January 22 of the Second Age.

This winter in Beyellan has been particularly cold. The snow on the spires of the houses reminds us of the undulating peaks of the snow, which is somewhat similar to the orient in oil paintings.

Sonia tugged at her soft woollen cloak, glanced at the stove in the carriage, and sighed into her palm.

The servants of the Lamor family were exceptionally absent today, and had not raised the stove in the carriage in advance, and the omelette for breakfast was a little too salty.

"What's the news?" asked Sonya, leaning her head against the cold window, to Fiona, who was sitting across from her.

"A lot~" said the newspaper reader while flipping through the newspaper in his hand, "His Majesty the King mourns the victims of the Kagetsu Remembrance on Neopolis Island, the wise Senate sent a fleet to enforce quarantine and blockade, the price of grain and other commodity futures continued to rise rapidly, and the proposal of the Veterans Committee was rejected again...... Which one would you like to hear?"

"I always feel ~" Sonia quietly listened to a long part of her best friend's words, "There are some subtle differences today. ”

"Lana, is there any subtle difference between today and usual?" asked Fiona, who was in a particularly good mood, rolling down the window and looking out of the car to Shuttoral, who was riding a horse side by side.

The tall hussars wore heavy armor, and the swords dangling from the sides of the saddle were faintly visible under the thick cloaks. The fierce gaze swept through the iron helmet like a sharp blade across the nearby sidewalks and rooftops, but did not answer the girl's question.

"La-Na——!" Fiona stretched out her voice and snapped her fingers in the hussar's ear, "Hey!

"How can I ignore you. Lana retracted his gaze and said gently.

"You're ignoring me!"

Why is the conversation between these two so sweet...... Sonia curled the corners of her mouth slightly, looking in the direction that Lana had been staring at.

The streets are crowded today.

Lots of shabby-clad people stood in the snowdrifts, staring at the passing carriage with a gaze that Sonia had never seen before. There were also people standing on balconies and rooftops, many with rolled red cloths and sticks in their hands, whispering from time to time before casting their gaze into the distance.

Sonya's gaze met with a man.

The man was dressed in a gray coat, with a scruffy beard, and a resolute look in his eyes that resembled those of Griffith and Lana when they first came to Bayeran. In the moment of eye contact with him, Sonia had a very strange and uncomfortable feeling, as if she had been violated in some way.

At this time, majestic hussars passed nearby. Lana's gaze swept over the man's body, immediately forcing the uncomfortable feeling back.

"Maybe it's because your Griffith will be back today~" Fiona didn't notice anything, and sat down in her seat with a bright face, "Come and see the repertoire waiting for the meeting, aha~ What is going to happen today is a tragedy!"

......

The carriage passed through the city and came to the foot of the steps of the grand colossum.

Celebrities from all over the city are arriving for the latest productions of the most prestigious Grand Opera Company, Alektrov. Over the next seven days, the troupe will perform 12 times in a row, each of which is a sold-out show.

Blaziers have been lit on either side of the marble steps, driving away the cold and dampness. Sonia and Fiona untied their warm cloaks and handed them to the waiters, walking into the theater wearing only a long skirt as soft as a cloud.

Fiona suddenly remembered something, turned to Lana and said, "We're going to have two hours, bring me some if you go to eat nearby!"

The one Fiona was talking about was roast lamb on thin sticks from a barbecue stand in the alley, but some people said that it was roasted with stray cats. The oily skewers are grilled brown and sprinkled with cumin and spices.

It's really unseemly for the earl's daughter to eat such a thing, and if the oil stains drip on the long dress, it will be too ugly. But the guards on duty would sneak into the alleys whenever they had time to eat, and when they were full, they would bring back two strings of cold food to the lord.

Lana ignored her.

Sonia pulled Fiona, who was about to jump, chuckled and comforted her. Her gaze stumbled to the bottom of the stairs, and she suddenly noticed that the dismounted guards all seemed to be absent-mindedly looking in the opposite direction, not paying much attention to the feudal monarch who was walking into the theater.

