"What happened in the Oron Empire, Barbares already knows, Your Highness."

"That's right." Oswald muttered, "When?" ”

"Seven days ago." The black-haired man, dressed in white armor and white robes, who was just over half the Pope's height, nodded, "Maybe it was earlier—if he had any sources of information that I don't know." ”

"I see." The Pope looked into the knight's eyes, "How did he react at the time?" ”

He just nodded. The knight of the Ites replied thoughtfully, "without further inquiry, as if ...... I had expected this to happen. ”

"Well, another question. Did he know the news that the mercenary group with his daughter had returned to Volcano Castle from the Ghost Forest? ”

"Probably not, Your Highness." The knight shook his head, "He didn't pay much attention to his daughter. ”

"Find a way to get him to pay attention." Oswald whispered, "That girl is not simple, and so is that mercenary group. They must have brought something back. ”

"I'll give it a try. Is that all, Your Highness? ”

"Ah, that's right. Be prepared. Oswald nodded, "If you find anything or if the other party has any action, feel free to report it to me." ”

The white-armored knight bowed, pressed his right hand to his chest, and in an instant dissipated into the air. The white-robed middle-aged man looked at the closed wooden door, covered the "Gospel of Light" on the table with his palm, slowly closed his eyes, and exhaled.

"It's already halfway through autumn...... ? I don't have much time. ”

The calendar on the table had been turned two-thirds of the way to reveal the date of the moment—the fiftieth day of the autumn month of the four hundred and fifty-eighth year of the San Leon calendar. He had visited Kahlan a month earlier, and he had known more than twenty days before Clovis had made the news of Rogman Ole's "violent illness" death.

In Osward's view, perhaps that was the beginning of the prophecy.

"When the emperor dies, so does the prince. The nobles died, and so did the knights. When the city-state dies, so do the people. When mortals die, so do gods. Rise from death and end with death. The fire burned the four fields, and the blood-stained barren hills. All souls withered, and the earth entered winter. After death, there may be a new life. ”

The narrator of the prophecy was Aina the Prophet, the thirty-third Templar Order. Her predictions were more accurate than those of the wandering Ites, but she still had less than half the chance of hitting. Three years earlier, she had predicted the return of the Fritzians, the unification of the Saatchi people, and the destruction of the Breeze Forest, but only the first one came true.

After all, prophecy is just prophecy, and reality depends on everyone's decisions and wishes. Larum, the "Bear King", had the ability to unite the tribes, but he didn't choose to do so; The Breeze Forest did suffer, but was saved by the interference of the Dream Travelers, the Lilinoor, and the Cult.

And whether this prophecy was true or not, Oswald could not have allowed it to happen. That is his duty as the spokesman of the Lord of Light and the 'ruler' of the Church.

- Protecting the survival of the entire continent.

There were two taps outside the wooden door, followed by the voice of the Guard Monk, "Your Highness." ”

Oswald looked up. "What's the matter?"

"Your Excellency the Silver Witch has come to visit. Do you want her to come in, Your Highness? ”

What should have come is still coming. Since meeting Kahlan...... Or even earlier, Oswald had foreseen this day. Choosing to visit him in public, rather than having tea with him in private, means that Hylanthia is dissatisfied with him-

That's a matter of course, the white-robed Pope thought. At least she didn't break into the audience hall directly, and there was still room for everything to turn around.

"Let her come. You go and rest first, and I'll call you if there's something to do. ”

The monk's footsteps were far away. Oswald stood up, took off two white porcelain teacups, put in the tea leaves, picked up the cane on the table, lit the rim of the cups, and poured clean hot water into them.

He had just finished all of this when the wooden door gently turned outward. Dressed in a white nun's robe, and holding a simple staff made of oak, Hylancia Silvermoon looked at him quietly from the doorway.

The woman's face seemed to have remained unchanged for decades, and her expression was familiar in her memory—calm and reproachful, like a student who had committed a mistake on the spur of the moment.

