Ivar was wearing neat clothes, his messy hair was specially taken care of, and the messy stubble on his face was also trimmed. He looked much cleaner, as if he was going to attend some grand event.
He sat on a chair. This time, there were no chains restraining him, but Ivar still felt decadent. There were guards around him, and by the window with the setting sun, stood Cornell.
Currie is in charge of the negotiations, and Cornel is looking after Ivar. There is a long corridor between them.
"You will be free, Ivar."
Cornel said to Ivar that the man had been trying to hide himself in the shadows, and it was difficult for Cornel standing by the window to see him clearly.
"free?"
Probably because he hadn't spoken for too long, Ivar's voice was a little stiff.
He raised his head and looked out the window next to Cornell. Under the afterglow of the setting sun, he could vaguely see soaring seabirds. Music was already playing in the theater below, and they were transmitted to this room through the heavy stone walls.
Among them, the singing was slow, and under the warm sunset, there was a touch of calmness.
"Yes, freedom, you will no longer be imprisoned by others, you can do whatever you want."
Cornel continued.
In fact, he shouldn't have said so many things to Ivar, but perhaps it was the vague common ground that was at play. Cornel wanted to talk to Ivar about something...anything, just like chatting.
Cornel rarely meets someone who is "equal" to him. He is the heir of the Garrel royal family, and Ivar in the shadow is a descendant of the Lodbrok family. They both have the blood of the king flowing in their bodies.
.
"Do you think that is freedom? If I leave Gaulnaro, I will just be bound by another thing... No one is free."
Ivar's voice was a little sad.
"That would at least be better than now."
Cornel didn't understand Ivar's sadness, he just felt that there were not many opportunities, and he might never see Ivar again after today.
"They should have already negotiated, Curry and the guy named Highbould."
Cornel looked at the time. Soon he would be escorting Ivar away with his guards.
"Hybold?"
Ivar read this familiar name, and for some reason a smile appeared on his face.
"However, I still want to know one thing, Ivar. Corey has been here all the time before, so it was not easy for me to ask questions. Now is a good time."
Cornell glanced out the window. A large number of believers had gathered in Theater Square. Just as Curry said, the wheels of history were already rolling and no one could stop them.
He knew this very well, so he just glanced at it, and then walked to Ivar's side.
"What do you want to ask?"
Ivar raised his head, and the moment their eyes met, Cornel involuntarily averted his gaze.
It was clear that the guy in front of him was born with a deformity. Apart from his bloodline, Ivar was worthless as a bargaining chip on the negotiation table. Logically speaking, Cornel would never be afraid of such a person, but at that moment he seemed to
It was like his eye pupil was cut by something.
Cornel looked at Ivar warily, as if there was something violent hidden under this cowardly body.
"What do you think of doing such a thing for a woman?"
Cornel was curious.
"You are the king's heir. Like me, if you think about it, you can actually get many things at your fingertips... But why would you do such a stupid thing? I really want to know."
This is the thing that Cornell doesn't understand the most. It can be said that the beginning of all this stems from Irene's actions. She successfully deceived Ivar.
"To be honest, I don't believe you are stupid enough to believe that woman's words. In other words, after you knew the result, you still followed her without hesitation, right?"
It was so strange, so strange. When Cornel learned that everything went so smoothly, he couldn't figure out the reasons for these things.
He smelled a hint of conspiracy, although it was very light, it was unsettling.
Cornel had also suggested this to Currie, but perhaps Ivar's disguise was too perfect. His decadent look deceived everyone, and the darkness from his heart covered him. Even the cunning Currie
I can only believe it.
Cornel noticed that the invisible black shadow completely covered himself and Gaul Naluo.
Did the Iron Law Bureau really trick Ivar? Or did he come here on purpose?
Cornel couldn't think clearly.
"Reason?"
In response to this, Ivar rarely smiled. He didn't know whether it was to laugh at himself or to think of that short and beautiful time. The smile on his face was so inconsistent.
"Yes, I left with Irene sincerely. I know she is lying to me, and I also know her purpose. I know all these things..."
Ivar seemed troubled as he spoke, as if he didn't know how to explain to Cornel. He almost wanted to speak, but finally held back.
"Then what?"
Cornel pressed, but Ivar still didn't give his reason.
He is not afraid of Ivar. This place is full of choir guards, and Ivar is just a natural deformity. Cornel does not think Ivar will pose much threat to him.
"Then...it's hard for me to explain this kind of thing to someone like you," Ivar said.
"A person like me?"
"Yes, you are a person who bathes in the sun."
