Indeed, he should have made a trip to the Academy of Magic to meet Bishop Ronis. Asa felt guilty in the bishop's snow-white carriage.

Listening to what Sedlos said, in addition to Xiao Yi's reason for taking down the leaves of the World Tree to save himself, half of it was also because of Bishop Ronice's intentions. And the bishop also left a teleportation scroll for himself to see him when he came back, but after he returned to the royal capital, his mind was all on the Duke's Mansion and Xiao Yi, and he actually left the noble and respectable old man who saved him and ignored it all, almost forgot to clean it, and went out on a trip by himself.... Fortunately, the bishop sent a carriage to invite him. Asa felt embarrassed to face the Bishop's majestic and kind smile.

The carriage drove all the way to the cathedral entrance of the Academy of Magic. Asa got out of the car and saw the bishop slowly walking out accompanied by two senior priests, followed by a middle-aged man who looked like an official and a young man who seemed to be somewhat familiar. The young man wore a braid, and when he saw Asa, he immediately showed a fierce expression. Intuitively, however, Asa didn't care much about this gesture of hostility, just as a tiger wouldn't mind a maggot baring its teeth and claws at itself.

Asa walked over with a red face, bowed to Bishop Ronis, and said, "I'm sorry, Bishop. I'm late. ”

In his own opinion, this was already a very thoughtful courtesy, fully expressing his apology and respect. But the faces of the other two people immediately changed, especially the fat man who looked full of brains, with a look of surprise and uncertainty. Asa was not a clergyman in the church, but when he saw the bishop, he didn't kneel and salute, but just bowed like an ordinary elder. This was already very impressive, and what was even more incredible was that the Bishop accepted it without showing the slightest dissatisfaction.

"That's it, Prime Minister, I have some important business to attend to now. Why don't you come back next time you have time? Bishop Ronis nodded to the middle-aged official, and his easy-going and majestic demeanor could not be resisted in the slightest. The Prime Minister and the young men behind him bowed deeply to the Bishop on one knee and then withdrew.

Asa realized that he was probably a little rude, and in any case, his status would never be more noble than that of the Prime Minister.

"It's tiring to deal with these officials. Bishop Ronis shook his head and sighed. Motioning to the two priests next to them to stand aside. "You come with me. He led Asa into the hut inside the cathedral. Seems reluctant to let anyone else know about the conversation between the two.

Bishop Ronis motioned for Asa to close the door, and then he sat down, and motioned for Asa to sit down as well, smiling slightly, still so easy-going and dignified, and said, "I don't like red tape. Just deal with it when others are present, it's not necessary when it's just the two of us. ”

Probably only the more unconfident people are, the more they care about the attitude of others towards them, and people like the Bishop, who are impressed by all the people who see it, feel that it is a burden.

"Actually, I thought you should have come yesterday. Bishop Ronis looked at Asa and smiled. "Are you going to the Duke's Palace?"

Asa blushed and nodded.

"For my sake, the Duke probably doesn't dare to get rid of you, someone who knows too much. Presumably he was trying to woo you, right? But it seems that he didn't get what he wanted. He can be regarded as the most resourceful strategist in this royal capital, and there are not many people who can make him helpless. You didn't let me down. Bishop Ronis looked at Asa with the two fires in his eyes, as if he asked easily, "Didn't he use your affection for Miss Mrak to motivate you and win you over?"

Asa didn't understand for a moment, and then remembered the Duke's stirring words yesterday, and was immediately stunned and shocked.

Bishop Ronis would never send anyone to follow him. And yesterday's conversation between him and the duke was not known to a third party, and he wouldn't say it, and the duke naturally wouldn't use his emotional privacy to publicize it. So how did the Bishop know?

Bishop Ronis still talkatively said, "The Duke should be able to see the affection between the two of you. He has always been very observant in these areas, and his ability to use emotions is what makes him much stronger than other power machines. I can imagine that yesterday's remarks must have been brilliant and moving. But you don't seem to be doing what he wanted, can you tell me why?"

