As we mentioned above, our protagonist, Saugland Luce, did not appear at the scene of the exercise, so it is only natural to have doubts about his whereabouts. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoOn August 15th, the Prime Minister of France did not observe the important military exercises, could there be more important things? With these questions in mind, General Kiel Larson followed the Prime Minister down the streets of Caiunescu.

Larsson was caught by Sogrend in the morning, when the deputy commander of the Praetorian Guard had just finished his job and wanted to observe the exercise later. This is a good show that no soldier wants to miss, and Larson is certainly no exception, although he should have been on duty at the palace that day.

However, his wishful thinking was shattered by the sudden appearance of the Prime Minister, who ordered him to prepare a horse for himself and said that he would accompany him on an important visit. This made Larsson whin, like a fan who was forced to give up the game to work during the World Cup.

Two knights with different moods turned a corner on the streets of the West End and came to a neat boulevard, after all, Larson had also lived in the royal capital for many years. Even if you don't know the streets here, you can say that you have a slight impression. If he remembers correctly, this boulevard should be very famous - Roland Gaslow Boulevard. Because during the Narcibis era, almost all the important noble lords built their mansions here, and it can be said that Roland Gaslo's salon controlled the political tide of the kingdom. The only important gate that is not here is the Luce family, whose mansion is next to the royal palace and is now part of the Ekoru Palace, because it was not a huge building in the first place.

However, it is no longer as good as it was 200 years ago. First of all, in the war more than 50 years ago, many families lost their heirs; Second, the new government has suppressed them very badly, both economically and politically; The most important point is that many families here have long since let the luxury of life corrode their last bit of ambition, and slowly move towards a state of self-isolation.

"Lord Luce......" Larsson couldn't help but sigh at the thought of this.

"What's wrong? Lord Larson? Thorgrande asked, looking back.

"No, nothing, I'm just curious about what you're here for."

"I'm actually here to visit the family of a deceased person, and I just need them to do something for us." Thorgrande explained with a smile.

"Oh, really?"

After a while, Sogrend spoke first: "Lord Larsen, I don't know how good your mainland official language is?" ”

"Uh......" Larson scratched his head in embarrassment, "it's okay." ”

"Really? I suggest you find a chance to tutor, it will help you in the future. ”

"It depends." Larson replied vaguely.

Thorgrande did not pursue the perfunctory attitude of his subordinates, and continued to ride forward. After walking a little longer, the Prime Minister gently stopped his horse.

"Number 34, this is it." Saugland said as he turned over and dismounted, leading the horse to the door.

"Ding Zero Ding Zero" Sograndra rang the bell at the gate, the copper-clad gate looked like it hadn't been repaired and painted for a long time, and the green patina was obvious, mixed with the moss-like paste at the foot of the door. Weeds in the vicinity of the bolt stake in the corner of the wall are still flourishing even in autumn, and are gradually spreading to this street.

The small door on the door squeaked and slowly opened, and a half-bald head poked out from behind the door. It looks like an elderly janitor, and his age is not only reflected in the top of his head, but the wrinkles of skin on his face and hands speak for themselves. Sogrand thought to himself that perhaps the old man was even older than Wolf in his hometown.

"May I ask if the Marquis de Rabelais' mansion is here?"

"What did you say?" The old man asked hoarsely.

Sogrend reluctantly repeated aloud, but fortunately the old janitor was not very deaf, "Yes, do you have anything to do with the Marquis?" ”

"Tell the Marquis that Thorgrande Leus has come to visit him, and has brought him his brother's relics." Lessons learned, of course, Sogrand used a very loud volume.

"Okay, please wait a minute." The old man shuddered and closed the door.

Larson paced boredly, glancing in the direction of the drill from time to time, and his heart itched. Thorgrande, on the other hand, stood there calmly, smiling, as if recalling some story.

After a while, the old janitor returned and invited them in on behalf of his master.

Thorgrande called out to Larsen, and the two entered the house through the small door. As soon as they entered, they found a middle-aged man standing at the door of the house. This is a gentleman of graceful physique, not because of his dress or appearance, but because of the spiritual power he exudes from every aspect of his gestures that touches others.

