When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1210 I Can Finally Have a Clear Conscience (Two-part chapter)

Sitting in the carriage on the way back, Matthias propped his cheek with his right hand while his left hand gripped a newspaper tightly.

This is news recently sent by the Holy Path Sect, recording the horrific massacre of the city by the governor in Gewu City.

However, compared to the Saintly Path Sect's blatant reporting, the Windmill Land Independent in front of him seemed to ignore it, continuing to report on the vampires' "benevolent rule."

This made him feel even more that he had made the right choice, especially after receiving the news that Lemingston had actually chosen to attend the dinner party.

If he had known this earlier, he should have stayed and given Lemington two good punches before leaving.

The wheels rolled over the gravel on King's Road, making his bones ache.

He turned his gaze to the sky. He remembered that the afternoon he left Lemingston, the sky was clear, but now a fine mist of blood was rising.

It wasn't real blood; it was the blood mist emitted from the Royal Court's Blood Mist Workshop mixed with rainwater, which shimmered as a pale red in mid-air.

Like a dirty veil, it completely covered the dam city.

He froze as soon as the carriage entered the city gate.

The walls that were originally covered with wooden signs that read "Famine Relief" and "Epidemic Prevention" are now covered with scarlet banners.

The fabric was made of coarse linen, with words embroidered in gold thread.

"Welcome, High Priest King Serfaye, to Dam City!"

"Vampires and humans build a peaceful and prosperous community."

The most eye-catching one is the one at the city gate, which is actually embroidered with "The light of the Lord of Eternal Life shines forever on the windmill land".

Several merchants dressed in silk robes were grinning and directing their employees to adjust the position of the banner, while the employees were in high spirits.

If you didn't know better, you'd think there was some kind of celebration going on in the city!

Yes, we should definitely celebrate! The vampires have arrived, so there's peace, and we can make money again.

Compared to the king and priests who act as a check and balance, and the Holy Path Sect who side with the farmers, vampires are simply the best rulers in the world.

They only want money and blood; they don't care about anything else.

“Stop the car…” Mattis’s voice trembled.

The coachman reined in his horse and turned back in confusion: "Sir, we haven't arrived at your home yet."

"I want to get off!"

Although the coachman was puzzled, he still opened the carriage door.

He jumped off the carriage, ignoring the driver's attempts to stop him, and walked straight toward the banner at the city gate.

My pace quickened, and my chest felt like it was blocked by something, choking me and forcing all the hot blood to rush to my head.

The scene described in the message, which I saw in Goya City, came back to mind.

Blood in the pond, blood in the cup, blood on the street, and the white bones scattered among the flowers...

The blood on the rooftops of Gewu City has now transformed into red banners on the eaves of Dam City.

The moment the worker nailed a corner of the banner to the wall, Mattis rushed over.

He gripped the edge of the banner with his fingers and yanked it hard.

The red cloth ripped with a "ripping" sound, and the "Crimson Blood Cup" embroidered in gold thread was immediately torn apart.

"Hey, what do you do?"

Ignoring the merchant's angry curses, Mattis focused intently on tearing the banner apart, as if trying to rip open the vampire's flesh.

"Where did this wild boy come from!" The merchant exclaimed in alarm and immediately tried to pull him away.

Pulled apart by the workers, Mattis's eyes were red: "Do you know what happened in Gruyne? That's not fake news!"

The merchant from El paused for a moment, then laughed: "The people of Gewu City are stupid. They dared to resist even though they had lost, so they died. We are smart. We welcomed the governor, so we are alive."

"You actually know about the massacre?"

"Of course I know that this is a basic quality of a businessman."

Mattis blushed with rage: "You are all traitors!"

"Who are you calling a traitor?"

"You're a traitor, that's what I'm cursing you for."

The merchant's face immediately darkened, and he gave a wink to the several big shots beside him.

Despite agreeing with Mattis, the thugs also needed to eat, and immediately stepped forward to surround him.

They were half a head taller than Matisse, and they grinned crookedly, deliberately showing off their muscular build.

Just as Mattis clenched his fist and threw a punch, a thug grabbed his wrist.

Another thug attacked from behind, grabbing him around the waist. He could only struggle to kick, but he couldn't hit anyone.

"Hold his legs down, hold them down, I'll teach him a lesson and clear his head!"

Before his eyes, the El merchant walked over, rolled up his sleeves, and raised his hand to slap him.

"Wait!" a thin laborer hanging a banner suddenly shouted, his eyes fixed on Mattis's face.