Asa scratched her head and said with an awkward expression, "She has her own choice..... I have a way to go. Actually, the Duke's words touched me a little, but I understood that I was not suitable for anything big, and I had my own way of life. ”

His answer provoked Bishop Ronis's unexpected satisfaction. He reached out and patted Asa on the shoulder, his tone showing a slight hint of excitement. "Good. I can't imagine that you can have such a heart at such a young age. You must know that power, status, and money are nothing, but only the emotional level is the most difficult. Only those who have a firm sense of self and insist on following their own path are truly strong. Only such people can achieve real and great things. You really didn't let me down. ”

Asa listened a little cluelessly, as if the Bishop had great hopes for him. He didn't understand what that 'disappointment' meant. He only felt a little uneasy, he didn't want to bear any other people's feelings, let alone the hope of such a respectable person as the Bishop, it would be even more burdensome.

And he was even more surprised. He saw the other side of the bishop, who seemed to be extremely high in the eyes of the Duke and others, and something that was so secretive. The duke, who was so deep and wise, seemed to be like a child in front of him, and he knew by inference what tricks he was playing.

"Alas, there have been so many things that have happened during this time. Originally, I just asked you to retrieve the book, but you didn't know that you had sent a god to Oufu, and so many things had happened. All of this was so coincidental and unexpected to me. Bishop Ronis smiled wryly and looked up at the roof. This study is not large, but the roof is surprisingly high. His eyes fell on the high space, revealing a confused look. "Maybe it's fate....."

Asa is even more inexplicable. He felt that these things did happen to be unexpected, but to put it bluntly, it was just a small misunderstanding in Oufu, and he went to steal something but was beaten half to death and then rescued. This kind of thing happens every day in various parts of the country, and it seems that there is no such ethereal and grand metaphor as 'the arrangement of fate'.

Bishop Ronis looked down at Asa. His brow furrowed, the two fires in his eyes flickered, and he suddenly asked, "I'm asking you a question very personally." Do you believe in fate?"

"Fate?" Asa had heard of this thing, and those legends often had such a line at the beginning and end that people could tell the end from listening to the beginning of the story.

Bishop Ronis nodded. "Yes, that means that everything has been arranged, and the world is actually developing and moving forward according to its established trajectory. ”

"I don't believe it. Asa's answer was stark. The story can be made up like that, and what happened can be said to be predestined, but in reality he will never believe it.

"What if it really exists?" asked the Bishop again.

Asa was stunned, and replied very simply: "I don't believe it." ”

"Why?" said Bishop Ronis. "If you knew you were going to end up doing it in vain, would you still do it?"

“.... Kindness.... Nothing in vain. People are destined to die at birth, so should they sit and wait for death? When they have time to think about those inexplicable problems, it is better to concentrate on their own business. And who's really going to know what's going to happen?"

Bishop Ronis thought for a moment, and immediately burst out laughing. The cheerful laughter didn't quite match his thin face. The thin face couldn't accommodate such a violent expression, and the smile was about to break through the constraints of his face and fly out.

Asa was taken aback, flattered. I didn't expect these casual words to make the Bishop so happy.

"Good, good, good......" the Bishop repeated, his face full of smiles and energy. "You're right. Instead of wasting time on these issues, we should concentrate on what needs to be done. I didn't expect that I had always despised other people for thinking too much about these boring things, and now I realize that I am thinking too much too. Thanks to you for reminding me, I really want to thank you. ”

"Where, where, .....," Asa felt even more embarrassed.

Bishop Ronis's troubles were lifted, and he looked as if he had made up his mind, and said, "Well, then, I'm letting you come this time because I want to ask you for a favor." Is that okay?"

In the face of such an amiable and respectable old man who was so happy just now because of his few words, a benefactor who saved his life, the identity above 10,000 people still gently asked himself for a small favor. No one could refuse such a request, and Asa immediately nodded in agreement.

"Good. I would like to appoint you as a priest. Go to the Western Front and command the priests there. Bishop Ronis said.

"Huh?" Asa thought he had misheard.

