Creak, creak, creak—
The carriage traveled along the mountain path. Nidhogg lifted the curtain and looked out into the distance, seeing familiar cliffs and valleys looming in the clouds and mist.
"Almost there." He leaned back in his seat and said with a smile, "From this road, that's the Village of Irog I mentioned earlier. But we're not stopping there. We're going straight to the Spirit Tree Pavilion."
Judeau, recovered from his wounds, smiled and said, "Over a hundred of us appearing near the village would be too conspicuous a target. It's better to just pass through as we've done for the past month and a half, disguised as a caravan."
At this moment, the drivers up front had been replaced by Pippin and Guts. Pippin rarely sat in the carriage; he was too large.
"Too bad," Corkus said, picking his ear. He glanced at the young woman nearby and added strangely, "I heard there's a monastery in the Village of Irog. I was thinking of listening to the Holy See's teachings again."
Farnese, sitting at the very back of the carriage, of course understood Corkus's mockery. But she remained silent, not wanting to provoke this cautious man.
After a month and a half of travel as a prisoner, she was finally no longer tied up with ropes or gagged.
Having realized there was no hope of rescue anytime soon, her greatest need now was to secure a certain degree of freedom and dignity.
After Nidhogg had captured her that day, Farnese had been in the carriage, going through a period of adjustment—from noisy and hysterical, to quietly and lifelessly crying in the back, to now reading scriptures.
She had clearly revealed her noble identity, and the young man named Judeau had also recognized the four-leaf clover crest on her armor, which came from the wealthy Vandimion family.
Throughout the entire Holy See's religious circle, who didn't know the Vandimion family?
You see, her father, Federigo, the current head of the Vandimion family, possessed unimaginable wealth. Even the Pope, the Tudor Empire, and other religious nations needed the support of his Vandimion Bank.
Her eldest brother, Zulchio, was considered the next generation of the Vandimion family. He was currently the chief financial manager of the Holy See's accounting office, a partner in the Vandimion Bank, and his father's right-hand man.
Her second brother, Polidiaro, had been considered the strongest candidate for the next Pope. He was the Grand Governor of the Papal Palace, a cardinal, and very influential.
Her third brother, Manifico, was far inferior to the first two, but he was also the president of the Vatimio Bank's branch in Vraks and conducted significant business in the north.
However, the group of people in the carriage seemed to be a bunch of outlaws who didn't care about her family background and weren't afraid of retaliation from her father and brothers. This gave her only hope.
The group didn't even want a high ransom and weren't afraid of reprisals from the entire Holy See. So what could she do?
Realizing that she was temporarily unsaved and that they didn't want to let her go, Farnese began reading scriptures to calm herself and to show the demeanor of a follower of the Holy See.
Thus, even though Farnese recited them only three times a day, Corkus still felt his ears were growing calluses. One day, he decided to gag the believer again.
But Casca saw that she was pitiful, and she was also a woman, and was pregnant, so she persuaded Corkus, allowing Farnese to continue reading scriptures.
Farnese could also be considered to have returned the favor. When she read the scriptures, she blessed the child of Guts and Casca.
Of course, there was another reason Farnese recited the scriptures.
She always felt that there was something unclean in the carriage. From time to time, she would pinch her ears and scratch her cheeks, which scared her half to death, while the others laughed endlessly.
The people in the carriage would occasionally talk to the air, as if there really was something there.
At night, the situation only worsened.
They would park the carriage by the roadside, everyone would get out, Casca and Farnese would be escorted in the middle, and the others would either hold weapons or torches, inexplicably waving them in the darkness.
This kind of collective madness, resembling a cult, truly creeped Farnese out. At such moments, she could only close her eyes and silently recite scriptures to exorcise herself, hoping God would bless her.
Unfortunately, no matter how much she recited the scriptures, this happened every day during the month and a half of travel.
Just as Farnese was almost getting used to it, it seemed a certain vision had appeared.
She feared it was all thanks to this group of cultists who were always saying crazy, rebellious words that contradicted the teachings of the Holy See. But she couldn't close her ears.
Words like "fairies," "magic," "witches," "evil spirits," "elves," and "astral worlds"—words she had never heard before, clearly made up by cultists—came out of their mouths.
The more Farnese heard, the more she seemed contaminated by the cultists' teachings, and gradually she understood.
At first, Farnese only saw afterimages flying in the carriage and heard sounds like mosquitoes. She dimly saw sinister faces floating at night.
After that, Farnese gradually came to see the goblin named "Puck," who began to play tricks and scare her.
Farnese was very reluctant to admit Puck's existence, but his image, face, and voice became clearer and clearer. Later, even if Farnese pretended not to notice, she couldn't ignore his existence.
