By the time Sean Tempble opened the door, the rest of the people in the meeting had arrived.

The granite fireplace glows with orange-yellow fire, casting warmth on the surrounding stone walls. As far back as I can remember, the lounge hall inside Holly Castle was like this. Whenever dinner had been served, the knights would go there in twos and threes, chatting, playing chess, or playing two innocuous bets around the warm round table.

He sighed imperceptibly, and walked through the small half-room, seated in a corner obscured by the shadows.

Bell seemed to be curled up in a soft chair and napping, and the boy named Elio was concentrating on the maintenance of his longsword. Elena stayed beside Grum, casting him a slightly worried look. Lily stopped whispering to Ann, turned her head, and raised her chin to stare at his face.

"I made a trip to the borders of the Empire and informed the knights of several manors and strongholds." Sean replied in a low voice, "They will come over one after another in the next two days, plus the knights who settled here before, there are almost two hundred people." ”

The mercenary grinned slightly, revealing a satisfied expression.

"It's a little bit more than we think. That's enough, probably, Ann? ”

The brown-haired girl didn't respond directly to Lily, but turned her face and bowed slightly to Sean.

"Captain Tamble, hard work." Her voice was soft, but full of confidence, "It just so happens that our investigation has a relatively clear result. ”

"Then the people are all together." The Beron man by the fireplace tapped the edge of the table with his knuckles, looking impatient. He wore a sophisticated red and black gown, a thick velvet cloak, and short leather boots; The long, reddish-brown hair is fluffy and supple, and it is clearly well cared for and cared for. "Now let's talk, Miss Explorer of the Empire. What did you find? ”

Sean recognized the man. Gemlin Rock Fire, the fifth grandson of King Mellon, is also a "witness" sent by the royal family. He had heard that the Five Kings had traveled south and applied to join the Arcane Federation, but had failed the test—an almost outlier among the usually stubborn, and somewhat xenophobic Berons.

But at least for him, it's a good thing.

"As you wish, Lord Gremlin." The girl replied calmly, "First of all, the cause of the recent death of these Beronns, whatever it may be, is hidden in the depths of the Grey Mountain Caves. ”

"Evidence." The Beron man stroked his long beard and glanced at Sean, intentionally or not, "If I'm not mistaken, there are two dead men who are neither miners nor have they been to any of the mines. ”

The braided traveling nun opened her cloth bag, took out a smaller package, and placed two large and small stones, one large and one small, dark and slightly rough, on the table.

"The jeweler bought a batch of gemstones, including this natural obsidian, from the miners, just two days before his death." She shook her head regretfully, pointing to another, smaller cobblestone, "And this is the innkeeper's relic, also from the Grey Mountain Caves. We managed to find its original owner, the miner who had gotten so drunk a week ago that he had accidentally left it at the hotel. ”

The mercenary picked up one of them, put it under her nose and sniffed it, looking at Sean with a smirk. The look like a hunting wolf made him vaguely aware of something-

"There's the smell of Mar on it, but it's almost gone." Lily grinned, revealing a pair of white tiger teeth, "To be more precise, it's Tiana's—even if we forget everything, we can't forget the smell?" ”

Sean stood up, almost forgetting where he was or the charges the Order was facing. He rushed to Lily in two steps, snatched the stone from her hand, and clutched it as if it were going to crush it.

"Mother...... You say mother, she's still alive!? ”

"We didn't say that." The mercenary snorted lightly and glared at him with a slight dissatisfaction, "As far as you are concerned, even if Tiana kills those people, it doesn't matter?" ”

This basin of cold water sobered Sean a little. After the Empire's invasion ended, Lily told him that "Mother" had fallen decades earlier, before she joined the Order. But if she's still alive......

And kill those Beronite. The Knights must be held accountable for this, and may even be expelled from the kingdom. Even so, as long as you think that "mother" is not dead, it may not be impossible to accept it-

Sean looked nervously at the kingdom's emissaries and saw another stone pass in their hands before it was slowly put back on the table. The two Belon wizards beside Gemlyn Rockfire looked at each other and shook their heads.

"I don't feel anything from this." The wizard, who looked older and more magical, spoke, "Even if what you say is true, why would those gods that the crows believe in kill our people?" ”

"It's not just the 'Lord of the Earth' of the Crows." Ann shook her head slightly, then looked at the other party, "The Berons also believed in Mar a long time ago, right?" ”

"This ...... That's right. But that was a long time ago — a long time ago. ”

The old wizard frowned, his words hesitant, "When I was born, the goddess had long since stopped answering our prayers. There have always been suspicions among us wizards that she is dead...... More than 200 years ago, with the gods of the Elna people. ”

The girl nodded lightly and gave the other an approving smile.