Bishop Ronis sighed and said, "You don't know, the situation is very difficult. The rest of the candidates are either from the military or from the Ernie family. Yesterday several military ministers had already come to me, and as you saw just now, the Prime Minister was also eyeing this position. The political struggle is raging, and both sides want to strengthen their own momentum by winning the war. In their eyes, it was a political bargaining chip, but in fact it was a war after all, and thousands of lives might have been inexplicably lost because of their struggle for fame and fortune. Tomorrow I will make a message to the Emperor and tell him to withdraw from the war. I seldom speak on these national issues, but when I do, it rarely doesn't work. Plus Cedros also has his own methods, so this truce should not be a problem. But now that His Majesty's order has not yet been issued, the discussion meeting will probably take some time, and the troops to the west are still there, and there is still a possibility that war will break out. So I need someone who doesn't belong to any faction and doesn't want to make military achievements, but who can be trusted to help me go to the west to de-escalate the situation first, and try not to let the war happen. ”

"This kind of thing..... I can't do it. Asa waved his hand and shook his head.

"No, you must have done it. Bishop Ronis looked at him with trust. "You must do me this favor, that is also to save the lives of thousands of soldiers. ”

The lives of tens of millions. Asa felt like she was suddenly out of breath. Forget it, let's take it as a way to repay the bishop for saving his life. He nodded. "Okay. ”

Bishop Ronis nodded with satisfaction and satisfaction. Today, his thin and majestic old man looked particularly happy, and the expression on his small face was particularly rich.

In the study of the Duke's Palace. The Duke is dealing with a batch of official documents sent by the military, and recently there has been an accident with the troops in the west, and all the magicians have been inexplicably wiped out before the war has started.

The accident at the front could not have come at a better time. This is a catalyst for which he must prepare for the imminent political storm between the DPRK and China. He was now half happy and half worried.

He had anticipated the defeat of the Western armies, and he had foreseen all the variables behind it when Cedros asked him for help. As soon as the city of Ofu is established, it will be a rare opportunity for military ministers who are eager for military merit, and they will definitely go to war. But General Sanders will never be the opponent of Cedros and Gru, and setbacks are inevitable, at this time, the Ernie family will naturally seize the handle and want to use their own people to sit in the position of this general, but the military will naturally not easily agree. At this time, his daughter's marriage had already made him a member of the family, and since he was the Minister of War, this delicate position would immediately have a magical effect. So all the plans that had been in the works for a long time were about to come to a good climactic end, so even if he was so calculating, he couldn't help but be a little happy.

But there are still unexpected factors that worry him. Sadly, there is an important object that he has not reached. Although this person has no intention of wanting to add to this political muddy water, if the things in his hands leak out, he can throw himself into the eighteenth layer of hell at any time and never turn over. Even if it's only a 1 in 10,000 chance, it's too dangerous. However, the existence of this danger does not dare to be eliminated by forced and direct methods. This person is the most difficult object that the Duke has ever met, and he is completely unable to enter the position of money, power, and power, and even uses such a trump card as affection, but it is still difficult to work.

Now the Duke is thinking almost all the time about how to deal with this man, and as long as he is dealt with, everything is perfect.

The duke's deputy, Knight Clauvis, was on the side, sorting through the documents that had been sent. Although he is going to get married tomorrow, he doesn't see any fluctuations on his face as always, and he is still focusing on these official matters. In fact, in the final analysis, this marriage is just a 'business matter'.

A man dressed as a priest hurried into the study. This is a 'sentry' that the Duke has installed at the Academy of Magic. Every institution and the minister's palace in the royal capital have this kind of person arranged by the duke, as long as there is any abnormal movement, the duke can immediately get the news and respond as soon as possible.

The Duke is well aware that intelligence is always paramount on the battlefield. And officialdom is also a battlefield, and it is a more esoteric, weirder, more technical and even artistic battlefield.

This sentry brought valuable news. The Prime Minister went to the Academy of Magic this morning to ask the Bishop to appoint his son as the priest to be sent to the battlefield this time, but the Bishop later consulted with several of the archpriests to appoint another person.

