The crows devoured the defenders who stood in Sven's way. Michel VII left a company behind at Midnight Castle, and the strength of a few hundred men was completely worthless in front of Swain, and as soon as he saw it, he was completely devoured by the flock of crows summoned by Swain.

Princess Celestia pulled Charlotte and forced her nausea past the empty checkpoint. After seeing Swain's magic, she no longer felt that there was any beauty in this kind of thing, and the way to kill people was to eat people, as if all the flesh had gone into Swain's stomach.

The lights of Fort Midnight were already in sight, and apart from these sentry posts, no other Southern troops remained around Fort Midnight. In order to gather as many troops as possible to Devide, Michel VII did not place too many troops at Midnight Fort, and after Swain had cleared the stray fish, there were no other deployments.

"Welcome back, Lord Count. "Baron Deniz seems to have known that Swain would be back, and has been waiting at the gates of Midnight Fort early.

Swain nodded, and walked into his castle with Princess Celestia and Charlotte. Caterina in the back was a little surprised, she couldn't help but wonder if Swain had already planned to return to Midnight Castle, it seemed that his retainers had already prepared, not only had someone waiting to meet them at the door, but also the carriage was ready.

If Swain had been ready to return to Fort Midnight, when did he start planning? Was it when he learned that he was going to send to Pritown, or when Michelle declared war, or when he came to Dwell, he had already foreseen this day? Princess Celestia was now more and more suspicious of the Midnight Earl, and when she thought of Swain's performance along the way, Caterina was even more sure of this feeling.

Riding into the garden of Midnight Castle in a horse-drawn carriage, a variety of plants are blooming in spring colors on both sides, and the flowers are competing for red and red to make this castle full of green. This kind of scenery made Caterina feel very incongruous, even though Swain was always so depressed, but this castle garden was so beautiful and beautiful, it was hard to imagine that Swain grew up here.

The carriage passed through the vast gardens to the main fort. After getting out of the car, the maid and the maid in the castle were already waiting.

"Take the two young ladies to freshen up, they are tired from the journey, and prepare a good dinner. Swain told Baron Deniz that he would come to Midnight Castle and that he would show his poise as master.

"Yes. The old baron bowed and ordered a few maids to take the eldest princess and Caterina to change their clothes. Baron Deniz didn't even ask Celestia about their identities, which made Caterina even more suspicious, as if the baron was not at all worried about the people his lord had brought back, to be precise, not at all.

But she also knew that now was not the time to ask questions, this was Swain's territory, surrounded by people from the Jericho family, and she didn't know if there were people among these people who could use magic like Swain, if she was not careful, not only would she not be able to ask anything, but even her and Charlotte's safety would be in danger.

After the two young ladies left, Swain took off the captain's uniform he had been wearing for three days and put on the blanket that the baron had handed him. He didn't ask Baron Deniz about the surrender of Michel VII, as Swain didn't seem to care about the fact that his territory had fallen, and still trusted those who betrayed him.

"Is everything alright?" said Swain, walking slowly towards his room, Baron Deniz following him.

"Everything was fine. ”

"What about the big library? Michelle must have been there. ”

"As you might expect, His Royal Highness did go there. Soon after his departure he returned to Nanterley, where he had not visited any other part of the castle. ”

"Hmm. Sven nodded, "Get ready, I'm going to take a hot shower, I haven't been able to take a bath on the sea route these days, and I'm very uncomfortable." ”

"Yes. Baron Deniz bowed respectfully and beckoned his men to prepare the bathwater.

————————————

Soaking in the bathtub, Swain couldn't help but start reminiscing about the old days, he was not a person who liked to reminisce about the past, especially after all these years, he almost forgot the events of his childhood. Outsiders admired the beauty and classical architecture of Midnight Castle, but for Swain, who lived here all year round, these things only made him feel tired.

Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the brief moment of relaxation. He remembered the days when he bathed with Sophia as a child, and it was so laid-back and carefree, unlike now, when Swain had to carry the weight of this heavy frame all the time.

Maybe it's because he hasn't been back for a long time, but he remembers a lot of things, including his sister's innocent smile when she was young, whispering in the study, and his grandfather's face. Thinking of old Winston, Swain suddenly realized that he was already a little unfamiliar with his grandfather's face, although he still remembered the outline of his face and his facial features were also very clear, but he no longer felt familiar.

Clutching the brown scar on his chest, Sven's brow grew melancholy, he had never been injured like this before leaving Midnight Castle, and he hadn't even really fought with anyone. However, in less than a month, he killed hundreds of people, many of whom were indeed innocent as Princess Celestia said. There was no hesitation or mercy in his attack, unlike the gagging he felt when he first killed the maid who had offended him, as if his heart had been hardened by what lurked beneath the castle over the years.

