The north wind is howling, outside the north gate of the Broken Mountain Fortress.

The few hundred remaining legionnaires stood on either side of the gates, standing majestically in the cold wind against the howling blizzard, each holding a halberd shield in his right hand and a helmet in his left, motionless as statues of steel, let the wind and snow blow.

There is only one person who can be made to do this, and only one person who is worthy of them to do so voluntarily.

The crown prince of the empire, Prince Conrad de Saglion... He's back.

No one spoke, and no one spoke to each other... The dead silence outside the city gate was very depressing, and the atmosphere was solemn to the extreme.

Of course, there are always exceptions.

An unhappy Brandon de Salion stood in the middle of the blizzard with his shoulders crossed - as the highest status of the Broken Mountain Fortress and a blood relative of Conrad, it was only natural that he would have to personally "welcome" his brother here.

Although he was very, very reluctant.

Of course, there was also the black-haired wizard who was forcibly pulled by him, who was "forced to stand motionlessly behind His Royal Highness the Prince" in the cold wind of winter.

"Relax, don't be upset when you're all here. Brandon, who had a smile on the corner of his mouth, waved his small hand at Ernst on the side very indifferently, and "comforted" his wizard advisor very comfortably, making Loren can't help but roll his eyes.

This kind of scoundrel-like face is about to become Brandon's "unique logo"!

His Royal Highness the Prince said lazily: "More important point... This is Broken Mountain Fortress, and Connad's attitude can pretty much everything - if we want to get a better outcome, I think we need to show more sincerity as well. ”

“......”

"You're my wizard advisor, and the Nidhogg you've found is crucial evidence, and even if your beloved brother can't embarrass us, you have to give him an unassailable reason, right?"

“......”

"You can rest assured, I can guarantee that the Imperial Brother will not do anything to you lightly - of course, if he decides to do it to me, you will have to protect me as much as possible... Uh, let me ask, do you feel like you're suddenly becoming important when I say that?"

“...... No. The expressionless Loren turned his head stiffly and looked at His Royal Highness the prince with an almost murderous gaze: "But I'm all here, can I go back now?"

"Hmm... That's it. ”

Brandon raised the corners of his mouth and gave Loren a thumbs up: "I knew that we really got along!"

“......”

Loren was very eager to pull out the bright silver and give the prince a cold drink, and then burn the body on the spot - but the price would be too high, and his head would be worth more than the weight of gold.

At that moment, a melodious trumpet sounded in the distance, and almost simultaneously, Loren and Brandon looked at the white glacial wasteland.

Although it was not yet obvious, the light of the fire and the dark shadows of the crowd could already be seen slowly on the horizon, the banner of the Iron Crown fluttering in the wind and snow, and the continuous sound of horses' hooves and footsteps.

Brandon let out a sigh of relief, changing the appearance of the hippie smile just now, with an indifferent smile on the corner of his mouth, his hands crossed in front of him, and his every move was clear-eyed, just like the demeanor of a prince and his royal highness.

The tired black-haired wizard had no choice but to turn his head and look solemnly at the group of cavalry that had already galloped from a distance, his eyes narrowed into a slit.

The north wind howled and never stopped.

Conrad, dressed in military uniform, dismounted, threw the squire behind his back, and walked towards them, accompanied by a dozen equally heavily armed knights.

The black-haired wizard raised his eyebrows, and at that moment, he clearly saw that Brandon wanted to retreat, and subconsciously pressed his lower back, and His Royal Highness trembled, and immediately returned to normal.

"It seems that Broken Mountain has held ......"

Conrad de Salion's voice was strong and powerful, and the tiredness in his expression could not hide the majesty, and his eyes like fire stared at Brandon standing in front of him:

"You...... Well done, it was the right decision!"

Brandon gasped... Of course, he knew what that "right decision" was.

Instead of going to the Valley of Bloodbones to rescue the Northern Expeditionary Corps trapped by the avalanche, he chose to return to the Broken Mountain Fortress.

Patting the snow on his body, Brandon, whose mind was quickly turning, quickly showed a bright smile: "Actually, it's not a big deal - by the time I arrived, the battle was almost over, and those rotting corpses weren't enough for Milasis to make an after-dinner exercise or something... Uh......"

The knights behind Conod all looked solemn, their cold eyes could suffocate people in an instant, the blood stains on the sword, the broken armor, the frozen face... All of them prove what a terrible battle they have experienced.

Brandon is very sure that if he continues to blow like this, unless the royal brother intervenes to stop it, someone will definitely stand up and stab him to death.

"Oh yes... Now that the royal brother is back unharmed...... "Looking at the unkind faces, Brandon quickly changed the subject: "Then it must be very beautiful in the Valley of Blood, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the black-haired wizard saw Conod's arm suddenly tense!

"Won beautifully?"

Conod narrowed his eyes and frowned: "Just by camping in the Valley of Blood, I lost nearly a regiment of troops in the blizzard!"

"Then the avalanches continued, and the camp collapsed one after another... Fortunately, they were all just outposts, and the logistical burden was not affected, otherwise three-quarters of the soldiers behind me would have frozen to death in the glacial wasteland!"

"As for whether the winner is beautiful, you have also seen with your own eyes and seen how those monsters fight!"

With a sigh, Connod's voice was calm, but it revealed a chill: "Compared to us, they don't need logistics, they don't have baggage, they can count casualties, even if they are all killed, the remaining monsters will still pounce on us and bite us without hesitation." ”

"Is it really possible to 'win beautifully' against such an enemy?"

Prince Sackland, who spoke in a heavy tone, muttered in a low voice, and there was a sadness in his words.

"In order to contain them, I had two thousand legionnaires block the exit from the glacier to the Valley of Blood, and I saw with my own eyes that the shield wall they formed was strangled into flesh little by little in front of countless monsters!"

"That's how I bought the sappers time to set up their ballistas, so that the cavalry could have the opportunity to detour back to the slopes on either side, and to block the crossbowmen and light infantry from both flanks...... Use up all the oil and stone cannons and crush the monsters to pieces!"

"You might as well ask them, and ask the two thousand legionnaires who didn't come back alive if they also think 'the victory was beautiful'?"

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, and the surrounding legionnaires bowed silently, and the embarrassed Brandon pulled the corners of his mouth, and only said one sentence for a long time:

"Sorry, sorry, I... I don't know if that'......."

"No! Brandon de Salion, you're doing a good job!"

Conod, who spoke in a heavy tone, stepped forward in two steps and pressed Brandon's shoulder, and His Royal Highness, who didn't react, almost collapsed to the ground!

"I'm not going to ask the reason or anything, I'm just looking at the results, and you've made a very wise decision. Conod, who was quite emotional, looked at his blood brother:

"No matter what, the Sakran Empire can't afford to lose the Broken Mountain Fortress!"

The two stared at each other for a full minute, until Conod voluntarily released the hand on his shoulder.

"This is the first time I've really stopped underestimating you, Brandon. ”

"You're a real de Salion. ”

"There is no doubt that you deserve the treatment that a de Salion deserves—I will write to my father and show him the whole process, and I will tell him you... It's the one who saved the Broken Mountain Fortress!"

"Wait, what the hell is going on......"

Before Brandon, who was a little surprised, could figure it out, Conod had already turned around and walked up to the black-haired wizard and gave him a meaningful look:

"As for you, Lord Loren Turin......

Someone wants to see you. ”