Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoMaybe the name Rhodes has been forgotten by Leo over time, and it is not known what kind of changes have happened to the cheerful and stubborn and shy boy who was once a cheerful and stubborn boy, and it is probably in the army of the Duchy of Pande that Itsev himself probably remembers the young man who opened his mouth and closed his mouth "I want to be a big man......

After the autumn, the northern collar with a slight bleak smell of cold wind rushed towards the face, rolling up clumps of earthy yellow gravel and taking away the little moist breath left in the air, took off the veil Leo casually buckled the sand accumulated in the nose and the corners of the eyes, forcibly endured the dry sand itch in his throat, squinted his eyes slightly, and looked at the vast but desolate plateau in front of him

Finn, Keith, Aldaryan, Kane, Al Andergrims, Pericles, Edward, Tydamir, and Tyr were closely behind Leo, and the armor or robes on each of them were filled with a hazy and suffocating yellow at the moment, and in the distance, as the first banner rose out of the horizon, the dense Duchy army marched slowly in a fairly neat formation, which made the wasteland somewhat more energetic and life......

Leo led his army, and after several months of trekking, he finally came to the edge of the northernmost land of the Northern Territory, and if he crossed the towering snow-capped peaks that had been covered with snow all the year round, there was the mysterious ocean that surrounded the continent, and so many hardships and accidents encountered along the way, that even the most learned Professor Pericles did not want to count the number of soldiers who had fallen forever on this land due to disease and other causes

After the war was carried out to the burning of the Grey Keep, it was more of a very different wrestling than a pursuit between the two sides, and this land belonging to the newly emerging Duchy of Pande was devouring countless lives on both sides with its cruelty and greed

"Ahem!"

The long trek made Leo emaciated and haggard a lot, and Leo, who had never suffered such a sin on earth or in this world, coughed heavily a few times and spit out a mouthful of yellow-brown thick phlegm, and then cleared his throat as if talking to himself

"Whew~ No matter how far away the journey is, it will always come to an end...... How much time do we have left for trimming and preparation? ”

Field Marshal Al Andrégrestes, who could barely stand with the help of others, gently broke away from the guard's hands when he heard this, and spoke slowly in a tone that was obviously weak and lacking in breath

"Your Highness should have two or three weeks to go, depending on how resolute our enemies are, and how hard Rolf and the Pope can do with their soldiers...... It also depends on how much sacrifice the minority warriors are willing to make...... I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I think it's more appropriate for Edward and Tedamir to answer you......"

Nodding, Leo turned his head and looked seriously at the somewhat overwhelmed Edward and Tedamir, the leaders of the two minority warriors who provided irreplaceable help along the way, whether it was the damp and cold jungle, or the devouring and hidden swamps and deserts, thanks to them and their men, the Duchy's army was able to avoid a large number of abnormal attrition, and at the same time, those minority warriors who were temporarily free were always harassing and blocking the enemy with their lives......

"I'm sorry, my dear friends, because a war that does not belong to your race has cost you brothers and sisters so much sacrifice, and in front of these, some of the gold coins I have paid and the promises I have made have pale to shame!"

Unlike Tedamir, who grinned heartily, Edward took two steps forward and bowed his head deeply in front of Leo, speaking sincerely

"Under the witness of the oath of burning blood, it is the honor of those of us who have been outcasts to be able to fight for you and fight for the principality, and every warrior is fanatically willing to die for you, with all due respect, Your Highness, your kindness is not too little for all our tribes, but has been given too much, even just a few years ago, every highlander, including me, could not even imagine in his dreams that one day we would be able to live in a warm house and eat delicious white noodles, Precious table salt and honey and sugar that only the aristocracy could have......"

As if trapped in the cruel memories of the past, Edward's face revealed a kind of depression and pain that could not be looked back

"Every minority man, including the Highlanders, is a natural warrior, we are fearless, loyal, and passionate, but before you, we are almost losing the space to live on this continent, slaughtering, plundering, enslaving, any imaginable misery is related to us, even as mercenaries, we Highlanders have the lowest income, and will be used as cannon fodder and abandoned at any time!"

Stretched out his hand and gently hugged Edward with a sad face, Leo opened his mouth for a long time but didn't know how to persuade, in his opinion, he really didn't give much, and the seemingly huge gold coins that he began to give Edward to this mercenary were actually already harboring some intentions, not to mention that those gold coins were really nothing to him

Later, after the tribes of the northern territory were collected, what did he give? Simple food and relatively fair treatment are nothing more than that, perhaps only Leo himself really knows that this is not some so-called kindness, but as a soul from earthling, he can't look directly at people and treat his own kind as inferior creatures......

But for his insignificant gifts, how do these minorities give back to him?

From the beginning of the war until now, not counting the formation of the Wild Force Legion, according to rough statistics, only those warriors who freely combined and took the initiative to attack and attack the enemy lost about 30,000 to 40,000, and countless tribes even killed the last man in battle

They were paid only the equivalent of a new recruit in the Principality's army, and they were eating food that even the lowest soldiers in the regular army could not swallow now, but they were doing the most, onerous, and dangerous work, and Leo suddenly remembered the feeling of one of the liaison intelligence officers in the first report

"They are like a swarm of moths to a fire, which I have never seen in more than thirty years of my life, when a contingent of what might be called an army would neglect life, the life of the enemy and its own! They were armed with rudimentary weapons, iron and tattered armor that only the strongest warriors of the tribe could provide, and they roared with an incomprehensible howl, and with a smile they did not hesitate to rush at their enemies, armed to the teeth of the enemy with a solid array, as if it were not a rush to death, but a redemption, a sacrifice to life, and they rushed to ......"

Leo never felt that he was a sensual man, perhaps he had finally reached the end, or perhaps the quaint and desolate aura of the plateau that had belonged to the highlanders for generations had infected him, and uncontrollable tears gently slid two curved marks from his dusty cheeks

Shaking his head vigorously and bowing his head to the restless Edward and Tedamir, Leo shouted loudly with his hands as if to wrap around the almost endless plateau

"In my name, in order to repay the minority friends who sacrificed their lives in this war, this land will always belong to them, no matter what ethnic group is or will be, they can live peacefully on this land, and I will also send teachers to impart knowledge to them, and lead them to reclaim the land to grow food......"

"And!"

With his hands pressed heavily on Edward and Tedamir's shoulders, Leo continued

"And, whatever the outcome of the war, as long as under my rule, from now on, all minorities who have truly helped us will fully enjoy all equal rights, they can freely choose to do business or join the army, they can become hunters or farmers, and under this land, there will be no oppression or injustice against them! This is the land I promised to them, and this is my solemn promise! ”

The high voice carried through the plateau along the howling north wind, and Edward and Tedamir took a step back and knelt heavily on one knee in front of Leo, and behind them were the Brute Force Legionnaires who knelt silently and with tears in the corners of their eyes, and slammed their fists on the breastplate, and the two of them roared in a voice like steel

"Under the gaze of the ancestors, he will be loyal to His Highness forever, even if he fights to the last person, he will never retreat, Edward (Tedamire) is willing to die for His Highness!"

Behind them, the roar of the mountains and the tsunami of the mountains came neatly

"I am willing to die for Your Highness! I am willing to die for Your Highness! I am willing to die for Your Highness!! ”

At this moment, the mountains are echoing, and Leo's body seems to exude a golden halo under the afterglow of the setting sun, and the uninterrupted wind quietly stops, as if the souls of the ancestors who have been wandering here for eternity have quieted down, and they are sending endless blessings and expectations to the new king with their most pious rituals!