There were no decorations in the spacious stone house, but there were bookshelves all around. The ancient bookshelves were filled with dark and heavy books that extended from the bottom all the way up to the top, covering the entire ten-meter-tall wall. Rather than calling this a stone house, it would be more appropriate to call it a library.
Carolina turned her gaze from the huge magic crystal to where the voice came from.
The voice was gentle and kind, and Carolina's heartbeat quickened.
A crimson figure walked out from behind the rows of bookshelves. Her four dragon horns that glowed with a faint white light were slightly tucked behind her back, and her fiery red hair hung softly on both sides of her face. A pair of beautiful, colorful eyes stared calmly at Lexstrasza Carolina, and a kind of ethereal and ethereal feeling shrouded the red dragon chief.
She was Evelyn Carolina, the Elemental Lord, and the Dragon Aspect that had existed since the beginning of the world.
"Mom!"
The moment Carolina saw Evelyn, the corners of her mouth curled up high. Then, she actually ran two steps toward this Dragon Aspect that everyone looked up to.
Evelyn also had a faint smile on her face. She gently opened her arms and let her lively daughter jump into her arms like a swallow returning to the forest.
She wore a robe similar in style to Karolina's, but it was even more simple and unadorned, the color even deeper. There was only a simple cloth belt around her waist, and apart from a necklace similar to Lexstrasza's hanging from her fair neck, she didn't have any other accessories. However, the ethereal feeling she gave off made her unknowingly surpass her daughter countless times over.
Countless years of accumulation and vicissitudes didn't make her look old. Speaking of which, Evelyn and Lexstrasza looked like a pair of sisters. But upon closer inspection, the difference in temperament caused by the difference in experience was very obvious.
Evelynn gently let go of Lexstrasza. She looked at her daughter with a gentle look in her eyes, which flickered with a faint seven-colored light. Then, she pulled her into the stone room.
Evelyn wore a pair of plain cloth shoes on her fair and tender feet. Every step she took was dignified and natural, without the arrogance of Lexstrasza. If one shifted their gaze slightly and focused on another position, Evelyn would appear reserved and low-key when she walked past them, as if no one would pay attention to her.
Of course, her indescribable beauty would definitely make all men fall head over heels for her.
Lexstrasza obediently let his mother lead him by the hand, a sweet expression on his face as they arrived at the innermost part of the stone room. There were a few comfortable armchairs there, similarly made from the same ancient wood as the bookshelves. They seemed to have been there for many years.
It was made from the branches of Dashiell's Tree of Life. It was as old as the guardian tree known as the "Crown of the Sky" in the elven royal city.
Evelyn gently combed her crimson hair to the back of her head and sat opposite Lexstrasza. She looked at her daughter quietly.
Lexstrasza seemed to have thought of something when her mother's penetrating gaze looked at her. She blushed a little.
In front of their mother, children would always be children. This saying also applied to the dragon race.
"Let me guess. Did my baby Laney meet a handsome dragon that moved her heart?" Evelynn smiled and said, "But Laney has always liked only one person, right?"
"I …" Lexstrasza held the armchair as if trying to hide something. "Actually …"
"Nairíos didn't die?"
Evelynn's glistening eyes stared straight at Lexstrasza. Lexstrasza's body trembled as if she was electrocuted. She opened her little mouth, not knowing what to say.
"Silly child. Look at yourself. You've been grinning all the way here."
Evelyn leaned back on the armchair, but she didn't look lazy at all. Her elegant aura made people feel her calmness and wisdom all the time.
Lexstrasza blushed and couldn't speak.
After a while, she said hesitantly, "Mother, when you told me that his … body was found, I was scared to death …"
"And then?"
"I went to Sirius and indeed found … his corpse."
Evelynn's eyes flickered, but no one knew what she was thinking. She just continued to ask, "Then why did you say that he's not dead after finding his body?"
"I … Mother, didn't you already know … You already knew, right?"
Lexstrasza suddenly asked.
Evelynn smiled faintly but didn't say anything.
Her daughter immediately gave up and lowered her head to tell her many things. When Lexstrasza raised her head again, she found that Evelynn was looking to the side.
Following the gaze of the Red Dragon Chieftain, Lexstrasza once again saw the large magic crystal that was emitting a familiar wave of energy.
"This can't be …"
Evelynn blinked and sighed. She turned her gaze back to her daughter and nodded. "It's his dragon crystal."
Lexstrasza was stunned when she heard this.