"You're pretty close to the truth, Lord Kalman." She said softly, "An accident two hundred years ago caused Alex Eda to fall and Tiana Marr was seriously injured. Decades ago, the Lich who caused the "Grey War", Femir Stark, managed to seize the position of "Lord of the Earth". We thought he had killed Tiana at that point - but now it seems that this was not the case. ”

"Wait a minute." The younger Beron wizard raised a hand and interrupted Ann's narration, "How can you be so clear? Even our royal wizards—"

"Because we've seen her. She's seen her too. ”

Lily puffed out her chest and raised the corners of her mouth, interrupting the other party in a categorical manner.

"Not long ago, we went back to a hundred years ago in history, and ...... Have you met with Tiana? She pursed her lips, as if remembering something unpleasant, "As for the latter part, it was Leonos, the Lord of Light, who told us personally that we had the privilege of visiting his house during the time of the Breeze Forest. ”

That sounds like an exaggeration. The mercenary may have been just talking about it—but somehow, he thought it was the truth. Sean quickly swept the faces of the others and saw that the emissaries of the kingdom looked serious or a little shocked, but did not show obvious suspicion.

But Lily still didn't seem satisfied. She turned half of her body and pointed the finger directly at him.

"Let's ask you. What is your 'mother' like? ”

Sean was stunned.

He didn't know what to answer for a moment. The "mother" in the doctrine is full of love for believers, but cold and harsh to enemies, as if it has been somewhat detached from human nature. Until the eve of his death, the chief priest Moore was convinced that the once kind "Mother" would never destroy the Order with her own hands; As for himself, there used to be a warm and warm breath at his daily vespers, which slowly soothed his consciousness and made him sleep all night.

If that breath wasn't just his hallucination, or had usurped and killed her 'enemies'...... The chief priest must be very happy.

Because of Mother, she never abandoned them.

"Probably good...... It's very gentle. Sean slowly lowered his head and said something he didn't dare to believe, "All the time...... Never...... Favored us ......"

"Hmph...... Let's see, she's a pretty bad-tempered guy. ”

Sean looked up in disbelief, but Lily ignored him.

"Lose her temper with those who ask her for help, and lash out at those who offend her. In order to achieve the goal, he doesn't care about the life or death of a few mortals. Or even kill all of them just because the Lord of Heaven created immortal humans and made her unhappy? ”

He opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to retort, but he didn't know where to speak. Fortunately, the mercenary exhaled, was silent for a few seconds, and then continued to speak again-

"But even if she's seriously wounded, when the Crow's station is attacked, she will protect those knights at all costs. And in our experience, no matter what it is, that guy sacrificed his life to save the ...... of the entire continent All humans. ”

The mercenary stopped talking and closed her eyes. Sean took a deep breath and burst into tears almost all at once.

He had never seen his mother in person, nor had he heard her voice. And the female mercenary's narration makes the image of 'her' concrete for the first time. She is no longer an omniscient and perfect deity, but a "human" with emotions and thoughts that have left real traces in the world.

"You...... Is that true? ”

"Yes. As proof of my reputation. ”

Ann's soft voice broke the silence, "I went through that history with Lily, and what she told was all the truth. Because of this, I don't believe that Tiana would have killed the Peronites for no reason, and I don't think you offended her. ”

"So what's going on?" With a cold face, Gremlin said angrily, "Is she crazy?" ”

To Sean's surprise, Ann nodded earnestly.

"That's the biggest possibility." "Fermir failed to kill Tiana—perhaps the Divine Envoy of the Dead had a way of preserving his life," she said. She picked up the cup on the table and took a sip, "But she's lost almost all of her strength, and most of her sanity. ”

"It's still a little wrong." The royal emissary raised his index finger and tapped the table again, "You just said that Fermir snatched the throne of the "Lord of the Earth" decades ago. So why, she didn't start going crazy until recently? ”

This time, the girl groaned for a while before she opened her mouth to give an answer.

"Probably because of the power of the Lord of Heaven, something happened."

This time, even Sean couldn't understand what Ann said at once, "God...... The Lord? ”

"Captain Tambur." Ann looked at him inquiringly, "Can you tell me how you felt when you prayed to 'Mother' earlier?" ”

He tried to recall what seemed like a long time ago, and then tried to describe it in words.

"I've never heard her voice clearly." Sean whispered, "I always feel it when I pray, there's a familiar ...... What, watching over me from afar. I think...... No, I believe, that's the 'mother'. ”

The girl nodded, opened the notebook in her arms, and stared at something she had written.

