125 A caring elder

Inside Ronta, there was a crowd rarely seen in the entire kingdom. Many merchants and peddlers came, attracted by the massive influx of soldiers heading that way.Families sometimes just took their offsprings to see how those newcomers looked like. In that regard, many young boys were attracted by the shiny armors that were blinding them with the sunlight. Of course, some couldn't help but feel scared by this.

After all, there wouldn't be so many armed men and women in the surroundings if it wasn't for something threatening. Similar to their counterpart beyond the Wild Mountains, the excuses of launching an assault against their neighbor was advanced. To the eyes of some that were in the secret, it was funny to use war to appease the common people. When the prospect of thousands of their friends and fellow citizens was less scary than the truth.

"Grandpa, do you know why there are so many soldiers? You said that we shouldn't have seen them again, you promised! They were scary when they entered our house." A cute little girl was walking side by side with an old man. He was not decrepit or frail but was not strong anymore. If one had to guess his age, he would be given seventy years, more or less. With his white hair disappearing slowly and letting place to a bald head, he began to mess up the hair of the little girl.

"I know, I know, little bunny. But I also promised you that we would travel to the South one day. And here we are, it was not my fault that those brats in armors are here too!" The girl did not look convinced at all by that.Even when the old man tried to appear as kind and sincere as he could, she was clearly not fooled. "But, you said that no one could force you to walk out of home..."

Causing her to be puzzled, the old man chuckled and looked above him. The sun was very high in the sky, and soon after, he heard the sound of an empty stomach shouting for help. Grabbing her hand, they both headed to the nearest inn. Inside, they found a huge amount of adventurers that were leisurely waiting. With so many soldiers, they had been rendered useless and were almost forced to rest.

Bypassing a group of seven men that were laughing and drinking, his dear granddaughter almost fell because of one of them. The probable leader, a mass of flesh and muscle hit the back of the knight that was clearly too drunk. After some apologies, the duo finally reached an empty table and waited for a bit. There, the tenant of the inn, a jovial woman quickly took their orders.

"Are you sure about what you heard? Does he no longer dislike staying outside? Is he not restrained anymore?" Barely a meter away, two adventurers were murmuring something. Even if he was old, he was not senile nor deaf. Extending his ears, he could understand most of that discussion.

"Yes, the General Darkwater should be in charge of that offensive. That's why so many soldiers are here."

"But, why now? It has been ten years since that battle, that turned the general into a full-fledged noble. That's a lot, ten years."

"Oh, what do I know? I am just telling you what I learned."

"Who are you talking about?" Both men were surprised by the tiny human in front of them. Without noticing it, she had slipped from his vision and had directly confronted the two adventurers. Before he could even react, one had already grabbed the girl and put her in the empty chair next to him.

"What are you doing here? Where are your parents?" She immediately pointed at the elder, that was trying his best to not be ashamed. He swore that he would teach her a lesson tonight, for selling her old grandfather so quickly. "Sorry, sorry, we were right behind you and she disappeared in less than a second. You know, child."

Looking at each other, the two adventurers relaxed. After all, it was only a family taking a meal. Even if the inn was mainly providing food and drinks for adventurers, it did not prevent normal citizens to enter it, once in a while. But after that, they saw that the girl was still looking at them, her stare unmoving.

"Eh... girl?" She did not even blink, while one of the strangers was questioning her. "You did not answer my question, who are you talking about?" Faced with such a serious inquiry, from such a cute little face, the youngest of the two began to talk. After all, they were bored and had nothing to do, so why not amuse her for a moment.

"The most intelligent human of this world, the defender of the North, the ..." "We can cut all the titles, do you see how much she cared?" His companion cut the crap he was spouting because the girl was clearly not understanding everything. She was barely six years old, so it made sense for the adventurers to skip directly to the interesting part.

"Ok, fine. Where was I? Ah, yes, Lord Darkwater, or the General Darkwater. He had another nickname previously, but it would not be very respectful to say it loudly. So ..."

"But I want to know! Bwahahaha" The now almost wailing child was looking more and more like a monster to the two fighters. Her skill at changing her emotions in less than a second was even faster than a wolf leaping on its prey. But with her guardian nearby that was only smiling, they understood it was normal.

"Yes, yes, I will say it. Stop crying, please." They then saw her tears vanishing in the blink of an eye and her mouth turning into a smile. Wiping the sweat on his forehead, the youngster began to regret inviting this demon.

"He was previously known as the General Rat. Because unlike other generals or even officers, he was not battling with honor. Anything was allowed, as long as he could achieve victory. That's also why the emblem of the now noble Darkwater is a rat."

