"Hands up."
"Which one?"
"You know what? I'm a nurse and I have no interest in old wounds that have scabbed over," Kitarian told him, "so please give me a fresh wound. Look, it's time for you to change the gauze. The smell is terrible. .”
The wounded man groaned softly from under his bandage.
After not seeing each other for a few weeks, Worrell became a lot more lively and energetic, all thanks to the care of Dean Ning Ail. After Hitarian left Byrne at the Lord's command, the Master promised to keep an eye on the apprentice's patients. Otherwise, when she comes back, this guy will probably not be able to get up, let alone communicate with her under the influence of magic. Prison destroys people's spiritual will, and she is their cure.
"How was your graduation mission?" the wounded man asked. This person's name tag still said "Wittek Shazo", so she was a little worried when talking about the mission.
"Everything went well," Hitarian told him. "I even brought back a companion. Of course, I have to wait until I can catch up with you."
"You have to take risks in this matter," he said.
Everything comes at a risk. Hitarian had learned this firsthand in Antipodes. When the "weird expert" took me to the "Bible" for testing, didn't he expect the appearance of the Black Knight? Naturally, the root cause actually lies with her. Hitarian is a nightingale of associations, thinking only of his fellow men. "Here's your letter." After changing the gauze, she picked out the letter paper from the plate.
The patient reached out his injured hand and clamped the edge of the paper. The practice in Antipodal City has greatly improved her skills. Even with so much effort, the bandage is still firmly tied. "It's not just for me."
"Thank you note. To all of you."
"you?"
"Leader."
"It's us." He corrected. After Hitarian returned from the School of Silence, he was also considered a member of the Night's Watch of Byrne.
There were many words of praise and gratitude written in the letter. Although the handwriting was dull and the vocabulary was lacking, there was a kind of sincerity that touched people's hearts. The patient changed his hand, folded the letter again, and stuffed it under the pillow.
"The nurse will come again in the afternoon." Hitarian reminded, "Don't oversleep..."
"You won't come?"
"Don't miss me too much!" She made a face. "I have a holiday to enjoy. Just treat it as a mission reward."
The patient snorted again and turned over. The sun illuminated his rugged back. Hitarian pushed the cart out of the room and hung the completely unused beak mask back on the handle. A gust of wind caused the rope to sway. Bayne has been short of supplies recently and must conserve the resources on hand.
After the Black Knight killed "Tattoo" in the church of Antrolos, he did not forget her existence. Witek, a northerner, took her back to Danlaw and announced that her mission was over.
"But I didn't...? Lord Mercury...?"
"The situation is changing very quickly. The lords are all concentrating their strength to fight against the purge of the demon hunting movement." The northerner said, "The leader of the Ascetic Faction died, which is a great achievement for us. You don't need to touch mercury anymore. Lord’s Nightingale, to put it bluntly, the less they know the better.”
"but……?"
"What's the matter, Hitarian? Don't you want to go home?"
How can it be? When she was in Antuoros, returning to Byrne became her only hope, but after she really left the school, she always felt that she still had unfinished business. No need to say what it is. "The reason why the lord asked me to come to Monian Toros was to take away the church's Bible." She asked softly. "You don't want me to be a nightingale, do you?"
"Of course, no. Think about it carefully, if your behavior is not considered a nightingale, then who can be called a nightingale?"
"Like Lord Mercury," she said. I was meant to take over her position.
"She's not as good as you." This statement shocked Hitarian. "Lord Mercury disobeyed His Majesty's orders and ultimately lost his territory," the northerner said, "and put everyone in danger."
"Danger?" The Black Knight stopped her, Shitarian thought, and besides, it was not Ms. Lametta's fault. The nightingale should be blamed. What danger could we be in? Even if the king is away, Byrne will be fine.
"There's no point telling you. The Lord will never let you leave Byrne again... I know, Hitarian, you are a leader, right? But I have to say that exploring the current situation will not do you any good."
