Section 7: Reunion

"Well, it does. Carrie replied in a happy voice. "But this reputation is not a disadvantage for you, but a plus. It is effective in reducing the fear and rejection of you, and it gives you a plausible inference about what you are doing. ”

"How's that, interested?" the stranger continued.

"Why did you choose me?" said Ashrufat, who did not answer directly. "You see, I have no armor and no weapons, and I'm afraid I can't carry out such a high-risk mission. ”

"I see people very accurately. You don't seem to have anything, but I feel a sense of ...... How to say it, a murderous aura. Only people who have really been on the battlefield for a long time, born and died, can give me this feeling. Am I right? But other than that, it doesn't feel like it's brutal...... So I think you must be a very suitable assistant. You...... Out-of-towners?" his voice showed some hesitation.

"It's not. Ashruphat chuckled. "I live here. As for the rest, I have to admit that you're right. Unfortunately, I can't help it. It's been a long time since I left home to fight, and now is the time to go home and be with my family. ”

"It's a shame. The slave merchant looked Ashrufat up and down. He rode up to Ashrufat and handed him a note. "This is the place of business for several of my business partners in West Vania. If you change your mind one day, you can contact me through these places. With that, he sped up his horse and ran far ahead.

"It's weird. Ashrufat asked Carrie in his mind. "Am I so conspicuous? This person seems to have come to me on purpose. ”

"Well, master, you may not feel it, but now you have an unforgettable temperament. Carrie explained. "It's something that goes deep into your every move, and someone with experience can see that you're different. ”

The road is starting to look different. Ashrufat noticed that the pavement was no longer earthy, but a solid substance that he did not recognize. The thing looked hard because the hooves had left no marks on the pavement after the horses' hooves had been stepped on.

"It's made by firing limestone and clay and it's called concrete. Carrie explained in her head. "It is still a legendary skill in the Anthropocene realm, but it is quite mature in the dwarven realm. This time we saw the use of this adhesive in Karak-Grom. It makes the road surface look clean and tidy, and reduces the amount of maintenance work. As long as there is technology in this world, I can spread it in West Vania at will......" Carrie's voice suddenly stopped. "Strange, why should I be constrained by such stupidity? The dissemination and use of these knowledge and techniques should be based on the actual situation...... Do you say, master?"

"Hmm. Ashrufat replied casually. He didn't actually listen to Carrie carefully, but looked at the dark castle in the distance. Although he shouldn't have been too excited, he felt a strong sense of joy as he got closer and closer to the castle.

"See, am I tired too?" he said to himself in his heart.

At this time, with a natural movement, Ashrufat had already ridden away from the main road and headed in the direction of the Dark Castle. In fact, there was no need for him to leave the road so early, it was just a subconscious behavior. Although the pack horse was not very fast, Aerufat was able to reach the vicinity of the Dark Castle in a very short time.

This is already the last part of the road. However, Ashrufat noticed that a boundary pillar had been erected in front of him, indicating that the place was already privately owned. Of course, this "private" was himself, so Ashrufat did not hesitate to ride his horse past the edge of the boundary post.

"Stop!" said Ashrufat, who had not gone far, when he heard a voice. He turned his head to the side and saw a figure standing behind his side at some point. It can be seen that this is not a random angle, because from this angle, it is easy for the person on foot to attack the rider, and the latter to resist it.

This is a girl with a proud face and eyes that are as bright as fireworks. Her skin was slightly dark from the sun, and her black hair was tied up at the back of her head. The girl's body exudes a dangerous aura at this time, mixed with an innate heroic wildness, which makes others can't help but be on guard and can't be taken lightly. Because of her beauty like the summer sun, anyone who sees her will inevitably want to continue to look at her curves.

And her body didn't disappoint. The girl wears a green suit of armor that looks half metal and half leather, but it clings to her body like a tight-fitting garment, highlighting her graceful figure. Except for the slightly smaller chest, the rest of the parts can be said to be flawless.

"Stand still, this is the private land of the Scarlet Duke, and no one is allowed to enter. The girl warned in a stern tone. "Turn back. If you want to see the Duke, you must go to the town hall to get the appropriate permission and enter the castle via the main entrance road. ”

Normally, those who strayed would apologize and turn around. But this time there seems to be something different about this intruder. Even after this sternly worded but polite warning, the intruder had no intention of turning around. The girl stared at each other, it was the turn of spring and summer, and although the weather was clear, the sun was not so hot that it needed to be covered by a cloak. But the intruder, wearing a cloak of sunshade, hides his face in the shadow of his hood.