The girl then turned to face her parent, visibly puzzled by something. "But, is it not ..." "Chut, don't cut them like that. Keep listening." The old man patted her head and also turned it to face the adventurers. With his audience listening once more, the adventurer could only continue.

"As for his most brilliant battle, the battle of Darkwater that gave him his noble name, it was the most ingenious trap that has ever been created. This ..." "I think you have talked enough, it's my turn." The older adventurer was getting more and more impatient and actually wanted to enjoy the attention of the little child. She was literally drinking the words of his companion, and it was not often that they could be looked upon like that.

"To put the entire thing in context, the northern frontier had been pacified by the General Rat. With that peace, no one expected that terrible news to happen. He was found dead!" Using his hands to have the maximum impact, he almost made the girl fell backward. Fortunately, her grandfather was here to catch her. But to his surprise, instead of being impressed, she was only laughing.

"What are you laughing?"

"Because he is not dead, otherwise, he wouldn't be here." Looking at the old man nearby while saying this, she was completely certain of what she was saying. Pondering a bit, it actually made sense in the current days. But at the moment, it was truly unexpected news, so the speaker didn't really focus on that. "You are right, but no one knew it at that time. So, with the main threat being gone, the Synnada Empire prepared to invade Massalia. But they were extremely prudent."

Drinking a bit before continuing, he could see that even some of those nearby was listening to his story. Feeling a bit more confident, he began to narrate even more. "The decades before, every officer from the empire were defeated by the hand of Lord Darkwater. Because they feared it was another trap, they waited a day, a week, even after the funerals, they still waited."

"But when they saw the devasted mood of his only son, they could only accept that their nemesis had died like that. Two months after, a vast army marched toward the frontier, ready to spill the blood of our brave soldiers. The only thing was, there is a small issue in the North."

Using the utensils on the table, he put two glasses together, separated by a knife. "A large river is between our two nations. Only a few locations can be used to bypass it. No bridges were built because of the war. And when there is a tempest, no one would be brave enough to try his luck."

"But, to their surprise, the river was relatively calm when they arrived. Because it was a matter of speed, they used the cover of the night to progress and enter the Kingdom of Massalia. The drenched soldiers of the empire were completely wet, so much that it created ponds on the ground."

At those words, the old man began to laugh, followed by the other listeners. Leaving only the little girl wondering why it was so funny. Seeing that she was not understanding the joke, the adventurer told her the reason.

"You see, it was not water on the ground. But oil. And it was not because the river was calm, it was because multiple barrages had been built kilometers away. The enemy scouts never noticed them, but that night, one arrow managed to force the entire enemy army to retreat. Either they were burned or they would be swallowed by the large wave that followed. That's what gave him the name of Darkwater."

"Well said!" The giant that apologized before raised his glass, many others followed. Some even applauded the storyteller, with the little girl being the most enthusiastic. "More, more! What happened next?" However, after she said that, the mood suddenly turned sour. Even when the old man near her was no longer smiling or laughing.

"Something foreseeable, but terribly unjust. Years later, the only son of Lord Darkwater was assassinated with his wife, leaving only his baby child behind. Maddened by that loss, the General started an offensive, using every trick and mad plan he had. The result was so devastating that the Empire was forced to negotiate. They would never harm his last relative alive, but he would only defend the kingdom from now on. The contract was signed, with a guarantee from the Black Gauntlet. For whatever reasons, they managed to gain so much gold from his fake death that they owed him a debt. If his granddaughter were to die, the entire imperial family will follow."

Such a shocking deal did not surprise anyone since every citizen of Massalia knew about it. As long as the General Rat lived, and even years after his death, the Empire of Synnade would not dare to even touch the ground of their country. But the tragic fate the general suffered after all he did to protect them was a black mark for the inhabitants of Massalia.

"I don't understand."

"That's fine, you will understand later." The elder was looking with sadness at his granddaughter. Messing again with her hair, he saw her infuriated face, making him smile once more. But the child was apparently not finished.

"But, why did they made my grandpa come here then? Since he can only defend Massalia?" Her words shocked a bit those around to hear them. Looking at the two, they could not understand the logic behind them. "But, your grandfather is not ..." Even before that adventurer could finish what he wanted to say, four knights of the 1st Legion entered the inn. Advancing without caring about anyone, they bowed in front of the old man and transmitted their message.

Turning his head to the little girl near him, he could only shake his head. "Little bunny, I am afraid we won't be able to eat here after all. Come." Obediently, the girl and the elder left, accompanied by the four knights. Leaving behind only dumbfounded adventurers and the tenant that was still not realizing what just happened. Causing the two plates she had to drop on the ground, awakening everyone.