"He's buying hearts and minds in the city, and many people's impressions of him are changing. If this continues, the situation will turn against us. ”

"If we crusade against Paladin Gray and the people choose to believe him, then we will be in a very awkward position. ”

"This is a very insidious and vicious person. Our intention was to give him time to think about it, however, he never seemed to consider our suggestion, or even use it in reverse. From the very beginning, he wanted to reverse the whole situation by reversing the perception of the population about him. ”

"Your Majesty, regarding the matter of Paladin Grey, I suggest that you should make a decision as soon as possible. For the sake of the Gustav Empire, it cannot be delayed any longer. ”

These were the suggestions given to Cedric V by Cedric V's staff.

"Honorable dragon god, please tell me if you should take action. Cedric V prayed.

"Are you sure he's trying to figure out how to change the situation?" the male voice asked.

"Isn't it?" the female voice asked rhetorically.

"Fanatics can't compromise, but it's easy to guess what fanatics think. The male voice said, "I don't think he's doing this to change the situation." As long as he has this kind of thought, then it means that he has compromised. In this way, we are bound to be able to make him compromise more. Of course, there is no way he could not have known that there would be such an outcome. But I'm more inclined to think that he's actually committing suicide and forcing us to make a decision. These weird fanatics always regard sacrifice as their highest glory. Their mindset is hard to understand. Unlike us, it's easy for them to do things that burn jade. ”

"That's not a good partner. ”

"Of course, whether he thinks that way or not, he is causing results that we don't want to see, and if public opinion goes further in his favor, the situation will turn against us. Time is not on our side. If we launch a crusade against him and the people do not believe us, our crusade will fail. And there is no need for Heaven to launch a crusade against him according to the agreement between them. It doesn't matter what the people think, what matters is heaven. When the time comes, he will most likely expel us from Gustav, as he did to the cardinals of the Holy See. And based on various protocol constraints, we don't even have a way to resist. ”

"What do you think should be done? We haven't found a compromise that will make sure he's acceptable, and in fact I think we'll probably never find one. Faith-based stubbornness is too difficult to solve. ”

"We should have an immediate showdown with him and make sure of his thoughts one last time. If he really can't compromise, even the slightest bit of compromise, then we must act now to avoid losing the opportunity to profit from this incident, or even ending up in an embarrassing situation. ”

"But we are not prepared enough, if we are sure to uncover his true colors. ”

"No, I don't think we need to prepare anything, nothing. Heaven's crusade is the crusade of everything, and we don't even need to do anything but a crusade that gets answered. ”

"What if the crusade of heaven is not issued?"

"That can't be. Nineteen Holy Spirits, to annul an agreement requires the consent of a vast majority of members. There's no way they can agree on it. ”

"What about the Demon Lord?"

"The Demon Lord will abandon him unless he is willing to fall. But obviously this is very unlikely, and even if he falls, there will naturally be heaven to deal with him, and we don't need to worry about it. ”

"And the Lich Council, God, I find him the most involved of all our adversaries. Do we need to think about this agency?"

"Gray has been so deeply involved in human affairs that he is not covered by the Lich Council's Grey Robe Agreement with Heaven and Hell. ”

Both voices fell silent at the same time, and the hall was silent.

Cedric V sat quietly on his throne.

After a long time, the female voice whispered, "I agree with you. That being the case, let's take action. Cedric, meet him. ”

"Yes, respected dragon god!" Cedric V said softly.

......

More than a month after Gray's arrival in Black Dragon City, in mid-April of the year 10758 of the Holy Calendar, Cedric V summoned him again.

It was still Cedric V's black-armored close guard.

"Your Excellency Paladin, Your Majesty has invited you to the Black Dragon Temple. ”

"Now?"

"Yes. Your Majesty wishes to make the suggestion you made last time, and you have carefully considered it. This time you can give Your Majesty a satisfactory answer. Of course, this will also be the final answer. Hope you understand. ”

"I see, can you wait until I'm done with this flour?"

