Shire continues to explore the rest of the church.
The part above the prison is used as accommodation for hunters. A circular staircase zigzagged up to the top, with individual bedrooms on either side of each corridor, each with a different function: the first floor served as a dining room, the second as a common room, the third as an ammunition store that had been looted, the fourth as a library with a locked door that could only be opened with a silver key and thus protected from attack, and the fifth and sixth floors empty and unused.
Sweating, he climbed to the top of the tower, opened the door to the watchtower with the silver key, and walked out into the night.
This is the highest point of the church, and the sky is full of stars and the moon is high. Shire was seldom in the mood to enjoy the night at ease, and he felt that every night was dangerous, and where the sun did not shine, monsters and evil spirits hid. He looked out into the dark streets of the city, and the thought alarmed him that a demonic beast had escaped the church and was prowling the city. Where was it hiding? Who do you want to attack?
It is this looming sense of crisis that Shire dare not relax, he must find a way to find the location of the beast, destroy it. He's got a bunch of things to deal with, repairs to the church, debts, hiring, a lot of interpersonal problems, a lot of things to worry about. Where do I start? How can we avoid failure? He inherited the Hall of the Hunters with unrealistic ideals, and did not know the weight of responsibility until it fell on his shoulders.
Before his eyes the night was spreading out in the Grey-tree Hall, and there were flickering lights in the many houses; there was light from the many Windows of the Count's castle, and the guards on the walls patrolled with torches, and the light moved back and forth regularly. It's a little cold. Maybe it'll snow tonight.
He lay his hands on the edge of the church watchtower, the cold wind blowing high up against him, his hair swinging in the wind, and these were the few quiet moments he had had for many days, with his body and mind alone and not with all the noise around him.
But Shire knew that it would be too selfish to indulge in this moment of peace, and he had an obligation to do. There were times when he could not live as himself, and he thought of the hunters, and Maester Etienne remembered his teachings, and if Denver had not gone into the forest, he would have been a kind and happy boy, and Monsieur Julius would still have remained confident and calm, and would not have been hung upside down from a tree. He thought of the mad Valen, of the timid Dalton, of the self-doubting Master Frederic, and at last he thought of Tiffany, who had committed suicide, with a pang in his heart.
It's my fault. I shouldn't have allowed the Blade Demon to escape, and if I had chosen to die with the Blade Demon that day, Gladius would have ceased to exist.
"Hey, I can hear you." Graddius cursed, "You take a cool ride on the roof, why do you have trouble with me."
"Make it count." Char whispered, making a sound instead of just letting his mind dwell, "To make my choice count, to make everyone's death count."
"They don't value it." Gladius retorted, "They are only bound by the dogma of the hunter, knowing that they have not yet been caught and will fight to the death."
"Won't you fight if you can't beat? There is no such thing."
"But still fight? How can there be such a stupid person, can not beat should run away, surrender, grovel, give up the principle, as long as they continue their own life, what will happen in the future is still unknown. That's how you and I survived together." Graddiu made no concession.
"If I had to do it again, I'd die with you."
"You like that? You like me torturing you? Shire! If you do decide to destroy me, jump from here right now, and you'll be smashed to pieces, and I'll be devoured by Kings, but we'll both be destroyed, and that's what you want! Come on, jump!" Graddiu howled.
Shire touched the railing, which was covered with iron patterns and stood on bronze spikes, and his fingers touched it and soon began to bleed.
"Oh, have a good talk, don't fool around, you want to die, I don't want to die." Graddius was frightened, and the sharp edge of the brass spines became dull and round.
"The others will pick up the silver key from my body, and a demon from hell will disappear."
Here is really high, Shire eye, from here to the ground do not know tens of hundreds of meters, or more than 100 meters? He wasn't sure if a person would break his leg if he jumped from two stories, what would happen if he jumped from seven stories?
'You're crazy! Don't think like that! Life is precious!" "Shouted Graddiu.
Shire shook his head.
"The time has not come." Char whispered to himself, "There is still work to be done."
He turned and saw Ines standing on the stairs.
"When did you get here?" Char had some surprises.
"You feel like a different person." Ines laughed. "Sometimes you're as innocent as a child, and sometimes you're more silent and serious than anyone I've ever met."
"That's me." Shire did not know where to begin.
I broke the code, saved a demon, and I still don't know if it was right or wrong.
