Embers of Embers

Chapter 495 Devil
The carriage stopped at a street intersection not far from Winchester's office. It deliberately kept a distance, neither too far nor too close.The car window was opened, revealing half of his face, and the shrike's face was revealed in the darkness. He peered into the office, and then moved his gaze back.
"They all look pretty happy...probably."
Shrike said with some uncertainty.
He would pass by the door of the office when he had nothing to do, but his mentality was different from Eve's. Every time Shrike passed by, he seemed a bit deliberate. Even though it had been so long, he still felt that a monster like Lorenzo could be like this. There is something incredible about living here in an ordinary way.
Before Mrs. Verrode left, the light in the room was not bright. There were probably only some light spots in the living room. After Mrs. Verde left, Lorenzo completely let himself go. With the help of the Witcher Due to his poor eyesight, he rarely turned on the light, thus plunging the business into darkness.
Many passers-by also whispered about this, suspecting that no one lived here yet, but something was different today. The office was brightly lit, as if all the lights were on.
"So what's going on with this vacation? It's so sudden?" Shrike asked.
Due to the structure of the purification agency, manpower is always in short supply. Therefore, most of the time, members of the purification agency do not have any vacations to speak of. The only thing that can barely be regarded as a vacation is during the recovery period after fighting the demon. There will be a rare peace in the hospital.
To be honest, the purification agency is really a black-hearted factory. What's worse is that it's easy to get in and hard to get out.
Shrike was confused about this sudden vacation. One or two days could be long or short, but those guys were actually approved for leave, as well as the gathering place, and the vacation at this time. All of this Everything had to make Shrike puzzled.
The other person in the carriage did not reply, and Arthur's face was hidden in the darkness. He looked out the window and stared at the office. He paused for a long time before speaking slowly.
"Shrike, we succeeded."
"Successful what?"
Shrike couldn't understand Arthur's words. He looked inexplicably like a peeping tom.
Arthur said nonchalantly.
"We managed to lock up the demon and put a tight chain around his neck."
……
"it is finally over."
Eve's figure was swaying. After saying this, she seemed to have lost all her strength and knelt down on the carpet.
She was in a strange mood now. She instantly understood the hard work of the working people, and she didn't feel deeply guilty for not folding the quilt when she got up before.
If you zoom out, you will find that the sofa in the living room is already full of people. Everyone is exhausted from trying to make this office suitable for human habitation.
Lorenzo was running around in front of a few people. As the beneficiary of today's cleaning, he brought tea and water along the way and rubbed the legs and waists of several good brothers who worked hard.
"Use a little force...a little force! Didn't you eat?"
The kestrel was tied to Lorenzo's body, giving orders like an uncle, but Lorenzo could only smile and squeeze at this situation, even though he had the ability to break off the kestrel's legs directly.
"Don't you need to clean up the other rooms?"
Seleu wiped her sweat, and after roughly talking about the itinerary with Lorenzo, she also joined in the cleaning. Although she didn't do much strenuous work, it still made her sweat.
"It's not necessary."
Lorenzo glanced at the inconspicuous door on the first floor. After that was Mrs. Vanlude's room, which was the same as Sigg's room. After she left, Lorenzo simply handled it and then opened the door. It was sealed and almost never opened again. If Seliu didn't mention this, he would have almost forgotten that this house is quite big.
"Is there anything else you need?"
Lorenzo smiled like a waiter, walking around with unwiped plates.
Probably because he was very tired, no one paid attention to him. Eve climbed up and sat together with Seliu. The two of them were smaller and squeezed into one sofa. The other seats were occupied by Kestrel and Hercules. The place was full, so Lorenzo could only move a small stool and sit on one side as if he was being discouraged.
"When will the Shrike come?"
Kestrel asked again. He remembered that the shrike would also come today, but from morning to now, there was no trace of that guy.
"Probably he'll come when the meal is served. He's pretty accurate at the meal spot."
Lan Jade walked out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and steam rising from behind her.Lan Jade is the only one among these people who can cook.
"Then leave him alone."
