Several conversations in early spring

"You play a game, where you can cheat at will," Paresa ignored the mage, and continued, "You want to win, but you can't lose. You choose to follow the rules for fun. My dear, what should I be moved? You're fighting me fairly for following the rules I'm forced to follow? Well, maybe theoretically I should be moved, but my emotions are irrational."

The general paused.He stared into the dragon's eyes, and slowly released the fingers that clamped down on the dragon.Pareza looked like he was thinking about how to pluck the sleeping dragon's scales without waking it up.

"I want to quit," he went on, "but I can't quit, so I settle for the next best thing, I compromise, okay? Five years, huh? Maybe when I leave you behind, I can get back on I like you." His hand has been loosened and put down.

Bermont watched them from the sidelines, and he felt that the attitudes of the two were softening, which was a good sign...

"It's okay now," the dragon finally whispered, "I'm working on it..."

Pareza laughed, with helplessness in the ridicule.

"You wish to love me like a dragon loves a dragon, or as a mortal loves a mortal." He repeated what Hermes had said before, "It's impossible. The objective fact is: you are not a mortal, and I am not a dragon. Yes What matters to me will never be worth mentioning or scorning to you. And all the sacrifices and sacrifices you made and gave out of love for me I will never be able to empathize with and feel disgusted."

"I hate you already," said the mortal at last, "don't make me hate you."

Radley was walking back and forth outside the closed door. He didn't understand why Paresa would entertain his former friends, who had nothing to do with this war, or even Wo Ye, when he received the transfer order. related, friend?Although the current chief and the former lord have always been very whimsical and incomprehensible, but he has always been clear about what is more important--Radley really wanted to open the door and shout at the chief: Don't you know it's time now? Not enough? !

Of course the knight didn't dare to do this, so he simulated it in his mind to ease his dissatisfaction.

Just when the roar in Radley's head was getting to the point where he complained that Pareza was still making decisions on a whim like before, the door suddenly opened.The knight shuddered and stood at attention, facing Pareza.

Then he found out why Paresa was the only one who came out!

"My lord, you haven't finished talking yet..." Radley tried to make his tone humble.

"I'm done," said the general, "but my two friends still want to catch up." He slammed the door shut.

"Is everything packed?" the general asked again.

Radley reacted for a second.

"Yes, just waiting for your order—when shall we go?"

"Now."

Radley opened his eyes wide.He looked at the officer's expression, then at the closed door.His officer turned and started walking down the hall.Radley hurried to follow.

"Then your friends..." The knight hesitated to speak.

"Oh, they won't care," Pareza said. "No one will bother anyway—isn't everyone in this city dead?"

"Yes," Radley replied, "all dead." His tone was a little awkward.

Pareza stopped.His men stopped after him.

The general turned and stared at the companion he had known since childhood.

"I know you don't like it," his brown eyes were unsettled, and seemed to be surging, "but sometimes, for what we want, we have to make a decision that we resist in our hearts. Because fate never allows us to have the best of both worlds." .”

Radley looked at Pareza.The current scene makes the knight feel strange.

As an earl, Paresa often said this kind of words; but as a general, Pareza would not say it, and Radley listened more to cold jokes and orders.

People's consciousness can flash across the long river of years in memory, but only a few seconds in reality.In those few seconds, Radley thought of the dignified and majestic Lady Faltina, the troublesome Miss Ramona, and the idle young Earl.He remembered the tricky and weird topics that the earl had brought up when they were hunting in the past. He had never been half interested in entangled in the logic of ethics, exploring the essence of morality, and defining the difference between good and evil.Belk would be more than happy to talk about this with the count.

Radley's consciousness returned to reality, and a thought naturally emerged: Belk should be standing here.Belk could understand what their lord was trying to justify, what he wanted to get rid of, what he wanted to resist, what he wanted, and he didn't understand.

But Belk had already died in battle, and like many others, his body was sent back to Hellerburg, wrapped in a battle flag and buried in the soil.

Radley blinked.

"Well, you know I can't understand those polite words," said the knight.

"But, well," said the knight again, "I don't like massacres, but I agree with your decision. You are right that we cannot take any chances."

Radley thought for a while, and added: "We have to win."

He looked at the general sincerely, and the general looked at him silently.In fact, Pareza secretly despised himself in his heart for being reduced to asking for approval from Radley—and he actually gave him approval.

Pareza looked at his friend, and his nerves, which had been tense, finally relaxed a little.

"We will win," said the general, "we will not only win."

"I think that's ridiculous," Hermes whispered, sitting in his chair.

Bermont waited for him a moment, then realized that it was not half a sentence.

"Be clear," the mage said, "what do you think is ridiculous? You are a life-saving talisman, and Paresa wants to throw you away? A mere mortal wants to throw you away, but you throw away your self-esteem and keep pestering you." Him? You want to have him forever, but you don't want to use the most direct and safe method? You are a real dragon, but you can't find a way to satisfy your desire?"

Hermes didn't answer him.It wasn't that admitting his incompetence in front of Dust would embarrass him.

The embarrassment is admitting it in front of yourself.

