Chapter 9 Chapter 8 The Countess

Marston, Berthe Public School Church, the men all heard a "pop" in their chests, like a frog jumping into the water in the depths of an ancient well. I have never seen such a girl in Marston City. She was wearing a slim trench coat, a leotard underneath, a layered gauze dance skirt tied around her waist, and a pair of silver high-heeled shoes under the skirt. , with long hair like a waterfall, with crystal feather-like ornaments inserted between the hair.When she stepped into the church, her heels made a ticking sound, like an endless spring rain. It's hard to imagine this slender dress girl acting alone on such a rainy night.

"Stop!" The captain of the mounted police sternly stopped, pointing the cold barrel at the girl's forehead. Those who can take refuge in the church are basically Marston's first-class nobles. How could such a heavily guarded place be a strange girl? Is it possible to get in?Moreover, the girl's appearance is also confusing. Her smooth and straight long hair makes her look like an oriental person, and her porcelain-like complexion and straight nose have obvious western characteristics. She called herself "the Witch from the East", which was also a rebellious joke.In the teachings of the Holy Messiah, witches are the most obscene and fierce things, and their threat to the world is no less than that of the demon kings in hell.

"Be respectful to Your Highness the Countess!" Another cold barrel pointed at the forehead of the mounted police captain.The speed at which the other party drew their guns made it impossible for combatants like the Captain of the Mounted Police to react in time. In an instant, both sides held the other's life in their hands. "His Royal Highness?" The captain of the mounted policeman's eyes flashed, and the surrounding mounted policemen all drew their fighting swords or firecrackers. The man with the gun pointed at the forehead of the Mounted Police Captain stood behind the girl. He was wearing a dripping black cloak, and the hood covered his face. His burly body was like a black wall.

The man threw a sheepskin-covered document to the Captain of the Mounted Police, which was a chartered pass signed and sealed by the Pope's Hall.The Pope's Hall is a privileged institution directly under the Pope, and the pass signed by it is also valid in a neutral city like Marston, at least before the war. In other words, this is a passport of a top aristocrat. The Vatican hopes that all countries along the road will give convenience to the passport holder as long as you have diplomatic relations with the Pope. Looking at the passport holder's name and title again, the mounted police captain's pupils dilated involuntarily.

The Countess Yingluo EL, more precisely, Her Royal Highness the Marquis Yingluo EL. Of course, the Pope's Hall will not issue passes to ordinary people, and people like Veron who perform secret missions will not hold the passes issued by the Pope's Hall, which is tantamount to ostentation. People who hold passes issued by the Pope's Hall are often great nobles who are well-known in various countries, and the Duchess is a very special category of nobles.Although Western countries do not emphasize that only men have the right to inherit, if a family has male descendants, the male will still inherit the title of the ancestors. The appearance of the duchess is often because there are no more males in the direct blood relatives of the family. At this time, the female Earls, marquises and even duchesses are all possible, otherwise these noble women are often awarded the title of "princess".The biggest difference between baronesses and princesses is that baronesses often really hold the power of the family, while princesses are just pampered aristocratic women.

A noble Marquis suddenly came to Marston on a rainy night?In normal times, it would be welcome with a red carpet or even a salute. You must know that the highest status among the local nobles in Marston is the earl, who is also the earl conferred by the Gawain Republic, and this girl is the Pope Recognized Marquise. The captain of the mounted police flipped through the pass book repeatedly, and with puzzled eyes, he kept examining the girl's appearance and the blurry brown photo.Photosensitive technology has only been popularized in the past two decades, and the photo paper washed with black tea water is always a bit blurry, and only a rough outline can be seen.

But this kind of girl with clear eyebrows is easy to distinguish even on photo paper, except for the pair of light-colored pupils, which are almost white after being exposed to light, which looks a little scary. The strangest of all was her name, "Ying Luo", which was undoubtedly an oriental name.I don't know what the abbreviation of "EL" is, maybe Elizabeth, Elizabeth, a rather religious name. Wreaths?Elizabeth?Is there such a marquise in the Western countries?The marquis is already a very high title, and the marquises, including those who are dying of old age, add up to less than a hundred people.

