Mountain-Foot Refugees

Deep in the valley.

A huge magic array was formed on the ground by pebbles with rough markings on their surfaces.

Dozens of humanoid beings dressed in earth-yellow robes stood around the formation.

It was through their joint activation of the magic array that four giant tentacles were summoned, breaking through the suspension bridge and drawing Han Dong and his group down.

The leader, who had secretly communicated with Han Dong, slowly lifted his hood.

What was revealed was a black face.

However, its eyes were made of rock, and there were also some stones embedded in its neck area. According to the classification of low-level life forms outside the city, it should be classified as an "Outcast".

Many unfortunate humans who were not protected by their countries when the apocalypse came will be directly enslaved by the Otherworldly Demons and become "heretics".

They live by dedicating themselves to and serving the demons.

Only a very few exceptionally gifted heretics can become "Outcasts" through the 'bestowal' of Outcasts without losing their basic human form or their will.

But heretics or other people must never be regarded as human beings.

Their hearts are completely corrupted, devoid of any humanity. They live only for the 'Otherworldly Master' they serve, and they absolutely reject humanity.

As mentioned earlier.

Heretics typically work in villages, castles, or special areas ruled by demons. If they sense an intrusion, they will immediately choose to sacrifice themselves, showing no regard for their own lives.

The current situation is a bit strange...

"Greetings, knights who have come from afar!"

My name is Simon Fergus... The demon I served, Lord Sord, has been killed by the Earl of the Scarlet Villa.

As you can see, the Scarlet Villa, established by the Earl, has occupied most of the mountain range, and we are forced to live in the valley area that the Earl disdains to occupy.

I know you have come from afar because of the Scarlet Villa.

We are willing to provide all kinds of assistance, information about the resort and mountain road maps, and we are also willing to guide you and even provide some basic help.

We would be extremely grateful if you could kill just one nobleman from the Scarlet Villa.

At this point, Simon, the Black man, lowered his head slightly.

According to the knowledge and records of heretics and otherworldly beings in the Holy City, they would only bow their heads to the demons they served... This to some extent indicates that the demons they served were indeed dead.

But... all of this seems somewhat 'out of place'.

If it weren't for Han Dong's special status, these natives wouldn't have been so enthusiastic, and they would never have cooperated with the knight... After all, they were originally enemies.

Just as Lucius and his group were having doubts.

quack...

The Duoze Crow inside Han Dong's body were released.

The Two-Headed Crow Person still exuded an imposing aura, arrogantly communicating with the black man Simon through 'crow language'.

A short while later, he turned around and reported the information to Han Dong.

"Captain Lucius, these heretics can be trusted... They used to live with the [Abyssal Demon Sord] in the caves in the heart of Adelaga Mountain."

They were a relatively neutral force and were not under the Protection of the Old Kings.

My Arakkoa friend has connections with the Crowman Tribe in Gayn Forest, and can accept their help.

"Crow people?"

Lucius immediately made contact about two things.

Mr. Black and White's crow attribute is unique, and it has long been rumored in the Holy City that Mr. Black and White can rule over the neutral crow people in the Gayn Forest.

Currently, it is normal for Han Dong, as Mr. Black and White's only student, to have a Crowman as his personal bodyguard.

The second matter was the Old King Incident, which Lucius and his group personally experienced.

It was thanks to the help of the Crowman Tribe that they were able to escape safely back to the Holy City... Why would the Arakkoa of the Gayn Forest risk fighting against the Old King to help the Knight Order?

Perhaps the answer lies with Han Dong, who was also involved in the incident.

Therefore, Lucius had little doubt about Han Dong's current action of releasing the Crow People to communicate with the other side.

Lucius bared his fangs and whispered:

"The mad heretics are actually willing to suppress their depraved emotions and cooperate with us... It seems that Scarlet Villa has indeed gone too far."

"It doesn't seem appropriate to talk in the middle of the valley. Let's talk in the cave where you're temporarily staying."

Simon, a Black man, made a very polite gesturing gesture:

"This way, please. We will try our best to treat you like a human being..."

Since Lucius made the decision, the team members did not object.

Needless to say, Demps had long seen through the fact that these heretics were only so enthusiastic because of Han Dong's status as 'lord'.

After all, they were a group of outlaws who had lost their master, and they even hoped to get the protection of Lord Han Dong.

Abel had worked with Han Dong so many times that he completely trusted his decisions.

"Blood Team, could there be something wrong with this?"

Jane and Renze both had some doubts. Having received Formal Knight education, they found it difficult to accept establishing a cooperative relationship with a group of beings from outside the city.

"I know what I'm doing... At least, I can't smell the scent of Blood Brew in their blood, so I can at least be sure they're not from the Scarlet Villa."

If there's any conspiracy or ulterior motive, we can just kill their demon master.

Besides, the grand formation that lured us down was probably their strongest weapon. Since they haven't used it, there shouldn't be any major problems.

"Good."

Jane and Renzel would never object to any decision made by Lucius.

However, they couldn't help but be shocked when they stared at the 'crow-man' standing on Han Dong's shoulder, transformed into a docile crow.

After all, even the well-informed Necromancer Lunze had never heard of anyone being protected by the evil spirits outside the city, let alone a Knight-Errant.

Before long, the group entered the temporary habitat of the heretics who had been driven down the mountain.

A relatively large cave.

The interior is divided into three levels, with rooms for rest created by carving caves into the rock walls.

The hall area is furnished with some simple stone tables and benches.

There were about fifty pagans living here, and Simon, a black man, was the leader of this group of 'refugees'.

Senior Sister Zhen also used the shadows in the cave to conduct a thorough search and confirmed that there were no hidden compartments or demons lurking in the dark.

This eliminates most of the concerns.

Following that, a series of strange meat dishes, simply roasted, were served to the knights who had come from afar.

Meanwhile, Simon, the black man, also produced information about "Scarlet Villa" and a map of the hidden mountain paths of Mount Allagade.

He habitually handed it to 'Lord'.

However, Han Dong immediately gave him a look, and then handed it to Lucius was standing to the side.