The night will eventually pass, and dawn will always come.
When the first rays of sunlight shone into this small town that had just experienced a night of terror, it marked the end of what would later be known as the "Watchtower Massacre."
Of the town's 1,135 residents, nearly half were dead, their bodies strewn across the streets in a horrific scene. In some areas, even inside every house, not a single survivor could be found.
After the "Watchtower Massacre," it took seven days to clear the bodies and clean up the mess. There was even a shortage of coffins for the victims to be buried, and people had to make makeshift coffins out of signs, tables, and chairs.
Even more devastating was the fact that of the 225 garrison at Watchtower, fewer than 100 survived; Commander Sir Adams and four of his knights perished. This was the most devastating loss Watchtower had ever suffered in its centuries-long history, in terms of attrition rate alone.
However, there was at least one piece of good news amidst the bad news.
The barbarians, who had not invaded the south for several years, launched a fierce attack on the fortress on the very night of the "Watchtower Massacre." Fortunately, Knight Wilder, leading the remaining defenders, and with the timely assistance of Father Todd, repelled the enemy and defended this vital castle.
After bidding farewell to Wilder, Todd and his group of four left Watchtower. Before leaving, he made sure to carefully preserve the cut-off "hive" parasite and bring it back to the camp at the foot of the mountain.
Knight Alfonso kept the provisional agreement he made with the priest in the winch room: he and Leslie were not to mention to anyone that Todd was the "Successor of Sutherland," not even his two other squires; in return, the latter promised to prove the legitimate source of his powers and to resolve the alienation of the successor as soon as possible.
After handing the crystal relic over to the Knights of the Western Diocese, Todd immediately led his men back the way they came. Alfonso and his squires, however, did not return to Silver Ring City, but instead followed him back to Twilight Town.
On his first afternoon back in town, Todd, ignoring the pile of official business and the residents' requests for arbitration, first invited the four guests from the Inquisition to tour his newly built laboratory. The new laboratory, from the outside, was a rather unique three-story building, with white walls and red tiles, exquisitely designed. The layout was as follows: the first floor housed the laboratory, storage, and reception room; the second floor contained the living room, library, and terrace; and the third floor featured an attic and an astrological table—all functions were fully considered.
The new laboratory was built behind the town's church. All the experimental supplies and materials from the original monastery and Silver Ring City were transported here. The townspeople liked to call it the "Gospel Alchemy Room".
On this day, Walton, completely unaware of the danger, walked excitedly to the front and was the first to push open the door to the laboratory room. Hundreds of strangely shaped alchemical instruments, wooden shelves full of experimental materials, and colorful liquids in the tubes dazzled and amazed him.
"Is this the place where the 'Eye of God' was made?"
Hearing the short, stout man's question, Todd smiled and nodded.
The knight didn't seem very interested in these things; he coughed lightly twice, signaling Todd to get to the point quickly.
Under Leslie's strange gaze, Todd led Alfonso to the back room of the laboratory, took a locked iron box from the shelf, opened it, and took out syringes, microscopes, petri dishes, and other equipment. After omitting some key details and giving a brief explanation, Todd could tell from the knight's eyes that the other party already believed him to a great extent.
Just as the knight was inspecting the equipment, Todd suddenly remembered something and made a strange request to him.
"Lord Dekavo, I have a request."
Alfonso put down the microscope, indicating that he was listening.
Todd carefully chose his words: "I am Sutherland's successor, possessing three superpowers: 'Speed,' 'Weakness,' and 'X-ray vision.' Karin possesses the ability to teleport, as you already know. If we're going to be fair and just, shouldn't you tell me, on an equal footing, the four superpowers you know?"
The knight was somewhat confused: "Father, I don't understand what you mean."
Todd said, "What I mean is, I once heard Leslie say that you and your squires are mutants. To be fair, you should tell me about your mutant abilities. Isn't that an unwritten rule among mutants?"
Alfonso was stunned for a moment, then said, "Uh...this is a bit...inappropriate..."
Pointing to the equipment in front of him, Todd looked extremely aggrieved: "To gain your trust, I even told you my greatest secret as an alchemist, without asking for anything in return. Can't you at least make up for my loss?"
The knight pondered for a long time, then sighed deeply and slowly said, "My special ability is called 'Dragon Bones.' As you can see, there are things that resemble metal bones covering my entire body. They help me withstand blows and enhance a range of my abilities."
"Leslie's special ability is called 'Flame Breath,' which allows his body to spew out flammable gas that can be ignited when it comes into contact with fire."
"Adelina's special ability is 'beast language,' which allows her to communicate simply with animals, soothe them, and obtain information."
"Walton's special ability is 'Eagle Eye,' which allows him to magnify objects in his field of vision to help him aim and shoot more effectively."
As Todd listened to the knight's introduction, when he heard about Walton's special ability "Eagle Eye," his heart skipped a beat, and a brilliant idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
After Alfonso finished explaining the four people's superpowers, he turned to Todd and asked, "Regarding the source of your superpowers, I believe you are innocent. There's another matter. You previously said that you could prevent your successors from turning into monsters and help them return to normal. Can you do that?"
Setting aside his thoughts for the moment, Todd said after thinking for a while, "I need to do some experiments, which may take some time."
The Iron-Faced Knight didn't seem satisfied with the answer: "What you lack most right now is time. Nobody knows when the Sutherland relic within you will erupt. I will stay by your side, and once it happens, I will fulfill my duty."
Todd immediately understood what the other person meant by "fulfilling his duties".
The thought of having a greatsword hanging over his neck, ready to sever his head at any moment, sent chills down Todd's spine. It was like a Damocles' sword hanging over his head.
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