Xino knocked on the door gently. After a short silence, a low reply came from the room: "Come in."
Xino pushed the door open and entered, looking past the heavy shadows and falling directly on the old man. In the fireplace, a dim firelight was flickering, reflecting every ravine on his old face.
With every touch of turbid shadow, the old man sat back in the lounge chair, his legs covered with a flannel blanket, and a thick book was placed on the blanket, but it was not opened. His eyes were fixed on the dark
The red book cover seems to be just a trance, which is what many elderly people are used to doing. Rather than spending energy reading the clichéd stories in the book, they would rather reminisce about their past years in trance.
Even the stern, rigid, and merciless grandfather in Xino's memory was no different from an ordinary old man at this time.
The girl walked to the fireplace, stopped just in time at the edge of the shadow covered by the fire, and called softly: "Grandpa, aren't you going to rest?"
Only then did the elderly Feindrup Jean Gustaf come out of his spiritual world. He slowly raised his head, and his granddaughter's concerned look was reflected in his dark red eyes that were no longer bright, and he shook his head and said
: "I'm not sleepy yet. I always want to read something to entertain myself before going to bed. But I didn't expect that my energy is really low. Even my favorite book in the past can no longer be read."
Xino glanced at the book and saw "The Dialectical Relationship between Spirit and Will" printed on the cover. It looked like a book related to philosophy. She couldn't help feeling a little funny, and
He did laugh out loud: "Grandfather, it seems this is the first time I have heard such...submissive words from you?"
In the past, this old man would never have given in, because admitting his aging would mean admitting defeat to him, and he was a stubborn person. Xino still remembers the first time he taught him swordsmanship.
At that time, she was obviously very old, but her back was as straight as a mountain. She knocked her granddaughter down countless times with just one hand, which made her depressed for several weeks with strong frustration and even doubted her.
But later the girl learned from the old housekeeper who had leaked that after the swordsmanship lesson ended, the old man lay on the bed for three days because he had slipped to his waist. No wonder during those three days, she
I never saw my grandfather at the dinner table.
Even when facing relatives, he is unwilling to show any weakness.
In response to his granddaughter's teasing, the old man's expression remained unchanged and he just said in a low voice: "All things will eventually die, just like flowers blooming in blood. I have a premonition that my time is running out, Xino, so I admit my aging and powerlessness, but
It’s just the first step towards death.”
His tone was very calm, and there was even a poetic and cruel romance in his words, as if he was not facing death, but a noble and great thing. However, these two words directly touched the most important thing in Xino's heart.
Unwilling to face her inner demon, her expression changed slightly, but soon returned to normal, and she said in a calm tone: "You won't leave us so soon, Grandpa. White thorn flowers bloom in midsummer, and at the end of summer
Withering is as short as a season of life, but there is no shortage of ancient trees with a hundred rings in the Loser Mountains, and the same is true for you."
After that, she gently took out a test tube filled with light green liquid from her pocket, stepped forward, walked out of the shadow, and handed it to her grandfather. The old man reached out and took it, through the transparent glass wall.
He vaguely felt an aura of vitality, which was in stark contrast to his old and decrepit body. He thought thoughtfully: "Is this medicine, Xino."
"Yes." The girl retreated into the shadows again and explained: "The gifts given to me by those guests from the sky. Among them are the most outstanding alchemists. After learning about your illness, they specially refined this
Potion, it can heal old wounds on your body, so I think it is far from time to talk about death, Grandfather."
The old man on the couch took a deep look at her: "Can an injury that even Lady Nightingale of the Herb Garden and Mother Teresa of the Knights Hospital be unable to do anything about, be solved by an alchemist of unknown origin?
"
"I also find it incredible, but they are credible." Xino paused for a moment before replying: "This is my feeling, Grandpa."
Van Yandru stopped talking. Although it sounded a little incredible, he knew that his granddaughter had never made a mistake in feeling. She could always accurately detect other people's emotions and attitudes towards her, and who was kind and treated her well.
Sincerity; who is hypocritical and has other agendas... It is clear in her heart that in her long life, the old man has never seen anyone with a more transparent mind than this girl. Maybe this is also a kind of talent.
