Shadow of the Evil God

"That's one way to do it. I don't believe in family honor or the sanctity of competitions and duels. If I find that there's really no comparison, well..."

Cesar stopped talking. Perhaps because this matter was not a matter of life and death, his flexible moral bottom line was immediately raised and he felt a little embarrassed.

"Go on," Phils whispered, biting his ear. "If you find there's really no comparison, you'll ask me for help, right?"

He reached out and grasped her slender waist. Seeing she didn't resist, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close to him. It wasn't until she sat sideways on his lap that she realized she should have protested. She froze, as if she'd fallen into a trap, and raised her hands. "What are you doing? No, how am I..."

Cesar shrugged and tried to make a joke, but when she stared at him with wide blue eyes, he stopped talking. "Maybe you got too carried away just now. When you get carried away, you forget what you're doing," he said nonchalantly, taking a half-eaten piece of cake and placing it in her hand, as if feeding a cat or dog.

As if insulted, Firth slapped his hand across his face and shoved half the pastry into his mouth, squeezing the filling all over his mouth. "You won't get carried away, will you?"

After finally swallowing the food, Cesar coughed twice, took her hand away and said, "I will try my best to examine the thoughts and emotions in my mind, trace where they come from, and how they affect me."

"Like in the mine?" she asked curiously.

"Every thought and emotion has a cause. Different people would likely feel ashamed for different reasons if you told them you were going to help them rig a duel. A local nobleman felt ashamed because he believed in the sanctity of dueling and the honor of his family. And I felt ashamed because I believe, to a certain extent, in the necessity of fairness and justice. If you don't know the source of your thoughts and emotions, and you follow them, you'll only see darkness. What's the difference between that and the White Nightmare forcing fear into your heart? In any case, you're being led around by those unexplained emotions, like a puppet."

"That's true..." she said thoughtfully.

"Then do you know why you were so proud of yourself just now?" Cesar asked.

"I, uh..." Firth seemed reluctant to think deeply about this matter. "I need to think about it. What about you? Who are you going to ask to teach you sword and bow, Granley?"

She wasn't very quick to change the subject.

"I'm not sure yet." Cesar brought the glass to his lips, took a sip, and licked the cake crumbs from the corner of his mouth with the wine. "I don't know much about this business, but judging from Libio and Baiyan, just because they are proficient in fencing doesn't mean they can teach others. Maybe I should try it with everyone from Granli down, even including those Black Sword mercenaries."

Phils licked the frosting on her palm like a cat

Like licking the pad of her paw. "What about up?" she asked.

"The High Priest has to deal with the mess at the local temple and find out how many people in the Xiel Temple in the upper city have violated the rules and participated in the operation of the Joy Room. I'm delaying.

He said that one day later, we will leave the city one day later.

"We really should leave the city as soon as possible," Firth muttered. "Even though we don't know whether the Sassulai people will come, we must be prepared for the worst."

Cesar continued to fill the glass, then drank it all in one gulp. A few drops of crimson wine trickled down his chin. She placed her index finger on his jaw, her nail tickling him. Then, she caught a drop and licked it tentatively. It seemed to taste good, so she licked it again.

"Although you feel ashamed," she licked the wine drops from her fingertips, "while you're looking for someone to learn from, I'll try to study my little curse. For example, how to make it less noticeable, how to make it harder for me to be discovered when I use that skill. You see, if someone wants to kill you in a competition, and you can't let others see the abnormality of your body, you'll have to rely on some unnatural 'luck' and 'accidents'."

Phils nodded as she spoke, reaching for his refilled glass. Cesar was a little surprised, but he gave it to her anyway. She drank from it with both hands like a child, her cheeks flushed and her blue eyes sparkled. In a moment, she had finished the entire glass.

"It's settled then," she said. "Perhaps it can be used for more than just competitions."

.......

A few days later, Cesar was in the hotel lobby, researching what wines to buy, when a hand suddenly appeared and placed a frosted glass bottle on the table. He looked up and saw his fake cousin, Garcia, but he wasn't wearing his elaborate full-body armor. Garcia wore only a light coat of mail and a white robe trimmed with gold. The design seemed to be a mix of military uniforms and priestly robes, much like the ones worn by the high priests of Hier, but definitely belonging to another god.