Lorenzo glanced at Lan Jade. Today was not only the rebirth of the office from the rubbish heap, but also the first time someone had cooked here since Mrs. Verude left.
It's embarrassing to say that since living alone, Lorenzo's diet has been swallowed up by various fast food takeaways, and the kitchen has become a place for him to reheat yesterday's leftovers.
Probably because they wanted to carry out the celebration to the end, these people never left. After cleaning up the room, they even started cooking. It seemed that they would have to eat before leaving.
There are more living people in the office, and the cold air has become much warmer. Lorenzo was a little uncomfortable at first, but now he is more accustomed to it.
Lorenzo looked around and suddenly realized that this was the first time he had received so many people at home since he moved here.
Normally there would only be Lorenzo, Mrs. Van Lude and Sigurd in this living room. Due to schedules and other reasons, it was difficult for the three of them to get together. The last time there were so many people was on the birthday of God, and that day was crowded. Lyu came here to spend the festival with Lorenzo.
After such a long time, Lorenzo felt a little dazed for a while, as if everything was just yesterday, but yesterday could no longer go back.
After the joy, the living room gradually fell into calm. Eve seemed really tired and leaned to the side drowsily. The others were silent, and even Poirot calmed down and huddled in the room. There was no sound from under the cabinet.
"This reminds me of the days when we lived together."
Kestrel said suddenly, raising his head and looking at the gray ceiling.
Lorenzo knew what he was talking about. He had lived with Kestrel and the others in Merlin's castle for a while. In that damn place, he had to rely on himself for everything. Lorenzo was chopping wood every day.
"Ah...I don't know how Joey is doing."
Kestrel missed Joey a little. As a lucky Kestrel, his colleagues changed quickly. Except for Joey, the two of them had worked together for a long time. Kestrel even thought that Joey had broken this damn curse, but now In that storm that seemed to have no end, Kestrel still lost this friend.
He didn't know the specific condition of Joey. He still had some breath when he was fished out of the water, but the reason why he was severely eroded was that, like Galahad before him, he died after entering the Black Mountain Hospital. There is no news, just like dead.
Kestrel's words depressed the atmosphere a lot. After enjoying the relaxation and joy, sad things came in droves. Among them, Lorenzo was probably the one who felt the deepest.
The house welcomed many new guests and lost some familiar faces forever.
With this thought in mind, Lan Jade walked in with a hot plate.
"You can eat."
"Oooo!"
Kestrel immediately let out a ghostly cry and rolled up from the sofa. His movements were neat and fast, making people wonder if he was feeling sad just now.
"So people like you are really good at raising children." Eve commented.
"What should we do? We can only eat more and kill more monsters." Kestrel directly forked a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.
"You guys should have a taste. I haven't cooked for a long time. I usually do it at the outpost."
Lan Jade sat on the armrest of the sofa, still looking calm.
Although the purification agency is a black-hearted factory, in order to better squeeze the value of its employees, they still provide accommodation and food, as well as free medical care. Of course, it also comes with a death contract similar to Hercule's.
"Would you like to say something?"
Hercule asked, and he also got up. He had not felt this lively atmosphere for a long time. Thinking carefully about the past most of the time, Hercule was really hiding in a dark corner like a mouse. Apart from his men, the only person he communicates with is Poirot.
"You want to think about it?"
Seleu said to Lorenzo, she took the cup from the kitchen, handed it to the others, and opened a bottle of wine.This is top-quality stuff brought over from Stuart's house. It's much better than Lorenzo's street stall stuff.
"I?"
"You are the owner of this house after all, shouldn't you?"
"what……"
Lorenzo fell into deep thought. He was really stopped by the question. A few words flashed through his mind for a moment, but they were rejected by him.
Eradicate the demon?Saying this at such a happy time would inevitably be a bit off-putting, so what should you say?To Joey, and to those who died?It doesn’t seem right either.
Lorenzo looked at a few faces, and he remembered the days on the cruise, when everyone was under the same roof, reading books and talking nonsense. Lorenzo felt really good at that time, and he sometimes He had an extravagant hope that he shouldn't have. He hoped that such tranquility could last forever and that this voyage would never end...
