We stayed at "Antlers" for three full days. During these three days, I fully experienced the terrible life of paralyzed people.
Life is worse than death, perhaps, I can use this word to describe it.
I'm just a puddle of mud.
For the first two days I couldn't even speak, and now I still can't dress myself, feed myself, walk,... well, take care of myself.
I'm thankful that Dolly was a waitress at the Antlers and helped me through a lot of times that I don't even want to think about.
"Be careful, Messiah, come on, hold on!" She tried her best to hold me forward, but how could her small body hold up? We had just taken three steps and I almost fell to the ground.
"oh!"
"Be careful!" It was a pair of warm hands that supported me. Without even thinking about it, I knew it was Dallion.
"You are so considerate, Darien, waiting here every time," Dolly wiped the sweat from her forehead with a smile in her eyes, "Not every young man is willing to wait here for a girl. "
"But I'm very good at waiting." Dallion replied with a smile and carefully picked me up.
Their words made my cheeks feel hot, but I didn't know what to say.
What Dolly said is absolutely right. A place that is convenient for people is never a good place to wait. Several times I saw girls passing by pointing at Darien and covering their mouths and snickering. However, I couldn’t help it. Send him away, right? Without him, I think, Dolly would have had to drag me back to the room every time.
*
The guest rooms of "Antlers" are spacious and warm. Sunlight shines through the translucent gauze, illuminating the entire room.
"Why don't you talk?" When he put me into the soft quilt, Dallion suddenly asked softly with concern, "Are you feeling more uncomfortable?" His forehead hair fell down, soft and light, but I I always feel like that thing is not just brushing on my cheeks, but also sweeping into my heart.
Wait, that's not how it's supposed to be, is it?
"Messiah?"
"...Nothing..." I looked away from his face in a panic, and I suddenly saw several thick parchment books on the bedside. I clearly remembered that they were empty when I woke up.
As if he noticed my eyes, Dallion immediately took those things over and said, "These are the collections I borrowed from the Great Library of Lordaeron. They were just sent from the Communication Circle. Look." As he said that, he I opened a thick page and saw the densely packed letters inside. At that moment, I just felt my scalp numb.
"Move away...Dallion, I'm dizzy..."
"Don't be like this, Messiah," he smiled and touched my forehead gently, "these are very interesting books. They contain a lot of information about sneak assassins. If you don't want to read them, I can read them to you. listen."
"...I have ringing in my ears...I feel uncomfortable all over..." I wrinkled my face in displeasure.
"So, do you like to listen to stories? There are also stories about those superb assassin gods." He said with great interest, "Thanks to this ring, it is actually the seal of the Lordaeron Academic Research Association. Otherwise, I really can't borrow these unique copies." I noticed that his rough thumb was rubbing the ring on his index finger, and he seemed to like it very much. "Oh, by the way," he said, taking off the dark ring. , "It should be returned to its original owner."
"...Take it, Dallion...as long as you like it..."
He shook his head and refused, holding my right hand, "I cannot accept this thing, Messiah, it is too precious."
"I owe you a lot..."
"You don't owe me anything, but I... I made you so weak, I owe you." As he said that, he solemnly pushed the ring onto my index finger, "The purification magic inside is simply a stroke of genius. I just hope it protects you.”
"You actually know the magic up there?"
"It allowed me to release dispelling magic on you after inserting the magic needle." He lowered his head and whispered, "I really wish I hadn't done that..."
Like a flower ring tightening in circles, it became my size again. After doing that, he didn't let go of my hand. He stared at the ring, his blue eyes faintly revealing expectations. Then, he suddenly laughed again, and his smiling eyes were slightly bent.
His expression made me confused, "...what?"
"there is nothing."
*
Button--
Unexpectedly, there was a knock on the door. I looked over hard and saw Liam and Dolly at the door, both of them smiling meaningfully. Seeing us looking at them, Liam took off his hat and bowed respectfully to us. His hair was as meticulous as ever.
"Mr. Liam said he wants to see you if he has something to do." As she said that, Dolly nodded to us, picked up the half-sewn clothes on the chair and quietly walked out, closing the door tightly. Almost at the same moment, A faint khaki light shield lit up, sealing the entire room.
