In the evening, the carriage stopped outside the village.
The old man stepped down from the carriage and walked into the village holding a cane and his long leather boots on the muddy ground of the village, stepping on the excrement of chickens and ducks.
In front of the door, a few children playing in the mud saw him, and they hid away in fear.
The old man wore a thick coat and a hat on his head. The crutches and leather boots in his hands were also very valuable.
If it gets dirty, they can't afford to pay for it.
"Come home quickly, it's time to eat."
On the bench in front of the door, the young man playing with the children smiled, gave them a few freshly made wooden toys, and coaxed the children to leave.
He doesn't look like a farmer in this village. In fact, even among the nobles, there are few who are as handsome as him.
He also has a good temper and good handicrafts. He is also a doctor and can use some herbal medicines to treat high fevers.
He has only been here half a month and everyone likes him.
The only pity is that I am blind in one eye.
Many girls in the village looked at him secretly, and then quietly argued in private about how beautiful his eyes would be if they were intact.
"Long time no see, Mr. Constantine."
He looked up at the old man and smiled. It's a pity that with an unattractive eye patch, the smile becomes a pity.
"Well, Ciel, long time no see."
Gaius walked slowly to his side with his crutches on his hands, and then sat on the muddy stool. He breathed a long sigh of relief as if tired.
"Let me see you."
"I've recovered."
Charles smiled and wiped his hands with the apron on his pants, "I'll go find you something to drink."
"No, I'm just here to sit down."
Gaius said, "We'll leave in a moment."
In order to avoid causing riots like before, Ciel has been secretly recuperating and resting in a small village near the capital these days.
Except for a limited number of guards and secret protectors, no one knew that this gentle and handsome young man was the Son of God.
Many people used some wheat in exchange for him to help their families work, and Charles was always happy to do so.
After not seeing each other for a long time, Charles didn't feel unfamiliar and was still chatty: "It's very nice here, Mr. Constantine. You should come and stay if you have time. The chickens I raised are about to be slaughtered. When I first came here, It’s only a little bit old, but when I put it in the house at night, it started chirping... "
Gaius nodded, "I'll come back when they come out. Do you want me to bring a chef?"
"It's best to bring one with you. I'm not very good at cooking. I just try to take advantage of others." Charles smiled a little awkwardly.
"I'm glad to see you live well. Get well as soon as possible. Without you, I wouldn't be able to do many things." Gaius held his hat and crutches in his arms, raised his head and rubbed his hair, which made the mottled hair a little messy. of.
Unable to hide fatigue.
"I'm so jealous of you, Ciel."
He sighed softly, "In the past, many things were nothing to me. After I met you, I realized that I am already old, and I am no longer the age with unlimited energy."
"Give yourself a holiday once in a while, sir." Charles smiled, "In the summer, you can fish in the river here, and I can accompany you."
He rummaged around for a long time and found only one bag of dried fish at home that could be used to entertain people.
It feels awkward.
Gaius took the dried fish and looked at it again and again, then reluctantly stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it twice. He couldn't bite anymore and swallowed it whole.
Then choked.
"I'll get some water..."
It wasn't until five minutes later that Gaius regained his breath and smiled bitterly.
"too salty."
"It was given by someone else and there was a little too much salt in it."
Ciel explained awkwardly.
In fact, the person who gave it to him had good intentions. Salt is very expensive nowadays, and dried fish is not worth much.
Unfortunately, I didn’t expect it to choke people.
After hearing this, Gaius felt a little relieved: "I have made a new friend, Ciel. As I said, everyone will like you."
"Yeah." Charles nodded without saying anything.
"What's wrong?" Gaius asked.
Charles was silent for a moment and whispered: "Mr. Hoffman, the person who gave me the dried fish, died a few days ago..."
Gaius nodded and said nothing.
"He sold the land and went to work in a factory in the city. Before leaving, he gave me the dried fish at home. But within two days, he was sent back. One of his hands was cut off by a machine in the factory and became infected. There was no medicine available here, so I couldn’t help him reduce his fever. He died.”
When Charles said this, he smiled bitterly: "It would be better if it was before. I still had the strength to save him before."
"Ciel, this is not your fault."
"I know, I'm just sad."
Charles looked at the calluses and scars on his fingers: "Many people in the village are like Hoffman, and there are many children. The child just now is his youngest son. He will also go to the city to work in two days. Yes, he signed a three-year contract. Obviously, he can't make much money in the factory. He works hard like a slave for half a year and can only earn a little bit. But if he doesn't work, he will starve to death. It is obvious that there is a bumper harvest in the fields, but the food If it’s not cheap, you can’t sell it at all. If you want to buy it, it’s too expensive to afford, or even impossible to buy... Mr. Constantine, why is this?”
Gaius said nothing.
Ciel didn't wait for an answer.
"Aren't we already victorious, sir?" he asked. "The war is no longer there. Many people are working hard to live, but it is still difficult to survive. The Holy City was overthrown, but many annoying things still continue. .Those who can’t survive still can’t survive.”
