Jesse Dillon does what he says.
The heavy metal door slowly opened, and the smile on the blond young man's face quickly disappeared, like dust that was brushed away. He took a step towards the door, and there was no trace of that airy look left at the moment. Adrian couldn't help squinting his eyes - just staring at Dylan like this, the cold discomfort once again climbed on his nerves.
He almost thought it was fear.
Delusion. The former Judge Knight Commander shook his head slightly and turned his attention back to the room in front of him.
Although Adrian Cross has only been here once, he is still somewhat impressed by the furnishings in the room. The location of the decoration has not changed, but the flowers in the vase have changed. This was not a room for formal receptions, and to Adrian's surprise, Pope Dwayne Quinn didn't even bring a few guards. The old man was wearing a loose robe, with his back against the cushion, and was dipping soft snacks into his tea—he wasn't even wearing a tiara, his smooth scalp shone with a halo of sunlight, and there was not a single hair on it.
Adrian was silent. The last time they met, the Pope had at least the appearance of a vice-pope. And now don't look at the clothes, it's just an ordinary old man eating snacks.
Seeing the two come in, the old Pope simply nodded and made a "please" gesture to the table a few steps away.
Jesse Dillon simply nodded in response and took a seat quite naturally. And Adrian still stood up straight, without the slightest intention to sit down.
"Sit down, Ed." The Ladd Pope sighed, "I've heard from Mercer about the specific situation, and I think you can understand his decision. It would be great if the current situation could be maintained—children. , I have no plans against you."
Adrian remained motionless, just lowered his eyes in silence. The old man shrugged and dropped another small snack into the teaspoon. And he wasn't the only one—Jessie nibbled the dessert from the tea tray and chewed it politely.
The scene was a little weird for a while. This is not like an interview with an unknown person, but more like a tea party for the elderly.
"Wise decision." Jesse was the first to speak after wiping the crumbs on his hand with a handkerchief. "You didn't choose a hall and buried yourself in the heap of judgement knights."
"You also want to see me, don't you? Otherwise, you are completely capable of running away, I can see it." The old man stroked his smooth head, "Felix reported that you don't seem to be the type to be intimidated by power. Young sir, you are powerful—"
Jesse nodded politely, with a fake smile on his face: "I thought you were going to stab me from head to toe with the Dragon Breath Stone, but it seems that this... Religion has come this far, and there is a reason for it. ."
Pope Dwayne Quinn didn't compliment Denny at this point, he just politely put down the teaspoon containing the snack. "Boy, I'll just ask right now—would you mind introducing yourself?"
"Well... I have many names, the most recent one is 'Jesse Dylan'." The smile on the blond youth's face deepened, "You can call me Jesse."
"Okay, Jesse," Pope Quinn said without any air, and shook hands casually.
This is a temptation, and Adrian knows it very well - when Lord Quinn is seriously tempting, he will probably make this gesture. He didn't know if Dylan had discovered the mystery of this room, and everything seemed peaceful and serene now. But this time, unlike the last time, this time he didn't need to have any conversations with anyone, and he could look around the room at will.
Many corners reveal the traces of the magic circle. Judging from the intensity of that revealed, it really doesn't matter if there are guards, it's just that the latter is more pompous. But looking at the current situation, their Pope still prefers to make this matter a small thing—
Dwayne Quinn is incredibly shrewd. He has been Pope for more than fifty years, and Ladd has grown rapidly under his direction. No more excessive accountability for blasphemy and the like. Despite the accumulation of countless bad habits left over during the expansion, the pope is serious about making the sect more accessible to the people than his predecessor, who advocated "the supremacy of honor."
He is indeed a devout and powerful believer, but also a shrewd and tactful businessman. Dwayne Quinn has suppressed a lot of extreme dogma - Garland and Alban have developed very fast in the past ten years, and this old man has contributed greatly.
Adrian could barely guess what Quinn was thinking. "Jessie" showed amazing strength in the superior demon incident in Road Sign Town. And after the "magic staff" was confiscated, the real Jesse showed just the right amount of power. His strength is enough to defeat the ranks of the Knights of Judgement, but although such people are rare today, they are not completely absent.
On the one hand, the Pope's unpretentious and casual interview is to build a good relationship with this young man of unknown strength, and on the other hand, he wants to take the opportunity to explore the other party's details.
The old man's left foot buried under the Pope's robe never moved, and Adrian guessed that he was stepping on the trigger of a magic circle.
"Yeah, I think I'm the man in the legend. Um… what you call the 'Last Hero'," Jesse announced very directly.
Adrian almost swayed in place, but he finally held back.
"Interesting." Quinn raised her eyebrows, "I haven't heard this for a long time. How did you know that rule?"
"I think with your intelligence network, it should be clear... I will use the 'spiritual sacrifice' of the choir, then I will naturally have my news channel. Dear Pope, I only see you to confirm one thing-"
Jessie paused, and the expression on her face became extraordinarily serious. "Am I qualified to enter the Great Labyrinth of Isamel?"
"I did hear a little about spiritual sacrifice." Quinn still had that kind smile on his face, "Felix said that Eddard's child had regained his strength, and I almost took it for real... Alas, what a pity. That You lent him your power, didn't you? You are indeed qualified to enter that labyrinth, but..."
