I stood in front of the revolving door, knocking the heels of my boots. The collar of the coat was trimmed, and he lifted his chin, examining his figure reflected on the curved glass. Cut straight hair and pair it with the usual leather jacket. Although the same leather boots are actually special order products reinforced with iron plates, at first glance they are no different from ordinary ones.
It's not good looking-from the past to the present, this has always been very important to my work.
In the whole pewter-colored cloud and fog illuminated by the morning light, the footsteps of people on the street constantly shuttled back and forth, making regular sounds like a pendulum device. Although the hawkers sometimes interrupted the flow of the sound, they continued to sound after a while.
The morning when visiting the imperial capital is always grey. I took a copy of the newspaper from the peddler's armpit and threw it back to him with some Mira. As always, the rough "Empire Times" was printed. Open the cover at will and glance across the gray paper. Suddenly, I held my breath.
At the bottom of the social version, I found that line of words. His eyes were firmly attracted to him in an instant, and he didn't move.
"Ein Sernate"-I have been staring at the line repeatedly before the words gradually lost their meaning and turned into plain ink. After a few seconds of blank space, his eyes finally moved down along the content of the report. Reading touched my memory, causing it to slowly flow backwards towards a certain point in the past. Towards what happened in a few days when I first heard this name three years ago--
That afternoon three years ago, the imperial capital seemed as gray as today. At the time I was 22 years old and I was slightly younger than I am now. As always, I used the door of the boutique to confirm my appearance, and then took a brisk pace to the "Mishut Empire Workshop". This is because I have already made an appointment with the owner of the shop, Michelle, and plan to take over a new job from him.
Mishoute is an old-fashioned middle-aged uncle who runs a small workshop, and I, who like to play with power guides, are one of the few regular customers in his shop.
A short walk along the damp path, passing through the decayed wooden gate, you can see the workshop half-deep underground, and the dim yellow halo of the guiding light is faintly revealed from the entrance.
Michelle began to give me "work" at a time when "Hundred Days" was disrupting the world. At that time, the relationship between the kingdom of Liber and the empire deteriorated to the extreme, and the import of the power guide was almost completely stagnant. Michelle and a few guys with suspicious origins conspired to smuggle together and asked me to join them. My task is to be a porter.
I came from a commoner and had no backing, and I was just a teenage boy. Of course, this was an opportunity I had always dreamed of. After the normalization of diplomatic relations between the empire and the kingdom, I have almost become a professional stolen goods porter, but I still have no intention of washing my hands. After all, apart from this business, there is no other job that can make good money.
Dressed up dirty and unobtrusive, I usually hide the goods to be shipped in hats or trousers, and just go back and forth between the borders. Thanks to this job, my wallet has become fuller and fuller. However, to be on the safe side, I have to change my name regularly to ensure safety. As a result, even my own name has been accumulated in two or three years. I used to be the slutty and frivolous Phil, as the skilled Looney, and at the same time as the timid and fearful Chris. Having said that, the fellow Michelet always refers to me as "Toby" whenever he can. That was the pseudonym I used when we first worked together, and besides that, it was also one of my favorite names.
"Yeah, Toby. It came just right."
Michelle was behind the counter and greeted me with a slight twist and adjusted his posture. He put the half-eaten scones on his knees, slapped his hands loudly, and sprinkled the sugar on his hands. In the dimly lit shop, there was a sweet spice and the fragrance of roasted apples.
"The goods have just arrived."
Michelet turned his upper body, took a bag of things wrapped in old magazine paper from the cupboard behind and handed it to me.
"What is it this time?" Although I knew it was nothing.
"The other party is in the old part of the kingdom." Mishoute ignored my question and only put out the tickets for the railway and the flying boat.
"There is no need to worry about it, Toby. Just as usual, just be smart."
Michelle sighed deeply, rubbed the dark circles under his eyes with his fingers, and then stretched his hand to the unfinished scone on his lap. Before he put the pie in his mouth, I walked out of the store and disappeared from his sight.
Old magazines bounced around in my luggage bag. I felt its movement with my side, and at the same time I started to guess the true face of the item. This is probably stolen goods again.
There is nothing disturbing. I have long been accustomed to transporting obscure things, and no matter what kind of trouble I have encountered so far, I have successfully solved it. In fact, because of the experience accumulated in the work, my knowledge and skills in guiding force magic are quite good. So even when I meet someone who might find a ballast at the station, I won't get too nervous.