"My mother is an oriental." The countess saw his doubts, "so you can also say that I am from the east." The captain of the Mounted Police couldn't help feeling a little fond of her. In the West, people of mixed race are usually reluctant to mention their oriental ancestry, which is regarded as "not noble enough" or even "inferior".For someone to say that he is an oriental half-breed is like admitting that his father failed to resist the temptation of a seductive oriental woman, married an inferior wife, and gave birth to a less noble self. But Yingluo said it so naturally, no one would think that she was inferior.

The same is true of her beauty. Although the oriental elements are so obvious on her face, she does not look inferior.It was a face that was almost perfect, and if the oriental elements were erased from her face, it seemed that there would be some kind of blankness instead. "Your Highness, we have not received news that you are arriving at Marston." The captain of the mounted police retracted his musket.In the end, he believed in the passport, because the probability of counterfeiting the passport issued by the Pope's Hall is almost zero.The Papal State has the most advanced technology, including the technology of metallic ink. The seal of the Papal State has a texture like pure gold or pure silver, which cannot be imitated by craftsmen from any country.

"It's neither a visit nor a diplomatic event, so there's no need to disturb the local town hall, right?" the Countess smiled. "This time I'm here to learn folk dance." "Folk dance?" The captain of the mounted police was taken aback for a moment. "Do you want to prove it?" The countess spun around with her skirt in her hands, stepping on her heels in a gorgeous rhythm.When her heels came together and suddenly stopped, the skirt twirled and wrapped around her slender legs, as if time was flowing backwards, a flower closed from a blooming state to a budding state, and the bells between the skirt folds were still jingling endlessly.

