Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty-Three

Father Bosco sat on the terrace and watched the soldiers below. As far as his vision could reach, the marching soldiers filled the vast grounds of the temple. The degree satisfied him, finally started, his lifelong ambition.He picked up another sip from the bowl, stewed chicken feet, a green leafy vegetable, his favorite, in Memphis, the green leafy name is rather indecent, called ass grass, people there do not realize that it is a food value. There was a knock on the door. "Come in." It was Speep Roy the Redeemer. "You want to see me, my lord." "I want you to take twenty men to assassinate Abel Materaz."

"But my lord, it's impossible!" Speep Roy objected. "I know that very well. If it could be done, I would not have sent you." Angry and frightened, Speep Roy managed to keep himself from asking Bosco what the hell he meant. "You are displeased with me, Father Speep Roy." "It is my duty to serve you, my lord." Bosco stood up and motioned for Roy to come to the table, where a defensive map of Memphis was placed. "You took part in the siege of Walhers, too, didn't you?" "Yes, my lord." "How long did it take to conquer the city of Walhers?"

"Nearly three years." Bosco pointed to the defense map of Memphis City. "You have experience in this field. In your opinion, how long will it take to conquer Memphis?" "longer." "how long?" "Much longer." Bosco turned to look at him. "Based on our strength, of course we can take Memphis by force, but it would be extremely exhausting, so we won't do that. Have you heard the rumors about why we kidnapped Abel Materaz?" Speep Roy looked disturbed. "It is a crime to listen to gossip, and an even greater crime to spread it, my lord."

Bosco smiled. "Of course, but for this matter, I forgive you for your innocence, so don't worry." "Most people say that she has converted to heresy and preached heresies for them, and that she is a witch who spends her days in drinking and carousing, corrupting people's hearts, and torturing the captured redeemed, forcing them to eat shrimp and making them unclean." Bosco nodded. "If the rumors are true, she is really guilty." "I'm just retelling the rumours, I'm not claiming to believe them." "Very well, Redeemer," Bosco laughed. "I sent people to kidnap her because I wanted to drive the Materaz people out of Memphis. To everyone in the empire, she was the queen, the star in the sky, and people loved her for her youth and beauty. In the empire In every corner of the city, even in the fly-infested slums, people are talking about her story, and of course there is no doubt that most of these stories are made up or exaggerated. She is loved, not just by her father .But I wasn't worried when I heard that the kidnapping failed. As long as people know we've made such an astonishing move, I've achieved my goal. The Materaz will be storming out of Memphis, wishing Shame on us by killing us all." Bosco sat down.He looked at the tough guy in front of him. "Of course, you're thinking, things didn't go that way, so I must be wrong, and you're just too polite or too afraid of me to speak out. But it could be you, Redeemer. And the Marshal Exactly what I thought. It turns out that he is a father who loves his daughter deeply, but not impulsively. He suppressed the news of his daughter's kidnapping precisely because he knew he could not suppress the people's demand for revenge. And this is what I thought Your reason, Redeemer. You're on good terms with that thing, he's..."

"Cat City, my lord." "I want you to convince him to help you carry out an attack, the size of thirty or fifty people, the exact number is up to you. You can tell those soldiers that the rumors about her depravity circulating among the Redeemers are true, if they If you lose your life in action, it will be regarded as martyrdom...Of course, they will definitely not come back alive this time. You have to assure the team leaders that their deeds will be recognized, proving that they are for the cause of the Lord Die. With any luck, some of them will live long enough for the Materaz to torture the truth out of them. This time, I don't want to go undercover, you understand?"

"Yes, my lord," replied the pale Speep Roy. "You have a bad complexion, Redeemer. I should have told you in advance that this operation does not require your death. Instead, you may use soldiers who have erred to some extent. My request is evil Yes, but it has to be." As soon as he heard that his life was not lost, Speep Roy's face returned to color. "Katie Hare will want to know what happened, and he won't think it's in his interest to have anything to do with it." Bosco waved his hand impatiently. "You can promise him whatever you want. Tell him that when we win, we will make him the consul of Memphis."