Garcia sat down across from Cesar, their eyes meeting. He looked unperturbed. He was clean-shaven, his short hair gleaming black, and his face held the scrutiny of someone who habitually assesses a soldier's abilities. "You've been searching for a swordsmanship instructor in Upper Noyen for three days?" he asked.

“Although it may be too late to start learning now, I have to give it a try.”

"Well, really? Then what have you tried? How much useless work have you done? Can you tell me?"

"Most of the people at the Xiel Temple are dealing with the mess here," Cesar shrugged and spoke calmly. "The knights are extremely busy and don't have much time to teach the basic movements like they do to their squires. I imitated the defensive and offensive postures, forward and backward steps, that the squires practiced in the courtyard, but no one corrected me on the specific muscle activation and the correct posture details. I was just trying to learn by force, which was meaningless. Besides, this place doesn't have the specialized equipment and blunt training swords that the temple staff are used to. It's a huge difference. After all, they're just on official business."

"There's a historic weapons training ground northwest of Upper Neuen," Garcia said without hesitation. "There are also three small training grounds in Lower Neuen that offer weapons training. There's a barracks in the middle. Ordinary people aren't allowed in, but you can still enter with your status."

"To be honest, I don't dare to go too far from the hotel." Cesar smiled. "Do you understand what I mean, cousin? Do you dare to go to the count's castle without full armor and without any guards?"

"Your words are ill-chosen, cousin—a proper precaution can save a man's life. If anyone were to cause trouble in my place, I would have his sons killed and their bodies dumped in the wilderness. I should have chopped off your head to give my father an answer, but I thought that would give my uncle an excuse to sink my boat and me to the bottom of the Joshua River."

Cesar felt that this man's attitude was very subtle. "Then what are you doing here?"

"I was born here. When I was five, my father, to whom I gave up my inheritance rights, took me to the northern palace. I never returned. You ask me what I am doing here?"

Chapter 31 Pay Me Back My Wages

The man's words were rather helpless, tinged with a hint of melancholy, but Cesar didn't take it seriously. "Returning home is even a reason? You lead a mercenary army built around a leader, actively engaged in long-term battles with people along the northern and southern borders of the empire. Such an army always requires the presence of its leader, and even from the southernmost reaches of the Kasar Empire to Noien, the journey takes over a month."

Garcia studied him for a moment, his gaze more like that of a general assessing his soldiers' abilities. This wasn't just a conversation; it was a verbal exchange rife with lies. If one took this man's half-truths seriously, he would inevitably be considered a fool unworthy of conversation. Cesar didn't know Garcia's intentions, but since he wanted to sit down and talk, there was room for negotiation.

"Then tell me, what other reasons are there?" Garcia asked.

"I can't say. After all, that's a matter of the North." Cesar shrugged, suppressing all the speculation in his mind. "But you must have a more important reason for going south. As for Noyen, maybe he just stopped by on the way, or maybe that was his purpose. Who knows?"

"Stop being so boring, okay? You could be more blunt."

"There's nothing to be frank about." Cesar said in a gentle voice, pretending to be solemn.

"It's nothing more than telling you not to treat others as fools. How could a leader with skill and ability travel thousands of miles back to his hometown for the sake of friendship during wartime? You are not a fool who, knowing that you have offended the city lord, still went to the edge of the chaotic stone abyss to enjoy the scenery.

Compared with the gradually consolidated power, what is hometown?

Garcia seemed amused by this, as did Enil, who, after speaking disrespectfully to Count Thane, hadn't realized the threat. "You're certainly not just good at acting, cousin. You also display just the right amount of wisdom. Why is that? Because you know that those who don't know how to restrain themselves perish faster than fools."

The man was testing him to see if he was stupid, and then threatening him that people who were too smart would die faster.

"People who only know how to hold back can only live in the gutter and eat sewage, hoping that someone will step into a shit pit on a dark road and kick out their self-proclaimed gold. Since I dare to use the power of the temple to oppose this old man, why can't I dig out some benefits from your erratic attitude? It's like going down a mine. No matter how dangerous it is, as long as it doesn't collapse and bury me, I should try to get some gold."