"what happened?"

“This, isn’t this Lord Lemingston’s secretary? Mr. Mattis, the brother of that Gilles…”

Mattis was still struggling and did not agree.

The merchant's expression changed. He hesitated, withdrew his hand, and leaned closer to examine it carefully.

Instantly, his gloomy face melted away like cream, turning into a bright smile: "Oh dear, it really is him, I almost mistook him for Mr. Mattis, quick, let him go."

The thugs had no choice but to reluctantly release their hold and hide to the side.

Rubbing her wrist, which was sore from being grabbed, Mattis suddenly lost the strength to argue with him: "I don't know you."

"I am also an old acquaintance of Lord Lemingston; we are brothers from the Holy Path Sect!"

"You know Lemingston?"

"Oh dear, the flood washed away the cathedral, and now we're all family and don't recognize each other anymore?" The merchant from Al rubbed his hands together. "My name is Dector, I'm in the cloth business, and I even donated money when Lord Lemingston started his newspaper!"

Look at this banner. It's not that I like to hang it up, but I'm doing this for the peace of Dam City.

Lord Lemingston also said that cooperation with the Royal Court is the only way for everyone to prosper!

“Oh, that’s true. Birds of a feather flock together,” Mattis replied casually.

Although there was nothing wrong with what he said, the El merchant still felt that something was off.

Matthias glanced at him, then at the banners that covered the city like fiery clouds on the horizon.

But all that could be heard were cheers from countless alleyways, because it was rumored that the vampires had extended an invitation to Fran and Leia to negotiate a truce.

Peace is just around the corner.

Good stuff!

This is the thinking of the people of Windmill Land. As for their compatriots in Gewu City, we can only wish them good luck.

The Independent newspaper didn't even report the massacre rumors circulating in the market, so it must be fake news.

Who doesn't know that "Yilin" and "Liberty Daily" are biased towards the Holy Way Sect?
It's possible that they killed a few more rebels and refugees, turning it into a massacre of the entire city.

Did you see what Lord Lemingston said? Was it reported?

Matthias understood.

This banner is so long that he could tear it down all day or all year.

Gradually, his scolding dissipated.

He was no longer able to speak.

After a long pause, he finally asked the merchant, "What should we do next?"

The merchant was taken aback, somewhat confused: "Later? What later?"

"I'm asking you, what are your plans for the future?"

"In the future? We'll still be doing business with vampires in the future."

Without saying another word, Matthias turned and left.

Dector called after him, offering to take him home, but he didn't turn around.

The streets were crowded with people, all looking at the notices and banners.

They greeted the patrolling vampire soldiers and discussed enviously the vampire dinner in Gruyère.

No one mentions the massacre in Gwynedd, no one mentions the other Windmill Land people who died; it's as if it were all a dream.

Matthias walked very slowly, his feet feeling like lead.

In the alley was a small attic where he used to live when he was running a newspaper with Lemington.

Pushing open the door, a whiff of dust hit me.

On the table were the original manuscript samples of the Windmill Land Independent that he hadn't taken with him.

Printed on it is an article by Lemingston: "When Will the Windmill Dwellers Be Confident?"

The ink had dried, and the edges were curled up.

Mattis walked to the table, picked up the newspaper, and suddenly felt like laughing.

Then he smiled.

But as I laughed, tears welled up in my eyes.

He had agreed with Lemingston's ideas so much that he even argued with his brother Gilles about them countless times.

But now it seems that Guillermo del Toro was right, and he was wrong.

He didn't understand why Lemingston was so impassioned in the newspaper.

He wanted the people of Windmill to be clear-headed and independent, but in the end, he turned to vampires for power.

Sure enough, they're from Windmill Land!
The people of Windmill Land are still the same opportunistic and shrewd people, but as shrewd as they are, they are always weak.

Despite the tragedy of the Little Pool City and the Blue Blood Wine massacre, the people of Thousand River Valley still knew to rise up in resistance, assassinating priests in the streets.

Even if this action is futile, we must still make our stance clear and seek revenge.

But what about the windmill area?
Instead of assassinating them, they want to hang banners to welcome them—how ridiculous!

He thought Windmill Country was better than Thousand Rivers Valley, except for the lack of Juano.

But now he understands that what's missing isn't just one Juano, but countless Juanos.

Those who stand up for injustice and justice are all Juano.

But will there really be a windmill field?

I'm afraid there probably won't be another one.

Windmill Land is beyond saving, let alone any dream of independence.

