"I already know the details."
In the north of the Free City, next to a dilapidated tavern, Duan Qing, who was holding a wine glass, once again sat with a tepid smile across from a group of people with unkind expressions: "According to Jia Luo... you guys
They are all a bunch of defeated soldiers now, right?"
"...Since Reiner has chosen you, I have nothing to say."
The person who answered him was Eduin sitting on the other side of the dilapidated room. He looked at Duan Qing quietly for a while with triangular eyes, and finally withdrew his hostile eyes: "If you really want to know the answer
If so, then..."
"Yes."
He waved away several nervous subordinates around him, and then waved to the bartender hiding on one side: "Although we all survived inexplicably, our families suffered heavy losses."
"...How many people are there who can do it now?"
"almost none."
Taking the wine glass handed over by the bartender, Eduan sighed slightly: "Including the field staff and reserve staff, all the people who could be found were dead. I thought they had escaped from Eta County.
The people who come here will become one of the additional members we can absorb, but looking at it now... they are just a group of insiders who lurked in our city beforehand."
"That is to say..." Duan Qing frowned slightly: "If the restorers fight back now, we will have almost no defense here?"
"If you want to think so... I can't deny it." Eduan curled his lips: "Our city of freedom is almost an empty city now."
"No wonder you agreed so simply when you admitted my identity before. It turned out to be just a bunch of empty shells." Duan Qing had no choice but to sigh helplessly: "I've been stuck in hiding these past few days because I'm afraid of being seen out.
?”
"Maintaining a sense of mystery is also a way for us to maintain our majesty."
Gently raising his head, Eduan took a sip of the wine in the glass: "As for the reason for agreeing to you becoming a candidate for the throne... To be honest, it's just that we want to introduce the power of adventurers.
Just carry it for a while."
"...Thank you for your sincerity." Duan Qing was silent for a while, and then smiled slightly: "You actually admitted it so readily."
"I'm afraid Gallo has told you this a long time ago, right?" Eduin rolled his eyes: "Otherwise, you wouldn't have found my head at this time..."
"That guy...when I talked to him yesterday, his thoughts were written all over his face."
Duan Qing showed a wry smile: "Although the Regicide seems to be a veteran in assassination, he doesn't seem to be able to hide his psychological fluctuations."
"... He did lose a lot of men in the previous battle." Eduin frowned deeply: "And... those are his followers who have followed him for many years."
"That's all his hard work."
He looked at the tops of the few remaining intact ceilings after the catastrophe: "So many subordinates died, but I was still alive in the end... Some sadness is inevitable."
"..."
"In the past few days, he must have been calming down his anger."
Looking at Duan Qing's silent expression, Eduin continued in a low voice: "A master who is well versed in the assassin's ways will naturally understand what you just said, so he hasn't seen me in the past few days.
This old friend of mine, I am not surprised at all... As our long-standing rival, the situation on Old Joel's side should be similar. In that day's battle, their home base also suffered a devastating blow.
.”
"The only thing that surprised me was Old Joel himself." He slammed the wine glass on the ground: "He actually gave up revenge and left just like that."
"His departure is also very surprising." Duan Qing replied in a slow voice: "But what surprises me even more is... he would actually throw the symbol of his status to me."
"Sagittarius is indeed not suitable for your image." Eduin also let out a burst of harsh laughter: "But since it is his intention, we have to respect his choice."
"Choice... ha." Duan Qing looked at the other party deeply: "The decision to let us enter the ruling class of Freedom City was ultimately made by you. I hope that in the end... you don't regret it."
"About this matter, we didn't have the final say ourselves." Eduin curled his lips again: "There are no people, and we are weak... On the borders of the Free City, this means that there is no
It is a sign of the right to speak. Since Jia Luo, who has had a grudge against you, has agreed to your status, I, a guy who does not focus on fighting, have no reason to object. In the following time, I and my Chias
The Alliance...will no longer regard you and your subordinates as enemies."
"We have a temporary truce." He raised the corner of his lips: "After the threat of the restorationists has passed, we can continue to settle the issues between us."
"There is an old saying among adventurers that there is no eternal enemy." Duan Qing also raised his wine glass: "Maybe after this period of time, we will become very good friends."
"I hope so." Eduin sneered unceremoniously: "And I have to remind you... don't do anything extraordinary, this position is not as good as you think."
"Thank you for the tip." Duan Qing stood up and left his seat: "As long as we talk about it, it is possible to repair the relationship between us."
"Wishful thinking is not a good habit, and trusting others easily is not a good habit." Looking at Duan Qing's gradual departure, Eduin's voice gradually became deeper: "Calm it as a gift before I leave... you
It's best to talk to the other candidates for the throne in advance before leaving."
"None of them are as easy to talk to as I am." Having said this, Eduin let out a few sharp laughs again: "If there is any trouble with you, it will be beyond our control.
"
"About this...you don't need to remind me."
Duan Qing, who walked to the door, paused for a moment, then turned sideways with a smile: "According to the original plan..."
"I also want to visit these future new colleagues one by one."
***************************
"Oh, you're here."
Some time later, in Tristan's mansion, Tristan, who was sitting in the living room, welcomed Duan Qing, who was visiting, into the house: "I have been waiting for you for a long time. Counting the time, you should have arrived...
"
"...Where is your wife?" Duan Qing looked around here: "Where are the members of your family?"
