Snow is falling in the sky again, and Stan can't remember how many snows it has been since he entered Sarah, and he doesn't even think the snow has stopped at all, just the size.

The knight walked at the front of the group, along with King Doyle and Maurice, and the mage following Stan's side, the whole man wrapped in a cloak, revealing only two eyes. When they had already crossed the foot of the mountain, the soldiers at the back of the line could only see the hill from a distance, and the line was very long, and at the end were a number of officers pressing into formation, their breastplates tattooed with various patterns, symbolizing their respective titles.

Stan glances back at the unfinished line and asks. "Your Majesty, although I know that your trip is inevitable, is it too much to bring two thousand people. ”

Byron's face kept on wrenching, and it seemed that great danger would await them. "Not much, I would have liked to take three thousand men, or more, but then the march will be slowed down, we will run out of time, and the danger is ahead. ”

"What danger?" the knight subconsciously clenched his sword and looked ahead.

"The Dark Tide will definitely prevent us from accessing the Holy Water, and they will definitely send a considerable number of demons and ghouls in our way. The king shook off the snowflakes that covered his armor.

"Dark Tide, how do they know our purpose and the time we entered Sarah. Stan was even more puzzled.

"Stan, the Dark Lord has awakened, and he can freely enter the dreams of those who are not strong-willed, and then erode their hearts, tempting them to die for themselves with infinite power or endless life. Byron looked back at Stan. "Watch your side, knights, these people are everywhere. ”

"You're saying someone betrayed us, and it's Doyle?" Stan's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the King.

Byron turned his head away. "In front of the Dark Lord, only those who are strong-willed can keep their bottom line, and traitors may be in Wolfsburg, or Ferrer, or in this team, or all three, and I will not be surprised to find them wherever they are. ”

Stan sighs and tightens his cloak. "But there are two thousand of us, and even if it is a dark tide, they will not try to stop us unless they are out of the nest. ”

"Don't forget, they have dragons. Maurice shook his mount, and even when he spoke of dragons, there was no fear in his tone.

"Dragon......," Nerfi muttered to herself.

Morris heard the mage's voice and smiled back at her. "That's why we brought Nellfi with us, her light magic is our only hope of defeating the dragon, and of course, it's best not to encounter those terrible creatures. ”

Stan looks at Nerfi in surprise, the mage doesn't even turn his head, just glances at the knight out of the corner of his eye. "Wish I could help. ”

Morris nodded, looked back ahead, still swaying leisurely. Stan admires the Captain Knight in his heart, as if he can maintain an indifferent mindset no matter what the situation is. Maybe that's why he's not afraid of demons, Stan guesses.

In order to detect possible dangers as soon as possible, the scouts consulted the team of fifty scouts who reconnoitred the situation in all directions of the team, which was already a very luxurious configuration for a team of only 2,000 people.

The news brought back by the scouts seemed uneventful, but Byron could still sniff out a hint of suspicion. "It's calm and it's not normal. The king motioned for Stan to mount forward. "Was it so peaceful the last time you crossed Sara?"

"No, Your Majesty, we've been confronted by several Squads of the Dark Tide, and if it weren't for the surviving Sara soldiers, we would have been dead. Stan recalls the situation.

"But it's been a few days since we've been in Sarah, and we haven't seen a shadow of a dark tide. Byron frowned, his already wrenched face even more serious.

"Could it be that they deliberately avoided us, the demon is extremely intelligent, and he will not hit a stone with an egg. Stan guessed.

"They can't escape the scout's eyes, and the scout's reconnaissance range is large enough to spot a range of ten miles around it. Morris explained to Stan.

"It seems that they are waiting for us, and when we encounter them, we will face a whole formation of gloom. Byron exhaled, and the water condensed into a mist in front of him.

Stan tightened his grip on the reins, though he had fought the Darktide before, but had never experienced the kind of large-scale legion combat that Byron had spoken of. "Let them come, and we will overcome the dark tide. ”

Byron didn't answer him, and neither did Morris, but a fog appeared in front of the Knight captain. Nerfi's pale blue eyes looked calmly ahead, showing no emotion.

On the evening of the fifth day, Byron, based on the information of the scouts in front, ordered his soldiers to camp in a clearing with their backs to the mountains not far ahead. Marching with Doyle's army, Stan finally didn't have to worry about camping, and it wasn't long before an easy-to-defend camp began to take shape as the soldiers skillfully unloaded their stakes and tents from their wagons, some of whom set up pointed stakes to defend against charges, while others erected several tents that could accommodate dozens of people.

