From the moment I was chosen by the holy relic

Eric looked closer and frowned immediately. "Isn't this the bookstall that cheated us out of our gold coins? You're not thinking of bribing him, are you?" Eric remembered that he had a nephew who worked in the patrol team; perhaps he could…

However, Eileen ignored him completely. She gently raised her hand, and a faint blue light emanated from the end of her staff. She muttered incantations, and then a ball of dark blue flame rose into the air and shot straight toward the bookstall.

"Hey!" Eric gasped, but before he could stop it, the flames had already engulfed the wooden house, and the raging flames soared into the sky, turning the night sky red.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. At that moment, he understood Eileen's intention.

"What a terrible woman," he silently told himself, vowing never to anger Eileen again, no matter what.

Eileen snorted and a slight smile played on her lips: "This is just a little distraction. While they're busy putting out the fire, we can slip out of the city gates in the chaos."

The two hid in the shadows and watched from afar as the fire grew stronger and stronger, the blazing flames licking at the wooden beams with crackling sounds, and thick smoke billowing up.

Before long, the soldiers in the city began to stir. Well-trained patrols quickly rushed to put out the fire, carrying buckets of water and moving back and forth. But Eileen's magical flames were not ordinary flames. The water poured on them only produced a puff of white smoke, but showed no sign of being extinguished.

Seeing that the time was right, Eileen quietly led Eric back to the city gate.

"Quickly, put out the fire!" Eileen shouted to the soldiers guarding the city, feigning panic. "Otherwise, the whole town will be burned to the ground!"

The soldiers guarding the city looked at them lazily, clearly unimpressed by their urging: "We're here to guard the city; firefighting isn't our responsibility."

Eric, quick-witted, said, "The patrol captain is the nephew of the shop that's on fire! If you go put out the fire now, the patrol might even owe you a favor!"

The soldiers exchanged glances, clearly hesitant.

They knew, of course, that the patrol team was usually arrogant and collected protection money from everyone they knew, making a fortune off them. If they could get the patrol team to owe them a favor, they could easily rake in a bag of gold coins.

The city's garrison captain narrowed his eyes, weighed the situation for a moment, and finally nodded: "You're right, go put out the fire!"

"But, sir, our duty is..."

"Shut up! Who's the captain, you or me?"

The soldiers immediately sprang into action, rushing towards the fire, and half of the city's sentry posts were instantly emptied.

Eileen subtly tugged at Eric, quietly backing away to avoid the gaze of the crowd.

Taking advantage of the chaos as the city guards were busy putting out the fire, the two quickly slipped out through the side gate. Under the cover of night, they hurried across the streets of the outer city and ran towards the distant woods.

"You always come up with these crazy plans," he said in a low voice, his tone a mixture of admiration and helplessness.

Eileen chuckled softly, looking up at the dark road ahead: "We're not out of danger yet, don't let your guard down."

The two ran wildly, the cold wind whistling in their ears, the night like a giant curtain enveloping them.

Heavy, dark clouds rolled in, and lightning danced among them, like the angry roar of a god. Soon, raindrops began to fall, starting as just a few scattered drops, but then they grew heavier and heavier, turning into a torrential downpour in an instant.

The muddy road became slippery, and Eric's boots sank into the mud, making each step difficult. Eileen's robes were already soaked by the rain and clung to her body, the chill running down her spine.

But they dared not stop for a moment.

Eric's legs were aching terribly. Although his injuries had healed somewhat, after running for so long, his limbs still felt as heavy as if they were made of lead. He was panting heavily, his throat aching from the cold wind, and his stomach was also throbbing. Hunger and exhaustion were like two invisible hands, firmly gripping his throat.

Finally, they walked through the woods and found a simple stone house beside a golden wheat field.

Eileen pushed open the half-closed wooden door. The inside was dark, with only some old farm tools scattered haphazardly and a few bundles of hay piled in the corner, emanating a damp smell. She reached out and felt around to make sure no one else was there before stepping aside to let Eric in.

