rune hunter

Chapter 40 The Truth About the Plague

Charcoal-grilled veal steak with tempting aromas, gray water herring fried to golden brown, salt-baked quail and ceviche cream cake, paired with ten-year-old schnapps, this is Tiana's night in The hospitality received by the White Lion Castle.

"Pour me a cup of tea, without sugar and milk, please."

After wiping the remaining greasy corners of her mouth with a napkin, Tiana turned her head and whispered to the maid beside her.Although she is still wearing a tattered robe like a beggar, the unique temperament of the girl itself cannot be underestimated.

When she walked outside and dealt with mercenaries, she looked like an inconspicuous adventurer.And when she came to the castle of the White Lion family, she became a noble lady again.This is not a deliberate disguise. In fact, her real identity is much nobler than those ordinary noble ladies.

Tiana's eating movements were elegant and quick. The host specially ordered that she could serve the meal directly, and the other guest also didn't like to talk, so naturally she didn't have to worry too much.

Instead of drinking the table wine, she ordered the maid to pour a cup of black tea.Compared with delicious food, being able to drink good black tea again is the happiest thing for a girl.

Holding the teacup in her hands and exhaling lightly, Tiana began to observe the surrounding environment calmly.Although the owner of the castle hasn't shown any malicious intentions so far, the girl who is a wanted criminal will inevitably have to think about ways to retreat.

Using the corner of her eyes to peek at the surrounding doors and windows and the guards, Tiana raised her eyes and focused on the purple-haired girl sitting opposite her.

After parting from the noble siblings outside the castle, for some reason, the girl named Vivian also stayed, and she had already changed into a simple nun's attire during the meal.From Tiana's observation, everyone in the castle had a very weird attitude towards this girl, they didn't look like their master but they obeyed her.The girl herself has no reaction to the attention of others.

Even though there was a dinner in front of her that was as sumptuous as Tiana's or even better than Tiana's, Wei An completely ignored it. She just followed the maid's guidance to the dining table, asked for a pen and paper, and just started on her own. Write and draw.

Although Wei'an seemed to have an arrogant personality, Tiana felt that she was just a little too natural.

She is the lord's daughter, sister?Or a distant relative?Tiana secretly guessed in her heart.She also doesn't know much about the White Lion family in Istaron, and currently has too few clues to deduce valuable information.However, if the terrifying fluctuation of magic power that he felt during the day really came from Miss Wei An in front of him, I am afraid that there will be a lot of changes in his expected escape plan.

There were clear footsteps from outside the corridor, Tiana put down her teacup and looked up, her eyes fixed.

Tony, who had also changed into a set of aristocratic costumes, walked in quickly, and the mad dog Shet followed closely behind him, one body behind without a trace.The image of the young man on Hongshiling who always squinted his eyes and liked to ask questions has disappeared, replaced by the majestic temperament of a superior.

"Sorry, I wasted a lot of time discussing and arranging the issue of Red Stone Ridge with Sir Shett just now." Tony sat on the main seat and explained to the girl with a smile.

"Could it be that you are..." Tiana opened her eyes wide. She suddenly remembered the words of the old priest of the Temple of Xerxes - the current head of the White Lion is underage... Although she had doubts about Tony's identity, she still Subconsciously ignored this almost absurd possibility.

"I'm very sorry, because Weifu needs to hide his identity during his visits, so we concealed something from you before." Tony nodded and said softly apologetically: "Now, please allow me to introduce myself again. I am Lord Istaron. The current Patriarch of the White Lion Family, Antonio Caesar, and this young lady is His Royal Highness Marievian, a holy nun from the Temple of Life."

"I didn't expect the two adults to personally investigate the Red Stone Ridge. Please forgive me for being rude." Tiana took a deep breath, calmed down quickly, stood up and bowed.

"No need to be too polite, Miss Tiana." Antonio waved his hand to signal the girl to sit down: "Sir Shet has conveyed your request to me, can you please introduce yourself again?"

"As you wish, Lord Caesar." Tiana lowered her head and said, "My name is Tiana Ranstadt. I once studied light magic in Sky City, but now I am just a mere magician."

"Ranstadt, Timberwolves of North County." Antonio touched his chin and nodded: "Back then, the White Lion and Timberwolves followed the former emperor Romulo II to quell the kingdom's rebellion, and were ordered to garrison Istaron and Frosthorn respectively. It is an important military town. Although we gradually distanced ourselves from each other due to various reasons, we have not had a life-and-death enmity after all. As long as Miss Tiana declares her family name, the white lion will naturally sweep the couch to welcome her, so how did she end up here?"

