In the night, a mixed squad of light infantry, low-ranking knights, and battle mages was speeding through the crossing not far away, and the strict military discipline kept there no additional conversation in the team, only the sound of military boots stomping on the ground sounded in the night, and the light emitted by the magic crystal street lamp shone on the edge of the soldier's hat and helmet, leaving an occasional flash of light, and the short staff and magic ball worn by the battle mage poked out of the clothes, shining a mysterious glimmer in the darkness.

It's not a covert operation, they're just a new night patrol in Aldernan these days.

On the second floor of a large house near the edge of the wealthy district, the curtains were pulled open, and a pair of shining eyes followed the movement on the street behind the curtains.

Mary stood behind the window and watched for a moment before turning back to the mentor not far behind her and said, "Mentor, there is another patrol of soldiers outside—this time there are four battle mages and two knights, and twelve soldiers with enchanted equipment. ”

"It's a member of the Knights of the Royal Family, a standard mixed combat team...... Daniel sat on the sofa not far away, he leaned on the armrest next to him, one hand supported the corner of his forehead, a magic book was floating in front of him, silently turning on its own, the old mage's voice was calm and majestic, so that Mary's originally slightly nervous mood calmed down, "Which direction did they go?" ”

Mary recalled, compared the directions in her mind, and replied, "It seems to be in the direction of Oak Street in the West Side." ”

"It's the Church of St. Yolem de Mars......" Daniel thought for a moment and nodded, "It's normal." ”

"Mentor, there have been more and more patrols at night lately," said Mary, with some trepidation, "is there going to be something big going on in the city?" ”

“…… It may not be peaceful recently, but don't worry, the master has his own arrangements," Daniel glanced at his apprentice and said lightly, "You just need to do your own thing." ”

Mary immediately nodded: "Yes, I remember." ”

A sudden sound of music wafted from nowhere, the sound sounded far away, but it should still be within the confines of the rich area.

Attracted by the music, Mary could not help but look out the window again, and she saw that the lights were bright between the ornate buildings on the northwest side, and there were flickering colored lights and shadows between one or two of the houses, and a faint sound came from that direction—it sounded light and smooth, not the kind of dull and rigid classical court music, but like the "new court dance" that had become more and more popular in recent years, and which was loved by young aristocrats.

There seemed to be a party there, and Mary could not imagine from the flickering lights and faint sounds of music what a joyous scene was going on at the moment.

"The atmosphere is getting tense day by day, but the banquet over there hasn't stopped for a day......" the young female mage couldn't help but muttered softly.

"It is the duty of the aristocracy to hold banquets, and they will not stop feasting and dancing as long as they breathe - especially in this tense moment, when their banquet hall must be lit up all night," Daniel only smiled, as if he felt that Mary, a girl born and raised in the country, was making too much fuss, "If you have been to the market on Oak Street today, you will see that nothing has changed, the civic market is still open, and the exchange is still overcrowded, Although almost all of the Champ de Mars churches in the city were under investigation, and although the Great Templar had been completely closed for several days, neither the nobles nor the townspeople thought that anything serious was going to happen - in a sense, it was one of the 'credits' of the nobles who feasted all night. ”

The young female mage thought for a moment and asked cautiously, "Calm people's hearts?" ”

Daniel glanced at her and seemed to smile slightly: "Sort of—the nobles feast at the banquet, and their cooks and maids will tell the sights to the guards and low-ranking servants in the villas and manors, and the servants will tell the news to their neighbors, and the well-informed merchants will find a way to get into the upper echelons before then, and eventually all the nobles, merchants, and wealthy burghers will feel that everything is fine, and for Aldenan, for Typhon, as long as these people are well, society will be fine— As for the lower classes of the poor and the workers who lost their land and moved into the city, whether they were nervous or not, the characters above did not consider. ”

Mary blinked, and she could hear that the mentor was taking the opportunity to teach herself something, something ...... Something she hadn't learned as a mage's apprentice, and it didn't sound like magic.

