Chapter 29 Chapter 28 The Secret

Lisa woke up to a soft neigh.She opened her eyes and saw Roger brushing the fur of a brown horse she bought in Angels. For a moment, she thought that what had happened the past two days was just a dream. But then the Dawn Dancer came into view, and the huge stallion towered over the mare, and she backed away. "Roger," she asked softly, "where did I get my horse?" Roger opened his mouth to speak, but the Mosiri just returned to the camp with two little rabbits and a bag of wild fruits. "I found your friend's campfire last night," he explained, "and I thought it would be quicker to get on if everyone was on horseback."

Lisa was silent for a while, thinking about the hidden meaning of these words.A dozen different emotions welled up in her heart, most of which made her feel ashamed and dirty.Roger and the Mosiri had given her time to cool off, and she was grateful for that. "You killed them?" she asked finally.A part of her expected to hear him say yes, even though that thought went against everything she believed in—everything Bruna had taught her. The Mosiri looked her in the eye. "No." Li Sha breathed a sigh of relief, "I led them away, led the horses away, that's all." Li Sha nodded. "We'll ask the couriers passing through the Logging Hollow to report their affairs to the Duke's law enforcement officers at a later date."

Her herbal blanket was bundled up and tied to the saddle.She spread it out to examine, relieved to see that most of the vials and pouches were still there.They had exhausted her temple grass, but it wasn't hard to find. After breakfast, Roger rode the mare, and Lisa sat behind the magic sign and rode the dawn dancer together.They hastened on, for the clouds were thickening, and a storm was coming. Lisa felt that she should be afraid.The robbers are still alive and ahead of them.She remembered the black-bearded man's raised eyebrows, and his companion's hoarse laughter.Most terrifying of all, she remembered the heavy body of the Silent Giant, and his stupid and violent bestiality.

She should have been afraid, but she wasn't; the Spellmarks gave her more security than Bruna.He does not tire, he does not fear.She has no doubt that as long as she is under his protection, she will never suffer any harm. guard.This feeling is very strange and needs to be guarded, as if it is a concept from a previous life.She has guarded herself for so long that she has forgotten what it feels like to be guarded by others.Her skill and wit are enough to get her through anything in the civilized world, but those things are pretty useless in the wild. The Moyin moved his sitting position, and only then did she realize that she hugged his waist too tightly, her body was pressed against his back, and her head rested on his thick shoulders.She immediately stood up in embarrassment, almost missing a bloody Halfhand that fell among the bushes by the roadside.

When she found out, she screamed. The Spellmark stopped the giant horse, and Lisa jumped off the horse and rushed towards Halfhand.She pushed away the weeds next to her and gasped, only to see that there was nothing behind the palm; it had been bitten off. "Lisa, what's going on?" Roger called when he came with the magic seal. "Are they camping near here?" Lisa raised her half palm and asked.The Moyinren nodded. "Take me there." Lisa ordered. "Lisa, there are..." Roger said.But Lisa ignored him, and her eyes stayed on the magic seal. "Take—me—to—" she said.The Moyinren nodded.Drive down a stake and tie the mare's bridle to the stake.

"Guard it," he said to the Dawn Dancer, and the giant neighed back. They found the camp before long, dripping with blood and strewn with corpses.Lisa lifted her apron and covered her mouth and nose to resist the hard-to-disguise breath.Roger retched a few times and ran out of the clearing. But blood is commonplace for Lisa. "There are only two people." She said while inspecting the wreckage, with mixed emotions in her heart, and it was difficult to distinguish emotions. The Moyinren nodded. "The quiet one isn't here," he added. "The giant." "That's right." Li Sha said, "The magic circle is not there either."

"The magic seal circle is not there either." Not long after, the magic seal man agreed. The clouds gathered and thickened as they made their way back to find the horses. "There's the Messenger's Cave ten miles away," said the Rune. "If we hurry and skip lunch, we should get there before it rains. We've got to find shelter from this storm." "A man who slaughters monsters in the center of the earth with his bare hands is afraid of a little rain?" Li Sha asked. "As long as the clouds are thick enough, the monsters in the center of the earth may show up early." The magic seal said.

