In a tavern on the dock of Archduke Island.
Joe fidgeted with the glass in his hand and looked at the entrance from time to time.
He had never felt that time was so hard to bear.
Regret, fear, pain, and confusion emerged in his heart, but he could do nothing but continue to wait.
It was only when a hooded man walked into the tavern and sat down beside Joe that he heaved a sigh of relief, but what followed was even greater anxiety and uneasiness.
"How... is she now?"
Joe stared at the man's lips, afraid to see the worst answer.
"Still alive."
The man's answer made him feel at ease.
"But Lady Farina is not doing well." The man took off his hood and said worriedly, "The bishop seems to want something from her. He tortures her every day. Sometimes I can hear her scream in the hall. Sooner or later, she won't be able to stand it."
This was all expected, Joe repeatedly told himself. Since they failed to attack the castle, all the people who were still alive would inevitably suffer cruel revenge, and Farina, as the leader, would not be an exception. Moreover, the traitor hoped to get the whereabouts of the Holy Book from her, so he would naturally use all means to force her to talk.
"As long as she is alive."
Although he said this in his heart, his fingers deeply clenched into his palm. He even dared not think about what would happen if he could not save Farina. Perhaps, even death would be an extravagant hope...
"Damn it!" Joe thought regretfully. "Why did I promise her? Why did I have to attract the enemy's attention so that the God's Punishment Army could break through from the side? Why did I have to retreat when the battle is unfavorable? I would rather die with everyone in the castle, so that at least I could be with His Holiness until the last moment of my life."
"Your Excellency..." The man hesitated for a moment. "Do you know what the bishop wants? If you do, you might as well give it to him. At least Lady Farina won't... "
"He is not the bishop, he is a traitor!" Joe clenched his teeth. "What he covets is not in my hands. It has already fallen along with the Cathedral of Hermes."
At the mention of Hermes, the man's face showed obvious sadness. "May the gods bless us …" he murmured.
How ironic, Charle thought. When the old and new Holy Cities were still in existence, he was already one of the best among the younger generation of the Judgement Army. The people who came and went were all outstanding people in the army. They did not care about ordinary believers. Now that things had come to this, the bishop had betrayed him, and the priest had betrayed him, the only person he could rely on was an ordinary follower. Furthermore, his feelings for the Church were even deeper than many of the higher-ups. If not, he would not have taken the initiative to look for him when he was on the verge of collapse.
He was dissatisfied with Lorenzo's decision to abandon his identity as a bishop and call himself the Count of the Archduke Island. However, he did not dare to oppose Lorenzo because of his lowly status. On the night of the battle, he happened to catch a glimpse of the attacker's face. After that, he wandered around the castle and paid more attention to him. That was how they met.
Joe did not even have to worry that it was a trap set up by Lorenzo. He had nothing left, and it was not worth his time to deal with it. If this man had been sent by a traitor, after several contacts, he would have already seen that he had no value and chosen to get rid of him.
Unfortunately, this man was an ordinary believer in the past, and now he was just a low-level servant. He could do nothing but provide limited information to Joe.
"I have to go back." After a long silence, the man put on his hood. "If I leave the castle for too long, the steward will be suspicious. The next opportunity to come out is in three days. Shall we still meet here? "
"Ah …" Joe recovered from his trance. "Let's meet here. If there's any change, I'll have someone send a message to you."
"I see." He paused for a moment. "Sir, please cheer up. If anyone can save Lady Farina, it's you."
"Me? No … I can't do anything. "
His mind was filled with darkness. There was no turning point or hope. No matter how he prayed to the gods, there was no response.
Joe nodded his head numbly.
"By the way," the man took two steps forward and turned around again. "Something happened in the castle recently. One of the bishop's trusted followers, Priest Hagrid, led a group of people to the southwest. I heard from the coachman that they want to cross the border of Cage Mountain. I think this information might be … helpful to you. "
Perhaps it was too obvious that his words were meant to comfort Joe, and his voice became softer as he spoke.
Indeed, it was normal for the lord to send people to other territories. Even if Cage Mountain's location was a little special, it had nothing to do with Archduke Island. As long as Lorenzo did not take Scourge with him, breaking into the dungeon to rescue Farina was no different from a fool's dream.
"Yes, thank you."
"Don't mention it, sir …" He put his hand on his chest and bowed slightly. "That's all I can do for you."
"Cage Mountain …" Joe had heard this term a lot recently. He poured the ale in his cup into his mouth and let the bitterness fill his mouth. But the next moment, he suddenly froze on the spot.
"Wait — Cage Mountain?"
Like a bolt of lightning cutting through the darkness, an idea suddenly emerged in Joe's mind.
A possible turning point!
…
Returning to his temporary house outside the city, Joe's eyes fell on a black book on the table.
It was the "will" left by the last acting pope, Tucker Thor, before he jumped off the city wall.
It was not the Holy Book that recorded the inheritance of the church — the method of creating the God's Punishment Army, but the entrustment of a dying predecessor. In the book, he told the story of human beings and demons, and the origin of the Battle of Divine Will. This shocking secret stunned everyone, and they suddenly understood why Tucker wanted them to evacuate Hermes.
Everything was over.
She put down the burden and lived the rest of her life in peace.
Perhaps it was because of this self-sacrifice that Farina did not want to see the church disappear. Joe knew clearly that apart from her feelings for Hermes, she still had a lingering long-cherished wish: to see Roland Wimbledon and his Kingdom of Graycastle fall into hell before the church.
But now, a turning point had appeared in the hands of the king who had destroyed the church.
Joe did not expect Graycastle to help.
It was almost impossible for those people to save the remnants of the church.
Only by directing the spearhead to the traitors of Archduke Island could he have a chance.
The news of Graycastle's sudden appearance in the Cage Mountain area did not attract his attention. There was too much noise in the tavern, and the church would no longer have anything to do with Graycastle. Until the believer's words suddenly enlightened him. Lorenzo used to be responsible for collecting looted goods from all over the Kingdom of Wolfheart, and the legendary treasure in the Cage Mountain was not a secret. At that time, it was reported as a special seizure. As for whether it had been transported to Hermes, Joe did not know, but it did not matter at all. What mattered was whether the king of Graycastle was also looking for the same thing.
The nobles in the Kingdom of Wolfheart would be afraid, but Roland would not.
No one could resist the attack of that terrible army.
As long as he could get rid of the traitors through their hands, he would have a chance to save Farina in the melee.
Even if he could not save Farina, it was better to be captured than to be tortured endlessly.
Joe took a deep breath.
If the outcome really reached that step, he would no longer hide in the dark.
At least he could be with her until the last moment of her life.
Because... he had always loved her...
Since the day he joined the Judgement Army and met Farina.
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