iv

April 14, 1666 MDAY+13 Fort Still

Two flags, the Crimson and the Four-Color Cross, fluttered at the top of Fort Still's Command Tower, emitting a dazzling light announcing the outcome of yesterday's bloody battle.

Lieutenant Soleton glanced numbly at the brand-new flags and turned to the officers' quarters. Most of the quarters in the barracks suffered some damage in yesterday's shelling and scuffle, two buildings were completely burned down, and thirty percent of them were hit by shells. The craters on the road have been repaired by the engineering mages, and they are barely able to keep the carriage moving. However, the road did not mean much to him as he dragged a large row of floating saucers full of luggage. He had almost no luggage of his own, which belonged to the ladies. There were only two ladies who could live in the general's quarters: Méti and Crosso, and the venerable captive. It stands to reason that as an operational staff officer, he shouldn't have time to do these little things now, but this is General Eugen's order.

"I know you're sad in your heart, but you're completely out of shape, Lieutenant. You can't continue to work like this, so I've got you an easy job. Eugen tore his flawed change of guard to shreds, "Take the two ladies to live in my house." If you see Luthor there or on the road, let him come to me. ”

But even with such a simple job, he was still out of shape. The General's Mansion was the largest building in the dormitory, but he dragged it around the air twice before finding it.

"This is it. Naimon pushed open the dark wooden door of the largest house and showed the furnishings to the two ladies beside him. "This is the second general's official residence, and the first general's official residence was burned down yesterday. Both General Eugen and Lord Luther will be staying here, so you don't have to worry about security. ”

Hearing the phrase "security issues", the corners of Princess Olya's mouth lifted and she snorted. Naimon ignored her and directly explained the situation to the two new colleagues in charge of guarding. He did not reveal Olya's true identity, only suggesting that the lady was a very important and extremely dangerous captive. The two lieutenants of the First Division were shocked to hear that this weak-looking black-haired beauty had a level of magic equivalent to that of a bishop.

"We get it, we'll apply for additional reinforcements. Please sign here, Lieutenant...... Wait a minute, you're Naimon, Soleton, the chief of the guard of the Bishop Lord, the one who stopped the Cardinal at the bottom of the Command Tower?"

Miss Méti, with her double ponytail, was not interested in the mansion, but she suddenly became excited when she heard the guard's words. "Naimon, you're blocking a cardinal? Really, tell me about it. ”

"Repellent? I didn't repel it. The lieutenant responded coldly, his tone barely fluctuating, "It was Pluto and Lord Luther who repelled the Knights. ”

"What did Luther do, was he heroic?" said Meeta even more excited.

"It's ...... Heroic, huh?" Naimon was speechless, not knowing how to describe Luther's battle. He'll never forget the ghostly face of Pluto behind him, and he'll never forget the way he fought: he'd never seen anyone who had so paradoxically combined "anger" and "calmness" – but it was definitely not heroic.

He single-handedly killed half of the officers on the other side, smashed through the teleportation location from the first floor to the basement, forcing the cardinal to flee alone with two or three cronies, and blew up the entire location room in a panic. He is a true bishop, and we cannot win this battle without him. ”

Naimon remembered the distorted expression on the Bishop's delicate face. He'd only heard of Berserkers, but never of Berserkers—but he saw them that day.

Pluto stopped Ionette's attack with great brutality and avenged his sister. All of the officers who stormed the Tower of Command were killed, and more than half of the female knights around Io had been assassinated by Luther, and they were used as human shields to stop the cardinal's counterattack before they died. Pluto has set countless traps on the way to the teleportation location, which he uses to kill indiscriminately. Naimon also suspected who had blown up the entire teleportation room - he had no evidence, but he believed it was Luthor himself. Naimon was the only one who saw the end of the battle, and all witnesses on both sides died in the underground tunnels of the Command Tower. This image of the great clergy understood the cruel and unscrupulous nature of war far better than he did.

Mety got excited. She felt encouraged that she was the only one who knew Pluto's true identity. "What happened later?