"Thanks to the Marquis de Rabelais, it is a great honor to come out to greet me and my juniors." Thorgrande paid his respects to the Nacybis noble, and Larsen behind him was a little reluctant, but the chief was so humble that he could not be rude. So he also bowed a little perfunctorily.

"Lord Leus's personal visit is what makes the humble house shine, and I should come out to greet it." The Marquis was evidently suppressing some emotion of his own—an agitation that was not caused by Saugland alone.

"Come with me, I'll lead the way myself, and my wife has baked some biscuits for them to entertain." The Marquis courteously assumed a gesture of invitation.

"Larson, introduce yourself." Saugland smiled and nodded to his master before reminding him in a low voice.

"Down there is Kiel Larson, currently serving in the Praetorian Guard, and there are a lot of disturbances today."

"Lord Larson? You're welcome, come and have a morning tea with us. ”

The three of them passed through the corridor, and the marquis's mansion looked a little shabby, but fortunately it was very clean and tidy.

"Hehe, let the two of you laugh, the ancestors of our family and myself like to spend money on another aspect, so the humble house is quite unorthodox." As he spoke, he opened the door to the small living room for the guests.

"How are you feeling, Lord Larson?" Thorgrande asked in a whisper.

"I think it's a very uncomfortable feeling here, like ...... It's like a college library. Larson said with a frown.

"Hehe, you're such a sensible soldier, and I can see why Marshal Becky likes you." Sogrend laughed.

This small living room faces due south and is warmed by the autumn sun, with a direct view of the courtyard, in short, it is a great place to spend time. The furnishings are very ordinary, with a coffee table and two long-backed chairs, and the special feature is that there are several bookshelves piled high with parchment thread-bound books. Light-colored roving curtains hung on either side of the window, gently swaying with the flowing breeze.

"You two, please be seated." The Marquis said.

As the three of them sat down on two benches, a quiet knock came from behind Thorgrande and Larson.

"Come in." The Marquis said as he straightened up, and Larsen couldn't help but turn his head to look at the door.

Pushing the door in, was a young lady, dressed in a light green plain dress, with a slightly pale face, who seemed to be a person who rarely went out. Her gray-green eyes looked a little wooden, but they were the kind of shy, and it was obvious that she rarely came into contact with strangers.

"Father, I brought tea and biscuits." The girl's voice was quiet and hoarse.

"Oh, Ellesa, bring it here, and sit down beside me, our guests have brought us news of your uncle." The Marquis beckoned his daughter over, "These two are Saulgrande Leus, the prime minister of the dynasty; And this Mr. Larson, an officer of the Praetorian Guard. Thorgrande watched with amusement as the deputy commander of the Praetorian Guard nervously saluted Mademoiselle Marquis.

"This is the little girl, Ellesa, who is also 17 this year." The latter sentence of the Marquis seems superfluous.

Mademoiselle Marquis silently curtsy the two gentlemen, laid down the tray, sat down beside her father, and began to pour tea for the guests and herself. Saugland saw Larson staring at Mademoiselle Marquise's little white hand in a daze, and when the other party handed him the teacup, Larson gave him a small slap and took it in a panic.

"So, Lord Leus, you said earlier that you had brought my brother's relics, do you mean that he has already ......?" asked the Marquis, rubbing his rubbing his tea, after waiting for the guests to take a sip of tea.

"Good tea, what do you say, Larson?" Sogrand was not busy answering the master's questions.

"The ...... Indeed, it is good tea. Larson glanced across from him and quickly took another sip.

Sogrend smiled and put down the teacup, and solemnly took out a heraldic ring from his bosom, "This is something your brother uses, please confirm." ”

Such a heraldic ring is indeed a very convincing token, usually used to stamp one's own seal on the fire paint of the envelope, and anyone with a little status in the mainland will create such a thing. The Marquis picked up the ring with a slight tremble, and took a closer look at it in the sunlight. The motif is a quill, the coat of arms of the Rabelais family, and then on one side is engraved the name of the user, the seal of Hule Rabelais.