Excellent proof, no wonder she wears dance clothes and shoes, and walks with a certain heart-pounding rhythm. "Is that enough?" The burly man who served as the baroness's entourage said coldly, "We need to warm up to the fire. Your Highness has been walking in the wind and rain for two hours. The curfew order was issued too suddenly." "Yes!" The captain of the mounted police stood at attention and saluted, cleared his throat, and announced the title of the baroness aloud in a manner consistent with aristocratic etiquette, "His Royal Highness the Marquis Yingluo EL is here, it is an honor!" The surprised nobles all stood up and saluted. Even on this occasion, everyone still kept their respective identities firmly in mind.When the half-breed girl appeared in Marston's church with the title of baroness, she was not related to the lower class, and her dreamy beauty was not seen as temptation, but as a high glory. . Before the countess moved, the countess' entourage moved first.Her entourage was not just the burly man, but a small squad, each wearing similar black cloaks, hoods covering their faces, and carrying heavy metal suitcases in their hands.After the technicians of the Holy See developed the light and flexible metal "wind metal", the suitcases of the nobles were all made of metal, and the outside was bound with strong cowhide straps. The number of followers actually exceeds the number of mounted policemen. Under their cloaks, the exposed muzzles of long guns can be seen faintly. Inside the cloaks are thick velvet uniforms, cross-tied belts, and two-foot-long sharp blades hanging from the belts.If the Captain of the Mounted Police disrespected the Countess impulsively just now, the consequences may be very serious.However, it is only natural for a noble Marquis to carry such a well-trained entourage when she is away. But she actually came to learn dance to go out. What kind of dance made a Marquis go so far without hesitation? The entourage politely but majestically asked the people by the fireplace to give Her Majesty a small space to warm up by the fire, took out thick felt from the suitcase and spread it on the ground, and Her Majesty greeted everyone gently along the way. Curtsing and saluting, the men's hearts were surging for her, and for a moment even Adele's thrilling beauty was diluted by her arrival. But the countess noticed the siblings in the corner, and she turned to Adele and César.The leader of the entourage, the burly man stepped forward and tried to stop her: "Let's warm up to the fire first, and don't worry about other things, Your Highness." "The boy's condition is not good. Of course we should be concerned about it. I happen to know some necessary first aid measures." The countess waved him to get out of the way. Adele watched in surprise as this noble and bewilderingly beautiful girl half-kneeled down in front of her, and she didn't mind kneeling directly in the stagnant water. "I have a friend who suffers from the same disease. He gets a headache when he is excited. At this time, he has to eat licorice candy and anisette to stop it, and he has to loosen the neckline and cuffs to keep the blood flowing smoothly." She said from her skirt pocket He took out the licorice candy, and untied Cesare's collar and cuffs. Adele froze for a moment, and reached out to stop her.Of course she was very happy to have someone to help them at such a time, but she didn't expect this high-ranking lady to do it herself.The brand on César's wrist was exposed in the dim light, like dried blood. It was a bright red "H". If other people knew that there was a person with this brand in this church, they would have panicked and ordered the mounted police to throw Cesare out, but the Countess just froze for a moment and helped Cesare roll up his sleeves. With a pull, the brand mark was covered again. H, the abbreviation of HAERESI, it means "heretic" in ancient Latin.Only prisoners who have been interrogated and convicted by the Inquisition Bureau will be branded with this brand. The brand is filled with cinnabar, which will not fade for a lifetime, which means that even after the sentence is over, he will not be able to get rid of this shame. César had no surname, for he was a heretic, and his family was ashamed to recognize him.In other words, he has already been expelled from the family. After taking the licorice candy, the countess massaged both sides of César's temples, and the throbbing blood vessels gradually calmed down. Adele clearly felt her brother's body temperature rising, and the unstoppable spasms gradually stopped. . After a moment, Cesare opened his eyes. The field of vision changed from blurred to clear, and everything in front of him seemed so bright. The roaring sound and chaotic darkness in his mind just now receded, and the field of vision became clear again. Looking at him from above, the two faces are so beautiful, one is his younger sister Adele, the other is... He suddenly wanted to cry out in horror, his pupils were filled with fear, as if the gate of hell was closing in on him. There is a hole in front. Adele had never seen such an expression on her brother's face, she was terrified, and Jia Li hugged her brother tightly.The countess was also taken aback for a moment, obviously this was beyond her expectation.When she was surprised, her eyes suddenly changed, like a deer that suddenly saw a hunter.She covered César's mouth and looked at him silently.César also looked straight at the Countess, his eyes seemed to be shrouded in mist. "Shh, you're fine." The countess touched his forehead, got up and walked to the blanket laid out for her by the attendants. César was still looking at that slender figure, the corners of his eyes twitched slightly, as if that noble countess was something inconceivable. In the mountains not far from Marston City, a small black prayer hall stands in the middle of the valley. This is a "Prayer