Although the Imperial army finally defeated the rebels, the artillery fire still caused a lot of damage to Lantztown, many houses were hit by shells, and some people's homes were in ruins.

The bridge over the Lantz River extends the road and railroad tracks to the north bank, and an avenue runs directly across the middle of the town, ending in the town hall. At this time of year, the bars and inns lining the avenue were supposed to be a time of great business, but now because of the war, there are so few travelers who come and go, and the shopkeepers, even if they haven't destroyed their shops by the war, are now having to deal with the problem of no customers.

Baron Deniz sat listlessly on the second-floor balcony of an inn on the side of the avenue, and the dark clouds that had brought a downpour to De Weide had no small effect on the town, and although it was noon, the sky was still gloomy, and only a few rays of sunlight leaked out of the clouds, bringing a little comfort to the people.

The old baron tightened his clothes, and after being drenched in such a torrential rain, the old man could not resist the problems of old age and decay, and although Baron Deniz tried his best to hold on, his feet were not so obedient. As a last resort, he had to ask the coachman Frey to go to the bridge of the Lanz River instead of him to keep an eye on the traces of the imperial capital garrison.

The humidity in the air was so high that even on a May day, the cool wind blowing on the old baron's body still made him cough. Baron Deniz leaned his head on the back of his chair, his increasingly heavy eyelids slowly leaning down, and the day's running and suffering still made the tough old man a little unbearable.

Just as Baron Deniz was about to fall asleep, someone put a wide coat over the old baron from behind. Baron Deniz immediately dispelled his sleepiness and turned his head to look at the middle-aged man with a flat face behind him.

"...... Ernest" has not been seen for seventeen years, but Baron Deniz still recognizes it by the familiar traces on that face, "It's been a long time......

The old baron subconsciously wanted to stand up, but Ernest's hand pressed on his shoulder, stopping Baron Deniz's movements. "Just sit down. There was a hint of nostalgia on his flat expression, although he didn't like Midnight Castle very much, but Ernest still had some feelings for this old man who had taken care of him since he was a child, "Why did you come to me in the rain from the imperial capital, even if something happened, you should be careful of your body - you are not young anymore." ”

Baron Deniz smiled bitterly, and there was a look of nostalgia in his eyes. "Ah, yes, compared to when we taught you swordsmanship, we are not young now. ”

Ernest walked over the edge of the balcony, leaning his back against the railing, and asked Baron Deniz, "What is it that makes you come to me in such a hurry, when you didn't greet me when you arrived in the imperial capital?" ”

Listening to Ernest's calm tone, the old baron, who was familiar with him, still heard the dissatisfaction, and he understood that this was not what Ernest had any opinion about him, but Ernest's trust in his old man.

"The Jericho family is not what I want to see now, and your father didn't mean it. Baron Deniz stared at Ernest's face, and sure enough, at the mention of Count Winston, Ernest subconsciously looked away.

"Do you think so?" Ernest looked at the clouds in the distance, and there were no waves in his black pupils, "but there is no point in saying this now, what has happened will not change no matter what, whether it is dead or alive. ”

Baron Deniz stared at Ernest's side face, and although Ernest didn't show the slightest emotion when he said this, sometimes the words themselves represented the speaker's heart.

"Tell me, Ernest. Baron Deniz stared at Ernest tightly, although the current viscount is no longer the young man he used to be, but for Baron Deniz, there are some imprints that will not change, "When Bertha died, did you really not have any touch?"

"Nope. Ernest replied quickly, his short sentence as if he had been rushed out of his tongue, "Maybe she is pitiful, but pity does not mean that I should bear any responsibility for it." If it is foolish to love someone who does not love oneself and impose one's will on her in order to get her, then it is the same, to be bound by the burden of so-called pity and the like, and then to be forced to unite with someone whom one does not love, which is also imposed on oneself by the will of others. ”

The old baron sighed helplessly, maybe they couldn't explain these things anyway, but as Ernest just said, what has happened will not change no matter what, whether it is the dead or the living.

"But you still gave birth to Swain with Bertha," the old baron shrugged his eyebrows, a sad look on his face, "Indeed, we can't change what has happened, no matter what we do, but at least, we can change what is going on." ”

Ernest turned his face again, looking at Baron Deniz's sad appearance, and he couldn't help but feel a little unbearable in his heart. Either way, the old baron did a lot for him, including those that had nothing to do with the Jericho family.

"What are you coming to me for? I must be there by noon to-morrow, but at least I can hear you for now, but for now. ”

"Maybe it's not just now. The old baron raised his eyes, and there was unconcealed sadness in his eyes, "Something happened to His Excellency the Earl, and he ......"

