In the evening, the carriage stopped outside the village.

The old man stepped out of the carriage, holding a cane and leather boots on the dirt of the village, stepping on the droppings of chickens and ducks, and walked into the village.

In front of the door, a few children who were playing in the mud saw him and fled away in fear.

The old man wore a thick coat, a top hat on his head, and a cane and leather boots in his hand were also very valuable.

If it gets dirty, they can't afford to pay for it.

"Come home, it's time to eat. ”

On the bench in front of the door, the young man who was playing with the children smiled, gave them a few wooden toys that had just been made, and coaxed the children away.

He didn't look like a farmer in this village, and in fact, there were few nobles as handsome as he was.

And he has a good temper, he is also good at manual work, and he is still a doctor, and he will use some herbs to cure a high fever.

It's only been half a month since he came here, and everyone likes him.

The only pity is that I am blind in one eye.

Many of the girls in the village secretly looked at him, and then whispered in private arguing about how beautiful those eyes would look if he had them intact.

"Long time no see, Mr. Constantine. ”

He looked up, looked at the old man, and smiled. It's a pity that with a not very good-looking eye patch, the smile becomes a pity.

"Well, Charles, long time no see. ”

Gaius walked slowly beside him, leaning on his crutches, and then sat down on the mud-stained stool, as if tired, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm here to see you. ”

"I'm well yet. ”

Charles smiled and wiped his hands with the apron on his pants, "I'll help you find something to drink." ”

"No, I'm just here to sit. ”

Gaius said, "Wait a minute, and go." ”

In order to avoid causing such a riot as before, the charr spent these days secretly recuperating and resting in a small village near the national capital.

Except for a limited number of guards and covert protectors, no one knew that this gentle and handsome young man was the son of God.

Many people traded some wheat for him to help the family, and Charles was happy to do it.

I haven't seen you for a long time, and Charles doesn't feel angry, and still talks: "It's good here, Mr. Konstantin, you should come and stay if you have time."

My chickens are about to be slaughtered, and when I first arrived, I had to put them in the house at night, chirping and ......"

Gaius nodded, "I'll come back when they're out of the slaughter, do you want me to bring a cook?"

"It's better to bring one, I don't cook very well, it's all rubbing other people's. Charles smiled awkwardly.

"It's good to see that you live well, get better as soon as possible, without you, I can't be busy with many things. Gaius held his hat and cane in his arms, looked up and rubbed his hair, and the mottled hair became a little messy.

It's hard to hide the exhaustion.

"I'm jealous of you, Charles. ”

He sighed softly, "In the past, many things were nothing to me. After getting to know you, I realized that I was old, not the age of unlimited energy. ”

"Give yourself a vacation once in a while, sir. Charles smiled, "In the summer, you can still fish in the river here, and I can accompany you." ”

He rummaged for a long time, and found only one bag of dried fish at home that could be used to entertain people.

It felt awkward.

Gaius took the dried fish and looked at it repeatedly, reluctantly stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it twice, but he couldn't bite it, and swallowed it.

Then choked.

"I'm going to fetch water......"

It wasn't until five minutes later that Gaius relented and smiled wryly.

"It's too salty. ”

"Someone else sent it, and the salt was a bit too much. ”

Charles explained awkwardly.

In fact, the person who gave him was kind, and nowadays salt is very expensive, and dried fish is not worth a few dollars.

It's a pity that I didn't expect to choke people.

After hearing this, Gaius was a little relieved: "I've made new friends, Charles, as I said, everyone will like you." ”

"Hmm. Charles nodded, but did not speak.

"What's wrong?" asked Gaius.

Charles was silent for a moment, and whispered, "Mr. Hoffman, the one who gave me dried fish, died a few days ago......"

Gaius nodded, not speaking.

"He sold his land, went to work in a workshop in the city, and gave me the dried fish before leaving. But within two days, he was sent back, and he had his hand pricked off by the machine in the factory, and he was infected, and there was no medicine available here, so I couldn't help him with his fever. And he died. ”

Charles said this, and smiled bitterly: "It would be good if it was before, I still had the strength to save him before." ”

"Charles, it's not your fault. ”

"I know, I'm just sad. ”

Charles looked at the calluses and scars on his fingers: "Many people in the village are like Hoffmann, and there are many children, and the little child just now is his youngest son, and he will go to work in the city in two days, and he has signed a three-year contract."

Obviously, I can't make much money in the workshop, and I can only earn a little bit by doing hard labor and working like a slave for half a year. But if you don't work, you'll starve to death.

Obviously, there is a good harvest in the field, but if the grain is not cheap, it cannot be sold at all. If you want to buy it, but it's too expensive to buy, or even can't buy it...... Mr. Konstantin, why is that?"

Gaius did not speak.

Charles didn't wait for an answer.

"Haven't we already won, sir. "The war is gone, and many people are trying their best to live, but it's still hard to survive." The Holy City has been defeated, but many nasty things continue.

