On the outskirts of the forest, a man in a red robe sheds his broad hat that covers half of his head, revealing a striking red hair. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info with a violent expression on his face, looking at the faint light of fire rising from the sky above the middle of the forest, he let out a low voice like a roar:

"Caught up. ”

At this moment, a dozen or so men, who looked very sinister and hateful from their appearance, came out from behind him, slowly swayed to the red-haired man's side, and followed his gaze towards the fire in the middle of the forest.

The red-haired man glanced back at the little minions who weren't even good enough to be cannon fodder in his eyes, and spat disdainfully.

In the crowd, a bald man saw the red-haired man's impatient expression, and immediately leaned in flatteringly, walked up to the man, and asked:

"Boss Arato, what are we going to do next?"

The red-haired man he questioned was none other than the geomage who had caused an uproar in the arena, Arato. He was imprisoned in the city government after the war with Dalon, but after the incident, Shari bought off the mayor with a lot of money and made a private deal with Arato, so he could have been imprisoned in an underground prison for a hundred years before he was able to regain his free status so quickly.

The content of the deal is simple, that is, if Arato's party can secretly dispose of Talon and his party, who have made him and Shari suffer so much, then Arato's crimes so far can be undone.

It seems that Sha Lie has reached the point where he can do whatever he wants because of his family's wealth. He was free to roam the law, using the power he had earned for money, and if Alicia could one day take the throne, then this kind of unscrupulous slave owner would be the first object of her judgment.

"I'm going to set up something around the forest, so you can go over and check on the situation first. ”

"Yes, yes~"

The bald man didn't dare to have the slightest doubt or question about Arato's words, and after agreeing to it, his face changed as soon as he turned around, and his big face, which was originally crowded with wrinkles because of his smirk, suddenly became fierce:

"You guys, come with me!"

This bald man was originally the boss of this line of minions, but he was also a person who knew how to be flexible and had eyesight. He knew how strong Arato's strength really was, and he was nothing more than an ant in front of him. In this case, obedience is the best policy.

Arato, who watched the men sneak into the forest, snorted in disdain.

These dozen or so people were the bounty hunters that Shari had specially hired to help Arato, and he also knew some mercenary adventurers because of his operation in the arena, as long as he gave money, no matter how dirty the work, he could accept it.

Instead of rejecting Shari's kindness, Arato was thinking about how to make the most of the poor creatures.

A cold wind blew from the grassland to the forest, and the branches and leaves swayed in the wind like a group of demons dancing in the night.

Arato's robes were blown up by the cold wind, and his eyes, like those of a wounded lion, looked over the forest, and stopped at the place where the fire had risen, and said to himself:

"Darron, how can you experience the deepest pain?" Arato then began to laugh maniacally, his laughter blending into a ghostly sound in the howling night wind.

......

Through a cloth blanket, Alicia could clearly feel the touch of her skin pressing against the weeds. And because of this unpleasant feeling, Alicia rolled her side body to the other side, which was already her fifteenth turn of the night.

"Can't you sleep?" Valrhona's kind voice came from the side, and Alicia turned her head to find a face as delicate as a white jade carving facing her.

Because Valrhona shared a quilt with Alicia tonight, her restless little movements were transmitted to Valrhona through the pull of the quilt.

"Sorry to wake you up?"

"It's fine, I'm awake all the time. ”

As she spoke, Valrhona put an arm on the pillow and propped her head on it and gave Alicia a soft smile. The falling gold filaments glowed with a pale golden halo under the reflection of the bonfire behind him.

"Valrhona, are you a night owl?"

"No, staying up late is a taboo for beauty. ”

"Then why can't you sleep?"

"I think it's probably the same reason you can't sleep. As she spoke, Valrhona tapped the blanket on the ground with her index finger down.

"Hey, yes~ It's hard to have a bed to sleep in these days, and I just got used to the mattress and had to sleep on the grass, so it was a little uncomfortable. ”

"Actually, so am I. Then Valrhona looked at Daron, who was lying on the other side kicking the quilt and snoring loudly, and said, "But there are always fools who seem to sleep soundly no matter what." ”

Alicia also glanced at Darron, and then was amused by Valrhona's words, and then Valrhona laughed too. The atmosphere between the two was softened by this small episode, and after a while of snickering as if the prank had been successful, Alicia's laughter slowed down, and she looked into Valrhona's eyes and asked a question:

"Valrhona, why did you come to the gladiator's feast?"

"Why? For the bounty, of course. ”

"But this game is so dangerous, if you are not careful, you will die. ”

Valrhona paused, and a wicked smile came to the corner of her mouth:

"But somebody seems to have sent Daron to the game quite casually. ”

"I, I didn't know at the time...... Alicia said aggrievedly, and her face slowly darkened. Valrhona looked at Alicia like this and thought that she should have something to say, so she waited quietly. Sure enough, after a period of silence, Alicia spoke:

"Actually, something similar has happened before. ”

"What do you mean?"

"It's just ignoring other people's feelings and making assertions, which ultimately leads to bad results and hurts others. ”

"When you say 'others', it's Daron. ”

"Hmmm......"

