Cornflower Witch

Chapter 250 Escape
Inside the camp outside the mine, several braziers crackled and burned. Nearly thirty Antige soldiers were stationed there, most of them sleeping and resting, while the remaining ten or so sat there on night watch.

Some of them were drinking and eating, while others were lecturing the newly arrived miners.

At this moment, an unfamiliar figure walked into the camp. His gray robes fluttered slowly in the firelight, and although his steps seemed slow, he walked directly into the center of the camp.

"Stop," Hilti said, giving these soldiers their last chance.

"What you're doing has gone beyond what's normal." Her voice carried through the night, not loud, but exceptionally clear.

Upon seeing a stranger suddenly appear, the soldiers present were filled with surprise and doubt. They all stood up, some drawing their swords and knives, while others picked up their bows and crossbows and aimed them at the girl.

A pale golden arc of blade flashed, slicing through the arrows, and the attacking spears and swords were easily cut down by the girl as she moved swiftly.

Within moments, the soldiers lost their weapons and failed to catch even a glimpse of the girl's clothes. Sometimes, they seemed to be right in front of her, but when they swung their swords, the girl always missed by a hair's breadth.

After temporarily disarming them, Hilti took out a smoky-colored potion from her sleeve, dripped it into her eyes inside her hood, and slowly closed her eyes for a moment.

Then, she raised her gaze, and her once clear, light blue eyes, hidden beneath her hood, were now shrouded in mist. Anyone who was looked at by those eyes was as if falling into a whirlpool, their eyes, mind, and will all being drawn into it, unable to extricate themselves.

'Phantom Eye' enhances one's illusionary abilities and can be used to hypnotize enemies.

A few breaths later, the soldiers slowly collapsed to the ground, falling into a deep sleep. They would forget everything that had happened that night, as if they had been in a dream from which they could not wake up.

As for the soldiers still resting in the room, some of them heard the sound and, when they saw those hazy, misty eyes, their gazes were also drawn into the vortex of illusion, and they slowly collapsed.

After easily dealing with the soldiers in the camp, Hilti turned around and walked towards the miners. With a swift movement of her blade, she easily severed their chains and shackles, and even broke open some of the closed iron cages.

At this moment, some miners ran out in surprise, but seeing the soldiers still sleeping all over the ground, they dared not shout. They could only nod and weep, and some even knelt down and kowtowed to the girl.

Hiltia shook her head slightly and told them to get up.

She sheathed her knife, then rolled up her sleeves, revealing a hazy, circular autumn scene in her hands, before setting down boxes of food.

"Eat something first, there's still some in the tank over there."

"Thank you," the few who could still speak replied softly, then quickly and eagerly opened the box, pulled out the dry food biscuits, and took big bites.

Then, Hilti walked over to the unconscious black-haired old man. She looked at him and only then could she barely recognize Vanderxi's appearance.

This is understandable, since the businessman used to be overweight and had a round face, unlike his current slender figure.

"This is quite a change," Hilti thought for a moment, then took out a healing potion from her bosom and poured it into the other person's mouth. She then fed him some 'Clear Spring Water' to cleanse the sexual erosion in his body.

Van der Hee slowly woke up, still somewhat dazed and unaware of what was happening.

Seeing this, a miner nearby quickly came over and helped him up, telling him, "You were just saved by this sir. Now the Antigey soldiers are all asleep and can't help us."

"Get up quickly and eat something." Although he didn't know why the girl was here, he guessed that her appearance was related to the businessman, seeing her walk straight towards Van der Hee.

"Thank...thank you." Van der Hee struggled to sit up and, with the miner's help, picked up a dry biscuit and ate it.

During this time, Hilti looked around and beckoned to several miners who seemed to be in good condition to come over.

"You few, take the food and go into the mine to distribute it to the people underground. Tell them to come out quickly, because we need to leave before dawn."

Hearing this, the group was extremely excited, realizing that this important person was going to take them away.

"No problem, we must inform everyone. Please wait here, sir." They picked up the extra food on the ground and ran into the mine at the back.

Afterwards, when Hiltiah saw that there wasn't enough water, she had them fetch water from the well next to the camp and pour it into the vat. She then used her power to transform the ordinary well water into a special spring with purifying abilities.