These young men in sturdy armor and swords at their waists were faintly lined up in a row, forming a silent wall of people under the steps of the theater. The guards who had just arrived did not immediately dismount, but slowly roamed around the human wall like rangers, each holding the hilt of his sword at his waist.

Something is wrong!

Sonya's whole body trembled slightly, and although she didn't understand what was happening, she instinctively felt strange and uneasy like never before, and grabbed her friend's arm tightly.

"Fiona, something is wrong. ”

Across the snow-covered Boulevard of the Bayerland Theatre, there was a sudden wave of gray on the rooftops, on the streets, and on the lawns of the park, as if the sea had finally broken through the embankments and walls of Bayerland.

It was a surging gray figure. They are very eye-catching on the white snow, like moving logs, and they look out of harmony with the beautiful city.

These silent men, wrapped in all kinds of mismatched cotton and linen, stared at the lightly dressed nobles on the steps, but their eyes were unusually silent and calm, reminding Sonia of the Goreme volcano she had seen as a child.

The crowd is quiet and scary, people don't know what will happen in the next moment, but they instinctively want to escape and fear.

It was at this moment that the streets in the distance seemed to stir. Bursts of slogan-like cries formed a strange wave. Some of the spectators who were entering the venue were attracted by the strange calls, and thought it was a well-arranged warm-up.

An ornately decorated carriage drove from the end of the street, with the royal family crest carved on the door.

"It's General MacDonald. "Fiona snorted twice?" He's always the last to arrive, as if everyone was waiting for him. Last prom? He had to invite me to dance with him......"

Fiona's words suddenly blocked in her throat.

In the midst of an exclamation, several young men holding red flags jumped from the roof and landed on the roof of the general's carriage.

The scene was immediately chaotic, and the homeless people ran towards the carriage. They appeared on sidewalks, in large trees and near garbage heaps, unfurling flags as they ran.

"Fiona, go to the theater!" Rana's thunderous roar exploded like thunder that had been brewing for a long time.

The guards, who had just been watching vigilantly, jumped off their horses with lightning speed, drove the horses to the back, and filled the queue in tacit agreement, forming an impenetrable double row of human walls under the steps.

General MacDonald at the end of the street felt like his carriage had fallen into a hail storm. The two guards in fine armor who were sitting in front of the car were dazed by the sudden attack.

"Get me out of here, idiot!" the general roared.

The guards shook off the attacking attackers, gritted their teeth and waved their whips, and drove out. But the carriages were stunned by the sudden storm, and crashed into each other or slowed down in horror, blocking the gap for escape for a while.

"My lord, we're blocked!" the guard shouted anxiously.

The defender of the kingdom, the president of the Army Academy, military theorist General MacDonald, waved his hand and shouted into the crowded sidewalk: "Isn't it very spacious over there?!"

......

Over the course of several days, Griffith carefully reviewed what had happened. Gradually, he realized that the seven incredible things in Hepu Town, which he had used as a joke, were not simple. Neopalis Island hides hidden secrets that even Alandelle's family needs to investigate and suspect.

However, with his resources and time, no more investigations could be completed. Shortly after the bitter battle, the Earl's Court sent him a new order. The command is simple.

"Return immediately. ”

He immediately boarded a warship and returned to the harbor of Bayeran. He carried his bag and squeezed past strange passengers, trying to squeeze to the station of the public carriage.

The scene became more and more noisy, mixed with shouting and shouting. A group of military policemen came over brandishing sticks and drove the travelers with large bags and small bags to the side.

"Line up along this line!" roared one of the sergeants, "and whoever doesn't obey me will give him a taste of the stick." ”

Before Griffith could figure out what was going on, the two patrolmen noticed him, pushed away the crowd on either side, and shouted to the midship's sloppy knight, who had been in the hold of the warship for three days:

"You, a soldier, come here!"

