She Is Not a Witch Chapter 41: Old opponent

In the forest shrouded in darkness, this wine-red man with short hair leads a horse through the forest in the mountains. There is no road here, he simply judges the general direction based on the stars in the night sky, and then proceeds according to the feeling of the past.

Although it is easy to get lost, this method also avoids the checkpoint of the handle on the main road, and can enter the south-central province of the empire.

After browsing for more than ten miles on the rugged mountain road, the man gradually found a familiar feeling, and the surrounding scenery gradually matched his memory.

It should be there soon.

A thought flashed in his mind, and then he jumped away suddenly, avoiding the arrows that were shot out hidden in the twilight.

That's right, there is still a secret whistle. He was not angry in the face of the attack, but was a little relieved. Then he jumped up, shuttled quickly among the tree crowns, and instantly found the figure hidden in the distance.

The secret whistle on duty was about to draw out his dagger when he was held down by this man to subdue him.

"Shh, don't be nervous, it's me." He pulled off the black cloth on his face.

"Uh, Mr. Rock." The secret whistle under him made a young voice.

After that, the two slowly stood up and started talking.

"Why are you back, teacher?" The young man in his early twenties moved his sore arms and looked at this figure in the night with a little surprise.

"I received a letter from an old friend, so I came back to have a look." Rock walked ahead, scanning the hidden layout in the mountains, nodding from time to time.

"Very good, great progress."

"Thank you teacher for your compliment, hehe." The young man followed with small steps and led the way for Rock.

"You come with me."

The two walked towards the depths of the forest. After passing through the dense bushes, a shaded door was opened, and then the two entered the passage leading to the interior of the mountain.

The tunnel was dug well, and there were reinforced structures around it. After the two walked through the winding stairs, they gradually saw a warm yellow orange light in front of them, and some noisy voices came immediately.

The guard in the passage saw the two nodded, and then opened the door to let the two enter. Suddenly, a wide underground hall appeared in the field of vision, where many people gathered, and everyone was listening to the preaching of the person standing on the high platform.

"Why are we fighting!" He looked at the hundreds of people below, holding a thick book, his voice was deafening.

"In order to survive, to eat clean bread and drink clean water, there is a warm house in winter, and there is a year's worth of food piled up in the cellar. You can play with your children on weekdays, and Don’t worry about those vicious guards suddenly breaking into our home.”

"Isn't such a life worth looking forward to? Isn't it impossible to realize it?"

"Look at your own hands, how many calluses, scars, and strangle marks are on them! Over the years, how many days, how many days and nights have you been busy, and you have paid so much, why can they take it away without saying a word? The wealth you create!"

"Those comfortable wood, good-looking furniture, excellent bows and arrows, I don't know how much bread I can eat outside, how much warm cotton, how much sweet honey. And they don't leave a cent You!"

"I tell you, don't be afraid of those noble lords. Yes, they are very strong, and there are many extraordinary people, but! We can also accumulate strength, we have more brothers and friends, and we have vast oceans. anger!"

"They are human too. They need to eat and drink all day long. How can they have unlimited energy? Burn their food, destroy their houses, harass them when they sleep, make them exhausted, make them regret their past, Let them cry bitterly."

"How did the Klancians come here? Don't they also have two hands, two eyes, and no extra arm? Why can they do it, but we can't?"

"It doesn't matter if we can't fight for the time being, we will develop quietly and let more brothers and sisters join us. When this country is full of our comrades, what else can't be done?"

"We are small, inconspicuous, and weak, but! We are also glorious, proud, and great."

"Several years later, when your descendants look back on the present, they will definitely not feel inferior because of their status, but will proudly say loudly, look, this is my ancestor, so brave and wise, it is precisely because They have our current life.”

The inspiring speech echoed in the hall in the mountain, and pairs of piercing eyes appeared on the face illuminated by the firelight, reflecting hope and excitement, like a ignited flame.

Amazing, Rock looked at the scene in front of him, even he was a little moved by this speech, let alone the local mountain people below.

Recalling the Crancia uprising, it seems that it also started from the mines in the mountains, where a large number of miners gathered.

When the speech was over and the crowd gradually dispersed, the man on the high platform drank a few sips of water, nodded after being told by others, and then walked slowly.

"Long time no see, Rock."

"Long time no see, Tokolin." The two walked side by side into a small room beside them.

It is not so much a room, but a small hollow dug out of the mountain, and the surrounding walls are all yellowed and compacted loess.

An oil lamp was lit on the table, and the two sat by the table. Rock looked at the gray-haired man, and saw that his face was full of weather marks, and he felt a bit of vicissitudes.

