Castorice was not a talkative person.
Perhaps she possessed sufficiently delicate emotions in her heart, but her long-term isolation made her unaccustomed to expressing them in words.
But when talking about her homeland…
perhaps it was because she had been away for so long that memories of the past were stirred, or perhaps it was because Gwyn was an excellent listener.
When Castorice stopped speaking to soothe her dry throat, she was stunned to find that the sun, which had been directly overhead, had now turned into the sunset on the horizon, about to set soon.
“I’m sorry, this is the first time I’ve talked about that place to anyone since leaving my homeland.
I lost track of time for a moment…” Castorice apologized subconsciously, but Gwyn interrupted her before she could finish— “Why apologize?
You haven’t done anything wrong.” Meeting Castorice’s gaze, Gwyn smiled and said, “It is I who should thank you for being willing to share your homeland with me and helping me get through the pain.
A city-state that worships death—if it weren’t for you, someone who has lived there, telling me about it, I’m afraid I would never have been able to imagine what it looks like.” “…” The small panic that arose from delaying too much time because she was too engrossed in her storytelling was smoothed away by those gentle words.
Castorice looked at Gwyn, who seemed to have no ill will toward Aidelia, and a small glimmer of hope quietly rose in her heart— “You don’t seem to…
find it strange?” Even though she was accustomed to isolation, Castorice still yearned for understanding and acceptance.
The sudden sense of urgency made her wording a bit improper.
“Different environments and histories shape different cultures and heritages.
As long as it is not a civilization driven by oppression, exploitation, or aggression, it is worthy of respect.” Gwyn looked at the cautious expression on Castorice’s delicate face and easily guessed her thoughts.
He said solemnly.
“Hmm…” Hearing Gwyn’s explanation, Castorice nodded slightly, her mood somewhat complex.
For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether she was happy or disappointed.
“And worshipping death…
although it sounds a bit unusual at first, if you think about it carefully, death is indeed worthy of worship.” Gwyn thought for a moment and continued with a shocking statement.
“!” Castorice subconsciously looked up to meet Gwyn’s gaze and shook her head slowly, “Sir, there is no need to say these things just to accommodate my feelings.” “I’m just speaking the truth—” Facing Castorice’s serious gaze, Gwyn shook his head slightly and put away his smile— “We all know that Amphoreus is vast, large enough to accommodate many city-states that worship various Titans, but the land area is ultimately limited, the food that can be grown is limited, and the population that can be supported is correspondingly limited.
If there is only life and no death, then fathers beget sons, sons beget grandsons, grandsons beget children…
Even if the food production in every place were the same as the most fertile land, and even if a couple only had one child, Amphoreus would sooner or later be filled with people.
What would happen then?” “This…” Listening to the topic Gwyn raised, Castorice was momentarily speechless— This was indeed a perspective she had never imagined, but if that were the case, she didn’t even need to think to know what the final situation would be…
I fear that by then, the horrific act of exchanging children to eat would just be a common occurrence.
“That’s not all…
Cough, cough…” Seeing Castorice’s face turn pale, clearly having imagined that scene, Gwyn prepared to continue.
“Sir, your illness…” Castorice suddenly remembered that Gwyn was still seriously ill and immediately looked worried, but was stopped by Gwyn— “It’s fine, listen to me continue— Our premise is that if there were no death in the world— Castorice, have you ever been hungry?” Gwyn asked, looking directly into Castorice’s eyes.
“Hungry?
I have, it is indeed an unforgettable feeling.” Castorice nodded.
As a Battle-Overseeing Saintess, she hadn’t really gone hungry in Aidelia, but after leaving her homeland, she had suffered cold shoulders and had truly experienced hunger.
“Then the situation would be— Limited food cannot feed an infinite number of people.
Inevitably, people will go hungry—hungry until their eyes turn green, hungry until they exchange children to eat, hungry until they faint, but the only thing is they won’t die of hunger; they can only endure the pain of hunger forever!” Looking directly into the girl’s trembling eyes, Gwyn’s weak voice carried a chill that made Castorice’s heart twitch, “When they are starving, they will eat dirt, making their stomachs swell like those of pregnant women, but their bodies will get thinner and thinner until they are skin and bones.
