Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

The confused thoughts also settled down and settled in the immature mind of the holy knight.

Chapter 5: Over the Mountains and Sea of ​​Trees (Part 5)

If there is any difference between this world and that small garden——

Sure enough, no matter what, the factor of "smell" cannot be avoided.

No matter how hard you try to simulate the dungeon environment and all the signs that might appear in the wild, it is ultimately just a courtyard created by divine magic, not anywhere else. Only when you truly come to this world and return to this nightmare-like land can you truly smell those smells.

The smell of gunpowder, the smell of decay, the smell of burning, the smell of death, all the unpleasant smells mixed together. This is the real smell that exists in this world.

If you were to ask Lunisia where she could smell this scent most strongly—

The answer is, from the waterwheel to Twick, from the woods to the fields, every piece of land is filled with this smell. The assassins she cut off screamed before their death, and the capital was slaughtered, leaving only a dark scorched earth. Whether it was the people she killed with her own hands or the people torn apart by the undead, they all had the same smell. The feeling of killing people and the feeling of not being able to save people seemed to be no different. Watching hundreds of thousands of people being destroyed was no more pleasant than seeing someone's body turned into minced meat in her hands, but it was equally disgusting.

Are there deaths like this happening every day in this world?

There was no way he could save them. As Roy von Ivanov said, he was just a traveler who happened to pass by there. When the gears of history started turning, he was completely involved and could not move. He could not affect what happened later, nor could he change what happened before. But just thinking about it, he felt his body trembling. He was a stranger to them. Among the hundreds of thousands of dead, he did not know any of them. Even so, when he thought of their death, inexplicable, tragic and horrible, the feeling of sadness began to surge, and even his soul trembled.

It's obviously not real.

It is said that a large city with millions of people had turned into a burning and silent ruin before he could see it with his own eyes. When he swung his sword to cut off a human body, he had no real sense of killing anyone. The difference in combat power was so obvious that he could not distinguish the dull feeling from the sword and tell whether it was a human body or foam.

To the point that I didn't even feel like I had killed anyone.

No matter how you think about it, the first murder in your life should be full of specialness, full of contradictions, and full of all the frustrations of being a human being. But in fact, even though nearly half a month has passed, the girl named Lunicia still has no feelings about it.

The reason is simple, it’s just that the touch of the sword is so light that people can’t even feel that it is “human life”.

If something that is no heavier than foam changes from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, from a hundred to a thousand, from a thousand to ten thousand, from ten thousand to a hundred million, will its weight change? Will the lives of those who are killed by themselves, those who die without being killed by themselves, and those who are still alive without being killed also be equally light, and equally weigh less than foam?

I swung my sword out of anger, and after that, when my mind cooled down and the heat on the back of my hand faded away, all that was left was an indescribable emptiness. It wasn't that I felt empty because I couldn't continue fighting, it was just that I thought of something I had never considered before, and I couldn't come up with an answer for the moment, so I felt empty.

An empty mind does not necessarily mean that you have no thoughts. It may also mean that you are thinking too much.

If I ask myself again - does the world need saving? What can I save?

There is no answer, and there will never be any answer. I am simply not qualified to answer such a question right now.

The answer is one's own decision. For Lunicia now, if she gives an answer in a hurry, she will only get more confusion in the end. That's all.

"Lady Luna is a professionally trained paladin."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Then, did Lady Luna's teacher... the woman named Sestine tell Lady Luna the answer?"

"I don't know...but she did teach me about killing people."

——"Listen carefully, little princess. I am a paladin. To be more precise, I am a 'black knight' who has sworn an oath of revenge, so I will never teach you the principle of 'facing hatred with hatred'."

——"This is in line with the Master's creed..."

——"There is a contradiction? That's not the case. Listen carefully..."

It is because I am a person who has set foot on the path of "Avengers" that I understand the meaning of this. How hot, how tormenting, how painful the flame of hatred burns - and what kind of person will be burned by the flame of hatred, only those who have truly experienced it can understand. Some people interpret the path of becoming a "Black Knight" as the path of "becoming an objective revenge ghost". This sentence is very complicated and difficult to understand, but its connotation is quite simple.

That is to say, while making oneself a being that can burn everything for revenge, one must also make oneself see clearly how ugly and terrifying such a person is.

The blazing flames of hatred can easily burn a person beyond human form. Once the eyes, breath, face, and behavior are completely distorted, it will be difficult to stop even if the real enemy is killed. To embark on this path is essentially to turn oneself into firewood until one is burned out.