She opened the door, tapped the ground with her staff, walked across from Oswald, pulled a teacup in front of her, and sat down silently.

"Did you arrange for the Fritzians to hand over the blueprints of the magic armor to the Empire, Os?"

Oswald shook his head slowly.

"The existence and origin of the Magical Armor is not a secret, and the Grand Duchy of Lorles is not just our vassal. Barbarez was willing to recognize their sovereignty and even cede a portion of their territory, an idea he had from the very beginning. ”

"Perhaps. Can you assure me that the messengers of Lorles have not come to you, or that you have tried to stop them, Oswald? ”

The white-robed pope was silent, and that was tantamount to recognition. But he couldn't hide everything, unless he was going to make a radical break with Hylancia, his former 'teacher'.

"Because of Karan's help, the Fritzians are more concerned about the attitude of the church." Hylancia leaned her staff against the table, her fingertips gently running a circle over the rim of the glass, "You acquiesced in their actions. Or rather, that's the development you're expecting, right. ”

"Who do you want them to use against the sword? The domestic affairs between the two "empires" have little to do with the Church, which means that you have chosen another target for them - Elders, Lores, the tribes of the Northern Wastelands, or Saint-Leon himself? ”

"You're thinking too much, Thea." Oswald lifted his teacup and took a sip to calm his mind, "It is not my heart's desire to see another invasion happen. ”

"But they'll do that, and it's not about whether you want to or not." The white-robed woman curled her index finger and tapped lightly on the tabletop, "When people make bows and arrows and spears, jackals, tigers and leopards become prey. Os, do you plan to turn the entire continent into a gladiatorial arena built by you? ”

"What are these words?" Oswald's expression was cold—he tried to keep himself cold, "Whether it's Rogman's death or the Empire's aggression against Elders, which one is responsible for me?" Do you think that if you do nothing, things can go in a good direction? He pressed his hand to the table, "Besides, isn't the matter of the Crow Knights still the advice you gave me?" ”

"That's different, Os. The Church intervened in the last war to protect innocent people and to allow peace to come sooner. Highland said calmly, her gaze never taking off his face, "We guard, not conquer; We guide, not rule; We save, we don't control; We give, we don't try to reciprocate—you must remember these words of Leonos clearly. ”

"But this time you're watching the fire from the other side, guiding the situation, trying to keep everything in your chess game. It's not like you used to be, Os. The woman's gaze was filled with reproach and something he couldn't understand, "I have the impression that you are full of energy, but you are not in such a hurry." What do you really know? ”

The white-robed Pope shook his head, took a deep breath, and sorted out the thoughts churning in his head. An impulse suddenly swept over him, making him want to pour everything out to the woman in front of him, seeking the understanding and support of the other party.

She can understand you, but she won't support you. Another voice told him.

"A prophecy." Oswald swallowed, his words as concise as possible, "Bad prophecy. ”

Hylanthia nodded, raised her left hand, and stopped him from hesitating to speak.

"I know, Os. Maybe more than you. She blinked, looking at the tea in her cup, "After all, we failed once." ”

The dissipation of the Miracle Brigade. Oswald had heard the gist of the matter and regretted it. But what came out was a different sentence.

"So you're going to stop me? Let me be like you...... Go be a deserter and forget about the impending disaster? ”

He had expected that Hylandia would be angry, or that he would be rebuked for not being reasonable. But the nun stretched out her slender arm, palm lightly resting on his shoulder, and there was no anger in her crystal eyes, only a hint of worry.

"I'm worried about what you're doing. If you give them a sword, you will surely prepare sharper for yourself. Tell me, Os, what could that be? ”

Oswald's right hand slipped off the edge of the table and slowly clenched into a fist on his leg. Ordinary answers don't convince the Silver Witch—not even himself. The two Knights had no advantage of the magic armor, and the Templars were not warriors to charge into battle. None of the forces on the face of the religion can be used as an answer.

