Chapter 509

Chapter 132 A Minor Dispute

At the same time, by the ruins of a collapsed monastery on the southern side of the brightly lit camp, a minor dispute was taking place. The young knight with his arm wrapped in bandages hung his head low, standing face to face with a delicate girl in a black dress. The girl had her hands on her hips, frowning intensely, and looked at him unhappily.

“You’re not at home. What will happen to Grandma alone?”

Her soft and melodious voice carried a hint of emotion.

This was a slightly reproachful statement.

During the day, Barry was in the infirmary for wounded soldiers. After experiencing life and death, his emotions were actually quite unstable, which I noticed.

In this fierce battle, he witnessed and went through things that a boy could never have imagined before. The impact on his heart must have been significant. Moreover, there were so many people in the camp at that time, making it inconvenient to say certain things. So, I only comforted him to ease his tense mood and didn’t mention what was on my mind.

When I went over later, we talked about some trivial matters. Seeing that the boy’s spirit was still decent, I invited him out for a walk. As we walked to the southern part of the camp, Barry recounted some amusing stories from his days as an apprentice knight. He spoke about how strict his instructor was back then, and gradually the conversation opened up. He no longer seemed as reserved as when we first met, so I took the opportunity to bring up my idea.

Or rather… my demand.

Once the siege of Aletheon City came to an end, and Barry’s injuries had healed somewhat, I wanted him to return to the northern territories and stop getting involved in any affairs here.

I wasn’t trying to force him to give up being a knight, nor did I like to interfere with other people’s lives. Afterward, I would directly suggest to Angel to arrange for Barry to be transferred to Emerald City, where he could serve in a parish there. That place wasn’t far from the village, and Barry could visit his grandmother occasionally. He could check if she lacked anything and spend some days with her.

Meanwhile, Barry could still pursue his dream of becoming a knight. The Vensale Parish in Emerald City was one of the core parishes of the Holy Church. There, he could interact with more high-ranking officials within the church, have more opportunities for promotion, and even learn about miracles. Some things, I wouldn’t tell him directly; I just needed to make arrangements behind the scenes to pave the way for him.

I could even transfer Barry without consulting him. Now that the Third Knightly Order had suffered heavy casualties and its system was completely collapsing, staying there would not serve much purpose. Perhaps I wouldn’t need to bring it up; soon enough, the few hundred survivors of the Third Order would be gradually reassigned or merged into other units after the church distributed medals and compensation.

If this was the case, why not talk to Angel ahead of time and get him transferred to a more comfortable and closer-to-home location?

I spent a long time thinking about this matter, and finally decided that before speaking to Angel, I should inform Barry and hear his thoughts.

However, I never expected him to refuse so decisively… Even though some words were too hard to say, after I expressed my intention that “once you heal, you’ll go to Emerald City,” the young knight became silent, his expression stubborn. Despite all my gentle persuasion, he refused to respond and simply walked silently, occasionally kicking a small stone underfoot.

Until I grew impatient, stopped, turned around, and faced him, my tone and attitude becoming firm. I resorted to using his grandmother to pressure him. Only then did Barry mumble something.

“Sister Hilly… I’ve already become a qualified knight. The honor of being a knight has long been imprinted in my heart… I cannot hide in a comfortable city. If I retreat immediately when encountering danger, what kind of knight, what kind of man would I be…”

He lowered his head, glanced at me during his speech, and quickly shifted his gaze away. His appearance, as if he dared to be angry but couldn’t speak, made me inexplicably angry, and the words I said became even harsher: “Honor, honor, you only know honor! On the battlefield, having you or not makes no difference. Why are you so stubborn! If you die, does that make you a man!”

