It was a cold winter night.

It was so cold that there was hardly anyone on the streets.

Except, they.

They are the two children who snuggle up to each other for warmth.

Weak, vulnerable, easy to fall down when gently blown by the wind, two dirty and thin children.

They are wandering orphans, a pair of brothers, and now, facing a serious problem.

Hungry, they were so hungry that they didn't even have the strength to walk.

Cold and hungry, in this very cold weather, even if they huddle each other to keep warm, they still shiver as a result.

"Brother...... Cold ......"

The younger brother of the two children, who was only four years old, cried out to his relatives weakly.

"Think...... Sleep ......"

The child wants to close his eyes and fall into eternal eyes, no longer worrying about the cold, no longer worrying about hunger.

"Don't sleep!"

The other child shouted loudly that his older brother, who was a few years older, was in a better mental state than his younger brother even in this terrible environment. So, he pointed to the light-filled house opposite.

"Look, Piro, there's going to be a stove in that house, and there's going to be food. In the future, we must have such a home! We can't sleep, and by tomorrow, we will get food!"

"Food...... Things?"

"Remember, what it's like to be warm?"

"Warm ......"

"In a warm house, there will always be a fireplace inside, and we will sit on the couch next to the fireplace and eat steaming delicious food. Think about what it tastes like to have steaming beef broth! We'll go back!"

"But...... It's true...... I really want to sleep...... Eyelid ......"

The voice is getting weaker and weaker, and when I hear the second half, it is no longer a complete sentence.

"Piro!"

The child looked at his younger brother, there was no way, he took off the coat covering his body, added an extra layer of clothing to his brother to keep warm, and shivered unexpectedly. He even pulled open his sleeves and endured the freezing cold of the cold wind, and stretched his arms in front of Piro.

"Look, it's meat, fragrant meat!"

“……”

It was as if there was a delicious chunk of meat in front of me, and it was like a dream, and the young body regained some vitality. He opened his mouth and bit down hard forward.

The consciousness was already confused, and the child did not notice, did not notice that his loved ones showed painful expressions, clenched his teeth, and endured the sharp pain coming from his arm.

"I can't bite it...... Hard ......"

The child's tiny teeth can't bite the flesh in front of him.

"Yes, yes......"

He endured the pain and laughed a few times in embarrassment, but he was almost speechless in pain.

Despite this, he encouraged his younger brother not to give up the meat in front of him.

Until, after the child tried again and again, after really biting down, he muttered that it was unpalatable. Then, he reacted and asked his brother a question.

"Brother, have you eaten enough?"

Hearing this, I couldn't even speak, and besides, not only the physical pain, but also the sadness of the extreme pain in my heart. Even so, even so, their brothers must live.

In order to live.

The wound on his arm was bleeding and his vision was blurry.

It hurt and cold, but even so, he gritted his teeth and persevered, and he didn't know where he got the strength, so he bit off a piece of cloth from his coat and tied the wound on his hand tightly with the pain.

The heart is shouting.

It hurts!

It hurts!!

Until, I heard my brother's breathing as if he was asleep.

Slow, weak, breathing sounds.

As if relieved, I was relieved a little.

After that, he couldn't hold on any longer, fainted, and fell to the ground.

After losing consciousness, the scene came to mind, the collapsed carriage, the last cry of people for help, a picture of powerlessness, he covered his brother's mouth, hid under another carriage, and watched the footsteps of the group of people. When they were done looting what they wanted, they finally left.

They had just crawled out from under the carriage and looked at the hellish sight in front of them.

There was nothing left, and since then, they have become wandering orphans.

The next morning, the two children were found and taken to a house.

When they woke up and found themselves lying on a soft bed, still covered with a very thick quilt, not on the original street, for a moment, they thought they were dreaming.

"Brother......?"

"Pierro, are you awake?"

"Here?"

He looked around the room, and suddenly, he noticed that there was an extra layer of clean white bandage on his arm, not the cloth that had been casually tied before. Obviously, it has already been dealt with.