For a moment, Swain lost his mind, his thoughts occupied by the faces of the dead he couldn't remember, and the wails of these people kept echoing in his mind.

The hand slammed against the water, causing a splash. Sven's expression became hideous and terrifying, but hidden under this fierce face was a fear he had never shown.

"No...... It shouldn't be ......like this," he covered his forehead and groaned in pain, "I'm used to these sounds, but why, it's still so uncomfortable?"

Sven's body curled up in the bathtub, as if he had returned to five years ago, when he was thrown into the pool by his grandfather, scared and helpless, these experiences he hadn't had in a long time came back to him. Obviously, he is used to hiding and even closing his feelings, but now these things that have been suppressed all this time have begun to churn in his body again, as if to vent the power that has been suppressed and accumulated all along.

"It's just...... It's only been a month, why is this happening?" he clenched his arms tightly, obviously soaking in the hot water, but Swain still felt the extreme cold, and the emptiness was gradually eating him.

Swain hadn't felt this way in the past five years, since he had been established by Winston Sr. as the successor to the Earl of Midnight, and had accepted the Jericho magic inheritance that neither his grandfather nor father had inherited, his body and heart had been tempered until he became the always expressionless Swain Noe Jericht. But now this helplessness seems to change him back to Swain when he was a child, when he was a child.

"It's ...... Is it a punishment for me?" Swain struggled in the tub as he sank his head under the water and forced himself to calm down. Wrapped in the pressure of the water, Swain slowly came to his senses, and he suddenly remembered that every time he used his magic power, his emotions seemed to get a little out of control.

Is it because he used too much mana?Swain took a breath of relief, he had used the power he had inherited several times during his month in the Imperial Capital, and indeed with each use of it, he would become a little different from usual. That irrepressible emotion instigated his actions, and he showed a gentleness that was different from his usual to Sophia and Ramrem. At that time, although Swain had this feeling, he clearly recognized that something was wrong with him, but he just couldn't suppress this emotion, not only because of impulse, but even he himself was wondering which kind of appearance was him.

Was it because the magic was too large this time, or was it because it had been used too often in the past month?, Swain brushed back his wet hair from his forehead, thinking seriously. In one month in the Imperial Capital, he had used even more mana than he had used in the five years of Midnight Fort. Was it the body's rejection of such a use of magic, or something else? It was hard for him to give himself a definite answer, no one could give him a reference, neither Winston nor Ernest Sr. had inherited Jericho's ways, and the distant ancestors had been lost in the long river of history, and Swain couldn't even look for their records.

Confused by this blankness, Swain became confused. Who am I? For some reason, he asked himself such a question, and he couldn't give himself an answer to it.

Swain Noe Jerichault, the name is just a code name, and it has no ego meaning. Gladys's maternal grandfather was also called Swain, a name, how does it represent a person?

Earl Midnight, this title may explain his status in this society, honor and glory, but this identity has been held by too many people, and this can only represent a group of Jericho's collective, not Swain himself.

"Who am I......" Sven muttered blankly, his eyes beginning to lose focus, "Am I just an empty person?

"Sir. The maid's voice came from outside the bathroom, and the sudden sound interrupted Swain's myth.

"What's the matter?" When the voice came to Swain's ears, he immediately came back to his senses, and the state he had just been in was dissipated suddenly, and Swain turned back to his usual Swain No. Jericht.

"Dinner is ready, and the two ladies are already waiting in the dining room. ”

"I see. Sven frowned and stepped out of the tub. The most annoying thing for him is to be disturbed by others in the shower. But the maid can't be blamed, Swain has been bathing for too long, Princess Celestia and Charlotte have already finished bathing and changing their clothes, waiting at the table to be served, and Sven is still soaking in the bathtub.

It's like when I was little. Sven looked at the still rippling tub and remembered how his grandfather had forcibly pulled him out of the shower for too long as a child.

"Why are you sentimental?" After a brief moment of distraction, Swain immediately came back to his senses. He grabbed the towel and wiped his body. Back at Midnight Castle, his mind seemed to become particularly active, and memories of the past kept jumping into his mind.

When Swain got dressed and came to the dining room, the eldest princess was already waiting a little impatiently, and when she saw Swain, she mocked with a cold face: "Mr. Earl, you have been bathing for a long time, even girls can't spend so much effort!"

