"Is she really okay?"
Medes stood in the stone room under the ancient tomb, the red light in the skull's eyes brightened a bit. After getting Adrian's affirmative answer, the necromancer rubbed the tin soldier badge on his chest with his bones, and let out a hoarse low laugh.
"I'll go and write down this prescription." The living skeleton sat back in the pile of parchment, dipping the quill with the blood in the inkwell, and hurriedly wrote.
"In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with Her Royal Highness Delia's health. Mr. Medes, if there is anything else you need to confirm on your side—"
"No, the dangerous period is over, and there will be no more problems with her body." Meders' voice was soft and firm. After carefully completing the record, he carefully picked up the still-blooded parchment and placed it on the thickest pile of parchment by the table.
The bone hand waved gently, and the sturdy and waterproof oiled paper wrapped the stack of paper, and then swam up to the stone table like a cloth rope snake, tying the wrapped parchment neatly and firmly. The parchment ball that was thrown on the ground was swallowed up by the fluorescent blue flame, leaving only a fine gray powder.
"Mr. Cross, I have a request." Medes held up the bundle of wrapped papers in both hands, "I hope you can bring this knowledge to the outside world and sign the 'Tin Soldier'. If possible, please bring them Send it to Clement College or a similar research institution... Once they confirm these theories, it should save a lot of people."
"What are these?" Adrian frowned slightly, he had a bad premonition.
"My research results over the years." Medeth's tone was very calm, "I still have a few dragon breath stones here, and I will pay them to Tumbleweed as a reward. Considering my identity, the commission will not Go to the mercenary guild."
The knight commander did not take the heavy stack of parchment.
"Why don't you go in person?" Adrian asked politely, looking at the vat not far away.
"I can indeed restore my physical body." Aware of what the other party meant, Medes sighed softly. "But that's not necessary. Cured a Trent blight patient, understood the damn disease, and saw..."
Medes paused for a moment, no expression could be seen on the skeleton's face, but Adrian somehow felt that he was smiling.
"Enough is enough." The Necromancer shook his head.
The former Judge Knight Commander pursed his lips, still not intending to take the stack of papers.
"Mr. Dylan should be outside? Then I'll see you off." Seeing that the other party did not move, Medes was not in a hurry. He rambled on, his voice soft as dust blown by the wind.
Adrian did not refuse.
The Necromancer scanned the furnishings in the Eye Stone Room. After a moment of silence, he made a gesture—the illuminated skulls hovering over the stone room fell one after another, and stopped neatly inside the stone table, like some kind of strange bird without wings.
Walk through the long tomb passage, drill through the entrance where the corpses are still piled up, and avoid the sinister organs. The two walked up the road without saying a word. The paper bag was still held tightly in Medes' arms.
until they saw the light.
Mr. Dylan obviously has no good habit of closing the door.
Not long ago, when the two members of Tumbleweed arrived at the tomb, Jesse received a contact from Nemo. After confirming that it was a private conversation, the knight commander took the initiative to enter the tomb alone - even if he lost his magic power, an ancient tomb that he visited once could not stop the previous trial knight commander.
And now Adrian and Medes were very close to the outermost entrance of the ancient tomb, and the stone gate was wide open, allowing the sunlight to invade. Maybe Jesse and Nemo's exchange isn't over yet, but anyway...
Adrian stopped.
When the moss at the entrance meets the sun, it has become yellow and curled, and when you step on it, it will make a light clicking sound. The terrifying corpse was still lying in the first organ, and the warm light did not succeed in dispelling the gloom.
"If you want to end this, I will not stop you," the knight commander whispered. "It was me who passed through that chain of pain. Because of my self-righteousness, I let my dear friend struggle desperately in pain for a few minutes. Years, which eventually led to both him and his mother... I thought, if his will was respected and he was allowed to leave with dignity, would things have had another ending?"
Adrian Cross raised his right hand and blocked the dazzling sunlight outside the tomb with his palm.
