Like the sun shining through the sky, the melodious sound of the bell once again awakens the morning on the continent to the fringe village of the northern part of Seth County, which sleeps in the arms of the sea of ice fields. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoThe chorus of female and child voices suddenly sounded in the church, startling the pigeons on the roof. The frightened birds let the snow on the roofs roll down to the ground as they fly, and they soar in the sky with their equally snow-white wings, their slender feathers smeared with the golden morning sun - the birds' characteristic fluttering wings, majestic hymns and the quaint and rich bells that still fly above the heavens merge harmoniously to form a unique picture of the village on the edge.

For Karin Pillerud, who is in the mood for fifteen or sixteen, it is an ordinary day of Our Lady. As usual, she led the choir (she and another villager's daughter were the only ones in the choir) to sing a hymn to the Virgin Coluna, and then sang a hymn to Odescal, Lord of Order. While the villagers were still intoxicated by her beautiful singing, Mr. Handel, the only pastor in the church, began his sermon:

"The blue moon hanging high in the sky, we praise your holy name in the name of endless reincarnation. May your mercy be as wide as the firmament, bringing peace, kindness, and joy to the earth. Kudos to Coluna!"

"Praise forever!"

"Man is a member of Coluna from birth, and each of us will follow the good teachings of Our Lady for the rest of our lives. Only in this way can the soul finish his mortal journey and return to the Land of Origin that he will be as peaceful and pure as he was when he was born. ”

"Praise to Coruna!"

The villagers who came to the service were led by the priest to recite a phrase from the Holy Scripture together, and then the service on the day of reincarnation ended. For this fringe village, located on the northern edge of the Rohan Empire, almost forgotten by kingdoms and lords, weekly worship is a major event in the lives of the villagers. On this day, they left all their mundane duties to attend this sacred, somewhat entertaining service—and they listened lovingly to Mr. Handel's stories. Of course, the villagers who come to the service are basically old faces who are too familiar to know each other. When they stopped in this sacred place, everyone put away their usual spirits, and even husband and wife would not talk easily to each other, and together they had a pious heart to sustenance their souls.

Karin stood beside her with a yellowed Sacred Book in her hand. She loved the story and took it with her wherever she went, and this Sacred Book belonged to Mr. Handel, and was the most precious possession of the chapel. Thanks to it, the girl was literate. In her free time, the residents of the village often come running over to learn from her. To these long-forgotten people, this girl is simply the embodiment of the Virgin Mary in the mortal world.

The red-haired maiden looked happily at the faces of the priests who were snuggled up in front of the altar and listened to the story of the Holy Scriptures, unwilling to disperse their reverence. At the back of the group, she saw a stranger.

He looked about Karin's age and had long crimson hair. He hung his head like all the devout Catholics, so Karin couldn't see his face. The stranger wrapped himself in a blue cloak of old cloth and patches of various sizes, perhaps slightly larger for his half-time between juvenile and adult figures. Because the pulp has been washed too many times, it has become a gray color between the deep blue of the sea and the blue of the clear sky.

Wanderers?

This was Karin's first impression of him. The man's hands tugged at the thick cloth under his cloak, as if he were deeply afraid of the winter cold of the village on the edge.

It's rare that someone wanders to this cold village that even the tax collector doesn't want to come to, and it's still a young man.

You know, a few years ago, when Mr. Handel brought Karin here, it caused a stir in the village. The girl's beautiful face immediately attracted the pursuit of many local boys.

"I'm sorry, Karin is a nun, and she promised me to be an ascetic, to inherit my mantle, to never marry, and to consecrate her chastity to the Virgin. Mr. Handel said to them. He was an ascetic himself, and as for Karin, it was not his own daughter. She was the adopted daughter of the ascetic during his travels through a hunter's village, and her biological parents would probably starve to death if they did not manage to reduce the number of mouths they had eaten at home.

So Karin and the Virgin Mary were thus bonded.

In addition to Karin, Mr. Handel's arrival caused a stir in the village—a place of misery that no one wanted to come to had lost their faith for so long that many of the villagers' dead relatives were not blessed by the priesthood.

The head of the village, an old man who had lived to be in his sixties, cordially invited Mr. Handel to stay and lead the lost lambs. Mr. Handel agreed, and the honest villagers worked together to build the most beautiful building in the village, a little church with white walls.

Still, this church is rudimentary. Lo and behold, no one knew that there was a new stranger who could come quietly among them from the main entrance or any of the "side doors" (Karin's name for the hole in the wall that had been blown down by the snow).

Perhaps, it's just that they're too religious.

Mr. Handel also recounted the legends of the Holy Book to the villagers from the pulpit, and he was pleased with their piety.