"If I'm not mistaken, Godwin Lopez has already gone in. He just didn't make it, did he?" Jesse chuckled, "The prophecy must be able to pick up Flint Lopez. Here's the Sword of Residual Fire. If you can't even pick up Residual Fire, you are destined to not be a candidate for the prophecy—this is your rule."
"Okay, okay. I admit, it's just a weird request from an old man. To be honest, the young man—the Sword of Residual Fire has nothing to do with prophecy?" The old man winked slyly. "As for that kid Godwin... He has a lot of things on his mind, too much. He challenged the Sword of Residual Fire, but that sword refused to accept him at all. Of course, he didn't approve of a crazy old man's wayward rules. "
The old pope leaned into the cushion: "I know he is very popular among the people. But if a person can't even face his true self..."
He didn't go on, just sighed regretfully.
"Actually I don't think, well, Ed can use it either," the old man added lightly. "Even though I suggested he give it a try, he refused. I think you know that too well... don't you, Ed? "
Adrian nodded silently.
The Residual Fire, Flint Lopez's saber, is said to be a weapon with the power of disaster. Anyone who is ashamed and confused in their hearts will feel intense pain when they pick it up, and the hand holding the sword is like being burned by a branding iron. Flint didn't take his beloved sword with him when he disappeared, it was bought by the Ladd and placed in the very center of Isamel's Great Labyrinth.
Those who are not firm enough are destined to be unable to tread the abyss. To be honest, Adrian doesn't think there is anything wrong with the Pope's move - after all, the prediction is illusory, and many details are difficult to verify. And once he is identified as a prophecy, the kindness of all parties is absolutely indispensable.
Dwayne Quinn was very calm. For more than two decades, Clement has had many powerful but ill-intentioned visitors. And this Pope, adhering to the principle of “better lack than excess”, invites people to enter the ancient labyrinth next to the Royal Military Academy of Clement.
"Please obtain the recognition of the residual fire." Faced with these ambitious challengers, the Pope declared.
It is a pity that although people are powerful, the ancient labyrinth is even more dangerous. More than half of them backed away when they received the invitation. And half of them accepted the challenge and decided to give it a go—most of them died in the labyrinth, and none of those who managed to return was admitted by the residual fire.
It's been a decade since no one claimed to be "the last brave". Even if it was as strong as Godwin Lopez, he did not directly rush to the Pope to play this banner, but took another, more low-key path—Head of Horizon obtained the labyrinth entry permit from Clementine College. .
"So, Jesse. Even if you know you're likely to lose your life, the residual fire has nothing to do with prophecy. Would you still give it a try?"
"Of course." Jesse Dylan smiled brightly, "Please give us permission... Yes, we, I plan to go with Ed."
Adrian stared deeply at those blue eyes, and finally made no objection.
They have an agreement. If Dylan wasn't so shameless that he immediately turned his back on him, he could ask the other party's plans after leaving here. That eccentric guy definitely had some plans - the teasing and triumph almost overflowed when those blue eyes swept in.
Adrian let out a soft sigh, turned his face, and nodded in the direction of the Pope.
Meanwhile, the ceremony hall at Clement College was still lively.
In fact, Oliver only asked one question before the kiss.
"Do you believe me?" His expression was very serious.
Nemo recalled the familiarity of the phrase almost immediately. He had asked Oliver that, right at the battlefield between Blue Bird and Vincent Town. So he happily gave Oliver's answer at the time.
"Of course," Nemo said.
Oliver smiled slightly, leaned down, and put his right hand on the back of Nemo's head, giving him a firm, deep kiss.
Nemo could feel his body tense in shock, but he didn't push Oliver away. After that brief astonishment, he deepened the kiss cooperatively.
"Do you mind explaining?" After the long kiss, Nemo poked the cream on the plate. "...The chestnut cake on your side tastes good. I hope you can bring a small piece directly next time, instead of using such a roundabout way."
Hayden, who was sitting next to Nemo, had wide-eyed eyes, while the other female nurses chose to turn away and pretend they didn't see anything. The logistics professional who has been paying attention to this side made a small series of air-conditioning sounds. Apart from that, not many people have noticed this side—there are many people walking back and forth to greet them, the hall is no longer unobstructed, and the combat major doesn't bother to pay much attention to this side.
"A lot of people are talking about you," Oliver said, rubbing his red ears, breathing with a breath of air. "I can hear it now. They thought you were coming..."
"Climb into someone's bed." Nemo said blankly, "I heard that, Ollie."
"So I decided to reduce some of the trouble and save too many people from coming to you to find trouble."
"You're worried about me?" Nemo raised an eyebrow.
"...Uh, actually, I'm more worried about the people who come looking for trouble." Oliver coughed dryly, "If someday a noble from the battle department came to you, would you pretend to flatter him in order to avoid conflict?"
Nemo imagined for a few seconds and shook his head earnestly.
"And I don't want to see anyone having fun with you." Oliver shrugged and took a mouthful of cream on Nemo's fork. "Seriously, you've already been noticed by some people. If my cheap cousin really found out, with his temper..."
Oliver frowned and forked himself another piece of cream cake. "… Couple rumors like this help to dispel his doubts. Well, that's what I think. Any other questions?"
"Yes," Nemo pointed out solemnly. "You finished my cake."
Oliver chuckled a few times, raised his left hand that had been in the dark, and pushed a plate of chestnut cake with a small bite in front of Nemo.
"Don't wait for next time, I'll bring it this time." He whispered, "Try it, it's much better than yours."
,Wonderful!
(m.. = )