The platform was bustling with passengers waiting for the train to head towards the Kingdom. There were no more seats on the benches, so I had to stand near the entrance and wait for the bus. When I was about to change my luggage and stretch my muscles and bones, two men caught my eye. They stood in front of the ticket gate, the area on the floor where the tiles were inlaid with the golden horse head of the national emblem of the empire, and they were talking about something without thinking. Soon another person appeared and walked over to join the conversation. In my eyes, this group of people dressed like that is really not a pass. Not only are they extraordinarily strong, but the three people with exactly the same hairstyles are still very conspicuous even when they are in the crowd.
After looking away from them, I hugged my luggage again and put my fingers in my pocket to feel the force guide. The female voice notifying that the train is about to arrive began to echo around. I just felt the low hum of the guidance mechanism in the distance, and after a while, the sound was pressed on my shoulders.
"No problem." I whispered to myself, but the voice was so small that I didn't even hear it. The big black and shiny iron made a sharp brake sound and slid along the track into the side of the platform. From the vibration of the air, it can be understood that the current guiding mechanism is braking with the most power. Then, as if being pushed by the crowd in the waiting room, I flowed towards the door of the bus. As I passed the palm of the car, I glanced in the direction of the ticket gate. The men just now are no longer visible. Only the horse head made of tiles was left, staring at me with the flushed side.
The train galloped through the clouds and mist. The water droplets attached to the car window glass turned into a series of transparent water marks, which were constantly twisting in the same place no matter how long they passed.
I leaned my forehead against the car window while rubbing my fingers with two tickets. First, you have to travel from the imperial capital to a city near the far southern border by rail, and then transfer to a flying boat there, so that you can reach the kingdom. The two tickets in hand are the first-class seats. There were so many passengers in the bus that there were almost no seats, but no one sat down in the seat next to me. Maybe this guy was specially arranged to be vacated by Michelet. If that's the case, he can't be wrong with this job.
"Are you going to the kingdom?"
Halfway through the railway journey, the sudden sound made me raise my head. A woman stood on the passage.
Her coat is fastened with three rows of buckles on her chest, and she looks about the age of hers. He has hazel hair just shoulder-length, and the same brown eyes. She bowed her knees and gestured, and pointed to the empty space next to me for consent, and whispered, "The smell of cigarettes over there is too choking," and she turned her gaze to the purple air floating behind her.
I nodded silently and moved the luggage under my feet to the window. The woman thanked me and sat down in the seat next to me.
She talked to me again and again. So I replied casually, pretending that I was engaged in the work related to the force guide, and I was on my way to the kingdom. And she told me that she was going to the city beside the border to do some things for church charity activities and the like.
"Some people would call me a nun." The woman changed her position with her feet covered in black leather boots. She laughed cheerfully from her throat, and then added: "Although that's just a nickname." . "Sister Hong Yaoshi"-it is said that this is her nickname.
Sister Hong Yaoshi and I just chatted like this for a long time. It is sinking to the west, and whenever you go through the bushes, there will be orange light spilling on the seat. Her brown eyes were bathed in the evening light, shining with red light. I couldn't help but imagine that the nickname "Red Yaoshi" probably came from this.
Finally, the train slowly began to slow down, and she went back to her seat to pick up her luggage. I checked my luggage and the power guide for magic with the movements that I had become accustomed to. Of course, no matter it was the waste paper bag or the power guide tied to my waist with a chain, it was all right.
The female voice notifying the arrival on time echoed in the carriage. It is raining at the destination, which makes a lot of sighs between the seats. The rain drops ticking on the car window, and the green-black outline of the city is in front of you in a blink of an eye. The signal lights of the station scatter in the water droplets and emit angular light. Then came the creepy metallic sound, and the impact of the thrust of the guiding mechanism reversed.
The station announcement came to remind everyone to take good care of their luggage. Passengers stood on the aisle in hustle and bustle. While watching the uniform of the station clerk waving the signal flag in the rain, I also stood up with my luggage bag.
Met Sister Hong Yaoshi on the carriageway. When she was about to take a step back, she suddenly fell over to me as if being tripped by her foot. After standing up with my shoulders, a shy smile appeared on her face and gave way to me. I nodded in greeting and walked to the aisle first, then Hong Yaoshi hardly kept any distance and followed me closely. This makes me feel a little uncomfortable, and my right hand can't help but slip into my pocket to fumble for the force guide. However, there is no sense of brass metal as usual.
A powerful force suddenly twisted my wrist. I heard the sound of quickly pulling out the metal. Something sharp against my back, about the location of the kidneys.
"I'll take care of what I'm looking for, Toby."
Sister Hong Yaoshi's lips moved slightly behind my ears and continued to speak softly.
