Ever since the last of the raiders fled back to the fortress in disarray, the atmosphere in the Rock Fortress has fallen to the bottom.

The knights, who were stalwart and imposing, led groups of warriors to intercept the Cecil, but they had to flee back to the city after leaving behind their corpses, while the Cecil's army was still approaching the fortress day by day, and they had been near the hills two days ago, and today their banners appeared on the plains, as if they were truly unstoppable.

And those southern nobles showed great wavering in this situation, and they began to fidget after hearing that the Cecil was approaching, and this reaction intensified the psychological pressure of the defenders of the fortress - anyone with a discerning eye could see that it was the presence of these southern nobles that magnified the threat of Cecil's army and affected the morale of the fortress.

Sir Maryland even had to come forward in person to talk to the southern nobles to make them a little more restrained, calm down, and no longer shake people's hearts, but the atmosphere in the fortress has deteriorated is an unchangeable fact.

On this day, the Cecil finally stopped in the plains south of the Rock Fortress and began to set up camp, and the mages who had used the Mage's Eye to observe the plains soon received even more disturbing news:

The Cecilians took up a high ground in the southwest of the plains and began to place some kind of giant magic trap on the high ground.

It was far beyond the trebuchet range of the stronghold, and even beyond the range of any mage tower.

In a brightly lit tavern in the inner city of the Rock Fortress, a bearded man slammed his beer glass on the table with a "bang", ignored the liquor and spilled the table, and shouted with a mouth full of wine: "That's 'Tianhuo'!" Skyfire! I know what Cecil is doing, I've seen it from afar...... With that stuff, they'll be able to get into the fortress in no time...... No one will survive! ”

Then the man took up his glass, drank the remaining beer, and drunkenly shouted, "Come again!" ”

This is a down-and-out knight from the south, who fled into the fortress with the southern nobles, and has been wandering around the place for dozens of days now. The knight had some savings, and some gold and silver with him, but he couldn't match the noble lord who could sing and dance in the castle - so he had to get drunk in this noisy tavern, and use alcohol to numb his nerves.

Since the appearance of the Cecil, such down-and-out knights have been haunting taverns and prostitutes more and more frequently, and in the past no one would trouble them, but today, at last, someone can't look at it anymore - a local knight who has been stationed in the rock fortress all year round Huo Ran got up, grabbed the down-and-out knight by the collar, and forcibly pulled him up from his seat: "You coward! What good can you do but drink and talk frustrating here?! ”

The drunken and down-and-out knight glanced at the hand that was clutching his neckline, and the muscles on his face twisted into a weird smile: "You are not a coward, you can rush up and try it when the Skyfire of the Cecil falls......"

The local knight was full of anger, and subconsciously raised his fist high, wanting to give a little color to the southerner in front of him who was disturbing the order and shaking people's hearts in the fortress - after the southern nobles and their relatives hid in the fortress, the contradictions between the local soldiers and these "outsiders" themselves have been accumulating, and at this moment of sluggish atmosphere, the contradictions seem to have finally reached the stage of exploding, but before the local knight's fist fell, a vague thunder that seemed to come from a far away suddenly came.

Immediately afterward, there was an eerie howl in the night sky, as if something heavy was coming at a rapid pace.

The local knight was stunned for a moment, and the southern knight he had caught had already let out a strange scream, and then made a move that stunned everyone: he broke free from his grip on the collar, and immediately crawled under the table, and shouted: "The fire has come down!" The magic of the Cecil! ”

Not only him, but several southern knights and prodigal soldiers from other corners of the tavern also drilled under the nearest table for the first time, and shouted loudly as they went, basically the magic of Skyfire and Cecil—

The local knight was stunned for a moment, he wanted to reprimand the cowardly man in front of him, who had no knightly demeanor to speak of, how could he be so unbearable, but then a deafening explosion came from the direction of the southern city wall, and the loud noise even shook the wooden structure of the tavern, causing large clouds of dust to fall from the beams of the house—and the tavern was in chaos for a moment.

The Southern Knight, who had been buried under the table, poked his head out and shouted at the chaotic tavern, "Heavenly fire! The fire is down! Find a place to drill up! Get on the ground! Don't run around standing still! ”

"Calm down! Order! Grab your weapons and report to the city walls! The local knight shouted hoarsely, "Don't run around!" ”

However, a second and third explosions came to naught his efforts, and the explosions continued to come from the southern part of the fortress, the last of which seemed to explode above everyone's heads.