People who can't survive still can't live. “

Charles asked him, "They have sacrificed so much for this world, why should they sacrifice any more?"

Gaius did not answer.

Just look into the distance, gaze at the smoke of the cooking in the village not far away, and watch the sun slowly set.

"A lot of things, Charles, it's hard for me to explain. I know something is bad, but for the sake of the future, we have to...... Sacrificing a generation, using the blood of a generation to exchange the prosperity of the next hundred generations. ”

He said, "Charles, this is a necessary labor pain. ”

"But it didn't have to be. If the people of today can't survive, what's the point of prosperity for a hundred generations?"

Charles shook his head, dazed and angry, completely unable to accept such an answer: "Mr. Constantine, you told me before that you were going to create a new world where many homeless people would have a place to live, and many people would live happily.

Haven't we succeeded? We've done it...... But why is it still so cruel?"

Gaius finally turned around.

His expression was calm.

With a hint of aging, and more, is Charles' familiar determination and pity.

"Charles, do you remember what I told you when I was in the Holy City?" he said, "the pain will pass, all the pain will pass."

This world is not perfect, Charles, there are always regrets, which are beyond the reach of man. ”

He finally uttered the cruel words:

"I'm sorry, there's not much I can do about it. ”

Suddenly, Charles was in a trance.

It's like going through a long austerity, but it is difficult to reach the point of the road, unable to contain the exhaustion and sadness in the heart, and ...... Unwilling.

"It shouldn't be like this, Mr. Constantine, it shouldn't be like this. ”

He vigorously raised his remaining eyes and stared at Gaius, and there seemed to be a glow in his single eye, like a flame: "What I want, not this world!"

Gaius was stunned.

"If you can't do anything, let me come, sir, I can!"

He stepped forward excitedly and stood in front of Gaius: "I still have one eye, I still have so much blood, I can give you a miracle, sir, whatever you want!"

Gaius did not speak.

Just look at him.

For a long time, a long time, until Charles's excited expression could no longer be sustained, and he lowered his head weakly and sat back in his chair.

The sun had set, the silent twilight had arrived, and the cries of wild beasts could be heard in the mountains in the distance.

"It's too late, Charles, rest, it's time for me to go. ”

Gaius got up from the stool with his cane, put on his hat and said goodbye to him: "I'm sorry that I didn't care about your condition and said something out of place. ”

"Hmm. ”

Charles smiled reluctantly and got up to see him off, but unexpectedly, the old man stepped forward and hugged him.

Obviously old enough to walk with a cane, but the hug made Charles feel suffocated.

It's like saying goodbye to your own son.

So hard.

"Uh, sir......"

Charles froze, at a loss.

"I'm sorry, Charles. Gaius's voice was hoarse: "I'm sorry. ”

Charles didn't know where to put his hands, and was a little embarrassed: "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's just a quarrel...... It's not early in the morning, sir, go back and rest, maybe there will be another meeting in the middle of the night. ”

He patted Gaius on the back: "Okay, I'll go back to help you when I recover from my injuries, and then you won't be so tired." ”

"Well, goodbye. ”

Gaius took a step back, one last glance at Charles.

Turned and left.

"Goodbye. ”

-

-

When Gaius returned to the carriage, it drove silently into the darkness.

In the carriage, a man who waited silently handed over a folder.

He looked a little older.

Wooden and old.

It's not like a secretary, it's not like it's capable of this clever job, and it's not even related to the so-called political wisdom and foolishness.

It's just sluggish.

"Something that fell on the car. The man said, "The medical report, I think it should be yours." ”

Gaius took the folder, shook it for a moment, and smiled reluctantly:

"Have you seen it?"

"Nope. ”

The old man shook his head.

Gaius stroked the cover of the folder and threw it to the empty space next to it.

There was a long silence.

"I have a tumor in my body, and here it is. He lifted his finger and pointed to his right side of the brain: "It grows with the nerves." ”

"It started six years ago, and I always thought I could control it, and I thought I could hold on for a while, even if it was a while," he said. ”

Still silent.

The old man seemed stunned, with no reaction or words of comfort.

"I'm running out of time, Abel. ”

Gaius bowed his head tiredly and closed his eyes: "I'm dying. ”

In the darkness, in the long silence.

Someone choked softly.

"Abel, please...... Kill him. ”

-

-

The carriage stopped in the snow in front of the palace.

Gaius pushed the car door, but did not stand firm, staggered, and the guard tried to help him, but he waved his hand and pushed it away roughly.

White snow fell on his shoulders.

He bent over and braced his knees as if exhausted.

Can't hold up the last weight.

"I'm sorry. ”

He wrapped his coat tightly, but it was still cold, and he said to himself, "I'm sorry, Charles, I'm sorry......"

And just like that, the soul was lost and disappeared into the darkness.

Beyond the walls, Paganini stood silently in the shadows.

Snow fell on his face, obscuring the dark pupils of his eyes.

He turned and walked away.

Silently.