Cornflower Witch

Chapter 249 Things That Must Be Done

Walking through the mountain forest at night, the dark environment that would be an obstacle for others was not much different from daytime in Hilti's eyes. She could even better hide herself in the darkness and enhance herself with the power of the moonlight.

As she continued along the mountain path, Hiltiya gradually began to hear the sound of wheels coming from inside the mine.

Even at night, work continues here. Outside the mine, there is a camp where Antiy soldiers are stationed. They patrol, inspect the laborers who come out of the mine, confiscate the ore they have dug out, and then give them food and water in exchange.

Those laborers who failed to find any ore could only kneel on the ground and plead desperately, their voices hoarse and their bodies emaciated. But the soldiers showed no mercy, or rather, any soldiers with mercy simply couldn't stay there.

The prolonged pleading and kowtowing made them even weaker, and some of them couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the side.

Seeing this, some miners couldn't bear to watch and shared some of their food and water with them.

Unfortunately, some people, even if they get food, can't swallow it. They've been hungry for too long and are extremely weak. It's too late to feed them at this point.

Upon seeing that someone had died, a soldier came over, kicked the motionless body, and spat in disgust.

"See that?! Get back to work, or this is what will happen to you!"

After saying that, he ordered several miners to move the dead body onto a vehicle, then pushed it to the side of a cliff and dumped it into the darkness.

In this scene, no one shouted or screamed. Most of the miners continued to eat the food they had worked so hard to obtain, their eyes vacant. Even though their mouths were covered in dust, they didn't bother to wipe it off, simply swallowing it along with the black bread.

As night deepened, they huddled together in a corner of the camp, curled up in a ball to sleep, looking like black mud balls, barely recognizable as human.

On the other side, the soldiers on night watch were drinking around a table, talking about which brothels in Jiaoshi City had the most fun women, and what new entertainment they had recently enjoyed.

"However, things have been a bit unsettled lately." As he drank, a soldier put down his glass and changed the subject.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly saying things like that? Hiccup~" The Antian soldier next to him had a flushed face and patted his shoulder. He was still hiccuping and seemed to be quite drunk.

"When I went to the city during the day, I heard that the valley city in the north had been recaptured."

"Isn't this a good thing? Why?"

"It is true that the city was recaptured, but the general who led the expedition, General Noxton, was seriously injured and fell into a coma. More than half of his knights were also killed in action."

"No way, who could possibly hurt General Noxton? Those knights are wearing plate armor, and with their class abilities, they're as hard as rocks. I couldn't even kill them if they were standing there. How could anyone possibly hurt them?"

“That’s right. We used to beat Legas with ease.” He picked up his glass, downed it, exhaled, and then continued.

"They're supposedly members of a cult."

"A cult?" His companion frowned.

"Yes, an unknown cult that is said to be able to control monsters. Many knights were caught off guard, which caused a lot of casualties."

“Anyway, there are cult activities in Regas right now. Our Scorched Stone City is very close to Valley City, so I’m a little worried,” he said, expressing his recent unease.

"Hey, what are you afraid of? The higher-ups will take care of this. We just need to eat well and have fun."

"To be honest, I feel much more comfortable here than in my hometown. I can do whatever I want, just like a lord, it's really great."

"Haha, that's right. The girls back home wouldn't even look at me, but here, I can sleep with several women a day, hehe."

After that, they started discussing various strange fetishes, some saying they liked legs, others saying they liked feet, and so on.

Hiltiya sat on a branch of a large tree outside the camp, watching and listening to the sounds inside. She could clearly hear the soldiers talking, the laborers breathing as they slept, and the faint knocking sounds coming from the mine.

Has the northern city of Valley City been recaptured? I didn't expect Prince Jobs to be defeated so quickly. But judging from the results, the Antirian army also suffered heavy losses. I wonder how things will develop from here on out.

Since Prince Jobs is not dead, there will probably be a few more battles in Regas. She doesn't know anything about Prince Jobs, nor can she guess his situation. Hilti pondered.

After that, Hilti's attention shifted back to the laborers huddled in the corner. She could tell that these people were in very poor condition, and if a few more days passed, many more would probably die.

What should I do, Hilti? Should I just stand by and do nothing? The girl asked herself.

Defeating the soldiers in the camp was easy for her, but the real challenge was yet to come.

There are currently about 100 laborers in the camp outside the mine, and it is estimated that there are still more than 300 people working inside. She has rescued all of them, but how should she settle them?

