Five days later, Huggins returned in his carriage.
Having received prior notice, the three—Todd, Edgar, and Jerry—waited at the town's entrance early.
Looking at the two people beside him who were eagerly waiting, Todd inexplicably recalled the days they spent together in the monastery. The underground gatherings, the labor in the fields, the visits to the circus, the refining of silver slag... everything seemed to be right before his eyes, but reality was inadvertently pushing them further and further away.
When he found Edgar and Jerry a few days earlier, he learned that since the end of the trial, when they left the monastery and moved to Duskwood, Huggins had found them jobs in the guard.
Edgar continued to deliver letters and run errands, but now his clients were the townspeople; while Jerry joined the guard team, doing portering and watchmanship.
Although they weren't doing anything particularly lucrative, the workload was much lighter than before. Combined with the income from silver refining and the occasional financial assistance from Huggins, the two looked to be in good health. Edgar's complexion was rosy, and Jerry had even gained weight.
Logically and emotionally, as Todd's earliest followers, Edgar and Jerry could have easily sought out him and secured lucrative positions based on their past relationship, but they didn't. While this was partly at Huggins's behest, it was largely their own decision, something Todd deeply regretted.
When Todd found the two men, hoping they would come to him, he could hardly believe his eyes and ears. Jerry excitedly picked him up and spun him around, while Edgar impatiently yelled at him, "Big oaf!" Without the slightest hesitation, the two immediately returned to Todd's side.
The only thing that left Todd speechless was that when he injected Edgar with the 'Sutherland Archaea,' Edgar's screams nearly blew the roof off...
The carriage, slowly approaching from afar, finally came to a stop before everyone's eyes. A beaming, joyful Huggins lifted the curtain, and Todd recognized the two people who jumped out.
The beautiful woman was his wife, and the lively, adorable girl was his daughter. It seemed he had received forgiveness from his family for the lie he told years ago.
To Todd's surprise, Huggins' next move was to climb onto the carriage and take out an antique-style longsword from under the driver's seat. Approaching him, the man knelt on one knee, bowed his head, offered the sword, and said, "I, Huggins Zezuquir, swear allegiance to my lord Todd Fisher, vowing unwavering loyalty and never to leave his side."
"Wait, wait!" The other party's sudden action made Todd a little dizzy. There was a lot of information in this passage, and he needed to sort it out: "Huggins, firstly, I am not a nobleman, and I cannot accept your allegiance; secondly, if you want to become a Papal Knight, you should swear an oath to the Father."
Huggins laughed, drew his longsword, and placed the hilt in Todd's hand. Holding the blade in one hand, he drew a bloody cross on his other arm. He said in a deep voice, "You gave me a second life, saved my family, and rescued my soul. My oath transcends class, transcends faith, and stems solely from my loyalty to you!"
A few minutes later, Huggins, seemingly determined to stick to his guns, refused to budge no matter how Todd tried to persuade him. Seeing that he was hard to convince, Todd simply let him be.
Watching the group of people chatting and laughing as they walked into town, Todd looked up at the sky: "Todd Fischer... This is the first time I've heard my full name."
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The Huggins family quickly integrated into life in the small town. The man accompanied his wife and daughter to every attraction on the West Coast and to try every kind of snack in West Coast town.
When he heard that Todd planned to take the grafted roses to Silver Ring City, he resolutely refused the priest's offer, settled his family, and joined the escort team.
“Your family has just arrived in Muxi Town, and they need you.”
Huggins tightened the weapon around his waist and shook his head, saying, "I have a long way to go with them."
"I need someone I can trust to stay in Muxi Town."
The man glanced at the gloves in his bag, tossed them aside, and laughed: "I've already spoken to Alfonso; he and his entourage will be in charge of the security of Muxi Town while I'm away."
Todd ran out of words.
Huggins whistled behind him, and his "acquaintances" stood together in full armor. The man put his arm around one of them by the neck, punched him in the chest, and said happily, "They are all my subordinates in the legion. I saved their lives, and they saved mine. When I chose to leave, they gave up everything and chose to wander the world with me. They are like my family, my brothers."
Looking at these familiar faces, Todd recalled those past days and couldn't help but nod.
The old farmer Sassoon came to his side, took off his hat, and bowed his head respectfully: "Father, all the flowerpots have been loaded onto the carriage."
Five carriages lined up at the warehouse entrance, with 32 pots of budding grafted roses secured inside. Todd lifted the curtains of each carriage, repeatedly checking the ropes and air vents, while Hudgens, Edgar, Jerry, and the guards checked their belongings and the convoy's provisions once again.
Alfonso walked to the front of the convoy, stood in front of Todd, and lowered his voice: "Father, I don't want to see any surprises regarding my friend, Hudgens."
Todd understood what the other person meant. He nodded and noticed that the knight did not move aside. Instead, he continued, "I have submitted a transfer application to the Third Inquisition. From now on, I will be the guardian knight of the Chapel of Twilight Town."
Upon hearing this, Todd slipped and nearly fell, asking in surprise, "Transferred from the Inquisition to this church? Do you know what that means?!"
Alfonso pressed his hand to his chest, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "If you have truly solved the centuries-old problem of the 'Successor,' I think following you would be more meaningful than staying there."
Todd touched the bridge of his nose, shrugged helplessly, looked around the crowd again, and, not finding that familiar face, gave up the search. He then shouted to the leader of the convoy, Hudgens, "It's time, let's go!"
Haskins waved goodbye to his wife and daughters in the farewell party, cracking his whip in the air. His horse trotted off, carrying the 'hope' of five carts of Twilight Town toward Silver Ring City.
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