"Every time, when dear Loren's friends cared for him in their own ways, it was as if an inaudible voice was silently telling poor Asrael......"

The blonde boy in a midnight blue nightgown was lying on the black-haired wizard's bed, supporting his little head with his elbows, his pitiful eyes widening as if he had been wronged

"You're not the only one. ”

“...... Go down. ”

The black-haired wizard was expressionless.

"Yes, poor Asrael has always known this, but who made dear Loren the only friend of the people, even if he was coldly spoken, he could only smile. The young man's expression was even more aggrieved, and his complaining eyebrows seemed to be sighing for spring and autumn

"Dedication does not ask for anything in return, even if it is not accepted, you must always focus on it, and never betray... That's friendship. ”

Silent, Loren raised his right foot and aimed it at Asrael's door.

"Of course, even friends have to have a certain safe distance between them – after all, even between lovers, there is a free space called 'each other's little secrets'. ”

In the blink of an eye, the blonde boy who disappeared from Loren's bed without a trace was already sitting on the chair next to the bed, his dark blue dressing gown turned into a small red and black dress, and even his blonde hair was groomed and a small ponytail was combed in the back

"Such a distance not only does not alienate each other, but also adds a certain sense of mystery and attraction to each other, making the relationship more durable... Well, that's right, that's it. ”

Loren couldn't help but twitch the corner of his eye.

"Well, it seems that dear Loren is in a good mood - it's great to be so energetic after such a fulfilling and meaningful day and night. ”

The soft arc hooked the corners of the blonde boy's mouth, and his gaze was gentle, "I know that you already know a lot of things now Loren, but there must be more questions, so... If you want to ask anything, just ask. ”

Just ask?

Anyone who should have known that he had basically guessed - the Eagle King, who had obtained the power of the four evil gods, lost his power at the last moment, and he was sure that he had nothing to do with Asriel anyway.

As for how he did it... This actually doesn't matter, the only "puppet" that can threaten them has been abandoned by them, and the four evil god apostles have all fallen into their own hands without exception, even if they want to have another monster invasion, it will have to wait until decades later.

If there's anything that makes you feel uneasy, it's ......

"The second valve. ”

Asriel smiled gracefully.

"Poor Asriel has worked tirelessly to convince the fellows not to interfere or to be our enemies anymore, so the most important thing for dear Loren at the moment is all about the second valve. ”

"At Eberden a long time ago, it was proposed to help Loren master this power, but the ruthless Loren refused, and now ......"

"Persuasion?" the black-haired wizard asked rhetorically.

"Don't worry about the details, dear Loren, the occasional informality makes you look a little more personable. Asriel's voice was innocent and sweet, like wine

"They have conceded their defeat and will no longer be Loren's enemies—to the treacherous deserters, the cowards, the traitors, the shameless gutter rats, and we might as well be magnanimous as victors. ”

...... It's magnanimous enough.

Loren had a faint sense that the relationship between Asriel and them was by no means as simple as he had described, and those emotions... Disgusting, hating, gnashing teeth......

"Emotions. Asrael, whose face did not change, nodded lightly and interrupted

"That's what happened - after opening the second valve, you no longer judge the other person's emotions by observing the changes in the body, but by the 'message' obtained from the void reaction. ”

"Dear Loren, I don't remember saying that opening the second valve brings an increase in 'wisdom', so that the mind can match the strength, gain a new 'vision', understand what ordinary people cannot understand, and at the same time discover the ...... of the 'eyes' that peep into you."

"When you will no longer be obscured by chaos and sensibility, while you 'see' the existence of the void, you will also be exposed in front of the void. ”

"You will no longer be just a beast wielding infinite power, but a being who transcends it and has a higher level of 'wisdom'. ”

"Your words, your will, and even the electric light of your thoughts will be given tangible meaning. ”

Asriel blinked, "Well, that's actually a rather wrong analogy, because Loren couldn't understand it at the time... But now, dear Loren, should be able to understand what they mean. ”

The black-haired wizard was slightly stunned, and then had a new question

"Are you saying that after opening the second valve, my connection with the Void will be closer, so I will have the touch of being 'peeped at'?"

"That's right, just like when you show your expression, you will be seen by the people around you, your void reaction is the 'message' you convey, they are like the smoke of firewood, the vapor of hot water is dispersed, it is perceived by all the independent consciousness around it, and of course there is the touch of being 'peeped'. ”

Asriel continued, "Of course, there are some deviations in this analogy, but that doesn't prevent it from being understood. ”

"As for the relationship with the Void even closer... No, dear Loren, that is an illusion that you must not have!"

The blonde boy's words suddenly became a little harsh.

The void reaction that permeated the room seemed to convey his gradually serious mood.

"When a bird soars through the sky, it thinks that it too can become a long wind, and a samurai wields a long sword so that it is a part of himself, and even further... Achieve the so-called 'unity of man and knife', or 'integration of knife and heart'. Asrael's mood revealed a bit of disdain

But that's just a delusion, a self-deceptive lie. ”

"No matter how much it changes, the birds will not turn into a long wind, and the so-called 'man and knife in one' are just a madman who is good at killing. ”

"What are we? We who have our own self are not weapons of murder, not cold steel, not earth, water, fire and wind, and it is impossible to be 'closer' to the void!"

