Under the curtain of the night, the black-haired boy stood calmly in front of the huge palace complex, scanning the surroundings silently amidst the ringing of bells in the distance.
Suddenly came to this civilized environment from the depths of the deserted and extremely desolate plain. The average person might feel uncomfortable, but Roja did not react too much. In fact, he also had something to do with it. Expected.
Looking at the magnificent and familiar building in front of him, which he visited several times before, Roja took a step forward. He walked through the broad and majestic city gate, walked through the empty square, and walked through a long line with exquisite ornaments. The corridor finally reached the familiar door.
"Om!"
In the sound of the door trembling and opening and closing, the light shines through the gap in the door to the center of the black-haired boy and gradually spreads to both sides, and everything in the room has once again surfaced in the boy's eyes.
Between the thrones.
Not long ago, this was the place where the black-haired boy and the white-haired witch first saw each other. In this dark blossoming place, the two people fought with each other with wisdom as a weapon, and each gained victory and defeat together again. This was an opportunity to sign a contract.
However, this time, after the door was opened, the witch that the black-haired boy saw was not mysterious and unpredictable, but rather silent. As for the reason, the black-haired boy knew very well.
At this time between the thrones, the golden infestation has spread, and it gradually extends inward from under the corner. In fact, in the process of entering here, Roja has already seen this familiar light.
Half of the city is now shrouded in this golden light. Since this is not reality, the collapse of matter has not occurred, but even so, the situation is no longer optimistic.
When this land is completely dominated by gold, the witch will lose control of this place, and the connection with the black-haired boy will be severed. The result of this is also very obvious.
The contract between Roja and Altacia will be frozen, and the white-haired witch can no longer appear by his side at will, nor can she lend her power until the golden color fades, or the young boy as its carrier collapses and dies. .
Roja had already foreseen this result, but even so, looking at the witch above the throne, the boy was still full of guilt for a while.
"As the last side before parting, your look on your hero is really embarrassing for me."
On the high platform, the white-haired witch stood up gently, her amber eyes twinkling, and her face was a little unhappy, just like a girl who was awkward when she was arguing with a couple.
"Abandoning my loyalty and making the choice arbitrarily is the hero, right? Do you regret it now?"
"...No, I just think that something has made you wronged."
"..."
Hearing the words of the black-haired boy, Altacia fell silent, while Roja apologized.
No matter what era, no matter what race, the king must be proud, just like the giant king Gurandar and the holy beast king Petra. Although they treat Roja as a contractor kindly, but in essence for others It is constant, especially in the face of the enemy.
The witch clan has a very special status and authority compared with other races in ancient times. It is a race that makes all living beings afraid of. Even angels who are the messengers of gods dare not easily offend. Altacia is the king of witches. , And has a very high self-esteem.
Being eroded by the power of this king from other races is undoubtedly a shame for him. However, due to Roja’s reasons, Altacia gritted her teeth to endure these things, and even took the initiative to resist the angelic strength.
Above the throne, the white-haired witch who heard Roya said so calmed down a bit. She stared at the young man, the anger in her heart gradually extinguished, and after a long time her eyes turned to one side and said:
"Although it will threaten your own decision, I don't approve of it, but I have to say that what you did is in compliance with the contract, and even fits my mind."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"contradiction."
Above the throne, there was a rare smile on Altasia's face, and she stretched out a finger and said with bright eyes:
"The contradiction between the collapsed body and the inner heart that I want to save is the so-called conflict between material and spirit. For me, this is a good object of observation. Rather, I am looking forward to the result."
"So, should you say that you don't forget your original intention?"
The young man who understood Altacia's thoughts smiled helplessly, and was accustomed to being the object of observation of the witch. Looking at the young man below, the slight resentment in the witch's heart finally disappeared, and instead he gave a warning.
"The angelic erosion does not end here. It will continue to deepen after me. When you encounter an enemy, the erosion should have reached the final stage. By then, I am afraid that there will only be the most violent conflict between the attributes and Gurandal. I can act, and your enemy is probably not as simple as you think."
"... ... what do you mean?"
"I felt an aura of chaos, full of ignorance, and it is not optimistic based on the results of the divination."
Altacia had a serious face when he said that, and Roja naturally knew what the witch’s mouth was unknown and what divination meant.
The king of witches, synonymous with disasters in ancient times, can make Altacia feel the unknown, perhaps the most extraordinary thing, and the divination of witches is the authority second only to the goddess of destiny.
"Unable to get our help, gradually weakened body, the people around us are unstable and may turn into an enemy again at any time, as well as the enemy who is coming beyond expectation. Hehe, this is really desperate, and it is even similar to historical fragments. It's better than all."
"It's true."
"But even so, you won't escape."
