Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

"Choose one from the next generation, train him as a candidate who is different from the others, tell him the responsibilities and obligations he bears, and let him become the chosen sacrifice. This has been going on since the founding of Muirand until now. Young man, you don't understand at all. They have all made the same sacrifice as me. Each of the four major families has made such a resolution, but it just happens to be my turn now."

"What you said makes sense, but have you ever thought about one question?"

Of course I have considered it.

It is precisely because you have considered it that you are hesitant.

"..."

"The history of the four major families you mentioned... every other family... they didn't really need to sacrifice their children. Those children who were chosen as sacrifices eventually grew up to be people who had nothing to do with sacrifices. At most, they were hidden. Others were like normal nobles, joining the army, participating in politics, having successful careers or nothing, and finally died of accidents or old age. In the thousands of years of history of Muirand, in fact, only your daughter was sacrificed, that's all."

"..."

"Or do you think it's better to die as a sacrifice than to live?"

"enough!"

"No, no, it's not enough. You feel guilty, and your guilty conscience reflects your true thoughts."

"I'm not thinking about anything, and I have nothing to say. This is the end of the meeting."

"Her mother was killed by you. You can of course shirk responsibility by claiming that she died of illness or an accident in life, but at least I can't find any medical records of that lady. Her existence is irrefutable evidence of your sin, so you chose her as a sacrifice. But you can't completely eliminate your guilt because of this."

"……I can not understand what you say."

"Then I will continue until you understand."

Francesco chuckled.

No one could tell whether it was a sneer, a sneer, or both.

"You feel guilty about Miss Colette, so you are thinking about how to make her a 'voluntary sacrifice', because this will alleviate your guilt?"

"..."

"I don't know what you instilled in her, but the paranoia in her mind is inseparable from you. Her success as an opera singer is a testament to her strength and hard work, but the opportunity she got was the result of your indulgence. Do you think this will make her life full of happiness and without regrets?"

“I just did what I had to do.”

"Come on!"

When he came to his senses, Ludovit had been grabbed by the collar. He could almost see the fire in Francesco's cold green eyes. He subconsciously grabbed Francesco's wrist, but for some reason he didn't have the courage to pry it open. Perhaps it was because he was too imposing... or perhaps it was because everything he said was completely correct. A graduate of the psychology major at Muirand University, with some interest in detective literature, were these two points enough for him to analyze the general truth of the matter? No one knew how much of Francesco's words he actually deduced and how much of them he made up in his mind, but this kind of thing was no longer important.

"Right, necessary, sacrifice, you and the others can add 'justice' to the end of these words. It seems that Lineiro and you are indeed the same kind of people. Let me guess, are you going to say, 'Although she will die in the end, I let her live a happy life, and this is all my credit', are you thinking like this?"

"…Yes! That's it! So what!"

Ludovit seemed to have given it his all, too.

"I can't change the result of the rotation. She has nothing more or less than my other children, but she is the last one to leave the province, so I designated her as the candidate. What's the problem with that? Under such circumstances, I still gave her the opportunity to realize her dream. Isn't this my kindness?"

"How dare you say that."

Francesco released his grip on Ludovite's collar and pushed him back. Ludovite himself did not bother to straighten his wrinkled shirt collar, but just stared at Francesco.

"No reason, just because in my opinion, people who can sacrifice their own children so righteously are no different from beasts."

Francesco was not to be outdone.

If he showed weakness here, everything he did would be meaningless.

"Muland Progressive Front" - it seemed that only at this time did he, a young man, and his peers who seemed unreasonable to him, have some common topics.

"Do you think that everything you have done is a great sacrifice? You had to use your daughter's life in exchange for the safety and future of the entire Muirand. This is full of honor and deserves to be recorded as a great man and hero of this city?"

"........."

That young man has now taken his last step.

"Are you still going to say something like, 'Although she lost her life, I lost my beloved daughter'?!"

"……………………"

silence.

All that followed was complete silence.

