Chapter 40 Chapter Eleven Sincerely Giving Freedom

A stifled cry came from Merlin's Thumb. "Yes, Vanya," said Prince Xavier. "I know about that prophecy. Duke Xis is loyal--loyal to the country. The leader of their order is well aware that I represent the country now, and the sorceress told me everything. Ah, you are confused, Nephew. So far, everything is easy to understand. Listen carefully, for I am about to utter the prophecy that only Bishop Vanya and Dukexis have known so far." The voice is soft and gentle.The words of Dikonduke have been whispered in Doches's ear every night since then. "Among the descendants of the royal family, there will be a person who has no magic power but can survive. When he faces death again and survives to return, he will hold the end of the world in his hands—"

Prince Xavier was silent, watching Joram intently.The young man's face was pale, and his lips had completely lost their color.But the dark face looked unmoved.He said nothing. "This is why I betrayed you, my child!" The pent-up words burst from Saryon's throat like blood from a torn heart. "I have no choice! His Excellency the bishop made me understand! The fate of the world is in my hands!" Saryon wet his hands with tears, and looked at Joran earnestly. What did Saryon expect.Dorches thought sympathetically.forgive?understand?Dorches looked at Joram's pitiless face.No, the old deacon said to himself, he could not find these emotions in that dark abyss.

For a while, however, it seemed possible.Joram blinked, his mouth trembling.His head turned slightly towards the Catalyst Saint, who was watching him wistfully.But the arrogance he was born with surged out and grew crazily in his heart, and soon froze the tears and curbed the impulse.He twisted his face away, causing Saryon to slump down with a sigh.Joram's attention was still on Dikonduke. "I'll continue." The wizard said a little impatiently. "If only no one bothered. You now understand why the prince can't die. He has to live, or the prophecy will come true. And yet everyone has to believe he's dead. It's hard to imagine a dead emperor coming to defile him someday." Throne of Merilon.

"Do you understand Vanya's dilemma, nephew?" Prince Xavier spread his hands, his sarcasm both soft and deadly. "I don't know what he's going to do with you, Joram. What were you going to do, Bishop? Will you tell us?" There was no answer, only the hard breathing of the bishop. Dikonduke shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He's probably planning to lock you up in some dungeon on the Holy Mountain, and you'll stay there as a prisoner until he figured out a solution. Well, I guess I guessed it right or wrong." Not far away." Dorches glanced at Van Yar and saw a vein in his jaw twitching.

"His plan, whatever it was, went awry. He deliberately left no guards behind, and planned to slip back into that room that night and take the prince to a safer place. Think how terrified he was, nephew, he When I came back, I found that the child had disappeared!" Dorches could imagine what it was like.Something was crawling on his bald head, and his feet were cold. "Our bishop is always very rational, and he didn't panic at the time. After he quietly investigated, he was able to get clues about what happened. A woman named Anya gave birth to a stillborn baby. Zelda told the story to Anya went mad when she, and showed her the dead child. She refused to let go of the body. Zelda called Duke Xisi and took the dead baby from her. With their magic it was done Got something like that, and then they must have calmed Anja down. But she tricked them. I hear, nephew, you're very good at playing tricks and creating illusions, it's all taught by the woman you think of as your mother Yours. I'm not surprised. She's pretty good at deceiving people, as you can tell by her ability to outwit the easy Duke.

"Bishop Vanya was not sure of anything, of course, but he surmised—and I agree with him—that the woman had escaped from her ward and was wandering about the Holy Mountain, trying to find her way out. She happened to pass among the living dead. .She found a child here, a living child! Anya picked up the child and escaped from the holy mountain that night. By the time Van Ya found out what happened, the experienced witch had disappeared." "Therefore, nephew, Bishop Vanya has known for many years that you, Prince, are alive somewhere in this world. However, he may have searched, but could not find you. The only person allowed to know this secret is Duke Xisi The people at the top, who of course assisted in the search. They told me that all the reports of the dead still alive have been carefully checked. The one that fits the bill best is you, Joram. You exposed yourself when you killed the overseer The description of your mother matches Anya's, as does your age.

"Vanya can't be sure, though. Fortunately, your escape to the Outer Lands made things easier. A sorcerer, one of Duke Xi's top masters, named Black Lock, was already there, Sneakily carrying out a plan against the Witchcrafter. This man was reminded to watch out for you. His men found you easily, so he put you under his watch. "However, once again, the Bishop faced a dilemma. He dared not trap you in the Holy Mountain, where the old saying goes: 'The walls have eyes and ears as well as a mouthpiece.' He has too many enemies ready to replace him. Van Ya decided that it would be safer to leave you in the Outer Lands, not only to have a wizard watch over you, but also to have a catalyst saint watch over you." Dikonduke pointed to the huddled Saryon. "But Vanya didn't expect you to find the Dark Stone. Nephew, the progress is slow and overwhelming, and it looks like that prophecy is about to be fulfilled. You have been—or should we say now are—increasingly dangerous."