It is for this reason that when a person completely steps into the field of "professional revenge ghost", he or she will often slide into two extremes - the first is to persuade everyone to let revenge dominate everything, and the second is to prevent others from taking the same path as themselves.

——"So, is it to teach people to forgive and be tolerant?"

——"Of course not. Is there any essential difference between persuading others to forgive and persuading others to take revenge?"

——"This...what should we do?"

——"If you believe in justice, believe in fairness, believe in the existence of 'human beings' - then be patient. Advising people to be patient is not to speak for the perpetrators, but only to protect the victims themselves."

——"Is that so…"

——"You cannot respond to hatred with hatred, or malice with malice, but..."

--"but?"

——"But you can respond to fighting with fighting, and fighting with fighting."

--"……well?"

"That's a very contradictory statement. Lady Luna thinks so, right?"

"Yeah. At least at the time, I didn't understand it... Thank you, Ella."

"Why do you say that?"

"Although I still don't understand it clearly now, at least Ella helped me recall my master's teachings."

——"Answer me, little princess, why do you think the war started?"

——"Money, land, food..."

——"Fight to live, fight to get better, or fight for something more important than life."

——“Hmm.”

——"This reason applies not only to the initiators of the battle, but also to the responders. 'Surviving' is a legitimate, neither honorable nor shameful act; 'wanting to survive' is a legitimate, neither honorable nor shameful idea... If other things, such as honor and love, are regarded as more important than life, regardless of whether the view of life and death is correct or not, fighting for something 'more important than life' in their minds is also a legitimate, neither honorable nor shameful act."

——"Hmm... it's so complicated."

——"Is it complicated? Yes, it may be a little complicated for the little princess now. But one day, such a little princess will grow up and understand what I am saying now."

——"Well, Luna will try her best!"

——"The killer must be prepared to be killed. On this basis, starting a fight to the death is equivalent to risking one's life. To show mercy to an enemy who attacks you with his life at stake is confidence and kindness, while to kill him is prudence and respect. Keep this in mind."

“…That’s what you said.”

"How old was Lady Luna at that time?"

"Six years old. That's what Sister Sestin taught me before I had my first swordfighting practice."

"Eh? Telling this to a six-year-old child..."

——Are you talking to me, or...are you talking to yourself?

It was obvious that Sesteen Perancitine did not expect Lunicia to understand what she said at that time.

However, soon, Lunicia's attention returned to Ella.

After all, she was right in front of him.

The palm and the back of the hand are still pressed tightly together, one is warm and plump, the other is slightly cool and thin. In the narrow sleeping bag, the body temperatures of both are gradually becoming equal.

They were so engrossed in the conversation that they forgot how close they were to each other and how narrow the distance between their eyes was. Even their breathing intertwined from time to time, mixing the aroma of incense and herbs. Outside the tent was a dark night with light snow, and inside the tent was a small resting place for only three people. Under the light of the light orange glow, everything became relaxing and comfortable.

To the point that Ella Hepper forgot something very important.

Should a savior show such a weak expression, speak such weak words, and show his weak side? Shouldn't a savior be a perfect, glorious, and impeccable person? Is this ordinary girl, who is probably only worthy of praise for her courage and kindness, really the one who is called the "savior"?

No questioning, no thinking, and even completely forgetting that there was such a question. After all, look at Ella's expression, her cheeks flushed with shyness, and the corners of her mouth raised with joy. She is just like a little girl who has obtained her favorite thing.

It was as if she had forgotten what a "savior" was, or as if she had blurred the relationship between the words "savior" and "Lunicia", or as if... no matter how Lunicia behaved, she would only think that was the attitude that a "savior" should have.

Listening carefully, listening to the north wind whistling outside and the sound of snowflakes hitting the tent, Ashethlin said nothing. There were no monsters roaring, no wild beasts’ footsteps, no dead people’s whispers. Tonight, the Nemreth Hills was as peaceful and tranquil as the previous few days, as if there was no danger in the darkness, only the quiet veil of the Night Lady. She sat on Lunicia’s sleeping bag, tilting her head, quietly watching the two of them talking to each other, watching them talk aimlessly until they hugged each other and fell asleep without realizing it.

"Good night."

Squatting beside the two, Ashlee helped them to say the words they had forgotten to convey.

……

"Good night……"

"What are you talking about? It's only eleven o'clock now."

"Hmm..."

Rubbing her eyes, the girl slowly climbed up from the bed, then sat on the bed looking listless, staring blankly.

"Eleven o'clock - time to go to bed, right?"

The slow movements and slow words always seem to be completely inconsistent with the posture, giving people a strange and hilarious sense of difference.

