Part Two: The Human World Chapter Sixty-Four: Character Determines Everything
In the Duke's palace, the Duke was listening to the report of the spies he had installed at the Magic Academy.
The Duke's eldest daughter has just been promoted to Assistant Finance Minister, and the youngest daughter is about to become the Princess. Now he is unmatched in terms of reputation and strength in the empire. But now the Duke is listening to the spy's report with a solemn face.
Contrary to his recent meteoric rise, his current mood is completely on thin ice because he received a letter a few days ago.
To be precise, he didn't receive it, but he picked it up. The person who sent the letter was Bishop Ronis, and the recipient of the letter was Cedros, the Lord of Orfo City. By a very coincidental opportunity, the Duke was at the Magic Academy.
The spy got the job of delivering the letter, so he naturally delivered the letter to the Duke first. When the Duke opened the letter, he was immediately shocked despite his self-control and restraint.
Bishop Ronis said in the letter that the Duke had already won the political struggle in the empire, but this person was too ambitious and it would be a matter of time before he seizes the throne. And if such a person really takes the throne, it will have a negative impact on those around him.
Every country in the country is a threat, so it is best to deal with him now when he is just starting out. Ask Cedros to bring the letters the Duke has communicated with him in the past and all evidence of his cooperation with him to the royal capital.
The friendship between the Duke and Cedros only started six or seven years ago. He was not very clear about the previous situation of this great scholar, and he never expected that he and Bishop Ronis were old acquaintances. Judging from this letter,
It seems that Bishop Ronis should have known that he was secretly assisting Cedros in establishing Orfo, but he never showed the slightest reaction. The old man's deep scheming made the Duke feel inferior to himself. And now he wants to take action first.
It's so strong that it's almost a fatal blow once it's shot.
Although Cedros is his friend, he is also a person who does great things, so the Duke knows very well that no friendship can ever rival a strong relationship. Cedros also knows what kind of person he is, and the words in this letter
Even he himself knew that he was not being alarmist.
If this letter is really delivered, the consequences will be absolutely disastrous. Now he must devote all his energy to how to deal with this matter.
However, Bishop Ronis has a high position. The key is that his reputation and status make ordinary methods completely ineffective. Under such circumstances, the Duke, who has always been steady, has to take risks. The Duke has surrounded the Magic Academy.
With careful eyes, he paid close attention to every move of Bishop Ronis and the people related to him. He wanted to wait for an opportunity.
Coming out of the teleportation magic circle in the royal capital, Asa didn't stop at all. After asking about it, Clovis' troops seemed to have not returned yet, and immediately left the city.
One night, after only three or four days of driving towards Airy, Asa finally spotted the team of Rodhart and Clovis escorting prisoners at a post station. He did not appear rashly, but quietly went to find
Rodhart.
Rodhart, who was reading a book under the lamp, was overjoyed by his appearance. "You came in time. Has Airi's matter been dealt with? I haven't received any news that the troops are chasing him, so I'm here now."
I was anxious. I didn’t expect you to catch up by yourself."
"How is the situation here? Your senior brother has not attacked your fellow villagers anymore?"
Rodhart shook his head. "He has already restrained us all, so there is no need to force me anymore. Apart from slowing down the team without any trace, I did not make any unusual moves along the way. I want to let him
He thought that I had no choice but to let him control me, so he relaxed his vigilance towards me a lot."
Asa asked: "Have you discussed this matter with your fellow villagers?"
Rodhart was startled, shook his head and replied: "This is impossible. No matter how relaxed he is, he will never give me this opportunity. Not to mention how can other soldiers find out that I am talking to the prisoner who framed me."
"Then what do you plan to do if you want me to catch up?"
Rodhart suppressed his already low voice and said: "Neither the officials in Airy nor the soldiers here know the details. They only know that they want to bring the prisoners back to the royal capital.
It's just for trial. So as long as I, instead of Clovis, lead the team back to the capital, I can solve this matter perfectly." He patted Asa's hand and said, "No matter what you do,
For whatever reason or method, as long as I can lure my senior brother away from the team alone and trap him for a period of time, at least half a day, of course the longer the better. Then I can take the team away."
