Chapter 103: Fred’s Big Fat Lie

“Grandfather… Grandfather is sick.” Evlinna sat on the ground with her head lowered, her two bright, big eyes occasionally brushing over Roll before quickly darting away in fear.

“Many people are sick. Some have died. Grandfather… Grandfather said outsiders came to the highlands and made God Lumburi unhappy, so He sent down disaster. I followed… followed you all the way, and none of you got that sickness, so… so everyone thinks it was you who brought the calamity… Grandfather is very sick, wuuu…”

Seeing that Evlinna was about to burst into tears again, Fred and I quickly pushed Roll forward. Roll’s face turned pale, and he stepped forward reluctantly, still using that voice of his so cold it could kill a person, and said: “Stop crying.” That had to be the worst way of comforting a girl you had ever seen, but it was indeed effective. Hearing Roll’s voice, poor little Evlinna forced her sobs back down into her stomach and didn’t even dare to breathe loudly. Seeing her wronged look, I couldn’t help feeling deeply guilty. Although objectively speaking, Roll’s presence had helped us a great deal, his behavior really was not worth praising.

“Roll, you scared her.” Honest Fred spoke out what I had been thinking, with a hint of blame in his tone.

“I did nothing.” Roll said without changing his expression. He was right, but even if he did nothing at all, that was already scary enough.

“Um… Evlinna, could you let us go see your grandfather? We have a very good doctor. Maybe we can help you and your people.” Seizing the moment when Evlinna stopped sobbing, I said my opinion as kindly as I could. I didn’t believe at all that this so-called “God Lumburi” I had never even heard of would send down punishment. Even if this person I had never met actually existed, he would absolutely not mistreat his own followers just because I came. That just didn’t make any sense. In comparison, I would rather believe that Evlinna’s tribe had the bad luck of encountering a serious epidemic, and that should be a problem Millia could solve.

“…” Evlinna bit her lip lightly and said nothing, as if she was making a very difficult decision.

“Look, Miss. If you don’t try letting us treat your people, then we will definitely fight a battle here. Maybe you would win, but it would bring more deaths, even more than the disease has brought. I think this is definitely not what you want to see, and it would definitely not be what your grandfather wants to see either.” Fred seized the opportunity to further persuade Evlinna.

“I… I have to discuss this with my uncles.” Evlinna answered hesitantly.

“I’ll go with you.” Fred said.

“Fred…” I was a bit worried, but in the end I didn’t stop my young friend. Although she had only spoken a few sentences, it was very obvious that Miss Evlinna was not someone who could stick to a decision. Even though I had no evidence at all, I would rather believe that the fierce indigenous people watching us covetously from the hillside did not have much interest in our suggestion. As long as a few of them took a slightly harder stance, all our efforts for peace would be wasted. In comparison, it was more promising for us to accompany Evlinna and persuade her people together.

“Yes, we’ll go with you.” I said it again, emphasizing the word “we.” I could not abandon my friend at this dangerous moment.

Fred shot me a look, and likewise did not try to dissuade me from this impulsive decision. He turned to Roll and said: “Roll, when I send the signal, bring Millia over.”

Roll shook his head in resistance, but when he met Fred’s earnest gaze, he finally complied.

“If anything goes wrong, you must hold on until I come.” Roll said to Fred, word by word. Looking at his face, I did not doubt in the slightest that if we really were surrounded and attacked by the indigenous people, even with only him alone and one short sword, he would charge over to rescue us without a moment’s hesitation.

Fred firmly gripped Roll’s hand, then took off his black war blade and placed it in Roll’s hands. He turned around, and with the kindest and most gentle expression, extended his right hand to Evlinna, who was sitting on the ground:

“Take us to see your people, will you?”

I really wondered if there was anyone who could refuse Fred when he was like this. Evlinna, somewhat dazed, reached out her hand and stood up with our support.

A moment later, we were among the indigenous people.

“Ev, why did you bring these two men over here!” A tall man reached out and pushed aside the crowd, rushing to our side in two or three steps and grabbing Evlinna with flustered hands. His tone carried a bit of anger, but even more worry.

“Are you okay? Did they do anything to you? Are you still clear-headed? Did you fall under some witchcraft…” The big man held up Evlinna’s small face, which was smeared with dye, and examined it over and over, even pulling open her eyelids and looking left and right.

“Uncle Eckdin, I’m fine, they are…” Evlinna dodged the big man’s concerned advances and tried to introduce us to her people, but was cut off by the one called Eckdin.

“If I find out you did anything to little Ev, I’ll tear your bones apart!” Eckdin shouted. His face full of thick beard was like steel needles, as if they could not wait to be squeezed out of his skin by the large muscles on his face.

“Ala… baba… do… do… that… do what was it…” I spread out my hands and tried hard to put on a friendly look, attempting to loudly repeat the friendly indigenous phrase Red Flame had taught me. Unfortunately, by the time the words had already rushed out of my mouth, I had forgotten the words that came after.

Damn it, I thought, the indigenous language was really hard to pronounce.