Francesco's words were deafening, but they did not waste his energy. He regarded this as his victory and as proof of his self-persistence, so he could make doubts and speculations become righteous, and he could use a fearless attitude to criticize a superior who was far superior to him in strength, qualifications and status. This could also be said to be a kind of arrogance, but he did not think there was anything wrong with this arrogance. He did not need to let others pay the price for him. Francesco was Francesco, his life was currency, a bargaining chip, and he was destined to be the master of his own chips.

This kind of provocation and ridicule did not seem "aristocratic" at all, but it made Francesco feel particularly comfortable. Aristocratic etiquette and aristocratic language, which he used to whitewash his appearance, were a way of showing care for others, a way of expressing affinity and respect for each other. If the other party was a scum who refused to repent, what reason did he have to be polite to him?

He knew that he would not be able to get any promise from the other party today.

So he just turned around, walked to the door of the reception room, put his hand on the door handle, and just before he pushed the door open and left this dangerous place, he said the last words:

"If the ritual succeeds, I will challenge you to a duel in the Great Council, in front of all the citizens."

Under the watchful eyes of God, justice is proven in a life-and-death fight.

"you……"

"I believe you will make the right choice at the right time, Your Excellency."

……

"Ludovit...you...!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Pietro's face showed uncontrollable anger. The hideous color almost completely distorted his expression, making it impossible to tell whether it came from pain or hatred. However, Ludovit Byron's expression was no different from his. The entanglement and pain from the bottom of his heart made him grit his teeth and his face was full of unspeakable distress. In their eyes, the other party was simply an irreconcilable enemy. They were on the same front just a moment ago, but now they wanted to tear the other party apart alive.

"You bastard...you traitor...you betrayed the covenant!"

“I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do.”

The overly intense emotions made Ludovit's expression and voice appear extremely calm. Only his constantly trembling fingers could prove the turmoil in his heart. He raised his hand again and pointed the pistol in his hand at Pietro Stuart. This golden gun looked flashy, but it was a magic weapon specially prepared for suicide. At this distance, it could easily penetrate Pietro's defense. Moreover, both sides were extremely sure that there was almost no chance that Ludovit's next shot would miss.

"We were all able to offer sacrifices without any pressure... We all made our fair share of sacrifices! Are you the only one who can't do it?! Are you the only one who would show mercy at the last moment?!"

"This shows that I am one step ahead of you in humanity, beast."

It was precisely because he saw Ludovite's hesitation and entanglement that Francesco looked for an opportunity to try to win him over. This tradition of sacrificing living people made him feel uneasy. He had already investigated the details of the four major families involved in this matter, and naturally had a deeper understanding of Ludovite. He knew what this old nobleman who looked strong but was actually weak would think, and he also knew that he liked to hold back and would not make his own decisions until the last moment. Whether he would turn against him was not within Francesco's consideration. Francesco only needed to ensure that he could calm him down and make him waver. That was all.

But things went more smoothly than Francesco had imagined, and the pressure eventually broke Ludovita down.

Domenico had a conflicted look on his face, but finally stood on Pietro's side and released a magic spell to heal the latter's wounds. But before Pietro could thank him, Domenico took a few steps back - away from Pietro Stuart, away from Ludovit Byron, and also away from the communications soldiers who were at a loss as to what to do about the changes on both sides.

"Master Dominiku, what are you doing...?"

"……you……"

Not only was Pietro himself confused, even Ludovit, who launched the attack first, opened his mouth with a bewildered look on his face. He had already prepared for a one-on-two fight, but Domenicu seemed to have no intention of attacking at all. He really couldn't understand what was going on.

"Just pretend you didn't see me, that's all."

Domenicu made no attempt to explain his actions; he simply turned his back and pretended he didn't exist.

He had already made up his mind that he would never get involved in this mess again - things had actually developed to such an extent that the success or failure of the ceremony was no longer important to him. It would be better for him to protect himself. If the ceremony succeeded, they would have no share, and if it failed, it would be best not to hold them accountable. This was the best outcome in Domenicu's opinion.

