Five days later, Tails sat listlessly in the study belonging to the Grand Duke at Valhalla, while Thelma sat on the desk opposite, intently flipping through a copy of the Selected Poems of Cahill Leaf.

The Star Prince bowed his head slightly and exhaled.

The shock in the library didn't last long, and a schematic sketch on the book didn't give Tails much more information.

He could only guess: the Pure World's Edge, as a weapon that may have drunk the blood of a dragon, had a connection and resonance with his peculiar physique.

And the middle bridge of this connection has become clearer:

That dragon name.

But that's not what bothers Tails the most at the moment.

"I've been to the Earl of Risbane. ”

Tails' fluttering words drew Selma's attention.

The female archduke raised her head, and her eyes lit up: "What did Charles say?"

Tails scratched his head.

Lisban said that about the Freedom Alliance, we have to wait for the official letter from Qiyuan City before we can choose how to deal with it. ”

"But don't worry," Prince Stellar grinned, "Lisbane is confident that the Grand Duke will continue to be independent and self-reliant, and he already has a plan—as the Prime Minister of King Nunn, he is not an ordinary person. ”

The corners of Thelma's mouth curled slightly, indicating the good mood of the female archduke at the moment.

"Tails, thank you. ”

Tails shrugged.

He recalled the day before yesterday when he was privately looking for an interview in Lisban, and he couldn't help but sigh to himself.

Thank you for your concern, Prince Tails. The affairs of the female archduke are naturally handled by us, don't forget, we are the vassals of Longxiao City, after all, you are just a guest, not a "host" - not in the past, not now, and not in the future. 】

[Of course, as the most sincere "friend" of the female archduke, please don't have superfluous thoughts and thoughts, let alone behavior-no matter what it is, this is very unfavorable to you or to Madame, to Longxiao City or to Yongxing City. 】

[I appreciate your reputation for being intelligent and precocious, and I don't want to see you degenerate into a philistine person who indulges in desires, and I hope you will be able to do it yourself, knowing that your situation is not very safe. 】

Really.

Tails closed his eyes and thumped his head hard.

What do you mean by "superfluous thoughts and thoughts"?

And "philistines addicted to lust"?

Charles Risbane, an old man in his sixties and seventies, has something on his mind all day long!

After this incident, Tails realized that it was obvious that his unpopularity in Longxiao City had made a new breakthrough, not only Lisban and Nicola, but also Lady Jinx and the two maids looked at him strangely these days, so that Tails was even cautious when greeting the servants, for fear that a masked man with a knife would suddenly pop up in a corner and rush towards him shouting "for Exeter".

To his surprise, Putile did not look at the prince's initiative to get involved in the political struggle in Longxiao City, and his behavior of "determined to help his friend out of an unhappy marriage for the sake of friendship", but the "I understand" expression with a crooked face and a crooked smile while smoking a pipe really worried Tails.

Even the eyes of Wyaa and Rolf gave Tails the illusion of being a thief.

"We're not surprised at all, you know: teenagers have to go through some 'special events' before they grow up. This is the day when Tails couldn't help but ask questions in the interval between studying bard with Putile, and the lord of the smoke ring replied with a wicked smile.

For this remark, Tersk withheld all the bounties that had been intended to be given to His Excellency the Lord on the Day of Reward.

Tails in the study shook his head, trying to shove the memories out of his mind.

"By the way, do you know anything about the new teacher in a while?" Thelma put down her book and asked suspiciously, "I heard that he was introduced by your interesting lieutenant." ”

"Putile?" said Tails, who was immersed in his memories, with a straight face, "He is not my deputy, I am not familiar with him. ”

Thelma's strange eyes rolled at him, and she snorted silently through her nose before returning to her books.

At the same time, the footsteps of two people suddenly came from outside the study.

"Wow, wow, wow......"

To be exact, the sound of one person's footsteps, and another's ......

"Wow, wow, wow......"

Tails frowned: it was the sound of wood hitting the ground, rhythmically disordered, casual and casual, as if it had been knocked out casually.

But it's heavy.

It's like......

The door to the study opened.

The lady Jinx walked in, bowed slightly to the Grand Duke and His Royal Highness the Prince, and then politely and quietly withdrew.

Behind the female officer appeared an emaciated figure.

The new guest bent slightly, leaning on an old and heavy cane, pressing all his body weight on the crutches, and the tip of the cane was firmly on the ground.

"Wow, wow, wow......"

Jinx ribbon closed the door to the study.

The prince and the archduchess hurriedly sat upright, looking at the comer: he walked up to Tails and Thelma at the desk.

"I'm sorry, two gentlemen and ladies, I'm old—cough—this broken bone can't stand the toss," came an old, weak, shriveled voice from the guest, accompanied by a throat clearing in between. As if he couldn't speak without doing so:

"The carriage from Anrenzo to Exeter almost didn't turn my ass upside down - the lads had to slow down for fear that I would die halfway through. ”

"After arriving in Longxiao City, I also had to rest for four days. ”

Tails first glanced at the cane, remembering the Black Prophet who had been connected with him a long time ago, and made him feel uncomfortable for a while.

