1025 in the imperial calendar, September 18.

After a period of intense preparations, the preparations for the counteroffensive revolutionary army have reached the final stage, and the number of troops, armaments, food and grass has reached the predetermined number, coupled with sufficient pre-war mobilization and speeches, the morale of the imperial coalition army has climbed to the top, and with only a single order from Havel, the total number of 200,000 troops will pour out and swallow up the revolutionary army that is blocking the front.

The time for the counteroffensive has been set, and the army will be drawn in two days, and the news has been spread throughout the army, and the officers and men cannot help but feel a little uneasy in their hearts while feeling anticipation and eagerness to try.

After all, war is war, it is the killing of order, it is synonymous with blood and cruelty, it is not a beautiful thing, and no one is sure whether they can survive the next war, to be honest.

That night, Northwest Changle City.

Arowen sat at the wooden table in his room, using cotton balls and weapon oil to maintain his love sword "Eight Feet Black" by the light, his movements were very careful and careful, with a focused expression on his face.

Beside him, Marika sat gracefully on the other side of the table with her legs together, doing nothing but holding her chin in her hands, quietly watching Arrowin do her own thing.

Time passed slowly, the night grew darker, and the room was quiet, except for the slight noise of Arowen as he put things down, and the inaudible breathing of each other, which seemed very comfortable and quiet.

Both of them seem to enjoy this atmosphere quite a bit, and they have long been accustomed to each other's existence, even if they stay like this all day, they won't feel boring and boring.

The so-called people who have been together all their lives probably feel like this, right?

I don't know how long it took, at a certain moment, Arowen suddenly stopped the movement in his hand, raised his head and glanced at Marika, who had seen it almost at the same time, the corners of his lips were slightly raised, and his voice was a little less cynical than the usual criticism, and a little more gentle only in front of his lover.

"It won't be long before the coalition forces attack the imperial capital, and if there are no surprises, this should be the last battle...... When we win this battle, we will choose a similar time for our marriage...... What do you think? ”

Hearing this, Marika reacted after being slightly stunned, and two intoxicating blushes couldn't help but rise on her pretty face, she has always given people a feeling of a cold beauty, but the shyness she showed at this time was a different style, and even Arowen, who was used to seeing her beauty, couldn't help but stay for a moment.

Just when Arowen was about to take advantage of the good atmosphere and strike while the iron was hot to say a few more nice words, he saw that Marika had quickly sorted out her mood, and the shame on her face faded, which made Arovin, who hadn't seen enough, cry out in her heart.

Regarding Arovin's proposal to marry, Marika first nodded heartily, and then she didn't know what she thought, with a look of embarrassment on her face, and began to shake her head again, "...... Not good. ”

Arowen was still smiling, but when he heard this, his whole face suddenly collapsed, and he said bitterly: "That, Miss Marika...... If there's anything I've done lately that upset you, please make it clear that I'm willing to admit my mistake! And accept any punishment! No complaints! ”

Seeing Arovin's crisp and neat attitude of confession, it was almost impossible to sit down, Marika couldn't help but be a little amused, but she still shook her head, "It's not your problem, I want to say that it's not good to make this kind of agreement before the war...... As Spiya had said, it was called a flag, and people who said something similar would generally ...... in the following battle," her voice stopped abruptly, knowing that she had lost her words, and did not say any more.

There was an unspeakable silence in the room, and the unintentional mention of the deceased friend was a pang of discomfort in both of their hearts, although they both tried their best to restrain themselves and did not let their emotions show on their faces, but the topic just now obviously could not continue.

Arowen became acquainted with Spiya because of Javier's relationship when she was a teenager, and although Marika has only known Spiya for less than four years, she is her best sister, no one, so the moment she heard of Spiya's death, Marika was no less devastated than Javier and Arrowin, two people who have been friends with Spiya for a longer time.

In the silence, Arowen grabbed his hair with his hand with some distress, wanting to say something to break the dull atmosphere in front of him, "This little girl, if you don't study well all day long, you will be instilled with some strange things......"

Arowen was still speechless, but Marika suddenly grabbed his hand, then leaned over and looked him seriously into the eyes, "I want you to promise me, after you go to the battlefield, don't be strong, don't do anything, I won't stop you from challenging the powerful enemy, but please remember no matter what...... Take me, and I'll help you defend your back. ”

The girl who was originally silent seemed to talk a little too much tonight for some reason, she was afraid, afraid of losing, different from the mercenary era, now she has a concern, and there is no way to fight without fear like before.

She has lost her best friend, she doesn't want to lose even her beloved lover, the feeling of wanting to reach out and grab it but can't do it, and can only watch the important person go away from her, she doesn't want to experience it again in her life.

Looking at the girl with tears faintly flashing in her eyes, Alovin was slightly moved, and then he held Marika's soft hand with his backhand, with a slight force and a gentle smile, "Look at what you said, when did I leave you?" I promise you that no matter what kind of strong enemies we encounter in the future, we will face them together, and we will live together......"