"It's better than getting soaked in the rain outside," Eileen said softly, closing the door slightly to keep the wind and rain out as much as possible.

Eric didn't speak, but simply wiped the rain off his face, then plopped down on the ground, leaning against the cold stone wall, and sighed heavily. Eileen glanced at him, said nothing, but instead reached into her pocket, pulled out a piece of black bread, broke it in half, and gave half to Eric.

"Eat this, it's all we have left."

Eric took the bread, bent down and took a bite. The cold, hard texture made him frown instinctively, but hunger left him no time to complain. The two chewed in silence, their mouths filled with the dry, rough aroma of wheat, mixed with a faint musty smell.

Raindrops pattered against the roof with a dull thud, and occasional gusts of wind blew through the cracks, bringing a chill. Fire couldn't be lit; light was too dangerous in the darkness. They didn't know if patrolling soldiers would pursue them, nor were they sure if a warrant for their arrest had been issued in the city. The only thing they could do was keep a low profile and wait for things to calm down.

Eric ate ​​his bread, his mood visibly low. He didn't complain as usual about the bread being too hard or the weather being too bad, nor did he jokingly tease Eileen about how audacious her plan was. He simply remained silent, his eyes dim, as if lost in deep thought.

Eileen leaned against the wall on the other side, arms crossed, glanced at Eric, hesitated for a moment, and then softly asked, "Eric, how much money are you going to pay me?"

Her tone was relaxed, even slightly teasing, as she tried to lighten the mood. But Eric didn't even look up, remaining silent, staring at the piece of black bread in his hand that had been gnawed into a pitted mess, seemingly studying its texture.

Eileen raised an eyebrow and changed to a more direct approach: "If you want to cry, then cry. Don't hold it in. I won't laugh at you."

Eric abruptly raised his head, a flash of anger in his eyes: "Who's crying?"

His tone was more intense than expected, even bordering on gritted-teeth. Eileen shrugged, ceasing her teasing, and simply watched him quietly, waiting for him to speak. Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Eric sighed, tossed the bread aside, and finally spoke.

"While I was in prison, I kept thinking, if I just died there, would anyone care?"

Eileen didn't reply, but just listened quietly.

"The kingdom won't care; they'll just think they've gotten rid of one troublesome one. What about my companions? They'll probably feel sorry for them, but they'll eventually accept reality and continue with their lives. And me? I've been imprisoned as a traitor, a criminal, a loser. They've taken away my sword, my honor, my name, but the worst thing is, I've found myself starting to doubt myself."

He said in a low voice, his fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"I've always believed in the honor of knights, in justice, and in loyalty, but what do these things mean in the face of reality? I was betrayed by the king, abandoned by my own people, and manipulated like a pawn. I thought I could face it calmly, but when I was locked in that filthy cell, listening to the cries of the prisoners outside, and seeing those desperate eyes, I really started to wonder if it would be better if I really died there."

Eileen remained silent, simply gazing at him with deep eyes.

Eric gave a wry smile, his tone softening slightly: "Thank you. You saved my life and the last vestige of my faith."

Eileen was silent for a moment, then smiled softly.

"You still owe me money," she said.

Eric paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh out loud. He shook his head, reached for the black bread he had just thrown on the ground, and took a big bite, as if he wanted to swallow all his frustration.

"I can't pay it back right now, but I promise you won't suffer any losses."

"I'll remember that." Eileen's lips curled up slightly as she patted his shoulder. "Let's rest for a bit now."

The rain was still falling, and the night remained dark, but Eric's mood was no longer so heavy. He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, listened to the sound of the wind and rain, and felt the presence of the woman beside him whom he both respected and feared.

After an unknown amount of time, the rain gradually subsided, and Eileen suddenly asked, "Eric, what exactly happened in the palace?"

Eric sighed and began to recall his painful memories.