"Is it that simple?" Asa frowned.
"This is by no means simple. How to transfer Clovis away is the most important issue. He is a thoughtful and intelligent man. Since he is deliberately guarding us, he will never fall into our trap so easily. I didn't know until
So far I haven’t found any loopholes in him…”
Asa just frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded and smiled: "Okay, I will let him leave the team tomorrow morning."
Rodhart was stunned instead. "Do you have any idea?"
"Don't worry. What you think is difficult may not be something I can't do."
"Then it's best to wait until the team is far away from the inn at noon before you lure him away, so that I can have a reason to continue leading the team forward."
"Okay." Asa suddenly remembered and said to Rodhart. "Since that guy Clovis is only wary of you, you go and lure him away now, and I'll go see how the captured people are doing.
.”
After thinking for a moment and seeming to hesitate, Rodhart nodded. "Okay."
After a while, Asa, with the help of Rodhart, sneaked into the stable where the prisoners were kept. He easily knocked out the guards quietly, without worrying that they would report to Clovis tomorrow.
.As long as the prisoners in custody did not escape, it did not matter. No one would take the initiative to report an inexplicable accident to a violent and cruel commander.
The folks from Rodhart were very excited when they saw Asa appear. But what surprised Asa was that although they had never had contact with Rodhart, they seemed to have figured out the whole story.
Hunter Levin is still alive. It was he who told the others what happened. After everyone discussed each other and talked with the guard soldiers, they came up with a rough idea of what happened. Now listen to Asa tell them again.
, everyone understood what was going on..
"We have already discussed it. We will never betray you two after we arrive in the royal capital." Hunter Levin's eyes were blind and his whole body was unable to move, but he could still say that he could
Listen. He is still the leader of this group of people. "You two saved our lives, how can we betray you. We are very happy that little Rhodes can have such a status today. Anyway, we fell into the hands of those dog officials
Sooner or later, he will die at his hands. At worst, we would rather commit suicide than harm him. We only pity those children..."
Asa looked at the group of children next to him. Some were less than ten years old, and some could not speak yet.
"They are young and immature and may leak the news. If we have to, we will..." Hunter Levin's voice was choked with sobs. His eyes were just two holes now, but there was already a mother beside him with tears streaming down his face.
.
"No, I came here specifically to tell you that we will definitely rescue you. Rodhart will lead the team forward at noon tomorrow. He will have a way to rescue you as soon as we reach the royal capital."
Asa didn't know what Rodhart could do, but since he said it, he would definitely do it. He smiled at the children over there, went over, patted their heads, and said softly: "
Just wait with confidence."
At noon the next day, Asa appeared in front of the team just as he had agreed with Rodhart.
He looked surprised to see Clovis alone in front of him, so Rodhart naturally had to pretend to be surprised.
"Why did Lord Priest move so fast?" Clovis stared at Asa and said slowly. "Thank you for being so concerned about us that you came after us. But I don't know if the heretics in Airi have been dealt with? That's
The errand entrusted to you by His Majesty the Emperor and the Bishop..."
"It has been solved a long time ago." Asa stared back at him, the smile on his face full of sarcasm and confidence. "I went back to the capital for a few days to play. Do you want to know where I am these days?
What does the royal capital do?”
"Priest, you are so excited..." Clovis narrowed his eyes and scanned Asa. He was very sure that he had the advantage in the current situation. He couldn't understand what was happening on the face of the bastard in front of him.
Where does the expression of someone who should be chopped to pieces with a knife come from? "I wonder what the priest did in the capital..."
"I'm with your wife. You know our relationship has always been good. We've been very happy these past few days." Asa replied.
The expression on Clovis's face froze.
This sentence was loud enough for most people in the team to hear clearly, and the crowd was immediately shocked.
There are many things that are unclear among the nobles, but I have never heard of anyone who dared to shout such a loud voice to their face. There were also several followers brought by Clovis from the royal capital in the team.
Asa felt an inexplicable throbbing pain in his heart. Although his original intention was to anger Clovis and make him feel ashamed, the moment the words "your wife" came out of his mouth, his chest felt like a knife.
