But he never let himself hold on to this thought for too long. The thought of the Crownguard being able to control the forbidden art that killed their uncle made him overwhelmed and afraid to face it.

Without any doubt, Galen earned his place among the fearless pioneers with his courage and skill. Under the watchful eye of his proud family and his good friend, His Royal Highness the Prince, he made a vow before the throne.

Lux and her mother spent a lot of time in the capital, playing for the King and a small group of low-key Illuminators – but Galen kept his distance as much as possible. Although he loved his sister more than anything else in the world, a small part of his heart was hard to get close to, and he tried not to think about what he would be forced to do if his suspicions were proven. So he threw himself into his new duties, battles, and training, working harder than before.

When the new Master Swordsman of the Dreadnought fell in battle, Galen found himself being promoted to command by his companions, and there was no objection to the nomination.

To this day, he has always resolutely guarded his homeland and pointed his sword against all enemies. He was not only Demacia's most feared soldier, but also the embodiment of Demacia's greatest and noblest ideals

The old woman tugged at the rope in her hand. The other end of the rope was wrapped around the neck of the Demacian soldier. The soldier tried to speak, but was silenced by the old woman's forbidden spell. As soon as the soldier dared to struggle any longer, she would cut off his head, and the soldier's helmet with a top nose guard could also be used as a night potter. But not yet, she just tightened the rope and waited for the soldier's memories to poke out into her head and burrow into her own mind, inch by inch.

She could have cut off a soldier's head whenever she wanted to, but that wasn't in order. Despite the despicable things about the gray-skinned prophetess, no one dared to say that she did not follow the rules. And it's a whole set of rules. Without rules, what would the world become? Isn't it just a puddle of mud?

As long as the soldier didn't break the rules, she would sit here and suck everything out of him—his joys, his thoughts, his ego—and drain them all. Then, with a knife down, the night pot was there.

A scream of pain was heard near the entrance to the cavern. There was no doubt that the old woman had one less sentinel.

And then again.

Again.

Tonight is getting more and more interesting.

She heard the knight's heavy boots treading on the damp rocky ground, from far and near, unhurriedly. Just from the footsteps, you can tell that the person who came is a character who is not easy to mess with. As soon as the footsteps stopped, a man appeared on the other side of the stone chamber. He has broad shoulders and is extraordinarily handsome. The dim light of the torches in the cave reflected his resolute face. The knight stared at the woman, wisps of blood dripping from his heavy breastplate. Even from a distance, she could smell the sour smell of the knight's armor. The smell overwhelmed the magic flowing through her veins, making her feel uncomfortable.

Tonight was really interesting.

The knight took the broadsword and ascended the steps to the throne of rock that the woman had improvised hewn out of the rock.

She smiled, waiting for the knight to swing his sword and slash at her head with the sound of a whistling wind. In that case, the knight will receive a big surprise.

However, he put his sword in its sheath and sat down on the ground.

The knight did not say a word, but patiently looked directly into the woman's eyes, not for a moment favoring the bound soldiers.

Was this his ploy? Was he waiting for her to lose patience and speak first?

Quite possibly.

It's still boring, though.

"Do you know who I am?" asked the woman.

"Your food is the memory of the lost and the outcast. The children say you're the same age as the cave you live in. You are the Lady of the Rock. The knight replied firmly.

"That's not the name they gave me, you know that. Old lady. That's what they're called. Don't you dare to say it, are you afraid that I will cut you?

"No, I just think that name is rude. As a guest, it is rude to insult the host. ”

The old woman giggled, and it took a moment to realize that he meant it.

"What about you? what is your name?" she asked the knight.

"Galen Crownguard of Demacia. ”

"Here's the rule, Galen Crownguard of Demacia. You're here to find the lost soldiers, aren't you?" said the woman.

He nodded.

"Are you going to kill me, then?" asked the woman.

"I can't lie, I think you and I may only be able to survive. So, that's right. ”

The woman laughed again.

