Chapter 545 – Waiting

“Is… this really for me?”

Little Keisha’s gaze towards Audreylinda was filled with wariness and fear. She didn’t even dare to reach for the scroll the Female Knight was offering. Clearly, within the Rabbitfolk Tribe, the poor little girl had suffered numerous malicious pranks, making her instinctively suspicious of any kindness from others.

Sighing silently in her heart, Audreylinda reached out and patted the little rabbit-person’s head.

Feeling genuine sympathy for this innocent little girl, Audreylinda sincerely hoped the adorable little bunny could forget all past unpleasantness. Though currently tormented by a sense of impending danger, she maintained a calm and composed expression while carefully placing the scroll into Little Keisha’s hands, saying earnestly:

“Every day from now on, you must hold onto this scroll tightly like this. Otherwise… Mr. Scroll might just ‘whoosh’ away! But when I loudly say ‘tear it,’ you must immediately rip this scroll open with all your strength, okay? Then you’ll release the little ‘Sprite’ inside. However, the ‘Sprite’ is quite delicate, so when tearing it open, you need to be careful…”

Using vivid language, Audreylinda gradually dispelled Little Aisha’s fears. Though the trembling little rabbit-person didn’t respond verbally, Audreylinda could tell that after these childlike jokes, the young rabbit-person was no longer shaking as violently as before.

But this wasn’t enough. The meticulous Audreylinda also used her Battle Aura to outline a virtual scroll. Worried that improper release of the scroll’s magical energy might harm Keisha’s fragile body, the Female Knight personally demonstrated the “correct way to open a scroll” multiple times. Only after Keisha repeatedly assured her that she had learned it did Audreylinda finally relax with a relieved sigh.

Meanwhile, during the Female Knight’s detailed explanation, Claire had finished roasting the last two bamboo rats. Seeing his mentor had finally taught Little Keisha how to use the spell scroll, Claire silently approached Keisha holding the two slightly cooled roasted bamboo rats.

“Here!”

“Can… can Keisha really eat this?”

“Yes, this was prepared for you.”

Though a willful professional whose sister’s death hadn’t occurred too long ago, Claire clearly hadn’t fully recovered from the grief. His speech and interactions now inevitably carried an empty, icy stillness in his eyes. Little Keisha, drooling while looking at the roasted bamboo rats, didn’t dare lift her head to face this “very fierce” “big brother.”

However, Claire’s deadened expression was merely superficial. In truth, he felt great sympathy for this little rabbit-person girl who had suffered so much. Though Keisha kept her head down, clearly resistant to his presence, Claire still gave her the bamboo rat with the most seasoning.

For a moment, the quiet swamp actually revealed traces of warmth under the cooking smoke from the campfire…

“They all seem like good, kind children.”

Observing Claire and Keisha’s interaction, Audreylinda, who had been half-squinting nearby, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.Having endured so much sorrow and horror, what the Female Knight feared most was that these “experiences” would leave shadows on Claire’s heart. She also worried that Kaisa’s painful childhood memories might affect the child’s future personality. However… seeing that Claire showed no signs of closing himself off, and Little Keisha was gradually learning to accept kindness from the outside world, even while still immersed in profound danger, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Audreylinda’s lips.

“It is precisely to protect these kind children and the goodness in their hearts that we righteous people must spare no effort to eradicate evil.”

While waiting for Little Keisha to finish eating the bamboo rat, Audreylinda slightly narrowed her eyes and gazed at the sky.

Through the dense oilwood leaves overhead, strands of sunlight gently and faintly illuminated the moss on the ground. Though this brilliant glow was soon obscured by drifting dark clouds, Audreylinda still blinked appreciatively at the fleeting beauty.

“Sunlight… so beautiful…”

—————Break———————

While Audreylinda was still enjoying this warmth amidst the dense shrubs of the Tar Swamp, a spellcaster clad in black Mage Robes with crimson patterns had been standing on the Tundra outside the Tar Swamp for a long time. The moss, green verging on black, grew increasingly eerie in the twilight’s afterglow, and combined with the ferocious blood-red patterns on the black Mage Robes, these elements made the figure in black appear extremely sinister.

However, the spellcaster, fully focused on detecting any trace of aura in the air, clearly paid no mind to such insignificant eerie atmospheres.

Evidently, this spellcaster waiting for something was none other than Punk. After obtaining intelligence from the Filthy Bird, Punk, Kane, and “Smile” had immediately rushed to the swamp’s periphery. However, due to Audreylinda camping to care for Little Keisha, Punk and Kane had arrived slightly earlier, reaching the “Tar Tundra” between the Tar Swamp and the Bokkat Kingdom before Audreylinda.

Though any “prophecy” inevitably carries some margin of error, having arrived at the Tar Tundra in less than an afternoon, Punk and Kane couldn’t possibly have missed Audreylinda. Thus, the only conclusion was that they had come too early—Audreylinda had not yet left the Tar Swamp.

Therefore, Punk and Kane decisively split into two teams.

At Kane’s strong insistence, Punk would once again be responsible for dealing with the troublesome Female Knight, while Kane would ensure “Smile’s” absolute safety. To prevent the battle’s aftermath from affecting the “precious key,” Kane would take “Smile” and lie in wait at the far edge of the Tundra, distant from the Battlefield. Additionally, considering that Audreylinda might single-handedly hold off Punk to allow the “Third Godchild” to escape, Kane would also be responsible for ambushing and pursuing the fleeing “Third Godchild.”

Thus, on the vast, breeze-swept Tundra, there stood Punk, expressionless, having remained motionless for a long time.The wait had unknowingly stretched over three hours. During this time, the evening sky had completely darkened, with the most blazing “Mila” long submerged below the horizon. Only the half-exposed, dimly crimson “Chikasa” remained, casting a faint golden edge upon the land. In the darkness that slowly flooded the earth like a tide, Punk’s pair of azure pupils grew increasingly icy and brilliant.

“Finally arrived, Audreylinda”!

The “guest” did not keep the spellcaster waiting much longer. After a gentle night breeze swept through, Punk—who had remained silent and motionless all this while—suddenly fixed his gaze on an inconspicuous shrub. There, as the last remnants of sunlight softly brushed past, a glimmer of silvery light began to faintly emerge through the gaps in the foliage.

(End of Chapter)