A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Spells began to be cast on each of the mage's hands.

Less than a second later, all sorts of spells were thrown directly at Bray's face.

Bray lifted his eyelids, put aside all his thoughts, and calmed down.

This Baphomet is not easy to deal with; he's the kind of highly skilled mage that Bray dislikes.

The "silence technique" we just discussed is a good example.

Bray could only destroy a small section of the spell node to allow himself to speak; otherwise, Levy and Naruko beside him wouldn't be unable to speak.

If the "Ancient Sword Style" cannot be effectively utilized, Bray will have a difficult time against magic-based opponents.

"Drip." The pleasant sound of water droplets falling into the pool echoed in Baphomet's mind.

After that, all he saw was a sword slash flashing in the dark background.

"Bang!" A jet-black sword pierced through the cloak, pinning Baphomet to the wall.

Those disgusting mage hands vanished like bubbles, and the overwhelming spells were canceled.

"How strange indeed." Baphomet easily broke free from the black sword and freed himself from the wall.

Brena's attack did not strike Baphomet's vitals.

It's such a pity. It's precisely because Baphomme was beaten like this before that he's now difficult to hit in vital areas.

With no internal organs as weaknesses, it doesn't matter if the skull is shattered.

His real weakness lies in his unseen and intangible soul.

"Crack, crack, crack, I really don't like fighting." After breaking free, Baphomet didn't retaliate, but instead said this to Bray.

"When I'm fighting, it always reminds me of some nightmares."

In the event of a battle, Baphomet would recall the scene where he was almost completely annihilated by the Silver Race.

That was already an indelible shadow cast by Baphomet.

"Besides, it's no use fighting me again."

“Actually, it seems the situation is already out of my control.” With that, Baphomet gestured for Bray to look in the direction of Eors.

Bray glanced in Eors's direction, then froze.

Aeolus had stood up at some point and then stubbornly walked to the broken megaphone on the stage.

"For me, I just want to hear a song."

"However, if this songstress is in a state of confusion, I might as well offer a word of advice."

Baphomet had no intention of destroying the capital; he simply wanted Aeolus to sing these three rare musical scores.

He even prevented Eors from singing because he felt the latter two scores might cause unnecessary trouble.

"Will I be able to know what I want to know just by singing it out?" Eors gently stroked the broken megaphone.

“That’s right.” After saying that, Baphomet floated obediently to a seat.

“I will leave after listening to this song,” said Bhavamsa.

"..." Bray remained silent, then walked to the wall and retrieved his sword.

"Do you need my sheet music?" Bhavamsa stretched out his mage hand and picked up the sheet music that had been nailed to the wall.

“No need.” Eors shook his head, then placed his remaining hand on the megaphone.

Without any accompaniment, Eorz simply clapped his hands to keep time.

"Tap, tap-tap—" A barely audible sound rang out rhythmically.

Eorz sang the first two lines of the lyrics in a soft voice.

Then, Baphomme consciously put the sheet music away.

He never imagined that Eordór would write down the score directly.

This is not a normal musical score; it should be defined by the composer's mental image as a score that "cannot be memorized."

But now Aeolus has indeed memorized and remembered them, and can perform the three songs without sheet music.

Such a person as Eorse is worthy of being called a "weapon" because she has the ability to change many things, one of which is people's hearts.

"Aren't you going to sit down and listen?" Baphomet asked.

“What will happen if this song is sung?” Bray asked Baphomet seriously.

"To let people know the truths that they would otherwise almost never have known."

“…” Bray frowned and looked helplessly at the stage.

"Did you know that these three scores are actually part of a series?"

"Unfortunately, that series was not completed. There are only three complete versions, and one lost, unfinished chapter."

“Composers are terrifying,” Bray said casually.

"Crackling sounds, you're right, composers are terrifying." Baphomet agreed with Bray's statement.

"In order to gain great power, people study energy systems and train their bodies."

"In the end, it's not as good as the miracle achieved by someone who is passionate about art."

"..."

Do you like tragedies?

"do not like."

“Is that so? But tragedy is the most memorable,” Baphomet said.

"I know."

"I've seen and experienced a lot."

"If the girls knew the truth, only tragedy would happen, would you stop the song from being performed?"

Bray hesitated, his hand resting on the scabbard at his waist.

"But she wants to know."