"So I won't stop you, Mr. Meders." He still didn't look like he was going to take the stack of parchment. "I have no right to judge your pain, and I have hesitated in that way - to offer my atonement to the world until the end of my life. If you are lucky enough to have peace of mind early, then use this life to pay for the last sin."
"For a few moments, I thought about it that way."
The Necromancer was silent, neither admitting nor denying.
"But now I don't think that way anymore." Adrian turned his back to the light. "Mr. Ramon didn't want to pursue you. King Sampson is dead, and Mr. Lopez tried to stop you from hurting yourself. I want you to... think for a few minutes."
"Since you know the pain, why did you change your mind?" Meders held the paper bag tightly with one hand and the Tin Soldier badge on his chest with the other.
"I thought I couldn't be simply happy anymore, but I was wrong." Adrian lowered his eyes, "Even if it's just a brief moment of joy, but that... it's also good."
He politely extended his hands to Medes.
"If you are sure that this will give you the ultimate peace, then give it to me, Mr. Medes. If you have any lingering thoughts, you will one day be able to leave this quagmire. The records are handed over to the outside world—hand over to the outside world.”
Medes stood silently where he was. And the knight commander watched him patiently, without the slightest impatience.
"One day." The red light in the skeleton's eyes was on and off, as if he was going through a struggle. "One day later, at dusk, please come here... If the door of the tomb is closed, then you can come and take these materials from the door, and I will not appear again."
"If the tomb door is open..." Medes let out a low laugh, "perhaps it will be perfected again."
Medes watched Adrian Cross leave.
Adrian's blond companion was waiting for him outside the ancient tomb, and as soon as they met, he hung up shouting. After the two said goodbye briefly, they left very relaxed - Jesse Dylan was still noisy, and Meders could see the faint smile on the corner of the Knight's long mouth.
The Necromancer stood for a long time in the long-lost outside world.
However, after everything was silent, the only remaining warmth gradually disappeared. Silence struck again, and the hell he was in had not changed in the slightest. Medes shook his head with a wry smile, the impulsive blood in his heart was eroded and cooled by pain again.
Dusk is coming to an end and night is coming.
But this time, as soon as he stepped into the ancient tomb, he found an uninvited guest-a filthy, skinny little boy was nesting inside the stone gate. With strong hostility and unwillingness.
This is not an uncommon situation.
The ancient cemetery is located in a remote location, and most of the surrounding villages are not wealthy. Many poor families will abandon their sick or unable to support children nearby, and the nobles will also throw away some sick and weak children born to slaves. Usually the beasts wandering around will help them out of these troublesome burdens.
Medes usually only sees chewed bones, and it is the first time that he sees two breaths. Half of the child's face was covered with poisonous sores, and he looked like he was about to starve to death, and the corners of his mouth were still stained with worm shells that had not been wiped clean.
Maybe it was influenced by that knight commander, or maybe his mind wasn't clear at all. Medes, carrying the parchment full of life's efforts, leaned forward—
"Do you want to live?"
"..." The little boy nodded inexplicably and rolled his eyes, clearly thinking he was asking nonsense.
"Want to become stronger?" Medes moved closer.
"Think." The little boy said hoarsely, swallowing. "You, are you a devil? I want to make a wish, I want revenge! What price do you want, soul? I can do anything..."
Meders covered her face with a bony hand and burst into a burst of laughter.
"Yes, I want a price."
Medes snapped the stack of parchment paper to the little boy: "I'll heal you, give you food, teach you everything—and you need to promise me that you'll use these things to save people. Well, I'll think about it. , at least a hundred lives."
"No contract?"
"No."
"Then how do you know that I won't betray you?" the little boy asked boldly, aiming at the stack of parchments.
"I have no idea."
Medes turned his head and looked at the burning sunset again.
"…but I'm willing to trust you before you betray me. How about that?"
The sunset completely sank.
Nemo tightened the reins and walked with Oliver on the way back to camp.
The woods near the capital are dense. The sky at the intersection of dusk and night reflected the leaves mixed with gold and green in early autumn.
