Deep in the mountains of the Far East, Mantron, the country of mountains, was founded here.

The mountains here are continuous, the ridges are connected to the clouds of the zenith, and people live above the mountains and are in the clouds. So much so that the people of Mantenn call themselves Zenith dwellers, and they believe that they are the ones who are on the highest part of the earth, and at the same time the ones closest to the sky, and they are the common offspring of the earth and the sky.

They stand on the highest point of the entire continent, looking down on all the people and countries on the continent.

With such pride, Mantenn was born arrogant, they were proud of their blood, they disdained to associate with outsiders, and the country was also locked in the depths of the mountains, and few outsiders could enter it.

At the top of a towering mountain, the castle of the kingdom of Mantenn was built, the castle is above the clouds, and when you look out from the top of the castle, you can see the endless clouds beneath your feet, as if you are standing in the clouds, standing side by side with the sky.

In the opposite palace among the castles, an old king sat on a throne.

The back of the throne is carved with the sun, moon and starry sky, which is the banner of the Mantin people, who are confident that they can match the sun and the moon.

The old king looked to be in his twilight years, his hair and beard as pale as the snow covering the mountains, and his face like a weathered mountain, deeply scratched by the years. The thick lips were like closed rocks, silent, but if he spoke, it represented the will of the mountains.

Beneath the throne stood three men, a gigantic warrior, a scholar with glasses, and a middle-aged man.

These three represent the central pillars of Mantern, the mightiest mountain warriors, the wisest scholars, and the princes.

At this time they were summoned together by the king to discuss a matter.

From the roar of the lion in the middle of the continent and the fall of the eagle of the plains.

Reinhardt went to war, and in a matter of months, Prane was completely destroyed.

"What do you guys think?"

Sitting on the throne, the aged King Mantenn said slowly.

"Although there is no follow-up news yet, with the ambition of Queen Reinhardt, it will definitely not stop there. ”

Under the throne, the scholar lifted his glasses, and a reflection flashed on the lens.

His meaning was obvious, that in its current form, Reinhardt would one day attack Manten, and that lion would one day provoke the mountains.

"What if it won't stop?" the tall mountain warrior sneered and shook his arm beside the scholar.

"If they dare to come, let them understand the power of our zenith people. ”

"Captain Loewman, I appreciate your bravery, but don't forget that there are also several strong men in Reinhardt who can match you. ”

The scholar glanced at the mountain warrior who was twice his height and said with a frown.

"Even if two of them live in the country all year round, even if only the other two come, and with Reinhardt's forces, we will have no advantage in the frontal battle. ”

That's why he doesn't like to communicate with fighters, these guys only have muscles in their heads.

On the throne, the king raised his lowered eyes.

"Is the Master talking about the Sword Saint Roland and the new undead Black Knight?"

The scholar looked at the king, bowed his head with a serious expression, and bowed in reply.

"Yes. ”

Neither of these two can be taken lightly.

Originally, among the six sages on the continent, Reinhardt had three, which made them stronger than the countries on the continent, but there was still room for balance when the countries were united.

And now the sudden appearance of this dark knight has upset the delicate balance on the continent for many years.

There was a brief silence in the palace, and even the strongest mountain warrior did not dare to say that he could face two sages alone.

"Father. "The prince, who had not spoken from the beginning, broke the silence of the palace.

He stepped forward slowly, with some determination on his face, and saluted.

"Since we don't have an advantage on the frontal battlefield, then maybe we can stop Reinhardt's atrocities by other means. ”

······

In January of the new year, Reinhardt had its first snowfall.

Snow covered the royal city of Reinhardt, the streets and houses were turned white, and the shoulders and eyes of those who walked in the streets were covered with frost.

Before the arrival of spring, the snow-white world also has this different kind of beauty.

Hillman had an illness, not a serious illness, just a minor cold, and the court doctor said that he would be fine after a few days of rest.

Once upon a time, if Hillman was ill, one or two attendants would be allowed into the upper floors of the castle to take care of Hillman. This time, though, it's Hatsu who takes care of Hillman.

···

The night air was a little cold, and Chu took the dinner brought by the waiter and walked into Hillman's bedroom.

Hillman was lying on the bed, his face was slightly pale, and there was no blood on his lips.

Speaking of which, I'm afraid not too many people believe that the most powerful holder of royal power on the mainland, Reinhardt of Lionheart, has been frail and sickly since he was a child, and he will be sick in bed every winter because of the cold weather.

Hillman was resting on the bed, frowning slightly, his eyes closed, and he didn't know if he was asleep.

Chu walked slowly to the side of the bed and said softly.

"Your Majesty, dinner has arrived, do you want to eat?"

Hearing Hatsu's voice, Hillman opened his eyes slightly.

