"Father." The young Godwin was much brighter than the one they knew, looking like four or five years old. "I want to eat that—"
Emanuel is leading him to practice in the backyard. The incorrupt judge knight commander did not buy a mansion that made people feel air-conditioned, but chose an ordinary dwelling. The two children from the neighbors clambered up against the wall and looked curiously into the courtyard. They held the honey snack in their hands, and their eyes gleamed at the sword in Godwin's hand.
Despite Godwin Lopez's young age, that sharp iron sword was the real thing.
Godwin inserted his sword into the mud, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and wore a pure smile typical of a child: "If I finish all training today, can I eat one?"
"No." Emmanuel's voice was cold. "Sweetness corrupts your soul, and pleasure corrupts you. Godwin, you're not like them."
The smile on Godwin's face solidified, and he flattened his mouth in grievance, but finally lowered his head: "Yes, father."
Even though he knew it wasn't his own feelings, Nemo was still uncomfortable with the gloomy emotions that burned his guts. Nemo didn't think the Emmanuel in this memory was still sane—the paradoxical pain nearly dried out the young knight commander's heart, making it dark and hard as a reef.
No entertainment, no crying, no weakness, no escape. The two words he said the most to Godwin were definitely "not allowed" and "not enough."
In Emanuel's sealed memories, he looked into Godwin's eyes many times, trying to find resistance and hatred in the depths of those eyes. But he only found full trust and love, and that unreserved affection was driving him crazy. A living person trusts himself wholeheartedly, and he never imagined that this feeling would be so heavy. People always say that parents are the gods of their children, but look at what he has done - he is clearly not even worthy of anyone else.
You don't deserve to be loved. Why doesn't the kid hate him, Emanuel thought
Godwin was a good boy, and Emanuel knew that. His son is strong and well-behaved, never crying. The same question is never asked twice, with one exception.
"Can I have a piece of cake, Father?" Though for some reason, Emanuel never celebrated his son's birthday. But on his birthday shortly after the training day, his son asked carefully a second time.
"No." Emanuel's answer did not change.
Godwin never asked that question again.
As time went on, Emmanuel became more and more certain that his son was the man predicted. Yes, he himself did a lot of work in it, expanding his son's contacts and introducing powerful people - Godwin never let him down, and his son became as perfect and noble as he had hoped. fighter.
Just the right kind of benevolence, unshakable principles, absolute control over his own desires—Godwin Lopez is even more powerful than the occasional giggling Flint back then. His son would not slack, he would not hesitate, he would not allow himself to indulge in useless pleasures. Godwin lived extremely "standard", like an ideal puppet.
Flint was struck by what happened at the bottom of the abyss, but not his son. Being too kind and soft-hearted has always been the weakness of the elder brother. Emmanuel knows this well and has personally created a strong man who can surpass his elder brother.
But his son rarely showed a real smile, and the smile on his face never reached the bottom of his eyes.
After dragging down his favorite brother, he personally ruined the life of his wife and children. Perhaps it was all doomed, Emanuel decided.
Emmanuel looked at his hands. Under the shiny armor, the blood vessels were almost black. His will is twisted, as a judge knight who has been on the edge of the abyss for a long time, the demons killed by him began to show him ambiguous smiles before death. Dark forces are gently engulfing him gradually.
No, perhaps it is he who is chasing death, deliberately touching the magic that is destined to corrupt him. His spirit has long been like a piece of sand and stone that has been weathered for a long time, and it will collapse to powder with a little touch.
It's time to let go.
Before he was completely swallowed by the darkness, before he completely lost his mind because of his guilt, he wanted a meaningful end. Emanuel could feel the rush of health and reason—he couldn't sleep at night, every breath became a burden, his eyes seemed to lose the ability to discern color.
It's time, Emanuel thought. Godwin was strong enough to not need a bad father like himself. He offered his son to God as a sacrifice to the world. If one day, Godwin Lopez can really end all the turmoil, will there be any value in what he has done
As a person who chases demons, he knows very well how to hook a superior demon and how to temporarily suppress it.