"What happened?"

Then, Alicia confided everything that had happened in the Necronomicon Mountain to Valrhona, but did not reveal the slightest clue about her identity. This is what Kyeloa had taken care of her before:

"The road ahead will be more and more difficult, so the secret of Alicia's identity can no longer be told to anyone, unless that person is a partner who is fully worthy of trust and trust. ”

These were Kyllloa's exact words, and Alicia knew the pros and cons, so she agreed.

"Necro Mountain...... Valrhona's expression was completely different from before, her mouth opened and closed after listening to Alicia's story, "That's the ...... Necronomicon Mountain?"

"Hey, are there any other necromantic mountains?"

"It's not...... I'm sorry, I was so surprised, I didn't expect you guys to give that Necromantic Mountain to ...... A while ago, I heard that Necronomicon Mountain no longer exists, and at that time I thought that others were telling jokes, but it turned out to be true. ”

"Well, I didn't think that place was so dangerous, so Daron almost died. And the registration of the arena was also my unauthorized decision, and later caused a serious injury......"

"What a poor fellow...... Farhona cast a sympathetic look at the sleeping Daron, who scratched his cheek as if sensing something, rolled over and continued to snore.

"I made the same mistake twice, and I felt guilty, but no one scolded me harshly, and everyone still joked as usual, which made me feel very uncomfortable, and I actually wished that someone would stand up and scold me loudly, really. ”

Valrhona gave a deep look at Alicia, who had buried her head in the quilt, then gently pulled off the quilt, stared into her eyes, and said:

"Then do you know why they didn't reprimand you harshly?"

Alicia shook her head.

"I guess they want you to know that whatever you do, you have to bear the consequences. You're still young, and you may not understand a lot of things. And some things, once you have experienced them, that feeling will be engraved in your body and memory, and become a precept for the future. ”

"But for the sake of my immature decisions, they don't have to risk their lives. ”

"Risking your own life? That's your idea of being too self-conscious. ”

"Huh?" Alicia blinked in confusion.

"In the Necronomicon Mountain, Talon wanted to help his friends of the mercenary group, so he volunteered to go up the mountain, he just didn't want you to go with him, for fear that you would be in danger. But if you hadn't gone with him, maybe Talon would have died. ”

“......”

"In the arena, can you say that Daron doesn't want to compete? If he really didn't have the motivation, he would have pretended to lose in the first round. I don't know if you noticed, even in the fight with Arato, he still had an excited expression on his face. ”

“...... You're saying that Daron himself is enjoying the fight?"

"Exactly. Other people's lives are not something that you can change with a single word, this is nothing more than self-righteous thinking. Like I told you, you have to take the consequences of your own decisions. Darlon's own life is also his own choice. Although the competition in the arena was ostensibly asked by you to participate, since he didn't complain, it had become his own choice, so whether he was injured or not, it was the consequences he had to bear. ”

"But at the end of the day, it's because Daron listened to me......"

"So, you need to be responsible for the choices you make, and since Daron promised you, you must also bear the consequences. Don't blame yourself for all the mistakes, but think more from the position of others, so that you can see further. ”

"Hmm......" Alicia thought as if she wanted to swallow Valrhona's words and digest them.

"Hehe, just like you can't change other people's lives, what I just said just now only represents my personal thoughts, and what you want to think after listening to it is your own decision. ”

With that, Valrhona removed the covers, stood up and stretched. After thinking about it for a while, she seemed to have made up some kind of determination and said to Alicia:

"Actually, I wanted to participate in the Arena competition to get a bounty for my brother's treatment. ”

"Brother, what's wrong with him?"

"A strange disease, if you want to be optimistic, it is estimated that it will take a lot of money. ”

"That's why you want to win the championship?"

"Yes. ”

"If you don't get the bounty, is it okay with your brother?"

"The boat will naturally go straight to the bridge, I believe there will be a way. ”

Alicia looked at Valrhona, whose expression was slightly lonely, and she couldn't bear it, she really wanted to help the people she could help, so she asked:

"How much does it cost to cure your brother's illness?"

Valrhona looked at Alicia's innocent eyes, smiled slightly, and said:

"It's my own business, it has nothing to do with Alicia. ”

Valrhona then picked up a few sticks of dry wood from the ground and added them to the campfire, and then walked outside.

"Valrhona......" Alicia looked at Valrhona's back, and stopped talking.

"I'm going to visit the handsome guy who keeps vigil and I'll be right back. Valrhona whispered this behind her back, and walked away with brisk steps.

Sitting under a big tree a little further away from the campfire, Zha Zha Cha asked without looking back when he heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind:

"Why don't you sleep at such a late hour?"

"You know it's me?" Farhona asked, looking at Zazacha's back in surprise. Looking at the appearance of Zazha Cha, it seems that you can distinguish friend or foe just by hearing footsteps.

"Everyone's footsteps are different, and you're the only adult woman on the team, so it's easy to tell. ”

Is that so?" Valrhona thought as she leaned over to Zazacha's side and crouched down.

"What are you doing? Don't come near me!"

But the reaction of Zazacha was unusually strong.

