When Sean Tambor opened the door, everyone else in the meeting was already there.
The fireplace made of granite dances with orange firelight, projecting warmth to the surrounding stone walls. In my memory, the rest hall in Holly Castle also looks like this. Whenever they have dinner, the knights go there in twos and threes,
Chat, play chess, or make two harmless bets around the warm round table.
He sighed imperceptibly, walked across half of the room, and sat in a corner covered by shadows.
Bell seemed to be curled up in a soft chair and taking a nap, and the boy named Elio was focusing on maintaining his long sword. Elena stayed next to Groom and cast a slightly worried look at him. Lily stopped
He stopped whispering to An, turned his head, raised his chin and stared at his face.
"I went to the border of the empire and notified the knights in several manors and strongholds." Sean replied in a low voice, "They will come one after another in the past two days. Including the knights who settled here before, there are almost two hundred people.
.”
The female mercenary grinned slightly, showing an expression of satisfaction.
"It's more than we thought. That's enough, maybe, Ann?"
The brown-haired girl did not respond directly to Lily, but turned her face and bowed slightly to Sean.
"Captain Tambor, thank you for your hard work." Her voice was soft but full of confidence. "It just so happened that our investigation also produced relatively clear results."
"Then everyone is here." The Beron man by the fireplace tapped the edge of the table with his knuckles, looking a little impatient. He was wearing an elegant red and black dress, a thick velvet cloak and short leather boots; red-brown trousers
The beard is fluffy and soft, and it has obviously been carefully maintained and taken care of. "Now you can tell me, Miss Explorer of the Empire. What did you find?"
Sean recognized this person. Gremlin Rockfire, the fifth grandson of King Melon, was also the "witness" sent by the royal family. He heard that this fifth grandson had traveled south and applied to join the Secret Magic Federation, but unfortunately he was unable to
Passed the test - among the usually rigid and stubborn, and even somewhat xenophobic, Belon people, this one can almost be called an outlier.
But at least for him, it's a good thing.
"As you wish, Lord Gremlin." The girl replied calmly, "Let me tell you the conclusion first. The reason for the recent death of these Beron people - whatever it is, is hidden deep in the Gray Mountain Mine."
"Evidence." The Belon man stroked his long beard and glanced at Sean intentionally or unintentionally, "If I remember correctly, the two deceased people were neither miners nor had they been to any mines."
The traveling nun with braids opened the cloth bag she carried with her, took out a smaller package, opened it, and placed two dark and slightly rough stones, one large and one small, on the table.
"The jeweler purchased a batch of gemstones from the miners, including this natural obsidian, just two days before his death." She shook her head with some regret and pointed to another smaller round stone, "
And this is a relic of the inn owner, and it also comes from the Gray Mountain Mine. We managed to find its original owner. The miner was drunk a week ago and accidentally left it at the inn."
The female mercenary picked up one of them, put it under her nose and smelled it, then looked at Sean with a half-smile. That expression, like a hunting wolf, made him vaguely aware of something——
"It has Mal's aura on it, but it's a pity that it has almost dissipated." Lily grinned, revealing a pair of white tiger teeth, "To be more precise, it's Tiana's - even if we forget everything,
Can’t you forget this taste?”
Sean stood up quickly, almost forgetting where he was and the accusations the Knights were facing. He rushed to Lily in two steps, took the stone from her hand, and held it tightly as if to crush it.
.
"Mother...you said mother is still alive!?"
"We didn't say that." The female mercenary sneered and glared at him slightly dissatisfied, "For you, even if Tiana kills those people, it doesn't matter?"
This cold water made Sean sober up. After the empire's invasion, Lily told him that "mother" had died decades ago before she joined the Knights. But if she was still alive...
And killed those Berons. The Knights must take responsibility for this, and may even be expelled from the kingdom. Even so, as long as "mother" is not dead, it may not be impossible to accept——
Sean looked nervously at several messengers from the kingdom and saw another stone being passed between their hands and then slowly placed back on the table. The two Beron wizards next to Gremlin Yanhuo looked at each other.
After a quick glance, they each shook their heads.
"I can't feel anything from up here." The wizard who looked older and had more powerful magic said, "Even if what you said is true, why do the gods that crows believe in do this?
Kill our people?"
"It's not just the Black Crow's "Lord of the Earth."" An shook his head slightly, then looked at the other person, "The Beron people also believed in Mal a long time ago, right?"
"That's... correct. But that was a long time ago - a long time ago."
The old wizard frowned, with hesitation in his words, "When I was born, the goddess stopped answering our prayers. Some of us wizards have always suspected that she was dead... More than two hundred years ago,
With the gods of the Elna people.”
