"What is the essence of life?"

"This is a question that has been explored for eternity. ”

The campfire was burning silently, and Orno stood in the middle of the camp, speaking to everyone.

"In this world, animals and plants all have their own lives. ”

"No matter what race it is, no matter how powerful it is, it will always face birth, old age, sickness and death. She reached out and touched the tree next to her, which was clearly still standing but the bark had naturally begun to peel off, which was proof that it was no longer alive.

"When death strikes, creatures instinctively begin to flee. ”

"I may ask you, for so many days and nights after entering the forest, have you heard insects fluttering, birds chirping, and wild beasts running. ”

"Not all of them are dead, most of them instinctively flee when they feel the crisis. ”

"Save your life, protect yourself, and survive and produce offspring. ”

"It's something that even insects do. ”

So is the meaning of life limited to this, and is its essence just a simple continuation? ”

"It's a question that I don't have an answer to. Orno shook his head, and everyone, standing and sitting, listened quietly to what she had to say.

"A magician is a profession in which curiosity is in nature and exploration is in duty. But no matter how familiar I am with those ancient and obscure spells, no matter how well I know how to harness the natural magic of this leyline, I still cannot understand what life itself is. ”

"I can't understand why there are so many differences among you as human beings, even siblings who grew up in exactly the same family conditions have very different life trajectories. ”

"I also can't understand the huge gulf between humans and elves. ”

"I don't understand how life itself is born, and though I know how to make an organism move, I understand, no matter how shallow and ignorant, that there is a great difference between being given life and being truly given life. ”

"But thanks for everything, I'm a daughter. ”

"So I was able to understand what it's like to be alive. She tapped her lower abdomen, and there was some commotion among the mercenaries—a matter that had not been fully explained before, and it was only now that Orno intended a complete showdown.

Adolphus turned his head to look at Henry and Mira, and he could tell from the look on his face that the Sage and the Lady of Loan had already learned about it. I think there should be many people in their group who are like this, but if they change their position and think about the overall situation, they will inevitably bury the news.

Agitation began to emerge, and these people, with an average age of over 40, were veterans who had been tempered by society. At this time, the elf would mention the birth of life, and with some knowledge related to the elves, they began to have some guesses, and Orno raised his head and said calmly:

"The witch is my child. ”

"You damn it. "I knew it. "How can a good elf mix with a human, I know there are ghosts. "Damn, did you cause all this—"

"Shut up!"

"She doesn't have any malice, that's just, it's just love!" the voice of retort came from our Luoan girl, but she was alone, and after a bloody battle, the hatred of the witch was extremely deep, and the emotions of the crowd ushered in a complete outburst.

The journey was arduous, and the mere rush was painful enough, and they had lost more than thirty-seven of their companions in total after encountering the Earth Dragon the day before.

This is also the reason why Orno chose this point in time to find out everything, the witch is good at breaking the weakness of people's hearts, and this matter is told by her before the battle, which is less affected and damaged than being picked on by the witch at the peak of the battle.

At least now that they know the news, they still have time to buffer and calm everyone's emotions, control the situation, and prepare for battle.

- Of course, all this is after the instability has been removed.

"Love is not a reason either. An expected voice rang out in the expected part of the population.

"You have violated the realm of the gods, magician, and your disrespect has brought too much disaster to this land. "The sage didn't even need to look at it, just listening to the content of the words and the tone of his voice to understand that this was a paladin under the command of Adolphus.

"......" Mira looked up at him, Henry's face was calm, and then she looked at Orno and Erica, and even Adolphus, all of whom looked like they had expected this.

Fanatical religious elements have remained unchanged since ancient times.

"In the name of the gods, you will be sanctioned by my sword, Mother of Witches. The paladin drew his sword at his waist and muttered a prayer in the ancient Lamanic language and rushed towards her.

He was aggressive, and his cloak hunted.

But the elf only moved his fingers, and a strong gust of wind blew the unsteady knight to the ground.

"I advise you not to get up. Henry, who was holding his arms, said word by word. "Cut-" The paladin, who realized his invincibility at the slightest movement, smacked his tongue, and after glancing at his captain Adolphus unmoved, he turned his head away in hatred, while his companions came up and helped him up from side to side.

"The realm of the gods, huh?" Orno glanced around at the humans around him with interest—all but a few of them had expressions of overt or deep disgust and contempt, or hatred. She exhaled softly, the blue glow in her eyes slowly dissipating, reflecting the orange glow of the campfire again.