"He is not a fool, my lord." Bosco sighed and thought for a moment. "Give him Strabo's lustful Venus." Speep Roy was taken aback. "I thought the golden statue was broken into ten pieces and thrown into Delphi." "Just a rumor. The statue, lewd and blasphemous as it is, can stop the monster's ears from hearing his own doubts, whether he's a fool or not." For the next few weeks, Kyle tormented the people he both loved and hated, in a state of mind that both grieved and unraveled.But frankly, he was tired of it all. He never asked himself honestly what he wanted to gain by being Abel's bodyguard.His feelings for her - intense desire and equally strong hatred - are difficult to balance for anyone, let alone him, a boy who has experienced countless tragic things but is extremely pure in emotion.If he had been more charismatic, maybe Abel would have been less disgusted when talking to him, but how could such a boy be expected to give off charm?It is conceivable that Abel's dislike for him hurt him deeply, but the only thing he would do was to show more hostility towards her.

Kyle's odd relationship with the mistress worries Reba.She likes Abel, although she is not content to be a maid, no matter how glamorous the mistress is.Abel was gentle and considerate, and, finding Reba a bright girl, was open and easygoing with her.But on the other hand, Reba's loyalty to Kyle has reached the level of worship.He had risked his life to save her life from something terrible that could only be imagined in a nightmare.She couldn't understand Abel's indifference to him, and was determined to correct the hostess' mistake. To the onlookers, her approach might be a little weird: she pretended to slip, and deliberately poured a cup of scalding hot tea on Kyle, and poured cold water on him so as not to burn him too much.But Kyle was still burned badly, he yelled and tore off the cotton coat on his body.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Reba hurriedly grabbed the large glass of cold water that had been placed beside her, and poured it on Kyle again. "Are you okay? I'm sorry." "What's the matter with you?" Kyle asked her, but he didn't get angry. "First they tried to scald me, and now they want to drown me." "Oh," Reba gasped. "I'm sorry." As she continued to apologize, she handed him a small towel, and hurried around him to help. "It's okay, I'm not going to die," he wiped off the water with a towel.He nodded to Abel. "I'm going to change clothes, don't leave the room until I get back." He said and walked away.Reba turned around, trying to make sure her little trick had worked.But just as the calculation process is complex, its effects are also complex.Kyle's back, covered with welts and scars, barely a patch of skin that didn't reveal his tragic past, brought out a pity that Abel couldn't even explain herself.

"you do this delibrately." "Yes," said Riba. "why?" "To show you how much he has suffered. No offense, miss, but you really shouldn't have treated him like this." "What do you mean?" Abel was surprised. "Can I be honest?" "No! I don't want to hear it now!" "But I still have to say, it's all come to this point." By noble standards, Abel was not an arrogant daughter, but apart from her father, no one, let alone a servant, dared to speak to her like that.She was speechless for a moment. "You and I, madam," said Reba quickly, "seem to have very little in common now, but I too lived a carefree life, where I could get anything I wanted, and the only purpose of my life was Learning to please and be pleased. And when that day ended suddenly in an hour, I realized how horrible, how cruel, how unbelievable life can be."

