Thorne applauded silently in his heart. He had no objection to killing, but if Sellen did this, she would only become an enemy of all sorcerers and end up on a dead-end path.
Setting aside his personal feelings as a disciple, from the perspective of Caria, he also needed to pull this powerful sorcerer into his own camp. Magic comes from the stars, and the fates of the royal family and the Primeval Sorcerer are both connected to the starry sky; so why couldn't they walk the same path? "So you should consider my path."
During this time, Thorne would whisper in Sellen's ear whenever he had the chance, and she didn't seem annoyed, though she would mock him every time.
"Hmph, I think it's simpler to just catch sorcerers for experiments." Sellen stretched, yawning as she said:
"I'm going to catch up on some sleep, and while I'm at it, I'll find a suitable place in the Academy to use as a dark room. I'll give you the afternoon off."
"Don't you need my help?"
"No need. Haven't you not eaten yet? Go and come back quickly; we still have to pull an all-nighter writing our thesis tonight."
Damn, no sleep tonight either. Thorne slapped his forehead. He, the dignified Sword Ghost, was almost becoming an excellent test-taker. Others abandoned the pen for the sword, but him? He did the exact opposite. Seeing the disheveled Sellen enter her room, he quickly took off his apron and hurried off to eat. Hurry back, maybe he could catch a nap.
The sun was shining brightly, and the Academy was still full of vitality, but there were several times more sorcerers on guard duty, all gripping their staves and watching their surroundings vigilantly, never suspecting that the murderer from that night was walking right past them. A squad of sorcerers checked his pass and let him through immediately.
Thorne walked out of the gate and along the wide bridge towards the small town. As a spy, he looked around with professional diligence. "The defensive strength of the Cuckoo Knights has decreased by fifty percent.
Have they pulled their forces out to guard against the Haligtree Army? It's a pity that Caria doesn't dare to show its face, otherwise, this would be a great opportunity to force the Academy to close its doors."
The Shattering was drawing to a close, and the two strongest lords were about to clash. Thorne was even wondering if he could go to Caelid to find an opportunity to take out Radahn. But he thought better of it; he wasn't strong enough to intervene in a duel between two demigods, even knowing they would both be left severely wounded.
Have they pulled their forces out to guard against the Halig...
I still had to find a chance to run back to Caria and get Ranni and Blaidd to strike together; maybe it could actually work. Holding onto such treacherous thoughts, he finally walked into the town.
The trauma caused by the dementia sickness remained, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the road. Now the main road to the Altus Plateau was blocked by the Haligtree Army, and commercial traffic was completely cut off. When a kingdom falls, the people suffer, but Thorne wasn't crazy enough to go and argue with Malenia, so he gently pushed open the door of the small shop. Ding-a-ling.
"Welcome, Master Roland!" Even through his hood, the people in the shop recognized Thorne. With Sellen's research funding, he spent all his allowance on food and drink, so the boss was happier to see him than his own mother.
"Business isn't very good today."
"Yeah, not many caravans have passed through here, and many people have moved away." Thorne was walking to his usual seat, but he paused when he heard this.
"Why?" The boss hurried over and whispered, "There are two things. First, there's a rumor that the closer you are to the Erdtree, the lower the chance of getting the dementia sickness, so the rich gentlemen in town have all gone to Leyndell." Nonsense. Thorne shook his head in disdain. Once the Grace is planted, there is no cure unless one becomes a Tarnished. "The second thing is that the Cuckoo Knights haven't been getting paid recently. Their military pay has been suspended, and they seem to be making quite a scene." This was useful information. Thorne kept it in mind and asked casually, "What kind of scene?"
"Robbing everywhere, of course." The boss looked disdainful. The Cuckoo Knights had ideals at the beginning, but as the war became more brutal, their personnel became chaotic, and the only things that could maintain their unity were money and women. It was hateful that he couldn't wipe them all out. Thorne didn't speak. He felt he was still too weak; the Cuckoo Knights, with their hundreds of knights, were still a behemoth. He sat in his seat, and the waitress, Tina, approached with a tray. Thorne glanced at her, and seeing she was unhappy, asked casually, "What happened?"
"Nothing much, just that the church I frequently visit was robbed, and even the priest has gone to Leyndell to lodge a complaint." As a devout believer, the young girl wore her unhappiness on her face. The Lands Between was in chaos now. The army of the 'Valkyrie' Malenia had already entered Liurnia, and the Raya Lucaria Academy had sent two professors to express goodwill, which was also one of the reasons for terminating the investigation. 'To dare to loot even a church, these are no longer ordinary bandits.' Thorne glanced at the Cuckoo Soldiers patrolling outside and had a certain suspicion.