"Please, Whittaker, tell me." She insisted.
The Northerners have never been able to refuse a Hitarian request. "Knox is the biggest mysterious place, and there will also be mysterious phenomena. The elemental tide is one of them. At this time, the fragments separated from Knox-such as Gavash and the Glitter Pool, they Will return to Knox. The former is the hometown of Lord Lord, and as for the latter, obviously, our danger mainly comes from it."
Hitarian gritted his teeth. "Sita." Once in Four Leaf City, when she was a little girl who didn't understand anything, she and Ruth longed to see those mysterious elemental beings. Lucia's believers all hope that their blessings are said to allow people to go to the goddess's heaven after death... However, she is now a nameless one, and I don't know if Lucia will mind.
Most likely not. The Nameless Ones and the mysterious realm are enemies, but the gods treat mortals equally. Hitarian witnessed with his own eyes Uriel and his friends attack the Antipodal City of Anthoros and cleanse the Church of Gaia from head to toe. In Danlaw, she heard rumors about them every day. Uriel is a clerical knight. He fights for Gaia, not the church. Thinking of him made her miss her terribly. "Sita is Lucia's creation, why does she help the mysterious realm? Doesn't the goddess know our suffering?"
"Obviously, the goddess can't control them." The northerners are unbelievers and he is not interested in this topic. "As for the reason, I'm afraid it must be attributed to the Queen of the Twinkling Pool, Evangelin. This woman was the saint of the Dawn War. She has a long-standing hatred with the association and cannot be easily resolved. Sita listens to her words."
"No." Hitarian retorted, "Uriel's friend helped me." This man was also a Sita, and it was brighter than the candles in the church. He always looked familiar to her.
Witek didn't seem surprised. Naturally, the church war in Antipodes City has spread far and wide, and as a member of the Association Nightingale, it is impossible for him not to know about it. After staying in the mysterious fulcrum of the Silent School for half a month, even Hitarian began to get to know celebrities in the mysterious field.
"If you ask me, he probably doesn't know your identity."
"But he went to the Cathedral of Antroos with Uriel. Does this mean that he, like Uriel, doesn't listen to the Mysterious Fulcrum?"
The northerner grunted. "If you ask me, you'd better not contact those people again. No matter how enlightened they are, it won't help the situation."
"Uriel is different." Hitarian knew that he was one of their compatriots, but he also knew that he would not easily choose to join forces.
"Don't raise the tower messenger." The northerner waved, "The Glittering Pool is not the mysterious fulcrum. They belong to the Oath Keepers Alliance. Besides, the attitude of one or two people can't change anything. The tower and the Glittering Pool, their saints are all A big shot in the Dawn War! Don't expect such people to spare your life, Hitarian, their comrades have also died for the devil."
Not for the devil. Hitarian knew about the First Men's war because she took the risk of asking the "eccentric expert" Lord Oz Cranky. To be honest, she thought he might have discovered her identity, but he was covering for her from "Tattooed" Jizuk. There were many times when she almost thought the other person was a good person who could understand them, just like Uriel... until the two sides started fighting in the church. No words or communication can prevent life-and-death fights, because people only recognize the latter to resolve differences.
Cranky told her that back then, a society took refuge in the evil dragon Winserspoon, which caused the mysterious realm to regard all societies as demons. "The real enemy should be the evil dragon, not the association." She announced immediately.
"Not everyone will take in the evil dragon." Cranky said, "The nameless ones are recognized by him, so they are naturally not my kind. Besides, people have to pay the price for their mistakes, whether they belong to themselves or others. In short, they are a collective."
"Then why doesn't the mysterious realm pay the price for the association's betrayal? We were originally a collective. This is unfair."
"There's no fairness. Because there are so many of us," the "Weird Expert" replied absently.