About three hours later, the laborers in the mine were called out one after another. They crowded into the camp, eating, some drinking water desperately, and some even trying to pick up broken weapons from the ground and slit the throats of the sleeping Antian soldiers.

"Don't kill anyone yet," Hiltiya stopped them.

"They would be more useful if they were alive."

Upon hearing her order, those present had no choice but to hold back, after all, this young woman's methods were mysterious and unpredictable, and she was also their savior.

Around four in the morning, Hiltiya saw that everyone had largely recovered their strength and condition, and nodded slightly.

“Now follow me. If anyone has difficulty moving around, someone can take turns carrying them. I don’t want anyone to fall behind.”

"Yes." Although the requirements were strict, those present breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her command. Some of the weak and inconvenient miners were carried by their companions and then left the camp, following the girl into the night.

After they left, the weeds around the camp began to grow rapidly, and some rough vines intertwined among the grass, growing thicker and blocking the mountain path.

Even if someone notices something is wrong, it will take a lot of time to find out what's going on and catch up.

……

After a day of arduous travel, Hiltija finally brought these people to the temporary settlement she had previously set up.

I never imagined that just a few days ago there were only 31 people, and now it's going to become more than 400.

Upon arriving at the settlement, they reunited with the others who had escaped earlier, and now they finally knew who had saved them.

"Thank you, Miss Siltiia."

"It's thanks to Lady Siltia," a companion corrected.

"Yes, yes, I was wrong, Lady Siltia." Some of them quickly corrected themselves.

Although this girl looks to be only about 17 years old, she is, after all, their savior and is so powerful. No amount of respect is too much for her.

Having experienced the darkness and despair of life in the mines, where they could only numbly await death, they found even the most ordinary well water incredibly sweet and the simplest bread crumbs tasted like delicacies once they emerged.

That's great! Finally, finally, we're out of that place.

Some people even felt like they were dreaming, fearing it was a hallucination before they died, so they sat in a corner and cried.

Others hugged people they knew, sobbing and shouting, hitting each other, as if only this pain could tell them that everything before them was real.

Hilti sighed softly, lamenting the cruelty of war and death, how it distorted and destroyed the lives of so many.

In this settlement, she no longer needed to conceal her face. She simply took off her hood, revealing her smooth, long hair. A few strands fluttered in the night breeze, while some draped over her chest, showing off the girl's charming yet slightly immature curves.

At night, after everyone finished eating around the campfire, they sat together. Although many of them did not know each other before, they had developed an indescribable bond after experiencing this great disaster.

"After this, is there anywhere you want to go?" Hiltiya asked the escaped miners, sitting on a wooden chair.

"Because when I saved you, I used some illusionary abilities, so they probably thought you encountered unknown monsters in the mountains, rather than that you ran away on your own."

"So, as long as you don't go back, that lord will probably think you've all died out there."

Hearing this, the people present felt a little regretful, but even if Hilti hadn't said anything, they didn't want to go back to that city with such painful memories.

Some said they wanted to go to distant relatives' homes, some said they wanted to go to other countries, but most were confused and helpless. They had no one to rely on and were unfamiliar with the outside world.

“We don’t know where to go, we’ll leave it all to Lady Hiltiya.” One of the more knowledgeable middle-aged men stood up and bowed to ask for instructions.

"Don't you know..." Hilti lowered her head and thought for a moment, a strand of hair brushing against her slightly childish cheek.

“If we stay in Antioch, we’ll be discovered sooner or later, and it won’t be safe.” She had a premonition that there would be more fighting in Regas.

“I can recommend a place where you can escape the wars between nations, but it will also be very dangerous.” She thought of the ordinary people living in the woods.

"However, I need to communicate with you beforehand, so you will still have to stay here for the next few months and cannot go out freely."

"I'll wait to understand."

Hearing that Hilti could arrange their destination, many people felt relieved. Those who had originally planned to seek refuge with relatives also began to change their minds. After all, most of their relatives were just ordinary people, and the help they could provide was actually very limited.

With their future plans settled, these people felt relieved and gradually calmed down.

Over the next two days, Hilti led them to expand many huts and dig several cellars in the valley where the settlement was located to store food crops.

Although it is still relatively simple, compared to their previous life in the mine, life here is better than they ever dreamed of.

As these people gradually settled down, they not only needed to recuperate, but also to alleviate the psychological trauma they had suffered during this period.

(End of this chapter)