XXI

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On the morning of August 9, 1666 (MDay+130), St. Grace's Welfare House

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"I wonder how many years after the magic of traveling through time was completed?"

She heard him ask that question.

"How long after you have come, Annie?"

Anne's breathing stopped. She realized that even she had unwittingly underestimated the inconspicuous young man in front of her—she knew the history of the future!

Achievements are usually the sum of ability and luck.

Frankly, if you're lucky, it's not that hard to become the ruler of a country.

A god who is favored by the current ruler, a mid-ranking officer who has succeeded in speculation, a young and charismatic interracial reformer, and an heir to a distant branch of the royal family......

There are so many ways to become the ruler of a country, and the vast majority of them don't require much personal ability, only luck.

But to be the recognized long-term ruler of a great power is a different story.

In the history that Anne knew, Naymen Soleton would receive the royal surname and become the prime minister of the Holy Corman Empire later in the century, in that magnificent era.

He will spend nearly a hundred years establishing the "peace under Kirman" and another hundred years proving that this peace is worthwhile.

All other people who hold this position will be referred to as "current Prime Minister", "former Prime Minister", or have the suffix "Prime Minister" after their name, and to call Namen Hugh Kerman, one needs only call him "Imperial Prime Minister" or even "Prime Minister". Until twenty years after his death, people still refer to him as prime minister, including young people born in the post-war peace years. Every reichist, even many foreigners, believed that the immortal prime minister would eventually return somewhere and regain control of the world.

But no one can say that the 200-year reign of Namen Hugh Korman was a dictatorship.

As the root of the position suggests, Namen Hugh Kerman was the hand of the Emperor and existed only for the peace and interests of the empire and the whole world.

He doesn't seem to be in a position of power, he has resigned more than 20 times in the imperial political arena, and he seems to be very approachable, and anyone can come to the door to refute him, even if it is just an ordinary imperial subject.

But future history will tell you that whenever the Empire really needs to summon its prime minister, no one can make any other choice. Even his political opponents will be amazed by his flamboyant and above board strategy – not even a conspiracy, because everyone can clearly see the prime minister's reasons, choices and decisions, and admire the art of politics that defy all pressures.

In terms of improvisation and adaptation, if the prime minister says he is not good at it, no one in the world dares to say that he is better at it. He is so adept at reshaping the situation that all of his enemies unanimously admit that as long as he is there, the Holy Coman Empire cannot be defeated.

Under his rule, the empire can requisition and absorb everything it can find, men, women, old people, children, dead and alive, to sustain the future of the empire.

The Prime Minister of the Reich never played with intrigues, he just observed, analyzed, and then acted on the situation, drawing his sword and cutting through all the mess. It was a famous sword hidden deep in an ancient scabbard, blunt and simple on the outside, but the blade was as sharp as the wind.

Anne almost wanted to get under the bed and dig a hole underneath it.

"I should have known. I should have known, he would find out about that. To the average man, it was a conjecture, but to him it was the deepest doubt left after all other possibilities had been removed. ”

After a long silence, Anne finally decided on the answer.

So she replied cheerfully, "You found out." I don't have to ask why, and there is no point in hiding it. ”

For some reason, after making this decision, she felt a sense of relief.

"I am indeed a magician of the future, using magic that has not yet been completed in this era. ”

Her answer was so refreshing and clear that Naimon, who was still thinking about how to ask further, didn't know how to answer for a while. All the lines he prepared seemed to be useless, and he could only say "uh-huh" twice to show that he understood.

Anne raised her right hand and counted with her fingers bent: "As for the time, one hundred, two hundred...... If you don't count a fraction, two hundred and thirty years. ”

In a sense, that's a staggering long number.

"Two hundred and thirty years. What kind of future is that?"

Namen Soleton straightened up, took a step to the side, and staggered to the edge of the bed.

