"...At that time, I remember that a fairy tale-style narrative poem was very popular among bards." Nemo sighed and muttered softly. "The Heroes and the Witch, don't tell me that's talking about..."

"Yes." Medes's voice was like a dying old man, "Except for the rumors of the Royal 'Flint is a liar', that is another way of seeing the 'truth' in the eyes of the public ."

Nemo heard that song countless times—

[Once upon a time, there was a hero who was brave and good at fighting and made numerous achievements. He brought countless miracles and made the people he guarded very happy. 】

【But this made the enemy very dissatisfied, and they sent the demagogic witch to him. The bewitched hero abandons the princess that should belong to him and falls in love with the evil witch. 】

The illusion in front of her, until she sat down opposite Flint, Meders was still in a trance.

His former regimental commander was dressed as a simple civilian without a smile on his face. Flint just glanced at Medeth's clean and tidy image lightly, and opened his mouth lightly.

"Don't be stupid, your death won't change anything, Balthazar." He lowered his eyes, still looking pale and thin.

To Medes' surprise, the right arm that Flint was supposed to give to the king was very complete and moved freely.

But his captain did lose something. Medes looked bitterly at the man across the table—Flint's eyes were dim, his face was numb with pain, and his breath was eerily similar to that of a refugee who had lost his homeland.

They didn't meet at the tavern, Flint chose an abandoned shabby house near the capital - he even brought two dusty bottles of inferior wine, and threw one to the Meders sitting opposite.

"Let's talk." The former Tin Corps commander said coldly.

"..." Meders pursed his chapped lips, he wanted to speak, but the countless words were all stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a word.

"If you don't want to say it, I can start with a head." Flint opened the cork and took a few mouthfuls of dust. "It was you who told the king about my situation, and I think we all know that."

Meds gritted his teeth and nodded very slowly.

"I should have thought." Flint's voice was flat, "I remember you mentioned a long time ago that your family was lifted out of poverty because of King Sampson's innovation, and you admired him very much. To be honest, Medes, I can logically understand what you're thinking...but I can't understand it from the bottom of my heart."

"Tuan... Flint, I know it's useless to say sorry at this level. As a friend, not only can I not share your pain, but I will push you into the abyss." Meders closed Eyes, "But if time were to repeat itself countless times, I think I would still make this choice and regret it to the death. I can't afford that, Flint, I can't afford it."

It can be done in the cruelest way, and that is the punishment I deserve."

"How did Sampson tell you?" Flint asked in a frightening chattering tone, as if he hadn't heard it.

"He didn't like Miss Ramon from the beginning. But he decided you wouldn't be serious, so—" Medes didn't react for a while.

"So you gave me a 'break time' to distract the attention of women from the bottom, is that so?"

"Yes, you know, the status of the two of you is really..." Medes took a few painful breaths, "The king he..."

"'Flint is like another child of mine, he should be a man who knows the importance. I know very well what he will choose when faced with personal love and righteousness. But he has changed, you are His friend, you can see. He was bewitched by the woman who disintegrated his fighting spirit—she tempted him to desert the people and go into seclusion when Alban was in desperate need of a hero.' Your Majesty, no , Sampson said."

Flint gave a wry smile twice, tightening the neck of the bottle.

"'It's been almost half a year since the end of the expedition, and Flint should take it easy. He's less than ten and at the peak of his power. Just abandoning the people when Alban needs him most Retirement? The refugee of unknown origin is already suspicious enough, and now her actions are no different from treason.'" Medes repeated those words with a sharp edge.

[She polished his will. Powerful heroes can still fight, but no longer have the heart to fight. He turned his back on the people who believed in him, ignored the tragic war that was taking place, and ignored the people who were suffering because of gunpowder smoke. 】

【The wise king cannot let his warriors be taken away, he wants to save the bewildered hero. He killed the witch. 】

"It seems that he summoned me last time to confirm my 'bewildered' state." Flint's voice began to tremble, "This is really... Ha."

The hero who lost his wife let out a laugh that was worse than crying.

"I admit he is a good emperor, Medes. No king has ever reinvigorated Alban as radically as he did. I understand your concerns if I kill him now , the young princes can't resist Willard's onslaught - if that's what you fear. I understand, but..."

“…”

"But you worship the king too much, like all the people who have benefited from him. Sampson Alastair is a great king, and that has nothing to do with him being a 'trustworthy' man It doesn't matter. No, it's scary because he's too successful - a gentle and kind person is not fit to sit on the throne, and Abbas has long seen that."

"I thought it was my error of judgement based on your friendship..." Medes tugged at his hair.

"You thought he would not force me to this step because of Abbas's face?"

Flint put the almost empty wine bottle aside and stared at the broken clods of soil on the ground: "Abbas once told me that sometimes the circle of pure calculation The strategy you get will be more effective than the sage, do you know why?"

"...No." Meders lied. He knew it, but the long overdue answer made his heart twist.

"Because calculations don't require emotion, and people are swayed by 'human hearts'. Sampson Alastair is more like a sophisticated instrument than a human being - if you put all the threats Predict everything and kill it all in the initial state, and of course you can succeed. He is the ultimate in rationality, and there is no gap between the parts for humanity. Now I am not 'Flint Lopez' to him, Just 'The Calamity of Alban'."

"In the end, I didn't see it through at first and was deceived by his enthusiasm."