However, in the midst of the continuous explosions that seemed to be the high-level spells cast by the great magicians, the southern knights who were drilling under the table came out again at some point, and with him, there were several other southern knights and soldiers who were looking for cover or lying on the spot at the first time.

"It's not right......," the southern knight muttered, "and it didn't fall to the ground...... Didn't end up in the city......"

The local knight couldn't hear the whisper at all, and he yelled in the confusion: "What did you say!? ”

"I said the movement was wrong! The fire didn't come in! ”

The Southern Knight suddenly roared, and then in the stunned eyes of the people in the tavern, several Southerners suddenly rushed out the door.

They rushed to the clearing outside the tavern, and with the fear in their nerves, they looked up in the direction of the Skyfire explosion—and then they saw the massive barrier that enveloped the entire Rock Fortress.

A hazy halo of light rose from the edge of the dark and solemn walls of the Rock Fortress, on the city walls, countless magical runes were shining brightly, and the energy barrier that enveloped the entire fortress was supported by the magic runes, and through that translucent halo, the southerners could clearly see several pale cyan streaks in the night sky that were rapidly cutting through the darkness and crashing against the barrier—or the city wall in the distance.

A thunderous explosion rang out, and the Southern Knight and his companions subconsciously weakened, but the explosion only rose outside the barrier - the huge flames of light were like large fireworks cast by illusion mages, deafening, shaking the air, and stirring up layers of brilliance on the surface of the energy barrier, but in the end, it did not enter the barrier.

More pale cyan streaks streaked across the night sky and landed on the barrier and walls, but the Southern Knights and their companions stood firm, their faces glaring as the terrible Skyfire exploded outside the barrier, and the fear on their faces finally gave way to ecstasy.

The terrible "heavenly fire" was stopped.

The legendary ancient magical walls of the Rock Fortress prove its might.

Inside the fortress, it's safe!

"Skyfire is stopped by the barrier!" "The barrier has stopped them!" "Cecil can't get in!" "We're safe!!"

The cheers began with the southerners, followed by the other soldiers and knights in the Rock Fortress, who were already extremely nervous and apprehensive.

The nobles and knights of the castle district also cheered.

"Ladies! Gentlemen! We can rest easy," Sir Maryland stood on the high platform of the castle's main hall, looking at everyone below with open hands and a smile, at the southern nobles with joy on their faces, and at the fortress knights who were relieved, "The 'fancy things' of the Cecil don't seem to be invincible, they can be intercepted in the face of magical barriers!" ”

A Southern nobleman stood up, bowed deeply to Sir Maryland in an exaggerated gesture, then turned and said to everyone in a kind of pompous aria: "Friends—we can get the wine out of the cellar!" ”

After trembling for so long in an extremely tense and oppressive atmosphere, it seemed that the nobles needed a banquet to calm their minds.

Before the feast began, the "heavenly fire" that fell from the sky gradually subsided, and it seemed that even the Cecil people realized the strength of the Rock Fortress, or that their magic devices needed to cool down, which made the atmosphere in the fortress even more relaxed.

Sir Maryland and his knights were able to control their emotions, while the southern nobles ...... They seem to have been suppressed too hard, too nervous, and after finally relaxing, their banquet will almost turn into a vengeance.

But Sir Maryland allowed it all with a smile—it seemed to him that these poor gentlemen really needed to relax, and the pressure they had been under for some time had been too great.

The castle district is brightly lit and a feast unfolds quickly.

The nobles' celebrations seemed too sudden and exaggerated, but the nobles were such a group - holding banquets was not only their entertainment, but also their social, work, and even daily life, and they knew that the soldiers in other parts of the fortress would still be at their posts, so they could safely and boldly push their glasses and change lamps in the banquet hall, and the nobles were good at holding banquets, and they were used to holding banquets for any reason and under any name, let alone the current situation of good reason.

However, Viscount Carol could not stand the overly violent change of atmosphere, and after a while in the banquet hall, he felt depressed, and found an excuse to leave the hall, and went outside, and found a quiet place on the terrace to breathe in the fresh air of the night.

