Imperial Camp, Edward's tent.

Edward, the leader of the night's watch, stood cautiously outside the tent, and after making sure that his surroundings were not staring at him, he carefully opened the curtain door, and immediately lowered it as he entered.

In the tent, Peter Fasa, who had just woken up from a coma, was sitting around a round table, communicating seriously with Vera, a red-haired girl who was dressed in an Azorean elf dress, with a very solemn expression.

Vera, the Night's Watch who was sent to investigate the accident of the Ocean Fleet in place of Edward himself and Peter Fasha, had long lost contact with the Night's Watch of the Empire, and was placed on the "Missing List" after the Azorean elves invaded.

For the Night's Watch as an organization, the only difference between disappearance and death is the absence of proof, and it is a joy that the "missing persons" reappear, no different from the resurrection of the dead.

But Edward was the absolute exception.

The more he came into contact with the core of the empire, the more he could understand why, the former leader, Rutte Infinit, was a neurotic pervert, and anyone who had to deal with all of this could not be a normal person.

To be a qualified "leader" of the Night's Watch requires an extremely strong heart and tempered nerves, to avoid all emotional and irrational behavior, to stay away from all friendships and personal relationships, and to use all human interests, material and financial resources to accomplish your goals, even your own ......

Edward felt that he was still a long way from such a powerful being, and that he had no intention of improving if he could, as long as he could do his job in a timely manner and make sure that he was alive and well, and safe.

To put it more bluntly, if it weren't for the fact that the only way to quit this job was to die, he wouldn't want to do it a long time ago.

So he didn't understand why his friends, or many people, were so keen to die and cause trouble to others, wasn't it good to live a safe, plain, and rich life?

It's just that Peter Fasa doesn't understand, the guys from the small burghers have such inexplicable noble feelings, why doesn't even Vera, who comes from the bottom like himself and crawls around in the slums, not understand why is he still tossing if he tosses for half his life and is still as painful as he was back then?

We are not those rich people who have nothing to do, we have to rely on adventure and travel to experience the excitement, we live a very exciting life every day, gangsters, robbers, mercenaries, wild dogs who grab meat and bones... Slum children, when to go out is not a life and death decision, which day is not to take risks to live?

Edward was convinced that if everyone had a "quantitative" amount of adventure in their lifetime, it would have been out of the charts long before he was thirteen.

"Edward, you're back?"

Peter Fasa's eyes lit up when he noticed his friend walking in, but Vera, the red-haired girl who had always been grinning, was unusually silent.

"It just so happened that Vera had just told me a lot about her experience with the Knights of Oath in the Elven Kingdom of the Azores; I was so excited that I didn't know what to say, and to tell you the truth, I always thought she was ......."

"It's long gone, yes. Edward, the night watchman, sat down wearily and said quietly, "It would be nice if Gavin and Ivan could just be missing." ”

Peter's expression froze.

Gavin and Ivan......

The moment Edward spoke, the three of them recalled in their minds the two little figures who were always a little timid and followed them without saying a word.

During the Holy Blood Elixir incident, in order to protect Isaac from his tragic death in front of the Ebolden Gate, there was only one step away from the reinforcements who rescued them.

"Edward... I apologize to you if it was because I didn't consult you before, but Vera's information is very crucial, and you listen to me......"

"No, listen to me this time!" the night watchman snapped up, his eyes cold:

"If you still remember Gavin and Ivan, then you should remember the lesson left by the Holy Blood Potion incident in the beginning, what happened to meddle in things. ”

"I don't know what Vera found in the Azores, but I know that this has nothing to do with us, and it has nothing to do with us low-level people from Eberden, and it's not something we should take care of!"

Peter, who was interrupted, was stunned for a moment, and silently looked at Edward, who was a little too excited, completely different from usual.

"Before, Peter, you asked me why I became the leader of the Night's Watch, and I can tell you now... Because I can't escape, I can't escape because I know so many things that I shouldn't know, and if I leave, I will die, I don't want to die! I want to live, I want you to live and we can all live well!"

As if he had finally spoken his heart, Edward said hysterically:

"You... You don't understand, don't you understand, what a great opportunity you have now to say goodbye to all of this, and walk away! If I'm gone now, will Brandon let me go, and will the next leader of the Night's Watch let me go?"

"No, they won't! They won't let me go until my head is laid out in front of Brandon! I'm missing today, and tomorrow there will be hundreds of night watchmen chasing us, and we'll be worse off than dead!"

"Edward, calm down, we understand your ......"

"Do you understand, you really... Do you really understand?!"

The leader of the Night's Watch exhaled with a pained expression:

"I'm tired, I'm really tired... I beg you, I beg you, my dear friends, that since there is such a great opportunity before you, seize it!

"Don't give them any more opportunities to use and blackmail us, don't fight for them anymore Empire, the royal family, the Heavenly Dome Palace... It's not worth it, it's not worth the risk anymore, we've done enough for them, really enough!"

"I became a night watchman out of necessity... Either turn into a knife in someone else's hand, or be beaten to death by the gangsters before starving to death... I seized the last chance to change my fate, but this time I couldn't, I was so deep that it was too late for me to get out. ”

Dejected, Edward slumped in his chair, "Now, the last thing I can do is protect you... Gavin and Ivan, I failed to protect them, so I can't lose you anymore; ”

Peter Fasa said no more, and quietly looked at his best friend.

