drowsiness when getting up early. The balance of bitterness and sweetness is quite wonderful. She threw it at several children. , Then he peeled off the candy wrapper himself, and threw the brown candy into his mouth.

"So sweet!"

"Is there any more?"

"I still want it!"

The effect is outstanding.

After the children who were still hesitant put the candy into their mouths, the wariness in their Wuliu Liu eyes immediately disappeared.

Two thin girls and a slightly stronger boy surrounded the girl like three puppies. If they had long tails, they would definitely wag non-stop. The girl played with the few candies left in her hand. His eyes were also following the girl's movements.

However, although they looked at it with salivating eyes, no one asked for it, even if the saliva flowed from the corner of their mouths.

"Don't you want to eat more?"

Ting Na was a little curious. In order to let the children understand, she deliberately said it several times slowly.

"I want to, but my mother said that children who don't work will have nothing to eat."

The little boy seemed to finally understand Tingna's words after listening to it several times. He looked closely at the candy Tina was waving in front of his eyes, and gulped.

As a result, it seemed that the small candy was swallowed directly. After a while, the boy looked at Tingna pitifully with a sad face.

"So, so, if there is anything we can do, I will."

Even so, he still resolutely did not ask for it. Even when Ting Na put the coffee candy in front of him, he stubbornly shook his head.

He who does not work shall not eat - it seems that these children believe in it.

"What...do you..."

Looking at the three children in a daze, Ting Na froze for a moment.

Although the children were called over because they couldn't think of what to do, Tina didn't think about what to do.

wanna chat? What are you talking about with these kids? Their pillow stories, their lives? Or your own?

Just like they had to listen to Tingna's words several times before they could understand, Tingna had to spend time distinguishing what they said before she could understand them, and it would be too strenuous for them to chat.

Then make a game?

As a result, after Tina told them the rules of some simple games, the children looked at her with blank expressions.

Just when the girl turned her head to ask Alice because she didn't know what to do.

She saw the horses clucking and chewing the autumn grass under their feet, and she, Tina, had an idea and asked the children.

"Can you ride a horse?"

She only said the word "horse riding" once, and the eyes of those children lit up. They nodded incessantly, and then cheered as they pulled out a few steeds from the stables that were taller than them in terms of their legs alone.

This is really a surreal scene. Boys and girls who seem to be less than ten years old pulled the reins and pulled the horses out and patted the horses' legs. Those tall horses obediently lay down until the boy let out a hey He climbed into the saddle and pulled the reins before standing up again.

"Abba is the best rider of the Lorenza tribe, I am the proudest son of Abba, and I am the best!"

The boy's feet couldn't reach the nomad's uniquely shaped stirrups, but he only pulled the reins and clamped the horse's back with his legs. The brown horse obediently obeyed his wishes and turned several times in front of Tina. .

"Nonsense, obviously you lost to Wool last time, and you lost to me last time!"

Not to be outdone, the girls each pulled out a horse and climbed up nimbly. Tingna was speechless for a while looking at this extremely magical scene.

"Are the children of nomads all monsters..."

She muttered to herself, and even had some doubts about what she was doing in her eighteen years of life.

"Because nomads have learned herding, horseback riding, archery and martial arts since they were young. Among them, archery cannot be learned if their arm strength has not grown to a certain level. The same is true for nomads' martial arts. Therefore, what they have to do before entering puberty is to herd well. Learning to ride a horse well, and concentrating on these two things from an early age, it’s not surprising that there is such an extent.”

Alice quickly pulled the girl's thoughts out of her horns, and after she finished speaking, she added:

"And Miss Tingna didn't expect to reach this level overnight, did she?"

"How could it be...the astral unicorn has no reins."

With her shoulders slumped as if defeated, Tina kept shaking her head.

"I just need to learn how to ride it and how to sit still."

——However, even so, it is not an easy task.

[First of all, you have to ride up and sit firmly, and the rest will be discussed later]

When Tingna asked about the secret of riding, the two girls and the boy said in unison, so Tingna borrowed a girl's red horse and climbed up hard.

After riding the astral unicorn for a few days, although it took some time for Tina to get on the horse, it was not a troublesome thing, and the horse was quite docile, although it twisted a little agitatedly because of a stranger riding on it , but immediately calmed down under the comfort of the girl, and let Tina hold the rein, guiding it to pace slowly, jog, and then stop.

ten minutes later.

"I think I have fully understood the essentials of riding a horse. Well, speaking of which, I am taller than the children, and my hands and feet are much longer. Maybe learning to ride a horse has a great advantage?"

Tina said so.

Another two minutes later.

The girl was thrown from the horse.

"Miss Tingna, you can't get carried away."

Alice looked at the dizzy Tina, trying hard to suppress her smile.

Another tip the children said was "Don't get thrown off by the horse no matter what." After saying that, the little girl let Tina's horse start to struggle freely.

Before starting, Alice also specially told the girl not to put her feet in the stirrups when her riding skills were not good.

