| | |->-> The cold stream is red with blood. Bai En watched it spin away, wondering how numb he felt. The chill of the water seemed to seep into his veins. He realized that since Grerogan joined his journey, he has changed a lot and he is not sure if he likes it.

Bai En can't even figure out what he changed because of what he has done. He has long been used to killing and is ready to be killed. But the recent killing disgusted him. When did it start? Did he spend too much time on Fatalin Island, or what he saw during the Bill Pali War, or ... happened only after learning that the night owl died? He is unknown.

He still remembers how he felt after killing the black tower apprentice, who was the first person to fall under his sacrificial knife. It was an accident, when a duel that was considered childish took place on the field behind the Black Tower. The blade of the sacrificial knife slipped, and the man was dead. Bai En remembers the incredible expression on his face, and the tears of his own fear and regret. He ended a person's life and felt guilty.

But that seems to have happened to someone a long time ago. Since then, since he vowed to become a mage, embarking on the road of revenge that seems doomed to failure, he has killed people time and time again. With each death, he felt less regret; with each death, it became easier to think about the next death. The nightmare that had tortured him no longer came to torment him. Feelings of regret and disgust have left him. As if the madness in the Black Tower had infected him, he no longer cares.

He suddenly remembered that once, as a black tower apprentice, he studied the works of a great philosopher. He said in his book "On the World" that all living things have souls. Even aberrations are sentient creatures, with love and life, able to appreciate the value. But Bai En knew that he had eliminated them without hesitation. They are enemies and want to kill him, and he has no real remorse for their death, just strange that he hates it. He asked himself what had happened, but could not find the answer.

Is this why he hates those changed things so much? Is it because he can see the changes that have happened to him and is afraid that these changes will manifest themselves? He feels that his new attitude is enough to prove that he is right. How did this happen and when did it happen?

Is after the first beloved person in his life died in the hands of the black tower mage? He doesn't think so. This process is more subtle; during his long career, it seems like a strange alchemy changed him. A new white grace was born on this desolate land on the edge of the world. This is the product of the desolation of this place, the hardship of his life, and too much death seen from too close.

He looked at Grerogan opposite. The dwarf sat arched on a rock protruding from the stream. A piece of cloth that the dwarf tore from the cloak that Bae put in his backpack wrapped around his head, and the wool was dyed dark black with the blood dried by the dwarf.

Will I eventually become like that, Bai En wondered, desperate, crazy, destined to die, slowly died from hundreds of small wounds, just to seek a great death to redeem himself? This idea did not disturb him This is disturbing in itself. But it may also be the best ending, at least much better than becoming a coward.

He lost something, and where did he go? Bai En was puzzled by the sound of the river running, as if it had some kind of code. Guerrerogan raised his head and slowly looked at the scene in front of him. Bai En noticed his eyes, showing scarred, empty eyes.

Perhaps, the dwarves were not what they had guessed, everything was an appearance.

Bai En didn't really understand the heart of the dwarf, just like the dwarf never knew himself.

Bai En also looked at the bare trees and prickly bushes around him, and the cold gray rocks. In the huge shadow of the vast snow mountain, he felt like a dwarf. He asked himself how did they come to this abandoned place by the gods so far from his home.

For a second, he seemed to be lost in the boundlessness of this world. He could not find a reference point in time and space. He and the oath taker lived alone in a world of death, and the soul was eternal. Drifting in the middle, bound by a series of environments forged in hell.

Grey Rogan gave him a glance. Bai En looked back at him with an almost hateful look. He quietly waited for the dwarf to start complacent for his meaningless and futile victory.

"What happened here?" The dwarf asked.

Bai En looked at him dumbfounded.

The dwarf lost his memory, which surprised Bai En, but not all the memories. He remembered Bai En, and remembered their previous journey, but the lost memory was very fragmented, so that Bai En could not determine how much memory the dwarf lost . The most important thing is that Bai En can't determine whether the dwarf really remembers the craftsman. He can only pray now that as the injury recovers, the dwarf can restore his memory.

After leaving the stream, Bai En initially planned to talk to confirm the impact of the dwarf's injury on memory, but the dwarf seemed to take the opportunity to respond to Bai En's questions very slowly in a certain thinking, which made Bai En finally give up This plan. The two could only silently move in the direction of their destination without talking at all.

They left the mountain and the land was greener. The warm golden sunlight sprinkled on the long rough grass on the plain in the soft light of the evening. Purple heather flowers are blooming everywhere. Flowers bloom in the grass. In front of them, about a mile away, a huge gray castle stands above the flat line, sitting on the top of a rugged mountain. Underneath it, Bai En can see the walls of a town ~ lightnovelpub.net ~ The smoke from many chimneys floats lazily towards the sky.

He felt much easier. He estimated that they would reach that town before dark. He slobbered at the thought of some cooked beef and freshly baked bread. He was very disgusted with the rations they received from the small plots of the village on the trip; hard biscuits and dried meat strips. Tonight, this is the first time in a few weeks that he can lie safely under the real roof and enjoy the fun with his countrymen. He can even drink some beer before going to bed. His tension began to ease. He felt his shoulders relaxed, realizing how nervous he was on the journey, constantly nervous, constantly struggling to find out the potential threats that the dangerous mountains might hide.

He glanced back at Gray Logan worriedly. The dwarf's face was pale, and he often stopped and looked around in confusion, as if he could not remember why they were there or what they were doing. A blow to the head obviously cost the dwarf a lot. Bai En couldn't tell why. In his previous journey, he had seen Guerrerogan suffered more serious injuries.

But Bai En did start to worry, not only the problem of craftsmen, but also the problem of battle and survival. Will this state of dwarf continue? Will it continue to deteriorate? Will it alleviate due to the healing of the injury and eventually disappear? Bai En himself cannot know the answer, and no one can even give Bai En the answer.

"Are you all right?" Bai En asked with concern, thinking that the dwarf would growl at him.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine." But his voice was very soft, reminding Bai En of an old man's voice.