I thought that this investigation would end quietly, but I didn't expect that I would now learn unexpected information from O'Neill's mouth.
"Tell me more details." Colin asked in a deep voice, suppressing the surprise in his heart.
O'Niens was silent for a moment and said: "It's hard to describe it simply. Why don't I take you to see it? Those plants are actually very common in the caves."
"Yeah." Colin nodded, led him to levitate up, and said calmly: "Show the way."
"Okay, sir." O'Neill breathed out softly.
This secret has actually been buried in his heart for a long time, but he has never told anyone.
However, this is not selfishness, but other concerns.
Five minutes later, Colin and the two found the first plant in a cave leading to Node 5.
The plant looks very strange. It is gray-brown in color, with some looming and disgusting fleshy pink. It is shaped like a lantern from a previous life, with a deformed and huge gray ball hanging from the slender rhizome.
"I usually call it meat ball grass." O'Neill stared at the strange-looking thing in front of him, with hatred and desire in his eyes.
He no longer hesitated, took a deep breath, looked at Colin and said solemnly: "Sir Colin, there is another very important point that I need to explain to you."
Colin stopped inspecting the plants and raised his head with some doubts.
Under the silver-grey mask, there was some struggle in O'Neill's eyes, but in the end it turned into determination.
He silently reached out and took off his helmet, revealing a young but determined face. Then he took off his silver arm armor and rolled up his left sleeve to his shoulder.
"This is..." Colin raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes a little solemn.
O'Neill's exposed arms, starting from the position of the second brachium near the third brachium and extending to the chest, are actually a deep black-purple color. What is even more frowning is that the black-purple area also shows a kind of heavy...
Burn-like marks.
It's just that unlike the disorder of burn scars, the marks on O'Neill's body are more regular. It looks like a layer of... strange skin has suddenly grown?
"This is a side effect of taking something like meatball grass." O'Niens put down his sleeves, his face was a little pale, but his eyes were still clear, and he continued:
"Besides these painless marks, I often feel strange bloodthirsty, which can only be relieved by going to the cave and killing to my heart's content."
The more O'Niens talked, the more relaxed he felt, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and his pale complexion gradually recovered.
He has long wanted to find someone to talk to about this, but he has never been able to find a suitable person and has various worries.
But now, Colin, a powerful, strange, and capable wizard, was naturally the best person to talk to.
O'Niens turned his head and looked at the dark cave passage in front of him. The empty black seemed to swallow him up, making him go back many years ago and start talking to Colin.
"Before I was ten years old, I lived in an ordinary farmer's family. They treated me very well. The most common thing I did was to race with my friends in the wheat fields.
And—come and explore the caves.”
Colin listened calmly and gave the young knight in front of him the utmost patience.
"The caves are very dangerous, but because there are so many wizards coming to take risks, the shallow levels of many caves are actually not that dangerous."
"This made us relax our vigilance, and we felt that the dangers mentioned by adults were nothing more than this." O'Neills rubbed his left shoulder and smiled bitterly.
"As the storybook often says - 'Misfortune often happens when people relax their vigilance.'
When I was just ten years old, during a daily expedition, I was deliberately teased by my companions and accidentally went deep into the cave and lost my way."
Colin raised his eyebrows slightly. There were indeed no underground creatures in the shallow caves and the danger was not great. However, a ten-year-old child who got lost... and survived was considered lucky enough.
"I survived by eating cave plants like sarcophagus, and walked out ten days later, and alerted my father's brother, my uncle, who was also the one who fostered me in the farmer's house.
"
"Originally, an illegitimate child like me who has not inherited the blood of the Wood family is not qualified to return to the family."
"But this time I accidentally walked out of the cave, it made my uncle think that I had some kind of luck or talent, and by some strange combination of circumstances, I returned to the Wood family and received the same education as the younger generation of the Wood family.
Then, in just six years, I became a Grand Knight."
"However, behind such a fast advancement speed, there is misfortune hidden."
O'Neill couldn't help but sigh, and finally said:
"When I was practicing Jushan Breathing Technique, I realized that the inexplicable energy left in my body after eating meatball grass could assist my practice.