"You know what? She actually hates you very much." Asa's voice got louder and louder. "If it weren't for your family's bullshit surname, do you think you are worthy of marrying him? In her mind, you don't even have mine.
Not as good as a single hair."
"If you feel that I have insulted you, if you are not convinced, I have chosen a place to solve our problems privately." Asa pointed at Clovis. "Do you dare to come?"
Rodhart stared at Asa in shock. No matter how much he thought about it, he could never imagine that Asa would use such a method. This was no longer a compromise with tactics, but a direct fight to the death.
Several blue veins were beating on Clovis's forehead, beating so fiercely that he almost broke his skin and flew away. His golden hair moved automatically without wind. The soldiers were looking at him just now, but now everyone dared to
Keep your eyes on him. But just when the anger on his face was about to burst the expression, he suddenly started laughing, not just wildly, but almost like crazy.
Then his laughter stopped suddenly. He nodded: "Okay. I accept your challenge. I will go with you."
Clovis turned to Rodhart and said: "Lord Hart, as you wish, the team will be completely handed over to you. You can take them away first." He showed a smile with all the words on it.
Ferociously. "Take them and walk faster, so as not to disappoint the priest's kindness."
Rodhart met his gaze coldly, nodded, then looked at Asa and sighed. "Okay."
Clovis followed Asa and left the team. The team continued to move forward under the leadership of Rodhart and disappeared from sight after a while.
Then there were only two people left, and Clovis followed Asa in the opposite direction. Neither of them said a word along the way.
I don’t know how long I walked. When I arrived at the junction of a meadow and a small forest, Clovis stopped. “It’s right here. You don’t need to go far. Anyway, your goal has been achieved.”
Asa turned around and saw Clovis smiling. It seemed that he had been wearing this very rare expression on his face since he left the team. Asa frowned and asked: "You seem to be very happy?"
"
"Of course I'm happy. Because I can justifiably kill you with my own hands." Clovis was still smiling, howling like a ferocious and bloodthirsty beast. His eyes were already as sharp as a poisonous one.
Needle. "I don't bother to pay attention to that boy Rodhart. He will do whatever he wants. The Duke is holding these people to make you two submit and to restrain Bishop Ronis. This may indeed be the biggest problem in this matter.
Political interests... But for me, they are far less satisfying than killing you. I had opportunities before, but a combination of circumstances caused you to escape. This time you actually took the initiative to provoke me and kill you.
I have valid reasons too."
"I will never forget that I was so happy today because I am going to kill you with my own hands." Clovis put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. "I know you want to delay that kid. Don't worry.
As a reward for bringing it to your door, I will make your wish come true. I promise to spend a whole day here killing you slowly. It will definitely be a wonderful killing, and you will never forget it until you go to hell."
"Haha..." Asa was also laughing. "It sounds like you really have a chance..."
But his smile only lasted until Clovis drew his sword.
Although Rodhart has always spoken highly of Clovis, Asa disagrees. He has always believed that a person's ability can be seen from his character and demeanor. Extraordinary magnanimity and broad mind are often the indicators of ability.
Excellent proof. For example, like General Gru, like Sandro. And how skilled can a narrow-minded, sinister and vicious villain like Clovis be?
Maybe there is some truth to his judgment, but he forgot one very important thing. Clovis is the apprentice of Roland, the leader of the Holy Knights, the first swordsman in the empire, and will be the future leader of the Holy Knights.
The successor to the position of leader, and this position cannot be obtained by relying on family status or conspiracy.
So it wasn't until Clovis waved his hand and moved his body that Asa realized that he was wrong, and that he was very wrong.
What Clovis drew was not a sword, but a big river. A light so bright that it seemed to come from the sky and condense all the majesty. After a hundred years, it would flow eastward to the sea and never return. The impassioned spirit would submerge and sweep everything in front of it.
The mighty river was twisted to the point where nothing was left.
He had seen such a surging sword energy before, and it was stabbed from behind one night in the royal capital. He thought that the sneak attack was Duke Mulak's.
But he thought completely wrong. According to the Duke's depth and sagacity, even if he really wanted to kill people, he would never do it himself. If he could have figured this out at the time, then he would never be so hasty in provoking this time. At least.
