The weather has not been good this week, the overhead is always gray, and Karl Van Burt is in the same mood as the weather, extremely low.

Walking down the wet cobblestone streets, he was greeted from time to time by someone - in this town, Carl ran an academy. Unlike the academies of the Grey Castle, which were only attended by the children of the nobility, he also taught to the children of the common people. Therefore, in the border town, he has a considerable reputation.

"Hey, Mr. Van Burt, good morning. ”

"Sir, is my son doing well?"

"When you're free, Carl, let's go fishing. ”

Usually Carl would respond to them with a smile, but today he just nodded and didn't say a word.

Ever since witnessing Anna's hanging, a crack had appeared in the world in his eyes—or perhaps since he left the Grey Keep, but he deliberately turned a blind eye. He numbs himself with his busy work, and the innocent and innocent smiles of the students also hide the cracks to some extent.

It wasn't until Anna died that he realized that nothing had changed in the world. The rift did not disappear, but widened.

For Anna, his memory is stuck in half a year ago. She was inconspicuous among the more than thirty children in the academy, with an ordinary appearance and not much to talk about, but there was one thing that impressed Carl.

That is her passion for knowledge. No matter what she taught, whether it was words or history, she was always the first to remember. Even the history of the evolution of religion, which he himself found boring, could be read by the other party with a book in his hand all day. He had also seen little girls help take care of the neighbors' sheep - in the sun, Anna carefully brushed the lambs, moving gently like a baby. He still remembered that scene vividly, the girl's smile was sweet and pleasant, and it was impossible to hook up with evil in any way.

Later, a fire broke out in the neighborhood, and Anna's mother died, and Anna did not come back to the college. Until a week ago, she was proven to be a witch and hanged in the square in the center of town.

Tempted by the devil, the unclean, the wicked, all fart! For the first time in his heart, he had doubts about the Holy See, and for the first time he had doubts about the knowledge he had imparted.

He didn't know if Anna was a witch or not, but the word evil couldn't be called her! If a girl who was not yet an adult, ignorant and curious about the world could be called evil, then the administrators in the Gray Castle were all devils from hell! For the sake of hundreds of golden dragons, they deliberately stole stones, causing the collapse of the theater in the new district halfway through the construction, and more than 30 members of the Masons Guild died.

But did they go to the gallows? Not a single one! The judge finally convicted the leader of the Masonry Guild for improper construction, sentenced him to exile, and ordered the Masonry to disband. In order to avoid the limelight, Carl, who knew the inside story, had to flee from the Grey Fort with his family, all the way west, and finally came to the border town.

He started the academy, had many students, met new neighbors, made new friends, but the crimes staged in Grey Keep were always etched in his mind. Now, once again, he felt the mockery of the world - what was evil, and could the gods of heaven really see it clearly?

The last straw that broke Carl was Nanawa.

Nanawa and Anna are different, one might even say the complete opposite. She was an extremely lively girl and was quite famous in the academy. As long as she doesn't go to class, it's rare to see her stopping, either riding on a tree to tease the birds, or rolling in the grass. When asked what she was doing, she giggled for a while before replying that she was listening to a grasshopper and an ant arguing.

Nanawa always has a smile on her face, which seems to be in her nature. This miserable and miserable world has nothing to do with her, at least in the academy, she can laugh carefree all the time. Carl was even curious—had she ever cried since she was born?

Until two days ago, Nanava came to him with a sad face, "Teacher, will I be hanged like Anna?"

Only then did he learn that his student, Nanava Pine, had also become a witch.

"Ah, isn't that Mr. Van Burt! come here and help us see what is written on it. ”

Carl felt someone tugging at his sleeve, and he looked up to find himself in the town square. For many years, people shouted something around the bulletin board, and when they heard Van Burt's name, everyone consciously got out of the way.