"As soon as the cardinal fled, we quelled the chaos in the city. The Emperor's 4th Division, outside the city, ate several volleys and painfully withdrew to the north bank. We planted that flag at the head of Steelburg, and Eugen moved in with his troops, and that's it. Naimon replied lightly as he looked at the buildings that had been burned down in the riots and the traces of shelling. In fact, the 1st Division lost a third of its officers, and those few salvos also knocked out thousands of wagons of artillery on both sides.

"That's it, no one rushed up to overturn that flag, or threw out their gloves to duel the flag bearer?"

"They don't dare. You know, a soldier doesn't go to war without an officer's order. Naimon didn't dare to say the real reason: after the mutiny, there were few officers left to give orders. He always felt that it was a little inappropriate to tell the bloody truth to a girl like Métie who didn't know anything about the world. He estimated that the eldest lady of the Krosso Brothers' Bank would not be much younger than Anne, but it felt like they were two worlds...... Maybe it's already a person from two worlds.

"It's really boring, I thought there would be a very heroic fight. ”

Hearing Meti's complaints, the tall brunette walking beside her touched her head. "Don't be disappointed, Méte. For Southern soldiers, the greatest virtue was obedience, and they did not promote heroic deeds because they believed that it would undermine the cohesion of the army. ”

Princess Olya's words were rather harsh to Namen. He turned his head and retorted with a little dissatisfaction: "I'm sorry, I don't think the Free Army will be worse than you serfs in terms of heroic deeds, Your Highness. ”

"Really, Lieutenant, I think you are quite brave enough to storm into a princess's bed and take her prisoner in the presence of a crowd of enemies. If you were part of our army, you would have become a knight or even a nobleman a long time ago. But now they're letting you carry your luggage...... I don't think that's a commendation for heroic acts. ”

The black-haired priestess still had a cold expression on her face that could only be described as "noble". Naimon smiled bitterly: "That's because I'm not heroic enough, and...... Thank you so much for your kindness, but please forgive me for not kissing your ring. ”

Olya didn't back down: "And what? Only vassals who have sworn an oath to the Corman family can kiss my ring, and it's a solemn ceremony." Do you want to take the oath, Lieutenant?"

"It's a pity that I have already sworn an oath to the Constitution. ”

Just as the conversation between the two men was going in an unconstructive direction, Meti's unintentional remark stopped the trend. "Are you two in*?"

This time the two retorted in unison.

"This kind of civilian who is not handsome or graceful is not on my list at all. "I'm not in the mood to joke right now, I'm sorry. ”

Naimon and Olya glanced at each other unhappily, and at the same time turned their heads away with disdain, leaving only Metie rubbing her hands together in embarrassment. Fortunately, Naimon did not forget to pay attention to the house number of the room, and stopped in time in front of the officer's suite assigned to the girls.

"Here, this is the room of the two of you, General No. 4. The bar is really high. ”

The lieutenant, who had been assigned to the cramped lieutenant's quarters, sighed and pushed open the door and pulled more than twenty floating disks strapped full of boxes into the room. There were so many things piled up in the room, but they didn't look crowded at all. On the desk were the personal belongings of the owner of the room, diaries, notes, and a few handwritten letters, and a few boxes in the corners that looked like the man's luggage. He gathered the scattered items and put them in an empty box to be sent to the deceased's family at a later date. The beds were double and it was not a big problem for two ladies.

"Generals can bring their families...... Forget it, after all, they are generals. ”

Naimon flipped through the fortress manual he had taken from the logistics department and checked the condition of all kinds of defensive magic, all of which were good. He walked over to Metie and slipped the manual to her. "Méti, here's the manual for you, write down all the emergency activation phrases on it. Naimon leaned into her ear, "Don't let Olya see it." ”

The princess of the empire pursed the corners of her lips slightly, staring at him with disdain for such a small gesture. Naimon's face flushed, and he went back to carry his luggage. He untied half of the floating disk and dragged it out the door.

"I was just going to ask, whose luggage is that? more than the two of us combined. Are there any other women living in this building?" asked Méti.

Naimon breathed for a moment and replied, "The luggage is now Lord Luthor's. ”

"Did it belong to anyone else now?"

"They used to belong to a colleague of mine......" Naimon turned his back and unloaded their boxes.

Méty wanted to ask something more, but Olya covered her mouth. "Is that the young lady who was in Kengrade before? sorry...... We don't know about it. We shouldn't ......"