But she still listened attentively.

The teacher's voice came from the side again: "In the near future, you must pay attention to protect your own safety, except for going to the Workers' Association and the Mage Association, don't go anywhere else, especially pay attention to staying away from the church of the god of war and the priests who are active outside." ”

"Yes, I remember."

Mary agreed, then turned her head to look out the window.

The patrolling Imperial soldiers had long since disappeared from the street-lit streets, leaving only a bright but cold spar glow reflecting the cold winter night, and occasionally a few pedestrians could be seen on the road, they were in a hurry, looking tired and anxious - considering that this was already the edge of the wealthy area, and beyond the street was the civilian quarters, those figures could be workers who had left their jobs late at night, and of course, they could also be homeless vagrants.

Mary couldn't help but think of the countryside where she had grown up - even though she had spent most of her childhood in the dark and oppressive mage tower, she still remembered the countryside at the foot of the mountain and the nearby town, which was not a prosperous and wealthy place, but she couldn't help but think of it on this cold winter night.

After living in this prosperous imperial capital for a long time, she almost forgot what the countryside was like.

A light suddenly appeared from the street not far away, interrupting Mary's thoughts, and she couldn't help but cast her eyes in the direction where the light was on, and saw a black silhouette emerge behind the light—a black magic car with a wide carriage crushing the wide street, like a strange beetle in an iron shell in the night.

Magic car? It's a high-class and expensive thing, which big guy goes out late at night? Mary was curious, and couldn't help but look more closely.

She vaguely saw the emblem on the side of the carriage, confirming that it was indeed the property of some nobleman, but just as she was about to take a closer look, a warning and coercion suddenly pressed against her.

Mary's heart trembled, and she looked away in a panic.

"What's wrong?" The mentor's voice came from the side.

"It was too much of a magic car," Mary whispered, "and I looked twice, and the people in the car didn't seem to like it. ”

"Don't worry, it may be some big nobleman who wants to travel in a low-key manner, this warning has no malice," Daniel said casually, and raised his hand to the coffee table in front of him, "If you relax enough, come back and write the rest of this set of papers." ”

"Yes, Mentor."

……

As the car drove smoothly across the wide and flat Imperial Boulevard, the lights from the street lamps and buildings on both sides flashed through the windows, casting a fast-moving and blurry light on the inner walls, ceilings and seats of the car.

The squire in charge of the driver asked in front, "My lord, it will take a while to get to the Obsidian Palace, do you want to take a break?" ”

"No, I'm still in good spirits." Ferdinand replied casually.

The car continued to move forward, and the Duke's mind became calm. He looked at the empty chair on his left, and looked out the window at the spire of the Church of St. Jorham's God of Mars, where it was now quiet, except for the light of the street lamps through the gaps in the roof. He turned his head to look to the other side, and saw a neon flickering in the direction of Vanna-Ang Sharon, and a faint commotion could be heard from here.

A familiar, low, powerful voice suddenly came from the seat on the left: "Prosperous but noisy, gorgeous and empty, isn't it?" ”

Duke Ferdinand's muscles tensed instantly, and within a hundredth of a second he was ready for battle, and then quickly turned his head - he saw a burly figure in holy robes sitting on the seat on his left, and smiled at himself.

The squire in charge of driving in front of him did not react to this, as if he was completely unaware of the fact that there was another person in the car, and he did not hear the voice just now.

"Lord Malm......" Ferdinand recognized the figure, who was the current Pope of the God of War Church, however...... He must have been in the Great Sanctuary at this time, under the personal "protective surveillance" of a large number of elite agents of the Wanderer Force and Lady Diana.

Why is he here!? How did he get here!?