Emanuel Lopez sat in the living room, wearing the battle armor that had accompanied him for many years, waiting for his son to come home. The letters that Flint had sent him were burning in the fireplace, the dry petals smelling faintly in the tongue of the fire, then quickly charred—the last proof that he was a human being, and they didn’t need to continue. .
Godwin was sure to come, and his son had always been obedient.
This will be the last cruel thing he can do in his life, and it will be the last time he hurts his loved ones. Emmanuel closed his eyes.
Everything happened very quickly.
Before the darkness completely invaded, he gripped Godwin's shirt tightly, nervously explaining his last words. He put a simple word at the end, but didn't have time to say it—
His son attacked him in the gentlest and fastest way possible.
He didn't have time to say "I'm sorry".
Immediately, the memory became pitch black.
"Typically, the memory fragments in the Glory Records and the Confession Records need to be censored," Emanuel's apparition murmured in the darkness. "I did a little trick to hide this part of the clip and record it in real time. So don't be surprised if you see my deathbed."
After that, he was silent for a while. "… This vision is just a message, I don't know how I'm going to die, but it must be ridiculous. This is what you see, young man. I'm a strong man for now, and I hope these memories will help you comprehend."
"Don't go down the same path as me. As you can see, I'm a miserable loser."
The illusion disappeared.
The two sat back at the table, fiddling with the quills stiffly. Oliver couldn't write a word at the moment, he was about to break the flimsy pen. Emmanuel Lopez's confessional record doesn't solve many problems, it's more confusing. And he seemed… unable to deny Godwin Lopez from his heart any longer.
Oliver couldn't imagine a childhood like that. Flint, as a father, is conscientious, albeit clumsy. He was dissatisfied with his father's concealment from the bottom of his heart, but in comparison...
"Not right." He sighed fiercely. "Father is acting a little strange."
"Well." Nemo replied with a sullen face, "Although I am not familiar with your father, I have read a lot of biographies related to the Tin Soldier. Combined with the memory fragment just now, Flint Lopez should not be The type that just disappears without a word. And..." Nemo's voice hesitated.
"and?"
"In the previous generation of Demon Lord Ulysses... No, in my memory. I did kill most of the members of the Tin Soldier." Nemo clenched his fists and said almost grimly. "But it was an upright battle. And before that, I probably didn't do anything to your father, at least when we parted, he was in a good mood."
"I believe you." Oliver frowned, lost in thought. "Honestly, Nemo. I don't think my father left his brother because of a breakdown. There must be some other reason. My mother was five months pregnant with me, as Uncle Emanuel knew. He died, and Godwin was born not long ago, right? But before that, my father disappeared completely and completely. It doesn't make sense - I know my father, and no matter how decadent he was, he certainly wouldn't. Will ignore the birth of Godwin."
"The biographies I've read are probably like this." Nemo nodded. "It matches the memory fragment, it should be true. Died five months pregnant... Most people really don't think the child will survive. I doubt Gord. Wen has also investigated your father, and he seems to be more accepting of 'you're alive' than his father."
"My mother in the end..."
"Oliver," Nemo cleared his throat, "Did Flint tell you about Trent blight?"
"No." Oliver put his hands on his forehead, and his hair was messed up by himself. "what's wrong?"
"...It's fine, I'll check it out myself. But I have a guess as to why your father didn't tell Emmanuel."
"I have one too." Oliver smiled reluctantly, "but I sincerely hope I'm just overthinking it."
"I guess our guesses are very similar." Nemo said with difficulty, "I'll say it clearly, it was your father who gave me the last blow last time, not Abbas Alastair. He was in the middle of the war. Just... by me... Anyway, your father was supposed to be the real hero. But he gave perjury and insisted that Abbas Alastair was the one who delivered the final blow - if I'm not mistaken , he must have a pretty good relationship with his deputy head."
Oliver nodded bitterly: "Father did such a thing, to be honest, I'm not surprised. Every time the bard made a fuss about the new hero, he always blasted them out of the hotel."
