Looking at the bandits that were all lying down on the ground, everyone quickly gasped in shock and relief.

At least for today, their husbands and sons wouldn't die in the hands of these villains bastards.

Immediately, the women all rushed to the soldiers and knelt down before them while expressing their gratitude too.

"Thank you..... Thank you for saving us."

Landon nodded at them and quickly sent the medical team to look after the injured villagers lying in the snow.

And at the same time, some of the soldiers were also tying up the bandits as well.

Of course, Landon had already gotten the location for the Wolfhound bandit's lair.

But since he didn't want to seem too suspicious, he had to get someone to guide him and his men there immediately.

The village chief's 13-year-old granddaughter curiously looked at Landon and his men, as she had never seen people who dressed as well as them before.

She listened to the heroes before her talk about what to do next, and quickly decided to help them no matter what.

This was her home, so she felt the need to be a part of whatever battle that would occur between these heroes and the Wolfhound bandits.

If anything, she more or less felt ashamed of how weak she had been previously.

Her beloved grandfather was kicked, beaten and even treated worse than dirt up to the point where he had fainted from his injuries.

If not for the fact that these bandits wanted him to live, then she had no doubt in her mind that her grandfather would already be dead by now.

Even though she had been terrified of these bandits, she still couldn't just watch her grandfather get kicked around ruthlessly by these villains without doing anything.

And that's why she had rushed over with the intentions of using her body to shield off all the blows and attacks from hitting her beloved grandfather.

But funny enough, when she came out... The bandits didn't bother hitting her at all.

Instead, they all looked at her very lustfully instead.

She didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if these brave men didn't come in at the time that they did.

Because one thing was clear, and that was the fact that she and the rest of the villagers wouldn't have had any good ending if they would've been taken away by these bandits.

And so the fact that she didn't have enough power to do anything, just made her feel completely worthless instead.

She clenched her fists with all her might and forced herself to look eye to eye with the leader before her.

"Noble heroes... Please, I..... I want to go with you all.

I want to fight!"

--silence--

Landon and the rest of the soldiers stopped what they were doing and all focused their attention at the cute 13-year-old girl before them..... That seemed to be around the same age as little Linda back in Baymard.

In her eyes, one could still see traces of fear, uneasiness and courage in them.

The girl looked at them with a serious expression on her face, which looked more like she was pouting instead.

The villagers who all heard the girl, looked at her in shock and gazes that were filled with anxiousness and concern.

For them, the way they looked at it... No matter how high the chances of these heroes winning against the Wolfhound bandits were, there was still a probability that they might lose at the end of it all.

So sending the girl to her death was something that none of them wanted.

Moreover, how were they going to explain her death to their village chief when he wakes up later on?

"Little Gloria!

Why would you want to risk your life like that?

Are you trying to kill us from worry?!!"

"Little Gloria... Please listen to aunty.

Going for a battle isn't the same as going to the stream to play.

So please stop this foolish mess and think about the village chief's feelings."

"Yes little Gloria, think about the village chief!

If something were to happen to you over there, then wouldn't that alone kill him?

You are just a little girl, so please don't throw your entire life away... Alright?

(+∆+)

The villagers continued their best in trying to convince the little girl to stay behind.

But no matter what they said, little Gloria in question just stood there silently, while meeting Landon's eyes and clenching her fists hard.

No matter what, she had to get stronger.

Landon looked at the girl before him and knew that he had to come up with a way to reject her without actually crippling her confidence or courage.

She seemed like the stubborn type who would think he was looking down on her if he just rejected her with no legit reasons at all.

Of course for him, he couldn't take her because she would just slow them down, and might even be a distraction or a possible hostage target during the battle.

So there was no way that she was going.

"What's your name?"

"G...Gloria Perckle." She said while stammering a bit.

"Hm... And why do you want to join us so badly?"

"Because I want to protect my village by getting stronger."

"Hmhm... That's a very noble cause for you to go with us." Landon said, which instantly brought about a broad smile on Gloria's face.

She looked at Landon in a daze, as she was still shocked by what she had heard him say.

So did this mean that he would take her along?

Her heart rate quickened very dast, as she thought about how this would be her first time participating in a formal battle.

She clenched her fists even harder and looked at Landon and his men with so much determination.... as if telling them that she would not let them down.

Yes!

She would definitely prove herself to them and eventually grow stronger in time.

(*^*)