The survivors swept away the ruins of the manor, put on the weapons and armor that had been ripped from the elves' bodies, and carried heavy gold and gold lion battle flags on black backgrounds, and headed towards the imperial capital.

It was not until evening that Lusen, who had been sent out by Loren, and the two cavalry counts returned belatedly, tapped the booty, and reported the casualties and the results of the battle.

As expected, the elven warrior didn't lie, and in the evening two elven patrols of no less than hundreds hurried towards the manor, and before they could catch up with the fleeing survivors, they ran headlong into an ambush by the witchers and the knights of Byrne.

Ten people were seriously wounded, none were killed in battle, none were taken prisoners, and all of them were annihilated.

In the face of the wall-mounted charge of the Demon Hunters and the Byrne Knights, who were prepared and ambushed, and were guessed the route of the march, the elven warriors who were forced to march had almost no room for resistance, and there was no chance of escape.

The people who rushed back were already a little impatient for the next hearty raid.

The terrified-looking little Yod was more concerned about whether it would attract more enemies - he cared more about whether he could save his life than about the spoils of war and his reputation.

As for the little priest Weber......

"You know I'm actually surprised... You didn't stand up against me. ”

Looking at Weber, who was praying in the direction of the imperial capital, the black-haired wizard was a little surprised: "Those survivors who escaped, to some extent, they are bait that I let them out to attract the attention of the enemy. ”

"They don't know how to hide themselves, so it won't be long before they are discovered, and that pitiful armament is nothing to mention in the eyes of the elven warriors. ”

"So I saved them from one hell and threw them into another. ”

"Even so, you saved them. Webb slowly raised his head and looked at the black-haired wizard with a smile:

"Loren, you may not have noticed it yourself, but... You actually know how to save people. ”

"Save others?"

"That's right, and that's what I've only recently woken up to – saving others isn't about reaching into the abyss, it's about handing down a rope. Webb said softly, "You gave that kid a chance to do it, even if it wasn't... Fine. ”

"But it's still a great attempt, which shows that we need to be more realistic when we do good deeds, not just moral right, and we should not be limited to means, but we need to have a reason to ask ourselves and a result that is in line with 'salvation'. ”

"The most important thing is that we must not interfere with the choices of the saved—to decide the fate of others from above, and that kind of salvation is probably not much different from 'control' and 'manipulation'. ”

"You've taught me another important lesson, Loren. The little priest pressed his hands to his chest and his expression was very sincere: "So... I support you in doing so, go and 'save' them, and let the name of the Black Duke resound in the Sackland Empire, and make it even greater than the Emperor." ”

"Greater than the Emperor?" Loren raised his eyebrows: "Devout believers of the Holy Cross, aren't you very opposed to the worship of other things?"

"We are against it. Webb smiled and nodded:

But when the empire needs a hero to step up, even the most devout believers can't care much - whether it is destruction or salvation, it is the will of the Holy Cross. ”

It's as practical as ever......

The black-haired wizard tugged at the corners of his mouth and swept his gaze to the people who were silently watching him, waiting for the next task.

"Very well, today's battle should have given everyone a more confident understanding of our plan. Facing a pair of excited eyes, Loren nodded: "Is there any objection?"

Little Yod raised his hands without hesitation.

"Did you quit?!"

Lusen clutched little Yod's collar so that he wouldn't actually pounce on Lord Loren's face.

"Very well, unanimously approved!" The black-haired wizard who lowered his head and raised the corners of his mouth said in a deep voice, "Then the next step is to assign tasks." ”

The eyes of the witchers and knights lit up like hyenas with carrion.

"Ramalos!"

"In!"

The Earl of Lake City proudly raised his spear.

"Your mission is the simplest - march along the Imperial Highway in the direction of the Imperial Capital, and I will send you a quarter of the Byrne Knights and half of the Ranger Knights, and do not touch any strongholds along the way, let alone entangle them, and rush to the Imperial Capital to count it as a victory. ”

"Here's one more mission: protect the team of survivors you encounter as much as possible, but don't let their speed slow you down. The black-haired wizard continued, his gaze turning to the Earl of White Horse Peak opposite:

"Rigrel. ”

"In!"