"That's because the Ranstadt family no longer exists." Tiana sighed and said in a deep voice.

"What did you say?" It was Antonio's turn to be dumbfounded this time, and the table knife he had just picked up fell on the table.The young Patriarch shook his head, he couldn't believe this explosive news for a while.

"I'm sorry, but... I remember that before the Spring Plowing Day, I received information that the Wolf Fang Knight defeated the underground people."

"The Horn of Frost fell three months ago, and the last Spike Knights were all killed in Bailu Harbor a month later. Now, all the northern counties have fallen." Every word Tiana said Antonio was terrified.

"Could it be a full-scale counterattack by the underground people?" This was the first reasonable explanation that popped up in Antonio's mind, but it was rejected by himself immediately.Although the underground people are one of the biggest troubles in the northern part of the kingdom, they are not enough to shake the dominance of the Ranstadt family in the north.

"It's a natural plague, my lord." Tiana raised her head and looked directly into the eyes of the young lord, "The unprecedented great plague swept across the northern counties, and it took less than a week from infection to outbreak. None of the servants can escape the clutches."

This time even Maryvian put down her paintbrush and raised her ears.

"We have known about the outbreak of the plague in the north, and the Temple of Life is sending His Royal Highness Marivian here." Antonio frowned, and asked with some doubts: "It's just that we didn't know that the situation was so serious until yesterday. So far, the caravans in the north are still coming in an endless stream. And I remember you said just now that the Spike Knight 'died in battle' in Bailu Harbor?"

"The seven counties in the north are sparsely populated, and the transportation is inconvenient. In the records of the plague outbreak in history, it has never spread throughout the whole territory. But this time..." Tiana looked at the maids and guards in the restaurant, and lowered her voice to Antonio. Said: "My lord, please allow me to report to you alone in some cases."

"That's not allowed, Miss Ranstadt. As you can see, my family is underage, and I don't have the self-defense skills like you." The mad dog Xie Te laughed and shook his head, "Besides, there are no secrets that we can't tell in person. Come out? We don't bother to pay attention to the bullshit of the northern nobles."

Even though he said so, he still clapped his hands, motioning the idlers in the restaurant to leave, and at the same time closed the door.

You also have the face to say such a thing?Why didn't you consider safety when you stuffed me in the morning?Tiana sneered at Shet in her heart, but she didn't show any disgust on her face, she just turned her eyes to Maryvian.He said to Antonio: "It's a matter of great importance, can you ask Her Highness the Holy Nun to leave the table temporarily?"

"His Royal Highness Mary Vian is a noble character, no need to hide anything." Antonio blushed for himself when he said this. She just blasted away.

The holy nun froze for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Since you say that, I can't help it, because in the end you have to make your own choice." Tiana sighed, looking at Maryvian with an innocent expression, her eyes suddenly became sharp.

"If I said that there is the will of the gods behind this outbreak of the plague, what would you think?"

The living room suddenly fell into a terrible silence, and even the crackling of the candle wick could be heard.

The boy lord subconsciously held his breath because of the magus' astonishing speech.He stared into Tiana's eyes, trying to take the blasphemy just now as a girl's ignorant joke, but Tiana's eyes were clear and bright, full of determination.

"Nonsense!" Even Maryvian couldn't help but say it.

The history of human belief and worship of gods can be traced back to the ancient barbaric era. Gods were born from heaven and earth, and bestowed powerful divine power on their believers.The heroic spirits praised the names of the gods loudly, leading mankind to overcome obstacles in the wilderness, igniting the fire of civilization, and finally multiplying and becoming the master of the continent.

For thousands of years, the gods have gained the faith of mortals, and then protected them with divine power.The vast majority of humans in Canilas are devout believers, and they never thought that they would be abandoned by the gods one day.

Tiana, who said such rebellious words, was herself a chosen one by the gods, and it was this fact that shocked Antonio and Maryvian.

The gods are omniscient and omnipotent. If another believer utters such blasphemous words, the gods on his body will disappear immediately, turning into divine flames and burning his body as punishment.

However, the magician girl was not punished in any way, and Maryvian could even see that the divine favor on her body hadn't faded in the slightest.

This discovery was all the more alarming because it meant she was telling the truth.

(End of this chapter)