Knight and Wand

Chapter 336 Choose your destiny
The moonlight is like a curtain, the eyes are like stars, flowing with lingering.

The whispers were gentle, and the love was like a raging fire that spread across the prairie, or like a gentle breeze blowing across the roses.

The evening breeze makes the golden maple trees outside the window sing rustlingly, and the osmanthus moon hides shyly into the clouds, not glancing at the tenderness of the world.

Leaning on the couch, he gently smoothed the girl's hair with his fingers.

Ines buried her face in her lover's chest, listening to the beating heartstrings. It was as if time had stood still, and only the warmth in her heart flowed quietly in the quiet night candlelight.

Close your eyes slightly and listen to everything Leon says.
After a long while, she sighed softly:

"So, do you have to go?"

"I'm sorry." Leon instinctively hugged the girl in his arms: "I won't make any excuses for myself. Just as you mean a lot to me, I can't abandon her. Olivia is my beloved wife."

But before he could finish his words, Ines in his arms suddenly laughed softly.

Leon looked down at her in confusion.

"Silly boy, I'm not talking about this. It's just about favoring one more woman. Why would I care about such a small thing?" Ines held Leon's shoulders, sat up and let her cascading blonde hair fall down. Her slightly furrowed brows were full of helplessness as she teased her husband.

"You have saved me from imprisonment and danger time and time again over the years. How much have we been through together?

How much have you paid for me in sending me to the throne?

Do you think I am a shallow and jealous woman who only knows how to take? "

Ines stroked his face gently, no longer showing her usual frivolous and playful attitude, and whispered softly: "I am the queen who rules the North, and I am also your wife and supporter who will always support all your decisions. I am the harbor where you can anchor and take shelter from the wind."

The moonlight was embroidered on the long eyelashes. Ines lifted the ends of her hair, lowered her head, and gently kissed her husband's lips. The corners of her mouth rippled: "I will never let you feel sad, and I will never put shackles on you."

Somewhat shocked by her attitude, her tolerance beyond two lifetimes, Leon was speechless for a moment.

"I'm really not worthy of you." He felt a little ashamed.

Ines gently stroked her husband's face, where the hideous wounds had disappeared. She remembered every time and every horrific injury and pain he had endured for her: "If you are not worthy of me, then no one in this world is worthy of me."

The girl tilted her head: "That being said, to be honest, I will inevitably be jealous of my love being shared away. However, as long as I think about how you can 'tame' that terrible golden lion, hum~ I really want to see her proud look being worn by you with my own eyes"

Startled, seeing that the topic was about to go in a bad direction, Leon quickly interrupted: "Well, well, before I come back, the army must stay put. In the worst case scenario, I will try to persuade Olivia to withdraw her troops and cease fire."

Ines sighed slightly, nodded and said, "This is exactly what I am worried about now. How are you going to convince her now? Looking at your previous injuries, she is not the Miss Olivia you are familiar with in your memory. You have finally survived. How can you easily take risks before you recover your strength?"

Leon shook his head when he heard this.

"I had to try before more blood was shed, and I couldn't think of a reason why Olivia didn't give me the finishing blow.

I can only guess that she still has at least a little friendship for me now, and maybe we still have a chance to sit down and talk to each other.”

"Friendship?" Ines wondered.

Leon looked embarrassed.

"I didn't mean to hide this from you. It's just that after Olivia started her rebellion, I was afraid you would think too much, so I didn't mention it on purpose."

He has gradually remembered his past experiences.

On this road of destiny, when he was fleeing with Lohak and Azerien, he did arrive at the village of Selva.

just
In this destiny, there is no spiritual field where the flow of time is different from that of the outside world.

Not being trapped in the Nightmare Forest shrouded in the cursed realm, this subtle difference enabled them to pass through the forest smoothly and arrive in Selva many days earlier than their original destiny.

The three of them did not perform the feat of crossing the cursed land, nor did they carry the Sword of Thorns, nor did they have any connection with the Thorn Flower Family, nor did they encounter Uncle Brian's expulsion.

However, they still met and became friends with the enthusiastic Olivia.

However, after staying for a few days, the three of them left one after another.

Although they escaped from slavery together in this life, their escape journey was smoother, with no crises coming one after another, forcing him to save his companions from danger time and again.

Due to their different experiences, the three of them were far from establishing a deeper friendship, and they focused more on their own goals.

Azerien embarked on the journey back home.