"Don't act rashly, Toby. You don't want to suffer more, do you?"
The nun slightly changed the angle that suppressed my wrist. A colorless spark burst out from the depths of my pupils.
Sister Hong Yaoshi whispered to me softly while making my whole right hand painful.
"You will be obedient, Toby."
Tears in my eyes really overflowed, and I nodded. In an instant, the angle of the wrist became gentle, and the pain gradually disappeared like an illusion.
"Don't get me wrong, Toby. I was sent by the goddess Eddes to protect you."
She whispered so softly in my ear and directed me to look out the car window. When she called me "Toby" and pronounced "Bi", it made me feel very embarrassed.
The queue of passengers flowed slowly outside the car. I walked forward step by step as if being held by a red stone, while looking at the platform from the car window. Below the stairs leading to the front ticket gate, I saw those guys. It was the trio who came to see me off at the Imperial Capital Station.
"It looks like you will receive a grand reception." She snickered from deep in her throat. "Return the power guide to me." I turned my head to protest, but Hong Yaoshi did not answer. The flight attendants standing on the left and right greeted us and watched us walking towards the lead gray platform. Damn it, a bunch of idiots. People were so abused, why didn’t you find out? I half-opened my eyes in the strong wind and misty rain, and slowly walked down the drenched stairs in small steps. Hong Yaoshi kept the same stride behind me. The few people who came to the reception were standing right under the stairs and waiting. I thought to myself, maybe I would just be handed over to those guys of unknown origin. As the faces of the trio gradually approached, my left hand holding the luggage bag started to heat up.
When we reached exactly half of the stairs, Hong Yaoshi said suddenly. "Toby, look at your feet." As she ordered, I dropped my gaze on the toe of the boot half soaked in rain. Then at the moment when he exhaled, Hong Yaoshi suddenly pushed me down the stairs. At the other end of the water drop splashing from the toes, I only saw the sky spinning around, and then my body fell back to the guys under the stairs.
With a creak, his ribs were crushed, and then he felt healed again. I fell into the middle of the two men dressed as soldiers like an avalanche. After overwhelming them, I slid into a puddle. The exclamation of the passengers sounded as harsh as the brakes of the railway. In the constantly shifting world, while feeling the cold tiled floor behind me, I turned my eyes to the left and looked. The luggage bag was still held firmly by five fingers.
I struggled to stand up but slipped and slammed my chin to the ground, lying on the ground. Although he looked around desperately, he could no longer see the men dressed as soldiers. Only at the platform above the stairs, I saw the figure of Sister Hong Yaoshi. She is like picking a sack, carrying a man on her shoulders. Then as soon as she turned to the direction of the train, she threw the guy under the rails. I finally barely got up on my knees. The world I saw was still shaking. The nun's boots approached, and then she took my hand. When she was holding it, I hadn't noticed anything wrong.
"Let's go, Toby."
After standing up as if being dragged by her, the two of us ran out quickly. The crowds onlookers made a roaring noise, and one after another gave way. The luggage bag hung on my left arm swayed helplessly and slapped my thigh. When I passed the ticket gate, the nun finally let go of my hand. There was a snap, as if something was peeling. I found out that the nun's hands were stained red by the splashed blood. While running, I looked back in the direction of the platform, and the three people who came to greet me had completely disappeared.
The butter cube stood on a cold muffin, and I stared at it for a while. Take the fork from the table, fork the muffin, turn it over, and spread the cream on it. While doing this, I became less and less interested in the object on the plate. There was a light above my head crunching and shaking with a honey-colored light.
The rain shows no sign of stopping. I put my face close to the other side of the flowing water film on the glass window, and peered at the road that was completely darkened. The station should be right at the end of this road, but from the tavern where we lived, it was blocked by the building and the platform was completely invisible.
"You don't have to worry about it."
Sister Hong Yaoshi wiped her hands with a snow-white handkerchief and walked back at the same time. "For the time being, there will be no chasers coming." She unfolded the four corners of the handkerchief and spread it flat on her lap like a napkin. Looking at the movements of her fingertips, I seemed to smell the sticky blood scent again.
"how do you know?"
"Because the architecture is like this."
The waiter walked over, put the plates in front of the nun ping-pong and left. The nun brought the porcelain containing a piece of roast beef in front of her, and then sucked the sauce on her fingers with her mouth. I threw down the fork in my hand and lay down deeply in the chair. The city outside the window began to shrouded in a dark cloud. When Sister Hong Yaoshi put all the steak into her stomach, the outside was completely sunk into the night.