Now Witek gave her another argument, and it was difficult for both parties to tell the truth from the lie. There is no need for the "weird expert" to lie to me. Maybe he was just perfunctory, maybe he didn't even hear the question clearly... But Shitarian couldn't help but feel chilled when he thought about his words.
She had already realized why. "I wouldn't be able to bear it if Ruth was killed by a demon hunter."
"That's it. We fight for ourselves, and the gods can't change the past." The northerner turned sideways and let the cart pass. "Come on, Ringot, don't ruin your holiday with this crap. You're out of it, you're back in Byrne. Why care?"
His persuasion made sense. It is important to focus on life. Nowadays, prices are soaring and the markets are busy. She has too many things to worry about and too many housework to deal with...assuming Ruth has nothing to do with the Bible. With my sister here, Hitarian thought, I couldn't possibly live like a brown fairy.
After leaving the hospital, Hitarian came to the palace alone. The last time she came, she was on the steps receiving the canonization of the Undead Lord. I am also a knight, why can’t I feel the changes?
But someone was waiting for her under the high wall. "Sir," the guard called respectfully.
She felt an indescribable sense of novelty, and she burst into laughter for a moment. "I am Hitarian Ringot."
"Please come this way." He led her to an empty room full of runes.
Hitarian recognized the pattern of the square ladder. When she climbed to the center of the magic pattern, she opened her eyes and was somewhere else. The long corridor was lit only by candles and had no windows or gaps. At the end of the darkness is a transparent narrow door, tightly blocked by ice and iron chains. But these obstacles were not for the Hitarians.
"Is it you again?" the voice came from behind the door. A pair of eyes stared at her through the door.
This place is undoubtedly a prison, used to hold enemies captured by the association. These people either have secrets or have a special status and have the value of interrogation. Logically speaking, she really shouldn't come, but now that Byrne's manpower is tight, Hitarian is happy to help the Night's Watch. My vacation still has meaning.
The prisoner's gaze was piercing, but Hitarian ignored him and concentrated on working his magic. Soon, she could detect the changes in the other person's eyes, her suspicion gradually weakened, and her trust slowly built up. It's just that she's not sure about the other person's mental state yet. "Your Lordship thinks it would be good for you for me to ask questions."
"Of course, because you don't know anything and can't ask questions clearly." The other party said, "What a waste of time."
good. Hitarian thought. Just say it. His tone seemed to blame her. Blaming the interrogator for failing to complete the task is not the mentality a prisoner should have. In fact, the other party should be chuckling about keeping the secret...but the magic affected him subtly. Moreover, the palace has special interrogators to deal with prisoners, and it is her turn to interrogate them in the end to get the final value.
"I'm sorry. But I was worried you'd be bored."
"You want a vacation, don't you? You want nothing to do like me?"
"Indeed. I can't rest until my work is done. Work is tiring."
"You'd better go home as soon as possible and have a good sleep." The prisoner said with concern, "As for work..." He suddenly narrowed his eyes, seeming to feel uncomfortable. “Work doesn’t matter, who cares about work?”
"I just care. Without work, I have no pay, and without pay, I can't live."
"Who said that? I don't live by pay."
"You're not human, you won't understand me."
In an instant, the prisoner's expression changed. His anger was palpable. "Of course I understand!" The loud voice startled Hitarian. "Byrne shouldn't let a little girl like you work! How could His Majesty the King agree? It was the suggestion of the damn undead, right? He is just..."
"I understand, thank you for your concern." Hitarian interrupted him quickly, fearing that the other party would make trouble if he spoke freely. When the time comes, she will most likely be unlucky as a spell caster. "I will try my best to solve the work, will you help me?"
"How?" the prisoner asked without hesitation.
"There are puzzles that need to be solved." The effect was good, and she didn't dare to take it lightly. "Dmitri, do you recognize this man?" The old question.
The prisoner blinked. "Him? He's dead."
"Did you kill him?"
"No. What kind of mystery is this? Her Majesty killed him."