"I've warned you, leave, or ......"

The intruder stretched out an arm and slowly pulled the hood down, revealing his true face.

"Gong ...... Lord Duke!" the girl was stunned for a moment, and immediately recognized the identity of the other party. But this is a bit beyond imagination, because the Duke should be in the castle now, taking care of things inside...... But......

"I'm sorry, Lord Duke, I was mistaken. The girl immediately bowed her head, and half-knelt down to apologize. She knew that the Scarlet Duke possessed a lot of incredible strength, and even if this happened, she shouldn't be too surprised. After all, something much more outrageous than this, hasn't she also witnessed it?

"Are you in charge of guarding here?" asked Ashrufat. In fact, he didn't know the name of the other party, but he was curious about the other party's armor. This armor is known as "recon armor", which is lightweight, snug to the body, and can change color according to the needs of the wearer. But Ashrufat remembered very well that he only had one set of this armor, and he had already given it to Scarlet. It's inconceivable that Scarlet would give her armor to someone else.

He wanted to ask what was going on with the armor, but he realized he shouldn't be, so the words he said changed to something else.

"Yes. Lord Duke, this is Captain Scarlet's arrangement. ”

Captain Ashrufat now felt that in the years since he was gone, things had not been as simple as he had hoped. If he's not mistaken, Scarlet should be considered "Madame", right? Could it be that Carrie's doppelganger did something else?

"Master, are you wondering about her armor?" said Carrie secretly in her mind. "It's actually very simple. Remember when you went to the tower of the gods of the astral field, when you immediately left with Mimilu, so you probably didn't know about the careful search I was doing there. There was actually a warehouse there with a hundred and twenty sets of reconnaissance armor. ”

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask. Carrie replied in an innocent voice.

"You...... Do you need me to show the way?" the girl asked. There is naturally no second answer to this question.

"Well, master, I have entered the control of the castle, and I have already linked and unified the data with the clones. It looks like something interesting happened while we weren't there. Carrie said. By this time, they had come to the entrance of the Dark Castle. Because Carrie had taken control of the castle, the castle gates were now wide open to welcome Eshurufat's return.

Ashrufat strode into his castle. In fact, the situation here is no different from when he left, the overall structure has not changed, the passages, staircases, corridors, etc., have not changed, only a few decorations and furniture have changed. Ashrufat noticed that there were rare objects in the room, such as the tapestry hanging from the wall, which undoubtedly came from the north, as the tapestry depicted a group of hunters chasing their prey in the desert.

There were a lot of people in the castle, all young women. Everywhere Ashruphat went, all the people saluted him with a slightly frightened look. It was clear that his departure was well hidden. Even the people inside the castle didn't know that he had been gone for years. For some time, the "Scarlet Duke" that the people of West Vania had seen was really just a puppet puppet under control.

Of course, it's not that they can't observe. Even Ashrufat himself was shocked when he saw the magic diagram transform into his own appearance for the first time, because it was too similar. Besides, who else but Scarlet and Leia knew that level about him, and who in this world understood such an incredible thing?

"Léa has already heard of your return. In her mind's eye, Carrie said to him. "She's waiting for you in the upper room. Scarlet is not in the castle, but I have informed her. She should be back soon. ”

Ashrufat walked up the stairs to his living quarters on the upper floor. There are very few people here. In front of him, a petite young woman with a happy face ran towards him as if she were flying. Her blonde hair above her sideburns was tied up, reflecting her white and red face. Her hair rippled like silky silk as she ran. As she crossed the last stretch of the road, her pale silk robe, embroidered with gold trim, fluttered over her. Ashruphat stretched out his arms to meet her frenzied, fragrant embrace.

"Your Excellency!" Leia hugged Ashruphat tightly. "You're finally back!" her face was full of tears, and her voice was full of aggrieved and happy sobs.

"I'm back. Ashrufat could only stroke her head lovingly at the moment and replied.

"Your Excellency...... Where have you been? Didn't you say ......" After a long time, Leia asked sharply looking up and in a slightly reproachful tone. "Did you only leave for a year?"