Finn gasped heavily, swaying from side to side, dizzily crawling up, the action that consumed the little energy he had built up so hard, and thanks to Tirio's arm, he didn't let the wounded man who had just picked up a life fall back to the ground.

"You need to rest, sir." The paladin frowned at him, "The Holy Light can heal wounds, but it can't make up for the blood you shed. ”

Fein tried to press his sore temples, but found it more tiring to lift his hands than that, so he had to let them go. He still felt tired and cold and thirsty, especially when the wind blew through his half-wet coat. Finn craved a fire and blankets at home like never before, and he desperately needed a night's sleep.

But he just hung his head, stared at the muddy ground at his feet, and muttered wearily, "Those two ...... The person who attacked me ......"

"I wanted to stop them, but the situation on your side is more urgent."

Finn sighed. The paladin did the right thing, his wound was almost fatal, and a few seconds of delay was enough to cause irreparable consequences. As the rescued, he had no right to complain that his savior didn't do it both ways, and, after all, he was the one who foolishly left himself alone in the middle of the gang's turf and didn't even fight back when attacked.

He grabbed Tirio's arm with his backhand: "Maybe...... Someone will come. ”

"Then we'll have to get out of here as soon as possible." Tirio agreed. He was about to take a step towards the entrance of the alley, but suddenly stopped, listened intently to the movement around him for a while, and then pulled Finn to the end of the alley without hesitation, "There are footsteps, there are a lot of people. Hide it first. ”

Finn's vision was still a little blurry, and he walked as if he was stepping on cotton, and his limbs were limp and disobedient, relying on the paladin to half-help and half-drag him into the dilapidated old house. By the time they had climbed through the window, the sound of several pairs of boots on the ground had drowned out the buzzing in his ears. The commotion in the corner of their sight was almost as quiet as the footsteps outside. Finn didn't even have the strength to squat, so he sat on the ground, leaning against the plank wall, covering his mouth to suppress his breathing. Tirio was half-kneeling, Finn's saber in his hand, and watched vigilantly for the movement outside.

"This is it?" A voice asked.

"That's right, you see, the blood is still there."

"What about people?" A pair of boots moved closer in annoyance, "There is enough blood, but where is the body?" ”

"I don't know...... Maybe it was taken away by the gray robe? ”

"Are you sure he's dead?" A new voice interjected, cold and stern, "Did you watch him breathe?" ”

"Nope. But I assure you that he will not live, my lord, I stabbed him three times with my own hands, and it was all critical, and he fell without even saying a word. ”

"Old Pete is a good butcher, and he is ruthless." The other chimed in, "No doctor can heal a wound like that, and he'll have to finish in a few minutes—unless a priest pops up in the place." He laughed dryly, but no one paid attention.

"If the person is already dead, why did that person take the body?" The first to speak asked again.

"Perhaps...... He thinks people can still be saved? ”

"So he's a good-natured fellow, and even after running so far like a rabbit chased by a hound, he's willing to turn around and save the dog." The cold voice sneered, this time laughing a little more, "Since Coravin is dead—you can guarantee that, can you?" ”

"Yes, sir." The two of them said in unison, with a trilling voice as if they were being stared at by a poisonous snake.

"Now that the stone head is dead, all is well, but you'll have to find the body for me. And that inexplicable gray robe, grab ...... Wait, it's hard to figure out if he's still one of us. Forget it, leave him alone for now. Call all of you and find the body as soon as possible. If that person is stupid enough to go to the sheriff and report it, I'll send someone to tell you and be honest with me for the next few days. Don't do anything out of the ordinary except searching. Am I clear enough? ”

"Yes, sir."

"Also, clean up this place, cover it with blood, and clean yourselves up."

The two thugs responded one after another, and soon the sound of digging was heard. No one spoke anymore, and a few pairs of boots were the first to leave. After a few more minutes, when the alley outside was quiet again, Finn lowered his hand and turned his head to Tirio.

"I know the voice." After resting for a while, he at least had the strength to speak fluently, "These are two of my men, Lem and Koster. ”

"What's in it for them if you're dead?" Tirio asked.

"I'm not sure. But since they're mixed up with the local gangs, it's certainly not a good thing to do. Fein paused, "Why would they think you're an accomplice?" ”

Tirio frowned and thought for a moment, "You think of me as a suspect in burning down the granary, don't you?" They probably think so too. ”

"That means they have a connection to the real prisoner." Finn said angrily. More annoyed by the betrayal and depravity of his own people than by the new clues, "So lawless!" Look, when I catch these two bastards by the tail, they'll have to go to the gallows the next day. ”

He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Tirio, "What about you?" Why are you going there, sir? ”

The paladin gave him a calm look.

