Chapter 766

Chapter 29 Lilith – Part 2

It was close to the end of the year when Lilith finally heard about this matter from the Second Knight Order.

At that time, no one knew what the late Third Knight Order’s captain had been plotting in his heart. After returning to the camp where Barry and the others were staying, he did not relay the true facts he had heard to the others; instead, he lied, attempting to bind everyone together on the same boat in order to gain a sliver of hope for himself.

He succeeded—only because the Third Knight Order had become suspicious of many things before this and had long harbored resentment in their hearts.

But ultimately, the action ended in failure.

On that night, the Third Knight Order launched a rebellion. Hundreds of them donned armor, raised their swords, and charged from the East Camp to the North Camp. They originally intended to capture the deputy commander first and then use him as a hostage to force their way out of the city. However, news spread too quickly, and they were surrounded by the well-prepared Second Knight Order in the North Camp.

The sound of battle reportedly lasted all night. By dawn the next day, the blood of the battlefield had dyed the land crimson. Many warriors died, and the few who remained alive were swiftly dealt with outside the city by the enraged deputy commander of the Second Knight Order under the charge of heresy.

As a result, panic once again swept through the city.

In order to divert the public’s attention and quell the various speculations brewing in their hearts, the news that the Third Knight Order had been corrupted by demons and intended to reclaim the city for heresy spread like wildfire in the taverns of the city. Soon after, it was being widely publicized with overwhelming momentum.

The head of the righteous knight captain was later hung at the city gate for public display, remaining there for nearly half a year. “That night, Barry also foolishly followed them and went along.”

When Lilith said this, her voice became somewhat choked up.

That night, she was with her mother, meeting with nobles and servants in the Second Knight Order. Before anything happened, she had already sensed the commotion of an ambush near the deputy commander’s quarters. Although she did not understand what was happening, she decided to quietly find Barry alone.

Before she could locate him, chaos erupted in the camp. In the midst of the fighting, she narrowly avoided being accidentally injured, and eventually returned to the barracks with great difficulty, thanks to the help of a knight from the Third Knight Order. There, she saw Barry, whose mind had been clouded by emotion, planning to capture the deputy commander of the Second Knight Order with his companions.

She told Barry it was a trap, persuaded him without hesitation, and risked changing him into a male servant’s attire. She led him away from the camp ahead of time, hiding him in a hayloft near the central fortress. She did not want to tell Barry what happened afterward, but news could not be concealed for long. A few days later, Barry left alone at night.

“I was afraid he would go looking for revenge, so I searched for him desperately.”

The woman searched for him for three months in the city.

From the north to the south of the city, from west to east, within just three short months, she almost ran through the entire Alethein City. Whenever she had the chance and time to go out, she would think of where Barry might be and immediately take action, searching everywhere, including taverns, brothels, camps, and residential houses, even the most filthy and remote streets. Several times, she almost fell into the hands of those who would harm her—of course, this is not something she told me directly; I only sensed this from the words she spoke.

In these three months, the distance the woman traveled was probably farther than the sum total of her travels from childhood to adulthood. Eventually, she found Barry buried in a pile of foul-smelling garbage behind a tavern in Jasmine Lane. “He indeed wanted to seek revenge, but he never got the chance….”

When she found Barry, he had already gone hungry for several days. While trying to rob food in Lelie Lane, he was beaten by several equally desperate homeless people.

He paused, and after being thrown into a pile of garbage following his fainting spell, he was covered in bruises. If not for Lilith finding him in time, he might have rotted there—As for revenge, during those days when he was tormented by hunger and didn’t know if he would survive until tomorrow, he had long forgotten about it.

“Even in that state, he never thought to come back to me. He’s too stubborn.”

Afterwards, Lilith began to figure out how to arrange for him to leave Aletheon City.

She hid him again in that shed, taking meticulous care of him every day. During this process, she had to prevent others—especially her family—from discovering that she was hiding a sinner from the Church. To do so would implicate her entire family.

She took huge risks to treat his wounds, bring him food. At first, she stole food from the castle kitchen, but when her mother became suspicious, she could no longer do so. She started rationing her own meals, eating only once or half a meal per day, saving the rest for Barry. No one knew about these things except for her two most trusted maids; even Barry himself was unaware.

I paid close attention to her expression as she spoke.

Previously, due to the darkness, I hadn’t noticed much, but now, upon closer inspection, I could see that despite her makeup trying to conceal it, her face looked somewhat sickly and lacked energy. Her hands, exposed outside, were also visibly thin.

“What happened next?” I asked her.

“Later…”

According to Lilith, Barry went through a period where he had little will to live.

But he wasn’t in a state of wanting to die either. He woke up, sat in the shed in a daze, ate and drank when offered, then fell asleep immediately. Lilith tried several times to talk to him, hoping to lift his spirits, but all efforts were futile. Barry simply refused to communicate with anyone.

“In fact, before these events occurred, his behavior had already become very strange, easily getting emotional, throwing tantrums, yelling, breaking things. He cried alone at night, and later on, he no longer wanted to meet me.”

“This was because, at the beginning of that year, in the last bulletin released by the Church in the city, he learned that his beloved sister had returned to the embrace of God. He couldn’t accept it, and thus his whole demeanor changed.”

It became somewhat hysterical.

There was once when Lilith tried to approach him, to gently hug him, but Barry pulled out the sword at his waist and pressed it against her neck, shouting for her to get out, saying he wanted to die here.

Lilith was heartbroken.

But she did not give up on Barry.

“I’ve always been trying to reach him. I told him I want to see the same spirited Barry who once aspired to be a hero. I said your sister wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

“I’m not afraid of his sword because I know Barry would never really hurt me.”

Later on, Barry gradually emerged from the shadows.

Entirely due to the efforts of a woman named Lilith, who tirelessly encouraged him day and night.

Once he recovered, she prepared several hiding places for him, changing locations periodically. By nightfall, Barry began to act again, but this time, no matter where he went or what he did, he would return before dawn.

And Lilith continued to plan his escape.

“I’ve contacted some people whose trustworthiness I’m unsure of. I don’t know their true intentions or identities, but I can guarantee they are not part of the Church, nor do they covet the bounty on Barry. They have no connections with any factions in the city.”

“They have plenty of money and food, seemingly just investigating something else in the city. About half a year ago, I came into contact with them. I could tell they were capable of taking Barry away from here.”

“So I want to try entrusting him to them.”