Stray

    Ann woke up early before the sun rose.

    It has been nearly a week since Oliver, Jesse and Adrian traveled to the deserts of Garland. After walking in the blood and rain for many years, An will not feel hurt because "only myself is left behind".

    But that doesn't mean she won't be worried.

    Oliver said goodbye very seriously before leaving. And Ann never liked to say goodbye too seriously—so solemnly, like they might never see each other again.

    "Promise me to be back soon." She responded half-jokingly.

    But Oliver Ramon did not answer.

    …Stinky boy.

    Ann opened the window, looked out at the city shrouded in mist and shadows, and pressed her forehead. The cold wind in the morning brushed against her skin, completely dispelling the only trace of sleepiness she had left. Ann shivered in the slightly chilly autumn wind, opened the closet directly, removed the palace attire that seemed to be terribly troublesome, and put on the casual clothes that she brought.

    After washing, she habitually wiped her hunting spear on the head of the bed, hesitated for a moment, and finally did not bring it with her.

    It's time to start a new day and hopefully it won't be the end.

    She was a little hungry, and knew that with just one order, a servant would serve a delicious breakfast.

    The bread is white and fluffy, and the oil in the scrambled eggs is just right. The thick soup is not too hot, and the vegetables and meat cooked in it are so cooked that they don't need to be chewed, and they will slide down the tongue and into the throat.

    But at this moment, she misses the smell of burning withered grass and pine branches, the crackling flames dripped with animal fat, and the half-cooked, rough and chewy beast meat.

    …and the two stinky boys he picked up from the forest.

    They used to wrinkle their faces at breakfast and nibble pitifully at the fishy meat, trying to stuff it into their stomachs.

    That was not too long ago - three ordinary little people, struggling to survive in the early morning woods.

    Ann smiled bitterly and opened the bedroom door.

    It's useless to miss, and since knowing Jesse Dylan's identity, she has no interest in praying at all. Regardless of the outcome on Oliver's side, as a member of the Tumbleweed, there are still things that only she can do.

    Ann walked towards the document processing room, sat down skillfully, and dipped the pen tip in ink.

    The things she wanted to do were piled up - from learning to deal with various documents, to cleaning up the dark wounds caused by Alban's internal power struggle over the years, from opening her eyes to closing them , she was as busy as a living spinning top.

    After learning the truth of the world, her task not only did not ease, but instead became more onerous.

    You have to be prepared to "leave the castle at any time and act with the team", and every day should be used as the last day.

    Oliver and Nemo must not be leaked. However, Tumbleweed lost a team member, but did not respond to the request of the mercenary guild headquarters and go through the relevant procedures. They are already violating the rules, and the mercenary guild's protection for them will inevitably weaken a lot.

    On the other hand, Seni-sama made a lot of trouble in the mission of escorting the reconnaissance team. The Pope of the Rad Sect knows their strength and will not be in a hurry to pursue them.

    Ann wrote the letter quickly, ignoring her grumbling stomach, as she searched for the dizzyingly difficult statute.

    In the end, it's fate. She dipped the nib of the pen in the ink bottle and reluctantly raised the corners of her mouth.

    I am neither a **** nor a hero. Although he has a good talent, he is far from being the best in the world. But now, when the world is likely to be destroyed, she has taken up a weapon she never thought of.

     Secular kingship.

    …A ridiculous but effective weapon.

    "Breakfast." As the sun rose, her knight arrived on time. "Wild Hound" Gallagher Salter looks rather uncomfortable - the fragrance on the Marshal's body is a lot lighter, but it is mixed with a little...

    "Meatloaf."

    He said with a stern face, the muscles on his face twitched twice. The Marshal wore gloves and handed the greasy food wrapped in paper bags with both hands through a handkerchief. The meatloaf still smelled of fat and coarse pepper, and Gallagher seemed to be stunned by the smell of oil.

    "Your servant mentioned that you haven't had a good meal lately—maybe you're not used to it? After all, royal kitchens don't make those... uh, those..."

