"You're my biggest piece of good news this year. Seeing Asa emerge from the teleportation array, Ofu's dwarf staff officer breathed a sigh of relief. He had been walking around the teleportation array alone, and the already exaggerated face had been heaped into a big, round bitter gourd with worry and anxiety. It wasn't until I saw two blue teleportation lights up from the teleportation array that I was relieved.

Suddenly returning from the stormy city of Erathia to the starry wilderness, Asa's mood was also relieved. He smiled, "A teleportation scroll can be exchanged for the biggest piece of good news, and it seems that this is good news in itself." ”

"It's good news from my point of view, but not from Ofo's point of view. I'm glad I was able to bring you back, otherwise it would be a real loss. Lord Porugan sighed. "These two scrolls have been acquired by Mr. Cedros with a great deal of effort, and can be used in extraordinary strategic means in extraordinary times. Because of the perennial war, Erathia has a very strict control over teleportation magic scrolls, and they didn't expect that two of us would raid Erathia's royal city. But now they must be aware of it, even if they don't close the teleportation magic array in the future, the protection of the magic array will not be as easy as it is now. ”

Asa was stunned, only then did he realize that it was not so simple to let Jessica return to Erathia, and to waste a scroll that might turn the tide at a critical moment in order to save himself with an extremely slim chance of saving himself, even he had to admit that it was probably a bit of a 'waste'.

"You say I'm the biggest good news of the year, isn't killing Esquil better than the news of my return?"

"The cardinal's death is good for us, but it's not as good as the life of you, the captain of the secret force. ”

Asa said to him proudly, "Seeing that you are so worried, I will tell you another good news by the way." When we returned, we slaughtered a court mage named Saiya, and then General Ou Ling of the Kingdom Knights could be in big trouble. They were chasing me and trying to kill the Templars by the way......"

Lord Porugan listened carefully to Asa's account of his rescue of the female knight, and the spirit in his bull's eyes was lifted, but then he slowly fell silent in his thoughts, and finally became a wry smile: "In the current situation, this really can't be considered good news......

"What do you mean? Why? I thought you'd be overjoyed to hear it. ”

"Whether it's hearing this alone. I'd be glad to hear the news of Eschel's death alone. But the two messages are different when combined. Lord Porugan sighed, and his big face, which was like a baked cake, became even more sad and bitter. "A lot of the time. The effects of things of the same nature are not just superimposed, but they also affect each other, that is, not additive, but multiply. Two negative numbers are multiplied. That's not a negative number. ”

"What does it mean to be negative?" Asa frowned at the dwarf in front of him.

"If it were simply the death of Bishop Eschel, Queen Catherine would have taken this opportunity to weaken the power of the Church in Erathia, which could have temporarily eased the situation of Orf, but now that the general's murder of the Templars has failed, the conflict between the queen and the church has been worsened to the extreme, to a point where the storm is completely irreconcilable. Celeste will never continue to tolerate this. The Pope would rather give up Ofu than tolerate a betrayal of Erathia. And Queen Catherine also knows this, so Catherine now has only two choices, one is to completely turn against the church, and the other is to completely submit to the church. Lord Porugan paused, and the big, god-eyed bull's eyes looked at Asa and asked, "Which one do you think Catherine will choose?"

"I see. Asa thought for a moment and smiled wryly. Then he asked, "Will the Church turn a blind eye to the murder of the Templars by her earthlings?"

"They're all political veterans. Can't you still see the trend of the general trend and the relationship between the powerful, but you have to waste energy and time on these small things?"

"Then I've told the knightess who Esquil is, and asked her to bring the news back to Celeste. Isn't that useful?"

"I don't know what the use is, I just know that they can't spread it all over the place. So even if it's useful, it's probably very little. Lord Porugan spread his hands and shook his head and sighed. "Let's go, don't guess them for now, we have our own business. ”

Celeste. Radiant Castle, Lancelot's Chambers.