"Your credentials. ”

Griffith uncharacteristically handed over his ID card and asked kindly, "What happened?"

The patrolman snorted expressionlessly and did not answer the question. As he checked his papers, another patrolman stared into Griffith's eyes and slapped his baton incessantly.

"Hand over your weapons and come with us. The patrolman gestured into the distance, "Go over there!"

Griffith followed them to a quarantine area outside the port area. In the small open space, many men who looked like soldiers squatted or stood there.

"I'm a midshipman of the Lamor family, a second-class squad leader. Griffith protested to the police officer in charge of the quarantine area, revealing his ID card, "I'm on the Earl's mission. ”

"I'm sorry, Mr. Knight-Trainee, please forgive my men for their previous offense," the officer hurriedly saluted Griffith, "You can leave, please go to your family immediately to receive the mission." ”

"Mission? Who posted the task?"

"The Senate," replied the officer, "all the knights and probationary knights of the nobles gathered in Bayeran must be armed at once for martial law. ”

Martial law?!

The two sergeants had already brought Griffith the weapons they had just confiscated, along with a pass.

"Martial law has been imposed on several blocks, and I think you'll have to hurry up. The officer hurriedly said, "The order from above is,

"Defend the king at all costs, defend the senate. ”

......

The public carriage has been discontinued. Griffith could only run on foot through the wide streets in full armor towards Uptown.

He wears only chain mail under his coat and wears a long and short sword. As he walked through the narrow streets to cut corners, there seemed to be a lot of eyes watching him in the dark corners.

It's not like Griffith hasn't been to Downtown. But the atmosphere here today is still different from the past, and it has become more oppressive and gloomy.

The homeless and pauper, huddled in the corner, looked at him with emotionless eyes. The family crest of the Lamor family is engraved on the scabbard, and even if you don't know the coat of arms, you can tell that he is a warrior under the tent of a great nobleman.

Griffith's vision caught a glimpse of several men standing up, seemingly casually approaching him, unaware of what they were holding in their hands.

He immediately changed his mind and quickly left the dark alley and made a detour to Lamor House.

The road to the upper town had been barried, and a large group of heavily armed soldiers were standing guard behind the horses and wooden fences.

"Stop, show your identity!" an officer shouted to Griffith from behind the barricade, and then he seemed to read the coat of arms on the hilt of his sword, "the guards of the Lamor family, very well, the Earl's Court has told you, go at once to the Beyeland Opera House, where the Countess and the others are." ”

Griffith answered, turned and ran in the direction of the opera house.

The cold winter wind was blowing in his ears, and Griffith, who had run half the city and had not eaten breakfast, was already out of breath. The cold wind that poured into his throat made his whole body uncomfortable, but fortunately, the majestic dome of the opera house had appeared in front of him.

Thousands of civilians gathered here. Armed with stones, sticks and flags, they occupied the rooftops of several buildings and the nearby streets. In front of them, a group of sharp-clad foot armoured soldiers were blocking the steps in front of the opera house.

Griffith saw a familiar figure in the distance—Lana. He stood at the main entrance of the theater like a sculpture with a two-handed sword, his fierce eyes like a tiger that chooses people to devour.

Griffith struggled to squeeze through the crowd. Suddenly, his feet went limp, as if he had stepped on something strange. He looked down and saw broken intestines and severed limbs scattered among the snow, and a red mass of intestines was at his feet.

At this moment, someone shouted nearby.

"There's a nobleman's lackey here!"

What are you talking about?

Griffith was startled by the shouting. Before he could shout a bad word in his heart, a stick swung down the back of his head.

Griffith, who was wearing a newly bought helmet, was stumbled by this blow, and the anger in his heart immediately surged up. But before he could attack, more fists and sticks slashed his head and face like a torrential rain.

"Shoot him!"

"Kill the lackeys of the nobles!"

