The carriage stopped at a street intersection not far from the Winchester office. It deliberately kept a distance, neither far nor close. The window was opened, revealing half of its face, which was revealed in the darkness afterwards.
Seeing Shrike's face, he peered into the office, then moved his gaze back.
"They all look pretty happy...probably."
Shrike said with some uncertainty.
He would pass by the door of the office when he had nothing to do, but his mentality was different from Eve's. Every time Shrike passed by, he seemed a bit deliberate. Even though it had been so long, he still felt that a monster like Lorenzo could be like this.
Living here in an ordinary way is always a bit incredible.
Before Mrs. Verrode left, the lights in the room were not bright. There were probably only a few light spots in the living room. After Mrs. Verrode left, Lorenzo completely let himself go. With the help of the Witcher
Due to his poor eyesight, he rarely turned on the light, thus plunging the office into darkness.
Many passers-by also whispered about this, suspecting that no one lived here yet, but something was different today. The office was brightly lit, as if all the lights were on.
"So what's going on with this vacation? It's so sudden?" Shrike asked.
Due to the structure of the purification agency, manpower is always in short supply. Therefore, most of the time, members of the purification agency do not have any vacations to speak of. The only thing that can barely be regarded as a vacation is during the recovery period after fighting the demon.
You will enjoy the rare peace in the hospital.
To be honest, the purification agency is really a black-hearted factory. What's worse is that it's easy to get in and hard to get out.
Shrike was confused about this sudden vacation. One or two days could be long or short, but those guys were actually approved for leave, as well as this gathering place, and the vacation at this time. All of this
Everything had to make Shrike puzzled.
The other person in the carriage did not reply, and Arthur's face was also hidden in the darkness. He looked out the window and stared at the office. He paused for a long time before speaking slowly.
"Shrike, we succeeded."
"Success for what?"
Shrike couldn't understand Arthur's words. He looked inexplicably like a peeping tom.
Arthur said nonchalantly.
"We managed to lock up the devil and put a tight chain around his neck."
…
"it is finally over."
Eve's figure was swaying. After saying this, she seemed to have lost all her strength and knelt down on the carpet.
Her current mood was quite strange. She instantly understood the hard work of the working people, and she did not feel deeply guilty for not folding the quilt when she got up before.
If you zoom out, you will find that the sofa in the living room is already full of people. Everyone is exhausted from trying to make this office suitable for human habitation.
Lorenzo was running around in front of a few people. As the beneficiary of today's cleaning, he brought tea and water along the way and rubbed the legs and waist of several good brothers who worked hard.
"Try harder...harder! Haven't you eaten?"
The kestrel was tied to Lorenzo's body, giving orders like an uncle, but Lorenzo could only smile and squeeze at this situation, even though he had the ability to break off the kestrel's legs directly.
"Don't you need to clean up the other rooms?"
Seleu wiped her sweat, and after roughly talking about the itinerary with Lorenzo, she also joined in the cleaning. Although she didn't do much strenuous work, she was still tired and sweating.
"That's not necessary."
Lorenzo glanced at the inconspicuous door on the first floor. After that was Mrs. Van Roode's room, which was the same as Sigg's room. After she left, Lorenzo simply handled it and then opened the door.
It was sealed and almost never opened again. If Seliu didn't mention this, he would have almost forgotten that this house is quite big.
"Is there anything else you need?"
Lorenzo smiled like a waiter, walking around carrying unclean plates.
Probably because she was very tired, no one paid attention to him. Eve climbed up and sat together with Seliu. The two of them were smaller and squeezed into one sofa. The other seats were occupied by Kestrel and Hercules.
The place was full, so Lorenzo could only move a small stool and sit on one side as if he was being frustrated.
"When will the Shrike come?"
Kestrel asked again. He remembered that the shrike would also come today, but from morning to now, there was no trace of that guy.
"Probably he'll come when the meal is served. He's pretty accurate at the meal spot."
Lan Jade came out of the kitchen. She was wearing an apron, and there were bursts of heat behind her. Lan Jade was the only one among these people who knew how to cook.
"Then don't worry about him for now."