The strength of a horse is great, and she didn't want Ting Na to be the unlucky one who broke her legs when she was thrown from the stirrups.

If you can't hold on, you'd rather be thrown off.

Although she followed Alice's advice, Tina still suffered a lot. The struggling horse was more terrifying than a boat bumping in a storm. Down, the body leans forward and back and shakes left and right. If the rein is pulled tightly, the shaking of the horse's head will shake it back and forth until the head is dizzy.

Ting Na didn't have the arm strength to stop the horse, she was thrown off while holding the rein several times, but even then she didn't dare to let go, if she let go, she would feel like being thrown away like a cannonball Get out and be up in the air with what Alice feels next.

It's also thanks to Alice who was able to catch her before she fell to the ground, otherwise the girl might be covered in bruises now, or a few bones might be broken.

"Come again!"

Tingna was put down by Alice, and then climbed onto the horse's back with great hatred and bitterness. She was thrown back and forth after a while of bumps, and the process was repeated.

Unknowingly, other children were also attracted. As time went by, the adults who had gone hunting came back, and the banquet venue became more lively without knowing what they were doing.

But since Liliana was fine, Tingna had already decided not to pay attention to that side.

The little ones are not interested in the drinking and merrymaking of the grown-ups either.

They surrounded Ting Na, some loudly told the girl what to do, and some also led a horse out to compete with the angel's maid, who could last longer on the horse, and of course most of them were in Ting Na In the fall again and again, some gloated and laughed.

In any case, the atmosphere was very lively. When Tina was resting, many children gradually let go of their vigilance and played a game of eagle and chicken with Alice—the children were eagles, and Alice was a chicken. The little doll was pursued by a great company of children, but not once did Alice let them catch her.

You must know that the water resources on the grassland are not so rich, and many nomads even only take a bath twice in their lives, although dirty children are more acceptable than dirty adults.

But after all it is dirty.

When she was thrown off for the hundredth or two hundredth time, Tina was finally able to hold on for five minutes on horseback.

This time, she fell into a warm embrace.

"Miss Liliana...?"

The girl was taken aback for a moment, then quickly raised her head.

"...Miss Tina, what are you doing?"

Miss Witch, who came here at some point, was looking at her with blazing white pupils, and beyond that calm face, there was only a small piece of the Moon of Artemis on the western horizon.

"Well... I'm learning how to ride a horse..."

Before you know it, the night has come to an end?

In the banquet venue, even the tall bonfire has been extinguished.

The silver shawl was gone, Miss Witch hugged Tina, looking a little confused.

"Is the banquet over?" Surprised that she had really stayed up all night and was still so energetic, Tingna turned her head and looked around.

Seeing the envoy approaching, the children backed away a little restrained, looking at her and Tingna with curious eyes, only a few courageous children dared to approach quietly, as if they wanted to reach out and touch the god's body. As soon as Liliana, the messenger, turned her head, they ran away yelling.

"...Well, I've defeated all the challengers, and it's over."

"...Eh?" Ting Na was stunned by the calm words, and the witch put Ting Na down.

The sky in the east gradually turned fish-bellied, and Ting Na, who was concentrating on riding a horse, realized that the grassland dawn, which she had been used to watching for a while, was coming soon.

The night of the hunt was over, but even so, all Tina had seen of the hunt was the movement and flight of the pack, and the nomads clearing the grounds.

"...It's almost dawn, we should go too."

"No, wait a minute, what about the challenger? What about the defeat?"

But now, the girl's attention was completely drawn by what Liliana said. When she was busy messing with the horse, what happened at the banquet venue? !

"...Hasn't Alice told Miss Tina yet?"

Spread out the book, put golden petals on it, autumn grass with dewdrops picked from the feet, a few pieces of crystal glass and gemstones, and sprinkle some shiny dust... While placing the spell-casting materials, it is Liliana tilted her head because of the girl's confusion.

"Ah, Alice hasn't had time to tell Miss Tina yet."

Alice, who was comforting the red horse who had been arguing with Tina all night, didn't know where she got the carrots, until now she realized that she hadn't explained to Tina that the envoy of Artemis had sent a message to a nomadic tribe. What does that mean!

"However, it doesn't really matter if I don't know."

"I would like to know."

A little uneasy, Ting Na stared at the emerald eyes of the little doll,

Liliana and Alice were outright mystics when they didn't take the initiative to ask. It might be better to say that there are some questions that Tina still hasn't got the answers to.

"Let's explain it briefly. Artemis' envoys are rewarded by the Lord Moon God in charge of hunting to tribes that perform well during hunting nights. Usually, they will be various animals with sacred objects. Occasionally, it will be a man or a woman. At this time, the envoy itself is a reward, right? There will be a grand banquet held in the tribe, and men or women will compete to compete for the right to be the first to have sex with the envoy."

"……wait--"

Tina froze.

"Why is this happening!"

"The reason is that the nomads believe that the envoy possesses the power of divinity, and leaving offspring with the envoy can make the whole tribe have divinity. Of course, the maid of the envoy also has divinity."