Two hundred and thirty years. What kind of concept is this? His current life can be repeated thirteen times and a fraction of a fraction, and ordinary people can pass on their family business to great-

Two hundred and thirty years later, in the fifteenth century, Lenny was still the territory of the Corman Empire, and there was not even a single republic in the world, nor a single musket. Noble knights on tall horses and their sorcerer advisors weave from one towering castle to another, discussing dragon-slaying and other feats.

Anne, who mistakenly thought he was asking a question, replied: "It is difficult to describe my time in a language that you can understand, because many words have not yet appeared in this era, just as it is difficult to explain what 'joint-stock company', 'army officer' and 'artillery' are if you go back to the fifteenth century." ”

"Two hundred and thirty years. Naimon repeated, his voice still very low, "Then you haven't actually completed the magic of time travel, Anne?"

Anne nodded, "That's right. Even after another two hundred and thirty years, we still haven't completed the magic that would allow us to travel through time and space stably. How do you know that?"

Naimon smiled bitterly: "Two hundred and thirty years is too long. If it were me, I would probably have chosen a more recent date than a distant 1400 year. I didn't know anyone two centuries ago. It was an accident of a magic experiment, right?"

"It was an accident, but it wasn't an accident. At least, this time is my choice. Anne smiled, "I'm not alone or unknown in this day and age. ”

With a slightly mocking tone, Naimon corrected the mistake in his previous sentence: "If it is 'knowing' in a broad sense, I would also 'know' some big people in 1400. ”

Anne shook her head: "It's not this kind of 'knowing'. The man I knew, lived to my time. ”

"Lived for two centuries, oh my God, how much material and magic it would take!"

Naimon mentally calculated the theoretical value and came up with an unbearable astronomical number. Replacing the body and prolonging youth are both spells that accumulate in difficulty gradually, and can only be accomplished by the most determined users of top-tier spells, not to mention the various diseases that accumulate in each body.

"That must be a great man, an ordinary ninth-rank mage would already feel exhausted if he could live to be eighty or ninety years old...... Or has your time come a long way?"

"In my time, everyone had access to magical education. But the standards of top mages have also improved with progress, while resources are still very scarce. It is true that the average life expectancy has increased by a factor of two, but even then, few magicians choose to live past a hundred years. Anne replied slowly, "Your guess is correct. That man was at the center of the next two hundred years of history, and he would change the world forever. I was looking for him, and it was this idea that chose this era for me. In retrospect, it was a difficult search. ”

Naimon listened to Anne's story, looking at her solemn and calm expression, almost fascinated.

He searched his memories to make sure he had never seen Anne's expression.

On weekdays, Anne always wears a variety of smiles and works hard to stir up the atmosphere on various occasions. A giggle that pretends to get through when you accidentally make a mistake, a laugh caused by a gag in a serious conversation, a smile that looks crazy when you use magic in the middle of the battlefield, and a frowning smile when you get angry...... Even when she was expressionless, she looked like she was waiting for something with a smile.

Naimon suddenly understood what this expression that attracted him was-

This expression is Anne Sefir's "sadness". She was someone who would deliberately avoid grief in front of others, so he didn't recognize the expression.

The cause of this sorrow could not be more obvious.

She has done so much for Naimon and the armies of the Free Nation, and even gave her life as the strongest magician in the world, but she has not been able to fulfill her wish. The war has hindered her quest, and she may never be able to fulfill her wish again.

It only took a moment for Naimon to come up with many, many comforting words, but he felt that no matter which one was not suitable to say. There is no single sentence that can not be hypocritical in the face of such a situation.

Finally, Naimon sighed and moved in Anne's direction, quietly taking her right hand. Anne was stunned for a moment, and reflexively shook her right hand twice, but immediately calmed down and acquiesced to his movements.

"If appropriate, tell me who you want to find and what you want him to do. No matter what you want to change history, I will always be on your side. ”

Anne shook her head lightly and laughed again.