After being silent for a while, he still sighed and placed the potion on the tea table next to him. As if he didn't know how important it was to him, he stared at his granddaughter in the dark: "You have this
My heart is what I am happy about, Xino. However, people cannot live in their innocence all their lives. There will always be a moment to accept reality, not to mention that you have the blood of the Goldstaff family flowing in your body."
Hearing this, Xino pursed her lips slightly and said nothing, as if she didn't know how to answer.
The old man still said in a calm tone: "Recently, I asked Weber to check many times. In the ruins of Trovinica, the beast's breath is about to start. I'm afraid it won't be too far away from its awakening. You should be prepared.
,Xino.”
In the darkness, Xino's eyes looked particularly deep: "What preparations?"
"Escape is useless." The old man shook his head slowly: "Protecting the people of Granginia is a mission given to us by the glorious ancestors of the Costafu family. Aliens are protected by oaths, and the alliance of religious orders cannot be trusted.
, the only ones who can bear the heavy responsibility are the descendants of the White Thorn Flower. If the beast awakens, we will need to pay all costs to re-seal it, and with your power, it is even possible to completely eliminate it and never be a problem again."
He glanced at his granddaughter with his old and cloudy eyes, and said in a low voice: "I don't want to describe this mission as an expectation, Xino. In fact, it is fate and inevitable."
Xino's face was expressionless, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became much heavier: "So, what do you mean by all the costs? Does it include sacrifice?"
"You are a warrior. You should know that any battle is accompanied by sacrifice. The courage and determination to face sacrifice are also the will of a knight."
"Like my paranoid father?"
After the words fell, the two of them were silent for a while, and a look of regret flashed in their eyes. Xino regretted that he was too impulsive and would mention his father in front of his grandfather. This kind of harm without thinking, for an old man in his dying years.
It was too cruel; and Van Yandru's regret seemed to come from some deeper emotion, more entangled than guilt, heavier than pain. His withered and thin hands clenched tightly on the armrests of the lounge chair, and slowly relaxed again.
He opened his eyes and withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at his granddaughter, but at the dim firelight in the fireplace: "Are you still blaming Leonard, Xino?"
The girl was startled for a moment, then she lowered her eyelids and murmured in a low voice, as if she was answering her grandfather's question, but she seemed to be just saying to herself: "I don't know."
I don't know, but there are too complex meanings buried in these four words, but it is not beyond the old man's expectation, because his feelings for his son are generally the same.
He was leaning on the recliner, with the dim firelight beside him, and a memory scene appeared inexplicably in front of his eyes: when Leonard was just born, he held the little baby in his arms and vowed to make him grow up happily; for
Fighting against beasts, he chose to join the army for training but was accidentally injured. After a setback, he had no choice but to go against his original intention and put his hope in his young son. After discovering that Leonard had not inherited his talent, he had no sense of the family's mission and the glory of his bloodline.
Anger and disappointment; he fell in love with Mistian, and confessed to himself that in order for future generations to grow up happily, he would rather live as an ordinary person than inherit the pain of inheriting the name of White Thorn Flower...
After that day, the father and son became strangers and never spoke a word again.
In order to distract himself and relieve the pain in his heart, Van Yundru devoted his whole body and soul to running the family industry. However, he was not obsessed with wealth, but wanted to buy back the Forest of Lothar and once again fulfill the obligations of his ancestors and aliens.
Oath. If you are destined not to become a knight of the sealed beast, then you must at least be worthy of the blood flowing in your body. He was so focused at that time that when he came back to his senses, he discovered that he already had a granddaughter, and she had even learned to walk.
Every day, he appears in every corner of Chatoli Manor, leaving behind long-lost laughter and laughter.
The long-dormant manor was reawakened by the appearance of a little girl. He saw his carefree childhood in her, but he hesitated to approach because the long-term alienation from his relatives had left him feeling...
Feeling isolated from the world, he never paid attention to the lives of his relatives when he was strong and healthy. He was not a qualified father, let alone a qualified grandfather. What qualifications did he have to enjoy family happiness in his later years?