Hall for Ascetic Monks", which was built hundreds of years ago by the ascetic monks of the Holy Church of Messiah. Build your own prayer hall in the wild.Some of them will spend their lives building a prayer hall as a gift to God. Today, this prayer hall is preserved only as a scenic spot around Marston, and few people will work hard to pray here.But tonight was an exception. Heavy soldiers carrying triple-packs of heavy guns surrounded the building. Two Apocalypse chariots were parked side by side at the front door. Huge footprints were left in the muddy ground. This place was not far from the battlefield, and the sound of the artillery was still deafening, but no one showed a frightened expression, their faces were as hard as cast iron.They stood in the wind and rain, listening to the whispered chants from the prayer hall.The hoarse voice carried an unusual majesty, as if what he spit out were not syllables but grains of hard sand. The sound of horseshoes came from far to near, and the soldiers guarding the prayer hall responded collectively, holding the firecrackers with both hands, pointing crosswise at the wind and rain, while the blazing cavalry held the super heavy fighting sword stuck in the back slot. "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Inquisition Bureau, Knight of Peron! Republic of Gawain, Knight of Poincaré!" The man on horseback shouted, holding up his military emblem, "Rundstedt has rebelled! Rundstedt Te has rebelled! We want to see General Anthony!" At this moment, the chanting sound in the prayer hall suddenly stopped, and the chanting person snorted coldly. Veron jumped off his horse, the triple guns were pointed at his head from all directions, and the heavily armored knights who pointed at him were expressionless. Veron had no doubts at all. The chief's evidence, the next moment his head will explode. This is the second command core set up by the Crusader Guards not far from the battlefield, and the first command core has been destroyed fifteen minutes ago, which is the heavy armored tank "Avalon's Ship".The Pope personally commanded the battle, so the person guarding the second command core should be General Anthony, Marshal of the Crusader Guards. With the fall of the Pope, General Anthony has become the supreme commander of this battlefield. It is Veron's responsibility to come here to report the situation. . These heavily armored soldiers must be directly under the management of General Anthony, and it is entirely possible that they do not know Veron, the "inquisitor of heresy". The Crusaders and the Inquisition of Heresy are organizations at the same level, and neither side needs to buy the other's account. Fortunately, there is the Blazing Iron Cavalry, as the former Blazing Iron Cavalry, Veron still has a slight reputation among the knights. "It is indeed Knight Veron." The heavy fighting sword swung away the firecrackers, and a knight stepped forward to salute and opened his helmet visor, "But please be responsible for what you said, how could His Royal Highness Rundstedt Betrayed the Holy See?" "Fifteen minutes ago, he just pierced the Avalon Ship with the Longinus gun, then killed all Seraphs who cooperated with him, and snatched the Yorman Gund train to escape. If you can’t judge him as a traitor, how do you judge? You want me to carry the body of the Pope to explain to you? But do you know what level of equipment the Longinus gun is? People who died under that weapon even their remains I can't keep it!" Veron stared fiercely into the knight's eyes, "Listen! From that moment on, Rundstedt is the enemy of the entire West! We must stop him now! Everything you and I say here Talking is a waste of time! We need to see General Anthony!" "In the name of Gawain Republic Poincaré, I can prove what Knight Veron said...the Pope is dead!" The pale Poincaré showed his knight medal.The first knight of the Gawain Republic is also well-known, and the fact that Marston's people don't know him doesn't mean that the Blazing Iron Riders don't know him. Before the blazing cavalry could answer, a hoarse and majestic voice came from the prayer hall: "Please come in! The others retreat 20 meters away from the prayer hall!" Poincaré and Veron looked awe-inspiring. At their level, they must be cautious when meeting the supreme leader of the Messianic Church, but they have no time to be cautious now. The old man pushed open the door of the prayer hall from the inside out. He was about sixty years old, with a solid figure and kind eyes, a heavy golden cross hanging on his chest, and a heavy "Covenant" in his old hands.This is a typical senior priest, such a person holds the core of power in the Papal State. The old man beckoned and signaled Peron and Poincaré to follow him. The prayer hall is not big, but the interior is rather deep. The lights in the church have been turned off, and the old man walked in front with the lamp, and the tallow candle emitted a dim yellow halo in the glass lampshade.Because of its age, the interior of this prayer hall, which is called a cultural relic, has been severely eroded by moisture. The wooden beams have been bent, the roof is dripping water, and the granite floor is pitted.Marston Council is sending people to repair the chapel, so there is scaffolding everywhere. Candles cannot penetrate this huge space, and the surrounding area is pitch black. Huge beams, columns and scaffolding divide the dark space into pieces.Walking here has an illusion of walking in the wilderness, as if something dangerous will come out at any time. Candlelight illuminates the walls from time to time, and the mottled murals flash and disappear. Some pictures show children running among thorns, some show women weeping on tree roots, and dying kings fight in the fire. There are six-winged angels above the clouds overlooking the pain of the world, silent and compassionate.In religious art, this kind of mural is