"No need. There is no longer any need for this. I've found my purpose. ”

For some reason, Naimon felt that this smile was still a "sad smile". He felt that it was just a lie she had told to comfort him, but he didn't have the courage to expose her.

"I can understand that. It would be nice if there was no war. He thought for a moment and said, "If only the person you were looking for was me......

Hearing his words, the expression on Anne's face gradually changed from a "sad smile" to an "irrepressible low smile". Anne seemed to be trying her best to hold back her laughter, tapping the fingers of her right hand in his palm.

That's it. Anne held back a smile and said, "That's right, that person is you." ”

After a moment of silence, Naimon laughed dryly, "This shouldn't be a joke to liven up the atmosphere, is it?"

"Of course not. Anne turned back to her serious expression and said word for word, "You're the big guy, Naymen Soleton." ”

This sentence doesn't sound very practical, but Anne's following additions make it sound much more real.

"I can tell you the history as I know it, but I don't know what will happen when you know your future. I've made a choice, but you should have your own choice. Do you really want to know your future, Namen?"

This sentence doesn't sound like a joke by any means. At least, it doesn't sound like the trick of the three-legged cats on the side of the road who play with crystal balls. Naimon was a little moved - knowing the future, even if only partially, is undoubtedly a powerful force.

"The future. I have only one question. Is the future a definite fate?"

"You really think about it. Anne's answer was clear, "Of course not!"

Naimon asked with a little surprise: "Since there is no fate, then there is no need for me to choose, right? ”

Anne shook her head and corrected, "Not necessarily. There is no such thing as fate, but there is a 'fate' – I personally call it 'the elasticity of history'. The presuppositions and inertia of history do not change, and it stubbornly bounces back the forces you exert on it in unexpected places. Until now, I'm not sure that history will stubbornly return to the future track I know it took. I know for sure of only one thing: fate doesn't exist. The human will can change the world to a certain extent. Knowing your future isn't necessarily a good thing, it can affect your choices and maybe even put you under control of it. Even so, do you want to know the future?"

Naimon immediately understood what the risks Annie was talking about.

If, as Anne says, he had a chance to become a big man, all his future actions would have been tempted by this goal. But because fate doesn't exist, he's likely to end up losing—and the pain he's going to experience is much stronger then than when he didn't know the future. Many people regret the choices they have made in their lives – if someone comes back from the future and tells him, "You could have made a better choice, because that's the way I know history," the pain is certainly tenfold, a hundredfold magnified.

If it was Naimon the day before yesterday, he might have refused to bear this pain. He didn't seriously think that he would become a great magician, and the idea was as unrealistic as that of an ordinary person in the industrial age who seriously considered himself to become a tycoon.

But now Naimon will not turn down this opportunity. He needs strength.

No matter what it takes, he needs strength.

"Well, I want to know. I want to know what kind of person I will be in your history. ”

The corners of Anne's mouth lifted upwards into a relaxed smile—like she knew he would do so. It's like she's been waiting for this moment for a long, long time.

"I bet you would never guess what kind of big shot you're going to become. ”

Naimon shook his head in disbelief: "A great magician who is more than two hundred years old, even if he becomes the overlord of the world, it is not surprising. Do you have a more peculiar future?"

"History is always more bizarre than stories. ”

Anne confidently said the answer.

"You will get the emperor's surname and become the prime minister of the empire. ”

Naimon froze, stammering and confirming, "Empire, are you talking about the 'Holy Korman Empire', Annie?"

Anne's eyes became ethereal, casting her way into the infinite distance, into the future she remembered.

"It's 'that' empire, and you're going to be called Namen Hugh Kirman. That was about twenty years later...... Less than forty years old, Namen Hugh Kerman became the Reich's Prime Minister in 1688. That year he commanded the royal family and the Allied forces of the Far East, recovering the Deres from the noble armies and reuniting the divided empire......"

