【1】

I followed Ryan to the front and looked at the stele closely, and it was intricately carved though it was wordless.

"It's ......"

"This is the tombstone that I thought you died in the fire eight years ago, and it was erected for you."

"Because you are a commoner, in order to inlay the Morsu gem on your stele, and in order not to disturb you, I did not engrave your name on the stele."

"At the time, I was a little depressed, but now that I think about it, I'm a little lucky."

He crouched down as he spoke.

I stared at the tombstone for a while, and a strange thought suddenly popped into my head: "When you erected the tombstone, did you bury any bones or something?" ”

"Yes." Ryan sighed lightly: "I knew that Pan Sensheng had such a thing, so I hurried back, and the picket guards told me that they found two burned bones in the infirmary of the welfare home, I heard that you and Master Buz are very close to each other, and often visit him, so ...... So I found the bones of the young man and buried them here. ”

"It's just...... Since you escaped the fire, I may only be buried here with some unfortunate child in the welfare home. ”

A...... Unfortunate child.

☆★☆

Ryan's voice was calm, but ...... As he spoke, I felt a buzzing in my head, and the strength in my body was instantly drained, and suddenly, the words that I still can't forget seemed to ring in my ears......

- "Kroll, stay here, I'll save the others, listen, you must wait for me here." ”

He said he was going to save someone else. But he never came back.

And the person he went to save was most likely Master Buz, who was still asleep in the medical hall.

Xavier......

His flaxen mess and bright smiling face alternated in my mind, and then ...... The unquenchable fire in my memory, as well as the dense tombstones at the site of the Panson Welfare Institute......

Together...... Reduced to ashes.

I seem to feel it...... Feel the answer to something...... It's already coming out.

"Kroll?" The arm was grabbed and there was some pain.

“……”

"Kroll, what's wrong with you?"

"Yes...... It's ...... him."

"Kroll?" Ryan's voice was a little anxious, but I could only stare at the stone tablet in this way.

"I thought...... I thought he was still alive......" My throat seemed choked by something, and there was a strange pain in my heart, and I reached out and grabbed Ryan's shoulder tightly, repeating in vain—

"I thought he was alive...... I'm also going to ...... Plans to ...... later. Let's find out where he is......" I said word by word, the whole sentence in fits and starts.

"Kroll......" Ryan held me and patted my back with his hand, "Is it someone you know?" ”

"......" had the illusion that I couldn't breathe, and my eyes were sour, but I couldn't shed half a tear.

After a long silence, I could only sigh: "...... I think...... The bones you found...... There is a great possibility ......"

“…… It's my friend, Xavier. ”

☆★☆

"......" Ryan looked at me deeply, and then frowned slightly: "Why are you so sure?" ”

I let go of the hand holding his shoulder, trying to calm myself down, and then slowly walked behind the stone monument, looked at the small dirt slope overgrown with grass, and said, "Ryan, did the picket guards in the city give any explanation for the fire that was born in the Panson Welfare Home?" ”

"—because of the dry weather, the wood piled up in the wood hut caught fire, and because the wind was strong and the wind was in the right direction, the fire was so fierce that almost no one escaped from it."

"Meaning...... Was it an accident? ”

"Yes."

"......," I was a little distracted, "but...... It wasn't an accident. ”

"I remember very well that day, Master Bouz and I were drinking, and I was already drunk, but before the fire started, I smelled a sweet smell in the air—it seemed to be the smell of the drug 'Otok'."

And then ...... Soaking wet, Xavier broke into the infirmary and took me out. Then, he turned back to the welfare home to save others. ”

"So, after I leave the infirmary, there should be only one person left there, Mage Bouz. But you told me...... Said there were two corpses there. ”

"Master Booz's tombstone, I've seen it at the site of the Panson Welfare House, but Xavier's doesn't."

"It's because of these that I feel that the people you buried here in my name ......"

"Quite possibly...... It's to return to the rescue of Master Bouz...... Xavier. ”

As the words fell, Ryan strode up to me, "...... What if someone else went to save Master Buzz and died there? ”

Hearing this, I was stunned for a moment, and then smiled bitterly: "...... It's not impossible, it's just that the hospital is the closest to the forest outside the welfare home, Xavier has always been ruthless and brave, and there are countless wounds on his body, and Master Buz, as the healer of the welfare home, takes great care of him on weekdays. ”

"He is a very moral person, and he said that he was going to save others, and in ten cases, he was going to save Master Bouz."