Swain sat down on the throne, and in front of the eldest princess, his chaotic thoughts finally calmed down, and the whole person regained his calm. "Unfortunately, there is not enough time today, otherwise the hot springs at Midnight Fort would be the best way to relieve fatigue. If you want to try it, tomorrow I can ask the maid to take you to the hot springs in the back mountain, which is a wonderful place that Dewei does not have. ”

Princess Celestia frowned, although she also liked to be clean, but she didn't have the level of fetish of Swain. "Thanks, but no more. ”

Charlotte on the side lowered her head, she woke up when she arrived at Midnight Fort. Now she didn't feel any discomfort in her body, on the contrary, she could sense things she hadn't felt before. The unsparkling eyes turned to Swain, and there was no more touching brilliance in these originally cute big eyes, but there was no hatred for Swain, and it seemed that Charlotte had really learned to hide her feelings, and she became the same as Swain.

In Swain, Charlotte could see something looming, faint, easily overlooked dark green dots of light floating around Swain, and even moving regularly with Swain's breathing. Is this magic? Charlotte thought to herself, after being infused with a large amount of magic into her body by Swain, her perception of magic now has surpassed ordinary people, and she can vaguely see this strange magical world.

Swain noticed Charlotte's gaze, and he looked at the little girl he had hoped for. From Charlotte's eyes, he could see that Charlotte did have the qualifications to adapt to magic, and his transformation of her was very successful.

Noticing the direction of Swain's gaze, Princess Celestia also noticed Charlotte's appearance. She couldn't help but feel a little sad and sorry in her heart, Charlotte's life would soon take a turn for the better, and the liveliness of an ordinary girl should also appear in her, but now, all Charlotte was left was coldness and hatred.

"You haven't forgotten what you promised me before. Unable to bear to see Charlotte like this again, Princess Celestia looked away again, "You said that all the secrets will be revealed for me when you arrive at Midnight Castle, you won't break your word, right?"

"You want to see it now?"

"Of course. Princess Celestia lifted her chin, and after all the complications she had been through, her attitude towards Swain had reverted to her original haughtness. She would rather think that none of this had happened, and that she and Swain were just strangers, and that she would feel better if she thought about it this way.

"Okay then. I'll show you the way after you've finished your meal, but I'd like to warn you that you need to be prepared for more than just a question of whether you understand it or not, it's been a secret that has been hidden for so long that anyone who knows about it must take responsibility for it. ”

Celestia frowned, Swain had repeated this many times, always emphasizing that this secret meant an extraordinary responsibility, and that only their Jericho family and the Emperor could take on it.

"I've come to my senses. Princess Celestia raised her eyebrows, as if in response to Swain's words, and said in a provocative tone, "The burden of this world is not on your Jericho's shoulders, remember your position, we Gion are the leaders of the Empire." ”

Sven shook his head, but did not speak, he had been disappointed in the ambitions of the Celestia and would not change his opinion of Caterina because of her arrogance.

————————————

Baron Deniz opened the door on the ground, and after being destroyed by the soldiers of Pritton, the baron did not repair the lock on the door—how could he really seal the underground thing and prevent those who had their own skills from attacking?

The eldest princess looked down at the door, and it was pitch black, and the light from above could only shine up to a dozen steps, and then there was a shadow shrouded in shadows, and it was impossible to see what was there.

"What's in there?" she asked Swain, "what you're going to show me is in the basement?"

"No, miss, it's not a basement down here. Baron Deniz, who was next to him, said that the old gentleman's presence was very low, and if he didn't speak, the eldest princess wouldn't notice him.

"What's that? You're not going to tell me there's going to be a catacomb, and it's full of ghouls. ”

"The Great Library—Trajan's Gate. Swain said calmly.

"What?" Princess Celestia was stunned for a moment, she had never heard of the name, not even the name Trajan, she could not find the relevant information from memory.

Trajan was the first wise man of the Maud people, the ancestors of the Hadrians today, but even the Hadrians of today have forgotten this great prophet, in fact, many of their philosophies were first proposed by Trajan, and it is ridiculous that the arrogant Hadrian named these learnings by other people, but did not know Trajan's greatness. ”

Looking at Swain's bland face, the eldest princess was even more strange, why did Swain, who was not known to Hadrian himself, know about Swain, who was a native of Siliur?

"Let's go. Swain took the lantern from Baron Deniz and walked down the stairs, "As promised, I will show you the secrets that our Jericho has hidden for a thousand years, so please see them-"

Princess Celestia looked at Swain's eyes, and for a moment, she sensed a strong emotional fluctuation in those black eyes.

—Atropos. ”