Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 270

The visitor was very polite, standing outside the tent and not coming in.

Xiangzi winked at Chu Hua.

"(The tent isn't as soundproof as we thought, so we'll have to keep our voices down.)" Xiangzi's voice echoed in their minds. At the same time, she said something else entirely: "That's the plan now. No questions, right?"

As she spoke, she walked toward the curtain.

brush--

Xiangzi pulled back the curtain and peeked out.

"Good evening, Mr. Deacon."

"Good evening." The knight bowed slightly to Xiangzi.

The red robe he was originally wearing had turned white, and the fabric was the same coarse linen as Xiangzi's, making him look like a monk wearing armor.

He was originally a knight of the Empire, but after transforming into a Jack-o'-lantern once, he could never return to the Empire. He had become a monster, and even with armor covering his body, he couldn't possibly live in armor forever.

It was Saint-Shuari who invited him and gave him a place.

Even though he had killed one of their comrades' brothers, the fact that Saint-Shuari still accepted him was enough to move Deacon deeply.

"We're almost ready on our end," Xiangzi said.

"Your carriages are ready. We'll be traveling all night, so it would be best to rest in the carriages for a while."

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Deacon. We'll be there soon."

"Then I'll be going now." Deacon clenched his fist, tapped his breastplate, making a clanging sound. "May the goddess protect you."

Xiangzi skillfully interlaced his fingers and placed them in front of his chest, making a prayer gesture.

May the goddess protect us.

......

Bang, bang, bang.

As the sound of Deacon's armor faded into the distance, Xiangzi finally lowered the curtain and turned around.

"Pack your things and get ready to leave. Don't discuss anything related to this mission," Xiangzi said. "If there's anything, I'll explain it to you verbally when we get in the car."

"Hmm..." Chu Hua nodded.

========

Late at night, a troop of soldiers quietly left the camp under the cover of darkness.

Among the procession, a remarkably sturdy four-wheeled carriage slowly drove into the distance along with the rest of the group.

"(Actually, most of the people who participated in this mission didn't know they were going to assassinate the Red Queen. It was only because I became the adjutant that I had the authority to know the 'truth' about it.)"

Sitting in the swaying carriage, Xiangzi closed his eyes and spoke to Chuhua in words.

She slightly opened her eyes and looked at the coachman sitting in front of the carriage.

The coachman, dressed in armor with a linen cloak over it, was Deacon, the same one who had come to remind them to prepare for departure.

“(Deacon is a good man. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do either. If he did, he probably would have refused.)” Xiangzi sighed.

"Why would Saint Seiya do such a thing? Assassinating the Red Queen wouldn't bring them any political benefits; on the contrary, it would make the empire more united." Chu Hua leaned on her shoulder and asked, puzzled.

"(...I've thought about this question too.)" Xiangzi opened his eyes and rested his head on Chuhua's head.

She couldn't think of why for the time being.

"Who is in charge of this operation?" Chu Hua asked again.

"(I have no idea.)"

"(You don't know? You're the adjutant, how could you not know your superior...)" Chu Hua straightened up, her eyes filled with surprise.

How has Xiangzi operated within this organization all along?

"(The leader of Saint-Shuari, who called himself Gross, transmitted all orders and directions through letters.)" Xiangzi rested his chin on his hand, looking out the window at the night view. "(Nobody knows what he looks like.)"

"(Something's really not right...)"

“Yes, something is definitely wrong.” Xiangzi squinted. “This so-called resistance organization, from top to bottom, has a really strange feel to it.”

She stared intently at the road ahead.

"(They have so many followers because their ideology is 'redeeming the world,' and they are indeed doing good deeds...and that book, the one called 'The Bloodless World.')"

"(The World Without Blood?)"

"(It can be said to be the dogma of St. John, filled with the idea of ​​creating a better world through atonement, redemption, forgiveness, and pardon. Because the monsters are all people who have made mistakes and transformed into monsters, this book provides them with a lot of spiritual guidance, acts as their opinion leader, and binds them tightly together.)"

"(religion?)"

"(Perhaps more than that; this is a guiding principle.)"

Who is the author?

"(The leader Gross, who is elusive and rarely seen.)" Xiangzi smiled sarcastically.

“(No wonder.)” Chu Hua lowered her head, a look of understanding on her face.

"(So I think the information I received is also false. Saint Seiya may have assigned different tasks to different people. Assassinating the Red Queen and such is just a pretext. They must have some purpose that they want to achieve, even if it means escalating the conflict with the Empire.)"

Xiangzi closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

"(Anyway, we'll see the results tomorrow. Let's wait and see.)"

"(Let's see what Gross and Santos are up to.)"

=====

P.S.: There's been a lot going on during the National Day holiday. I'll be updating twice a week starting tomorrow, and won't be able to resume three updates a week after the holiday ends.

The Lost Tale: The Lost Child: Chapter 336 I Fight Heavy Cavalry, Really?

The next day.

[The World of Desire: The Threshold of Anger]

This is a gateway city, the only passage to a world of rage.

The Wrathful World, as its name suggests, is the territory of warlike and irritable barbarians who launch attacks on the pass every few days. However, due to the natural defenses and the knights guarding the city, these barbarians have never succeeded.

