The walls of the Icepeak Fortress are made of stone from the Sunset Mountains, and its surface may become hot under the roasting of the fireplace, but its heart will always be cold and unchanged for thousands of years. This coldness, not even the red flames from hell could change it, let alone just the hands of a beautiful woman in the mortal world.

The Marquise of Pohimana withdrew her finger from the wall, feeling a little cold and a little painful. She turned her head, smiled at Gresham, and said, "He's still wary of trying to get something out of me, and I'm sure this boy from the Hall family is a smart man." What the hell is going on with all those rumors in the capital, and why is it that what I'm seeing now is completely different from what I've heard before?"

"I don't know, I'm weird too. How could such a person become a priest when he arrived at the Ice Peak Fortress?

The Marquise frowned and said nothing. It was also at this time that she could see that the wrinkles brought by the years had slowly climbed up the corners of her eyes and lips, and the power of time was only hidden under her youthful appearance, not only never far away, but also struggling to reveal her true body. However, when she reopened her eyes and radiated a fierce look, the truth was covered up again.

"There's something wrong with this Feige. The Marquise said, "The Hall family must be playing a big game of chess, and Fitch is an important pawn for them." The resources at the disposal of the Royal Earl and the Templars are far beyond those of our lame marquis. Today, Feige is far more capable than a gentleman. How old is he, he must be three years younger than you, eighteen? I think he's more than thirty. ”

I have to say that the Marquise of Pohimana's intuition is still very accurate. Fei Qi, or Yan Rui, was in his twenties when he came into this world. Although he is usually a technical freak, the amount of information far beyond this world has familiarized his brain in advance, and when converted into experience, it will take a few more years to become more than thirty.

"His idea is not that of a gentleman, but of a nobleman who thinks in terms of interests. Earl Hall must have trained him specifically, with both knowledge and techniques, but he had no experience in using them. Well, that makes sense. Lady Pohimana pieced together an explanation on her own, and then strengthened it herself: "I now understand why so many girls have been deceived by him. If it weren't for the fact that he was a little anxious and showed traces at the last moment, which gave me a familiar sense of vigilance, I wouldn't have thought of this......"

"What the hell did he say?" Gresham felt a little irritated by the fact that he had lied. The temperature of the fireplace made the alcohol rise in his body, and his throat suddenly became like a stone cracked by the sun, and the damp clothes clung to his skin, as if to squeeze out the last of the water in his body. He tugged at his collar and walked to the window, cooling the night breeze through the cracks.

"Take a deep breath, don't forget to meditate, don't forget to pray. Peace of mind can only be attained under the protection of the Goddess, and you must always remember that. The Marquise sighed and watched Gresham blow the cold wind for a while, and then said faintly: "In this respect, you are already behind Feige. He's become the Atonement Confession Priest of the Goddess of Truth and Thunder, and you're just a paladin. Although you have become the chief inspector and have a higher position than him, in the grace of the goddess, can an ordinary paladin be compared to the priest of atonement and confession? ”

"I see. Gresham replied in a stiff tone.

"Being an atonement confession pastor is bound to listen to many secrets, and that's too much of an advantage for him. The goddess also gave him a little angel, a glowing ball with transparent wings...... Do you know what that is?"

"That's the Angel of Light. Gresham's brows were squeezed together: "Grandma, are you sure you're right?"

"I certainly can't be mistaken. And don't believe it, Feige does have a very strange power that makes you want to confide in him. I ......," the Marquise wandered through her recollections, and then said: "I felt very close to him, a sense of familiarity and dependence, but at the same time a little daunting, like ...... It's like meeting a loved one or an elder. It was so weird that I almost got lost and told him everything. ”

"Got it?"

"I said almost!" the Marquise of Pohimana shook her head, not just for her grandson or for Fitch. "The more I thought about it, the more I thought that kid was a little weird. Although judging by his expression, the Hall family ...... No, I can't draw any useful conclusions right now. Damn, this kid is confusing me! ”

The young inspector stood up and took his leave, also feeling that he needed to think calmly. However, when he reached the door, the Marquise stopped him.

"If something happens tomorrow, like an accident, you have to deal with it on the spot. ”

"No, don't have an accident tomorrow, just let him win. Gresham shook his head and turned around. He straightened his neckline and re-fastened the open area. The red of the alcohol on his face faded, and the paladin's majesty emerged.