"Rely on the Holy Alliance, that's our last hope." He shouldered his luggage, walked out of the attic, and locked the door.

He was going to seek refuge with his brother, to the Black Legion, where at least some people were still resisting.

But when he reached the alley entrance, he inexplicably stopped in his tracks.

Across the alleyway is the small building of the Windmill Independent newspaper, with its wooden sign still hanging on the door.

He recalled his days here, when Lemington would sit in a wicker chair by the window writing articles, and he would help organize the clippings beside him.

When the printing press clicked away, they would celebrate the publication of the new issue together.

Looking back now, it seems so ridiculous.

Matthias stood at the alley entrance, hesitated for a long time, then sighed and turned to leave.

But as soon as he turned around, he bumped into a messenger.

Upon seeing him, the messenger's eyes lit up: "Mr. Mattis, great! You're here right now!"
"Sir Lemingston has sent a letter from Groomhouse with a submission for tomorrow's print run."

The messenger lowered his head and handed Mattis a manila envelope.

The envelope was stamped with the wax seal of the Royal Court Governor's Office, and it was printed with a pattern of a red blood cup.

Mattis, who had instinctively reached out to take the letter, nearly dropped it when his wrist twitched.

A letter from Lemingston? He still dares to write to the newspaper?
Without a doubt, this article is an endorsement of vampires.

It's to tell the whole windmill world that "joining forces with vampires is a wise move!"
It's to solidify his position as mayor of the dam city!
What was wrong with him to mistake this hypocrite for "Juanuo from Windmill Village"?
Anger flared up like fire, and disregarding etiquette, he grabbed the envelope and tore it open in an instant.

The letter paper was used exclusively by the Governor-General's office and had a faint smell of rust.

The handwriting above was the one he knew best—Lemingston's—and it was glaringly obvious.

"I'd like to see what kind of treacherous remarks you, this hypocrite, will make this time." Mattis made up his mind; if it was really such a remark, he would burn the manuscript.

He gritted his teeth and began to read in a low voice.

But as he read, his hands gradually began to tremble uncontrollably: "To my fellow human beings of Windmill Land, by the time you read this letter, whether or not what I was about to do has been accomplished, I will already be dead!"

After being searched by the guards, Lemington, his face expressionless, strode into the banquet hall and politely nodded to the vampires present.

"This is my last article, and it is also a call to action for all the people of Windmill Land."

"I want everyone in Windmill Land to see what kind of tragedy really happened in Gewu City..."

"...That despicable, terrifying, hateful, and pathetic governor, Akadera, actually issued an order to massacre the city..."

"...I won't say what happened, I'll only say what I saw, but it was enough to make one's heart tremble..."

"Blood, only blood..."

"...This is what I saw, this is what I heard, and I have shown it all to you."

“I know that the royal court will not allow news of the massacre in Gewu City to spread widely.”

"But I'm even more afraid that you'll see it and then turn a blind eye."

Have the people of Windmill Land lost their courage?

In the center of the Crimson Hall, amidst countless rounds of applause, Serfaye, dressed in a red suit, descended from the sky to the ground.

"I've always wondered why the people of Windmill Land are so cowardly?"

"Everyone is hiding, avoiding, always seeking advantage and avoiding harm, turning a blind eye even to the injustices and harms happening right in front of them."

"I am determined to change all of this, to make the people of Windmill Land no longer opportunistic, no longer cowardly, no longer antagonistic..."

"But I didn't accomplish anything."

In the opulent hall, amidst snickers, Lemington walked numbly, clinking glasses with everyone he met.

“I said I would stop the people of Windmill Land from shedding blood and from becoming vassals of the Holy Alliance, but I failed to do so.”

"Windmill Land did not become a vassal of the Holy Alliance, but rather a vassal of the Royal Court."

Bone china plates, crystal glass vases, and cobweb-covered tablecloths held pieces of raw, bloody meat.

“I said, I want the people of Windmill Land to have freedom, to have themselves, and to have their own kingdom.”

"But now, Windmill Land has become someone else's territory."

The candles and crystal chandelier cast halo-like rings of light, making everyone and everything appear blurry.

It seems like I can't tell the difference between humans and vampires anymore.

“I said I would protect the peace of the people of Windmill Village, but I still failed.”

“Vampires celebrate on our land, slaughtering the Windmill Landers like lambs and putting them on the table.”

Amid the jeers, Lemington simply drank the blood wine in one gulp and ate nothing.

