When Ringer walked into the study, the old man was lying on his side on a lounge chair by the fireplace, quietly staring at the night outside the window. The firelight gave every ravine and hair on his face a warm luster, deep and dark.
The different shadows are like a solidified stone statue. There are no lights in the study, so except for a small area by the fireplace, the rest of the place is shrouded in deep darkness. The huge bust portrait on the wall is the most conspicuous.
The eyes of the pioneer Baron Vince are as sharp as a hawk, and deeper than the eternal night.
"You're here, Mr. Ringer." The old man sitting by the fireplace heard the sound of opening the door. He raised his eyelids and glanced at the young man. Other than that, he made no other move: "Please come over here.
Just take a seat."
"excuse me."
Ringer closed the door gently, then walked to the fireplace and sat down on the chair that had been prepared long ago opposite the old man. As a junior and a guest, he maintained due respect for Xino's grandfather.
Therefore, he did not speak rashly, but gave the right to open the topic to the old man. But he waited quietly for about half a minute, but the old man did not speak, but stared at the burning flame in the fireplace, the old and turbid
His eyes were a little vacant under the firelight, as if he was thinking of other things, and he actually forgot the purpose of calling Linge here.
This is a common symptom of elderly people. Ringer often encountered this situation when receiving believers in the past, so he was not too angry. He just had to remind him: "Mr. Van Yindru, could you please come to me for help?"
What's the matter?"
Vanindro Jean Goldstaff, Sino's grandfather, the contemporary head of the Goldstaff family, is said to have been a training instructor of the 9th Cavalry Regiment of the Republican Garrison in the Province of Saint-Denis when he was young, with a rank of colonel and a quite style.
He was tough, but he also taught many outstanding young talents. He chose to retire after his son was born. A rather grand investiture ceremony was held at that time. The provincial governor was present in person to commend this old man for his twenty-five years of service.
The contribution he made in his military career. Of course, he may also have the intention of making good friends with the Goldstaff family, which is not enough for outsiders.
According to Sino, the medal called "Iris Medal of Courage" is the old man's most cherished treasure. When she was a child, she often saw her grandfather taking it out and wiping it, with a look of sadness, maybe she was still missing her military career.
.But at the same time, he also rejected many invitations from retired colleagues or former students, and never participated in so-called officers' clubs or military gatherings, showing a very contradictory behavior.
Overall, he is a stubborn, rigid but very nostalgic old man.
The young man's voice called the old man out of his trance. He turned his eyes away and fell on Ringer. He looked at him carefully from top to bottom, as if he had never seen this guest at the dinner table before.
Then he spoke and said in a steady tone: "He is indeed an outstanding young man, Mr. Ringer."
It took Ringer a moment to realize that he was talking about himself. Is this a compliment? But why was it so sudden? He didn't seem to have done anything worthy of praise, right? Or was it because of the Witch Association?
It takes a lot of courage to fight an invincible enemy with little strength, and it is also in line with the spirit of chivalry, so it can be appreciated by this old man. Unfortunately, in terms of motivation, Ringer thinks that he is far inferior to the white knight Heber
So noble.
"Maybe it's just the right time." He meant something: "Everyone will encounter a time when they have to make a choice."
"So," the old man said unhurriedly: "People who can quickly accept the status quo, not be disturbed by the external environment, and make decisions based on their own hearts are indeed worthy of being described as excellent. In our era, people like this
Young people are rarely seen anymore.”
Lin Ge keenly heard the hidden meaning of his words, so he asked tentatively: "Does Miss Xino count?"
"She can't be considered outstanding yet," the old man said, commenting on his granddaughter, the future heir of the Goldstaff family: "Perhaps she has advantages that no one can match in other aspects, but she just has trouble making decisions and is always hesitating.
and wandering. And this problem does not come from her indecisiveness, but because she is a stubborn child."
The topic naturally shifted to the girl.
"stubborn?"