"You'd love to see me blood, wouldn't you? With that armor, you might be able to. The woman said, and tightened the cord a little more around her old palm. "But if you shoot your sword at me before our deal is done, my hand will be faster than yours. Then you will never forget the sound of his neck breaking in your life. ”

She raised the rope for emphasis.

The knight stared at her unflinching.

"So, here comes the rule. If you can give me a memory, it will make me feel better than all the stuff in this guy's head combined. She patted the soldier's helmet lightly. "I'll give him back to you. If one party wants to repent, the other party has the right to use any means to demand a return, and the other party cannot resist. Do you agree?"

"I agree. Galen said.

"Then let me hear your price. What is your business with this guy's life? Rude, I wanted to call him by name, but I've forgotten. ”

"I don't know his name either. He only recently joined my army. Galen replied.

She looked at the knight and frowned. Apparently the young man didn't know what he was up to.

"The memory I give you," he said, "is my childhood." My sister and I were riding on my uncle's back, and he was learning to bark as a Noxian hound. We couldn't stop laughing. Very good memories - not tainted by people like you. ”

The old woman scratched the white membrane on her eyes.

"Do you look down on me? She said, "You think I'm just going to have some happy memories, don't you?" Her fingers tightened around the soldier's head, letting his bits and pieces of memories slowly flow into her mind, revealing a happy expression. "I ...... all of them Both. Pain, confusion, and anger. can keep me young forever. She laughed, a dry finger running over her wrinkled cheek.

"Then, I give you my sorrow. My uncle died. ”

"Far from it. I'm a little annoyed. The old woman tightened her rope.

Galen stood up and drew his sword. The old woman's heart sank, and she immediately wanted to kill the impatient young knight. But unexpectedly, instead of attacking, Galen knelt down on one knee in front of her, hung his head, and placed his sword lightly on the woman's lap, the tip of which was pointed at her abdomen.

"My heart, come and see. He said, "Whatever you like, take it." Although I am young, I have seen a lot of things. The first half of your life is full of glory, and you may find it interesting. However, if you want more than one memory, this sword will pierce you through. You can take no more, no less, only one. ”

The woman couldn't help but giggle. This kid has such a big breath! He actually thinks that one memory of his own can be worth the entire life of his comrades?

His courage, or rather ignorance, is unmistakable and admirable.

The woman smacked her lips, leaned forward, and placed her palm on Galen's head. She closed her eyes and lifted the veil that covered the knight's memory.

She saw the triumph after the Battle of Shiraishi and tasted the roast venison at the adjutant's wedding. She saw Galen in the fields of Brashmo holding his dying comrade in his arms, and felt a lonely tear quietly fall.

Subsequently, she saw his sister.

She could feel the deep love in Galen's heart, but it seemed to be mixed with some ...... Something else. Is it fear, disgust, or unhappiness?

She reached deeper into his heart, beyond the superficial memories. Her fingers twitched his thoughts, picking at everything that wasn't relevant to the smiling blonde girl. Galen's armor made it incredibly difficult for the woman to probe, but she didn't stop until she saw ......

Childhood. Two children playing with dolls. The boys' soldiers charged towards the girls' mage regiment, ready to slash them. The girl said that this is not fair, mages know magic, and this battle should be comparable. The boy laughed and commanded his metal creeps to knock over the mage figurines, beating them to pieces. The girl screamed angrily, and a bright light burst out of her fingertips. The boy couldn't see anything in front of his eyes. He was horrified and confused. Their mother rushed and took the girl away. But before leaving the room, the mother crouched down on her knees in front of the boy and said that what he had just seen was not real, but just a game. The boy was dumbfounded, and only nodded blankly. It's just a game, and his sister isn't a mage. It can't be. He buried this memory deep in his mind, and the deeper the better.

