A month after the Battle of the Broken Mountain Fortress.

The howling blizzard finally stopped, and the black Iron Crown banner still fluttered on the spiral peak of the Broken Mountain Fortress.

Prince Saklan, who led his retinue, stood outside the southern gate of the Broken Mountain Fortress, while Brandon de Salion, who stood opposite him, still had a very bright smile on his face, and looked at his "beloved brother" without showing any weakness.

Behind him were the only remaining hundred legionnaires and Loren after the Battle of the Valley of Blood.

The dark-haired wizard beside him stole a glance, and a subtle smile flashed across the corners of his mouth - Brandon, who was calm and composed on the surface, kept shaking his hands behind his back.

"According to our previous agreement, it is also the will of my father... Today you must leave the Broken Mountain Fortress, leave the northern border of the glacier, and cross the Gem River back to the imperial capital of Golovin. ”

Conrad, who looked grim, had a cold face, and his deep voice was like a steel sword sharpening: "After all... It was too dangerous to have the only two heirs of the empire in the Broken Mountain Fortress. ”

I raise my hands in agreement...... The wind and snow in the north are truly impressive, and I will never forget them in my life!"

Brandon deliberately bit the word, but the bright smile on his face did not diminish at all:

"Do you need me to give you a message to my father and sister-in-law Fitronay?" I guess I might be able to do just that—and with your instructions, they can also have a little bit of expectation for me, the 'disgraced prince'!"

"I don't think it's necessary, you can just deal with it. Conod was unimpressed.

Suddenly, Brandon's face showed a somewhat ambiguous smile, and he gestured very deliberately: "I said... Even if my father didn't have it, wouldn't it be with my sister-in-law, would she have asked me to ...... it several times before I came."

Before he finished speaking, seeing Conod's cold expression, Brandon obediently shut up with interest.

Prince Sacklan glanced at him faintly: "Is there anything else you need?"

"I'll leave by the evening, and I need to pack some necessities for the road before then, don't you mind?" Brandon shrugged.

Conod bowed slightly, agreeing.

"And then ......"

Brandon dragged a long voice, and his smile grew: "If there is no problem, can you send a team of guards from the Broken Mountain Fortress to the Gem River to escort me?"

"You have your own guard. Conod indifferently refused: "You still have the dragon Milassis, you don't need another escort, do you?"

"That's right, but didn't I almost die in the northern wasteland when I came?" Brandon tilted his head and looked at Conrad a little defiantly: "There is an army from the Broken Mountain Fortress, at least it can reassure me a lot." ”

"Dear brother, I'm almost dead. ”

Conod frowned slightly and snorted coldly.

"Not this time. ”

Prince Sakran narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice: "I can assure you that as long as you are still in the territory of Prince Saklan, you will not encounter any more troops that will attack you!"

"But... You'll have to make sure that the Crucible doesn't happen again!"

"I—I'll try my best!"

Brandon, who was pale for a while, stood on tiptoe, and the smile on his face was a little stiff.

With a soft sigh, Conrad de Salion, who was exhaling cold air, stepped forward, and Brandon almost instinctively wanted to duck back, but he held him down on the shoulder.

Conod looked at him, at the red-haired red eyes that were identical to himself, but identical, and the two of them were almost face to face.

Brandon's eyes widened and he didn't dare to blink, and swallowed hard.

"Brandon, I have no objection to you wanting to take back what belongs to you, and even I admire that - it proves that you are already a qualified de Salion, not the mischievous Brandon. ”

"Breaking free from the shackles that bind you is sometimes not entirely a good thing. Conod looked at his brother meaningfully: "From today onwards, I will no longer see you as my brother." ”

"It's Brandon de Salion... Can you see the difference?"

His Royal Highness smiled stiffly at his brother, but the corners of his mouth twitched all the time.

"May the Holy Cross protect you on a safe journey... I'll always watch your every move. ”

"Remember, you are a de Salion... But, it's not just a De Salion!"

Before Brandon could say anything, Conod, who had picked up the big shackle, had already turned around and walked alone in the direction of the fortress, the guards on both sides were in unison like a split wave, making way for Prince Sackland.

Ernst Drexis, who was standing at the forefront of the guard, did not leave with him, and looked back at the black-haired wizard behind Brandon, his gaze narrowed a little cold.

Loren, who was silent, noticed the other party's gaze, and showed a formulaic smile at the middle-aged knight with his hands behind his back, and bowed slightly with a little apology.

Obviously, he did not intend to follow his "advice...... Ernst shook his head regretfully, but he didn't intend to dwell too much, just took a deep look at him, and walked towards the gray-eyed boy standing behind the black-haired wizard.

"Are you really going to leave?" the middle-aged knight frowned slightly, looking at the gray-eyed young man who didn't even want to look up at him:

"His Highness Connad has taken the initiative to confess his mistakes at the Legion meeting, clearing the name for you and the hanged soldiers - you are still the youngest Banner Commander of the Empire, and you still have a great future in the Legion and in the Broken Mountain Fortress. ”

"Who knows what will happen in the future, in another ten years my place may be yours... Leaving like this now, is it really worthy of His Highness who has high hopes for you and promoted you?"

Lu Sien, who didn't raise his head, had a cold face and gritted his teeth.

"I thank Your Highness for your attention, but I also swore an oath. Lusen burst out word by word: "Loren Turin saved my life, and I will do everything in my power to repay him." ”

"I'm sorry, Lord Drexis, I'm an Eleman after all... We do what we say!"

"Just be a wizard's guard... I remember when you came to the Broken Mountain Fortress, you said that you would never let anyone look down on you again. ”

"If I break my promise, then others will look down on me!"

The middle-aged knight looked at him quietly, and suddenly beckoned behind him, and one of the attendants, who had always stood behind, stepped forward and handed the two short swords in front of the gray-eyed boy.

Startled, Lusen looked up at the silent Ernst in surprise.

"This is sent back with a reply from Ellemont, your brother, Ully Wiltz, Duke of Ellemont. Ernst's gaze was unexpectedly complicated:

"He wrote a long letter of nearly a thousand words, scolding you for nothing from beginning to end, telling us that he was not surprised that you would be taken for a deserter, and that if all was true, the Wirtz family would have no opinion on your hanging, nor would they protest to His Majesty the Emperor. ”

"But......" The middle-aged knight paused, glancing at the stunned gray-eyed boy.

"He also begged us not to make rash decisions... And tell us that there are many suspicious points in the whole matter, and that if you are executed so rashly, you will definitely be dissatisfied, so I beg that we must investigate it clearly, and be sure to come up with enough evidence to convince you, only in this way can we show the justice of the empire to others!"

In order to make us pay attention to this matter, he also specially sent his own saber with him. Ernst let out a long sigh.

The black-haired wizard, who had always been standing next to him, glanced sideways slightly, swept the densely written, fairly handwritten letterhead all night, and couldn't help but shake his head.

Ully Wirtz, Duke of Ellemont, the elder brother of Luceen, is really... What an awkward person.

"Take good care of these two swords, you deserve them. The expressionless middle-aged knight handed the weapon to the gray-eyed boy who was still stunned:

"I was going to wait until you were reinstated to tell you about it, but now it seems... There's no need for that anymore. ”

As the words fell, Ernst Drexis took a heavy step, leaving only a lonely back for Luceen.