Lorenzo glanced at Lan Jade. Today was not only the rebirth of the office from the garbage heap, but also the first time someone had cooked here since Mrs. Verude left.
It's embarrassing to say that since living alone, Lorenzo's diet has been swallowed up by various fast food takeaways, and the kitchen has become a place for him to reheat yesterday's leftovers.
Perhaps because they wanted to carry out the celebration to the end, these people never left. After cleaning up the room, they even started cooking. It looked like they would have to eat before leaving.
There are more living people in the office, and the cold air has become much warmer. Lorenzo was a little uncomfortable at first, but now he is more accustomed to it.
Lorenzo looked around and suddenly realized that this was the first time he had received so many people at home since he moved here.
Normally there would only be Lorenzo, Mrs. Van Rude and Sigurd in this living room. It was difficult for the three of them to get together due to work schedules and other reasons. The last time there were so many people, it was the birthday of God, and it was crowded that day.
Lyu came here to spend the festival with Lorenzo.
After such a long time, Lorenzo felt a little dazed for a while, as if everything was just yesterday, but yesterday could no longer go back.
After the joy, the living room gradually fell into calm. Eve seemed really tired and leaned to the side drowsily. The others were silent, and even Poirot calmed down and huddled in the room.
There was no sound from under the cabinet.
"This reminds me of the days when we lived together."
Kestrel suddenly said, he raised his head and looked at the gray ceiling.
Lorenzo knew what he was talking about. He had lived with Kestrel and the others in Merlin's castle for a while before. In that hellish place, he had to rely on himself for everything. Lorenzo was chopping wood every day.
"Ah...I don't know how Joey is doing."
Kestrel missed Joey a little. As a lucky Kestrel, his colleagues changed quickly. Except for Joey, the two of them had worked together for a long time. Kestrel even thought that Joey had broken this damn curse, but now
In that storm that seemed to have no end, Kestrel still lost this friend.
He didn't know the specific condition of Joey. He still had some breath when he was fished out of the water, but the reason why he was severely eroded was that, like Galahad before him, he died again after entering the Black Mountain Hospital.
There was no news, it was like he was dead.
Kestrel's words depressed the atmosphere a lot. After enjoying the relaxation and joy, sad things began to come in droves. Among them, Lorenzo was probably the one who felt the deepest.
The house welcomed many new guests and lost some familiar faces forever.
With this thought in mind, Lan Jade walked in carrying a hot plate.
"It's ready to eat."
"Oooo!"
Kestrel immediately let out a ghostly scream and rolled up from the sofa. His movements were neat and fast, making people wonder if he was feeling sad just now.
"So people like you are really easy to give birth to." Eve commented.
"What should we do? We can only eat more and kill more monsters." Kestrel directly forked a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.
"You guys should try it. I haven't cooked for a long time. I usually do it at the outpost."
Lan Jade sat on the armrest of the sofa, still looking calm.
Although the purification agency is a black-hearted factory, in order to better squeeze the value of its employees, they still provide accommodation and food, as well as free medical care. Of course, it also comes with a death contract similar to Hercule's.
"Would you like to say something?"
Hercule asked. He also got up. He hadn't felt this kind of lively atmosphere for a long time. Thinking about it carefully, for most of the time in the past, Hercule was really hiding in a dark corner like a mouse. How could he
Apart from his subordinates, the only person he communicates with is Poirot.
"You think about it?"
Seleu said to Lorenzo, she took the cup from the kitchen, handed it to the others, and opened a bottle of wine. This was the best quality brought from the Stuart family, better than Lorenzo.
I don’t know how much stronger that kind of street stall product is.
"I?"
"After all, he is the owner of this house, shouldn't he?"
"ah……"
Lorenzo fell into deep thought. He was really stopped by the question. A few words flashed through his mind, but they were rejected by him.
Eradicating demons? Speaking of such words in such a happy time will inevitably have a murderous atmosphere, so what should I say? To pay homage to Joey and those who died? It doesn’t seem right.
Lorenzo looked at a few faces, and he remembered the days on the cruise ship, when everyone was under the same roof, reading books and talking nonsense. Lorenzo felt really good at that time, and he sometimes
He had a kind of extravagant hope that he shouldn't have. He hoped that this kind of tranquility could last forever and that this voyage would never end...
