Chapter 149: Well Done

At this moment, Sola's face looked terrible. The pain from her wounds was only part of the reason; the appearance of the twelve Sworn Protectors was what she least wanted. Each Achisola of the barbarian tribes has twelve Sworn Protectors who swear to follow them unto death. Sola had seen her Sworn Protectors during the ceremony when she became a leader. Unfortunately, the oath of protection had just been completed, and before they could seal it with blood, they were lured away by the mercenaries of the Righteous Blood Group, never to be seen again.

In the days after her capture, she firmly believed her Sworn Protectors would come to save her. But in the end, when she was accidentally injured by Rayan, her Sworn Protectors never appeared. She had lost all faith in these twelve individuals, yet they appeared at the worst possible moment, at the time she least wanted them to.

From the moment the first Sworn Protector blocked Rayan's path, Sola felt the familiar aura of her tribe. At first, she was somewhat excited, but then she hid her face in Rayan's arms, hoping not to be recognized by the Sworn Protectors. But it was impossible; the Sworn Protectors were clearly there for her. Despite her changed clothes, physique, and appearance, and even serving as a slave to Rayan, the regal aura of an Achisola was unmistakably evident. Her Sworn Protectors could not possibly fail to recognize her.

Her master had intended to grant her freedom, and now that someone was there to care for her, the matter was beyond redemption... Sola really wanted to transform into a fire girl and burn all twelve old men before her.

At that moment, the leading Sworn Protector no longer avoided acknowledging Rayan's presence. He reached out and lifted the hood on his head, revealing a head full of gray hair and a scar across his nose. He bowed deeply to Sola and spoke in the guttural language of the barbarian tribes: "Achisola, praise the Creator! We have finally found you!"

His tone was sincere, and his orange eyes shimmered with uncontrollable excitement, mixed with self-reproach and guilt. He looked to be about forty years old, his shoulder-length gray hair not due to his age but natural, like that of a gray-maned wolf. Only then did Rayan realize that the weapon in his hand was not some steel cat claw but a fine steel wolf claw.

The other Sworn Protectors also put down their cloaks, their eyes eagerly fixed on their Achisola. Clearly, for them, Sola was more than just a lost tribeswoman; she was a pillar of spirit. It was hard to imagine how the people of the Fire Wolf Tribe had coped during the years without Achisola.

Sola bit her lip and turned her head away, "I am just a slave, I don't know you, please leave."

The Sworn Protectors all cried out in horror, each recounting their ancestors' histories, their own lives, and their families' generations of loyal service to the tribe—

The head of the Sworn Protectors seemed smarter; he did not plead with Sola but instead turned and walked towards Rayan. As he approached, Rayan instinctively raised his Crow Sword. This action immediately alerted the other eleven Sworn Protectors, who stared intently at every move Rayan made.

Suddenly, the head of the Sworn Protectors knelt in front of Rayan, extending his left arm. The arm was mottled with complex scars, old wounds not yet healed overlying new ones, almost no intact skin visible, evoking pity even in someone as hardened as Rayan.

"Master..." The head of the Sworn Protectors said in the humblest tone, bowing his head to Rayan.

Rayan was taken aback, only then noticing among the intricate scars a brand of "The Indestructible Flame". The other Sworn Protectors also revealed their hands, showing the pattern of "The Indestructible Flame" to Rayan and Sola.

"How do you have such marks?" In his urgency, Rayan forgot to use the barbarian tribes language and instead spoke in the common language of the mainland.

Although the head of the Sworn Protectors could not understand, he guessed what Rayan was asking and immediately explained in the barbarian tribes language:

"Master, speaking of this flame brand, I must start from the beginning—during the coronation ceremony of Achisola, we twelve Sworn Protectors made a grave mistake." He sighed in self-reproach, "The cunning mercenaries of the Righteous Blood Group first created a diversion, drawing us away from Achisola, then took her hostage while we were away. By the time we realized it, we pursued with full force only to be ambushed by the Righteous Blood Group again. We could have died on the battlefield with honor, but since we bore the duty to protect Achisola, we could not simply perish, so we twelve struggled to survive, while the warriors of the Fire Wolf Tribe were all killed..."

"After we escaped, we wanted to look for Achisola first, but the beasts of the Righteous Blood Group were intent on annihilating the Fire Wolf Tribe, burning down our three villages..." The head of the Sworn Protectors was overwhelmed with sorrow. "My three sons, the youngest only eleven years old, also took up arms with his two older brothers to resist the brutal invasion of the Righteous Blood Group... They all died. Not just me, the relatives of the other eleven Sworn Protectors, they all died..."