Who could have predicted that the defense line would be torn apart, a traitor would appear on our side, and the situation would take a turn for the worse just as the ceremony began?

The Stokes, with a sense of responsibility as the rulers of Myurand, were determined to make the ceremony a success no matter what. Their old-fashioned nature meant that no one could persuade them, and since this was an ancient tradition that had lasted until now, they had no reason not to adopt it. If Lunicia and her group approached them, they would be arrested immediately as troublemakers. The Stuarts' ideas were hard to fathom, and the factions among the followers of the Goddess of Death were as numerous as icicles hanging from the eaves in winter. Judging from Vitali's unwavering attitude, he probably agreed very much with the creed of "killing the few and saving the many", and preventing Myurand from suffering irreparable sacrifice was probably a kind of religious belief for him. The Byrons were always called peacemakers, which meant that their positions were inherently unclear, but this time it happened to be their turn, so they were the ones to provide the sacrifices for the ceremony.

The Howard family's role in this matter is more subtle.

As the "prophet family" and believers of the Morning Star, they just followed the requests of others as always, prophesied and divined the "ritual", and finally concluded that the "ritual" could indeed solve the current problems of Myland, including the evil god's remains approaching in the north, and even the lingering shadow of the northeastern district in Myland. It was out of trust in the prophecy that they chose to fully support the sacrifice ceremony jointly led by the four major families, but now, Dominic has doubts about the "ritual" itself.

What he doubted was not the content of the revelation. If the revelation asked them to adopt the "ritual", they would unconditionally trust the revelation and preside over the ceremony as required. But was the ceremony he was preparing now really the "ritual" referred to in the revelation?

If you think about it carefully, why would the King of Prophets approve of "human sacrifice"? Isn't this matter suspicious in the first place?

At this point he couldn't care less. Since he couldn't tell which side he should help, he might as well just jump out of the car and let them decide the outcome themselves.

This unexpected answer caused Pietro and Ludovit to short-circuit their minds, but they quickly came to their senses and stared at each other. The signalmen also reacted and decided to leave their posts temporarily, pick up their weapons, and first capture this "traitor" who they considered to be highly respected.

"Ludovit, why do you think I'm talking to you?"

Pietro recovered his fighting power under the effect of the healing magic. He pulled out the swift sword he carried with him from his belt, and held the long dagger for blocking in the other hand, ready for a fight. Ludovit was not to be outdone. He still held the pistol in one hand and drew a machete from his waist in the other. Both sides were calculating the time to attack.

"I know."

“That’s just talking nonsense.”

"You're trying to stall for time."

"Humph……"

That's right. Pietro couldn't help but sneer.

On the other side, beside the stained glass window facing the city street, Lineiro raised the long gun in his hand. He held the gun with one hand, and the other hand was still leaning on his cane. He seemed to be fully confident that even with only one hand, he could easily blow up Ludovit Byron's head at this distance.

"It's all over, Ludovit."

With two powerful professionals and the signalmen surrounding him, it was impossible for the old and frail Ludovit to fight his way out by himself. His little betrayal was completely meaningless.

"——It just so happens that I am also stalling for time."

"Varied--?!"

Wow————!

There was no gunshot, but the sudden loud noise was the sound of a heavy object shattering glass.

Chapter 79: Fighting

Ding--!

The reflexes developed during his years of military career made Lineiro give up shooting Ludovit at the first moment. He pulled out the long sword hidden inside his crutch and held it in front of him, thus avoiding being seriously injured by the first blow. Even so, he took several steps back under the influence of the impact - which gave the attacker time to make the next move.

Ding, ding, dang, dang

It sounded like something metal bouncing on the ground.

"Lie down!"

Pietro reacted immediately, but his voice was a step slow after all. With a deafening roar, the temporary command post built in the cathedral was blown into ruins. Most of the signalmen were knocked to the ground by the explosion at such close range. Many of them lost their breath immediately. Some of them barely survived, but were seriously injured by the shrapnel. They could only lie on the ground and make painful sounds. They could no longer be called combat-ready.

"Marino!!!"