"It's cold, and it's warmer to get closer. ”

"If you're afraid of the cold, go back to the bed, what are you doing here?"

"Aren't you afraid you'll feel lonely if you're keeping a vigil alone?"

"Don't think of me like you pampered mainlanders, we Yi people have been able to hunt alone in the wild for the night since we were children. ”

"Oh, is it?" a seductive smile appeared on Valrhona's lips, and then took the initiative to approach Zazacha again.

"Hey, I should have warned you, don't you listen to people?"

"Wow, what a murderer, are you Yi people so rude to ladies?"

"It also depends on what kind of lady you are treating, if it is as vexatious as you, we have no reason to treat it kindly. ”

"No matter what kind of lady she is, a lady is a lady, and as a gentleman, politeness is a must. ”

"Is the so-called gentleman of you mainlanders actually another name for masochism?"

"Hehe~" Valrhona was amused by Zazacha's words, and finally took back the face that was close to Zazacha.

"But why are you so resistant to physical contact with women, and last time you said that if Alicia touches you, you have to marry her, what does that mean?"

"What do you want to know about this?"

"Curious. ”

Zazacha remained silent, wanting to ignore the troublesome woman, but Valrhona deliberately kept standing by and staring at him, making him feel more and more uncomfortable.

"Well, it's a custom, you know?"

"What customs?"

"It's that we Yi men can only touch their own women. ”

"So the woman you've touched, if there's no man, then you're going to have to marry her?"

"Yes. ”

"What if you touch someone else's woman?"

"Then you have to fight the man until both sides are dead and alive. ”

"Well, take back the preface, it seems that you can't be a gentleman anymore. ”

"I'm not interested in being that kind of masochist. ”

Valrhona covered her mouth and smiled, her eyes looking at the fluttering white cloth on Zazacha's body.

In this slightly cold autumn wind, Zazacha wore a light white dress that exposed her abdomen and shoulders, and her dark and strong abdominal muscles looked very strong, but in any case, this costume made people feel too cold-resistant.

"Aren't you cold?"

"You're saying that this gentle wind can make people chill, no kidding, if you've been to the top of a mountain once, you'll know what wind is. ”

"Legend has it that near the Qianshan Ridge where the Yi people live, there is a temple of the wind spirit Kurabey, hidden in the clouds, so the wind there is particularly abusive. ”

"It's all a story made up by you mainlanders. ”

"I'll go get you a blanket, no matter how strong you are, it's easy to catch a cold when you get a stomach. After saying that, Valrhona was about to get up, but at this time, Zazacha suddenly replied:

"Then you can call them all up by the way, as if a bunch of ill-intentioned guys have been watching the situation on our side since just now. ”

Zazacha's voice was muffled by him, and his lips barely moved, so from a distance, it was as if he hadn't spoken.

"If you have something to say when I bring me the blanket, are you so lonely that you can't bear it?" Valrhona said to the watchers in the forest. She squatted down again, learned the method of Zazacha, and asked in a low voice:

"How many?"

"Seventeen, oh no, eighteen, but the eighteenth man's breath is weak, and it should be a little farther away. ”

"Your senses are so sharp, no wonder you can use such an unbelievable skill as 'murderous aura'. ”

"It's over, you can go over and get the blanket. ”

Then, Valrhona suddenly said in a normal volume: "Okay, okay, I know, I won't tell you about hemorrhoids, don't worry~"

Zazacha gave Valrhona a vicious look, but Valrhona winked at him deliberately before turning and walking in the direction of the campfire.

Zazacha waited alone for a while, counting the time Valrhona must have quietly woken everyone up, and then he stood up while stretching his waist, while carelessly picking up a stone on the ground.

"Hey, my hands and feet are numb after sitting for so long, and I can't do it if I don't move!"

After saying this, which seemed to be talking to himself, his eyes swept sharply in one direction, and then he threw the stone in his hand with great force. The stone flew towards the grass at an alarming speed, and a sharp scream was heard in the night, followed by the sound of a scream from all directions.

"Oh no, it's been discovered, everyone!" a balding man pursed his lips angrily and gave orders.

Suddenly a dozen figures with large knives burst out of the woods, three of them rushed to Zazacha, while the others ran to the people who were still pretending to sleep by the campfire.

"Electric arrow!" An electric current rushed between the attackers, eventually passing through the chest of one of them, who fell stiffly backwards after a violent tremble. The person who used this magic was Kyllloa, who stood there with his hands stretched forward, his body still draped over his body.

"Come on!" Daron lifted the covers and rushed towards the attackers, Melus and her teacher Kyrloa, chanting small bursts of incantations, Alicia running to the two mages to protect them, Valrhona standing behind her own people to support the long-range attacks.

"Kill the mages and archers first, and get over!"

The melee took place in the darkness of the night, and in a clearing a little farther away, the red-haired Arato, who had just finished drawing a magic circle on the ground, heard the movement in the firelight, stood in the wind and said:

"Don't hang it all up until you become a sacrifice, crumbs. ”

Then, he clapped his hands together and began to chant. The powerful spell gradually awakened the sleeping giant, and at this time, everyone who was still in the battle did not notice.