"Bang ————!!!!"

The sound of breaking the sky resounded in the night sky.

The boiling sea of fire split in two from the center - the petite figure of the elven girl leaned forward, holding the long knife in her right hand, maintaining the posture of drawing the knife and slashing at the last moment, and the sparks of unburned embers flew around her, scattering along with her long snow-white hair.

The embarrassed elf boy snuggled up behind her, vigilantly staring at the black-haired wizard's every move, his hands still in a state of "light spots", not fully recovered.

"......Shh

Looking at his two intact "guests", the black-haired wizard couldn't help but spit out, very helpless.

It's hard to do.

If there is only one, with the cooperation of the witcher with the wings of the sky, he can calmly take it down, but two... You have to think about opening the valve.

But according to a certain "evil god boy", once the current self opens the valve, it is likely that he will put someone he really doesn't want to see from the void into the material world.

Considering how disgusted he was with the guy, Loren didn't want to take that risk.

While the two sides were at a stalemate, the surrounding witchers and the accompanying wizard union spellcasters had regrouped and surrounded the two elves.

"Wings of the Firmament——!" Lusen, who had a sword in his hand, his eyes widened angrily, and he had just made a mistake in judgment, causing Loren to leave behind his captivity, and the situation of fighting alone made him feel inexplicably ashamed, and his expression was a little distorted and hideous:

"Capture alive these two assassins who dare to attack the Duke - dare to resist, and there will be no mercy!"

The next moment, more than a dozen magic arrays appeared at the feet of the two elves at the same time.

Almost at the same time, the witchers, not to be outdone, raised their swords one after another, clutching the alchemy bomb behind their backs, each lunging down from a different direction.

"Boom ——!!!!"

The shadow of the sword flickered at the same time as the aurora, and the stalagmites turned into pieces the moment they rose, and the dust that stirred up enveloped everyone.

"Wait a minute——!"

The sword flashed, and the stirring smoke and dust were suddenly separated, and the elf girl standing with the knife stepped forward.

In the next second, the knife in the girl's hand was already approaching in front of Lu Sien, who was charging with a sword.

"Bell ——!"

The narrow blade tore through the "steel blockade" of the two sharp blades, and went straight to the gray-eyed boy's face, stopping less than three inches from his eyes.

Almost at the same time, the dragon knight's spear in Lusen's right hand also passed through the elven girl's three feet, pressing against her throat.

"I have a proposal!"

The surrounding witchers saw that the captain was being held hostage, and they all stopped in place, vigilant and vigilant.

"Talk about ——!"

With a roar of rage, the black-haired wizard raised his hand to stop the guards and knights who were still trying to rush up behind him.

Seeing that the enemies around him no longer stepped forward, the elf boy hiding behind the girl was relieved, but he still looked around vigilantly, and the jewel pendant in his hand flashed brightly.

"Let us go, and for two days, don't send any more men after us. The elf girl's immature voice babbled and said, "This is our request, and it is the only request." ”

"What about your conditions. Stopping Charlotte behind her, who wanted to speak, Loren said in a deep voice: "It can't be something like 'no longer hurt my subordinates', right?"

Then I advise you to save it, because they really want to 'hurt' you now!"

The elven girl shook her head.

"It's a one-year deadline, and after a year, Lori will challenge you on her own... Above board. The girl spoke lightly, and her expression regained her composure from the previous state of being stimulated by Loren:

"Until then, Lori assures you that no more elven warrior will appear in your court!"

The elf boy behind the girl was shocked when he heard this, and looked back suddenly: "Sister, should you really ......?"

"Anson, stand down!"

The elf girl who was pressed to her throat with a short sword by Lusan stopped the young man behind her with an unchanging face.

In the next second, she gently pushed away the blade in front of her neck, and bowed respectfully to the black-haired wizard in Lusen's stunned gaze:

"Whether you fight to the death here and let your subordinates who could have been immortal die in vain, or whether you and Lori will decide the winner with the blades in their hands a year later, with their own glory and reputation beliefs - the choice is yours!"

The black-haired wizard looked at her in amazement.

She... It can't be serious, right?