Lineiro roared angrily. He didn't even need to tear through the smoke in front of him to clearly know the identity of the attacker, Lieutenant General of the Army, Commander of the Eastern Military Region, Marino Di Gualamanni. Today he was not wearing a military uniform, not even armor. It was unknown whether it was out of provocation or the need for light movement. Now he only had a snow camouflage vest on his upper body, and in his hands was his usual broad-backed machete, the "Early Sun Ringing Iron", all of which were things that Lineiro was very familiar with.

"If I hadn't been well-informed, I might have been kept in the dark by you guys."

Lieutenant General Marino snorted coldly, dodged the attack of the guard who was waiting for an opportunity to chop him, and chopped the latter's shoulder with his backhand, making him retreat with a scream. Lineiro's face became more and more gloomy. He no longer cared about the situation of Ludovita and Pietro, and focused his attention entirely on the commander of the Eastern Military Region. Lineiro was very clear about the opponent's strength, and also knew what it meant to be indecisive in front of such an opponent. The muzzle of his gun and the tip of his sword were all pointed at this sudden opponent.

It was not until he received some ambiguous news that Lieutenant General Marino finally figured out some things.

He had always been puzzled. The threat from the north was no secret in the army. Even a figure like Galezo, who was already somewhat distant from the army itself, could get information about this. In his opinion, it would not be long before the issue of the threat from the north would be brought up for discussion in the Grand Council, and they would be required to come up with a feasible plan within a week's agenda at most.

Under such circumstances, the four major families and the garrison marshal did not express anything, which was abnormal in itself. They seemed to have no action and no preparation. If they were confident, they should have started to win over the church and contact reinforcements. If they were ready to give up Muirand, they should have started to transfer their property and send their families away, instead of doing nothing like before. Until now, Marino finally knew the reason: they had already made their own preparations, a preparation that they thought could save Muirand, but they would never mention it to anyone.

Originally, the sacrificial ceremony was of no concern to Lieutenant General Marino. He had no interest in opera and no interest in philosophical speculation involving the sacrifice of a minority. If this practice could save Muirand, he seemed to have no position to stop it - however, the current situation made him change his mind in the end.

"You can't beat me, Marino."

Linearo's emotions have returned to normal.

He had general information about the "important figures" in Mulande, and naturally knew of the existence of the commander of the Eastern Military Region. He thought that the other party would not wade into this muddy water, but the other party showed a determination that he found incredible. Of course, he didn't care what the other party's reasons were, nor did he think that this lieutenant general who came out alone had the ability to change the situation of the war. With two legendary strongmen on his side, this was just a trivial matter not worth mentioning.

"Enough of your self-boasting. You can't catch up with me in dueling."

Marino was calmer than him. After all, Marino was the attacker and he was in control of the situation.

The noise on the other side, the personal grudge between Pietro and Ludovit, the burning temporary headquarters, all these things seemed to have disappeared from their eyes. What they were thinking about now was only the timing of the attack and how to inflict heavy damage on the opponent in the shortest time. Both sides also had no personal grudges, were equally powerful, and wanted to kill each other. All these seemed to add points to this unique duel, but there was a lack of discerning bystanders, which could not add luster to the atmosphere here.

"Who do you represent? The Eastern Military Region? Where are your soldiers?"

"I didn't bring any of my men with me, because today, I am not the commander of the Eastern Military Region, I am just a soldier."

Marino's old-fashioned face with a thick white beard was expressionless. The machete in his hand was slightly raised, pointing directly at Linearo's face.

“I only represent myself.”

It was like a cannon shot declaring war.

As soon as the words fell, two figures, who had crossed the boundary of middle age and were heading towards old age, rushed towards each other.

……

when----!

The sharp claws and the white blade collided with each other, but the sound made was not the sound of flesh being cut, but a crisp sound like metal hitting each other. The pressure from the blade made Lunicia's brows relax - it was much lighter than she expected, and it was definitely not the force that the opponent could exert under normal circumstances.

"Rose!"

Lunicia called out the other person's name and moved closer to her again.

"Well--!"