"Honor now."
Lorenzo thought about it and raised his glass.
…
"What did you say?"
Shrike didn't understand Arthur's words, he just felt that his boss was a little strange now.
"Do you still remember when you first came into contact with Lorenzo? Do you think he has changed in any way compared to him now?" Arthur asked.
"Change?" Shrike muttered, recalling the past, "Probably becoming more like a human being?"
Shrike still remembers Lorenzo at the beginning. He was a murderer with a dark personality. Even though Shrike was a super handy tool man, Shrike didn't want to have too much contact with Lorenzo, but now he
I'm not as resistant as before. I feel like the prisoner has changed his mind.
"Shrike, I was really afraid of Lorenzo at first. At that time, we had a negotiation on the Broken Dome about the train problem. Judging from Lorenzo's answer at that time, he would give everything to eradicate the demon... although now
There hasn’t been much change, but at that time it was really hard for people to think that he was a good person, instead he looked like a... devil who specialized in killing monsters?"
Arthur rambled.
"I think there should be something restraining us, even if we have turned into monsters, but Lorenzo did not have such restraints at that time, and he also proved this in subsequent battles."
Arthur couldn't help but feel a little angry when he thought of this, but it was only for a short moment.
"At that time, in order to check and balance Lawrence, Lorenzo almost killed Eve... and then came the Duke Stuart incident. I even laughed at him for a while, saying that he was a despicable villain.
The truth is just a false illusion. When the train comes, he is also a hesitant guy.
But even though I say that, I am still quite happy in my heart. This proves that Lorenzo is not a complete monster, at least Duke Stuart has become somewhat of a constraint on his humanity."
Recalling his experiences with Lorenzo, Arthur found that these memories were basically terrible.
He narrowed his eyes and asked again.
"Think about it now, go back to that night, Shrike, do you think Lorenzo will still easily sacrifice Eve in order to check Lawrence? It's not just Eve, this target can be anyone else, do you think he can still
Would you do that?"
Shrike fell silent. He thought for a while and was about to speak when he was interrupted by Arthur.
"I don't think he would do that."
Arthur said decisively.
"I have read Eve's mission report. Based on the conditions at Maluri Port at that time, it was lucky for anyone to survive. But Lorenzo did not let anyone die. Everyone came back alive and unscathed. At that time, Lawrence also
Be present.”
The sound echoed in the small carriage, and Shrike was a little stunned. He didn't expect that so much time had passed and so much had changed.
"In the final analysis, whether it is ideals or wishes, pursuits, goals, etc., these things are the ultimate embodiment of our desires, but the words used to describe them are different. Before that, Lorenzo was a slave of desire. For his desires, he
I don't mind becoming a so-called demon, or a being more terrifying than a demon.
But unfortunately, this kind of thing cannot be avoided, everyone is a slave of desire, but at least now, we have changed Lorenzo a little bit."
Arthur looked at the brightly lit office. This was one of the main reasons why he approved the fake.
"He was once a cold-blooded devil, but now he is imprisoned in the cage of happiness."
"You...why are you doing this?"
Shrike didn't understand. Lorenzo was really good now, and he felt more at ease getting along with him, but he couldn't understand why Arthur was bothering to do all this... Looking at it this way, he had been trying it all morning
Changing Lorenzo.
"For this world, for all of us.
Now that Lorenzo has tasted the beauty, in order to maintain these things, he will do whatever it takes to prevent the darkness from coming, and this is enough."
Arthur's voice was cold and ruthless.
Is this a conspiracy? Or a trick? Shrike was a little confused at the moment, but he felt that this should be good, a good thing.
The demon sheds its scales and reveals its original humanity.
For some reason, the language became a little lacking at this moment. Shrike thought for a long time and didn't know what to say. He just wanted to escape from this conversation quickly.
"I go first."
Shrike said as he opened the car door and walked into the office. Arthur, as before, stared at the office in silence, listening to the laughter and laughter coming from it.
The more this beauty rises, the heavier the cage becomes, and Lorenzo is willing to be imprisoned.