Driven by hatred, Lohak participated in the local war launched by Orland against Kantadar.

I was the last one to leave Selva.

The escape was smooth and he did not encounter repeated life-threatening crises. He was full of energy and was unwilling to be a mediocre farmer in the mountain village with nothing.

He declined Olivia's offer of shelter and did not become a tenant on Brian's farm, but went north to make his own way.

When he accidentally disguised himself as a knight-errant and made some progress, he returned to Selva Village to find Olivia and wanted to thank her for her guidance and help.
The mountain village of Selva has become a dead place with graves scattered all over the place.

In shock, he searched for Olivia in vain and thought that the girl had also died.

Angry and regretful, he investigated and tracked the whereabouts of the defeated soldiers. Finally, in the battle where the Thorn Flower army was besieging the remnants of Kantadar, he met Olivia again. The girl was wearing armor, covered in blood, and holding the enemy's head.

At that time, she no longer had the innocence and cheerfulness of a young girl. She was like a cold and bloody lion that chose its prey out of hatred and pain.

Although, perhaps if he had stayed, not much would have changed, but the uncontrollable guilt made him ashamed to face the disaster she had experienced.

He accompanied Olivia to join the Thorn Flower Army and continued to hunt down the defeated soldiers of Kantadar. When the girl finally found Doson, she personally cut off his head to end her journey of revenge. He witnessed the Thorn Flower family's appreciation and enthronement of this unusually brave girl.

Without any unnecessary worries, he chose to say goodbye and leave in guilt.

The girl did not try to keep herself. At that time, she was already indifferent to everyone.

Fate thus separated them from each other. The next time they met was two years later on the battlefield of the civil war. When they met, he swore in shame that he would never use the martial arts taught by the other again. From then on, the two of them became enemies with irreconcilable positions.

No wonder Olivia doubted herself from using the body movement and gunmanship she taught her again during the fight that day.

Now it seems that Olivia was able to save her life because she still remembered the friendship they had when they chased down Kantadar's defeated soldiers side by side?
Leon didn't know. He only remembered that even though he tried his best, he couldn't make the girl smile as warmly as when they first met.

Being knocked to the ground by Olivia again and again during the sword fight, he even felt that the girl might hate his sympathy.

This was also one of the reasons why he chose to disappear from Olivia's sight and stop disturbing her.

Leon closed his eyes as he recalled the past events that were becoming increasingly clear.

He would never accept a future where he and Olivia parted ways.
The next day.

Leon did not put on his armor again, but dressed neatly and waited in the garrison's mansion in the important town for the envoy who had been sent to the Kalanta Fortress to negotiate peace to bring back news.

However, since early in the morning, he felt a little uneasy facing the dangerous gaze of little Ines, who seemed to be in a bad mood.

He tried to avoid the attack several times, but was pushed back to his chair by the left and right. "Sir Leon, I told you not to come back, but you really didn't come back all night. Don't you have a lot to say to me?"

Ines sat aside, her elegant posture with her arms folded and legs crossed, but her anxiety could not be concealed as she quickly tapped her arms with her fingers. Her squinting smile revealed a clear audible resentment.

As she spoke, she glanced at "herself" who was calmly sipping tea, and she felt an inexplicable sense of dissatisfaction in her heart.

Should she say that it was birds of a feather flock together, or was it that she couldn't stand the smugness in her future self's eyes? Even when facing Miss Olivia of the past, she had never felt so depressed.

Queen Ines, who was sitting fearlessly, raised her eyes and smiled meaningfully: "Leon did talk to me a lot all night. Any questions?"

Princess Ines's eyebrows twitched, and she looked at her with a smile, saying, "Could you please not interrupt me? I don't have the habit of talking to myself."

Queen Ines put down her teacup. Her eyes were no longer as gentle as they were in front of her husband last night. She challenged herself condescendingly: "Really? Then why don't I just shut up?"

Regardless of whether it is a parallel universe or the future universe as Goliath mentioned, now that the relationship has been made clear and Leon is Leon, Queen Ines is no longer willing to give in to herself who foolishly almost lost her husband three years ago.

Leon sweatdropped.

On one side is the first wife, and on the other side is the wife herself who has not yet become the wife and has just expressed her feelings.
Finally, the news brought back by the messenger on horseback saved him from this strange atmosphere.

The Golden Lion Queen who occupied Kalanta accepted the request for "negotiation".

