Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 368 A Friendship as Golden
Although Carlo Ed is quite old, his decisive and efficient personality remains unchanged.

Having agreed on the visit to the "White Eagle" and leaving two reliable servants to help with errands and deliver messages, he did not linger any longer and took his leave of Winters and Anna.

The black carriage, adorned with silver trim, drove out of the village. Kaman, who had been playing the role of a puppet, coldly asked Winters, "Lies, tricks, and conspiracies... Did you bring me here to listen to all this to confess and repent? Or is it simply to waste my time?"

“Neither,” Winters replied immediately, stating firmly, “I asked you to accompany me in receiving guests because of the golden friendship between us.”

Anna looked at the distant mountains with shame, pretending not to have heard anything.

“Your Excellency Montagne,” Kaman said with a polite smile, “you really have no shame in speaking! You are truly worthy of this title.”

Winters nodded his thanks; he was completely immune to this level of attack.

Kaman gave a soft hum and took a sip of ice water from his glass.

Next up was Winters' turn. He picked up his glass and asked unhurriedly, "I'm also curious, if you don't like listening in, why don't you just make an excuse to leave?"

“That’s because…” Kaman stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence. He glanced at Anna’s retreating figure and swallowed back what he was about to say.

Winters, triumphant, got up from his chair and stretched, his stiff spine joints creaking as he did so.

Winters let out a long, comfortable breath. He looked at Anna, smiled slightly, and asked, "Was the sunrise beautiful?"

“It’s beautiful,” Anna replied softly.

“Come on, Mr. Kaman, let’s go take a look.” As he passed by Kaman, Winters patted the latter on the shoulder: “Even though we missed the sunrise, a walk is still nice.”

Kaman remained unmoved and continued to savor the ice water.

The devout Wolftown priest, having wasted a morning and even missed morning prayers, was sulking and had no intention of paying any attention to Winters.

After walking a distance, Winters whistled, and the two wolfhounds immediately rushed towards him like arrows.

Seeing the two wolfhounds frolicking around Winter, Kaman paused slightly. He immediately stood up, nodded to Anna, and hurriedly followed after him.

……

Wangshan is a dead horse.

The summit didn't look far, but Winters walked for a full hour and was still halfway up the mountain.

The human village in the middle of the valley is small enough to fit in a picture frame, but the mountaintop has long since disappeared due to the curve of the hillside.

The air was thin at high altitude, and Winters felt a bit tired, so he stopped climbing. He found a flat patch of grass nearby and slowly sat down.

The moment his bottom touched the ground, Winters couldn't help but let out a long, contented sigh. He patted his aching calves and called to Kaman, "Let's stop walking, let's rest for a bit."

"Is that all?" Kaman's cheeks flushed slightly, but her breathing remained steady.

"Stop pretending. I don't believe you're not tired." Winters patted the empty space next to him. "Sit down and rest for a while. We'll go back when you're rested enough."

Kaman remained noncommittal. He walked straight to Winters' side, but instead of sitting down, he stood with his knees propped up and slowly adjusted his breathing.

The two wolfhounds, who had followed Winters up the mountain, were now exhausted. The two large dogs, their tongues lolling out and panting heavily, lay motionless beside Winters.

The chilly air of late winter was invigorating. Winters leaned comfortably against the wolfhounds, taking turns rubbing the heads and chins of both dogs.

Suddenly, Winters let out a long sigh.

After sighing, he jokingly said to Kaman, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have been able to imagine that there are people in the world who live their entire lives surrounded by mountains—every day they open their eyes and all they see are mountains, nothing but mountains."

Kaman asked indifferently, "What, you've never seen a mountain before?"

“It has nothing to do with ‘whether you’ve seen the mountain.’ [Seeing it with your own eyes] and [hearing about it] are different.” Winters carefully chose his words and explained with a smile: “I’ll put it this way so you can understand—from the time I was born until I became an adult, in every place I’ve lived, you can see the sea within an hour’s walk.”

"And what about after you become an adult?"

"After I become an adult?" Winters scoffed. "Wouldn't I be banished to Palatine after I became an adult?"

Kaman was touched by Winters's sincerity and couldn't help but sigh.

He sat down next to Winters and began to speak softly:
“The people of Montagu probably find it hard to imagine a world where you can see the ocean in an hour’s walk. I’ve met some believers who have never left their parish in their entire lives. For them, the world is their homes, farmland, markets, and churches. Life is so poor that they need the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Kingdom of Heaven must exist.”

After Kaman finished speaking, both of them fell silent.

After sitting for a while, Winters asked, "By the way, have you ever seen the ocean?"

Kaman was about to answer when he suddenly froze.