Finally, at the end of this month-and-a-half journey, Farnese was able to clearly see what they called "specters" at night and what they fought every night.
The appearance of these vengeful spirits was indeed evil enough. Farnese understood at first glance that these vengeful spirits were not good things at all.
However, these terrible specters couldn't last long against this group of warriors.
Especially Nidhogg, who had captured her, and Guts, carrying his greatsword. They were like two walls. No evil spirit could penetrate their defensive net.
Such battles would last all night. When dawn came, everyone would get back in the carriage and continue moving forward. The few who contributed the most would take this opportunity to catch up on sleep.
Though she had seen and heard with her own eyes, Farnese was still reluctant to admit the existence of these things. She just continued reading scriptures.
It wasn't that she hadn't tried to escape, but each time she was easily caught back. As the number of attempts increased, she grew numb and stopped running.
The teachings of the Holy See told her that if she continued to endure, one day these evil and terrible things would disappear like illusions. She believed this would happen.
Better to forget about escaping alone.
Serpico and Azan would surely report her capture to the Vandimion family. The family would always find a way.
Thus, Farnese recited the scriptures and comforted herself, spending the strangest month and a half of her life.
When the news of Casca's pregnancy spread among the front and rear teams, everyone celebrated and congratulated Guts and Casca.
Since then, Casca had been treated like a porcelain doll. Everyone protected her so carefully that she herself could neither laugh nor cry at this overly protective state.
Casca's strength was not low. Where did she need such protection?
Of course, this overly caring mentality not only symbolized everyone's love for Casca but also nurtured and nourished a new life and new hope.
After all, the hundred-strong remnants of their Hawk Company had not yet found a new direction for the future.
When they arrived at the dense forest, the two teams reunited in one place. The skeleton knight was the first to enter the forest, go into the Spirit Tree Pavilion, and greet Flora.
Nidhogg looked at this familiar forest, then again at the hundred-odd mercenaries following him, as well as the few pillars of the Hawk Company. He understood that he had essentially completed his escort mission. It was time to think about this.
The survivors of the Hawk Company would most likely stay near the Spirit Tree Pavilion for a while. But Nidhogg would not stay. He would begin a new journey.
He knew too well that the battle with the God Hand, the law of causality, and the Apostles was far from over. The next causality was already flowing.
This time, the cause had been the sacrificial rebirth of Femto, the "Dark Wings."
The next fruit would be the incarnation of Griffith, the "Holy Eagle."
In less than two years, when Griffith, the "Holy Eagle," returned to this world, he would also make all the Apostles of the world and the believers within the Holy See's circle submit to him. He would also take the initiative to point at the Spirit Tree Pavilion.
At that time, the whole world would be in turmoil.
Those who couldn't escape, no matter where they hid, even on the Island of Fairies, couldn't avoid this storm.
For such matters, which would sooner or later have to be faced, Nidhogg's constant principle was to prepare in advance.
To save as many people as possible during the Eclipse, Nidhogg had also set out on a new journey. This time, it was to protect the residents of the Spirit Tree Pavilion and the Hawk Company in this brutal chaos.
At this moment, Nidhogg saw Guts carefully helping Casca down from the carriage and walking this way, afraid she might break.
In truth, Casca wasn't very noticeable yet, but her belly was slightly convex. Guts, becoming a father for the first time, was too excited, cautious, and didn't want any accidents to happen.
They approached Nidhogg and hesitated.
Nidhogg wasn't in a hurry. He waited for them to speak.
"We..." Guts looked at Casca and scratched his head a little sheepishly. "We plan to have a wedding after we settle down. This ceremony can't wait until after the child is born."
Casca blushed and gently patted Guts's arm.
"Congratulations." Nidhogg laughed heartily. Compared to another timeline, they were both much better off now. "Then I'll wait to come to your wedding."
Guts and Casca both smiled.
Then Guts nodded and gestured for Nidhogg to look at Farnese, who was a little dazed nearby.
"What are you going to do with her? Lock her up or let her go?"
Nidhogg thought for a moment and said, "Let her live with you. Don't mistreat her or imprison her. Give her freedom and space to move around, and see what happens..."
"You can't just let everything go. We let the Holy Iron Chain Knights go the first time, and who let her lead them to chase us a second time? This is the price. For us, of course, it can be considered fate."
Guts nodded thoughtfully.
Casca became more sensitive and asked, "'Let her live with us'? Are you ready to leave?"
"After your wedding, I'll leave." Nidhogg said. "You should know that this is not the end. I have to set out on a new journey and prepare fully."
Guts and Casca both looked serious when they heard this.