In all fairness, this choice is indeed in my favor, but now that the cathedral has changed, Mentor Dalton's fate is uncertain, and if we continue to fight, I am afraid that there will be more casualties... I am not 100% sure of my injured self.

In exchange for a year's peace, and no more elven warriors raiding the Red Blood Castle, not only will there be plenty of time to repair and prepare, but it will also ensure that the principality that is still developing will not be harassed.

But here's the problem......

"Why should I promise you?" Loren tugged at the corners of his mouth, his eyes solemn: "What's more... You don't have any evidence or reason to convince me. ”

"There's only one reason!"

The elf girl who bowed and saluted, her voice suddenly became formal:

"Lord Loren Turin, you are the Duke of Byrne - and the Duke of Byrne will never refuse a fair and just duel!"

In an instant, the black-haired wizard's face froze.

Not only the guard knights behind him, but even the witchers of the Firmament Wings turned their heads one after another, their eyes focused on Loren.

I almost forgot about it!

Each principality has its own cultural traditions, moral standards and habits of conduct, or "spiritual beliefs" that are diligently pursued.

For the Byrne, this belief is "chivalry";

And the core of this belief is that "honor is above all else".

This belief made the counts of the thirteen lords of Byrne unconditionally loyal to their sudden appearance of "Turin", and let more than 20,000 Byrnens follow themselves on the great green sea steppe without complaint and win one bloody battle after another, and let the entire principality still stand behind them unreservedly when they "make claims".

This is both Byrne's strength and her most fatal weakness.

For the sake of honor, Byrne's army would rather fight to the death on the battlefield than choose a retreat tactic that would preserve strength;

For the sake of honor, the Duke of Byrne must not refuse a duel, even if the other party is his own enemy!

Between two fires......

Loren, who was silent, looked at the elven girl in four eyes, and under the silent night sky, he could hear the footsteps of the streets in the distance.

In the distance, the top of the cathedral is still burning.

Will the tiger return to the mountain and fight again at another time, or will he take down the other side while the situation is now under control, and he will fight with heavy casualties?

Just as Loren was still hesitating, Charlotte, who was behind him, suddenly stepped forward.

"Okay, we agreed!"

Well?!

Loren was startled, and looked at Charlotte who stepped forward with a dumbfounded face, leaving only the back of his head:

"For a year, after one year, the Duke of Byrne will choose a location with you, and under the witness of both parties, you will fight to the death!"

In the next second, all eyes returned to the black-haired wizard.

The black-haired wizard with a stiff expression was stunned for a second, then quickly regained his composure and bowed his head silently.

As soon as Charlotte spoke, he had no room to refuse:

"Yes. ”

"So it was decided. The elf girl nodded, her expression indifferent: "In a year, Lori will naturally come to the Red Blood Castle, or His Excellency the Duke will visit......"

"Wait!" Charlotte interrupted her coldly:

"I'm not done yet!"

The elf girl was not angry: "So... Please continue. ”

"Since you are the one who proposes the duel, the rules of the duel must follow Byrne's customs. Charlotte bowed her head slightly:

According to Byrne's custom, the party proposing the duel must show sufficient sincerity. ”

"What do we have to do to show our sincerity?" the blindfolded elf girl asked softly, looking up.

"Quite simply, hostage. Charlotte slowly crossed her hands in front of her lower abdomen, and her waist straightened: "Yourself, or your relatives... Stay in the Red Blood Castle as a hostage. ”

The expressions of the two elves changed at the same time, and they shouted in unison:

"It's impossible to ——!"

"Without hostages, how can we be convinced of your sincerity?!" Charlotte's sword eyebrows raised, and she suddenly said sharply: "I obviously want to use this as an excuse to trick the Duke into letting you go!"

"Knights of Byrne, what are you waiting for - such a despicable and shameless person does not deserve to live, and there is no mercy for killing!"

The situation has changed suddenly!

"Boom ——!!!!"

There was an explosion.

Without warning, the sudden flash of light made the surrounding witchers instinctively dodge, and they did not forget to throw the alchemy bomb out as they retreated, and the roar of the firelight explosion mixed with the strong light sealed the senses of everyone around for a while.

The elf girl and Lusen, who were in a stalemate in the confrontation, also had to choose to separate, and even so, the tense gray-eyed boy still raised his sword in both hands, ready to fight back.

