But things didn't turn out as they thought.
They soon followed the well-connected underground waterway to the courtyard of Edwards' house. Nemo used a shadow shield to cover everyone's breath - it went well here. But for Mrs. Edwards' situation, Adrian, who slipped out for a spin, found nothing. Everything was astonishingly peaceful.
"It makes sense. Whatever she wants to do, if we can easily find out, then it's definitely not going to be hidden from Della Layne." Oliver poked carefully at the dinner in front of him - a mix of sticky moss and bizarre mushrooms The lump, hastily dried by the flames, looks more like witchcraft material than food. They are not short of water, and Ann and Oliver's skills in summoning water polo can be called perfect. Although it takes a lot of magic power to directly summon compared to the magic circle water bag, they really don't worry about this cost at the moment - the water polo that Oliver calls can even make them take a cold bath, the kind that has no time limit.
But that didn't make the atmosphere much warmer.
Nemo refuses to eat. He and the grey parrot kept their mouths stubbornly shut, keeping away from the unpleasantly coloured mass. Now his body can't even be destroyed by the superior demons, but his mind is likely to be crushed by these so-called food stuff - especially when Ann picked up a fat four-eyed mouse and showed him a meaningful expression When smiling.
Anyway, he shouldn't starve to death, Nemo judged in his heart not so sure.
In contrast, Oliver's acceptance is surprisingly high. Nemo looked at him sullenly—Oliver nibbled at the pile of roasted concoction with no expression on his face, as if performing some serious ritual.
"You are still too young." An swiftly cut open the small beast that fainted on the ground, "I even vomited at the time... Forget it."
Oliver stopped chewing, his face a little blue. Adrian's eating habits were very gentle - he acted as if he had not heard anything, as if he was enjoying a palace dinner.
Seeing Ann throwing a handful of gray-black internal organs into the drain, Nemo moved outwards in a complicated mood.
"Actually, the taste is not too bad." Oliver finally managed to swallow what was in his mouth. "It's mainly a matter of materials, and we don't even have salt."
"Don't think about it, now they must be rummaging through the land looking for us. Just put up with it for another five or six days—it's not that hard."
Nemo found it extremely difficult.
Except for Adrian, who took some time every day to venture to the ground to investigate, the others stayed where they were. People from the Holy See came to explore the underground water a few times, but they were all deceived by Shadow Shield and An's little tricks. However, it is difficult for people to lift their spirits in a dark environment, especially where it is difficult to distinguish between day and night, which makes it easy for people to lose the concept of time. All Nemo can do is sleep and chat, but even if he smashes his previous life experiences, he can There are really not many topics to choose from. Ann was obviously not very interested in the daily life of ordinary townspeople, but Oliver listened carefully.
The third time he was describing the neighbor's dog to Oliver, Ann finally spit it out.
"It's tonight." Her voice was clear, still full of energy.
Adrian was more reserved than at first—in fact, for the last time, he frowned and said nothing. Nemo even worried that he would never come back after going out one day.
He also briefly recounted Mrs Edwards' actions at the beginning, but anyone could tell that he was getting similar results every day. Mrs Edwards' life was no different. She handled her guests politely, cared for her paralyzed son, and went out every day to buy fresh fruit and vegetables—with the regularity of an old pocket watch that was wound up.
So Adrian simply stopped talking.
The atmosphere of waiting for the other boot to hit the ground was really tough.
"If nothing happens tonight, we'll go first," Ann whispered. "Curiosity is one thing, but hopefully you understand—we're waiting for the right opportunity to escape, curiosity is never the point. ."
Adrian turned his eyes to the sewage in the canal and nodded slightly.
On the surface, people have already made preparations. Even if something happened to the Church of Confession before, the knights who belonged to the Holy See patrolled around with cold expressions, but they did not weaken the enthusiasm of the people at all. The sun had just set, and the cornflower blue belonging to the evening slowly swallowed the glow. The wooden racks on which the offerings were burned were piled with flowers, and the air was filled with the peculiar smell of the festival—a mixture of alcohol, flowers, old leather and all kinds of sweet perfumes, it penetrated the nose of every pedestrian on the street and turned into one. An unreasonable, almost drunken pleasure.