"Tiana's body is mixed with the parts that belong to Ada. Femir Stark neither needed nor could take advantage of those things. She survived with the remnants of power, whereas in the decades before, whenever the members of The Crows prayed, she had responded with little clarity by instinct or weak awareness. ”

Sean held his breath.

"Tiana has coexisted with the forces of the Lord of Heaven for more than a hundred years, and there is a fragile balance between them." Ann leaned back in his chair, "But the Lord of Heaven found a new successor a year ago, destroyed Holly Castle, created a large number of undead creatures, and then led the Empire to launch that war of aggression. ”

That's the catastrophe they experienced. He clenched his fists hard, and if that wasn't the end—

"I don't know what Eda did. If He withdrew His strength, he might have shattered the original stability. The uncontrolled power of demise escapes into the mine's gems, which are mined by the miners - and then let the unfortunate die from Mal's magic. The self-proclaimed 'explorer' girl looked up and pursed her lower lip with a little regret, "This is my speculation. ”

"That ......" Sean swallowed to make his voice less hoarse, "Mother she...... Now, how's it going? ”

"I can't be sure." Ann shook her head slightly, "She may have lost control of her powers; It may also fall into a deep sleep, unconsciously changing its surroundings in its sleep; And also...... There are many possibilities, and only when we see her with our own eyes can we determine which one it is. ”

She deliberately didn't say the worst possible — but that wasn't a consolation. Sean put his right hand on his chest and prayed silently and reverently.

You are our gentle mother and our guide from birth to death. We are your children, you have cared for us countless times, and we have been raised by you. Please don't go to sleep like this, and if possible, let us save you—

There was no response, and his heart sank. The fireplace flickered slowly, and the room was still warm, but Sean felt a little chilly.

"Whatever it is, just go and see. Nothing difficult to solve. In the silence, Elio interjected coldly, "I'm telling you, the head of the regiment, she's g-"

The mercenary snorted lightly, and her right fist slammed into the table, causing the boy to swallow the rest of the words back into his stomach at once.

"We'll be responsible for investigating what's hidden in that mine." She straightened up, her chin tilted slightly, and looked at the people of Peron from top to bottom, "Just to be on the safe side, will you let that mine—and everyone in the nearby mines—come out first?" ”

Whether it was because of the instructions of the royal family of Peron, or because of Ann's speculation, enough attention was paid to it, and after another whispered discussion, the "witnesses" of the royal family finally nodded.

"A few caves, it's not a big deal." He held his forehead and muttered, "Three days at most, everyone there will retreat to the fortress." But you guys better solve it as soon as possible, they need to work. ”

"Don't worry, we don't plan to stay here forever." The mercenary grinned, turned around, and slapped Sean on the shoulder, "And, if it's really Tiana...... We don't want to kill her. Compared to the lich, she's so much cuter. ”

Thank you, Sean moved his lips and said silently.

"But, Lily." Bell bent up from the soft chair and rubbed his chin uneasily, "That's it...... Isn't it dangerous? How can I say it...... That's a god, too, isn't it? ”

"The miners are still in there, are you not as good as them?" Lily glanced at Bell nonchalantly, "It's just a guy who can't even control his powers." If thou wilt be afraid, go back to the inn and squat, and don't leave until thou wilt be old. ”

Bell quickly shook his head in denial, muttering in a low voice that he was just cautious. Sean pursed his lips, trying to compose himself, and slowly walked over to Lily.

"We ...... What should be done? ”

The mercenary didn't answer his question, and Ann stood up, looking at him gently and slightly worriedly.

"Captain Tambur." She sighed softly, "Please gather all the knights who are willing to participate and wait near the entrance." You don't need to go into the mines, but if you really have to, I hope you can stop it from leaving. ”

Sean breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, but was immediately ashamed of the thought. He knew it was their responsibility, but he also knew that he could only rely on Lily to fix it. Exploring the mines is not a knight's forte, and Mar's magic is not enough to deal with the complexities of the situation. What's more, many people are not yet aware of what happened to Tiyana Mar and are not ready to face a ...... Perhaps the "mother" of the enemy.

The Grand Master of "Black Crow" smiled slightly wryly and put his right hand on his chest.

"For the sake of Mother, we will do our best. Plus-"

Sean took a deep breath slowly, "Let me go with you." No matter what ...... become of her......"

He needed to see it with his own eyes. It was the last wish of the chief priest of Moore, the promise with the pink girl, and the hope of his heart.

