They followed Scott around the woods, stopping. When there was a scream behind her and Tess jumped up happily and ran back, Naria realized what she meant by "better".

Norway asks Scott to take them with them, leading a man who is following them into an improvised little trap that Tess has laid for an unknown time.

"Don't necromancers like to wear beautiful black robes lately?" Tess looked at the man who was struggling to get rid of the snow with his legs wrapped in tough ropes, "Hey, if you dare to cut my rope, I'll make a small hole in your neck!"

"Untie him, Tess, he's not a necromancer. Scott, who had just walked over, said.

The man stopped struggling the moment he saw him.

"Your Excellency!" he cried, his eyes wide in surprise.

"How do you know? The dead mage in the cemetery, everyone still thinks she's a poor **. Tess, who had just pulled out the knife, said unrelentingly.

"Tess ......," Norway shouted helplessly.

Tess pursed her lips and pulled the rope off the man's body with a few strokes.

"Your Excellency. The man knelt on the ground in fear, "Forgive me, I didn't recognize you, I thought he was ...... The barbarian ......" he turned to look at Akhan.

"'Pastor', there is no 'adult'. Scott, apparently not very fond of that title, reached out and pulled the man up, "Is the barbarian here again?"

"They attacked Valand yesterday and the people there fled. We fear that they will come and attack Cantril as well. The man replied respectfully, "I'm in charge of watching the road here." ”

"...... this way," Scott asked, looking around and uncertainly, "to the Glowmoss Cave?"

"Yes, Vince said we don't have enough men and we may not be able to hold the village. He had us send the women and children into the Glowstone Cavern, and he led the men to ambush them on the path from Valander. ”

Scott nodded, there weren't many people in Cantril, and quite a few people went to Miaz Weiss.

"It's been a long time since the priest helped us drive them away once three years ago......," said the man, a little uneasy, "and the people of Valand say that there are more barbarians coming this time than before, and that they are not going to leave after grabbing their things. They stayed in Wallander...... Maybe they're here for revenge?"

Scott looked down and thought about it.

"Take us to the Glowing Moss Cave first. "We'll figure it out." ”.

"I must have fallen under some curse to keep getting into the hole. Tess muttered outside the dark hole.

"You're going to love it here. Scott laughed, "Come in." ”

A faint glow came out of the cavern, not like fire, but like moonlight reflected off the snow.

The hole was not large, and they walked in one by one. Even without torches and elven vision, they could see everything around them faintly, and the deeper they went, the clearer their vision became. As they slipped into a large space, they involuntarily stopped.

They are surrounded by a slightly greenish fluorescence. The dreamy, cool glow came from the top of the cavern, and flecks of light of various sizes were scattered all over it, as if they were breathing, and some long, glowing filaments poked out of it, dancing gently in mid-air with the flow of air.

“...... I love it here!" Tess declared loudly in satisfaction, jumping up to touch the glowing plants.

"Fireflies. Only in this cave. Scott said.

"We never dared to come here before. "Everyone said there were ghosts here, until the priest purified the place and let us use it as a hiding place if necessary." ”

"Ghosts?" Ed asked curiously.

"Actually......" Scott whispered in his ear, "this place was used by some necromancer a long, long time ago, and we just cleared his pile and his own bones. ”

Ed shuddered, and suddenly felt that the beautiful fluorescents had lost their appeal.

"Don't worry, these fluorescents have absolutely nothing to do with ghosts. Scott patted him on the shoulder and followed Casey.

The beating light of the flames gradually overshadowed the fluorescence. In the depths of the cavern, more and more people gathered around the fire to keep warm, and the people who recognized Scott fell respectfully to the ground, and those who walked with him felt uncomfortable, judging by Scott's somewhat stiff steps, he didn't like it very much. But he didn't stop those people.

"Some of the people who came from Waland were injured. Casey said, pointing to a corner of the cave, "Their wounds have all been treated, but two seriously injured people ......"

Scott nodded: "Take my friends to find a place to rest, and I'll go see them." ”

Casey agreed, and led Ed and the others to a quiet corner, and called up the women to hurry up and light two more fires for "Your Excellency Friends."

"We can do it ourselves. Norway stopped him.