By the time the camp was set up, it was almost dark, and countless torches were burning in the camp, and the Doyle army of this size was not afraid of the sneak attack of the dark tide, they were worried about the onslaught, so there was no need to hide their camp, and it was impossible to hide such a large camp.

In the tent in the middle of the camp, Byron was staring solemnly at the location of the armory marked on the map. "We'll be there tomorrow, and it's up to you to win or lose!"

Morris rubbed the hilt of his sword beside him. "I expect the battle to take place around there, and the Dark Tide will definitely attack us before we get our hands on the holy water. ”

"They won't be able to muster too many troops in such a short period of time, but a thousand ghouls and dozens of demons will be enough for us, and there may be dragons. Byron shook his head and propped his hands on the table.

"We can defeat them, we are Doyle, we have fought the Dark Tide for hundreds of years, and we will defeat them as before. Stan puffed out his chest and spoke hard.

Byron glanced up at the knight and the mage standing aside. "Stan, if there is a fight tomorrow, your mission is to protect Nerfi and stop any Dark Tide from harming her when she casts spells. ”

"No, Your Majesty, as a knight, I must charge the front line, and I cannot hide behind my comrades as they rush into the dark tide. Stan grimly refuses.

"It's an order, knight!" Byron looked at Stan sternly. "This mission is no less important than the soldiers who charge ahead, and Nerfi is the key to this battle, and you must protect her. ”

Stan clenched his fists, his face flushed. "Yes!"

"Very well, now you all go out, get some rest early, tomorrow is going to be a long day. With that, Byron turned away, stared at the map, and ignored the others.

Morris glanced at the two of them, and the three of them walked out of the tent together. Outside the tent, the snowflakes were still falling, but fortunately they were not big, and the gentle snowflakes slowly fell on everyone, silently. The three of them walked together in the camp, patrols frequently walking back and forth on the periphery of the camp, each with no less than ten soldiers, each carrying torches. On the inside of the camp walls, every thirty yards, an archer watched through the pitch black distance through a stake, and they did not hesitate to shoot their bows and arrows at any moving shadow near the camp.

Morris stops in front of his tent and pats Stan on the shoulder. "Stan, I have a request. ”

"Speak. Stan stood up straight, earnestly waiting for Morris to continue.

"Tomorrow's battle, if we lose, you leave here with Nerfi and go to a place where no one can find you. Morris looked at Stan calmly.

"No, Maurice, I'll live with you, I'm not going to survive. Stan frowned, sternly rejecting Morris's request.

"Don't be stupid, Stan, you're just working with us right now, you're not even a soldier, you can't live with a soldier, you have to save your life and protect Nerfi's life. Morris suddenly straightened up and looked at the knight with a serious expression. "Stan, if we lose, then Wallis is finished, you don't have any chance, maybe as Fern said, cross the Endless Sea and go to the other side of the sea. ”

"I won't promise you, Maurice, as you say, I'm not a soldier, and you have no right to command me. Stan resists.

Morris glanced at the mage standing aside. "Nerfi, you go and rest first, it's up to you tomorrow, I still have something to talk to Stan about alone. ”

The mage nodded, gave a quick salute to the knight captain, and hurried in the direction of his tent.

Maurice reluctantly watched the mage run away, and looked at the knight seriously again. "Stan, Nellfi is like my daughter, I can't watch her die, I've lost one daughter and can't lose another. ”

Stan hesitates, remembering what Nellfi had told him on the White River. "Morris, you can send other people to protect her escape, or even send a few more. ”

"Stan, there's no one more reassuring to me than you, and I've seen your concern for her all the way from Canrito here. Maurice took a deep breath with his back to the sky, then stared into the knight's eyes. "It's my only wish, Stan, I beg of you, promise me. ”

Stan is still reluctant, but Morris is a hero in his mind, and he has long wanted to be a knight like Morris, and still is so. "I promise you, Maurice, that I will protect Nerfi and that she will be all right unless I die before her first. Stan speaks slowly, like he is saying an oath. "But please be careful, don't risk your own life, for Nerfi's sake. ”

Morris bowed his head in relief. "Thanks, Stan, thanks, I'll remember your words, no one wants to die, especially when they're still worried, but sometimes, we're all on our own. ”

Stan was silent, it was the first time he saw Maurice's fragile side, and the knight realized that even a knight who was famous throughout the continent was just a mortal, and he would have concerns and fears.

Snowflakes silently landed beside the two of them, dyeing their hair and shoulders white. Behind a tent not far from the two, the mage, who had been hiding there, overheard their conversation, the girl's shoulders shaking, tears sliding down her cheeks and falling on the snow-covered ground, melting the snowflakes.