Ivar kept an inconsistent smile on his face. He seemed to really want to smile at Cornel, but he seemed not very familiar with this expression, which made his smile look fake.
"I have stayed in the darkness for so long that a glimmer of light is worth everything I have to pay for, even if it is false... at least I have had it for a short time, and that is enough."
Ivar said something that Cornel couldn't understand.
The conversation between the two fell into silence for a while. After a while of silence, it was Ivar who spoke first.
"You said Haybold is already here?"
"This is how it goes according to time."
"Okay, I get it now."
Ivar nodded and looked out the window. The setting sun slowly sank into the sea level, and the warm light retreated step by step under the coldness of the night.
He was a little reluctant to bear this last light, and said with some sigh.
"I like it here, Gaulnaro. It is much warmer than the Viking countries. There is fertile land everywhere instead of solid frozen soil."
Cornel looked at Ivar a little strangely. From Ivar's point of view, he should hate Gaulonaluo, but judging from his expression, the love he said seemed to be sincere.
"My father, Ragnar Lodbrok, Lord of Ice and Sea, I assume you know him, right."
"Well, the warrior who unified the Viking kingdoms, who doesn't know his name?" Cornil replied.
"Do you know? The thing my father regrets most in his life is becoming the King of Ice Sea."
Ivar told the story that was left in the dust.
Cornel's expression became serious. He believed that what Ivar told was not a lie, but the story was still a bit too surprising.
The most regretful thing a king regrets is becoming a king.
"My father was 16 years old when he first went to sea alone. It was the dead of winter in the Viking countries. Everyone was shivering in the cold wind and not having enough to eat. In order to survive and prevent their relatives from starving to death,
Like many Vikings in their life journey, he became a pirate, plundering wealth and food."
Everything seems to have returned to the past, and the pictures are all filled with the yellowish color of time.
"He succeeded. It seemed that the god Odin was protecting him. He plundered enough supplies to survive the cold winter...but the cold winter would always come back. When the second cold winter hit, someone joined his team, and the plundered ships became
There are more and more people getting sick, and there are more and more people they need to take care of..."
Ivar's voice was very soft, as if he was telling an ancient story.
"In this way, he continued to plunder year after year, until one day he looked back and was surprised to find that there were countless people following him, like an army.
He hoped that more people could survive. For this goal, he tried to unify the conflicting countries. After many years, he did it, but at this time he found that the people he had to take care of changed from a few to a few.
Relatives have become countless people.”
Cornel swallowed his saliva. It was obviously just a story, but he felt an inexplicable coldness coming from Ivar's body. It seemed like the fragrance of flowers or the cold wind blowing on his face.
"Only after he became the king did he discover the cruel truth about why the countries kept fighting. Because this cold and barren land could not feed so many people. People could only kill, fight, and plunder to reduce the population. The so-called
The dedication to God Odin is just to beautify this cruel fact.
Many people still die in the cold winter every year, and more and more people die. As a king, he wants to save his people, but he finds that he can't do it. In the past, he only had to plunder a merchant ship, which was enough to feed the entire family, but now
What? He has to feed countless people in the kingdoms, so what should he plunder?"
The light disappeared inch by inch, and darkness was coming. Gradually, in this dim room, Cornel could hardly see Ivar's face clearly.
"Yes, plundering is not a solution. What can solve this dilemma is not the honor of God Odin, nor the promise of going to the Hall of Valor after death."
In the darkness, Ivar's voice became evil, with a sickening blood energy, as if he had transformed into some kind of unspeakable monster in an instant.
"The solution to this dilemma is war, a victorious and cruel war. Maybe many people will die, but we may be able to plunder warm and fertile land. There will be no more cold winters, no more deaths, and there will be abundant crops.
grow, more people will survive."
Under the words of the devil, Cornel understood everything in an instant, but he never imagined that the truth was so cruel, nor that Ivar was so crazy and willing to dedicate himself as a sacrifice to this crazy man.
war.
Cornel wanted to shout something, but before his voice could come out, Ivar grabbed his throat, and incredible power erupted from his thin arms.
"Plunder, keep plundering, until the descendants of God Odin are no longer disturbed by the cold wind, until everyone can live happily."
The turbulent air waves carried violent energy and shattered the glass. Everyone wailed in pain under the shock, and then the sound of a landslide penetrated into the ears, almost taking away everyone's hearing, but in the long lingering sound
Cornel heard it and saw it.
Ivar's expression was twisted together, like an evil ghost, and his voice reached his ears clearly.
"For all this, I am willing to sacrifice."
The broken noise enveloped everyone, clashing back and forth in the dim room. The sweetness of blood mixed with the cold winter in the north, and began to boil and roar.