By the time he rode back into the castle's stables, it was almost dusk. Wearily, Tirio handed his reins to the stable-keeper and walked inside. It's like he's going to sleep right now and combing through the day's events in his head. As he reached for the kitchen doorknob, a strong hand grabbed his arm. Tirio looked up and saw that Bathras was blocking his path. The young man's eyes sparkled, which made Tirio feel uncomfortable.

"Sir," Basshras began to say coldly, "we must talk at once." ”

Tirio sighed in frustration. "I'm exhausted, Bassellas. If you want, we can talk again in the morning. ”

Bassellas's grip tightened. "I don't think you understand, sir. Look, I know where you've been today," said the young paladin. His eyes didn't blink, and his gaze was deeply and mercilessly locked on Tirio. Tirio wondered if Arton had turned his back on him and told him about his travels. No. Arton has always been faithful.

"I know you know there are orcs in Hearthvale, Tirio. I can see it in your eyes. I pray that for what you have done, you have not covered up all the relevant information. ”

Tirio Mau stood up. He could deal with the young man's arrogance, but he couldn't be threatened by an extremely fanatical boy in his own home.

"I told you before, Buthras. You call me with the right amount of respect," Tirio said rather angrily.

"For what you care about, I have judged that what happened to me was an isolated incident. For now, there's only so much you need to know. I suggest that you forget about this and let this thing stop. Now let go of my hand and let me go before I'm really angry. ”

Slowly, Bathras let go of his hand and took a step back. His piercing-like gaze never left Tirio. The old paladin turned and entered the castle roughly.

One stood there, Bathrath blushing in frustration.

"It's not over yet, sir," the young paladin hissed to himself, clenching his fists. "It's clearly not over yet. ”

Tirio went to his own private room. He was very careful to remove his armor and put the hammer back on the mantelpiece. He entered the bedroom and slumped heavily on the bed. All he wanted in this world was a few hours of sleep. No sooner had his head touched the plush pillow than Cabandra entered. She was surprised to see him here.

"Oh, you come back and pull," she said sweetly. "Where did you go in the morning, Tirio?" I asked Arton, but he didn't say anything. Her voice was full of concern.

Tirio was nervous. He didn't want to talk about orcs. He had already said that he would keep Itrieg's hideout safe, and eventually he was forced to lie to his wife about his whereabouts. Looking into her eyes, though, Tirio dared to say that she wouldn't reluctantly accept anything unless she told her the whole story.

"I'm going to check where I found the orcs, Carandra. I need to make sure there are more orcs in my land," he said, a little irritable. "I wanted to go alone, so I told Sù Arton not to talk to anyone about it. ”

Carandra frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. Every time he upset her, she was like that.

"You're out on your own just a few days after the fight?How can you be so brutal, Tirio? What do you want to prove? You're not like you were when you were younger!" She said anxiously.

Tirio was afraid. First Bathras, then her wife. "I've been a soldier longer than you, girl! the only thing I need you to do is to go to a lesson and learn how to do my housework well!" He roared.

Tirio rarely spoke to her like that, and Carandra really didn't know how to answer him. She decided that a strategic shift in conversation was needed to salvage the conversation.

"Did you find what you've been looking for?" She asked, trying to make her voice sound as innocent as possible.

Tirio tried to calm himself down, but he knew the new question wouldn't stop her. "Yes, I found it," he said in a steady tone. "I believe that what happened to me was an isolated incident, and that there was nothing to fear from orcs. ”

Carandra rejoiced and sat down next to him on the bed. She grabbed his hand. "I'm relieved. That's fine, Tirio, but how can you be so sure?" She asked.

Tirio's heart sank. He didn't want to lie to her. "I can't sue you for my love," he said gently.

"Why not? There's nothing to be afraid of, like you said, so it's not a problem to sue me, isn't it?" She asked. Something sounded stinging in her words.

"It's about honor, Carandra. I can't sue you," he repeated.

Suddenly, Khalandra pulled her hand to the side and got up from the bed. Tirio was already a little prepared for the thunderbolts that burst out of her eyes.

"Honors. You've always pulled yourself up there, Tirio! You're as angry as that self-righteous Buthras! Is your precious honor really more important to you than your own wife?" She covered her face with her hands, and it looked like she was about to cry.

"You won't understand, my love. I'm a paladin. There's a lot to count on for me......" he said, his voice weakening. There was an unusual tone of self-pity in his tone.

Carandra took her hand away from her face, trying to restrain herself from hitting him.

"You're right, I don't understand, but I know there's something to be counted on you," she cried, tears beginning to run down her reddened face. "You are expected to behave like my husband, and will not make an effort to hide your stupid little secret from me, just as I was a little girl with pigtails! When she began to sob, Tirio looked to the side. "You should be careful and stay alive so that our son doesn't grow up without a father," she finished.

Tirio stood up and hugged her. "I know, my dearest. I took risks that I shouldn't have taken. But you've trusted me about it, Kalandra. It's going to be fine," he said to her comfortingly.

She wiped the tears that flowed and looked at her husband's face. She wanted to try to believe his opinion. She was about to tell him more, when the sound of a gentle shuffling of feet came as Tyran entered the room.

Tirio and Calandra looked out the door and saw their hazy-eyed son standing in front of them. Obviously, their quarrel woke the son up.

"Are you two fighting?" The boy asked cautiously, his eyes shining with concern.

Tirio walked up and took the boy into his arms. "No, son, your mother is just worried about the orcs, that's all," he said comfortingly.

Tyran looked like he thought for a moment. "Dad, are orcs as despicable and cruel as everyone says?" The boy asked.

Tirio was unprepared for such a straightforward question. He thought about revealing his conversation with Itreig, surprised that he wasn't so sure anymore. He certainly didn't want to lie to his son.

There is certainly some hope for future generations.

"Well, son, that's hard to answer," he said slowly. He and Tyran looked at each other, and Tirio didn't see Khalandra looking at him suspiciously. The boy listened intently, and his father continued. "I think some orcs would be good people. They're just hard to see, that's all," Tirio said mildly.

Carandra couldn't believe her ears. Her waning anger came back to her.

"Really, Daddy?" Tyran asked.

"I think so," Tirio replied. "Sometimes we need to be careful if we are judging others too quickly, son. ”

The boy seemed pleased with the answer. Carandra isn't. She could have left nothing else, but she would be cursed if she had allowed Tirio to instill this nonsense in the child's head.

"Don't talk to him about that!" She mumbled. "Orcs are brainless beasts, they should all be hunted and killed!How can you say that when you know what they are doing to our world, what is in your head, Tirio?" She shouted, snatching Tyran from his arms. Sensing her anger, the child began to cry. She stroked his hair affectionately as she turned to leave. "Don't worry, baby," she said, "your father is just tired. Let's let him rest, shall we?" She said and quickly left the house, not even turning to say goodnight to Tirio.

Leaving one alone, Tirio walked over to an ornately decorated bar and poured himself a glass of cold wine. Taking a deep sip, he sat down heavily, surprised at how quickly the whole world had turned completely upside down. (To be continued.) )