Whispering Verse

Dr. Schneider naturally knew what Shade was asking. He sat up straight and took out the newspaper he had just put in his pocket. He leaned back, unfolded the newspaper, and used it to cover his face:

"Mr. Fernandez, the curator of the Randall Valley City Statuary Museum, I have already gone to see him. After you defeated the mirror, the curse on him has disappeared. Although the life span lost in the past cannot be made up, at least in He was free for the rest of his short life. I had a brief chat with him, and he asked me to thank you. Originally, he wanted to give you a sum of money as a reward, but I refused for you. "

"Just refuse. Mr. Fernandez should use that money to enjoy the rest of his life."

Shade breathed a sigh of relief. He did not look at the doctor behind the newspaper, but took out a handful of cat food from his pocket. After bending down, he threw the crushed cat food to the ground in front of him. One person leaned back and the other person leaned forward, as if he and the doctor were not talking at all.

The pigeons at the door of the church were really attracted by the cat food and gathered here:

"The curator reminded me that the cross can deal with the mirror. He was of great help. That's good, but what about the captain?"

A sighing voice came from behind the newspaper:

"I found all the demon summoning materials in the safe at Oxenfurt Manor. I originally wanted to go back yesterday to see if I had missed anything else, but the people from the church had sealed the place. So, I went to the city yesterday. I visited Captain Woody, but unfortunately he passed away."

"Um?"

Although he made a questioning sound, Shade, who was feeding the pigeons, did not change his expression. He was still watching the pigeons eat:

"When? How did you pass away?"

"There was a big earthquake in the early hours of Saturday morning. The house on Captain Woody's farm collapsed. By the time people dug him out, he had already died."

"But he..."

Shade, who sprinkled the cat food on the pigeons, wanted to say that the captain had magical abilities given by an unknown ocean demon, but then he remembered that most of those abilities can only be effective in an environment with rivers or oceans.

"Because he had just died and hadn't had time to bury him, I went to see the body."

The doctor's voice continued to come from behind the newspaper. The noisy streets and pedestrians walking around in front of the two did not affect their conversation:

"The captain's soul has disappeared, and there are obvious signs of demonic power. The demon has kidnapped the captain's soul... There is no way to track it for the time being. The other party's power will not be weaker than that stone mirror."

Shade pursed his lips. He thought that even if he couldn't break Captain Woody's contract with the devil, he could at least help him, but he didn't expect such a result.

"When you sign a contract with the devil, you should have thought about how it will end. You don't have to be sad for him. I got a letter from the captain's old servant. It was left to you or your friend by Captain Woody. of."

The doctor said, the early spring sunshine shines on the body, and the warmth feels extremely comfortable. Although the temperature in the winter that has passed has been very low, the temperature has risen quickly now that the first Randall flowers have bloomed.

"I or my friends...it seems Captain Woody doesn't have high hopes for me. Doctor, what did the letter say?"

"Some things about demons and the details of summoning demons. He probably didn't explain this part to you clearly last time. At the end of the letter, the old captain said that he accepted his fate calmly and must pay for what he got. He said that if you really succeed in solving Stone Oxenfurt and the demon, please carry their story with you and live a good life. Although he is not afraid of death, he is afraid of being forgotten."

The doctor's tone was monotonous. This was probably not a very new story to him. Before meeting Shade in the summer of 1853 and inviting him to enroll, Bill Schneider himself had solved many demon-related troubles, and he had seen too many such stories.

"I will remember the old captain."

Shade nodded and said, then sprinkled another handful of cat food, watching the pigeons lowering their heads and scrambling for the crumbs of cat food in front of him.

Although his sigh was soft, the doctor noticed it. He turned the newspaper in his hand to the next page and looked at the statement and notice issued by the city hall on the temporarily closed area in the river valley outside the city:

"I know what you're lamenting, but detective, this is life. Someone will always come to us, and someone will always leave."

"Two leaves falling from the tree and intertwining in the air mean that they will soon be separated. And the day when friends meet in life means that they will say goodbye forever."

