Companion

Oliver turned off the lights in the bedroom. It was already dark, and even in the capital of Alban, the light in Doru City gradually faded. The cyan night sky is full of stars, and the moonlight illuminates the complex decoration of the house. The silver statue of Chenni on the table glowed with a hazy white light.

With a sigh, he focused his power on his eyes, Oliver looked out the window again—

The real world is revealed again. The monster that covered the sky was still there, and the sky turned terribly dark, and all the stars were gone for a moment.

Oliver thought for a few seconds and drew the thick curtains.

The rooms of the Royal Castle are several grades higher than the Clementine College dormitory. The bed is soft and comfortable, and lying on it is like floating on warm water. The elegant aroma of sleep aids lingered on the nose, but Oliver didn't feel sleepy. He habitually touched his side, and there was nothing on the cool sheets.

There is no other breath around, and there is no familiar warm body.

Despite physical and mental exhaustion, he could not sleep. Unlike when he escaped from the Wither Castle, he was not afraid of being swallowed by nightmares, and now he can't even dream anymore.

Oliver opened his eyes wide in the darkness, looking at the delicate embroidery on the bed curtain. After tossing and turning for ten minutes, he sat up, put on his nightgown briefly, and left the room.

The Royal Castle has a 24/7 kitchen, serving guests from all countries and customs. There is a restaurant not far from the guest room area. Although he is not hungry at all, Oliver still wants to find something to do for himself.

Once he was free, the memories in his mind began to roll over. The emptiness ran through his blood, corroding his veins and guts, and sucking his tears. He had to find something to make him feel better, not like a completely cold shell.

For example, a bowl of thick soup, or a glass of hot milk.

He pushed open the wooden door covered with embossed and brightly stained glass, only to discover that he was not the only visitor to the small restaurant.

Alban's new king, Andrea Alastair - or Ann Savage is sitting at a table in the corner, drinking glass after glass .

The table was full of her empty bottles, and the waiter next to her nervously tried to clean it up, but Ann waved it away at will.

"Thank you. But back off, I'm used to it." She sounded sober and not in a high mood. "Never mind that, five more ale, plus some crispy tortillas and bacon jerky, and a little more pepper on the tortillas.

The waiter was taken aback by the king's thanks and backed away. Ann sighed heavily, tapped the empty bottle with her fingers, looked around at random, and caught a glimpse of Oliver.

"Captain." She forced a smile and raised her hand as a greeting. "Sit here."

Oliver pursed his lips and sat down opposite Ann.

An twitched the corners of his mouth, pushed the wine bottle on the table to the wall, and barely cleared a piece of the table. There were still some unfinished fried nuts on the table, and she pushed the small plate to the center of the table.

"I remember you can't drink," she muttered, "anything else?"

"Wine is good. Now if I don't want to get drunk, it won't get me out of control." Oliver got himself a clean glass.

Although he wanted to be terribly drunk, he had countless things to do in addition to the necessary sleep, and there was no time for indulgence and decadence.

The female warrior didn't say much, she picked up the silver bell placed at the corner of the table, attached magic power, and shook it gently: "In addition to the ones you ordered just now, add a bottle of light cider, as well as-"

"Fried mushrooms." Oliver added softly.

"A plate of fried mushrooms." After that, put down the bell.

"Thank you." Oliver's tone was very solemn.

"Hands up."

"I'm not thankful for this, but thank you for being willing to provide us with these. After all, Abbas Alastair—" Oliver raised his eyes, his voice more serious.

"Abbas used to be my favorite brother." Ann dropped a nut into her mouth and crunched it. "The only normal elder in my **** childhood. I do love him as much as you love your father."

The teleportation array on the trolley by the table lights up, An brings the wine and snacks that appeared out of thin air to the table, and pushes the wine bottle stack to the side against the wall .

"My father killed your mother and left your father in agony. But you and Nemo didn't leave me alone. Don't put on that look—yes, I know , the situation is not the same. The Demon King killed my brother, my enemy himself."

Oliver's fork for frying mushrooms stopped in the air.

"But the human heart can't contain only one emotion." An smiled bitterly and took a sip of wine, "I watched the two of you walk all the way...how to say, you are like Same with my brother. I don't know what the real devil looks like, but at least I admire Nemo Wright."

"An..."

"Oliver, let's put it this way. I don't think my brother was an outright victim, and there's nothing 'wrong' with the devil's counterattack. But say 'I don't mind Nemo killing me at all' My brother, it's all over', that's a complete lie—sorry, I'm not going to lie to you about this, even if it makes you feel better."

"I understand." Oliver slowly chewed the fried mushrooms that were a little hot.

It's like he still has some disgust for the Alastair family - he knows it's not Ann's fault, but every time he sees that surname, he can't help but feel annoyed.