She then told the stunned hostess the full story of her past, including the tragic fate of her companion, and how Kyle saved her life by risking everything, even an even more horrific death. . "While walking through the scab, he kept telling me that saving me was the stupidest, craziest thing he'd ever done." "Do you believe what he said?" Abel was still in shock when asked this question.Reba smiled. "I'm not sure either. Sometimes he means it, I think, and sometimes he's not. Then, while bathing in a pool in the scab — God knows how he found that place — I saw his back," Henry told I wonder what they all did to Kyle. Father Bosco has been critical of him since he was a little kid, finding fault with whatever he does and torturing him, and the smaller the excuse, the more satisfied the priest is - such as prayers. Sometimes he accidentally crossed his thumbs, or didn't draw the lower hook when he wrote the number nine. He would drag Kyle to the front of the person, beat him hard, he would knock him to the ground, and kick him a few times. feet. Then, he turned Kyle into a killer." Reba became more and more angry, and her anger was not only directed at the redeemers of the temple at this time. "So, it's surprising to me that he's willing to bother to help me, let alone put his own life on the line to save us." Abel's eyes widened. "Miss, I think you should lower your beautiful head a little and give him the gratitude and sympathy he deserves." Now, Reba's motives are no longer pure, she began to let off steam and enjoy her master's embarrassment.Fortunately, she was not a fool and immediately realized that it was time to stop.There was a long silence in the room, and Abel blinked desperately to keep the tears from falling.She looked around with tear-filled eyes, then at Reba, then around, and finally sighed a long time. "I didn't realize it, and I really didn't know what was wrong with me." There was a knock on the door and Kyle walked in.Although the atmosphere in the room had changed completely since he left, Kyle didn't notice it at all.But the change was bigger than Reba guessed or Abel felt.Abel, the swan-necked princess, the most beautiful and most admired Abel, felt not only the pity and sympathy inspired by the scar on Kyle's back, but also something less noble: a longing , unexpectedly, but very strong.With his shirt off, Kyle's body stands in stark contrast to the typically slender figure of Materaz's youth, though they're also nimble and strong.Kyle's shoulders are very broad, his waist is surprisingly thin, and his body has absolutely no elegance, only muscle and strength, like a bull.The body is not beautiful, and no one wants to make a statue of this mass of muscles, tendons, and scars.But just looking at him, Princess Abel felt that something in her body skipped a beat, not just her heart. "Oh, Redeemer," said Kitty the Hare in a dove-like voice, running his fingernails lightly across the wooden table on which stood Strabo's gold statue of Lustful Venus.His soft voice made Speep Roy sick, as if something terrible were creeping into his ears. "This is very strange," Katie Hare continued, staring at the gold statue, or so it seemed to Speep Roy, he was staring at the statue-as usual, Katie Hare's face was grayed out. The hood was covered, much to the Redeemer's gratitude. "If you help us, the statue will be yours. As for the reason, what does it matter?" The sound of fingernails on wood continued, and Speep Roy almost jumped when the sound stopped suddenly.A hand was stretched out toward the statue, and the gray cloth that covered it slid away, revealing Katie Hare's hand, but it wasn't really a hand.Imagine a gray paw with soft fur, but not so thick, like a dog's paw, but longer than a dog's paw, much longer, and the nails are covered with spots, but this does not completely make the hand of Katie the Hare. describe clearly.His fingernails stroked the statue lightly, like a mother caressing a baby's face, for a moment, then retracted. "A beautiful work of art," cooed Katie Hare. "But as far as I know, the statue of Venus was broken into ten pieces and thrown into the Delphi volcano." "Obviously not." The person in front of him let out a long sigh, and Speep Roy could feel the hot and humid smell blowing on his face, like a big vicious dog exhaling at him. "You're not going to make it," cooed Katie the Hare. "It's a matter of perspective." "It's true," said Katie Hare sharply. "This is our business." "If you want to start a war, it has something to do with me." There was a long silence. "Actually," Katie said, "I am not opposed to war. From past experience, war has always benefited me. You may not believe it, dear Redeemer, even in the smallest war." , Selling poor quality food, drinks and utensils can also make a lot of money. I want a written guarantee that if you win, my property will not be violated, and my own safety can be guaranteed. I can go anywhere." "agree." Neither of them believed the other's words.Of course Katie Hare is willing to make war fortune, but his ambition goes far beyond that. "It's going to take a while," sighed Katie Hare, letting out another puff of hot, wet breath. "But within three weeks I'll come up with a plan." "Three weeks is too long." "Perhaps, but that's the time necessary. Goodbye." The negotiations came to an end, and Speep Roy was led out of Katie Hare's room, out of the courtyard, and into the city again.A crowd gathered in the square, and two boys no older than sixteen were hanged on the gallows, each with a sign around their necks: Rapist. "What's a rapist?" Speep Roy asked the accompanying guard.Who would have thought that evil and innocence could coexist in one person so harmoniously? "A person who wants to take advantage of nothing without paying the price," he got this answer. As he walked towards Abel's heavily guarded bedroom, Kyle was preoccupied.While