"Since when have we been afraid of monsters in the center of the earth?" Lisa continued to ask. "Fighting demons in the rain is foolish and dangerous," said the Runeman. "Rain will turn the dirt into mud, and the mud will cover the rune and cause the rune circle to be unstable." They had just arrived at the cave, when the downpour turned the road into a piece of mud, and the sky quickly turned dark, only the occasional flashes of lightning could be seen.The wind roared, mixed with a few deafening thunder from time to time. Most of the entrance of the cave has been covered with magic seals, and some magic seal symbols are deeply drawn on the rocks. The magic seals quickly filled the gaps in the magic seal circle with the magic seal stones stored in the cave.

As expected by the magic sealers, several demons appeared early in the illusion of night.He watched them coldly crawl out from the darkest corner of the forest, enjoying the pleasure of leaving the Inner Earth Demon Realm early.They frolicked in the rain, their misshapen silhouettes illuminated by flashes of lightning. They tried to break into the cave, but the sigil field was unbreakable.Demons who ran too close suffered, as a displeased sigil greeted them with a spear. "Why are you so angry?" Li Sha asked, taking out the bowls and ladles from the bag.Roger was busy lighting the fire.

"It's bad enough they're at night," spat the rune, "they're not entitled to be in the day." Lisa shook her head in persuasion. "A little acceptance of reality once in a while will make your life a little bit happier." "I don't want to be happy," he replied. "Everyone likes to live happily." Li Sha mocked, "Where did the pot go?" "In my bag," cried Roger.Even turned over, but it was too late.Lisa took out his portable magic circle with a face full of surprise. "But..." she stammered, "they took away the magic seal circle!" He turned to Roger, and found his eyes drifted to the magic seal.She turned to him, but could see nothing under the dark hood.

