(Add more for 'Huo Cheng is very good' brother [18/20])

On the eve of entering the Vulture Corridor, the witch hunter's camp was filled with slaughter, and all the members of the group, including the White Oak Lord Finok, were preparing all the items they needed for tomorrow's battle.

The witch hunters who can be brought to Translia are the elite of the witch hunters who are still alive after ten years of war in the White Oak Warband, and at least a few of them are missing arms and legs.

Well, except for Natalie's team, which joined at the last minute.

These witch hunters have long since lost any special sense of war, and they regard it as a matter of course, and naturally they are not nervous or expectant.

Silent warriors around several campfires were polishing their weapons, resting their armor, and by the way, alchemy, sword oil, potions, and bombs were stored next to members of different duties.

Still others choose to wander in the dark.

They pray under the stars to Avalon, who no longer responds to them, or spend what could be the last night of their lives with their partners.

This is normal.

Witch hunters are also human.

They also have their own joys and sorrows, and naturally they also have feelings for their peers, and fortunately because they don't have to go through a process called the 'Grass Trial', so most of them still maintain normal fertility.

Unfortunately, the rebellion of the Church of Avalon has led to the deprivation of their social identity, and they no longer dare to pray for a new life from their gods to come to this world that is no longer friendly to them.

At the campfire in the deepest part of the camp, old Finock was thinly wiping a large oak blade with a sackcloth that lay across his knees.

Great weapons always require special maintenance, and in addition to the fact that the "temper" of this sword is not very good, in order to ensure that tomorrow's battle will not produce moths, he must calm the restlessness of the Holy Blade in advance.

In the past, of course, this was a sacred process.

But in these chaotic years, it is indeed impossible to find a meditation room with laurel incense and a pool of pure water for him to use with the Great Oak Holy Blade.

"Commander, are you looking for me?"

Natalie's voice rang out from the campfire.

The gray-haired Demon Huntsman was still carrying a combat sword in her hand when she came over to take care of her weapon just now, the newly applied sword oil exuded a slightly pungent smell, and there was an arrow stuck in the bow and quiver at her waist, all of which had been treated with alchemy solution and became more and more deadly.

This is how the witch hunters fight, and the rational use of various alchemy materials and tools is a very important fighting skill for them.

"Sit!"

Old Finock said a few words, and Natalie sat down across the campfire.

This action made the old knight look at her, then shook his head and picked up the box he had in his hand and handed it over, and Natalie took it with some confusion.

When he opened the box, he was stunned to find a pair of staggered silver knives inside.

The blade is extremely long, a straight-edged style that is good for chopping and cutting, with a delicately polished black wood handle and an oval oak gauntlet, and the two knives, one long and one short, are clearly paired weapons.

Its blade also has mysterious inscriptions, beautiful cloud patterns on its bright blade, and the cold light reflected under the moon shows its remarkable lethality.

But the beautiful and chilly appearance is not the point.

The point is that Natalie can distinguish the heaviness of these two knives, which are one of the 150 imitations of the Blessed Blades that the Elders of the Church of Avalon have produced over a long period of time.

In this day and age, this is already a small "relic" of the old religion.

"Your mother's blessed hunting sword has been captured, and I know you won't let it go, and that pair is not just a sword. But tomorrow's battle will inevitably lead to death, so I'm lending you the weapon I used to recover the Oak Blade for the time being. ”

The old knight continued to wipe the blade in his hand.

The fire burned between them, reflecting his face, which was no longer young, and in the beating of the firelight, he said:

"These two knives come from outside the territory as we know them. During the Fourth Plague in the year 1000 A.D., I was tasked by the Council of Elders to lead the Grey Knights to the Dark Mountains to snipe the tide of gnolls, where I met a warrior Juggernaut from the Legion of the West, the ancient kingdom of Callum, and learned a special method of forging from him.

These knives are weapons forged by the dwarven blacksmiths of Brass Castle and me.

Maybe they weren't perfect, but that was my last impression of the terrible black plague that lasted for ten years.

They have their own names.

The short one is called 'Guardian' and the long one is called 'Sanction', and they symbolize my duty in the church, yet I have no reason to wave them anymore.

You can use them for me.

Hopefully, you'll find something worth guarding in the future. ”

Natalie silently listened to Old Finok's description, she did not choose to refuse, but folded the wooden box behind her back, bowed her head to thank the war leader, and then got up to leave.