The Duke smiled slightly. According to the news from the West, the prime minister's eldest son has killed hundreds of magicians, and it is inevitable that he will hit a wall this time. He asked, "Who is that alternate? is it the son of which minister?" and is it from the military?"

"It seems that he is not the son of the ministers of the court, it is a strange name.... Well...," the agent frowned in thought. "It's like it's called.... Asa. ”

Clauvis, who was next to him, immediately frowned. In his unique memory, there were only titles of power and power, but this name was an exception, and the name of the lowly untouchables he hated the most was able to make him remember. This reality has always annoyed him. Now I hear the name again. The point is that the name has been linked to the power of power, and has to take a place in his noble memory space. He felt as sick as having to eat a cockroach.

But when the duke heard the name, he immediately slapped the table and shouted, "Good." Not only did he shout, but even the expression on his face seemed to spell out the word 'good'.

The Duke waved his hand and let the spy return to his work. He saw Crowvis's puzzled eyes, smiled slightly, and said, "Do you know the story of slow-cooking frogs?"

"I don't know. Clauvis never knew the story, and he waited for the Duke to explain.

"When a frog is suddenly thrown into a pot of boiling water, it immediately jumps out in pain. But then it fell into a pot of cold water, and the water was cold, but the fire below was slowly burning. The water also slowly warmed up, so the frog was unknowingly cooked in the pot. The Duke smiled deliciously. "As long as you're willing to cook, isn't that easy?" he waved like a chef. "Go and prepare at once a most beautiful and valuable sticker, engraved with gold leaf. Then let someone send it to the incoming priest. Be sure to invite him to the wedding tomorrow. ”

Overly intoxicated with smugness, the Duke did not notice the unhappiness on Clauvis's face.

The next day, the long-awaited wedding of almost all the people in the royal capital finally took place.

The groom is the noble son of the Erni family, recognized as the first knight of the royal capital, the captain of the Holy Knights, and the disciple of the head of Roland. The bride is the daughter of Duke Mrak, the Minister of War, and the duke's career is in full swing. This is really a good marriage. The military and the Ernie family, both of whom are in the same position in the DPRK, are happy about this marriage, and they are both thinking about the upcoming benefits of their own people being integrated into the other party's forces.

And for those civilians who waited to see the excitement, the grandeur of this wedding did not disappoint. Dozens of knights of honor escorted a snow-white carriage to the magic doorway, a wide carpet of bright red stretching from here to the entrance of the cathedral, lined with children holding flower baskets.

When the newcomer stepped out of the carriage, everyone couldn't help but let out a burst of admiration.

The groom is tall and handsome, with blonde hair and knight armor on his body, exuding charm and brilliance like the legendary Sun Prince. The bride is dressed in a snow-white wedding dress, and the light veil on her head cannot hide her picturesque eyebrows and black hair like ink, and the elegant and self-contained temperament she exudes when she raises her hands and feet makes the audience even more fascinated.

As the couple walked up the red carpet and walked towards the sacred hall, hundreds of young children around the carpet grabbed the petals prepared in the basket and threw them into the sky, and the solemn wedding sonata began to sound from the hands of the royal band. For a while, the sky was full, and the music was like a tide.

But in the center of this joy and festivity, everyone in the vicinity of the couple can feel a trace of incongruous coldness.

Crowis tried to keep a smile on his lips, though he couldn't find even a reason to laugh in his heart. It's work, it's part of the job, it's an essential procedure, and if you stick to it for a few more hours, you can be freed, he kept telling himself. Through the armor, he could feel the softness of the other hand holding his arm, but Clauvis would rather hang a piece of wood from his own hand than the woman who didn't take him seriously from the bottom of her heart.

Xiao Yi only felt that he was holding a piece of wood. Looking at the petals flying all over the sky for her, listening to the music and cheers for her, there was a dead silence in my heart.

The priests stood neatly on both sides of the cathedral to bless the couple, and the high priest stood on the altar smiling and waiting to officiate at the grand wedding.

I don't see the Bishop. I guess I'm discussing their affairs with him. Xiao Yi recalled the conversation with the bishop that night.