She looked at Chu and slowly unfolded her slightly frowning brow, smiling weakly.

"I'm just a little hungry, help me up. ”

At first he placed the dinner plate on the head of the bed, helped Hillman up from the bed, and then seriously reached out a hand and placed it on Hillman's forehead.

She asked the court doctor how Hillman's condition was improving, and the doctor used a relatively simple statement, waiting for the temperature of his forehead to drop, indicating that it was beginning to improve.

Chu's casual action made Hillman stunned for a moment, but she didn't stop Chu, smiled lightly, and let Chu's palm rest on her forehead.

Maybe it's because Chu's hands are very cold, and when she puts it on her slightly hot forehead, the cool feeling makes her very comfortable.

After a while, Hatsu put down his palm, picked up the dinner on the plate, and began to take care of Hillman's meal.

Because of his illness, Hillman's dinner consisted of a bowl of light cereal.

Hatsu scooped some up with a spoon and brought them to Hillman's mouth.

"Your Majesty, please use it. ”

"Hmm. Hillman opened his mouth and ate the warm porridge from the spoon.

The cooked soft wheat porridge has a hint of sweetness, and the unique aroma fills the lips and teeth.

The warmth began to spread through the body, allowing the weakened body to recover little by little.

By the time she finished her porridge, Hillman felt better, and she lay on the bed, looking sideways out the window.

The snow outside the window had not stopped, and through the fog on the window, you could see the snow flakes flying outside under the dark night sky.

A few snowflakes fell in front of the window, tapping on the window and accumulating on the edge of the window, making the snowy night even more hazy.

Hillman's eyes were half-closed, the hazy snowy night reminded her of a lot of things from a long time ago.

"Chu. ”

She called softly.

"Your Majesty, do you have any other orders?"

Chu sat on the edge of the bed and arranged the dishes.

"Do you know how to tell a story?"

Remembering some of the past, Hillman whispered with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

"Tell me about one. ”

Hatsu's movements paused.

Storytelling, this request made her a little difficult, she didn't know what the story was, and she had never told a story for anyone, but she couldn't refuse the summoner's request.

After thinking about it for a long time, she accidentally saw the snow outside the window for the first time, and she remembered that in her memory, it seemed that there was indeed a person who had told her a story, a story about snow.

It's hard to imagine that it was in the Apostolic Wasteland.

"Once upon a time there was a spirit in the world called Snow. ”

At first, it was not suitable for bedside stories, her voice was hoarse and dry, and if a child heard it, she might not be able to sleep at all.

Simply, the person listening to her story at this time was not a child.

There was no other sound in the room, only a calm and unwavering voice that slowly told the story.

"The snow is very cold, and it only comes every winter, and when it comes, it covers the whole world.

People are afraid of its cold, so every year when it comes, people hide in their houses and light a fire to drive it away, hoping that it will leave quickly.

Until one day.

A little girl is attracted by the white snowflakes, and in the deep winter when the snow comes, she walks out of the house, opens her hands, and wants to embrace the snow to the sky.

Snow ignored her and hurried away as the people drove her away.

But since then, girls have come every day, every year, day after day, year after year. She stood in the snow, her arms open to the sky.

Finally, the snow saw her and flew down from the sky, and it stood in front of the girl and asked.

I bring the cold to the world, why do you want to hug me?

The girl replied with a smile.

You bring beauty to the world, why wouldn't I want to hug you?

The snow hesitated in front of the girl, and it stood for a long time.

Finally, at the end, it opened its hands and hugged the girl.

On that day, the snow was no longer cold, but it was also that day when it melted in the world and in the girl's arms. ”

···

At the beginning of the story, the snow outside was a little lighter.

The story is simple and somewhat naïve.

But the first person to tell this story was to meet him on the first day he arrived in the Apostolic Wasteland, and it was an orc.

In that place where there is no humanity at all, it and Chu survive together in the cracks, and the two have experienced a lot together.

In the end, it told the story to Hatsu and made Hatsu kill himself.

For in the apostolic wasteland, only one person can survive.

Was she sad at first, she didn't know at first, she didn't understand what sadness was at that time.

After listening to the story, Hillman took the slightly cool hand that had been placed next to the bed and closed his eyes.

Why she held Chu's hand, she didn't know, maybe it was because of this, so that she could sleep peacefully.

······

Once upon a time, there was a sick princess in Reinhardt Castle who fell ill every winter, and each time, the sickness would make it difficult for her to sleep.

So, every winter, her mother would sit on the edge of her bed, tell her a story, hold her hand, and sleep with her.

It was a cherished memory for her, even if it was gone.

Hillman lay asleep on the bed, and the gentle voice seemed to ring in her ears again, saying those tender stories for her.