"It's okay, it's just missing...... That's it. ”

Everyone fell silent when there was a knock at the door. The person who knocked on the door did not wait for a response, and simply pushed the door and walked in. "It's best to be here, I don't have to look for them one by one. ”

Hearing this voice, Naimon hurriedly turned around and saluted. His voice trembled a little. "Ah, Your Excellency Major Luther. ”

The biggest contributor to the capture of Stillburg leaned against the doorframe and nodded in return. He did not wear a military uniform, but a clerical uniform. "I'm no longer a major, you don't have to salute. Now I'm the Chief Imam of the Fort Army, and I may even be the Chief Imam of the Central Army...... Nemora is eventful. ”

"So, in the future, the state will ...... Pluto and we are neighbors again?" Méty almost said Bonnie's real name, but luckily she remembered in time that there were at least two other people at the scene who didn't know the secret.

"Well, I live next door to Jiangguan No. 5, you can come and play when you have time. Luther touched Mét's head and replied with a smile.

Nemen hesitated for a moment, then interjected, "Can we talk privately, Lord Luther?"

"Let's get down to business in a minute, I have a few new pieces of news for you. Bonnie pulled out a few papers tucked under her right arm, "The first piece of news is that the Emperor's army has chosen the Central Army as a breakthrough point and is following their old retreat to Gistov for a counteroffensive. ”

Knowing that the occasion was not appropriate, Olya Hugh and Corman smiled knowingly. It was her brother's army, could she finally be exchanged for captives?

However, he was stopped by Field Marshal Fox, and it seemed that he would not be able to reach Kengal for a while. ”

Olya's mood sank. Indeed, it could not have been so early, at least not until this army and even the entire Free Army had suffered a heavy enough defeat before she had a chance to return to her country. But what she heard next was completely unexpected.

"Second, we've heard...... His Royal Highness Hugh Kirman attended the Imperial Swearing-in ceremony in Gistov. ”

"What's wrong with me?" the princess asked subconsciously. When she understood what Bonnie meant, she was so surprised that she involuntarily took two steps back. "I ...... Attended the ceremony in Gistov?!"

"Well, that's what the intelligence says. Vow solemnly. We could probably all guess what was going on, and we could even guess who the princess was, but now there was no solution. Bonnie explained with a wry smile.

Naimon reacted immediately, his eyes widening. "Impossible...... Be...... Why?"

What is Danika doing all day long? Is she afraid that her situation is not dangerous enough? colluding with those people in the Ministry of Security to pretend to be the princess of the Empire! Now he will swear to keep the matter of his capture of the real princess of the empire! Once she is exposed...... Once she was debunked......

He didn't dare to think about it any further. Why is she so bold and doesn't know what "safe" is? Everyone he knows is like that...... Can't do it again, he can't afford it.

"It's Sid, Nasser, Sid, Nasser is using her to cover up his failures and control my brother, bastard, this hound in the dark! how would he know?!" Olya slammed her pink fist against the wall of the room. At that moment, the whole room trembled, all the protective magic flickered, and the patent leather fell off in more than one place. It was obvious that the princess with royal blood was really angry, and Metie shrank in the corner in fear when she saw this scene, and even Bonnie gasped.

But there is still someone who is not afraid of her blood and power. Or rather, there is a reason for that person to rise above fear.

"Tell me, Your Highness Princess. What do you mean by 'control your brother'?" Naimon's mood today is indeed gloomy. In other words, the continuous accidents made him more gloomy than usual.

Olya was also shocked to realize that she had lost her words, and hurriedly turned her head: "I mean that Sid guy is very strong and can control the government through various means. ”

"No, that's not what you meant. Tell me, does Gustav like you? ”

Naimon grabbed her fortress-shaking hand and turned to her, staring into her eyes. He didn't seem to know that these hands had the power to disembowel him in an instant—or rather, he didn't care.

"Get that ugly face of yours out of front of me!" Olya, avoiding his gaze, flicked her wrist feebly, trying to shake him off, "It's none of your business! How can you do this to a lady?"

"No, it's important to me. We all know the man who is playing your role in front of the Emperor. Naimon replied in silence, an answer that could hardly be denied.