The woman's fingers stretched, and she found more and more similar fragments in the knight's childhood memories. At the end of each paragraph is a dazzling light. These fragments are deeply hidden, a mixture of love, fear, resistance, anger, betrayal, and wariness.

The knight was right—the memories were good, much more enticing than those of the Broken Soldier.

The woman smiled. The knight was clever and knew how to point a sword at her stomach. But it's not smart enough. As soon as she took a memory, the knight would immediately forget, not even remember that he had one. So, she can take as much as she wants.

The woman's fingers scarved through Galen's mind, searching for all the memories related to the glorious maiden. She scavenged it all before finally withdrawing from his mind.

"It's done. She opened her eyes as she said, "That's enough." She pointed to the exit of the cave.

"I accept your offer. A memory for a life. Take that kid and go right away. ”

Galen stood up and walked over to the bound soldiers. He bent down, picked up the soldier, and walked backwards towards the outside of the cave. His eyes were still fixed on the woman.

It's funny. The knight was still worried about whether she would break her word. Poor fellow, didn't even realize that she was already well fed.

The knight stopped.

He put his comrade on the ground and began to charge, a pair of eyes that seemed to nail the woman to the wall.

The woman was shocked by his sudden action. Galen was too big and too heavy to draw his steel sword before the woman approached. The woman's nails crackled, filled with dark energy, eager to drain the knight's consciousness. She found herself unable to avoid Galen's gaze. In those eyes, there are sweet memories that have been precipitated for many years. She's going to feast until there's nothing in it—

The woman felt a chill rush through her chest. The coldness of the metal. The sour smell on the knight's armor suddenly became stronger, scratching at her throat.

She looked down and saw that Galen's sword had sunk into her chest, leaving only the hilt behind. Red and black blood oozed from the wound, dripping onto the knight's hand armor. Galen remained calm as he watched her blurred eyes.

He moved faster than she expected.

"Why?" the woman tried to speak, but coughed out a mouthful of sticky black bile.

"You lied to me. ”

The woman squeezed out a smile, black mucus leaking from her teeth. "How do you know?"

"I feel...... It's easy. There is no more burden. ”

Galen blinked.

"It's not in order. Give it back. ”

The woman thought for a moment, and her blood was pouring down the cold stone floor, mixing with the dirt.

She placed her numb fingers on top of Galen's head, squeezing the memories back into his head. Galen gritted his teeth in pain. When Galen opened his eyes, the woman knew he had regained all his memories when she saw the tiredness in his eyes. Poor idiot.

"Why bother making a deal?" asked the old woman. "You're stronger than I expected, much stronger. Whether I let him go or not, you can cut me into slices, and I don't even have time to move a finger. Why waste your time and let me see your heart?"

"In a stranger's house, it would be too ...... to see blood without giving the owner a chance It's rude. ”

The old woman coughed and panted and laughed.

"This is the rule of Demacia?"

"No, my own. Galen drew his sword from the woman's breast. The wound was wide open, and blood gushed like a spring. The woman fell suddenly and died.

Galen never looked at the woman again. He carried the soldiers on his shoulders and embarked on a long journey home.

Galen thought to himself, what have we become without the rules?

How long had it been since she had last been to the town of Fosbayro in the North?

Lux wasn't sure, but it must have been seven years. At that time, Galen had just left home and entered the Dreadnought to begin training. The rest of the family traveled north to pay respects to the mausoleum of his great-grandfather, Foss Ian. Lux still remembers sighing and sighing along the way, the rain and rain are endless, the ravines are rugged, the gravel is everywhere, and the tomb of the ancestors seems out of reach. She expected to see a marble mausoleum worthy of the Hall of Valor, but in the end she was greeted by a low, weedy tomb next to a towering cliff, and her anticipation seemed to plummet from the cliff. In front of the tomb is a marble slab with the glorious deeds of the great-grandfather - Fosian fell from the cliff with the demon. The great-grandfather was mortally wounded, and a steel sword of Demacia pierced the monster's black heart.

(End of chapter)