Shadow of the Evil God

So many days have passed, and many things have become completely different. In the past, Cesar's appearance here would not cause much waves, but now he is the most famous person in Noien, and soon, this reputation will probably spread even further.

There were many different stories about Cesar. Kallen alone had heard over a dozen from the wounded. The most widespread was the one about him bravely risking his life alone, advancing against the threat of death as the city was about to fall. The story went on to say that he not only fought off an entire street of enemies but also penetrated a heavily defended army, single-handedly finding and capturing the steppe leader, then fighting his way through to join the remnants of Lower Noien, ultimately sacrificing himself to secure a truce.

The commander of the grassland people who was captured by him at that time was said to have a great admiration for him. He not only told his deeds to everyone he met, but also praised his courage and spirit of sacrifice. It was not until the arrival of Olidan's army recently that his admiration was slightly alleviated.

The status conferred by such rumors was quite unique. As for their veracity, the fact that he was the enemy's steppe commander was enough to prove their authenticity. Other rumors were even more bizarre, even saying that he had made great achievements in geometry since childhood, far surpassing the masters of the noble military school, and almost single-handedly improved the artillery system of Noien.

During this strange truce, the political situation in the entire Noien was turbulent. Therefore, the rumors about Cesar became more and more bizarre, and different versions of the story became more and more numerous as time passed.

Thanks to Cesar, Kallen's situation had worsened considerably. With so many people paying attention to Cesar, it was inevitable that others would also be paying attention to the people he frequently interacted with. Many people were now desperate to understand why he frequently visited the soon-to-be-abandoned temple on the nights before the war, spending so much time with an unknown young monk.

Kallen herself couldn't explain the reasoning behind this. Was she honestly exchanging stories all night? Someone would have to believe it. This was even more absurd than the ridiculous rumors about him. Considering how he'd been doing this for so long, the stories surrounding him didn't seem surprising.

As she distributed medicine and monitored the wounded, Cesar spoke with a young nobleman. His name was Urko, and his injury wasn't due to combat. Instead, he'd been caught having an affair with a noblewoman, escaped in the middle of the night, and broken his leg. Because Noi'en's medical resources were stretched thin, and he'd offended someone, he'd come to the temple to fill a spot for the wounded.

This man was a noble from the royal faction. He was sent to Noien with several other relatives to develop the family business. However, he was more passionate about art than other aspects. Compared with his relatives, he could only be called an idle idler most of the time.

Just as Kallen reached the man's bedside, she heard Cesar ask with interest, "Are you sure you want to attend the castle meeting?"

Although Urko looked pale and frail, he answered firmly, "I must go! This is the most important event to happen in Neuen in recent years. How can I not be there? And why aren't you going?"

"Why don't you tell me why he shouldn't go, monk." Cesar turned his head towards her, as if he had to find some trouble for her since he noticed her coming.

Although the scriptures said she should draw a clear line between extreme emotions and she could actually concentrate quickly and forget about her restless emotions, Cesar sometimes wanted her to punch him, even if her punches were nothing.

Kallen was really curious why he hadn't been beaten to death for talking nonsense.

Maybe it's because he only looks for people he can talk nonsense to cause trouble for them?

She walked to the bedside and carefully considered her words. "Mr. Urko, I suggest you don't go anywhere today. If you insist on getting out of bed and walking, your symptoms will only get worse the longer you try. If you have to climb another long hill, you'll have to go to the Grand Temple and ask for treatment beyond the mundane realm."

Chapter 93: Ordinary life, ordinary death

After hearing her speech, Cesar seemed thoughtful, but his interest remained undimmed, as if her words were truly interesting. Kallen didn't understand why he found such words so interesting. After all, he wasn't a cynical, idle aristocrat, nor did he have the temperament and demeanor to play with such trivial matters.

Was it because he felt lonely and bored after being locked up by the grassland people and really wanted to find some pathetic fun to relieve his boredom, or was there some other reason?

"Although she's not a professionally trained physician," Cesar said thoughtfully, "based on my usual impression, I think this sister is quite accurate in her assessment of injuries, and seems quite confident in her observations." He smiled at her again, "Are you confident in your judgment, Sister Kallen? If you have time, you must tell me how you became a physician in the temple without any professional training."

