Section 93 Selection

"I will exalt your throne above a mortal, and in my kingdom your desires will be satisfied...... All the qiē will bow down to you, and you will ......"

Ashrufat struggled to remove the ring from his head. Slaanesh's words themselves had a fatal attraction, and the temptation contained in these words made his mood fluctuate. Thankfully, he held on to his consciousness at the last moment.

Chaos' erosion of him seems to be getting stronger and stronger. Tzeentch's ubiquitous exchange of interests, Slaanesh's pervasive temptation...... Ashrufat found that he was far from being as strong as he had expected. This time, he was rather reluctant to get rid of the temptation of Slaanesh. The same is true of Tzeentch, whose uncontrollable, instinctual desire to regain his memory is really tormenting him.

It's a difficult task, and it seems impossible to change. According to the book, this is the most desperate battle, an inescapable battle against an enemy who is superior to oneself. If there was any chance now, it was only one: the Nurgle darling, known as the "Immortal Juggernaut", might have a disdain for him.

Outside of the first time, Ashruphat wondered if Tzeentch and Slaanesh had turned up the difficulty in order to force him to compromise on other fronts. Of course, as with all things in this world, if you give in to the first step, the second and third steps will follow.

Ashrufat shook his head, perhaps because of Tzeentch's unwitting influence on him, he was now more and more suspicious, and it was becoming more and more difficult to trust something.

Suddenly, he noticed that there was a flask on his table, and the smell of drunken blood wafted from the flask. Then he realized that Raphinea had come in and placed the wine on the table when he had been communicating with Slaanesh.

He suddenly felt a palpitation inexplicably. Originally...... When he communicates with Slaanesh, he has to pay full attention, so he doesn't notice what's going on around him. If it wasn't Raphinia who came in, but a dagger......

Damn, in the turf of chaos, why is it so difficult to mix?

Ashrufat picked up the flask, didn't even use the glass, and poured a big sip. The drunken blood smells sweet, but when you drink it in your mouth, the burning taste is like a fire. Ashrufat has a special physique, and other wines are no different from water in his mouth, but this wine can really make him feel the stimulation of wine. He instinctively realized that a long time ago, other drinks had this kind of irritation. But then something happened that made the other drinks no longer work for him.

But what happened? He couldn't remember anything.

In addition, this wine has the effect of improving his memory, and it is not difficult to make it. Therefore, although Ashruphat does not consider himself an alcoholic, he will drink when he has the opportunity.

The strength of the drunken blood is very strong, and in just a short time, the strength of the wine rushes to the brain. In the haze, he suddenly saw an old man sitting upright in front of him, an old man in armor, tall, with white beard, from that kind of dress and that kind of temperament, he could tell at a glance that it was an old soldier. More than that, the old man gave him a ...... Very close, very familiar feeling, as if he was a very important person. But he instinctively knew that this old man had no blood relationship with him.

It wasn't the first time he remembered the old man, but until now, he couldn't remember who this old man was. He could only be sure that the old man must have had a close relationship with him, perhaps a former governor and employer (since Ashrufat knew that he had been a mercenary)?

The old man turned his head slowly. "Ashrufat," the old man nodded gently. Although he was dressed in military uniform, his expression was kind, which was completely incommensurate with his military status. In addition, he did not wear any weapons on him, but instead carried a lyre in his hand. "Actually, one of the important things about war is that it doesn't have any fixed rules. All actions are risky, but inaction is the greatest risk. In principle, you should avoid taking risks as much as possible, but if you don't take risks, you will never win, then ......"

The old man suddenly smiled mischievously like a child. “...... You might as well take a gamble. ”

Ashrufat didn't know what he had said, but he ought to have said it, as the smile on the old man's face faded. "But ah, you must remember that being a general is not the same as being a gambler. The general must not completely put his chips on the unreliable fate, at most half of them must be entrusted to fate, and the other half must be firmly in his own hands. He smiled indescribably. "However, the only trouble is that many people don't understand what it means to completely surrender a qiē to fate and what it means to control half of it themselves. ”

......

Ashrufat's eyes snapped open. The memory just now is still vivid, and it can't be traced back in my mind. An instinctive impulse caused him to immediately rush into his bag in the corner of the tent. The damaged "Silver Wings" were lying there quietly.

This piano ...... This piano ...... Something swirled, rising in the abyss of his consciousness. Suddenly, it seemed as if a lot of things were rushing up, striking an invisible barrier in his mind. It was an intense feeling that had never been felt before, and for a moment, he almost thought he was about to think of it.