Prince Xavier was silent, as if lost in his own thoughts.No one else spoke.Vanya sat on the throne, running his fingers back and forth on his arm, staring at Dikonduke like a loser staring at his opponent, trying to figure out his next move.Joram's proud solid mask slipped away, exhaustion and shock making him look silly.His gaze was glazed and unfocused.Saryon wallowed in his pain.Dorches was sorry for him, but there seemed to be nothing he could do. The old deacon felt a headache, shivering from the cold and tension, so he had to clench his teeth to keep them from rattling.He also felt angry.Annoyed at being dragged into such a ridiculous and dangerous situation.He didn't know who to trust.In fact he didn't believe anyone.Oh, one thing he could grudgingly admit to be true: the boy was clearly the Queen's son - hair and eyes like that couldn't be fake.

But—a prophecy that would destroy the world?Every generation of humanity has heard prophecies of doom of one kind or another.The deacon didn't know how this prophecy came about, but he could guess it: some old people who had a good year went crazy, had hallucinations, saw the end of the world, and they would all be constipated if they were not sure.But now, hundreds of years later, the prophecy would kill the child. Dorches snorted disdainfully.The sound broke the tense atmosphere like thunder.Everyone in the room was startled, and everyone's eyes—even Duke Xisi's cold and merciless eyes—were all looking at the old deacon.

"Cold," muttered Dorches, wiping his nose pretendingly with his cuff. Bishop Fanya took this opportunity to break the deadlock and moved his huge body, which made Doques heave a sigh of relief. "How did you find out?" he asked Prince Xavier again. The wizard laughed. "Still trying to save face, don't you, Your Excellency, Bishop? I don't blame you. This layer is covered with a big ball of grease, and if it breaks, it must be disgusting for others to see inside. Who else knows? You must be wondering. Are they all determined to take your place? Where would I put them in my position?"

