Krafft's Anomaly Notes

Chapter 342 "Exile"

The nightmare scene swept into reality, the dark ocean connected the sky and the earth, the carriage was bumping in it, and was thrown into the unknown by the panic like huge waves.

His mind went blank. The screams of his companions, the painful neighing of the horses being tightened, and the cracking and trembling of the leather laces were all washed away by the aftermath of the thunder that followed.

In the chaos, the only lighting was lost, and the sense of material existence after losing vision was reduced to the minimum.

The world seemed particularly unreal at a certain moment. It was so empty that only something lighter than an air current remained. Not even a fallen leaf could be held up. Only pure spirit and consciousness were floating around, with a loss of perception of distance and time.

At this most inopportune moment, that feeling of epiphany came over me again, and it seemed just around the corner.

The feeling of being close yet distant can even make people ignore the dangerous situation they are in and instinctively pay attention.

Like a drowning person surrounded by hypothermia and suffocation in a cold current, he finds a ray of light above his head, so he swims as hard as he can and beats the thin layer of ice between himself and the air.

However, the translucent barrier in the intuition is incredibly tough, more despairing than the thick walls of the fortress, and no matter how hard the consciousness tries, it cannot be shaken in the slightest.

It was at this moment, at the closest and farthest distance, that he "saw" it again.

Right in front of me, so close that I could almost touch the tip of my nose and the soft beard on my lips. Even so, it was still blurry and unreal, unable to form a specific impression that could be preserved for a long time.

It is a perfect and profound maxim, an ever-changing dreamlike light and shadow, it is everything and nothing.

Just like inspiration itself without any impurities, at a glance it makes you feel that the problems that have troubled you for a long time have been answered, and new problems arise from the answers. You can't help but look at it for further inspiration.

It blooms like a flower bud, layer upon layer, each layer more colorful and mysterious than the last, but none of them is the final appearance.

The old scholar who taught them obscure courses, who had devoted his entire life to research and yet was still unsatisfied, once described to them the wisdom of the Heavenly Father: it is endless and inexhaustible. Even if one chooses one and spends a hundred lifetimes on it, one can only get infinitely close to the truth, but never reach it, which is the realm that belongs only to the Supreme Being.

But it should be an objective and constant existence, like the rules of the movement of celestial bodies and the alternation of seasons.

Instead of being like now, some kind of... living thing, giving a meaningful gaze to the one who sensed its consciousness.

A sharp pain came from the edge of consciousness, and the world regained its sense of reality in another flash between the clouds, pulling consciousness back to the carriage.

Dominic found himself rising into the air. The broad, solid shadows of the trees quickly grew larger and filled his entire field of vision in the blink of an eye.

Before he fell into a faint, Dominic had one last thought:
"Damn Field, I hope he doesn't get his Knights' subsidy next month."

……

……

"So, my brothers, what you're saying is: two would-be knights, on their way back from buying groceries, not only did they flip over on a mountain road that was at least two cars wide, but they also got themselves into this state?"

Picking up the boiling kettle, Kraft threw in a few pinches of dried marigolds and mint leaves. After thinking for a moment, he took out a sealed small jar from the cupboard, scooped in two large spoonfuls of golden, viscous, sweet liquid, and added it to mix well.

After the prepared tea cooled slightly, it was poured into a cup filled with fresh willow bark and pushed to the two people with bruises and purples on their bodies.

"Drink some. A friend gave it to me. He said it's good for external injuries. I added some shredded willow bark myself. I think it can have some pain-relieving effect."

Field glanced at Dominic guiltily, but didn't dare to reach for the cup first.

As the driver, he was relatively lightly injured because he avoided the situation in time. He was able to report to the team leader's temporary office and living room with the help of his companion who had a leg in a splint.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kraft, it's my fault too. I should have found a more experienced driver, but they were busy cleaning the stables at the time." Dominic touched his still aching nose, and for the sake of their long-time classmates, he didn't push all the responsibility onto others.

"There won't be a second time. As for this time, we hope to deduct this year's subsidies and make up the losses through labor."

Although the superior’s attitude was quite mild and he did not mention the matter, admitting mistakes and bearing the consequences are basic qualities of a qualified servant of Heavenly Father.