"Yes." The old man raised his head slightly and stared at the old ceiling with a hint of sadness in his eyes: "She often has many worries in her heart, and her stubbornness makes it difficult for her to let go of these worries. So if you want to bring her
If she leaves, it's best to let her become a carefree person, young man."
Let Xino become a carefree person?
There seemed to be some deep hint hidden in this sentence, but the young man did not guess it for a while. After all, there was a lack of a lot of information. What worried him even more was the old man's attitude: "How do you know... we want to bring Xi
Where is Miss Nuo leaving here?"
If Lin Ge guessed correctly, with Xino's character, she would not take the initiative to mention the matter of the girl's royal power to her grandfather.
To this, the old man's answer was: "Some people are not born here."
His cloudy eyes flashed in the firelight: "This can be seen with the naked eye. This is true for you, and so is the child Xino, although maybe she herself is not aware of this."
"Then, don't you object to us taking her away?"
She is the heir to the Goldstaff family and the only heir. Without her, who will let the flag of the White Thorn continue to fly in the sky of Grindelwald? Who will follow the ancient oath and protect the Forest of Lowther?
What about the outliers?
"The key to this matter does not lie with me, but with herself." The old man glanced at her and said meaningfully: "If she wants to leave, no one can keep her, and vice versa."
Ringer was silent, he seemed to understand what the old man meant.
Not only did he not object to Xino leaving here, he even had the faint intention of pushing her. However, even he, the grandfather, could not change Xino's will, so he hinted at Ringer in this way.
Only those who have no worries will embark on a long journey, and for that girl, what are the worries in her heart?
The young man was deep in thought.
…
The silver lanterns illuminate the pavilion, and the faint light is like flowing water, quietly soaking through the growing grass and trees, and also provides an excellent stage for the performance of the crickets in the flowers. In this summer night concert
In the middle, two guests came uninvited, walked into the pavilion one after another, and sat on the stone benches that were still a little cold after being soaked by the moonlight. The girl with a snow-white ponytail looked up at the waning moon above her head, which was covered by the clouds.
It covered most of her body, but the scattered light was still enough to soothe the mountains, rivers and hills of this land; the green-haired girl stared at her quietly, without saying a word, as if waiting for an answer.
I don't know how long this quiet atmosphere lasted. Finally, the girl who looked up at the moon opened her lips slightly and spoke on her own initiative.
"I am the only daughter in the family." She did not look back when she spoke, as if she was not talking to Saint Shalia, but talking to herself: "Although whether in the manor or in a small town,
There are many children of the same age playing with me, so I am not that lonely, but I have never experienced what it is like to get along with brothers and sisters, and naturally I don’t know how to be a qualified sister. So, Saint-Charlie
Ya, if you want me to tell you my feelings like a sister, you probably won’t hear any coquettish words from me.”
"It doesn't matter." Saint Xia Liya said immediately: "Just say what you want, because Xino is Xino, there is no need to force yourself to play other roles."
What's more, is there a possibility that I am actually not a qualified sister?
She couldn't help but think.
Xino burst into laughter, as if she was amused by this answer. After laughing for a while, she stopped laughing, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly: "In that case, I will tell you, Saint Xia Liya, listen
After this, you can’t laugh at me?”
"Don't worry." Saint Xalia promised with a serious face: "I will never do that."
"I trust you."
As Xino spoke, he finally withdrew his gaze from the moon and fell on the green-haired girl opposite. He said he was confiding, but instead she asked a question first: "Saint Xia Liya, what do you think about death?"
What’s your opinion?”
die?
The girl was stunned for a moment. Her first reaction was whether it would be better to ask Leticia this question. After all, she is the one who has experienced the most deaths. But then she thought about it. The little bat will clear its memory every time it dies, so she probably remembers it all.
I didn't know what it was like to die, so even if I asked her, there would be no result, so I suppressed the idea.
"I think..." She thought for a while and then replied with careful tone: "That should be a very sad thing, right?"
It is very sad for both the deceased and his relatives.
That's why everyone at the funeral has such a serious and heavy expression, right?