But in the eyes of those elites who have eaten raw flesh and blood, it is architecture that requires technical professionals to also claim chastity.

Mockery, sarcasm, and rebukes surrounded Lemington, but he remained expressionless, drifting through the crowd like a puppet.

"I always think about winning without bloodshed, but how can you win without bloodshed?"

“I always compared Windmill Land to Thousand Rivers Valley, but I was wrong, we are different.”

Lemington saw countless nobles kneeling before the middle-aged female vampire, and countless elites licking the priestess's boots.

They seemed completely unaware that outside the window lay the deserted city of Kakuya, and that they were guests.

Invited by a vampire, he went to enjoy the blood of his fellow vampires.

"The people of Thousand River Valley dare to look directly at the dripping blood, while the people of Windmill Land always prefer to go around it."

When will we dare to look directly at blood? Probably only when the blood overflows, forcing us to look directly at it.

"The blood of the refugees who died outside the city wasn't enough, the blood of the citizens when the sea monster attacked the city wasn't enough, and the blood of the 20,000 citizens of Gewu City still wasn't enough..."

Leaning against the pillar, Lemingston almost laughed.

Because his fellow countrymen are drinking the blood of their own people to appease outsiders and enemies.

When will the people of Windmill Land wake up? When will they produce people like Juano and Horn?

"I think there has to be a first one before there can be a second, a third..."

"Who should be the first? How about I do it?"

Lemingston looked up and heard someone calling him.

He then walked toward the source of the sound; it was the voice of the Queen Priestess.

“I really envy Juano.”

"He accomplished a great deal in his life, and he died with a clear conscience."

"I've spent my whole life talking and writing, but I haven't accomplished a single thing."

Golden goblets clinked together, sending golden light swirling and flowing like a golden river, spreading out beneath his feet.

At the end of the long river, a woman in red and a man in black waved to him.

He held a golden cup filled with purplish-red wine.

He walked slowly forward, stepping across the golden road, past his fellow countrymen on both sides, and came to the two vampires.

Akadera's face became clearer; the royal governor extended his right hand, seemingly to clink glasses with him.

What was the governor saying? It sounded like he was saying, "Stop looking so glum, have a drink."

Yes, don't look so sad.

"At the very least, at the end of my life, there is one thing I can still do. I must do one thing, the last thing."

"revenge."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lemington, who had maintained a stern expression throughout, revealed a rare smile at the climax of the banquet.

He revealed a set of yellow teeth, pink gums, and the clenched teeth...

A crystallized plasma mercury containing electric light.

In less than half a second, the governor's expression changed from composure to joy to horror to fear.

"Oh my..."

Haha, so vampires can be scared too.

Lemingston opened his arms and hugged the governor, placing his mouth against his neck as if he wanted to suck his blood.

“If the blood of Gewu City is not enough, not enough to wake up the windmill, then add me to the list.”

"good luck."

The moment he embraced Akadera, Lemington bit off the plasma moon mercury crystal in his mouth.

"Bang—Sizzle—"

The dancing electric snakes illuminated the eyes of everyone, including the vampires, and the violent explosions whipped up the hems of their clothes and skirts.

As their vision returned from the pure white, a dark shadow flashed by with a loud clang.

A startled head fell from mid-air, still attached to half a neck, and landed right on Serfaye's plate.

It was Akadera, the murderer who ordered the massacre of the city.

His head was bowed, tears welling in his eyes, as he gazed at the blood-red sky outside the window.

"Be careful, Your Majesty!"

"Lord Akadera—"

"Go away!"

Serfaye shoved aside the guards who tried to block her way and stared intently at Lemingston.

For the first time, Serfaye lost her composure in public; she stared at the human corpse with a somber expression.

Throughout the banquet, a dazed and numb clown, Lord Lemingston from Dam City, was present.

His body lay on the ground, resting on a clean carpet, with blood flowing down half of his head.

He only had half a head left; the upper half, along with the upper jaw, exploded into a bloody mess along with Akadera's head.

But everyone could see that his lower lip was curved up, and the scarlet blood illuminated his pale lips.

Everyone can see that curve—

He is laughing.

Matthias was already sobbing uncontrollably.

"Remember to pass on a message to Mattis and the newspaper's editors and readers: I'm sorry."

“I’m sorry, I have let you down. I am not your savior, nor am I Juano of Windmill Village.”

"I was just an arrogant coward, all talk and no action, but I still managed to accomplish something in the end."

"I can finally have a clear conscience."

(End of this chapter)