One day four months ago, the snowy peaks of Tristis ......

"Balmer is still angry, should you go and apologize to him?"

"Hmph...... When Miss Ben was unhappy, he provoked me, and smashed the inn lightly!And you!Snow thief leader!!You followed me all the way to the top of the mountain just to say this!?"

In the immaculate white alpine snow, Xiao Yi paced back and forth on knee-deep snow with anger on his face, and kept bending down to pick up snowballs and smash them at the legendary snow thief Okumar not far behind him. www.biquge.info Faced with the innocent and spicy Shaw, Okumar had no choice but to let cold snowballs fall heavily on his tough armor.

"Hey, that's enough! I'm not a Maitreya idiot! I'll be angry if you continue like this!" After receiving more than twenty snowballs in a row, Oguma finally couldn't resist the impulse, and raised his hand to hold the big knife behind his shoulder.

"Wow!!Spare my life!Count me wrong!"

Another round of snowballs slammed into him, and Oguma screamed, wiping the snow stains all over his face and the melt on his shoulders, mixed with a little blood, these ordinary snowballs gave him an almost phase-breaking blow.

When the blue-nosed and swollen Oguma covered her head and retreated, she finally let go of the snow in her hand, and inserted her hands that had already frozen gray into the pockets of her cotton coat.

"I didn't want to do that...... I'm sorry, Oguma, and apologize to Balmer by the way......"

"I'm fine! stop crying, I'm really fine! But you really shouldn't have smashed the Sifang Inn because of an unpleasant past, really. ”

"Balmer should have told me the truth sooner...... And not four months after Brother Xia Yan left...... Before I came back to the snow, I was being deceived by my best friends!!You know how it felt!!Idiot!!

"I ...... Actually, I also know where Maitreya went, and after you escaped from the snow-capped mountain, he fully understood his own shortcomings, so he decided to put aside everything and concentrate on cultivation. You know his stinky temper, and there is no way I and the Ten Guards will be able to keep him. ”

With Xiao Yi's roar, the self-conscious Oguma revealed the real reason why Maitreya Natsuhiko left the mercenary group, of course, Xiao Yi had already learned from the owner of the Sifang Inn-Balmer, which was also the real reason why she gave up her summer vacation plan and endured the severe cold to climb the Great Snow Mountain of Tristis, in order to find Maitreya Natsuhiko who came here to practice.

"Now it's like nonsense!!If you had told me the truth earlier, you wouldn't have to wander around in the snow!!" Oguma replied, wiping away her tears and rising from the snow, turning to look at the ruins of the Cathedral of Galbaidia, which had become one with the snow at the end of her vision.

"Shaw, are you going to the church, although it is the only place in the snow-capped mountains where you can live, but after three months, Maitreya may have left here, so come back to the Sifang Inn with me." ”

Shaw shook her head violently, covered her ears and continued walking towards the ruins, leaving the bewildered Oguma behind until the white snow obscured her figure......

Half an hour later, the hall of the Calbaidian church, which had long since lost its former glory, had been worn off a layer of blackened wall tiles from the fire, and the snow-covered floor had been cleaned, which proved that Maitreya or someone else had returned to live in the dilapidated church for some time, but the collapse of the old beams also meant that the occupants had left, leaving only the ruins of the walls that were airy on all sides.

Following the near-erased traces, Shoey found a large knife mark in the corner of the wall, caused by Natsuhiko's immeasurable crescent moon, and according to his instincts, Shoey leaned down to peel off the not-so-thick snow and found the bones of many beasts under it, including snow wolves, snow bears, and even the most dangerous snow monsters.

"Brother Xia Yan...... You're not going to eat all that here...... Poof, it's disgusting......"

She threw the wrist bone of the snow monster with rotten flesh in her hand, and came to the middle of the church against the sudden cold wind, staring at the shattered sky seal on the wall, and the sad memories were once again evoked.

"Grandpa Duke. I've grown a lot since then, at least now I don't need everyone's protection, and you'll be happy for me, right?"

A few minutes passed, and there was no sound around her except her own wheezing, and she lowered her head in disappointment.

