Chris's Faith of Fire

Firmina in front of her gently pulled the reins, and we, a group of 3 and 6 riders, embarked on the journey.

I don’t know what difficulties and obstacles I will encounter along the way, and I may unfortunately lose my life, but it is worth fighting for.

The crisp sound of horseshoes trampling on the stone road lasted not long before we left the town far behind, and the mountains in front of us became more and more prominent.

"Legend has it that this mountain is the scar of this windy land."

We are not traveling very fast. There is no need to gallop at full speed now. Horses also need strength and rest. Although most of the members are girls and everyone is very light, we still need to think more carefully.

During this process, Ryder seemed to be aware of the awkward atmosphere between Alyssa and I. After all, the three of us were originally a team, so he never thought that I would get into trouble with them.

So he began to tell stories he knew, probably to ease our atmosphere.

"Legend has it that the battle between the God of War and the God of Illusion caused the uplift of this mountain range."

"Are these two people again? How many troublesome things have they done..."

There are many legends about the God of War, but there are even more legends about the God of Illusion, and the two of them often appear at the same time, causing a lot of trouble for the people on the surface.

"Who knows, the God of War's power lies in his strength, while the power of the Phantom God lies in his skills. His combined use of magic and swordsmanship has reached perfection. No one in this world can make him bleed, not even the God of War. But so is the God of War. He has been washed with dragon blood and has turned into steel and iron bones. Even when soaked in magma, he feels like he is in warm water. People in the empire have worshiped these two most powerful gods in combat and have lived for thousands of years. Power is very important to them. For the people of the Empire, this is their only pursuit.”

Judging from the male warrior's tone, he didn't seem to agree with such a pursuit, but awe could be felt in his voice, and his usually cynical smile became serious.

I remembered what Veda once said to me.

"A very strong person once told me that strength is freedom, and the strong can choose more."

"Of course, this sentence is correct, but there are many kinds of power, and being able to make a loaf of bread that attracts 1000 people to buy it is also powerful."

"Maybe, but we don't have that option."

Ryder nodded at my answer.

"May all your wishes come true."

The deviation of my gaze means the end of this topic. We have almost reached the foot of the mountain, and now it seems that we don't have so much time to chat anymore.

At this time, I felt the sound of horse hooves gradually starting to sound. It was not our horses, but the sound coming from farther away.

I quickly pulled up my hood, trying to hide my silver hair in time.

"Ryder, go see who it is."

"Okay, princess and Fami retreat first. The sound of horse hooves is very heavy, and it feels like the other party is also heavily armed."

After saying that, Ryder drove his horse and looked in the direction where the sound of horse hooves came from. A group of people walked out of the forest in the distance, completely opposite to our direction. It seemed that they were going to the town.

Fami clenched the sword in his hand. He seemed to notice something, but he didn't say much. He just pulled up the hood of the cloak like me, not forgetting to put it on Alyssa too.

The visitors also noticed us. They were led by a middle-aged knight. I don’t know if I have seen it before, but when I saw the symbol of the sword wrapped in the wind, I remembered that this was the Anatolian security regiment.

It seemed that the visitor was unkind, so he cast his gaze behind the leading knight. There were about ten people, most of them wearing light armor with the same guard regiment logo, but there were also two or three people wearing leather armor and carrying battle axes and crossbows. , the first impression is that of mercenaries.But I soon realized that they were probably thieves. The small bags around their waists could often hold poison and throwing knives, and their clothing styles were also closer.

Could it be that the security regiment and the thieves organization have united?

What happened in Anatolia? Did Akagi become a guard corps because of his lack of strength?

Everything was unknown, and my heart began to beat violently. I watched Ryder smiling and chatting with the knight in front of me.

"Are you adventurer mercenaries?" The man began to ask, without any respect in his tone, which also seemed to tell us that we had to answer.

"Yes, sir, we are planning to go to Grand Harbor in the west."

Ryder shrugged and replied, without a moment's hesitation in his answer, but the leading knight was also quite troublesome. He looked around us, looking at me from the hood to the head to the feet.

"It seems like your team is all female. You must be a human trafficker."