"Anybody going to explain?" she yelled. "We... got it back," said Roger timidly. "I know you got it back!" Li Sha yelled, throwing the entangled rope and the wooden sign to the cave floor, "How did you get it back?" "I took it back with the horse when I was leading the horse." The magic seal said suddenly, "I don't want you to feel bad about it, so I didn't tell you." "Did you steal it?" "They took your things first." The magic seal man corrected, "I just get it back for you." Liza stared at him for a while. "You took it at night," she said softly. The Mosiri were silent. "Were they using it at the time?" Lisa gritted her teeth and asked. "The wild roads are dangerous enough without these people." The magic mark man sighed. "You murdered them!" Risa said, surprised to find her eyes filled with tears.No matter how bad people met, her father had said, every night you could see worse things out of the window.Even the worst people should not die in the mouth of the earth core monsters, even these people are the same. "How can you say that?" said the magic seal man. "no difference!" The man shrugged. "They did the same thing to you." "So you can have a clear conscience?" Lisa roared, "Look at you! You don't care at all! At least two people died because of this, and you can sleep peacefully at night! You are a monster!" She rushed in front of him, Tried to punch him, but he grabbed her wrist and watched her struggle with a blank expression. "Why do you care about such things?" he asked. "I'm an herbalist!" she screamed, "I swore it! I swore to heal everything, and you..." She looked at him coldly. "All you do is keep killing." Shortly after, exhausted, she backed away. "You despise everything I stand for," she said, sitting down and staring at the cave floor for several minutes.Then she looked up at Roger. "You mean 'we'?" she reprimanded. "What?" asked the bard, trying to get away with it. "Just now," she spelled out, "you said 'we'll bring it back,' and the sigil was in your pouch. You went with him?" "I..." Roger faltered, without looking to the right. "Don't lie, Roger!" Lisa said angrily. Roger looked down at the ground, and after a moment, he nodded. "What he just said is the truth." Roger admitted, "He only has to lead the horse. I will take your magic circle and your medicine bag while the robber is chasing him." "Why?" Lisa asked, her voice trembling slightly.The disappointment in the tone cut the young bard's heart. "You know why," Roger whispered back. "Why?" Lisa asked again, "For me? For my chastity? Tell me, Roger. Tell me you're killing people in my name!" "They must pay the price," Roger replied firmly. "They must pay the price for what he did. They are unforgivable." Lisa laughed, there was no smile in her voice. "Do you think I don't know?" she cried. "Do you think I've kept my virginity for twenty-seven years just to lose it to a gang of robbers?" There was a dead silence in the cave, broken by the last thunderclap. "Stick to the boy..." Roger repeated. "That's right, you raised by the devil!" Lisa yelled, with tears of anger streaming down her face, "I'm a virgin! Is it because of this that you can justifiably send them into the mouth of the devil?" "Send it in?" the magic seal man repeated. Lisa turned around abruptly. "Send it, of course!" she yelled. "I'm sure your demon friends will love the sumptuous dinner you give us. Their favorite thing to do is slaughter humans. We're not many, we're a rare treat!" The Moyinren's eyes widened, pupils reflecting fire.It was the most human look Riza had ever seen on his face, and the sight made her forget for a moment the anger she was filled with.Seeming terrified, he backed away from them, all the way to the mouth of the cave. At this moment, an earth core monster rushed towards the magic seal net, and the cave was shrouded in a shining silver light.The magic seal turned around and yelled at the devil. Lisa had never heard such a sound, but she recognized the meaning of this sound, which was the true feeling in her heart when she was pressed by the roadside that night. The Moyinren pulled out his spear and threw it into the rain. When the spear hit the demon, it made a magical explosion, blasting the opponent into the quagmire. "Die!" the magic seal roared, tore off his robe and rushed into the rainstorm, "I swear that I will never give you anything voluntarily! Nothing!" He threw himself on the back of a wooden demon from behind and hugged him tightly. Live each other.The big magic seal on his chest was shining brightly, even though the rain was violent, the monster in the center of the earth still caught fire immediately.He kicked the demon away as it struggled violently. "Come here!" the Moyinren shouted at the other demons.Feet stuck in the mud.The monster in the center of the earth rushed up, scratching and biting, but he was like a demon, and all the demons flew around like autumn leaves in the strong wind. In the depths of the cave, the Dawn Dancer hissed, trying to break free from the rope under his feet, and wanted to go out and fight with his master.Roger walked over to appease the giant horse, and looked at Lisa in confusion. "He can't deal with all the demons." Lisa said, "Not in the mud." At this time, many magic marks on the man's body were covered by the mud. "He wanted to die," she said. "What should we do?" Roger asked. "Your violin!" Lisa cried, "Chase them away." Roger shook his head. "The sound of wind and thunder will drown out the sound of my piano." "We can't just watch him commit suicide," Liza yelled at him. "You're right," Roger agreed.He rushed to the rune's weapon, drawing out the light spear and the rune's shield.After realizing what he was going to do, Lisa hurried forward to stop him, but he stepped out of the cave before her and rushed to the side of the magic seal. A fire demon spat fire saliva at Roger, but the flames were blocked by the rain and fell in an instant.The monster in the center of the earth rushed forward, and he raised the shield of the magic seal to shake the demon back.He focused all his attention on the front and didn't notice the other fire demon behind him.The monster in the center of the earth jumped up, but the magic mark man grabbed