"Wait a minute, is the Empress Olya?" asked Naimon, who couldn't help the doubts in his heart.

"yes. Gustav didn't have a daughter—and even if he had, his daughter wouldn't be enough to be crowned twenty years later. Anne glanced at him strangely, "What, there's a problem?"

"Uh...... No. Please continue. ”

Naimon thought about it for a moment and decided not to associate this memory of himself with his Hugh Kirman surname.

Anne returned to her memories, recounting the old stories recorded in the history books in a voice that was almost whispered in her ear. Her statements skip the dazzling military and political actions in between, and show the causes and consequences of everything.

"The new empire you are about to build is destined to be the greatest achievement of our time, and it will create at least two hundred years of splendour. In this era, there was no universal education, no social security, and it was the empire that created all this. There has never been a guarantee that a country that calls itself a republic will be better than a country that calls itself an empire, that elected bureaucrats will be better than servants of the emperor, that tycoons and politicians will be better than clean officials and loyal ministers......"

It was supposed to be a long tale of despair, triumph, glory and decline, written in rhyming narrative poetry. In fact, it's a boring historical chronology, with a sentimentally clean narrative style.

She tells about the stalemate, defeat, debts and ensuing crisis of domination of the empire in this war, about the rebellion of the nobles, about the death of Gustav and his heiress.

She tells of the empress appointing a man who led a number of eastern mercenaries as her prime minister, and of the wars, domination, and fears he brings.

She talked about the signing of the Imperial Charter and the coronation of the Empress in Teresa, about the colonial wars and the opening of the global trade routes, about the prosperity and bubbles of the Eastern Route Company, about the crisis in the Far East and the establishment of the Great Wall of Broken Frontiers.

She spoke of the signing of the "Figota-New Commania Peace Treaty", of the long period of industrialization and the Kirman Peace, and of the revolution and independence of the republics and colonies.

She talks about education and the explosion of magic users, the economic depression and the diplomatic reversal that led to the eventual end of the Gilded Age of Continental Wars......

Before you know it, a long time has passed.

Before she knew it, she and he were lying flat on the same bed, looking at the ceiling together, his left hand and her right hand clasped tightly.

In the middle of this story, the Liberty Bell rings three times, and Lennie's ground shakes twice, and Naimon presumably has some mages like him studying how to use spells in a magic web environment. The roof of his broken bungalow had also cracked, and two or three points of daylight penetrated through the small holes where the cracks gathered.

He sat beside her, holding her right hand, listening to the story of the future, ready to deal with all kinds of accidents.

But none of this will affect the progress of this long story.

“...... Three years after the death of the Prime Minister, the Deresan junta surrendered. Kirman was re-divided into an independent state without threat, and its capital became the only neutral free city in the world, which was my hometown. This is the end of the 'era of prime ministers'. ”

Anne fell silent and licked her lips as Naimon hurriedly passed the glass to her lips.

After drinking the water, the blonde girl let out a long sigh, closed her eyes, and stopped talking for a long time.

Naimon put the water cup back on the table, and used a water-making technique to refill the water cup: "Is this the end? I thought you would tell me how you and the future me met." ”

Hearing this, Anne suddenly withdrew her hand from his palm, propped up the bed board, and deliberately turned her face to the inside of the bed, avoiding Naimen's gaze. She held her breath, not wanting Naimon to see the shyness on her face.

"No...... Actually, this is not the end. My history is over here, but your future is not. ”

She said with her eyes closed, her tone sounding unusually low.

"Then, I went back to this era and changed your destiny without permission. You were supposed to go to the Empire. The Empress will not appoint a stranger as his prime minister, the nobles will not surrender in front of a stranger's flag, and the Empire will not accept a charter drafted by an alien adventurer......"

Anne swallowed her emotions and uttered the apology. As she said these words, she kept her eyes closed, not daring to look at his expression.

"And I changed that. I'm sorry. ”

This apology has been lingering in Anne's heart for a long time.