"Is it really just a fantasy...... Forget it, I'd better go find Brother Xia Yan. ”

After all, Duke's spirit body had dissipated with the transfer of the power of the Holy Stone, and only the sound of the wind echoed around her, but there were always many incomprehensible things happening in the world, such as a greeting from behind her.

"Ah, Ogst, I haven't seen you for a long time, and these months seem like a lifetime away to me!"

This familiar but different voice reached Xiao Yi's ears, awakening her long-depressed nerves, and she turned around angrily and fell into the air, only to realize that she was greeted by a translucent middle-aged soul, and his majestic face, black and white lace coat, a pair of pure white animal skin gloves, and the brown riding boots on his feet were all very familiar.

"Maybe I'll be a little more chic with my top hat on, and I really won't recognize me? Out of thin air, the soul summoned a translucent top hat and placed it on top of his head.

Shaw suddenly realized, and in utter surprise, he called out the name of the person he thought he thought: "Duke Mirag, weren't you an old man with gray hair last time, and what happened this time...... Wait, haven't you disappeared because you have lost the blessing of the power of the sky?"

In addition to being surprised, she didn't forget to take out the golden heroic badge from under her cotton robe, and when her eyes noticed the empty elemental gem on it, she finally understood.

"Could it be the power of the Holy Stone?"

"Of course not, maybe I'm too good for Valkyrie (the heretical goddess of death and vengeance, not among the Old Gods) to receive my soul, right? haha...... Just kidding, don't mind. We (and Ralph) did go to the gates of Hades, because we were burdened with powers that should not belong to mortals, so we cannot sleep forever after death...... In this way, I was not able to ascend to heaven at the end of my life, and now I wanted to go to Hades and was sent back by Valkyrie, and when I had no choice, I went back to church, and Ralph went back to the waterway. ”

"Isn't that scientific...... How did you get younger?"

"I guess this was when I was forty-eight years old, I remember when Leon gave me the gem, and that was the year I first used the power of the firmament. As for why they turned me back, I'm afraid I can only ask the gods of Hades. ”

After a few pleasantries, Shoy finally came to his senses and immediately asked about Natsuhiko, Duke agreed, and left the ruins of the church with Shaw to walk in the snow, on the way he unreservedly informed Shaw of his observations over the past few months, and after learning that Natsuhiko had left a month ago, Shoy fell into a state of loss again.

"That kid is a supreme genius, and it seems to me that he wants to comprehend the sword that opens the heavens and the earth. However, if you want to become a sword master, you have to travel all over the world and gradually improve your own realm, and it is not enough to stay in one place all the time, you should be considerate of him. The two came to the edge of the cliff, and Duke turned his gaze to the sky.

"Is swordsmanship so important to him!Can it be so important that he abandons his partner!!"

"Listen, I don't mean to slander Maitreya. Before he came to the mainland, he was a murderous swordsman with a thousand lives on his back, and for him, swordsmanship had long surpassed everything, even the friendship that he had always valued very much. ”

"But...... Everybody needs him! just because he's ...... Delacro and Brother Jian are also gone, what a harmonious team...... A home has been torn apart alive!" Her eyes moistened, and tears flowed down her cheeks, and although she tried hard to wipe them away, the tears seemed to flow endlessly.

“...... Maitreya Natsuhiko is a liar!!He pulled me back from the brink of death...... Is it just to make me feel the pain of losing someone important...... this is a symbol of friendship...... I'd rather not!!"

Because it was really difficult to calm the grief and anger in his heart, Xiao Yi made a final decision, took off the Revelation of Fire that represented Xia Yan and his life and death from the hero badge, and threw his hatred for Xia Yan and the fire element gem related to the fate of the continent on the edge of the cliff, when the revelation of fire burned in the air and penetrated the clouds and fell into the cliff, Xiao Yi knelt on the edge of the cliff and sobbed.

“...... I grew up in a refugee camp in Zenda...... It was not easy to survive with the care of everyone in Zenda...... It wasn't until I met them, a team guided by each other's fates, that my life changed from that moment on, they made me understand a lot and taught me a lot...... Did you know, Grandpa Duke...... I just want to go back to the mercenary group at that time, there is the eldest brother Xia Yan who often complains to me but will sacrifice his life to protect me at critical moments, the second brother Delacro who has a straight face but is very kind, the third brother who always plays tricks on me on weekdays but also cares about me, the Shibei who should be the fourth brother but is a teacher of faith, and the peacemaker Uncle White and the cold Brother Yosim on the side to teach me experience, this is the warmest family of seven in my heart...... I'll do everything to get it back!"