He also wanted to pick up the weapon, but now his hands were empty.
At that time, Clovis's hand was just an inferior sword that was readily available, but now it is the most convenient and suitable weapon that can exert the power of this blow.
But these are not the most fatal. The most fatal thing is Asa's own mental laxity, which is more fatal than being unarmed and facing an attack. The loss of vigilance and fighting spirit put him at an absolute disadvantage. He had no choice but to retreat.
.
The sword light in front of him was no longer a surging river wave, but had turned into a roaring tsunami. He didn't even have time to turn around, so he could only retreat, retreat, and retreat again.
Some people are mediocre in all other places, but have unparalleled talents in a single field. Clovis is just such a person. He is indeed narrow-minded and too scheming to be considered outstanding.
Talent can't even be considered a very good person, but he is indeed a genius swordsman. As soon as he has a sword in his hand, his talents, vitality and soul that cannot be used elsewhere will immediately burst out in a dazzling way.
.
As a top-level swordsman, as long as he seizes the right opportunity and strikes, he will definitely kill his opponent. If he fights with his opponent or even only inflicts some injuries on his opponent but cannot kill him, then he is a second- and third-rate swordsman.
It's a matter of talent. Clovis's first sword is a sure-kill sword, a sword that determines victory, defeat, life and death.
Asa continued to retreat, as if the sword energy that could destroy everything was just a foot in front of him. As soon as he stopped, he could be completely swallowed and torn to pieces.
He retreated into the woods behind, and the tsunami of sword energy followed closely. The trees around and behind him all collapsed and broke. His body seemed to be enveloped in an invisible but powerful lawnmower, and the trees
But it seemed as if it was all as fragile as bubbles, constantly breaking, blowing away, and flying as he retreated. He just forced out of a road in the woods. But in this way, the tsunami of sword light also
There was no obstacle at all, but he was getting closer and closer...
The sword energy was only half a foot away from him, his hair had begun to break, and the pain before tearing could already be felt on his skin.
He couldn't retreat any further, or he would die if he retreated any further. Asa suddenly stood still, and all his energy and strength shrank together. With the high concentration of his energy, the tsunami of sword energy returned to a sword in his eyes, and he condensed the current
With all the fighting spirit that could be mustered under such circumstances, both hands grasped the dazzling and devastating sword.
Asa's fingers and palms can feel the speed, power, vibration, and murderous aura of the sword. The sword energy is all integrated. Anyone who can feel this sword will have another feeling: There is no such thing in this world.
Things that cannot be broken by a sword.
But he didn't pause, didn't hesitate. He went to catch it even if he wasn't sure, and caught what was about to become a wrestling match between his fighting spirit and the opponent's murderous intent and sword spirit. It was a contest between strength and strength, naked and desperate.
The air between the palm and the sword has been compressed to the extreme. As long as there is another contact, it will be immediately clear who is alive, who is dead, and who is victorious.
A sword is like a tsunami. Can a pair of naked hands catch the entire tsunami?
He didn't know, because the tsunami of sword energy suddenly disappeared and was no longer there. He only caught the empty space. The sword suddenly tilted to the side inexplicably and left its original orbit, so the fierce sword power,
The sword spirit has disappeared from this sword. Just like a great painting, all the previous brushwork, grace and charm were perfect, but the last stroke suddenly became like a child's graffiti, and all the exquisiteness was immediately lost.
Completely scrapped.
Although this shocking sword suddenly failed on its own, it may have been a more fatal change for Asa. The sword broke away from its original track and trajectory, passed by his hands that were stretched out to catch the sword, and stabbed him directly.
throat, the tip of the sword was no more than two inches away from his skin.
Asa was shocked. This change was too overwhelming and unbelievable. But even this shock was fatal. The sword lost its sword aura but still had speed and power. Although it no longer had overwhelming momentum, it was after all.
A deadly weapon.
In just this frightening moment, the tip of the sword had already broken through the skin of his throat and was about to cut into his throat and insert into his cervical spine...
In this situation, there were no tactics or skills, only instinct. Asa put his hand on the sword and plucked it outward while twisting his body desperately to the side... Poof, a cloud of blood sprayed from his neck.
out.
