(2-in-1, together today and tomorrow)

There are two sources of candidates for the Imperial Guards, one is to recruit elite warriors from various legions, or those who are strong men from the civilian background.

Such representatives - "Sword of Daybreak" Denisha and "Black Lion" Garrot, the former was a swordsman who traveled all over the world, and the latter was the vanguard general of the four elite Lionhearts Legion of the kingdom.

The other source is internal recruitment, which is mainly for royal blood, royal heirs, or orphans who have been taken in and raised by the royal family for various reasons.

For example, Neeko was originally the daughter of the famous swordsman "Hawkeye" Myne, and her father fought a day and night against the "White Dragon" Sula during the Regnom Rebellion in the 500th year of the Fire Calendar, and finally was defeated and died, and she became an orphan.

In order to repay the favor, Perseus took the young Niko into the royal family to raise her, and finally let her step into the path of the royal guard.

Due to the fact that there are too many candidates for external recruitment, it is easy to mix the fish and dragons, so all kinds of standards will be set extremely strictly, and the slightest flaw will be eliminated.

The criteria for internal selection are much more relaxed, and there are not too many restrictions on age, such as Niko's selection into the reserve when she was not yet an underage.

And now the last candidate to enter is even younger than when Niko joined the reserves, and he looks to be eleven or twelve years old, and his immature face looks a little out of place with his surroundings.

Chino was already a little sleepy, but when he saw this candidate, he not only narrowed his eyes, but said with interest: "Isn't this person a little familiar?" ”

Both Solandale and Lorna poked their heads out to take a closer look, and soon said in unison, "It's her.

”

Shangguan Xue walked towards the candidate, holding the whip in her hand, she just wanted to use her old trick to shock the other party, and the moment her eyes met, she suddenly froze in place.

Shangguan Xue stared at the other party's eyes, her expression changed several times, and finally fell into a deep depression, she turned her head to look at the high platform, and nodded quietly, which means - pass.

Untested, straight through!

Looking at the 96 candidates in front of you, none of them can enjoy this treatment.

This is not Shangguan Xue's favoritism, but she saw the other party's eyes clearly.

Shangguan Xue, as a former three-clawed golden dragon, has read countless people in the Far Eastern Imperial Court, and most of them she only needs to look at them to judge their life experience from their eyes.

For example, among the previous candidates, the kind of people with clear eyes, fortitude, and incomparably reliable at first glance, most of them had a smooth sailing life, had never been beaten by reality, and had never encountered a desperate situation, and they were all eliminated in the illusion test without exception.

On the contrary, it is the kind of people who have deep eyes, seem to be hidden, and even a little depressed and gloomy, who have often experienced the tempering of blood and fire, and most of those who can pass the test are such people.

And the girl in front of her. That kind of cold, indifferent, and deep eyes that revealed a little world-weary made Shangguan Xue think of a person - herself.

Every time I used to look in the mirror, the self in the mirror was this kind of look.

Shangguan Xue could conclude that this girl had seen dead people, many, many dead people, and she had rubbed shoulders with death, staggering and crawling on the corpses of her companions.

And, just like yourself. There were loved ones who were extremely important to her, and when they died in front of her, her heart was torn to pieces, in a blur of flesh and blood

…

It regrows and finally produces a scar that is harder than iron.

This kind of person, let alone illusion, even if he is facing a real hellish scene. She wouldn't even frown.

Solandale and the others had already walked over at this time, and Lorna called, "Candy."

That's right, this girl is none other than one of the orphans that Denisha adopted at 24 Wind and Snow Lane, and the only survivor of those 248 children, Candy.

"Sister Lona." The girl nodded to Lorna, and there was no joy at reunion after a long absence, there was no expression on her face, but she said lightly, "Candy is my milk name, and I haven't used it for a long time." Call me 'Healy' if you like, it's my new name. ”

After Denisha's death, Candy, who had lost her home, was naturally adopted by the royal palace.

It's just that Solandelle has been busy with government affairs in the past few years, and it is really difficult to get to the individual, so I haven't seen her much, and I didn't expect her to be like Denisa and step into the path of the imperial guard.