Listening to my words, Ryan didn't say anything more, only reached out and gently patted my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I was a little excited." I raised my hand and rubbed my eyebrows: "I know you're trying to comfort me." ”

"Since it's your friend, it's normal for you to be unable to accept it for a while." Ryan said, "It's just...... What you just said, after all, is still a guess, the bones buried there have been burned black in the fire, and it is impossible to see the appearance, and after so many years, it may have already turned into ashes, and you have no way to prove his identity now. ”

I understand what Ryan means, he is saying that it may not be Xavier buried in it, he wants me to have a glimmer of hope and not be so painful.

"I want to ...... I wanted to find out about the fire at the Panson Welfare Home myself. I turned to the side and looked at Ryan fixedly, "In that case...... If Xavier wasn't buried there, if he was still alive, maybe I could find clues about him in the process of tracking down this matter. ”

"Kroll ......"

"I remember that before the fire, the orphanage was very unpeaceful." I said to myself: "First I received a number of threatening letters and some disgusting things sent with the threatening letters, and then there were many cases of missing people in the welfare home. ”

"But all of this has been uncovered by the picket guards with the burning down of the welfare home and the death of everyone in the home."

When Ryan heard this, his face became much more solemn: "How do you want to check?" ”

"I should have checked it a long time ago, but I was too procrastinating before." I sighed: "These things were born after Pan Sen changed the dean, and I think we should start investigating from the new dean." ”

"Okay." Ryan smiled at me, "You go and check, I'll try to help you." ”

“…… Thank you. ”

Ryan shook his head, with a slight annoyance on his face: "You don't need to say thank you to me. ”

The grief that had just gushed out was a little more subdued, and I listened to Ryan speak like this, and my heart was very ironed, but suddenly I remembered something: "Then we were going to the northern forest as we were supposed to ...... it."

"It's okay, you can stay at Todai 6 and do what you have to do

I'll take a look at the matter first and try to deal with it within a month. Ryan shrugged his shoulders and made a relaxed look.

"Okay, you have to be careful."

After talking to Ryan, I pulled him around the small dirt slope to the stele, and bowed deeply to the stele.

Regardless of whether Xavier is buried here or not, he must be from the Panson Welfare Institute, and I may have known him once.

The dead are great, and since I can't pray, I should also bow and talk about my heart.

But...... If it is confirmed later, it is indeed Xavier, I ......

Not wanting to think any further, I took one last look at the stone tablet encrusted with the Mursu gem, and then turned around.

"Let's go......"

【2】

Three days have passed since he returned from the tomb that day, and tomorrow, Ryan will go to the Northern Forest.

I'm not in good spirits these days, and all I think about the old case in the welfare house all day long, thinking about the noble dean. It wasn't until I was pestered by Ryan in bed at night that I realized that I had indeed snubbed him these days.

But he will go to the Boreal Forest tomorrow, and the journey is long and difficult. If he had complied with him today, he would have to suffer for several more days, and I really couldn't bear it.

"Okay, you're going to be on your way tomorrow, so why bother making yourself uncomfortable." I took his hand and teased me, and said to him helplessly.

He frowned, and said in a rough voice: "You kid is really, knowing that I will leave tomorrow to ......"

I laughed a little when I saw his fierce appearance, I didn't expect him to be so eager for that kind of thing......

It suddenly occurred to me that many of the letters he wrote to me back then seemed to be about doing this kind of thing, such as "sometimes I can't help myself when I see a stripper".

However, in the past two or three years of getting along with him closely, he has always been pure and has few desires, and he is like two people in the letter. It's no wonder I never thought about things like "Bena is Ryan, Ryan is Bena".

"I say, Ryan, are you still going to see a stripper holding it down?"

He was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't expect me to ask him that all of a sudden.

But after a moment, he laughed, "You mean the letter I sent you back then?" I wasn't very stable at that time, and I wrote these nonsense words because I thought you were young and teased you. ”

Think, tease, me, play.

"Are you praising you in disguise, and now you're stable?" I looked at him with a smile and squeezed the muscles on his arm fiercely: "So, steady Lord Bena, there are very important things to do next, please be calm now." ”

He seemed to choke on my words, and kept his mouth open for a long time without making a sound.

I thought it was funny, but I could only put on a strict face for him to sleep honestly.

While he was stammering and quiet, I said, "Okay, I'm asleep." Then he turned sideways and closed his eyes.