Casey's gaze drifted to his pointed ears and he nodded repeatedly, "So, I...... I'm going to find you something to eat. ”

He left them in a hurry. The fear of the "pointy-eared demon" was somewhat offset by his fear of the priest, but he was still reluctant to stay with Norvi for long.

More of a mixture of respect, envy, curiosity, and wonder fell on the "pastor's friends." The whispering of the whispers stopped as soon as the priest's voice rang out, but the elf gradually frowned.

He had heard the spells used by human priests and paladins to heal wounds, and what people called "the word of God" was actually a very old elven language. Legend has it that the gods created giants in their own image, but gave their language to the spirits. The language spoken by the elves today is far from what it was at the beginning, but there are still some words and pronunciations that have survived. Even in Miaz Weiss, the gray-haired Reverend Nesses spoke this language, but at this moment, the sonorous syllables that came out of Scott's lips were definitely a completely different language that Norway had never heard before.

On the wall on one side of the cave is a huge symbol, the symbol of Nesses, like an hourglass that has lost its upper and lower bases. Novi stared at the symbol for a long time, his hand involuntarily touching his waist. The small stone slab weighed almost nothing, but the secret hidden in it was so heavy that the elf was a little breathless.

A pair of hands wrapped around his arms, and Tess looked up at him, worry and unease leaving thin lines between her brows.

"Are you hungry?" she asked him pretending briskly, "I'll tell you if I'm hungry! I've hidden a big piece of last night's barbecue!"

"I still have an apple. Ed said, fumbling in his bag, "Still from the Silvertooth Dwarf......

"You're secretly hiding an apple!" Tess jumped over, crushing him to the ground and shaking his bag. A heavy box fell to the ground, and the lid of the broken one slit glistened with gemstones.

“...... What is this?" Tess's eyes narrowed.

"Bought at Cam...... A gift for my mother. Ed said that he had almost forgotten about it, and that he had never had a chance to show it, "and your and Naria's ......"

"My!" Tess cried out happily, opening the box, "Ed Singhal, you're such a good boy!"

“...... No thanks, Aunt Tess. The good boy said helplessly.

"Sweetheart!" Tess pulled out a necklace encrusted with rubies, "This is perfect for you!"

“...... What are you doing, sharing the spoils?" asked Scott.

He had quickly finished his treatment and came over.

Tess quickly closed the box: "No part of yours!"

Scott smiled, "It's going to be fun to be on an adventure with you...... But I'm afraid I'll have to stay here for a few days. There are other safe paths in the forest that lead to the ice fields, and I'll find someone to take you out tomorrow. ”

He didn't even wait for anyone else to say anything before he turned and left.

“...... You're going to win, Naria. Tess said.

Nalya didn't look very happy.

"What are they talking about?" she asked Norvi, turning to look at Scott, who was talking to the two men.

"The two men were from Valander, and Scott was asking about the barbarians who attacked them. The elf whispered to her.

There was a commotion in the direction of the cave, and Casey hurried over.

"They're back!" the Reverend...... Vince, they're back. ”

A middle-aged man, who was considered thin among the northerners, followed him, and glanced at them as he passed them, his sharp blue-gray eyes impressive.

"Pastor. Vince saluted Scott respectfully, but did not fall to his knees, "Did you know that the barbarians were coming?"

"No, just a coincidence...... I'm not omniscient. Scott replied frankly, "Are the barbarians gone?"

"No, they're still staying in Walland......" Vince replied hesitantly, "I know it sounds strange, but it looks like they're going to make Walland their camp...... I saw women and children among them. ”

Barbarians usually loot villages in the forest only during the winter months when food is scarce, killing any men who dare to resist and taking women as trophies. They swept like a gale, and they never waited long, preferring to burn down the village with a fire than to take it for themselves. In the minds of the barbarians, only the ice field, where the spirits of their ancestors hovered, was their home.

"Someone is watching them. I don't think they should attack Cantril tonight. "If we have more men, we might be able to bring Valland back......

Scott shook his head: "If those barbarians didn't take the initiative to attack, you wouldn't have to take any risks. You're doing well, Vince, take a break. I'll be going tomorrow...... Talk to them. ”