No one cares how many racks there are for offerings. The fireworks before the festival and the carnival after the festival are the highlight.
Mrs. Edwards came back early today, and the baskets full of fresh fruit used to be empty. Cahill was in the living room, carefully reading a heavy biography. The tea was prepared on the table on the side, and the most suitable temperature was maintained on the tray with the magic circle.
"Didn't the bishop ask you to give the opening speech of the sacrificial ceremony?" Mrs. Edwards asked softly, putting down the basket in her hand.
She didn't touch the cup of tea.
Cahill raised his head with the same smile as ever. "I can't catch up," he said, carefully putting down the book in his hand and gently brushing off the dust sticking to the cover.
"It's still early."
"You know I can't catch up, don't you?"
Mrs. Edwards' expression darkened, and the gentle smile slowly disappeared. She opened her mouth, her lower lip trembled, and she didn't say the next sentence for a long time.
"I only discovered that magic circle recently." The smile on Cahill-Deralainen's face was even more obvious, and he didn't seem to be worried about his situation at all. "There's absolutely no need for you to do that. It's really good at hiding, but you can't handle that blood loss. You know that magic circle doesn't work for me, does it?"
"It wasn't for me. You've known that, and all this—from that mission, to the timing, was to help him... oops, don't put that look on. I can understand, after all you Watching him grow up, Adrian Cross is like your second son."
It was still the small living room of the past, but the air with residual warmth in the summer evening suddenly became cold and sticky.
"It's a pity that the contract failed." Della Laineen sighed slowly. He got up from his wheelchair, replaced himself with a more comfortable chair, and folded his legs.
"...You're half right." The tenderness in Mrs Edwards' voice completely disappeared, and she sat down opposite the demon, smiling slightly.
The rose bushes were instantly swallowed up by the white flames, and the light of the magic circle was particularly dazzling in the gradually darkening night. At the moment when the magic circle was activated, the room was as bright as day for a few seconds, as if it was illuminated by the lightning of midnight.
"That circle is not a simple signal flare, I can at least use this life to trap you for a while." She said slowly, "Do you know how many judge knights are patrolling now? Especially when the festival is about to start - they It will come sooner than anyone else."
Della Laineen let out a louder sigh.
"I'm not the type to take out my anger when I fail—you know, your son chose me after all. He's—" he smacking his lips, "well, quite a nice guy."
Mrs Edwards looked away.
"I've always been curious," said the demon in a softer tone, "how did you find out? I have all the memories of Cahill Edwards. You're just his adoptive mother, and there's no such thing as blood nuances. Induction, and I do love you - I have traveled the world and tried all kinds of love. My love for you is never false, and my usual actions should be flawless."
His voice was warm and simple, and it was a little creepy.
"Can you tell me why? . . . please."
Mrs. Edwards turned at last, her expression still very cold, but her eyes were full of tears. They rolled down the deep wrinkles on her cheeks and turned into dark water stains on her dress. She stared at the familiar face in front of her, which tore her chest with searing pain like a soldering iron to the heart.
"...because there is no fear in your eyes."
She answered the devil's question with difficulty.
"Maybe you really know 'love'. But as strong as you shouldn't understand... I didn't find it out of some 'mother's intuition', man." She paused for a moment, trying to catch her breath. "Man...sometimes there is fear and pain in the very act of 'living'. Like me right now."
Della Lanene stood up, approached the sobbing old woman, and took her small, cold hand.
"Just like me now," she repeated in a low voice. "My son, he must have been desperate at the end... I know him better than anyone. He knows what he's called into the world, he knows everything he betrays his beliefs."
"But he died for you."
"I know. But I have no obligation to accept... It is the parent's responsibility to correct the child's mistakes in a timely manner."
