Of Course Not

"Isn't it about time?"

On the outskirts of Somu City, a special squad was waiting by the roadside. Their unique, half-human, half-machine bodies attracted the attention of many passersby, but they didn't care. These metal bodies were already part of their own bodies in their minds.

This was the Lyra Sect's exchange group to the Rhine —of course, this was only their public identity. Their true identity was part of the vast Lyra Knight, belonging to the "Skeleton" force responsible for the city's defense.

Cha Mo Si looked at the mechanical watch embedded in his palm, then looked up at the man sitting by the carriage gazing into the distance. "Captain Ku De, can we go now?"

Ku De didn't ask Cha Mo Si what time it was, nor did he look at his watch. He just stared at the distant sun and slowly said, "Almost there."

Cha Mo Si immediately sounded impatient, "Are we really going to wait until then? We've been waiting since last night, getting soaked in the rain all night, and we've even shut down emergency communications..."

"Precisely because we've already done all this, we can't afford any mishaps at the last minute." Ku De turned and gave Cha Mo Si a deep look. "Be patient, Cha Mo Si. Don't forget we come from Lyra. 'Be as precise as a machine,' that's our motto, remember?"

Seeing that Ku De was trying to reason with him again, Cha Mo Si shrugged helplessly. "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. I was indeed a bit impatient. After all, I was on night watch last night. I was soaked in the rain all night, and I feel like the axles on my wrists are going to rust. I really don't want to stay in this lousy place for even a minute longer. I simply can't imagine not having..."

"You're just a rusty axle," Ku De interrupted Cha Mo Si, speaking calmly. "And what about him?"

Cha Mo Si fell silent immediately; he knew who Ku De was referring to—the legendary Knight of Lyra.

"You think this time it will succeed?" Cha Mo Si didn't remain silent for long before he couldn't help but speak again, "It should succeed, right?"

"I can't think of a reason for failure," Ku De said. "His opponent is one of the Four Archbishops of the Rhine. Although he is very powerful, the gap is still too large. We also shut down emergency communications in advance, preventing him from calling for help, and we must adhere to the ironclad rule of providing assistance..."

"But he has never applied this ironclad rule," Cha Mo Si said. "Never."

Ku De was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yes, it never has."

They had lost count of how many times they had tried to send the legendary Knight to his doom.

They once abandoned him in the Contaminated Land, leaving him alone to face highly corrupted beasts, only to find him already waiting at the rendezvous point, clutching the beast's head. They also once dumped him in the Corpse Bone Forest, a place said to be impossible for anyone to escape, due to its complex terrain and countless unspeakable ghosts, yet he still arrived on time, his long-obsolete metal body covered in black blood.

He was like an old dog that knew the way home; no matter where you threw him, he would eventually find his way back, while chewing on a bone, wanting to curry favor with his master.

It's as if I can never get rid of him.

But Ku De knew this wouldn't last forever, because he wasn't invincible.

As the difficulties and enemies he faced grew stronger, he was no longer as adept as he had been at the beginning.

Sometimes he would be late, and sometimes he would be covered in injuries, as if he had escaped death. Everyone knew that one day he would not be able to hold on any longer.

For example... today.

They had ruled out all possibilities of his survival. To prevent that almost impossible accident, they hadn't even allowed him to bring his personal weapon— Chainsaw Sword that was several versions outdated. The sword was now placed beside the carriage, and the setting sun cast its glow on the rusty blade, making it look like a silent tombstone.

Ku De stared at the sword and fell into a long silence.

Cha Mo Si noticed the change in Ku De's mood and asked, somewhat puzzled, "You seem a little disappointed? Isn't it a good thing that he's not coming back? We can finally end this pointless mission."

In response to Cha Mo Si's question, Ku De slowly replied, "I just feel it shouldn't be like this."

"Shouldn't it?"

"He was once a hero of Lyra, and was revered by Lyra," Ku De said calmly. "Later he became a sinner of Lyra, and should be judged by Rhine, not handed over to the Lyra, where his body is to be used as payment for the Rhine to dismantle... This is an insult, both to him and to Lyra."

Cha Mo Si scratched his head. "I didn't think that much about it. I just felt that he should have died a long time ago after doing what he did. It doesn't matter where he died, but it would be best if he died in Contaminated Land. That way, he would be worthy of his life, whether it was his honor or his sins."

Ku De looked at Cha Mo Si with some surprise, seemingly not expecting to hear such philosophical words from him.

Just then, Cha Mo Si's watch beeped. He opened his palm, pointed to his hand, and said, "It's definitely time now."

"I know." Ku De felt a void in his heart, but he still nodded and sighed softly. "Let's go, take his sword back, that will at least give us some closure..."

Before they could finish speaking, they suddenly heard footsteps coming from the end of the road.

The footsteps were heavy; just by listening to the sound, one could tell that the person was someone of considerable importance.

Their expressions changed drastically, and they immediately turned their heads to see that incredibly familiar figure appear in their sight once again.

He was covered in blood, but his steps and breathing were perfectly steady.

So he arrived before the group of Lyra Knight, reeking of blood, walked to the Chainsaw Sword, slung it over his shoulder, and nodded to Ku De, as if to tell Ku De that he had arrived.

All of this made Lyra's Knight feel like they were hallucinating, as if they had returned to the time when they first sent him on his way.

But at that time, this guy was only facing a group of polluted beasts, which were troublesome but ultimately understandable.

But what were you facing last night?!

A terrifying thought crept into everyone's minds, prompting even Cha Mo Si, who never spoke to him, to ask, "What's with the blood on you?"

"When I came back, I saw an unclaimed body." Jie La Er glanced at his own body and then answered casually, "So I buried it by the roadside."

... An unclaimed corpse?!

Could you please bury it by the roadside?

Cha Mo Si didn't know what expression to use in response. He turned his head toward Ku De in fits and starts, as if the axle of his neck was stuck.

Ku De also looked incredulous. "Jie La Er, where is Bishop Keli?"

"He's dead," Jie La Er replied calmly, then added, "Shall we set off now? There's a problem with the campsite you chose. It'll be flooded if it rains again next night. Let's get going and find a safer campsite... Follow me."

As always, upon his return, he never explained what had happened to him, nor did he ever question anything. Once everyone was accounted for, he always walked at the very front of the group.

So he set off immediately.

At this point, others will usually follow suit without much conversation between them.

But... this time was clearly different; no one present had yet recovered from the shock.

After walking about ten meters, Jie La Er realized that the others hadn't followed, so he stopped, turned around, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Cha Mo Si swallowed hard, the saliva stuck in his throat, and asked with difficulty, "You killed the West Archbishop of the Rhine?"

"What's the question?" Jie La Er frowned. He was about to answer when he noticed that the blood on his hands was sticky. So, while wiping the blood off his hands, he replied, "Of course not."