Len City
Old Douglas stood in the center of Len City. There wasn't a single church deacon beside him. The chief priest of Len City had gone to deal with the fire giant conjured by Douglas's magic and wouldn't be back for a while. However, Old Douglas didn't flee because there was a person standing in front of him.
A young and beautiful woman, the Holy Maiden of the Church of the North Wind God! Grati!
Different from usual, this time she didn't wear a veil as she did when facing others. Instead, she confronted Old Douglas directly.
"I've finally met you, magician, or rather, father!" Grati said resentfully, looking into Old Douglas's eyes.
"Grati..."
Old Douglas opened and closed his mouth several times but only managed to utter Grati's name.
"I've been looking for you for a long time. I've been searching for you ever since the day mother passed away." Grati controlled her expression and then resumed her calm look as she talked to Old Douglas in a flat tone.
It was this calm tone that made Old Douglas feel even worse.
"How was she when she left?" Douglas said after a moment of silence.
"She left peacefully," Grati said indifferently.
Old Douglas let out a long breath, and a look of relief appeared on his face.
Seeing the relieved expression on his face, Grati's expression suddenly turned venomous:
"I'm lying to you. She was in pain until the moment of her death. She was thinking about you until the end, so she was never forgiven by the gods and always carried the humiliation and pain!"
The expression on Old Douglas's face froze, and tears streamed down his face.
"And you, you coward, never went to see her from beginning to end!"
Grati kept adding fuel to the fire beside him.
"I was wrong. I've long known I did wrong..." Old Douglas kept muttering.
"Do you know why I've been looking for you? I'm looking for you to kill you! I'm not here to have a loving reunion with you, father! You have to pay the price for what you've done!"
Grati's expression was ferocious, looking as if she was about to rush over and take a couple of bites out of Old Douglas.
"I'm sorry for what I did to her," Old Douglas choked out.
"Is saying sorry enough? Hehe, how pathetic! You'll never know what mother gave for you and what she got from you! Nothing!"
A green wind circled around Grati's left hand, and some extremely bright green light spots floated in it.
This was
The fifth - level divine spell, the Sword of the North Wind God!
Old Douglas slowly closed his eyes, made no attempt to defend himself, and waited for the inevitable strike of the sword.
Just as the Sword of the North Wind God was about to hit Old Douglas, a strong wind blew. A black figure flashed by, grabbed Old Douglas, and disappeared into the night!
It only left Grati a vague back view.
The black figure carried Old Douglas and ran rapidly for a while, then threw Old Douglas on the ground and growled:
"Your Majesty, are you trying to get yourself killed? You could have escaped!"
The moonlight shone on this person's face. This black figure was actually the Dragon Slayer, Ilya!
"What's wrong with dying like this? After all, I owe her. I've been living in pain for more than a decade. It would be a good end for me to be killed by my daughter now."
Old Douglas's old face remained calm. Indeed, he had been suffering. Otherwise, how could the once - famous magician have become an old carpenter?
"It doesn't matter if you die, but what about what you said more than a decade ago?" Ilya squinted at Douglas and said.
"Horn is a very good boy," Old Douglas said with a smile on his face when talking about Horn.
"But it's not enough! I can help you escape. Don't worry, there won't be any trouble."
Ilya assured him.
"No, take me back to Grati. I want her to decide whether I live or die."
Old Douglas was unexpectedly stubborn. He really wanted to die at Grati's hands!
Ilya frowned. Where had this old man's former ambition gone?
"Actually, I haven't been living comfortably these years. I didn't even teach Horn whole - heartedly. If I had been more dedicated, although he might still not be as good as you, he would at least be as good as my daughter."
Old Douglas's face showed a nostalgic look as he began to talk to Ilya. Facing death, he had a lot to say, but he couldn't tell Horn or his daughter...
"Do you know when the happiest time for me in these years was? It was when Grati first came to this city!
So, take me back. I believe Horn can do better than me in the things you're expecting!
By the way, give this to Horn and tell him he can use it without limit!
Then take me back!"
After talking for a while, Old Douglas handed the staff in his hand to Ilya and then smiled and asked to be taken back to Grati's side.
...
Grati stood at the intersection with a铁青 face. She didn't even see clearly that black figure just now and didn't know where Old Douglas had been taken. She had just lost the target she had been looking for for so long.
But somehow, when Old Douglas was taken away, her heart seemed to relax.
With a sharp whistling of the wind, a tall and straight cyan figure landed in front of Grati with a thud. He was breathing slightly heavily.
It was Marcus, who had just blinded Horn's eyes!
Grati's guard knight!
"Your Highness, are you okay? That fire giant just now..." Marcus started chatting with Grati in a very long - winded way. He was as talkative as a mother nagging her son who was about to go to school.
Grati automatically ignored Marcus's nagging and took a deep breath. Maybe it was a good thing that he was taken away by that black figure...
"It's okay. Let's go back."
"Yes!" Marcus replied. For him, the safety of the Holy Maiden came first, her wishes came second, and all other things were ranked behind!
Just as the two were about to turn around, a voice came from behind them.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, you two. I've brought the person back."
Ilya, looking helpless, carried Old Douglas and returned to the two of them.
Grati frowned. "What does this mean?"
"Originally, I just wanted to snatch a kill from you to earn some bounty. But this old man said he wanted to die at your hands, so I brought him back!"
Ilya reluctantly recited the lines they had agreed on with Old Douglas. But this was Old Douglas's last wish, and he had no choice.
"Your Highness, don't believe what this man says!" Marcus didn't like the look of Ilya at all and thought this guy didn't seem like a good person.
"Whether to believe him or not is another matter. Anyway, I'll leave it to you to decide what to do with him!" Ilya shrugged.
Green light shone on Grati's palm again, and the Sword of the North Wind God was activated!
...