    "Thanks, Salter." Ann took it without hesitation, biting her mouth wide, her voice muffled. "I feel much better."

    She was still staring at the document in her hand, her brows furrowed, and her usual carefree atmosphere disappeared.

    "Mr. Wright's passing is sad, if there is anything I can do..." Gallagher said cautiously.

    "It's been hard work for you recently." Ann put the meatloaf in her mouth and changed the subject. "I don't want to mention it for now, Salter... next month."

    Although it was early morning, her smile was a little tired.

    "Next month if we have a chance, we can go out for a drink and have a good chat."

    If the world is still there next month.

    "Yes, Your Majesty." Gallagher couldn't help handing over a clean handkerchief as he watched Ann, who had stuffed the patty into his stomach in a few moments, with bits of cake residue on his mouth. "Besides, I saw Her Highness Delia just now, and her condition seems to be a little bad."

    He looked a little hesitant.

    "I can help you with some chores about repairs or castle arrangements, maybe you can talk to her sometime."

    "I can probably guess what happened."

    Ann wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and sighed. Unlike Gallagher, Delia has no responsibilities on her shoulders at the moment, so she tells her the truth. She originally hoped that the little princess who grew up in the birdcage would put down her burdens as soon as possible and enjoy her life.

     But Delia's situation is more serious than she thought. Not only did she not enjoy life, but she ran to ask Oliver, hoping to find out why he did not accept the proposal of the abyss sage.

    Not like a child at all.

    And when she came back, her face was puzzled, and Ann thought she had seen her deceased father - it was the same expression, which belonged to the emperor's ruthless troubles.

    With the experience over the years, An can guess what Delia is worried about, and at the same time she also knows that it is not a problem that she can solve - rather, it is because of herself, so she can't solve.

    "Speaking of which, Salter. I have two things for you." Set down the quill in his hand.

    "Please speak, Your Majesty."

    "First, go to find Della Lanene and tell him that I am willing to open the bottom floor of the Royal Library to him for a week." She said calmly, "The price is that he will have to Have a good chat with my lovely niece. I'm sure he can understand."

    "Yes."

    "Second, after you tell him all this, go to Delia and let her see the progress of Della Laineen's research. Just say I'm too busy to take time. Go. I'm sure she can understand."

    "As ordered."

    The breakfast was very rich, but Delia didn't move, she stared coldly at the soup plate. The creamy soup gradually cooled and didn't look as tasty anymore.

    Since the day he asked Oliver Ramon why he didn't accept the proposal of the abyss sage and killed the body of the pillar of the world, Catbeard began to lose his temper.

    The spider curled itself into a ball, no matter how much she poked, she would not spread her legs. Even if she communicated with her thoughts, all Delia could get was anger and grievances.

    The little princess carefully packed it with a small silk bag and carried it close to her body. But in the past few days, Catbeard didn't care about her at all.

    But she didn't want to apologize for it either.

    According to the old habit, she took a break in the corridor. In the past, the cat's whiskers would climb down her arms, put up two front feet on the window sill with the best sunlight, and stretched her body. But it remained motionless today, with no intention of crawling out of the silk bag.

    Delia was totally disinterested.

    Not long ago, after the maid brought breakfast into the room, she lost her appetite.

    Shove away the cold creamy soup in front of her, took away the teacup, and the little princess poured the cat's whiskers curled into a ball into the saucer - the devil just huddled there and pretended to be dead, even if Can't see its expression clearly, Delia can also feel the resentment.

    "I know, you probably want an apology."

    She hissed through her teeth: "But I..."

     Delia reached out her hand cautiously and poked the spider. Catbeard still didn't intend to move.

    "You are my only friend." Delia said hoarsely. "Remember Rosa? My half-sister... Rosa is a naive girl, she's nice, but we don't have any words to talk to. I don't understand her world, and she doesn't understand me at all. of."

    "She smiled at me, I protected her, that's enough. But we can't be friends."

    "I thought, it doesn't matter. If there is no one to protect innocent people, they will die - no one wants to protect me before, I don't have the qualifications to be innocent."

    "And then Ann showed up."