"I've heard that there are traces of orcs in this case. That escaped orc, Itreig, is my friend. I've been trying to find him for the past few days, to know what the hell the hell the people who took him are trying to do. And now, I believe he was robbed, and those who robbed him were forcing him to participate in their crimes. Some might say that he was involved in this for revenge, but I know that an orc like him would rather die a glorious death than disdain to use such a sneaky method. I'm going to get him out. ”

"Given my purpose, I don't think I'm fit to be exposed to the public. Moreover, it is difficult for me to prevent people from preconceived notions that I have something to do with the robbery of prisons or the burning of granaries. It's going to get me in a lot of trouble. But I can swear to you, Captain, I really don't know about it. And like you, I want to find the answer to all this. ”

Tirio's expression was calm, his tone was sincere, and his eyes were steady and methodical. Finn couldn't find a reason to refuse to believe it. He shook his head, a gesture that brought a wave of vertigo: "Understood." I apologize to you for my doubts. ”

"You're just sticking to your duty. But I hope you don't turn down my offer of cooperation. It is clear that we share the same goal, and you are still in a precarious position. If they find out you're still alive, they may continue to attack you. The mastermind behind the scenes is not only planting personnel in the city guards, but also keeping an eye on the sheriff. It's hard not to wonder if they have more to offer. Regardless of the purpose for which they burned down the granary, this act must have involved many interests. ”

Finn's face became solemn.

"You saved my life, sir, and I will repay you as best I can. But forgive me for having to ask in advance, if the orc's attitude is not what you think......"

"I'm not going to embarrass you." Tirio said confidently.

Finn breathed a sigh of relief. He still didn't think much of the paladin's trust in the orcs, but at least he could trust a paladin's promise.

Tirio looked out the window, "If you're feeling better, we've got to get out of here." There's a whole gang out there looking for us. Tell me, Captain, do you have anyone you can trust to help? ”

"Of course. But not in this area. ”

As they turned through the window again, Fein suddenly remembered his earlier question.

"What the hell are you ......" he gasped, and the paladin stopped to look at him, "how did you get out of here?" I saw you jumping in. ”

Tirio shrugged: "I jumped into the house through the second window we passed, and jumped out of the first - so I'm behind you." ”

Fain was dumbfounded.

"That's really...... Very smart. He smiled wryly. If it were him, he would never have thought of this when he ran out of breath.

***

"The orcs had a lot of fun with them, didn't they?" Dinen sat up straight, glanced over his partner's shoulders and into the room, unsurprisingly seeing the three boys come together next to Itreig.

"Because they're very sensible and don't want to disturb us about business. Besides, Itreig wouldn't be blatant. Albert knocked on the table, "Speaking of which, what did you say to Renault?" He's been secretly watching me. ”

"Oh, he doesn't want to be a paladin anymore." Dineen replied evasively.

In contrast to the violent reaction that his colleagues might have, Albert only frowned and said simply, "That's probably going to be difficult." As far as I know, Lord Mograini has high hopes for him. ”

"Through curfews and copying books?" Dinen shrugged disapprovingly, "Are you sure he really wants a paladin, and not that he doesn't feel like there's a scribe in the house?" ”

Albert clasped his hands together and pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes to look at Dineen, "Is he serious?" ”

"For now, yes. He even wanted to run away from home. ”

"I'll talk to him. Hopefully, the situation is not so bad that he needs to use such drastic means to express his demands. He thought for a moment, "Do you think Renault is suitable to be a fighter?" Like you. ”

"I must say that not everyone who can afford a sword can be called a warrior." Dinen leaned back in his chair, "No, he's too impulsive, eager to prove himself, just to resist for the sake of resisting. If you want me to say, he does need discipline, but not your soft self-reflection, but unshakable discipline like steel. He will be clear about his abilities and accept his rightful place. Maybe he won't be able to be a warrior in the end, but at least he'll be a good soldier he can trust. ”

"But in this way, the self-confidence that has been built through violence will completely break the bridge between him and the Light." Albert folded his arms and said gently, "Killing is too easy a way to solve problems, and at the same time it will stifle countless possibilities." The more difficult paths are often more worth trying, which is why the Light gives us the power to heal. ”

Dinen thought for a moment and didn't refute him, but shrugged and changed the subject: "The final choice is his own, and what we have to do now is to let him have a choice." What's going on over there? ”

"I've found that some bakeries are starting to buy food from people at a price that is two to three percent higher than the market price. It seemed normal, but I always felt that they were too quick to react. Normally, the store should have enough stock to last a few days. It's hard to know if they have a good sense of smell or if they've received something. Albert put his notepad on the table, "I asked about the approximate time they posted the news of the acquisition, and I wrote it down." ”

Dineen glanced at his record cursoryly: "Rivendell made an announcement in the morning, announcing to the public that he would make up for the food deficit as soon as possible. He said that he would buy grain from the Chamber of Commerce, and at the same time asked the king to allow him to allocate some reserves from other grain-producing areas. Of course, the former route is much faster. Interestingly, it seems that none of the chambers of commerce were able to get the first grain to the city in five days. ”

"In that case, the city is going to starve."

"It doesn't really need to get to that point. If people find that they are about to run out of food, and there is a limit to what can be found in the market......"

"That would spark a rush of buying." "Or, maybe Rivendell could use this as an excuse to ration the first shipments of food, to get as many people as possible, and to make people have to eat it as quickly as possible—because they have nothing else to eat." ”

They glanced at each other and found the same gloom in each other's eyes.