Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 340: Section 232: Everyone is a bridge to happiness for each other_2

Chapter 340: Section 232: Everyone is a bridge to happiness for each other_2

"Our Church can’t keep guarding your things for free," said the team-leading Bishop of the Church of Justice as he came down, looking at Malin with a smile as he asked.

"No problem, once the deal is settled, I’ll give you enough storage fees, how’s that?" Malin said smiling.

"No problem, my Lord trusts you, and we will also give you our trust, and moreover..." He turned around and looked at the lady leading Matilda, "Mrs. Shamanar, how long do you plan to keep holding onto Matilda?"

Finally, the lady let her go, and Matilda scampered over to Malin.

Malin reached out to take her hand, "Then I’ll take Matilda back with me."

"We won’t see you out," said the old Bishop with a smile and a nod.

......

Watching Malin walk away with Matilda, the old Bishop sent the Apprentices back to their rooms and then sat at a small table, looking at the young mentor who was eating, "What do you think about the child?"

"Got spirit, not like a teenager, more like an old, shrewd Merchant." The young mentor swallowed his last bite, then put down his bowl, "He has a giant’s frankness, a human’s cunning, an elf’s pride, and the appearance of the Lord’s followers from another plane... I really can’t figure out what exactly he is."

"Yes, calling him a giant, he’s too small; saying he’s human, he doesn’t look it at all; if you say he resembles an elf, he doesn’t have the height for it... This child seems to have taken all the advantages from various bloodlines and pushed their flaws to the back of his mind," the old Bishop said, glancing at the lady standing there, "Mrs. Shamanar, don’t stand there, I know you’re very eager to secure this marriage for your child, but Fate has already arranged everything for Matilda, everyone can rebel against their Fate, but they must also get used to accepting what Fate has lined up."

"No, I’m not concerned about Matilda choosing Malin, it’s just that I wonder... without Malin, could Matilda have evaded pursuit? This child seems very sad, as if mourning, believing she’s been abandoned, preferring to leave us, facing danger," the lady hesitated, "Even if it means going to Malin, she doesn’t want us to come to his aid."

"No, Mrs. Shamanar, Matilda loves everyone in the Church more than anyone else could, she could indeed come to me, but with the twisted armor entering the inn, we can ensure our own safety, but what about the Apprentices?" the young mentor said with a smile, "Obviously, we don’t have two tender branches of the World Tree like Malin does, we can’t bring down that suit of armor, and it is possible because of it, we couldn’t even ensure all the Apprentices are protected..."

This explanation seemed to lessen the sadness on the woman’s face, and she sighed, "But that’s exactly why I’m even less willing to let Matilda be taken away by Malin, such a fine child having to be let go like that."

"Fate, my Mrs. Shamanar, you still don’t understand, everyone’s life is predetermined from the start, whether you think you are rebelling against it or not, you are within the grasp of Fate," said the old Bishop with a smile.

The young mentor across from him took out a bottle of wine from under the table, "Everyone is accepting or rebelling against Fate, but they don’t realize, that too is a manifestation of Fate. You rebel against Fate, just changing your way of living, for better or worse, but you know nothing of this. You naively think you have rebelled against Fate, yet it never occurs to you, that what you fight is one of the lives Fate has laid out for you."

"So, what you mean is we shouldn’t fight against the oppression of Fate?" the lady asked somewhat angrily.

"Mrs. Shamanar, you stand here as a rebellion against the marriage Fate imposed on you; I sit here because I rebelled against the path laid out for me by Fate," the Bishop said, pointing to the young Saint Heir pouring himself wine, "And our Saint Heir here, is also rebelling against his destiny to become a sacrifice."

The lady looked bewilderedly at the old man, "Bishop, sir..."

"Shamanar, remember, Matilda, like us, has rebelled against the path forced upon us by Fate, so, we have not succumbed to Fate, but precisely because of this, we have gathered under the banner of the Lord of Justice, by Fate, we rebelled against Fate, and so Fate has brought us together."

"Madam, His Excellency’s meaning is that in rebelling against Fate we are also expressing Fate’s will. Fate likes to control people and also likes those who take up arms against him because one way or another, each life is on its own personal trajectory, whether resisting or submitting," the young man said, pouring her a glass of wine, "Madam, let’s have a drink."

"...Thank you," finally, the lady reached out and took the glass.

"To our Lord," the old Bishop raised his glass.

"To freedom," the young man raised his glass.

"To resistance." The lady also raised her glass.

......

Walking in the night, Malin looked at Matilda walking ahead; he could feel her mood... The big-eared fox girl hummed in a mother tongue Malin couldn’t understand, walking in front of him. It seemed impossible to understand her emotions, but from the happily swishing tail, Malin could grasp her joy.

"Matilda," Malin began.

"Yes?" The big-eared fox turned, looking at him with a curious gaze.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Malin asked, looking at the big-eared fox before him.

"Of course, we took out a family of Chaos, and you purified the poor daughter of House Brice," Matilda recalled, prompting Malin to reminisce about those days: "I...I never imagined I’d be this popular."

"Because you’re strong enough. In this world, being good-looking or cute is actually useless. A Transcendent might choose a cute or pretty member of the opposite sex as their partner, but the one who can have children with them will only be another strong one, because mortals cannot bear the bloodline of a Transcendent. Thus, it’s all about bloodlines, and yet it’s not about bloodlines," Matilda said, pointing at Malin, "In my eyes, you’re the best, strong and handsome."

Truth be told, Malin was almost getting calluses on his ears from hearing the word ’cute’ so often recently; this was the first time the word ’handsome’ came from a girl’s mouth.

This touched Malin deeply, and he couldn’t help but smile eagerly: "Thank you."

"Although I appreciate that Mr. Malin came to find me, I have a small request... I want to have a child with you. I don’t need to stand behind you, or even appear in front of you often. I just want to bear a strong child, give birth to them, and then regain my strength," the big-eared fox said with a very firm tone, looking at Malin: "Is that okay?"

"Why?" Malin was curious.

"When I was being chased just now, I couldn’t even protect myself. My mentor bravely tried to save me, but she was knocked down by that distorted armor. In that moment, I truly understood the role of strength for the first time... I want to regain my strength, Mr. Malin, please."

"I don’t agree," Malin shook his head.

"Then why did you come to find me? The conditions I’m offering are very generous. I won’t appear in your life, nor will I let my existence become a trouble. I just need the child, and then to become a paladin again. I want to protect others and myself, not to become someone’s possession or prey." Matilda looked at Malin: "Are you not satisfied?"

"The education I’ve received prevents me from doing this. Someone always told me that each person is a bridge to happiness for another... can we, be each other’s bridge?" Malin asked, looking at the big-eared fox before him.

Matilda was silent for a moment, then laughed and shook her head: "You have many bridges already, so you won’t miss one like me, right?"

"Maybe my bridges are two-way eight-lane highways," Malin said, and without waiting for any resistance from the big-eared fox, he scooped her up in his arms.

"This is kidnapping! I’m calling the police!" the big-eared fox shrieked, looking towards a policeman not far away.

Malin smiled at the policeman.

The latter smiled back, not taking any of it seriously.

In his eyes, a little spat between lovers was no reason for him to interfere.