"It's you." He pondered for a long time, and finally spoke, "Will you help me, Thea?" ”

The nun, dressed in white, opened her eyes slightly and curled the corners of her mouth as if she wanted to laugh. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm not kidding." The Pope put his hands back on the table, leaned forward, and looked seriously at the woman's face, "Don't you want to do anything more?" As the "hero" of yesteryear, Thea, can you really watch everything happen and remain indifferent? ”

Hylansia picked up the teacup and shook it gently between her fingers. She turned the rim toward herself, looked at it for a moment, and then put it back on the table.

"What are you going to do, Os?"

It's done. Oswald took another breath to avoid revealing his flaws.

"I don't know exactly what the disaster looks like. According to the prophecy, it would be a war that would engulf the entire continent. Whether it is between the nations of the present or from the outside enemy, we are helpless now. ”

"So what?"

"The Church must unify the world and gather the power of all mankind. The 'sword' made by the Northern Empire needs to be returned to our hands and become a sharp weapon to defend this continent. I know you have a good relationship with Protodis. If you turn to the Lord of Light for help, let him bless our warriors—"

"I can't do this."

Highland Cia interrupted him calmly, as expected.

"Leonos will not intervene in mortal wars. He is the guardian of the El, not the god of the Church alone. If you really want to protect this continent, you can't involve him. ”

"Then you and I will have to go into battle in person." Oswald shook his head helplessly, and reluctantly pulled out a smile, "With the Shining Knights and the Shield Knights, if you want to protect the Sect from infringement, you can still do it." ”

The nun picked the corners of her mouth, "Do you mean, take the first step and knock down all the people who 'want to violate'?" ”

"That's the best way to go." Oswald said earnestly, "Otherwise, one day they will be the source of disaster." ”

"What if I don't say yes either? I'm not your pawn, Oss, and I don't believe you're going to put all your bets on me. ”

Oswald was silent for half a minute, and finally sighed softly and smiled helplessly.

"Then that's all there is to it."

He leaned back in his chair, opened the drawer, and placed a badge on the table. At first glance it looked like a dark cloud, in which electric light loomed; But as soon as you try to fix your gaze, it disappears from vision.

It was the emblem of Nolan, the 'god' who ruled the space, the "Lord of Judgment".

Hylancia tightened her grip on the staff at the table. She glanced at the badge for a moment, then fixed her eyes on him.

"When." She asked softly, "When and through whom did you get in touch with Bayard?" ”

"Everybody has some secrets, and so do I, Thea." Oswald said mildly, "But He promised to help me." Those who follow Him never 'give up.' ”

Hylanthia glanced at the badge and continued to look at his face, as if judging the truth of those words just now. At last she stood up, looking over his shoulder at the canopy of ginkgo trees that filled the window.

"I won't be with you, Os. But I'll find a way to 'help' stop what you call 'violation' from happening." As for Bayard, I'll go and check with those people as well. She seemed to sigh vaguely, "I don't want to see a disaster." I don't want to see a disaster created by your own hands. ”

"It's okay." Oswald shook his head, "I'll be waiting for you to come back at any moment—when you understand I'm right." ”

The nun tapped the ground again with her staff, breaking the barrier that blocked the sound. Then he turned around, pushed the door open, and disappeared from Oswald's sight.

The Pope picked up the emblem on the table and gently placed it back in the drawer. With a wave of his hand, he closed the wooden door, closed the blinds, and swept the room with the power of the Lord of Light, removing all magic except it and completely isolating it from the outside world.

Then he carefully opened another drawer, took out a seemingly ordinary wooden box, unfastened the lock, and lifted the lid.

Inside was a crystal blue, about the size of a fist, with a soft glow that lit up the room. Oswald gazed at it, feeling as if the accumulated exhaustion had been washed away by the tide, and in a moment it was swept away.

It slowly alternates light and dark, like the rhythm of life.