☆★☆

After a while, there was a rustling sound of clothes rubbing, and then a warm and wet feeling came from my face.

"Kroll ......" Ryan's voice was hoarse, and his neck was rubbed against his hand.

It turned out to be so stubborn.

I was a little annoyed that he had insisted on making such a fuss despite my thoughtfulness, so I reached over and groped for my crude magic wand by the bedside, and then urged it to do so.

The pale green light lit up, and the rope-like ribbon of light instantly tied the dishonest Ryan to a strong knot.

"Kroll ......"

I sat up to see what else he could do with the binding, but I was surprised to see that he had already taken off his clothes in just a few moments.

- Pale green bands of light wrapped around the texture of his strong muscles, and he looked at me with dark and bright eyes, and there seemed to be a hint of reproach in his eyes, and with his upright and resolute face, I suddenly felt that he was like an elder who was teaching me earnestly, and I was an ignorant young man.

This guy, why can he still put on such a strict and dignified appearance when his limbs are tied up in such a graceful appearance.

“…… You're really ...... Nothing has changed. I said, shaking my head.

Ryan put away his expression just now, smiled at me, and despite the fact that he was still bound by the light belt, he lay down like this: "I haven't changed anywhere." ”

“…… When I correspond with you in the orphanage, I sometimes feel that you are ...... Kindness...... Compare...... Let it go. "I deliberated on my words, trying to be more tactful.

"Well, I know, it's just downstream."

"......" he was frank.

"Later, when I joined the mercenary group, I think that although you may seem ruffian at times, you are still very stable and reliable." I ignored him and continued: "I didn't expect that in terms of my perception of you, it would be more accurate when I used to communicate. ”

"Hey, hey." Ryan began to laugh silly, I shook my head, I felt some pain in the corner of my forehead, and I felt that his childish appearance was very unsightly, which made my dark mood a little better these days, so my brain twitched, leaned down, and kissed him firmly on the lips.

His lips and tongue were hot, tossing and turning, a stream of hot blood seemed to rush into my brain, I kneaded his tight shoulders, licked and kissed his lips, and then grabbed his tongue and sucked hard.

There is a wet and sticky liquid flowing from the mouth to the lower jaw, and the kiss deepens unconsciously...... It wasn't until Ryan let out a few muffled snorts and straightened up to rub against me that I woke up from the intense affection just now, propped up my body violently, stepped aside, and gasped for breath.

There was a clear feeling of discomfort in the lower half of my body, and I pulled over the messy quilt with some embarrassment, covering Ryan's naked body.

"Haha......" Ryan laughed twice, and then spoke: "Okay, I'll listen to you, untie me." ”

I saw that his serious appearance didn't seem to be fake, and I also felt that I was too Meng Lang just now, so I answered and waved my hand to confine him with magic.

☆★☆

"I've never seen you use a magic wand before, and when you come back from Dragon Island, you're getting more proficient at using it." Ryan moved his arm, as if he was very uncomfortable being bound by the light band just now.

Seeing that he seemed to have calmed down and began to talk to me about other things, I followed his words and explained to him, "I originally thought that magic wands were of little use. ”

"It's just...... After experiencing some things, I thought about it and felt ...... Since there is a magic wand in zài, it always has a use that I don't know. ”

"Although...... I don't find it more useful right now. Just use it to channel the magic elements so that they can transform into what I need...... It's a convenient life. ”

"It's really convenient...... Ryan chuckled twice, "I was tied up so tightly just now that even I wanted to break away with my fighting spirit, but now it's suppressed and doesn't work." ”

The bands of light wrapped around his body had gradually faded, and his naked body was also covered by a thin quilt, and I looked away, trying to calm the anger that had just risen, and turned my attention to what he said.

Hearing him say that I couldn't show my fighting spirit, I don't know why, but a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in my mind, as if I had solved the confusion I had been confusing for days.

"You say...... You can't show your vindictiveness? I was thrilled and reached out to hold his shoulder.

"yes......" he looked a little puzzled, "what's wrong?" ”

“……

No...... There is no ......"

Ecstasy struck, and I felt like my chest was about to burst open with a pounding heart.

"It's me who wants to ...... wrong"

"I originally thought that if you want to make the healing mage have the lethality that can compete with other mages, you should start by improving the healing element, making the healing element poisonous, or go one step further and find a way to freely switch between the toxic and non-toxic elements."