"How do you know that there will be no chasing soldiers?" I asked again. Sister Hong Yaoshi answered while wiping the plate with black bread.
"This is the structure of the group of people, a group of three--" At this point, she added as if thinking of something.
"The group of people I'm talking about refers to "The Hunting Corps"."
The figures of the men I saw at the starting point and the terminal came to my mind. "The Hunting Corps" is the honorary title enjoyed by some mercenary groups, which Mishoute told me before. It is said that they acted under the direction of money, and as long as they get the money, they can do things for anyone.
"They rely on war for business, and it has nothing to do with national borders, so don't get involved with them," these words have become the mantra of the guy Mishout. I involuntarily checked the location of the luggage bag with my foot.
"It's very simple." The nun stretched her hand to the dessert.
"Toby, what you are transporting is quite bad. Therefore, someone instructed "The Hunting Corps" to want to get rid of you."
"Their goal is not me, it's goods."
"It's all the same." Hong Yaoshi drank the tea.
"Kill the owner before checking the luggage. You will also slaughter the cow before grilling the steak, right?"
As she said that, she cut through the apple pie with a shiny knife. The sugar splashed out under the golden light. I suddenly felt a pain that seemed to pierce my stomach. I don't know what happened to Mishout at this moment? When I suddenly thought of this, I found that at the other end of the line of sight, the nun's hands stopped moving.
After staring at the darkness outside the window with a look like a hound, she threw something shiny on the table and slowly stood up. That thing on the table is my power guide.
"Where are you going?" Sister Hong Yaoshi didn't answer my question, and quickly fastened the buckle of her coat.
"You have a good taste, Toby." She put the heels of her shoes on the chair one by one, tying the laces of her boots in order.
"It's definitely not easy to be able to drive that force guide. It should be no problem to be a guerrilla."
"I ask where you are going." I asked again impatiently.
"Don't worry," she said.
"Anyway, we will meet again tomorrow morning."
After leaving these words, the nun disappeared into the bathroom entrance. As if coming to take over, two men walked into the shop. They walked straight towards me and stopped at the table. The badges on their chests shone brightly, and they opened their mouths without even looking at me.
"We are the Guerrilla Association. Sorry to interrupt your meal. Come with us."
On the table, lined up with my power guide, my empty luggage bag and the old paper bag. The guerrillas were in contrast, looking alternately between my face and the objects on the table. He seemed to be showing his right hand in rough leather hand armor, stroking his chin from time to time.
The place I was taken was on the second floor of this pub. The guerrilla carefully confirmed the layout of the room and let me into the innermost room. It seems that there is no branch of the association nearby.
The thinner one sat in front of me first. Although they had reported their names, I quickly didn't know which one was Clay and which one was Pavel. After the body search, the one wearing the hand armor, Pavel or Clay, walked back and whispered to his partner. It seems that in the end they didn't seem to find the nun.
Their interests are all concentrated on Sister Hong Yaoshi and "The Hunting Corps". After I told them all that Hong Yaoshi had said to me on the train, I put on a victim's face and asked them about her. In fact, I am indeed a victim.
"The woman's name is Sernate, Ein Sernate." The thinner one read out the manual. "She was originally a member of "The Hunting Corps", but now her organization and activities are unknown."
"Anyway, it's not someone kind-hearted citizens should contact."
The man in hand armor spoke exaggeratedly and stretched his hand to the old paper bag. Peeping at my reaction, spread the paper bag in the middle of the table. What appeared inside was a metal block with clay particles. "I'm on the way to a research institution," I confessed, and then deliberately made up customer addresses that didn't exist at all. The guerrilla wrote it down without missing a word.
After that, I stayed with the guerrillas for one night. Although because of what happened at the station, I had to go to the branch of the association to record the statement the next day, but I am not dissatisfied with this. Because, how to spend the night without incident, this is the biggest worry before my eyes.
I woke up almost at the same time as sunrise. He breathed a sigh of relief and sighed in such a calm early morning, but the guerrillas were no longer seen, only their voices were heard coming from the corridor.
When I passed through the sleeve of my shirt, my right elbow felt a faint pain, which reminded me of the woman. Suddenly, I felt an indescribable uneasiness, so I hadtily freshened up and started to adjust the force guide.
Open the inner lid and pinch the crystallization circuit with oil-tanned deerskin. Insert it into different crystal slots and change it to a structure centered on lighter magic. It took less than five minutes so far. After re-tightening the screws one by one to restore them to their original state, I finally calmed down, so I lay back on the bed again.
