Early in the morning, the gray-eyed boy got up from the hospital bed.

The simple bed and the clean and tidy single room made him a little uncomfortable - as if yesterday, he was still lying in the tent of the marching barracks.

Stepping on the cold stone floor, looking at the reflected self in the basin with messy hair and scarlet eyes, Lusen felt as if he was not fully awake.

It's hard to imagine that he followed Lord Loren to kill an evil god apostle in Silver Helmet Mountain, and then killed all the way out of Silver Helmet Mountain, and then faced tens of thousands of centaurs in the Great Green Sea, and also witnessed a duel between a dragon and a monster, and finally the monster was slashed by Lord Loren's sword.

Just... It's more fake than a dream.

But it was true, the wounds on his body, the beating of his chest and heart, and the chaotic consciousness all told him that it was true.

Lusen shook her head desperately, the icy cold water stimulating her nerves and making her sober and sober.

Now is not the time to sleep.

According to Lord Loren, the Centaur War is over, but the war is not over.

We... At most, they haven't lost yet.

Ruson knew what he had to do, or what Loren wanted him to do—just like he had in Broken Mountains, and he had to make three hundred thorn soldiers obedient and let them know what to do, and let them know when to live and when to fight.

The only difference is that this time their enemies are not only ice werewolves, wandering deserters and bandits, and an army of monsters that will go south at any time, but all kinds of mutant monsters, evil god apostles, heretical orders... It doesn't feel too much.

These people will become the sharp knives in the hands of Lord Loren, the trump cards that can be played at any time, the scouts who monitor all suspicious movements... And he is their captain.

There was a sound of footsteps behind him, and the gray-eyed boy who had just woken up immediately tightened his arms, and the "battlefield reaction" that had not yet dissipated made him turn his head sharply, and at the same time prepare to fight back.

But after seeing the person who came, he frowned again.

Dressed in a black robe, with hands behind his back, gray hair on sideburns... It's not as eye-catching as those cold and piercing eyes.

"You, you are ......"

"Awake?" the black-robed wizard looked at him, glancing at the two swords on the wooden frame beside him, and his tone was so cold that he couldn't hear his feelings:

"Dalton Kander, Duke Byrne's wizarding advisor. ”

Lusen finally remembered... During the triumph the other day, I did hear Lord Loren talk about this new wizard advisor... What's more, this wizarding advisor is also the mentor of Lord Loren, Ain, and Isaac.

Thinking of this, the gray-eyed young man's face immediately showed a little more respect for his elders: "Your Excellency Dalton Khand, may I ask... Is there anything I can help with?"

"Yes. ”

Dalton, who was expressionless, didn't waste a minute:

"According to Duke Byrne's orders, he needs to assemble an army of witchers who are proficient in dealing with the Void and monsters... You are the commander of this army. ”

"Uh, yes!" Lusen nodded hurriedly, then scratched his head a little embarrassed: "But our number is less than one legion - there were more than three hundred and ninety when we were formed, and after returning from Boi... Ninety-six remained. ”

"The rest, a quarter died on the way to Silverhelm Mountain, a quarter died on Silverhelm Mountain, a quarter died while fighting Chakar, and now it's all ......"

"I'm not asking about the history of this legion, I'm putting you in charge of a mission. Dalton unceremoniously interrupted him.

"Yes, I'm sorry!" Lusin sneered awkwardly and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"It's simple, just one thing. Dalton looked at him and put it succinctly:

"I want you to get rid of them all of them, and then we'll start recruiting new recruits again. ”

The gray-eyed boy's smile froze on his face, and he stopped talking.

Dalton frowned slightly: "Got an opinion?"

Taking a deep breath, Lusen tried to stabilize her emotions as much as she could... The other party is Lord Loren's mentor, and he is also his elder, not to mention that it is normal for a wizard to not understand the army.

