The reincarnated devil was blessed by the goddess

The early morning sunlight was like a layer of gauze, gently covering an unknown small village.

The charred broken walls were coated with a layer of gold, and tender green weeds sprouted between the collapsed beams, as if the earth was quietly healing its wounds.

Smoke rose from the newly built stove, mixed with the morning mist, and drifted in the slightly cool air.

The villagers are busy using their rough hands to piece their broken lives back together bit by bit.

No one mentioned the missing neighbors, or the nightmarish attack.

They just kept their heads down, waiting patiently like they were crops for the day to take root again.

The old locust tree at the entrance of the village is still alive. Although half of the trunk was burnt black, the branches and leaves on the other side are still lush.

Several children squatted under a tree, drawing crooked patterns on the dirt with wooden sticks. Perhaps it was a house, a monster, or just meaningless graffiti.

Occasionally they looked up and gazed at the distant horizon, with no fear in their eyes, only a kind of ignorant vigilance.

Because the sun has risen completely, a new day has begun.

"Hey, Grandpa... walk slower... I can't even drag you with just one hand..."

The morning mist in the mountains had not yet dissipated, and the dew condensed on the grass leaves was crushed by the soles of the boots, making a slight crisp sound.

Oleg was breathing heavily, and the strands of hair on his forehead were already soaked with sweat and stuck to his red face.

He gritted his teeth and pulled tightly the thick hemp rope that was tied around the wild boar's hind legs. Every step he took left deep drag marks on the muddy mountain road.

Augustus, who was walking in front, didn't even look back, his gray beard rising and falling with his breathing.

The wild boar on the old man's back was much stronger than his grandson's, but his steps were as steady as an old pine tree.

"I told you kid, you don't train well. The roads I walked on back then were much more dangerous than they are now."

The gentle slope that the villagers used to walk on collapsed into a deep ditch during the attack, and now only this narrow path like an animal trail remains.

"What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and catch up. If you stay any longer, you'll catch a cold!"

Hearing his grandfather's call, Oleg sniffed.

The chill from last night's wait was still lingering in their lungs, and the two wild boars they had captured were the result of their entire night's watch at the foot of the mountain.

If he hadn't lost one of his arms and couldn't use his strength, he would still be shouting at grandpa.

He muttered as he wrapped the hemp rope around his palm twice more, the rough fibers rubbing against his skin and making it burn.

The morning light suddenly pierced through the clouds, and the shadows of the grandfather and grandson were stretched out long, overlapping the prey being dragged behind them.

"Phew...I'm exhausted."

Oleg pushed open the wooden door that no longer made any noise, and the familiar scent of pine mixed with the warmth of the stove hit him in the face.

"Dudududu..."

Oleg suddenly froze when the water in the wooden basin splashed on his nose.

He remained bent over, with drops of water dripping down his eyelashes.

This water shouldn't be hot.

"Don't use my bath water this time. Use my face water instead."

A brisk voice exploded behind him, and Oleg turned around abruptly. The water in the overturned wooden basin formed a sparkling lake at his feet.

The girl stood on tiptoe in the morning light, with her hands behind her back and her body slightly leaning forward. She was wearing a set of clothes designed for her by Sister Ina.

"I'm back, bro."

Oleg's pupils trembled violently.

He remembered that when Theresa left home, she couldn't speak so many words at all, and every word seemed to be dug out from the frozen soil with great difficulty.

But now her voice was as clear as a stream of melting snow, and even had a playful ending.

"Isn't this little Tracy!"

He laughed and opened his one arm, and when he held the girl in his arms, he could smell the scent of wool dried by the sun.

The wooden basin was kicked over while spinning, and the water stains drew a crooked circle on the floor.

"Your letter said you would be back this month..." Oleg lifted her higher, his voice muffled in her shoulder, "We don't know when..."

Oleg suddenly seemed to remember something, gently put Theresa down, turned around and squatted in front of the oak cabinet in the corner whose mortise and tenon joints were a little loose.

"Look, these are all prepared specially for your return."

The jar is filled with golden chestnut cakes, the edges of which are carefully pinched into petal shapes.

"whee."

When I took the first bite, the sweetness of honey wrapped in the aroma of fried rice melted on the tip of my tongue, and I felt as if I was back in a distant afternoon.

"What's going on with the store now? I don't think you mentioned it in your letter."

Theresa suddenly asked, catching the falling sesame seeds with her fingertips.

Oleg paused scratching his head.

"Oh! Forget it. I don't have time for that right now. We're relying on church subsidies and are lucky to be on the right track."

The attack of filth has caused the village's development to lag far behind, and now it is good enough to live an honest and stable life.

"The world outside is really different," Oleg pinched Theresa's cheek, "Your facial paralysis and muteness are both cured!"

Theresa looked at the tooth mark on the pastry, where a little dark purple wild berry juice oozed out, like a small wound.

"Yeah... the world outside... is really not that bad..."

The sunlight suddenly became dazzling, and Theresa turned her head while fixing her hair, just avoiding Oleg's bright gaze.

"Where did Grandpa go? Why didn't I see you guys come back together?"

Theresa stood on tiptoe and looked out the door. The morning breeze blew her hair, and a strange fragrance from afar lingered in her hair.

"Grandpa went to process the meat."

Strips of bacon hung neatly from the wooden window panes, the grease glowing amber in the sunlight.

"See? These are all prepared for you to come back!"

What's hung on the window frame is more than just meat, it's clearly the old man's thoughts seeping through his wrinkles and the concern that's dried by the wind day by day.

"You really are so beautiful now, little Tracy..."

Oleg's voice suddenly softened, and his rough fingertips retracted just as they were about to touch the edge of his sister's clothes.

"You've grown up so much, I feel like I can't treat you like a child anymore."

"This is a costume designed by Sister Ina! If it doesn't look good, then there's something fishy going on!"

Oleg's Adam's apple moved, and the light reflected from the ring fell into Theresa's golden pupils.

“It’s really beautiful…”

His praise caught in his throat and turned into a muffled sigh.

"Do you have a cold? Your voice sounds a little strange."

"I went hunting, so I thought I'd prepare some extra for you."

Theresa suddenly grasped Oleg's rough hand. The golden light dancing from her fingertips flowed through his veins like a thawed stream in early spring, flowing through his body.

“How can I eat so much…”

She smiled and shook her head, and when the healing golden light dissipated, Oleg's body had recovered.

"Hehe, the Saint is really amazing."

Oleg stretched his arms, and his joints made crisp sounds. He was in even better condition than before.

"There's a lot more I can do."

Theresa suddenly grabbed Oleg's flailing arm with such force that he looked surprised.

"If you are being bullied, just tell me."

The country girl who was once teased by fate can now grasp her own light.

"Hey! Don't look at me because I only have one hand left. But this hand has been tempered through thousands of trials and tribulations!"

The sound of the wooden door suddenly being kicked open interrupted his presentation.

"Oh my! Isn't this little Tracy!"

Augustus threw away the bloody skinning knife and opened his arms as if to embrace the entire sun.

"Let grandpa hug me!"

"Okay, grandpa!"

Her answer was filled with a long-lost accent from home, and the ending tone rose like a domesticated wild cat returning to its nest.

In the old man's broad arms, she turned back into the little girl who loved desserts.

Oleg looked at the scene stupidly, kneading the ring with his thumb.

"Our little Tracy has grown up, Ina."