The scene that night was as awkward as it could be. Kraft, who was just about to fall asleep, was woken up to treat his leg injury.

"Ah... Actually it's nothing, just a few dishes are missing for dinner these days." Looking at the two people who were hit hard physically and mentally, Kraft was too embarrassed to say anything more. Even if he wanted to do some symbolic punishment, such as the common compulsory labor in the church, it was not suitable for the time being.

"Accidents happen all the time, so don't blame yourself too much. Heavenly Father teaches us to forgive the mistakes of others and, if necessary, our own."

He lay sideways in the high-backed chair of the former abbot and glanced casually behind the curtain that covered the other half of the room.

"I didn't call you here to hold you accountable. I just want to understand what happened and remedy the safety hazards. After all, we will have to walk this road many times in the future, right?" Kraft put on his usual chatty attitude to make the atmosphere more peaceful.

The steaming, sweet-yet-bitter drink helped the two of them relax further.

It was not the first day they knew Kraft, and the invisible awkwardness gradually melted away.

"Actually, what I told you before is basically all. It was cloudy and dark, the horses were frightened, and we lacked sufficient riding experience." Field finally dared to speak, but he didn't quite understand what else he needed to know.

The section of the road where the accident occurred and the general process were briefly described that night, and the cause and effect were clear. It was natural that the two inexperienced new drivers encountered an emergency and the car overturned.

Kraft nodded and looked at the other party. "Dominic, I want to hear your perspective. You were behind the car at the time, weren't you? You didn't have to control the horse, so you had more time. Jumping off the car wouldn't be a problem at all. Why did it become like this?"

"I was... just thinking about something," Dominic explained, appearing slightly dazed when he mentioned that memory.

The pause in the sentence was not deliberate, as if he suddenly thought of something he had forgotten, but couldn't grasp the clue and immediately put it behind his mind.

Kraft filled his half-empty glass. "What's up?"

Field noticed his friend's hesitation and took the initiative to remind him, "That poem?"

"Poetry?" Dominic sipped the warm tea and fell into thought. "Maybe, maybe..."

"Probably?" Kraft showed interest in the strange focus.

"Maybe it's because of that poem. You may not believe it, but I seem to have suddenly come up with an interpretation angle that I had never thought of before."

His thoughts became slightly clearer after the reminder, but they were still intermittent, and he seemed to have a slight concussion. "I can't remember the details. Does it matter?"

"It's okay. I'm just curious. What poem made you so focused? You can share it with me when you remember it." Kraft comforted him. "You can go back first. You don't have to patrol or guard the night during this period. I will arrange some other work for you that doesn't require too much walking."

"If there's anything that feels 'not quite right', remember to communicate promptly. After all, I am also the mentor of the Knights."

The two left in confusion.

I don’t know if it was an illusion, but I seemed to hear a barely detectable suppressed laughter in the room.

After watching the door being closed for a long time in silence, Kraft turned around and asked, "Raymond, what do you think?"

"You are a little too indulgent to them. If a young monk in the church does such a thing, he should at least be beaten." A middle-aged monk with dissatisfaction on his face lifted the curtain and appeared, strongly disapproving of Kraft's "unruly" behavior.

It is precisely because of the strict reward and punishment system that discipline can be maintained within the church.

"That's why I won't let you come." Kraft shook his head and took out his empty cup and poured him some honey tea. "Don't put too much pressure on people in this kind of conversation, otherwise you won't be able to get anything out of them."

"Do you think there's a problem?"

"Again, not necessarily. Now we can only be vigilant about everything. Our horses are all provided by the Xiguo family. They are very reliable. I have tried them myself and there are no problems even in thunderstorms." In his memory, Baron Priyer mentioned the frequent accidents on the mountain. "This matter is a bit strange."

"Move them to the manor at the foot of the mountain first, away from here, and keep a close watch."

Recommend a book by a group friend, "Star Sea Wizard: Starting from the Truth Alchemy Ceremony"

I kind of miss the time when wizard genre was still popular. I feel that the few books I read were quite classics. The dark and twisted atmosphere was quite attractive.