Return to the roots

London.

The study of the Duke of Normandy.

In it, the Gazelle reported on the latest events that happened in the royal house. The Duke, who was standing at the window and watching the evening city, said after listening.

— It looks like Mary is starting to lose ground sooner than we thought.

Turning around, he continued.

— In that case, it is worth speeding up the restructuring of the government, while someone has done it faster than us.

The gazelle listened and answered.

— Yes, sir.

And she left the room while the Duke began to explore the outside world again. But remembering about some folder, I took it out of the cabinet. William opened the folder and looked at the photo and its description with interest.

An unknown room.

Richard was sitting on the couch, writing and talking at the same time.

— Well, how is it? Did they get the message?

The bodyguard leaning against the wall said.

— Yes, but the answer is delayed.

Dipping the pen into the ink, the prince spoke with a smile.

— Well, let's not rush them, let's give them... a week, and if we don't get a response, then we can start in 2 weeks.

When he finished writing, Richard put the paper in an envelope, sealed it and stamped it with an "R" pattern, handed it over and said.

— Well, in the meantime, could you give this to our future friend?

Japan.

Svyat and Noboru fought with wooden blades. Let the fight be a training match, but no one wanted to concede victory in it. This was watched from afar by Okouchi and the novice, who had already finished their fight.

Svyat fought in his own manner on counterattacks and, waiting for the moment, mowed down his opponent's leg and knocked him to the ground. The duel is over. Noboru's face showed annoyance. Glory came up, held out his hand and said.

— Let's do it again, otherwise it's not fair.

Noboru grabbed his arm and pulled himself up and stood up. Then he dusted himself off and answered.

— No, let's go with someone else, I want to walk to lunch in one piece.

Then the Saint asked the guys.

— What does no one want?

Okochi took Noboru's wooden blade and spoke anxiously.

— Maybe sometime later? We should rest before lunch, and in the meantime you can practice your blade on the mannequin... You've got a bit of a limp left-handed punch.

Holy is a little upset.

— good... Let's see you again.

Glory walked towards the mannequins, and voices in Japanese were heard from the guys who had already left.

— When will he learn to hit with a katana, and not stealthily?

— Well, what can you do if it's not his. The guy is normal. — A second voice sounded.

— That's right, that it's not his, why did he come here at all? There are enough crooked hands without him — the first one was heard again.

— Paris? — A third voice suddenly appeared.

— Yes, yes, Paris-Paris.

The saint, without mood, approached the mannequin wrapped in armor. And clutching the katana in his hand, he hit the armor with all his might, trying to cut it in half. There was a click of metal.

London.

There was a click of metal from the opening of the lighter, with which the general lit a cigar. Following this, "7" handed him the note that the White Pigeon received during the last mission.

The general finished reading, sighed and said.

— Listen carefully, now head to the royal house and stay with the heiress as long as possible. Do not lose sight of her, keep an eye on her constantly.

Ange, Dorothy, and Lawrence didn't show it, but it was clear that they didn't like it. The general added.

— The prince thought we would make concessions to him, but did not take into account the fact that we can also be stubborn.

After listening to the last instructions, the heroes left the office and Lawrence said at the car.

— Well, let's just follow the order, or do you have an idea to do something?

Dorothy smiled and looked at Ange, who in turn said.

— Lawrence, go to the royal castle, tell Charlotte and Beatrice about the order, and keep an eye on Mary together.

The officer sighed, but said with a smile.

— There is. But I'm afraid to ask, but are you...?

Dorothy started the car.

— And we'll go somewhere, don't worry, we won't be long.

The girls drove off, leaving Lawrence alone by the road.

Japan.

Evening. Chise was talking to her sister. During the conversation, many important topics were raised, but among them there was one more important one.

— Sis, it's time to decide where you will go on your way, because Lord Harikawa will not always be in London and he will not always need protection.

Chise thought about it, because she faced a difficult choice, "to stay with her sister in Japan under the guidance of Lord Horikawa" or "go to Albion to visit friends." The girl thought about this topic for a long time, after which she spoke.

— Sister, I love you very much, but right now I can't give you an answer, I need to think about it longer.

The sister got up, went to the window and said.

— Of course I'm not rushing, but it seems someone is very dependent on your answer.

Chise also went to the window and saw an angry Saint scattering things prepared for meditation. After exhaling, he calmed down, then sat down and continued to meditate.

London.

A certain car pulled up to the alley, Ange and Dorothy got out of it, the latter said.

"So how do we find the secret spy hideout?" In the midst of all this... There's nothing here at all!

Ange examined the alley and noticed a dumpster, spoke.

— If you want to hide it, hide it in a prominent place.

After that, she took out the key ball and turned it on, found the passage, pushed it away. There was a staircase leading to a dark basement. They carefully descended and found themselves in a cramped corridor. So they moved forward in search of the door, lighting the way with a key ball.