?
However, on the night when he returned to Chateaurie Manor, Leonard walked into his study with little Xino in his arms. As a result, the long-standing ice and snow between father and son magically melted, and that night the mortal world
Indrup and Leonard chatted a lot about his lover. Indrup asked Leonard if he loved her. The latter replied that he didn't know clearly, but if the other party left him at this moment, he would definitely feel sad.
, so uncomfortable that he couldn't breathe; talking about the past years, he still remembered the scenes of his father teaching him swordsmanship and riding skills, and severely reprimanding him for his frivolity and misbehavior. He admitted that he never liked those lessons;
The one who has the most is this child. Leonard boasted to him in his father's unique and proud tone. The little Xino was only three or four years old and already showed intelligence and agility far beyond her peers. She was very good at swordsmanship, martial arts and...
I am very interested in riding, maybe because I have inherited the blood in your body that I did not inherit. Of course, I am more interested in the wind flower ball. He holds the racket and plays with his mother every day. He often imagines that this child will one day become and...
A great golfer like her mother...
However, the premise of all this is that life is always peaceful and peaceful. Once the beast awakens, the entire Grindelwald wilderness will no longer be peaceful. The only people who can stop it are the descendants of the white thorn flower.
Van Yandru looked at the high-spirited Leonard and did not say these words. He had already silently made a decision in his heart: Even if he had to sacrifice his life, he would protect the distant happiness and dreams for his son and granddaughter.
. He thought back to the past when white thorn flowers took root and sprouted on this land, and suddenly he understood that knights protect not only the people behind them, but also the relatives around them.
"Father," at this time, Leonard's voice sounded softly in his ears. This child, who was as stubborn as he was when he was young, spoke his true words for the first time in his life: "I seem to...understand you.
Already.
The next day, Leonard made a request to him to go to the Eastern Continent to participate in the war.
…
"The trade war between the Western Continent countries and the Eastern Continent is essentially a war of oppression and plunder. If the ancestors of Vince and Hibberton were alive, they would never approve of this behavior. But Leonard still participated in that war
War, for which he would not hesitate to give up the honor of being a descendant of the white thorn flower and the dignity of being a knight. Do you know why, Xino?" The old man broke away from the memories and asked his granddaughter calmly.
Xino thought for a while and then replied: "Because to him, the oath between the Gustave family and the aliens is very important and cannot be broken."
This is what she has always thought.
However, the old man shook his head: "No."
"Leonard never cares about those things, whether it is family glory, knightly dignity, or the so-called oath. From this point of view, he is a special case in the Goldstaff family. Before you were born, I often had conflicts with you because of this.
He quarreled and even forced him to run away from home, and did not return to the manor until he decided to marry Mistyan."
These are things that Xino didn't know. She opened her eyes slightly and felt unbelievable: "Then why did he..."
Why did he go to the Eastern Continent to participate in the war? Why did he sacrifice himself to seal the extension beast? Even if he left the impression of a "paranoid" on everyone, he would not regret it. If he did not do these things for the glory and status of the Goldstaff family,
For the dignity of knights, why?
"For you, Xino." The old man looked at her deeply: "He told me personally that he wanted to fulfill his responsibility as a father and do everything he should do. Only in this way can you grow up.
Then you won’t have to carry those heavy things, and you can choose your own life and future like an ordinary girl.”
"That's what I thought when Leonard was born, but I failed. When you were born, Leonard, who had never cared about these things, began to think about his responsibilities as a father and decided to fulfill them again, but
He also failed. Perhaps because he was too weak, our lives always cycle on the road of failure, unlike our ancestors Vince and Hebberton, who have a firm will and lofty beliefs."
"Now, this blood flows to your body, and this mission has been passed on to your shoulders. It's up to you to decide whether you want to bring it to an end, Xino."
It seemed that he had spoken too many words at once, and the old man's expression was a little tired. He closed his eyes and sank into the boundless darkness. Only the muttering voice still echoed in the room: "No one can force you to do anything."
Choose, my child."
"It's just that sometimes, we are born to live in response to expectations."