Karin decided not to interrupt him yet, and she walked up to the stranger with the kind of small steps that the monks had ordered.

"Coluna's blessing, stranger, is there anything I can help you with?" and a pair of shoes appeared in the boy's sight as the gentle and melodious words rang out. The style of these shoes is not much different from the styles of the other clergy in the Darkmoon Church, except that they have been washed more often, and the color is slightly lighter. He slowly raised his head and looked at the owner of the shoe, a young girl with long red hair holding the Holy Book in her hand.

When the boy's light blue eyes slowly lifted to meet Karin's eyes, Karin trembled as if she had been blown by a north wind. What a gaze, dull, godless, humiliated, but with a hint of anger in them, and there were so many negative emotions in his eyes that Karin, who had always been committed to serving the Virgin, was afraid.

"Praise...... "The holy maiden trembled and recited the name of her God," Coruna .......

"Praise forever. He said, "Let me be alone for a while." I won't be able to stay long, I'll be gone in a moment. ”

Karin looked at his trembling body, and suddenly remembered what Mr. Handel had taught her: "When you are warm, think of the coldness of others." ”

"Let's go, it's snowy and cold for dozens of miles outside!" said Karin, who had calmed down, and took off the coarse cloth cloak she had worn herself, and handed it to the stranger, who had never known her life.

"This cloak is for you, and I wish you a good journey. ”

The strange boy hesitated for a moment, then took the cloak, whispered a word of thanks, and continued back to his confession-like state.

Normally, Pastor Handel's story would be told until noon. After the sermon, some villagers lit firewood in the fireplace to ward off the bitter winter cold. The only carpenter in the village pondered how to fill the "side door".

"Someone is coming!" cried the carpenter excitedly, and the sudden voice interrupted Mr. Handel's story, and the villagers turned their heads in twos and threes, and they all heard the sound of horses' hooves on the snow.

"Anyone is coming?" said Mr. Handel, who had lived here for a long time, and who, like the villagers, was as surprised by strange visitors as the villagers, and the most frequent visitors were pirates from the Icefield Isle nation of Ireland.

People rushed to the door of the church with a cheer, and of course, the red-haired teenager with his head down was not with them.

None of the villagers noticed that there was an extra stranger among them, so no one saw the corners of his mouth slightly raised at this time, except for Karin.

The guest from afar rode a black steed, and the horse's flying hooves made the snow fly again on the earth. The passengers on the horse were dressed in a large mink fur, and even their heads and faces were tightly wrapped. The black silk satin fabrics and jeweled ornaments exposed under the command are everywhere exuding dignity and luxury.

"Oh my God, it's a master!" someone shouted.

"Fool, it should be called Sizz, or Sir!" corrected Seth the only man in the village who had been there, and he was the only one who could talk to Mr. Handel.

While the villagers were considering how to welcome the guest, his horse had already galloped to the door of the church. As soon as the reins were pulled, the horse's front hooves were raised and a long neighing sound.

"Where is the inn here?" the guest asked.

The man who had seen the world bent his knees halfway, and suddenly remembered that this was not the etiquette of Sir Jinjian, so he hurriedly clenched his right hand into a fist and crossed his left chest, and bowed down.

"There's no inn here, sir. He replied respectfully.

"No inn?" the guest on the horse angrily glanced at the small village, which had only a few dilapidated houses, and kicked off his horse, and said loudly, "Forget it, I won't live in this kind of place, even if there is a hotel!"

Mr. Handel had only then reached the door, and the stranger who was greeted was tall and standing almost as straight as the long-haired black steed beside him. The ascetic's gaze slowly swept over his neatly bearded face, over the mink coat he was wearing, and finally over to the double-headed vulture embroidered on his collar.

"The Garvolt family!" the ascetic was taken aback, this was the coat of arms of the Sethshire Lord's family!

"Coluna's blessing, which of the Garvolt family are you, sir?" said the ascetic with his hands folded and in a dignified manner.

"Oh, I didn't expect anyone to know about the Gavolt family in this kind of ghost place where birds don't lay eggs, are you?"

"I am the priest of this village, the parish priest. ”

Sir looked at the thinly dressed ascetic with sharp eyes, and said in an unhappy tone:

"Why don't I remember receiving taxes from this village?

The ascetic's body began to tremble like a tree branch in the cold wind, and he fell to his knees with a thud. The villagers next to him didn't know why, but when they saw that Mr. Handel was kneeling, they quickly knelt on the ground.

The villagers did not understand in their hearts, but the ascetics understood very well: the only one who was qualified to collect taxes here was their lord of the city. This man was Anthony de Garvotte, lord of Sethshire!