"Whatever you want, don't drag your feet when the time comes." Lily glanced at him, her tone not malicious, "I hope you'll get stronger after all this time?" ”

"At least not weaker." Sean shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I'll leave it to you then." ”

He said goodbye to the rest of the room and walked alone through the bustling streets to the staircase that led to the upper level of the fortress. The crowd around them thinned out, and the cacophony of words quickly dissipated, leaving only the soft sound of leather boots touching the ground. The wind blew in from the platform outside, sweeping across the street and his cheeks, probably at a higher altitude, with a hint of winter.

A dilapidated stone building gradually came into view, with a "temporarily closed" sign in front of the door. At the behest of the royal family of Peron, the owners of this dilapidated tavern vacated all the rooms for the Knights' temporary refuge.

Although the shopkeepers never had any good faces, and all they were thrown away every day was rudimentary pastries, stews, and shoddy ales and water, Sean couldn't be too upset about it. Prior to this, many knights were forced to sleep on the streets; And he is also aware of the pact that Lily has made with the Mellon royal family in order to help them get out of their predicament.

He pushed the door open and stepped up the creaky wooden staircase back to the room that belonged to him and Alaya.

There was no one in the room. Downstairs, there were a few magic lamps lit in the hall, but the dim light could only reach the door. He stood silent for a moment, then walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down, letting the darkness embrace his body.

Sean made a gesture of prayer and, once again, with a hint of unrealistic expectation, sang the prayer of the old evening. He tried three times, and each time it was the same result.

Ever since the Battle of Fort Holly ended, he hadn't felt his mother's breath. After learning that his mother had fallen, he no longer prayed to Mar every day. Maybe it's just that it's been too long, and his mother is too weak to hear his voice for a while—

It may not be like that. If something has already happened, it is just futile to continue to run away. At least there was hope, he had to see it with his own eyes, Sean thought to himself.

It's evening, and Alaya is probably practicing her sword with Cathy. For various reasons, he hadn't perfected his swordsmanship for a long time - and he didn't know if what he had said to Lily before was a boast.

He lay flat on the bed, trying to think about what was next, but it felt like his mind wasn't working. A feeling of exhaustion from within swept over his body, slowly overwhelming his consciousness.

After some time, he was awakened by the soft sound of the door.

Sean propped himself up and opened his eyes. Dressed in the light suit of the Order, with the familiar rapier at her waist, her long silver-white hair tied up at the back of her head, as graceful and neat as she had been in Holly Castle.

"Good work, Sean." She walked into the room, placed an orange lamp on the table, and looked at him tenderly, "Any news?" ”

Sean pinched his temples, trying to get his mind out of the stupor he had just woken up.

"It's unimaginable." He tugged at the corners of his mouth, not knowing if he was crying or laughing, "Call Cathy to come." There are some things to tell you. ”

Alaya answered. Sean staggered out of bed, poured himself a glass of water, groomed his loose blonde hair slightly, smoothed out the folds of his blouse, and sat down in a chair at the table, waiting for the two to return.

Within two minutes, Cathy's figure appeared in the doorway. She walked quickly up to him, leaned down and waved at him.

"Captain, I'm here. You seem to be a little tired? What's wrong? ”

"I just got back from the mercenary group." Sean looked up and exhaled, "They found out...... Something. ”

He recounted Ann's speculations, the decisions of Lily and the Kingdom Emissaries, and his final 'request' to the mercenary. Sean kept his tone as calm as he could, and had to pause several times to calm his mood. The listeners didn't do much better either—Cathy clasped her hands to her chest and shook her head gently subconsciously; Alaya stared at him intently, with a faint hint of confusion in her always cold expression.

By the time Sean finished speaking, the room fell silent for half a minute. Until Cathy came to her senses and grabbed his forearm.

"Captain." She said eagerly, clutching his arm with pain, "Let's go with you!" ”

He raised his other hand, pressed the female captain's right shoulder, and shook his head slowly.

"You stay, Cathy. Those knights who are guarding above need to be guided, including your Fifth Legion. They're not ready—"

"No, let her go."

Alaya's voice suddenly sounded, and she had regained her former composure, "The knights are led by me. She has the right to see, Sean, just like you. ”

That's right, even she is. Sean Tempur turned his head to look at the Erna woman, who was already his wife, and lowered his eyes apologetically, "I'm sorry, please forgive me for being willful, Alaya. ”

"You are our regimental leader, and you have such power." The Erna woman raised her hand to brush away her long hair and smiled almost imperceptibly, "I'll wait for you to come back, Sean." ”

Sean was silent for a few seconds, and made a promise in his heart to Alaya and all the members of the Order who would arrive in two days.

“…… Good. ”