"You're too coincidental, sir, take a look at it. ”

"yes, it was always Meg's guy who read it, but he went to the bathroom with a stomachache and never came back. ”

In normal times, he would definitely smile and nod his head, and then explain the contents of the bulletin board in detail to the others. But now Carl found himself unable to do it—the smiles and enthusiasm of these people did not seem to be fake, but for him they were more unbearable than wearing a mask with a fake smile.

The notice of Anna's hanging was also posted on it, and everyone was so happy to discuss it. In a sense, you are all murderers, and he said in his heart that your ignorance and ignorance killed her.

Carl forced his emotions down, took a breath, and walked to the announcement board.

"The prince has recruited men to build a frontier town, and there are many grades of work to choose from," he read.

But I'm also one of the murderers, so who can blame them? Isn't the one who told them that the witch is the wicked one? Carl only felt bitter at the corners of his mouth, and looked at what I had said to the children, and read the teachings of the church, and thought that I had spoken well, hell!

"Stone crushers, male, 20 to 40 years old, in good health. 25 Bronze Eagles per day. ”

"Clay craftsmen, regardless of gender, over 18 years old, with masonry experience, are paid 45 bronze eagles per day. ”

"Handymen, male, over 18 years old, are paid 12 bronze eagles per day. ”

“......”

No, he had to do something, and if Anna's death was irretrievable, then at least Nanava couldn't be allowed to repeat it. A voice in Carl's heart cried out, he didn't stand up when the stonemasons were going to fall, he didn't stand up when Anna was hanged, did he have to be silent like this, watching these lovely children being sent to the gallows?

But what could he do? Escape the border town with Nanawa - he had his own family, and the family had just moved here from the Grey Castle, and the situation had just improved and he was leaving? Not to mention that Nanawa herself was born into a wealthy family, and she could stand the life of no fixed home?

"Stone craftsmen, gender is not limited, age is not limited, anyone who has participated in municipal construction, fortresses, fortifications can be, the city hall is recruited for a long time, and the monthly remuneration is 1 gold dragon. ”

"Supplementary Provisions: Those who are experienced and have performed well may be conferred official positions. ”

After reading the notice, everyone was already in an uproar, "The monthly reward of 1 golden dragon is comparable to the cavalry team of Changge Fortress!"

"But will you build a dung pit and build a fortress?"

"Don't just stare at this, the first few items are also very good, if you pay every day, it will not be much less than hunting. ”

"It's true that hunting can cost you your life, and the Hidden Forest is not a place to go casually. ”

Carl Van Burt did not pay attention to this, and his whole attention was focused on the seal and signature at the end of the notice. It was the autograph of the fourth prince, Roland Wimbleton.

Didn't the prince know that the moon of demons was not long before it came? whatever he wanted to build, it was not a good time to start construction at this moment. It seems that His Royal Highness Wimbledon knows nothing about construction, if he can use the name of the Masons Guild to get his attention...... An idea popped into Carl's mind, perhaps through this recruitment, he could meet the prince himself, the supreme ruler of the border town.

This thought caused Karl to swallow and convince the prince that witches were not evil, and that His Royal Highness was rumored to have a unique mind, a different personality from ordinary people, and a great dislike of the Church. Maybe it will work!, he thought, even though it was Prince Roland who finally ordered Anna to be hanged, he could see that he was reluctant.

The prince himself was only in his early twenties, and it should have been easier for him to understand how those young girls who were still in the prime of their cardamom years could suddenly become unforgivable evildoers.

Of course, there is also a possibility that he was treated as a fellow accomplice of witches and sent to the gallows. Church law clearly states that anyone who harbors or intercedes for a witch is to be regarded as a self-depraved evildoer.

One can only hope that the prince, who loathes the church, will also treat the laws of the church as waste.

Carl prayed in his heart.

Although he didn't know which god to pray to, he closed his eyes and asked for a blessing.

For the sake of the dead Anna, for the sake of the still alive Nanava, for the sake of the rift in his heart not to widen.

He decided to take the risk.