"You are really interesting. Do you know what exactly makes you interesting?"

"I do not know."

Garcia smiled cruelly. "You act like you're walking on thin ice, knowing full well that one day you'll crash and freeze to a pulp, yet you force yourself to remain calm. Do you dream of the sound of ice cracking in your nightmares?"

"I'm afraid I've fallen into the ice more than once," Cesar replied, "but I always managed to climb out and continue walking on the ice."

"Are you better at struggling in despair?"

"No, it's because I can always grab someone's hand."

"I see." Garcia nodded with emotion. He removed the wax seal from the bottle and uncorked it. A mist of white frost immediately emerged from the bottle. He poured the black liquor into the glass and touched the bottle's mouth to the rim, making a crisp clinking sound. The hotel lobby was warm due to the presence of a large stove, but a little stuffy. As the wine poured in, icy drops of water immediately seeped out of the glass. His fingers felt the chill, and a refreshing fragrance permeated the air.

He watched Cesar take the cup and said, "This is rosemary wine from the Casal Empire. It's hard to enjoy it here in Dominion."

Cesar said nothing, sipping slowly. The wine was spicy yet sweet, and soon a rich aroma filled his mouth, making his tongue swirl around in it.

"Have you ever considered going to the richest province of the Casar Empire to learn various martial arts and the art of warfare, cousin? Not only is the wine better there, it's also the richest land on this continent." Garcia asked with a smile.

"I'll think about it later," Cesar simply said.

"Or you can follow me out of the city in a few days," he said bluntly. "I have a high reputation in the southern part of the Kasar Empire. People respect me and my army. I protected them from the separatist forces in the north. If you don't want to endure this old man's control anymore, following me out of the city is your best choice."

"I don't think you are." Cesar drank indifferently, "Your ice is too thin."

"You're like all anxious cowards, overthinking things, thinking anyone could be up to something, something to take from your worthless life," Garcia said with pity. "What do you think, cousin? Did I come to see you just to lure you north and have you hacked to death?"

"You are very prestigious in the northern empire, and you seem to admire me, but your father is the boss of your line. Even if you go down the line, your sister, who married into the royal family and gave birth to a princess and a prince, comes first. I can barely guess that you look down on your youngest brother, Enil. But since he has become a court noble and has become arrogant, there must be someone in the palace who dotes on him, right? Is this person my uncle or my cousin, the queen? Who can say for sure?"

Seeing that Garcia was silent, Cesar took the bottle of wine from him as if nothing had happened and poured himself a glass of wine.

"So you don't believe my advances?" he asked.

"Of course I believe in your sincerity." Cesar spread his hands, "But can you say you are just yourself?" What he actually meant was, if your sister, who is now the queen, asked you to kill me, would you refuse? If your father asked you to kill me, would you refuse?

"No one can say he's just himself," Garcia replied simply.

"That's all, isn't it? I suppose you know it best, don't you?"

Garcia suddenly laughed, as if he couldn't help laughing. "You are indeed a funny guy. Just now, I thought you would grab at any straw you could, no matter what was behind it. When I expressed my goodwill, even I was worried that you would really agree, cousin."

Cesar pretended not to notice his sarcastic tone. "I've been extremely cautious about who I approach with lately. If you really want to show your support, why not show me something I can learn at the inn? Even if you want me to become your swordsmanship instructor here."

"I won't be in Noyen long."

"Why?" Garcia said lightly, but Cesar did not miss any possible details.

"I am traveling south this time to send the third princess of the Kasar Empire to study at our Kingdom Military Academy. Through this, we will establish a close relationship with the allies there.

The relationship between the two nations will also be further strengthened. I came to Noien by sea only to fulfill the Queen's request and bring her some things from Noien as a souvenir. My father has many children, but only she and I were born in Noien."

Cesar discovered that his fake cousin seemed to say a lot of things sincerely, even the Casar Empire

The third princess's arrival at the Dominican Republic Military Academy for further studies was disclosed. However, Garcia avoided the most crucial question: why was he leaving in such a hurry?

