Chapter 375

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Chapter 375: Cold as Iron

Her name is Millie.

A very ordinary name, corresponding to a very ordinary birth.

Born in a very ordinary farming family, her parents are authentic farmers who earn a living from farming.

It is said that their ancestors’ living conditions were good, as long as they worked hard on the land, they could eat well and stay warm.

But in the past few decades, the environment has become increasingly worse, and relying solely on farming is no longer enough to support a family.

Taxes have become heavier, disasters have increased, the village’s security has worsened, wild animals destroy the crops, and monsters roam around without soldiers hunting them. There are also more and more idle people.

The mother was forced to go to the town and the city to find work. The sister and brother also left home as soon as they reached a certain age, so as not to burden the family.

Millie grew up under these circumstances, and her childhood was relatively intact with the company of her family.

But she often wonders what the world outside the village is like, and wants to see the king’s city in the empire.

She hasn’t received a good education, and has mostly self-taught herself to read and write. She has dreams, but can’t see where the future is.

Until one day, a group of mercenaries came here.

There weren’t many of them, only five people in total. All the members of the group were very young. The leader was a mage holding a staff. He had black hair and was wearing clothes that seemed very magical. He looked young but mature, maybe just three or four years older than Millie.

At first, this group of mercenaries was not welcomed, because most people thought they wanted to drive away the monsters and wild animals around the village and demand money. But the village didn’t have much money left, they couldn’t afford it. Plus, the village mayor demanded too much tax.

Millie was initially warned by her father not to get close to these people, and she obediently stayed away.

After the group of people left the village chief’s house, they didn’t bother the villagers. Instead, they quietly set up camp outside the village. Millie, standing at a distance, heard the sound of musical instruments. It was as pleasing as the instruments played by wandering minstrels. It immediately captivated her attention.

Curious, she approached, and was then seen. Just as she was about to leave, she saw the black-haired boy from the mercenaries smile at her. Millie had never seen such a gentle and handsome smile before. She suddenly stopped and sat down, listening to the song until the end. She even had a conversation with him and ate a delicious dinner that made her almost swallow her tongue.

Millie learned that they were mercenaries who had left the capital of the empire. She thought they were very powerful, but was very curious and wondered why they came to this remote village. There was nothing here, only dust and air that never changed.

The young boy smiled and replied, "Because you can’t enjoy yourselves anymore, so we’re here to help."

He said it so easily, and Millie listened without fully understanding.

Then, in less than a week, the village changed, becoming vibrant.

The roaming monsters in the surroundings were all cleared out, and their nests were removed. Apart from the young boy, the other four members of the mercenary group were girls, and they were really amazing, beautiful and fierce, even though they each had their own peculiar personalities.

Only the young boy didn’t participate in any extermination. He simply walked from house to house, using his staff as a walking stick. He gathered many people for meetings, where he presented some seeds and recommended others to plant better varieties of rice. He also proposed different farming methods. These lectures allowed others to interrupt and question him. He spoke with great confidence, and Millie liked to sit on a chair nearby and watch, even though she didn’t understand anything. As long as she could see the young boy, she felt fulfilled.

The people in the village all said that he must be a scholar, but he has such a good temperament.

But not all the words spoken were kind; there were also hurtful words.

However, he remained humble and patient. It took him two weeks to slowly express his opinions and persuade those who held stubborn views. He seemed to know everything, from farming to taking care of livestock, even treating people’s illnesses. He would personally go out and help cultivate the fields, and he also cooked delicious food with elegance when speaking.

Millie’s favorite was the night school he held. In just a few short weeks, many people in the village learned how to read and write simple words. He watched Millie learn fast and work hard, and as a reward, he gave her a dictionary.

After that, the mercenary group left.

Their goal was the next village, where they stayed for a while before moving on. It was said that they always traveled like this.

On the day the mercenary group left, Millie cried so hard that she couldn’t breathe. She got very sick. She thought she would never see the mercenary group and the young boy again.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

The method left by the mercenary group improved the village’s environment. In just over a year, the village escaped poverty. Every household had enough food again and a way to prepare for next year. The improved grain varieties were growing well. Simple knowledge about agriculture, medicine, and animal husbandry were written in books and helped them overcome many difficulties. They could have lived a good life.

But with that came heavier taxes and more exploitation.