"Yes. ”

Turning his face sideways, Gray continued to deliver the sachets of flour to the poor people of Black Dragon City. The black-armored close-guard stood by and watched quietly. It seems that because of their arrival, the poor people who came to receive the flour were no longer as enthusiastic as before, and they all looked at them cautiously, consciously or unconsciously.

"Your Majesty wants to see the Paladin, is there anything wrong? I heard that Your Majesty doesn't like the Paladin. ”

"Shhhh If there is flour collar, you can get it quickly, and the affairs of the big people are not something we can ask about. ”

"But what if ......"

"There were no paladins before, didn't you starve to death? ”

Everything went on quietly, and Gray handed bags of flour to the poor people in the line.

The black cat whispered, "I feel more and more now that Catherine is right...... Don't you ask me what I'm referring to?"

"I know what you're referring to. Gray replied softly.

The black cat didn't speak anymore, just stayed quietly in the armor.

With his head down, Gray continued to hand bags of flour to the pauper. Every time it was handed over to a poor man, he would say, "May the Holy Spirit bless you." ”

The poor, on the other hand, will hold their hands and nod their heads in response. There are those who are humble, those who are flustered, those who are nervous, those who are insincere, those who look at them with greedy eyes...... There are all sorts of reactions.

Soon, the flour ran out, and only an empty cart remained. However, there were still many poor people who did not receive flour, and they looked at Gray with their eyes on them.

Grain production in the North was far less high than in the South, and in the era of agriculture, the North was far less rich than the South. As the capital of the Gustav Empire, more than thirty percent of the entire Black Dragon City is actually poor. It's just that compared with the poor in the famine years, they have no crisis of survival for the time being.

"Paladin, will you come again tomorrow?" asked the ragged child, who had been standing in line for a long time, but was still empty-handed.

After a moment of silence, Gray touched his head and replied softly, "I shouldn't be able to come tomorrow." ”

"So what do we do?"

"There will be someone else taking my place. ”

"And what if not?"

"You have to learn to live well, to work hard, to live hard, even though life is not so pleasant. Maybe someone will bully you, maybe it will make you feel hopeless, but I hope that no matter how bad the situation is, you will keep holding on to what is good. Only then will the world be a better place. ”

The paupers listened quietly. Maybe they don't understand, maybe all they have in mind is that bag of flour, but there will always be someone who understands. Although the number may be small, pitifully few, and hopelessly few.

Sometimes the black cat even wants to ask, which is the real despair, the despair of the poor or the despair of Gray?

Turning his face sideways, Gray asked Carl on the side, "How much money do we have?"

"Not much, just a few gold coins. ”

"Give them all copper coins. ”

"Okay. Carl nodded.

Turning around, Gray mounted his horse and said to the black-armored close guard, "Alright, I'm done, let's go." ”

The black-armored close guard saluted silently.

Under the watchful eyes of the paupers, the black-armored close guards led Gray slowly down the narrow alley, in the direction of the palace.

......

In the afternoon, the Black Dragon City was shrouded in low clouds. The wind blew gently across the plains, and Gustav's black dragon flag fluttered gently in the wind.

Gray handed over his sword, walked up the steps, and once again came to the Black Dragon Palace, staring at Cedric V from a distance.

Taking a step, he walked into the Black Dragon Hall step by step.

The black-armored guards around him stood silently, watching him.

Step by step in front of the throne, Gray bowed slightly and reverently drew a cross on his chest.

"Honorable Emperor Gustavus, Your Majesty Cedric, it is a pleasure to see you again. ”

"I'm glad to see you again, too, ahem...... Lord Paladin. Cedric V asked in a hoarse voice: "I don't know what I suggested, how have you thought about it? ”

"I have thought it through, I, refuse your offer. Gray replied softly, "My oath, my faith, does not allow me to use them as bargaining chips." ”

"If you reject my offer, then the outcome could be quite bad. ”

"I know, but I stand by what I believe. I will take it as a torture of my faith. If faith can be traded, then it is no longer faith. Holders of faith cannot take their own safety as the criterion for making decisions, and I will gladly accept whatever the outcome may be. ”

"And what about the people around you, if you are a saint, shouldn't you put the safety of those around you first?"