"Elesa, you come and see for me, my eyes are probably not good, you can take a look for me, there is no name engraved on it for your uncle Hule." The marquis's eyes glistened with tears, perhaps this was the reason why he could not see clearly.

"Yes, father." Miss Elleza took the ring, looked at it carefully for a while, and answered her father's question in a very affirmative tone, "Yes, father, it does have Uncle Hule's name engraved on it. ”

Hearing this, the marquis's emotions completely exploded, and he could no longer hide it. In front of the two strange guests, the old marquis cried like a child.

After a long time, the marquis took the handkerchief handed by his daughter, wiped his face, and sorted out his appearance, "I'm sorry for losing my temper in front of the two." ”

"Lord Leus, with all due respect, we both know why my uncle had to leave this house. Why did our family get to this point? How did you, Prime Minister of Farensi, get such an important and dangerous thing to carry with you, and why did you send it to my house today? Mademoiselle Marquis suddenly asked Thorgrande a reluctant question.

"Hules Rabelais!" Larsson stood up with a "rub", "Lord Luce, could it be that the man who assassinated Her Majesty's grandfather 30 years ago?" ”

Sogrend's expression clearly meant "congratulations, you guessed", which surprised Larsson even more. The assassination 30 years ago was an event that caused a sensation in the whole of France, because the Assassins did not play any tricks, but single-handedly killed the assassin on the way back from an inspection by Louis Pallas, the then crown prince, the son of Leighton the Great, the father of Charles I, and the grandfather of Margaret. Then, in a fierce and brief duel between the two sides, the Assassins managed to hit the crown prince at the vital point.

"What is your goal?"

"My goal is to show the Pharynsi that Nacybis did not perish because of a lack of warriors, well, my goal has been achieved, you don't have to be unwilling, and then your men will avenge you."

"Oh, I believe it, but you better run away." The crown prince had fallen to his knees.

"Why?!" The Assassin was surprised.

"Because there is a Pharian saying, 'You can't die two warriors in a day, or the wrath of Hasus will come.'"

"I see, my name is Hules Rabelais."

"Don't worry, your family won't be implicated."

The only confidant in a person's life may be your mortal enemy, and the moment a person meets that confidant in his life may also be the last moment of his life. No matter how sad the above may be, it is better than missing it. Although the grief-stricken Emperor Layton complied with his son's last wish and did not implicate the murderer's family, the others no longer dared to associate with them, because it would not do him any good and might cause trouble.

What was once a source of pride for the Rabelais family has turned into bad luck. There are many feelings in the world that may not stand the test, although they are not hypocritical, only a little timid. But there are also some relationships in the world that can survive the most difficult journeys, and the family affection of Rabelais is an example. Obviously, even with such a responsibly and willful brother, the marquis, as the elder brother, has never abandoned the idea of abandoning his siblings, and has been worried about his safety for 30 years.

"The last time I saw your brother was 6 years ago, the man who can be called my first teacher and benefactor to our family, and who, on his deathbed, asked me to convey this ring and his last words to you when I had the chance." "'I'm sorry,' that's the only thing he has to say to you. ”

With that, Thorgrande took another sip of his teacup, and when he put it down, he found that the other three were staring at him. So, the prime minister generously set the cups and saucers, "This is a rather long story, and I will try to tell it as briefly as possible." ”

"Thirty years ago, under the leadership of Leighton the Great, the Parello people finally became the masters of their own city again. The kingdom of Phalensia won its first victory over the Mastar Empire, and my father took part in that battle and performed well (this is his side of the story, of course). Because I didn't get the promotion I expected, my father chose to retire. After taking a sum of money to leave the army, he stayed in the ruined Parelo and became a cooper. To be honest, he's pretty good at it. ”

"More than a year later, in the winter of 316 in the mainland Gregorian calendar, my father's whim of kindness changed his fate. As old-fashioned as it sounds, he relieved a traveler who was freezing at his door. The traveler was so grateful for this seemingly small favor that he decided to repay my father with his own strength. He told my father that he was a traveling scholar and that, based on his observations and research, Parello would have a good harvest next year. This news is actually hard to believe, because it comes after a terrible grape harvest in Yarra province in those years, and the region has just changed powers.