In front of Bishop Ronis, she didn't dare to hide it in the slightest, and told herself and him that she wanted to fly away.

"Didn't you promise that your teacher, Cedros, would come back obediently to fulfill the marriage contract?" the bishop smiled, not blaming, but Xiao Yi blushed.

"I know. For young people, feelings are indeed the most beautiful, and there is nothing to give up. You're not wrong..... But you can't do that. Do you know what will happen if you escape, and your father's imminent military power may be hopeless. Whether it is the military or the people of the Erni family who have obtained military power, what will follow will be a great war between the empire and Ofu. Even if we can reconcile in the end, tens of thousands of soldiers will be killed, and the Empire and Oufu will have a grudge from now on, which will not benefit anyone. ”

Xiao Yi bit her lip and replied in a gloomy whisper, "Yes." ”

"And you shouldn't go to him, even if it's for his sake. Bishop Ronis's voice was gentle and kind, but there was no room for manoeuvre. "There are many important responsibilities that are about to be weighed on his shoulders, and there are also very great prospects waiting for him, if you go away with him now, his great material and beauty may be ruined in the personal affairs of his children. I'll tell you......"

After listening to Bishop Ronis's words, Xiao Yi was silent for a long time, and finally bowed her head and replied: "I understand. I can't delay him..."She looked up one last time at the big house that was already looming to the west, and turned to walk towards the Duke's Palace.

Bishop Ronis sighed as he looked at Xiao Yi's back hidden in the darkness, turned around and originally wanted to continue walking towards the big house, but after thinking about it, he turned back to the Academy of Magic.

“.... Will you marry the man next to you, and promise to do so for the rest of your life?" the voice of the Grand Priest pulled Xiao Yi's thoughts back to the cathedral, and the host's ugly face tried to make a look of divine love and asked her.

What is he busy with now? He is working hard to prepare for that great future. Xiao Yi was in a trance for a moment, and replied softly: "I am willing." ”

As soon as his words fell, the surrounding guests cheered. She turned her head to look at the hundreds of people cheering for her words in the church, and felt a cold blankness and loneliness.

Asa was now alone in the big room, looking at the corpses around him. The invitation note given to him by Duke Mrak had already been crumpled and thrown in the corner.

With a stroke of the bishop's pen, he quickly had a degree that he had been studying at the Academy of Magic for many years. The three high priests unanimously agreed that he had excellent grades and outstanding abilities, and was very suitable for the position of priest. And he has been diligently guiding the deceased in the warehouse where the corpses are placed in the Academy of Magic, which is a manifestation of faith and piety.

Sandru spat exaggeratedly when he heard this comment. But now he didn't know where the old man had gone, and Asa couldn't find anyone to talk to.

He and the man who missed him not far away felt dazed and lonely almost at the same time.

At this time, in Bishop Ronis's bedroom, another part of the Academy of Magic, Sandru was drinking tea with him.

"It's probably going to be a rare opportunity like this in the future, I'll be very busy. You know, there's so much behind-the-scenes work that goes into propping up a hero. The Bishop took a sip of tea listening to the faint noise and music outside. "But luckily it's off to a good start. ”

"Are you really going to ask that kid to do something big?" Sandru, who hadn't spoken much, said with a sudden frown. "Don't you think it's too hard for a strong man? That kid is obviously not the material for this. ”

"I'm going to nurture him slowly. Bishop Ronis smiled.

"Not the problem. Don't you think his personality is not suitable for anything big at all?"

"I knew, so I didn't tell him the truth of the matter, let him slowly start with the small things on his own, and slowly get used to it. ”

Sandru let out a long sigh and said slowly, "It's hard to change your nature." Don't you think it's too awkward to turn a bird that used to soar into a lion? That kid must be very unaccustomed to it, and probably never will get used to it. ”

"But I don't have a choice. Bishop Ronis's expression darkened. "Don't you approve of what I'm doing?"

"I don't know. I'm just an old man guarding corpses. Whether it's you or her, and whatever big things you do, I'm not going to interfere. ”