"Brother...... I'm hungry again......"

As soon as he finished saying this, someone came in, a man dressed in white, with a long hem that was as long as a skirt.

"You are awake, thank you to the gods of the four directions!"

"I am a priest here, and I happened to pass by in the morning, and when I saw you fall to the ground, I brought you back. The man told the two children why they were here, and he was carrying two plates of food, "I have brought food with me, you can eat as you please." ”

Seeing the steaming food, Piro's eyes immediately lit up, but he didn't immediately reach out, turned his head to look at his brother, and seemed to ask with his eyes, can I eat it?

At such times, there is no reason to refuse.

Seeing his brother nodding, a bright smile immediately bloomed on Piro's face, and while quickly thanking the priest, he grabbed the bowl with the hot soup and fragrant bread and devoured it.

"Piro, eat slowly. ”

The priest brought a very delicious pumpkin soup, and some very fluffy bread, and there was something very sweet in the bread, and after Piro ate the one in his hand, he did not feel full, and stared at the priest with blank eyes.

"Do you still want bread?"

Piro nodded hurriedly.

"I haven't eaten my bread yet, here you go. ”

"I can't want yours. ”

The priest looked at the two scrawny children and said to them, "There's still a lot of honey bread, I'll go get some more." ”

Piro watched the priest leave, licking his fingers, which were still stained with some honey.

"Brother, can we eat more honey bread in the future?!

Piro said excitedly.

"Yes, we can eat more honey bread. But, Piro, don't cause trouble to others. ”

"Got it! Piro won't cause trouble to others!"

“…… Can you really listen to it?"

It didn't take long for the priest to return, bringing not only more honey bread, but also some beautiful sweets.

"Eat slowly, don't rush. ”

Seeing that the two children had almost eaten, the priest asked them a few questions, as well as their parents.

They were a pair of brothers, the elder brother was ten years old and his name was Desmond, and the younger brother was four years old and his name was Piro. They were wandering orphans, and they didn't know about their parents, and now only the two of them were left.

"Piro...... I want to go home. ”

“…… I'm sorry, Piro. ”

Desmond shook his head, sorry.

They can't go back, that's a fact that can't be changed.

Then the priest told them to rest well and closed the door, leaving only two people in the room.

This place is reassuring.

They don't need to continue to sleep on the streets and grab food from wild dogs.

Here, they don't need to worry about not having enough food or not enough clothes.

"Brother...... Piro wants to sleep......"

"Sleep, I'll wake you up. ”

"Hmm!"

Hearing Desmond's affirmation, Piro became relieved, and after a while, he immediately fell asleep.

“……”

Desmond looked at the bandage on his arm, found an interface that could be removed, and removed the bandage, seeing that something dark green was applied to it, and it was completely unrecognizable.

"Is this medicine?"

It must have been a very useful medicine, and it didn't hurt at all.

“…… It must be expensive. ”

Then, he was worried about the discovery.

"No money ......"

They don't have a penny on them.

Everything they had, all they had, was lost that day.

What is lost, never to come back.

Desmond thought seriously about what would happen next, and how lucky he was to be found and taken in.

They won't die of cold, they won't starve, they will pick up a life.

The question is, can they be taken in all the time?

Desmond didn't know, didn't know the answer to that question.

He turned his head to look at his brother, and looked at him soundly asleep, what a peaceful expression it was.

"It's good that there will be no more nightmares. ”

On the days of eating and drinking, Piro often had nightmares.

Dream that you are the only one left, or dream that you starve to death without food......

Every time he woke up from a nightmare, Piro would cry profusely, and each time he would have to coax for a long time before the crying would stop.

He also has nightmares, and the nightmares he has are usually about what happened that day.

It's just that he didn't tell Piro.

Nor is it necessary.

There is no need to recall those terrible things that are no longer remembered.

"Have a good dream, there will be lots and lots of food in the dream, and there will be a big, big fireplace in the dream...... Very warm dream, everyone, stay together......"

