After Amber left, Gwen quietly looked at Veronica and Ophilia, who still looked calm and composed. Pitman stood quietly beside him, his eyes slightly closed as if he was resting.
"I thought you would leave with her," Veronica said to Gwen. "After all, you seem to care a lot about your 'bodyguard'."
"I know her. She wants to be alone for a while," Gwen said. "Before that, I have something to tell you."
"… The Disobedient are a group of paranoid and fanatical rebels. Our plan is the same," Veronica said frankly before Gwen could say anything. "We try our best to maintain humanity in our plan, but humanity alone is not enough to fight against the gods and the apocalypse. Sometimes, some of our methods may seem as cold-blooded and cruel as those cultists. I hope you can understand this."
"Don't worry, I know this very well. The Abomination Project that Kamel participated in is essentially the same as the Shadow Plan, and these plans are quite similar to the tactics of the Doomsday Association." Gwen shook his head. "The difference is that at least you are trying to maintain humanity."
"It's not that different. At least for people like Miss Amber, it's the same."
"She will calm down, but what happened today is too much for her," Gwen said. "I have some questions to ask you."
Veronica nodded. "Go ahead."
"Surrey Randolph took the order from Francis Moen and went to the Gloom Mountains to look for the Shadow Fortress. How did Francis II know about the existence of the Shadow Fortress?"
This was a very critical question. The Disobedient Plan was one of the biggest secrets left behind by the ancient Kingdom of Gondor, but not many people knew about it. So how did the young Francis II know about the existence of the Shadow Fortress? He even had a pair of Shadow Signet Rings that could be used to open the Shadow Fortress. The mission of Randolph Sully was highly confidential. Even the Duke Regent at that time did not know about it. Did it mean that Francis II was secretly in contact with an ancient rebel and got the clue of Shadow Fortress?
Although the reign of the Ansu had ended, and whatever secrets Francis II once had were no longer important today, this matter involved the disobedience plan, and Gwen could not help but ask a few more questions.
"My 'father' …" Veronica sighed when she heard the name of Francis II. She shook her head and sighed softly. "I don't know where he learned about the Shadow Fortress, but according to my observation and judgment, he doesn't know anything about the Disobedience Plan."
"Your observation and judgment?" Gwen keenly caught the hidden meaning in Veronica's words. "You also suspect that he knows about the disobedience plan?"
"He had a Shadow Signet Ring in his hand, which was enough to pique my interest," Veronica said calmly. "But after investigating, I found that he only saw the Shadow Signet Ring as a powerful extraordinary equipment. So, I thought that he had just obtained an ancient heritage by chance. The creations of the ancient Gondor Empire were brought out of the wasteland by the pioneering troops back then. Many of them are still scattered everywhere. Such a situation is not unusual. But after hearing what you've said today, I have a new guess … "
Gwen raised his eyebrows. "A new guess?"
"He has the Shadow Signet Ring and knows that the ring is the key to opening the Shadow Fortress. But just like he doesn't know the connection between the ring and the disobedience plan, he probably doesn't know the secret behind the Shadow Fortress. He probably only knows that there is a powerful force or some kind of treasure hidden in the fortress. These two things were very attractive to the young king. What's more, he was eager to change his puppet situation back then," Veronica said clearly. "And these incomplete clues and the two Signet Rings … Maybe someone with ulterior motives deliberately revealed them to him."
Gwen frowned. "Someone with ulterior motives?"
"… Maybe there are disobedient people other than Kamel and me," Veronica said. "We don't dare to die before we achieve our ultimate goal. Even if the demonic tide breaks out and the empire is destroyed, there will be more than one stubborn ghost crawling out of the wasteland and continuing to carry out the plan. If these 'ghosts' exist, I'm afraid they are the most dangerous."
There was a moment of silence between the two.
What Veronica said was all inference, but after all, she had been in contact with Francis II as his' daughter 'for so many years. Her judgment was highly credible in Gwen's view, and the situation she said seemed to be the most likely explanation.
There was another disobedient person still active in the world. She or he had secretly contacted Francis II, but obviously, the disobedient person did not want to find an ally like Veronica and Ophilia. The disobedient person only used the young king as a pawn and wanted to open the ancient Shadowy Fortress through Francis II and get what he wanted. But the oversight of the information led to serious consequences. The Shadow Guards who carried the Shadow Signet Ring did not return, and the mysterious disobedient person simply cut off the line.
After that, Francis II did not get any follow-up information about the Shadowy Fortress and the disobedient plan, and his private actions could not be known by the Duke Regent at that time. So, the matter was eventually left unsettled. No one knew that the king had sent the Shadow Guards to look for ancient relics, and the Shadow Signet Ring with special power was packaged by the king as a powerful magic item that he got by chance. If Francis's ability to fabricate stories was better, he might even package the ring as a family heirloom. Before the Second Dynasty, the Moen family was very widespread and had a large number of Gondor relics. Although Francis II was an illegitimate descendant, he was also qualified to have access to part of the Moen heritage. So, this lie was very difficult to expose.