"My agreement with the Holy Spirit involves only me and no one else. They have been deceived by me, and all the fault lies with me. They didn't know who I really was. If you insist on angering them, angering innocent people, then I will do everything in my power to protect them. ”

"What protection do you have to use? The Holy Spirit will crusade against you, the Demon Lord will abandon you, what power do you have to protect them?"

Two huge black shadows slowly emerged from the huge dragon totem behind Cedric V.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the female voice rang out, followed by the male voice, "If you insist, we don't mind pushing the most powerful paladin ever into the abyss." And if you can compromise, we can keep you safe and secure your position today. You can continue to pursue what you call justice, of course, limited justice. It's like the Holy See of the past, not the Holy See of today. Think about your wife, think about your children. Maybe you should make a decision that is more in their interest. ”

Gray stood silently, the hall so quiet that the slightest sound could be heard clearly.

Gray and Cedric V stared at each other silently.

......

The warm sunlight is shining quietly.

Shelley took Richie to play in the yard.

Richie held a flower high up against the blue sky.

Shelley stood aside, smiling sweetly.

......

Gray stood silently, staring at Cedric V. He whispered, "I want to be an example to my children, even if they are destroyed, with a clear conscience." Rather than being the object of his spit. I will do my best to protect my family, and at the same time, to protect the hope in everyone's heart. Justice cannot be used for bargaining, even if I disappear from this world, then until the last moment, I should be a kind and upright knight, who has never broken any oath, and has never fallen into darkness. ”

"Everyone will spit on you, is your justice still righteous?"

"It's a promise I make to myself, and I have nothing to do with anyone else. ”

"You're going to lose everything. ”

"Faith in the light, I never wanted anything. ”

......

In the alleys of Black Dragon City, the members of the Silver Moon Knights were still busy, distributing copper plates.

The mallet laughed, and fell in love with the job a little.

A few gold coins are indeed not much, but when converted into copper plates, there are tens of thousands. For the poor, it is a large sum of money that can make many, many people laugh, and can light a little light in their hopeless lives. Spread a little kindness.

......

Above the castle of Salted Fish City, Catherine quietly guarded.

......

Andrew sat on a bench on the balcony and yawned. Not far from him, Jones and Dora were staring at the new pope to sign a new reform order.

......

Camilla rode a horse and led her soldiers, patrolling the countryside like a knightess.

......

King Allen's sons, Carey and Bob, are sprinting back and forth in armor and riding horses, training as knights.

Being knocked off the horse, Bob clutches his ass and laughs.

......

In the palace, a young boy who revered Gray as his godfather raised the wooden sword in his hand and shouted: "The Knights of the Silver Moon will never covet power! We are with justice!

The wind blew across the earth, and only a few years ago, the Silver Moon Knights, who couldn't even ride horses, had become the Silver Moon Knights, and the seeds had been sprinkled all over the land.

......

Vivien showed her figure and stood behind Gray: "Vivien, the succubus of the Knights of the Silver Moon, reports and comes to fulfill the oath!"

"And me!" the black cat struggled to lift Gray's mask, sprang out of his armor, and shouted with a burst of fur, "I will do everything I can! You can destroy us, but you can never defeat us, you can't force us to compromise!"

Raising his head, Gray looked at the phantom of the dragon and whispered, "Knights of the Silver Moon, never compromise, never compromise, no matter how bad the situation is, we will fight until the last moment!"

The apparition of the dragon was silent for a long time, and the female voice could only whisper: "Okay, then I declare that the negotiations have broken down." ”

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