他的目光扫过之处,贵族们下意识地向后退去.
"我就说几句吧,亵渎尸体,损害死者尊严之类的事情,我没兴趣处理,我唯一在意的是,能不能证明伊凡先生有资格成为继承人,在我看来,马尔蒂尔先生提出的方法,是最可靠的办法.如果你们认为马尔蒂尔先生亵渎了死者,想要定罪,请等到血亲鉴定完成,确定伊凡先生是否继承了梅丁家族的血脉之后,再做判断,别再浪费我的时间了,大主教,你应该可以主持这个仪式,据我所知,这并不难."年轻人不慌不忙地说道.
"先生,在座的各位,没人知道您是谁,托斯堡不是您随便发号施令的地方,马蒂尔先生的行为极其恶劣,不可饶恕,他一定会受到严厉公正的审判."费斯南伯爵怒道."
够了!"青年再次高声喝道:"你们没必要知道我的身份,更何况,你们不可能一点头绪都没有,完全猜不到我的身份.我已经说得很清楚了,我来这里不是为了介入你们的纷争.马蒂尔先生请我来充当公正的法官,是因为他担心在托斯堡找不到公正的人.托斯堡领主继承人的确立,无论如何都是极其重要的事情,所以我勉强答应了.只要他有充分的理由,我就会公平对待每一个人.我会把这里发生的一切,如实汇报给国王陛下.而且我还说了,你们如果要审判马蒂尔先生,或者惩罚他,我也不会阻拦.但前提是先完成血亲鉴定,我需要一个确定的结果."
"马蒂尔先生提供的验证手段,简直就是对死者尊严的赤裸裸的践踏,而且,我非常担心马蒂尔先生这么卑鄙的人提供的验证手段,是否真的可靠?他的手段实在是卑鄙无耻,谁知道这里面是不是还隐藏着更可耻的阴谋?说不定那根指骨根本就不是从丽莎小姐身上拿走的,以马蒂尔先生的无耻行为,绝对有能力做出这样的事情."费斯南伯爵厉声说道.
"放心吧,你们可以将这根指骨一分为二,毕竟,这世上拥有梅丁家族血脉的人,只有两个人,一个就是眼前这位伊凡少爷,不过我对此深表怀疑,另一个就是尊敬的梅丁小姐,这一点是肯定的.将这根指骨一分为二,如果血亲鉴定的结果,伊凡少爷和丽莎小姐没有血缘关系,那就用梅丁小姐的血试试看吧.当然,我可没蠢到给人可乘之机,万一梅丁小姐为了保护他人,偷偷改变血缘关系,那我岂不是成了一个极其邪恶的骗子?这两位先生会密切关注梅丁小姐的一举一动,魔法师完全有能力让一切都逃不过他的侦查."马蒂尔伯爵得意洋洋的说道.
这时,魔法师突然将手伸向空中,不停的挥舞旋转,嘴里念叨着咒语.随着他手臂旋转的速度越来越快,空气中渐渐响起了嗡嗡的声音,无数的蜜蜂仿佛被某种神秘的力量召唤而来,纷纷飞到了魔法师的头顶,
嗡嗡声不断起伏,最后汇聚成一片嘈杂的声音.这些细小的毛茸茸的生物就像一团乌云,盘旋在众人的头顶,又像一阵旋风,在那里旋转咆哮.
虽然人们看不清楚这些蜜蜂的具体样貌,但它们那如血一般鲜红的颜色,与普通的蜜蜂形成了鲜明的对比,却是它们最显著的特征.
那些贵妇和小姐们自然是惧怕这些毛茸茸,会飞的生物的.一时间,教堂中不断响起凄厉的惨叫声.
"这是我饲养的血蜂,对鲜血极为痴迷的生物.没有我的命令,它们不会攻击任何人,你们放心."魔法师连忙安慰道,"血蜂的嗅觉极为灵敏,它们对鲜血的喜爱,让它们能够轻易找到伤口的位置.当然,你们也不用担心,只要我不下达命令,它们绝不会攻击任何人,它们嗜血的本性,根本不是我的命令的对手."