The girl nodded slightly and gave the other person an approving smile.
"You are very close to the truth, Master Kalman." She said softly, "In an accident two hundred years ago, Alex Ada died unfortunately, and Tiana Marr was seriously injured. And several
Ten years ago, the lich who triggered the "Gray War", Fimmel Stark, managed to seize the position of "Lord of the Earth". We thought that he completely killed Tiana at that time - but
Now it seems that this is not the case.”
"Wait a minute." The younger Beron wizard raised a hand and interrupted An's narration, "How can you know so well? Even our royal wizards--"
"Because we have seen her. She has seen her."
Lily puffed up her chest, raised the corners of her mouth, and interrupted the other party decisively.
"Not long ago, we went back to a hundred years ago in history, and...we met Tiana?" She curled her lips, as if remembering something unpleasant, "As for the latter part,
Leonos, the "Lord of Light", told us personally - at that time in Breeze Forest, we had the honor to be a guest in his home."
This sounded too exaggerated. The female mercenary might just be talking nonsense - but somehow, he felt that what the other party mentioned was true. Sean quickly scanned the faces of other people and saw that the messengers of the kingdom looked serious.
, or a little surprised, but did not show any obvious doubt.
But Lily still seemed not satisfied. She turned half of her body and pointed her spearhead directly at him.
"Let me ask you, what does 'mother' look like in your mind?"
Sean was stunned.
He didn't know how to answer for a moment. The "Mother" in the doctrine is full of love for believers, but cold and harsh towards enemies, as if she has been stripped of her humanity. Until the eve of his death, Priest Moore also firmly believed in the "Mother" who was once as kind as night.
"Mother" would never destroy the Knights with his own hands; as for himself - during his daily evening prayers, there always seemed to be a kind and warm breath that slowly soothed his consciousness, giving him a dreamless night's sleep.
If that aura was not just his illusion, or the 'enemy' who usurped and killed her... the chief priest would definitely be very happy.
Because mother never abandoned them.
"Probably very...very gentle." Sean slowly lowered his head and said something that he was not sure about, "Always...always...take care of us..."
"Hmph... If we come to see her, she is quite a bad-tempered fellow."
Sean raised his head in disbelief, but Lily ignored him at all.
"She loses her temper indiscriminately at those who ask for her help, and takes advantage of those who offend her. In order to achieve her goal, she doesn't care about the life and death of a few mortals. She even offends her just because the "Lord of Heaven" created immortal humans.
If you are dissatisfied, just kill all those people?"
He opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to retort, but he didn't know where to start. Fortunately, the female mercenary breathed out, remained silent for a few seconds, and then continued speaking again——
"But, even though she was seriously injured, when the "Black Crow" station was attacked, she protected those knights at all costs. And in our experience, no matter what the reason was, the guy sacrificed his life to save
All the human beings on the entire continent.”
The female mercenary stopped talking and closed her eyes. Sean took a deep breath and almost shed tears.
He had never seen his mother with his own eyes, nor heard her voice. The female mercenary's narration made the image of 'her' concrete for the first time. She was no longer an omniscient and perfect god, but had emotions.
and thoughts, "people" who have left real traces in the world.
"What you... said is true?"
"Yes. As proof of my reputation."
An's soft voice broke the silence, "Lily and I experienced that history together, and what she told is all true. Because of this, I don't believe that Tiana will kill the Beron people for no reason, nor will she
I think you offended her."
"Then what's going on?" Gremlin said angrily with a cold face, "Is she crazy?"
Contrary to Sean's expectation, An nodded seriously.
"This is the greatest possibility." She said, "Femiel failed to kill Tiana - maybe the angel in charge of death always has a way to save his own life." She picked up the cup on the table and gently
Taking a sip, "But she lost almost all her strength and most of her sanity."
"There's still something wrong." The royal messenger raised his index finger and knocked on the table again, "You just said that Femir snatched the power of the "Lord of the Earth" decades ago. Then why, she didn't until
Have you started going crazy recently?"
This time, the girl rarely pondered for a while before giving her answer.
"Probably because of the power of the "Lord of Heaven", something happened."
This time, even Sean couldn't understand what An said at once, "The Lord of Heaven?"
"Captain Tambur." An looked at him with inquiring eyes, "Can you tell me how you felt when you prayed to 'Mother' before?"
He tried to recall what seemed like a long time ago, and then tried his best to describe it in words.
"I have never heard her voice clearly." Sean whispered, "When I pray, I always feel that there is a familiar... something, looking at me from a far away place. I feel...