"Everyone. ”

"Father...... Mother ......"

"No, I can't cry, I definitely can't cry!"

Quickly wipe away the tears, I don't want to think about it anymore.

He re-tied the bandage, although the technique was not skillful, and it was a little ugly after the tie was done, and there was a coat to block it, so that no one would notice.

After getting out of bed, he put an extra layer of quilt on Piro's body, and walked out of the room, intending to find the priest.

After leaving the room, standing in the hallway, I saw that there was a lot of room here.

He didn't know which room the priest would be in, so he plucked up the courage to knock on the doors of those rooms.

"Please, may I ask ......"

He saw a lot of people, some in armor, some dressed in the same clothes as the priests, and even very beautifully dressed. They seemed to be busy, so they only looked at him and told him to hurry back and rest, and then paid no attention to him.

"I'm looking for a priest. ”

Desmond didn't want to be ignored or sent away, and once again someone dressed like a priest appeared, so he grabbed it.

"Priest, I'm also a priest, which priest are you looking for? ”

The man also claimed to be a priest, and looked at Desmond with amusement.

"I ......"

He was momentarily speechless.

He didn't know, but he knew that the people in the armor were called knights, and he had seen knights patrolling in the streets, and those knights were wearing armor.

"Didn't he tell you this was the Temple Branch......? Bring the child back and say nothing......" muttered the priest, as if dissatisfied.

"Anyway, I heard him talk about the two of you, two stray children, what's your name, what are you looking for him?"

"My name is Desmond. ”

Tell your name, Desmond continued.

"I want to stay here! My brother's name is Piro, we want to stay here, our parents are ......"

Because, there is no other place to go.

"Indeed...... He must not have thought about the rest of the world, really. ”

The priest scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I said a panic to the priest just now, in front of Piro, I can't say anything about my parents, I don't want him to know, he doesn't remember anymore......"

Desmond tells him why they became wandering orphans.

They originally lived in a wealthy merchant family, and their parents were away on business when they encountered robbers on the way. The guards hired around him could not deal with the robbers, but were killed by the robbers. Seeing that the situation was not right, the parents hid the two brothers under the carriage and ordered them not to make a sound under any circumstances.

Outcome......

He and Piro witnessed the tragedy firsthand.

When the incident was over, the robbers all left, and they crawled out from under the car.

Piro couldn't bear the stimulation and fainted. When I woke up again, I completely forgot about my parents, and only remembered that I had an older brother, and the names of myself and my brother.

"Please take us in! I can do anything!"

“…… Well, what the Temple of the Four Directions lacks most right now is knights, are you going to become a knight?"

The priest touched Desmond's hair, feeling the child's age.

"I can!"

In the days that followed, Desmond had to undergo various trainings in order to become a knight.

Before receiving training, I tested my physical fitness.

By the way, he also helped Piro do a test and got to know other people in the temple.

"Your brother's health is not very good, he was born prematurely, and it is a miracle that he was not cold to death outside in that kind of weather. In addition to exercising, it is also necessary to control your diet for a long time, otherwise even if you grow up, you will be particularly prone to illness. ”

"Don't say this kind of thing in front of the parties!"

The priest gave him a fist.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

It was the priest who brought them back, and the knight who was responsible for teaching Desmond.

"You're in pretty good shape. ”

The knight commented on Desmond, looked at him, and whispered to the priest.

"Is this child really good? Let the flesh of his arm be bitten by his brother, leaving a wound, and no matter how good the medicine is, it will not grow back. They have such a good relationship, do you think he can really be a knight?"

"He's very resolute......"

"Well, since you want to be a knight, there is something I must tell you in advance. ”

The knight told him, "The people of the branch have branch work, and even if I am in charge of being your teacher, I only give me occasional guidance. You're a kid now, and you still have a long way to go before you become a knight. We'll cover your tuition and you'll have to go to the college for your studies. ”

The people in the branch are all adults, and no one has extra time to spend with the children.