"Yes, if the mind can understand the truth and the heart can keep up, then life will be much easier. Abbas is dead, and I have no right to forgive anyone for him. It's just that I want to feel better about myself. Now that I know the identity of the demon king... On the one hand, as the king of Alban, it is my responsibility to support the prophecy hero."

Ann was holding a piece of jerky in her mouth, and her voice was a bit muffled. She raised her head, her amber eyes were not occupied by alcohol, and they were still extremely sharp.

"On the other hand...as a friend, if you want to get this straight and straight, I want Nemo Wright to talk to me face-to-face. Until then, I won't give you any answers."

The Queen of Alban paused for a few seconds, put down her glass heavily, and emptied the bottle at hand—

"So Oliver, I'll give you all the support you want. In exchange, you'll have to promise me that you'll bring that **** to me."

Oliver's lips trembled a little, and a thousand words rushed to his throat.

He just managed to squeeze out a "good" in the end.

"Let's have a drink next." An Yao shook the full glass of wine in his hand, "When I think of myself as a flea on a giant dragon, and this dragon is planning to take a magma bath... Want to throw away the throne immediately, take Delia on, spend all the money and go crazy. It's a pity like I said - I have a good conscience about myself, but I at least have a face."

"Respect for the trauma." Oliver laughed, took a few sips of cider, and his face was visibly red.

"Respect trauma. But speaking of trauma, Dylan bastard...I'll have a good talk with Salter tomorrow. Religious spending should be cut."

This sentence was like some kind of summoning spell, the door of the small restaurant opened again, a head squeezed in, and then a huge hairy body.

Although the door is not small, the door frame still makes an overwhelming cracking sound.

Jesse Dillon still maintained the appearance of a giant beast, he glanced at the two people in the corner, his tail swept away a table and chairs unceremoniously, and then tapped the tip of his fingernail to order food bell.

"A barrel of mead, fifteen pounds of butter cookies," he demanded sternly. "Ten more pounds of candied berries."

"...Can you restore your human form, Dylan?" Ann gritted her teeth, "I'm starting to miss you before."

The huge beast gave her a faint glance, but did not respond. The mead was sent up first, and Lord Shenni bit off the lid of the wine barrel, and then directly inserted his long mouth into it.

"I thought he was going to lick it, okay. I really hope the old men from the Rad School can see this scene with their own eyes." Ann commented without emotion.

Just as Jesse was gulping mead and waiting for his dessert, the restaurant door opened again.

Adrian Cross silently looked at the **** who was about to put his head in the wine barrel, the Queen Alban who was almost buried in the bottle, and the insomnia brave who sipped fruit wine without a word .

"It's rare. You'd come here at such a time, Cross." Ann burped.

The former judge knight commander had amazing self-discipline. If conditions permit, Adrian tends to go to bed at ten o'clock, and now it is close to three in the morning.

"Can't sleep." Adrian said frankly, "I saw Bagalmore while walking. It's not in a good mood. I want to order some cookies..."

The biscuits that Jesse wanted were packed in a golden pile on the large plate that was supposed to hold the roast pigs, almost crushing the cart. But for some reason, he was still burying his head in the wine barrel.

Adrian naturally walked to the corner and sat down beside Oliver. He put the languid grey parrot on the table and touched the fluffy white tail beside him.

Jessie swept her tail to the other side instantly, and the sound of drinking suddenly became louder.

The former knight commander smiled and said nothing. He poured himself a glass of water: "Mr. Ramon, please restrain yourself. I remember you have plans for tomorrow."

"Yeah." Oliver's answer was not straightforward, with a hint of uncertainty. "Mr. Cross..."

"I will not report to the Holy See." Adrian apparently guessed Oliver's question.

The beast's pointed ears that were exposed outside the barrel slowly perked up.

Adrian picked up a nut and handed it to the grey parrot: "Don't get me wrong, my mind hasn't changed. I'm not going to pretend to be ignorant just because Mr. Wright or you are my companion. "

"Then you..."

"If this news leaks, I believe that the surface is more inclined to execute you now. Once you are executed, and the devil does not give up the plan to destroy the surface, or the conscious Mr. Wright becomes angry, the consequences are unimaginable. —This is my judgment as a knight."

"Why?" The grey parrot pecking at the nuts absently. "Shouldn't the surface be offering Ramon?"

Ann stretched out her finger and rubbed the grey parrot's head: "No, even if the Pope of the Rad Sect is willing to protect Oliver, if someone spreads this news to the people... the survival of a human will lead to the demon king I want to destroy the surface. That vague prophecy is estimated to change from the 'Brave Prophecy' to the 'World Destroyer Prophecy'. After all, in the concept of human beings, the Demon King has never touched the surface."

"Yes." Adrian nodded, "The fewer people who know, the better. Even the Pope will have his own position - what he wants is stability in the world, according to Ladd According to the teachings, Mr. Ramon is likely to be asked to kill himself immediately, in order to 'protect' the surface and become a 'saint'."

