Chapter 147：Adorable Little Girl with Antlers

Chapter 147:Adorable Little Girl with Antlers

Duru Manor.

A day ago, the funeral of the patriarch of the Duru family was held secretly, attended only by a few core members, keeping it discreet from the outside world.

In today's morning meeting, the clan leader, Joseph, gathered the core members of the family to discuss the matter of collaborating with the Harriman family to build an Abyss Protection Shield.

"This matter, was it discussed with Roland and Diana?" Kenneth said with a grim face.

"The proposal to collaborate on building the protection shield was indeed suggested by Roland and Diana," Roland nodded calmly.

Kenneth smirked and said, "For such an important matter, you went to discuss cooperation with outsiders without first discussing it within the clan?

If it weren't for the fact that the clan leader is still in his position, I would think you're already the clan leader of the Duru family."

"That's right, the ancestor appointed you as the heir, but our clan leader is still Uncle Joseph. It seems like you have no regard for the clan leader," Kenneth's eldest son, Alvin, followed in a sarcastic tone.

The other members of the clan looked somewhat uneasy upon hearing this, but they remained silent.

Roland frowned but didn't rush to refute. Instead, he looked at his father.

Joseph remained composed and calmly said, "Roland has already discussed this with me in advance. I believe it has a certain feasibility, which is why I allowed him to negotiate with Diana."

Seeing his attempts to sow discord fail, Kenneth said, "I don't think it's a good idea.

The Duru family came to the Abyss a thousand years ago to escape the Red Moon Night. nove(l)bi(n.)com

During these thousand years, how many cities with heavy protection shields on the Isor continent have been destroyed by hordes of beasts?

But has there ever been an attack specifically targeting our Abyss?

Even if some magical beasts accidentally enter the Abyss, they are at most fourth or fifth rank and can't break through the magical protection shield of our Duru Manor.

So why waste so much money to build another magical protection shield at the crack?"

"That's right, the crack is several kilometers long. Building such a large protection shield would cost a huge amount of money.

Even if it's shared equally between our Duru family and the Harriman family, it would still amount to hundreds of millions of copper coins.

Is it necessary to protect those poor outsiders?

Can't we distribute that money as dividends to our clan members? Or do you want to withhold the living expenses of the clan members?" Alvin incited further.

"I think Kenneth has a point. Let's not build this magical protection shield. After all, our Duru Manor already has a protection shield."

"That's right, there's no need to spend so much money. The ancestors didn't say anything about building one when they were still alive."

As expected, when it came to their interests, the clan members present immediately became restless.

Roland's face gradually darkened as he looked at those selfish faces, feeling a sense of disgust and nausea.

The corners of Kenneth's and Alvin's mouths revealed a slight sense of triumph.

"In the recent Red Moon Night, dozens of magical beasts entered the Abyss, resulting in over a thousand deaths and injuries.

This was the most severe casualty in the past ten years.

When you were peacefully asleep in the warm and safe Duru Manor, other residents of the Abyss reinforced their fragile homes with wooden planks and iron rods, hiding in corners, hoping that the magical beasts wouldn't invade their homes.

However, this time, many were not able to survive as they had wished," Roland looked at everyone, his voice low and solemn.

"Huh, you feeble and impoverished wretch, your fate was sealed from the moment you were born," Alvin sneered.

"Yeah, a bunch of poor wretches, nothing to pity," his brother Alvaro chimed in.

The old tree instantly shed numerous yellow leaves, and his fair and tender fist was scratched by the rough bark, leaving a few small wounds.

At the entrance, a little girl with golden antlers in her hand froze. She looked at Roland with a hint of fear.

"Dora..." Roland quickly withdrew his hand and looked at the timid little girl with some embarrassment. "Did... Did I scare you?"

The little girl, who appeared to be around six or seven years old, had a delicate appearance. She was wearing a cute pink dress and her gaze was fixed on Roland's hand.

She took a few steps forward and held his hand, saying with concern, "Brother Roland, your hand must hurt a lot, right? It's bleeding."

With that, she pouted her small mouth and blew gently on his wound. "Father said that blowing on it will make it feel better and not hurt as much."

Roland's heart warmed, and he felt his frustrations fade away.

A gentle smile reappeared on his face as he softly said, "It's okay, I just accidentally bumped into the tree."

Meanwhile, the hand hidden behind him had already grasped the magic wand, and he muttered a spell under his breath.

A green light entered his hand.

The small wound on his fist instantly healed as if it had never happened.

"You see, Dora blowing on it made it better," he said.

Dora stared for a moment, then reached out her little hand and touched his hand, confirming that the wound had disappeared. Her eyes brightened and she exclaimed with joy, "It healed with just a blow!"

Roland smiled and ruffled her hair, the soft and fine strands feeling comfortable against his hand. He looked at the leaves in her hand and asked, "Why did Dora pick so many leaves?"

"These leaves are so beautiful, I want to pick them and give them to those little girls. They don't seem very happy, and I want to make them happy." Dora raised her hand, holding the golden leaves.

A ray of morning light shone through the sparse clouds onto the leaves, making them glow.

Upon hearing this, Roland felt a pang in his heart. The little girls Dora mentioned were the ones brought in the night when the Jardson family was destroyed.

He investigated and found out that these little girls were held captive by the owner of the Siba Tavern. That night, the owner of the inn was killed by someone, and these little girls were rescued by a mysterious figure in a black robe and then taken outside the Duru Manor by carriage.

With their parents gone, all he could do now was provide them with shelter and food in his villa.

Although they had been here for two days, most of them remained silent, fearful of strangers, and often cried and had unstable emotions.

From the information he gathered during the investigation, Roland could hardly imagine the horrors these girls had experienced in the dark and damp dungeon. That's why he showed them more understanding.

But it was not a sustainable solution to have so many little girls living in his villa. He couldn't find a good way to help them overcome their trauma.

The only solution he could think of was to establish a school in the abyss and recruit teachers to let them attend classes.

He had planned to propose this idea at today's morning meeting.

However, Kenneth was too aggressive and even the matter of the magical protective shield couldn't be passed, let alone the construction of a school, which would only bring losses and no profits.

Holding Dora's hand, he walked up to the second floor of the villa.

A dozen or so little girls sat on the floor, some leaning by the window, gazing at the outside world, while others huddled in corners, holding their knees.

These seven or eight-year-old girls were at the most lively and adorable age.

But the second floor was eerily silent, not to mention laughter, there wasn't even any conversation.

Dora let go of Roland's hand and skipped forward, distributing the differently shaped golden leaves to the little girls.

Only then could a hint of brightness be seen on their faces.

Roland instinctively clenched his fist. He must bring back smiles to the faces of these little girls.