"Dalton Kander... Sir, they are all warriors who have returned from the battlefield, and some of them are veterans. The gray-eyed boy barely squeezed out a smile and explained calmly: "A soldier who has fought and survived a bloody battle is very valuable. ”

"What's more, they are veterans who have won battles where the army was founded, and if they are eliminated without giving a reason, this army will die!"

With that, he stood there, stubbornly staring at Dalton.

"It seems that there was a misunderstanding between us, and I didn't explain it properly. Saying the words of apology, the wizard's body still exuded a shuddering coercion: "I myself have no prejudice against these heroic warriors, on the contrary, I respect them. ”

"But they still have to be eliminated because all of them are not qualified. ”

Before the gray-eyed boy could breathe a sigh of relief, Dalton's words made his heart tighten again.

"At the very least, you should tell me what is not qualified?"

Lu Sien, who was forced to be calm, his arms clenching his fists tightened, and his green tendons were exposed.

"I can understand your feelings, but facts are facts. ”

Dalton's eyes were fierce, and his tone was cold: "Your Excellency, the mission of this army is to deal with the Void and monsters, so they must have certain qualifications in order to resist the erosion of the Void power and use simple spells. ”

"Not every single one of them has the potential to become a wizard, and none of the ninety-six of them have the talent to do so, so they must be dismissed. ”

"Really, is there no other way?" Lusen, who frowned, still refused to bow his head.

Dalton said coldly: "Reminder, we only have three years, and within a year, we need to have at least a hundred people, so that everyone can form a combat force, not collapse in front of vampires and trolls." ”

"There's no other way?" the gray-eyed boy repeated through gritted teeth.

"We don't have the time, and we don't have the energy to spend on them, and instead of wasting resources, we should start recruiting again. ”

But Lusen still didn't give up:

"There's no other way?"

Dalton Kander, whose expression was as silent as ice, looked at the gray-eyed boy's face subtly without bowing his head, as if he had seen another "stubborn version" of Loren Torino.

He used to be the most disgusted and disgusted type of person.

"There will always be a way. ”

The indifferent wizard spoke, with a hint of complicated coldness in his eyes: "But the price is big, it may be small, and it will take a long time." ”

Yes, everyone can be a wizard in theory, but that doesn't mean everyone really can.

Of course, Lusen understood this, and after returning from Broken Mountains, he had experienced it himself, and he had tried to learn magic with the little wizard, Isaac, and others, but it had no real effect other than to increase his knowledge.

He still remembered that the kind-hearted Ain told him that if he took his time, he would succeed, and Isaac, who was keen to fight others, directly pointed out that the process would take a year at the earliest, and the longer it took, the more fragile the spiritual temple became.

This is the gap between genius and mediocrity, inverted mold flipping and patchwork.

He knew that Dalton Candle was right, but Lusen knew that once these men were removed, the army would be finished, and that he had promised them that he would have to make them stand to the end.

Taking a deep breath, the gray-eyed boy relaxed himself.

"I understand your reasoning, Lord Dalton Kander. This time, Lusen no longer disguised himself in a calm and respectful tone, and calmly looked the wizard in the eyes: "If they fall on the training ground, even if they die, they deserve it; I can't say yes. ”

Dalton looked at the gray-eyed boy who had become more and more tough, and some complicated light flashed in his eyes again.

Really, it's getting more and more like an apprentice......

"You are Lord Loren and Ain their mentor, and I respect you, but... The commander of this army is me. Lusen's eyes became much more resolute:

"Who to cut, who to recruit, how to train, how to fight... At most, you can only assist, not interfere!"

Dalton looked at him with a sharp gaze.

The two of them looked at each other unceremoniously.

"It seems that there is a disagreement between us, and it is impossible for either of us to abandon our respective views. Dalton spoke in a deep voice, but his expression remained the same:

"I think we should come up with a way to resolve this disagreement and reach a consensus. ”

Lusen was slightly stunned, as if he had not yet realized the seriousness of the situation.

"Considering who each other is, and the work that is about to be faced, I think there's a way that works best for us. Dalton looked at Lu Sien with an indifferent expression, and raised his eyebrows:

"As the Byrnes say, a true knight should cry with a spear and speak with a sword. ”

At this moment, Lusen's face finally changed.