"These things have nothing to do with me. Hearing the old baron mention this, Ernest's face immediately hardened again, "If that's all you want to say, then I don't have the time." ”

With that, Ernest straightened up and prepared to leave.

"You listen to me," the old baron grabbed Ernest's arm, "I know you have a grudge in your heart, but now, even if it's not for Swain, think about Sophia - you owe her!"

The footsteps stopped, and when he heard Baron Deniz mention the daughter who had been sent away by him while she was still an infant, Ernest's face couldn't help but show apology. No one's heart is really as hard as steel, and the stronger those are, the more fragile their weaknesses become.

After a long silence, Ernest retracted his steps and leaned back against the railing. "Say it then, but I just want to do something for Sophia. You're right about one thing, I owe her, but I don't owe anything to the Jericho. ”

Baron Deniz's hand slowly slid away from Ernest's arm, he could feel the old baron's hand shaking, obviously, the current Baron Deniz is really weak, he doesn't dare to be what he used to be, but once people get old, they will be like weathered rocks on the Gobi, slowly thin and slowly die.

"Earl...... Something happened to Sven, I don't know if we can save him, but now we have to be prepared for both, if Sven really has anything, Ernest, even if you don't care about the Jericho family, you have to protect Sophia, without Sven, what would happen to her, even I don't know. ”

"When I get back to Deweide, I'll pick her up. At this point, Ernest did not hesitate as a father, but he still frowned, and the second half of Baron Deniz's words did not make him understand, "But why do you say that? Even without the Earl of Midnight, I can still be Sophia's protector, as I promise you now, why do you say it so seriously?"

Baron Deniz did not answer Ernest immediately, his eyes fixed on the floor, and he was silent for a few moments, as if in a daze. Ernest waited quietly for the old baron's answer, he knew that Baron Deniz was not a man who liked to exaggerate things, and there must be a reason why he said so. ”

"The two of them......" the old baron's voice became dry as he spoke again, as if it had taken a great deal of effort to utter the sentence, "Ernest, do you know what your father had done to send Sophia to Midnight Fort to raise him?"

Ernest's brow furrowed even tighter, he didn't like the old baron to go so far on the topic, but he was patient enough to let Baron Deniz finish his sentence.

"Maybe there was some special purpose, but I had no interest in it, and I would never have agreed to that kind of thing had it not been for Wood's insistence. ”

"You are unlucky, Ernest. Baron Deniz lamented, his expression making Ernest even more puzzled, "You were forced to marry a woman you didn't love, maybe your father learned this lesson, and in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past with Swain, he deliberately began to cultivate the relationship between their brother and sister when Swain was young." ”

Ernest was stunned for a moment, and then an expression of surprise and anger spread across his face, like red ink dripping on his face, and finally the ink that spread turned his entire face into a hideous and terrifying mask.

"How dare he do this, is he crazy?" Ernest roared, his previous calm torn apart in an instant, and his hand slammed against the railing as if to slap the fence short, "Bastard, old bastard! Is that what he did to his granddaughter? Treating Sophia as a sacrifice to a boring fate, he has been completely brainwashed by stupid customs!"

Listening to Ernest's roar and insults to Count Winston, Baron Deniz's thin palms couldn't help but tremble, and in the end, he still couldn't hold back, no matter how angry Ernest felt now, Baron Deniz still didn't want to see Ernest scold his father like this, scold the person he respected the most.

"Enough, Ernest, enough!" Baron Deniz tried to grab Ernest's hand, but was thrown away, "Anyway, he is your father, and even if you deny him now, it will be useless, don't you say that what has happened will not change no matter what?"

Enraged, Ernest heard the old baron's words and lowered his hand, but his gaze was still sharp, staring straight at Baron Deniz with the thorn of anger.

"What do you say?" he didn't even need to use honorifics, his original affection for the old baron was washed away with anger, "established facts, do you want to tell me this, and then press my head to force me to accept it? No, never, you can never force me, it was like this before, and it is still so!"

Ignoring Baron Deniz's obstruction, he strode downstairs.

"There is still salvation, Sophia is my daughter, I can save all this!"

Baron Deniz looked at Ernest's disappearing figure and sighed helplessly, he didn't plan to chase him, because the old baron knew that he couldn't catch up. And even if he catches up, what can he do, although sometimes people just have illusions, but now Baron Deniz no longer pins his hopes on Ernest, and when it comes to Sophia, Ernest is already like this, how can he take over the burden of Count Midnight?

"What a ......" Baron Deniz picked up the coat that Ernest had left behind, looked at it, and threw it on the ground.