Xili didn't look at Lorna again, she asked Shangguan Xue, "Can the test start?" ”

"You've passed the test, go back and wait for further news." After Shangguan Xue gave a reply, she came to Solandale's side, "Your Majesty, you are tired from watching all afternoon, go back to the palace to rest first." ”

Solandale nodded, and was just about to leave when Healy's voice suddenly sounded: "Your Majesty, please stay." ”

Healy looked at Solandelle, her eyes full of vicissitudes and profundity that did not match her age: "Over the past few years, I have had a few questions that I would like to ask Your Majesty. You usually have a full schedule and can't see anyone, but now it's hard to meet face-to-face, if you can,

Hope you can get a few minutes to do so. ”

In the face of Denissa's orphan, Solandale felt a little pity, and today was quite free, so she stopped: "Well, you ask." ”

Healy asked slowly, "May I ask Your Majesty, in your opinion, what is the most important quality of the Imperial Guard?" ”

This question is not difficult to answer, and the answer to this should be the same for all kings, and Solandale did not hesitate: "Of course it is loyalty." ”

"So-" Cili's gaze deepened, and the next question made both Solandale and Lorna stunned, "In your opinion, is Denisha a qualified royal guard?" ”

This is a question that Solandale cannot answer.

How to answer?

Qualified?

Whatever the reason, it is an indisputable fact that Denisha became a traitor, and if it weren't for her sudden defection, Andrei's coup would not have been able to make waves.

If the answer is qualified now, Perseus is afraid that he will be angry directly.

But if the answer is unqualified and Denisha is denied, how can I explain to Lorna.

Denisha did a lot of wrong things at the end of her life, sorry for many people, sorry for Perseus who trusted her, sorry for the children she picked up and abandoned, but she didn't feel sorry for Lorna.

14 years of life companionship, making up for the incomplete mother's love, bearing the dragon's blood at the cost of life, and finally sacrificing her life to burn the stigma.

No matter how the world spits on Denisha, to Lorna, Denisha is her hero.

Solandelle knew very well in her heart that Denisha had been dead for so long, and Lorna rarely mentioned it, she had never been able to come out of that pain.

…

Lorna used to be a big man

A silly girl who grins and loves to laugh, giggles and laughs every day.

But in the four years since Dinisha died, she hadn't laughed once, not once.

If Denisha were to deny it at this time, what would Lorna think?

Solandale was in a dilemma at this time, and she was not a person inside and out.

However, after being the queen for so many years, her eloquence and thinking have become much more mature than before, and she quickly replied in an orderly manner: "Healy, you must know one truth - there is not only right and wrong in the world, and many things are not black and white. ”

"As a witness, I think you know better than anyone else that Denisha was coerced by a tyrant to turn her back on her duties, and what happened afterwards was not her intention."

Healy didn't get lost in thought because of this answer, but instead showed confusion: "Your Majesty, you seem to have gone too far and didn't answer my question. ”

"I'm asking, is Denisa a qualified Imperial Guard in your opinion?"

"Or would you like to see someone like Denisha under your command?"

Solandale was completely forced into a corner, and there was no room for mediation, so she couldn't help but feel entangled.

Just as Solandale was silent and Healy stared, another voice rang out, "She's not a proper royal guard. ”

Lorna stood beside Solandale, even though she tried her best to hide it, she couldn't hide the deep sadness in her eyes: "She is not qualified, and there can be no more people like her under the queen's command, are you satisfied?!" ”

Noli was silent for a moment, then bowed slightly to Lorna: "There's nothing to be dissatisfied with, I'm just here to find answers, not to argue with people." ”

Lorna has put up with it a little

Unable to hold back her emotions, she wiped her sleeve hard against the corner of her eye, deliberately stepped forward and bumped Healy away with her shoulder, and left the training ground alone.

Solandelle looked at Heli who fell to the ground, and didn't reach out to help, but said silently: "Healy, I hope you can understand that what Denisha did was a tragedy. ”

"She wasn't unconscious and knew what the consequences would be for her, but she did it anyway because she loved you and those children, and she carried everything for you."