"The rules are simple, if you can win, then I will follow your advice and use the greatest possible ability to train these ninety-six people to be qualified night watchmen;"

"If you lose, all the rest of the work must be carried out under my instructions, including you, the commander, and you must no longer resist any of my orders... I think it's a fair bet. ”

Before he finished speaking, Lusen was completely stunned.

"W-How can this work?!"

"You don't agree?"

After a pause, Dalton's cold eyes glanced at the stunned face of the gray-eyed boy, undisguised sarcasm.

"This, of course!" Calming his breath a little, Lusen said helplessly, "You are Lord Loren's mentor and a wizard advisor who was invited, how can I ...... you"

Before the words fell, a murderous aura immediately hit his face!

The gray-eyed boy almost instinctively parried and resisted, and at the moment of dodging, he only felt a chill approaching his neck.

Smack——!

And pointed into the knife of his right hand, and pressed against his throat.

The wide-eyed Lusen's whole body stiffened suddenly, and his body still maintained the movement of dodging, staring at the arm that passed between his arms.

There was no warning, no time to react.

"Vampires, three times as fast as me. Dalton, with his right arm straight, said coldly:

"Three times the speed of a human means you have no room to react and must dodge and parry before attacking. ”

Gasping in a trance, the gray-eyed boy opened his mouth with difficulty: "I... Lord Dalton Khand, I can't do anything to you, you're Lord Loren's mentor, and I ......"

"Really?" the black-robed wizard interrupted him with a cold snort, "But I can kill you without any burden, and if you refuse to resist, I will definitely kill you." ”

"Then, I'll tell the others that you're not up to the job, that you're not a proper Witcher Captain, let alone a Proper Guard. ”

Looking at the other party's expression, the gray-eyed boy only felt a cold hair stand on end, instinctively telling him that this wizard in front of him was dangerous, more dangerous than a certain monster named Chakar!

This, this madman, is actually Loren's mentor?

Lord Loren, how the hell did you get to where you are today?!

What Lusen didn't know was that if the black-haired wizard saw Dalton at this moment, he would only sigh that his mentor was really old, and he didn't have so many words in the past, and he never explained anything......

The next moment, the gray-eyed boy with a tense body pounced on his knife holder like an arrow off the string.

"Ding ——!"

The two short swords that parried could stop the oncoming silver rays.

When he opened his eyes, Lusen saw that Dalton's left hand had an extra stabbing sword in his left hand, which was pressed against the spine of his sword.

"Shem beautiful. ”

The expressionless Dalton raised his eyebrows, and his body remained motionless: "But it's stupid enough." ”

What the?

Lu Sien, who was frozen in place, suddenly felt a wave of "familiar" air rushing towards him.

In his mind, Loren's snapping of his fingers immediately came to mind.

Oops!

"Bang ————!!!!"

With a loud bang, the thin figure was blasted away like a trebuchet's stone cannon, dragging a long trail on the sand outside the door.

"The first rule of dealing with monsters is to never, never, never lose the sense of reason and calm thinking. ”

Frightened, Lusen clutched the hilt of his sword in his hand, the sharp pain in his chest and temples made him tremble from head to toe, and he tried to get up, but fell again and again.

Hit in the ribs head-on by the impact of the Force, the pain that cannot be resolved by perseverance, but the gray-eyed boy is still trying his best to stand up, and the instinct of his body keeps reminding him that the only fate of continuing to lie on the ground is death.

Stepping out of the house, Dalton looked at Lusen, who staggered up from the ground, as if he were watching a dead man, raising his right bayonet sword and hiding his left behind his back.

His eyes are extremely cold, so that people can't see the slightest bit of life, let alone the delusion of reading his mind.

It's like a piece of ice that won't melt for thousands of years, a dagger that shines cold, and a monster in a black robe that disguises itself as a "human".

"When you lose that, you're a real dead man. ”