CHAPTER 437: CHAPTER 52: COURTING DEATH

Late at night.

Peggy stayed in the room next to the alchemy workshop, opened the locked drawer, and took out her diary.

It recorded all her thought processes, from the first extraordinary gathering, her confusion about the future and life, the fear of becoming a Blood Clan member, conversations with new companions and their impressions, and...

Her feelings for Aske.

From the initial wariness and exploitation to the gradual sense of tacit understanding, then trust and dependence, developing into an occasionally distant closeness, until she could confirm the feelings in her heart.

An entire year had just filled an entire diary.

There were so many things she actually didn’t have the courage to say to the Squad Leader, only daring to secretly write them in her diary. Looking back at it on subsequent days, the Blood Clan girl would still feel shy and blush, but even more so, sweet fantasies and thoughts prevailed.

On the last page of the diary, she wrote this:

She hoped to have a pair of children in the future.

She would teach the boy to learn the sword, not to become a mercenary, but to have a robust physique and the power to save others.

She would teach the girl simple potion brewing and the knowledge of preparing toxins so she could live a self-sufficient, prosperous life in the future.

As for naming them, it would be good to follow Armenian customs or Sirius’s culture.

If it was the latter, she hoped they could take the surname Achilles.

Peggy stared at this last line of text, a tremor of unease in her heart. She was uncertain if Aske would understand the confession’s meaning but was even more afraid he would flatly refuse.

However, judging from the last time’s tentative first kiss, it should not be the case... right?

Peggy closed the diary, then clenched her fist and waved it, as if to boost her own morale.

She had decided, to hand her diary over to him.

And to lay bare all her heartfelt intentions before him.

Come on, Peggy! Opportunities only belong to the brave girls!

After saying one last thing to the mirror on the wall, Peggy pushed the door and left the alchemy workshop, heading towards the direction of the manor.

From a distance, she saw Aske just exiting the front door of the manor.

Peggy instinctively wanted to call out to him, but was afraid of being heard by the girls inside, hesitated slightly, and Aske’s figure disappeared.

He seemed to have teleported back to the Main Plane.

So Peggy also followed suit with her teleportation, returning to the small town where the Imperial Army was stationed.

Today’s guardian of the Ancient Book was Sigrdrifa. As soon as Peggy appeared in the bedroom, she saw Sigrdrifa lying on the bed, apparently deep in some sweet dream.

On the other side, the room’s door was open, Aske had probably just left.

Peggy hesitated for a moment, then turned to walk outside, suddenly hearing Sigrdrifa’s voice behind her:

"Is this really okay?"

Peggy turned her head sharply and saw Sigrdrifa already sitting up on the bed, her nearly milky pale golden hair draped over her shoulders, reflecting Peggy’s petite figure in her transparent pupils.

"The Squad Leader chose to go out late at night; he must have his reasons that he doesn’t wish us to know," she spoke with a certain indifferent and ethereal tone that made Peggy somewhat uncomfortable, "Are you really sure you want to follow him?"

"I have something to talk to him about," Peggy bit her lower lip, "This has nothing to do with you."

"Yes, it has nothing to do with me," Sigrdrifa said lightly, pulling up the blanket and lying back down, "If you have decided, then go."

Peggy watched her for a long while, turned back to head out the door, only to hear behind her:

"Help me close the door, thank you."

With that, Peggy quietly shut the door and dashed out of the house, her gaze swiftly scanning the surroundings until she spotted Aske’s figure on the path leading out of town.

What is he doing...?

Due to the curfew in the town, the streets were filled with patrolling soldiers. Aske’s route was clever; he almost completely avoided most of the guards and finally left the town without a sound.

Peggy simply turned into a bat and trailed his figure from the sky.

From this direction, it looked like he was heading to the trenches? To Verona City?

A growing unease welled up inside her, and Peggy really wanted to go down and ask the Squad Leader but managed to suppress her curiosity.

She remembered what Sigrdrifa had said: since the Squad Leader hadn’t told anyone and chose to act alone in the dead of night, it meant he probably didn’t want others to know.

Right, he had also reminded her to sleep well tonight, not to go out on a nocturnal outing!

At this thought, Peggy suddenly felt the urge to turn back and pretend as if nothing had happened.

However, curiosity once again overcame fear. Clearly, Aske’s choice to secretly head to the war zone in the middle of the night was not for the purpose of fighting the enemy.

So what was he doing? Having a secret meeting with someone? So secret that even I cannot be told?

No, I have to find out!

With this resolution set in her mind, Peggy landed on the ground and turned back into a beautiful little white mouse, burrowing her way into the entrance of the trenches.

Aske, with his hand on his sword, was moving through the quiet and pitch-dark trenches. The Weapon Master’s bloodline, especially the abilities of "Intuition" and "Tactics," allowed him to clearly see the terrain ahead even in the dark environment based on mere outlines.

And his purpose for the secret excursion tonight was, of course, to give up his life.

The "War Flesh" created through the brutal means of war was filled with the resentment of those killed in battle. Therefore, he had to die once himself to purify the resentment within.

Since his War Flesh was obtained by crushing his opponents, it would be best to find a strong enemy who could crush him, directly blasting him into dust. Then the War Flesh that gathered would have its resentment settled most cleanly.

Of course, considering the practical situation, it would be difficult to find someone nearby who could kill him instantly, as long as Aske didn’t hold back.

So, Aske had decided from the start to raid Verona City and make big news, then ascend to the skies in the spiral of explosions caused by a multitude of Spider Mines.

The idea was quantity over quality. The more tragic the death, the better the final effect would be.

Hmm? Aske suddenly turned his head, inexplicably feeling that someone was tracking him.

Never mind, even if it’s someone with bad intentions... Since I’m here to die this time, it doesn’t matter whether I’m on guard or not.

Come on, kill me!

Stepping out of the trench exit, Aske walked a few dozen meters forward, then turned around with his hand on his sword and calmly said,

"Come out."

On the open ground in front of him, the little white mouse that Peggy had become was startled.

So Aske had discovered me already?

She then deactivated her ability and transformed back into the pretty young girl form, feigning ignorance,

"Um, Squad Leader..."

Before she could finish, she saw Aske’s pupils suddenly contract, and his figure charged toward her in an instant.

No, this means... there’s an enemy behind me!

With the combat awareness honed by long-term fighting, Peggy instinctively ducked and lunged forward, trying to evade the urgent rush of air from behind.

Then, she was caught in Aske’s embrace.