There was a slight feeling in the hearts of the Erna people. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

It was a mixture of a little uneasiness and a little anticipation—something he hadn't felt in a long time since the brigade was disbanded.

The scene in the Forest of Tranquility at this time was indeed worse than he had imagined. However, he had witnessed even more tragic scenes than this. For more than a decade, he has set foot in far more dangerous areas than here, and has ended hundreds of lives with his own hands.

He was not very attached to this forest. The Erna here are theoretically his kindred, and he has many friends here. But on the whole, if you don't consider the identity of the 'Dream Journey', they still have a superior attitude towards those green-haired people in the south.

The actual reason is fairly simple.

Not long ago, he received a letter from Shireinfel, delivered by a young messenger himself. The letter gave a rough description of the state of affairs in the Forest of Tranquility and the demons, and at the end, the commander of the Elna people added a separate sentence.

"In September, she's back."

He has only spent a few dozen days with the "Sage of Nature", and it is clear that he has only been in a short moment in his entire adventure. However, it was indeed an experience that Pfister could not forget, and even somewhat haunted.

To be honest, he used to be a little fond of September. In the past, he was a hunter who had some adventures, but was not yet sophisticated, and met a girl who was a 'demigod' who had experienced hundreds of years and still retained a piece of her heart.

It was not a simple liking, but a mixture of admiration and appreciation, as if naturally attracted by her light and wanting to be like her. Therefore, for her who was overwhelmed by the destruction of her hometown, he volunteered and tried his best to use all his connections to investigate the situation there.

It's a pity that the ending of the story is not all fairy tales. Eventually, the wicked were punished, and he was rewarded with the "Forest Requiem", the longbow he never left his side. But his journey with September also ended here. He blamed it on his own lack of strength - he had a weapon powerful enough to turn the tide of things, but he couldn't protect his important people from a lich clone who had left a hundred years ago.

It was Hylancia who brought him hope. The silver witch conveyed to him the message of Leonos - September did not die, only decades of sleep. Later, the Lord of Light alone told him that in order to further repair her soul, the Maiden would be reborn as a human until the time came.

Since then, he has been secretly following the girl named Lily, taking her as his disciple when she is in trouble, and teaching her the skills and knowledge of being a hunter. This time, the relationship between the two seems to have turned a U-turn. He was an older, experienced, and well-known adventurer, and she was a fledgling young hunter.

Until now, everything seems to be back to that starry summer night fifty years ago.

Pfister gathered his mind and walked silently through the woods. After several days of heavy rain, the woodland was a muddy mass, and he walked briskly across the soft mud, leaving only a very shallow line of footprints. The Imperial army could not detect him, and the demons that appeared in his vision were killed in an instant under his sharp arrows. He followed the trail of the group following the marks left in the forest that only the Elna could read.

As the route extended to the north, the number of the contingent gradually grew larger, and judging by the traces left behind, it had reached several thousand. According to the estimation of the "Guild", the total number of Ernna people in the Forest of Tranquility is about 4 million, compared to the Oron Empire, which has a population of nearly 20 million and only two-thirds of the land area of the forest, it can be said to be vast and sparsely populated. However, mobilizing a large number of residents to leave their hometowns in a short period of time still requires proper arrangements and excellent control.

The neat footprints and garrison marks along the way prove that Shirinfell - and September - did a good job.

On the night of the fifth day after entering the forest, Pfister finally caught up with the team. The "Dream Journeyer" was still famous, and it didn't take him much time to meet the friend of his youth.

Her appearance was almost exactly the same as the memory of decades ago, her soft ears trembled slightly, and her red eyes looked at him, which radiated for a moment and precipitated into the tranquility of the world. She turned to walk towards him, her face beaming with joy and a confident smile on her lips.

Shirinfell nodded to him and quietly stepped away, leaving the two of them alone.

