Fairy Tale: Little Red Riding Hood's Wolf Mentor

As dusk fell, Lake walked side by side with the Leper King into a temporary detention center surrounded by stone walls. Every three feet, torches illuminated the silhouettes of the defenders.

Along the way, all the soldiers of Falling Star City straightened their backs when they saw Lake and the Leper King. From time to time, someone would pound their breastplate heavily with their right hand, their eyes scorching.

"What is this place?"

In the light of the fire, both Lake and Poro discovered that the building was very large.

"This is where the remaining soldiers of the Sri Kingdom are imprisoned. Although most of the Sri people were killed by us, some are still imprisoned here."

The Leper King spoke, his metal mask reflecting the dancing firelight, and led Poro and Lake to one of the cells.

Inside, there were several Sri Lankans.

His armor was removed, and he was naked, his body showing an unhealthy bluish-black color.

Unlike ordinary cells, in this detention center, all the imprisoned Sri Lankans were silent, without any intention of fighting or attacking. They just looked a little dazed.

It's like he has lost his normal mind.

"After we fought the Sri Lankan army, I discovered that after killing all the special commanders in a Sri Lankan army, these ordinary Sri Lankan soldiers would lose their violent or bloodthirsty states under the effect of the starry barrier."

The Leper King took a few people and walked towards the next prison. There were several people imprisoned in each prison.

However, these Sri Lankans have no desire to communicate, but are still like ordinary creatures - but they have not lost their human habits, they have just become somewhat passive, not to the point of being unable to take care of themselves.

Simply put, they didn't do anything extra.

He just ate the food provided, his eyes dull and without any desires that a human should have.

"So, the Starry Barrier can heal them to a certain extent?"

"No, the strangeness within them is just dormant. If a special Sri Commander comes, they will become bloodthirsty warriors again."

The Leper King shook his head and sighed.

After walking around the corridor for a few times, they came to a special room where several doctors from Falling Star City and several men in silver robes were surrounding something.

Lake walked forward and saw an operating table, on which lay a dead Swiss soldier.

"This Sri Lankan might have been a tailor in the past."

A doctor pointed to the calluses on the Sri Lankan man's hands and said, "He's very thin and frail. He shouldn't be a soldier."

Hearing this, the Leper King picked up the doctor's notebook again, on which were written several different Sri Lankan autopsy reports.

Lake and Poro noticed that the reports contained a variety of speculations about the identities of the Sri Lankan soldiers.

The age range is huge.

"The Sri soldiers were originally ordinary people. They were controlled by some sinister spell, and their souls were infected, becoming like this."

The conclusion reached by the Leper King also confirmed the previous findings of Poro and others.

After that, the Leper King pointed to a map on the wall. On it was the land occupied by the Sri Kingdom. Several cities and towns on it were marked with key symbols.

On top of each city, there are numbers ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands.

"Even with your help, the range of the Starry Barrier is not very large. If we want to launch a counterattack and capture the Sri Royal Capital, we will have to pass through more than ten cities and towns."

"It's tough to fight, isn't it?"

"Yes, the only good news is that there aren't many special Sri Lankan officers who can command a large army. Therefore, their expeditionary force won't reach us for the time being."

As he spoke, the Leper King took a deep breath and said, “We are the kingdom that has fought against the Sri Kingdom and held out the longest. I know a lot about them and I have calculated their military strength.

If we were to launch a counterattack, we would face an army ten times our size in every city or town."

Lake and Poro understood what the Leper King meant.

Whether they are old people, children, ordinary craftsmen or citizens, they will all be transformed into bloodthirsty soldiers under the magic of the Sri Kingdom.

"We can find those special commanders in the army and kill them. We have the ability to do so, but we also need military support."

"Goethe, Shadi, our army will also fight alongside you..."

"But it's not enough."

The Leper King shook his head. "Just relying on these countries that have been invaded by the Sri Kingdom is far from enough. We need more allies and more troops to resist them, or even fight back."

"So, you mean for us to..."

"Break through the blockade of the Sri Kingdom and go to the Hunt Kingdom. The army of this country was once the strongest."