"Your Majesty the Queen?" Hitarian looked curious, "Is the king of Byrne a female?"
"No, no. They are two people." Before Hitarian could ask, the prisoner had already tried to explain to her in an understanding way: "The queen refers to Evan Jielin, the ruler of the Twinkling Pool. She is...the Alliance The...master..."
"alliance?"
"The Oath Keepers Alliance." The prisoner looked at his palm in surprise. "That's right. Why...? Something doesn't seem right?"
The progress has caught up with yesterday. At this time, eager to ask for news from the Queen will risk failure. Hitarian continued to maintain the magic. "Oh, I understand that. How did Dmitri die?"
"Burned to death by the Queen."
"How cruel!" said Hitarian. "Did you see it? How terrible."
"No...no. I didn't...well, maybe I wasn't careful..."
"You were also involved, right?"
"I'll be honest, you'd be worried."
"I'm fine. I want to know the truth, please tell me."
"Really? You want to know the truth? But..." There was a silence. "I didn't kill him. I...I asked him questions."
"That's okay. I'm asking you questions too. It's okay." Things started to change.
"No." The prisoner looked ashamed, as if he didn't want to deceive her again. "It's much crueler than this. I killed his family just to make him tell the truth...that kid...but he doesn't trust me! What can I do?"
Even though he had expected it, Hitarian still felt fear. She couldn't help but cross her arms, all the questions stuck in her throat. The prisoner noticed her movement and backed away in embarrassment, almost failing to maintain her magic.
Calm. She told herself that she couldn't waste this opportunity. The gods cannot change the past. Remember your mission.
"...How is his family?" An irrelevant question came out of his mouth. What am I talking about?
"I burned one to death," the prisoner replied gloomily. "It can't be consumed at once. When I tried to arrest the boy again, he opened his mouth."
Ask the right questions! She realized the thrill. If I ask something else, he will notice...
Hitarian did his best to stay calm. "What did Dmitri say?"
"The Bronze Secret Book."
Everything is back to normal. Take it easy. Hitarian took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Did he hide the Bronze Secret Book?"
"Yes. It seems that someone also coveted that thing, so Dmitri hid it mysteriously."
Bronze Lord Dmitri is the predecessor of Mercury Lord. He and Ms. Lametta are both wizards of the Silent School. However, witchcraft cannot escape the eyes of the Holy One, and Hitarian believed that he had used the power of the Nameless One, so he was questioned. "He compromised. He handed you the Bronze Secret Book?"
"Not to me. Her Majesty took him away, leaving only the mortals. The next time I saw Dmitri was at the stake."
"So, the person who covets the Bible is Evan Jielin?"
"No. We only learned of the existence of the Bronze Secret Book after we caught him. In fact, Demetri used the Silent School to collect related divine relics, and all his research originated from them."
Then there is someone else who is looking for the Bible. Who could it be? Hitarian asked the prisoner, but he didn't know the answer. I can't ask the Queen of Light... The progress has exceeded the script given to her by the Night Watch, so she decided to ask Evan Jielin about her knowledge of the Bible.
His expression changed as he spoke: "Where did the mortals left for you go?"
"Which ones?"
"Dmitri's family. His son."
"Sorry, honey, I don't know. That's not my job."
"Ah, indeed." Hitarian knew very well. The answer is self-evident. What will the Twinkle Pool do to the Demon's family? There won't be any preferential treatment anyway. Even assuming they were still alive, the situation might be worse than dead. This has been a long time ago. Besides Lametta and the Black Knight, who else will remember the Bronze Lord and Dmitri's family? Even the gods cannot change the past...
"Is your work done?" the prisoner asked with concern. "What else can I do for you, son?"
Hitarian closed his eyes.
"Who is your family?" she asked softly, "not the compatriots in the association, but your parents, partners, brothers and sisters, and descendants." Her voice became softer. "who are they?"