"I'll give you half of the knights and witchers - your task is more complicated, and you will need to decide for yourself whether to uproot the stronghold or ambush the patrol, and you must intersect with Rammaros in the direction, but also as far apart as possible, so that the enemy can misunderstand that you are moving closer to him, and you can control the proportions yourself. ”

The calm Earl of White Horse Peak bowed slightly, not too excited.

"Luthen, you, along with all the rest of you, act with me. The black-haired wizard turned his head to look at the gray-eyed boy with a slightly complicated expression:

"Our job is similar to that of Rigrel, but it may be a little more troublesome, so you may have to go it alone if necessary. ”

From the bottom of his heart, Lusan certainly knew that this was Loren's trust in him enough, and protecting Loren's safety had always been his first goal, but if he could act alone, it would be a sign of Loren's trust.

So the gray-eyed boy's mood was very entangled: "...... Yes, sir. ”

"Bishop Webb and Little Yod, too, acted with me. ”

"All in all, the end goal is the same no matter which team it is. Looking around at everyone, the black-haired wizard said in a deep voice: "Pull out the stronghold, ambush the patrol, save the survivors... It's all about completely disrupting the Azorean elves' blockade and zone of control, turning it into a pot of porridge!"

"Let them be overwhelmed with one or the other, and let them not know where our main forces and marching routes are, and where they are - to turn their territories into ours, and their blockades into ours. ”

"If that's right, the Azorean elves may not have fully captured West Sacharand yet, so there are plenty of opportunities. ”

"Wherever we go, we will let the banner of the black and gold lion flutter in all directions, and sparks will be everywhere - let the Azorean elves and reinforcements in the imperial capital know......"

"Duke Black, you're back——!"

"Obey ————!!!!"

....................................

Staring at the "Witcher Messenger" in front of him, the Minister of the Seals, Metternich, only felt a burst of cold hands and feet, and sweat continued to run from his sideburns across his forehead.

The creepy atmosphere made everyone present even breathe a little short.

To be honest, the appearance of the witcher in front of him Carl Colin is indeed a little terrifying - except for the costume of the witcher, the original position of the legs has been replaced by metal armor with a complex structure at both ends, resembling the claws of some kind of desolate beast, and the joints are shining with gray-blue luster.

This is a "by-product" of Isaac's research - from the Mithril Sword, which purely uses the properties of the power of the Void itself, to the "Floating City" that converts energy, to the powerful "Lightsaber", and the technology that originally existed only in theory has finally become more and more sophisticated in the hands of Isaac and Ain.

Not to mention a simple pair of prosthetic limbs, even if the limbs are missing and the torso is badly damaged, as long as the main organs and head are well preserved, it is only a matter of time and cost for them to create a pair of full-body armor.

But for the Archduke of Ellemont and the Chancellors of the Seals, these external things were not enough to make them tremble in shock—it was the information brought by the messenger in front of them that really made them lose their voices.

"Your Majesty Conrad... Dead?"

Metternich could scarcely know how he had uttered such a sentence that even he could not believe.

Yes, His Majesty Eckhart II died in the Heavenly Dome, but all indications are that it was most likely a game set up by His Majesty, but this time, His Majesty Conod ......

In just half a year, the two supreme emperors died unexpectedly, which is simply unheard of in the history of the empire!

"His Majesty Conod is at the Fortress of the Broken Mountains, along with the tens of thousands of Azorean elves who have invaded the Mountains—and at the same time, Lord Loren Turin has beheaded the Eagle King in the Valley of Blood. ”

Carl Colin nodded indifferently, or rather used indifference to hide his own equally shocked feelings: "In addition, His Royal Highness Brandon is leading his army south, and the armies from all over the empire are gradually gathering in the direction of the imperial capital... That's all the Duke told me. ”

"All?!"

Even though he had begun to believe it in his heart, Archduke Yuli Wirtz couldn't help but ask.

Carl Colin nodded earnestly: "All." ”

"As for the route of the march, the strategic disposition, and how he crossed the occupied and blockaded areas of the Azorean elves... The duke didn't tell me. ”

"Why?"