If all of this was true, then there was a crucial question: Who was the one who wanted to use Francis II to obtain the "legacy" in the Shadow Fortress? Or to put it more directly, who was the one who wanted to obtain Amber decades ago?
Veronica saw Gwen's thoughts and said casually, "Just think about the greatest value of Android No. 36 in the field of technology, and it is not difficult to guess who wants to get her."
"… The greatest crystallization of biochemical technology," Gwen said in a deep voice. "It's the Perish Society. The clues are finally connected."
The clues were finally connected.
Gwen had long known that Project Disobedience was behind the Perish Society. The crystal cluster disaster they caused was proof. The crystal cluster giants were essentially the continuation of the 'Abomination' project, so there was no doubt that they retained part of the legacy of Project Disobedience!
It was also because of this that it was not surprising that one or two ancient Disobedients had survived to this day. And these ghosts that survived the demonic wave had tried to contact the Ansu royal family decades ago. They not only used Edmund Moen, but also attacked Francis II!
And all of this coincidentally changed the fate of Sari Randolph, who brought Amber from the subspace fortress to the real world.
A few years later, Amber accidentally loosened the lid of Gwen Cecil's coffin and released Gwen, who happened to be reborn. Gwen, who opened the coffin and rose, eventually led to the destruction of the Perish Society.
"Fate is really an inexplicable thing." Gawain's mind flashed with the chain of countless coincidences and inevitability. He could not help but sigh. "But no matter what … All Things Will Perish, and the Will Perish."
"It was the Perish Society that was destroyed, but the 'ghosts' can always return from the dead." Veronica reminded him. "Please don't let your guard down so easily. After the destruction of a huge dark cult, there will be countless broken limbs that continue to move around in the ruins. If a ghost is patient enough to survive, these broken limbs are likely to gather together and be reborn."
"Your analogy is very unique, but what you said does make sense. The Empire will continue to wipe out the cultists. I will never let my guard down in this regard," Gwen said solemnly. He then looked up and glanced at the mechanical watch hanging on the wall. "… It's about time. I should go check on Amber."
Veronica bowed her head deeply. "Please go ahead."
"Okay." Gwen nodded and turned to leave. But before he took a step, he heard Veronica's voice coming from behind.
"From your perspective, what do you think of our behavior in the Shadowy Fortress back then?"
Gwen did not look back. After a moment of thought, he said in a deep voice, "Do you remember what you once said to me? About sacrifice — "
"The appearance of every sacrifice only proves our incompetence."
"Remember this, even if you are experimenting on yourself."
"This is the principle of the disobedient."
Gwen nodded and stepped out of the hall.
Veronica looked at the direction where Gwen left. The platinum scepter in her hand glowed faintly under the surging holy light.
She spoke softly, her voice low as if she was murmuring. "If it was in the Gondor era … you would have been an excellent disobedient …"
Pitman raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at Veronica. "You bunch of 'disobedient' are quite persistent in your cause."
"We are all ghosts who should have died long ago. But we still stubbornly refuse to leave because of this persistence."
"Then, when will you ghosts completely die?"
"… When you can die without regrets."
Pitman shrugged and put his hands behind his back. His hunched body slowly walked away, leaving behind a low murmur. "In short, don't trouble Amber."
…
The night wind blew the flag above the terrace. The cold air from the north swirled between the tower and the door of the castle. The music and cheers from the banquet hall and the courtyard echoed in the wind. With a sense of distance, they clearly entered Gwen's ears.
He came to the empty terrace, went straight to the edge, and said casually, "Is this the wind you were talking about?"
Amber's figure emerged from the darkness. She bent her knees and sat on the ground. She did not even raise her head. "Is there a problem?"
Gwen glanced at the 'half-elf' and then looked around her. It took him a lot of effort to keep his voice calm. "If I had known that you would bring three plates of cake, four plates of peanuts, four plates of melon seeds, two plates of candied fruit, five plates of barbecue and three bottles of wine, I would never have come."
Amber looked up at Gwen and raised her hand. "I also brought two drumsticks. I had just finished one when you came …"
"… So I should have left you here for the night." Gwen glared at her. "It must have taken a lot of effort to go around the inner and outer banquet halls to collect all these things and pack them up."
"Actually, it's not that bad. I had asked my men to help …"
Gwen stared at the 'half-elf' for a long time. In the end, he still could not figure out whether to throw her off the terrace or not. He could only sigh. "Is this how you think about life?"
This time, Amber was silent for a few seconds. She let out a rare sigh. "I'm thinking, but I haven't figured it out yet …"
"What are you thinking about?" Gwen came to Amber. "Tell me."
"Android …" Amber muttered. "Do you think I'm a normal person?"
"That depends on how you feel. In your life so far, have you encountered any abnormal situations because of your identity as an 'android'?"
"… If I have to say, yes. My Shadow Talent is so strong, and I'm a thief …"
Gwen: "…"
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