Oliver only felt a little choke on the fried mushrooms in his throat.

He didn't think about it. If he and Nemo were just ordinary friends, if he hadn't made that promise to Nemo, maybe he really would have done it.

Not now.

"And that's not fair," Adrian continued, smiling rarely. "Because this matter is not without a turn. As your companion, Mr. Ramon, I can't trust the Demon King, but I trust you."

Oliver's eye circles were a little red, and he took a few gulps of cider to suppress the sourness in his eyes.

"Thank you," he said.

"The most we can give you is will and material support." Adrian stuffed the grey parrot with another nut. "Jesse is the one who can really help."

The beast's ears snapped back to his head instantly.

"I know." Oliver sighed softly, "If it wasn't for him, Nemo and I wouldn't be able to be together so soon."

"Although it's okay to forage in another place, but it's pretty good here." Jesse finally pulled his head out of the barrel and licked the wet hair next to his long mouth. "Ramon, I have to warn you. It's too late for you to change your mind. Once I start helping you gain power, the Pillars of the World will definitely notice. He hasn't moved yet, and he might be there."

He glanced quickly at Adrian, who was drinking water, and then started to eat butter biscuits.

Oliver was chewing fried mushrooms, looking like he was thinking.

"I...I can go and see Wright's condition." Gray parrot suggested softly.

"No." Oliver immediately denied. "If the Demon King really dissolves Nemo's emotions, you may be killed immediately by him. Even if he doesn't kill you, such rumors are unreliable."

"You don't trust me!" Grey parrot sounded like she was about to cry. "I-I'm not afraid of death, Ke Ruiwen flat snake is very good at escaping. I have the flesh and blood of the devil in my body, he won't be too much to me... right?"

"Because I trust you."

Oliver stared at the tines of the silver fork in his hand.

"According to Dylan's explanation, if the Demon Lord devours Nemo, he will have all the information related to Nemo. If I am the Demon Lord... If I am the Demon Lord and want to minimize losses, then Booby-trapping tumbleweeds by pretending to be 'Nimo' is still possible."

This almost cold guess made the jerky in Ann's mouth stop shaking, she looked at her team leader with a bit of sadness in her eyes.

"I have to consider everything," Oliver muttered. "Bagelmoru, you have the flesh and blood of the devil, you are a very important card for us. Don't be impulsive, okay?"

The grey parrot buried its head in the wings and stopped talking.

"Calm down and think about it, what Dylan said makes sense."

Although the alcohol in the cider was steaming his brain, surrounded by comrades who made it clear, Oliver had never been sober.

"As soon as I start to draw power, Nemo will definitely find out. The surface is quiet right now, whether it's because Nemo is still there or because the devil has other plans. It's a good sign."

A faint power leaked from the head of the tumbleweed.

"Since Dylan thinks 'I don't do anything' is the best solution, let's not discuss the possibility that Nemo is still there. Judging from the current situation, the devil may also be observing the surface of the earth. Move, try to be cautious."

Jessie nodded, swallowed the candied berries, and licked her nose.

"Then I can use this in reverse and buy some time. I think I can figure out a way to look at the opponent's board - determine whether the opponent is the devil or Nemo."

"But if you want to confirm Nemo's situation, you have to go to the bottom of the abyss, that's too risky." Ann calmly pointed out, "Listen to the hair over there... No, Dylan said. If you're going to do it, it's safest on the surface."

"I know, but there may be a way to reach the bottom of the abyss on the surface. I can spy on it myself."

Oliver showed a sincere, somewhat nostalgic smile: "I used to call him out like that."

"If you mean Ulysses' head."

Jesse interrupted mercilessly, licking the sugar sticking to her nose again.

"That skull was a signpost to lure the Demon Lord to the surface. The moment Wright came to the surface, it had completed its mission and the magic circuit began to fail. After all these years, it could not have returned effective."

"But that circuit existed." Oliver said, "It's like a communication crystal that has lost energy. If you find a way to inject power, there is still a chance to operate."

"It's an abyss spell, I'm afraid I can't help you." Jesse looked lost in thought, and seemed to be thinking about the feasibility of this plan as well. "After all, it's something the Demon King himself made..."

"I think I know who to ask." Oliver drained his glass.

In the end, his target came to the door the next day.

"Thorn of the Steel Wolf?" Ann frowned at the servant who came to report, "That guy Fenrir always came to me directly, how-"

"I think he's here to find me." Oliver, who was ready, carefully inserted the sword of rest into the ukulele, and then put the piano behind him.

"Come on, Ann. Let's meet Mr. Thorne... no, let's meet the Abyssal Sage."

The author has something to say:

Oli: Since there is shocking information as a bargaining chip, why not ask the magical Della?

Jessie: .