Pei Dinan had doubts about his perception and vigilance as a legendary powerhouse for a while, but his face was still calm, except for secretly raising his vigilance, he just said lightly: "It seems impolite to visit in this form late at night? ”

With a gentle smile, Malm Dunit said unappetizingly, "We've known each other for a long time - and I remember that you weren't such a cold person. ”

Ferdinand became more and more vigilant in his heart, because he did not understand the purpose of the sudden visit of the God of War Pope, and he was even more afraid of the mysterious method used by the other party to suddenly appear next to him - the cronies and attendants who were driving in front of him still did not react, which made the whole thing seem even more strange.

"So what's the point that you came to my car looking for me so late?" He asked, looking into the eyes of the God of War Pope, as he watched on guard.

"It's just that I suddenly remembered that I hadn't seen an old friend for a long time, and I wanted to come and visit and have a chat by the way," Malm said in a tone that seemed to be a casual conversation, "Ferdinand, my friend, you haven't been to the Great Sanctuary for a long time, have you?" ”

Something is wrong, something is very wrong!

"I went to the Great Chapel every week to make the necessary offerings, and I did not stop the necessary prayers and sacraments," said Ferdinand, in a deep voice, "Old friend, this is what you came so suddenly to talk to me about?" ”

Malm didn't seem to hear the other party's second words, but just shook his head: "Not enough, that's not enough, my friend, donations, basic prayers, and sacraments are just things that ordinary believers do, but I know that you are a devout believer, and so is Bard, and the Wendell family has always been the most devout followers of my lord, haven't they?" ”

Then his eyebrows drooped, and he said in a tone that seemed to be a little regretful, as if an ordinary old man was babbling: "But what has happened all these years, my old friend, I can feel that you are drifting away from my lord's ways...... You seem to be consciously or unconsciously alienating yourself from your noble and righteous beliefs, is something happening? ”

Peddinand frowned and didn't speak.

Malm Dunit continued: "And Andersa's child has not been baptized yet...... Old friend, Andesa is going to be the heir to the Wendell family, you told me that a long time ago. How can there be members of the Wendell family who do not receive the baptism of the Lord? ”

Ferdinand finally couldn't help but break the silence: "Lord Malm, my friend - the Wendell family has indeed been religiously serving the God of War, but we are not a religious family, and there is no obligation or law that every Wendell descendant must be baptized by the God of War Church. Andesa chose a different path from her parents and grandparents, and I agree with this path, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

"Moreover, Andesa is twenty-five years old this year, she is a front-line commander who can take charge on her own, and I don't think we elders can still decide for her what to do in life."

Malm Dunit didn't speak for a moment, just stared into Ferdinand's eyes, but soon he laughed, as if the imposing gaze had never happened: "You're right, my friend...... Andesa is no longer a child.

"But I still want to say, Ferdinand, you have indeed alienated our Lord over the years...... I don't know what happened to you, but it's not good.

"You have been baptized, you are a devout believer in the Lord, and the Lord has responded to you, and this will not change because of your estrangement.

"Ferdinand, return to the right path, and the Lord will be pleased."

Peddinand's face became a little worse, and his tone was not good: "Your Excellency Malm, I have an important business tonight, if you want to preach to me, we can find another time." ”

"Ah, the priority......" Malm Dunit looked up, glanced out the car window, and shook his head, "Direction of the Obsidian Palace, I think I know what your priorities are...... To meet Rosetta Augustus again? Another sudden summons? ”

Peddinand immediately reminded solemnly: "Your Excellency Malm, you should add honorifics when addressing Your Majesty, even you should not call the emperor by his name. ”

"It's okay, he's an old friend, I've called him that a long time ago," Malm smiled, but then shook his head, "It's just a pity that he doesn't think I'm an old friend anymore...... He even ordered the Lord's church to be sealed off and me and my priests under house arrest......"

Pei Dinan immediately corrected him: "That's not a blockade, it's just an investigation, and you haven't been placed under house arrest, it's just a protective measure to prevent another vicious incident......"

He stopped in the middle of speaking.

The seats on the left were empty, there was no one at all.