Sola's eyelids drooped; she could imagine the terrible scene. Her people were suffering, and she was... Her heart ached more than if it were stabbed with a knife, and she could barely stand, leaning against a tree trunk. She began to realize Rayan was right; she was not mature enough, naively thinking that love was everything in life, neglecting the responsibilities she should have borne.

She was Achisola, the leader of the fire spirit, the spokesperson for the elements, the soul of the barbarian tribes! Chosen by history, she was destined to rewrite it! Now possessing powerful fire abilities, she should no longer let her people suffer...

She looked at Rayan, biting her lip—she was still undecided.

Rayan's delicate eyebrows gathered into a sharp frown, asking the head of the Sworn Protectors, "Did you seek help from other tribes?"

"The Leopard Tribe and the Aquatic Tribe are the closest to us..."

The head of the Sworn Protectors chuckled bitterly, "But the Aquatic Tribe has always been fearful, and although the Leopard Tribe is from the same branch as our Fire Wolf Tribe, they have always wanted to weaken us, interfering in our internal affairs. We sent people to their Achisola for help, but that old fellow wanted our Fire Wolf flag—once the Fire Wolf flag falls into others' hands, without Achisola's leadership, it would mean the complete extinction of our Fire Wolf Tribe."

Hearing this, Sola could no longer contain her worry, urgently asking the head of the Sworn Protectors, "What about the Fire Wolf flag!"

Seeing that Achisola still cared about the tribe, the head of the Sworn Protectors nodded happily, "Achisola, the Fire Wolf flag is still with us." He gently patted his chest, indicating the location of the flag, but did not show it easily.

Rayan knew that although the head of the Sworn Protectors respectfully called him master, in his heart, he only regarded him as an outsider to be guarded against; they were loyal only to Sola. This was understandable; if the Sworn Protectors were not loyal to their own Achisola, that would indeed be a problem.

However, this also increased Rayan's curiosity. These Sworn Protectors seemed to have suddenly appeared; how did they get the flame brand? How did they find his Sola? And since they called him master, why did they start by attacking him?

"Head of the Sworn Protectors, please continue," Rayan said.

The head of the Sworn Protectors moistened his cracked lips and continued in a hoarse voice: "We did not agree to the unreasonable demands of the Leopard Tribe. The Achisola of the Leopard Tribe, frustrated, actually reached an agreement with the Righteous Blood Group to jointly besiege our Fire Wolf Tribe. Although we twelve were anxious to find Achisola's whereabouts, we could not stand idly by as the Fire Wolf Tribe was destroyed."

"Our lives belong to Achisola, but Achisola belongs to the Fire Wolf Tribe. If we cannot protect the tribe and the Fire Wolf flag for Achisola, then Achisola herself would have no reason to exist."

The head of the Sworn Protectors continued, "So, we twelve decided to temporarily forget our Sworn Protector mission and first preserve the capital for the survival of the Fire Wolf Tribe. We did everything possible to protect our people and move them, fighting against the Righteous Blood Group and the Leopard Tribe, while leading our people to seek new places to settle."

"The other eight tribes refused to accept us, seeing that the Fire Wolf Tribe had no hope of rising again, and fearing that accepting us would bring disaster upon themselves. After several months of being displaced, we and our people were physically and mentally exhausted, all on the verge of collapse..."

"My people..." Sola's lips bled, her hands clenched tightly. For the first time, she used the term "my people" to inquire of her Sworn Protector chief, her voice trembling with wounds and worries, "My people, how are they now?"

The face of the head of the Sworn Protectors looked troubled, "Please forgive me, Achisola, we twelve are just Sworn Protectors, not decision-makers, we have committed unforgivable errors—"

"Speak! How are my people now!" Sola slammed her palm against a tree trunk, which immediately caught fire. Even Rayan was startled; he realized that the leadership quality in Sola's body was recovering at an unbelievable rate.

This was good...

The head of the Sworn Protectors hurriedly bowed low, speaking with the respect due to a queen, "Achisola, we violated the inter-tribal rules and brought our people into the sacred, inviolable Elemental Throne valley. Your people are safe, but our Fire Wolf Tribe has now become the common enemy of the other eight tribes..."

"Hahaha!" Sola laughed unrestrainedly, "Well done! Head of the Sworn Protectors!"

The head of the Sworn Protectors was stunned, watching his leader, unsure whether this statement was a curse or praise. He cautiously looked at the other "master", noticing Rayan with his arms crossed and a cold gleam of approval in his eyes— He then relaxed.