She already knew that he was the same person as him. She already knew that fate could be changed. She doesn't care how much power she's put into fighting fate - but she still feels that she might have wiped out the future of "Namen Hugh Kirman".

"So what?" Naimon gently grabbed her hand again, "I don't see anything to apologize for. ”

And so he replied. Anne had already guessed that he would answer like this, she just didn't know how he would dissolve her.

"I fought for my country because my past experiences made me decide. If I am going to be Prime Minister of the Empire in the future, it is because the future will make me decide that way. It's not because you changed your fate, Anne, but because that's my choice. Fate doesn't exist, and it's not your responsibility, Anne. ”

She struggled harder twice, but this time Naimon's hand was more forceful, and he clasped her wrist tightly. This level of grip strength wasn't enough to hurt her, but it was enough to keep her arm-only from breaking out on her own.

"If you really can't find the road, you can go to the Empire. There, you have the opportunity to become the prime minister of the empire, as well as the de facto ruler of the entire civilized world. Anne had to emphasize again, "You may not understand it now, but I must tell you this way! I don't want to ruin your future. ”

"Thank you, I'll remember. It's just that I'm more concerned about another issue......"

Naimon smiled perfunctorily and asked a completely unrelated question.

"Annie, you just said that Teran is your hometown. That is to say, you in the future are an imperial person. Why did you choose to come to our southern countries and make your future homeland hostile, and why would you want to change this destiny so much?"

Anne was stunned. This question was the first time she had heard it, and it was the first time she had thought about it.

Why on earth would she want to go back to this era to change the fate of "Namen Hugh Kirman"?

She used to have a lot of reasons. She wanted to find the man who had disappeared. She wanted to know about his youth. She wanted to test his abilities and courage. She wanted to protect him on this dangerous battlefield. She wanted to create memories with him.

Neither.

Although it was the first time Anne had heard this question, she suddenly realized that all the answers had already been lying in the softest place in the depths of her heart-

They had been waiting there for a long time, just silently waiting for the opportunity to be spoken.

"You might think that I had traveled back in time to be the enemy of Kirman and his rulers...... No. I love my country, and I love its prime minister as well. The Holy Koman Empire brought progress, security, peace, knowledge, and technology to the world. Even his enemies cannot negate his contributions. ”

Anne used the juxtaposition to quietly avoid the slight difference in meaning between the two loves, but Naimon heard the subtle difference in tone. He smiled with mixed emotions and swallowed his saliva.

However, the Holy Korman Empire ultimately failed. While creating glory and splendor, that huge organizational machine gradually rusted and aged. It was so powerful and powerful that it continued the war for another three years after the death of its controller and designer, but it failed, along with all its citizens. I later found out that it was inevitable. ”

"Inevitably? why?" asked Naimon curiously, "because it's an evil dictatorship?"

"It's not. The Holy Korman Empire has a charter, elections, a bureaucracy, and an imperial councillor who administers justice, executive judges, and knights of the protector. This organization is also designed to be 'rewarding and punishing'. Promote outstanding members and punish those who do not perform well. It was a progressive machine full of efficiency. ”

"Was?"

"There is a paradox that any organization faces. Every organization needs to replace members, and those who perform well are promoted – until they are promoted to positions where they can no longer perform well. As long as the organization runs long enough, this will inevitably lead to a tragic result. ”

Naimon thought for a moment and came up with a conclusion: "As long as it is long enough, all positions will be occupied by mediocre or even incompetent people." ”

"But it's hard to change this huge machine. It can only find ways to change the organizational structure and selection criteria to adapt to different situations. Regrettably, whether the selection criteria are talent or loyalty, corruption or brutality, the result is the same. If you use corruption as a standard, the organization will end up full of people who can't even be corrupt and greedy, and if you use brutality as a standard, it will end up full of people who can't even do brutal repression. ”

Anne smiled wryly as she reflected on the history she had read later, and the difficult and painful memories of the war and the post-war reconstruction period flooded into her mind. She never mentioned these things, and she never wanted to mention them, but it was these experiences that shaped her now.