called "Sanctification", which depicts the story of gods and angels appearing in the world. These old murals with a history of hundreds of years are different from today's brushwork. All the lines are simple and sharp, revealing the meaning of ancient hunting pictures. Poincaré glanced at Veron suspiciously, meaning how could the second command core of the Crusader Guard be set up in such a dangerous building. Normally, the command post should be set up in a strategic point that is easy to defend and has a retreat channel. land. The old man stopped suddenly and bowed deeply. In front of the mural in the deepest part of the prayer hall, on a dilapidated wooden bench, a tall and straight middle-aged man sat upright, leaning on the back of the chair, looking up at the mural in front of him. It was a cast-iron figure, and every movement he made easily carried power, as if there was a lion hiding in his body, ready to launch a deadly pounce at any time. The mural, the grandest of all, shows naked young men half-submerged in mud, and winged women soaring through the air.She was young and beautiful, but she looked at the young man with kindness in her eyes, and one could tell at a glance that she was the young man's mother. The mother leaned over and hugged the young man, trying to free him from the mud, but there were thousands of evil spirits under the mud, and they grabbed the young man's legs tightly, trying to pull the young man into the mud to fight with them. with.It was simply a quagmire made up of evil spirits.The mother looked up to the sky and called out sadly. On the distant clouds, the angels watched silently, but had no intention of extending a helping hand. "Holy See, I brought them here." The old man said respectfully. "Holy seat?" Veron was shocked.In the entire Iruber world, there is only one person who can be called the Holy See, and that is the chief priest of the Vatican Order, the Pope of Emerald.But fifteen minutes ago, the limousine car "Avalon's Boat" he was riding in was clearly shot through by Rundstedt, and the ensuing red mercury explosion blasted the people in the car to pieces. The middle-aged man slightly turned his head to look at Veron: "Will that child betray me?" The abyss-like gaze was revealed behind the crystal-polished lenses. The thin face should have been handsome when he was younger, and there were sharp wrinkles under the slightly disheveled short gray hair. The sword was only out of its sheath, carrying a faint madness.When he looks at you, it's like he's putting a sharp knife to your throat to torture you. People usually imagine him as a benevolent old man, only because few people can observe him up close, and when he appears in public, he usually wears a bulky white cassock. Pope Borgia III, Ron Borgia, the Iron Pope, the Lion of the Pope. "Holy seat!" Veron and Poincaré knelt down together, putting their hands on their chests and performing the knight's etiquette. It is easy to understand that the Pope is not in the Avalon boat at all, so Spencer, the Director of the Pope Hall, will be in this prayer hall. The old man is equivalent to the Pope's personal secretary. "Will that child betray me?" the pope asked again. Veron knew that "that child" referred to Rundstedt. Although he was the head of the Blazing Knights, at Rundstedt's age, he was indeed just a child in front of the Pope.But the huge loss caused by the child's sudden rebellion can almost change the entire world structure. As the chief of the Secret Service Section and the intelligence chief of the Inquisition Bureau, until now Veron has been unable to sort out a reasonable situation from the information he knows. Explanation. Why did Rundstedt betray?Does this betrayal have anything to do with Chu Shunhua?What was the core goal of this mutiny? It was all a mystery, and Veron felt that he was involved in great danger, but he couldn't get out of this whirlpool.He was an eyewitness, and he also checked the Seraphs who were killed by Rundstedt... As a result, nothing can be said here. "I think there is no need to doubt now, Holy See." Veron said, "He also killed the Seraphim who was traveling with him." "You said he also hijacked the Yorman Gund train?" "He evacuated from the end of the railway fifteen minutes ago. With the speed of that train, he had crossed Marston nine minutes ago. We should send a telegram to notify the next station to intercept him." Veron thought of the telegram, this This new method of communication is much faster than the previous use of fast horses, Stein heavy machines, or flame transmission commands, and it can reach all stations along the track in an instant. "How many cars did he rob?" Veron quickly recalled the scene in the dense forest. After Rundstedt destroyed the Ship of Avalon, he used the spare mithril bullet to penetrate half of the train.At first glance, this move seems to be to reduce the number of carriages taken away, but it is unreasonable when you think about it. Even if the train is shortened by a few carriages, it will not be much faster. At that time, Rundstedt’s higher priority should be to kill In this case, he shouldn't waste that powerful mithril bullet. The implication of the pope's question is that Rundstedt deliberately hijacked some carriages and destroyed the remaining carriages on the spot so as not to leave them to the Seraphim regiment.Judging from the fact that he killed all Seraphim but let Peron and Poincaré go, he is not cruel and bloodthirsty... until the last moment his eyes were pure like a child, he just hated things like Seraphim... ...though he himself is a Seraphim. "He robbed fourteen carriages, including the front." Veron gave the exact number. As the chief of the Secret Service Section, a good memory is a must. "Stand by outside," said the pope coldly. Veron and Poincaré were taken aback.At such a dangerous time, the pope simply listened to their return.He should have been