At this time, a tall woman who seemed to be a hotel servant brought me hot water to wash my face. She put the steaming basin on the table with a bang, and silently began to pack the sheets. When I was driven out of bed, I walked helplessly to the front of the basin, and saw two figures flashing past one after another on the other side of the open door.
"Here." I heard my own grunt, holding soap in one hand, closing the door, locking it, and standing against the wall with my unbelievable calmness. In an instant, the sound of anger colliding with muscles came from the other side of the earth wall. I pulled up the chain around my waist and squeezed the force guide that I had just adjusted.
There were two guerrillas, and the figure I saw just now was also two. If I join, I can win by the number of people. Just as I was facing the door again, I didn't know where I was talking to myself in the distance.
"Two people?" The nun had previously said that their group was "three people." Then there is another person—just when I froze because of my doubts, something suddenly strangled my neck, and the whole person was pulled backwards in an instant before I was surprised. A corner of the pale field of vision reflected the bloodshot eyes of the woman twisting the sheets. It was the woman who came over with the basin just now. I activated the force guide in my hand and cast magic while lying down. The compressed air scratched my thigh, bend the woman's body and hit it against the window. The white sheets and blood swirled in the wind and whirlwind.
I took a deep breath, made a sound like a leak, and released the sheet stuck on my neck with my hand still holding the force conductor. When he turned his head, saliva came out of his mouth. With a thump, something seemed to move behind him. The woman from "The Hunting Corps" jumped up from the ground like a doll with a clockwork installed. She obviously had a magic spell in the middle of her abdomen just now, but now she still moves as if nothing had happened.
As I backed away involuntarily, a sound like a tree cracking came from above my shoulders. In the next moment, as the door was shattered, Sister Hong Yaoshi rolled into the room. She swung her arm over like a whip, brushed the huntress and hooked her neck. The woman whirled and flew to the sky, then fell head down. The nun raised her knees high like a dancer, and kicked the woman who had collapsed on the ground with the heel of her boots through her throat.
The nun glanced at me, beckoned to me, and jumped out of the window, almost as natural as jumping off a low stool. After pulling the luggage bag over, I jumped off after it. When the nun below caught me, the two ran up the morning road. At this time, the sirens of the first train sounded in my ears. The nun handed me the ticket sideways. I reached out to pick it up, and finally threw away the soap that I had been holding tightly in my hand since just now.
The cabin was filled with the smell of gentlemen's cigarettes, coupled with the smell of newly printed magazines and the sound of dry coughs. This makes my mood very nervous. It feels a bit strange to board the train back to the Imperial Capital with the luggage intact. "It's the same as a power guide." Hong Yaoshi used a snow-white handkerchief to stop the bleeding of my magically severed foot and continued. "Once you start driving, you can't stop without being punched hard by someone else." She put the folded newspaper in half on her knee and poked it with her finger. It was the "Empire Times" that was just released this morning. The few lines of reports that were replaced and added conveyed the news of the death of the shopkeeper in the empire. It wasn't until this time that I knew Mihiet's true age for the first time.
"It's really close." The nun said, and put the newspaper in her coat. "If you stay in that store,5Minutes, Toby, you have been favored by the goddess long ago. "
"I really don't understand." I shook my head. The cold body of Mischiet who fell behind the counter, and the metal block wrapped in waste paper, both surfaced in my mind at the same time. What the hell is this metal block? Will we die because of such a thing?
"Because it is "Ancient Relics"." Hearing this answer from the nun, I couldn't help sneering at it. "Ancient relics? That kind of thing, I have transported many times so far."
The so-called "Ancient Relics" refers to the heritage of ancient civilizations, a general term for mysterious devices such as force guides. As an antique, it is quite popular among the nobles. There are many similar goods among the stolen goods that I have smuggled in the past. It's basically the same as this time, covered in mud. I really can't see that they have any value other than being regarded as decadent art.
"It's different, Toby. Things are different this time." Hong Yaoshi's tone seemed to teach a child.
"That's alive."
I couldn't understand the meaning of the words and looked at her blankly.
"In other words, it can still be used now. Although it is still unclear what kind of power it has in detail." The nun re-explained.
"it is30Years ago, excavated from the imperial territory--"
The nun began to tell the story of the metal block, which is simply the history of the nobles fighting in secret. With the alternation of those in power, "Ancient Relics" also changed its owners. However, after the "Hundred Days" campaign ended, it seemed that his whereabouts were immediately unknown. "So, this time it really reappeared in the imperial capital after a long time." The announcement of the arrival time sounded in the carriage, and the nun changed the sides of the overlapping feet.