After a moment, Kaman stammered, "Never seen it before..."

But he immediately added, "But I know what the ocean looks like."

Winters chuckled. "You've never seen the ocean, yet you know what it 'looks like.' How do you know? Did an angel appear in your dream?"

“Through books, paintings, and other people’s descriptions,” Kaman defended himself. “I don’t need to see the ocean with my own eyes to know what it looks like.”

“What did I just say? Seeing it with your own eyes and hearing about it are different.” Winters patted Kaman on the shoulder with pity. “If there’s a chance, I’ll take you to see the sea for yourself. But… you haven’t been on a ship in Palatine? Isn’t it supposed to dock in the inland sea before entering Palatine?”

“I traveled by land, via Montald to Palatour,” Kaman explained helplessly. “The land route is slower, but it’s much safer than by boat, so I try to avoid taking the boat whenever possible.”

"Before coming to Palatour? You've never seen the sea before."

“I was handed over to the Vatican by my sister as soon as I could remember, and I lived in St. Michael’s Monastery from a young age. How could I have seen the ocean? The monastery only has stone walls, corridors, passageways, prayer rooms, a library, and a charismatic altar…”

Without any warning, Kaman's voice abruptly stopped.

Winters, who was listening with great interest, looked at Kaman questioningly, not understanding what was going on.

Realizing he had misspoke, Kaman stood up abruptly, staring intently at Winters, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force of his grip.

“I thought…we were friends,” Kaman said through gritted teeth.

Winters had already noticed the change in Kaman. The Kaman in front of him was no longer the cold-faced but warm-hearted priest of Wolf Town, but had become a wind-up, man-eating beast.

The two wolfhounds bristled and stood guard on either side of Winters, baring their teeth at Kaman.

However, the wolfhounds tucked their tails tightly between their hind legs, their chests almost touching the ground, and they dared not bark—this was the posture of the weak; the intelligent wolfhounds understood that the upright beast in front of them was more dangerous than they were.

Winters' instincts were also screaming warnings; his intuition told him that any slight movement could cause Kaman to lose control.

“We are friends,” Winters said calmly, trying not to provoke Kaman.

"Friends? Is this how you treat your friends? Deception? Tricks? Conspiracy?" An unprecedented rage surged within Kaman, his eyes practically blazing with fiery passion. Just when he believed in a genuine friendship with Winters, he had been met with a despicable "betrayal." Winters understood Kaman's thoughts: "You thought... I was trying to trick you into revealing information."

Kaman's body tensed, staring intently at Winters, without uttering a word.

He broke the vow of silence, a vow that should never be broken. An unspeakable hatred filled his heart; he hated himself for breaking the vow, and was even more enraged by Winters' "betrayal."

Winters stood up, looking directly at Kaman: "I do hope to learn about divine magic through you, but only if you offer your help willingly. In our conversation just now, I didn't have any intention of extracting information, nor did I use any seductive or deceptive tactics. I was simply chatting with you, and my questions were merely out of curiosity, not about divine magic..."

As he spoke, Winters realized he had fallen into a strange loop: he had never intended to trick Kaman into revealing the secret—Kaman hadn't said anything important either—but he couldn't prove it.

Winters didn't want to fight Kaman. Fighting between spellcasters was like eggs hitting each other with a sledgehammer. At least Winters didn't know any combat spells that wouldn't cause injury or death.

We need to cool things down first, at least to get Kaman to listen to the explanation.

Winters then sat back down, adopting a completely unguarded posture: "I asked you to come out for a hike for two reasons."

Winters looked down at the village below the valley, avoiding eye contact with Kaman—even eye contact could feel threatening.

“The first thing is to thank you. I didn’t force you to meet Carlo Ed; it wasn’t unreasonable,” Winters explained calmly with a wry smile.
“Carlo Ed is a partner in Navarre Trading Company, and I’m worried he’ll relay Mrs. Navarre’s attitude, which isn’t exactly friendly. But she has one weakness—secrecy. Mrs. Navarre doesn’t want more people to know about my relationship with Anna.”

Kaman made no comment—but no comment was a good sign for Winters.

Winters continued, “Therefore, I need a third party I can absolutely trust to be present. If an ‘outsider’ is present, Lady Navarre’s messenger will be more cautious; if the ‘outsider’ is also a clergyman, then even if Lady Navarre herself comes, she won’t be too aggressive. Just in case, I have a final solution—you will officiate at my and Anna’s wedding. So you must be present so that I can face Lady Navarre’s messenger without any lingering concerns.”

“Of course, Mr. Ed’s unexpected leniency… but that’s another story.” Winters turned to look at Kaman: “I can’t say any of this in front of Anna, much less in the camp. So I can only thank you when it’s just the two of us.”