Although it is a border fortress used to defend against foreign enemies, the Wrathful World is not only home to barbarians who only know how to plunder, but also contains many precious resources that are rare or even impossible to find in the World of Desire. Every year, many people go out through this pass to seek their fortune, hoping to find something in another world and become rich overnight upon their return.

Medicines, weapons, and all sorts of necessities... all kinds of supplies were transported from the world of desire to this city. Fine gold, mithril, special offerings, precious herbs, and other valuable items were transported back from beyond the pass. The development of this border city was unexpectedly prosperous. It paid a large amount of tithes every year and was a must-pass place for the Red Queen's inspection tour.

This is what Deacon told Xiangzi, everything about this city.

Without a doubt, this is a bustling city.

but.

But that's not what Xiangzi saw.

Instead of entering the city, they climbed a mountain not far from the city and waited for the Red Queen's convoy on the mountainside in order to ambush her.

From the mountainside, you can see the pass city that Deacon mentioned in the distance, but what unfolds before your eyes is a scene completely opposite to the description.

A dry, scorching wind from the angry world blew by, making Xiangzi's lips parched. She licked her lips, picked up her binoculars, and looked towards the distant city.

If it were bustling, you would see crowds of people, soldiers patrolling the city walls, and merchants or travelers waiting at the city gates to enter the city.

However, Xiangzi did not see any of the things mentioned above.

There was no one on the streets, no one on the city walls, no one at the city gates, no one to be seen anywhere.

"What's going on, Mr. Deacon? Are you telling the truth?" Xiangzi asked with a skeptical expression, handing the binoculars to Deacon.

Deacon took the binoculars and glanced at them as well.

“I don’t know either…” Deacon put down his binoculars with a puzzled look. “I’ve never been here before, I’ve only heard of its reputation.”

"It can't be fake, can it?" Xiangzi raised an eyebrow.

Deacon shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

“But speaking of which, Miss Xiangzi, what exactly is this mission about?” He frowned. “This ambush has been in preparation for a long time, but Lord Gross has not said who the target of the ambush is.”

“The Red Queen.” Xiangzi hugged his upper arm with one hand. “In a little while, the Red Queen’s procession will pass by here.”

"...I had suspected it, and it turns out it really is true." Deacon scratched his head, not showing much surprise.

"You know?" Xiangzi glanced at him.

“I once served as a rider in the Queen’s patrol caravan, and it’s about time for me to patrol here.”

"So what's your opinion on this?" Xiangzi asked again.

“Since it’s Lord Gross’s order, he must have his reasons.” Deacon sighed. “We can’t fathom it.”

"You mean, we just need to blindly follow orders?" Xiangzi asked, somewhat surprised.

For Xiangzi, concealing important information was tantamount to betrayal. She thought that Deacon, having experienced betrayal once, would never accept it a second time.

"I am a soldier, this is my duty."

"..."

Xiangzi was silent.

“What a good soldier,” she whispered. “Are you really familiars…? You don’t seem like them at all…”

The more Xiangzi interacted with people like Deacon, the more wavering he became.

Familiars, familiars... If they were familiars, she would kill them without any psychological burden. When she first accepted the Empire's bounty missions, she "sacrificed" quite a few wanted criminals.

Same now.

As long as you don't treat them like human beings, you will never hesitate to "sacrifice" them.

Besides...

Xiangzi pursed his lips, his eyes hidden in the shadow of his bangs.

“What did Miss Xiangzi say? I didn’t hear clearly.” (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

“I said,” Xiangzi took a deep breath and then exhaled, “you’re a good soldier, Deacon.”

"Thanks for the compliment."

"You're welcome."

Xiangzi turned his head and looked in the other direction of the canyon.

The road ended cleanly, and the enormous, crimson sun drew ever closer to the surface. The sunlight was gradually dimming, and those standing on the mountainside would soon be enveloped in shadow.

No one lit torches, and the scattered laughter grew fainter and fainter as the sun set, until it disappeared completely.

The mountainside, the road, the city—all were silent.

Several crows cawed in the sky, carried away in all directions by the scorching wind.

A man with strangely shaped ears lay on the ground, his ears pressed tightly against the earth. Undoubtedly, he was a strange man; the monster he had once been in possessed exceptional hearing, which he had now inherited.

The man was wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and the fading sunlight couldn't see his eyes; all that could be seen was his lips moving as he muttered something.

Suddenly, the man stopped moving his lips and straightened up.

“Here I am,” he said.

Xiangzi picked up the binoculars and looked towards the end of the road.

By this time, half of the sun had already sunk below the horizon, and a cluster of blurry shadows gradually appeared in the sun, like spots, growing larger and larger.

Finally, the shadow transformed into a giant carriage.

The carriage required a dozen or twenty horses to pull it, and its wheels, as tall as a person, left deep marks on the ground. The carriage was decorated with many precious and shiny ornaments that shimmered in the setting sun.

That wasn't just a carriage; it was practically a mobile palace.

The knight at the front held aloft a banner bearing the imperial insignia, while a dozen heavily armored knights guarded the flanks of the carriage.

As the procession drew closer, a tremor accompanied by a rumbling sound began to appear beneath Xiangzi's feet.

The guards following behind also revealed themselves.

A full one hundred heavily armored knights.