"Euren Eckert, a brave and noble Byrne knight;"

In Byrne Cathedral, the atmosphere was solemn;

Everyone present was silent, and there was an indissoluble grief in their eyes.

Loren, dressed in a black dress, stood in the front row of the crowd, glancing at the Countess of the Red Blood Castle, who was standing beside him, also dressed in a simple but solemn manner, and Charlotte, who bowed slightly, had a pale complexion and no sadness in her eyes.

Yes, there is just endless anger, and there is a trace of remorse and self-blame.

"A pious and humble servant of the Holy Cross;"

On the main altar, Weber, who was holding the scriptures, had a solemn face - as Bishop of Byrne, the work of praying for the deceased should have been entrusted to the deacons below, but now the Byrne Cathedral was in ruins, many experienced priests were killed that night, and the rest was distributed to the entire Red Blood Castle, and there was no surplus manpower, so he could only preside over the entire funeral himself.

Although the young priest has always stressed the need to keep the church out of politics, he is not ignorant of the hearts of the people, and for the Red Blood Castle, which is now immersed in grief and anger, a solemn funeral can reinvigorate and unite people's hearts.

"An indispensable companion by our side, a brave and loyal friend who has inherited the bloodline of Eckert in Castle of Fury;"

Eckert, the dark-faced Earl of Fort Fury, bowed his head and knelt down on one knee in front of the coffin, his trembling right hand holding on to the edge of the coffin with great difficulty, his eyes dodging in a trance, not daring to look directly at the figure lying inside.

The old man, who had lost his soul, suddenly collapsed his sturdy body, his temples were white, and his bloodshot eyes were dark yellow.

After surviving the post-"Black Duke" era, the era of the Imperial Governor, and the "New Byrne" era, the Earl of Fort Fury, who had gone through the three supreme emperors, lost his son, and lost the last direct bloodline, becoming a veritable "loner".

"With his body, he kept evil and terror out of our sight, and with his blood, red as wine, and noble and pure soul, he proved his unquestionable oath. ”

With a sad nasal voice, the little priest who endured his grief still said solemnly: "Those who keep their promises will be blessed, and those who die to keep their oaths will be transcendent from the world." ”

"Today, we do not weep for the passing of the deceased, for all mortals die, but today, we send him away and spread his loyalty, humility, bravery, and noble spirit of defying strong enemies to every corner of the world!"

"They are the bravest of the Holy Cross in the kingdom of heaven, the brightest star shining on the land of Byrne, and because of the presence of Euren Eckert, and because of the dozens, hundreds, thousands of brave followers behind him; can proudly call it the hometown of knights!"

"So, friends... Do not weep, for sorrow is the last thing that the noble who have given their lives to see;" The little priest who spoke softly turned slowly, and his low voice seemed to comfort the child:

"The hero chooses a noble sacrifice, not to leave behind a world full of sorrow and gloom, but to exchange his life for the sun to rise the next day, and everything will be the same. ”

"It's not just the will of the Holy Cross, it's theirs!"

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

After the funeral, the people gathered in the cathedral still did not disperse, and the faint sound of conversation and crying continued to be heard from the door to the corridor outside.

The gloomy Count of Eckert sat in front of the coffin, accepting the condolences and relief of the guests one by one, nodding mechanically, still not recovering from the grief of the death of his loved ones.

"Euren Eckert is not married, but he has a six-year-old nephew. Outside the corridor, Charlotte, who was leaning on the door frame, silently watched the figure of Count Eckert, and her voice was low:

"Count Eckert said that he wanted the child to inherit the family name and title of the Eckert family, and I agreed on your behalf. ”

"I also promised to make him the Duke's personal soldier... The position of Chief Guard of the Imperial Court was left to him until he was twenty years old, and when he inherited the title, he succeeded him as Vice-President of the Duchy's Knight Academy. ”

The black-haired wizard didn't say a word, acquiescing to the result.