The Marquise looked at him with both relief and distress. "Then I'll arrange it. ”

"Don't arrange, don't have surprises. Gresham jerkily refused: "Grandma, you have done a lot for the family, but please don't arrange it again." You arranged for me to join the church as a paladin, and you arranged for my marriage, and that's enough. Let me go the rest on my own. ”

"You're not happy with my arrangement?"

"If I can know and express my opinion before the arrangement, then I can say satisfied or dissatisfied. The paladin shook his head: "The patrol is just a routine job, originally I just wanted to take this opportunity to make Feige make a fool of himself, and I didn't mean anything else." He was clever and immediately took advantage of the problem and turned the whole thing into a situation in his favor, and you somehow helped him. I probably understood that outside of the church rules, he was too nimble, as cunning as a fox, and as slippery as a loach. But the rules and regulations in the church will tie us both up, and 'equally' tie our hands is fair and beneficial. Moreover, my opponents are the lords of the exemplary lords, not him. ”

"It seems that you are still not satisfied. Forget it, you just have to remember that everything I do is to keep the family. Every decision, even every accident, is doing it. ”

Gresham hammered his chest and said with a full breath: "The responsibility of protecting the family should be borne by me. And our family doesn't provoke right and wrong, let alone a big enemy, why do we always use the word 'keep'? Grandma, is there something going on, is there someone going to deal with us? Count Hall?"

"No, no, you don't care. Why do you want to become a confessional priest?" the Marquise of Pohimana waved her hand, looking weak: "Let's go, let me be alone." And you must always remember that only the Goddess can protect our family. ”

"Since only the goddess can protect you, then don't cause an accident in the territory of the goddess. I'm getting to understand this, and I hope you, grandma, can understand it too. I'm going to retire now, and you can rest well. ”

After the Paladin Inspector left, Pohimana gently stroked her face and muttered, "Count Hall, what is it compared to it?" Suddenly, she felt that something had entangled her fingers, and when she saw it, there was an old, wrinkled piece of blood-stained human skin in her pale and dry hair. She let out a scream, but when she reached her throat, she was pinched back by herself. She stumbled in a panic and scrambled to pull a mirror out of her luggage and place it in front of her face with trepidation.

The woman in the mirror was still very beautiful, and she didn't look like her skin was damaged or her hair was falling out, but what was the matter with her hair and skin just now?

"No, no, the devil, the devil ......" the Marquise was cold, and her hands were tightly twisted, as if the pain could bring her reason back to her senses. "The devil is still chasing me, even in the realm of this goddess. How did he ...... Wait, if it can make an impact here as well. ”

She walked to the window. Not far away, the light of the oil lamps from the castle windows gradually went out, and the paladins slept. When she likes to be alone, no one will appreciate her face, and no one will have a chance to see the unending fear in her countenance.

After thinking for a while, she bit her lip and made up her mind, so she put on her clothes and left the room. After a while, she left from the place of Zis, and did not return, but went under the tower on her own, and entered the small room next to the kitchen in the dark. As she chatted with Feige, she found it to be a good place: no one was bothering, and she was always ready to excuse herself that she was looking for something to eat.

She straightened her slightly scruffy clothes, but shook her head self-deprecatingly. Now that it has decided to face the devil again, what's the point of tidying up its clothes? What doesn't it know, what can't it do?

Forty-eight years ago, when she was still in the prime of her life, she made a deal with the devil. Forty-eight years later, she had the courage to dare to see the devil again. Forty-eight years ago, she felt that she lacked a lot of things and that should be her own, and forty-eight years later, she realized that she was about to lose as much as she was not to get.

"This time it's not for myself, it's for my family. As long as Gresham is able to do well, everyone will be sheltered. ”

Pohimana has her own set of logic, and she is not lacking in self-sacrificing courage and determination now. In a small storage room in the Sunset Mountain Icepeak Fortress, the ritual of summoning the Fork in the Road Demon begins.

Although she had not done it for forty-eight years, and although she had performed the ritual only once, the Marquise of Pohimana found that she had not forgotten any detail, as if she had just practiced it yesterday.

Feige woke up and sat up straight from the bed. "Uh...... What does it feel like? It's not a dream, it's like someone is actually calling my name. ”

He pondered for a while, and realized that it was not "his own" name, but that of the fork in the road. "Somebody......'s summoning the devil? What if you don't go, what if you go? and, if you do, how do you go?"

In order to get to the bottom of this, he had to go to Hell and ask the fork in the road in person.

So, he put on his clothes and ran up the tower and into the meditation room.

The Marquise heard footsteps upstairs and lowered her voice.