The top of the mountains, the Palazzo Arce.

Unlike the brutal battlefield on the other side, this magnificent palace is peaceful, the brightly dressed nobles toast each other, the delicate and lovely ladies gather together to bite their ears, all kinds of delicacies are presented one by one by handsome young men and beautiful girls in elegant steps, and the solemn and solemn palace of Arsay is not a prince and minister who attack each other, but only a sea of laughter.

At least, on the surface.

"Leon," the old man on the throne stretched out his hand to share the scenery of the hall with his old friends beside him, "Look, how about the banquet I have prepared for you this time?" It's big enough, it's unexpected enough, right? I've managed to find a day when all the knights around you gather, don't blame me for not informing you before, it's to surprise you. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your favor." The burly man beside him with gray hair but not looking old replied, his eyes were deep, and he could not see joy, anger and sorrow, "However, in fact, there is no need to work so hard and make a big move. ”

"It's okay, the serious and old-fashioned faces of those ministers and nobles on my side every day are tired of even me looking at them, not to mention those young people, this time in the name of holding a party for you, let everyone take this opportunity to relax and enjoy the taste of youth." The king at the top of the mountains waved his hand and looked at him meaningfully, "Isn't it possible, don't you want your knights to have a good rest?" ”

"Why," Leon smiled, but there was not the slightest smile in his eyes, as calm as a pool of stagnant water, "I naturally hope that these young men under my command can have a good time, I knew the hard work of the bitter cold land when I was young, but this is not a reason for them to relax." ”

"Oh?" The old man on the throne looked curious, "Looks like you have a special reason for transferring them back?" ”

"I have heard that there is a species of humanoids in the southeastern part of the Principality that have been very active recently, and I am worried that allowing them to operate will endanger the peace of society and the well-being of the people." Leon said, his words unscrupulously revealing the iron-blooded aura of a hundred battles on the battlefield, "So I gathered my knights and planned to exterminate them in one fell swoop. ”

"Really?" The old man raised his glass and took a sip, "But I heard that you are celebrating your sixtieth birthday?" ”

"There's a reason for that." Leon nodded, "The news of the victory they brought and the enemy head were the best birthday present for me - it was supposed to be like this. ”

"I'm sorry," the old man said calmly, "for messing with your plans. ”

"It's nothing, I am very touched by this great banquet that Your Majesty has organized for me." Leon said, the corners of his mouth slightly outlined, "And this doesn't hurt much of my plan, a few days ago I hired the 'Peak' mercenary group to exterminate those humanoids, and they will carry out this mission instead of the knights under my command - calculate the time, they should almost clean up those monsters." ”

"Is it ......," the old man replied, "Is it the 'peak' under Alfonso, known as the king of mercenaries?" ”

"That's right," Leon nodded, "Your Majesty has heard of this vulgar man too?" ”

"He's the most powerful contender for the title of the man you stand on the top of the mountains," said the old man with a smile, "and I've been paying attention to him somewhat, but I didn't expect him to be moved by you." ”

"Where, you are the only man standing on the top of the mountains from beginning to end, and I am just being praised by others." Leon shook his head and drank the contents of the cup in one gulp, "As rumored, that guy has a fiery temper, and I almost didn't invite him, but it's good that my old face is still of some use." ”

"Oh." The old man answered softly, but did not speak.

The atmosphere was a little dreary for a while.

— until.

Another voice interjected: "Your Majesty, on such a celebratory occasion, there should be some programs to cheer up. ”

The speaker was a young man who was standing beside the Lord of the Mountains with Leon—young man, of course, was in the middle of thirty and forty in appearance compared to the two old men, and was the time when the man's physical fitness was gradually declining. However, his energetic appearance and his gentlemanly mustache will indeed look youthful at first glance against the backdrop of the two old men.

"Sabella, that's a very good thing." The old man on the throne bowed his head.

- This person's full name is Sabella Asner.

It is a young man at the pinnacle of power in the country of mountains, the head of the Asna family, one of the three royal families, a big businessman and a great nobleman known as a cunning fox, and a guy who should not be underestimated no matter what. It's just that because the direct lineage of the Asner family was severed hundreds of years ago, and the current family is inherited by a remote side lineage, unlike the Alensbell family, only a hundred years of accumulation, the Asna family does not yet have the strength and prestige necessary to compete for royal power.