Although it is not a compensation, at least it is an explanation for the loyal Earl of Eckert.

"It's all my fault, it's my self-defeating... led to this result. ”

Her hoarse voice was trembling, and Charlotte's eyes widened as if she were drowning in a desperate pant.

"If I hadn't ordered Euron Eckert to rush to the cathedral, he would still be standing next to me intact......"

"If、If I hadn't agreed to that one-year appointment for you, we could have fought our last breath to take those two culprits......

"If I hadn't forced you to be with me that night, if I hadn't been there with self-righteousness, I wouldn't have ......"

Syllable!

Feeling the sudden holding of her right hand on her shoulder, Charlotte trembled.

"Charlotte, you've done a great job... Better than many. Standing behind the self-reproaching countess, the black-haired wizard whispered, "Of all of them, you are the one who has the least self-reproach. ”

"But I ......"

"If you don't speak, I'll end up with one or the other. Interrupting Charlotte, who was pale and hurriedly retorted, Loren's right hand holding her shoulder a little harder:

"You helped me make a very difficult decision to not have to sacrifice more people... For that, I would like to express my sincere gratitude!"

The countess's eyes were still full of sourness and sorrow, and she rarely showed a little weakness.

"The most important thing is that we didn't lose... Isn't it?" Sighing cautiously, the black-haired wizard barely smiled, "The enemy's plan has failed—the assassination has not caused chaos between Byrne and the Empire, but rather a common enemy has become more united. ”

"What's more, in fact, even if it just frustrates their plans, it can be considered a victory of sorts. Loren continued to comfort: "You forced away two strong enemies with promises and oaths, and won a year's chance for Byrne, which is already a very big advantage. ”

"After all... This is no longer a threat to a single principality, but an enemy to be faced by the entire empire, attacking with all their might, trying to defeat or even destroy them outright at any cost... That's wishful thinking!"

"Well said!"

In the next second, a very abrupt voice came from the other end of the hallway.

A black long-sleeved trench coat with a slightly tighter dark riding suit underneath, the thick heels of long leather boots made the man look half a head taller than he should be, and half of his face was covered with messy brown curls.

In the name of "condolences for His Excellency Euren Eckert", he came from the Duchy of Boi, a close confidant and emissary of Brandon de Salion.

Of course, as for the real purpose of the other party's visit, Byrne also knows it.

"The Centaur War is one thing, the invasion of the Azorean kingdom is quite another. As the envoy walked over, he said leisurely: "Unless you gather the strength of the entire empire and start a full-scale war, you will definitely lose." ”

"The only way to do this is to end the current division within the empire, reunite all forces under one voice, and fight the enemy to the death!"

Seeing the other party's figure getting closer and closer, Charlotte, who had just shown a slightly weak expression, snorted coldly, proudly puffed up her chest and turned around, leaving only a tall back for the two.

In the midst of the astonishment or strange gazes around her, the iron-faced Countess of the Red Blood Castle walked away quickly, disappearing without a trace in the crowd.

Lord Byrne, who was "thrown in place", could do nothing but smile and remain steady.

"It seems that even after all this time, the Countess of Crimson Castle still doesn't have a good impression of His Highness Brandon. Although the object of his allegiance was "disliked", the envoy still had a light expression, and chuckled: "Isn't there anything good to do Duke Byrne?"

"If so, do you think I'll wait until now?" Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Loren complained: "I can only say that it is not the right time for you to come." ”

"Oh, yes. The messenger suddenly realized: "Why did I, as a close confidant of His Highness Brandon, appear in the court of Duke Byrne?"

"It's really weird... His Royal Highness Brandon had just undergone a life-and-death assassination, but Duke Byrne seemed to know nothing about it, and he stayed in his court leisurely, spending time and night with the lovely and elegant Countess of Crimson Castle, but ignoring his best friend and loyalties......

"It's really... It's so weird!"

