There was a crisp sound, and Loren only remembered feeling a pain in his cheek.

When I looked up again, I only saw Charlotte's face like frost, and her round eyes were full of murderous intent.

"Bell ——!"

Under the girl's black and golden lion shawl, a snowy dagger came out of its sheath, and the whistling sound of the sharp blade made the black-haired wizard's hair stand upside down.

In the next second, the dagger was already stabbing at his face!

Startled, Loren reacted almost instinctively, flipping his left hand and lightly blocking Charlotte's wrist, while holding the palm of his hand backwards, pushing the tip of the sword to the side.

It's not that it's dangerous, but in such a sudden situation, Loren, whose body has not yet recovered, wants to control his strength and try not to hurt her, so he really has to concentrate on it.

"Tsk!"

The countess of the Red Blood Castle flashed with a hint of annoyance in her eyes, but she had no intention of giving up, and with a flick of her left hand, she immediately revealed the Hidden Blade under her wrist and stabbed it at the throat of the black-haired wizard.

Loren had no time to dodge, but he had to step back, and at the same time his right hand was already pushing Charlotte's wrist, and his right foot took the opportunity to step in front of her knee.

As expected, the inexperienced countess shuddered, and the black-haired wizard who seized the opportunity immediately grabbed both of her wrists, kicked over the chair, and pressed her directly to the round table in the round table hall.

"Smack——!

With a muffled sound, Charlotte's upper body was pressed against the table by the black-haired wizard, her long hair was spread out, and the rapid wheezing sound could not calm the anger in her pupils.

"What are you doing?!"

Loren didn't dare to let go at all, and the strength from his hand told him that Charlotte hadn't given up yet.

"Kill you!"

The countess's eyes widened, and she gritted her teeth and struggled desperately, kicking her feet back and forth.

"Why?!uh... I know I may have done a lot of wrong things, and in some cases, I didn't have time to discuss with you, so I took matters into my own hands a little... But it's not that far, is it?!"

"You know, you know?!" Charlotte's voice trembled.

"That's right, I know I was wrong, I'll apologize to you now with the most sincere attitude - as long as you can dissipate your anger and don't be so impulsive, let me do anything, I can punish you as much as you want, okay?!"

"you!"

Charlotte suddenly lunged forward viciously, taking advantage of the black-haired wizard's surprise and aiming her Hidden Blade at his neck again.

"Poof——!

Arrow off the string!

Loren's eyes widened in astonishment, his gaze locked on the black shadow coming towards his neck, and the muscles in his whole body immediately tensed... With maximum force, roll backwards to dodge.

In an instant, the sound of the arrows tearing through the air echoed in his ears like the death knell of death.

"Bang ——!"

The black-haired wizard lay on the ground, his right hand pressed to his throat.

Charlotte slowly got up from the table, looked at Loren on the ground in astonishment, and then looked at the Hidden Blade (hand crossbow) with the arrow unsheathed on her wrist, and was shocked.

The next moment, Loren, who was lying on the ground, got up tremblingly, his blood-stained right hand holding the crossbow arrow, the tip of which was attached to the flesh of his neck.

It's just a fraction of a centimeter.

For a moment, the Hall of the Round Table fell into a dead silence.

Charlotte, who was silent, pulled over a chair and sat down angrily.

After making sure that she would not pounce again, the black-haired wizard also got up, but still cautiously observed, standing about three steps away from Charlotte.

The atmosphere, cold and biting.

"Yes, I'm sorry......"

After a long moment's hesitation, Loren spoke slowly.

"Excuse me?" The sneering Charlotte spoke, staring at him with a pair of eyes, and the undisguised mockery in her words: "You are the hero who saved Boe, saved the Empire, and captured the Silverhelm Mountain, our Duke... What do you have to be sorry for?"

"I ......"

"Do you understand?!"

The hysterical Charlotte directly interrupted him, and her slightly trembling eyes were filled with water: "In order to stabilize this newly unified Byrne, in order to maintain the relationship between us and the Yunling Kingdom, and the relationship with the Heavenly Dome Palace, how much effort do we have to pay?!"