Winters nodded in thanks.

The wind rushed into the valley, brushing against the coniferous forest on the hillside, and the rustling sound of the swaying branches echoed through the mountains.

The wind swept between Winters and Kaman, stroking Kaman's cheek and ruffling Winters' hair before laughing and leaving.

“The second thing,” Kaman’s voice was hoarse.

“The second thing is simpler.” Winters stretched out his arm, released his hand, and the strange bone whistle fell down: “The way the [Beast Spirit Speaker] of the Hed Shaman controls wild beasts.”

"You're going to tell me for free?" Kaman asked sarcastically. "Not make a deal with me? Not exchange secrets for secrets?"

“The principle is actually very simple, but it’s buried beneath the complex rituals and rules of the Hed Shaman.” Winters twirled the bone whistle between his fingers. “I’ll tell you if you ask.”

Kaman gritted his teeth: "Ask?"

“Yes! All you need to do is ask. ‘Mr. Montagne, how do the Beast Spirit Speakers control wild beasts?’ Is it so hard to say that? If you don’t seek knowledge, do you expect it to come to you willingly?” Winters’ attitude was firm: “If you don’t ask, then I will not reveal a single word. I will not force you to reveal the secrets of divine magic, and I hope you can do the same.”

Kaman roared like thunder: "I don't care about heretical witchcraft!"

Winters retorted sharply: "That's your problem!"

Although the two seemed to be arguing fiercely, Kaman's attitude had actually softened without him realizing it.

There was another moment of silence.

“According to…” Kaman said with difficulty, his voice hoarse, “I should eliminate you immediately…”

“Just for a few idle words? I’m truly wronged, because I didn’t hear anything useful.” Winters met Kaman’s gaze: “Unfortunately, I can’t testify for myself.”

“No one can hide under the Lord’s watchful eye.” Kaman sneered, “Do you think unbelievers can escape judgment?”

"You mean..." Winters had a sudden flash of inspiration, and was overjoyed. He hugged Kaman tightly: "Mind reading? Why didn't you say so sooner? There's such a divine power? Then what are you waiting for? Let's start now!"

Kaman stood there dumbfounded, as if he had been punched hard.

……

[At dusk, at the campsite]
The sun was about to set, but the campsite was still bustling with activity.

Pierre and Berlienne were repainting the carriage they had borrowed from the Navarre trading company, while the others were preparing to enter the city tomorrow.

As for Winters himself... he was lying trembling on a bench, waiting to be "slaughtered".

To be honest, even when facing a massive army charging into battle, he had never been as afraid as he was at this moment.

Anna walked over carrying the lampstand and saw Winters shifting uncomfortably. She scolded him, "Don't move around."

“I don’t want to move around either.” Winters pleaded, unable to express his frustration. “Darling, please let me do it myself, I…”

“No way.” Anna sat down next to Winters, unfolding a leather bag, the four razors gleaming coldly in the lamplight. “How can you possibly shave as cleanly as I can? Besides, I need to practice more to shave better.”

“I don’t want to see you doing these trivial things. Let me do them myself, or let Charles help, okay?”

"How many times can I groom your beard?" Anna asked, bringing over a basin of water and sighing softly.

Anna's fingertips traced Winters' earlobe and cheek as she said sadly, "It's only been a few times since we went out together. Mrs. Mitchell said that some men are not meant for women. So I don't want to miss a single second or moment of memory."

Winters immediately stopped talking.

Icy soapy water was splashed across my chin, followed by an even colder blade pressed against my skin.

Winters' forehead and back instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He dared not move, nor even make a sound, for fear that he might accidentally have his throat slit...

"When you and Father Kaman came back at noon," Anna casually remarked, "why did he look so dejected?"

Winters made a faint humming sound while remaining as still as possible.

The blade scraped against the skin, making a soft, hissing sound.

Anna asked, "How did you bully them again?"

“I didn’t,” Winters grumbled. “Focus, please.”

Anna flicked Winters' forehead: "Don't move."

After shaving one side clean, Anna switched to the other side and continued using the razor: "You trust Father Kaman so much, so why are you always arguing?"

Winters thought about the problem seriously. He originally wanted to say, "Because Kaman is a very difficult guy, and he never misses an opportunity to make sarcastic remarks to me."

But his final answer was: "(Sigh) What can we do? We're friends."

The phrase "Requesting leave until the end of this week" is ambiguous... it actually means "Requesting leave until the end of this week" (meaning the leave is over).
[A 4,000-word chapter makes a triumphant return][Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, rewards, and comments. Thank you everyone!]


(End of this chapter)