"You asked me to give your opinion, and now you're questioning my qualifications?" Kallen replied, "I don't have much to say. I haven't received any professional training. I've only assisted the monks responsible for healing. Perhaps I should have, but not since they all died in the mines."

"Which monk?" Cesar's tone was still very polite. Of course, the fact was that no matter what unpleasant words he said, he looked very polite.

"Vitley da Phimmo." Karen said concisely.

"Is it Brother Vitelli?" Urko was extremely surprised. "He didn't return to the Grand Temple? I always thought such a highly respected person would have a better path..."

"At least our venerable monk left behind an unexpected heir," Cesar said. "Don't you see the similarities between them? Both their medical skills and methods are very similar. No matter how long a person trains in a secular clinic, it won't be as good as a few years of apprenticeship with Brother Whitley."

"You're right," Urko said. "I should express my apologies to Brother Whitley." He seemed to have been convinced, and the reason was so obvious, so obvious that Karen realized that no matter how hard she tried to treat the wounded here, it was not as moving as the name of a famous dead person.

As an elderly monk who had provided medical services to the nobles for many years, few in Neuen did not respect Vitelli. For this reason, when the list of the dead was announced, Neuen deliberately concealed his name, making people believe that he had left without saying goodbye and went to another city.

Kallen frowned. "I'm honored to have you see the connection, Lord Cesar, even though I didn't know it existed myself." Cesar nodded and smiled naturally, expressing his appreciation for her rather rude words. Kallen saw several people nearby staring in astonishment at her words. It had nothing to do with her personally, but rather with Cesar's current fame and status.

When he was a penniless bastard, his affairs didn't matter. But as the war spread, at least in Neuen, his influence had grown beyond comprehension. Now, even if he committed a crime in the streets, people would first find flaws and faults in the victim, seeking every possible excuse. Even his lies would be convincing—Karen knew he didn't even know Brother Whitley, he had never even met him.

She herself did not see any resemblance between herself and Brother Whateley.

"Witley's student has reason to be proud." Even Urko, who never looked at her with any respect, came to her defense. "I should apologize for my stubbornness, but this morning, the Earl's messenger came and questioned me seriously... You must understand that this meeting is extraordinary, and our presence is crucial."

"Perhaps you should give him some more serious warnings, Brother," Cesar said softly, raising an eyebrow. He looked Kallen up and down, as if observing her thoughts and her reaction to what he had just heard. "To see if our Mr. Urko cares more about a meeting or his own safety," he added.

"Your lower limbs might become paralyzed," Karen said frankly. While the possibility wasn't great, it was real, and it could even affect the things she cared about most, her love life. Brother Whitley believed that physicians needed to intimidate their patients to keep them obedient. She'd never done that, but when the need arose, she seemed quite adept at it.

Urco was immediately frightened and began to ask her anxiously for medicine. Cesar was still in high spirits, and seemed to be enjoying some more subtle pleasure. When he heard someone coming hurriedly, his interest seemed to be further sustained.

The crowd was noisy and chaotic, and then Kallen saw someone rushing into the temple with sword-wielding guards. Not only those sword-wielding guards, but also the nobles who led the way were fully armed, holding swords, forcing those who blocked their way to give way to him.

Lu rushed all the way to Urko's bedside.

At this time, Urko was still in shock. "What's going on, uncle? What are you doing here?"

"Follow me out of town

"The ship at the harbor is ready!" the elder noble hissed. "Stand up, even if your legs are broken! The old man has established contact with Olidan, using treason as a pretext to arrest all factions close to the royal family. When you're thrown into prison, you'll have no way of explaining what you've done."

Kallen suddenly understood everything, including why so many people were so concerned about the wounded today, and why someone was so excited, talking nonstop to a noble who was destined to suffer. She glanced at Cesar and saw that he first put his left hand on Urko's shoulder to show closeness, and then extended his right hand to the newcomer.

"According to Brother Kallen's warning, your nephew Urko may be at risk of paralysis as a result of this escape," he said. "Once you have successfully escaped the city, please remember to have him carefully examined."

Unexpectedly, the old nobleman extended a hand in response, and Cesar took it. Kallen was still in shock, because his thoughts were more complicated than she had expected.