He was calculating, even though the amateurs from Caria still hadn't sent anyone to meet him. "The boss said the Cuckoo Knights were causing trouble," he thought. "If it really was them, maybe I could get some leverage. Could I get the Haligtree Army to help wipe out those Cuckoo Knights?"
Thorne looked at the sky and slowly stood up. "Tina, take me there to have a look."
The young girl had already walked several steps away, but at his words, she turned back, stunned. "You want to go?"
"The golden order teaches us: we should be righteous, protect the weak, and face the darkness." Thorne took off his hood, his face radiating a holy glow, and smiled. "And I am a devout believer of the Erdtree."
Chapter 36. The gods don't care, but I do.
I am a devout believer of the Erdtree. If Blaidd heard this, he would probably roll on the ground laughing. What kind of Erdtree believer would dare to attack a Black Knife Assassin, and even participate in the treacherous act of assassinating the Two Fingers?
But the piety on Thorne's face was not fake, and he could recite the tenets of the Erdtree with ease. If The Lands Between had an Oscar, he would have already taken home the golden statue. "Are you really going to handle this?" "Of course I am. Although my power is meager, I might be able to help." Thorne's expression was no different from those priests.
"That's great!" Immediately, a strong sense of joy erupted on the young girl's face. After the elden ring was shattered, devout believers became fewer and fewer, let alone sorcerers with great wisdom. She hurriedly took off her apron and, under the murderous gaze of the boss, led Thorne out.
The moment Thorne stepped out, he quickly looked back. For the past few days, he had felt as if he were being watched. 'Hmm, I'll check on the way to see who wants to ambush me,' he thought.
He added in his heart. He followed the lively girl all the way to the north side of the town to rent a ferry, then passed under the magnificent bridge and headed south.
The small boat rose and fell with the waves. Thorne rowed the oars gently, looking at Liurnia of the Lakes.
He had once crossed this place with Blaidd, but had never carefully observed the scenery along the way. The lake surface was like a mirror, and the sunlight reflecting off it shone with a golden radiance. Scattered in the lake were islands of various sizes; some were villages, some were churches, and there were also some hot air balloons flying in the sky. Those were the airborne puppet soldiers urgently deployed by the Academy, all activated, and would tear anyone passing by to shreds once they received the order. It still had some technological feel.
Fortunately, the Academy was timid and fearful. Otherwise, in a situation where Ranni could not act personally, this war would have been even more difficult.
Furthermore, there were many applications for Glintstone Sorcery. It was originally an energy mineral that came with the stars. If they followed a certain technological path, they might be able to create magi-punk.
I don't know if it's fortunate or unfortunate, but sorcerers focused more on theoretical research. Geniuses like Thops, who researched applications, were just too rare. "Tina, what do you want to do in the future? You can't be a waitress forever." Thorne, bored with rowing, simply started chatting.
"I haven't thought about it yet." The girl faced the wind, gently stroking her long brown hair, her eyes filled with longing: "But if I have the chance, I want to be a Finger Maiden." A Finger Maiden is a cleric of the Erdtree, which can be seen as a nun. Of course, the Tarnished had not yet returned, so they didn't possess any powerful strength and usually just did some chores.
Finger Maiden? Thorne laughed suddenly, causing the girl to pout: "Mr. Roland, don't mock me. I know I came from a village and don't know many words, but if a person doesn't dream, life is just too hard to live."
"I'm not mocking you, I just think that before long, you will be able to fulfill your dream." "How is that possible? How desperate would the church have to be for talent to consider a village girl like me? I can't even memorize the tenets." "They will eventually be short-handed, and when that time comes, what the Erdtree wants is not knowledge." Thorne paused, looked at the giant tree behind him, flashes of the turbulent era crossing his mind, and said meaningfully: "But loyalty." Even though there were no Tarnished now, he could predict what the future would be like. The Tarnished were not undying, and they wouldn't treat repairing the golden order as the meaning of their existence; each had their own agenda. There were those who feared death, those who did evil, and those who carried burdens forward. Status didn't determine anything; only interests were everything, and that was where the Finger Maidens needed to do some cajoling.
"Loyalty? I don't quite understand, but I will definitely work hard!" The girl clenched her small fists, looking full of energy. The two chatted while moving forward, and from afar, they saw the steeple of the church. Around it were a dozen or so wooden huts; those were civilians, most of whom had fled from the territories in Caria that had been conquered. They lived in hardship on the small island, but with the protection of the church and the relatively abundant resources in the lake, they were able to survive.
Unfortunately, the reputation of the golden order wasn't enough anymore, and after being looted, they didn't know where they could go.
Tina was a bit sad, and Thorne's expression wasn't very good either.
It wasn't to say he had the heart of a saint. Regardless of his past or present life, he started from humble beginnings and had never been anyone superior. If he hadn't erupted in silence, his fate would have been the same as theirs, so he had a sense of empathy. "My power is too small to do anything big. Later, I'll just give them all of this month's allowance so they can have a few full meals."
