"Hmm...... You just want to talk to us about this, right? Lily glared at him, "We don't care what happens to him!" ”

Pfister picked the corners of his mouth, and it looked like he had already guessed her reaction, "Well, there's one more thing you're probably concerned about." Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info Vanka - the wizard who made Alphons, just happened to be here, would you like to meet him? ”

A mixture of nervousness and excitement suddenly grabbed her. The mercenary covered her chest with her palms, feeling the warmth coming from there.

"Stupid, of course!"

She followed Pfister through the flow of people, up the rocky stairs, to the upper level of the fortress. At night, the interior of the volcanic castle was still brightly lit, and some kind of hedron replaced the illuminated torch made by magic, embedded in the metal lampposts on both sides of the road, emitting a soft red glow.

There are still many unclosed pavements on both sides of the road, and the people of Peron are far more enthusiastic about nightlife than the Al Na, even a little more than the Kamals. The loud voices of the drinkers, the shouts of the hawkers selling baked goods along the streets, and the clanging of blacksmiths striking metal all merge into a symphony that belongs to the fortress.

The two of them continued on their way, gradually leaving behind the noise around them. The uppermost level of the fort is an open-air platform, and because of the higher altitude, the fog is thin, and the stars seem to be brighter than on the plains. An old man in a gray robe was standing in the center of the platform, looking up at the countless stars in the sky. The bitter mountain breeze ruffled his robes and white hair, bringing a biting chill that he didn't seem to notice.

Lily gets closer and sees the legendary wizard for the first time. The old man was taller than expected, and his body under his robes was much stronger than Lily had thought, and he looked less like a wizard and closer to a warrior.

He turned his head slowly, his eyes looking at Lily's face. The old man's face was peaceful, neither as kind as in fairy tales, nor as serious as some rumors. From that pair of indifferent pupils, I can't see the look of the "madman" who belongs to the legend of the past.

"Lily." The old wizard spoke slowly, "Alphonse...... It should have helped you somewhat, didn't it? ”

"Of course!" Lily immediately replied, "He's one of my best companions...... No, it's no problem to remove one of them! So you ...... Can you restore it to its original state? ”

Vanka's eyes were half-closed, as if she was thinking about something. Lily felt as if the old wizard wanted to ask her something, but didn't.

"Naturally." After a few moments, Vanka replied in a low voice, "For you now, Alphons's original strength may be a little insufficient. I can help you recreate a more powerful body, of course...... He will still retain his original memories. ”

A more powerful protector? It sounded good, but in a sense, it didn't seem like what she wanted. Lily was silent for a few seconds, asking the question she had been asking all along.

"Mr. Vanka. Do you think that the machine man has a human heart? When he protects us, is it out of obedience to orders, or is it ...... Do you really care about us? ”

"What to say...... Maybe there is, maybe not. In my opinion, the organ-man also has thoughts, wisdom, and feelings, but the pattern is different from that of humans. Vanka stroked his chin slowly, his expression thoughtful, "Everything depends on each person's own judgment, and it should be so." ”

"Uh-huh...... I see. The mercenary nodded, making up her mind, "Then Mr. Vanka, please make him look closer to a human?" ”

"A mechanical man who is more like a human than a more powerful guardian - that's your choice, isn't it?" The old wizard raised his eyelids, stared into her eyes, and asked slowly and in a low voice.

"Of course. Let others protect us, fight for our lives or something, we don't need it! The mercenary patted her chest and repeated her promise, "We're going to be strong enough to protect everyone around us from harm—after all, we're nature's sages, Lord September!" ”

"Then as you wish, Lord September." The old wizard replied in a low voice, not mocking, but with a little relief, "Probably...... That's what I'm able to do at the moment. ”

He turned, slowly stepped off the platform, and walked down the stairs of the stone slabs. Lily wanted to ask something, but she looked at the old man's lonely back and dismissed the idea.

Now is not the time, she said to herself, but there will be a day.

……

A week later, on the sixty-fifth day of the winter month.

Lily sat in her inn room, looking through a few books and biographies of the Perons with some boredom. She intended to find some records of human interactions with her own kind, but all she could find was a story that could be seen through at a glance, or a completely unknown legend.

Bell was not with her, and he finally returned to his so-called hometown, already immersed in barbecue and ale. The enthusiastic Peronites treated their own people who had grown up outside of their homeland equally, and Bell's strong stature, and his half-truths, well, now more than half real adventures, attracted the reverence of many young men and women. Bell was pleased with the situation, and planned to return to settle down when the adventure was over.

"That's what ...... Hiccup, the feeling of home. "In the words of the Perons themselves, that's probably what it looks like.

Pfister crossed the Iron Ridge Mountains and continued to guide the people of Elders westward. It was clear that the volcanic fort could not accommodate millions of people for a long time, and the Elna people eventually settled on the vast, fertile plains on the west side of the mountain. The Beronians used to grow some barley on it to make scones or make ale, but they didn't mind the Elna people sharing the land. After all, most people know that the people of Erna have a good understanding of nature and can live in harmony with most animals and plants.

In fact, when it comes to farming alone, she is better at it than the Elna people. She can cut the growth cycle of crops in half without causing damage to the land. It's just that before Alphonse returns, she is not in the mood to do such "superfluous" things.

There was a soft knock on the door, and a familiar and somewhat unfamiliar voice passed through the door with a hint of hesitation.

"May I come in, Lilianor."

Lily jumped up from the bed and tore open the door to her room. Outside the door stood a young man who was not very outstanding, and his expression was slightly ignorant, but which made her feel inexplicably familiar and kind. He raised his hand and scratched his head, as if he wasn't used to the short brown hair.

"Well, uh......" he hesitated, "you probably don't recognize me, Lilianor, I'm ......"

"A-your, you big idiot!" Lily interrupted him, dragged him into the room by the arm, and led the door to the door, "How can we not recognize you?" You know, even if you burn you to ashes, grind them into powder, and make them into sauces, we can taste you in one bite! ”