"你们先把这些蜜蜂控制住,你们看,这里有很多贵妇和小姐,她们不想看到这些东西."费斯南伯爵皱着眉头说道.
听到教堂中仍旧传来阵阵惊恐的惨叫声,魔法师微微点头,
缓缓卷起袖子,露出了手臂.
蜜蜂们仿佛被某种强大的力量吸引,迅速聚集在他的手臂周围.很快,他的手臂上就爬满了密密麻麻的蜜蜂.
这些蜜蜂发出震耳欲聋的嗡嗡声,不停地在他的手臂上蠕动.这一幕让在场的大多数人都感到毛骨悚然,头皮发麻.
知道普通人对这些生物很反感,魔法师轻轻放下袖子,盖住了满是蜜蜂的手臂.
显然,这也是一种神奇的魔法.
原本弥漫在空气中的烦人的嗡嗡声在一瞬间完全消失,仿佛所有的蜜蜂在一瞬间消失得无影无踪.
"这样可以吗?请开始."年轻人不耐烦的说道.
费斯南伯爵正要再说几句话,事实上,被马蒂尔伯爵这样打断后,他内心也有些动摇,开始怀疑伊凡血统的真实性了.
就在这时,伊凡突然开口道:"马尔蒂尔伯爵,你对我母亲遗体的伤害,我会铭记在心的,如果最终证明我的血统纯正,你一定要付出惨重的代价,我绝不允许我母亲的遗体被毁坏,更不会允许我母亲的名誉被玷污,任何对我母亲的调查,都会让她在天堂里不安,我宁愿选择更直接的方式来解决这件事情,我向你发起决斗挑战,没有人可以代替你接受挑战."
"好,我同意,看来你愿意参加血亲鉴定仪式了."马尔蒂尔伯爵闻言,激动的说道.
"只要蒙蒂尔大主教能够主持这个仪式,我也没有理由拒绝,因为我确实是我母亲的孩子."伊凡坚定的说道.
然而,伊凡如此肯定的回答,却让马尔蒂尔伯爵心中有些犹豫.
"我可以主持这个仪式,不过需要相当长的时间."蒙蒂尔德大主教缓缓说道,虽然他不知道伊凡为何如此坚定自信.
当然,他内心深处还是坚信伊凡的自信并非盲目的.
"大人,我该怎么做?"伊凡恭敬地问道.
"您只要提供几滴血就行了.哦,我也不确定.大概一毫克就够了.嗯,如果可以的话,一毫升就够了."蒙蒂尔德大主教开始含糊其辞,心想如果鉴定失败,自己可以推卸一些责任.
"只要能铺满整个手掌的血液量就够了.然后神职人员会祈祷,向生命之神祈求,引发生命奇迹.如果和指骨的提供者有血缘关系,生命之神会把干枯的指骨变成有活力的软骨,有的软骨上甚至会布满血管.整个过程大概需要三四个小时."魔法师在一旁详细解释道.
"是是是.来人,去拿一个金碗,盛满水,带上手术刀,小的就行."蒙蒂尔德大主教大声命令道.
"最好用水晶碗,这样可以清楚地看到里面的变化,不用担心有人爬上屋顶来更换里面的指骨."魔法师又提醒道.
"好,去拿一个水晶碗."大主教照例下令.
过了一会儿,一名神父手捧着一个晶莹剔透的水晶碗回到了礼堂.
过了一会儿,一位神父回到了礼堂,手里捧着一个晶莹剔透的水晶碗.
水晶碗里盛满了圣水,似乎有无数道灿烂的阳光溶入其中,随着水波荡漾,金光四处闪烁.
神父的另一只手上,握着一把锋利的手术刀,闪烁着寒光.
伊万缓缓走到神父面前,伸出右手,紧紧握住手术刀,然后在左手掌心轻轻划了一刀,鲜血立刻如泉涌般从伤口处喷涌而出.