Both of them came from Ike County in the western mountainous area of ​​the empire. Tokolin's father was once the Viscount of the Empire, but when he was young, his father was killed by the noble because of the struggle, and he also spent a period of time when he was young. tough days.

In order to obtain the qualification to go to Emenas, Roque once competed with Tokolin in the general election of Ek County, and the result was that Roque was familiar with Tokolin's tricks and won. Since then, the two have left a deep impression on each other.

Compared to Roque, who entered Emenas to study, Tokolin's experience was much more bumpy. In the next year's competition, he still did not get a letter of recommendation from Emenas, because there were new students in the local area. genius.

Desperate, he set off for the southern part of the empire to join the army directly. However, having lost his noble status, he did not receive preferential treatment. In the army, he was neither liked by noble officers nor was he approached by those low-level soldiers.

Being isolated and excluded, he spent a long time like this. It wasn't until the emperor launched an expedition that his fortune turned around. With his extraordinary strength, he became a logistics officer and was slowly promoted.

Years of blows and ups and downs have smoothed the edges and corners of his former arrogance, and he has become silent and low-key, and his heart has gradually become numb.

All this until entering Clancia, ushered in a new change.

"War is really a cruel mirror, exposing the ugliest and true part of the human heart." Recalling those years, he later said with emotion to Roque.

"In an enemy country without legal and moral constraints, you will not be accused of doing bad things, and any attack and abuse will be covered with a sacred cloak. Because we are conducting a 'great' expedition." He Self-deprecating about the situation at the time.

Different from ordinary soldiers, he was born noble, received a good education, and has seen the life of the upper class. And in the formative years, he was thrown into the dust again, to survive in the dirt and mud.

"I hate this disgusting country."

Many years later, when the two met by chance on the street, they went to the bar to drink together, Tuo Kelin told Roque drunk.

"Actually, I used to dream a lot. If I won that day and went to Emenas, what a wonderful future it would be. For this reason, I have hated you for a long time."

“This situation did not change until I went to the South to join the army.”

"Do you know who were the people who went to join the army before the Great Crusade?" Tokolin said that day with his arm around Rock's shoulder.

"There are all kinds of people, haha. Some are thieves, thieves, those who have committed crimes, those who can't survive, those who are about to starve to death, and those who were tricked into coming in. Anyway, the officer doesn't care what your origin is. Training according to the rules, disobedient? Kill them directly, anyway, people often die in the barracks, and no one will care."

"I looked down on those people at first, and felt that it was an insult to be comrades-in-arms with such people."

"But later, I don't think so." Tokolin put down his glass and said slowly.

"As long as those people have a good way out and a warm home, why not walk on this road of unknown life and death?"

"There is no way, except for farming, running errands, and working for those nobles, you can hardly find a decent job."

"The fields belong to them, the mountains belong to them, the river belongs to them, and there are big bosses behind the shops and workshops. If you want to get involved, how can it be possible? But they are extremely stingy with the money they give, and they often deduct and delay .”

"They don't care, because some people are people, and there are too many people in the empire...you don't do it, some people do it, it's all like this."

"The world seems to be born sad, and the bottom layer of all beautiful paints is gray and dark." Tokolin sighed, drinking glass after glass of wine.

"Thinking about it this way, I'm pretty lucky. Although my family's fortunes are falling, I still have some savings, and I can find a few uncles and relatives I know to help. I won't go on the same path as them."

"But there is a pressure in my heart, why the world is like this, I can't figure it out."

"In this way, I joined the expeditionary army in a daze, and kept heading west. I finally saw the new country in the West..."

"Clancia is an unfamiliar word. Many people in the empire didn't know there was this country before. If we say West Wind, they may still have some reflections."

"But when those soldiers lined up straight in front of the formation, with blades like a forest, I felt a kind of shock and momentum for the first time."

"It turns out that there are really people living in the country I dreamed and dreamed of."

"They are so fearless and strong-willed. Although they are far less numerous than us, they can often gain the upper hand in battle."

"It was also from then on that I became interested in everything about this country. Why did they face death so calmly? Is it because of fanatical belief? Is it because of ignorance? Or because of some noble ideals?"

"Finally, I also found the answer I was looking for."

"In World War I, I captured an officer in the mountains. Of course, I didn't kill him, but I helped him treat his wounds and asked him many questions."

"Finally, before leaving, he gave me a pamphlet and told me that many things and things cannot be conveyed in words. Let's take a look at West Asia."

"Why are you so sure that Crancia will still exist after the war. I asked him then."

"He smiled, pointed to his heart, then turned around and left."

"So, since then, have you started to promote these ideas in the empire?" Rock asked him at the time.

"Yes, I hope more people know about it, and I hope more people join in."

"However, such behavior is dangerous. And I am worried about whether it will succeed." Rock drank his wine and said his opinion.