The waist-length white hair made people unable to help but look at it, but the things beyond that forced others to look away: the hair tips were as red as blood, and the eyes were as rich as blood, and you could smell the blood just by looking at them. They didn't look like those of a human, but rather like those of a reptile... In addition, there were the black horns on both sides of her head and the faintly visible black scales on her wrists. All of these seemed to be completely inconsistent with her lazy current state.

"The night has just begun... never mind."

After a little thought, the black-haired girl put aside the pen and manuscript paper. She couldn't help rubbing her head, then stood up from the table and slowly walked to the bed.

Long black hair is not a rare thing. The Ilevar people with black hair and red eyes are from the lost land in the east. They are now all over the world. If you see someone with black hair, he must have Ilevar blood in his body. Even so, she still looks eye-catching enough, not only because of her proud figure, but also because of her gray bangs on her forehead and her eyes of a completely different color.

Amber and gold are like two stars shining in the distance, especially the golden pupil, which has a captivating magic. It is so wonderful, like a golden lake that flows quietly and shimmers quietly.

"Do you want to raise the room temperature a little higher?"

"But when she sleeps, will Colette..."

"There is always a way. Well, if it doesn't work, just wear less... The servants in the annex have all quit, and apart from the cleaning staff who come twice a month, no one else will come here, so it's okay not to wear anything."

"Um--"

For the wealthy and cold residents of Muirand, heating is always a top priority that needs to be kept in mind. That is why many related technologies have been developed and introduced here. Large-scale gas heating is difficult to roll out here, and other things are used instead. The poor use stoves, while the rich use magic technology imported from the west or steam engine technology from the east. If there is any inconvenience, it is indeed waking up with a dry mouth.

"Actually, it's not because of the cold..."

"is it?"

Loosening the ribbon at the collar, unbuttoning the buttons one by one, and draping the shirt loosely on her body, the black-haired girl named Colette Caroline sat down on the bed, her expression relaxed. When approaching her small workplace, that is, in front of her desk, her mind was inevitably filled with work, and when she returned to this small haven called bed again, the pressure called deadline disappeared, and only the beautiful rhythm and pleasant temperature remained.

"It doesn't seem to be because of the snow... The air here is not worse than in the north."

"The city is purifying the air, so it must be much better than the small places along the road - so it's not an air problem, and I don't think it's the weather either."

"right--"

"You traveled day and night to get back from El Eric. Are you exhausted? Even Rose would run out of energy, right?"

She reached out to touch the girl named Rose, buried her fingertips in her white hair, and stroked it all the way down, sliding over the side of her neck, sliding over her shoulders, lifting the ends of her hair, letting the ends that looked like both blood and roses wrap around her fingers. Colette seemed to be very fond of this little action.

“It doesn’t look like that.”

"Oh? You look pretty energetic even in the daytime."

"Because we can't let anyone find out. After all, we're guards—"

"She is a bodyguard, assistant, and lover. Don't emphasize just one of them."

"That's it, anyway?"

If you show your weak side, you may attract the attention of people with bad intentions. On the contrary, as long as you can always appear energetic in front of others, you can intimidate the villains. This is the experience of being a guard.

"So when did you start feeling unwell? I'm trying to see if there are any clues."

"It started from the moment I entered Myuland. I wasn't tired nor injured, I didn't feel cold nor hot, it wasn't the sight nor the murderous intent, but I just felt so uncomfortable, I even had goose bumps..."

"Oh?"

I couldn't help but look out the window and look at the city at night.

Under this patch of twinkling lights, is there anything that I don’t know, or something that even I don’t know?

Colette couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Chapter 6: Sleepless Winter Night

This is the "top of the mountain", or in other words, the "noble district" - this area is closer to the sky than any other place in the city. It can also be said that because of this, the people living here are closer to the gray curtain than anyone else. Looking out the window from here, you can easily overlook most of Muirand and take in the scenery of the city on the top of the mountain.

The boundary between day and night has been artificially blurred. Even though it is almost midnight, the place is still brightly lit, and the light is interwoven into grids along the streets. Pedestrians cannot be seen here, nor can the "individuals" that make up the whole. Only traces of their existence can be seen.

If it weren't for her hatred of the cold, Colette really wanted to open the window and let the north wind blow into the city, blowing her hair into a mess and making the manuscripts on the table fly everywhere, as if she could forget everything, forget everything.

Too bad she couldn't forget it no matter what.

"I hope nothing will happen."

"Uh-huh."

"After all, the agreed date is almost here."

"……Um……"

The voice suddenly became low and almost indistinct.