But Asa knew that he had won. The tip of the sword only cut through his carotid artery, and then his fingers pulled him farther and farther away, only taking away the small non-fatal flesh around the fatal blood vessel.
.It was only then that he was able to distract himself and saw the face of Clovis who had been in front of him.
It was the face of a loser, angry, unwilling, and fearful. His sword had been pulled out, the sword power was old, and the power of the sword was exhausted. In the blink of an eye, he became a swordsman.
The soldiers have completely lost their combat effectiveness and have been completely defeated.
Naturally, Asa would never give him a chance to put away his sword and start an attack again. The other hand had already put on his sword-holding wrist, exerting force.
The sound of cracking bones sounded so pleasant for the first time.
The hand that drew back the sword clenched into a fist and hit Clovis hard on the chest. With the sound of dense bones breaking, he immediately flew out like a kite with a broken string, floated a certain distance in the air and fell down.
on the ground.
Asa gasped for several breaths, covered his neck and used healing techniques to stop the bleeding, listening to his heart beating rapidly in his chest.
If the edge of the sword had been slightly higher just now, he would be the one lying on the ground now. And the reason why he was able to just deflect the edge of the sword was because the edge of the sword touched the newly obtained ring. Otherwise, the edge of the sword would be there.
The buffer time of cutting into the fingers that had no fighting spirit to protect them in a hurry may have been enough to slit his carotid artery.
Asa stepped forward, but Clovis lay motionless on the ground, with blood flowing out of his mouth and nose. Asa gasped, looked at him and shook his head and said: "I didn't win, you lost." Already."
If it were a head-to-head encounter, Clovis's chance of winning would definitely be much greater than that of Asa, and even if he lost in the end, he would never lose so completely, and Asa would never win intact.
Maybe he wanted to win easily and had skills, maybe he had seen Asa take the sword with his bare hands and was worried. According to his judgment, it is true that Asa should not be able to completely deflect the sword in the end, but The last touch was on the ring. This was indeed luck, but this luck came from the choice he made.
I am too accustomed to not solving things head-on, and too obsessed with means, so at the critical moment I gave up on the head-on confrontation that would inevitably lead to losses despite having advantages, and chose to take advantage of the situation.
People who want to win easily and beautifully often end up losing the most.
Clovis was still lying there without moving, and he didn't know whether he had fainted, died, or was seriously injured and dying. Although it seemed that it was not a bad thing for a person like him to die. But he walked up to make up for it. Even after two strikes, Asa seemed unable to do so.
Asa remembered something he didn't know who said it, and said to Clovis on the ground: "Character determines everything."
The horse he came with had gone somewhere, so Asa had no choice but to walk for five days before returning to the royal capital. He went straight to the headquarters of the Holy Knights to find Rodhart.
After passing the square, I saw a crowd of people there, as if an execution was being carried out. The sound of the sickle falling and the guillotine being severed on the head and neck, and the crowd roared, as if they couldn't bear it, but the cruel pleasure was still dominant. Asa didn't care. .
The show ended, and the spectators began to go back one after another. There were sighs from the spectators.
"A lot of people were killed this time, including children. It was really tragic."
"But these mobs really deserve to be killed, and they actually dared to kidnap and kill the imperial envoy. Mr. Rodhart had a way, and the case that had not been solved for so long was solved in his hands. It is really amazing."
"Of course, that's a hero." Some admirers exclaimed. "But these mobs don't look so violent. If the evidence wasn't conclusive, even the seal of the former imperial minister was found, it would be really disappointing. It’s unbelievable. I heard that these mobs also falsely accused Mr. Rodhart and another priest of the church as murderers. It’s really nonsense..."
Asa suddenly pushed away the crowd in front and rushed to the execution ground.
The execution has ended. The executioner and his assistant are picking up more than a dozen heads from the ground and putting them into pockets. Over there, the soldiers are moving more than a dozen headless corpses to the carriage like cargo. These are probably going to be delivered to the carriage. Went there to Sandro.
The first thing Asa saw was a head with a deformed face and no eyes. There were only two holes where the eyes used to be, so they were still open and unable to close even after death, as if they were looking at There were several children's heads next to him, and he had seen every one of these heads.