"Long time no see, September." The Elna man stared at the girl's beautiful face, and found that his voice was a little dry, "At that time...... I'm sorry. ”

The wolf-eared girl shook her head indifferently, and with a big grin, she reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't force the responsibility on yourself." The girl stared at Pfister's face, "That's not your responsibility, and it's not ours. Now that you know that the enemy is strong, it would be nice to try to become stronger? She grinned, revealing his familiar expression, "You've done a good job all these years, you're already a celebrity?" ”

Pfister sighed silently. He did fulfill his manifesto and became one of the most famous adventurers on the continent, and even now he remains famous. However, if he were to choose again, he might rather give up the title in exchange for making up for the mistakes he had made.

"So." The wolf-eared girl on the opposite side blinked her eyes and asked him half-jokingly, "Are you planning to renew your relationship with us this time?" ”

He was silent for a long time, then shook his head slowly.

"I'm sorry, Lily...... September. He whispered, "I already have someone to worry about." I'll wait until she comes back here. ”

The mercenary smiled. She stared at the Elna for a few seconds, then punched him hard.

"Thou ...... Sure enough, he's still a wooden head? She grabbed Pfister's hand and pulled him into the distance, with some incomprehensible emotion in her words, "What is there to apologize for this kind of thing?" Whoever you like, and what you want, is your freedom? The girl said, gradually lowering her voice, "After all, fifty years is a long time......

The two of them walked quickly into the distance, the glow of the campfire gradually fading out of view. The stars in the sky are still as bright as the night of decades ago.

Vanka once said that the stars are changing all the time, some moving closer to each other and some moving farther away. It's just that they live too long and change too slowly to be easily noticed.

He looked up at the starry sky, where the bright star representing Edda still hung above the zenith, surrounded by a leaf-like silver birch, just like the one he had seen for the first time on a winter night. It's just that the people and things around me can't go back to the past.

"Well, I don't need to talk about those old things." September seemed to get rid of the memories first, and regained her relaxed appearance, "Her matter, tell us about it?" ”

Pfister was silent for a long time. If there was indeed an element of powerlessness in September, then this time it was indeed his own choice.

"Her name is Irene, a Templar of the Church, and a former member of the Brigade." "I met her twenty-seven years ago, and her strong and optimistic personality made me like her," he said slowly, word for word. A sad, nostalgic smile appeared on the Elna man's face, "Barak and I have courted her together, and we have done a lot of stupid things for it...... In the end, though, it was me who won. ”

"No wonder that guy would say something like that." The mercenary muttered, her tone sounding slightly dissatisfied with Barak, "And then?" ”

“…… Seventeen years ago, she insisted on entering the abyss alone. Pfister lowered his gaze, omitting all causes and consequences, and stated the facts that were etched in his heart, "I could not dissuade her, nor did I accompany her. Since then, I have lost contact with her. ”

"Thou ......"

He felt the girl across from him open her mouth and sigh heavily. He thought that there would be a scolding or contempt in September, but what he was waiting for was a warm hug.

“…… This big idiot. She whispered, "Everyone has their own ambitions, have I already told you?" Why she made this decision, and what choices you experienced, we don't want to know. It's just that you've all found the answer, why don't you try to trust her instead of putting yourself on an inexplicable responsibility? I'm tired—"

He looked up and met September's eyes. The wolf-eared girl's eyes flashed with wisdom and cunning, making him confirm once again that standing in front of him was a god-made being hundreds of years older than himself, and the "sage of nature" that existed in many legends.

"Not yet." He heard the girl continue, "You've come here to do us a favor and drive the hateful Imperial fellows out of the forest, right?" ”

She got her chance, Pfister thought. Fortunately, it did not go against his original wishes, rather, it was what he wanted to do but could not make up his mind. He exhaled, feeling a slight loosening in his heart - the reunion with September seemed to wake him up slightly from his memories when he was younger.

"That's nature." He smiled for the first time in a long time and looked at the campfire in the distance, "I'll do my best to help them get out safely." As for the Empire, if they insist on invading, I can't stand idly by. In the name of the 'Dream Journeyer', I will fight for this forest once again. ”

"It's like you as we know it." The girl laughed and grabbed his hand. There was a familiar warmth on his hand, symbolizing that the two would become partners with a common goal from now on.

The stars in the sky twinkled, as if the eyes of countless sages witnessed the promise at this moment.