The big man froze for a moment, and then his face, which had been tightly tense, began to break down at extreme speed, until his coarse yellow teeth showed. He seemed to realize that laughing out loud in front of unfamiliar potential enemies at a time like this was not a wise move, and he struggled with himself for a bit. Just as he was barely holding up his dignity, Evlinna couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore. Her laughter was as crisp as the green color of the fields in spring, carrying an extremely strong infectiousness.

“Hahaha, it’s not ‘do do what’—let me teach you. It’s ‘ala baba dobsen,’ it means we are friends. Hahaha… Didn’t you just say it once? How did you forget so quickly…”

With Evlinna taking the lead, the surrounding indigenous people could no longer hold in their laughter and all burst out laughing. Among them, Eckdin laughed especially heartily, almost wishing he could roll on the ground.

“Hahaha, I’ve never seen anyone speak so badly. This idiot is too dumb, hahaha…”

Fred stood beside me without changing his expression, almost making me believe he hadn’t taken my embarrassing display to heart. But his bright red face betrayed him.

At least it was unlikely they would skin us alive without a word. That should count as a decent start. I tried hard to make myself believe that.

Finally, the hosts’ laughter gradually subsided. Eckdin steadied his emotions and said in a rough, loud voice: “What are you here for?” Even though he tried hard to put on a fierce look, he could no longer find that overbearing feeling from the very beginning no matter what.

“We have heard of what happened to your people, and I deeply regret it. We do not wish to go to war with the brave people of the great God Lumburi. We respect God Lumburi only second to the God of War. We have a very good doctor, and we hope to offer more help to your people.” As long as Fred was given the chance to speak, he could win the favor of most people. Listening to his earnest words, these simple indigenous people naturally would not know that we had only heard the name “God Lumburi” just a moment ago. As for whether He was long, flat, square, or round, we had no idea at all. Naturally, the so-called “respect second only to the God of War” was even more nonsense that not even the dead would believe.

“The High Priest said that you outsiders intruded into the sacred land and brought the anger and punishment of God Lumburi. As long as you leave, the disease will naturally stay away from us.”

I started to get a headache: if these stubborn people insisted on this point, then there was nothing we could do.

“The High Priest said that outsiders brought God’s punishment.” Fred thought for a moment, then smiled slightly and said loudly. Judging by his expression, he must have figured out a way to deal with it.

“We are not outsiders. We are friends, we are brothers, we are your own people.” Fred’s voice grew louder and louder, carrying enough enthusiasm to stir people’s hearts.

“Beyond this Holy Fox Highlands lies a land called Delanmaya. This land and the Holy Fox Highlands are tightly adjacent, leaning against each other like husband and wife, like brothers. No, these two lands were originally two close, inseparable brothers. The people on these two lands have been close brothers since birth. And we are Delanmayans, your friends, your own flesh and blood.”

“If you have ever walked out of this land, or rather, if merchants have ever traveled through this land, go and ask them. They will tell you all of this without any concealment. Their words would be no different from mine, because this is the truth.”

“Before this, have you ever suffered invasion from Delanmaya? Have you ever fought and bled against people of the same race as us? No, never, not once. Because the Delanmayans know we are brothers. We would never raise our weapons against our own flesh and blood. Quite the opposite, our merchants walked over rugged mountain paths to deliver abundant goods here, for friendship, for the deep bond of brotherhood.”

“But now, Delanmaya has been destroyed by outsiders. Your brothers have lost their homes and can only come here to seek their kin, which is you. Indeed, there are vicious outsiders who provoked God’s anger, but that was definitely not us. Their name is the Cretans. My dear brothers, just follow the path we came from out of the valley, and you will see them streaming toward this place without end. They carry blades and spears, stained with blood. It was they who brought God’s punishment, and we are innocent!”

“We came for blood kinship and friendship. We came for brotherly bonds. We firmly believe that we will receive kind treatment here, and we firmly believe that we can provide help to you, to jointly resist the cruel invaders. You are brave, wise, and kind. You will surely tell right from wrong, and distinguish friend from foe. That is exactly why I came here with my friend, unarmed. Because we believe our brothers will not harm us! Never!”

I was so shocked that my mouth hung open. It wasn’t until Fred shot me a sideways glance that I realized I had lost my composure, and I quickly put on a sincere look again to back up his speech. I knew that whenever necessary, Fred would display his outstanding eloquence to help us out of trouble. But I really did not expect him to fabricate such a convincing enormous lie in such a short time. Indeed, Delanmaya had never sent troops into these highlands, but that was absolutely not out of brotherly affection. It was simply because this land’s barren products were not enough to cover the cost of a military campaign. As for those merchants, their practice of trading cheap iron tools for the pelts of rare animals was even further from the feeling of “blood kin.” Calling them vampires who stripped skin and broke bones would have been more accurate. However, these words, spoken at this moment with Fred’s extremely sincere and solemn expression, were indeed very believable. If I didn’t know the inside story just as well as he did, I thought even I myself could not help but be swept up in that warm tide of brotherly harmony and ethnic unity.

