The pre-war meetings were not held in the warm chambers of the Duke's palace, but in the windy courtyard of the castle. Several powerful dragon knights moved the round table to the open space, laid out the snow trays, erected the hourglass, and then the lords took their seats in turn—the Count of Bogdan was not among them, and there was no room for dishonorable deserters at the round table, and Gregory IV removed him after the last meeting, but he was still left with a little room to save face—to be guilty of the wolf hunt.

Duke Alaric of Shendevo was the last to take his seat, but there was still an unsightly gap in the round table, where two empty chairs were placed. Standing between two chairs, Setanda slowly fiddled with the snowpan with one hand, one side of which he now raised a towering snowdrift to symbolize the rolling misty mountains, and then smeared his palm across the center of the snowpan, scribbling on a miniature view of the Vaal snowfield. "Flag." He whispered, and immediately a dragon knight stepped forward and handed the small gray and blue flag to his empty other hand. Setanda stared down at the blinding white snowpan and planted the flags into the snow one by one, so that a large area of gray flags gradually occupied the east side of the snowpan, and surrounded a blue flag. Sertanda wasn't fully engrossed, and from time to time he glanced distractedly at the beautifully decorated hourglass that had been erected on the edge of the snow tray. The quicksand pool in the upper part is still full, while the quicksand pool at the bottom is only a shallow layer of fine sand, and a strand of misty silk threads hangs down, which is indistinguishable from the naked eye, but time is passing steadily. Haven't come back yet? How long will it be until noon? Setanda thought irritably, just a distraction, and the snow disc had a few more crooked little flags.

Heavy footsteps sounded at the gates, and Gregory IV and Duke Alexis finally arrived. The lords stood up en masse, thumbs running over their eyebrows: "Your Majesty! Gregory IV gave the same solemn military salute. Setanda had finally placed all the flags and stepped back silently, standing side by side with Lista. Gregory IV's gaze fell on the snow tray, frowned, and straightened the crooked little flag before taking his seat.

"Let's get started." Duke Alexis sat down beside Gregory IV, and the gap in the round table was finally filled, and the men in armor surrounded a metal siege with their swords, blocking the bitter wind from the perimeter, except for the sound of hot breathing. In the middle of the siege was a snowpan lined with small gray-blue flags, and the hourglass was silently flowing through the fine sand.

"First of all, the deployment of troops, Lista."

"Yes, sir!" Lista stepped forward and opened the roster in his hand, "Fifteen Ranger Regiments, except for the Seventh and Eighth Ranger Regiments, which are guarding Boinbru, the others have all been mobilized, with a total of thirty-nine squads and more than three thousand nine thousand people. In addition, there are a number of supernumerary ranger groups, totaling more than 2,000 people. The secondary command was given to Count Stephen. ”

"The eight detachments of the Guardian Legion have been mobilized, totaling more than 7,200 people. The secondary command was given to the Duke of Aldemar. ”

"The entire army of the Dragon Knights was dispatched, a total of one thousand two hundred and two. Another 5,000 followers. Under the direct command of Duke Alexis. ”

"One thousand two hundred and two?" Marquis Clovis questioned, "The Dragon Knights are full of 1,200 people, where did the fraction come from?" ”

"Am I not counted with Lista?" Duke Alexis replied indifferently.

Marquis Clovis closed his mouth in amusement. Gregory IV gestured for Lista to continue.

"Combined forces in the Highlands, four thousand eight hundred, with secondary command to General William."

"The garrison of the Sanctuary is two thousand two hundred people, and the secondary command is given to the Duke of Alaric."

"There are a number of logistical transport troops, which are under the direct responsibility of the Marquis of Clovis and the Count of Bogdan. Other lords, assigned to the battle queue of the Dragon Knights, serve as wartime staff officers, retain command, and may be assigned additional tasks if necessary. Above. Lista "snapped" the roster, saluted, and pushed away.

"Why me?" The corner of Marquis Clovis's eyes twitched fiercely, and he stared at Duke Alexis deadly, hoping to find a hint of banter in the other party's eyes, but the face that was as pale as a glacier and as cold as a glacier did not melt any expression towards him, but just smashed a pile of broken ice over his face:

"I'm not relieved to hand it over to Bogdan, and he is looking forward to you, you are also a veteran, and you have a lot of experience in running logistics, so you need to help him a lot. Whether he can wash away his humiliation in this battle depends on your help. ”

"Ahem...... Cough! Someone coughed to hide his irrepressible laughter, and it was Setanda, who could barely hold it anymore, and his shoulders twitched until Lista hit him with his shoulder. It's just that the captain of the dragon knight is also holding back quite hard, although he stretches the lines of his lips into an arched bridge, and the corners of his mouth are uncontrollably raised upward. "It's the first time I've seen the Grand Master taunt someone." Sertanda whispered.

"Adults have always been on the matter, and they have never mocked people, but everyone sounds like they are mocking." Lista replied in a low voice, "During the Second Battle of the Dragon and Lion, Marquis Clovis was in charge of the logistics, and it was done quite well. Without him, our emergency withdrawal from Sarion would not have gone so smoothly. ”

"Really? But I think he's going to blow up. Setanda looked sympathetically at the Marquis of Clovis whose face turned purple, and the latter seemed to have a full-fledged furnace hidden in his cheek, as if the next moment a furious white smoke was coming out of the seven orifices.

