"Why did you say that to the alchemist?"

In the map room of the Broken Mountain Fortress, the middle-aged knight Ernst Drexis held his hands behind his back, silently watching Conod's back, and his thick voice was a little confused.

"Hunch. ”

"Premonition?"

"It wasn't a sudden thought, but a vague sense of it. Prince Sackland, who was standing in front of the map table, spoke slowly, groping for the map of the Broken Mountain Fortress, his red pupils gradually focusing on the name of a place.

Valley of Blood.

"Ernst, how many monster invasions have you experienced?"

"Once, it was under your father, Emperor Eckhart II, when His Majesty had just succeeded to the throne. Ernst said decisively: "The monster invasions that have appeared in the past have been different, but they are all huge!"

"How does it compare to His Majesty Brandon I?"

"It's... Of course, it can't be compared to the Great Northern War, when the empire faced four apostles at the same time, otherwise Brandon the Sage would not have been so eager to go north, and there was only one apostle in that invasion. ”

"But there's no doubt that these heretics with terrifying powers gathered a strong enough army to march on the Broken Mountain Fortress, right?" Conrad spoke slowly, as if asking a question as if asking himself:

"Otherwise, what else would they use to give themselves to the evil gods who gave them power, to prove their horribly twisted beliefs and get more attention?"

Ernst's gaze narrowed into a slit: "What do you mean ......?"

"This is an unquestionable invasion, otherwise they wouldn't have destroyed our watchtowers, but they have another purpose while making it impossible for us to determine their movements - they know very well that delaying time will only make the Broken Mountain Fortress more prepared and harder to gnaw!"

Conod sat down and slowly answered the question of the deputy commander of the fortress: "So something unexpected must have happened in the Valley of Bloodbones, so that these heretics and monsters have other goals - to pull out the watchtower, in order to ensure that we will not be discovered!"

"That's right, there must have been an accident, and it's never been before!"

Ernst's eyes grew in disbelief: "If so, do you really think that His Highness Brandon... Your own brother is able to accomplish this mission?!"

Prince Sackland's hands were crossed with his fingers crossed, and his grim face was cloudy, as if he had fallen into deep thought:

"Maybe... He's also a De Salion, but the more dangerous the situation, the more unfavourable the situation is, the more he can bring out his true level – Brandon de Salion is such a person. ”

"Of course, even if he dies in the north after all, that Lord Loren Turin will surely find out something—because he will never pass up such a good opportunity to find the legendary Nidhogg!"

Ernst's surprised expression added a little clarity: "You want to say ...... If Loren Turin can really uncover any precious clues, is he worth being bought?"

"The talent that Rut Infinit has a fancy, even if he gets nothing, is worth being bought—His Excellency's past exploits are enough to prove his strength and ability, and of course such a person must be used by me!"

Ernst was silent.

Conod looked sideways slightly: "You think I did something wrong?"

"I just think people like Loren Turin... There may simply be no such thing as loyalty. The middle-aged knight replied truthfully: "Moreover, even if you buy him, Loren Turin will not become your subordinate, but will consider him to be an equal relationship with you!"

"Of course, even if he is mixed up with Lothair, he is still a Byrin, not to mention that his surname is Turin. Conod shook his head slowly: "Ernst, have you ever seen a Turin who is not arrogant?"

“...... Never. ”

"Since every Supreme Emperor for thirteen generations has been able to endure the arrogance of Duke Byrne and the Turin family, I don't think it's a problem to have one more Loren Turin - rather, a Supreme Emperor who doesn't know how to be quick and patient is the fatal death hole of the Sakran Empire!"

Conod tapped the "Valley of Blood" on the map with his right hand, and a trace of confusion suddenly flashed in his eyes: "Ernst, I have a question. ”

"Your Highness?"

"Do you think... Is it possible that Nidhogg really still exists in this world, and that Lusen is not lying?"

"Is it possible that the evil gods who invaded the dragon kingdom back then were not as we imagined, or that my first-generation grandmother, the last 'dragon queen' Brünnhilde, had already been destroyed, as we thought?"

"Is it possible that it was actually hidden by the remnants of the Dragon Kingdom?"

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

Nidhogg, the legendary Dragon King, certainly exists, at least hundreds of years ago, when the empire was just founded, and it is definitely still alive.

Because the inscription on the stone wall in front of you is ironclad evidence!

In other words, the ancient cave in front of you is where the legendary first wizard "Logan in a Hat" began, all the way to find Nidhogg.

Naturally, he was not the "First Wizard" at that time, but just a small missionary under the jurisdiction of the Holy Cross Church.

But why did Logan as a missionary not spread the faith of the Holy Cross in that era when the Holy Cross Cult was flourishing and the heretical cults in the various principalities were swept away step by step, but went to the ruins of the Dragon Kingdom to test his faith?

Did he see something contrary to his faith, or was it the mechanisms within the Church and the cruelty to heresy that he could not bear?

The legendary "Logan in a Hat" doesn't seem to be a good person to get along with either, maybe his withdrawn personality caused him to be ostracized by the other clerics?

"Dear Loren, forgive me for interrupting slightly. ”

Asriel on the side glanced at the black-haired wizard's attentive expression in surprise, and the corners of his smiling mouth twitched, "That's not what you're here for, is it?"

"Of course not, what I'm trying to find is the 'valve' hidden in the Dragon King's City that wasn't taken away by Logan. Locke replied as a matter of course:

"But if I can figure out the real purpose of Logan's trip north, I can get more!"

"But then again... What else can I do but think about this until my body is fully recovered?" the black-haired wizard said without forgetting to roll his eyes.

The young man's eyes flickered, and the corners of his mouth were hooked with a little cunning:

"Excuses. ”

"What excuse?"

"Dear Loren, you just want to take a moment to determine where you are, if you're safe, and where your friends are and where you're right now—the moment you wake up, you're almost recovered. ”

"By the way, you were aware of my existence as early as the ruins of the watchtower, and you just pretended not to know about it, and even when you encountered an avalanche, you didn't use the high-level magic spell of 'Die Now' to save yourself because you knew that I was always hovering less than fifty meters away from you. ”

"How could a simple stupid Guardian Knight guess that the only thing he can kill you is the moment the avalanche falls... I'm guessing you almost laughed out loud in the bottom of your heart, right?"

"How could Loren Turin, who never trusted anyone, risk his life to defuse a crisis for an ally who was using each other?"

"For you are so sure that poor Asriel would never let you die so easily—and it is true, just as you suspect that I have bad intentions towards you. ”

"Please forgive me for lying a little...... I'm curious about the legendary Dragon King, so let me be a spectator of this thrilling adventure, of course... You're going to owe me a favor if you need help, so be sure to do it!"

After a moment of silence, Loren's face was slightly indifferent:

"Dear Asrael, I suddenly find myself missing you. ”

The young man stood up like a nobleman, with his right hand behind his back and his left hand slightly raised, bowing gracefully and smoothly, with a faint evil smile on the corner of his mouth:

"Welcome back, Loren.

Welcome back——!"