The blonde boy stood up from the back chair, bent down, and his delicate face slowly approached Loren, "We have an independent consciousness of self-thinking, and emotions and messages are only external beings, not ourselves. ”

"Dear Loren, remember that. Asriel and the black-haired wizard stared at each other as they got closer, almost touching the tip of his nose "For you, the void is at most indistinguishable from the material world. ”

The black-haired wizard bowed slightly.

"Really?" scarlet eyes shimmered with a strange sheen, and the tip of his tongue gently brushed the corners of his bloodless lips.

"Really. ”

"That's right... But Asrael has some suspicions, maybe he should check it more carefully......"

"Click!"

A light Hidden Blade ejected from under Loren's right wrist, the tip of the sword pressed against the pale and tender neck of the blonde boy.

After a moment of silence, the smiling blonde boy straightened his waist very naturally, as if nothing had happened.

Loren, who was expressionless, also silently put away the Hidden Blade in his right hand and hid it under the quilt.

"But the most troublesome thing for Loren right now should not be the side matter of emotions and how to understand the void reaction......

Smiling slightly, Asriel continued with his hands behind his back, "The most important thing is that now dear Loren is no longer able to 'wield' the power of the Void as he did in the past, so much so that he has to desperately restrain his own power in turn... Right?"

The black-haired wizard frowned slightly.

"Opening the second valve, I have a completely different vision than I used to... Not only does it mean that ordinary Void Powers can't damage Loren, but likewise, the ways you used to use Void Powers don't make sense to you anymore. ”

"Now dear Loren... It's like a naughty boy who has great power but doesn't know where his power is, even a little bit of power can cause unexpected consequences, and when he kills an enemy, he may kill his own body and existence together, so ......"

"Dear Loren, you will need to limit your power for a long time to come, and you will no longer use the power of the Void, and at the same time, under the guidance of a 'very experienced' friend, you will gradually learn how to use your power. Asrael's smile grew brighter and brighter

"At the same time, you need someone who can absolutely protect you from all possible accidents. ”

"Someone who can definitely protect me?" asked Loren rhetorically.

"Yes, poor Asriel felt that this task was a shame on me—but given that the vampire's body had been completely destroyed by Serol, he had to give up. ”

"As for a certain imposter lady... Her vampire body was still well preserved, but that level of body was not enough to handle most battles, at most as a flesh shield, and Loren needed a guard who could fight around the clock, not just a shield. ”

The blonde teenager shrugged his shoulders, "So... Asriel can only be handed over to a partner that he can absolutely trust. ”

An absolute trusted partner?

Stunned for a second, Loren, who suddenly sensed something, blurted out, "Lusen?!"

"That's right, it's our mutual good friend Lusen – if it's the right fit, there's no better person than him. Asrael smiled even brighter

After telling him what had happened, my dear Ruson accepted the task without even hesitation, and for this he had fully accepted Asriel's mark of the god and officially became an apostle. ”

"He needs strength, Loren, I know you won't accept that, but it's true - Luthen, who hates himself for not having strength, needs to have more and more power as soon as possible to keep up with you and not be thrown down by you. ”

"So he learns the ways of the elves as warriors, masters the skills of witchers, and accepts the sigil of Asrael, while poor Asriel needs more people to be 'aware' and 'acknowledge' my existence. ”

"Maybe one day, poor Asriel will be able to regain his 'strength' in this world, and not just a ghostly existence. ”

"Of course, he did it all of his own free will, after all, poor Asrael is just an evil god, not a devil!"

..............................

"Alright, there shouldn't be a third person here except us, can you tell me?"

At the top of the tower of the Floating City, Brandon, who was standing next to the wall and looking out at the ice field below, said coldly behind him with some anger, "Say, what happened to the Broken Mountain Fortress, and what are the ulterior secrets?"

"I'm very sorry, Your Highness. Having said this, Edward, the night watchman, did not have the slightest hint of apology on his face, and remained stiff and indifferent

"But as for the information about the Broken Mountain Fortress, I don't think you really should have been informed at the same time as Duke Byrne - at the very least, you should calm down after you know exactly what was going on before discussing the next steps with him. ”

When the words fell, Brandon looked at the respectful Edward Edward behind him in some amazement, and laughed out loud.

"It's... Isn't it merciless to say that I remember that you and Loren were also friends?"

"Because we're friends, I know and impress him very well – just a guy who is very good at taking the lead and making things work in his favor even if sometimes it's not intended. ”

Edward just said coldly, "I think that in the future, similar things should be reported to His Highness by His Highness first, and then Duke Byrne can be involved in the discussion, not the other way around." ”

The tower, where the cold wind was howling, was quiet for a moment.

Brandon stared intently at the night watchman behind him, and the smile on his lips became a little playful.

"You know, your expression and words just now reminded me of a person... Rutte Infinit. ”

Edward's face did not change, "That's an honor under it." ”

"Yes, because now I don't think there's anything wrong with having such a guy around... As long as the person he is loyal to is me, the de Salion family, it is enough. Brandon bowed slightly

"Now tell me, what happened to the Broken Mountain Fortress?"

"The Night's Watch who delivered the letter said that our troops were half a day late—and by the time they arrived, the battle for Broken Border Mountain Fortress was over. ”

"It's over?!" Brandon was startled, "Hey, don't you mean to tell me that it's our ...... who lost"

"On the losing side, it's the Azorean elves... The army of 40,000 Azorean elves was completely wiped out, and except for a very few, none survived. Edward said coldly, "As for the Broken Mountain Fortress......"

He paused, as if he was also surprised, and whispered in disbelief

"Probably... There is no 'Boundary Mountain Fortress' in this world anymore. ”