Holding the last bit of luck, he avoided Oliver, first asked Jesse to verify the hero's prophecy, and then got a positive answer. Nemo could understand why Jesse didn't tell them—not to mention them before, even now he couldn't digest this fact very well.
Oliver is 99%, no, it should be said that he is definitely the swordsman who ended everything.
And he himself is about equal to "everything" that is about to end. If he didn't know who Jesse Dillon was, or if Jesse Dillon was indeed at fault in prophecy... that would be great.
But escaping doesn't change the facts. Considering their possible emotional out-of-control, the current environment is just right.
They were passing through the thickest of trees, and Oliver was just a few steps ahead of him, examining the novel mushrooms on the roots. The sword of rest was inserted into the ukulele behind him, and it did not exude the malice that a half-armed weapon should have.
his Oliver.
Nemo stopped.
Realizing that the sound of the other party stepping on the fallen leaves disappeared, Oliver quickly looked away from the mushroom: "What's wrong, Nemo?"
"Oli." Nemo closed his eyes and tried his best to sound calmer. "Remember that prophecy?"
Oliver opened his mouth, and he seemed to be keenly aware of something. The head of the tumbleweed just nodded slightly and didn't answer.
"Remember its content?"
"Nimo..." After a moment of silence, Oliver obviously also considered the worst possibility.
"I checked with Jesse, and it's what you think," Nemo added softly.
After the sunset disappeared, the autumn sky darkened quickly. Oliver was silent for a long time, standing silently opposite Nemo, and when he spoke again, the entire woods had been soaked in darkness.
"I see," he said with difficulty, and Nemo could hear that his lover was trying to make him appear cheerful. Obviously, Oliver did not succeed.
"It's getting dark, let's camp here tonight." Nemo's voice was dry, trying to dilute the gradually icy atmosphere with other topics. "I'm going to tie up the horse and set up a magic circle. You make a fire, Ollie, we can… have a good talk about this."
"Okay." Oliver replied quickly, his tone as steady as ever. "Don't worry, we'll fix this."
Nemo pursed his lips, he should have felt relieved, but his chest was a little inexplicable.
Believing that his magic circle would not be destroyed by any beasts, in order to make the horse taste lighter, Nemo took the strange-looking horse away and tied it firmly to the tallest tree nearby. After laying down the protective formation, he specially reinforced the reins with spells.
All this didn't take as long as he thought. The darkness not far away was illuminated by firelight, and Oliver should have successfully set the bonfire on fire.
Nemo walked silently through the woods, approaching the firelight.
Then his heart throbbed violently.
Oliver was sitting by the fire, hugging his knees and burying his face between them. The sturdy young man huddled himself into a ball, his breath was a little chaotic, and he looked sad and helpless. The brilliance of the flame swept across him, but no warm feeling stayed. Nemo knows that in terms of pure power, Oliver can be regarded as one of the strongest on the surface—
But in those few seconds, he looked so fragile and painful.
"Oli." Nemo cleared his throat.
Aware of his lover's return, Oliver raised his head quickly, his face almost calm: "You're back, Nemo, that prophecy just now... You don't have to worry, I won't—"
But Nemo didn't sit back beside him like he always did.
"… Nemo?"
"Honestly, Ollie."
"What's the truth?" Oliver licked his lips and exhaled, speaking very fast. "I just want you not to worry. I promise you, I will never hurt you... Even if it's a prophecy that Dylan approves, there should be room for turning back—"
"… Said you were in pain." Nemo took a few steps closer and continued almost brutally. "I'm telling you this because I need you to know—if you're the one meant to be, you might be part of the 'before me' plan. If something goes wrong, I might even attack you. From now on At first, you have to be wary of me."
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Oliver smiled reluctantly, his face a little pale. He stood up and tried to grab Nemo's arm. "I just didn't react for a while. Nemo, I know you're very…"
Nemo waved that hand away uncharacteristically.
He shivered and exhaled, stretched out his right hand, and pressed Oliver against the tree, neither light nor heavy. It didn't mean to hurt, but it also carried an aura that couldn't be rejected.
