Todd took a small sip of red wine and listened quietly to his narration.

"Later, my father spent all his savings to send me to the Royal Academy in the capital of Tyro, hoping that I could make a name for myself." Tristan looked at the Holy Guard City under the night sky, and memories flowed like light in his eyes: "It was a time that I will never forget. I witnessed the power of knowledge and understood the meaning of truth."

Pointing to the large clock behind him, Tristan smiled for the first time: "Back then, what I wanted to do most was to become a great engineer. To use my knowledge and with the help of craftsmen like my father, to create a marvel that the whole world would look up to!"

Todd asked, "So, did you and Rachel meet at the academy?"

Tristan's smile faded, he swallowed a mouthful of alcohol, and said softly, "No... things are more complicated than you think..."

"In my spare time from studying, I usually helped my father with chores. When I was sixteen, I went to a noble manor to help repair the terrace. On my way to fetch water from the lake, I got lost and unintentionally wandered into the forest behind the manor."

"In the forest, there was a well-maintained garden. In the center of the garden stood a stone building. The building had no doors or windows, only a few ventilation openings sealed with iron bars."

Upon hearing this, Todd asked in surprise, "Could it be that... lives inside?"

Tristan didn't answer him. Instead, he clutched his throat and made an exaggerated expression: "As I approached the building, a tremendous suction force lifted me into the air and dragged me directly to the fence."

"I saw a beautiful girl who was not yet ten years old, her face flushed, yelling at me, 'Let me out! Let me out!'"

Todd asked, "You let her out?"

“How could that be?!” Tristan waved his hand and said, “I was so scared that I ran away.”

Todd laughed.

“A month later, unable to resist my curiosity, I ran back to that forest and found the building.” Tristan stroked his chin and said, “But this time, I only dared to observe from afar. It wasn’t until I saw the girl’s face appear through the iron bars that I took out the sweet cakes I had prepared and told her, ‘I brought food.’”

Todd's eyes widened.

Could it be that Rachel developed her gluttony from that time on?

"For a considerable period after that, most of the wages I earned working for my father, aside from a portion for daily expenses, were used to buy food and send it to that girl. I also learned about the girl's background from the servants in the noble household."

Todd refilled Tristan's glass of red wine and nodded to him to continue.

"Her mother died in childbirth when she was born. Her father remarried a noblewoman when she was one year old. Two years later, the girl began to show signs of supernatural abilities—she could control objects around her at will. Her father and stepmother were terrified by her supernatural identity."

Tristan looked at the swirling red wine in his glass and continued, “The girl’s stepmother suggested that she be handed over to the Inquisition immediately, but her father couldn’t bear to do so. This illustrious nobleman built a secluded tower in the forest behind the manor and imprisoned his daughter inside, lying to the outside world that she had suddenly fallen ill and died.”

Todd sighed and asked again, "You still haven't told me why you joined the church?"

"A few years later, Pope Alexander ascended to the throne. His strict attitude towards heresy and truth led to more frequent purges of heretics within the Church. One day, the rector of the Royal Academy approached me and recommended me to Archbishop Abel, who was then in office, to serve as a deacon under him. However, my main task was to be responsible for liaison between Archbishop Abel and the Academy. Little did I know that this would last for more than a decade..."

Todd sighed, then, recalling Rachel's ordeal, asked, "What happened to that girl afterward?"

“On a stormy night, a building in the forest was struck by lightning and burst into flames. When people went to check the area the next day, they found it reduced to ruins, but no bodies were found.” Tristan took a few sips of red wine. “A few years later, a woman named Rachel approached me, hoping to cooperate with me. Although she had changed her name, I recognized her immediately; she was the missing girl.”

After a moment of silence, Tristan smiled and swirled his glass at Todd: "What happened after that, I don't think we need to go into details."

Todd frowned and looked at the other person: "Okay, I have one last question. Why did you tell me all this?"

A hint of drunkenness appeared on Tristan's face: "You have the right to know all this, 'Feliceld'."

The emphasis in the other person's tone when pronouncing the name at the end gave Todd the illusion that he had been seen through.

Tristan swayed as he stood up, shook the nearly empty barrel, tossed aside his wine glass, and patted Todd hard on the shoulder.

"Ratchet is a good woman, cherish the happiness you have now."

After saying that, Tristan turned around, smiled, and walked down the stairs.

But to others, that laughter sounded bitter, regretful, and resolute.