The Leper King pointed to another direction on the map, which was also a country bordering the Sri Kingdom. Judging from the area and the map, the territory of this country was covered by vast forests.

If one day, the army can really counterattack and enter the Sri Kingdom.

Then there is no doubt that the Kingdom of Hunt will become the rear of the Kingdom of Sri. If it is annexed, the Kingdom of Sri will gain even greater power.

"I sent more than one emissary, but this kingdom refused the alliance—perhaps they didn't realize the severity of the problem."

The Leper King said seriously, "But I am sure that the Sri Kingdom has not yet had the chance to use its military force against them. We must be the first to form an alliance with them. Even if they refuse, we cannot let them side with the Sri Kingdom."

……

"Hey, we're leaving again. We didn't stay in Xingluo City for long."

Lake yawned and put some luggage on the carriage.

Several warriors from the Goethe Kingdom and Princess Marin came to say goodbye, with a hint of apology on their faces.

This time, there were only Lake and Poro as messengers.

The envoys and warriors from countries like Goethe and Shadi need to act as liaisons in Starfall City to communicate with the army led by the Happy Prince.

As for why there were no soldiers following Lake and Poro...

The previous process of crossing the blockade and reaching Starfall City reflected the reason. For Lake and Poro, ordinary soldiers were more like a burden than a help.

What's more, this route almost crosses the Sri Kingdom.

"I hope this war can end soon."

Lake waved goodbye to Princess Marin and the others. The number of people in this "envoy group" was much smaller than before. Some of them died as warriors in the battle with King Sri.

another part……

"Where are the messengers from Oz?"

Lake looked at Princess Marlin and asked.

"them……"

Princess Marlene hesitated for a moment, then said, "I haven't seen them since the day Oz died."

"They left? Where did they go? Didn't they leave any words?"

"No, nothing."

Princess Marlene shrugged. "After all, they are our own people. No one will be watching them. They have taken away all their belongings, including money and horses. There wasn't even any sign of their whereabouts."

When Poro heard this, he suddenly thought of the suitcase that Oz carried, which contained the silver shoes and the magic golden crown.

Didn't you stay?
He is a clever magician, a mere mortal, yet able to be involved in so many things.

Is he really dead?

Poro thought again of the figure that was instantly strangled by King Sri's sword that day - the figure, the smell... There was no doubt that it was the Oz in his memory. Under such an attack, there was absolutely no way he could survive!

But before he decided to die, he didn't reveal anything.

He didn't leave behind the two magical items or arrange for their return, and he didn't even leave behind a farewell letter. Yet, in such a siege war, his magic apprentices were able to leave quietly in a short period of time - these things are definitely not something that ordinary people can achieve!

Oz, where is it? The devil has arrived there, but from where?
Poro recalls the map of the Sri Kingdom.

But in the surrounding areas, no one could imagine a place that could accommodate the magical kingdom called "Oz".

"Forget it. Since we are allies, we will eventually meet each other in the war against the Sri Kingdom, right?"

The carriage left Xingluo City and headed towards the starry barrier not far away.

On both sides, the silver-armored soldiers looked at the carriage frame, their eyes like stars in the sky. Suddenly, a soldier clenched his fingers into a fist and hit his breastplate hard.

Then, the second, the third...

The knocking sounds like waves, and also like offering prayers and battle songs to the heroes who are going to fight again.

"Looks like you're a hero again, Lake."

Poro looked at the girl. Lake's eyes were fixed on the scene of Starfall City outside. Although she was silent, the slightly raised corners of her mouth showed the girl's joy.

"Puro, when we first set out on this journey, did you ever imagine a day like this?"

Lake stroked the Star Killing Sword, and the sword made a clear sound, reflecting some starlight. In Starfall City, the Star Killing Sword seemed to become more active.

"But now I realize that becoming a hero in a story or a novel isn't that easy..."

"Yes, we are not kings, and the devil has not harmed our interests. Why would we agree to their request?"

Poro suddenly smiled and asked.