After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back at the old knight behind her, who was still sharpening his knife by the campfire.

She said:

"About Murphy. What are you going to do? ”

"Isn't he our 'partner'? What do you mean by that? ”

The old knight asked rhetorically without raising his head.

"He's a threat! If we let it go, even if we destroy the current Vulture, a second Vultures will still be born from him! ”

Natalie said categorically:

"I haven't met Sarlokdal or any other vampire archduke, but I've fought vampires myself, and no other Midnight Cult has ever given me the same feeling as Murphy.

He.

He didn't quite look like an orthodox and arrogant family of the night, and beneath that humble exterior was a soul that I couldn't describe. ”

"With the appearance of a vampire, but with the same intellectual curiosity, learning ability, and understanding of unity as a human, he knows how to unite his members.

Even someone of Phimes' status can be allowed to join his small organization.

Although his way of ruling is still very young and there are many hidden dangers, he does not reject those who survive, nor does he treat them as mere food that can be kept in captivity for himself. ”

The old knight picked up Natalie's words.

As he wiped the blade of the great oak, he said in a deep voice:

"Those humans in the survivor camp!

I've never seen a group of humans ruled by vampires as vibrant as they are in 200 years, and Murphy has given them not only safety, but also something else.

It was these things that were driving the now-weak camp to take up and even take the initiative against their former masters, and eventually build a new city on the ruins of Cadman City with their own hands.

I have no doubt about that.

And I can confirm that it will be a more united, more difficult and more dangerous city than the city-state that the Blood Vulture Clan took 400 years to build!

For Murphy, this may be just the beginning.

After all, in my memory, Tracy was a rather fastidious, arrogant and dangerous vampire elder, but you also saw Trassy's posture in front of Murphy, she was not the leader, Murphy was!

Natalie, your hunter's senses are right.

Murphy is dangerous.

He is not evil at all, but he is more dangerous than any arrogant and vicious vampire born in this dark land, he is now just a flame, but if left unchecked, he will soon become a wildfire that will consume everything in Translancia.

Either illuminate the history of the land's sinking, or incinerate all that remains of this closed land to ashes.

I'm glad you have grown, and while there are certainly personal grudges at play, you do realize where the real danger lies, and you've learned to make the most of your natural talents. ”

"You see his threat too!"

Natalie was a little excited, and she said in a deep voice:

"So I'm sure you have a plan! Salokdal is indeed our target, but I don't think we should stop hunting him down, but rather eradicate the threat at the stage of danger. ”

"Then here's the problem, Natalie."

The old knight smiled.

He stopped to wipe the blade of his sword, looked at the flickering flame in front of him, and after a few seconds of silence he said:

"If Murphy is really as dangerous as we describe, then why do you think he would be unprepared for what we might do next? You keep saying that you value him, but it seems to me that you still look down on him.

Also, do you really think he'll be kind enough to allow us to get out of the Vulture Corridor alive?

That's a holy place that the vampires have been running for 400 years!

Even if Murphy's plan slips through, I'm sure the dormant Scarlet Witch won't let us come out alive.

You're still young, and you haven't heard of the Scarlet Witch's prestige.

But I've experienced those horrors firsthand. ”

“！”

Natalie's expression changed suddenly, and she realized that she was too tender.

"So, I'm going to give you and your squad a special mission."

The old knight picked up a branch from his hand and tossed it at the campfire in front of him, and said in a deep voice to the sound of the burning flames:

"I'll be watching Murphy myself tomorrow, and you and your men will keep an eye out for his minions, especially the big silent man, the guy named Maxim. When I saw him, I remembered the bloody hyenas that the gnolls hunters would dome!

The same loyalty, bloodthirsty and madness.

Murphy put a dog leash on him.

But when he is commanded, has a clear goal, and loses the restraint of his chains, it is when he is most in danger. ”

"Yes, Warlord."

Natalie bowed her head and accepted the task.

Her squad is indeed a little less effective than other elites, and it is very suitable for carrying out the tasks of the war group leader.

But then there was another silence between the two.

As they usually do when they get along, Old Finoch undoubtedly thinks highly of Natalie, but Natalie always seems to avoid the warlord's concern.

It was as if it was a fire that would burn her.

"Isn't there anything you want to say to me?"

In the beating of the flames, old Finoch took the initiative to break the silence, and said:

"It seems like it's been a long time since we've spoken about anything other than war, after your mother's death, like strangers, or a perfect superior-subordinate relationship, but not at all like the kind of connection we should have."