However, my father may have had the natural acumen of a businessman. So he took out all his savings and borrowed a sum of money. Not only did he rush to work, but he also took advantage of the downturn in the industry at that time to buy a large number of other people's barrels. At this time, the scholar made another suggestion to my father, one for the sake of his business prospects. So, as he directed, my father made a very inexpensive verbal supply agreement with a medium-sized wine merchant in Parello, who at the time probably didn't take it seriously.

The following year, there was a bumper harvest of grapes, and there was a big shortage in the supply of barrels because almost all of them did not prepare. Naturally, the price of finished casks has risen all the way, reaching three times the usual level. Needless to say, my father certainly made a fortune. More importantly, the scholar's advice earned my father unparalleled business reputation. When the wine merchant regretted that he had not made a written contract, and now estimated that they would have to supply the goods at the market price, my father personally delivered the finished product to him, and collected the payment according to the original agreement. The wine merchant was extremely moved, because if it weren't for my father, an operator of his size would have suffered heavy losses and faced bankruptcy. Now, because of this honest and trustworthy cooper, not only did he not lose, but he made an unexpected profit because of the reduction of costs. As a result, my father suddenly became the most reputable businessman in the whole of Parello's business circle, and if he asked to borrow money, others would not hesitate to give him the money. With credibility and capital, there is no disadvantage in continuing to grow your business. ”

"As you should have guessed, that so-called scholar is Mr. Hules Rabelais. When my father began to succeed, he temporarily said goodbye to my father, saying that he was going to study elsewhere, but in fact, he should have escaped from the country to avoid the limelight.

Subsequently, my father, with his connections in the army, was granted the privilege of supplying timber for construction. So, he returned to his hometown of Roskador to rebuild his career and rebuild his life. He was married to the butcher's daughter, who was my mother. Buying property, he pointed to his eyes and announced to everyone that he had a noble and glorious surname - Leus.

Then, when I was eight years old, my first mentor, Hules Rabelais, came to visit my father. My father received him warmly and begged him to be my teacher. Before that, my father had always said to me because of his own experience: 'Thorge, you have to remember that knowledge is worth any wealth in the world. As long as you use it properly, it can be exchanged for things you can't imagine. ’

Most of my skills came from Mr. Yule, martial arts, knowledge, etiquette, etc., and he spent three years teaching me these until I was advised by him to send me to the Non-commissioned Officer Academy. After a while of advising my father on the business, he disappeared again. ”

"Six years ago, I was appointed commander of the new Third Army Corps and was ordered to garrison Gresden. While clearing the local bandits, he was unexpectedly found by a bandit leader named Mang Chuck. He said that he came to serve as a military advisor to this old bandit, and wanted to help him sweep away the other bandits who had caused trouble to the people, and restore the favor of the year. It's a pity that I didn't expect to fall ill there. Later, with the help of him and the self-proclaimed righteous Mang Chuck, we eliminated all the thieves, but Mr. Hule also died of a serious illness. When he was dying, he told me everything about him and asked me to return the ring to you. ”

"Sounds legendary." When Sogrend had said this, he felt his mouth dry and drank the tea in his cup.

"It's really embarrassing for Lord Luce." Mademoiselle Marquis hurriedly refilled tea for the guests.

"Ah, thank you, but I actually have something else to ask for the Rabelais family." Thorgrande seemed very thirsty, "So I have to do something for you before I'm too embarrassed to speak." ”

――――― lazy dividing line―――――

Hats off to the great Rabelais, whose books are so interesting and philosophical.

A tribute to Maupassant, one of the great three kings of the short story. (You should know why I say that,^_^)

Follow the advice of the Yellow Whale and pay tribute to Comrade Qingji.