The capital of Muxi City, a port-type kingdom, is expanding at a much faster pace than people expected. Areas that were considered suburban last month may be incorporated into the city today, with some exceptions.
One of them is a small hill south of Muxi City.
The hills are surrounded by rows of houses, with only a low building and a lonely tombstone on the vast hillside.
Some wealthy businessmen and nouveau riche who had just moved to the city were envious of the potential commercial value of the hills and tried to acquire the assets, either openly or covertly, but in the end, they all ended up with an "unfortunate" outcome.
Within the Knights of Twilight, Alfonso de Cavo served as the commander of the capital's defenses. Compared to Cumberland's high prestige and Huggins' extensive network, this man, who had previously served as a Knight of the Silver Ring and a Church Knight, appeared somewhat unassuming and kept a low profile, yet the soldiers respected him no less than the two officers mentioned above.
As the first rays of morning sunlight streamed into the second floor of the hillside building, Alfonso, lying on his side in bed, slowly opened his eyes, looked at the bright spring scenery outside the window, and gradually stretched out his body. The spine hook of the 'Dragon Bone' parasite female on his back brought a faint pain, causing him to frown slightly.
With one hand braced against the edge of the bed, Alfonso stood on the floor. The dust that gently rose in the room danced and tumbled in the beam of light that shone in, like a group of mischievous and playful sprites.
Walking to a corner of the bedroom, Alfonso picked up a towel from the basin, dried himself, and put on his underwear from the hanger. Then he went to the wardrobe and took down an elegantly designed bronze pendant.
He gently pressed the button on the slot, and the pendant case popped open, revealing three strands of hair lying quietly inside the copper case.
As he gently stroked his hair with his fingertips, Alfonso's expression revealed a rare hint of tenderness and melancholy.
Having put on the pendant, Alfonso pushed open the door and walked to the room at the end of the second-floor corridor. His hand reached for the doorknob, but his movement carried a hint of hesitation and uncertainty.
The room contained nothing but a huge wooden barrel.
Lifting the lid of the wooden bucket, Alfonso looked at the 'Dragon Bone' male insect sleeping in the culture medium, closed his eyes, sighed, and took out the insect body, embedding it in front of his chest and abdomen.
Tentacles slowly extended from the interface between the female and male parasites, and the two parasites merged together to form a 'keel breastplate'.
Hard iron limbs extend from the insect's body, running along the host's arms, thighs, and cervical vertebrae, gradually transforming the 'dragon bone breastplate' into a 'dragon bone full-body armor'.
Seeing the strange figure in the water, Alfonso reached his hand into the water and pushed hard, breaking the reflection.
After doing all this, Alfonso went to the kitchen on the first floor, lit the stove, heated the oatmeal porridge in the pot over a low flame, and sliced a few pieces of ham.
The knight's squire, Leslie, yawned as he came down the stairs, slipped into the kitchen, glanced around, and said to Alfonso with a pained expression, "Oatmeal again?"
The latter took out wooden cutlery, placed it on the table, and tapped the boy's head with a spoon: "Stop talking nonsense and eat!"
After a quick breakfast, Alfonso put on his knight's armor, grabbed his water bottle and hoe, and headed down the hill.
The hillside is no longer the barren land it once was. Amidst a sea of colorful flowers, including winged irises, phoenix trees, and honeysuckle, Adelina's tombstone stands quietly.
"Adelina Sari Wilmot, an upright, humble, and courageous lady. She faced the injustices of fate head-on without ever flinching. She sacrificed her life to awaken a knight from hatred and prejudice."
Alfonso knelt on one knee, his eyes fixed on the inscription on the tombstone, his right hand carefully brushing away the dust and petals from the top of the tombstone. His expression and movements made it seem as if he were touching a pure and flawless sacred object.
Looking down, Alfonso saw a bouquet of flowers that had been offered not long ago, tied in an amateurish way, and adorned with the purple irises that the woman had loved most. Guessing the identity of the mourner, guilt and sorrow welled up on the knight's face simultaneously; a sense of remorse gnawed at his soul like a venomous snake.
After carefully watering each flower with a watering can and diligently tending to every inch of the land with a hoe, Alfonso finished tidying up this 'cemetery garden' and dragged his heavy steps back to the small building.
Alfonso, having put down his tools, watched Leslie clearing the table and casually asked, "How's Walton been lately?"
The boy glanced back at the knight, then turned back to his work: "I heard that guy recently applied for a patent for something called 'distilled spirits.' He also found a wine merchant and a distillery owner, and the three of them opened a winery together. I heard business is pretty good."
Alfonso listened and nodded, "Really? I see, that's good..."
Leslie added, "Walton seems to have gone to the cemetery yesterday."
Alfonso remained silent, simply packed his belongings, took his weapons, and pushed open the door to leave the cabin once more.
Leslie watched the knight's figure gradually disappear into the distance, stopped what she was doing, sat down in a chair, looked at her hands, her eyes vacant, seemingly lost in thought.
Today was not Alfonso's day of duty, but long-standing habits led him to carry out his daily patrol duties.
"Lord Alfonso!" A merchant hurried up to the knight, holding a small bag of coins, his face full of gratitude: "May God praise your good deed! If it weren't for your timely intervention, those valuable antiques in my shop would probably be lost forever!"
Alfonso gently pushed the money bag back, politely declining the merchant's "gift of gratitude."
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