Ciel asked him, "They have sacrificed so much for this world, why do they have to sacrifice more?"
Gaius didn't answer.
Just looking into the distance, staring at the smoke of the village not far away, watching the sunset slowly setting.
"There are many things, Ciel, it's hard for me to explain. I know some things are not good, but for the future, we have to do this... sacrifice one generation and use the blood of one generation to exchange the prosperity of the next hundred generations."
He said, "Char, this is a necessary pain."
"But there was no need for this. If people today can't survive, what's the point of EMI's prosperity?"
Charles shook his head, confused and angry, unable to accept such an answer at all: "Mr. Constantine, you told me before that you wanted to create a new world where many homeless people would have a place to live, which would allow many homeless people to have a place to live. People live a very happy life. Haven't we already succeeded? We have obviously done it... but why is it still so cruel?"
Gaius finally turned around.
His expression was calm.
There is a hint of aging, and more, the determination and compassion that Ciel is familiar with.
"Ciel, do you remember what I told you when I was in the Holy City?" He said, "The pain will eventually pass, all pain will pass. This world is not perfect, Charles, there are always regrets, this is It’s beyond human power.”
He finally said cruel words:
"Sorry, there's nothing I can do about it."
Suddenly, Ciel felt a little dazed.
It's like going through a long period of asceticism, but it's hard to reach the key point of the road, unable to contain the fatigue and sadness in my heart, and... unwillingness.
"It shouldn't be like this, Mr. Constantine, it shouldn't be like this."
He forcefully raised his remaining eyes and stared at Gaius. The one eye seemed to still retain the former glory, like a flame: "What I want is not a world like this!"
Gaius froze.
"If you can't do anything, let me do it, sir, I can!"
He moved forward excitedly and stood in front of Gaius: "I still have one eye, and I still have so much blood. I can give you a miracle, sir, no matter how much you want!"
Gaius said nothing.
Just look at him.
For a long time, for a long time, until Charles's excited expression could no longer be sustained, he lowered his head feebly and sat back on the chair.
The sun set, the silent twilight arrived, and the sounds of wild beasts came from the distant mountains.
"It's too late, Ciel, rest. It's time for me to leave."
Gaius leaned on his cane, stood up from the stool, put on his hat at last, and said goodbye to him: "I'm sorry, I didn't care about your condition and said inappropriate words."
"Um."
Charles smiled reluctantly, stood up and wanted to see him off, but unexpectedly, the old man took a step forward and hugged him.
He was obviously so old that he had to use a cane to walk, but the hug made Ciel feel suffocated.
It's like saying goodbye to your own son.
So hard.
"Uh, sir..."
Ciel was stunned and at a loss.
"I'm sorry, Ciel." Gaius' voice was hoarse: "I'm sorry."
Charles didn't know where to put his hands, and felt a little embarrassed: "No, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it's just a quarrel... It's already late for you, sir, please go back and rest quickly, there may be another meeting in the middle of the night. "
He patted Gaius on the back: "Okay, I'll go back and help you after I recover from my injuries. You won't be so tired by then."
"See you."
Gaius took a step back and gave Ciel one last look.
Turned and left.
"goodbye."
…
…
After Gaius returned to the carriage, the carriage drove silently into the darkness.
On the carriage, the man waiting silently handed over a folder.
He looked a little older.
Dull and old.
He doesn't look like a secretary, nor does he seem to be capable of such a smart and quick job. He doesn't even have anything to do with the so-called political wisdom or foolishness.
It's just slow.
"The things left in the car," the man said, "I think the medical report should be yours."
Gaius took the folder, shook it, and forced a smile:
"Have you seen it?"
"No."
The old man shook his head.
Gaius stroked the cover of the folder for a long time, then threw it onto the empty seat next to him.
A long silence.
"There is a tumor in my body, right here." He raised his finger and pointed at the right side of his brain: "It grows together with the nerves."
He said, "It started six years ago. I always thought I could control it. I thought I could hold on for a while, even for a while."
Still silent.
The old man seemed to be stunned, without any reaction or words of comfort.
"I don't have time anymore, Abel."
Gaius lowered his head tiredly and closed his eyes: "I'm going to die."
In the darkness, in the long silence.
Someone choked softly.
"Abel, please... kill him."
…
…
The carriage stopped on the snow in front of the palace.
Gaius pushed the car door open, but couldn't stand still and staggered. The guard tried to help him, but he waved his hand and roughly pushed him away.
White snow fell on his shoulders.
He hunched over and held up his knees, as if exhausted.
Can't bear the final weight.
"sorry."
He wrapped his coat tightly, but it was still cold, and said to himself: "I'm sorry, Charles, I'm sorry..."
Just like that, he disappeared into the darkness in despair.
Outside the high wall, Paganini stood silently in the shadows.
Snow fell on his face, covering his dark eyes.
He turned and left.
quietly.