"Haha, you are kidding me, sir. We all have mercenary certificates. Firmina, show him yours too."

Ryder didn't look nervous at all. Did he really know the identities of these people?Fermina took out her oval-shaped mercenary iron plate, and the leading knight gave it back to the knight after looking at it twice. He looked around us, and finally shifted his gaze.

"You dare to go west at this time, risking your life?"

"There is no other way. Grand Harbor is connected to the Southern Continent. Without the protection of the empire, it will be useless for us to hide wherever we go."

"A bunch of weaklings, do you dare to call yourself a citizen of Gilkern, the Wind?"

"Sorry, Lord Knight, we are just a group of mercenaries."

"Ah, I understand, get out of here."

"Yes, my lord."

He breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Ryder, who didn't make any move until the knight walked away.

A group of us headed to Hengyan Mountain.

After walking for about a while, Alyssa and Fami told everyone that they knew the knight just now.

"That's the leader of the Anatolia Guard Corps, a notorious bastard."

Listening to Fami's brief introduction to Ryder, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.

"It's like he has his bastard written all over his face. I rarely see knights with sharp mouths and monkey cheeks."

"He... was not a knight originally. He probably got promoted by betraying our information." Alyssa seemed to know that person quite well. After all, she was originally a member of the security regiment and was originally from Anatolia. Except for Fami, the security group was almost a ragtag group, but those thieves had sharp eyesight. It seemed that this matter would not be ignored.

"They will probably go to town later to ask for our information." I told Ryder the situation.

"The Holy Sword was taken from those people?"

"Yes, those people are despicable and there are many of them. We'd better take precautions."

"It's okay, Chris... I can solve it by myself." Fami was still very confident.

"That may be true, but not everyone here is as good at fighting as you, so we should be more cautious. Ryder, change the previous route, let's take a detour."

"Are you sure, princess?"

"Yes, please do your best. If there is no other way, we can only prepare to fight."

"I understand, but I think even so I still need to be prepared to fight monsters."

"Monsters are much cuter than people."

"Haha, yes."

Ending the conversation with laughter, we sped up to the mountain, looking for a more secluded path.

Fami found a cave, and there were no signs of anyone living in it. He thought there might be a bear, but he didn't seem to find it either.

We camped here today.

Ryder put down the big package and began to organize the necessities, and with the help of Gillian, he set up the magic barrier.

The remaining companions and I began to discuss tactics, and Fami was responsible for finding firewood and leaving temporarily.

"Didn't expect this to happen."

"They really know how to choose the right time. The leader is not a strong man, but he is cunning and has a good way of plotting."

Alyssa frowned, as if just talking about this person had caused her disgust.

"It's only a matter of time before they come to this mountain to look for us. We were really lucky just now."

I thought back to the scene just now. It was probably Ryder's handling that was right. They didn't doubt the three of us too much.

"It seems that the Holy Sword is indeed accompanied by battles. What do they want to take away this sword?"

"Probably relying on the value of the holy sword and the alliance of beasts to gain the support of King Gilkern."

"Political things just sound like a headache." The orc girl shook her head. In the past few days, I found that she was much simpler.

"I would like to be able to travel at night if possible."

"It's too dangerous. I suggest we start taking action early in the morning."

"Yes."

Firmina's role now is similar to that of my consultant. Everything she says seems to be well thought out and makes me feel reliable.

"And now I have something to care about."

"Ok?"

After speaking, she shook her head again.

"It's nothing. I still need to confirm this matter before I can say anything. I'll take this time to help Fami."

"Well, thank you for your hard work."

The orc girl stood up and walked away.

Chapter 144 144. Jealousy in love——6

Firmina retrieved Ryder and Gillian. Gillian seemed exhausted after setting up the exorcism magic. It turns out that this magic cannot be used when traveling alone. It may be able to drive away monsters, but it cannot drive away people's hearts. ah.

Ryder skillfully rubbed the flint, and sparks fell on the branches and thatch. When the fire began to smoke, he began to blow on the flames, and gradually the open flame ignited. It seemed that the mercenary was very skilled at this.

There was a dark wind in the cave from time to time, but it was much better than the cold wind outside. Ryder turned his back to the fire to block the wind, and then took out the raw meat from our luggage.

