So the meeting ended. Deacon Hamel decided to do whatever we can to raise the 100,000 Purcell, also we have to report this to the King. The village head said he'd create a fund-raising campaign on the villagers, Deacon Hamel was very touched, but was basically just moved by their hearts.
"Tyburn, did you oath to help the unfortunate people? "
"What? Isn't that the oath of knights?"
Then Karl interjected.
"That is also the oath of priests."
"Right. But anyway, it's not for a wizard at all."
"But why do you always do these kind of high-sounding things?"
Tyburn wanted to knock my head, but how would I get hit by a blind's fist?
"You fool really don't know how to talk. Why would I need this gem? My eyes are blind, I can neither be a master, nor open an institution. And these things also don't match my personality. Even if I want to do some magic research, I not only can't read, but also can't write. So I don't want to build a tower, also don't want to dig a hole. As long as I keep some money for drinks, get a place to sleep, it's enough. I keep the other property, is to give them away when I meet someone in need.
If his eyes can see, he will definitely find other excuses to explain.
Karl made a respectable expression, unfortunately Tyburn couldn't see that. He touched my head, and then pulled my head next to his head.
"It's almost winter. Does your father know survival skills in the wild?
"... If he knew then it's so much better."
"Does he know finding a way?"
"Probably similar to most people."
"Then we'll wait and see. Snow desperately ran back for his life, so he arrived much earlier than the others. The other remnants should gradually arrive. You come with me to dispel the traps outside . If the soldiers came back got into the traps, it would be lousy. "
"Did we set traps on the road?"
"They might want to cut corners and ran over the mountains."
"Alright."
"If I tell you not to worry, will you find it very ridiculous, Huchi?"
"Even if I am worried I can't change the reality... But my heart won't feel ridiculous."
"I really appreciate this boy."
Luckily Tyburn can't see the tears in my eyes. Dad walks very slowly, so surely he will wait until I get anxious and all my organs are burning, then he will appear hobbledly. It must be so.
In fact, not only organs, as long as you come back, even if my whole body feels burned, it doesn't matter. If you come back, every morning I will serve you washing, I will sing for you at night, the candles will be unconditionally made by me, Dad, you can lie on the bed and take a nap. Dad, if you don't come back, I definitely won't forgive you, if Dad doesn't come back, I will be dragged by Jamini, become a husband desperately serving her, and so for the rest of my life!
Even made a joke, I don't feel a bit better.
Because of my depressive mood, so disarming the traps became a very heavy job. But Tyburn is very old, so he won't be so easy to be affected by the atmosphere. A 17-year-old boy in front of an old man, how much can it affect his mood? Tyburn didn't even try to make the atmosphere better, he knew it was futile, and he didn't get depressed like me. His actions are just as usual, so I am affected. Because this is also my original personality.
But deep in my heart it feels like a stone is rolling, really hard to bear. The stone is like a snowball, becomes bigger and bigger. This stone is called "Trepidation". Because of my damn imagination, my mind constantly emerges father being chewed by Amurtaat in half, or crushed by Amurtaat those vivid pictures. I kept sweating cold sweat and standing there blankly. Tyburn probably heard the sound of my breathing was unusual, so he called my name, cheered me up.
"Huchi!"
The sun went down, the plain is dyed with a dark red.
"Tyburn, I'll buy you a drink."
"Let's go."
※
A lot of people came to Sinderella's Song, they are discussing Snow. Once Tyburn and I entered the tavern, they wanted to get close to us. Tyburn didn't answer them much, only said something that people already knew. In fact, that meeting didn't tell us much, right? Surprisingly, a few people heard the words spoken by Tyburn, immediately said that Earl Huritchell's strategy sucked.
I am just drinking beer. Auntie Hanna didn't talk to me much, just kept filling the cup. I also didn't say much, just kept drinking. I feel really weird. Sitting in the dark tavern! I don't know why, it's just like inside a dragon's stove (I don't know whether there's such a thing on the world, but that's how to describe it in language). I managed to recall that the commonly used word is 'Wizard's Stove'. But I can say whatever I am happy to.
"Taste it slowly. The gurgle sound of your throat is loud enough to make the ceiling almost falling down."
"Please leave me alone, okay?"