伊万将左手掌合拢,弯成碗状,五指紧握,掌心的血越来越多,
看到血几乎填满了整个掌心,伊万缓缓将手伸进水晶碗中.
众神父齐声吟唱着赞美诸神的圣歌,微微抬起头,目光凝视着阳光透过天花板照进来的地方.
伊凡眼看着鲜血在圣水中快速蔓延,原本金色的圣水此刻也泛起了金红色的光芒.
他感觉手掌上的伤口微微一痛,随后一阵痒痒的感觉油然而生.浸泡在圣水中的伤口虽然还没有完全愈合,但也已经止住了血迹.
伊凡将手掌轻轻按在水晶碗上,像是在和小孩子玩耍.然而,没有人注意到,随着碗中的圣水荡漾,另一股鲜血从伊凡袖中藏着的一根细长魔杖中悄悄流入水晶碗中.
事实上,大多数人早在仪式结束前,就已经看到了水晶碗中发生的奇妙变化.
原本鲜艳夺目的红色正在逐渐褪去,慢慢变淡.原本
因为血液的混合而有些浑浊的圣水,此刻也渐渐变得清澈纯净.
碗底,眼力好一些的人甚至可以看到一个粉红色的物体静静地躺在那里.
蒙蒂尔大主教轻轻一挥手,赞美生命之神的圣歌戛然而止.牧师们纷纷从地上站起,回到了原位.
蒙蒂尔大主教再次伸出食指,在空中虚划两下.随后,水晶碗从天花板上缓缓落下.
当水晶碗落到大主教胸口的高度时,蒙蒂尔大主教小心翼翼地将水晶碗捧了起来.
碗里,有一个拇指大小的半透明扁平椭圆球,呈粉红色.随着碗被轻轻摇晃,它在里面滚动起来.
"Mr. Martil, as you can see, all this in front of us is enough to prove Mr. Ivan's identity." Having said that, the archbishop turned his head and announced loudly to the nobles in the auditorium: "I hereby solemnly announce that Mr. Ivan Bairndit is the son of Miss Lisa Meding, the grandson of the late Mr. Blake Vifinsk Meding, and the legitimate blood heir of the Meding family. He definitely has the right to inherit the position of the lord of Thorsburg."
"No, this is impossible, absolutely impossible!" Count Martil shouted in panic, "The blood must have been switched. Someone must have tampered with it."
"If it was really tampered with, then the only possibility is Miss Meding." The magician said, "Just release my blood bees, and we can prove everything. Miss Meding, you don't mind, do you?"
Before Miss Old Meding could respond, the magician had already released the blood bees hidden in his sleeves.
Those blood bees flew towards Miss Old Meding in a deafening buzzing sound, covering the sky and the earth.
Although Miss Old Meding was indeed a bit flustered, it was just out of a woman's instinctive fear of insects. Besides that, she was quite calm in her heart because she knew that there was absolutely no wound on her body.
Sure enough, the fruitless blood bees didn't land on the old lady at all but just buzzed around her.
The nobles were instantly outraged by the magician's rude behavior. If they hadn't been afraid of the mysterious power possessed by the magician, they would have rushed forward and surrounded him long ago.
The magician had been full of confidence before. In his opinion, that Miss Meding must be the provider of the blood.
He firmly believed that the blood bees would definitely be able to find the bloodstains.
However, what he never expected was that things didn't develop as he had predicted. There was no wound on Miss Old Meding's body at all, and there wasn't even the slightest smell of blood. Coupled with the extremely excited emotions of the surrounding nobles, the magician himself gradually began to feel that something was wrong.
He really couldn't figure out how things had come to this.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind. Maybe there were other descendants in the Meding family. It wasn't uncommon for there to be one or two illegitimate children in such a noble and prominent family. As long as the blood relationship was within three generations, it could also make the dry bones come back to life and show signs of activation.