"It won't be edible after two days, but it's just right for the first day's dinner." He and Fami put the meat on skewers, and the two men's movements gradually became tacit, and it seemed that they were gradually Adapted to life in the team.

Fami, do you really care about me as much as you say?

I shook my head, trying to drive this thought out of my mind. I could no longer focus on Fami like a little girl. What I was facing was a real crisis and challenge. According to Momonga's words , I should be the king.After his death this statement slowly became clear to me, and I realized my responsibility.

"Eat, princess."

Ryder handed over a skewer of roast meat that had been grilled and sprinkled with salt. I smelled the aroma of the meat and handed it to Firmina.

"You eat first, I don't have much appetite right now."

"Even if you have no appetite, you have to force yourself to eat. If you don't have the physical strength, you can't do anything."

Firmina returned the meat skewers to me again and took a bite. It was not as delicious as expected. Although the meat was sprinkled with salt, it had almost no taste. Even so, I knew that I couldn't act coquettishly and bite off the meat at this time. , Ryder thoughtfully cut the meat into small pieces and skewered them together, which I could swallow even if my mouth is small.

The others also ate meat, but Jillian was still lying aside in discomfort, as if she had really consumed a lot of mana.

"Do you know a joke?" Ryder bit into his own skewer of meat. He didn't seem to like adding salt. Maybe it was because the mercenaries had been accustomed to no seasoning for many years. "The wizard's mana is only enough to place four exorcism charms, but the little girl wizard placed one more because she was curious about the range of this thing, haha."

It's not funny at all, but he also knows what happened from his mouth, so Jillian looks so weak.

"Can you use my Mana? Let me do the exorcism next time."

Ryder's eyes turned to me, "Well, next time, princess... Gillian will have to correct the position of one of them after dinner."

"She looks very tired, is it okay?" Alyssa, who had been silent, expressed concern about the wizard girl's condition. Gillian shook her head, "No, it doesn't matter. The next work does not require much physical strength, and it is already done." , the mana that has been poured into me can only be removed by me."

"Don't worry, I can protect her."

Ryder seemed very reliable when he said this, completely different from a certain vampire boy.

Everyone finished eating the meat skewers, sucked the last drop of vegetable soup on the plate, and washed the soup pot with stream water. This is the birthplace of Fengxi River. The water in the heart of the river is clear and cold.

The autumn night was very cold. When we returned to the cave, everyone had already taken out the blankets and cushions we had prepared. Firmina held me in her arms. She had been too close to me recently, but she didn’t find it annoying. , maybe the loyalty of the orcs can be believed, but it's a pity that she is also a girl.

"Chris, if you feel cold, I can give you my blanket."

Following the boy's voice, I glanced at him. He seemed to be sleepy, but he still said such words as if he was brave.

"No, give it to your Alyssa..."

"Ok?"

He didn't seem to hear clearly.

"I mean give it to Alyssa next to you. Firmina's body is very warm..."

"Huhu, as long as you are satisfied, princess~" the orc girl said with a smile.

"If that's the case, then..."

"Good night."

I said mercilessly, and tiredness began to creep up. I thought the hotel in the town was bad enough, but I didn't expect it to be much worse here. The room I once lived in was warm and comfortable, with silk wrapped in velvet. Pillows, soft mattresses, and quilts are tightly packed in the winter, bringing in the breath of the sun every day, but in the summer they are replaced by a light and cool gauze.

I used to take all this for granted, but now life has taught me not to be so willful.

Maybe I am too tired after not traveling for a long time. It takes several days to cross Hengyan Mountain. Remember, it takes three days to walk down from the top of the mountain.Just follow the direction of the stream. Although there are many monsters, there is no need to be afraid of getting lost. With the strength of Fami and Ryder, they can easily deal with it. I have a group of trustworthy companions.

"Then, let's finish the final work." Ryder said softly, as if he didn't want to wake everyone up.

Although Jillian, who was pulled by him, was a little reluctant, she still kept up with the warrior's pace.

With them around, I can feel at ease. With this thought, my eyelids become heavier and heavier, and I gradually fall into sleep.