Unlike the Celestial Saint Kingdom to the east, the lord of the city here has only one less coinage power than the king, and he is qualified to appoint and dismiss all the clergy in his county, just as the king is qualified to appoint and dismiss the archpope of the Darkmoon Church. In Midfeldt, government officials have always been more distinguished than the clergy.

Why did the lord of the castle come to this small and remote place alone?

The ascetic did not dare to ask, he had not collected taxes from the villagers, nor had he ever paid taxes to the man in front of him, that is, he was illegal. He originally thought that the city lord had forgotten about this village, but he didn't expect him to appear here in person today.

"Praise Koluna!" the ascetic circled his chest, ready to accept any punishment from the lord of the castle.

"You, feed my horses, is there any room in this church? I'm going to stay for a few days!"

The person whose name was called timidly replied, "Sir, we don't have hay here. ”

"There's no hay, what's on the roof?" Anthony whipped him with a whip, "Go, my horse has lost a hair, and I want your life!"

The lord strode into the church and stopped in front of the stone fireplace. The red-haired boy in the church was gone, and everyone else was kneeling in the doorway.

"Phew, this damn place is so cold!" he unknotted his collar and frowned as he looked at the firewood burning in the fireplace.

"Hey, have you done some firewood? this damn firewood is so smoky!" he yelled at the dumbfounded pile of kneeling in the doorway.

"No, sir. The man who had seen the world trembled and said, "This firewood is still brought by every family." You know, the weather just cleared up today, and the other day it was a blizzard. ”

"Neither did that, nor did that...... What are you all doing kneeling there? What should you do? Irrelevant people flash away, Lao Tzu is upset!"

The villagers immediately dispersed at this roar, and the weekly activity came to an end. Leaving the poor ascetic still on her knees, Karin had already taken refuge in the room on the second floor when the lord dismounted.

"Sir...... I...... I have confiscated the taxes of this village......" The ascetic cheered himself up in his heart and opened his mouth to defend himself, but as soon as he said this, he was interrupted by a wave of his hand.

"There's no oil or water in this poor village! Don't talk about it, go clean up a room!"

"Thank you for your kindness! May Coluna's blessing be with you!" Mr. Handel didn't expect the lord of the castle to let him go so easily, he didn't know that Anthony didn't have any thoughts of dealing with such a little person at all.

"Karin, clean my bedroom and give it to the Venerable City Lord!" shouted the ascetic to the second floor, and then he turned to Anthony and said sincerely, "It is our honor that you are here!"

The city lord snorted noncommittally. At this moment the firewood in the fireplace exploded, and a little spark exploded on Anthony's big hand, and I saw a strange symbol on his right hand, and the flame that was supposed to burn froze into ice.

Sure enough, just as rumored, the lord of the city is a powerful mage!

Seeing this scene, Mr. Handel was even more frightened, he didn't know any spells, and his knowledge of magic knowledge was almost zero, so he also had an inexplicable fear and respect for mages like everyone else.

The day, which was not too long, passed quietly, and the darkness of the night descended on the village on the edge. Mr. Handel had been busy all day with the Lord's food, clothing, and living, and Karin was even more busy. They poured out the best food, but the displeasure could be heard from the noncommittal snort of the lord at lunch. So the ascetic found the money at the bottom of the box and sent Karin to the village to ask the old fisherman John for the freshest cod for the evening's staple meal. Karin, who was careful, picked out the few fish bones, cut them into sections, steamed them, poured them with the sauce, and sprinkled them with salted fried beans. It's something like this that they usually have a hard time eating on the day of God's grace.

Mr. Handel and Karin took the steamed cod to the lord's room, and the aroma of the roasted beans was appetizing, but the lord of the castle, who was reading the book, only glanced at the two of them lightly, and studied the book in his hand again.

"Put it down. He said, "Hmm...... The woman stays, the old man gets out!"

"Coluna's blessing! This is not possible, sir, she is an ascetic!" said Monsieur Handel, who was astonished, and kept drawing a circle on his chest, "you must not dishonor the most godly servant of the Virgin. ”

Anthony laughed, kicked the scrawny old man downstairs, closed the door with his backhand, and stared at the trembling girl like a cat playing with a mouse.

"Don't come, don't come......" the girl shook her head and stepped back, "...... Please......"

"The food is not beautiful, but the people are beautiful!" the city lord smiled, "Don't run away, sweet fawn." ”

Karin gritted her teeth and flicked her wrist, and the whole plate of steamed cod was thrown at Anthony, hiding by the window as he dodged.