"Even if you knew, what could you do? What could you do? Even I would not dare to go back now! That Sid would not hesitate to kill me if necessary!" the princess was yelling at him almost at the highest volume that a well-educated noble lady could make.

"Tell me. If you don't want to speak, you can nod your head, or shake your head. But tell me the truth. ”

Bonnie stared dumbfounded at Naimon, who was threatening Olya, and for some reason, she felt the urge to run away from here. She quietly unscrewed the lock and tried to exit the room.

"Please don't go, Lord Luther, and wait for me a little longer. "There is a metallic clash in Namen's voice. Bonnie paused, and suddenly understood why she was terrified—the voice reminded her of the "other" Namen.

After a moment, the princess of the Holy Empire nodded extremely reluctantly.

"Thank you. Let's go, Lord Luther. Without hesitation, the young lieutenant turned and left, leaving only the two girls in their rooms.

*** ***

"Did you bring an order?" Bonnie shut, shutting the door, "no one can hear here, you can speak." ”

Naimon let go of the floating disc he was dragging in his hand and sat down on the bed with his head in his hands. "I have an order, General Eugen asks you to come over. But I have a few other personal questions that I would like to ask you first. ”

Bonnie nodded, "Please speak." ”

"Why...... Why are you still so calm, talking and laughing? Anne, is she okay? I've seen your rage, don't lie to me. ”

Bonnie replied truthfully, "No, I don't have any news either. All I knew was that there was blood that once belonged to Anne in the depths of that pile of mud in the basement, and I couldn't find her. I don't even know why she became like that......"

"It was Ionette who did it, a net of cutting wire...... "Naimon cleared the bloody memories from his mind. "Do you have a way to resurrect her? As a bishop, you should have a way!"

Bonnie shook her head: "It's a pity that I don't have that kind of power right now. If I have a body that is not too badly damaged, I can do it, but it is beyond my ability to completely reconstruct a body and resurrect it. ”

"Why aren't you sad?Didn't you go to the scene, and there was no way to resurrect her?!" Naimon finally couldn't hold back, "Aren't you brother and sister?!"

"No, you don't know! You don't know my relationship with Anne, you don't! You haven't known her for less than a year......" Bonnie's nails dug into the palm of her hand at an angle that Naimon couldn't see. "I trust her, I trust her through and through, I trust her more than anybody. Thought is the source of faith, and faith is the power of magic. And she has plenty of ...... Thoughts and beliefs. I'm convinced she got out, it's just that I don't understand how she got out. Every true magician has several ways to protect himself. That's equivalent to a few extra lives, and you won't die so easily. She was only temporarily missing. ”

"But...... What if all of these methods fail? What if she's really not missing, but ......" Naimon couldn't go on.

"Even if it's true, we're mentally prepared. No more than 30% of the people who are in this fortress today will be alive in ten years. Bonnie leaned against the wall and sighed, "That's war." ”

Naimon repeated: "This is war?"

"This is war, and the whole war has just begun. Anne and I wanted to fight it, and we swore to each other...... No, she wouldn't have left so easily. She's a nine-...... No, her wish is so ...... So...... Vehement. Bonnie jerked in the direction of the door, "No, I trust her. She must have escaped, she couldn't have been defeated by such a simple attack. I'm going to General Eugen, and he must be waiting for me to discuss the proposal. Do you have any other tasks for the afternoon?"

"No more. ”

Namen's head still hangs deeply. Bonnie sighed and gently pulled the door open. Suddenly, that metallic special voice rang in her ears again.

"I have one last question. You are a deacon, and you know the answer to this question. I know that prayer is a blessing for pastors...... But what if I, who am not a pastor, pray to the gods for certain things? Which god should I pray to? Will that work?"

"I think it will be useful. Bonnie replied, leaving the room and hurrying to the Command Tower.

Naimon remained in her room, not coming out.

For a moment, Bonnie was in a trance, but by the time she pushed open the gate of the conning tower, she had regained her composure. Egar: Eugen was waiting there for her as a man, and she couldn't panic.

"Have you read my proposal, and what are you going to do?"

She pulled over an armchair and sat directly across from Eugen's desk. The Major General was smoking a pipe, looking at "Pluto" with a grim face, and rubbing the thick document in his hand over and over again.