I recognize that thing. It is a barrier of silence, which means that the people outside the door cannot hear a word of what we are about to say.
"Can I talk to you, Miss?" Liam asked with a smile.
I couldn't help but look at Dallion, a waiter from "Antlers" in confusion. What did he want to talk to me about? And it's so... mysterious.
Dallion shook my hand gently, "I'm not going away."
Hearing this, Liam sighed, "It's not good for you to do this, Master Mograine."
"It's not a secret anyway, right? I've already been in contact with it," Dallion said, pointing to the chair next to the bed, "Please sit down, Mr. Liam."
"So, what do you want to talk about?" I asked after a pause.
"A puzzle." Liam replied with a smile. He turned his wrist like a magic trick, and suddenly, a thick black leather book appeared in his palm. "Can we start?"
I nodded hesitantly.
*
"Do you know who those people are?" Liam asked.
those people?
I carefully recalled everything that happened at Lafayette's house, "...I don't know the two magicians very well. Their names are Gadin and Ilucia, but the two assassins or swordsmen, Joshua and... Dodd, they're the Syndicate. What exactly is the Syndicate?"
Liam recorded something in his notebook, "The Syndicate is a bandit organization that has emerged recently. They rob passing convoys and sometimes even kill people."
"Bandit organization?" I was shocked because I suddenly remembered what I saw in front of the white house. "They have been to my house!"
"Is it near Gavin Heights? It is reported that during this period, the syndicates in that area were very rampant. They even razed some remote villages. I hope your family is well."
"They didn't rob my home, they seemed to..." I suddenly stopped when I said that, because I remembered that my father seemed to have a relationship with one of them... a syndicate named Baron Vadus. Familiarity.
"What does it look like?" Liam stared at my face with a sharp look in his eyes.
Instead of answering him, I asked, "Who is Baron Vardus?"
"Baron Vardus?" Liam thought for a moment, "Sorry, I haven't heard of it."
"Then, who is Duke Faculest?"
"Faculest? Duke?" Liam was stunned for a moment, "As far as I know, Faculest was once a great nobleman in the Kingdom of Alterac, but there has never been a duke."
"The Faculest family is a declining noble of the Kingdom of Alterac," Dallion suddenly interrupted, "Their territory is between Durnholde Castle and Arathi. Before the war, the family property was almost destroyed. They sold out, and the title of earldom is hereditary in their family.”
"My...brother Ricky and I were attacked in the woods behind our manor. The two syndicates mentioned was the Duke, Duke Faculest. They seemed to obey his orders. My memory is very good. Can’t go wrong.”
Dali soothed his chin, "I guess it's because the Falkrest family followed Aiden Penenold, the deposed king of Alterac. More than ten years ago, King Aiden was imprisoned for betraying the alliance. He was put under house arrest and then exiled to the Arathi Highlands. However, even if he is an abandoned king, he still has the right to canonize his subjects. The Faculest family must be loyal to Lordaeron. The position of the Barov family."
Barov.
I have heard some of the "deeds" of this family. They were originally the wealthiest family in the Kingdom of Alterac, but after Alterac bowed its knees and formed an alliance with the orcs, they decisively broke the Sword of Oath and switched their allegiance. Kingdom of Lordaeron.
Except for the difference in territory and title, during the Orc War, my father Joffrey Rubio did the same thing as Barov.
"Then, let's take a guess. It's very likely that Duke Falkurest is commanding the Syndicate," Liam concluded, "and Falkurest is loyal to the deposed king of Alterac, Aiden Penenold. In other words, King Ayden established a bandit organization for some purpose. This organization committed murder and robbery, and even colluded with wizards to do some... some unimaginable things." As he spoke, he raised his head, although his My eyes were so narrow that I couldn't see, but I knew he glanced at me, "This organization sent envoys to lobby the homes of nobles who were once part of the Kingdom of Alterac. They want to increase their strength..."
His words made me inexplicably frightened, "No, my father will not join them! My father is an upright man, and he hates Baron Vardus!" I spoke quickly, and by the end, I almost wanted to Out of breath.