the three-foot-long demon out of thin air, and threw it into the distance with his palms sizzling. "Go back to the cave!" the magic sign ordered. "If you don't go back, I won't go back!" Roger roared back.His red hair was wet against his face, and he could barely keep his eyes open in the storm, but he faced the sigil without fear, with no intention of backing down. The two wooden demons rushed towards them, and the Moyinren jumped on the spot, knocking Roger's feet down.The claws did not reach the prostrate bards, but the spellmarked fists pushed them back.But the others gathered again, attracted by the flashes and sounds of the battle, were too numerous to fight them. When the Moyinren saw Roger lying in the mud, his madness stopped immediately.He held out a hand, and the bard took it immediately.The two rushed back into the hole together. "What are you thinking?" Lisa asked loudly after finishing the last bandage, "Two cows!" Roger and the Mosiri sat by the fire, wrapped in blankets, listening to her scolding in silence.After a while, she got tired of cursing, so she heated up a pot of herbal and vegetable broth and served it to them both without saying a word. "Thank you," said Roger, the first words he said after returning to the cave. "I'm still angry with you." Li Sha said without even looking at him, "How dare you lie to me." "I didn't," Roger retorted. "You have something to hide from me." Li Sha said, "What's the difference between that and lying to me?" Roger watched her for a while. "Why did you leave the logging swale?" "What?" Lisa said, "Don't change the subject." "Since these people mean so much to you, you are willing to rush back to help without fear," Roger continued, "Why did you leave in the first place?" "For study..." Li Sha said. Roger shook his head. "Dodging problems is my specialty, Riza," he said, "and I can see why there are more than that." "I don't think this has anything to do with you," Lisa roared. "Why do you think I'm staying in the wilderness now, waiting for the storm to pass in a cave with monsters watching from the center of the earth?" Roger asked. Lisa looked at him for a while, then sighed, her will to resist softened. "I think you'll hear these rumors soon," said Lisa. "The townspeople of Logging Hollow never keep their secrets." She told them everything.She didn't intend to do this, to turn the damp cave into a priest's confessional; and she couldn't stop when she started; life.When she mentioned Bruna's liquid demon fire; the sigil leaned forward to say something, but finally shut his mouth and sat back, determined not to interrupt her. "That's it." Lisa said, "I originally hoped to stay in Angels, but it seems that the Creator has other arrangements." "You deserve a better life," said the Rune Man. Lisa nodded and looked at him. "Why did you run out?" she asked, turning, pointing to the hole with her chin raised. The Mosiri hung his head down, staring at his knees. "I broke my promise," he said. "that's it?" He looked up at her, and for the first time she didn't see the tattoos on his face, only his eyes, and those eyes touched her heart deeply. "I swore I would never give them anything voluntarily," he said, "not even to save my own life, but I ended up giving them all of my humanity." "You didn't give them anything." Roger said, "I took the magic circle." Lisa held the soup bowl tightly with both hands, but didn't make a sound. The magic seal shook his head. "You got it because of me," he said. "I know how you feel. Giving them to you is the same as giving them to the inner earth monsters." "They can no longer attack travelers," Roger said. "The world would be a better place without them." The Moyinren nodded. "But that's no excuse to send them to the demons," he said. "I can confront them head-on, take back the sigil easily, and even kill them in broad daylight." "So you ran out tonight because you felt guilty?" Lisa said, "And before that? Why did you fight the monsters in the center of the earth?" "You haven't noticed," the Magnolia responded, "the Inner-Earth and us have been at war for centuries. What's wrong with being proactive?" "You see yourself as a liberator?" Liza asked. The Moyin frowned. “Waiting for the Liberator to come has made humanity weak for three hundred years,” he said. “The Liberator is just a legend, he won’t come. It’s time for people to recognize that and start standing up for themselves.” "Legends have power," Roger said. "Don't be too quick to deny them." "Since when did you become a warrior of faith?" Lisa asked. "I believe in hope," said Roger. "I've been a bard all my life, and if I've learned anything in these twenty-three years, it's that the stories that people ask me to tell, haunt their hearts. The stories of not going are often the ones that offer hope." "what?" "You told me you were twenty years old." "Did I say so?" "You're not even twenty years old, are you?" she asked. "I have!" Roger insisted. "I'm not stupid, Roger." Lisa said, "I've only known you for three months, and you've grown two centimeters. It's impossible for a twenty-year-old to grow that fast. How old are you? Sixteen?" "Seventeen," Roger called.He threw down the soup bowl, and the rest of the meat spilled out. "Are you happy now? You told Giselle that you were old enough to be my mother." Lisa stared at him.She opened her mouth to speak back, but finally closed it. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "What about you, Rubik?" Roger asked, turning. "Would you add 'too young' to my list of reasons why I shouldn't be traveling with you?" "I became a messenger when I was seventeen," the man asked, "and I traveled with other people when I was younger." "How old is the Rubik?" Roger asked. "The Maulian was born in the Krasia Desert four years ago," he replied. "Where is the man behind the sigil?" Lisa asked, "How old was he when he died?" "It doesn't matter how long he lived," said the Rune, "he was a stupid, naive brat with a dream that couldn't be fulfilled." "Is that why he had to die?" Lisa asked. "He was framed to die, and yes, that's how he died." "What's his name?" Lisa asked softly. The Moyinren was silent for a long time. "Aaron," he said at last, "his name is Aaron."