Van Ya's expression paled immediately.He tried to retort, but Prince Xavier raised his slender hand. "Don't panic. You should rest easy, Bishop. I could replace you, but I find it more appropriate not to—of course, if you and I can come to a final agreement on the solution of our problem. But we will go further Discuss those things. Now, to answer your questions. An upper-middle-class gentleman came to see me last night, distraught by the disappearance of his daughter." Joran raised his head, his eyes sparkling. Prince Xavier immediately stopped looking at the bishop who seemed to have calmed down his anger, and turned to face the young man beside him. "Yes, nephew, I think that will make your blood boil." "Gwendelyn!" Joram's voice broke. "Where is she? What did you do to her! Emin!" He clenched his fists. "If you hurt her!" "Hurt her?" Dikonduke said reproachfully, unmoved. "Trust we have some common sense, Joram. What good is it to us to hurt a girl whose only crime is to be unhappily in love with you?" Prince Xavier turned to the Bishop. "Lord Samuels was at the palace last night at my invitation. I also of course noticed that Dukes was looking for the young man with unusual vigour. I was naturally curious to know why, and Samuels The lord was eager to answer my various questions. He told me all he knew about Joram, and the strange statement of that Zelda La. There are many unsolved mysteries that aroused my curiosity ...why did Anya's record disappear? Why was it said that a foundling or orphan was stolen when it obviously didn't happen? "I immediately summoned the chief of the Duke's Division. At first, she was reluctant to speak. After I showed how much I already knew, and emphasized the benefits of telling the truth, and the silence and peace for a man who did not deserve allegiance After the perils of loyalty." Prince Xavier emphasized those words, which aroused the bishop's anger again. "She decided to cooperate and told me all I wanted to know. You don't have to worry, nephew. Your little lover is back in the arms of her family and must be shedding tears for your arrest. The trial she's going through More than one, painful but necessary. It is said that in ancient times, a diseased limb was often amputated to save the life of the whole body. She is young. She will recover from such an injury, Especially when she finds out that the one she loved was a living dead man, also guilty of murder, killing citizens of two kingdoms, and tainted by dark crafts." The blood color returned to Bishop Fanya's swollen face.He cleared his throat and coughed. "Yes, Your Excellency." Prince Xavier continued, with a sneer on his thin lips. "I will keep your secret. It is in the best interest of the people. Of course, it is conditional." "Queen." Van Ya said. "Exactly." "The news of her death will be announced tomorrow." The bishop suppressed his emotions. "We have warned against this kind of behavior a long time ago." Van Ya's gaze turned to the two catalyst saints present. "The only right thing to do is to give that poor earthly body the eternal rest it seeks. But the Emperor has disobeyed our wishes. Well, needless to say." The bishop looked nervously at Prince Xavier. "Is the emperor crazy?" "No doubt," replied the wizard dryly. The bishop nodded reassuringly and licked his lips. "Just another little thing," said Prince Xavier. Van Ya's face sank. "What's the matter?" He became suspicious. "Dark Sword—" the sorcerer began. "No one should touch that hateful weapon!" Van Ya roared, his face flushed red.Veins protruded from his forehead, and his eyes were almost buried by the bulging flesh around him. "Not even you, Dikonduke! This will be used as evidence against this young man at the execution. Then it will be taken back to the Holy Mountain and banned forever!" Judging from the bishop's tone of voice, there was no doubt about this decision. Prince Xavier had been plowing as if he had just plowed the field, but now he suddenly bumped into a huge rock.He may be able to remove it, but it will take time and patience.Best to go around for now.So he shrugged and bowed in acquiescence. "You took my sword, what are you going to do to me?" Joran asked proudly in a soft voice, with a wry smile on his face. "It seems that you are really in a dilemma. You can't kill me, so as not to fulfill the prophecy; but you can't afford to keep me alive. Too many 'mistakes' have been made. Lock me in the deepest dungeon — there isn't a night when you can sleep peacefully without worrying about whether I'm escaping, or planning to escape." "I like you more and more, nephew." Prince Xavier sighed and stood up. "Your fate may be in the hands of the catalyst saints, because you threaten the kingdom. And, I'm sure Bishop Vanya will eventually find a way to solve this difficult problem. My business here is over. His Excellency .” Dikonduke bowed slightly. "Honorable brother." He nodded to Saryon, who was staring at Vanya with wide-eyed fear.The prince then nodded to Dorches, and the old deacon moved restlessly in his chair, not wanting to meet his cold gaze. Dikonduke, covering his head with the hood of his rich red robe, turned at last to Joram. "Stand up and say goodbye to me, nephew," said the wizard. The young man tossed his black hair contemptuously, and reluctantly complied.He stood up, but did nothing else.He folded his hands in front of him and stared straight ahead, into the dark depths of the empty hall. Prince Xavier stepped forward, and put two slender hands on the young man's shoulders.Joram flinched back, instinctively trying to free himself from the wizard, but resisted the urge, too proud to fight. Dikonduke smiled and leaned towards the young man.He put his hooded head against Joram's cheek and kissed him, first the left cheek, then the right.As a result, Joram began to tremble, and it was obvious that he cowered, his flesh and blood shrank under the touch of the cold lips.He pulled back suddenly, out of the opponent's grasp, and rubbed his face with his bare arms, as if trying to get rid of the touch. A teleportation corridor opened behind Prince Xavier.He walked in and disappeared.The light he brought disappeared with him.Most of the hall suddenly fell into darkness, only the well of life in the hall was shining with a faint and terrifying light, and the dazzling light from behind the bishop's throne. Vanya seemed to regain his composure, though he was clearly still shaking.With a gesture from the bishop, the young Duke Xisi floated forward from the shadows.He uttered a word, and Joram was trapped again by three rings of fire, which cast a strange light in the deep darkness of the hall.The bishop looked at the young man in silence, panting loudly. "Your Excellency." Saryon slowly staggered to his feet. "You promised not to kill him." The catalyst saint clasped his trembling hands in front of him. "You swore to me on Emin's blood..." "Kneel down, brother Saryon." Bishop Vanya said sharply. "Ask Him to atone for your own sins!" "No!" Saryon yelled and rushed forward. Vanya struggled to his feet, moved his huge body off the throne, pushed Saryon away, walked past him, and stood in front of the young man.Joram looked at him without saying a word, a sardonic smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. "Qiao Lang—" Van Ya stopped as soon as he opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.The smile on the young man's face widened into a triumphant smile of pride.The Bishop turned blue with anger. "You're right, young man!" His voice trembled with anger. "We dare not let you live. We dare not let you die either. Since you were once the dead among the living, then you will be the living dead in the future!" Dorches jumped to his feet, throat clenched.No!He wanted to yell.I don't want to be part of this kind of thing!He tried to speak, but nothing came out.For the first time in his life, his tongue refused to obey him.They trap him neatly.He knows too much.He's going to Jessair, there's a great zoo there... With a cry of pain, Saryon fell to his knees before Vanya's throne. The bishop didn't care about the two catalyst saints at all.Joram's gaze had been on the mournful Saryon, but that gaze was indifferent and turned almost immediately to the Bishop. "Joran. In compliance with Simharun's decree, and with the testimony of the three catalyst saints, all the charges against you have been proved to be true. I therefore declare that you will be transformed. You will be taken to the border early this morning, your flesh and blood Your body will be transformed into rock here, and your soul will remain in your body to reflect on your crimes. You will always stand guard on the frontier, whether dead or alive, always watching over the realm of the afterlife."