"I don't want to get involved in the conflict between your two factions," Cesar continued. "You should be clear about this by now. The old man wants to force me to side with him, even throwing some dirty water on me, and the queen wants to get rid of me as soon as possible. I'm helpless on both sides, but for the sake of the temple, at least you can send a message to those who want revenge in the future, saying that I am not responsible for what happened today."

The old noble nodded. "Thank you for the information. I can't promise the royal family's attitude, but I can guarantee that my family and I will not take action against you. Furthermore, I will do my best to clarify the facts within my ability. If a dangerous situation becomes unavoidable, I will do my best to pass on firsthand information to your people. But as for the Earl..."

"The old man won't do anything now except force me to express my opinion," said Cesar.

"There's a small path in the backyard of the temple," Kallen suddenly said, "If you want to go to the port, it's the most secret way."

Cesar paused, then turned his head. "I honestly say that before you said this, this matter had nothing to do with you, Brother Kallen. And it had nothing to do with you in the first place."

"Honestly speaking, Lord Cesar, what I do should have nothing to do with you. But being responsible for the patients at hand must have something to do with me." Kallen replied.

"Assisting a prisoner to escape is indeed a serious crime," the old noble said. "I respect your courage and sense of responsibility, monk, but if you do this, you won't be able to live the rest of your life peacefully like he did."

"She will follow the high priest to the Grand Temple." Cesar said, "The old man will never send people to break into the Grand Temple of Xier to kill the monks."

"I don't think so. Currently, I've been labeled a member of a heretical sect and am ineligible to enter the Grand Temple," Kallen replied. "Even if the High Priest takes extra care of me, it can't override the Grand Temple's regulations."

Cesar fell silent. He first asked the hesitant old noble to leave, then shook hands with Urco, who bowed repeatedly to them. Finally, he turned around and stared at her. "How should I put it? You make me a little...annoyed, really."

"Perhaps you're simply overly concerned with the present, Lord Cesar," she said. "The insignificant deaths of people are simply a microcosm of the mundane world of this era. They neither affect the functioning of the secular world nor shake the established order. What happened in Lower Noyen a few days ago has proven this, and I believe Upper Noyen will soon prove the same. In this matter, I'm no different from anyone else, and I won't be any different from anyone else just because someone knows me."

Cesar hesitated for a moment. "I admit, I'm helpless against your remarks, and I'm always left speechless by your refutations," he said carefully. "And I admit, I'm quite selfish, wanting to satisfy my own meager sense of morality with people I know well, while trying to ignore those I neither know nor want to know. But this selfishness... always allows me to make different decisions, like what happened just now. So, from my perspective, in order to maintain this selfish desire to believe I'm different from others, and to keep my motivations the same, I can understand and respect your way of living as if nothing matters to you, but I can't..."

"What do you want?" Kallen said with a frown.

"If you had just lied a little, saying you were going to the Grand Temple, it wouldn't have mattered," Cesar said. "But since you have no plans or direction, you're just living an ordinary life, and it seems you're planning to die an ordinary death... I think it wouldn't be a problem if I let you be taken away in an ordinary way and continue to perform your duties as a doctor elsewhere, don't you agree?"

"How did you conclude I had no plans?"

Chapter 94 This is the Commission

"I really don't know," Cesar shrugged. "Then I should ask for your forgiveness."

"Nothing, I couldn't think of it at first," said Kallen.

"What's the plan?"

"Your mercenaries said they were in need of stable doctors on the front lines. That's pretty much it. Secular doctors are always requisitioned by nobles under pretexts and never returned.

If it were a monk, he would have the power to decide where to go."

To be honest, Cecia did say this, but she had never thought about it before she mentioned it simply to refute Cesar.

Karen suddenly felt that she had been planning to go north, across the mountains and rivers, to the place where the most casualties had occurred.

She picked up the medicine and bandages and walked back, finding a place to rest among the crude beds, gradually making her way back to her own equally shabby room. The dim light of the candles illuminated the increasingly dilapidated old house. With her recent busy schedule, she had little time for cleaning or repairs. The broken wooden bed was still missing a leg, and the fourth leg was supported by firewood she had chopped in the backyard. The coal in the old fireplace was almost gone, and she would have to get more when the siege ended and mining resumed.

"This method is indeed feasible..." Cesar said, following along nonchalantly, as if he, too, owned the place. "The war situation is now stable, favoring the alliance of several kingdoms here. Physicians usually only work in the baggage camp. Overall, this is a good option."

