Chapter 37 - 37: Thirty-three, I am not an insect!
Chapter 37: Thirty-three, I am not an insect!
He was home.
Ulu had never imagined, not in twenty years, that his home would still be here. Nor had he expected to return in such a manner.
During the day, when his eyes could see, he couldn’t find his home, but at night, when all was pitch black and he had lost sight, he found his way back on instinct.
Curled up amidst the ruins, he dared not look back, nor did he dare to imagine what might be buried beneath… He dared not think, only kept reminding himself in his heart, “This is not my home, my home is long gone, this is an illusion.”
The shaking of Ulu’s heart was so intense that Bai Wei heard it loud and clear. He looked up at Ulu in some surprise, glanced at the surrounding ruins, but said nothing.
Truth be told, “returning home” wasn’t part of Bai Wei’s plan at all, as not even his vast powers could possibly locate Ulu’s home. However, Ulu’s current reaction was within his expectations.
The experiences of the entire day had brought Ulu to the brink of an emotional breakdown.
Like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Just one last step.
And for that last step… Bai Wei cast his “gaze” towards the small cabin not far away and waited in Silence.
Before long, a raucous noise came from the direction Ulu had come, and he turned his head to see the Knights approaching with torches in hand.
Ulu quickly buried himself deeper within the ruins, hiding completely beneath them.
The charred remains gave Ulu an indescribable sense of security, just as it had before becoming ruins.
The thought startled Ulu, and then he shook his head vigorously, trying hard to dispel these notions from his brain.
…
Kelsay stood in front of the dozens of houses, as if he had remembered something, and raised his eyebrows slightly, “This place…”
The Knight standing beside him turned his head, “Knight Master, have you discovered something?”
“No,” Kelsay shook his head, “I just feel this place seems familiar.”
He pondered briefly and then it came back to him.
“Ah, isn’t this where that fellow Ulu used to live? I remember that old bastard Lu Ji mentioning it, these dozens of families just outside the Town, it seems this is it.”
With that thought, a contemptuous arc played upon Kelsay’s lips.
“Coming home to find Mommy at a time like this? Too bad, your mother’s long dead.”
The Knights looked at each other, unsure of what Kelsay meant, and Kelsay, too lazy to explain, simply waved his hand, “I know this village, it truly has no other exit apart from this one road leading into the Town. Here’s what we’ll do, I’ll stand guard here, and you split up to search, check each house. See where that guy is hiding, if you find him, signal me right away. You might not be able to handle him, but I can.”
“Yes! Knight Master!”
All the Knights obeyed the command, including the two servants the Knights had caught, who although very unwilling to help, complied under Kelsay’s intimidation and followed the Knights into the small village.
The torches thus intruded abruptly into the quiet village, as if intending to ignite it entirely.
Yet Ulu breathed a sigh of relief at this sight.
Because his home… no, the ruins he was in were completely isolated, so the Knights didn’t venture this way at all.
And since he was at the front end of the village, once all of the Knights entered, he would have a chance to run back to the Town the way he had come.
The only problem was, Kelsay was guarding the route.
Kelsay stood there, his hands on the hilt of the Holy Sword, like an immovable mountain, a peak so daunting that Ulu didn’t dare to give it a second glance.
So Ulu could only hope that some disturbance in the village would draw Kelsay’s attention, so he could seize the chance to escape. But could this tiny village, home to just a few dozen families and which had lost at least half its population in the disaster year, really have something to attract Kelsay’s notice?
Ulu didn’t know, so all he could do was pray, wait for fate to favor him, wait for the Rhein God… Ah, he had already betrayed the Rhein.
While Ulu was troubled by such strange thoughts, the first team of Knights had already burst into the nearest house and dragged two people out.
Ulu glanced over subconsciously, then immediately his eyes widened.
Because the people the Knights dragged out were familiar… it was the little boy and his sister.
Only then did Ulu realize with a shock that the nearest house was the little imp’s home!
At that moment, Ulu’s heart pounded fiercely.
How could it be the kid’s home?! How could it be?!
…
“Imp!” One of the Knights, clearly impatient, smacked the little boy’s face with the Holy Sword, and the sharp blade instantly cut the boy’s face, “I’m asking you, have you seen a Priest.”
The little boy looked up, somewhat bewildered, glanced at the questioning Knight, then at the other Knights, and slowly shook his head: “No.”