Healy was smiling rather than smiling, and it was hard to tell whether the look was sarcastic or sad: "But we ended up being abandoned—because she loved Lorna more." ”

Solandelle didn't know how to move on with the topic anymore, and she sighed: "The reality is cruel, and each of us has times when we can't help ourselves. If you are worried about this, I can arrange for you the best psychiatrist to take you out of this situation. ”

The incomprehensible look on Healy's face disappeared, replaced by the original indifference: "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. I wasn't bothered by that, much less jealous of Lorna or hated Denisha. ”

"I can understand Denisa's choice, and she has always been someone I have great respect for, and she still does. It's just that. Something has been bothering me. ”

"You know, I'm an abandoned orphan who has never met my parents, and my first memories are of the streets, the cold, the hunger, and the rancid smell of the garbage heap."

…

"Then I met Denisha and she took me to 24 Storm Lane, where I had a warm bedding and delicious food

There is also a group of partners who get along day and night. ”

"Every time No. 24 Wind and Snow Lane is overwhelmed, Denisha will appear with a moon coin and give it to us generously. Whenever a bad guy comes to harass us, they will come back the next day with a bruised nose and swollen face, crying and apologizing to us. ”

"Dinisha saved everyone from the streets, made us no longer humble as dust, she frolicked and played with us, gave us a big family, made our childhood no longer lonely, and even sponsored us to go to school, so that we can move towards a brighter future."

"Maybe it seems to you that we see Denisha as an older sister, as a reborn parent. But Your Majesty, you are wrong. ”

"Denisha didn't just save us, she changed our destiny forever. Do you know what we think of an existence who can change the fate of others at will—"

The sunset was reflected in Healy's pupils, and suddenly a scorching glow was reflected: "God." ”

"Yes, we don't just see Denisha as a relative, we see her as a god. In our eyes, Denisha is omnipotent – in fact, she is. ”

"Dinisha can wipe out the 800,000 remnants of the Six Kings with a single sword, and permanently change the terrain of the north. Just drawing a sword mark in the desert made the millions of divisions of the Far Eastern Imperial Court dare not take half a step forward. ”

She has long stood at the top of the mortal world, overlooking the world from afar, and any master and strong person is insignificant in her eyes. As long as she wants, no matter the king or emperor, no matter the commoner slave, she can manipulate anyone's fate at will."

"If none of these people are gods, who else

Can you be called a god? ”

"But. Why?" Cili's eyes were wide open, hollow, but there seemed to be a treacherous undercurrent, "Why is Denissa, who is omnipotent like a god, restrained by Andre's kind of ants?" ”

"Why was she able to wipe out the lives of tens of millions of people in the palm of her hand, but in the end she couldn't save even a few children?"

"With her strength, she can obviously be compared to the Sun King, the same name as the Nine Gods, and no matter how bad it is, it is also the legendary existence of the ancient king and the Dragon Queen, and she can be famous in history."

"Can be final. She died like that, humble as dust, unrevered, even reviled as a traitor, unable to keep even the most basic reputation. ”

Healy raised her eyes to look at Solandelle, her gaze seemed to have some penetrating power, and she wanted to look directly into her heart: "Your Majesty, what does the tragedy of Denisha seem to you to be?" ”

Solandale was silent, not knowing how to answer, and not wanting to.

In Solandelle's view, Denisha's death had caused so much trauma in Healy's heart that it caused a certain paranoia that kept her haunted by it.

For this kind of person who falls into paranoia, if you follow her logic to talk about it, I am afraid that you will not be able to talk about it for a few days and nights.

Solandelle still has official business and is not ready to stay, she gently patted Healy on the shoulder and passed by her: "You need to adjust your mentality, Healy, I hope you can get out of the past as soon as possible." ”

With that, Solandel left with Chino.

Healy stood alone on the training ground, the sun setting, the light getting darker and darker, and the shadows behind her blurred, as if they were about to melt into the darkness.

Suddenly, Ciri spoke, her voice soft, as if she was talking to herself, as if she was speaking to someone: "To be a mortal to be a god, but without divinity, is the greatest tragedy." ”

Solandelle had already walked away, and with her hearing as an ordinary person, she naturally couldn't hear Healy's words.

However, Chino's senses had already become extremely sharp under countless reinforcements, and every word that Ciri said was clearly heard by him.

A meaningful smile appeared on Chino's face, his eyes full of interest and playfulness, and he looked back at Ciri.

I don't know if it's a coincidence, the girl standing in the dark is also staring at him.