The magician thought to himself that this was the only possibility. It wasn't difficult for him. The blood bees could easily find the location of the wound. Moreover, these blood bees had already established a spiritual connection with him. Once the target was found, he would be able to sense it immediately.
Thinking of this, the magician suddenly shouted loudly, "I got it. There are other descendants left in the Meding family. They provided the blood that activated the phalanx bone. My blood bees will find that person!"
With that, he waved his arms continuously. The blood bees that had been buzzing around Miss Old Meding suddenly scattered in all directions like a tide.
All this happened so suddenly.
So suddenly that most people couldn't react in that instant.
Even the young man was completely stunned for a moment. Suddenly, an indescribably strong sense of crisis hit him like a surging wave.
He seemed to suddenly understand everything in an instant.
But it was already too late.
The blood bees flying all over the sky did find a person with a strong smell of blood and indeed a wound on his body.
And that person was Ivan.
Countless bees immediately turned around and rushed towards him like arrows leaving the bowstring, surging towards him from all directions and sweeping over him like a tidal wave.
Unlike Miss Old Meding, Ivan had learned many effective ways to deal with crises from Herbert.
And among the knowledge that Herbert taught him, there was definitely nothing like passive defense or waiting helplessly for death.
For a killer, killing the opponent before they make a move is the only correct way of defense.
To make Ivan firmly remember this point, Herbert had made him suffer a lot.
Those painful experiences made Ivan deeply imprint this knowledge in his mind and turn it into a habit, an instinctive reaction.
Sensing the danger sweeping towards him like a violent storm, Ivan suddenly shook his right arm, and three crossbow bolts shot towards the magician like lightning.
Almost at the same time as the crossbow bolts were shot, the young man lunged forward, intending to intercept these crossbow bolts halfway.
For a master like him, this should not have been a difficult task.
Unfortunately, the young man overlooked a crucial fact, that is, Ivan was not alone.
At the moment when he lunged forward, he suddenly felt a powerful murderous aura rushing towards him like a surging tide.
The young man had no time to react at all, and a sharp dagger quietly and swiftly slashed towards the vital parts between his chest and abdomen.
This stab was not only extremely precise but also came at the perfect timing, precisely at the critical moment when he had just started moving and it was inconvenient for him to turn his body.
Facing such a terrifying stab, the young man knew clearly in his heart that it was impossible to avoid it completely.
The person who suddenly launched the attack was not only highly skilled in martial arts and an absolute master but also must be an expert who was extremely proficient in killing techniques.
At this instant, the young man finally understood what had happened in the forest.
When those people he really needed to deal with this time were attacked in the forest, they had thought about wiping out the young lord heir and his companions as well. Killing them to silence them was definitely necessary for their safety.
However, the reason why their plan didn't succeed was that the existence of the little magician was one reason, and another reason was that they found that among their opponents, there was a master with extraordinary strength who specialized in covert operations.
This person's martial arts skills were definitely not inferior to his own, and his killing techniques and the ability to seize the opportunity to strike were much more powerful than any master he had ever seen. What was even more terrifying was that this person obviously had an extremely tacit cooperation with the little magician. Once they joined forces, they didn't give their opponents the slightest chance to fight back.
Presumably, those guys had also suffered the same hardships in the forest.
The young man had no time to care about other things at this moment. He concentrated all his strength on defense and kept retreating.
At this point, he couldn't care less about protecting the magician.
After missing with one strike, according to the code of conduct for killers, Herbert would not get into an endless entanglement with his opponents. When killers fight, they emphasize efficiency and decisiveness rather than getting into a dogged fight.
Recalling the encounter in Bart Forest, when they were suddenly attacked and had no idea about the strength of the enemy, Herbert had no choice but to tightly entangle the strongest opponent in the enemy's camp. That was the only viable option in an extremely unfavorable situation where there was no other way, really a helpless move.
However, the current situation was quite different from that time. Herbert coldly glanced at the corpse lying on the ground. Although he still maintained an attacking posture on the surface, in his heart, he was calm and didn't rush to make another move rashly.