The paladin frowned at the pile of small objects in front of him, among which a silver skull mask and two teleportation scrolls stood out. There were two small purple skull symbols on each of the two ports of the teleportation scroll, and the faint silver light emitted from the skull mask showed that it was actually made of secret silver, and the craftsmanship and production methods were extremely meticulous, and the magic fluctuations attached to it indicated that it was far from being attached to some kind of magic, whether it was a magic item or a treasure, it was priceless.

Of course, its most valuable thing is not in itself, but in the meaning it represents.

"These were recovered from the corpse of Bishop Esquire, and from the secret of his room. I've already identified both the scroll and the mask...... It's all true. And the letter," Talis pulled out of her bosom a blank piece of paper, with only a few lines on it, apparently unfinished. The Templar seemed to struggle to hold the paper, as if it was too heavy for her strength to hold it, and her fingers and voice trembled slightly. "Written to Nopolinot, it seems to talk about reducing the amount of donations to the church this year, as it would take a lot of magical items to make gargoyles and flesh golems. I have asked a few people who specialize in handwriting to identify the handwriting on this letter, and these ...... It doesn't seem to be a forgery, it's indeed the handwriting of Master Esquire......"

Lancelot sighed, his brows furrowed together, he slowly shook his head, looked at Talis's paper and said, "Do you know that it is beyond your duty to collect a cardinal's relics without authorization and make judgments? ”

Talis didn't expect Lancelot to react like this, and she hurriedly said loudly, "But these things are too ......"

"Don't talk about it, does anyone else know about these things?" said Lancelot lightly.

Talis replied, "No." These things are just amazing. Too...... Unorthodox. I didn't dare to involve anyone else, and the people who examined the handwriting had only shown them the words, and they didn't know the contents of the letter. I'm the only one who knows about it now. I don't dare to send these things to the Inquisition or directly to Your Majesty. So I'll show you first. ”

"You're doing a great job. In the future, it is also important to remember that these things and these things can never be known to others again. Lancelot put away the mask and scroll, looked at the unfinished letter, and sighed. With a flick of his finger, the white paper, which was enough to shake the entire church, became a dusty powder and scattered down.

"You...... You ......" Talis's eyes widened in disbelief as she watched the paladin's every move.

Lancelot looked at his disciple, his face and voice were the same calm, and he said softly, "You should also know that if these things emanate from the mouth of a Templar, the damage to the entire church will not be comparable to the spread of pagan rumors. That's what the man told you about. ”

"But this ...... This...... Do you want to hide these things even from Your Majesty?' said the man...... Say...... His Holiness Bishop Adela ...... It's the same with Bishop Eschel. If that's the case. Then Your Majesty is not very dangerous......"

Lancelot said lightly, "Do you think Your Majesty needs you to remind you?"

"He knows?" Talis's expression was more incredulous than seeing a mouse swallow an elephant, and she was stunned for a moment, and slowly looked at her teacher. "That is, these are really true? And you'...... Did you know about it?"

"No, I don't know. Lancelot shook his head. "It's just a rough guess. Now you don't know until you say I know it's really them. ”

"This ...... How can it be. How can you allow ...... His Majesty the Pope...... Necromancer...... "Talis was incoherent, not because she couldn't put her thoughts into words, but because she didn't even know what was going on in her head right now. She had been shocked by her own discovery. Even if the evidence was beyond doubt, she still couldn't believe it. It's like a child who doesn't want to believe that his family has a heinous murderer, even in the face of hard evidence. But now Lancelot's reaction was not just a blunt admit, but something even more unbelievable.

The patron saint of the Church of Light, the only man on the mainland who can afford the title of 'paladin' has almost been equated with the word 'justice'. But he knew that the necromancer was in the church, but he was indifferent. And according to his mouth, not only he knows, but also the Pope, the leader of all believers on the continent.