Since the moment of the Eclipse, the name "Griffith" had become taboo for the survivors of the Hawk Company. It was mentioned less and less, but that didn't mean everyone had forgotten his existence.
"Will he return?" Guts asked.
"In fact, they could be everywhere." Nidhogg said. "It's just that they are too powerful. They need certain conditions and a certain timeframe to come into this world."
"But regardless, with Femto's obsession and the needs of the God, he will surely return."
Guts and Casca both frowned.
"I should have gone with you," Guts broke the silence again. "It's just that Casca is... here."
"Casca and the child are important, and the Hawk Company needs you now." Nidhogg replied. "Moreover, you will soon understand that practicing here may be no worse than being out there."
Guts was about to ask what this meant when the sound of hooves came from the forest.
Clop, clop, clop—
Soon, the skeleton knight's dark horse emerged and stopped before everyone's carriages.
However, besides the skeleton knight, there was also a little girl in a wide magic hat on the horse. She looked quite young and cute.
Though the skeleton knight's form was strange and grim, everyone had seen him many times. He was so skilled and had saved many lives. Everyone had already adapted to his existence.
Even Farnese looked a little stunned.
When she had first seen the skeleton knight, she had been so frightened she could barely keep her eyes open.
The skeleton knight first carefully lifted the "little witch" Schierke from the horse so her feet touched the ground, then set her down.
When Schierke stood firmly, she first turned and bowed to the skeleton knight to thank her. Her wide magic hat almost completely covered her body. Then she turned and looked at everyone.
When she saw her familiar Nidhogg, Schierke, who was a little nervous, smiled.
At that moment, a figure flew down from the sky, calling Nidhogg's name faster than Schierke: "Nidhogg!"
The pink goblin Ivalera excitedly flew toward Nidhogg, wanting to greet him, but almost collided with a point of light in the air. Fortunately, she managed to brake in time.
"Huh? And you?" Ivalera looked at the strange goblin Puck and asked.
At least she wore a pink dress to cover that part, but Puck was completely naked, not caring about others' eyes. Of course, he was unattractive.
Puck immediately cleared his throat, put his hands on his hips, and said, "The strongest swordsman on the Island of Fairies, descendant of the Goblin Dimension Stream, Bu—Ke—"
"What, it turns out he's from the Island of Fairies." Ivalera rolled her eyes, not taking it seriously at all. "What's this Goblin Dimension Stream? I've never heard of it?"
Puck adhered to the principle that you could disrespect his hometown, but you couldn't disrespect his Goblin Dimension Stream. He immediately began to fight with Ivalera.
Schierke watched Ivalera, who had just met Puck, and helplessly propped her forehead, but there was nothing she could do.
She could only cough a few times after Nidhogg nodded. After attracting everyone's attention, she raised her staff, and her originally quiet voice became audible to everyone present.
"Hello. The mistress of the Spirit Tree Pavilion knows of your experiences and asked me to welcome you on behalf of the Spirit Tree Pavilion. Please come with me."
Schierke's sudden magic surprised many present.
If not for Nidhogg, the skeleton knight, Puck, and those Apostles and specters who had previously ventured into the depths, they would definitely be stunned now.
Even so, many were surprised, such as Farnese.
Farnese hadn't expected there to actually be a witch here, a witch whose entry was forbidden by the Holy See and who had to be burned at the stake, and she actually knew some magic.
However, she hadn't expected such a young girl to become a witch.
She had thought that such strange abilities could only be used by people like Nidhogg and the skeleton knight.
This was still too evil and anti-doctrinal. After hesitating, Farnese decided to pretend she hadn't seen anything. Her eyes and ears were empty. This was perhaps the test of faith given to her by the teachings of the Holy See.
So, led by Schierke and Ivalera, over a hundred people passed through the forest. The magical traces of these obstacles did not appear, and soon they reached the location of the Spirit Tree Pavilion.
When they saw the wondrous building, like something from a fairy tale, most people were amazed.
Many suppressed emotions, as well as the fatigue of the journey, seemed to be swept away at this moment.
The door of the Spirit Tree Pavilion gently opened. The witch Flora stood there, her hands resting on her abdomen, smiling slightly. The crow's feet at the corners of her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Branded ones, good luck to you. Survivors, welcome. You can clear the vacant lot behind the pavilion and live there for now."
Flora's gaze paused for a moment on Farnese, but she smiled easily and continued:
"I am glad to see you. Perhaps with different perspectives, but on the same path of resistance and protection."
"The outcome of the Eclipse cannot be changed. The Dark Ages are approaching. This world needs beings like you—a group of beings who have seen hell but have not ceased to struggle."