     She gritted her teeth and said, her voice starting to tremble a little.

    "I thank her, I thank everyone at Tumbleweed. But I've become like this, I can't go back, can you understand?"

    Catbeard was lying on his back quietly, his stomach eyes turned quietly.

    "The fairy tales my mother gave me... those fairy tales with spells and intrigues, the stories they write will always be the arrival of the hero, the rescue of the princess, and the completion of all imperfections. That's all Lie, my hero has finally arrived, but the first sixteen years of my life cannot be repeated."

    The spider hesitated for a while, his feet trembled, but he still didn't move.

    "I'm a bad person, I know!" Delia wiped her eyes hard, "Ann is my only relative, she's a wonderful person. I should trust her, I It is time to love her unreservedly and accept her care calmly."

    "But I can't, at least not now, I can't... All we have is blood, and she doesn't understand my nature. Catbeard, even if the time comes again, I will still tell Oliver Ramon asked that question. That's who I am, you understand?"

    "Even if I tell Ann this, she will tell me it's okay, she can only tell me it's okay. In her eyes, I'm an unfortunate child. What else can she say?"

    "But I know, only I know, that there is no difference between me and Eldric, no, me and my grandfather - Sampson who abandoned her - there's no way I'll ever be one A carefree person who has unconditional trust in others."

    "I can't be Oliver Ramon, I can't be Nemo Wright, I can't even be Gallagher Salter. I can't be her companion, it only makes her more and more The more disappointed you are, can you understand..."

    "You hear me all the time and you know how cruel I am. But you didn't leave me before... Please, talk to me, okay?"

    The cat's whiskers rolled slightly, still looking in a bad mood. It had chosen a compromise - burrowed into the ribbon, tied the bag itself, and floated with the bag onto Delia's lap.

    Then continue to play dead.

    Delia blew her nose and sighed.

    Delia's eye circles were still slightly red until the sun had passed most of the sky and followed Ann's orders to check on the progress of Della Lane.

    In that room, the Abyss Sage is working. The devil's skull was placed on the stone platform in the middle of the room, and the surrounding area was engraved with dense intricate runes. The ground not far away was filled with bottles and jars, one of which smelled like fresh blood.

    The body used by Delarion—the handsome red-haired young man pushed his glasses and nodded at her, the calculating movements in his hands did not stop.

    "If you're progressing, put it on the small round table on your left." The devil's voice had a cheerful feeling. "Not many conclusions, you can take a look... just in case she's unhappy, remember this. I told Savage that I can't fully devote myself to this job right now."

    "Even if you know what this job means?" Delia's voice was still a little hoarse.

    "If you have a sore throat, you can pour a little potion and drink it. The third shelf from the right, the bottom layer. See? The bottle of light blue potion, a little minty odor."

    Delia picked up the skirt and carefully took the crystal bottle in her hand and looked carefully.

    "I wouldn't be stupid enough to poison you here." Della Layne snorted, "Back to the topic... Yeah, of course I know what this job means. .I think you also know that the ground under our feet could crack at any time and we'd all be screwed."

    This time Delia held back her question. She took out a glass and poured herself a little potion—cold in the mouth, a little bitter, but it worked quickly.

    "But I promised a man to wait for him at the entrance of the abyss - he hasn't come out yet, causing me to waste a body guarding where. There is no suitable research equipment in that broken place. With one less body used, the efficiency of research will of course be lower.”

    Dara Lanene filled one sheet of paper and switched to another. His tone was flat, and he didn't lift his head.

    "Well, don't hold back, Her Royal Highness. I know what you want to ask - if that's the case, why should I waste time waiting for him?" You can't be such a sentimental type.' . . . I've lived a long time, and it's easy to see through your thoughts."

    Delia lowered her head and looked at the progress report. She took another sip of the light blue potion in the cup, without saying a word.

    "No need to be embarrassed, I understand this thinking very well. To tell you the truth, we are very similar in some ways - everything is results first, and if necessary, you can give up anything, including yourself."