* * *
Klimt territory, Borg village.
In the evening.
"Bishop Becky, the Sistine Chapel is just ahead of us. We'll probably go our separate ways after we stop there."
Henry bowed slightly and said after giving a standard noble salute.
As the emissary of the Light Church, their mission had been completed. Henry knew that this might be the last time they would be in the same team.
Becky was sitting on a piece of rotten wood, and in front of her was a burning bonfire. Although the journey from Sirius was tiring, she didn't encounter any accidents. She didn't feel tired at all. Susan was fiddling with the bonfire. When she heard Henry's words, she stopped what she was doing and looked at her teacher.
"Thank you for taking care of me these days."
Becky gestured for Henry to sit on the piece of wood opposite her. Henry nodded and sat down solemnly.
"Exterminating the undead is the primary task of the Light Church. In other words, it's the first dogma of the Light Church's Court of Inquisition. Although I don't belong to the Court of Inquisition, I'm still a believer of the God of Light."
"So?" Henry nodded. He already understood what Becky meant.
"Please allow me and my apprentice to continue to follow this team to complete the mission given by the God of Light."
Becky stood up and gave a cross salute that only a believer of the God of Light would do. Although her expression didn't change, the sincerity in her tone was real.
Henry stood up and returned the salute. "As you wish, Lord Bishop. Guns N 'Roses mercenary group will always welcome the two of you. Of course, if you are committed to exterminating the undead, you can actually consider killing me first."
He made a rare joke. Susan, who was fiddling with the campfire, laughed out loud. There was no other reason. Although Henry had talked a lot with Becky and the others along the way, he had always been quiet and serious. Now that he suddenly made a joke, it was really a big contrast.
Becky's eyebrows arched slightly, but her face didn't show any other expression. However, Henry also understood that this bishop was different from ordinary people. He bowed slightly and left.
Looking at Henry's back, Becky said, "Bishop Cowburn's church agrees with my decision."
Assistant bishop Becky's superior was Bishop Cowburn. He was a white-haired old man who had dedicated his life to the God of Light ever since he was born.
Becky chose to join many mercenary groups instead of Flora's guards because she was more familiar with these cute mercenaries.
Bishop Cowburn had full confidence in the character of many people. After she completed the mission that the Pope gave her in the Holy Land of Ciaran, she didn't have any follow-up missions. At this time, she should have chosen to directly return to her own parish, but the sudden appearance of the undead made her immediately give up on the idea of returning.
Becky's identity was not as simple as an assistant bishop. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been appointed as a special envoy by the Holy Land of Ciaran.
Becky gently raised her hand and gently rolled up the sleeve of her black bishop robe, revealing her delicate arm. In this dark night, her arm was very dazzling because of its white color.
She softly chanted a spell, and a very disharmonious scar suddenly appeared on Becky's wrist.
It was a pitch-black scar that extended from the wrist all the way to the middle of Becky's forearm. It was the length of a palm, and the widest part was the width of two fingers. However, the most unbelievable thing was the appearance of the scar.
It was like a crack in the middle of the ground, revealing the flesh that seemed to have been corroded by some unknown force, but there were no signs of it healing.
"Teacher …"
Susan's expression immediately changed when she heard that Becky's wound was exposed. She quickly stood up.
"It's okay."
Becky quietly stared at her wound, her eyelids slightly trembling. She lightly bit her lips to endure the intense pain.
Not long after, Becky chanted an incantation, and the scar slowly disappeared from her forearm. She then gently covered it with her sleeve and reached out her right hand to take the handkerchief that Susan handed to her. She wiped the cold sweat on her forehead from enduring the pain and let out a sigh of relief.
"I really don't know how much longer I can live."
As usual, Henry patrolled the entire group of refugees, constantly returning the greetings of the commoners that came to greet him. These simple commoners did not know how to greet him, so they had all kinds of strange postures. Some bowed, some knelt on one knee, and some even knelt on both knees. Henry patiently returned the greetings, nodding silently as a greeting.
Flora lived in the best wooden house in the village, and there were already guards stationed around the house. However, after so many days, as the number of refugees increased, the group of refugees began to discuss the identity of this girl who had always been 'gluttonous and lazy'.
They really could not understand. The former leader of the group went to fight against the undead alone, and now the current leader was patrolling every day. They had never seen him rest, and the beautiful elven girl was also strictly carrying out her scouting mission. There was also the talkative elven assassin and the loud voice shorty. Although they talked a lot of nonsense, their bravery in battle was widely known in the group. But that girl, the girl who did nothing all day under the protection of layers of guards, and enjoyed the best food and accommodation, who was she?