No, I believe that is 'Mother'."
The girl nodded, opened the notebook in her arms, and stared at some of the contents she had written.
"Tiana's body is mixed with parts belonging to Eda. Fimmel Stark neither needs nor can use those things. She survived with the help of those remaining powers, and in the previous decades, everyone
When the members of "The Black Crowes" prayed, she responded with unclear responses based on instinct or weak consciousness."
Sean held his breath.
"Tiana and the power of the "Lord of Heaven" have coexisted for more than a hundred years, and they have formed a fragile balance." An leaned back on the chair, "But the power of the "Lord of Heaven" has been around for one year.
He found a new successor before, destroyed Holly Castle, created a large number of "undead creatures", and then led the empire to launch that war of aggression."
That was the disaster they had experienced. He clenched his fists hard, and if that wasn't the end -
"I don't know what Ada did. If he takes back his power, it may break the original stability. The uncontrolled power of death escapes, blends into the gems in the mine, and is mined by the miners -
—Then let those unfortunate people die from Mal's magic." The girl who called herself the 'explorer' raised her head and pursed her lower lip with a hint of regret, "This is my guess."
"Then..." Sean swallowed to make his voice less hoarse, "Mother...how is she doing now?"
"I'm not sure." An gently shook her head, "She may have lost control of her power; she may also have fallen into a deep sleep and unconsciously changed her surroundings in her sleep; and... there are many possibilities, only we can see them with our own eyes.
Only by visiting her can we determine which one it is."
She deliberately did not tell the worst possibility - but that was not a consolation. Sean put his right hand on his chest and prayed silently and devoutly.
You are our gentle mother and our guide from birth to death. We are your children, we have received countless care from you and were raised by you. Please don’t sleep like this, if possible, let us save you——
There was no response, and his heart sank. The fire in the fireplace swayed slowly, and the room was still warm, but Sean felt a little chilly.
"Don't care what it is, just go and see. There's nothing difficult to solve." In the silence, Elio interrupted abruptly, "Let me tell you, the leader is a g——"
The female mercenary snorted softly and hit the table with her right fist gently, causing the young man to swallow the rest of his words immediately.
"We will be responsible for investigating what is hidden in that mine." She stood up straight, tilted her chin slightly, and looked at the people of Beilon from top to bottom. "To be on the safe side, let that mine -
—And everyone in the nearby mines, please come out first?"
Whether it was because of the instructions from the Belon royal family or because An's speculation attracted enough attention, after another low-pitched discussion, the royal family's "witness" finally nodded.
"With a few mines, it's not a big problem." He held his forehead and muttered, "Everyone there will retreat to the fortress in three days at most. But you'd better solve it as soon as possible, they need to work."
"Don't worry, we don't plan to stay here forever." The female mercenary grinned, turned around, and hit Sean on the shoulder, "Also, if it is really Tiana... we don't want to kill her. Than
Compared to that lich, she is much cuter."
Thank you, Sean moved his lips and said silently.
"But, Lily." Bell leaned up from the soft chair and rubbed his chin uneasily, "Isn't this... quite dangerous? After all... that's a god, right?"
"The miners are still inside, are you worse than them?" Lily glanced at Bell casually, "He's just a guy who can't even control his strength. If you're afraid, just go back to the hotel and squat until the end of time.
Don’t leave either?”
Bell quickly shook his head in denial, muttering in a low voice that he was just being cautious. Sean pursed his lips, tried to calm down, and walked slowly in front of Lily.
"What...should we do?"
The female mercenary did not answer his question, but An stood up and looked at him gently and slightly worriedly.
"Captain Tambur." She sighed softly, "Please summon all the knights who are willing to participate and wait near the entrance. You don't need to enter the mine, but if it is really necessary, I hope you can stop "it"
leave."
Sean was relieved for a moment, but immediately felt ashamed of this thought. He knew that this was their responsibility, but he also understood that he could only rely on Lily to solve all this. Exploring mines is not the knights' strong point, Ma
My magical powers are not enough to deal with complex situations. More importantly, many people still don't know what happened to Tiana Marr, and they are not ready to face a "mother" who may be an enemy.
The leader of "Black Crow" smiled bitterly and put his right hand on his chest.
"For Mother, we will do our best. In addition-"
Sean took a deep breath slowly and said, "Let me go with you. No matter... what "she" becomes..."
He needed to witness it with his own eyes. It was the last wish of Priest Moore, an agreement with the pink girl, and also his inner expectation.
"It's up to you, but don't hold back when the time comes." Lily glanced at him, her tone not malicious, "I hope you have become stronger after so long?"