It took a full ten seconds for everything to go back to the way it was.

The boy who had just "hidden" behind the elf girl now opened his arms to block her behind him, and his wide robe was full of marks from the explosion and the scars left by Lusen's retreat.

The elf boy who was gasping for breath again and again was embarrassed.

"Wait a minute!"

"On the question of sincerity... I have a proposal!"

Charlotte was slightly startled, but still nodded calmly: "Please speak." ”

"There is no such thing as a hostage—not only because of my sister's wishes, but also because His Majesty the Eagle King will never accept it, and neither of us can fulfill our promises. ”

The chest rose and fell violently, and the elven boy's expression was extremely difficult: "But we can tell you about the Red Blood Castle and even Byrne's all our intelligence networks, and the humans we have bought." ”

"In exchange for this, you also have a year to prepare... How?!"

With that, the elven boy stared at the black-haired wizard and the countess with nervous emerald green eyes, waiting for their final reply.

That's a good idea.

Charlotte's eyes lit up, and she looked back at the black-haired wizard behind her.

What do you think, do you want to say yes? Charlotte raised her eyebrows, her face unchanged.

Raise the price, they definitely know more information than this! Loren's expression was indifferent, and the corners of his mouth tugged.

"It's just Byrne's intelligence network, and we can dig it up ourselves. Closing her gaze, Charlotte pretended to look at the other party with contempt: "If these alone are sincere, they are too cheap!"

"And what more do you want?" asked the elven boy.

The countess snorted coldly: "It's very simple, we want all the intelligence networks of the Azorean Kingdom in the empire. ”

"Impossible!" The elf boy flatly refused: "Not to mention that I don't have it at all, even if we do, we will never say it, you should still die!"

"Really?" Charlotte narrowed her eyes and a cold smile broke out at the corner of her mouth, "That's not to talk about, Wings of the Firmament—"

"Can ——!!!!"

The elf boy hurriedly raised his hand to stop it, his expression tangled to the extreme: "I don't have the intelligence network of the whole empire on me, but I ......"

"Byrne, Boe, Lothair!" said Charlotte at once:

"You've got all of these, right?!"

“...... Yes. ”

Taking a deep breath, the elf boy almost squeezed the word out between his teeth.

"The intelligence network of the three principalities, plus the information about the 'Four Courts', will exchange you and your sister's lives. Charlotte, who had a cold face, deliberately stepped forward:

"And... You must guarantee that for a year the warriors of the Azorean kingdom will not infiltrate the Duchy of Byrne in private—is that possible?"

“...... OK. ”

The boy's hands clenched into fists unconsciously.

This is no longer a simple exchange, but to sell all the humans who are fighting for the Azores!

After such an incident, how many humans will be willing to pledge allegiance to His Majesty the Eagle King?!

But he can only accept that everything is for his sister, the Zade family, and the court samurai......

Charlotte bowed slightly, nodding to Luthen, and the gray-eyed boy who received the order immediately commanded the witcher to retreat around.

The elven girl, who had been silent, suddenly stepped forward and threw her Azorean long knife at the black-haired wizard.

"This is the famous sword that has been passed down from generation to generation by the Zade family, as a witness to our duel. The elf girl said seriously: "The next time we meet, I will take her back." ”

“...... With your head, Lord Lord of Byrne. ”

Dalton raised an eyebrow, looking at the Azorean long knife, which resembled a wooden stick and was so simple that it could not even be decorated.

I'll hand it over to the dwarves of Silverhelm Mountain to study and study.

"Take care, Lord Duke of Byrne, I hope we can meet again next time. The elf girl whispered, "Besides... On behalf of Anson and me, I would also like to ask you to extend your greetings to Master Haringvan Ashmai. ”

Well?

"Regards... Greetings?" Loren, who paused for a moment, almost blurted out:

"What greetings?"

"Just say... I am very sorry that my great-grandson is not filial to his bedside and cannot take care of his old man's house, but when he came this time, his father and grandmother had asked Lori to greet him and take care of his health. ”

In the next second, under the stunned gaze of everyone, the two elves gradually turned into spots of light and disappeared from sight.

What——?!