And in Emanuel's memory, Flint Lopez's toughness was an unquestionable fact. Oliver's thoughts are very pure, if there is anything that can make that power completely bow down—
"He threw up that honor and gave it to Abbas who was killed in action - which, in the big picture, was indeed the wisest thing to do. And before that, whether or not he had access to Alban's royal family through Abbas or not , that time it will always come into contact." Seeing that Oliver didn't say a word, Nemo continued to analyze in a low voice. "Flint Lopez is always a citizen of Alban, if he's forced to make concessions to something..."
"The Alastair family, isn't it?" Oliver twisted his fingers, his voice a little erratic. "Yeah, the prince was killed in battle, but he obtained the only title of 'Brave' on the surface. This was indeed very important for Alban at that time, and he could even gain a certain advantage in the war. For such a big thing, my father must have contacted Arras. The Tell family."
"Emmanuel Lopez was the Knight Commander of the Judgment at the time, and was sheltered by the Rudd. Even the royal family couldn't take action against him without clear evidence. Ollie, your father is probably protecting him. Emmanuel. But I really can't think of the reason, according to the existing speculation, he should be on good terms with the royal family."
"The best I can guess is that this has something to do with the royal family." Oliver shook his head, "As for the reason... I said, he never told me a word about his past."... And is that also a form of protection?
They know more and more, but the truth seems more and more distant.
"Forget it." Nemo sighed, putting down the quill in his hand. Moonlight poured in from the window, and the sky darkened quietly at some point. "Let's go to sleep first, Ollie. I still have some clues here, I'll check it out tomorrow."
"But my report still..."
"I'm done for you," Nemo said, pushing a roll of parchment to Oliver's elbow, which was undoubtedly Oliver's own handwriting. "Get some rest early, it's been a long day."
They tacitly did not mention Godwin again, and the two of them huddled on the couch and lay down quietly. Nemo stayed up all night again, staring at the black book with Emmanuel's name written on the table—Oliver held him extra tight that night.
Not far from Clement's Cathedral.
Adrian Close was on one knee on the thick carpet and prayed nightly prayers in the prayer room attached to the church residence. Since meeting the Pope, Jesse Dillon has given birth to a lot. It's just that on the night of meeting the Pope, the blond young man disappeared again, and he hadn't had time to ask the other party's plan—
sly guy. Adrian ended his prayer and pinched his brows with a headache.
"Thinking of me?" A frivolous voice sounded from behind.
"Please remember to knock on the door next time." Adrian said without looking back.
"If you don't deny it, you're thinking of me." Jesse, who had disappeared for a day and a night, leaned over to his side, the blue coat still had the cool air of the night. "It's not frank."
"Indeed, because you promised me 'speak directly, not covertly'. Then he turned his head and ran away." The Knight Commander was expressionless. "Although I don't know what level of your strength is, the Isamel labyrinth may be more dangerous than you think... At least for me, it's not a good place to deal with."
"Thank you for your concern." Jesse bent down, her long blond hair hanging down on the black monk's uniform, which looked particularly dazzling in the candlelight. "I do have a good plan, and I'll tell you all about it... well, but it's early and the mood is good. We might be able to do something else first."
He blew suggestively into Adrian's ear: "How is it, Ed?"
Adrian pressed his forehead, his voice flat: "I have no problem, but I need to prepare a little—"
Before he could finish speaking, there was a dull sound behind him. With a random gesture, Jesse slammed the prayer room door shut and latched it herself.
"...Please don't do this." The former knight commander's voice fell, and he glanced at the candlesticks and the small statue of Zeni on the table, intentionally or unintentionally. There wasn't even a chair in the cramped prayer room. "This is the prayer room."
"I think it's fine." Jesse shrugged. "Why not?"
This time, the blond youth didn't stick to it as if there were no bones, but folded his arms and showed an inexplicable smile. "As I said, you will definitely regret it."
,Wonderful!
(m.. = )