However, the joy is only temporary, but the pain is long-lasting. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info The wreckage of the city walls, the adoption of the corpses of the soldiers, the healing of the wounded soldiers, the comfort of the grieving people, the repair of the city walls after the war...... With so many things going on, Al was so busy that he couldn't stop at all.

"Young Master, what about this orc?" Freeman came over and asked Al what to do with the captured orc.

"Throw him in a dungeon and keep him guarded, oh yes, tell the guards not to abuse, don't kill him, I'm still useful." Al really didn't have the energy to care about this orc, but he was curious about the current situation of the orc, and wanted to dig something out of this orc's mouth.

A day later, the Duke led the reinforcements to hurry up, and finally arrived at the Snow Fortress, only to find that the orcs had retreated, which shocked the heads of the Western Realm, including him.

However, the Duke did not have time to chat with Al, so he settled his troops and horses and immediately threw himself into the intense post-war reconstruction. The Duchess went door-to-door in the city to comfort the families of the martyrs and coordinate the follow-up bereavement work. The rest of the party was also busy, and it wasn't until late in the evening that everyone had dinner together that they had the time to ask Al what was going on.

"Kid, are you alright, are you hurt?", the Duchess in military uniform looked heroic, and did not forget that she was the chief of staff of the Westfrontier Legion before. However, she was always calm and peaceful, and she couldn't hide the excitement on her face at the moment, so she dragged Al over and carefully examined it to confirm that they were all minor injuries before she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mom, don't be like this, there are a lot of people here. Al was a little embarrassed and grumbled in a low voice. Also at the dinner were Nicholas Davout, commander of the Western Frontier Legion, Michel Ney, deputy commander of the regiment, Pierre Felipe, the current foreign officer, the son of Mr. Felipe, and many other dignitaries. Letting these people see that he looks like a child makes Al, whose soul is a middle-aged uncle, feel very ashamed.

As a result, he was directly slapped on the head, "You are my son, you care about you and you are still suspicious, and you have grown up?" ”

The Duchess and the people present had fought side by side, and they had formed a deep friendship with each other over the years, and the Duchess did not have to pose as a lady in front of them.

Al could only pout and gulp down the salted broth, and he was really hungry after many days of continuous fighting. Although it was a dinner party, and the people who attended it were all noble, the food was indeed simple and plain, salted broth, hard bread, dried meat, and dried fish were all ordinary marching food, and the soldiers ate whatever they ate, and Al was now full of salty smell.

"Al, what the hell is going on, why are the orcs retreating?", the Duke asked, and the people around him also pricked up their ears, this is the most concerned thing for everyone.

Al put down the bowl and described in detail the battles of the past few days, from the discovery of the orcs, to the recruitment of troops in the city, the sacrifices of the captains, Medea's solitary rescue, and his own gambling strategy...... One by one, one by one, many details have not been missed.

His descriptions are flat and straightforward, without embellishment, and his tone is understated, with no ups and downs. But the content is really thrilling, with twists and turns, and these leaders, who are used to seeing big scenes, listened attentively, and their breathing was lowered a little.

By the time Al finished narrating, the audience was still silent, and everyone silently chewed on what Al had just said, and the bloody battle seemed to reappear in front of people's eyes.

The Duke was in a very complicated mood now, and he sighed sadly because the defenders of the Snow Fortress had been wiped out this time. But he was also proud and happy for Al's brave and resourceful performance. He looked at the young man in front of him with emotion, who had only thought Al was a mediocre heir, and was surprised to learn that he was able to learn magic, but now that the little guy had finally grown up to be able to take charge of himself, and brought him far more surprises than he expected.

"Al, come here. The Duke beckoned to Al.

When Al walked up, he stroked Al's black hair, pointed to the Iron Thorn Badge on Al's chest and asked, "Is this badge secure?"

Al was stunned for a moment, stroked the badge on his chest, pondered for a moment, and replied respectfully: "Wipe it often, be careful, be cautious, never throw it away, you should be able to wear it securely, right?"

"Duty is the most important word in a noble soul, and you must do your duty, not more, not less. As long as you do that, you won't lose this badge. Al, can you do it?", Lord Duke looked at Al, his eyes were both encouraging and loving.

The Iron Thorn Badge is heavy, strong and cold, and what a hard effort it takes to put it tightly.

Al thought with a frown, he thought slowly and seriously, and then nodded slowly and vigorously. The boy's face was full of a man's persistence and perseverance.

The Duke laughed heartily, and the anxiety and pain of the days seemed to be released at this moment, and he raised the bowl full of salted broth on the table.

"It is customary for the army to drink alcohol, and now I use soup instead of wine to celebrate the victory of the warrior named Al Edward, who won the first battle in his life. ”

People were stunned for a moment, remembering that there was such an ancient custom in the West. In the past, after the age of fourteen, the boys of the Westlands would go to the wilderness alone to hunt wild beasts, and when they returned home with their prey, the whole village would hold a grand feast to celebrate the growth of a boy into a man, and he became a warrior of the West.

This ritual is called a coming-of-age ceremony, also known as a "victory baptism".

It was only with the passage of time and the propaganda of the Holy Religion that this ancient tradition was slowly abolished, and people preferred the baptism of the Holy Priest. It's just that the martial spirit contained in it has been passed down from generation to generation.

It's just that El's "prey" this time is big enough.

There was a boiling around, and people held large bowls high to express congratulations and blessings to Al. Without flattery and hypocrisy, the people of the Westside would never do this. Although these bigwigs are not related to Al by blood, like Al's family, their words are sincere and sincere, and the salted broth that replaces the celebration wine is full of their sincere love.

Al was surrounded by a crowd, not drinking, but slightly drunk.

Al looked around and was greeted by a festive smile. He suddenly realized:

The so-called Iron Thorn family is not just him and his parents, just Edward's surname.

It's not just the old butler and family like Grell either.

Rather, it includes these people, as well as those who are not here to protect and guard the West.

This is the true power of the Iron Thorn Family, as long as these people are here, the Iron Thorn Family is there, and the Western Realm is there.