"You have to think everything through." Karen put the medicine back in the cupboard.

To different people, her words could be praise or provocation, but here they have more of a provocative meaning.

Cesar grinned. "That's right. Anything that can be considered must be carefully considered. Just like if you were to go to the front lines, I would investigate and consider everything thoroughly before going."

"Since fate has revealed the way forward, all I can do is follow it."

"why?"

"No reason. When I was young, it brought me here from a wilderness full of death, giving me the opportunity to gain awareness. When this is over, it will bring me back from here to a wilderness full of death, allowing me to exercise my awareness."

Cesar shook his head. "When we first met, I'd have loved to argue with you, but now I don't feel like it. Anyway, if you really want to go to the front lines, please stay close to Ceshia. I'm not just talking about whether a person is trustworthy, but also about how she differs from other mercenaries. I originally sent someone to wait for her, intending to tell her the situation halfway to the castle meeting, but she actually went straight to the temple without even going to the castle meeting. Considering her past experiences, I think she must have a keen sense of bloody power struggles. This can save people from many unnecessary disasters."

Kallen noticed the whereabouts of Ceshia and several mercenary captains. They helped a lot tonight and seemed to even plan to spend the night in the temple with the wounded.

"You should also have some mental expectations about where you are going, Lord Cesar," she said. "Although you try your best to consider everything happening around you and try to grasp the surrounding environment, when many things happen, all you can do is simply consider them."

"I didn't know you would say something like that to me." Cesar was a little stunned.

"Is it strange? Although you personally annoy me, judging from what has happened so far, your desire to live as a human being can indeed be trusted." Kallen said calmly.

"I just don't believe in the value of things that people fight over, and I also..."

Kallen knew what Cesar wanted to say, so she spoke first. "No matter where the reasons for your choices and decisions come from, or whether they are true or not, they are things that others would not easily make—and you don't even struggle with it. Of course, you don't have to say the second half of the sentence. I know your suspicion is directed at everything, not just those cruel people and things, because I have suffered greatly from them myself. I personally hope that when we meet in the future, you can use fewer cruel words and thoughts."

"You're asking too much." He smiled gently.

"Is this considered forcing others to do something?"

"Well..." Cesar pondered. "You're so nonchalant, it's hard not to wonder how you could possibly stop being so nonchalant."

"You are indeed cruel," Kallen said. "It's just that your cruelty is different from that of ordinary people, but it's still cruel."

"I can't agree to this, but I can spend some time thinking about it on the way," Cesar continued. "But how should I put it? Different things carry different weights in our hearts. Some are put aside in a corner after a few glances, while others are held in our hands and pondered constantly. If you allow me, I hope that our memories of these days will not just be about exchanging a few stories or arguing about a few scriptures. This way, I can spend more time thinking about it carefully, and then I can give it a credible answer."

"I don't understand what you're trying to say."

Cesar shrugged. "It's nothing, actually." He said, "I came to the temple for two reasons: first, to help those nobles escape so that I could solve my own problems, and second, to give you something."

He took out a cloth-wrapped object from his lapel and handed it to her solemnly. When Karen opened the cloth, she found that it was the scripture of their church, but when she opened the cover, she found that the words in the scripture were marked with some strange symbols.

"I can't read. And I don't know what these symbols are," said Kallen.

"Phonetic symbols, maybe they can be called phonetic symbols." Cesar said, "I have had nothing to do in the Sassulai camp recently, so I summarized a set of symbols based on the pronunciation of each word in the Frank language.

There are fifty-three. If you can memorize these symbols, you will be able to read your scriptures according to the symbols. I think that with your understanding of the scriptures, you will not need anyone to teach you how to read and write at this point.

“Is this something that can be made in a few days?

"I don't quite understand the difficulty of this matter, but its significance seems extraordinary."

"In fact, most of the work is done by my assistant." He spread his hands and said, "If there is a chance to publish a book, I will write her as the first author. After all, I am just an assistant who helps with the work."

"Is that the musketeer who looks like he came from the Northern Empire?" Karen flipped through the church's scriptures and found a scroll with many unfamiliar symbols listed inside.