"I'm pissed right now," Nemo hissed.
"We'll fix this," Oliver repeated firmly, staring at those beautiful silver-grey eyes. "Nimo, I don't understand—"
"Every time." Nemo's voice trembled a little, "every time you pulled me and told me you were okay, told me everything was going to be alright. Yes, we can fix these problems, we can always fix them… But what about you?"
Just as Oliver was about to open his mouth, Nemo cut off his back path neatly: "Don't say you're fine."
"We grew up in the same damn town, even if we don't know each other, I know how much you and I are. Alastair's family affairs, the truth about your parents, the Withering Castle... and 'Demon Lord' and 'Prophecy' Look me in the eyes, Oliver Ramon, and tell me you're not in any pain."
Oliver's breathing became rapid.
The sadness that Nemo felt just now finally returned in the firelight.
"I don't want to lose you, okay?" Oliver's eyes were a little red, and he gritted his teeth. "I just like a guy and want to go down with him. It's not too much of a wish, is it? But I'm not strong enough, I'll never be strong enough. Even though you and Mr. Cross have been teaching me, I still… Not your opponent, I know."
"So you're trying so hard to reassure me—even if you're in extreme pain, and act like nothing happened?" The trembling in Nemo's voice became more pronounced.
"Because like you said, we grew up in the same damn town! I know who you are, too, and I've felt the power out of control!" Oliver raised his voice, "I should have shared with you. , but I can't do anything right now. Nemo, listen, do I have to put some weight on you when you're suffocating? I—"
"Do I look so vulnerable?" the two yelled at each other at the same time.
Time stood still for a few seconds.
For the first time they looked at each other out of anger and sorrow.
"…I don't want to lose you either." Nemo closed his eyes. "Oli, I wish you… would tell me. Let me know that you've been tortured by nightmares, that you're so sad that you're breaking down, even if we do Nothing."
"You can destroy the surface, compared to this, my stress..."
"And you're probably destined to kill me." Nemo's lips trembled. "If our feelings are similar, then it's hard for me to tell which 'destroy the surface' and 'kill you' hurts me more."
Oliver covered his eyes with one hand and let out two unpleasant laughs.
"Maybe you express your pain, and I'll blame myself for causing you that pain. But Ollie, you're making me sad even more. Don't hide it from me, okay? We'll fix it, but yours Pain... Promise me not to hide the wound too deep."
"I promise you. But seriously, we're not much different." Oliver forced a difficult smile, "Destroy the tin soldier, kill Abbas, and Mr. Demon King walking on the surface, the wounds you have hidden are probably enough. A dozen. We really…”
"Like a fool," Nemo added hoarsely.
"It's fine." The smile on Oliver's face disappeared. He looked extremely sad, but there was a hint of relief in that sadness. "We've had a fight, and people say couples who have had a fight are more likely to last longer."
"It's good to share despair occasionally, isn't it?" Nemo no longer forced himself to smile. "My... Mr. Brave."
Oliver suddenly embraced him with unprecedented force.
"I'm sorry, Nemo," he said. "You're right, I..."
He choked, just trying his best to hug his lover, like a drowned man grabbing the last straw.
The night completely enveloped the woods, and the bonfire beeped behind the two of them. Nemo stretched out a hand, touched the corner of his lover's slightly wet eyes, and then bit Oliver's shoulder without hesitation. His strength was a bit strong, and a little blood was oozing from the wound.
Maybe they all need a little pain... a little pain, and a little warmth.
Then the night will end, and the morning will follow.
"Nimo." Oliver didn't try to cheer up this time, but he sounded strangely calm. "What are you doing?"
"Assault on you," Nemo replied, reaching out his hands and digging directly into the other's shirt, feeling the tight muscles in his lover's back.
Being hugged tightly, he couldn't see Oliver's face. But that's okay, Nemo thought. At least this time, he knew it wouldn't be a forced smile, and he felt more grounded and peaceful about it than he had ever felt before.
"Now fight back, Mr. Brave."
"…Yes, Your Majesty."