Dragging their swollen bellies, they will endure even more pain from their stomachs and intestines, eventually losing their sanity and becoming wandering ghosts on the earth!
And that’s just hunger.
There are also those children who are eaten as soon as they are born, and those who are disabled from fighting over food…” Looking at Castorice’s already pale face, Gwyn did not continue.
He just gently shook Castorice’s hand through the bundle, his tone suddenly becoming gentle— “So, even though death means the end of everything, it is necessary for the world— Please do not feel inferior because of your ability; you are bearing the weight of death for all of Amphoreus.” “Yes.” Feeling the strength coming from her hand, Castorice, whose mind was still imagining those terrible scenes, nodded with difficulty.
The teachings of the elders from her childhood flashed again, giving rise to new insights— “Tha…” Before she could finish saying thank you, Castorice suddenly looked up, her gaze full of astonishment as she looked at Gwyn, only to see his smile was still warm, as gentle as a spring breeze.
“I once heard that there is a Battle-Overseeing Saintess in Aidelia who can grant people death.
That should be you, right?
Cough, cough…” Gwyn smiled as he revealed Castorice’s identity, and before she could respond, he had another coughing fit.
“Sir!” A pungent smell of blood wafted over.
The shocked Castorice immediately ignored everything else and scrambled to wipe the blood spraying from his mouth and nose.
Looking at Gwyn, who had just been guiding her, Castorice suddenly realized that he had reached the end of his life while she was immersed in his topic.
“No need to panic; I was already prepared for this ending.” Gwyn wanted to pat Castorice’s hand but could not lift his own.
He could only pat Castorice’s knee through the blood-stained bundle— “Like me, if there were no death, I would only be driven mad by the pain of my illness and eventually become a living corpse.” “Sir…” Gwyn was already breathing his last but was still comforting her.
This immediately caused tears to well up in Castorice’s eyes, and she held Gwyn’s hand, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Everyone eventually dies.
To be able to have such a beautiful girl as Castorice shed tears for me before I die is something others can’t envy.” Gwyn squeezed out a pale smile and joked, but it only made the tears of Castorice, whose emotions were nearly out of control, flow even more uncontrollably.
“Cough…
Castorice, can you give me a gift in the final moments of my life?” Gwyn didn’t try to comfort her anymore and asked instead.
“Yes!” Castorice wiped the tears from her face in one motion, her bloodshot eyes fixed intently on Gwyn.
“Can you give me a little… of your blood?
Not…” “Alright!” Before Gwyn could finish, the black knife condensed in Castorice’s hand sliced through her wrist, and her scalding Golden Blood splashed onto Gwyn, making him clearly feel that cold death.
“Silly girl!” Drenched in that scalding Golden Blood, Gwyn found a burst of strength from nowhere and gripped Castorice’s bleeding wrist tightly— “Stop the bleeding quickly!
I want you to live well!” “…” Looking at the anxiety on Gwyn’s face and feeling the temperature of a living person on her wrist, the tears swirling in Castorice’s eyes finally overflowed again, leaving two clear tear tracks on her tear-stained cheeks.
The black liquid flowed quietly, blocking the wound on her wrist.
Castorice cupped Gwyn’s hand in both of hers and pressed it against her cheek, wanting to let this warmth linger a little longer— “My lord… please rest assured, I will… live well…” Seeing Castorice stop the bleeding, the strength that had just surged within Gwyn receded like a tide, and that coldness originating from death surged up.
“Sticoxia…” Before being swallowed by the cold death, Gwyn struggled to say this name, then completely lost consciousness.
Tears fell silently as Castorice held Gwyn’s hand, like a statue, until dawn.
The sun set and rose again.
Having wiped away her tear tracks, Castorice tidied up Gwyn’s remains, cremated his body, took the ashes, and embarked on a journey with a clear goal— “Sticoxia… is that your homeland, my lord?
Please rest assured, I will definitely return you to your homeland.” Through a twist of fate, the information that failed to be fully conveyed led Castorice toward the correct destination.