Flint's grief finally found an outlet.

"In his opinion, my body is not broken, I can fight again... No, maybe it is the same for you and him, is it?"

"...Yes." Medes didn't intend to hide his thoughts any longer, "Because you're the strongest person I've ever met, Flint, you always have a way to cheer yourself up."

"I'm not strong at all!" Flint yelled, "You don't know I'm at the bottom of the abyss—"

He stopped oddly.

"Sometimes mental wounds are harder to heal than physical." After a few seconds, Flint wearily changed the subject. "But people are never willing to agree with what they can't see. Sonia...Sonia she knows how vulnerable I am, and I can only breathe normally and break down wantonly when I'm around her. Don't worry about being considered a coward or a lunatic."

After saying this, the real hero fell into a daze, and seemed unable to accept the fact that his wife had left for a while.

"What did you know at the bottom of the abyss?" Medes asked cautiously, "Maybe I can..."

"No, I won't tell you, I won't tell anyone. Balthazar, this is my last love as a former companion." Flint shook his head weakly, Eye circles are red. "But I'm really...very weak, and only she can see me like that. No, she can accept the weak side of everyone."

"You have been emphasizing class, emphasizing power. Yeah, I never told you how I fell in love with her."

Flint, looking very much like a dead man, continued in a ghostly tone.

"I arrived early that day and overheard her companion talking to her. Her friend was equally concerned about our differences and advised her not to be really tempted." Flint Lope This is the number one powerhouse on the surface, and he won't really take a fancy to a lowly character like us.' - Her friend said so."

"'The first in combat skills. Yes, his combat skills are much better than mine, but compared to me, his dancing sucks. He's just a clumsy beauty Boy, and I like his laugh.'—she said."

"At that moment, I understood that it was her. Balthazar, I could feel that during this time, my spirit was far less powerful than hers. You are not wondering why I refuse to regroup the tin soldiers? I can't fight anymore."

"I didn't have the strength to keep fighting—not out of fear, but just because I was exhausted from the bottom of my heart when I looked back at the world in front of me. If it wasn't for Sonia, I might have found some peace. She's not trying to tempt me to turn my back on Alban, she's just saving my life...with a warm home, saving my life."

But it all came to nothing.

"Flint." Tears welled up from Meders' eyes.

"You're disappointed in me, right?"

"No, I...I don't know. Sorry."

"Now that the king's thoughts are confirmed, I have no doubts now." Flint stood up and patted the soil on his clothes.

"Wait, Flint! Your right arm—"

"Oh, this." Flint moved his right arm that looked very normal, "Because it can't recover normally, I asked the people at the 'butcher shop', this is using demon flesh and blood made."

“…but it will corrode your body!”

"Enough for me to live until my child grows up, if he survives. He's still breathing and I can go on."

"Even if you lose your strength, your swordsmanship should be enough..."

"You know the child's physical condition. My teacher taught me a lot of abyss magic theories, and with this arm, I can finally use them. If necessary, I will use them Abyssal magic healed him...and." Flint's voice dropped.

"And?"

"If he survives, I hope to be like other fathers - holding him while he rides on my neck watching the fireworks."

Outside the vision, Oliver closed his eyes. Medes, who had long since turned to withered bones, lowered his head, and the red light in his eyes was so weak that he could not see it.

"Goodbye, Balthazar Medes. Thank you for giving my child a chance to live. It is very sad, but I understand your choice to protect the king. I will never forgive you There's only one thing - when my child can't survive on his own, you let him get caught up in the king's hunt. That's it, I think this is the last time we see each other."

Flint grinned hard, clutching the empty bottle. It was repeated. "…goodbye."

[But the witch's spell was too powerful, and the hero quickly weakened and died after that. Only the scorched land remains. 】

Nimo clenched his fists, and he could feel Oliver shaking as he held his.

"Then I never saw him again." The memory disappeared, and Medes whispered in the rolling white mist. "That's all I know, Oliver."

The white fog slowly dissipated, and then poured back into the skull, turning back to a bright white light source.

"No wonder my father always hated bards." After a long time, Oliver finally spoke up. "Mr. Medes, how did you become like this?"

" After doing such a thing, I can no longer live normally as a 'human' no matter from any point of view. Perhaps in the eyes of the people, this is a great righteousness. But I can never Forgive myself, I totally ruined him - if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't need that demonic right arm."

The necromancer rubbed the bones, and the knuckles collided with a clack: "I was too young at that time, and was tortured by right and wrong to the point of collapse. And all these years here... I have Think very clearly.”

"A lot of times there is no right or wrong, only acceptance - what I want and what I don't want, what I agree with and what I don't agree with. Most of the time, right and wrong are just weapons ."

"But I learned too late."

"I am not qualified to forgive you on behalf of my father." Oliver bowed his head slightly and saluted. "However, thank you for being willing to tell me this."

Meds shook his head with a wry smile, wiping the blood and tears on his face with his robe. "I don't need forgiveness."

"Since you haven't left now, you are still willing to talk to me. Then I will help you figure out your physical condition and how to treat that little girl. Regarding those things in the past, I will There's only one thing I want to say...Oliver, let me be cheeky and say one more thing as an elder."

"Never go to the bottom of the abyss. I don't know what your father found there, but it really changed him. Sometimes ignorance is the greatest happiness."