"About half a month ago, a group of bandits suddenly blockaded the Village. They couldn't break in, but we couldn't get out either. That period was truly like a nightmare; the whole Village was plunged into a water crisis!" The Militia Captain still had a look of lingering fear when he reached this part; clearly, the siege of the Village had left him with significant psychological trauma.
"Doesn't the Village have a water source or anyone who knows Water Magic?" Noelle herself was a Water Mage who could easily create water, so she couldn't imagine what it was like to be without it.
"Our water source relied entirely on extracting water from the river at the foot of the mountain. As for Water Magic, those bandits had somehow acquired magical items that block Water Magic. Under these circumstances, we couldn't obtain water at all. If it hadn't been for Kryss stepping up, we would have been trapped to death by them!" the Militia Captain said.
"Brother..." Nero woke up slowly at this moment. When she realized she was lying limply on a broad shoulder, she mistook it for her brother.
However, Nero quickly noticed something unusual, because her brother had flaming red hair, while the person carrying her had striking silver-white hair!
She had only ever seen this rare hair color on one person: Asta!
And what was even more intimidating was the powerful, masculine aura radiating from him that made her legs feel weak. In other words, she was being carried by a Magic Knight from the Magic Knight Squad whom she had only met once!
Just as Nero's heart was pounding and she didn't know how to handle the situation, Asta greeted her cheerfully, "You're awake, Nero."
"Thank you, Magic Knight," Nero said, blushing, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum. "I'm fine now, I can walk on my own."
Although she tried to act calm, to others, it sounded like the cute, shy attempt of a girl trying to cover up her embarrassment.
"No need. It looks like we've arrived home," Asta said with a smile as he watched the Militia Captain come to a stop.
"Nero, what did you want to tell us when you were waiting at the entrance to the Village?" Vanessa asked at this moment.
"Please, I beg you all, when the Magic Knight Squad enters the Ancient Battlefield Ruins, you must take me with you!" Hearing about her brother, Nero shed her previous weakness and looked at Vanessa with determined, pleading eyes.
"And your reason?" Typically, civilians were not allowed on missions, but Vanessa was an extremely soft-hearted woman, so she didn't directly refuse Nero's request.
"I have a special telepathic connection with my brother. I can sense his exact location. As long as you take me in with you, I can find him!" Nero said urgently.
"Telepathy?" Vanessa mused. This ability could indeed help them find Kryss's location as quickly as possible. However, the Ancient Battlefield Ruins were no joke. These were even more terrifying and dangerous ancient ruins than the Magic Palace, filled with a large number of out-of-control, violent magic circles and unknown dangers derived from runaway magic.
Normally, once an Ancient Battlefield Ruin was discovered in a location, it would immediately be listed as a forbidden area.
No country or organization was willing to explore them, because there was no wealth or civilization in the battlefield, only various bizarre forms of slaughter!
The reason Vanessa had volunteered for the mission was that her Thread Magic could, in special circumstances, condense into a route to guide them to safety.
This was also one of the reasons Yami had agreed to this trip.
"No! You absolutely must not agree!" a middle-aged man said anxiously from behind. "Magic Knights, I am Roz, the Village Chief of this Village. Kryss only has his sister Nero left now. If we let anything happen to her, we really wouldn't have the face to face Kryss again!"
"That's right. Actually, we people of Wind and Thunder Village have lived next to these Ancient Battlefield Ruins for generations. Over the thousands of years, our ancestors have explored them to some extent and left behind quite a few safe routes. Kryss is likely staying in one of these safe routes right now, waiting for those bandits to starve before he comes out!" The Militia Captain quickly chimed in. This was a well-intentioned lie woven together by the villagers.
"That's right, Nero. Now that the Magic Knights are here, just wait a few more days, and they will definitely bring your brother back!" Roz comforted her.
"Stop lying to me! If my brother wanted to starve those bandits out, he definitely would have headed into a very dangerous area. Besides, they've been in there for three days; if you don't rescue him in time, he will die!" Nero's eyes turned red from crying. Perhaps others could find her brother, but when he went in, he was afraid of making the bandits suspicious, so he didn't bring any food. Furthermore, he hadn't had water for over a day when he went in. If things continued like this, her brother would die!
"Nero, we've already made one mistake; we absolutely cannot make a second one! I've already decided to enter the ruins with The Knights. If I can't bring your brother back this time, I won't come out either!" Roz said as he took out a map and handed it to Vanessa. "This is a map drawn by the ancestors of our Village who have entered the ruins over the generations. It marks the three most dangerous areas, as well as known safe areas. I have made full preparations. This time, I will not hesitate even if I have to enter the dangerous areas!"
"It's too late. Although I can still feel that my brother is alive, his presence is already very weak. Originally, if I couldn't wait for the Magic Knights today, I would have gone in myself. But now that you're here, please let me go in with you, okay?" Nero pleaded. "I'm not afraid of death!"
"Be good, go home and get some sleep, and we will bring your brother back!" Roz said, signaling the Militia Captain to forcibly watch over Nero. Although this would make Nero hate him for the rest of her life, it was better than her dying, wasn't it?
"Don't come over!" Nero jumped off Asta's back, taking the opportunity to pull a dagger from her sleeve and press it against her slender neck. "Don't even think about locking me up. If you don't let me go in, I'll die right here!"
"Nero, don't do anything rash!" the villagers panicked. She was Kryss's only remaining relative. If they drove her to her death, they would never forgive themselves for the rest of their lives.
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