Looking at the calm and somewhat helpless teenager below, Altacia's face was full of joyful smile, she slightly squinted her eyes, her eyes full of expectation.
"It is indeed a big crime to let me bear this insult, but if I can see a drama that is so interesting that it exceeds the anger in my heart, then the patience before the opening of the game is not a big deal, so my hero, please work hard. Give Altacia what he wants."
The small and flexible tongue gently licked her lips, the white-haired witch squinted her eyes and said, revealing an inexplicable desire. Luo Ya was unmoved when he saw this, but his support for the witch came from the heart. Be grateful.
"Thank you, I'm really touched by you for saying that."
"Hehe, what you want to get is what you need to pay. For the transcendent, whether it is in ancient times or now, the distress and joy are also contradictory. It always makes me face this situation. The hero is really bad-hearted."
"I really always become a bad person without knowing it."
The black-haired boy raised the corners of his mouth and shook his head, then looked at the witch above, teasing and asking seriously:
"So, as a bad person, can you get the treasure of the beautiful and noble Altacia-sama before a brief parting?"
"Oh? Do you have anything you want?"
"Well, it's a prop on the stage."
The smiling Roja whispered the curse he wanted, and the white-haired witch blinked when she heard the words, and slowly raised the corners of her mouth.
"Sure enough, if you want to give something like this to a woman, the hero is a bad guy, haha, but it's interesting, just leave it to me."
Altacia smiled happily when she heard Roja's request. After a long time, the Witch King who had completed the commission looked at the boy and said goodbye with a smile.
"So, Master Hero, it's time to leave, after all... the girls outside are almost at their limit."
"Yes, in order to save the princess, I have to say goodbye temporarily, Her Majesty."
"Hehe, it's really a rare name, but I quite like it."
The white-haired witch smiled happily, bowed her head slightly and lifted her skirt, and at the same time everything around the boy began to blur and twist.
"I look forward to the day when I meet again, and I hope you will prosper."
In the voice of the witch's heartfelt wishes, the boy smiled and nodded. The next moment Roja's consciousness plunged into darkness and returned to this world.
-------------------------------------------------- ------
Before dawn, beside the dark-haired teenager who was already sleeping, Noelle Hizkrit was experiencing unprecedented torture and contradictions.
In the dark room, the girl sitting up tightly wrapped herself in a blanket, covering her body that was constantly emitting light. However, in the pupils, the erosion of the golden light continued, and the spreading divinity squeezed the blue sky. His pupils are constantly oppressing the girl's personality.
Squinting to look at Roja, who trusts him completely, with her back facing the girl who is sleeping, Noelle's eyes flashed with pain, and the hand holding the blanket became tighter and tighter, and his heart was also about the decision he had made before. Began to hesitate.
This evening, in the baptism of the sea of blood on the corpse mountain, the blond angel once made a decision that if the symptoms of angelization occur again tonight, he must leave Roja and go to the depths of the plain alone. .
Making such a decision naturally did not match the girl's current feelings and wishes, but for Noelle, it was the result of no choice, and the opportunity was the girl's loss of control in the evening.
In the evening, Noelle's bloodline reaction once rose sharply. At that moment, everything in reality seemed to be gone, and the blank space appeared in her consciousness again. Although the girl tried her best to suppress the bloodline, but What happened next shocked her.
Noelle could not remember the location of the station.
Regarding Noelle's later return, the black-haired boy thought it was due to hunting, but in fact it was because the girl spent a lot of time searching for the range before finally finding his home.
Obviously, as an extraordinary person whose physical functions and thinking speed far exceed those of ordinary people, as a person who has received military training since childhood, Noelle should not and cannot forget his starting point, and more importantly, in the station There is that person.
Roja, this is the person Noelle is closest to after losing her father's trail. It is one of her pillars of heart, and the person who has just pulled her out of the abyss. To some extent, Roja is at the young girl. The degree of importance in the heart is even greater than that of Saint John, who is far away in the holy capital, but with such an important existence, Noelle can't remember his position.
Just as people may forget the shops they used to visit frequently, but no one will forget their own home. Noelle can’t forget where the people close to him are, but the fact is that she has really forgotten, so the only thing There may be only one.
That is Noelle is becoming no longer Noelle.
The young girl understood at that time that the erosion of angelicization had probably reached the third stage, which was not recorded in Hizkrit's thousands of years of records. It was no longer a replacement of the whole, but a struggle for partial consciousness.
Memories, feelings, thoughts, and every soul is her battlefield, and every failure will have a real impact on her. This ambiguity of memory is the best example, and it is precisely because of her discovery. At one point, the girl made this difficult decision.