At their speed, they certainly couldn't run fast. Even if she escaped with these people, the city's garrison would easily catch up, and she would then face an attack from the lord and his army. Even if she won, things wouldn't end there. The surrounding cities ruled by Lord Anti would unite and send people to suppress her. If she continued to resist, it would provoke an even greater backlash.

Thinking of this, the girl shook her head slightly; this choice definitely wouldn't work.

So, how about letting these miners escape in small groups? She wanted to find other ways to distract the pursuers so that she could escape herself.

This would indeed save the current miners, but as long as Lord Somelin is around, he will surely continue to bring people here to mine, and such tragedies will always happen.

Advise that Lord Somelin? Hilti shook her head. It was impossible to even think about it, and besides, she didn't want to negotiate or reach an agreement with this infamous man.

Get rid of this lord? Even if he dies, these soldiers will still make people mine because it will bring in profits.

What should she do? Is killing the only option? But where is the end of the killing? She can't fight the Kingdom of Antioch indefinitely, and if she stops, things will go back to the same old way.

Hiltiya sat on the tree, pondering not only the current situation but also the many possibilities for future development.

At this moment, several more miners emerged from the mine with difficulty, carrying simple bamboo baskets on their backs.

They slowly made their way to the camp, placed the bamboo baskets on their backs in front of the Antian soldiers who were inspecting the goods, and prayed that these would be exchanged for food and water.

"Heh, you guys, coming out so late." The soldier quipped and mocked, then rummaged through the bamboo baskets.

"It'll be alright." He shook his head, slightly bored, and asked his companion to bring some sour black bread and rough earthenware pots to distribute food and water to the miners.

However, perhaps for fun, or perhaps to deliberately tease the miners, he did not give them food directly, but instead tore open pieces of bread and threw them out for them to scramble for.

Watching these former fellow miners go mad over food, fighting and tearing at each other, the Antian soldiers sitting on their stools laughed heartily.

"Look, this is Regas's dog."

During the scramble, many miners were injured. One old man with black hair managed to grab some food and held it in his arms, but a miner on the other side desperately pried open his arms and tore the piece of bread off his arms.

And so, the bread that was originally the size of a palm was torn down to just a small piece. Then the soldiers started throwing out new pieces of bread, and no one paid any attention to him anymore, instead rushing to grab the newly thrown large pieces.

"Haha." The Antian soldiers laughed as they watched this scene, finding a bit more fun in the otherwise boring night.

Only then did the black-haired old man, with trembling hands, put the bread into his mouth, chew, and slowly swallow.

After throwing a few more pieces of bread, a soldier saw the black-haired old man slowly sit up, as if he had remembered something.

"Oh, it's you. I remember you."

"Your name is Van der Hee, right? You used to be a businessman, haha."

“When I inspected your goods, I asked you to share some with the brothers, but you refused. You were as stingy as a devil.”

"What, are you regretting it now? Hahaha."

"If you had known better back then, you wouldn't have ended up like this. Look at some businessmen, they're so smart. They not only prepare money for us in advance, but also thoughtfully offer all sorts of benefits." As he spoke, he crossed his arms, shook his head, and kicked the black-haired old man with his foot, looking at him with a disappointed expression.

"I don't think you're suited to be a businessman. You're better suited to be a miser, looking at your little things, squatting in a corner and crying, hahaha."

Hiltiya slowly stood up from the big tree outside the camp.

Although she still hadn't figured out how to handle the aftermath of this matter, there were some things she had to do.

That was when she was at her weakest and most insecure, having just awakened in this world and having no idea what to do.

Fortunately, she met some very kind people: the village elder who arranged her accommodation, Captain Frien who taught her breathing techniques, Talil who took care of her, and the merchant Van der Hee who helped her buy clothes and arranged accommodation for her in the unfamiliar city.

When recalling the past, Hilti often feels fortunate that she was well taken care of and did not encounter anything terrible. Since she has met Van der Hee again today, it must be a matter of cause and effect.

Numerous grass seeds appeared in her hand, then she gently blew them away, scattering them into the night breeze.

Hiltiya lightly pressed the scabbard with one hand, and the pale gold blade was slowly drawn out, held in her fair fingers, and hung down along her sleeve.

She walked toward the camp in the firelight, gradually increasing her pace, the blade slicing through the grass, leaving behind silky, shredded leaves, until finally, the blade flipped between her fingers, reflecting the camp's brazier and emitting a fleeting, bright light.

(End of this chapter)