"He'll understand that there's no one better suited to logistics than him." Lista said. Both of them deftly suppressed their voices within half a step of their side, not even letting the swaying wind carry the trivial whispers into the metal siege. During the chat, the assignment of combat tasks has been fully completed. Gregory IV cleared his throat, looked around at the round table, and began his mobilization speech in a solemn manner:

"We're not just dealing with the Omenwolf this time, it's likely that there's a heretic leader standing behind him, Meldere. I don't know how he got in touch with the wildlings in the Misty Mountains, but I would like to remind you that Meldra was definitely a scheming tactician, and that the Royal Academy even kept a few of his military writings from before his fall, and with him on his side, the raiding tide would only be more difficult. In fact, we have already deeply learned his tactical qualities. Quietly, we lose all contact with Boimbour, and put the Vaal Snow Field under our control. But," Gregory IV's gaze swept over the snowpan occupied by the small gray flag, and smiled contemptuously, "it's far worse than the blitzkrieg that old Brennus waged against us!" That time, we were the ultimate winners! The people of Sarion threw away their armor under Raven City and fled in a hurry, not even having time to collect the corpse of their marshal! And this time, we will win too! ”

"Let victory belong to the North, and glory belongs to us!" Gregory IV rose to his feet and roared like a raging wave.

"Let victory belong to the North, and glory belongs to us!" The lords roared to their feet at the same time, the metal siege suddenly rose up, the fine sand at the bottom of the hourglass jumped uneasily, and the beating of iron and blood surged into a surging drum beat that shook the round table.

As if in response, a terrible wolf howl swept across the courtyard in an instant, completely overshadowing the men's cries. Almost at the same moment, Lista let out a howl of pain and threw herself forward to the ground, her blood-swollen right hand plunging deep into the icy earth, which soon dissolved into a puddle of rising white mist. Setanda was stunned for a moment, but he reacted quickly, stepped forward and skillfully twisted Lista's left hand, he had dealt with similar emergencies many times. But this time Lista reacted violently beyond his expectations, and the reason in that body seemed to have been torn apart by something. Setanda was almost unable to suppress Lista's counterattack, and he even had the illusion that he was wrestling with Douglas's "Iron Bear"!

"You guys, go separate ways and find Yeats! Lista is sick! She was either in the study of the mansion or on the balcony of the castle! Duke Alexis swept his gaze, and immediately two dragon knights rushed in different directions, "Setanda, how long can you hold out?" ”

Without a response, Setanda was able to barely restrain Lista at first, but as the Dragon Knight Captain pulled a bloody crimson hand out of the hot mire, the "Fierce Dog" began to fall into disadvantage. Duke Alexis frowned and suddenly stepped forward to join the battle.

"Frost, are you crazy!" At the angry shouts of Gregory IV, Duke Alexis drew the sword from Lista's waist and slashed it accurately into Lista's right hand, the sharp blade embedded deep in the palm of his hand, and then sealed by flesh, and no blood flowed from the wound. But the instantaneous outburst of pain made Lista's eyes slightly return to some human clarity.

"Your Excellency...... That's, called...... Voice, someone calling from the depths of the Misty Mountains...... I. He finished in fits and starts, and fell headlong to the ground.

The wind and snow rolled uneasily, and the high atmosphere fell into the freezing point of dead silence only in an instant. Everyone's uneasy eyes were focused on Duke Alexis and the unconscious Lista. The fact that the Dragon Knight Captain was tainted by the divinity of Vjovius is a secret in the North, and only a few people know about it. But now, a wolf howl tore off the veil, revealing a terrifying true face. Perhaps none of the High Lords present knew about the so-called divinity and divine powers, and they didn't even know that the scholars of the Royal Academy were secretly studying a new theology, but they all heard the words of Lista before he fell unconscious. The storms of confusion echo each other tacitly in the shadows.

"What's going on?" Duke Alaric did not look at Duke Alexis, but tentatively at Gregory IV.

Gregory IV was silent for a long time, the corner of his eye glancing at Duke Alexis, who was with his head bowed, gasping violently, and the series of movements just now seemed to exhaust all his strength. But Gregory IV still noticed a slight shaking of his head at the last moment, a movement that only he could perceive and understand. The message is concise: concealment.

How can it be so easy to hide it? Gregory IV smiled bitterly in his heart. "It's complicated, and Duke Alexis will give you an explanation after this battle is over. But I assure you in the name of the King that Captain Lista's loyalty to Ravenston is unquestionable. He saw a hint of hesitation in Duke Araric's eyes, knowing that his words were not convincing. Fortunately, Yeats finally arrived, and the dragon knights sent by Duke Alexis did not find her, but she also heard the wolf howl, and she was relieved that Lista's situation came immediately, but the situation was far more serious than she imagined. Yeats glanced at Setanda for help, who nodded silently and carried Lista onto the round table, where the snow trays and hourglasses were violently swept away, and the gray and blue flags and fine sand were scattered all over the ground. This just freed Gregory IV, who picked up Duke Alexis and sternly ordered: "Next, Yeats will treat Captain Lista, and Setanda will stay here to assist, Frost, and the army will now be under your full command." The others returned to their respective teams according to their previous assignments. That's the end of the roundtable! ”

The king has already said that he is dead, so if he goes to the bottom of the matter, it will be a bit ignorant of current affairs. Duke Alaric was silent for a moment, bowed slightly, and walked out of the courtyard, where the lords followed him, until only the unconscious Lista remained, Yeats, who lay in Lista's ear and whispered a crying prayer, Setanda who pressed Lista, and a pair of exhausted courtiers.

"Will he survive this time?" Gregory IV asked.

"I don't have any fewer questions than you do." Duke Alexis replied.

"Are there really gods?"

"I don't care about this," Duke Alexis said coldly, "but someone has to ...... Or something else has to pay for it. ”

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