"At least it's probably not weaker." Sean shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I'll leave it to you then."
He said goodbye to the rest of the people in the room, walked alone through the bustling streets, and walked towards the stairs leading to the upper level of the fortress. The crowds around him gradually thinned out, and the noisy voices quickly disappeared, leaving only the soft sound of leather boots touching the ground. The wind
It blew in from the outside platform and passed over the entire street and his face. It was probably due to the higher altitude, carrying a bit of the coming breath of winter.
A dilapidated small stone building gradually came into view, with a "Closed" sign in front of the door. At the request of the Belon royal family, the owner of this dilapidated tavern vacated all the rooms as a temporary residence for the knights.
.
Although the shopkeeper never had a good face and gave them only simple bread, stew, poor ale and water every day, Sean could not be too dissatisfied with this. Before this, many knights were forced to
Sleeping on the street; and he was also aware of the agreement Lily made with the Mellon royal family in order to help them get out of trouble.
He pushed open the door and stepped on the creaking wooden stairs, returning to the room that belonged to him and Alea.
There was no one in the room. Several magical lamps were lit in the hall downstairs, but the dim light could only reach the door. He stood silently for a moment, walked to the bed and sat down, letting the darkness embrace his body.
Sean made a prayer gesture and once again sang the prayer from the previous night with a hint of unrealistic expectations. He tried three times in total, each time with the same result.
He has not felt his mother's breath since the Battle of Holly Castle. After learning that his mother had died, he no longer prayed to Mal every day. Perhaps it was just that it had been too long and his mother was too weak to hear his voice for the time being.
——
Or maybe it wasn't that. If it had already happened, it would be futile to continue evading it. At least there was hope, and he had to see it with his own eyes, Sean thought to himself.
It's evening now, and Alea and Cathy are probably practicing swordplay. He hasn't improved his swordsmanship for a long time due to various reasons - and he doesn't know if what he said to Lily before was considered a boast.
He laid his body flat on the bed and tried hard to think about the next thing, but he felt that his brain was not working at all. A feeling of exhaustion from his heart swept over him, spreading through his body and slowly drowning his consciousness.
I don't know how long it took, but a soft knock on the door woke him up.
Sean propped up his body and opened his eyes. Alea was wearing a light outfit of the Knights, with a familiar rapier at her waist, and her long silver-white hair was tied behind her head, just as elegant and neat as she was at Holly Castle.
"Thank you, Sean." She walked into the room, placed an orange lamp beside the table, and looked at him tenderly, "Is there any new news?"
Sean pinched his temples, trying to free his mind from the drowsiness he had just woken up from.
"It's unimaginable." He twitched the corner of his mouth, not knowing whether he was crying or laughing, "Call Cathy. There are some things I want to tell you."
Alea responded and left. Sean staggered out of bed, poured himself a glass of water, slightly arranged his messy blond hair, smoothed the wrinkles on his shirt, then sat in the chair next to the table and waited.
The return of two people.
Within two minutes, Cathy's figure appeared at the door. She walked quickly to him, leaned down and waved to him.
"Captain, I'm here. You seem a little tired? What's wrong?"
"I just came back from the mercenary group." Sean raised his head and exhaled, "They found... something."
He completely recounted Ann's speculation, the decision of Lily and the kingdom messengers, and his final 'request' to the female mercenary. Sean tried to keep his tone as calm as possible, and had to stop several times to calm down his emotions.
The performance of the listeners was not much better - Cathy clasped her hands in front of her chest and shook her head slightly subconsciously; Alea stared at him intently, with a vague hint of emotion in her always cold expression.
A little confused.
When Sean finished speaking, the room fell into silence for half a minute. Until Cathy came back to her senses and grabbed his forearm.
"Captain," she said eagerly, while gripping his arm until it hurt, "let us go with you!"
He raised his other hand, pressed the female regiment leader's right shoulder, and slowly shook his head.
"You stay, Cathy. The knights guarding the top need guidance, including your fifth legion. They are not ready yet-"
"No, let her go."
Alaya's voice suddenly sounded, and she had regained her usual calmness, "I will lead the knights. She has the right to see it, Sean, just like you."
You are right, in fact, even she is the same. Sean Tambor turned his head, looked at the Elna woman who was already his wife, and lowered his eyes apologetically, "Sorry, please forgive my willfulness, Alea."
"You are our leader, you have such power." The Elna woman raised her hand to brush away her long hair, showing an almost imperceptible smile, "I'll wait for you to come back, Sean."
Sean was silent for a few seconds, making a promise in his heart to Alaya and all the members of the Knights who arrived here two days later.