"Now."
Lorenzo thought about it and raised his glass.
……
"What did you say?"
Shrike didn't understand Arthur's words, he just felt that his boss was a bit inexplicable now.
"Do you still remember when you first came into contact with Lorenzo? Do you think he has changed in any way compared to him now?" Arthur asked.
"Change?" Shrike muttered, recalling the past, "Maybe he became more like a human being?"
Shrike still remembered Lorenzo at the beginning. He was a murderer and had a dark personality. Even though Shrike was a super handy tool man, Shrike didn't want to have too much contact with Lorenzo, but now he Not as resistant as before, it feels like the prisoner has changed his mind.
"Shrike, I was really afraid of Lorenzo at first. At that time, we had a negotiation on the Broken Dome about the train problem. Judging from Lorenzo's answer at that time, he would give everything to eradicate the demon... although now There hasn’t been much change, but at that time it was really hard for people to think that he was a good person, instead he looked like a... devil who specialized in killing monsters?"
Arthur rambled.
"I think there should be something binding us, even if we have turned into monsters, but Lorenzo did not have such a binding at that time, and he proved this in subsequent battles."
Arthur couldn't help but feel a little angry when he thought of this, but it was only for a short moment.
"At that time, in order to check and balance Lawrence, Lorenzo almost killed Eve... and then came the Duke Stuart incident. I even laughed at him for a while, saying that he was a despicable villain, and he said The truth is just a false illusion. When the train comes, he is also a hesitant guy.
But even though I said that, I was still quite happy in my heart. This proved that Lorenzo was not a complete monster. At least Duke Stuart had become somewhat of a constraint on his humanity. "
Recalling the experience with Lorenzo, Arthur found that these memories were basically terrible.
He narrowed his eyes and asked again.
"Think about it now, go back to that night, Shrike, do you think Lorenzo will still easily sacrifice Eve in order to check Lawrence? It's not just Eve, this target can be anyone else, do you think he can still Would you do that?”
Shrike fell silent. He thought for a while and was about to speak but was interrupted by Arthur.
"I don't think he would have done that."
Arthur said decisively.
"I have read Eve's mission report. Based on the conditions at Maluri Port at that time, it was lucky for anyone to survive. But Lorenzo did not let anyone die. Everyone came back alive and unscathed. At that time, Lawrence also Be present.”
The sound echoed in the small carriage, and Shrike was a little stunned. He didn't expect that so much time had passed and so much had changed.
"In the final analysis, whether it is ideals, wishes, pursuits, goals, etc., these things are the ultimate embodiment of our desires, but the words used to describe them are different. Before that, Lorenzo was a slave of desire. For his desires, he I don't mind becoming a so-called demon, or a being more terrifying than a demon.
But unfortunately, it cannot be avoided, I am everyone a slave to desire, but at least now, we have changed Lorenzo a little bit. "
Arthur looked at the brightly lit office. This was one of the main reasons why he approved the fake.
"He was once a cold-blooded devil, but now he is imprisoned in a cage of happiness."
"Why... why did you do this?"
Shrike was a little confused. Lorenzo was really good now, and he felt more comfortable getting along with him, but he couldn't understand why Arthur was bothering to do all this... Looking at it this way, he had been trying it all morning To change Lorenzo.
“For the world, for all of us.
Now that Lorenzo has tasted the good things, in order to maintain them, he will do whatever it takes to prevent the darkness from coming. This is enough. "
Arthur's voice was cold and emotionless.
Is this a conspiracy?Or a trick?Shrike was a little confused at the moment, but he felt that this should be good, a good thing.
The demon sheds its scales and reveals its original humanity.
For some reason, the language became a little lacking at this moment. Shrike thought for a long time and didn't know what to say. He just wanted to escape from this conversation quickly.
"I go first."
Shrike said as he opened the car door and walked into the office. Arthur, as before, stared at the office in silence, listening to the laughter and laughter coming from it.
The more this beauty rises, the heavier the cage becomes, and Lorenzo is willing to be imprisoned.
(End of this chapter)