As soon as these words left my mouth, Barry’s eyes widened. Finally, he dared to look straight at me, his face turning red: “You’re a Knight of the Pontiff. How can you say such things… The people of Silgaya are currently in their most perilous moment. So many have died, so many have been tortured by war and hunger! As a knight, even if I’m not very capable, even if… the role I play is far less than what you imagine, even if… even if I die… even if that

, I too must die on the battlefield. Before I do, I have to take two heretics down with me! How can I go back like this, like some… like some…”

Due to his emotional state, the young knight spoke incoherently, struggling to find the right words at the end. In the end, he simply said dryly, “Anyway, I can’t go back…”

“You won’t go back? What about Grandma?! What if… she’s left with only you!” I shouted back at him.

Barry’s face turned even redder. “But if those heretics flee to the Northern Territory, our village will also become dangerous. I have to stay here and continue fighting the demons… I won’t go back…”

“You’re so annoying!”

“I… Even if you hate me, I won’t go back…”

“If you don’t go back, I’ll have someone bring you back!”

“You… Hil, I’ll run away.”

“You won’t get away.”

“I can run away!”

“……”

On the dimly lit street, the young girl and the young knight glared at each other, one stubborn and the other obstinate, neither willing to give in. Both their faces were flushed, and as the argument continued, it became increasingly childish.

Soon, they went back together again.

The girl led the way, with Barry walking behind her. They walked along the broken road, maintaining a distance of about a meter between them, surrounded by ruins. Neither of them spoke; both were lost in their own thoughts. Before long, the brightly lit campsite came into view.

A few knights approached them. “Miss Silviga, we found your weapon. It’s over there.”

The knight pointed to a small square in front of the camp, then led me over. Barry followed silently. In the center of the square, the pitch-black scythe lay quietly on the ground, its blade as dark as ink, the handle cold to the touch.

I knelt down and gently stroked the scythe, whispering, “Captain Gray…”

Captain Gray was damaged.

The blade, which used to be sharp enough to cut through metal, was now curled and cracked in several places, resembling ugly teeth. The straight handle had been twisted by the fire, and a section of chain was exposed. Due to the deformation at the end, it could no longer be retracted. Part of the scythe had melted, turning the black material into an irregular, unsightly liquid that solidified and hung from the blade.

I gently stroked it, touching the countless scars on the blade. A hint of sorrow flashed in my eyes, and my heart felt heavy and despondent.

“I know there’s a good blacksmith shop in the city…”

Suddenly, Barry spoke again from behind, “Hil, maybe we should wait until tomorrow. I can take it to the blacksmith and see if it can be reforged…”

I didn’t say anything, just shook my head slightly.

It’s impossible…

The main material of Captain Gray is moon crystal, which cannot be found in this city. Even if it were, a regular blacksmith wouldn’t be able to handle it. To reforge it, I would have to take it back to the central workshop and let Uncle Pagos take a look…

But I vaguely remember that when forging Captain Gray, as well as my gauntlets and greaves, I had already used up all the moon crystal in the workshop.

“Barry…”

I held the handle of Captain Gray with both hands and stood up, turning to look at him. “What I said earlier, I hope you think seriously about it.”

“Hil…”

The young knight opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but I didn’t want to hear it right now. Holding Captain Gray, I bid him goodnight and quickly left.

Only after walking quite far did I realize that Barry seemed to still be standing in the same spot.

He was probably…

Probably still upset.

He would definitely be angry at me.

But…

I might stay in the city for a few more days.

Once everything here settles down, the heretics who fled, the knight order will still have to clean up one by one.

The cleanup process will undoubtedly be a long, bloody, and perhaps even more brutal path than the battlefield, filled with baseness and sorrow. Before embarking on such a path, I wanted Barry to think it over, then listen to his final choice—no matter what he chose, I would not stop him.

With a complicated heart, I left the camp with Captain Gray and walked towards the direction of the city walls.

The night breeze was cool.

The stench of burning and ashes mingled with the ruins, making the air dirty and murky.

The girl returned to the barracks at the city walls, holding the pitch-black scythe, wrapped in a thin blanket, her tired body curling up in a corner of the barracks like a cat, sleeping quietly in the dark night.