Shade said, and the doctor tilted his head from behind the newspaper and looked at his bent back:

"Who said that? It sounds good, maybe I can write it down."

"Dorothy. The ending of Miss Norma's disappearance in "The Hamilton Detective Stories". However, this story has not been published yet. It will probably be in the newspaper next week."

The doctor nodded and wrote down the title of the story. He raised his head to let the warm morning sunlight shine on his face, then continued to look at the newspaper and asked with a smile:

"Although you didn't write it yourself, looking at you, it seems that you really felt a lot about this adventure in the Randall Valley."

"Yes."

There were many people walking in front of them, but no one stopped to pay attention to the young man feeding the pigeons or the middle-aged man reading the newspaper. Behind them, the ripples on the Elrond River reflected the golden sunlight. On the upper reaches of the river, the shadows of boats have appeared, and on the edge of the river, washerwomen gathered together in twos and threes, beating their clothes while chatting in vulgar slang about the anecdotes they had heard.

Spring is really coming.

The street in front of him was crowded with people. Shade continued to crush the cat food in his hand with his fingers, and even felt that the sunlight was a bit dazzling:

"I have seen many stories here, including the hatred between the Angevin royal family and the Masons' Association that lasted for more than ten years, the tragic marriage story of Stone Oxenfurt and Hella Watson, the love tragedy and comedy of the Enriquez couple, The Granger family has spread the legend of two eras. Of course, there are also the noble souls who voluntarily sacrificed themselves, the unlucky curator who was cursed by the devil, and the girl who followed in her father's footsteps..."

Another handful of cat food crumbs were spilled, and the white pigeons immediately followed the cat food and came to the feet of Shade and the doctor. Shade looked at the way their white feathers were crowded together, and the doctor's voice came from behind the newspaper:

"If you remember these stories, the people in these stories will not disappear because of your memory. You are a witness, just like the earth under our feet and the sky above our heads. Although you cannot tell these stories Tell more people, but if you witness them, they will remain in your heart, and those people and those things are not meaningless."

"This passage is also very interesting."

Shade shook his head slightly, feeling the wind blowing through his hair.

The wind blew the cat food crumbs on the ground to one side, allowing the pigeons to rush to catch up; the wind gently swept over the tender green shoots tended by the church nuns in the flowerbed behind the bench; the wind swept across the Dawn Church In front of the crowd, the gentlemen pressed their hats on their heads, the ladies gently pulled the hems of their skirts, the flower girl held the cloth on the basket, and the newspaper boy held the newspaper in his satchel.

Shade raised his head and looked at the crowd and church in front of him. He still had many stories he wanted to share with others, and many things he was looking forward to telling his friends. The story of the Chosen One of the Earth was not the most touching story he had seen in the Randall Valley. Those people and things in the corner of his memory may, as Dr. Schneider said, stay in his heart forever.

He sighed softly, and then met the eyes of old Huck who was walking towards the church steps in the crowd, but accidentally turned back. This old stonemason, who once assassinated Prince William of Anjou at a banquet, but was released from prison under a different identity due to Margaret's operation, suddenly felt that the handsome young man sitting on the bench looked like someone who had been interrogated. His agent. But after shaking his head, he discovered that the two faces seemed different.

Shade nodded politely to him, and continued to look up at the slightly busy door of the church. Then he looked up again, looking at the stained glass on the front of the church, looking at the church spire, looking at the white clouds, until Looking at the sun.

"The weather is great."

He whispered softly, then lowered his head and looked at the pigeons eating at his feet. The sound of newspapers being turned was heard in his ears, but this time Dr. Schneider did not speak.

The sun was shining warmly on his body. If possible, Shade would like to sit here for a while longer so that he could take a rest. In the wind, "she" smiled softly and whispered in Shade's ear:

[Current world·Sixth century, year 1854 in the universal calendar, spring, windy month. The early spring wind blows the earth, and your eyes have witnessed the story of the ancient river valley. The stone-carved love is secretly broken, the girl destined to sacrifice lives for you, the guardian of the earth holds up the noble golden cup, the banquet between gods and men is your myth. Kiss the soil, kiss the delicate flowers, kiss the world, the earth and I will all witness your story. When the beautiful witch is obsessed with you standing on the earth, in this ancient city with the arrival of spring, outsiders traveling across the earth, facing the sunshine, have you really seen the ending you expected? 】

"Yes, this is the ending I want...probably."