The poor magician was almost instantly killed by Ivan's crossbow bolts.
Ivan always kept the key points of crossbow bolts taught by Herbert firmly in mind. Herbert had said that these crossbow bolts were prepared specifically for extremely dangerous situations. Once fired, it was necessary to ensure that the opponent completely lost the ability to fight. After all, at such a close distance, if the opponent still had the strength to fight back, then the one who died might very well be himself.
Because of this, in previous practices, Ivan had been constantly refining the skill of shooting three bolts at the same time. The targets of the three crossbow bolts were precisely locked on the three most fatal parts of the human body: the center of the eyebrows, the throat, and the heart.
Ivan's attainment in the skill of crossbow bolts had already been recognized by Herbert. At such a close range, it was as easy as pie for him to hit the target with the crossbow bolts.
At that time, the distance between Ivan and the magician was extremely close, and the magician was not known for his agile skills.
他失败了,而且是彻底的失败.
他的任务就此戛然而止,画上了凄凉而灰暗的句号.
或许也意味着,他在公爵心中的地位从此一落千丈,过往的荣耀与信任化为泡影.
又或许,更代表着,他为了达成目标,抛弃荣誉与友情所换来的一切努力与期盼,都如梦如幻地破灭,一瞬间消失得无影无踪.
少年心中充满了悔恨,他悔恨自己当初就不该插手这件事.
此时,教堂里一片死寂,没有一个人说话.那一瞬间发生的种种惊心动魄,绝对是他们一生都难以再见到的罕见场景.转眼间,
一个魔法师就被杀死了,而杀死魔法师的人,也同样是一个魔法师,只不过,他所用的手段,并不是魔法师通常所用的手段.
紧接着,转眼之间,两位顶尖高手就在众人面前展开了惊心动魄的对决.虽然这场对决时间极短,但闪电般的攻防让在场的许多人都不禁惊叹不已,赞叹不已.
这些人可不是马蒂尔伯爵那样对武术一窍不通的门外汉,
莱维伯爵就是其中之一.直到此刻,他对海德先生除了敬畏之情,更多的是深深的震惊.
因为这位海德先生只是一个普通的贵族,一个世袭的领主.
可没想到,他的身边,竟然还有一位实力不亚于圣骑士的顶尖高手.真是一个神秘的领主啊!简直就像是一个国王一样.毕竟,在众人的认知中,只有国王才有能力培养圣骑士,也只有国王才会有圣骑士守护.
莱维伯爵心中暗自庆幸,他很庆幸自己一开始没有站在海德先生的对立面,现在看来,这真是一个正确的选择.
"马蒂尔伯爵,你现在就履行你的承诺,为你卑鄙的行为接受决斗的挑战吧."
费斯南伯爵率先打破了令人窒息的沉默气氛.
"阁下,你知道的,阁下,这件事情肯定有猫腻,他们肯定在暗中做了什么,阁下,你要为我主持公道." 马蒂尔伯爵满脸泪痕地向年轻人恳求道.
"马蒂尔,你应该为自己的错误承担后果,既然你做出了这种让神和人都愤怒的行为,你就必须付出惨重的代价." 贵族中有人愤慨地喊道.
青年一直站在一旁,沉默不语.其实他极不愿意再卷入这件事情.在他眼里,这个叫马蒂尔的傻瓜是死是活,都与他无关.
但是,如果他向公爵汇报,自己遇到了实力不亚于圣武士的杀手,公爵未必会轻易相信.保住这个傻瓜的性命,就是一个有力的证据.
青年心里盘算着,而且,救下这个傻瓜的性命,京城里也会有人感激他,给自己留一条活路,总是有利有弊的.
再说,如果就这么让这个傻瓜轻易被杀,别人肯定会认为他抛弃了自己危难中的同伴.那样的话,以后谁还愿意跟他合作?谁还愿意跟随他,做他的手下?