"Yes, you blasphemous elf. The paladin who withdrew his sword was defeated, but he still did not flinch in words.

"Whose god?" she asked, the words like a thorn in her throat, and suddenly the paladin was speechless.

"The gods of the elves, the gods of all things?"

"The gods of men, right? She smiled softly, and although she looked immature, her smile gave a sense of maturity and wisdom.

"Arrogance, conceit, and indesperation. ”

"I learned these words from your human language. ”

"In your human culture, people are considered to be the most special creatures. ”

Because only human beings can consciously begin to seek the meaning of life. ”

"Not like anything else, in your words. She glanced at the paladin: "Inferior species." It's just instinct. ”

"Human beings are noble, so nature must have a unique origin. ”

"So the White Church was born, preaching that man is the only creature created by the gods in their own image, a child of God, and that only the god of mankind has the right to create life. She swept past the menacing paladin and looked at Adolphus, who turned his face away in silence to avoid meeting his gaze.

"You always think that you are unique, that you are the only sentient beings in this world. ”

Later, even when we met and communicated with other races, and realized that we were not just legends that existed in the mouths of pagans, the Church also denied our existence for a time, and even created the so-called special forces of the Holy See. ”

"Now that the first division has been abolished, it used to be a well-known heretical extermination force. Not just the pagans among the human race, but any other race that is not part of the 'Great Divine Creation' - even if we are so similar. ”

"But now you're standing here and starting to accuse me of offending the realm of the gods?"

"Ignorant child!"

"Who gave you the authority to dictate what I did, and did the gods you worship appear when you faced the darkness!" "Knock——!" Orno paused the ground with his wand, and the waves of mana spread so that the flames were nearly extinguished.

"Bang-" The paladins drew their swords in unison, but Adolphus held out his hand to stop them.

"Let's get to the point. After a long silence, he took the initiative to speak.

"......" Mira glanced at Henry, Orno's actions somehow reminded her of the previous confrontation between the sage and Adolphus - the fanatics are really a difficult group to deal with, the girl thought to herself, and Orno took a few steps back, and Camilo, the human magic teacher next to her, also walked to the center.

"Anyway, anyway—" Camilo broke out in a cold sweat under everyone's gaze, he wiped his forehead with his wide sleeve, and then took over the conversation, dissipating some pressure for Orno, who was on the cusp of the storm after exposing the matter.

Camilo swallowed, "We'll leave out the process for now, Miss Orno—ma'am, in grief, uh, the act that was done—we won't discuss whether it's right or wrong for the time being, but only from the academic point of view of a magician." ”

"Explore. He said.

"Life is one, precise. ”

"Mechanical. ”

"The layman may think that a fireball of an elemental mage is wonderful, but in the barren imagination of an entry-level apprentice, those simple and straightforward magic books are like listening to heavenly books. But it's really not that difficult. Camilo shook his head: "The mysterious fireball technique is actually nothing more than two key elements, shape. ”

"And heat. ”

"Like most other forms of magic, it involves knowledge of the mastery of energy. ”

"......" Everyone fell silent, and Camilo turned his head to find Mira's little white eyebrows almost twisted together: "Oh, my dear Miss Mercenary. It means that magic and you, and me, and everyone here. ”

"It's the same. ”

"When you're hungry, you need to eat, and what you eat is converted into strength, into energy. "Oh——!"

"And so does magic!"

"It's just that it can't rely on food for energy, you have to master the right spells and mobilize the magic. way. "Get the right magic in the right place at the right time. "Imagine a baby with more than a dozen tentacles and seven or eight mouths that open and close all the time—I know it's scary—and you avoid those tentacles and find the right mouth to feed things in order for the magic to work." ”

"Cast. ”

"Sounds complicated enough, right, but it's nowhere near as complex as life itself. ”

"The reason why life-related magic is called the forbidden realm of the gods is, first and foremost, because it is so complex that almost no one can master it. Second, the total amount of magic it requires is very large, far beyond the level that an individual can have. ”

"So I took advantage of the power of the earth. Orno calmly continued.

"The magic that exists in nature is far greater than the individual, and when mobilized in the right way, it is far more powerful than any spell that any magician can cast. ”

"Hmm...... I kind of understand it, but it's complicated, cumbersome, and requires a lot of energy. But it's ...... what we're going to do" Mira hesitated, glanced at Orno, and then continued, "...... What does it matter?"

"That means it can be reversed because we're where we need to be, and the druids help control it around. Horno replied, but her overly professional remark only made Mira even more confused.