“…… Die and die together! Marika took the second half of the sentence, and a smile finally appeared on her face, and the smile was so beautiful.

-

"It's about to begin, the last battle ......"

In another part of Changle City, in the dormitory hall arranged for the "night attack", Najieta held a wine glass in her hand, looked at the cold moonlight outside the window through the window, and whispered in her mouth, Susanoo next to her listened silently, looking calm, knowing that this was just Najieta talking to herself, so she didn't answer.

There were only two people in the hall, Najeta and Susanoo, and the red pupil was not here, but went back to the room early to sleep, and now he was probably huddled in a quilt with his sister, whispering.

After Estes led his army to Changle City a few days ago, Red Hitomi finally met her long-separated sister, the Black Hitomi, the favorite of her life.

The two met under Javier's arrangement, and although the atmosphere was a little tense at first due to some legacy issues from the past, they successfully untied the knot and reached a reconciliation.

In the days that followed, the two sisters were inseparable, eating and sleeping together, as if they wanted to make up for all the time they had lacked, and the relationship was so close that even Will felt envious when he saw it.

In the intoxicating moonlight, Najeta poured wine into her stomach cup after glass, and several empty wine bottles were already messily placed on the table, perhaps in the dead of night, she remembered those times in the past, remembered her former companions, and used wine to kill her sorrows while feeling sad.

"After a lot of sacrifices, our dream is finally close at hand, Brand...... Leonay ...... Rabe...... Everyone...... Do you see it in heaven? Hmm......" Najeta smiled suddenly self-deprecatingly, "or are you in hell?" ”

Of course, the deceased could not respond to her, and Najeta did not expect to hear a response, but only gulped down the wine, and after a while there were several more empty bottles on the table, but even so, Najeta's eyes were still clear, and she did not show any drunkenness.

"Whether you're in heaven or hell right now, you're probably going to the same place when I die, so give me a little more time, everyone...... After this war is over, I will go to you, I should ...... I won't keep you waiting. ”

Susanoo, who was originally standing silently, glanced at her at this time, and said in a deep voice: "Najeta, I must remind you that you have used the Evil Soul Manifestation twice in a row, and your vitality is only one-third of the original, if you forcibly use it for the third time, you ......"

"Definitely going to die?" Najeta chuckled, "Of course I know what the consequences of doing this will be, and it would be better if I could live a little longer and use the rest of my life to do more practical things for the nascent empire...... But how can things be as good as they should be? If it really comes to the point where it's necessary, I'll ...... There will be no hesitation. ”

Susanoo was silent, he knew that he could not change Najeta's decision, and the only thing he could do was to fight with all his might in the next war so that the situation would not evolve to the point where Najeta would need to sacrifice herself.

-

A tall tower in the middle of the city, with two figures standing in the wind, overlooking the city that sits on the desolate land of the north.

Isidore Adonis lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth and took a hard breath, and a wisp of white smoke drifted away in the cool night breeze.

He stood there, a slow-burning cigarette between his fingers, his strong muscles holding up his navy uniform, and his height of at least two meters, even if he didn't say a word, it still gave people a strong sense of oppression.

Standing behind him, Will was like the difference between an adult male lion and a cub, and the momentum exuded from his body alone was not a level.

I only heard Isidore sigh in his tone: "When I transferred you to the imperial capital, I just wanted you to have a relationship with Javier and see the world again by the way, but I didn't expect so many things to happen later...... Will, now that you have grown into a true man, you are worthy of being my successor. ”

Will scratched his head, he was rarely praised by Isidore, and he was a little cramped at this time, "Compared to the master, I am still far behind." ”

"Less sycophants! Don't think that if you are better than me now, I won't dare to beat you! Isidore laughed and kicked Will, then asked, "By the way, the little girl I saw during the day is called Black Hitomi, right?" It seems to have a lot to do with you...... Honestly, where are you going? ”

When asked about this topic, Will was a little embarrassed, but in the face of his master, he still answered truthfully: "When this war is over, I plan to take Black Hitomi back to Rostock to meet my father and mother in my hometown, and then it will probably be ......"

Will didn't finish his words, just smirked, but Isidore was from here after all, how could he not understand the deeper meaning of these words? Haha laughed and kept slapping Will's vest with his palm, and the exaggerated force almost knocked Will unconscious.

"Not bad, not bad! I went to the imperial capital and even found my wife, and the future is immeasurable, you kid! ”

"Master, don't make fun of me......"

The treetops rustle in the wind, the grass and trees on the roadside also move in the wind, and under the dark sky, the brilliant moonlight pours on the land, with an intoxicating tranquility before the wind and rain, only a little insect chirping and the wind sound merge into one.

Similar scenes and conversations can be seen everywhere in Changle City, where everyone is preparing for the arrival of the big war, or seizing the time to enjoy what may be the last chance to spend time with the people around them.

Caught up in the maelstrom of power struggles, in the end, no matter who wins or loses, there will inevitably be a multitude of people who will die as sacrifices, sacrifices for the one and only throne, a necessary price.