The prince stripped himself of superfluous impressions, narrowed his eyes, and looked at the comer:

This is a thin and short old man, with sparse white hair on the top of his head, wrinkles and ravines on his face, as if he has experienced too much wind and frost.

The old man was wrapped all over, so thin he looked like clothes hanging on an oversized hanger—an ordinary dark coat with a white liner and a red scarf, which looked indistinguishable from the usual merchant in a shop.

His spirit does not seem to be very good, his eyes are misty and cloudy, but his left eye wears a monocle with a pinched nose, which makes his left eye look particularly large from the front, and the old man barely has a plain and gentle smile, and the nasolabial folds are linked to the chapped lips and tremble up and down, giving people a bleak feeling of the evening scene.

He looked older than Lisbane and Nunn six years ago—Tails was secretly terrified—at least seventy years old.

Putile and Gilbert, how did they invite such a vicissitudes of life who seemed to be in a bad situation and could not be safed day and night, to come to Longxiao City thousands of miles away?

"Good day, sir," Tails said worriedly, "I...... I've heard about the new teacher, but he refuses to say who it is. ”

Thelma stared blankly at the new teacher, seemingly stunned by the other party's age and situation.

"Maybe he's right, so that you won't be too disappointed when you see a bad old man who is about to go to the ground. The old man laughed dryly, and as he took another step forward, he seemed to have some difficulty, and his right hand holding the cane trembled slightly.

"Don't mind if I sit down, you know," the thin old man shook his head, looking at his trembling right arm, and clenching his nose in disgust:

"Bad legs. ”

Obviously, he did not ask the two men, at least the Grand Duchess, but took it upon himself to sit down in the most comfortable leather chair.

The thin old man sank into the leather chair, closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, relieving for a few seconds.

Tails and Thelma looked at each other, surprised, not knowing how to react.

That's what it is...... The teacher whom both Gilbert and Putile admired?

The old man seemed to slowly regain some strength, and then he opened his eyes and showed a weak smile:

"Don't worry, I've been sick since I was a kid and I looked terrible, but in fact, I've outlived many, many able-bodied people. ”

Tails tugged at the corners of his lips and forced a smile: "I heard that you are Gilbert Cassel and Putile Niemann, both thanks to your teachings?"

The thin old man tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes, as if reminiscing.

"Oh, yes, those two interesting boys, little adults and tricksters," the old man paused for a moment, as if he remembered, and the corners of his mouth curled: "A long time ago, when I was a governess, I taught students...... Well, they seem to be among them?"

Tails raised an eyebrow, and Thelma looked at each other again for some unknown reason.

"Oh, yes!" the old man raised his eyelids, and his left eye in the lens suddenly widened, looking quite frightening.

He drew the cane in his right hand, placed it in the center of one of his knees, and grinned as he held it in both hands.

"As an opening remark, we really should introduce ourselves first," the old man gently looked at the two embarrassed students, the wrinkles on their faces curled up like waves, "Start with me." ”

"Merry Hipser," the thin old man cleared his throat, "from the Dragon's Kiss Basin, the Duchy of Anrenzo, the city of Changyin." ”

"But most people who know me like to call me 'Old Crow,' and of course, students generally like to call me that behind their backs. ”

Tails' heart moved slightly.

Dragon's Kiss Basin.

Is that......

"You're from the Dragon's Kiss Academy, you're a bachelor?" Selma's eyes lit up, and she leaned forward with great interest, looking at her new teacher, Hisser, curiously, "I've heard Charles say that you're very famous, and that many outstanding people have been ...... you."

Heather first laughed, then shook his head with some embarrassment, interrupting the Grand Duchess.

"Although I do have a temporary position at the Dragon's Kiss Academy," Sixer's left eye blinked in his lens, "but I have to be ashamed to say that I have never obtained a bachelor's qualification—when I traveled around the world, I only managed to get a job as a tutor in a noble castle by disguising a bachelor's qualification from a classmate." ”

His tone was plain, and although he used the words, he was clearly not ashamed, as if he was just saying something like "forgetting to bring a money bag when you went out".

Tails and Thelma looked at each other stunned for the third time, blinking.

What the?

"Old Crow" Heather nodded to them in a friendly and playful manner.

"Then it's your turn to introduce yourselves. ”

"Ladies first, how?"

Selma's mouth opened slightly, and she couldn't react.

Tails was also a little ignorant.

In the past six years, the boys and girls of Longxiao City have experienced countless Northland tutors—rigid, flexible, serious, stubborn, numb, kind, humorous, pretentious, and vicious......

But every teacher knew before what kind of students he was going to face, and when they saw the Archduchess and the Prince, they did not react like the old man in front of him, who called himself "Old Crow", at least he had never told them in such a nonchalant tone that he had forged a certificate and deceived him, nor had he asked the two nobles to "introduce themselves" so casually as soon as they opened their mouths.

Moreover, what he called them......

Sir, ma'am?

This reminded Tails of six years earlier, in the Mindeis Hall, where Gilbert had also called himself "Little Mister", who had not yet been recognized as a prince.

Thinking of this, a wave of nostalgia welled up in his heart.