"Then I'll turn you into a frog and throw you into the wine cup, so you can have a good taste."
"Fine!"
At the moment, someone opened the door and shouted:
"Hey! Some other soldiers arrived!"
I instantly kicked away the chair, stepped on the table, drilled out from the window. Rolled three times on the ground outside the tavern, and then started running to the castle. No, it should be said, wanted to start running to the castle.
"Huchi! You lad!"
What, I don't have time! Ah no, if someone is injured, then we need Tyburn. I again drilled from the window, rolled three times, then stood up very nimbly, and looked the situation around. Auntie Hanna said with a confused expression:
"Tyburn has already gone out from the door."
"Ah, really a strange old man."
After I finished the gibberish, I walked towards the door. Tyburn is already there waiting for me, I routinely put him on my back, and then began to run.
"Hey, Hey! Can you run straightly?"
"At least it won't be crook like a pine, don't worry!
Of course, I am really running straightly forward. Tyburn started shouting:
"Hey, you drunken kid! Run straight!"
I really think that I am running straight, so I feel so wronged. If you want scold someone, please look at these winding roads first!
※ ※
The guards are already holding torches in front of the castle and waiting for us. Once they saw us, they immediately took us to the hall in the castle. Now the castle is shaking very strangely. Is it an earthquake?
Anyway, we finally entered the hall, and saw some beds which were probably hastily prepared. The clean floor of the hall is covered with straw, straw covered with sheets on them are full of wounded soldiers lying, there are about twenty people. It should be for curing them, so we just temporarily make the hall a injuries shelters. The scene of everyone groaning because of their wounds looks very terrible. All the maids in the castle came to look after them, and deacon Hamel is also busy running around. Karl was also taking care of a wounded, once he saw us, he said:
"Tyburn, you arrived?"
"What's the situation?"
"In fact, you don't have to worry. Since they could come back here, it means their injuries can't be too serious."
I absently listened to both of them, then immediately ran into each room, started verifying the appearance of the soldiers one by one. But no matter how I searched, dad is not there. I almost went to the other end, then I saw a huge body sitting on a bed.
"Sanson!"
Sanson lifted his head buried in his knees. He saw my face, and began to smile. Looking at my costume, he then shook his head again.
"What happened, Huchi? Wearing hard leather, even wearing a bastard sword, what happened? Gosh, the gloves looks very good too! It doesn't look like normal dress iin the town. What actually happened to you?"
I am so sad that I got almost speechless, but Sanson kept saying that how good my luck is.
"My father, do you know how is my father now?"
"I'm sorry, Your father and I belonged to different units. We were on the cliff above the Endless Valley. Eh, so we were following the operational plan of Earl Huritchell..."
"I'm fully aware of that stupid ass operational plan! People came back before had mentioned."
"Is it? Then you should also know, I was very far away from your dad."
"So? You didn't see him?"
"Ah. I'm sorry."
"...I'm sorry, I shouldn't yell at you. Sanson, how are you?"
"I'm fine, just get very tired after running back here, but it seems you has been drinking recently. Gosh, covered by the smell of alcohol. May I ask you one thing, Can you give me some of your wine?"
I laughed. You want me to go back to the village and come back now? I stood up, asked the location of the kitchen from a busy maid, finally managed to find the kitchen. In order to refresh myself, I drank some cold water, and then found a bottle on the table. There's no one in the kitchen, so it's a very simple thing. I took the bottle.
The hall is same as before, people are coming and going in the panic atmosphere. And Sanson is also same as before, buried his head in his knees.
"Sanson? Here is the wine."
Sason raised his head, wildly smiled as if a thank you, and then took the bottle into his mouth. Looking closely, Sanson is a bit trembling. I could even hear the sound of the bottle hitting teeth. Sanson didn't drink much, and put down the bottle.
"I was very thirsty, now it feels a lot better."
"Sanson, you really didn't get hurt at all?"
"....My heart got hurt. Too horrible. Haley and Jarron are dead. I can't believe that I'm still alive."
I shut my mouth. Sanson made a hollow smile.
"Although we had long been psychologically prepared... When companions got sprayed by the acid breath of Amurtaat, and died in corrosion, the scenario is still very vivid."
"Sanson..."