However, how much of those feelings are real?
At this moment, St. Shalia couldn't help but recall the old Moriya wizard who had baptized her, and how he was lying on the soft bed when he was dying, as if he was submerged in a vast ocean full of snow. That was her first time.
Witnessing the death of a human being, I was at a loss because it was my first time and I didn’t know how to react. Until the day of the funeral, the old wizard’s body gradually burned into ashes like snowflakes in the flames, and everyone who attended the funeral had the same reaction.
When she lowered her head and mourned deeply, she realized that death is a sad thing. When facing death, you cannot be indifferent, you must show your sadness.
But within two days of the funeral, some of the people attending the funeral began to secretly accuse the old wizard of teaching the tribe's witchcraft to a stranger. Others accused her because Saint Shalia was attending the funeral.
She didn't shed tears at all, acting like an indifferent stranger who felt sorry for the old wizard who had always guided and cared for her.
After this incident, Saint Xalia left the tribe with the lamb and wandered alone. She was confused for a time. Since those people cried so sadly at the old wizard's funeral, they should have a very deep relationship with him, but
Why are you neither willing to accept his baptism nor agree with his choice, but instead point the finger at yourself?
Only now did she understand that sometimes, tears are just for the purpose of expression, not the natural result. Some people's sadness will only be buried deep in their hearts. That's because their shells are too hard, and even the tears poured out
Even the seedlings of emotion cannot be broken through.
What kind of person does Xino belong to?
She knew she shouldn't think so, but she still couldn't hide the curiosity in her eyes. Fortunately, Xino wasn't someone who cared about such details. After hearing Saint Xalia's answer, she smiled softly, and her thoughts were actually the same as those in front of her.
The girls were surprisingly unanimous: "Yes, death is indeed a very sad thing, but how many people's sadness comes from the sincerity? Saint Xalia, to tell you the truth, I am actually very afraid of death.
people."
Saint Xalia opened her eyes slightly and hesitated: "Xino...are you afraid of death?"
Generally speaking, even if you are really afraid of death, you won't admit it proactively, right?
"Yes." Xino's expression did not change and he nodded slightly: "Maybe it's because I have been facing death since I was a child - my mother's death, my father's death, and the death of my best friend.
...These have profoundly changed me. Every time I witness the death of others and I am helpless, I will think, ah, why am I standing here? If I am sad, sadness can do nothing.
Change; if we talk about missing them, they can no longer be conveyed to them. This thought has been with me throughout my childhood and adolescence, so that now, I have become a person who is very afraid of death."
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! She smiled self-deprecatingly: "Obviously, birth, old age, illness and death are common, but I can't accept it. I even blame others and myself for it. Maybe I am a very selfish person."
Not sure?"
Only then did Saint Xalia realize that it was not her fear of death she was talking about, but the fear of seeing others die.
She didn't know how Xino's parents and close friends died, and she had no clue about the girl's harsh words about others blaming her. But she vaguely guessed that the girl was no longer talking, she was trying to find a way to communicate with herself.
Reconciliation, but there is no way. Maybe she has done this many times in the past, but she is still affected by those emotions and is stuck in the past. As we all know, reconciling with yourself is the most difficult thing in the world.
.
At this time, as a qualified listener, what she should do is not to get to the bottom of the matter, nor to comfort or advise, but to continue listening.
But she didn't get that chance, because there was a sudden sound of footsteps from the direction of the living room.
Xino looked up and saw a familiar silhouette in the blurry halo outlined by the lights, so the words she was about to say stopped abruptly. She breathed out lightly, as if to expel the melancholy accumulated in her chest.
He Sensitive, then stood up, smiled and said to Saint Xalia: "It seems that Mr. Linge has returned from his grandfather's place, and it's time for us to go back, Saint Xalia. Thank you very much for listening to what I said.
, However, these are just my immature thoughts, please don’t take them to heart.”
oops--
For the first time since she met the young man, Saint Xalia had this thought: Why did Ringer appear at such a time?