With another sigh of relief, the exhausted Edward pressed his forehead and closed his eyes, as if in prayer.

"I understand. ”

The red-haired girl, who had never spoken, finally spoke.

Peter and Edward's eyes turned to Vera, who was almost like the two of them in the past.

"I know what Edward means, I've been there, so I know he's right. Vera looked at Edward, her unblinking eyes as if she were about to stare him to death:

"But if you've been to the Azores like me and seen the horrors there, Edward, you'll understand that all this isn't about us, it's all ......"

"I know. Edward interrupted again:

"I know what is happening in the Kingdom of the Azores, and I also know who is behind it. ”

Well?!

Not only Vera, but even Peter Fasa was stunned.

"Why, do you think I don't know anything about this to do this?" Edward looked at his friends indifferently and shook his head helplessly:

"No, I already knew... As I knew a few years ago when Brandon visited Broken Mountain as His Royal Highness, I knew that we were facing more than just the Azorean elves, they were at best pawns. ”

"I know the identity of the real murderer behind the scenes, and I also know what he probably wants to do, and I even ......"

Edward, who wanted to say, "I even fought with him", recalled the appearance of "Black Cross" Serial in his mind as soon as he opened his mouth, and he stopped talking.

"You know?"

Vera stood up, propped her hands on the table and looked at Edward incredulously, "You know it... You know it... His presence?"

"Yes, I know, now I understand why I can't leave even if I want to, right?"

Edward didn't have a good airway.

"Then why are you still ......?"

"Because I know that's not something we can fight, Black Cross or Serol, the monster that destroyed the Dragon Kingdom... We're no match for him!"

Looking at Peter and Vera, who were still stubborn, Edward's headache worsened: "I understand the seriousness of the problem, but this time it's not the Azorean elves, it's ogres, it's not the centaur, it's Seliol, it's the 'Black Cross' Selior, we are not his opponents!"

"Maybe he can be defeated, but it must not be us! Maybe it's Loren Turin, it's Isaac, it's His Majesty Brandon or the Knights of Oaths or something, maybe they can... But what does it have to do with us, our existence is at most sent to death to buy time!"

"Look outside, go and see now, look at the bones all over the place, look at the bones of the dead who haven't been collected until now, do you think Brandon can't do it, do you think they can't do it, look at them!"

"Do you also want to become a corpse for this kind of thing that can't be done at all, can only be sent to death?"

"Isn't it good to live?

"Are you crazy, am I crazy, or are we all crazy?!"

Even in his most agitated state, Edward was desperately trying to control his voice and emotions to avoid being discovered by outsiders.

The three people sitting around the table were silent.

After a few moments, Vera was the first to speak.

"So we don't do anything, we don't say anything, we just watch things happen. ”

"It's like... We don't exist the same?"

Edward didn't say a word, but expressed his approval in silence.

"It is better to be the most cowardly living than to be the bravest of the dead... That's what you mean, Edward?" Peter Fasa whispered, his voice a little bitter:

"Can you really?"

The leader of the Night's Watch snorted coldly, responding to his friend.

"Of course, otherwise how do you think I'm getting to where I am today? The humiliation and patience I've endured in order to live is not something you who like to moan without illness can understand......"

"No, that's not what I meant. Peter stared at him as if he could see through his thoughts: "You always tell us that if we disappear and don't show up, you can settle everything, is it really okay?"

"I ......"

"You can't do it, can you?" Peter frowned, his expression becoming more and more bitter: "You said that Brandon is not a person who will give up easily, he will use all kinds of means to achieve his wishes, if he really wants my life, ask for a handle of you, and sense that you have something to hide from him......"

"Emperor Brandon... He won't let you go, and you said that you are just a tool to him, and he doesn't care what the tool thinks, he only makes the tool obey him. ”

"If you go against his will, you'll die a miserable death... It's even better to live than to die. ”

Edward, who was silent, had an ugly expression.

Vera, who was stunned, had not yet recovered from the shock just now, and immediately entered another shock.

"Peter, you mean... Edward... He ......"

"He intends to protect us by sacrificing himself. Peter got up slowly, and looked at Edward, who closed his eyes and remained silent, as if he could no longer hear his own voice or see his own expression.

This guy who always likes to keep himself out of things is actually quite childish.

"You always say that after losing Gavin and Ivan, you don't want to lose us anymore, and I have to say, it's the same for me and Vera, we can't lose you anymore, Edward. Peter Fasa said in a deep voice:

"I witnessed the end of Rut's Infinit, and I saw with my own eyes how that once terrifying, trembling adult was so destitute that he lived in secret, lurking incognito for a long time, begging for forgiveness at the hands of his once mortal enemy, and disappearing from this world without a trace!"

"I know how hateful he is, but now I know better that everything he does is for His Majesty Eckhart's duty, fault, hatred, resentment... This terrible man carried everything on his back and ended up with such a sad end. ”

"If you were to say goodbye to this world in that way, I would feel that life would be worse than death. ”

Peter was distressed.

Vera lowered her head and stared at Edward's every move, as if he was going to punch him away if he dared to object.

"Peter, Vera, you ......"

Edward, sighing, hoarse:

"You just want the three of us to be burned to ashes by the dragon together, don't you?"

"If it's fate, then don't resist, if it's ...... choice" Peter leaned down and faced the silent Edward:

"Let's face it together, no one should be a hero!"