"Already left early."
With a relieved smile on his face, Testan replied calmly: "Now that there are magic trains leading to other places, travel will become extremely convenient. I discussed it with my beloved wife and decided to go to the southern part of the empire.
Santerres Province…”
"Wait, wait, wait." Duan Qing hurriedly interrupted the other party: "You want to leave here too? Why?"
"Shouldn't you understand the reason very well?"
Looking alone at the empty mansion hall, Tristan sighed deeply: "Not only did he become enemies with all the candidates for the throne, but he also almost caused the destruction of the city... Such a big crime,
It’s not something I can afford on my own.”
"Being able to leave this city safely is the greatest kindness to me." He put on a look of relief: "With this result, it can be regarded as satisfying my previous wish to leave here in an upright manner."
"..."
"I only found out about your succession to the throne later."
Patting Duan Qing's shoulder, Mr. Bart Tristan stood up from his original seat: "Although it may be in line with your expectations, I still have to remind you... It is not possible to sit firmly in such a position.
A simple thing."
"……I know."
"Others have said that to you? That's good."
His eyes gradually moved away from Duan Qing's face, and the middle-aged man took two steps forward: "I have inherited the family business for so long, but my strength and power have not expanded at all. If I hadn't been relying on the wealth accumulated by the family for a long time,
Relationship, the name Tristan should have disappeared from the Free City a long time ago. The Rondoll family standing with us should have been a solid force, but now it has become the heaviest stain on the family. For
To atone for our sins, we also have to hand over all power and then leave as far away as possible..."
"They are too busy looking after themselves right now, so they probably won't do anything to you." Duan Qing replied in a slow voice, "And they still have my support..."
"No, you can't do that."
A hand was placed in front of Duan Qing, stopping his next words: "Rather than saying that you have done well enough, it is better to say that you cannot continue to interfere in this matter, no matter where the cause of the war comes from.
, any behavior that excuses us will only increase my guilt..."
He slowly retracted his hand, and at the same time his eyes were full of vicissitudes of life: "Fate has decided this path for us, and we should... accept it happily."
"...Hmph, another happy acceptance."
The atmosphere was silent for a moment in the empty hall, and then started flowing again with Duan Qing's sneer: "Your destiny has changed, why do you still believe in this?"
"...Destiny is the belief of this continent, and it is not something that can be changed easily."
Looking back at Duan Qing deeply, Tristan slowly shook his head: "Even if you let me believe what Shadow Mage once said, I won't accept it easily."
"At least you can believe in yourself." Duan Qing reached out to cover his forehead: "I believe you can use your own hands to create your own future."
"Even if you have to bear more shackles because of it?" Tristan asked, "And then go to the opposite side of the world?"
The air in the living room fell into silence once again, as if frozen by the sudden cold wind, and Duan Qing, who reached out to touch his forehead, also lost his voice and seemed unable to say anything to refute. Time
Just like this silence gradually flowed, until the middle-aged man who walked out of the living room turned around again. He looked at Duan Qing's calm face and lowered his eyes: "I know we have created history, but we also made history for
I have paid the price, my family has already borne too much for my recklessness, they... cannot be ruined in my hands."
"You adventurers may be able to do things we can't imagine, but we should never be the ones to witness it." He reached into his arms and escaped with a key and a crystal ball: "As the winner of the Throne War,
The fruits of our joint efforts on that day... will be handed over to you to inherit."
"But……"
"I have made up my mind."
As if he had aged more than ten years, Tristan slowly bent down, and then quietly placed the representative of family wealth and throne authority on the ground in front of him: "Tristan will join Rondoer.
, removed from the throne owners, the remaining arrangements..."
"Just listen to the city lord and Reiner."
He turned around, leaving Duan Qing's lonely figure in this empty mansion, and then left this place alone with the sound of increasingly distant footsteps, and the sounds around him followed his footsteps.
After leaving, Duan Qing became silent again. At the same time, Duan Qing's expression became increasingly serious. He was silent for a long time, and finally stepped forward and picked up the last two things Tristan left behind.
[Key to the Tristan Family (Normal)]
[Use: You can open the treasure house of the Tristan family.]
【Aries Star (Epic)】
[Mosaic part: Armor]
[Mosaic requirements: None]
[Strength +1, Agility +1, Intelligence +2, Spirit +2]
【Disabled state】
[Mosaic Special Effect: Stubborn, when standing still, the damage you receive will be reduced by 20%. This effect disappears when moving. 】
[Mosaic special effect: Life burning, sacrificing 20% of your maximum health, generating a magic shield to resist damage equivalent to your lost health, lasting 30 seconds, with a cooling time of 1 minute. 】
[One of the cores of the throne made by Molnar once contained huge magical energy. Not only did the magical patterns carved on it far exceed the modern level, but its structure and material are also difficult to identify by current magicians. 】
[The Star of Aries is not only a representative item for the owner of the throne, but also one of the keys to activate the Star of Morna. However, due to the appearance of some reasons, it has now returned to its original state. 】
"……well."
Knowing in his heart that this was the final reward of the endless throne war given by the system, Duan Qing sighed deeply, and then slowly put away the key that he didn't know where to use and the same dim crystal ball.
In his own arms: "It's all very nice..."
"Isn't this last burden still on my head?"
This chapter has been completed!