So in order to improve my knight cultivation as soon as possible, I went to the cave again and ate more cave plants..."
"Finally, one day, purple and black traces suddenly appeared from the heart, and at the same time, for the first time, my mind was filled with the desire to kill for no reason..."
After speaking out all the past that had been accumulated in his heart in one breath, O'Niens felt more relaxed than ever before.
Countless days and nights in the past, he would wake up from similar nightmares.
——On a night when the fire was blazing into the sky, because I could not restrain the bloodthirsty impulse caused by the plants in the cave, I killed like a madman and was eventually killed by everyone.
Or maybe the weird scars on his body are like the tide that covers and swallows him up, causing him to suffocate deeply.
The fear of the unknown and death has been hanging over his head like an extremely thick lead cloud for a long time.
But now it's time to be freed. Relaxation appeared on O'Neill's silent face, and he looked at Colin and continued to ask:
"You can now pronounce judgment on me."
This time it was Colin's turn to be a little confused. He looked at the excellent research object in front of him and asked in confusion:
"Why should I judge you? Have you committed any unforgivable sins?"
"But sir, I have always had a bloodthirsty desire in my heart! Although I haven't eaten any cave plants for almost a year and a half, so that my strength has declined, this impulse not only has not dissipated, but has become stronger...
…
I'm afraid that if I continue like this, one day I will betray the knight's code and become a monster, so why not take advantage of it now, before I do something unforgivable..."
"That's for the future." Colin interrupted O'Neill's chatter and pressed his brow.
Looking at O'Neill's childish face, he finally understood what was going on.
——O'Niens is just an ordinary boy who is about to be overwhelmed by fear.
"I won't do anything to you because of something that hasn't happened yet, and I have no interest in judging you."
Colin added, without ridicule or comfort.
He just paused, looked at O'Niens and continued: "However, I may need you to cooperate with me in doing some research in the future... Well, as a reward, I can grant you a reasonable request."
"This is a request that cannot be refused, so now you can think carefully about what you need me to do for you."
After saying this, Colin turned around to collect the meatball grass and put it away carefully.
These plants and O'Niens represent the future of the knight's path!
The only pity is that there is only O'Neills as research material... Go to the Wood family to grab some more?
Colin shook his head. Of course he would not do this. Then he would just find some death row prisoners and let them practice the Giant Mountain Breathing Technique.
It's just that the time cycle may be a bit long. After all, O'Niens has the assistance of cave plants, and it took six years to advance to the Grand Knight.
O'Neill stood there blankly.
The gap between Colin's calm attitude and the scene he expected was so great that he was unable to react for a while.
Thinking of the desire to kill that tormented him every so often, and the purple-black "demon" spreading from his heart, O'Niens felt a little confused.
It seems...in the eyes of the wizard, all this is not as serious as he imagined?
This immature boy, who grew up in a farmer's family and spent all his youth training as a knight, had some brisk emotions in his heart for no apparent reason.
"I will cooperate with your research, sir." He said loudly, as if he had confidence.
Although the word research sounds scary, it is still much better than endless fear and worry.
"So, have you decided what you want me to do for you?" Colin asked again.
O'Niens was stunned for a moment, thinking carefully about whether he had any wishes.
But his biological parents are both dead. His adoptive parents, who are farmers, also moved away from Into City after receiving the property from the Wood family. Although the Wood family is big, he has no friends...
Thoughts turned over and over again, O'Niens was still a little confused.
"It doesn't matter, this promise is always valid, you can think about it more." Colin comforted.
However, at this moment, O'Niens suddenly thought of it, and he spoke.
The sound echoed softly in the deep cave.
…
The next day, the sky was dim.
The Wood family exploded.
"O'Niens was spotted by the wizard and became a servant!?"
"It's just temporary. Maybe he will come back in the future. Besides, he's just a slave. What's the point..."
"That's an official wizard. Except for the caves, you can't even find one in Into City!"
"..."
People's discussions were like boiling water, extremely noisy.
"Quiet." Commons, who was sitting on the bench, shouted, turned to look at Commons and asked slowly:
"O'Neill, is this true?"