However, at this very moment, he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his head. It was as if someone had pierced a steel needle into his skull. It took a few seconds for the stinging to slowly go away. When Ashrufath came to his senses, he found himself standing in the middle of the tent with a broken harp. And that feeling is gone.

But at least, he remembered something. This piano used to be owned by the old man whose name he had forgotten, and it was only later transferred to him. He looked down at the damaged piano and suddenly realized that the old man, whose name he didn't know, was dead.

After realizing this, his mind suddenly became at a loss. Then, before he knew it, he noticed that his eyes had become moist at some point.

It took a long time for this feeling of depression in the chest to fade away. This feeling ...... This kind of thing that comes from the heart, from the depths of consciousness, is so strong that it is impossible to ignore or suppress.

There is no way to describe the impulse in Ashrufat's heart at this moment, the kind of strong instinct to restore his memories and remember the past almost completely controlled him. At this moment, many things were left behind him, he wanted to remember, he wanted to know what happened in the past, except for this, nothing else mattered.

Eshurufat reached out and spun the ring on his hand half a circle so that the side of Tzeentch's emblem was facing up, and then wanted to place it on his forehead. But in the last moment, his movements slowed down, and the ring finally stopped when he was a fist away from his head.

Ashrufat lowered his hand again. Only from the sound of his rapid breathing at the moment could he tell how much effort this simple act had taken on him.

"Your Excellency?" the sound of the curtain door opening again came as Raphinia stepped into the tent. Then she was suddenly surprised to find that Ashrufat's face was full of anxiety and anger that could not be concealed.

"Raphinia. Ashrufat took a deep breath and softened his expression a little. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just ......" Raphinia took a half-step back, feeling the suppressed ferocity in Essrufat. "I'm just ......" She noticed that her legs went limp, and for the first time she felt this naked fury from Ashrufat. "Want to ...... for you Add a drink ......"

She held another flask in her hand, and could clearly smell the smell of "drunken blood" coming from the flask.

"What are you doing with me? What do you want? I can sue you, you don't want anything!" Ashrufat walked over to Raphinea, "I'm not a pawn, I won't dance in your footsteps forever!you listen to me......" He held out a hand and grabbed Raphinea by the shoulder.

The girl let out a low cry of pain, "You scratched me......" she said in a pleading voice, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ashrufat was suddenly stunned. He looked at the girl carefully...... Her chest rose and fell from the pain, and her eyes sparkled. It was a slender, soft, and lithe girl, with white arms like ivory, and slender legs. Her black hair was neatly draped over her soft shoulders...... At that moment, he saw another person in a trance. The wave of consciousness that had completely disappeared just now appeared in his mind again. It churned again, trying to climb up the abyss of consciousness.

But in the next moment, another tingling pain penetrated deep into the cerebral cord. Ashrufat took a step back, holding his head helplessly in his hands. This time it's even worse than the last one. It was a long time before he recovered. Then he realized that Raphinia's face was right in front of him, and her eyes were full of concern.

"The host...... You ......"

"I'm fine. "Ashrufa fixed his mind. "Sorry...... I ...... just now, "What happened just now, is it the effect of drunken blood? And this pain...... This sting is by no means uncaused. The drunken blood did help to restore his memory, and he had never experienced such a tingling before drinking the wine, nor had he experienced such a strong feeling of "about to remember". But from today's experience, this sting occurs whenever he is in this state of "having to think about it right away". Could it be that the pain had something to do with his amnesia—was it a serious head injury that left him with a hidden disease?or was it the influence of some kind of magic? Or was there something else?

"You don't have to apologize. Raphinia breathed a sigh of relief. "Your body ......"

"I'm fine, it's probably because of the wine. Ashrufat forced a smile. The jug was not small, and he had drunk the whole jug in a short time because of his irritability—more than he usually drank. Is this because there is a lot of alcohol?" You go out first, and let me be alone for a while. ”

Raphinia looked uneasy, but eventually complied.

Ashruphat stood alone in the middle of the tent, and if anyone was present, he would surely be able to observe it, and Ashrufat's expression gradually became hideous. He clenched his fists violently, and his body language made it clear that he had made a certain decision.

He raised his hand again and adjusted the position of the ring in his hand to make sure that Tzeentch's emblem was indeed above. Then he took a deep breath and pressed the emblem on his forehead with the emblem on the ring.