Faced with the knight's question, the villagers under their cloaks looked at each other, and then a trembling old voice came from under a small brown cloak, "We begged your pardon, my lord. If you came for the virgins, our poor village no longer had any young girls or female infants."
The ironclad knight fell silent for a moment, then lifted the visor of his helmet to reveal deep blue eyes like lakes and a nose that rose high like mountains. His rosy complexion showed barely a wrinkle, yet the ravages of time had quietly crept up on his straight eyebrows, temples, and beard.
"I am commander Constanz Nikephoros Aurelianus of the Ninth Legion," declared the knight.
Then a sorrel mare galloped out from the dense undergrowth, with a slender silver-armored knight on top. The knight deftly rode the horse and circled behind Constanz. Then, the oddly dressed army emerged from the shadows of the trees and shook off the dust on their shoulders, making their armor clang heavily and shedding off the grease-like mud and ash.
"And this is the Ninth 'Constanz' Legion, named after me," Constanz declared in a clear and calm voice.
The villagers whispered to each other, interrupted by the sound of the village chief tapping the ground with his cane. He stepped forward eagerly, raised the torch in his hand, and shone it on Constanz's horse tack, banners, and face.
"It's hard to imagine that after so many years, you are still so young." he was moved and tried to touch Constanz's cheek, but then remembered it was disrespectful and quickly retracted his hand. "Welcome, 'Bringer of Victory', and the legendary 'Stepchild' legion." With the chief's kneeling, the men behind him also knelt down with both hands leaning on their farming tools.
"Get up, get up quickly," Constanz said as he agilely jumped off his horse despite wearing heavy armor. He helped the village chief up and looked at him with his clear blue eyes that seemed to see through everything. "It's been a long time, and I'm very pleased to see you. Please spare your villagers the formalities. Just tell my friends where they can set up camps and provide them with water. At the same time, let's talk inside. Sandra!"
"Here." As Constanz gave the command behind him, the silver-armored knight on the sorrel mare replied in a deep and concise voice. Without much thought, Constanz handed over the command. Sandra then turned to call the cavalry and infantry captains and beckoned the villagers.
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The men immediately became busy. Constanz helped the chief up and walked slowly with him towards the village.
"For a military officer, the lad’s name is quite rare, but he looks like a neat young man. People always say that wise ministers choose their masters, and after many years, you have many outstanding people around you," Although it was flattering, the village chief's rhetoric also had a hint of admiration.
Constanz answered casually, "Yes, 'the lad' has been with me for decades, reliable indeed, but has a bad habit of being too meddling."
"What do you mean, my lord?"
"You'll know soon enough." Constanz hugged the village chief's shoulder, and the two of them came to the front of the main house. The village chief took out the key, unlocked the door, and led Constanz into the dark room. The chief raised the lamp, and in the firelight, one pair of dim eyes after another were awakened. Then the faces of the frightened people emerged from the darkness. The thin and pale girls curled up in the corner like light-fearing creatures, without a trace of the purity of ancient maidens.
"Girls, you're safe now. Leave and entertain our guests, but don't go overboard," the village chief said, and more than a dozen girls left through the narrow door. As they passed by, some of them made eye contact with the armored knight. However, Constanz didn't say much and just followed them with his gaze as they left. Then he walked deeper into the main house, following the village chief's steps.
"I'm sorry for not telling the truth earlier, my lord. It's been so long, so long since I've seen the Ninth Legion's banner. Oh...I didn't even know that the 'Stepchild' legion still existed. Even though terrible things have happened, the divine flame has not abandoned us."
The village chief led Constanz up the staircase, which emitted a mournful howl, and became emotional, even choking up. Constanz remained silent, lost in thought, and responded casually, "It's okay. I understand that the long-term human sacrifice must have caused a lot of trouble for your village."
"I can't do my best for the divine flame, and I feel very ashamed."
"What terrible things are you referring to, village chief?" Ignoring the insincere confession, Constanz asked calmly, and the chief stumbled and trembled as he replied. Cold sweat also began to pour out of his bald head.
"Should I say it's an unexplainable strange event? Or is it a sign before the disaster? Perhaps it's commonplace for your legion, but it has caused panic among our village people...rather than let me say it, I'd rather have you judge for yourself."
They stopped in front of a guest room on the second floor, and the village chief pulled out his keychain again, but this time his movements were a bit panicked, and he dropped the keys on the ground. Before he bent down to pick them up, Constanz squatted down to help him and opened the wooden door slowly.
In the dimly lit room, there was a long table in the center, with an object displayed on top of it, covered with a mat. The familiar shape and smell made Constanz squint. He walked to the table, grabbed the corner of the mat with his hand, and slowly lifted it off...revealing a body underneath.