Dinen buckled up his armor. It seemed like a long time had passed since he had last done so, so much so that the heaviness in his limbs was starting to feel unfamiliar. He flexed his arm to make sure it was nimble, and swung it twice more to adjust to the weight.

Unfamiliar. Dineen was almost amazed at the thought. He remembered how he wore his first armor day and night when he got it, though it wasn't all out of joy. Later, he changed many sets, different styles, materials, and enchantments, but they all worked so well that he felt very strange when he was forced to change into a dress to attend the celebration. The silk and cotton were too light, too thin, too fragile, lacked the weight that would reassure him, and would irritate to stick to his skin when it was wet with blood.

That's enough to say how long he's been isolated from the battlefield. Dinen thought back to the days when he could simply rush out of the fortress and swing his sword, twisting his joints so hard that he felt the pain - I was on the verge of rusting.

"No one will die tonight." He whispered.

"Glory doesn't allow me to kill innocent people anymore." Itreig replied from the other end of the room, his eyes clear and determined, "I'll keep myself. ”

Dinen looked away, not wanting to explain that he was actually saying this to himself. But itregg's words still had a slight effect on him. He took a deep breath to bring his slightly chopped heartbeat back into the right rhythm.

"Let's go." He said to the orcs.

They wrapped their cloaks and walked down the stairs without saying a word, leaving the dilapidated house. The streets are empty, and there are hardly any pedestrians in sight. But Dineen still hid himself in the shadows of the buildings on both sides as much as possible, avoiding possible sights. Itreg followed him, walking and turning with him, the footsteps of the two men overlapping, only the subtle sound of the armor joints distinguishing them. Dinen let out an exasperated breath - he didn't like to have an orc behind him, it made him feel like he was being hunted. In the past, he would not hesitate to turn back and let those arrogant hunters become prey. But now he has to live with that feeling.

The ordeal ended after forty minutes. After avoiding another group of night guards, they finally reached their destination. Dinen listened to the sounds around her as she observed the warehouse in front of her. He found eight figures, some standing still, some going back and forth. According to the information, there should be two more people, but they can't be seen from his current perspective.

"Slow down." He said to Itreig, "Let them see your face." ”

The orc nodded.

They rushed out together. The guard in front of the door looked at the two figures who suddenly appeared in surprise, and hurriedly raised their weapons. Dinen sideways dodged the long sword that one of them slashed down, and slammed his shoulder into the other's chest. The guard staggered backwards, and before he could regain his balance, he was punched in the face and fell to the ground.

The other stared in shock at the sight of his opponent's hood, and the orc gave him a moment to react, then raised the hammer that Albert had lent him and smashed it down, the guard's hastily raised shield slanted under the shocking force of the blow, and the hammer handle swung from the bottom up struck him in the jaw, sending him into the footsteps of his companion.

It was only a few seconds before he was left behind by Dinein. Seeing the other eagerly rush into a place where the light of the street lamp could not reach, Itreg shook his head and unhurriedly dragged the two unconscious guards into the corner of the courtyard to prevent them from being discovered by the patrol.

Dineen didn't bother with what was going on behind him. He remembered what he had just seen, searching the courtyard for the enemy. The brief commotion in front of the door had already attracted the attention of the nearby guards. Two men came running from the wall, and the other had just come out of the sentry hut. Dineen happily stepped forward. Still too lazy to draw his sword, he grabbed a spear that had been pierced and used it to hold the tomahawk swung by another man, then kicked him in the calf, lifting his knee and hitting his lower abdomen as he fell to his knees as he lost his balance. The axe-wielding man opened his mouth but could not make a sound, and slowly collapsed to the ground.

Having done one, Dinen let go of his hand, ducked back in time to avoid the oncoming spear, and before the guard could regain his balance, he circled to his side, elbowed him in the back of the head, and then lunged at the man who had fallen behind. He grabbed the other man by the neck and slammed the head against the outer wall of the sentry. A muffled bang announced that the opponent had been dealt with. A wild bark caused him to turn his head and make eye contact with a hound that had jumped out of the corner.

Dineen bared his teeth at it.

The barking stopped, and the hound let out a half-trembling wail, and immediately fled back to his den without looking back. Dinen slowly tossed his men aside and continued to look for the remaining enemies.

The guards scattered and did not anticipate the attack, and the attackers moved quickly and enthusiastically. The battle was soon over. Dinen counted the number of people to make sure none of the guards were left out to ventilate the news, then walked to the warehouse in the courtyard and opened the door with the key he had found.

Stacks of wooden boxes in the warehouse are stacked high and painted with different patterns on the surface. With a vague memory, Dinen recognized it as a sign of the grain production area around Stratholme.