"No matter how many resources and ingenuity you fill in, you can't save an organization that has begun to devour everything. The new mechanisms that are put in place to solve problems will soon become new problems. One day, everyone will feel that they are full of mistakes, but they are powerless to correct them, or even know how to correct them. That was my homeland, the Holy Koman Empire at the end of the 19th century. That's the country you, Naymen Soletdon will build. Even the world's best spellcaster, the world's best scientists, and the world's most powerful war machine can't change its fate. In our time, that fate is called the Continental War. A tooth for a tooth, blood for a blood, everything will eventually be corrected, even overkill. ”

Anne, in turn, held Naimon's hand tightly. Even if it was just memories, those memories were enough to make her shiver.

"That's what I want to change. ”

The blonde girl's voice is flat, but it is full of suppressed passion.

"What I want to change is a system that burns human ingenuity, courage and lives at all costs to maintain a glossy façade and a hypocritical peace. It devours the entire nation's citizens, the brightest brains and the most heroic souls. It devours everything about you in the future, and everything about the people who love you and the people you love. ”

"In fact...... Even our republics are beginning to feel rust and corruption. "But is there really a way?"

Later generations of historians will always say that that is the wheel of fate, that is the page turned in the history books. These things cannot be changed. However, the mathematicians of our time have shown that in a chaotic system, a slight change in the starting conditions can cause a huge final difference. In other words...... Science has proven that there is no such thing as fate. ”

Anne closed her eyes and said her answer in the most bland tone.

"All I know is that I am the most powerful magician in the whole world. All I know is that I have not gone back in time to re-establish the Holy Koman Empire in this era. All I know is that the fact that I can meet you here is already an almost impossible miracle. If you could build a behemoth like the Holy Coman Empire alone...... The two of us should be able to do better. ”

When he heard this, Naymen Soleton felt very small. Although he said this from a young girl who had only one arm and torso left, lying on his bed like a broken doll, he felt that he was not worthy of her.

O gods. This is the real top magician.

"But how?"

"I don't know exactly how. But I believe that there is a way, there must be. If you admit in your heart that something can't be solved, then it really can't be solved. ”

Anne turned slowly, looking into Namen's eyes. Her aquamarine eyes were burning at the moment, glowing with a striking momentum and indescribable charm.

"The power we have will not be without purpose. The spiritual weapons that scholars have courageously developed over the past thousands of years will not be meaningless. It is the tool we use to change our fate! It is the weapon we use to break the chains of despair! If the node fails, then replace the node! If the organization decays, then destroy the organization! If the system is ineffective, then change the system! Because, because—"

The sentences were so long that Anne was a little out of breath. Naimon could feel that her virtual entrails seemed to be screaming. He gently stroked the cold waist of her tentacles, and listened to the calm voice speak her will.

"Because our belief is power! If reality does not match our ideals, then we will change reality!"

The will was so strong, so unshakable, that it was not at all like the words of a man who knew he was going to die. Not at all.

"Because we are users of magic, because we can change reality, these are, and can only be, our responsibilities. We're going to create a future that's better than everything you know, and even better than everything I know—"

The blonde girl suddenly froze at this future perfect tense, as if she had suddenly remembered something important. Some very important presuppositions that she had just forgotten.

"We're going to ......"

Anne repeated the tense, blood pouring out of nowhere into every capillary of her face, her cheeks turning dramatically red.

She flicked her only arm in a panic and tried to turn her back, but Naimon grabbed her and didn't let her out of sight.

Anne was even more anxious, and she slammed her broken arm on the bed in front of her, turning her back to Naimon. She didn't want him to see her expression.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but that's ...... Be...... By the way, an excerpt from the novel I wanted to write. After the previous novel, I think there's always a place to plug in. ”

Anne argued awkwardly, as if she didn't realize that the action meant that she had sent herself into the crook of his arm.