"The people who were trying to get it went to "The Hunting Corps", and the church sent me. The purpose of this was to protect you and the "Ancient Relics" from the hands of those people."
I stared at the luggage bag placed at my feet. The train quietly began to slow its speed.
We bowed behind the gentlemen and moved forward between the seats.
Whenever the luggage bag hits the side of my knee, I always feel strongly about its existence. It feels as if I accidentally touched someone's body. In this cheap cloth handbag, there are ancient relics that the people of "The Hunting Corps" looked at and desperately sought. Mihiet is too stupid. We shouldn't touch this stuff at all.
"Should I go to church after I got off the bus?" After I closed my eyes and opened them, I asked the Red Yaoshi standing behind me.
"Well, I made this plan." She replied while patrolling the car window with her eyes secretly. "If you want to be saved, there is no other way but to do so."
Trains arrive one after another at the station in the early morning, and a large number of passengers seem to make it quite crowded. The sky is gloomy as usual. People put their collars up, just like the waterbirds huddled together on the beach at low tide in winter, just standing still on the platform.
"Don't push me down the stairs anymore."
"Not this time," said the nun. "If you have two more you, maybe you can think about it."
It seems that the number of people coming to the reception has increased a lot.
"The situation is unfavorable." The nun's voice came from her ears.
"It's impossible to get out of the ticket gate." We left the passenger queue, pushed open the door on the opposite side of the platform, and jumped onto the railroad sleepers. On the railroad tracks without any shelter, the cold wind of the imperial capital passed by. We passed through the gap between the cars and walked close to the shadow of the truck.
On the cargo platform, a group of workers are busy removing the contents of the container. For smuggling experts, it is a trivial matter to enter and exit the station through informal channels. While showing the ticket, I talked to one of the staff members. The script used is the customary script of the big star and his agent, and half of it refers to the nun. She gave a big smile, pretending to be a gesture. Although I said she is an opera singer, she looks more like a showgirl in a bar. Even so, the staff happily let us pass.
"You really have a hand, Toby." The nun said to me as we walked through the warehouse aisle. "It's better to think about changing careers. It's better to do other jobs."
"You want me to be a guerrilla, right?" I smiled and said, I would be rejected anyway, and then asked the nun.
"Sister, you should be a guerrilla, right?"
At this time, we just reached the division of the block, and the two of us stopped in front of the barbed wire. "Don't laugh." The nun lifted the lid of the drain and smiled at my question.
"The moment I walked into the branch, I was shot into a honeycomb."
The winding stone tunnel extends in all directions under the underground of the imperial capital without knowing where it extends. A few rays of sunlight coming in diagonally from the side ditch beside the main road, like street lamps, illuminate the way for us who are crawling forward. The shoes of the many pedestrians who came and went on the road passed above their heads, but no one noticed us. The world on the other side of the thin paving stones is so dazzling to me. "The Hunting Corps", "Ancient Relics", the news of death that suddenly came oncoming for no reason-things that I hadn't even thought of before, now all approached my eyes in one breath.
As if the endless circular tunnel finally met with the tall stone sewer.
"We are going through here to go to the side of the church."
Sister Hong Yaoshi raised an eyebrow and pointed at the top of her head.
"It should be better than walking on it."
"What if the church is attacked?"
When I asked, I heard the splash of water in the distance. The nun took my hand and stepped into the dark depths as thick as a quagmire.
"Don't worry, Toby."
She replied.
"It's not just faith that supports the church."
The guiding light flickered intermittently, casting a fine light on the wave surface of the sewage. The nun ran in front of it, leaving a whistling wind behind her. Her shadow moved diagonally from my feet to the darkness in the distance, drifting away. I tried my best to keep raising my legs to catch up.
The nun and I ran non-stop on the mossy stone road towards the church of Qiyao. From the railway station to the church, if you walk on the street, it is about three blocks away. After the water gate used to adjust the water level has passed, climb up the drain and you will reach the square in front of the church.
The light from the guiding light appeared in the distance. The nun turned her head to my direction and stretched her right hand to the side, telling me to turn right at the next corner. Then she followed the trend and kept turning her shoulders as if she was about to take some action. Sister Hong Yaoshi might have expected what will happen next.
Under the flickering lighting, Hong Yaoshi's figure disappeared at the other end of the corner. One, two, three. After several dull hits came out, something seemed to fall into the water. As I turned the corner, I saw two men lying on the ground in a weird posture, which made me involuntarily dodge towards the side of the road. The nun who walked a few steps in front of me continued to run forward with the same stride as if nothing had happened.