Garcia might have known the inside story, the deal his father had made with the grassland people, which was why he left so hastily. Even the queen's request that he bring back some nostalgic items was because she knew the inside story, knowing that after this battle, many things in Noien would no longer exist.

However, this was all speculation. Garcia had already said so much, and if Cesar wanted to ask further questions, asking why Garcia left in such a hurry, he would reveal information that he shouldn't have.

As for the numerous princes and princesses of the Casar Empire... honestly, the previous emperors had more offspring than Garcia's brothers and sisters, even more than the existing separatist factions within the Casar Empire. Some warlords had enough princes and princesses to fill a poker table. They held special significance, of course, but Cesar absolutely refused to believe they were crucial.

Garcia continued his conversation with him as if nothing had happened, repeating his endless probing and excuses. Cesar listened absentmindedly, waiting for his fake cousin to say something truly useful instead of harping on about how sensible his son and daughter were as children. Finally, Garcia shifted the topic to how he could help now.

"Have you looked for the red-haired man with the black sword?"

"I looked, but to no avail. She said she was very busy," Cesar said. This was just the smallest of his meaningless busyness these days. "I'm not that familiar with these mercenaries either."

"I can introduce you there." Garcia stroked his stubble-free jaw, as if reminiscing about the past. "Although I'm just a poor man without a fief, I made a lot of money by participating in knightly tournaments. Since I was able to get out of this business unscathed, teaching others martial arts is no big deal."

......

There was a brick chimney on the big stove, and a strong fire was burning in the stove. Garcia got a pig and asked the kitchen staff to put it on the barbecue grill. Now it was emitting a burnt aroma and making a sizzling sound.

All the officials on official business from the Grand Temple were busy investigating the local Temple of Pleasure, and many monks had also gone to deal with the treasurer of Noyen, so the inn they had booked was quite empty. The flames' red reflections only revealed two monks playing chess, two cooks playing cards, two servants drinking and rolling dice, and the invited mercenary captain.

Although she was sitting near the stove, Ceshia was still wearing a hood and leaning against the wall. Out of habit, she would slightly lower her head and cover her cheeks with the front of her hood when someone approached her.

Cesar always felt that she seemed to have made an enemy and had been on the run for a long time while being hunted. Perhaps it was related to the fact that she had lost her fiefdom, or perhaps it was related to the fact that she had accidentally injured a person of status while participating in knight competitions, but he could only guess.

Her face was cold and sharp, and her neck jutted out with blue veins, the same blue as her eyes. Her experience in the mines made her a dangerous figure, obvious enough, and Garcia's account only reinforced this impression. The fact that a lone wanderer, bereft of her fiefdom, could profit from the knightly tournaments suggested she was not only skilled in single combat but also capable of exploiting opportunities in melee, employing a variety of weapons, adapting to changing circumstances, and even employing stratagem and deception to overcome her opponents.

At that time, Granley rushed into the collapsed mine tunnel, but this person kept a considerable distance, which was enough to clearly see her attitude on the battlefield.

Cecilia was squinting at Cesar, her gaze calm and cold, clear and still, clearly trying to find a subtle excuse to push him back. But when she saw Garcia behind her, her eyes widened immediately.

"The executioner of the border? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I don't understand what you mean." Garcia raised his long, thin black eyebrows. "Since I started my campaign, I've never led a single genocide. Why do you give me such a title?"

Cesar glanced sideways at Garcia.

"You asked the residents of a city to choose one-third of their people and kill them and hang them on the city walls, otherwise you would not accept their surrender. We surrounded the city for three days, and more than 90,000 residents killed each other for three days inside. In the end, countless heads and corpses were put into various sacks, pitchforks, fishing nets, woven baskets, and fire sticks, and were placed on the edge of the city wall, circling the city more than twice, and you actually asked us to count them one by one." said Ceshia.

Garcia didn't seem concerned. "This was to set an example for the other fortresses that were still resisting, Captain Ceshia. After that, we easily captured three fortresses that had originally intended to resist. Have you ever thought about how many casualties this saved?" He sighed helplessly. "I've always hoped that Your Majesty would take action against those idlers who spread ridiculous rumors to prevent them from affecting the morale of the troops on the front lines. If even you believe this, then I..."