Fred’s words achieved good results. Whispers began to arise all around. I scanned the surroundings and saw many sturdy, bold men pointing angrily in the direction we had come from and shouting something. Their anger was clearly not directed at us.

Eckdin was clearly a very influential figure among these tribal indigenous people. He was not as impulsive as he looked. After hearing Fred’s words, he did not rush to take a stand but fell silent and sank into thought. After a long while, he waved his right hand, and the people around him gradually quieted down. That stillness spread across the hillside. A moment later, the tens of thousands of indigenous people made not a single sound of noise.

“We have indeed heard merchants speak of Delanmaya. Our common tongue was also taught by the merchants of Delanmaya. I heard it is a strange land, and some of our people have been there. What you have said is basically the truth, I admit that…”

My heart filled with joy: if this big guy’s tone was starting to soften, then the rest of our matters would be easier to handle.

“But, what reason do we have to believe your words? What reason do we have to believe that you are those Delanmayans? What reason do we have to believe that God Lumburi did not send down punishment because of your arrival? If we make a wrong judgment, we might very well have to pay with the lives of the entire tribe as the price of God’s wrath.”

Fred seemed to have anticipated this question all along. He replied with a smile: “This is very simple, my brother. If we are not the cause of God’s wrath, our doctor can cure the High Priest. If we cannot cure the High Priest, then you may take our lives as compensation. I will not resist, and I will also order our army to leave this land forever.”

Eckdin frowned deeply, not knowing how to decide. Evlinna stood quietly at the side, watching us with concern. Their hesitation was understandable, because they were about to risk a beloved kin with their own hands. In fact, my heart was also very uneasy: none of us had ever seen how sick that legendary High Priest was, or whether there was still hope of saving him. If he truly was terminally ill beyond cure, then our lives would be thrown away here for nothing. It was impossible that Fred had not considered this, but we had to take this risk. Behind us were over ten thousand loyal and brave soldiers. They had completely entrusted their lives to us. We had to gamble our luck for them.

“Ev, what do you say?” Eckdin asked Evlinna with not much confidence.

“I think… we can try…” Evlinna answered hesitantly.

“Ev, you have to think it through carefully. Your grandfather’s life depends on your decision!” Beside Evlinna, another tall and sturdy man said urgently in a loud voice.

“I… I don’t know… I don’t know…” Evlinna suddenly started sobbing softly. She shook her head, tears falling without stopping, her heart weakened by the conflict inside her. Then suddenly, she forcefully pushed through the crowd and ran toward an empty place in the back, wiping her tears without stopping as she ran. Her actions took everyone present by complete surprise. Even Eckdin didn’t know what to do.

Eckdin looked somewhat embarrassed. Watching Evlinna’s departing figure, he said to us with a slight hint of apology: “It seems you will have to wait a while longer. This decision must be made by Evlinna. She is the High Priest’s own granddaughter, his only family. No one can make this decision in her place.”

“It’s fine, we can wait.” Fred looked at Eckdin with great understanding. “However, I hope the decision can be made as soon as possible. I believe the earlier the High Priest’s illness is treated, the more obvious the effect will be.”

“I hope… it won’t be too long. After all, she is still very young…” Eckdin did not hide his worry. It was clear that this big man had begun to trust us, at least he was willing to trust us before the worst outcome came to pass.

The waiting time was agonizing, especially waiting for a decision that concerned our own lives while surrounded by tens of thousands of armed sturdy men. At noon in late winter, the sun could almost be described as a “warm sun.” Those bare-chested men, after raising a racket for an entire morning, were beginning to slacken. Some had already sat down on the ground in groups of three or five to bask in the sun. In front of them, Fred always maintained excellent soldierly bearing, standing straight and upright, responding to words from all sides, whether friendly or hostile, with a kind and proud attitude. Eckdin might have noticed this, because the look he gave Fred gradually shifted from ordinary friendliness and trust to one with a hint of respect.

Suddenly, the noisy environment around them quieted down. The indigenous warriors parted a path in front of us. At the far end of the path, Evlinna stood there, the tear stains at the corners of her eyes not yet wiped dry.

She slowly walked toward us, stopping three steps in front of us, and then said loudly: “I have decided. Let the doctor of the guests from afar treat my grandfather, the High Priest of the Earth, Odaoni, to prove their friendship.”

“Ev…” Someone still tried to dissuade her, but this time, Evlinna nodded firmly.

“This is my final decision.” She said courageously. “If anything goes wrong, then let God Lumburi punish me alone!”

At that moment, I seemed to have an illusion, feeling that the young woman before me and the weak girl who had just run off crying were not the same person. Her expression, her temperament had undergone earth-shaking changes in just half a day. At this moment, she looked enormously dignified, not inferior even to the noblest queens and princesses on the continent. Most importantly, there were tears at the corners of her eyes, but in her eyes I could no longer see a trace of weakness. A sense of responsibility and a look of firmness filled her face, making her seem like a true leader at this very moment.

“What an amazing girl.” I heard Fred sigh softly. Then he stepped forward and delivered the most standard Knight’s salute to Evlinna:

“I will do my utmost to prove that your decision is right, noble Miss.”