"It's a red stone!"
The roar from behind made me look back. A man squatted beside the corpse at the corner, maintained that posture, opened his blood-colored mouth and shouted loudly.
"Red Yaoshi is here!"
The nun ran without looking back. After I turned my head and faced forward, I followed her and continued to run. The waterway leading straight to the watergate turned into a square of darkness waiting for us. Hong Yaoshi deliberately slowed down her pace for me, who was obviously out of breath.
"That group seems to be getting serious." She stared at a certain point in the sky and said.
"Those people just now were your former partners?"
Hong Yaoshi turned his red-brown eyes to me.
"You heard it from the guerrilla?" I nodded and didn't ask any more questions. Instead, staring at the shadows of his feet that were constantly shaking in the light of the guiding lamp, he kept his head down and continued to move forward.
"Do you remember the woman who fought in the hotel?"
The nun spoke suddenly.
"I quit my mercenary because I don't want to die like that."
I looked up at Hong Yaoshi's profile. "I don't want to die like that," the nun repeated, "Since people are going to die in the end, they should fight for a certain purpose first and leave proof that they have lived before they can die. ."
I felt an indescribable fear, while continuing to run by her side. Suddenly, he heard the slight sound of water interspersed with the sound of his own breathing, so he looked back.
"Toby, did you notice it?" The nun slowly slowed down, and finally stopped.
"Their reserve team chased from behind."
We arrived at the intersection where the two waterways meet in a cross. On the other side of the wide stream of disgusting stench, you can vaguely see the water gate reflected by the dim light. So I leaned my back against the damp brick wall and tried to adjust my breathing for the time being.
"80% of us will be ambushed." The nun stared at the other side, then turned back and looked behind. "However, there is no time for a detour." She took a deep breath and made a sharp noise two or three times. I held the power guide with my sweaty hand and wrapped the strap of my luggage around my wrist. The nun confirmed her boots as before, and then stood up.
Then the two of us held our breath and rushed into the thick, dark stream of water in one breath.
The nun dashed towards the opposite bank, leaving behind a black hookah. I was left behind in an instant.
A few magical flashes came out from the water gate, and they passed through the air one after another, but they were all avoided by the nun. The magic blasted the dirt deposited at the bottom of the waterway, and turned into an explosion wave that violently attacked me. And after she leaped lightly to avoid the last wave of magical attacks, she jumped onto the shore with surprisingly fast speed.
Flying over the sandbag wall, she threw her arms away. The chasing soldiers lined up straight down to the ground. The nun's arms spin freely like a windmill, always faster than the blade of a knife. Her hand pierced the enemy's throat from an angle beyond imagination, cut the blood vessel, and stalked away.
So when I finally climbed the stone road, there was no one standing there except her.
"Climb the ladder in front of you to the sanctuary."
Hong Yaoshi waved his hand like a child who had forgotten to bring a handkerchief away from the blood splashed on his hand, watching my pupils still gleam with the aftermath of the battle.
"The reserve team is coming. Go ahead."
The low footsteps kicking into the water were close enough to reach my ears loudly. After crossing the corpses of the hunters just now, we ran to the dried-up waterway.
Holding the wet stone with his hand, he drilled under the half-open water gate. A drop of water bounced on my neck. I noticed the noise on my head and stopped. That is the sound of the power director driving magic.
"Toby!" The white light instantly filled the field of vision, and the nun's voice seemed to be heard in a trance. I didn't know where to stretch out my hand, grabbed my shoulder and pulled. At about the same time as my body was dragged backwards, the paving stones were blown apart by magic.
The explosion sounded all over my body, and I knocked my back to the ground, and then I slumped and fell on my back. I raised my head as I was choked by the sewage, and saw the smoky water gate. From there, the hunters gushed out like a nightmare, and the sharp blades of their hands shone with cold light.
I struggled in the mud. Seeing the faces of the hunters approaching quickly, they jumped up and rushed over. I quickly rolled to the side to avoid the broad knife, and then used my luggage bag to block the blade that was forced by my backhand. The cloth bag was cut silently, and the old paper bag rolled down onto the stone road. I fumbled for the power guide hanging around my waist, but my fingers were only entangled by the rattling chain.
The hunter looked at my throat and lifted the sword. A figure flashed behind him. It's a nun. Her arms were so flexible that only the long sword was left in an instant, and the man was beaten away and disappeared. With the sharp clang of the long sword, the nun also knelt down.
"I'm sorry, Toby." She lowered her head, and several red blood stains ran down her cheeks.