"And you still owe us Black Sword's salary." Saixia said.

"Okay, okay, this is my fault." Garcia surrendered immediately. "This is indeed my fault. If the three cities behind resist stubbornly, I will let everyone rob them as they please after the cities are broken.

I can definitely afford the plunder. But how can I say it? Recovering them as intact as possible is what the Empire requires. If I can't do it, the alliance between the Kingdom and them will be affected. Long-term salary payments will also be affected.

. "

"That's way too long." The female mercenary stared at him. "Now that the fighting at the border has paused, I've even had to travel thousands of miles to Noyen to take on private work. How long do you think these unpaid wages will last?"

Garcia's face turned cold. "I can only afford the salaries of my own mercenaries, Ceshia. You Black Swords have too many men, and your appetites are too big. But..." He then changed the subject.

"If you have something to say, just say it, Garcia. Don't show me your face-changing skills that are faster than turning the pages of a book."

"I can pay off the outstanding wages of your team with my personal property."

"What's the purpose?"

Garcia gestured toward Cesar. "Help this guy with his training."

"The executioner from the border region asked someone else to teach his cousin the ways of the battlefield? Can't you teach him yourself? I really... I didn't want to get involved in your troubles." She turned her gaze to Cesar. "Isn't this guy going to fight to the death with your junior from the military academy?"

"Let's divide it up," Garcia said casually. "The old man has too many offspring. If my cousin can survive, he'll be in my debt and will be of great use in the future. As for those who can't match him, they're probably just worthless trash. It's better for them to die in the arena than to be forced into my service and harm my soldiers."

Chapter 32 There are things we have to do

"Then you should have killed your stupid brother instead of letting him do whatever he wanted in the barracks and watching him lead his troops into an ambush and die on the battlefield." Saixia said.

"I don't want to fight my own blood relatives," Garcia said, unconcerned. "Those who can clearly understand the situation on the battlefield can figure it out on their own without my having to worry about them. It's pointless for me to waste my energy on those who can't. Why not let them die from their own stupidity? It's their own fault anyway. I just need to offer condolences that meet the family's requirements."

"Your calculations are quite astute."

"People must learn to compromise with themselves, Captain Ceshia."

"What about this guy? What about his troubles?"

Seeing the mercenary captain making a gesture towards him, Cesar blinked to show his innocence.

"If you want to avoid trouble, follow the temple out of the city as soon as possible." Garcia raised his voice slightly. "The longer you stay in this old man's shell, the greater the chance of trouble. However, with Xiel's followers here, nothing too serious will go wrong."

Cesar looked at his fake cousin in silence, but the latter said nothing more. Whether Garcia knew about the people's movements, what his attitude was, and whether he was subtly trying to persuade them to leave the city as soon as possible—the truth behind these things was probably only known to Garcia himself.

......

Musali rode across the barren, snow-covered steppe, heading toward the faintly visible dirt hills in the distance. He passed the sheep of the Enya tribe, brushed past riders grazing their herds, and then spotted the young men of the Kunat tribe. To him, these young riders seemed inexperienced, not warriors, but children who had just taken up arms. However, to survive the harsh winter ahead, they too would risk their lives on the other side of the rocky abyss.

That year, the grasslands suffered a summer drought and a poor harvest, and early winter brought a heavy snowstorm, resembling white hair. All tribes suffered losses. Previously, they could seize other tribes' pastures and food, but now no one had any surplus food. Without some countermeasures, they would likely have to slaughter horses, cattle, and sheep en masse to survive. This was undoubtedly a case of drinking poison to quench thirst. Therefore, the warriors of the various tribes united to bypass the Stone Abyss, and he didn't even need to give a speech.

穆萨里在土山下徘徊了好一段时间，才沿着依稀可见的足迹发现了石缝里的洞窟。他找到了阿婕赫最近落脚的地方。(群6&999四:9'三6壹!999)这家伙总是神出鬼没，从来不住大帐。

A small room nestled in the crevice of the cave's rocks was cramped and dark, with nothing to offer except a single, milky-yellow butter lamp in the corner. Next to the lamp lay a book, its words too dim for Musali to discern, but the cave dwellers were a different story.