What right did she have to do that?
Some people also guessed that she was a noble or the daughter of a noble, but they quickly realized that the other mercenaries in the group did not seem to care about this girl at all. They would often walk past her with extreme disregard. At most, only the elven girl would lightly greet her, but she only nodded and walked away.
This immediately made the refugees overturn their previous guesses. However, they could only talk about it, and did not dare to point it out directly.
When someone enjoyed special treatment, it would always cause the dissatisfaction of another group.
This was like a microcosm of the entire Empire of Saint Reims.
Right now, the princess no longer had the air and mischievous spirit that she usually had in Sisfel Palace. Perhaps it was more appropriate to describe her current appearance as' haggard '.
Her greasy hair was loose, and the two dark circles under her eyes made her white skin look like a panda. Right now, she was sitting in a simple wooden house, holding a longsword in her hand and spacing out.
Although the house had been cleaned by the guards, the royal guards were not personal maids. They could not clean a house like this. Even now, the wooden chair Flora was sitting on was covered in dust.
There was a slightly sweet, moldy smell in the air. It wasn't a pleasant smell. Flora frowned. The princess looked at the sword in her hand, then at the doll sitting on the other chair. She swung the sword slightly and muttered to the air, "Come on, let's go."
"After coming so far, being abandoned doesn't feel good at all …"
"It's all his fault!
Hmph! "
Flora's longsword hit the wooden table with a thud, but because she did not use enough strength, the sword was embedded in the wooden surface. Flora tried to pull it out, but accidentally pulled the entire table. The food that was prepared on the table fell to the ground with a crash.
"Hmph!"
She was so angry that she swung the sword again. This time, she swung it with all her strength. The table was instantly split in half. The plates that were filled with food fell to the ground in a mess. The whole room suddenly looked very messy.
"Why don't we … run?"
Flora's eyes suddenly brightened as she looked at the doll beside her and said.
"But they're watching us so closely … I don't even have a chance …"
The princess looked at the window. Because of the poverty, the windows here were covered with animal skins. She then shook her head and muttered to herself, "They're all very strong. There's no way we can escape!"
In Flora's imagination, everyone around her had become prison guards, and she herself had become a prisoner fighting for her freedom.
Mental illness?
Perhaps only the doll beside her knew the answer.
From afar, Henry felt Flora's presence and shook his head. He reached out and pulled up his hood. He nodded at the guards around the wooden house, then turned around and disappeared into the night.
* * *
"Brother, why didn't you tell Sister Nana about Athena?"
Salia hugged Athena's neck and asked, her little face pressed against the soft mane.
Because the unicorn was too big, the little girl had to hug Athena's neck to get closer to the unicorn. At this time, her movement made Athena shake her head, and the little girl laughed.
"It happened too suddenly. It wasn't appropriate to tell her at that time because this kind of thing is too bizarre. Your Sister Nana is an elf. You can't imagine the reverence they have for unicorns."
Many looked around and continued, "Let's rest here today. Salia, come and learn how to set up a tent. I'll teach you."
"Okay!"
Zaliya nodded. Athena understood and lowered her body, letting the little girl slide down her neck. After that, Athena naughtily tugged at Zaliya's short skirt and let out a long, mischievous hiss. Then, she swayed her head and strolled away.
"Ah!" Salia's little face was red as she covered her skirt. "Bad Athena!
I don't want to play with you anymore! "
From afar, Athena ran back like the wind and intimately rubbed Salia's little face. It seemed like she was trying her best to please this little girl.
"Hmph!
Don't do it again! "
Salia was very satisfied with Athena's reaction. She grabbed Athena's beautiful horn with her two little hands and pulled it up and down. If Noda saw this scene, he would probably hold his heart and find a priest to heal it. How could a unicorn's horn be pulled like this?!
Many smiled faintly as she watched the innocent little girl play with Athena. She reached out and pinched her little face. "You only know how to play. Look, it's getting dark. We won't be able to see anything when we set up the tent. Let's see how you're going to set it up. Oh right, you're also going to light the bonfire today. No magic!"
"Ah?"
The little girl's big green eyes widened. "No magic?
Ah … Brother, teach me … "
"You have to train yourself, silly girl. Magic is not everything in your life. Don't always rely on it. Do you hear me?"
"Yes … I know …"