O'Neill nodded silently.
He felt the gazes around him and didn't know how to describe the emotions in his heart.
There is a sense of vanity, and there is the joy of being envied, especially when you see Alcott, who is carrying a spear, looking livid at the moment...but more importantly, there are still mixed feelings.
O'Niens knew in his heart that he was not really accepted as a servant by Colin, but was used as research material...
Thinking of this, he silently thanked Colin again in his heart. In fact, he did not ask for such words, but Colin thoughtfully proposed and gave him such a dignified departure.
"That's good news, kid."
After receiving O'Neill's confirmation, Commons showed a smile on his wrinkled face and nodded happily.
The complicated mood made O'Nien feel slightly startled when faced with Commons's kind expression that he had never shown to him before he continued to say the last words.
"Elder Commons, in addition to reporting this matter to you today, I actually have one more request."
"Say." Commons said in a gentle tone.
"I want Alcott to give up Martina," O'Neill said solemnly.
The smile on Commons' face froze, and a trace of undetectable panic flashed in his eyes.
"Good boy, Martina is just an ordinary young maid. If you want it, can I go find some more beautiful ones for you?"
O'Neill shook his head, looked at Alcott next to him, and suddenly frowned.
The look on Alcott's face at this moment was not the anger he had imagined. Although his face was ugly, if you look closely, you can still see a bit of panic in his eyes?
O'Niens didn't think much and just continued in a deep voice:
"Alcott was so promiscuous that none of the maids he fell in love with lasted two months! Martina was only thirteen this year, and her mother Daisy, the maid, passed away just last month..."
Commons' face became even more ugly, and he tried his best to smile:
"I know everything you said, O'Niens, but after all, she is just a maid with lowly blood flowing through her body..."
When O'Niens heard the words "low bloodline", his brows suddenly raised.
Commons quickly changed his words: "I mean, after all, Martina is the girl that Alcott likes. I can't ignore Alcott's feelings and break them up like this..."
O'Neill was about to continue persuading him when he heard a voice coming from behind.
"Agree to his request." Colin appeared from the air, looked at Commons and said calmly.
He didn't want to show up again.
But rescuing the girl was the only request O'Neill made to him yesterday.
I thought that O'Niens could solve the matter by relying on his name as a servant, but Commons in front of him... seemed a little confused and confused.
'Or maybe - what secrets are hidden between Commons and Alcott in front of me...'
Colin looked around calmly.
Commons was obviously startled by his appearance. He trembled and quickly stood up from the bench.
It seemed normal, but Colin inexplicably felt a little guilty about being a thief.
The same goes for Alcott on the side. This proud knight is hanging his head at this moment.
"Huh?" Colin asked as he continued to look at Commons.
"Lord Co... Colin." Commons stuttered a little, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, forced a smile and sighed:
"It's not that I don't want to agree to O'Niens, it's just because Martina...is dead."
"Already dead?" O'Niens was stunned.
Colin was also a little stunned, and suddenly understood the previous panic of Commons and others.
"Yes." Commons sighed regretfully.
"When you competed with Alcott, he promised to give up Martina if you lost, and you promised to give him the spear that Lord Colin gave you if he lost..."
"That's because only if I take out the spear will Alcott be willing to compete with me!" O'Neill glanced at Colin and explained quickly.
He didn't want Colin to think he was being careless with the spear.
Commons paused and continued: "Anyway, you lost that match, and then Alcott..."
"According to the date, doesn't Alcott marry Martina in a week?" O'Neills frowned.
"In short, Martina died last night."
Commons sighed and said nothing more.
"You bastard!!!" O'Niens yelled angrily, clenched his fists, and turned towards Alcott angrily!
The latter subconsciously tensed up his body, but then gave up his defense and allowed O'Neill's fist to fall.
Commons watched this scene and sighed, but a trace of happiness flashed in his muddy eyes.
Fortunately, the lake was passed...
But at this time.
"Are you sure Martina died last night?"
Colin asked with great interest.
You know, he stayed at the Frost Shadow of the Wood family yesterday, but did not report to him that anyone in the Wood family had died...