"Haha, it's so hot-tempered, it's more interesting!" Anthony grinned as he walked towards his prey, the piping hot dish he had just dodged and only a slight splash on the mink's coat.

The girl, who had sworn before the Virgin, turned pale, and she looked at the disgusting, slowly approaching face, and jumped out of the window with a gritted tooth.

"Oh, it's just for fun, and I don't want your life, so why bother......" Anthony hurriedly grabbed the window, he also felt that it was a pity that such a beautiful woman fell and broke her blood.

Karin recited the name of Mary in her heart as she fell out of the window, perhaps because her God had heard her prayers and sent her a savior.

She felt her foot step on something round, and just as she was about to lose her balance and fall on the ground, a strong hand lifted her back.

"No wonder this chick is so hot, it turns out that she has a sweetheart!" Anthony, who poked his head out of the window, saw a red-haired boy sitting on the ground with Karin in his arms. Even in the dark night, his hair shone like a burning flame, and he wore a clergyman-like cloak.

"I'm not his sweetheart!" the red-haired boy gently put Karin who had fainted aside, took off the cloak that belonged to her, and wrapped her up, before looking up and saying, "Anthony! I wanted to secretly cut your neck in the middle of the night, but this time you are lucky!"

The city lord was rashly called out in this remote place, and he was secretly suspicious in his heart.

"Who are you? Do you know me?"

"Of course I know you! I'll be straight to the point, you won't find the Dark Fragment here!"

The lord narrowed his eyes, he looked at the book in his hand, then at the boy, and raised the oak wand to his chest with his right hand, and made a defensive gesture.

"How do you know about The Dark Fragment?" he was shocked when the purpose of this secret trip was revealed, and he looked carefully at the young man's face, and a name came to his mind, "So you tricked me into this ghost place where birds don't lay eggs!

The red-haired boy held his head high and replied, "You will pay the price for your greed and cruelty, my dear grandfather!

A mocking look appeared on the old lord's face, "I wonder what price I will pay! Perhaps I should gouge out your eyes and set them on my wand with Berrant's?"

The insulted young man shouted angrily, raised his short sword, put his toes on the wall a little, and jumped towards the second floor.

The mage chanted a spell that wasn't too long, and with the wave of his wand, an ice arrow shot at the red-haired boy, who didn't have such a fast spell in front of his young father's demonic nature.

"Kill this imselfish brat, and then take his demonic eye, and I'll be one step closer to the Westcraft Obelisk!" thought to himself.

The ice arrow fell diagonally with a flick from the red-haired boy, and his body fell as well.

Anthony wanted this result. He threw the ice arrow down from the window as he could, watching the boy struggle with his magic.

"Young people just can't hold their breath. The mage laughed, "If you don't have the patience to shout, maybe I'll hide it from you, and then die inexplicably by your sword in the middle of the night." But now, it's you who are going to die!"

He had seen his son-in-law's crimson sword, and although the power of the flames on the sword could reach far, it was overpowered by his own ice magic. Therefore, he assumed that his grandson had no means to get close to him. If you put a distance, the mage is invincible.

Soon he will regret his underestimation.

The boy's eyes turned the color of violet, and the mage expected him to use the elemental sword, and opened an ice shield in front of him in advance.

"Crimson Sword!" The arc light that jumped on the sword shattered the mage's dream, and the ice shield instead became a path of thunder and lightning, and the mage was numb with electricity. If it weren't for the mage's considerable resistance to the elements themselves, he could have been killed.

Anthony roared in pain, a mage had always been inferior to a warrior in his patience with pain. He paused, and the staff in his right hand burst into a purple gem on it, sending five or six ice arrows at the boy at the same time.

Anthony was pleased to see an ice arrow pass under the boy's left collarbone. If he had gone any lower, his heart would have been pierced.

It was his last thought, and the red-haired boy had fought so hard to take the blow because of the arc light on his blade for the second time.

"Whoa, ......whoa, whoa," the young man stumbled upstairs, clutching his wounds, his wounds diluted by the joy of revenge, and despite the exhaustion he had exerted from the overload of his strength, he struggled towards the room on the second floor.

He forgot the fainting girl, nor did he see the fainting Mr. Handel in the hall.

He didn't care that his hands were covered in blood, and he rummaged through his grandfather's body for a while, getting blood everywhere, and then he found the short sword made of Mithril.

Let's go!

Driven by this thought, he staggered downstairs and staggered towards the door.

The goddess of fate seems to have played a joke on him, and after he has completed his revenge plan, he falls into the snow in front of the church. The snow that began to fall in the evening soon covered him.

Sometimes one person's misfortune will affect the future fate of several people.