"Am I a 'mistake'? You know, it's very disrespectful to question - you king of Garland, more people die when he gets mad. He's mad too, and you like it." The devil meant something. said.
"Just to be 'right'?" The old woman forced a tearful smile, rubbing tremblingly against the young hands that once belonged to her son. "How am I going to step on his despair and live? I just... can't stand it. I said that people are afraid of 'living', more than death."
"I see." Della Laineen stood up and saluted the old man with a look of grim joy on his face. "Thank you very much for your teaching. You can say that - the one that ends the contract once and for all."
The old woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Cahill," her voice quieted unexpectedly. "I'm very—very disappointed in you."
Outside the window, through the pale flames, people's cheers rose suddenly, accompanied by fireworks. Inside the room, the carpet around the demon began to burn—the flames licked the dry carpet and quickly climbed up the bookshelf, spreading at an unnatural rate. The demon didn't leave, he held the old woman's hand again.
"Shh... don't be afraid," he said softly, "I have one more question, the last question. If you answer, I can give you a dream."
The air in the house began to distort from the heat, and Mrs. Edwards slowly raised her head.
"What do you regret the most in your life?" In the firelight, Della Lenien's eyes sparkled. "I'm curious."
The old man smiled wearily, and she surrendered the memory obediently.
The flames are gone, the smoke is gone. Everything in the fantasy world became clean and new. The young Mrs. Edwards looked tired. She took off the uniform of the Holy See and walked into the child's room into the night.
"Why haven't you slept yet?" she asked. "Cahill, it's getting late."
The ginger-haired boy looked only six or seven years old, wrapped in a quilt and huddled in the corner of the bed.
"There are monsters under the bed." He inhaled nervously, "Mom, can you help me see?"
Mrs Edwards did not bend, she glanced hastily at the shadow. "That's all fake, baby." There was a hint of perfunctory in her tone. "I've told you so many times that it's all fake. Be a good boy, okay?"
"Don't let mom down."
How many times did she say that sentence
Her son has grown up, cheerful and brave. Cahill Edwards has been out and about for a long time, helping one desperate person after another.
After he went to the battlefield, she was bored and wanted to make a new bed for her son. As the workers lifted the old big bed, the plank was broken in two—thick and grotesque skeletons embedded in the thick planks. It's just a low-level demon that only feeds on fear, with a lifespan of only a few years, and she can get rid of it with one hand.
And it's grown so big, it looks like it's already dead.
The old woman stepped forward tremblingly through her youthful phantom. She stretched out her arms and embraced the small figure in vain.
"It's okay to let me down," she whispered. "It's okay to let everyone down."
"You can tell the pain, that's not wrong. If I told you sooner... If I could tell you this sooner, would you end up with less pain?"
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm sorry, child."
"Go to sleep." The demon lifted her up and kissed her forehead. "Good night, Mom."
The old house finally collapsed in the sky-high flames.
The unnatural light had already attracted crowds lounging nearby, and the crowds in costumes crowded the street where Edwards's home was located. Arguments erupted one after another.
"I can really break the magic circle—" Nemo, who was in the crowd, stared anxiously at the flames, as if he was about to rush in.
"It's too late." Adrian turned his back to them, facing the burning ruins. "It was too late when the magic circle was launched... She really didn't leave anyone a chance."
His voice was trembling for the first time.
Above the flames, the huge shadow of the superior demon became clearer and clearer—people let out suppressed exclamations, and some began to flee.
"There is a superior demon in the Edwards family!"
"That's the Edwards house, and I don't believe it, Mr. Edwards has a speech tonight—"
Beautiful fireworks illuminated the night sky. Under the fireworks, the Knights of Judgement broke through the crowd and quickly reached the burning house. The white light of the magic circle has begun to weaken, but it has not had time to disperse.
"It's my turn now." Adrian didn't move even though he heard the familiar sound of armor rubbing. He slowly pulled up the left sleeve, revealing a strange and terrifying engraving.
"Complete the deal, Della Lenien."
,Wonderful!
(m.. = )