Tilly cried on and off for nearly an hour before she subsided, and when Roland put her on the couch, she realized that she had fallen asleep. As the two parted, the muddled tears and snot even pulled a few thin strands between their cheeks and clothes.

Such a "majestic" appearance was naturally inconvenient for the Sleeping Witch to see, Roland thought about it, and finally called Anna, and carried Tilly to the large bedroom on the third floor of the castle with her.

After wiping her cheeks, Tiri's breathing was smooth, but there was still no sign of waking up, indicating that she was indeed tired. Relying on busy work to numb herself, such a shock treatment method is not uncommon, but I am afraid that after learning the news of the death of the ashes, she will not have a good rest for a moment.

"You'll sleep with her tonight," Roland sighed, "I'm most afraid of being alone at this time." You're the only one who can take care of her now. ”

"Don't worry, I can feel her mood and know what to do. Anna nodded slightly, "What about you?"

"I'm going to the Third Frontier City to sleep, I've been there for the past few days anyway, and it doesn't hurt to stay a little longer. Roland replied, "And they should have known the news of Operation Torch's victory sooner rather than later—I think the old witches had been waiting for this day for a long time." ”

"Hmm. Anna walked over and kissed him on the cheek, "I don't want you to leave, but these things are really more important......"

"I'm sorry, but it's rare for you to come back from the front. ”

"Don't be stupid, my majesty, it's still going to be in the future. ”

When Roland reached the door, Anna stopped him again.

"By the way, don't forget to call the nightingale," she said earnestly, "and the only thing in this city that can't be accidents is you." ”

Looking at the other party's clear gaze, Roland should get down and close the door.

......

As soon as he walked into the Third Frontier City with a large group of guards, Pasha appeared in front of him for the first time.

"Your Majesty, is there any news coming back from the front?

From the slender whiskers that the other party is swinging all over, you can know that she is restless and turbulent at the moment.

Roland had no intention of betraying him, and replied bluntly, "We have won a complete victory—the demons on the plains have been purged, the demon slayers have not been able to escape, and now Tachira is under the control of the First Army. ”

Pasha's tentacles froze for a moment.

After a few seconds of silence, she said excitedly, "Is this true, Your Majesty, please forgive me for my rudeness...... I don't doubt you, I just don't know what to say - can you tell me more details?"

After more than four hundred years of tempering, there are few things that can make the mood of these high-ranking witches change so much, and this is the first time Roland has seen Pasha lose his temper, "Of course. But—"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, I'm going to tell you the good news!" But before he could finish speaking, Pasha disappeared to the top of the cave with a thud.

Roland was stunned for a moment, and finally could only shake his head helplessly.

By the time he entered the underground hall, not only Pasha, Elblem, and Selene, but all the remaining witches of divine punishment had gathered in the center of the hall, lined up in a straight line, waiting for him to speak.

This made it difficult for Roland to complete the second half of the sentence.

"Let it be," Nightingale reminded in a whisper, "or tell Pasha alone about it later with a conscious exchange." ”

That's all there is to it. He nodded, stepped forward, and began to tell the general story and outcome of the final battle—although the detailed statistical report had not yet been released, and Ye Zi's relays were often missing, the data and gains and losses were not important to them.

For the survivors, who have been looking forward to it for more than four centuries, victory is the most important thing.

By the time he had finished the little news, the crowd was already boiling.

The cheers were endless, and many girls burst into tears, but whether they were crying or laughing, everyone expressed the same feelings.

A joy that only breaks free after hundreds of years of silence.

"Please forgive me for being rude and offending you," Elfin approached him and lowered his beard deeply, "From this day forward, there is no need for a united front to exist. You are the sole ruler of Tachira and our will. 」

Pasha and Seline didn't interject, apparently acquiescing to her statement.

This is tantamount to acknowledging that Tachira will henceforth exist as an integral part of the Kingdom of the Grey Keep.

Roland nodded in acceptance before Elfin re-erected his beard.

"There's one more thing I have to tell you," he said, concentrating on the news of Elena to the three of them.

"Really...... It turned out to be her. Pasha said slowly.

Somewhat to Roland's surprise, they didn't show much of an emotional swing.

"You ...... I already knew?" he couldn't help but ask.

"No, we're just prepared. Elbin said calmly, "The ambush team is surrounded by the devil's premeditated plan, and if it were the era of the Federation, there would be no chance of survival. It is a great blessing to be able to protect everyone at such a price. 」

"You may not understand it, but death is a commonplace for us. Selene continued, "After all, everyone is a person who has voluntarily survived through the fusion of soul instruments and carriers, and this process is equivalent to having been screened by death, not to mention the heavy casualties in the battle of divine will. The only thing we fear is a senseless death. 」

"And Elena just made the choice that every Tachira warrior would make," Elfin finally said, "so you don't have to worry about it. 」

So...... Is this comforting?

Roland felt a little emotional, and didn't know what to say for a while.

"Of course, that doesn't mean we won't be saddened by the loss of our comrades, it's just that war has taught us to exercise restraint. Pasha looked at the witches who were still celebrating, "I'll tell them about it—but for this moment, let them enjoy the joy of victory." 」

......

Five days later.

As the front-line troops returned one after another, the news of the Northern Expeditionary Army's victory gradually spread in Neverwinter.

Although it wasn't as impressive as the defeat of the Beast Tide or Duke Lane, and it didn't cause the whole city to celebrate, the populace still pieced together the true face of the enemy from the mouths of their families and neighbors who had returned from the army—ferocious, powerful, and fearless of death, far from being matched by the hybrid and the Duke's Knights. Coupled with the testimonies of eyewitnesses to the dinosaur attack, the image of a powerful enemy that completely matches the devil of hell is gradually erected.

What's more, it is exaggerated into a legendary calamity, and descriptions such as being 100 feet tall and spitting flames are not uncommon, and quickly become one of the hottest topics on the streets.

And even such an enemy was still defeated by the First Army, and the victory was won from a thousand miles away, which greatly lifted the morale of the people - if even the devil from hell could not compete with the army of the Greykeep, who else would be their opponent?

At the same time, the Grey Fort Weekly began to publish the accounts of front-line soldiers in large pages, as well as to restore the entire course of the war.

For a time, the slogan of signing up for the First Army and expanding the territory for His Majesty swept the city.

But the higher-ups of Neverwinter knew in their hearts what the real challenge they were about to face.

Public cemetery in the west of the city.

Since the first tombstone fell on the Evil Moon five years ago, this wasteland has been transformed from an overgrown wasteland into a cemetery park covered in greenery.

Today, 426 new tombstones have been added.

Most of them were empty underneath them, because the limited capacity could not afford to transport all the bodies back, but no one felt that the victims had been abandoned—the names on the tombstones recorded their honor and exploits.

The stone monument of Ash and Elena is also among them.

They looked the same as the other steles, except that the ashy stele had a fused hilt stuck in front of it.

"Salute!" Iron Axe said loudly, then raised his arm vigorously.

All the top brass followed suit with a military salute – even if their official position and status were higher than those of the vast majority of the soldiers.

This is a memorial and a wake-up call.

- The fateful battle of the divine will is far from over.

Immediately after the funeral, Roland called Barov, "Gather all the ministers, I have a new task to explain." ”

The challenge has only just begun.