At this moment, Shaw's determination and belief touched Duke, and he brushed away the tears in the corners of his eyes and sighed: "Once...... I've had that experience, I'm the oldest one compared to Leon, Eric, Ralph, and Simon, so the four of them only think of me, a teenager, as a senior, and whenever Leon goes into danger alone in pursuit of the power of the darkness, Simon and Eric ride on the battlefield, Or maybe Laruf mingles with other people, and I always feel alienated, but Sister Shia's teachings have changed my mind, even if I am not as capable as others, I should take the initiative to join these strong people and guide them with my own strengths, so ...... This new belief forged an indelible friendship and bond between the Holy King and the Four Horsemen and the Alchemist. ”

"Then Grandpa Duke means to say......" Shaw asked, wiping away his tears.

"In your memory, Maitreya Natsuhiko and Victor Delacro seem to be the core of the team, and now that its pillars are gone, then you should change your obsession, use your own merits to stick to the last position of the family, keep other excellent family members, and if you can one day get your wish, welcome their return in the best condition!"

Seeing Xiao Yi nodding incessantly, a smile appeared on the corner of Duke's mouth......

"Girl, you...... Like Maitreya, huh?"

"Don't talk nonsense! How could I possibly like that guy who pretends to be cool all the time and loves to kill people all the time!?"

Hearing this, Duke shook his head helplessly, and at this point, Xiao Yi had to say bluntly: "Home...... For me, home is the most important thing, and the free capital guarded by my two adoptive fathers cannot be regarded as a home at all, although Brother Xia Yan's mercenary group is the same, but it is a fact that he left us behind. Now all I can do is look for his traces everywhere, and I think that if Brother Xia Yan returns to me, the others will gradually come back, right? ”

"I see, it's undoubtedly naïve, but since that's the way you've chosen, I can't interfere. Also, the restored Fire Stone was just lost, is it appropriate?" Duke asked what she meant, still smiling.

"I want to let the sunken wings of freedom fly again, and I won't give up until Brother Xia Yan returns to the team! As for the gem that I exchanged my life for, let it be buried in the snowfield! Because this is Xia Yan's responsibility, it should be up to him to find it himself!"

"That's a lot of money...... Whatever you want, I've long been determined to abandon worldly ideas, so I won't dissuade you, good luck!

"Hmm!Thank you~ I'll burn some paper money for you next time I come!Now is the time for me to lead my family on a rampage, and there will be a period later!Uncle Duke~"

After hurriedly saying goodbye, Shaw left along the path down the mountain, looking at Shaw's distant back, Duke couldn't laugh or cry, took off the top hat on his head, and sighed: "This time I actually became an uncle......?" This girl. I hope that the obsession with the past will not affect your vision of the future, and that you are very capable, so you should guide your partner to the way of the future, and then Viktor, Shibei, and even Maitreya will be proud of you?...... I'm being amorous again, and one last time, good luck to you~"

After that, Xiao Yi and Mo Cha accepted commissions all over the mainland, and at the same time did not forget to inquire about the whereabouts of Maitreya and Shibei in various places, and obtained the trust and help of his partner Mo Cha, as well as the support of Yosim in the army, plus the various mission information that White collected for her, the name of Freedom Wings spread again throughout the mainland, because she believed that as long as she did well enough, she could make the three who left change their minds and return to her ideal family.

The elemental gem discarded by Shaw that day fell into the glacier below the cliff, and over time, the river brought a dead man who had lost his arm from the lake upstream - Eric Valheitt, who was defeated at the hands of Delacro, as Shoy said, this re-refined sacred stone has part of her life force and the endless power of the fire demon Agni, and after contact with the body of the blonde boy, a new arm with a flame blood tattoo was created, and the life force contained in it also dyed his blonde hair red, giving him a new life, Shoy's importance to Sieg is not only because of her remaining vitality in the sacred stone, but also the will left in Maitreya Natsuhiko, who had fought with Agni, which became all the reasons why Sieg cherished Shaw so much. (To be continued.) )