Natalie remained silent.

As if to confront something intangible with this attitude, her stubbornness made the old knight sigh in his heart.

He changed the subject, saying:

"When you were born, the Presbyterian Church recognized you as a blessed child of Avalon, and their prophecy announced that you would become a leader, and I thought that a heavy but glorious life awaited you.

No one could have imagined that things would take a turn for the worse after that, and that the collapse of the church in Avalon would obscure your fate and make it impossible for me to see where the future would go.

But if the Presbyterian prophecy is still true, then Natalie, it means that you will be doing your duty in an increasingly difficult situation!

The church is gone, but the warriors are still there.

I did my best to keep them from slipping into the darkness, but there are still many whose hearts have embraced the dangerous temptations after losing the shelter of their faith.

Now there are only 1,419 people left in the White Oak Warband, including me, and those are the last three hunting regiments, and we are the last old religious forces to exist, and you have to be mentally prepared! If something happens to me, then it's up to you to lead them and continue to protect them from the darkness. ”

Old Finock finally voiced his worries.

In this oozing night, he looked in the direction of the Plantagenet Kingdom and said to Natalie:

"General Loren is credible, he is my friend, I trust him. King Louis was a great monarch, and his pardon may save us from the end of the road, but the king's orders will not allow us to find a new life.

I've been searching for the final home of our last witch hunters, but I can't see anything but the fog of war.

Natalie.

I couldn't find a way out for us, and I'm sorry.

Perhaps, this responsibility should be up to you."

"Don't say you're dying!"

Natalie finally spoke.

She interrupted the old knight, saying:

"You've drunk the water of the Holy Grail in Avalonian on the island of Grammour, you can live as long as an elf, and you still have plenty of time to find what you want!

Hope, destination.

Time is so forgiving to you but so mean to others, and you seem to be immersed in the tolerance that time brings, the passage of life is only a tragedy in your eyes, and only the gods who serve you eternally are your only desire.

It's like when your mother dies of old age, you're still fighting for your so-called duty of faith!

In your eyes, neither she nor I matter!

We never mattered! ”

The gray-haired witch queen finally broke out, showing the same anger that she did not show even when she was tortured and mistreated by her captives, and roared uncontrollably at the old knight by the campfire:

"The day the church of Avalon was removed from the king for rebellion.

I thought you'd come back, but you didn't!

I was dragged out of Gramo Island like a prisoner, and as a recruit, I was forced to join the war that was not mine, and I fought like wild beasts with my companions for six years before you reappeared,

You came with that damn holy sword that you didn't know where to get it back just like the savior, trying to pull us out of the quagmire of cannon fodder of war!

But you're old!

It's like time is no longer forgiving you.

You seem to have suddenly gone from being an indifferent saint back to a troubled human, but what's the use? I didn't have a place for you in my childhood memories, and my mother asked me to forgive you before she died.

She says you have your troubles!

But what can you do to get hurt?

Your God has forsaken you, so you suffer more than everyone else? Can that pain compare to the loneliness of your mother waiting for you for 30 years without even waiting for a letter?

I know what you want me to do!

But don't you think!

I don't have a father!

He died when I was three years old."

The violent wheezing sound represents the agitated emotions of Natalie Finokya Lawson, who has always been calm and emotionally reserved.

As a witch hunter who needs to stay calm at all times, such an outburst is obviously harmful to her body and mind, and after years of training, she quickly regained her emotions and reverted back to her capable and silent posture.

She turned her back and wiped her eyes, straightened up like the best soldier, and said in a loud voice to the old knight:

"Then, Commander, I'm going to prepare for tomorrow's battle, and my team and I will definitely complete the task you commanded!"

With that, she turned away and disappeared into the night.

The campfire was still burning.

The big oak blade in the old knight's hand was also rarely silent, as if he was sympathetic to the terrible situation of his sword-wielder at this time, but old Finoch did not have much sadness.

He seemed to have known this was going to be the case.

"God, if these are all your trials."

He closed his eyes and whispered:

"I will continue to fulfill the oath of the Holy Grail, and dedicate all that I have to you, that you may shelter my poor daughter as you have protected me, and that she may survive the storm that is about to blow

Ah, I am really old, and I no longer have the courage of my prime, and now I am overwhelmed by the light wind that preceded the storm. ”

(End of chapter)