Talisbao thought she was going crazy. She originally thought that the cardinal's identity was already groundbreaking, but compared to these, it was just a wave in the waves.

Lancelot naturally saw that his disciple was confused. He didn't explain directly, but put his finger into the inkwell on the desk, smeared it with ink, and then swiped it on the table, and a thick ink streak was across the desk. Then he pointed to the black scratch and asked Talis, "What color is this?"

"It's black. Talis looked at Lancelot's answer, and she could tell the difference in her confusion.

But Lancelot shook his head and said, "No, it's actually a mix of all the colors." ”

Talis nodded. You don't have to be a professional painter or painter, but anyone with a little common sense knows that if you completely mix the various colors of paint, it will become an inky black.

A ball of light made of a mixture of fighting energy and white mana appeared on his finger. He asked his apprentice again, "What color of light is this?"

"White light. Talis replied honestly.

"Nope. This is a mixture of all colors of light. I've seen from the dwarven craftsmen that if you use a triangular glass mirror to refract it, the white light will emit seven colors of light, and if you gather the seven colors of earth light together, it will become white again. ”

Talis looked at Lancelot blankly, she seemed to sense what was being said, but she couldn't grasp it clearly.

"Just like this seemingly simple black and white, the essence of everything is not so simple and easy to distinguish from each other. Lancelot flicked his fingers, and the ink on his fingers disappeared in an instant. The white ball of light also dissipated into the air. His voice and eyes slowly grew solemn. "It's really easy and convenient to put everything into simple concepts. In that way, the complex world can appear very clear, giving people a sense of security and direction. It's a pity. Facts are not just solved by a simple concept of good and evil. ”

"I ...... I don't understand. Talis bowed her head. She could understand what Lancelot meant, but she couldn't.

"I know you won't understand, even it took me a whole decade to understand. Lancelot smiled wryly. "Understand that there is no such thing as absolute justice and light. Just as the dark night is actually the shadow of the day. Everything in the world is interdependent, light and darkness are opposites, but in a way, it may be the same thing. It is inevitable that only in darkness will there be light, and only light will create the shadow of darkness. All we can do. In fact, it is also to maintain a relative balance, so that as many places as possible shine brightly. ”

"No, it can't be. Teacher, although I respect you, I absolutely cannot agree with you. Talis looked up abruptly, her eyes staring directly at Lancelot. The confusion and confusion in his eyes just now had been completely replaced by a look of firmness, but a little despair.

Lancelot smiled. Say, "I'm not teaching you now, I'm just telling you what I think." This should also be His Majesty's opinion, and it is true. ”

"It can't be. Talis's body was shaking. Even more trembling than when she had just retrieved the necromancer's mask from Esquire's body. Although she could not accept her teacher's statement, she knew very well that Lancelot would not lie to herself, which meant that these unbelievable things did exist, and they were tacitly approved by His Majesty the Pope. For her, who has always distinguished between light and justice and dark evil, this fact is not much better than the sky falling apart.

Lancelot looked at Talis, all kind. It's like looking at myself many years ago. "Leave Celeste, and leave the church alone for a while. ”

Talis paused for a moment, shook her head, and said, "Now the battle with Orfo is about to break out, and ...... Now that I know these things and don't vomit, how can I leave? ”

"Whether you know these things or not, they have already existed, and it is precisely because you know them that you can't accept them, and you will cause yourself trouble. I know that you can't hide these things in your heart, but if these things are leaked out, you probably know what to do. After all, the vast majority of people are still just like you, unable to accept these facts. Lancelot shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Regarding the war with Oufu, now your heart is confused, your faith has been shaken, and it is useless to stay. Your talent is actually very good, and you can't even defeat those who are below you, do you know why?"

Talis shook her head.

