Flillian, I want to live.

Xin Meir held his chin and pointed to the bronze statue beside him as he spoke.

"Forehead……"

Huck looked at the bronze statue with some confusion, but he didn't know what the mystery was.

"I was pretty handsome back then, wasn't I?"

However, narcissistic words came out of Xin Meir's mouth.

"Well, that's right~"

A bit of a gigolo? However, Huck still didn't express his true thoughts, but just nodded in agreement.

"So, I want everyone to remember me for how handsome I was back then, you know? Actually, I'm a very popular idol among middle-aged and elderly women across the empire. If they knew what I look like now, wouldn't they be disillusioned?"

Xin Meir rubbed his nose a little embarrassedly.

"Eh……"

Not knowing what expression to make, Huck could only make a dumbfounded sound of incomprehension.

"Well, in short, please don't tell anyone about this."

Xin Meir bent down and asked Hake solemnly.

"Of course, if that's what you want, I'll do as you ask."

Huck quickly reached out to help Xin Meir up and promised with fear and trepidation.

"Thank you."

Early the next morning.

Accompanied by the long crowing of roosters, the people in Murakami began a new day of work.

"I am back."

Huck, who had been patrolling all night, also returned home.

"Smelly boy, the meal is ready for you, hurry up and eat and go to sleep."

The village chief still had the same sullen face as before, and said to Huck in a bad mood,

"I know, old man."

After taking off the heavy armor, Huck went to get a bucket of water to wash his face, and then walked into the dining room of his home.

"Yawn...Ah, Brother Huck, you're back?"

Xinmeier, who looked like he had not woken up yet, was sitting at the dining table. He had just accidentally spilled milk on his beard and now looked a little embarrassed, while Gutel was hurriedly wiping Xinmeier's dirty clothes with a towel.

What a peaceful and ordinary day.

Huck thought so in his heart.

Everyone in the village has their own responsibilities. Although life is a bit difficult, it is also very warm.

"Did anything happen last night? I seemed to hear some movement in the square last night."

Just then, the village chief came in with some freshly fried eggs. He was wearing a gray apron. He was the head of the village, but he was doing the work of a housewife, which looked a little funny.

"Last night?"

Huck's eyebrows twitched, he turned his head and glanced at Xin Meir beside him.

Xin Meir quietly put his finger to his mouth and made a hushing gesture.

"Yeah, why are you keeping me in suspense, you little bastard!"

Feeling ignored, the village chief yelled at Hake in dissatisfaction.

"Nothing happened."

Hake turned his head and looked at the village chief in front of him. Unconsciously, the man in front of him also had fine wrinkles on his forehead like Xin Meir. He must have made efforts beyond his imagination for this family and village.

"Nothing happened?"

The village chief asked with some doubt.

"Yes, nothing happened." Hak took a step forward and, seeing the village chief's stunned expression, opened his arms and hugged him. "Dad, let's go clean the statue of Lord Xinmei together next time."

Chapter 11 Courage is the hymn of mankind

the sky is very blue.

Nourished by the passing river, an oasis town stands like a pearl among the mountains in the Gobi Desert. All travelers passing by here marvel that the existence of this town itself is a miracle.

This was Guter's second time in the town.

After a long journey through the deserted Gobi Desert, this is an impressive resting place. The fruits and vegetables produced locally are particularly sweet, and even Gutel, a demon, is looking forward to tasting them again.

Today should have been a pleasant day - if Guter had not seen the black smoke rising above the town from afar.

Sniff sniff~

Guter closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The cold wind blowing from the town was filled with not only a strong smell of blood, but also an unpleasant stench.

"Are they really of the same race?"

Gutel opened her eyes. She was not surprised by this. For this small town located in an oasis in the Gobi Desert, away from other big human cities, it was normal to be targeted by demons.

Do you want to take a detour?

This thought emerged in Gutel's mind: it's none of my business, so I should just stay out of it. If it were my previous self, I would definitely not get involved in such a conflict that had nothing to do with me.

but……

Gutel looked up at the blue sky above her head, and she thought of an old friend.

That guy once had beautiful blue hair like the sky.

"Xin Meier..."

Gutel stretched out his hand, and with the flow of magic, small blue flowers began to bloom in the wind on the barren Gobi Desert.

Cang Yue Grass, in today's continent, people are probably almost forgetting the existence of this plant?

Gutel squatted down and gently stroked the petals of the Cangyue grass beside her with her fingers. For this inconspicuous blue flower, she crossed the human territory all the way and arrived at Xinmei's hometown as requested. After a long search, she finally found them on a hillside where no one had set foot.

"If it were you."

Gutel recalled the brief time he had spent traveling with the old man named Xinmeier. The other man seemed to have a special charm that influenced everyone who came into contact with him, even himself, a demon.

Go check it out.

Guter walked across the still burning suspension bridge and entered the town that had turned into ruins.