Dressed in chain mail, Griffith, tall and mighty, was beaten by the crowd like a rag doll. There were sticks, fists, and curses on all sides, making it impossible for him to tell who was the attacker.

It could also be that everyone around is an attacker.

He gripped the saber at his waist and tried not to be snatched away, but his helmet was knocked off. A brick hit him in the forehead, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"Get rid of them!" Lana's earth-shattering roar drowned out the swearing and beatings for two seconds. Immediately afterwards, four or five heavily armed heavy infantry rushed over, grabbed Griffith, who was almost half beaten to death, and dragged him up the steps of the opera house.

A soldier helped him to lie down on the imposing pillar of the opera house, turned around and ran back to his post. Rana and the other guards were using the human wall to fend off the flood of people, beating them with scabbards and backs. There was shouting and swearing everywhere.

"Griffith!"

Sonia ran out of the theater. With a handkerchief and a vial of potion in hand, she knelt beside Griffith to examine his injuries.

"I'm fine, um," Griffith recovered from his struggling state, and found that there were several young guards lying on the ground near him who had been beaten down. Some of them had lost their helmets, some of them had lost their swords, and their faces were covered with bruises and bleeding wounds, and they all looked like they had been beaten violently.

Sonia wore a beautiful pink dress with intricate crystal pendants glittering in the sun. The open collar exposed her fair and tender shoulders, which made Griffith worry for the first time that she would catch a cold in this cold weather.

"Sonya, it's dangerous out there, ah! Griffith, how did you get beaten like this!" Fiona ran out of the hall with her skirt in hand, startled by Griffith's bruised nose and swollen face.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. Griffith waved his hand and stood up. The injuries on the face and body were just some bruises and scrapes, and they were not serious.

At that moment, drums beat at the end of the street, and the sound of horses' hooves shook the earth. The crowd of people crowded there began to retreat.

A group of draped dragoons drove up from the nearby street. Flying flags, they were the mounted hoplites of the "Aurelius Antony Guard Banners" stationed in the capital. The dragoons were all dressed in fine cuirasses, and their saddles were hung with strong bows and arrows, as if they were about to attack.

The noisy crowd clamoured in front of the dragoons.

"Disperse or scatter!" shouted the dragoons.

The crowd stopped retreating and began to rain stones at them. He knocked two dragoons off their horses.

"Disperse!" or scatter you!"

The dragoon commander turned his head and waved his hand back.

"Grenadier, come forward!"

The soldiers at the back of the line immediately jumped off their horses and took out porcelain vases from their saddle pockets.

"Do it!"

The grenadiers threw porcelain vases into the crowd. With a crackling sound, a large cloud of smoke filled the air.

The smoke carries a violently pungent smell. Immediately there was a chorus of coughing and crying from the crowd. Immediately afterwards, the crowd that had just been crowded at the intersection receded like the sea at low tide.

The dragoons covered their mouths and noses and rode straight to the bottom of the steps of the opera house. No sooner had they surrounded the steps of the opera house than an officer jumped down and ran as fast as he could to the main entrance.

The aristocratic guests, who had already heard the news, came out one after another, watching the officer under the protection of their guards.

"The Senate has decreed that the whole city will be under martial law, and my dragoons will escort ladies and gentlemen home," the officer paused, "and all families must provide a fully armed armoured cavalry and horses to report to General MacDonald and save the king and the senate from the mob." The above orders must be executed immediately. ”

......

Griffith, Lana, Murat, and a multitude of young guards, who knew each other or didn't know each other, were driven into a square.

"Young Guards boys, come here!"

There was hardly anyone in the capital who did not know the shouting Longbottom, who was dressed in a crisp full uniform and shouted with a horsewhip, "Hurry up and eat, when we are full, we will kick those scoundrels in the ass!"

Steaming white bread and sausages were tossed in front of Griffith and the other family guards, and the wooden frames were plastered with the bakery's morning freight arrangements, and they had been scavenged from nowhere.

The quartermaster brought milk and threw it in a small bottle into the arms of Griffith and the other soldiers.