想到这里,青年面无表情的冷冷说道:"刚才的事情大家都看到了,我的助手杰特先生不幸身亡,死的太冤了,本王储根本没必要射出弓弩伤害杰特先生,从始至终,杰特先生都没有任何恶意的举动,但现在他死了,这是无法改变的事实,杰特先生是一个魔法师,你杀了一个魔法师,这件事情我必须如实的向国王陛下汇报,而整件事都是马尔蒂尔先生挑起的,马尔蒂尔先生作为当事人,必须亲自去找国王陛下,把事情的来龙去脉说清楚."
"是,我要见国王陛下,我要如实的向国王陛下汇报."马尔蒂尔伯爵此时明显有些失神,胡言乱语起来,
"阁下的行为实在是太欺负人了."另一个贵族愤慨的叫道.
听到年轻人的话,费斯南伯爵和莱维伯爵都不由的皱起了眉头.他们确实不想真的得罪这个年轻人和他背后所依仗的强大势力.
至于马尔蒂尔这个家伙,杀不杀都没什么区别.反正马尔蒂尔家族既然已经对领主家族做出了如此十恶不赦的亵渎之事,他们在索斯堡肯定是没有立足之地的,家族地位也彻底崩塌了.马尔蒂尔
伯爵一走,他们就可以立刻煽动索斯堡的贵族联手,将马尔蒂尔家族在索斯堡的势力全部连根拔起,彻底驱逐出去,让他们永远没有翻身的机会.
"各位,先把这些令人愤怒的事情放一边,现在我们还有极其重要的事情要做,至于惩罚恶行,还是留到以后再说吧.""海德先生大声说道.
听到这句话,马蒂尔伯爵二话不说,像一条丧家之犬一样逃出了大教堂,径直朝着自己的马车跑去.此时此刻,对他来说,最重要的事情就是尽快逃离这座城市,远离这个闹市.
年轻人面无表情地冷冷地丢出一句"再见",然后头也不回地大步离开了大教堂.他自然有自己的目的地.
"既然事情已经真相大白,那就正式开始表决程序吧.因为一个卑鄙之人的恶行,时间被拖延了整整三个小时.不过,在我看来,这三个小时也不算完全浪费,毕竟,我们有幸目睹了我们一生中从未见过的令人震惊的场面. 对了,海德先生,这具尸体该怎么处理?"蒙蒂尔大主教转头问道.
"魔法师的善后工作,就交给魔法师们吧."海德先生平静地回答道.
"那也行,伊万,麻烦你了,趁着投票的时候,把这些后续的事情处理一下,我打算把小姐们请过来,她们应该不会看到这么血腥的场面."大主教转头命令道,"布迪,佩斯,你们两个跟着伊万,全力协助他.多拉德,你去叫小姐们五分钟后过来."
按照大主教的吩咐,大家各司其职,忙碌起来.
伊万心里很清楚,海德先生为什么会派他来处理这具尸体,一方面他的确是最可靠的人,另一方面,也无非是想让他仔细搜查死去魔法师的口袋,毕竟作为小偷,这是他的本职工作.
伊万向两名助手要了一间密室,然后兴致勃勃地开始了"工作".所有他找到的,却不知道有什么用的东西,都被他小心翼翼地分类,一一装进小口袋里.
至于尸体,则剥去衣服,扔进了麻袋里.在伊凡看来,对于一个死去的人来说,体面的下葬简直就是浪费,他一直都坚持这个原则.
当伊凡处理完这一切,回到礼堂的时候,投票结果已经出来了.
或许是因为刚才惊心动魄的对峙产生了巨大的震慑作用,又或许是因为马尔蒂尔伯爵的卑鄙行径激起了众人的不满和鄙视.伊凡获得了压倒性的支持票数,实际上,反对票很少,弃权票也屈指可数.
投票顺利通过之后,就到了正式仪式的时间.
伊万没想到正式的仪式竟然会如此复杂和漫长,他只希望仪式能尽快结束,让自己从这个漫长的过程中解脱出来.