At the foot of the Lokidaran Mountains, a village near the border of the dwarven kingdom.
Naitila, a caravan guard who was tired of walking in the wilderness, chose this village to settle down as a farmer more than ten years ago.
The owner of the caravan vouched for him, so he successfully obtained the permission of the lord here.
He was very strong and could turn a large forest into fields by himself. He was also quite brave and would often go into the mountains and carry some wild animals back alone.
This also allowed him to successfully win the favor of the small lord and was appointed as one of the guards of this village.
Not only do I pay less taxes every year, but I also get a meager salary.
He spoke very little and hardly talked to others, but he never hesitated to lend a helping hand to others.
He drives away the wild beasts that destroy the wheat fields and teaches the troublesome ruffians a lesson. Even when the pig herder from the neighboring village comes to ask him to go into the woods with him to look for the lost piglets, he will not refuse.
So there is a dot in front of his name.
Silent and kind-hearted Naitila.
People in the village called him that.
This title lasted for ten years, and Naitila had a lot of savings, so a fisherman married his daughter to him.
Although he is already in his forties, he is still as strong as a young man in his early twenties.
So soon he had a child.
It's just that he has bad luck.
When the child was three years old, the fisherman's daughter died from a snake bite while going into the mountain woods to collect firewood.
This kind of thing is not new.
Several people living in this village near the mountains have experienced the same misfortune.
Poor and kind-hearted Neytira.
The people in the village changed their name to him.
But Naitila was still as strong as a stone. She never went to the tavern to drink away her sorrows at night, nor did she curse the injustice of God. Instead, she raised her children peacefully.
A strong and kind-hearted, pitiful and peaceful person.
This is the impression everyone in the village has on him.
Only the dead fisherman's daughter knew that he seemed to be worried about something. Before going to bed every night, he would make sure that the iron sword under the wooden bed was still there.
Did he have enemies in the past?
Or do you owe someone a lot of money elsewhere?
the fisherman's daughter once asked.
But Naitila always remained silent, leaving the fisherman's daughter unaware of the reason until her death.
But, some things will come eventually.
After finishing her day's work and putting her child to sleep, Naitila habitually touched the iron sword that could be drawn out at any time before feeling sleepy.
However, before he fell asleep, he heard the faint sound of horse hooves, and then there was a knock on the wooden door of his house.
"Who's out there?"
He slowly drew out the iron sword, jumped out of bed, looked at the wooden door and asked in a low voice.
No one answered, but the knocking became louder.
"Who's out there!"
His voice also became louder.
There was silence outside the door, and soon there was a sound of knocking on the door.
In the poor village, every house had simple wooden doors, so soon he saw a young man with bright red hair standing at the door.
"Who are you?"
Naitila, who was holding the iron sword, leaned down slightly and made an attack posture.
Under the red light of the blood moon, Chris was also looking at the man in front of him carefully. He felt that the messy hair of this man who was over fifty years old was very similar to the withered grass next to his mother's tomb.
Dry and white, withered grass that died in early winter.
Chris slowly pulled out the long knife and dragged it diagonally on the ground with one hand, his voice was hoarse.
"Almost thirty years ago, you were a mercenary in the Middle-earth Plains. You and your partners were hired to attack a group of Vulcan warriors. In order to escape revenge, you went to the Great Wasteland to become a caravan guard.
Later, you learned that your former partners died one after another, so you came here to be a farmer. I am Chris, and there was a young woman with bright red hair in the team you attacked. That was my mother.
"
Naitila's pupils suddenly shrank.
Ever since he learned that his former partners had died inexplicably one after another, the thing he had been worried about had come to pass.
Originally, he, who had been hiding for many years and had grown old, thought that he was lucky enough to escape revenge and have a completely different ending than his former companions.
"Ah!"
He roared low, and the iron sword in his hand suddenly stabbed Chris, taking the lead in launching the attack.
Chris's movements were not slow either. He leaned back slightly and placed his other hand on the handle of the knife. He used both hands to lift the long knife from the ground and cut it towards Naitila's waist and ribs.
If the opponent did not sheath his sword to block, Chris, who had the advantage of the length of the weapon, would make Naitira's liver and intestines bleed all over the place before the sword tip pierced his chest.
"clang!"
The sparks flying as the swords collided flickered in the dim room, marking the beginning of a life-and-death fight.
There's just no suspense in the battle.
After more than ten years of working as a farmer, Naitila's swordsmanship has become very rusty. With all his thoughts focused on taking care of his children, Naitila has lost the ferocity of licking blood with the blade of the knife. So, soon, his abdomen
A huge wound was opened, and the intestines could be seen faintly in the blood pouring out.
He fell to the ground, his eyes still open.
The face that gradually turned black and blue showed emotions such as reluctance, regret, and panic, and seemed to have a hint of relief.
Grandma, I can finally do something for you.
Chris also felt a ray of relief in his heart, watching the blood spread to the soles of his shoes.
For the first time in my life, I felt that the color of blood was so alluring.
At this time, the middle-aged man who was fighting outside came in, walked slowly past Chris, cut off Naitila's head and put it into a black cloth bag.
Although it was many years late, he still wanted to bring the fifteenth head back to Edin City.
"Thanks."
Chris thanked him very sincerely, and just as he was about to leave, he heard a strange noise.
Gudong...
The sound of small objects falling came from a corner.
Looking around, there was a small wooden horse trembling on the ground, and a large wooden barrel was also shaking slightly next to it.
Walking lightly, Chris used a knife dripping with blood to push aside the obstacle.
But they found a little boy, about four or five years old, huddled behind a barrel and shivering. There were two traces of tears on his face, and his big eyes were full of fear. The reason why he didn't cry was because he had a ball stuffed in his mouth.
Cloth.
It should have been Netirase's, when Chris kicked the door rudely.
"Let's go."
Chris turned around and walked out, speaking softly.
But the middle-aged man didn't move and held Chris' shoulder with one hand.
"He is just a child and doesn't understand anything."
Chris argued.
But the middle-aged man remained unmoved and said in a very cold tone, "You will be who you are tomorrow."
"I'm not afraid."
After hesitating for a moment, Chris freed himself of the hand on his shoulder, strode out of the house, mounted his horse and headed towards the border of the dwarf country.
Two days later, the middle-aged man appeared in Archbishop Raphael's study.
James and his father Lange are also there.
After briefly narrating the incident, the middle-aged man left the words "I have given that child to the priest for adoption" and left with his stinking head, leaving the study room in silence.
"Oh, this kid is still too kind."
After a while, Archbishop Raphael sighed with emotion, "He is indeed not suitable to stay in the south, because he does not understand the rules of the power game at all."
"As you said, Father."
Lange had no feelings and was just stating the facts, "Little Chris is indeed very kind, but this is a good thing for our family." After saying that, without waiting for Raphael to react, he turned to James and told him.
He said, "Don't imitate him. Kindness is a good virtue, but for you, it is poison."