Chapter 43: The Second Army

MERIA ARCSON

It's been hours since we started helping the tendrins in renovating their houses and the whole town. In the middle, the silver tree, they called Gion Tree, was still intact and fine just like before. I'd never read about it in the books before, so I'm excited to know about it more.

Cainne and Kandani had been helping with the manpower works like carrying logs, carpentry, and building the houses. I ended up in the cleaning team, including the replanting of the trees and crafting.

It wasn't that hard since I had been doing domestic chores my whole life, the only learned skill an ordinary peasant like me had.

The sun was already setting and we were greeted by the purple sky above us. The stars were slowly appearing, twinkling with different colors. I had never felt this peace for a while since the ambush started, and I was happy I could still feel it.

"Meria."

All of a sudden, a familiar voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw Cainne, lowering his head as his hand caressing his other arm. He may have called me earlier, but he just averted his eyes away from me.

"Cainne?"

I couldn't help but be worried and curious at the same time, raising my eyebrow as I stared at him. Come to think of it, he had been quiet ever since we started helping the residents. Every time I take a peek at him in his work, he's always wearing the same gloomy face. Something must have happened to him.

"I…" He tried to speak, but he couldn't be able to get it off of his mouth. I waited with patience. Even at this time, he was still looking away. I never thought that he would act this way.

"N-Never mind…" Our conversation ended with less than a minute, as he released those words. He tried to say something, but he ended up not telling me. Then, he left and continued working.

Like Dalary, he was always there to cheer me up, and also sharing his experiences without a second thought. I didn't expect this side of him.

We already finished the work for the day, telling us to rest. Cainne was always approaching me but he never talked about what he was about to say to me. I don't mind not having social interactions, but he was too quiet than usual.

The next day came in and it was another day of work. But compared to yesterday, the town improved so much right now, from the buildings to the ambiance. The real Zentra is slowly coming back.

All of a sudden, in the middle of our labor, a sequence of footsteps and clangs of metal echoed lowly somewhere in the depths of the forest. One can see that it came from armored men riding on a horse.

Everyone looked in the same direction, curious about the unknown visitor. I also did the same, but unfortunately, I couldn't be able to see a single thing. Cainne marched forward to see further, while I didn't move at my position.

"W-Who's coming?" I tried to ask the tendrin beside me, despite my cowardice in talking to people by myself. I've never talked to other creatures before, except for Dalary. They seemed intimidating to me because of their height.

"Seems like… an army…" He answered, with a sigh of relief released in my mind. I'm glad he didn't leave me hanging. But then, that satisfaction vanished as soon as I remembered what he said. Army? Could it be…?

"Deravon!"

Suddenly, Cainne approached me at a fast pace, his sweat dripped from his forehead. He kept looking at both me and something behind him. Once he made it to my position, he started grabbing my shoulders and pushing me out.

As soon as I heard what he said, I couldn't help but sweat too. I knew that they could find us for not long, but I didn't expect that they would be this late. This late that we never even had the time to get ready.

"Quick! Hide!" My friend said in a whisper and pushed me inside the house behind us.

It was never dark, thus seeing the lack of furniture and decorations. I didn't mind it and gave the door with a small opening. It was big enough for me to take a peek. Cainne also did the same.

The army finally made it into the town square after passing through the wooden gates with no sweat. Of course, all they had to do was to show any permit papers and they would be good to enter.

The crest of Deravon was sticking in their iron chest plate, proving that they're indeed the army from the kingdom. The armored horses were walking at a slow pace but never been careful at what they could step on. In the back were two expensive-looking cars with an open roof, guarded by the knights in horses.

But somehow, it was a different pack than the ones we faced at Atonis. I'd never seen the black-haired man that was leading them anymore. Not to mention those cars.

Then, came out from one of the cars was a red-haired woman with beige skin tone. One might have seen the beauty in her face, but it was instantly covered by her unwelcoming expression. Her hazel brown eyes shone like gems, giving her more beauty. Her eyebrows were furrowed still and never smiled.

In front came the elder who just arrived from the evacuation area, still wearing the same grumpy face as usual, but somehow, didn't go accusing anyone just like what he did to us on our first day.

"What brings you here to our land?" He asked. The tone of his voice was telling that he doesn't want them in this town. His hollowed eyes were fixed at them, with a hint of despise. I never thought that he would be this stubborn.

The female knight started looking around, started to get suspicious about what happened in the town of Zentra. The unfinished houses, debris everywhere, ashes of the remains, and crops wilted. She might hide it but her eyes widened, telling that she too was surprised.

"Did something happened here?" She asked with her deep voice as she kept looking around for an answer. If she stretched her head too much, then I'll be busted. Thankfully, our tree friends managed to block their sight.

"That is none of your business." The elder harshly answered, crossing his tree arms in his chest. He never even looked at her directly and just closed his eyes. The other tendrins couldn't help but be embarrassed about what he was doing. "Just tell me what you want from us… and leave."

"I am Captain Regina of the Deravon Kingdom. We're searching for someone." She started explaining, then pulled out a piece of paper with a hand-drawn picture of a lady. Even though it was far, I could still be able to see it. And what you know, that lady was actually me. It seemed like they won't stop until they find me.

"She was named Meria Arcson. She had a bounty in her head." She added. I noticed that everyone almost flinched at their position and tried to avoid eye contact. If they continued like that, I'll be busted. I guess this is their first time hiding secrets like this.

It seemed like Regina noticed the suspicious action, thus it made the others more nervous, even me. But she shoved it off, for now, and lent the photo to the elder. He inspected it for a long time, even though he knew it was me.

"We were informed that she went into this direction." She said, now focused on the old man. He never flinched and still went on with his act. "May I know if you've seen someone similar to that?"

After hearing that question, I couldn't help but gulp and my heart to start beating. My mind suddenly came into realization. The elder can either tell the truth or lie, and both won't affect their involvement to better or worse. It's his choice.

That made me more anxious. Come to think of it, we'd never been acquaintances. It was only Dalary they were treasured, not me. So they wouldn't make an effort to save me from the army.

Would he lie to them to protect me, or side with them and tell the truth?

After looking at the photo, he lent it back to the female knight, now telling his answer to them. I couldn't help but pull out my breath.

"My memory tells me nothing about that woman."

As soon as I heard those words, I couldn't help but widen my eyes and drop a tear on my cheek. I had never been so happy after knowing about what he said. Those words meant friendship. It meant that they cared for me and not just a freeloader of their town.

I saw that Regina was still suspicious about what the elder's answers, as her face was sterner than before. It seemed like she was a difficult opponent to convince.

"Very well, we want an evaluation performed in this town."