"But...... I never imagined that the light band condensed by the healing elements would have the effect of suppressing the fighting spirit. ”

With that, I lifted the quilt and tried to study the huge present, but Ryan stopped me.

“…… Feed. ”

There was a more helpless look on his face: "I'm going to the Northern Forest tomorrow." ”

"You're not going to let me sleep with this quilt tonight."

……

Well, I'm too excited.

"I'm sorry." I lay back on the bed and stretched out my arms to hug him firmly: "Let's sleep." ”

"......" He still seemed a little unwilling, but after all, he remained silent and slept peacefully in my arms.

【3】

Early in the morning of the second day, Ryan and three or four members of the mercenary group set out on the road to the northern forest.

Because I know that he will be back soon, and I have too many things on my hands now, I don't have much parting sentimentality.

I was already itching to learn about the benefits of magic wands last night, and after saying goodbye to Ryan, I ran to Morton Street, which sells magic tools in the city, to buy materials for carving magic wands and carving a magic wand properly.

Moreton Street has a wide variety of magical utensils, and the materials used to make magic wands are endless, including gold, silver and jade.

But I knew that the essence of healing magic elements was wood, so I abandoned the beautiful gold and silver, and chose only a few pieces of topaz and a few pieces of smoked wood.

Topaz can be used to carve magic circles and magic spells, and lacquered wood can channel healing magic elements to maximize its effectiveness.

These things are not cheap, and they almost consume all the marks I have saved over the years.

However, I don't feel distressed.

The top priority is to go to the mercenary group's pharmacy as soon as possible and get the new magic wand out.

☆★☆

I was imagining in my mind the magic circle that I was going to carve into the topaz jade for a while, as I walked towards the place where the mercenary group was.

However, when I walked not far from the gate of the mercenary group's station, I suddenly saw a tall man wearing a raged animal skin at the side door, sneakily peeping inside.

It's noon, the sky is clear, the sun is high, and this man doesn't look like he's here to do evil. After all...... I don't think many people will choose this time to come to the mercenary group to stir up trouble alone.

I slowly walked behind the man: "Hey, who are you and what are you doing here?" ”

The man seemed to be startled by me, and turned his head hurriedly.

When I saw his face, I was stunned.

"Alva ......"

…… The hunter who lent me the house in the forest of Western University 6, the one who was asserted by Ryan because he had saved him by Chelsea, was the culprit who caused me and Ryan to be clogged up in the meridians in the first place......

"It's ...... you"

Recovering from the shock, I took out my wand almost without thinking, trying to bind him with a ribbon of light.

"Colo!" He gave me a big hug: "Great, I knew you weren't so easy to die." ”

"I was woken up that day by the sound of thunder...... But I didn't have the courage to go out, and when I got out, I saw that your house had been split into ashes by thunder and fire......" Alva even wiped his eyes with the back of his hand emotionally: "I'll start ...... I thought you were gone. ”

"Within a few days, the Earl of Chelsea had some money brought to me, saying that I would be asked to live in seclusion in another place." Alva's face was full of doubts: "This is too sudden, and it is too strange, I think that Count Burna and you are both capable people, and they probably escaped before the thunder, so I came to Dongda 6 to see if I can find your news." ”

"Now that I see you, I'm finally relieved." Alva breathed a long sigh of relief: "You know, I'm just an ordinary person, and I'm really a little afraid that I won't be able to stay up on the road." ”

"......" listened to his barrage of words, and I suddenly felt that my brain could not keep up with the rhythm.

Didn't he poison me and Ryan and make us suffer?

Why...... He had such a calm attitude, and said that he was looking for us all the time across the Big 6......

But he did mention that Chelsea gave him a sum of money afterwards to let him live in a different place.

What the hell is going on......

With my mind in full swing, I tried to calm myself down, trying to find something wrong with what he had just said.

“…… Okay, let's not talk about it here, let's go inside. I led him into the pharmacy and sat him down, then poured him a glass of water and asked, "You say the Earl of Chelsea has sent you some money?" ”

"yes."

"Do you know the person who sent the money?"

Alva shook his head: "I don't know. ”

…… As expected, I was a little disappointed to hear him say that.

"But it's all from your mercenary group." Alva pointed to his chest, "There are also the badges of the mercenary guild and the badges of your mercenary group." ”

Hearing him say this, I looked terrified: "What did you say? ”

"It's from your mercenary group...... The money sent...... Alva seemed to be frightened by me, and a puzzled expression appeared on his straight face.