"I understand. Loren sighed: "Little Yod told me, he said you ......"

"You don't understand!"

Charlotte clenched her teeth, her face pale to the extreme: "If you knew, then you wouldn't be arbitrary on the front line! I only know how to send back one letter after another, and send one bad news after another, telling me that the Thousand Tent City was besieged, the Grand Duke of Boi was defeated, and the attack on Silverhelm Mountain failed......"

"I can only endure it, even if I pretend to laugh, because the Byrne is watching, the dwarven messengers are watching, and the Empire is watching! I can't let them know that the Duke of Byrne is on the line!"

"You have conquered the Silver Helmet Mountain and created a feat that no previous knight king has been able to achieve, so majestic... But the price is the border of the Chen soldiers of the Yunling Kingdom, and the Dwarf Supreme King even lists you as a mortal enemy, and the war is already on the verge of breaking out!"

"You promised to discuss with me how the Centaur War would end, but in the end you sent the letter on your own initiative, and most of the empire is panicked, and the church is constantly clamoring in the Sky Dome Palace to set up a heresy tribunal in Byrne!"

"And the disgraced prince... Do you really think that everyone else is a fool, only you are a smart person? When Byrne's supplies arrive in the Thousand Tent City, the whole empire will know what is going on, and the battle for the crown prince will be completely exposed!"

Charlotte smiled, but with a bitter smile: "I haven't seen it too clearly before, but now I understand... Loren Turin, when you do what you think is right, you don't take into account other people's feelings and opinions. ”

"In your eyes, as long as the result is good, everything else doesn't matter, whatever others think... Really?"

Loren looked at her, at the more obvious pupils, pale complexion, bloodshot eyes, and obviously emaciated body... I couldn't say a word.

"You found a turning point, you took the best opportunity, even if you were in danger, you would fight the enemy, gamble all the chips in your hand, and then you won. ”

"But have you ever considered whether Byrne can afford to pay for such a victory?" the countess's voice choked, and there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes:

"Isn't the fate of the Black Duke enough to teach you a lesson, or are you also a madman who worships him as a hero?!"

Charlotte clenched her teeth, tears sliding down her cheeks, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

She jerked to her feet and turned away, leaving Loren with a still trembling back.

The black-haired wizard raised his head calmly, his expression a little heavy: "Charlotte, I ......"

"Loren!

The countess turned sharply, stared at him with a pair of red eyes on her tear-stained cheeks, and gritted her teeth:

"My Duke——!!"

The sound of tearing hearts and lungs echoed through the hall.

"When you are self-righteous to protect others, unscrupulous to win, and gamble everything and your life again and again, have you ever seriously thought about it......

“...... How worried am I about you?"

Suddenly, the black-haired wizard's pupils shrank.

The hall was dead silent again.

The two of them stood less than three steps away from each other, but they seemed to be separated by a long ravine, and they could only look at each other from a distance.

“...... I'm sorry. ”

When I say this word again, it feels like a century has passed.

The calm dark-haired wizard looked up and met her eyes squarely, "I know it's not enough for you to forgive, but... I still hope you can accept my apology. ”

"Apologize?" Charlotte sneered and said lightly: "I don't need your apology, and you have nothing to apologize for - this is Byrne, and in Byrne, the victor doesn't have to accept any blame." ”

"What's more, what if you apologize? You'll do it next time, still not caring what other people think and what they think, still not caring about what risks you're facing and what that means. ”

Loren, who was silent, frowned slightly.

"You're no longer just a spellcaster, a wandering knight or a wizard advisor, Loren Torino. She whispered, "Behind you is no longer just your best friend, but an entire principality. ”

"Being the Grand Duke of a country means that you can no longer run away from a crisis, or even go your own way, and the act of risking your life to fight may seem brave, but it is the most irresponsible act of your people. ”

"That's right, like the Black Duke... Roland Torino. Charlotte said indifferently: "As a Byrin, a Turin, I respect him and admire a hero like him, who can sacrifice his life to save the empire, even if he is not understood by everyone, he can fight until the last moment." ”

"Such a man, worthy of the name of Turin, can be called a model for the knights of Byrne, but... As Duke Byrne, he barely has a single place to qualify!"