"This document has gone too far, Mr. Luther. Only the soldiers were recognized, not the officers, and even excommunicated them, calling them traitors...... Please forgive me for not agreeing. I think you should make a public apology, and then posthumously recognize the martyrdom of all those who died, regardless of whether they are soldiers or officers, and then talk about the promotion of new officers. ”

Bonnie raised the corners of her mouth indifferently. "It wasn't a mutiny, it was a righteous takeover. I don't think there's anything wrong with saying they're traitors. They held their ground at Fort Still, trying to kill us and the 12th Division under the guns of the Emperor, and finally took Fort Still's to the enemy. ”

"That's just a hypothesis, and it didn't actually happen!" Eugen slapped the table, "The problem is your incitement, even the slightest bit of it is in line with normal means?!Do you know how many non-commissioned officers and officers of the Republic Division died in the mutiny?Three hundred! Three hundred and ten non-commissioned officers and officers, a third of them died at the hands of their own soldiers! How can they all be traitors?!Do you want to drag us back to the age of religious vendetta, Your Excellency the Bishop!"

"I don't think there was a second option for the situation at that time. Fort Steele must be taken. The officer is dead, and he can be promoted again, Your Excellency Major General. ”

Eugen restarted his cigar irritably, "Yes, I know, I know." I know you're not wrong, Machiavelli isn't wrong, not even the Pierre who killed Pickett. However, more than 300 officers! This is the most experienced and combat-effective officer corps of the Free Army! The one you instigated the rebels to purge is the most outstanding backbone of the Free Army!"

"The troops that have lost their commanders are just for the soldiers to elect an officer they trust as their commander. If you have lost the caster's troops, you can simply let me or Mr. Bishop perform a ritual on a volunteer who is willing to become a prospective clergyman. I know exactly how to make up for the damage, don't I?" Bonnie said eloquently, "We don't need a bunch of bastard officers! We want officers who are of the same heart and mind as their subordinates, and who share life and death." Without such awareness, it is impossible to save our country. ”

"But who can we rely on to defend the fortress and defend against the Emperor?!They don't even have the most basic officer training!"

"A fortress can't be relied upon, but a human heart can. The human heart is the strongest fortress. Bonnie held her head high and replied without flinching, "I would rather choose an officer who will learn about war in the future than an experienced officer who is wavering." After paying the blood sacrifice, the will of the entire Republic Division has been tied to us, and they have no way to retreat. ”

"But so do we. Don't forget, a fortress isn't just for defense, it's a blade for attacking enemies. Occasionally, a sharp blade will cut your hand. ”

"Thanks for the reminder, but now is not the time to worry about getting your hands dirty. The diamonds in the crown of steel are just about to shine again. Whether you like it or not, we must replenish the officers and magical powers. Now there is no second option, we cannot get reinforcements from the outside. Or, sir, do you have a better proposal than my proposal?"

“...... No. Eugen buried his head under his hands and replied weakly.

"Then it's decided. Starting this afternoon, I will select eligible soldiers in each company to become qualified priests in the shortest possible time. Please prepare the order, and I will carry it out. ”

Bonnie turned away and slammed the door shut, leaving Eugen lying limply on the table.

Even in the face of a three-fold Overarch attack, he never despaired.

In fact, by the time he read this document, Eugen had already conceded defeat, and he just wanted to make a last stand. He believed in the power of Pluto's proposal: it was so detailed in its numbers and compilation, that it took into account the cost of training and equipment for each of the would-be clergy officers, and that it was the work of a seasoned technical officer, and that it was extremely operable.

If each company had three or more quasi-clergymen, they would surely be able to defeat the Emperor* in the face. How powerful it would be to set up a command system at the company level. But......

"I have three divisions under my name, but I can't control them. O gods. Tell me, how am I going to command this army, how am I going to save my country?"

There was only silence in his answer.

A knightly order belonging to a free nation. An army honored with the blood of its own officers. An army belonging to Pluto and his priests.

He was glorified, but the Iron Fortress was no longer in his hands. He didn't know what would happen next.