“Yes, she wants to know.” Baphomet continued to chuckle strangely.

Amidst the fragmented singing, countless images flashed through the minds of everyone who heard it.

Eors saw it all—he saw himself sleeping in the flames, and he saw every moment of the couple who created him being killed by Badbusch.

Tiggia saw it too, she saw her mother crying and reaching out to her, and she saw Latis walking alone in the rain searching for clues.

Latis also saw it: the tender words his parents spoke to the unconscious Eors, and the horrific tragedy of his parents being violated.

Tigia covered her head, unable to believe that what she had just learned was the truth.

But Latis, standing nearby, knew very well that those images were absolutely real.

This melodramatic drama... is finally coming to an end, and Latis felt a strange sense of relief.

"..." He glanced at the pained Tigia, then looked at the weeping Eors, and remained silent.

The soul inside this doll is my unborn younger sister... that poor sister who died young.

He looked away and glanced around, only to find that Bud Bush had already escaped.

While everyone was still stunned by the scene, that guy slipped out of the venue.

---

Eors gently touched his cheek and found that it was wet.

These are her tears.

Although it wasn't the first time he had shed tears, Eors still felt that tears were something so unfamiliar.

Only one spotlight remained in the hall, now shining alone on Eors.

It turns out I have real "parents", I have brothers and sisters... I'm just a puppet.

When she was created, Eorth was designed by the couple to be a girl who would not feel uncomfortable with her own growth.

She remained unchanged year after year, yet she herself showed no awareness whatsoever.

Eors never once doubted his own existence.

She firmly believed that she was simply unable to express her emotions, and that she was just a girl who loved to sing.

However, she was deceived; Bud Bush deceived her, and she herself was also deceiving herself.

Eors's mouth was slightly open, but the singing had already stopped.

Under the exceptionally lonely lamplight, the broken doll girl's tearful appearance evoked pity.

Eors looked up for a long time, gazing at the sky completely blocked by the venue.

Outside the thick walls, there must be a clear, deep blue sky.

"Crack—" The already messy stage suddenly sank.

The doll girl kneeling on the stage fell into the deep pit.

But the light still shone on her, never moving away—even as the girl lay in the ruins.

"What am I?" the doll girl asked herself.

She knew the answer, but she didn't have the courage to answer herself.

No, where does a puppet get courage...? Where does a puppet get doubt?

With that thought in mind, Eors closed his eyes.

---

Is this the result you wanted?

“No, I didn’t expect any results. I just wanted to hear the song, and I heard it.” Baphomet rose from his seat and floated into the air.

"Don't you respect this outcome? That's why you didn't fight me. After all, this wasn't my fault, nor was it yours."

"These people chose it themselves."

“I will obediently leave this place. I am afraid of the dragons around you, and I am also afraid of the other dragons in the city,” Bafumie said to Xiaoyou.

His cloak then enveloped him, shrinking him into a spherical shape. The spherical shape continued to shrink until it finally disappeared completely from the venue.

Baphomet had no interest in fighting Bray, nor did he have the courage to challenge the authority of the Silver Race.

He was simply curious as to why the Silver race was with the Iron race.

Of course, he can hardly get an answer to this question now.

“Actually, if I don’t want him to leave, I can bring him back,” Xiao You said abruptly, clearly annoyed by the mysterious skeleton.

Xiao You almost cursed that guy, but seeing that Bray didn't seem to want to fight, she gave up.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Bray shook his head. At this point, Baphomet was no longer important.

Even if we had killed Baphomet now or just now, things wouldn't have gotten any better.

The problem is that Bray couldn't pierce through Baffom with a single sword strike, which allowed him to say those words to Eors.

Bray took a deep breath; it all seemed to be coming to an end.

But he knew very well that the tragedy was only about to begin.

He simply didn't know how this tragedy would begin.

As if to answer Bray's question, a sorrowful melody began to surround Eors.

Like a tattered rag doll, Aeolus's eyes were unfocused and his mouth was open.

Eorse wanted to sing, even in this state, she still wanted to sing.

Singing is the only thing she, as a puppet, can do well right now.

Eors has always believed that her existence is solely for the purpose of bringing songs to people.

Unfortunately, Eorz, whose heart was filled with sorrow, only wanted to express his grief through song.

Songs, from very early times, have served as a vehicle for expressing human emotions.