"I'm tired." Leon also said.

Sabella's identity was more or less awkward here, and his voice was too weak compared to the two giants whose words and deeds could cause a storm between the mountains. However, this weakness is only relative, and the influence of the Asna family in the kingdom is undeniable, and now that the confrontation between the Grand Duke Lionheart and the Lord of the Mountains is becoming more and more acute, his attitude is enough to influence the change of the situation.

But until now, he has no intention of expressing his position, and has been wandering between the two parties.

Perhaps it was the nature of the merchant to wait for the price, or perhaps it was the nobleman's wise self-preservation considerations, he always played the role of a peacemaker between the two, trying to maintain the balance between the two sides, and to mend the rift between the two sides—but no one knew what he really thought, what he really had, what he really was, what he really was, no one knew except himself.

No one knows what he will do when the balance of power is broken and the scales of victory begin to tilt - whether to add a piece of glory to the crown of the king by the side of the victor, or to stand on the side of the loser and fight for more bargaining chips for himself? Because of this, both the old man on the throne and Leon, known as the Grand Duke of Lionheart, were unusually wary of him.

- No one wants someone to step in when victory is within reach.

But vigilance is vigilance, and no one wants to push this one, and the forces that this one represents, to the other side.

"In that case, then I'll be ugly." The mustache, who was both a big businessman and a big nobleman, clapped his hands, "When I heard that His Majesty wanted to celebrate the birthday of Lord Leon, I began to prepare for this, and invited the best writers in the kingdom to write a script overnight, I hope you two can like it." ”

The two people next to him all responded, but did not speak—the specific judgment must not be made until after the play begins, otherwise the compliment would seem too deliberate.

"Please wait," after a short wait, there was still no shadow of the expected drama, and Sabella said apologetically, "I have to wait until I communicate with the palace attendants." ”

"It's okay," the old man on the throne waved his hand, "It's good that Sabella has this heart." ”

"I'm looking forward to the content of the play," Leon said, "and Trofar is my favorite playwright." ”

"If you don't mind, I can say hello to both of you in advance." Sabella narrowed her eyes slightly, hiding the emotion in her eyes, "It's a story about three brothers. ”

"Three brothers?" The old man raised his eyes and asked curiously.

"That's right," the bearded man nodded, "a story about three brothers in a family." ”

"Then I'd really like to see how the story ends."

The old man on the throne said calmly, and then the scarlet curtain slowly opened, and the whole hall fell silent at once, and the nobles and ladies stopped their conversations, all waiting for the beginning of the play with great interest—and then, in a melodious minority, the protagonist stepped onto the stage without hurrying, and recounted the story that had happened in this land in a mournful tone with a voice as passionate as a lark.

It was the tragedy of the Valentia family......

It was a tragedy between the three brothers......

- The two brothers of the protagonist hate each other for the inheritance of the family, and the power of the family weakens little by little in the fight, and the two know nothing, until the Elmer family, the old enemies of the Valentia family, perceives their weakness, and takes advantage of the two brothers to fight, launches a surprise attack, destroying the ancient family, leaving only the youngest brother in the family who witnessed all this on his knees and weeps silently on the ruins.

"That's what you mean?" The old man didn't continue to care about the content of the play, just looked at the mustachioed man beside him.

"It was Trofar who wrote the script." The head of the Asna family spread his hands, looking innocent, "I won't have a chance to live until he finishes it." ”

- Despite what he says, it is unlikely that this play, with its sharp political metaphors, could not have been written by a dramatist unintentionally, and it must have been filled with the political demands of the people behind him.

In other words, through this script, the Asna family, one of the three kings, implicitly expressed their political will.

In this regard, the old man on the throne just narrowed his eyes: "This script ...... Very well written. ”

But then the Lionheart Duke followed his words with great tacit understanding and said: "But drama is always just drama, and the family is actually the same as people, they can only have one head and only one voice." ”

"Really?" The bearded man couldn't help laughing, but the smile was full of bitterness, "This is also something that can't be helped, the playwright doesn't understand politics after all." ”

"Hmm." The two old men, who were at the pinnacle of the power system in the country of mountains, only responded indifferently, did not speak, did not watch the drama that was getting better, just lowered their heads, not knowing what they were thinking.

- until the curtain falls and applause begins.