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Chapter 21: A Night of Comfort and Betrayal
After the gray-haired woman and her companions rescued them, the group was led toward the rebel stronghold they had mentioned. In the lead was the gray-haired woman, while the boy carrying the giant sword and the green-haired elven sisters guarded the left and rear flanks to prevent any sudden ambushes.
Along the way, in response to the Hero's puzzled questions about their identities, the gray-haired woman turned and lowered her hood, revealing a face with sharp features and long gray hair. A pair of furry ears popped up from her hood, twitching occasionally. After showing her features, she said deeply, "I am Lulupa, a half-orc of human and orc descent. This is Delion, the youngest brother of our team." She pointed to the boy beside her; the youth carried a colossal greatsword disproportionate to his height, his eyes filled with disdain. Lulupa continued, "The two behind us are archers from the Elven race, the elder sister Vera and the younger sister Hiren."
Vera and Hiren stood side-by-side at the end of the line, showing no reaction to Lulupa's introduction. They held their longbows tightly, arrows ready to fly. Vera's gaze was cold, as if constantly alert to movements in the jungle, while Hiren was slightly more lively, occasionally peeking at us with curiosity in her eyes.
I observed silently: based on their performance just now, Lulupa's command and speed were swift, Delion's monstrous strength was extraordinary, and the elven sisters' archery was terrifyingly precise. This display of strength alone proved that this rebel army was no mere ragtag bunch.
After the introductions, Lulupa looked at the Hero, her tone calm yet possessing a sense of pressure: "Hero, regarding the origin of the resistance you are curious about, I can explain it like this." She took a deep breath, a flash of deep pain in her eyes. "To crusade against the demons, the old King increased taxes multiple times and forcibly conscripted residents to the battlefield. Rations were withheld again and again. The villages outside the capital have long been destitute. Meanwhile, the nobles in the capital enjoy music and dance, amassing wealth under the guise of the expedition, even going so far as to provoke war with the demons just to squeeze out more profit." Her voice gradually lowered, tinged with anger. "We could have signed a peace treaty with the demons to let both sides recover, but they would rather let the people die just to maintain the exorbitant profits of war."
Hearing this from the side, I grew interested. So, there are actually normal people among the humans who realize where the problem lies. I thought these people were all fickle types who just followed the wind and rain. Looking to the other side, the Hero's face darkened upon hearing this smear against the kingdom. As the most respected Hero of the realm, he couldn't help but retort: "Miss Lulupa, I have never heard of what you are saying. For all these years, I have only seen the kingdom developing in an orderly fashion. I know some policies are unbalanced, but development requires it; the King's orders are to protect the kingdom, and crusading against the demons is my mission. How can I believe you based on mere words?"
Hearing this, Delion let out a cold snort and slammed his greatsword into the ground, vibrating the fallen leaves into the air. He glared at the Hero and mocked: "Lord Hero, of course you wouldn't know! How could a flower living in a greenhouse see the corpses strewn across the fields outside? How many starving villagers or frozen children have you seen? If it weren't for your powerful abilities and our need for talent—and the fact that we are short-handed—we wouldn't have been willing to risk offending the demons to save you!" His tone was filled with fury, his eyes brimming with disdain.
Lulupa raised her hand to stop the emotional Delion, her tone softening slightly as she comforted him: "Alright, Delion. Go guard the flank of the group." She then turned to the Hero, apology in her eyes. "Sorry, Hero. Delion has a temper because he lost his parents at a young age and was forced to wander the border. There are many children like him in the resistance." She paused, pointing to the elven sisters behind her. "Vera and Hiren are the same; their village was forcibly conscripted and stripped of grain, and in the end, only the two of them survived and joined us. There are many such children within the resistance. I think this should be the best evidence, right?"
The Hero fell silent, his gaze sweeping over Delion and the elven sisters, a flash of hesitation in his eyes. He said in a low voice: "The resistance... how many of you are there? Are these things truly as you say?" His tone was tentative. Lulupa said calmly: "When we reach our headquarters, you can see for yourself, and then you will know." She turned and signaled Delion, "Go scout ahead, don't throw a tantrum here."
Delion huffed, shouldered his greatsword, and quickly ran to the left flank, his back carrying the stubbornness unique to a youth. Lulupa looked at us and said lowly: "Let's go, the road is long. The border is dangerous; we cannot delay." She turned to continue leading the way, and we followed closely behind.
Quietly retreating to the back of the line, Yeli crept close to me, her eyes flashing with confusion as she whispered: "Hey, what's the deal with this resistance? Have you heard of them?" She leaned against me casually as she asked; under her tattered red dress, the red marks on her young breasts from being sucked and bitten were faintly visible, and traces of the blood she sucked during our kiss remained at the corner of her mouth. I shook my head and whispered: "Never heard of them. Even the spies in the Demon Realm have never mentioned this group." I glanced at Nami and asked lowly: "Nami, you are of human origin; do you know anything about this resistance?"
Nami wore her cloak and followed on my other side. Hearing my inquiry, she replied softly: "My Lord, I haven't heard of them either. Furthermore, in the intelligence within the capital, there was never any mention of a resistance." She spoke with the tone of reporting information.