"Hurry up, eat in five minutes!"

It didn't take him five minutes before Griffith took two bites before the officer pulled him up and pushed him to the side of the road to stand. There, servants embroidered with different family crests on their clothes were removing brand new plate armor, helmets, and swords from the carriage.

"Little guards, stand in line and get your armor and horses!"

Longbottom, with his horsewhip, flapped the street lamp and gave orders in a thunderous voice.

Griffith was pushed around by the procession, and was easily pushed to the carriage, and a quartermaster picked up his cuirass and threw it at his head, and scolded viciously: "Go ahead, go ahead, you fat puppy, go ahead!"

As the team continued to move, several soldiers came up to help Griffith put on his plate armor and smock embroidered with the coat of arms of the Lamore family, and the officers slapped pieces of paper into their hands one by one.

Griffith curiously tore open the package, and a sweet smell immediately grabbed his taste buds.

It was a sweet treat made from a large piece of cocoa fruit, which Galadia had given him, and it was delicious and easy to eat.

"Chocolate will be eaten, you pigs who can't be fed, go forward, go forward!"

Hundreds of young men in sharp clothes were pushed forward again, and at the intersection of the road, they saw the retainers sent by their feudal family.

"Get on your horse and follow Lord George Longbottom!" the herald called out in the cold wind, "Follow George Longbottom, do your duty, and do not forget your oath!"

"Complete the task, two points of merit per person, two hundred silver langs!"

"Shotolar, our honor is loyalty!"

The Count's secretary, Armand Sauron, was also waiting there with a few servants. They also led a majestic military horse, which had already been covered with vests, and its hideous horns were like monsters in the abyss. When they saw Griffith, they immediately pushed him onto the horse.

"Will you do it?" Sauron handed the saber up, his voice strangely hoarse.

"What?" Griffith asked subconsciously.

"Will you do anything to them?" Sauron looked up, angrily at the midshipman. His eyes were red, and the corners of his eyes were stained with tears.

"Are you going to do it to our soldier brothers?"

......

Sonia was with many gentlemen and ladies from aristocratic families. Most of their guards were drafted and could only move slowly under the protection of dragoons.

They set out from the theater square, passing through the Senate square, and found that the situation there was even more critical.

The crowd had taken over the square in front of the Senate chamber, shouting slogans to the soldiers watching them. There are so many of them that they almost fill the field of vision.

The infantry and light cavalry who maintained order were already hesitating and wavering, and were pushed a little bit back to the rear.

A resolute-eyed crowd was gathering at the foot of the steps of the Senate, waving flags. The Senate guards were blocked by them at the entrance to the council hall and did not dare to move. More people have taken up nearby parks and streets, setting up tattered tents there, and the once neat and beautiful Upper Beyeland town is like a rotten potato.

"These people are veterans who have retired from the Eastern Front! from Verona in the west, and they are here to make amends!"

"Didn't the Senate give money!Why didn't these scoundrels go to their lord!?"

"They asked the Senate to accept the VA's compensation proposal. ”

"Those shameless city defense troops don't dare to do anything to them! Have you forgotten who usually raises them?"

The nobles, who had already mastered the situation, began to pass messages to each other. Now, they are blocked from the streets by the sea of veterans and civilians in the West, and they can't return to their warm and safe homes for a while.

Not far away, the veterans formed a close-knit human wall, as if they were still on the battlefield at the end of the world. They were unarmed, covered their mouths and noses with a thick cotton cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes glaring angrily.

"Hurry up, Arthur!" a large nobleman shouted to General Macdonald Arthur, who was present. The youngest and most loyal of his guards had been taken away several times, and there was no sense of security at all.

"With tear gas!" said the other earl sternly, "disperse them!"

"Tear gas canisters don't work against these rascals, we've tried," General MacDonald raised his whip and turned to the nobles behind him, and said lightly:

"I'm waiting for an armored ride. ”