This is the highest terrace in the castle district, where you can clearly see the magic barrier.

The Rock Fortress's magical barrier is still active, and a translucent energy shield is shrouding the outside of the wall, and is faintly connected to the magic metal buried inside the wall: with the help of the ancient and powerful magical focus inside the fortress, coupled with the magical energy accumulated by the wall during the day, this barrier can last until the next day, until the sun rises again and recharges the barrier, and even if there is no sun the next day, several large mage towers in the fortress can extract energy from the magic focus in the ground, Keep the barrier functioning at a lower power.

Looking at the magic barrier in the distance made Viscount Carol, who was inexplicably a little agitated, feel a little reassured, and he exhaled softly, casting his gaze farther through the translucent light curtain.

The attack of the Cecil people had ended, the process was so short, and the end was so abrupt, which inevitably made Viscount Carol, who had experienced the shelling of Gravel Ridge feel a little unnatural, he thought for a while, and then sketched a few runes in the air, opening the "Mage's Eye" for himself.

His vision was instantly projected into the distance, and in a slightly distorted and shaky vision, he saw that Cecil's camp was running as usual in the night.

The mage's eye was limited in the details, but one thing he was sure of was that the Cecil soldiers who were leisurely adjusting the Skyfire Device and chatting and laughing around the campfire were absolutely not frustrated......

A sound of footsteps sounded behind him, and Viscount Carol immediately dispersed the magical effect of the mage's eye, and at the same time, he heard Luo Penny?? A slightly cold voice from the Baroness Gülen came from behind: "Viscount Carol, what are you doing?" ”

Carol turned around and saw the awesome lady who had led everyone out of hell, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but then frowned again: "Baroness Gülen, I don't think it's right!" ”

Penny's thin eyebrows rose slightly: "Isn't the situation right?" ”

"The Cecil's attack can't just move like this...... They could bombard the Gravel Ridge for an hour in a row, and there was no reason why they would be so lax when attacking the Rock Fortress," Viscount Carol said anxiously about his discovery, "I just saw with the Eye of the Mage, their camp is in good order, and there is no sign of a frustration in the attack......"

"Really...... It's a disturbing situation," said Baroness Penny, her face serious, as if subconsciously rubbing a ring on her finger, "...... It's so disturbing. ”

"I'm going to warn Sir Maryland," said Viscount Carroll, frowning, but as soon as he finished speaking, he looked at Penny with some curiosity, "but then again...... Baron, why did you leave the ballroom too? Did you find anything too? ”

"I've just come back from the other side of the wall," said Penny faintly, "have you forgotten that Sir Maryland has given us the task of guarding the second wall and part of the Mage's Tower—but almost everyone is drinking in the banquet hall, so I have to go out and do some business." ”

"Thank goodness there are ladies like you who are on your toes," Viscount Carol exclaimed, and raised his steps to walk towards the castle district, "We're going to Lord Maryland......"

His words came to an abrupt end.

A soft, slightly cold hand grabbed his arm, and a ring on that hand was glowing a faint blue light.

Viscount Carol felt a cold numbness spread from his arm to his whole body, and he turned his head slightly with difficulty, and saw Luo Penny?? Glenn's expressionless face, he tried to open his mouth, but he couldn't make a sound.

He heard the still beautiful lady in front of him speak to himself, who was close enough to speak in his ear, "Do you know, Mr. Viscount, that eleven years ago, when the mob stormed my husband's castle, there was only one loyal sentry standing on the watchtower, trying to stop the thugs with his crossbow arrows......"

Penny Lo Penny?? Glenn pulled away a little, and she nudged his body a little by little in Carol's frightened eyes.

"That sentry was as big as you when he fell from the watchtower, and your knight probably didn't even mention this little detail when he came back to report to you......

Viscount Carol's body tilted at a dangerous angle on the edge of the terrace, and he rolled his eyes stiffly, but there was simply nowhere else to move his body except to turn his eyes—a mage, after his spellcasting ability had been blocked first, could barely break through this limb restraint with muscular strength.

At the last moment, Rotpenny nudged Viscount Carroll.

At the last moment, the viscount heard only a vague phrase coming from the wind: "...... That's how the sentry fell. ”

.。 m.