"She meant, little girl. Henry took over: "Give back the magic you borrowed from the earth." ”

"Ahh

Henry looked down at her, Mira hung her head in silence, and the others continued their discussion.

"This was originally impossible, because what a large magic array needs most is stability. It's impossible to make a circle when she's free to use her magic, and if we're able to weaken it to the point where she can't use it freely, uh, then. Camilo shrugged: "We've already beaten her, too." ”

"But even that wouldn't be easy. Adolphus suddenly stepped forward: "Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen to explain everything now." He stared at Orno, his eyes shining as sharp as a wolf.

"Yes. Orno replied in a low voice.

"We don't have the materials or time to redraw the circle, so we can only let her go back to the center of the circle and simply modify the circle and—" "So who is the person in charge of getting her back? ”

"Let our men sacrifice to make this encirclement, so is that why you confess everything, so that your own conscience can be justified?"

"Explain everything and no longer hide the facts, and we can go and die in peace to clean up the mess for you?"

"Who has the ability to get close to that distance and not be bewitched by the witch?, we could hear her whisper thousands of miles apart during the battle of Scotti. He pressed harder, and the more Orno's head drooped, Mira's fists tightened.

"That's going to be me, don't worry. Erica, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, and as soon as she spoke, everyone else stopped the commotion. Only Adolphus remained.

"But there's a risk in the end, right? "Yes. ”

"It's not the only way. He said.

"There are other ways. He said word for word.

"That thing, if it's really life, it's a life that has been conceived, it's related to love. Orno hung his head, and Mira clenched her fists.

"Well, then, it said to its mother—" "Ah, yes—" "Yes—" Many of the mercenaries began to echo Adolphus's remarks, though many of them set out with a bold and courageous appearance, but here and there. After being exposed and realizing the risks, many of them retreated.

To let Orno do it himself, at least in their opinion, is "just" and reasonable.

"This is her sin, why should we be sacrificed!" "Yes, let her go on her own, it's all her fault!"

"The sins created by the witch are up to you. "This is your sin. "Yes, at least it's enough for those who have died innocently. "It's up to you to do it yourself—" The scolding came and went, and Horno didn't say a word, just hung his head.

"This seed of iniquity that you have born is not a proof of love. "If you still believe that there is any love for that thing, then you can go up and solve it yourself." "Aren't you talking a lot about giving birth to life, where is your love when you need to sacrifice!" "Yes, since you have so much love, then go on your own, why do you want us to sacrifice." ”

"Why—"

"That's enough!!" Mira clenched her fists as she pursed her lips and clenched her fists, trying to keep the tears from falling. And the elf, who had only endured in silence, raised his head and stared at her blankly.

"Why can you say such things with a normal face? ”

"Why can you say such things as if this is a matter of course and a righteous thing? ”

"That's her baby!!"

"You're telling her to kill her own child with her own hands!!"

"No matter what mistakes you've made, it's not—"

"Regardless—"

"That's not right!!!" she shouted, and suddenly ran away from the camp and ran wildly into the dark woods.

The sound of the sound of passing through the jungle was far away.

“...... What the hell. ”

"After all, she is still a little girl, and she is soft-hearted. ”

"A girl who doesn't have the big picture at all. "Yellow-haired girl. The mercenaries muttered these words, and Erica took a few steps forward towards Henry.

“...... What a unique disciple. ”

"I didn't pay much attention to meeting before, and I thought that when I grew up, I would be the same sullen as you. ”

"I like this sex. ”

"And her. Erica whispered, "True." ”

"......" Henry was silent.

"Not catching up?" she glanced at him, and the Sage raised an eyebrow and chased in the direction Mira had run away.

"So, woman—" The mercenaries were still gossiping, and Erica rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Ha-" she let out an impatient voice, "Did I just hear someone who has an opinion about women?"

“...... No. "Your Excellency must have misheard. ”

"Huh. The silver-haired lady shook her head and walked over to Orno alone.

"There are tall and strong men all over the ground, and there are guys who put gold on their faces and say what kind of holy knights they are, and they are full of pretentiousness in everything they say and do. She glanced at Adolphus, who looked away again.

"The result is the courage in the heart and the righteousness and kindness of the self. ”

"It doesn't add up to 1/10,000 of a 14-year-old girl. ”

"Shame on you. Erica shook her head, and in the silence she scolded them in front of everyone, but the mercenaries were silent, and none of them had the heart to rebel after seeing what she had done to the dragons.

"Hopeless. ”

"It's hopeless—"