…… No way.

It's absolutely impossible.

Chelsea went with us to the 6th of the Western University to return to the family to deal with some affairs, so after arriving at the 6th of the Western University, he left the mercenary group alone, and did not take any of the group with him.

Besides, after collecting the Saint Louise flowers, everyone in the mercenary group returned to Dongda 6, and only Ryan would come to visit me in the forest every once in a while.

And listening to Ryan's tone, in the past six months, the mercenary group has not accepted any orders that need to go to Western University 6.

So, how could there be people from the mercenary group around Chelsea who were instructed by him to send money to Alva?

A terrible thought popped into my head, and my heart sank, and I quickly snuffed it out, and looked up to Alva about something else.

☆★☆

"Does the person who gave you money have any obvious facial or physical features?"

“…… Hmm......" Alva looked up at the roof, and scratched the back of his head in distress: "Is it very strong?" ”

"......" certainly doesn't count.

"Well, I really didn't think there was anything special...... Yes! If you have to say it...... That's when he gave me something, and I saw that the mouth of his right hand was bandaged, and there was blood oozing out, and in my experience, when the wound there healed, it would definitely fall marks. ”

Hearing him say this, I was a little relieved, but I felt that it would be a little rash for me to believe what he said so simply, and I thought that I should keep him first, and let him live in a place not far from me, so that I could act more conveniently in the future.

"What are you going to do next?"

"Me? I'd like to stay here for the time being, preferably to meet the Earl of Bednar and the Earl of Chelsea. Alvale said with a huff.

Didn't he know Chelsea was dead?

"Colo, can you help me meet the Earl of Chelsea? I want to thank him in person, he has taken such good care of me all along. The shoulder was suddenly held by Alva, and I frowned: "Alva." ”

"What's wrong?"

“…… The Earl of Chelsea has died. I said, "You probably haven't been paying attention and don't know much because you've been on the road." ”

"What...... What the? ”

I saw that his expression suddenly became very shocked, so I reached out and patted him on the shoulder comfortingly: "Benata, he is in the Northern Forest now, and it will take about a month to return." ”

"You can stay for a while." I said, "You won't see the Earl of Chelsea, but you can wait to meet the Earl of Bednar." ”

He nodded stunned, as if he couldn't accept the qiē I had just told him.

☆★☆

After settling Alva in a rented house, I returned to the mercenary group and began to think about what to do next.

The person who gave money to Alva may have left traces in the tiger's mouth. And this person is likely to be someone from the mercenary group.

Find this person, and maybe I can find the real murderer who poisoned me and Ryan.

How can we check the people of the mercenary group in great detail?

Thinking about it, I knocked down the potion under my hand, and the crimson potion flowed down the smooth wooden table, dripping onto the dark brown floor, soaking in wet stains.

I hurriedly took a cloth towel to wipe it off.

The smell of the potion was very strong, even pungent, and I sniffed the smell and suddenly realized.

I'm a healing magician, and I use the excuse of checking everyone's body, isn't it?

Recently, my brain is really not very bright, and it took me a long time to come up with such a simple, clear and easy-to-implement method.

☆★☆

I just did what I said, things tend to change after thinking about it for a long time, so I cleaned up the messy potions a little, and left the pharmacy and went to the rest place of the healing mages in the mercenary group.

I explained my advice to the other healing magicians, and they all thought it was good, so we started talking about how to do the examination.

The bearded wizard Eugene said, "Of course, we will divide the members into four columns, one for each of them. ”

In that case, wouldn't I be able to see everyone's hands?

I frowned, and seeing that the other two magicians didn't have any opinions, I said, "Isn't this too slow?" Master Eugene, you are good at treating foot paralysis injuries, and Master Rachel is good at treating the chest and lungs, and Master Egbert is especially good at treating head diseases. ”

"Why don't we check only one item for each person, so that it can not only match the strengths of each other's treatment, but also make the diagnosis more correct, and speed up the process without getting too tired."

When they heard me say this, they thought for a moment, and seemed to think that it made sense, so they all responded, and asked me to hurry up and write a parchment scroll on this matter and post it, tentatively scheduled for three days later, for the mercenaries of the mercenary group to conduct a physical examination.

I mentioned this matter first, not to mention that I have other plans in my heart, so I am naturally happy to do these small things.

So, I just waited three days to find out the ...... The one who sent money to Alva.

(l~1`x*>+``+