"Because neither the Leper King nor the Happy Prince were doing it for themselves."

Lake whispered, "Although they hold such high positions, their basic needs are no better than others. They use their abilities to shoulder more responsibilities—I think they are good people."

The closer you get to the starry barrier, the dimmer the magical starry sky becomes.

On the ground, blood and flesh were still mixed in the mud of the sand, emitting an indescribable smell.

"Polo, you said the world we live in is a fairy tale world..."

Lake's face, illuminated by the starlight, radiated a dreamy glow. "In fairy tales, good people are supposed to be helped, aren't they?"

"Yeah, that's it."

Poro was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "In fairy tales, good people should be helped. No matter how powerful the villains are, kindness will always win in the end."

The starry barrier is already within reach, and the starlight that forms the barrier is connected all the way to the sky. In it, nebulae are slowly flowing, and star clusters of all sizes are emitting colorful glow.

"Polo, you said earlier that those stars were the sun and moon that were farther away..."

"It's also possible that it's a world like the one beneath our feet."

"The world beneath our feet? Are there many fairy tales like ours?"

"Yes, maybe there are people living on those stars."

"Will there be wars like this in those worlds?"

"Maybe there is, maybe there isn't."

"Does every Little Red Riding Hood there have her own wolf companion?"

"Haha, maybe there are some, but I think... we are definitely the Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood who have the best relationship!"

As they were talking, the carriage had already crossed the starry barrier.

In a blink of an eye, day changes to night.

The starry sky disappeared, but at the horizon, the scorching sun like a fireball rose into the blue sky, shining brightly.

……

"There's a Sri Lankan outpost on the top of a mountain in the northeast. Be careful."

Following the war zone, using the fastest possible route, we headed to the Kingdom of Hunte on the other side of the Sri Kingdom. This time, we had a more detailed map provided by the Leper King.

However, the Sri Kingdom's blockade of its territory was even tighter.

Therefore, this journey seemed more difficult than the previous journey to Goethe's Kingdom.

"As the Starfall City intelligence said, the Sri Kingdom has given up its disguise."

Lake and Poro have given up on walking along the main road.

Through their outstanding detection capabilities, they chose remote mountain roads. Even so, they passed by many Sri Lankan outposts - the size of the Sri Lankan army was enough to support their outpost network in the country.

Through a gap in the bushes, Poro looked not far away and saw another Sri Lankan outpost.

Behind the outpost, there was a pit filled with corpses.

Judging from their clothing, most of the corpses were from caravans and refugees.

"If we let these demons succeed, will the whole world become like that?"

While passing through the Kingdom of Sri, Poro and Lake saw with their own eyes many checkpoints filled with corpses - there were no passers-by.

Among the corpses, Poro even saw many people dressed in noble attire.

"They killed everyone who wasn't from Sri. It wasn't a country anymore. It was a complete hellhole."

Compared with before, the autonomy of the Sri Lankan defenders was weakened again.

They were like puppets, standing there blankly, waiting to kill everyone who passed by.

There are no human managers...

In other words, the ruling class has all become devilish monsters that act for destruction.

Under such circumstances, the so-called "smuggling convoy" disappeared.

Passing through the forest, in the distance, there is another rice field, which is overgrown with weeds, but no one is harvesting it. The city is quiet, with defenders standing on the city walls, but it looks more like a dead zone.

As time passed, finally, the last Sri city disappeared on the horizon behind.

After passing through a forest, a new city appeared not far away.

The people here seemed more muscular than those elsewhere. Many hunters carrying prey walked through the nearby woods...

No, it’s not just hunters, there are also many people dressed as mercenaries heading towards the Hunt Kingdom.

"Is the Hunt Kingdom expanding its military?"

During his observation, Poro did not sense any strangeness from the Sri Kingdom from these people, which made him feel relieved. "Are they already on guard against Sri's invasion? Perhaps, things will be much easier."

As he was thinking, the carriage drove into the Kingdom of Hunt.

On both sides of the road, many hunters set up stalls and sold their prey.

Hunt Kingdom, the City of Hunters. (End of this chapter)