"Messiah! Messiah!" Dallion immediately held my finger, and the warm holy light poured into my body like spring water, quickly washing away the fatal suffocation, "I have seen you The father of the Messiah, there is no doubt that he is an upright man and you don’t need to worry about his choices at all!”
"That's right! Miss Messiah, don't get excited!" Liam also looked at me worriedly, "I believe in you and your father. Sir Joffrey Rubio is a warrior with a strong sense of honor. With sharp eyes, he will definitely spurn betrayal and choose justice.”
Those words made the anxiety in my heart dissipate slightly, "...Yeah."
*
"Then, let's talk about those two wizards." After reading the notes in silence for a while, Liam continued to speak. This time, he turned to Dallion, "When you were in Dalaran, you dealt with matters related to dark wizards. , can you think about it again?"
"They are no different," Dallion said after thinking for a moment, "They all use shadow magic, which is extremely dark. I guess the curse on Lafayette was put by them. This curse will cause the healing potion to change. □□, it will drain the magic of those who try to cast Holy Light Magic, which is very vicious. I think they want to push Lafayette to a dead end and make his willpower weak, so that he can control it. .As for Dalaran, you should have read the reports. They killed civilians, even their own accomplices, just to create an abominable undead. They used magic circles to summon dead bones and set fire everywhere to commit murder. In fact, the Messiah is more powerful than what I saw. Duo, she was there that time."
Liam raised his thin eyebrows and looked at me again.
"For the first time, I saw them using voodoo dolls to communicate," I could only reply. "There was a creepy being on the other end of the message. I was so scared that I couldn't move. They used living people as sacrifices, as if they were trying to send messages. Something. And this time, I heard Gading say that they want to transform Lafayette into a loyal servant of a certain His Highness. If they are similar in any way, it is their clothes, but there are many wizards in black robes. ,Is not it?"
"However, they all used black magic and mentioned a certain His Highness." Liam frowned. "This group of wizards is evil and powerful. They seem to be constantly inciting or forcing other magicians to join them. But we have no clue, and I wish we could catch them sooner."
His words made me take a closer look at him. The waiter at "Antlers" was still so polite. Even when he was sitting, his back was straight, and even when he was frowning, he still had a smile on his lips.
Is he really just a waiter?
He knew that my home was in Gavin Heights and that my father was Joffrey Rubio without me even having to tell him!
oh! Could he be from the legendary intelligence service? !
That guess made my heart beat suddenly.
"Uh, Miss Messiah?" Unexpectedly, Liam touched his cheek with his slender fingers, "Is my face dirty? Or is my hair messy?"
"Mr. Liam, actually, you are a 'Nino', right?" I asked in a low voice, feeling unspeakable excitement in my heart.
Under the bright sunshine, I clearly saw the waiter stunned for a moment, "Nino?" He smiled slightly, "No, no, no, miss, of course 'Liam' is just a waiter."
"But……"
"Shh--" He touched the corner of his mouth with his index finger, and his magical voice came to his ears, "You definitely don't want me to be 'Nino'. I heard that if 'Nino's identity is exposed, , will choose to kill and silence him." The smile on his face was still there, but it made me feel cold all over.
"Oh, I think I should say goodbye." Liam closed the thick notebook with a smile, picked up the hat on the table, and bowed respectfully to us before leaving. When he walked out of the door, he suddenly smiled back. Turning around, he said, "Dear Young Master Dalien, if you need a priest, I can get one for you, as long as you pay." He smiled like a fox, and as he spoke, he bent down to salute again, and then, the figure Disappeared through the door.
I bowed with excitement for a long time before I came back to my senses, "Darian?" I couldn't help but ask the boy sitting on the edge of the bed, "He must be a 'Nino', right? Huh?"
Only then did I realize that he was sitting stiffly on the edge of the bed, staring at the door, and his ears were very red.
"Dallion?"
His eyes flickered, "Huh? Messiah?"
"You are hurt?"
"No, no."
His dodge made me realize that he must be hiding something from me, "Then what do you want the priest to do?"
He took a deep breath, "Perhaps, he thinks...the priest can take better care of you...Messiah, do you need a priest?"
"……No."
"Then I'll get you some hot water."