"Mind if I go up?" Ines had not yet received Shire's consent, and went to the roof, leaning on the railing and looking out into the night of the grey tree Hall, "This is the highest place in the city."
"The Earl's Castle is built on a hill. You should be able to see further from the top."
"It's not easy for you hunters to build a place like this."
"I don't know, maybe we were rich enough to build such a good church... You see those rooms on each floor? It can accommodate hundreds of people, and if each room is made to accommodate three or four people, it can house nearly 500 people. Is this a church or a barracks?"
"So far, no offense, it's just a dump." Ines said easily.
"I have enough confidence." Shire stretched out his hand, the whole city slept under his palm, he vaguely liked this feeling, "Let's build extraordinary business."
"Have you considered asking for help from other churches? Maybe they'll send you some money or something. '
"No, it is a long journey, and the West Coast Church is many lands away from here, and The Times are so troubled these days that it is difficult for the messenger to reach it safely." Shire thought of the troll who had blocked the bridge, hunted by adventurers and mercenaries in peacetime and unable to reign there for years.
"By the way, what are the procedures and rules for joining you?"
"There is only one requirement to be a demon hunter: determination." Charles thought of Etienne's teachings.
"It just sounds like it's going to make this place a meeting place for bigots."
"Indeed." "Muttered Graddiu.
"If you don't think so, I haven't thought of anything else, but you see, there are too many things to do. I want to repair the wall and strengthen it, but no workers want to come here. They say it's a cursed and dangerous place."
"If you want to join you, you have to do something, okay? That way, even if the people who come are good and bad, at least they help."
"That sounds fair." Char nodded. "How can you help?"
"I think I can fix the wall. I don't want to be a demon hunter somehow. I should give something to earn your trust, and this is how I earn it." Ines explains.
"You've earned my trust."
"On what grounds?
"You're Etienne's daughter."
"Always remember that I am Ines of Rain-bay Hall first, and that man's daughter second." She was half smiling.
"To..."
"Of course I've heard about Etienne, he's done me all over Loman, he's destroyed the biggest gathering of dark wizards on both sides of the Green River seven years ago, he's killed a demon pioneer on Mahogany Hill four years ago, what a righteous, meritorious man... Unfortunately, I have never seen him since I was born, and Etienne has always been described by my mother as a womanly, handsome and irresponsible man. I thought many times that if he didn't come back after my mother died, I would kill him myself and let him go to be with my mother. Only he died before my mother and took her with him. That's a little disappointing."
"I'm so sorry."
'For my mother? She can't hear you. For me? I can make my own way. Lord of the Shire, I have a small request."
"Say it, please."
"As I said before, I joined the Hunters Guild for the purpose of training. I saw your library on the way up, one of the few places that hadn't been robbed by thieves, and the door was locked, and I think only you could open it. Will you allow me to read in it?" Ines smiled.
What a dangerous woman, very clear about what she wants and what to do, Shire can only give in.
"You are a member of the Church, of course." Char nodded.
"Very good." Ines nodded with satisfaction. "Let's go down and eat."
"I have cold meat and wine..."
"The church is our home, and we should eat something hot at home." Ines led the Shire down. "I've been outside, the butcher's shop is open, and there are farmers in the market who haven't gone home yet."
"Did you cook?" Shire was surprised.
"Why else did I come to you? Lord of the Shire." Every time Ines used honorifics to address the shire, it made the Shire feel ashamed.
"Yes," he said. Char nodded. "The church is our home." It has been and always will be.
They came to the dining room on the first floor, where the table had been tidied up and there was a deep iron pot full of potato soup, with a hunk of pig's leg thrown in for flavor. The little boy Hope crawled around the corner of the restaurant, suddenly jumped out, caught a troublesome mouse, stuffed it into his mouth and ate it, presumably the rat problem was solved in advance.
Shire served himself a bowl of soup, which tasted so good that he might eat two or three bowls. He was searching for the right words to praise Ines's craftsmanship, and Graddius began to make noise again.
"Eat quickly... Eat more of Eat more of Recuperate."
"Why? I don't do much else at night."
"You don't want to, I do. My strength is back, and I'm going to take you to hell." "Murmured Graddiu.
"Hell? " Char had no idea.
"There will be no refusal. We will go in and make a scene. These demons have invaded my territory and I will make them pay."
'How can I get there?
"You can become a demon."