Konemen realized. His left hand was still clinging to her right hand.

His left arm was forcibly pulled by the movement she had just made, and he was pressed under him, even touching Annie's perfect pair of twin peaks. He could feel her body temperature, he could feel her heartbeat, not just the cold glass and the flow of magic.

Naimon didn't know that he would go down in history as the "commander of the best fighter hunters", but he could still feel his right hand trying to capture the precious plane. But another instinct told him it was a trap. It was a dangerous trap, and there were presuppositions in Anne's words that he didn't grasp. It's a dispute between the left and right brains – or the upper and lower bodies.

The young officer muttered in his mind, "This is not right to take advantage of the danger of others," but another voice repeated in his ear, "Perhaps there will never be a better opportunity than this, and now all lines of defense can fall apart." His right hand rose and fell beside the seam of his trousers, and two thoughts were at war in his mind.

But Naimon just squeezed out a sentence in the end: "Annie, I understand." I know that's what you really think. ”

Then the two fell silent.

Namen's right hand was finally lifted from the seam of his trousers, but it still hung in the air, never moving forward. That short distance weighed a thousand pounds, and it was as heavy as the whole history.

It's not that he doesn't like her. He is not a decent gentleman who does not want to take advantage. Of course, he is not one of those people who talks about "fighting is a man's business" or "I don't want to fight with women", and finds reasons to avoid women who are stronger than him.

However, the heaviness lingered. Until now, he hadn't fully believed Anne's story, but he couldn't find any reason to doubt it.

Naimon knew that he could get her if he reached out, but he also knew that it meant that he would take all of Anne's gifts and curses at the same time. What's even more terrifying is that he knows that as long as he says yes, he will definitely do it. Even if that responsibility will swallow up his poor little ability, or even the rest of his life.

He liked her, there was no doubt about it. But did he really love her enough to take on that responsibility? The distance between the two was too delicate for him to tell.

Of course, he could lie and comfort her, after all, it might be her last day......

But that's something Naymen Soleton would never do. Naimon is good at being flexible, but he also knows that as a magician, there are certain beliefs that he will definitely stick to to the end. Probably, the "Namen Hugh Kirman" in her story would have made the same choice.

The silence continued. Lennie's web still vibrates, and one shot of tentative magic hits the web, stirring up echo after echo. The bell rang wildly, the ground shook, but the air in the room was dead, and he and she could only feel each other's tense breathing and pulse.

Finally, it was Anne who broke the dead silence.

"Lenny can't hold it anymore, you can't wait here any longer, Naimon...... Chief Soleton. Today the parliament will surely pass an order to retreat, and it will take two or three days to withdraw across the Metbysi River. The Emperor will certainly recall his Northern Front Legion and regroup his return, and by that time...... And by that time......"

Naimon could make out the nasality in her voice. The nasal voice was well hidden, but he could still hear it. He noticed that she had quietly changed her name for him again.

"And by then, they will surely be able to grasp the laws of Lenny's net. There are a lot of people doing this now. So, until then, you must go to the council and get hold of the Lenny Army, at least the best part of the Lenny Army. I can give you some names if you need them. ”

Anne Sefir is dutifully playing her role as a man of the future. Naimon's gaze moved from her severed thighs to her back and waist, from her waist to her neck, resting on her pearl-like skin, watching the pent-up trembling. He could feel that those pent-up feelings were being conveyed through the magic web.

Naimon's hand unconsciously moved forward again, and then, stopped, again.

It's like the nerves in the upper arm no longer listen to him. These few minutes felt longer than the entire Battle of Steelburg and the Battle of Jena. If there was an enemy attacking, Naimon was confident that he could have reacted quickly and decisively, but now there is no enemy attacking......