He is no longer the boy who dreamed of being a hero in the past. This world is not so simple, and fairness and justice are also a rather vague concept, and there is no unified standard recognized by everyone. Moreover, he also has a trace of doubt and caution about human nature.

After graduating, he has met many classmates who have changed from being smug back then to secular and interested. Even Prince Edron, who has too ambitious goals, now cares more and more about power, and gradually deviates from his original ideas.

"There is always someone to do it, so why can't it be me."

Scenes from a few years ago resurfaced in Rock's mind again. He compared the past and present Tokolin. Although his appearance was a bit vicissitudes, his pupils were more energetic. He seems to be very down-to-earth and determined to walk on the path of his hope.

With the guilt of taking opportunities from Tokolin in the past, Roque promised to help him, and then helped Tokolin train a group of people. These people are proficient in scouting and investigation, and they are perfect for intelligence work.

At first, he didn't expect that this boyhood opponent would go so far on this road. In just two years, he developed in Zishan Province in a decent way. Maybe this time he just missed it.

The memories of the past were briefly passed through in consciousness, and Roque and Tokolin sat at the table and talked about recent events.

"Since the death of His Majesty the Emperor, the interior of the empire has become more and more unstable. The south has rebelled, and the powerful nobles in various places have gradually become self-reliant. However, the other grand dukes have also been ambiguous and have not expressed their views." Roque told Toko. Some situations outside the forest.

"If this is the case, I feel that the opportunity is coming." There seemed to be a flame of excitement burning in Tokolin's eyes.

"Don't be in such a hurry, the great nobles still have strong strength, and you can't defeat them." Rock shook his head.

"I know, I will come out when they both lose."

"But it's not enough, Tokolin, Zishan Province is still too small to cause a big storm. Any one of the three dukes, mobilized with all their strength, can summon nearly a million troops, and among them There is no shortage of elites."

"You don't know the background of those great nobles. They have been operating in their respective fiefdoms for hundreds of years, and their bloodlines and interest grids are so broad."

"The west wind that Crancia faced back then was not such a large country. Besides, the witch of the stars has long since disappeared in the battle between the sun and the moon."

"If there is no fate-changing starlight falling, everything will be unknowable."

"It's easy to start a war, but do you know how to end it? After all, the empire is different from Westwind. People live in different places, with different cultures and customs. There are great differences between the north and the south. People in other regions may not agree with it. Your ideas and ideas."

"Or maybe in their hearts, you are the devil and evil that brings disaster."

"Facing such a country, you are far from enough." The young man calmly analyzed.

"I know, but everything is moving in a favorable direction, isn't it? Also, when can you join us. I know you, Roque, like I know my enemy. Know your aspirations and thoughts in the past."

"Although it was a childish thought, it still shows that you have a similar desire in your heart." Tokolin looked into Roque's eyes and sent out his own invitation.

"Me? Huh." Rock wanted to say that he was not that great, and he didn't have too much hope for this plan.

But when it came to his mouth, he became silent again, maybe there were still a little bit of the arrogant words from his youth, buried in a hidden corner of his heart, so he couldn't completely deny it.

What should I do...

Rock looked at the swaying oil lamp and candle on the table~IndoMTL.com~ in a trance, and slowly remembered the time on campus.

It seems that there was a night like this, when he sat in the study room of the library, he was deeply confused about the future and didn't know where he should go.

『"I don't know what kind of hero you want to be, but if there is something you want to do, and it will make everyone happy and better, then do it."

"If you are tired in the middle, you can also take a break. The praise of heroes is certainly attractive, but your own life is also very important. I hope this kind of praise can become an embellishment in your life instead of a heavy burden." 』

Slowly savoring the words of the girl in his memory, Roque realized that he hadn't gotten rid of the traces of his youth, or maybe that romantic ideal had been flowing in his dreams and never forgotten.

"It's really boring." Rock shook his head, and then held the outstretched hand again.

"Just let me repay the past for taking away your letter of recommendation. But it's okay, I will only give you limited help, don't expect me to work hard for you."

"In addition, I have quite a lot of identities, and sometimes I run errands for the regent, so don't let me know about some secrets."

"Hahaha, so what's the matter." Tokolin and Roque stood up, hugged briefly, and then patted Roque on the shoulder vigorously.

"I will trouble you from now on, good brother."

In the underground room flickering with candles, the two childhood rivals are now standing together, looking at the map hanging on the wall, and telling a beautiful and grand dream.

Time has worn away a lot of edges and corners, but it also slowly reveals the crystal and gold in the sand. There are always some things that are not noticed on weekdays, but still appear in dreams, which make people yearn for and fantasize about. The day will come when it will be realized.