With wide eyes, the messenger stood in front of Loren with a sincere and curious expression, and the two faces were almost together.

Feeling the strange gaze behind him, the black-haired wizard with the corners of his mouth twitching coughed lightly, and waved his hand towards the side hall on the other side of the corridor with embarrassment.

The smiling messenger was pleased to understand and walked away.

"As for the assassination, I have sent a messenger to Boi beforehand, and I have specially ordered someone to take care of it afterwards. With a light snort, Loren said in a deep voice: "I stayed in Byrne on the premise of confirming that His Highness Brandon was intact, and I didn't ignore it. ”

"What's more, please don't forget that as the Duke of the Empire, it would be taboo for me to leave the Principality without an order from His Majesty the Emperor... Especially at a time like this, isn't there nothing to do?"

"That's true, but Your Highness still believes that you should put his interests and safety first. The messenger smiled like a child—stubbornly: "After all, you are not loyal to the Empire, but to Your Highness. ”

"Then may I ask what His Highness wants me to do and how to do it?" Loren finally couldn't help but roll his eyes:

"Taking advantage of the chaos between the Heavenly Dome Palace and the Imperial Capital, gather troops to march to Golovin and march to the side of the Qing Emperor? Not to mention that it is not easy to say what the real situation of the Heavenly Dome Palace is at the moment, once we make a move, it will give Crown Prince Conod the best reason to 'counter the rebellion' - I dare to say, he must have waited for this day for a long, long time!"

"Yes, but we can take advantage of the current turmoil in the empire to gather troops. The envoy took the opportunity to take over the topic: "The assassination of the duke, the turmoil of the principality, internal and external troubles... In this case, Byrne has every reason to ignore the voice of the Empire and gather all his forces in case of an emergency!"

"This is our advantage, because Crown Prince Conod can't do this - the Imperial Legion of Broken Mountain is to guard against the invasion of monsters from the north, and he has no right to mobilize these troops to the south, so the army that is really loyal to him directly is only less than 10,000 garrisons in East Sackland!"

"On the other hand, the two principalities of Boe and Byrne can muster at least 150,000 troops... Before the Heavenly Dome Palace and the other principalities react, take the lead!"

"The only problem, only the distance and distance, and the attitude of the other principalities. Seeing that Loren remained silent, the messenger continued to talk:

"The passage of the army through East Sackland would be blocked, so it would have to go through the mountains of Ellemont, and the attitude of Archduke Ully Wirtz would be of paramount importance, and he must be co-opted or neutral......

Bang——!

The moment before the words fell, the black-haired wizard who was silent turned around sharply and closed the door to the side hall.

"Byrne... Duke?"

The startled messenger turned his head with a hint of consternation on his face: "You—what are you doing?"

"What to do, this should be the question you told me. Turning his back to the messenger, Loren quietly curled the corners of his mouth: "My envoy, do you know what you're talking about?"

"Uh......"

"Secretly gather troops, conspire with the Grand Duke of the Alliance, and spy on the intentions of the Heavenly Dome Palace... If one of these charges is confirmed, and if one of these charges reaches the ears of Eckhart II, I, the Duke of Byrne, will be shouted and beaten by everyone, and how dare you talk to me about this in Byrne Cathedral, in such a crowded place?"

The envoy was stunned for a moment, and then chuckled: "I can't see that Lord Loren Turin is still such ......a cautious person;

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the black-haired wizard.

"And now, these words actually came from the mouth of a nameless 'His Highness' who I had never heard of, and who came out of nowhere......" Loren shook his head and sighed: "Don't make me laugh - if our Highness Brandon is so charismatic, and he is loyal to any person he picks up on the side of the road, the crown prince will not be Conod but him." ”

"So ......"

After a deliberate long pause, the black-haired wizard turned around and looked at the stunned messenger with a playful look in his eyes:

"Who did you learn the transfiguration technique from, my... Hmmm......"

"His Highness Brandon de Salion?"