"Maybe you will be favored by the goddess."
She stood up again. The fluttering jacket had been torn to pieces. It was caused by the magic just now. She must have been affected when she let me escape. The bubbling blood stained her chest red. I picked up the "Ancient Relics" that fell on the ground. Peel off the wet paper bag and stack the cold metal block with my own power guide.
The footsteps of "The Hunting Corps" disappeared. They seemed to be blocking the road leading to the water gate, with the knife in front of us.
The nun let out a cry that seemed silent, and I started to drive the force guide. At the moment the device groaned and released magic, my cheek was burned across by a fiery blade. In an instant, I was knocked into the air and fell forward. I looked up and saw the nun's back. Her right arm was no longer able to exert strength, and it dropped from her shoulder. When she lowered her face slightly, then she collapsed in front of me like a slip.
I hugged the nun and used magic to blow away the mercenaries who had attacked. However, it ends here. The tips of countless swords pointed at us. I raised the right hand that had driven the force guide high up as if to protect myself. The blade broke through the wind, and I closed my eyes.
Inside the dark eyelids, I saw the boundless snow-white world gradually spreading——
I was swallowed by the snow-white world, and then spit out onto the solid ground and fell down.
The warm earth with the breath of sunshine. The heavenly ground feels like paving stones. I fumbled around with my hands and felt the stiff hair. It seems that the nun is also "called by the goddess" with me. Some hot stuff came up from the bottom of my belly, and I spread it out in big letters, letting my body rest.
At this moment, the surroundings began to noisy. Someone seems to be peering into my face. When I got used to the brightness around me, I saw a girl's face. The girl smiled at me. As a goddess, she is too young no matter how she looks.
Just thinking about it, a bell rang above my head, sounding like a church clock. It was incredible. I sat up while thinking so, and finally woke up from my dream.
I looked around in a panic like a dove, and the eyes of the onlookers focused on me. Common streets, sounds, and wind. You can't go wrong. This is the square in front of the sanctuary of the imperial capital.
I opened the palm of my right hand and looked at the metal block that Micheute gave me. A golden light swirled like silk on the surface of "Ancient Relics". I remembered the words "that is alive" that the nun once said, and once again held the waning ancient glory in his hand.
We held each other's shoulders and walked towards the sanctuary, and the goddess with wings spread out on the stained glass was watching us silently.
Everything after that was dealt with in an orderly manner.
The metal block guarded by the nun covered in blood was transferred to the hand of the cardinal who was waiting in the church, and disappeared at the other end of the heavy gate. Royal relations, agents of powerful nobles, and generals of the Imperial Army were engaged in endless and dirty intrigues, which made the people who were sent by the Guerrilla Association in charge of mediation helpless.
I was by the side of Sister Hong Yaoshi. She was placed lying flat on a bench in the church, and the real nuns helped her take off her coat and cut off the coat that had been stuck with blood. Then another chain mail was revealed under the shirt, which made them feel confused.
The next day, a certain nobleman who hired "The Hunting Corps" agreed to give a manor as a condition of giving up in return. As a result, "Ancient Relics" was finally brought under the management of the church. And I was stuffed with the sealing fee for an entire bag, and I was immediately ready to leave for the Republic. The destination is a famous high-level recreation area. In fact, this is just a decent way to get out of trouble. The guerrillas responsible for following and guarding me are the previous two, Pavel and Clay. Before leaving, the two of them led me to the nun without a word.
The nun had already woke up, and I only had a few words with her. When saying goodbye, she reached out to me.
"Ein. My name is Ein."
I held her white and flawless hand tightly.
Three years have passed since then-I saw her name in the "Empire Times".
"Ein Sernate"-below this line, there are only a few very concise reports.
"In the early hours of yesterday morning, Yudi City Street was found dead. There were multiple traumas on the remains-before his life, he participated in the charity activities of Qiyao Church and saved many people everywhere. 』
When I read the last line, the figure of a nun lying on the road came to my mind. Her sleeping face stained red with blood looked extremely peaceful, and even smiled.
I crumpled the newspaper into a ball and gently touched the shiny guerrilla badge on my chest. It has been almost two years since I switched to the profession suggested by the nun. I am finally more accustomed to using my real name.
"Toby." The nun's whisper echoed in his ear. Now I am no longer Toby, and leaned my forehead against the cold and foggy car window. The nun in the memory, her eyes are like red shining stones, and the back of her coat flutters into the darkness. I opened my eyes and looked out the window. The lights of the imperial capital had been dyed red and disappeared beyond the white mist.
<Finish>
