Night Whispers

"Elder Sister Goria!"

Vivian rolled over and sat up, resting her head on the other person's long, strong thighs. She blinked and said, "Shall we continue the story today?"

Goria gently stroked the little girl's head, covered Vivian's arm with the blanket, and whispered, "Don't catch a cold. This autumn is much colder than usual; winter is probably coming soon."

As a high-ranking Witch, she was practically immune to heat and cold, and her Spell abilities allowed her to adapt to almost any environment. However, Vivian was still just a young girl, and her Spell training had only just begun; she could easily catch a cold if she got chilled. She brought her legs together to help the girl into a more comfortable position, then gently stroked Vivian's long hair and whispered, "Take a rest today. I have something I want to tell you."

The little girl nodded obediently, then asked, "Is it because my brother is planning to leave?"

Very smart.

Goria nodded slightly, looked into Vivian's eyes, and said earnestly, "You are much smarter and more sensible than other children. I think you also know that there may be many dangers along the way."

"Are you really planning to go to Falling Leaf City with Soren?" The little girl asked almost without hesitation, her face serious. "Of course! Wherever my brother goes, I'll go. Besides, with my brother protecting me, a little danger won't matter."

The caravan's mistress's expression also turned serious, and she said in a deep voice, "Although Soren is a skilled Rogue, there are still many dangers he can't handle. This time, even Two-Headed Ogre have appeared in the south, so something big must have happened. It's far too dangerous for the two of you to travel together. Not to mention that once you get to Falling Leaf City, you'll have to enter the forest, where there are many monsters that ordinary people can't deal with."

"If Soren were to encounter you by chance, he would probably be in dire need of protection himself, let alone be able to safeguard you."

Vivian was clearly taken aback for a moment upon hearing this. Then, a very serious expression appeared on her little face, and she said solemnly, "It's okay. I can protect my brother! I feel much stronger than before!"

That's not a correct answer.

And what's with that serious, mission-oriented expression?

Goria, who had silently rehearsed her words several times in her mind, suddenly found herself unable to utter them. Vivian's answer completely exceeded her expectations. Hearing the little girl's incredibly serious words, she was momentarily speechless. Protect Soren?

You're just an eight-year-old girl.

I wonder if Soren should feel gratified or ashamed upon hearing this?

"Silly girl."

Goria roughly rubbed Vivian's head, seemingly exasperated, and said, "Then why couldn't you persuade Soren not to go there? You know the wilderness is dangerous, and you two aren't strong enough to go so far. Why not stay here, or come with me to the North? You can stay by my side and continue learning Spell, and Soren won't have to take such a big risk. You have no relatives in the Elven Realm; going there rashly like this might cause you a lot of suffering."

"Soren cares about you a lot. If you try to persuade him, maybe he'll give up the idea of going there."

The little girl hesitated, biting her finger. Goria reached out and gently pulled her white finger away, patting her head lightly. "No finger sucking," she said sternly.

Vivian giggled and stuck out her tongue, then said seriously, "There must be a reason why my brother is going there, although he hasn't told me why."

"But my brother's decision is definitely right."

Goria rubbed her forehead, somewhat exasperated. She even had a sudden urge to drag Soren out and give him a good beating. She said in a deep voice, "No one's decisions are always correct. Besides, Soren is just an Adventurer; there are many things he's never heard of. There are Two-Headed Dragon Moonblade Leopard, and all sorts of strange creatures near the Elven Forest. It would be really dangerous if you accidentally encountered them!"

The little girl turned her head away, seemingly unconvinced. She pouted, appearing somewhat unreasonable, and said, "Brother is definitely right. Even if he's wrong, it's for my own good."

"You're not allowed to speak ill of him!"

"My brother is the best brother in the world, and he will be the most amazing brother in the future."

Vivian had a confident expression on her face, and she seemed to believe even more than Soren that he could become a great and powerful figure.

The caravan's mistress sighed helplessly again, saying softly, "Sometimes I really doubt whether you two are siblings, but seeing you like this, I truly believe it."

"You two have the same temper."

Vivian didn't speak, but there seemed to be a hint of pride on her face, as if it was something to be very happy and proud of that the other person said she looked a lot like Soren.

The caravan's mistress had no idea of Soren's place in Vivian's heart.

He was more than just an older brother; he was like a father, a strong figure who sheltered her from the storm. No one remembered what Soren once looked like. To others, Soren was merely a somewhat taciturn, cold-faced, and skilled Rogue, sometimes even a ruthless and vicious character. But there was one person in this world who remembered what Soren once looked like. She began to remember things when she was very, very young. In her earliest memories, her brother was a handsome boy with two dimples when he smiled. He would hold her, who was only one or two years old, in the warm afternoon sunlight after a busy day, to watch her go to see flowers and catch butterflies, making funny faces to make her giggle.