"There are two reasons - the first is that the duke didn't think about it at the time, this is my guess, and the second is that if the imperial capital decides to help, then there is no need to say anything at all, this is what the duke himself said. ”

Yuli Wirtz snorted coldly, his expression a little complicated.

That's right, with the current garrison of the imperial capital, it is completely enough to break through the blockade of the Azorean elves, but to do so you have to take a certain risk, and the enemy will take the opportunity to seize the weak point and chase and attack fiercely.

Yuri Wirtz has this self-confidence, whether he or the Earl of Mountain Rock Fort of Byrne is in charge of the defense of the imperial capital, he can hold on to the other when he leaves, but the nobles of the imperial capital do not have this "self-confidence" - they are obviously extremely disgusted with their own people, but they are so afraid that they will not let go no matter what.

Not only that, but even at this point, they still refused to trust Byrne and Elems' armies, and the key city defenses of the imperial capital were still under the control of the "Imperial Capital Guard Legion", which was controlled by the Imperial Council, and was not open to themselves and Byrne at all.

Trying to tap into the city's true potential and defeat the enemy while ensuring unity within the imperial capital... The Grand Duke of Ellemont found that this could be even more desperate than fighting the elves to the death alone.

"This information... For the time being, it cannot be known by the Imperial Capital and the Heavenly Dome Palace. ”

After hesitating for a long time, Metternich, who had finally made a decision, solemnly looked at the Witcher Courier: "Your Excellency Carl Colin, thank you for your application, and thank you Duke Byrne for sending you this extremely important news. ”

"But please understand that the Imperial Capital is under siege and the people are panicking, and I can't let this terrible news spread through the city—at least not until I understand Duke Byrne's thoughts. ”

The most important thing is that His Royal Highness Brandon's supporters and eldest princess Fitlonai must not be made aware of it.

Once the former gets the news, it will inevitably cause a frenzy of party unity and disagreement, and in the current situation, the emergence of political struggle is tantamount to self-explosion at the top of the Heavenly Dome Palace... The fact that infighting turns into civil war is not new in the empire;

And the latter is the key to the current Heavenly Dome Palace not to collapse - it is precisely because of the presence of Her Royal Highness the eldest princess that the Heavenly Dome Palace and the imperial capital will not be panicked, and the nobles in the imperial parliament can still leisurely play political games that have not changed much for hundreds of years.

Metternich was well aware of the relationship between Her Royal Highness Fetronay and the other two brothers, and it was hard to imagine that such a blow would completely crush a strong enough woman.

But he can't take that risk, whether he can't or not.

"So I'm sorry to let you run in vain – but please believe that, in the name of the Lord of the Seals, I assure you that I will do everything in my power to persuade the Imperial Council to send troops to the rescue of Lord Byrne!"

Metternich deliberately put the word "rescue" very seriously, which made Carl Colin frown slightly: "At present, there are sufficient logistical supplies in the imperial capital, tens of thousands of loyal soldiers, and when Duke Byrne arrives, the warriors united under the imperial banner will surely be able to expel the evil Azorean elves from our land!"

Unity, unity, flag... Even though he knew that the imperial capital was already in internal and external troubles, and could not provide any help at all except for the nobles who were fighting with each other—if this was also help, Metternich, the minister in charge of the seals, still adhered to the final bottom line.

The one who saves the empire must be the empire, and the hero can only be the emperor or at least the royal family of de Salion.

Carl Colin was not interested in this kind of political position, and nodded in agreement.

Relieved, the Minister of the Seals turned to leave, pondering how to explain all this to the Imperial Diet, the Imperial Cabinet, and the Imperial Family... It is absolutely impossible to be deceived, but if you want to tell them the whole truth, I am afraid that it will cause extremely serious consequences.

So, how much to say, how to say it, and what method to make them understand but not all of it... The joints are to be mastered by yourself.

This is the job of the Lord Keeper of the Seals......

With a wry smile and a sigh, Metternich walked out of the room.

At the moment of turning around, he suddenly stopped in place, and the wry smile on his face froze completely.

Her Royal Highness Princess Fetronay de Salion......

Right outside the door!