"I'll start with the first phonetic symbol and tell you how to pronounce them. I hope you can remember them—I believe you can." Cesar took the scripture and went over the pronunciation of each symbol with her. Karen thought for a while, then nodded to show that she understood. She took the scripture from him, with each word and sentence marked with pronunciation.

Their fingers intertwined. "Thank you," she said, "though I don't know what else to say..."

"Although this is sudden, can I shake your hand, Brother Kallen?" Cesar asked, looking into her eyes. "Just consider it a farewell. Until you leave the city, I may not have the chance to come to the temple again."

"If you want..."

As their fingers touched, Cesar leaned forward, his dark eyes capturing her gaze. Though it was only a silent touch of lips, the momentary interaction was enough to cause a sudden halt in thought and consciousness. For about ten seconds, Kallen remained motionless, until she regained consciousness, narrowing her eyes to study his expression. Only then did he step back. She felt a tingling sensation in her fingertips.

"I usually like to talk about personal friendships," Cesar said calmly, "but lately I've been thinking about fair exchange. Since you want to join the mercenary business, consider this kiss as commission for marking the sutra. If you're unhappy, you can take back the thank you you gave me earlier."

Chapter 95 Can you speak?

After a long while, Kallen finally found her voice. "What you said just now isn't even an excuse. But honestly, you don't need to make excuses, Master Cesar."

"Really?" Cesar asked back.

"Indeed," Kallen said. "Compared to your initial remarks, which seemed like you wanted to tear me apart, this playful touch is nothing. I'm more curious about why you stopped arguing with me about the scriptures. After all, if you wanted to, you have countless ways to skin and dismember my every refutation."

"This is such a cruel description, making me sound like a butcher. Am I that cruel?" Cesar asked again.

"Although I want to say yes, is this how you avoid questions? Never mind, I can answer them myself. I've often suspected that you actually want to wait until I understand my faith better before peeling its skin off. Giving me so much now is also so that at some point in the future, the skin you peel off from me will be more to your liking."

Cesar pondered her words for a moment, still looking nonchalant. "From what you've said, I actually harbor malicious intent, Brother Kallen?"

"Hasn't your pervasive malice been there from the beginning? I've just gradually learned to tolerate it. Don't act like you've never noticed it. Who else but you would question everything someone believes within a short time of meeting them? Many of your words are like sharp daggers, stabbing people where it hurts the most. Now you're talking to me about a fair deal, are you trying to quietly ignore all the things that have been impossible to measure so far?"

Kallen took a step forward, and when Cesar subconsciously stepped back, she took the initiative to move forward and forced him to sit down on the shabby broken bed. Then, she looked down at him condescendingly.

"Okay, maybe I shouldn't just brush it off as nothing happened, or say it was just a debate about a few verses or a few stories, but I personally feel..."

Kallen felt the blush fading, faster than she'd expected, and with it came dissatisfaction with his erratic gaze, his nonchalant responses, and other expressions. She took another step forward, leaning slightly down, first grasping his face with both hands before kissing him with her own style. This wasn't a continuation of the previous kiss; it held a completely different symbolic meaning.

"This is a damage tax." Kallen raised her face slightly, but her breath still covered his face. "Those things I just mentioned in one sentence had an impact so huge that it's unimaginable. So, this can't even be considered a commission, it's just a tax."

Cesar was visibly stunned for a moment, almost as long as she was. "Okay, I understand, and I apologize. This isn't something I can just brush off with a single, nonchalant tone. And I promise I'll separate the events before and after the war in Noyen," he said.

"It's great that you understand." Kallen took a step back and said, "Of course, these two kisses should be discussed separately. I hope you don't think the second is a continuation of the first. You pay your commission, and I collect my taxes. The two things are clearly separate and cannot be confused in the slightest." She thought for a moment, then added as a farewell, "I hope you'll have changed when we meet again. Although I don't really hold out much hope."

Perhaps because his statement was too bizarre, Cesar was stunned for a while. "Actually, I would rather keep you, but since you said so..."

"So what if I say that?" Kallen asked back expressionlessly.

"It's nothing. I look forward to meeting you again one day and what you will be like then." He finally said.

After saying goodbye to Cesar, Karen felt she had won this final meeting with Noien, but her heart was still beating fast, and it was hard to say how credible her final expression of calm was. From this point of view, this starting point wasn't too bad, but it wasn't very good either.

.......