At that time, my mother hadn't gone mad yet. Although they lived in poverty, they were doing alright.

Later, they became orphans.

Fourteen or fifteen-year-old Soren took her, then only three, on a life of wandering. Her brother did almost anything to support her. She remembered the ferocious look on his face when he fought for her for the first time, and how he comforted her afterward when she cried. She remembered his trembling hands when he stole something for the first time, the look of joy mixed with nervousness. She remembered the trembling night when he killed someone for her for the first time; even with his back to her, she could feel his fear. He dared not fall asleep, and she could only hold his arm tightly with her small hands, curling up in his arms, as if that would combine their courage. Her brother smiled less and less, and his expression grew colder and colder. Only when comforting her would he show a beautiful smile with two dimples that warmed the heart.

They both have dimples, which is a wonderful thing.

An older brother is an older brother. But an older brother is also more than just an older brother. There are some things that outsiders will never understand, and they don't need outsiders to understand.

"Elder Sister Goria."

Vivian glanced timidly at the caravan's mistress and whispered, "Why don't you come with us? If we encounter any danger and neither my brother nor Vivian can handle it, you can protect us! Elder Sister is so capable, she'll definitely be fine. Besides, staying here every day is so boring. Don't Elder Sister want to go see the Elf kingdom?"

The caravan's mistress was both amused and exasperated. She reached out and smacked the little girl on the head, saying with a wry smile, "I was the one who advised you not to go to the Elf, so how did it become that you wanted me to go with them too?"

The little girl stole a glance at the caravan's mistress, her voice trembling with a hint of coquetry, and whispered, "What if we really encounter some monster, and neither my brother nor I can defeat it? Wouldn't Vivian be eaten by the monster?"

"I'll never see my Elder Sister again. Waaaaah!"

The little girl's acting was terrible; she was clearly pretending to cry but didn't shed a tear. She rubbed her eyes with her little hands and even stole a glance at Goria. But her little appearance was really cute and funny, making the caravan's mistress unable to help but smile.

Snap!

She grabbed the little girl, laid her flat on her lap, and then slapped her bottom. As if to vent her anger, she said, "Serves you right for pretending! You little devil!"

After saying that, she sighed softly, as if hesitating for a moment, and slowly said, "Let me think about it." [Charm intervention! Persuasion successful!]

As if realizing she hadn't achieved her goal and had instead been moved by the little girl's pitiful expression, the caravan leader looked somewhat discouraged and got up to leave. But then the little girl suddenly reached out and grabbed one of her fingers, whispering, "Elder Sister Goria, will you sleep with me tonight?"

"Alright." The caravan mistress hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently. She lifted the soft velvet blanket and lay down, Vivian snuggling into her arms like a kitten, resting her head against her chest.

The little girl sniffed the air, then nuzzled against the wall like a puppy, whispering, "Elder Sister smells so good."

Goria didn't reply, but simply hugged the little girl and closed her eyes. Sometimes she didn't know why she couldn't harden her heart when she was with Vivian; perhaps it was because she genuinely liked this little girl. At first, seeing her thin and small figure, she felt a pang of heartache, as if a maternal instinct had been awakened within her. Later, as they spent more time together, Vivian would unconsciously infect her with her emotions, allowing her to experience her joy, happiness, earnestness, persistence, care, and longing.

It's hard to explain, but she enjoyed having the little girl around; perhaps they really do share some similar qualities.

"My Elder Sister's breasts are so soft, they feel so good to touch."

The little girl didn't seem very sleepy. She curiously pinched the caravan mistress's chest. At this age, her curiosity was at its peak, and anything new and interesting could attract her attention. Vivian's memories of her mother were vague; she couldn't even clearly remember her face. The caravan mistress in front of her largely filled in the gaps in her imagination of her mother—a gentle, beautiful, elegant, and caring woman who was very kind to her.

Snap!

My little bottom got another slap.

Vivian obediently withdrew her hand, even though she really wanted to touch it again.

A faint blush crept onto Goria's face. She glared at her, annoyed, and said sternly, "Don't move around, and don't touch me. Go to sleep quietly, or I'll cast a Sleep Spell on you."

The little girl finally behaved herself.

She clung to the caravan mistress's arm, buried her head in her chest, her breathing gradually evened out, and soon drifted off to sleep amidst the pleasant fragrance.

After all, children this age are very sleepy.