Seeing Agatha, Theresa and others coming with a group of guards, Leon stood up from his seat.

"Just prepare a war horse for me. You don't have to go. I am enough."

Little Ines beside him immediately grabbed his hand and frowned, saying, "The decision to go see her is risky enough, how can you go without a guard?"

Leon shook his head: “Going alone can show my attitude and increase the credibility and sincerity of my words. What’s more, she just defeated me head-on. If she disregards her loyalty and seizes me in public when I take the initiative to go, it will be useless if I bring any guards with me because of the holy sword.

Don't worry, I believe Olivia is not capable of doing such a thing."

Now, it is definitely meaningless for the current Queen of Golden Lion to clarify the relationship between herself and the other party in another destiny.

But Leon felt that he still had a bargaining chip.

People do change due to different experiences and time, but Olivia is still Olivia.

Compared to the feelings that have never developed between her and the other person in this life, the bargaining chip that has accompanied her growth is obviously more important.

This bargaining chip is also the result that he must redeem from this fate.

After comforting the girl with gentle words, Leon turned around and looked at Big Ines who had remained silent.

Receiving the other party's trusting look, he nodded slightly, walked out of the gate, mounted his warhorse, and rode away.

Leon whipped his horse and left the town where the garrison was standing against him. He rode his horse quickly towards Kalanta, forced the scouts to turn back halfway, and then he rode alone and lightly arrived at the majestic walls of the fortress.

Look up at the Black Dragon King flag flying above the city.

Knights in red robes and heavy armor stood on the battlements, with countless large bows and powerful crossbows pointing at them from a distance. Just one order would send thousands of arrows flying.

Not seeing Olivia, Leon pulled the reins and shouted:
"—Serpent Slayer, here comes Leon Jonson.

Please invite the Golden Lion Queen to come to the city for a chat!"

There was an eerie silence on the solemn city wall, and no one spoke in response.

Until the huge drawbridge on the front of the fortress came down with a loud bang.

The white and gold figure, with his battle robe swaying in the autumn wind, appeared behind the raised gate.

The air rushing in from the city gate caused the girl's cloak to flutter behind her, and she walked out slowly with the sound of clanging steel boots.

Looking at Olivia walking towards me indifferently from a distance.

Perhaps because of the remaining injuries, Leon felt short of breath.
The depressed emotion of not being able to recognize the person I love deeply turned into a long sigh.

Leon dismounted, summoned Gungnir, turned the spear around and stuck it in place, and walked on foot.

Olivia did not carry the golden dragon spear that she used to conquer the north and the south, nor did she draw her sword. She just stopped in the battlefield that was littered with broken blades and flags, and where blood and smoke from burning corpses had not yet cleared.

"You recovered so quickly." The girl's voice seemed flat.

The emerald-clear blue eyes were like a deep lake, so clear that it seemed as if there was neither yearning nor hatred, but just a calm ice field.

"I didn't kill you, but there won't be a second time. You shouldn't appear in front of me like this."

"That's why I came to see you unarmed."

Leon raised his hands and tried to explain the whole story in a deep voice.

He had been worried about how anxious Olivia would be if she couldn't see him.

However, according to Goliath, the Golden Lion Queen in front of him was his little lion.

Should she be thankful? At least now she is not suffering from the same torment as Ines who lost her whereabouts during that period.

"We don't have to bleed any more. You may find it hard to believe. We..."

"In another destiny, we are a loving couple, right?" Olivia spoke before the other party finished speaking.

Leon originally wanted to say that they were friends to avoid provoking the other party, but the words were stuck in his throat and he was stunned on the spot.

"Snake Slayer, is this all you want to say today?" the girl asked calmly.

"You already know that?" Leon was stunned.

"Wait, how did you know that? When did you know that?"

Various possibilities flashed through his mind, and finally, he fixed his thoughts on Goliath's face.

Did the bard also look for Olivia?

"Is this important?" The girl's hair swayed in the wind on the battlefield along with the golden mane wrapped around her neck armor, and she slowly closed her eyes.

".Such a fate is just a brilliant dream to me.

Whether I know it or not, I will not blindly stop there. Compared with the future of countless people, your and my possibilities are insignificant. "

When she opened her eyes again, Olivia was no longer shaken.

"I know your purpose, Snake Slayer, but I will not hand over this sword. This future is the fate I chose with my own hands."

(End of this chapter)