On the streets of the town, Gutel could see traces of the battles the people here had fought. However, they had obviously underestimated the strength of the invading demons. Although they fought with all their might, they still turned into corpses that could be seen everywhere.

"Why is this necessary?"

Gutel made a brief search in the town. Although she felt a little disappointed, she did not find any survivors. However, one thing made her feel a little strange. That was that most of the bodies she found were male, and they all took the initiative to appear on the streets to fight. Among them were some guys with some strength.

If they had dispersed and fled, at least one-third of them could have survived, but these people chose to fight a desperate battle with the powerful demons that they could not contend with.

What is the reason for doing this?

Gutel was a little curious. If it was a demon, he would never do such a stupid thing and choose to die bravely without caring about the possibility of survival.

"big sister?"

Just as Guter was about to leave after searching in vain, a childish voice suddenly sounded from behind her.

"who!?"

Gutel turned around cautiously. Even ordinary humans would have a faint magical aura flowing on their bodies. However, the little girl who appeared behind her did not let her detect the slightest aura until she spoke.

"what……"

What appeared in Gutel's sight was a little girl with short purple hair. Her face was covered with dust and her eyes were full of fear. It seemed that the previous experience of being invaded by the demons had left a deep shadow on her.

"Are you a survivor in this town?"

Guter half-knelt down, reached out and touched the other person's head, and said with a kind expression.

"Um……"

The purple-haired girl nodded nervously.

"I see. Don't be afraid. Are there any other survivors here?"

Gutel smiled warmly and asked the girl in front of him.

"……have no idea,"

The purple-haired girl hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

"Don't know? Well, what about your parents? Did you get separated from them?"

Guter's eyes rolled around, and he asked the girl in a different way.

"Dad, mom..."

Speaking of her parents, the purple-haired girl's eyes suddenly turned red. As tears as big as beans fell, she told Gutel what happened yesterday in a disjointed manner.

It should have been an ordinary autumn night. In a peaceful atmosphere, the people of the town were celebrating the recent harvest of fruits and vegetables...

"It's the demons! The demons are invading!"

"Quick! Go and inform the Lord's Knights..."

"Organize the women and children in the town and let them escape to the back mountains first!"

Along with people's screams and cries, the girl's vision was filled with flames. The adults in the town took up their weapons and went forward to resist, but they were easily killed one by one by the demon general whose body was as huge as a building.

"Run, Philen, follow the neighbor's grandmother and run to the back mountain together."

In the girl's memory, her mother, who had the same hair color as her, took down the staff that was placed on the bedside. Although her face was full of tension and fear, she still tried to look reliable in front of her daughter and shouted instructions to her daughter.

"No, I want to be with my mom. If we want to run, let's run together. And Dad, let's run away together!"

Philen hugged her mother's calves with her hands. She was unwilling to leave her. Although her mother did not say it explicitly, the young girl realized something.

"Listen, child, your father is a knight who protects the townspeople, and as his wife, I can't abandon him and run away on his own."

Philen's mother hugged her daughter. If possible, she wanted to take her daughter away with her. However, if everyone ran away, the women and children who needed protection the most would become prey to the demon army.

"But……"

"Phiren, our human lives are short. Even so, we still have a mission that must be completed. Run, Philen! You are good at hide-and-seek, aren't you? Take everyone in town to a place where the demons can't find them! Don't let your father and mother's efforts go to waste! Go, child!"

Philen's mother knew that this might be the final farewell between her and her daughter, but even so, she pushed Philen out of her arms.

Chapter 12: No Martial Ethics at an Age

Although the knights and adventurers in the town, like Philen's parents, risked their lives to buy time for the women and children, human legs were ultimately no match for the flying demons.

Everyone who was escaping was attacked by the demons, so they had to flee in all directions. Relying on her intuition about magic, Philen took a few people around her and fled to a hidden place, and luckily escaped the pursuit of the demons. However, she did not feel lucky for surviving. Early the next morning, she sneaked back to the town alone.

However, what appeared before Philen was not only the burnt-out town but also corpses everywhere. Although she did not find her parents, the only living person she had met in the city since she wandered around was Gutel.

"Have you met my parents?"

Philanthropy opened the pendant hanging around her neck. Inside the oval silver box was a family portrait of Soo-jin. In addition to the young Philanthropy, there was also a young couple. They must be Philanthropy's parents.

"I didn't see their bodies, but both the sturdy knights and the young magicians are favorite foods of the demons. They must have been eaten by the demons who attacked last night."

Gutel looked at the portrait on the pendant. She did not see the bodies of the two people, but based on her past experience, she made the corresponding judgment.

"impossible!"

The originally quiet Philen suddenly started yelling hysterically at Gutel.

"Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!"

Even though he knew in his heart that what Gutel said was the truth, the young Philen was still unwilling to admit the fact that his parents had died in battle and even been eaten by the demons.

"I'm sorry, but you'd better be quiet. According to my perception, there are still remnants of the demonic aura in this town."

Guter placed his hand on Fearon's shoulder and replied in a tone that was hardly comforting.

"..."