Chapter 668

Chapter 52 Sorrow

“Betty, we—”

“This place was bought by Lea.”

As I stood up, Carlos suddenly leaned back, adopting a comfortable posture in his chair, scanning the surroundings as if he hadn’t noticed my intention to leave. He crossed his legs and spoke some seemingly irrelevant words.

“I bought it a few months ago, planning to open another tavern here… She spent these years in East Continent, with not much to do. Out of boredom, she started a liquor business in Norgav… ”

“The business has been quite good. Unlike you and me, Lea is very good at socializing. Especially with those hot-tempered individuals who like to show off themselves and act arrogantly in East Continent; Lea always knows how to handle them. So she opened a tavern. As for this place… you could consider it her second shop, but opening a tavern isn’t just about selling alcohol…”

The man paused here, tapping his fingers on the table, and turned his gaze towards me.

I looked at him, indifferent, my face hidden behind a veil, expressionless, waiting quietly for what he would say next.

“In the tavern in Norgav, it’s actually used as a secret spot for exchanging information… and a private meeting place with church members.”

“Huh.”

So that guy… their actions in East Continent were indeed directed by the church.

You finally got to the point…

Carlos.

I patted my robe, straightened the headscarf wrapped around my head, expressionless, and sat back down.

Then…

Let’s hear what you have to say.

“Betty.”

“Sis, sis…”

“You go to the door and wait for me.”

“Ah…”

The little girl froze when she heard this, looking at me then at Carlos’ face. The bearded swordsman smiled kindly at her, but temporarily stopped talking, not continuing further.

She wasn’t stupid and quickly understood our intentions.

“Oh…”

The little girl stood up and ran out the door, her footsteps “thump thump thump”, somewhat hurried.

She probably thought she would hear a moving story between her sister and this man, but things clearly weren’t going the way she imagined. What the two people were about to discuss might be a serious topic…

And it had something to do with the church…

After the little girl ran out the door, she didn’t go far. She squatted on the steps outside the door, her back facing the mud building, pretending to poke at insects on the ground while straining to hear the conversation inside.

On the other side, after the little girl left, the swordsman named Carlos laughed again. His long-unshaven beard made his smile appear somewhat weathered, as if he had experienced many hardships and was weary from travel.

But he remained sincere.

The man looked at the young girl’s face for a long time, his eyes becoming softer over time.

“…East Continent is different from West Continent. Although there are churches established in bustling areas, the underground forces are complex, and the federal authorities are often more interested in pleasure than governance. There are also many atheists among the populace, and remnants of the scattered Truth Gate sect mixed in. Therefore, churches aren’t considered safe or reliable places…”

“I heard before coming here that in the past six months, several priests were attacked with oil bombs during their missionary work, and two were burned to death… Oh, I’m getting sidetracked. Naturally, I didn’t come here to resolve issues related to faith. You know, I’m just a swordsman and don’t involve myself in such matters.”

He shifted his gaze away from me, looking at the candlelight flickering on the nearby wall, his eyes slightly flickering, as if reminiscing or contemplating something: “I remember the last time I saw you was in the capital city… a year ago…”

“I said I wanted to leave, and you acted so reluctant…”

“You were the one being reluctant!”

The girl suddenly became annoyed.

She widened her eyes and glared at the bearded swordsman in front of her, pouting. But the man only smiled and did not respond, continuing, “I was actually quite worried about you back then, a bit concerned that you might… well, you know what I was worried about. Back then, when I talked to you, I had intended to bring you along on this trip to East Continent… I truly wish I could have stuck to my decision…”

He turned his head to look at the candlelight by the window; the flickering light reflected in his eyes: “I regret it now…”

“Actually, these days, I’ve been reflecting on many things…”

“Reflecting while drunk?”

I couldn’t help but comment, but the man still ignored me.

“I had discussed with Angel bringing you along to East Continent at that time, the idea of having you follow me. He actually felt more reassured about it than I did. That was the last time I saw him, and we talked almost entirely about you.”

He paused for a moment.

“You were in a state… just after a great battle, where we teamed up to take down Cardinal Nero. You consumed some… in short, all sorts of things. I don’t fully understand the details, but Angel told me at the time that although you seemed fine, you were actually on the edge of a very dangerous state. If you couldn’t maintain emotional stability and get enough rest, your body could change in unpredictable ways…”

“Such a change would leave us all unprepared… We talked for a long time. Angel always had a neutral stance towards your trip to East Continent, neither supporting nor opposing it. He just said he would feel at ease if you were left in my care. Now looking back… well, I hesitated at the time. I changed my mind, wanting to let you stay in a more comfortable environment to adjust yourself.”

“…Yeah.”

I nodded, propping my chin on my hand, and continued listening to Carlos speak.

“Although Angel is the Pope and I am just a wandering knight who wields a sword, there is something you may not know. We actually knew each other for many years… so many years… even before I became Mr. Ryan’s disciple and he wasn’t even a minor monk yet, we already knew each other.”

He turned his head, his eyes bright: “He and I, we grew up together as brothers, right here in Apelistar, this barren and poor land.”

“…Ah.”

Is that so…

“We are both from East Continent, and since we were young, we lived by the Red River. We crossed muddy waters, caught earthworms… We lived in the same town, both from humble backgrounds. When we were very young, we suffered hunger together, never knowing where our next meal would come from…”

“…So no matter how unfamiliar he became later on, I always trusted him, always believed in him.”

“I left you in the royal city, entrusted to him. Although he often acts like that, when it comes to doing things, he is more decisive than anyone else. Whatever he believes in, nothing can stop him. I left you in the hands of such a person, and I felt very reassured.”

“I never thought Angel would deceive me or hide anything from me… He always told me everything, making me believe that he wanted to protect you from the stubborn traditionalists in the Church… The first time I brought you to him… no, even before that, when I mentioned your existence to Angel, he had already conveyed this to me… ”

“From then on, I always felt that Angel and I had the same thoughts. It was I who discovered you, and I who told him about your special existence. He agreed with my ideas, and we have always been protecting you, both of us… always doing our best to protect you…”

“Little Hill…”

“Do you think I’m really that foolish?”