anxious or angry, which was in line with the character of the Iron Pope. Few outsiders know the title "Iron Pope", and they don't think there is any difference between Ron Borgia and any previous pope.But in the upper circles of Fei Lengcui, the nobles discussed in private what power had pushed Ron Borgia, a fanatic who believed in power, to the highest seat of the Messianic Church. First of all, he is one of the most unlikable popes in history. Except for pretending to attend religious and diplomatic activities, he is very silent on other occasions, and his pair of cold eyes are always hidden behind the lens. scrutinize others. He also has a great desire for power, often disregarding the resolutions of the Cardinal Council and issuing orders directly through the Pope's Hall.You must know that the Pope is only an elected religious leader, and the highest power in Fei Leng Cui is actually in the hands of a small council called the Cardinal Council. The most incredible thing is that he actually tried to directly control the military power. For example, in this battle, General Anthony, the Marshal of the Crusaders, could have commanded it, but he directly controlled the battle as a religious leader.In the West, the middle-aged pope is considered a tough character who can fight against Chu Shunhua, but his religious attainments are really not worthy of the title of pope. "The pope's order has been given," said Minister Spencer.Only then did Poincaré and Veron realize their gaffe, got up and left the prayer hall. In the prayer hall, only the murals, candles, the pope and Spencer Hall standing beside him remained. "What else is there on the Yorman Gund train?" the Pope asked coldly, his ruthless face was illuminated by candlelight, and the light reflected by the mirror was like a sword drawn from its sheath. "The rear compartments are full of equipment needed to maintain the survival of knights, and the things in the front compartments are the most important. He robbed fourteen compartments, which contained four Omega-level remains and twelve coffins of knights. There is a living knight in every iron coffin." Director Spencer whispered, "If you kill those knights, the other party will get twelve seraphim-level armors. Studying those armors, our secret is Is it going to be exposed?" "Who might be the one who wants to get the remains and the armor?" "Many people have such expectations, and Chu Shunhua is one of them, but the person who knows the inside story and can plot against Rundstedt must not be Chu Shunhua. Many people from back then are still alive." "Who can make Rundstedt betray us?" "Maybe the kid is just tired of us, and of life." "Then let him die." "According to the time," Director Spencer glanced at his watch, "twenty-one minutes have passed, and at the high speed of the Yorman Gund train, he has passed Marston and traveled twenty-five minutes." Kilometers. The next station that can intercept him is Izmir, fifty-five kilometers away, but we have no way of knowing whether he will stop on the way to unload those goods. There is no vehicle in this world that can catch up with Jorman The Gund, with the sole exception of the Odin, but she was left in Emerald." "No, the Jorman Gund train hasn't passed Marston yet. Rundstedt is hidden on a certain out-of-service railway branch. If we go to the next station to intercept it, we will fall into his plan." "The Pope said coldly, "He is a student I have taught, and I know exactly what he will do. He knows that it will be difficult for him to pass Marston, because there is Licini there." "It turns out that the purpose of placing the Scarlet Death in Marston is to avoid such accidents." "This world is like this. One person is always staring at the other's back, and one is staring at the other, forming a chain-like net." The Pope ordered, "Whoever is swaying in the dark, can't leave with those things." The world cannot know the truth, the truth can only stop at Marston." "Understood, then take the most thunderous method? There are about sixteen blazing cavalry that can be called at present, and all of them should be sent to Marston." Director Spencer bowed slightly, "It's just that the battlefield There is no reserve team over there, and the good opportunity to completely crush Xia Guo's army has been lost." "This is the horror of Chu Shunhua, right? Fate will always save him when he is in the most danger. Leave him alone, and transfer all the manpower that can be mobilized to Marston, including Poincaré and Peron." The Pope turned his head and glanced at Director Spencer, "The command is entrusted to you." "Any other orders?" "Hurry up, don't care about the cost. By now, the news of Rundstedt's rebellion must have spread. The cardinals have very good eyes and ears, and the telegram allows them to supervise everything here in Feilengcui. If we can't resolve this matter, they will intervene." The pope pushed his glasses, "In their hearts, the things on that train are their property, and they don't allow anyone to move their property." "Understood, it doesn't matter if you get your hands dirty, right?" "I was chosen to take the position of pope, just to get my hands dirty." The pope's eyes flashed behind the glasses, "Do you really think they want me to spread the light of God?" A few minutes later, the steam whistle sounded like a dragon's voice, and the Parthian Plains. The Crusader Guards, which had already formed a coercive posture against the Xia army, began to retreat while effectively consolidating their positions. The Xia army of Lin's army was unable to take the opportunity to fight back, and the immortal army, regarded as the god of death, wasted all on this seaside battlefield. The Daxia warships cruising on the sea hung white sails in mourning. The undefeated Daxia Longque looked up at the last hanging lamp burning and falling on the sea, and turned to look west: "Farewell, King of Knights."