"I have met countless mortals. There are many people who have the same personality as Paresa, many people who have similar appearance to Paresa, and many people who have the same experience as Paresa." Hermos said.

"But you didn't fall in love with them, you only fell in love with him?" the mage said lazily.

"...so why? What is it that determines that I will fall in love with him?"

"I have collected a thousand answers to this question among mortals," Bermont said, "but I have not yet come up with a general law."

"What about not loving him? Will I stop loving him one day, just like those mortals who don't want to change?"

"Perhaps. When all your illusions of happiness are shattered, when all you get from him is disappointment and pain, and gradually your love withers. Most mortals are like that anyway."

Hermes was silent for a long time.

"Maybe I shouldn't agree to this proposal..." Hermes hesitated, "What's the use? My compromise is meaningless. Maybe it won't make the problem worse, but it won't make the situation better either. Obedience won't In exchange for love, he may still push his feet... Al, should I take him to my cave now, imprison him, raise him, protect him, let his eyes only look at me alone ?”

The dragon's golden eyes looked at the mage, and his tone showed that he was sincerely seeking advice from a friend.

"If you can do it, do it," Bermont told him, "that's such a simple and effective solution, you should have done it long ago—"

"So, what's stopping you?" the mage smiled.

Hermes gritted his teeth.

"I know Paresa doesn't love me, he doesn't love men at all. The person he loves is his wife." Long said, "What he is obsessed with is my strength, my extraordinaryness, I know all of this. So I just want to get what I can get...I want him to maintain his fascination with me, even if it is a very superficial envy and yearning for a powerful being. And the basis of those fascinations is that I have done no harm to him."

Hermes paused, a dazed and resentful expression on his face.

"Is this the trap and trap of the true god? Fate's revenge and warning to me? I fell in love with a mortal who will never fall in love with me—Paresa can have any kind of affection for me, but there is no love. When he is happy, he regards me as a friend and a lover; when he is not happy, he regards me as an obstacle and a hidden danger..."

"But I can only love him!"

Bermont sighed.

"Since the tragedy has happened, you cannot avoid it. Balkamonifido, my friend," the mage called out the dragon's real name very solemnly, "he cannot fall in love with you, so your imprisonment is meaningless. As Pareza just said, he already hates you, don't make him hate you."

Bermont closed his eyes.Hermos' words moved him, but didn't move him—he still chose to deceive the dragon and let the situation go smoothly in the direction he had negotiated with Pareza.

After a long time, he heard Hermes answer.For the first time, Long's voice revealed the kind of real helplessness, making compromises because of incompetence, and suffering because of compromises.I have been unwilling, resentful, and sad, but I have no choice but to accept it.

Hermes accepted.

"You're right, Al," he said, "I can only say yes."

Bermont opened his eyes.

The mage was not pleased with his success.

Paresa reined in and brought the horse to a halt.He got off his horse and stood there holding the rein, staring at the distant sky in a daze.

In this season of rebirth of all things, fresh weeds have grown on the wasteland, sparsely dotted the vast land, and there is a figure standing there, with a soft white light shining from the tip of the staff in his hand, like a star falling into the mortal world. world star.It was still some time before dawn, and the sky in the distance was lavender, and the place near the horizon was slightly bright pale green.Paresa could still see the stars shining in it.

Hermes wasn't here yet.

If there are no accidents, it will be five years before they meet next time.Pareza thought.

Bermont had sent him a short letter earlier, telling him that everything was going well.The mage also told him by the way that Hermes thought he never loved it, but that he only loved Faltina.

Faltina.Paresa said the name silently in her heart, and couldn't help laughing.He had been avoiding any connection between her and Hermos.

On that late autumn afternoon, Faltina fell into a coma while Hermes came to visit him.His wife could die at any time, and he didn't want to leave her for half a step.

Everything later proved that it was a wrong decision.

Here comes Hermes.He sent him to Faltina's bedside.

Bermont had warned him not to ask a demigod for favor, for if it can give it, it will give it; if it can't, your request will arouse its resentment.

But the dragon was standing beside him, his friend was standing beside him, and the person he was thinking of was standing beside him.The dragon didn't look so dragonlike, and he put his hands on his shoulders, and he said I'm sorry, and his tone was sympathetic and sad.

So he said that.can you save her

When Hermes left, he realized that Faltina was awake.

"I'm extremely disappointed," her voice was weak, "you actually went to beg him..."

"I want you to live."

"You can ask anyone... except him." Her emerald green eyes widened, "This friend of yours looks at me like dust... I don't need handouts from such people." The woman sneered, "...why does he despise me?"

The author has something to say: Pareza: We have to make decisions that our hearts resist.Because fate never promises us the best of both worlds.

Radley: Belk definitely understands what Pareza is talking about.

Belk: You overestimate me.There is too little background information on this sentence, so I guess Mr. He Hanhe has to explain it himself.

Hermes: Er... Isn't this sentence literally?The last sentence is still out of the book bag, and it uses a certain sentence from a certain chapter, a certain paragraph in a certain book...

Pareza: ...

Bermont: (Shrugs his shoulders) Let me tell you, although the seventh year has been in the world for so long...but he doesn't like to use his brain...no one can save him...