Gun of Ashes

Lorenzo reached into the bag and finally pulled out a stack of photos, handing one to Gloria.

”The leader Renette sent these to us, this guy unexpectedly survived the disaster.”

Gloria took the photo, which showed familiar faces.

”So you came back this time just for these?”

”Not just that. Gloria, if you truly don’t know what to do or where to go, I can give you a suggestion.”

Lorenzo spoke and pointed to the back of Gloria’s photo.

”You can follow the address and take a look, perhaps the path to redemption is within.”

Gloria turned over the photo, finding an address written on it. She looked at Lorenzo somewhat surprised.

”You guessed all this already?”

”Sort of, because I’m probably the person who knows you best.”

Lorenzo waved goodbye to Gloria with a smile.

”Well then, goodbye.”

Without any sentimental words, Lorenzo casually bid farewell to her, soon disappearing from sight. Gloria looked at the photo in her hand, her low mood slightly uplifted, perhaps her path lay here.

...

Opening the door, as expected, the Red Falcon was sitting dazedly on the bed. Like a patient with a mental block, he saw Lorenzo, and his lost soul returned to his body.

”Lo... Lorenzo? You’re back?”

Lorenzo walked to the bedside and sat down casually.

”Why wouldn’t I come back... where are the others?”

Listening to Lorenzo’s words, Red Falcon still felt a bit strange.

”They left, Hebdo went back to report to the Viking nations, Eve was also allowed to be discharged,” Red Falcon said, glancing at Heracles beside him, ”This guy hasn’t changed much, still talking to Polo, I found him too noisy, so I let him nap for a bit.”

”Is that so? My return isn’t necessarily good news, I’m here to take you away, Arthur thinks you’ve rested long enough, even if your injuries aren’t healed, desk work should be fine, right?”

Lorenzo spoke while rummaging through the bag.

”The situation is severe now, what we did at Maruri’s port has been classified as a terrorist attack, it’s just that Gaulunaro officials haven’t named us responsible yet. All the evidence on our side is ready, just waiting for a word from those bigwigs, the war will break out.”

Lorenzo spoke as he felt a headache coming on.

”What’s worse is the Orthodoxy, which has established its new Pope, Lawrence. Now this madman has officially come out from behind the scenes, Miguel’s death has also stirred up the Orthodox believers’ anger... What’s weirder is the Evangelical Church’s reaction; logically, they should have received this news, but the Seven Hills haven’t made any statements.”

The more he spoke, the more his headache intensified. The entire world seemed to press the acceleration button, moving forward crazily, exacerbating all the conflicts, mingling interests and conspiracies together, finally turning into a raging fire.

What worried Lorenzo more wasn’t the arrival of war, these days he’s been having nightmares, seeing countless demons emerging, conquering city after city until the light of humanity is completely extinguished.

That’s the apocalypse Lawrence saw.

After saying this, Lorenzo looked at the Red Falcon beside him, this guy was in a daze, seemingly not hearing his words at all.

”By the way! Erin also left, she... she...”

As expected! This guy hasn’t heard his words at all, he’s been immersed in his own world.

Red Falcon’s words became a bit chaotic; he didn’t know how to describe that eerie sensation.

”She suddenly said a bunch of inexplicable words and then left, isn’t she a criminal! Is this considered escaping? But this isn’t a prison.”

Red Falcon’s brain capacity clearly couldn’t support him in thinking about such complex matters, his speech completely lost its logic.

”She also made me call her Gloria... is she called Gloria?”

Red Falcon asked Lorenzo.

Lorenzo shook his head, his gaze somewhat helpless and compassionate.

”Who knows? That woman is like a gray mist, Hebdo also said that no one knows her real name... Maybe Gloria is her real name, and Erin is just a disguise? You should ask her personally about such things.”

Actually, Lorenzo knows, but he feels he doesn’t need to explain this to the Red Falcon. The answer to such questions isn’t important.

”Is that so...”

For some reason, strange emotions started to increase, and Red Falcon couldn’t help but think of that somewhat beautiful afternoon.

Something inside seemed to be touched, he suddenly snapped out of it.

”If... Gloria is her real name, then during that afternoon, she didn’t lie to me, right? Just a coincidence of two groups of people encountering each other?”

Red Falcon’s words became stuttered, suddenly things seemed to make sense, he felt a little at a loss, realizing that Gloria hadn’t lied to him, that somewhat beautiful afternoon was real, Gloria at that time was real too, it wasn’t some conspiracy or trick, it was just a well-timed afternoon...

”I don’t know, you have to ask her personally.”

Lorenzo repeated his previous words.

”Yes, ask her personally... but she left, Lorenzo.”

Red Falcon’s expression became panicked again, recalling Gloria’s words to him earlier.

Human encounters and farewells are always mysterious, you don’t know what ghostly place you’ll meet whom, nor do you understand when during a beautiful moment you’ll part ways, maybe a casual glance will be the last time you see her.

That’s why Gloria looked at him like that, she was going to leave, maybe they wouldn’t meet again, hence she used that kind of gaze, as if wanting to remember it forever.

”You look terrible.”

Lorenzo looked at the lonely Red Falcon, though expected, seeing Red Falcon like this... couldn’t be said to be interesting, just complex.

Perhaps this is human nature.

”Actually, I’ve been thinking, Gloria said she really likes ’Hawk Under the Night,’ I feel we are quite like the people in the story, maybe she would also like me?”

Red Falcon began to understand these unfamiliar emotions, only too late to realize.

”You have to ask her personally, I don’t know.”

Lorenzo repeated this sentence, then handed over the photo.

”One each, hope you don’t lose it.”

Red Falcon took the photo, a group picture from back then. Seeing these slightly lifted his spirits, this wasn’t quite the last meeting.

”Gloria, are you really this hard to fathom...”

He said softly.

”I know you have lots of complaints to express, but I still think instead of those things, it’s better to get through whatever’s coming first.”

Lorenzo walked to Red Falcon’s side and sat with him.

”You know, you haven’t retired yet, Red Falcon, you still have a mission to fulfill.”

Patting Red Falcon’s shoulder vigorously, he continued.

”War is coming, and we are all just in our own ways, you can only ask her personally by surviving.”

Lorenzo envisioned the future, a terrible future.

”What are you going to do next? Lorenzo, you’ve realized all these conspiracies, discovered you’re being used. I imagine you’re burning with anger, maybe tomorrow you’ll go to the Platinum Palace and shoot the Queen in the head.”

Red Falcon asked dazedly, without any emotion.

Lorenzo just smiled and shook his head, saying.

”Next? You might not believe it. I’m going to... save the world. After saving the world, there won’t be a need for Knights, you’ll retire, then find her, ask her personally.”

”Save the world?”

”Yes, save the world.”

...

With the sound of whistles, the train slowly left the city, and after the steam dispersed, the woman arrived in the remote countryside, not far away, bells rang, children playing in the fields amid the scattered buildings.

It’s a beautiful world, worth saving.