Starting from the third stage, the concealment of the deterioration of the girl's condition has been greatly improved. Maybe she was still herself at the first moment, and she would have lost something important in the next moment, and the possible consequences will also affect the people around her.
Noelle does not sleep not only because of observing her own situation, but also because of fear. She is afraid of what might happen once she relaxes—forgetting or even hurting Roja. Only this point is that Noelle cannot accept it anyway. Yes, and Luo Ya has indeed been unable to withstand the twists and turns.
After a bloody battle with the King of Angels, Roja’s combat methods, that is, the ancient gods as partners, have been restricted by the angel’s unique corrosive power. The young man himself has also been severely injured once, and his state is unprecedented. And vaguely, Noelle felt that the young man was hiding something.
Looking at the pale face of the person I love the most until now, the blond girl gradually made a decision in her heart. She gently removed the blanket on her body and carefully arranged her clothes. The blond girl walked to the door silently. .
The plain at night was cold and dark, and the roar of the night wind continued. The girl understood that after crossing this gate, she would face everything alone again, and might not even be able to come back again, but the only way she thought was that she would be able to maximize He protects his beloved, Noelle's heart is strengthened.
After staring with dismay at the end, the blond angel forced himself to turn his head and stretch out his hand towards the door, but before he could touch it, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.
"If you go out at night, I think it's better to tell me."
"!"
Inside the room, Roja's voice came out calmly, causing Noelle in front of the door to widen his eyes and move stiffly. After a little panic, the blonde girl hurriedly adjusted her mood and responded with a smile.
"Why did you wake up suddenly? I saw you slept very deeply, so I didn't wake you up."
Regarding the answer given by Noelle, the black-haired boy was noncommittal. After a moment of silence, Roja asked again:
"Where to?"
"Some... can't sleep, it's almost dawn, so I want to make breakfast and I will be back soon."
"...Will you be back soon?"
Talking about the words of the blonde girl, Luo Ya slowly stood up and stroked his chest, an inexplicable rejoicing could not help but burst into his heart.
Roja’s chest left the King of Angels with a power that was difficult to remove because of the previous battles. This is naturally a disaster for the teenager, but it is also an opportunity, because Roja can be sensitive to the strength of this erosion. Perceive the young girl's blood.
Taking the erosion like a deadly toxin as a detector, this is why Roja was able to perceive Noelle's state one step in advance. At this time, in the chest cavity that was once penetrated, pain that has never been seen is spreading. The passage to Altasia was also completely closed.
Everything is telling Roya that Noelle's bloodline has reached the most serious period. At this time, leaving at night will never be for the so-called breakfast, and the method of proof is very simple.
"Noelle, let me see your eyes."
"..."
The black-haired boy stood up and slowly approached, but the request made the body of the girl who was facing him tremble slightly, not knowing what to do.
The most obvious external feature of angelic erosion is the eyes. Of course Noelle knew this, but Roja, who once looked at the king of the race, is even more aware.
The blonde girl didn't move, and Roja didn't say anything. Silence permeated between the two of them. Until a long time later, the princess who gritted her teeth finally turned her head and looked at the boy with a plain expression.
"It seems that you have already guessed it, so let me just say it, Roja, we will be apart for a while."
"Separate?"
"Yes, my bloodline promotion has reached the final stage. I need to concentrate and I don't want anyone to disturb me."
"... Excuse me?"
Looking at the young man with his eyes down while reciting this word, Noelle felt a pain in his heart, but he still forced himself to say:
"You are seriously injured now. Even if the King of Angels appears again, you are no longer able to fight again. It is no longer helpful to me. Thank you for everything you have done for me before, but now I think it is better for you to go back to the back. It’s safer there."
With a plain and rational expression, calm and accurate analysis, the blonde girl waved a knife and cut her heart and said hurtful words, trying to induce the teenager's slight emotions to get away, but the facts proved that she seemed to have done it.
After hearing Noelle's words, the black-haired boy stopped in front of her, but what she didn't expect was that after a brief silence, there was no anger in Roja's golden eyes, but warmth and calmness. .
"Really, you are not good at lying. You should be more unfeeling if you want me to go. Even if you listen to this level, it will only make me want to stay by your side even more."
"!"
The girl whose mind was seen through looked at Roja's heart shaken and wanted to speak to refute. However, the next moment, the shackles of Saint White suddenly shot out from Roja's hands, jumping dexterously like a small snake, accompanied by a "click" sound. She caught the girl's wrist and locked the two together firmly in Noelle's surprised gaze.
"Wait, wait! This is?"
"your present."
"Hey? Present?"
"Well, I wanted to surprise you later, but there seems to be no way."
The black-haired boy sighed slightly, looked at the surprised Noelle, and smiled and sent a blessing.
"Noelle, happy birthday."