still deeply suspicious and loathing her, Kyle is beginning to sense that she seems to be softening towards him.She no longer glared at him, nor flinched when he approached.Sometimes he asked himself if there was something else in her eyes (of course he couldn't recognize pity and longing).But he quickly dismissed that idea because it didn't make sense at all, but it is undeniable that some changes are still happening quietly.He was so absorbed in his wild thoughts that he hardly noticed a group of suspicious-looking ten-year-olds throwing stones at each other at the edge of the training ground.After getting closer, he realized that one of the children was much older than the others, and looked about fourteen or fifteen years old. Like other Materaz boys of this age, he was tall, thin, and handsome.The strange thing is that instead of throwing stones at each other, the younger children threw stones at the older one, shouting, "Fool! Dumb! Smelly shit!" hit.Although the boy who was beaten by the group was big, he didn't know how to resist. When the stone hit him, he didn't dodge, but just spun around in a circle at a loss.A stone hit him on the forehead, and he immediately fell to the ground.Just as the other kids were swarming up to give him a good kick, Kyle arrived, grabbed one kid by the ear with one hand, tripped another, and kicked him lightly.The group of brats scattered like birds and beasts, and ran away while cursing. "Don't let me see you again," Kyle shouted from behind, "watch out for your dog legs!" Kyle bent over the fallen boy. "It's all right, they're gone," he said to the big fool.The poor man covered his face with his hands, curled up into a ball, howled, and ignored Kyle at all. "I won't hurt you, they're gone." Still no response.Kyle was a little annoyed, and reached out to touch his shoulder.The boy came back to life suddenly, reached out to block, and hit Kyle on the head.Kyle was shocked and hurt, and jumped back a step. The boy looked at him in fear, and slowly retreated to the wall behind, while looking around in horror, for fear that the children who bullied him would appear again. "Damn it!" Kyle yelled angrily. "Fuck! Fuck!" The joints in the boy's hands were as hard as iron, and Kyle felt like his head had been smashed with a hammer. "What's the matter with you, you bloody lunatic?" he yelled at the wide-eyed boy. "I wanted to help you, but you almost knocked my head off!" Still staring at him, the boy finally spoke, but all that came out of him was a muffled grunt. Kyle is not used to working with people with disabilities - such people don't live long in the Temple - it took him a moment to realize that the boy in front of him couldn't speak, so he reached out and the boy slowly took his Hand, Kyle pulled him up. "Come with me," he said.The boy stared at him. It turned out that he was not only dumb, but also deaf.Kyle gestured for him to follow, and the boy followed Kyle slowly, with tears of pain and humiliation still on his face. Ten minutes later, Kyle was washing the boy's body in the temporary guard room in Abel's palace when Abel rushed in, followed by Reba.Seeing the bleeding boy sitting across from Kyle, she gasped and shouted, "What did you do to him?" "What nonsense are you talking about, crazy woman?" he yelled back. "Your gang of noble boys were beating him up, and I drove them away." She looked at him guiltily, regretting that she had ruined a relationship that had slowly improved over the past few weeks. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, sounding so regretful and pitiful.Kyle was happy, and for the first time he felt he had the upper hand.But he still snorted disdainfully. "I'm really sorry," she repeated, before running to the boy and kissing him with an anxious and worried face.Kyle had never seen her show this level of concern for anyone.He watched in amazement.The boy calmed down almost immediately.Abel, the swan-necked princess, was stroking the boy's hair while talking to Kyle. "This is my brother Simon," she said. "Most people call him Fool Simon, though not to my face. He's deaf and dumb. What happened?" "He's on the training ground. A bunch of little boys are throwing rocks at him." "Bastard!" She turned to face her brother. "They thought it was okay to bully him because he couldn't complain." "Isn't he guarded?" "Yes, but he likes to be alone and always goes to the training ground because he wants to be like everyone else. But they hate him and are afraid of him because he's unresponsive. They say he's physically possessed by the devil." Simon's mood improved a lot, and he began to mutter and point at Kyle, gesturing to throw stones and Kyle save him. "He wanted to say thank you." "How do you know?" Kyle asked bluntly. "Well, I don't know, but he has a good heart, even if he's simple-minded." She took Simon's hand, palm up, and offered it to Kyle to shake.Realizing what he had to do, Simon took Kyle's hand and shook it violently, and Kyle had a hard time making him stop.All the while, blood kept oozing from the bandage Kyle had temporarily tied to Simon's head.He motioned the boy to sit down and took off the bandages. The wound was deep, almost two inches long, and Abel watched worriedly. "Those little bastards almost knocked out his eyes. The wound needs stitches." Abel stared at him in astonishment. "What's the meaning?" "Needs to be stitched, like you sew a shirt or a sock." As soon as the words came out, Kyle laughed to himself. "But obviously, you don't need to sew these things." "I'm going to call the doctor." Kyle shrugs it off. "The last Dr. Materaz who treated me almost killed me. Now it's not a question of whether he will leave a scar, but a wound like this will not heal itself at all, and it is very likely that he will Infection, God only knows how it will turn out. Three or four stitches will sew it up, it's barely noticeable."