"Obviously, there are so many opportunities to resolve discord, and there are so many ways to resolve disputes, but he prefers to choose the simplest and easiest way to intensify contradictions; he must rely on war, by duel, and by showing his heroic spirit; he never gives any explanation, and the end result is that he is not understood, and everyone betrays his relatives!"

"Did he die of slander, of being misunderstood? No, he died of conceit, of arrogance, of his incompetence as a duke!"

"Such a hero, let me look down on it!"

Pursing her lips, Charlotte, with a complicated expression, stood in front of the black-haired wizard, with unwiped tears on her face, and looked at the black-haired wizard calmly:

"If you're still willing to follow my advice, if you haven't completely become the next 'Black Duke'... Then try to learn what it takes to be a good Duke of Byrne. ”

Although it was still an indifferent expression, there was a hint of pleading in the weak tone.

The black-haired wizard was silent, but his mood was extremely complicated.

Should I confess all this to Charlotte?

If you don't say it, the contradiction of not understanding will only get deeper, but if you tell her... Will the consequences be more severe?

Could his own decision have long been expected by the "Black Cross" Serol?

"Smack——!

The door was pushed open.

"Excuse me. With steady steps, Charles's voice rang out: "Earl, and... Duke of Loren. ”

The dead silence was broken in an instant.

Loren and Charlotte immediately parted, and at the same time turned their gaze in the direction of the butler of the Red Blood Castle.

"Charles, I didn't say ......"

"The situation is exceptional, Count. Interrupting her softly, the steward of the Red Blood Castle with a solemn expression stopped, and glanced casually at the chaotic hall, the countess with his hair scattered and tear-stained, and the black-haired wizard with a crossbow arrow in his hand.

Frowning slightly, he hid his expression: "You ordered ten days ago that if the guests of Eboden arrived, you must be notified immediately—and if the Duke has returned, the Duke must be notified. ”

"On balance, I decided to carry out the order of priority. ”

Guests at Ebolden?

A flash of confusion flashed in Loren's eyes... He had heard from Yod Jr. that Charlotte was going to join forces with the Wizarding Tower to fend off pressure from the church, but it was too soon.

"With the union with Ebolden, we started working on it the day after you set off, and it took two months to get a little bit of results. ”

Charlotte, who noticed the black-haired wizard's expression, snorted coldly, and the color of mockery was fully revealed: "Why, do we have to wait until the Duke causes trouble before finding a solution?"

Loren coughed lightly in embarrassment: "So... What does Ebolden say?"

At this moment, Charlotte took back the posture that the countess of the Red Blood Castle should have, raising her head slightly, solemn and solemn, and generous: "Ebolden... To be precise, the Nine-Pointed Star Wizard Tower accepted our invitation and was more than happy to do so. ”

"On the one hand, the prestige of the Church has been hit quite hard recently due to the Imperial Judgment and the Blood Order incident, and the Wizard Tower is struggling to seize the opportunity to expand their power and influence;"

"On the other hand, for the first time in twelve generations, a duke like you, who came from the wizarding class... With the combination of the two, of course, they can't let go of such a good opportunity, but ......"

"However, neither the Wizard Tower nor Ebolden can directly negotiate with Byrne on the surface, and the alliance of the two principalities in the east and west is tantamount to challenging the bottom line of the empire. ”

Charles took Charlotte's words and continued: "The covenant between the two sides can only be made in private, and in ways that do not dislike the Empire. ”

Loren deeply agreed with this, and after seeing the reactions of Brandon and Charlotte, he really couldn't continue to challenge the nerves of the Heavenly Dome Palace.

So, the Wizard's Tower thought of other, reasonable, and more legitimate ways to promote friendship and exchange between the two sides, so that even if the Holy Cross Church objected, they could not blame anything on the surface. ”

"For example?" Loren raised an eyebrow, and there was always a premonition that his expression was not good.

"For example......" Charles paused again, looking at the black-haired wizard levelly:

"Pick a wizard advisor for you. ”