    Dara Lane put down the pen and switched to another. He picked up the blood pot on the ground and began to smear the circle around the huge skull.

    "...I don't like that." Delia finally said, "Being able to trust people is an amazing ability, I've lost it. You say we're alike, but you're still waiting Your...friend, isn't it? You trust him."

    "Nature may be changed, but not completely erased."

    The action of the abyss sage to paint the circle is very smooth.

    "I'm not going to console you, to be honest, I don't even think there's anything wrong with that. What, do you think there's something right or wrong with 'character'? To act in accordance with the most 'ideal' character and behavior, at least to me, human beings lose most of the value of observation."

    Then the demon paused for a few seconds.

    "I don't trust Orori," he said, "I'm like you, I don't trust anyone. It's just that he needs me, and if he comes back from the abyss, he must need healing. If I Not there... he will disappear."

    "And the probability of him coming back is not zero, so I must be there."

    Delia's breathing stopped for a few seconds.

    "So, Your Highness. It doesn't matter to me that you go on living like this. If the outcome comes first, you must mind 'trust' and 'love'. Then consider 'you want to Isn't it enough to consider the 'results that the people you care about' when you want the 'results'?"

    Delia got the report. She took a breath and bowed slightly.

    "Thank you, I think I can think in a different direction," she said.

    "In addition, you are not like a person who talks so much, Mr. Sage. I also hope you can... Thank you Ann for me." After a few seconds, Delia added another sentence.

    "…I won't apologize because I don't think I've done anything wrong."

    Delia poked the small silk bag hanging on her chest and whispered. The cat's whiskers in the bag moved.

    "But I promise, Catbeard, I'll consider your mood next time."

    The spider protruded out of the pocket, lay back on her shoulder, and bit her lightly to vent her anger. A little emotion came into her mind actively, still with anger, but Delia smiled.

    She rubbed the dark spider and walked towards the door.

    Outside the door of the research room, a sigh of relief.

    "It's now, you still care about a little girl's mood." Bagelmore muttered dissatisfiedly. "Ramon hasn't come back, why hasn't he come back yet?"

    "It's not just Delia, I care about Alban's future. Come on, get your beak off - I know, if there's a future. Wait till Oliver comes back after all , I'm likely to get out of here, and not necessarily..."

    An stopped talking, looked out the window, and squinted hard.

    The white beast was flying towards the direction of the castle, and Jesse Dylan was about to land at the entrance of the king city.

    "They're back—"

    Before she finished speaking, Baglmore screamed and flew out of the window. Thinking of the ban on flying spells in the castle, An An, who had already climbed to the window, scolded and rushed out of the castle from the steps.

    Then bumped into Oliver Ramon who was about to enter.

    Seeing that the other party has all limbs and his head is still on his neck. An didn't care too much, and directly gave his head a big hug.

    "You bastard." She gritted her teeth, took a step back, and punched him in the shoulder without hesitation. "Why did you come back?"

    Oliver smiled a little embarrassedly.

    "Sorry." He scratched his head.

    "Well, let me think about it. Report to the commander, I dismissed the protests from Mooney and the one-eyed dwarf." She breathed a sigh of relief, and the circles of her eyes were a little red. "But on the Mercenary Guild's side, we have to solve it quickly... I'll sign the documents and pardon the three of you. At least this way, those regulations about the black seal—"

    "Good work, Ann." Oliver smiled wider, "but I don't want to disband Tumbleweed."

    Ann raised her eyebrows.

    "That's one of the reasons I came to you," Oliver said, holding out a hand. "Uh, are you free recently? We need to go to the Mercenary Guild and get the name of Tumbleweed back."

    "Of course I'm free, but I've been trying my best to squeeze out free time." An rubbed her chin. "It's just that you have to explain it well, Captain."

    "Considering you won't be able to get Nemo to the surface for a while, the fifth member...what are you going to do? Oh wait, I'll go say hello to Salter and take the My spear. The sheep and horses are in the yard, someone will bring them later, and we can talk as we go."

    She shrugged with a big smile.

    "I have a hunch that this mission will be quite serious."