Burning down Stratholme's granary was what Hatis had asked for, and it was important to involve Itreig as well. Necromancers claim that the orc's retaliation can further increase the pressure on the Silver Hand, prompting them to act more urgently. Of course, Dineen didn't believe him at all. Taking advantage of the sudden food shortage to do things must be the true purpose of the Cursed Sect.

Of course, he would not honestly burn half of the city's rations. But at least on the surface, it's going to be passable. In this way, the Cursed Sect, which thinks that everything is going according to plan, will take the next step. And when they think they're done, they expose themselves completely......

Dinen suppressed a subconscious roar and said to Itrege, "Wait here, I'll be back soon." ”

He turned back to the courtyard door and looked out. A cloak hung from the attic of the third house on the right, and the familiar pattern made Dineen smile. Albert had caught the watchman sent by the Cursed Sect, and in a moment he had a way of letting the scum know what to report. He turned his head to look for another group of people, but found nothing.

Just as Dineen pondered whether to wait any longer, he saw a figure hurrying across the street. Tyran rushed straight in front of him, then paused to hold his knee and gasp for air.

"Yes, I'm sorry, sir......" The sweaty boy still did not forget his duty, struggling to get the words out of his mouth, Dineen hesitated for a moment, and stretched out his hand to support the other party.

"Seventeen minutes left for the next patrol." He said, "You can take a break. ”

Tyran shook his head, gasped a few more times, and then looked up with a hint of shame on his face, "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't finish your task. ”

Dinen frowned and glanced down the street: "You came alone?" ”

"Renault is behind me, Darien......" Tyranny paused, "Master Mograini told him to stay in the church and copy the books." ”

Without Dinen continuing to ask, Tyran quickly explained, "We happened to meet Master Mograini when we went back today. He was very angry at our behavior of not returning home at night...... In fact, Renaud was also locked up and confined, but he refused to be honest and asked me to help him slip out. By the time we climbed down the fourth-floor window with a rope, Master Uther had already left the church, and I couldn't find a chance to tell him about it. ”

This was an unexpected situation. Dinein's original idea was to relay the news to the Silver Hand through Tyran, so that they could come in time to put out the fire. And Uther, who already knew something about the plague, must have realized that something was wrong and kept the matter of food firmly hidden. But now that the Silver Hand had no idea about this, Dineen couldn't save the grain for a while.

"But we've found another one who can help, sir!" Before he could think about it, Tyran quickly added, "I'm sorry I told the secret to anyone else without permission, but I assure you that she can be trusted and can solve this problem for us." ”

Well, he should have gotten used to the fact that someone would suddenly jump out and meddle in this obviously dangerous and confidential matter.

Dinen stared at the air directly in front of him for a moment, then lowered his head to look at Tyran, "Where is the person you are talking about?" ”

"She's behind Renault, and she'll be there soon." "I figured I should have told you in advance, so I ran over first." ”

"You're doing the right thing." Dinen agreed. It's not like he hasn't fought with allies he doesn't know about. It was an awkward scene. He turned in the direction Tyran had come from, curious about how one person could solve a problem that should have been left to the entire organization, "So, you brought—"

The second half of his sentence got stuck in his mouth. Dineen stared at the blonde figure beside Renault, and felt only a faint pain in the corner of his forehead.

“…… A nuisance. ”

Even though he had been slurred enough, the visitor had come close enough to hear the mutter, and then immediately frowned.

"You're very special about the guy who came to help, the gentleman who wouldn't give his name." Gianna Proudmore unceremoniously accused. She seemed to be stuck with the attitude they had had last conversed. Dineen couldn't help but wonder how she managed to keep this anger going all day. Or is she able to put her emotions in a box and save them when the time is right before taking them out?

"I am Dineen," he said reluctantly, "and, in fact, it is a great honour for you to lend a hand, Miss Proudmoore. ”

"Do you really think so?" Gianna folded her arms and said suspiciously.

"Need me to kiss the back of your hand to show gratitude?" Dinen said dryly.

Gianna shuddered and quickly shook her head, "No, no need. ”

She pondered for a moment, then held out a hand, "Ser Uther has already told me about the Cursed Sect. I think that since we have a common enemy, we should be on the same front. ”

Dinen glared at the hand as if there was some curse on it. Seeing this, Gianna sighed with a headache: "I hope that this cooperation of ours can be pleasant for both parties, Mr. Dinein." ”

"As for me," Dineen replied as he cautiously took the hand, shook it up and down perfunctorily and quickly let go, "there's only one way to make this collaboration enjoyable—and that's to don't ask questions." ”