The mayor, the knight’s order, and the noble aristocrats came to the village. They came like a hurricane, destroying the meager wealth that the villagers had accumulated. The village chief kneeled at the town’s doorstep, begging desperately, but eventually got trampled by the horse’s hooves.

The villagers didn’t understand why. Angry, they wanted to ask for an explanation for the village chief. They gathered at the town’s entrance, but the cavalry regarded them as a riot. Soon, the noble aristocrats raised an army and attacked. Everyone scattered and fled.

During the escape, Millie got separated from her parents. Her mother jumped into a well and died, and her father was caught and beheaded.

She returned to the village alone after a week and found that it had become a ruin.

She fell ill and had wounds that got infected. She was also lacking food and water, so she closed her eyes and waited for death.

But she didn’t die.

When Millie woke up, she saw the familiar face of the young boy who had grown into a young man, still looking the same as before.

Millie felt relieved when she saw him, but her second reaction was intense anger. She loudly questioned why he couldn’t have come earlier.

The girl from the farm didn’t want revenge, she was just in so much pain and didn’t know how to express herself. She regretted speaking those words as soon as she uttered them.

But the young man didn’t blame her. Instead, he held her hand and sincerely apologized, saying sorry.

Millie cried loudly.

When she woke up again, she managed to sit up and saw that there were many other people near the mercenaries.

This has become a large mercenary group with over a thousand people. The people inside are very diverse, regardless of age, gender, or race. Dragonborn and Bloodlines, who face discrimination, seem to be everywhere here.

The young man walked in the center of the mercenary group, still wearing a gentle smile. Everyone treated him with respect and admiration.

He came to Millie and asked, "Do you want to come with me or stay here to rebuild your hometown?"

Millie shook her head, unsure of what to do.

The young man asked again, "Do you want revenge?"

Millie didn’t think she could seek revenge. She could kill the mayor, but it would anger the powerful nobles and harm everyone.

The young man smiled and said, "Then let’s rebel."

Millie could never forget these words he said, so plain yet powerful.

He said, "If even the purest people cannot survive, what use is keeping such a country?"

Just like before, "Because you can’t live happily, so we came to help."

The young man entered the town, swept away the seemingly invincible cavalry brigade, and made his way into the mansion of the wealthy noble. He captured him and hung him in front of tens of thousands of people.

When he hung the first wealthy noble, his silhouette was engraved in the eyes of all ordinary people. At that moment, he seemed to have hanged a god.

Millie became a soldier under the command of the young man. Starting as an ordinary soldier, she was a girl from a farming family with some strength. But she couldn’t compare to the naturally talented other races, so as a warrior, she was quite ordinary. She knew a bit of medical knowledge, so she became a medic. She even learned spells and formed a medical team. She grew along with the resistance army.

Unfortunately, she was ultimately an ordinary person. On the battlefield where anyone could sacrifice, she was not the chosen one.

In order to save the surviving residents from the collapsing building, she rushed in, trying to carry out the child. Unfortunately, the building still collapsed.

The enormous weight pressed down, instantly breaking her bones, which pierced her lungs and caused her to cough up blood.

She persisted in agony for who knows how long. When the heavy object was removed, she was sent for treatment in a daze. However, she knew she couldn’t be saved. The battlefield flower who saved countless lives also welcomed its moment of withering.

In her last moments, Millie heard that familiar gentle voice once again.

She struggled to open her eyes. The young man stood beside her bed. She shakily reached out her hand, and he gently held it, just like years ago.

Millie forced a smile, "You came…"

The young man nodded softly, "Mm."

"I’m lucky to have met you…"

"Mm."

"We will succeed, but I can’t be with you until the end."

"Mm."

"Please, don’t forget me."

"Mm…"

Millie closed her eyes and thought that if she could die like this, she would have no regrets anymore.

Maybe there is still a little bit left, she wanted to take another look at the wheat field of her hometown. She wonders how tall the wheat has grown this year. It must be beautiful.

She left.

The young man held her hand, pressed his forehead against hers, and remained silent for a while. Twenty seconds, or maybe thirty seconds passed. He let go of her hand, and all the weakness and grief instantly vanished. This was not the first time he had lost someone, nor would it be the last. No matter how much pain, it could not soften his heart.

Someone had to bear all of this. The young man walked outside, looking at the clouds rolling in the sky. He didn’t shed a single tear; his footsteps were just slower and heavier than before.