Thorne muttered to himself. He couldn't do much, but it was better than standing by and watching coldly. Even the strongest executioner is still a 'human'. Killing for the sake of killing is simply being an Asura.
The small boat continued forward. When they were still a dozen meters from the shore, Thorne's hand rowing the boat stopped abruptly, and his azure pupils contracted slightly. Something happened. Didn't they say the bandits just left?
He heard cries, pleas for mercy, the dull thud of blades piercing flesh, and a heavy scent of blood wafting in on the wind.
Looking closer, soldiers wearing blue armor were dragging a young woman by her hair into a house, while several soldiers nearby laughed out loud. The Cuckoo Knights? He had long known that these bastards had poor military discipline, but if Thorne hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed they dared to be so reckless.
The priest had just left, and they had come to make a fortune.
"Wh-what's going on? Why are they…" Tina was stunned and couldn't process what was happening for a moment.
"Bandits pass like a comb, soldiers pass like a fine-tooth comb. They don't have the courage to conquer Caria Manor, but they have plenty of guts to seize the opportunity to make a fortune." Thorne tossed out the words coldly.
Seeing a soldier on the shore look over, he pushed Tina down and covered her with a tarp.
"Stop the boat! We are conducting military…" The soldier stopped mid-sentence.
He was startled to see the person arriving wearing a sorcerer's robe, thinking he had disturbed his employer, but he calmed down slightly when he saw Thorne's hood. Sorcerers generally despised all ordinary people, and wandering sorcerers were actually more likable; most would want a share of the spoils. After all, if word got out, no one would look good.
"Where is your commander?" Thorne stood at the bow of the boat and asked coldly, letting the small boat drift forward with momentum.
"Knight Boar is inside screening for spies. Do you have any business?"
Thorne looked through the gaps between the houses.
He saw several gallows erected beside the church.
A bald man smiled as he hanged a man. The action was practiced, the man clearly accustomed to the task. Thorne didn't know how many times he had done it.
"Is this how they screen for spies?"
Under his hood, Thorne smiled. Seeing that he was not far from the shore, he lifted his foot to move forward, but at that moment, his pant leg was grabbed. Looking down, he saw Tina's terrified eyes.
"Don't go. These demons won't listen to a wandering sorcerer. Let's hurry back and report this to…"
She couldn't continue. The girl realized in terror that there was no one to report to, no one who would uphold justice, and certainly no one who would care about these lowly lives. The gods don't care, the kings don't care, and the sorcerers cared even less.
Thorne stared at the girl. Taking action wasn't a good idea, he admitted, but since he'd encountered this, should he just awkwardly say he came to the wrong place, then turn around and act as if nothing had ever happened?
That wasn't right, not for a Sword Ghost who had walked out of a storm of blood and gore. He gently pulled his foot away, gripped his staff, and held his head high as he moved forward.
"Sorry, I can't stand it."
Thorne's blade had been stained with blood and had killed countless people; this couldn't be called good. But under his blade, there wasn't a single innocent life, so it definitely couldn't be called evil, either. He had never used 'good and evil' to measure himself.
The so-called heart like glazed glass, blade like a clear mirror; in his mind, there was only one concept: Just seeking peace of mind. Caria treated him with sincerity, so he risked his life to infiltrate the Academy and never forgot his mission; Sellen was very good to him, so he staged the Night of Black Knives; and with the tragic scene before him reflected in his eyes, if he didn't move forward, how could his heart be at peace?
'Might as well see who is monitoring me.'
Thorne stepped onto the shore through the lake water.
A soldier hurried up to meet him. "My lord, who are you?"
"Can't you tell?" Thorne didn't waste words; he directly cast a Glintstone Arc into the water, which instantly exploded into waves over a meter high. The soldier stopped talking immediately and led the way timidly. This island in the lake was very small. Besides the church, there were only a dozen dilapidated houses left. On both sides of the narrow road lay some corpses, men, women, old and young alike. Some were pierced through the chest by swords, others were hoisted into the air by spears. Cries and savage laughter came from the houses on both sides.
A living hell, even more terrifying than the battlefield. Thorne remained silent. He had seen many similar things, but these scenes kept accumulating something called 'killing intent.' His gaze swept back and forth, committing the layout of the Cuckoo Soldiers to memory.
There was an open space beside the church where several gallows were erected. A few corpses swayed in the wind. A tall knight with a gleaming bald head was cursing. "A bunch of idiots! Those guys from Apa deliberately left us a mouthful of soup, and you only scavenged these pieces of junk?"
In front of him was a pile of miscellaneous items, ranging from dried salted fish to sheep bones, but the quantity was not much, not even enough to fill the gaps in the teeth of a hundred-man squad. Who knew they were this poor.