As I answered the question in my heart, I suddenly felt a sense of loss for some reason, as if the story had no meaning.

[The old story ends, and the new story always begins, just like the arrival of spring on the earth. 】

"Her" voice is even gentler than the wind in early spring.

"Yes."

Shade smiled in his heart and said, crushing the last few grains of cat food and throwing them to the ground.

The sun shone on Shade, who was bent over on a bench on the bank of the Elrond River, and Dr. Schneider, who was reading a newspaper. Pedestrians walking on the street were in a hurry, and carriages passing through the streets were as busy as ever.

The roof of the Dawn Church reflects the dazzling light, and the windows with stained glass on the church walls also reflect a strange color that is not found on rainy and foggy days.

The young nun pushed open the window on the second floor of the church and was trying to fix the window with iron bolts. She crossed the busy street and saw a young man bending down to feed pigeons in the distance. She blushed for some reason. On the side of the bench, on the pole of the black iron gas street lamp, the lower right corner of the advertisement about "The Stonemasons Guild recruiting workers to Willondale" rustled in the cold wind.

On this sunny morning, the scenery at the door of the church is simply the best oil painting depicting early spring. Shade, who was lowering his head in the center of the screen, suddenly said to the doctor beside him:

"Speaking of which, when you return to Tobesk, please come with me to see Detective Sparrow Hamilton. We buried a flower seed next to his grave last fall."

"Of course, I think that seed has already taken root. But why not invite Louisa or Annat?"

The doctor asked curiously. Shade looked at the pigeon expressionlessly and shook his head slowly:

"I don't want Uncle Sparrow to know what I did in the house he left behind."

The doctor holding the newspaper laughed:

"You see, the detective is dead, but he still exists. In the earth, in your heart."

Shade nodded. At this time, large clouds as white as cotton were slowly floating in the blue sky above their heads. However, the pigeons that should have been flying in the blue sky were attracted by the cat food and lowered their heads. The heads gathered above the earth.

"Born on the earth, died on the earth, buried on the earth."

Shade suddenly remembered Mr. Lassus's epitaph, so he straightened up slightly and turned his head, looking from the ground to the doctor aside:

"doctor."

"What's wrong?"

The blue-eyed middle-aged man also turned his head and looked at Shade from the side while still holding the newspaper.

"Although I know we will be separated one day, I hope that day is as late as possible."

"Um...thank you?"

"Are you willing to accept my blessing?"

"certainly."

Shade blinked at him:

“I’ve been hearing this a lot lately in the Randall Valley – may the earth, be with you and me.”

The doctor smiled and nodded, but suddenly he saw the huge golden Holy Grail flashing past behind Shade. Because the sun is shining brightly, the shadow of the Holy Grail at Lake Namo is very much like an illusion.

Bill Dimon Schneider did not delve into this, but continued to read the newspaper in his hand leisurely. After all, newspapers are interesting, and this is not the first time that the phantom behind Shade has appeared.

Shade lowered his head and continued to look at the pigeons in front of him. His mood gradually improved, and he thought about what he should do in the spring of 1854.

Go for an outing with Lesia in the countryside, accompany Dorothy to the city to collect materials, carry Mia to the Seer Association to ask Luvia for divination, or go to Carina Manor to spend a wonderful afternoon and evening with the beautiful witch. . Of course, one must not forget the honorary degrees, the Tour de Tobesk and the visit to Miss Gaude. The life of a foreigner is always so busy.

He couldn't help but smile, and then he looked up and saw the old bishop walking out of the shadows at the door of the church and walking to the steps of the church in the sunshine.

Shade tugged on the doctor's sleeve, stood up and waved to the old man. The early spring wind blew again, fluttering his clothes. In my ears, "she" whispered softly:

[Outlander, you have gained new power].

(End of this volume)