For those who want to stay in the temple, whether they become knights, priests, or shamans, they have to go through special studies.

Therefore, it is necessary to go to a formal college to study and successfully graduate.

Otherwise, if you stay in the temple branch all day and don't come into contact with other children of the same age, what kind of knight is this kind of knight?

"Brother is leaving?"

"I know, yes, my brother is leaving. ”

"Don't ......"

"I'm sorry ......"

In fact, Desmond's going to study at a formal academy meant that Piro was left behind.

"This little ghost is also a problem. ”

"He's only four years old, not yet old enough to enter the academy. Piro will be taken care of by us for the time being, and in a few years, we will send him to the academy. ”

"Don't ...... No...... Brother don't leave ......"

Piro tugged at Desmond's clothes, clutching them tightly to prevent him from leaving.

The knight and the priest looked at each other, giving Desmond a moment to think before making a decision.

Either way, it will be a life-changing decision for both children.

Of course, the people in the branch also considered looking for families who could take in the two children, but the results were not satisfactory.

"Brother...... Don't leave the ...... of Piro."

"No...... Don't leave me ......"

Suddenly, he was awakened.

Cold sweat was left on his forehead.

"Desmond!"

With his eyes open, Piro saw where he was.

At night, the streets are accompanied by the sea breeze, and there is a smell of fishiness that can only be found on the sea.

“…… I actually dreamed about the events of that time. ”

After that, Desmond persuaded him for a long, long time.

He wants to be a brave knight with the strength to protect others.

He told Piro not to worry, even if he entered the academy and became a student of the academy, they would continue to see each other.

It's just that the academy that Desmond went to is not in this town.

Desmond made a pact with Piro that he would come back on vacation and buy a lot of honey bread.

For the first three years, Piro had been looking forward to the holidays, every day and every day, looking forward to his return. Waiting in the temple branch, when Desmond returned, Piro would be happy and couldn't sleep all night, pulling Desmond to tell him everything that had happened at the Academy.

"My brother has made some friends, and when you go to formal school, you will also meet other friends. ”

"Friends? Piro will have friends too?"

"Yes, next time I have a holiday, I will bring my friends to see you. ”

"What friends did my brother know?"

"A blue-haired Shui Man, Piro hasn't seen an Aqua yet, she's a girl, her name is Emily, and Baker and Cuoy, Beck and Cuy are both noble young masters. ”

"Aristocrats?"

"Although they are nobles, they are very nice people. ”

"Piro also wants to meet his brother's friends!"

After that, while continuing to wait, Piro also went to the academy and also met some friends.

Thanks to the exercise and diet control he took during his time at the branch, Piro's physical condition gradually improved, and he no longer fell ill so easily. While waiting and chasing Desmond's figure, the thought of becoming a knight came to his heart.

As an adult, Desmond was placed in a more distant country due to a lack of manpower.

Left Rodi Pava, went to Qianduji, said goodbye to himself and his friends of Rodi Pava, and became a knight of the Blue Dragon Temple.

Later, Desmond became the chief knight of the Blue Dragon Temple, and Piro had just finished his status as a trainee knight and became an official knight and entered the temple headquarters.

He had been following the figure, and he had been trying to get closer to him.

applied to be transferred to the Blue Dragon Temple, and finally succeeded after many attempts.

After he finally became a knight of the Green Dragon Temple, he found that because of the special identity of the knight chief of the Green Dragon Temple, it was different from the knight chief of other temples, and Desmond was not in the temple all the year round.

“……”

"How long are you going to sit here?"

Suddenly, Baker appeared, helplessly looking at Piro who was sitting on the ground.

"You can sit farther away and don't disturb my guests. ”

“…… I'm not leaving. ”

"I know I know, but I don't have anything to say, everything I can say. ”

"I'll find his ......"

After a pause, he continued, "He thinks of you as a friend, a best friend, Baker." ”