Stuffing a small handful of pasture into the horse's mouth, Alice floated back to Liliana's side, talking nonchalantly, Tingna covered her head, a little dazzled by the impact of the three views.

Just as she was being thrown off again and again on horseback, the hunters returning from hunting were fighting for Liliana?

In order to get the right to be the first to have intercourse with Liliana and leave descendants—yes, Tina remembered.

She has read similar descriptions in novels. Nomads who are far away from society do not have the concept of marriage in civilized society. It seems that they are adapting to the harsh grassland. They do not have such a thing as [marriage]. Men and women can have sex as long as they want , as long as they can give birth to healthy offspring, when there are fewer female members in the tribe, they will still compete for the order...

Back then, she was still laughing at the author, how could there be such a savage person—her understanding of nomads at that time was just ordinary people whose basic necessities of life were different from hers.

——God, why didn't I realize this sooner?

Tina moaned in agony.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner..."

"...Because it's nothing to be concerned about. Nomads value strength. If the envoys are not interested in them and beat them all down, they will simply surrender and give up..."

"It's not that kind of question! Such a barbaric, such a barbaric custom, if I had known it from the beginning, I would never have said I would come over—"

Ting Na interrupted Miss Witch anxiously, and even the faces of those children became disgusting.

Dirty tribes, savage nomads, jaw-dropping customs - what have you done? Because of meaningless curiosity, let yourself, Liliana and Alice come to such a place?

If you lose—even if Tina never imagined that Liliana would be defeated by these barbaric nomads, but if you lose—

Are they going to stay here forever and give birth to all the men here? !

"...Miss Tingna, I admit that I didn't make a mistake in advance, because I think Miss Tingna is really very curious about this nomad."

However, please don't use the "civilization" you take for granted to accuse the nomads of being barbaric. This is also civilization and belongs to their civilization.

The witch calmly looked at the girl who became anxious for some reason. Whether you understand, respect, and accept is your freedom. Liliana said that, it was not accusation, but a calm statement of opinion.

"...But I don't think flowers and perfume on the red carpet are any more civilized than a blood-stained dirt road."

After speaking, Liliana closed the book.

The silent singing is over.

A golden unicorn appeared beside the witch, as if it was the last of the night and the first ray of brilliant dawn that descended on the earth.

The children exclaimed wow wow wow wow wow, they all knelt down towards the "God Envoy" and worshiped.

"...It's time to go, find a suitable place today, and have a good rest."

"……Um."

"Tina, have you enjoyed your trip so far?"

"..."

——What are the Messenger, the Maid, and the flying little man talking about?

The girl with her head down thought curiously.

Shashasha, the light sound of grass blades sounded in front of the girl.

It seems that someone came over. Before the envoy came to the tribe, Grandma said that when the envoy was exercising his power, she must not look at it, so she obediently did not look up.

After a while, Shashasha, the grass blades rustled softly, was it the envoy or the maid who walked back again? There were crisp chirps on the grassland, and the golden light slowly disappeared.

——Has the god sent you back?

When the bright light disappeared, the girl blinked and raised her head impatiently.

"Ouch?"

Her little head hit a transparent, never-before-seen jar full of maids for teaching her to ride horses as a reward—though the children didn't know why the maids of the gods rode worse than they did—to Their, very tasty stuff.

"But in the end, the maid didn't learn how to ride a horse either."

The children chattered and chattered, and the maid gave everyone a lot, so everyone knew this.

"Maybe this is a reward for us!"

"No, no, my mother told me that the gift from the envoy and the maid is to put the peeing place in their peeing place. Every boy can be put in it. If a child is born, it will be will become daddy!"

"But Mama told me we'll be doing the same thing when we grow up."

"Perhaps the envoy and maid are special, right?"

"Then what is this?"

"We don't have labor so we can't have this."

The children started chattering and finally decided to bring this transparent jar to the elders and let them decide.

Only the girl closest to the jar blinked her eyes. She seemed to hear what the maid said to her just now?

Because the maid's words were lame, she didn't hear them very clearly, but it seemed that they pronounced the same two syllables... what is it...

The girl raised her head to look at the grassland illuminated by streaks of golden dawn, and shook her head.

Then he turned around and followed his companions to find the elder.

………………………………………………………………………………

Postscript of a certain day:

"Miss Tina, why don't you sprinkle those candies in front of the children instead of putting them in jars?"

"Hey, I didn't think about it so much and just casually... Could it be that it can't be like this?"

"It's not impossible...just..."

"...They will regard that as the last sacred object we bestow, and enshrine it in awe, because the nomads have never seen transparent gum."

"Especially Lily hammered all the warriors of those tribes with one hand. Maybe they will perform various rituals on that sugar bowl in order to pray for Lily's power, but In short, I should not eat it, especially when I found out that the children who ate those candies did not have god-like power, and maybe they would scold them for wasting the gift of the envoy... Well, I will definitely That's it."

"..."

"Miss Tina?"

"... I, as expected, still can't, I have no prejudice..."