Chapter 201 - Volume 2
Chapter 146 – Warm words of hope (8)
There was a loud bang as the young man pounded on the desk with both of his hands. The veins on his arms were visible.
“I will never agree to it!” He retorted with bloodshot eyes. “Sifrid is still a child, and she’s Lady Sassa’s daughter. Are the men in our village going to trade a child’s life in order to survive? Can you really do it? Can you!”
His roars echoed throughout the Longhouse. Most of the men glanced at each other without answering the youth. Brynjar rocked his body back and forth with folded arms and said nothing. The Elder gave a soft sigh and raised his head, blinking his old clouded eyes.
“Who was that?” Brendel asked as his eyes went over to the direction of the Longhouse.
“Brother Thor.” The little girl said with her bell-like voice.
He nodded to acknowledge her words, and there was a short moment where no one spoke.
“…… That’s enough,” The thin middle-aged man shook his head and sighed: “You said too much, Thor.”
Amandina bit her lips and glanced at the scene before her. Each second she took, made her face paler as though blood had left it entirely. But her fingers grabbed onto Brendel’s wrists till they were white.
“Resent me for all you desire, my lord.” The dignified aristocrat’s daughter said: “I cannot allow you— I will not allow you to do this; My Lord, you know who you will face. Graudin, Madara, Randner, possibly the entire Aouine’s kingdom. Your enemies are nearly endless. If you agree to help them, the only conclusion for you is death—”
“I know that my lord doesn’t care about the foes before you. You are the bravest and most honorable knight I have ever seen, and I feel like I’m bearing witness to the birth of the high nobles described in the legends again. I once thought that they were mere fiction, but my lord has shown me that they all ring true……”
“But I care about your fate!” She shouted.
“Because of that, I will not watch you head to your death. Even if I am to bear all the hatred from the entire village and your men, I don’t care—” She raised her head and stared at him: “But I must stop you.”
Brendel stared back at her for a long while. This was the first time she spoke her mind so freely. He bowed his head.
“Thank you.” He said.
He closed his eyes and exhaled once before opening them again. He then gently removed her fingers, walked over to Sifrid, patted her head and left.
“My lord?” Amandina looked on in surprise.
The villagers were slightly dejected as well. They had observed his back and had their hopes diminished with every passing second after his shoulders sagged. Amandina’s words had pointed out of the dangers he would face, and they had no right to have a stranger become their sacrifice.
They were even thankful for the youth’s anger and sadness. He truly cared about them, and it was not sympathy or altruism, but empathy.
[Mother Marsha, Goddess Nia, have you not punished the Senia enough?]
“Let’s go, Amandina” He called out to her in a low voice without turning back.
She finally gave a small sigh of relief but when she looked at his back she found herself at a loss, as though she had buried something important with her own hands. She lowered her head and felt her chest throbbing.
Behind her was Sifrid’s soft sobs—