Soon they came across a room with a door torn off its hinges. Empty boxes and crates were scattered chaotically in it. Dorothy asked a perfectly logical question.

— What happened here?

A small, barely noticeable shadow appeared in the corridor. Ange looked back and said.

— It seems that we are not the only ones who decided to visit the abandoned headquarters...

the girls slowly began to move along the corridor, examining every corner for danger. They reached a room that looked like a warehouse. Once inside, Dorothy pointed her gun, but there was no one there. There was only a half-finished wooden counter, through which another room could be seen, in which a passing shadow appeared again. The girls exchanged glances.

Ange increased the power of the key ball and rolled it into the room, after which Dorothy and she burst inside and pointed a pistol and sickle at the owner of the shadow. It turned out to be a small black lizard that was running around the headquarters in search of food. Dorothy sighed.

— Well, tell me, buddy, how did you get to such a life?

The lizard seemed to nod and run away. Ange was inspecting the warehouse at the same time. After walking around several empty shelves, she noticed a piece of newspaper with the main headline: "The barber is a murderer." Dorothy spoke.

— It seems that what was left after the move has long been taken out for us.

Ange, after reviewing the newspaper, suggested

— Let's make another circle and return to the castle.

Japan.

The candle was lit. The saint took the candelabra in his hands and carried it to the table. Opening the book, he continued to read it. Time passed, the boy began to fall asleep, but tried his best to stay awake. In the end, the Saint still collapsed on the table.

A little more time has passed. The candle went out. But there was a light from somewhere. Svyat woke up and tensed up, suddenly a second light source also appeared for a moment. The boy took the first thing that came under his hands and ran out into the street. He quickly looked around the building, checking for signs of fire. Fortunately, nothing was burning.

The saint calmed down and looked at the object he had grabbed in a hurry. It turned out to be a simple axe, but it had a special effect on the boy. He threw it aside, along the way he fell on his side, after which he caught sight of a mannequin with a red bandage on its head.

The kid rushed in the opposite direction from the mannequin and ran so hard that he stumbled at every third step. It seems that the Saint saw an invincible enemy in the mannequin's face and ran as fast as he could, not thinking at all about fighting with him.

The kid ran down the street without turning around. Turning the corner, he entered the forest, ran a little more, the Saint ran out of breath and fell.

After making sure that he was not being chased, the boy crawled to a small spring from which water flowed. He drank from it, washed his face, and suddenly noticed his blurred reflection. I stared at it for a long time, but without seeing anything, I hit the water.

Svyat sat down under a tree and looked up in frustration, saw sakura, cheered up a little and sighed, got to his feet and said softly.

— It's time to go home...

Morning. The Saint lying on the table was awakened by a knock on the door. The kid got up awkwardly and opened the partition. Chise stood on the threshold and immediately spoke.

— We need to talk... In general, I think we need to...

go back home... Svyat calmly interrupted her.

The girl was surprised.

— Yes, that's right, pack your things, I've already arranged for a train to London, there are really a few transfers, but we'll manage, and also...

— No, I'm going home to my homeland... The kid interrupted again.

Chise lowered her fervor.

— Oh, well, if that's the case, then... Blow on the train...

the girl quickly disappeared from sight. The saint slowly began to pack his things, finally tidied up the room and, after taking one last look at it, left.

Outside, he began to wait for Chise, but in the meantime, Noboru, Okochi and a novice suddenly approached him. The first one said it.

— Paris, Chise said that you were leaving and we couldn't miss this holiday...

Okochi pushed a friend.

— This is an event. Therefore, here is a modest gift from us.

Okochi held out a sheathed Katana. The saint accepted the gift with a smile and shook hands with everyone. Chise came out of the building. They all said goodbye and Saint and Chise went outside, where a cart was waiting for them.

The boy immediately jumped into the cart, and finally his sister came out with whom they had a fun chat, after which they hugged and the girl got into the cart and they drove off.

When they got to the train, they went in and got into their carriage. The locomotive started moving.

A few days have passed. They passed quietly, even boringly, but each of them was more dreary than the previous one. After another transfer, they reached the station where the Saint had to get off.

It was evening outside, the sun was already setting over the horizon. Chise and Glory got out of the carriage. The Saint put the things on the ground and said.

— Well, I guess I should... Say goodbye? — He said uncertainly.

Chise replied with a smile.

— It's time...

the Saint sighed.

— You... Most importantly, you live well... calmly, although you are unlikely to succeed. And ... do not forget.

At the end, the Saint awkwardly bowed. Chise hugged him and said.

— We won't forget, but you... Come visit.

They said goodbye and waved after each other, feeling very upset in their hearts. The train left, and the Saint went along the road. When he reached the village, he walked down the street towards the far house. The residents who saw it looked at the boy with surprise. The saint went into the courtyard and stood in front of the door. After thinking about further actions for a long time. But he decided to knock anyway. The door opened. The Saint immediately said.

— Excuse me, could I see...