Alfonso walked alone to the top of the mountain, greeted only by the smoke and dust that had not yet dissipated and the silence that had not yet dissipated.

When he reached only three hundred meters of the enemy line, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps and words in the enemy camp.

An old man with a white beard, dressed in a set of immaculate armor, struggled out of the trench with the help of the soldiers.

Several knights climbed out of the trench, trying to keep up with the old man and escort him down the hill.

The old man turned back and reprimanded a few words, and the knights of the church knelt on one knee, not daring to move any longer.

Seeing the old man on the mountain approaching him, Alfonso took a deep breath and unconsciously clasped his hands together.

When the old man came to him, Alfonso took off his helmet and respectfully gave the old man a knightly salute.

Finding a clean piece of ground, the old man sat down with difficulty, beating his back with his hands, while looking at the twisted and stretched parasite limbs in Alfonso's armor, and said in a somewhat playful tone: "Look at yourself, you are no different from those demons in the murals." ”

After a pause, the old man said with self-pity: "Speaking of which, I have used the firearms of the southern infidels, and there seems to be no reason to accuse you. ”

Alfonso straightened his spine: "As a knight, it doesn't matter what kind of weapon you use or what kind of armor you wear. What matters is whether you are upholding justice and keeping the oath of a knight. ”

The old man was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile: "This sounds interesting. ”

Alfonso pulled the letter from his bosom: "Lord Bromo Hesmond, this is the letter that my superior, Lord Cumberland, has asked me to pass on to you. ”

Bromo did not rush to get the letter, but asked, "Why are you here today, and why don't I see the stubborn donkey?"

Alfonso replied: "Lord Cumberland has remained in the headquarters since the beginning of the battle yesterday, reading and analysing the operational reports handed in by the various units. ”

"After comparison and investigation, we found that most of the remaining military strongholds in the Papal States were infantry, while the main cavalry of the three major ecclesiastical orders was missing. ”

"Lord Cumberland surmises that you must have had a hand in mind when you made your battle plan in the first place. These fortifications built in the forest are just a cover for confusion, and the real main force must be your cavalry regiment. After all......"

Bromo picked up Alfonso's words and said softly: "Attack is the best defense, always remember to take the initiative in your own hands." ”

The old man closed his eyes and laughed self-deprecatingly: "Yes, it's rare that you still remember what I taught. ”

Alfonso handed the letter to Bromo again and said in an accentuated tone: "My lord, please read this letter. ”

Bromo took the letter, opened it and read it cursoryly, put it aside, and asked amusefully, "Persuade the donkey to surrender?"

Alfonso nodded and said, "Lord Cumberland would very much like you to come to Dusk West City, at least as a visitor, to see what the real kingdom of heaven looks like. ”

"You're not a good lobbyist. Bromo rubbed his stiff knees: "During my time in the academy, the comment I gave you was that I was just over and didn't know how to ...... flexible."

Alfonso said categorically: "My lord, what I said is true, if you don't believe it, just go to Dusk City and touch the Pilgrimage Stone, and the facts will prove everything......"

Bromo stretched out his hand and interrupted Alfonso's words: "No more. ”

"You think I'm lying?"

"You can't learn to lie, just like that stubborn donkey, you can never learn to be humble......"

"Then why don't you want to go to Twilight ......?"

Bromo suddenly laughed.

The old man pointed to the black dragon badge on Alfonso's chest and asked, "That dragon god...... Do you believe Todd Fischer?"

Alfonso nodded: "I have followed that man all the way, and no one knows his truth better than I do. ”

Bromo said with relief: "That's fine, as a knight, the most painful thing is to question the path you have chosen." ”

"As I have said in the past in class, the honor of a knight is not a simple proverb, it must be placed in pure pursuit and ideals. ”

For example, seek a Maven who can calm the chaos, or serve a benevolent and loving deity. Bromo smiled and said, "The knight is not a thug of a dictator, nor an accomplice of a careerist. ”

"At the beginning, among the many students, you and that stubborn donkey were the objects of my disdain. You are too rigid in dogma, and Cumberland is too contemptuous of worldly justice. I'm afraid you're obsessed with knightly rules and don't understand what they really mean, and I'm afraid that Cumberland is so addicted to fighting and scheming that you've forgotten what you wanted. ”

Bromo touched his gray curly beard and said slowly, "Fortunately, you have all found the goal of your life. ”

Alfonso stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "Do you still believe in the Church now?"

"Trust those idiots who hide in the church and shout every day for acting theocracy?" Bromo shook his head: "I'm old, but I'm not demented yet." ”

"Then why did you accede to the church's request for troops, why did you help them to kill Protestants, why didn't you go back with me to the city to see the true kingdom of heaven?"

Bromo sighed softly, "Because there is a god in my heart. Call him Father or God. In my opinion, he is the driving force for my life, and he is also the support for me to cleanse my soul. ”

Alfonso's face showed an incomprehensible look of confusion: "My lord, I don't understand, as long as you go to Twilight City and see the kingdom of heaven, you will naturally understand that the other gods are illusory......"

"The longer you live, the more you fear change. When one foot has already stepped into the coffin, someone tells you that what you have been believing all your life may be a hoax, and all you can do is extreme denial and self-hypnosis. ”

Bromo slowed down, "It's like a craftsman who has spent his whole life carving a statue of a god in no time." Someone suddenly told him that God didn't look like that. But in the minds of craftsmen, the appearance of the gods no longer matters. ”

Bromo picked up Cumberland's letter, put it in his bosom, and said to Alfonso, who was still immersed in thought: "Go back and tell that stubborn donkey, and never forget what I said in the last lesson of the knight's academy." The honor of a knight is never a victory on the battlefield, nor is it a false affirmation and praise from the superiors, but whether everything you do can bring your soul to ultimate peace. ”

Bromo stood up from the ground tremblingly, and walked towards the top of the mountain without looking back.