"It's because you lack inner strength. No matter how good a person's mind is, no matter how high his martial arts skills are, it is not a big deal, because these are far from being decisive things. As a human being, the most important thing is inner strength. Lancelot paused, sighed, and said. "Unlike other Templars, you have been in Celeste since you were a child, and your entire life has been spent cultivating, learning magic, and fighting. But it is impossible to afford such a heavy thing as light and justice by mere faith. I've always wanted to find an opportunity for you to get out of here, forget about being a Templar, and train in the outside world. Now is the opportunity, you now know a lot of things that you couldn't accept in the first place, and your heart is full of confusion. This kind of confusion is not something that anyone's teaching can help, what you need is to experience and understand yourself in the joys and sorrows of success and failure. The courage of youth is the sword, it is the battle, it is the courage to challenge everything that you do not agree with. But the truly mature courage is the ocean. Face everything and embrace everything. And then it can be born in it. Dare to face the present itself, rather than divide reality into one's own defined concepts. That's when you get the inner strength. It is only at that point that you will understand what I have just said, and why Your Majesty and I are doing that. ”

Talis was silent for a while, then finally nodded. "I see. Teacher. But where should I go? ”

Lancelot thought for a moment and replied, "Let's go east." ”

The next day, as soon as Talis stepped out of the gates of the Radiant Castle, she met Bishop Adela at the gate.

The Red Bishop had evidently not slept all night, looking haggard and tired, and his usual gentleness and calmness had long since disappeared. Bishop Esquire was suddenly assassinated. The attack on her by General Orling, as reported by Talis, caused unprecedented turmoil in all of Celeste. However, due to the decision and arrangement of His Majesty the Pope, the cardinals were convened overnight to deliberate, and these matters did not have much practical impact on Celeste.

"Knight Captain Lancelot has requested your Majesty to let you go out for training. To be honest, I personally don't think this is the right proposition in these extraordinary times, but I believe that Lord Lancelot has his own considerations. And His Majesty the Pope has already approved it, so I wish Talis a good luck with you. Bishop Adela gave the knight a smile that was as kind and beautiful as possible, though he looked haggard.

"Thank you. Talis didn't dare to say much. Nodding.

"Regarding the attack on you by General Erathia Dieuling, I rushed to Erathia overnight on the orders of His Majesty to inquire and investigate. Queen Catherine took this very seriously and was very sorry. According to the investigation, General Ou Ling actually only missed his hand for a while in the dark pouring rain, and he personally expressed remorse and remorse for his mistake. Queen Catherine also punished him. I hope you don't mind anymore. ”

"Yes, I see. Talis nodded. If it hadn't been for the conversation she had been with Lancelot, she would have been surprised that it had been such a strange and comical result. But now she understood that there must have been more to these seemingly incomprehensible things afterwards. And now she unconsciously became very wary of this Red Bishop, who she was familiar with, and she did not dare to show too much in front of him.

Bishop Adela probably didn't care much about her reaction for lack of mental reasons, and continued: "Queen Catherine is also saddened and indignant by the assassination of Bishop Esquire, and the murderer has already known that what Orf has done is indeed unforgivable, and Erathia's army has been fully mobilized, and will immediately be developed into the wild highlands together with other religious nations. The destruction of that evil orc lair is just around the corner. Adela let out a grief as tears rolled down his eyes, his voice undisguised with sadness and anger. "Lord Esquire, watch from above, and I will definitely make them pay with blood. ”

Talis looked at the back of Adela as she turned and walked towards the Castle of Radiance, her heart full of confusion and confusion. The familiar buildings and figures now looked a little frightening and unfamiliar, and she took one last look before stepping out.

At the same time, thousands of miles away in the city of Orfu, in the meeting room of the town hall, the leaders of Saidros, Gru, Porugan, and the leaders of the various orc tribes were all gathered.

Although Cedros had no expression, his always neutral voice had become dry, and he looked around and said, "Tell you a bad news, according to the report of the spies ahead, the church army led by Erathia has been assembled and is preparing to march towards Ofu. ”