"Don't be inhibited, don't be nervous...... I'm not here to be your enemy—unlike most teachers in this world," Sixer, noticing the reaction of the Grand Duchess, opened his mouth wide to reveal a mouthful of well-maintained teeth, though old, and laughed casually:

"Longxiao City paid me a salary, but I didn't want to bother you, in fact, I just want to come and chat with you, if it's not popular, I should come to the Northland for a walk. ”

The old crow exhaled, smiled and nodded.

He looked at Selma gently, his right hand on his crutches, and his left hand patted lightly on the back of his right hand: "Although I have heard a lot about the two gentlemen and ladies before, it is clear that I would like to hear your own voices. ”

Evidently, the old man's attitude reassured Thelma, and the girl glanced at Tails, who gave her an encouraging bow.

"Good day, Mr. Sixer, I'm Thelma Walton from Dragon's Castle...... Ahem, it's the Grand Duchess of Longxiao City," Selma said cautiously: "Actually, I'm stupid, I don't understand anything, I can only read books......"

Heather smiled.

"Ah, Archduchess, how kind it is to see you, haha, at least, we have something in common. Heather blinked, smiling and poking her monocle at the bridge of her nose.

Thelma lifted her nose and glasses, her eyebrows curled slightly, the corners of her mouth curled upwards - Tails knew it was the expression she wanted to laugh at and forbear.

The old crow shook his head and turned to the other man, his left eye slightly wide in the lens, "Why don't you sit closer, Tails?"

The Star Prince, who was observing the interaction between the two, paused.

"You don't have to act like a hedgehog – you may always be in trouble, but it won't be today, it won't be here. Heather tapped his cane and looked at Tails with a hint of meaning.

Tails glared at the new weird teacher, his throat rolling.

"Good day, sir," he politely moved his chair forward, lowered his scrutinizing gaze a little, and nodded, "I am Tails Bright Star, and I look forward to your teaching—thank you for accepting Putilai's invitation to come all the way to teach us." ”

"Well, Tails," Summerer took a deep breath, his left eye in the lens staring at Tails, his voice a little weak, "Bright Star, good." Bright Star, sure enough. ”

Tails was slightly stunned.

"That's right, teach!" the old crow didn't ramble any longer, he patted the back of his hand and sighed.

"You must be very strange, what is such a strange bad old man to teach you, and what can he teach you?"

Facing the curious and scrutinizing gazes of the two students, the thin old man sitting in the leather chair lifted his back away from the back of the chair and raised his head.

"I thought about it: even among the many students I've taught, you're not the most ordinary. ”

Both Tails and Thelma looked at the teacher earnestly.

To be honest, whether it was Gilbert's letter that "he is the second most respected person in my life", or Putira's seemingly casual but actually attentive introduction, he had a full sense of expectation for this rather peculiar "old crow" at first sight.

Syllable!

Heather slapped the back of his hand and laughed.

"Actually, I can't think of anything I can teach you. ”

"So I finally decided, to hell with teaching or something!"

Yes?

Under the surprised eyes of the two students, the thin old man said casually and relaxedly: "Let's talk today." ”

Somewhat...... Chat?

For the fourth time, Tails and Thelma let out shocked and puzzled glances and glanced at each other.

What is it......

"It's interesting, isn't it, one of you is the supreme ruler of Longxiao City," Sixer sighed, "and the other is the heir of the ancient kingdom. ”

"A man and a woman, but by chance, sit in the same room, facing the same bad old man. ”

"So let's talk about topics related to both of you?"

The prince raised an eyebrow, he looked at his notebook, closed it silently, and pushed it away from his hand.

The old crow frowned, as if in deep thought, his gaze constantly wandering between the bewildered boy and girl: "Well, topics related to both the Northlanders and the Star People...... Let me think. ”

Hipser's brow moved, and the wrinkles on his face fluctuated again.

"Oh, there is," the old man looked at Thelma kindly, "ma'am?"

Thelma hurriedly nodded politely in response, "Mr. Sixer?"

The old man, nicknamed Old Raven, bowed his head in satisfaction, and then stretched out his hand to Tails on the side.

The prince was slightly startled.

"This is Tails," Heather said solemnly, "Tails Bright Star." ”

"Ah, I know. Thelma was a little confused.

Sixer sighed.

"Calm, calm, alert, handsome, sharp-eyed Prince of the Stars, with a pair of interesting gray eyes, but in fate he is burdened with the rise and fall of an ancient kingdom......"

"Struggling and struggling in the dark vortex of darkness that is not visible. ”

Tails' eyebrows trembled,

This teacher, his diction, is somewhat ......

Thelma couldn't help but glance at the second prince with worry and pity in her eyes.

He said lightly: "So, Thelma Walton, as an unprecedented female archduke in Longxiao City, a young, young, restless, delicate and energetic Northland girl, you ......"

In the next second, they saw their gentle new teacher, Merry Sixer from the Dragon's Kiss, and asked the bewildered Archduke with a smile:

"Like him?"

Syllable!

At that moment, the book in the girl's hand fell heavily to the ground.

(End of chapter)