Just as he was about to start praying, "Give me a pressure to make a choice," the floor of the room did begin to shake again. This time the vibration was louder and more violent than the previous ones, and Naimon could even see the magic nets that originally existed in the pale blue ether threads melted into the background color.

Anne sniffled vigorously and said in a tone of disbelief, "How can it be so fast? Someone has already mastered how to use the magic net?Even if the basic principle is the same, it is too exaggerated to experiment with the principle without any reference materials...... Newton wasn't Lenny, was Iona bastard? It couldn't be Huygens or Locke......"

As she was talking to herself, the house shook even harder, as if the epicenter was near them. Dust fell from the beams, and even the water glasses on the table began to slide.

At this moment, Naimon suddenly understood what Anne called "the elasticity of history". It always happens in unexpected places – like now. This invisible and intangible "elasticity" is forcing him to make a choice.

Perhaps everything she said was true.

Or hold her, or let go, there is no third way.

"If you think about it, it's not a choice at all. ”

Putting aside all scruples and worries, Naimon Soleton did not hesitate to reach out his right hand, which crossed over Anne's thin, lithe torso and hugged her body tightly.

The unprepared girl struggled in panic in front of this unexpected fierce hug, and patted Naimon's arm with her only hand: "Wait, wait, why is it ...... all of a sudden"

But Naimon doesn't have any intention of letting go. He has already made his choice.

"The hope you have is my hope. The future you want is my future. ”

He picked her up, lifted her body off the bed, and wrapped her in his arms, continuing to whisper in her ear about his commitment and responsibility.

"We'll go to the parliament building together, we'll go to Marshal Fox together. We will find competent pastors, and we will find a way to heal your body. As you said, we can't admit that one thing can't be solved – or it really can't be solved. ”

"Wait, wait......"

Hearing this, Anne blushed and shook her head vigorously, as if trying to deny something. Her hair was tickling against Namen's cheeks and chin. But he decided to ignore the signals.

"I'll be with you until the end of the story, no, even to the end. ”

Naimon hugged Anne tightly and jerked himself up from the bed.

"Because I like — no. I should probably say that I ......"

Naimon's voice suddenly stopped as if it had been cut off.

— for he had seen the cause of the great tremor just now.

Right in the middle of his room, there was a huge tunnel.

And next to the tunnel entrance, two uninvited spectators were looking at him and Anne in amazement. The four eyes were as big as silver coins, and the expressions on the faces of the two were very complex and wonderful.

Zart Fran, who was still wearing the uniform, pulled the corners of Sister Vilentina's mouth with both hands, preventing her from making a sound to disturb Namen and Anne. As the corners of her mouth were pulled, the nun, who had changed into civilian clothes, let out some inexplicable humming sounds, pointing at the two young men in front of her, her index finger shaking in the air.

Naimon's head was starting to hurt. He cast his gaze to the entrance of the tunnel, looking at the building that he didn't know anything about, even though it was in his room.

The walls of the entire corridor are paved with illuminated crystals, emitting a faint blue light. The staircase made of black sparkle leads to the depths, and all the building materials are studded with runes to prevent detection and block exits - the usual mage's secret base only serves as a guard at the entrance.

By any measure, the architectural standards of this secret base are outrageously luxurious. This is obviously not something he can afford, nor can a nun or a zarte afford. If Zart could afford to fix it, he wouldn't have to defect from the Empire at all, and if he had defected from the Empire in order to be able to afford it, the Empire would never let him go.

So there is only one suspect left.

"I—I've wanted to tell you for a long time...... I just didn't find the right opportunity. ”

Anne stumbled, tilting her head to the side. The blush of embarrassment on her face had long since reached the base of her ears, and even her white neck had become red.

"If I knew it was a trap, I should have eaten the bait just now. ”

Namen Soleton thought to himself, and began to wonder how to deal with the situation in front of him, which was still full of traps.

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