Sanson is like talking to himself, went on:
"The way back was too painful. I think I've been driven crazy by the moans of injured partners. Not to mention there was no opportunity to receive treatment, we were even starving. And the wounded men are the best targets of monsters. The attacks came one after another were like a nightmare.... I personally finished several people's lives. "
Although I am a little drunk, I can still feel the horror and got goose bumps.
"There was no alternative... If you want to save the others, you have to leave those people behind. And they could only painfully wait to die, or get killed by the monsters behind us. They will understand. They believe ending their lives like that would be less painful. But I've never imagined about chopping the head of a partner off with my own hands."
"Sanson..."
"I don't know whether I should survive like this? But I can't feel that I've done anything wrong. Just my heart hurts."
Sanson again picked up the bottle and drank fiercely. Half of the wine flown outside his mouth. After a while, he spoke again:
"I didn't manage to rescue the thane His Honor. Being a security guard of our thane His Honer, this is really shameful. To Insure my own life, I desperately all the way fled to the town."
Sanson widened his eyes and stared at me.
"Amurtaat said she wants ransom. So thane His Honor should be safe. "
"Really? How you know..."
"Didn't I say someone come back before you? That person told us all."
The frowning brow of Sanson finally slightly relaxed.
"That would be great! But.... The amount of ransom should be very high, right?"
"Do you have an idea about this figure? 100,000 Purcell."
For Sanson's head, it won't have any realistic feeling about the amount. In fact, I myself is also not clear how big this astronomical figure is. He opened his mouth, sighed.
"God!"
Tiring night.
I'm drunk, and I ran all the way from the village to the castle. My body is now heavy like a flooded cotton. I sat against the wall in a corner of the hall.
Looking around, all are wounded, or poeple taking care of the casualties. But I am neither a wounded, nor a person taking care of the others. I am unlike Karl who read a lot of books, is very familiar with medicine. And Tyburn has amazing magic power to perform treatment, they are simply heaven and earth compared to me. And I am also unlike deacon Hamel this kind of skillful men, although he's not very proficient in the variety of areas, he still know a little on each area, which can give some help.
I'm just a 17-year-old boy, who lost his father, sitting in a corner of the dark castle hall , chewing his teeth, and drunk.
I curled up my legs, hugged with my arms, buried my head into the knees.
Phew.... Phew....
This is the sound of breathing. This is the sound of my breath. I'm still alive. Dad is dead.
No! Damn, who! Who says my father is dead!
Heavy sound of pulse. I'm still alive. And....
I remembered Karl's words about pulse. Karl said, there are no blood vessels on humans' eardrum, otherwise people will all be deaf because of the sound of their own heartbeat. So there are no blood vessels on our eardrum. After listening this don't you get surprised?
Dad...
What flower does dad like? If I'm lucky, I might be able to make a grave for my father. Then what flower should I bring to him?
Forget about it! Damn, don't think! Are these confirmed? Is Dad's death confirmed? After it's confirmed, then think. By that time I will be roaring like a madman, or crying and rolling on the ground, or even imitating a puppy , that won't matter. However, isn't that not confirmed yet!
Voices. The voices of the people are getting closer.
"Who is that? What is he doing there?"
※ ※ ※
"That's Huchi. I heard that he carried the wizard over. So he looks so tired. "
"What? No matter how tired, he can't be like this. There are so many injured people in front of his eyes, he's actually nesting there doing nothing? Really naive."
"Leave him alone. His father also participated in the crusade."
"Huh?"
"He must be very sad. Already knowing that we lost, and his dad hasn't came back. No matter how tall he is, after all he's just a 17-year-old kid."
"Hum."
Voices. The voices of people are going away. What did they just say? I don't need to know. It's useless. I only want to hear one sentence. All other words are unnecessary. So, do I need to talk?
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Water flows, Birds fly
Men plow, Women weave
Soldiers look ahead, Wizards look above
Accept birth, Expect death
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
I'm humming the song, gradually falling asleep.
※
"Dad!"
Bang!
※
I can't really remember, but according to a witness, I suddenly stood up in the dream, then ran crazily, and finally bumped into a wall with my head, and then fainted. I took a look in the morning, and there's really a trace on the wall in a corner of the hall. Of course, there is a trace on my head too.
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