*** ***

The changing of the guard bell strikes regularly every hour, from the lunch bell to the dinner bell. Naimon stayed in Pluto's room, numbly listening to the bells. He knew that most of the standing duties were carried out from the 6th Division, and that the units that had originally belonged to the 1st and 12th Divisions were being reorganized. Luthor was probably doing this, so he didn't come back.

This is war.

The furnishings in the room are very simple, simple to the point of being a little shabby. If someone says that Luthor was once a hermit, no one will disbelieve it. The Bishop's luggage consisted of only one suitcase, which was inconspicuous when submerged in Anne's dozen or so suitcases. His grass-green wooden box bears the Crosso Brothers Bank logo, while Anne's chest is colorful, ranging from leather to metal. Naimon stood up, looking at the chests through his magic-detecting vision. The chests are naturally protected, and only the owner can open them in some way, and if you force them open, they will most likely trigger a trap such as an explosion or strong acid. The same goes for his own only suitcase, and no one wants their luggage to fall into the hands of the enemy.

This is war.

He laughed at the familiar solid gold mark on the chest, thinking about his memories of his time at Lenny. He remembered the first time they met, a violent misunderstanding between him and Anne, Anne's sister, and their mistress nearly resulted in death...... His own human life. However, this is also a no-fight and no acquaintance, and he can often see this somewhat reckless and reckless girl after that. Lots of weird questionnaires, lots of exotic desserts, and magic that's as powerful as Denica's, nay, maybe even more powerful. Like a trick of fate, she and he had met when they were in the rebels, and when they returned to the Free Army, they were in the same unit with him...... He always felt that it would be someone like himself who was inexperienced, magical, and unlucky, going to challenge that dead line first. But actually......

This is war.

Anything can happen in a war, and anyone dies – but the death of a very familiar person, whom he knew before the war, is not the same as the death of an ordinary comrade-in-arms. Even Marshal Govar, the rebel, was ready to face death at any moment. He also witnessed it then, and felt nothing but sorrow. But this time is different.

This time, the world of Naimon was shaken. He had been praying, for Anne, for Danica, for his country, for all those in danger. But he barely hoped - he watched as the silver threads cut off Anne's only magical protection. His memory of her smile was all covered by the bloody scene.

He pulled out the only thing she had left him—the strange silver pistol. He looked at it over and over again, muttering to himself, "Why? Why is this happening?"

He should have had a chance to save her. If he doesn't agree with that risky plan of battle...... If only he could have asked Luthor to come down and fight earlier...... If he was the one who rushed ahead...... But no matter what, he couldn't have been sitting here all the time remembering her. Annie, Sephir has enough magic to be proud of everyone, but she's only a second lieutenant, and dozens of officers of her rank died yesterday in one day. Tomorrow he will still have to return to his post and enjoy the glory of "Hero of Steelburg".

There was a knock at the door, and Naimon realized that it was dinner time. Luthor will always come back, and he must go back. He didn't come and go to open the door, just stood up and listened to the crackle of the lock and key.

"Lord Luthor, I'm sorry to be here for so long......"

"How did you get your luggage here, Bonnie......"

The door opened, and the people outside walked in talking to themselves. The invisibility magic on her body was fading, and she almost collided with Naimon. Both were stunned, staring at each other in disbelief.

"Soleton?" "Annie?"

The blonde girl was almost physically clothed, only a dirty black cloth that I didn't know where it came from, and it couldn't even hide her graceful figure. Probably because of the invisibility along the way, Anne's body was also dirty, covered with blood and mud, and there were many faint red marks on her skin. Her arms and legs were stained gray-black with dirt, as if she had just crawled out of the ground.

But Naimon stepped forward without hesitation and took such Anne in the crook of his arm.

"It's great that you're back. It's all right. ”

Caught off guard, Anne's mouth opened wide and looked like she wanted to scream. But her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and the scream stuck in her throat turned into a whisper that only the other could hear.

"That'...... Well, can you let me take a shower and change my clothes? My luggage is in this room......

Naimon reacted suddenly, let go of his hand, and hurriedly took a few steps back. He tripped and fell on Luther's bed, spilling mud on his body. He buried his face in the pillow and heard Anne close the door and quickly ran past him, rummaging through her luggage. After a few moments, she wrapped herself in a large bath towel before clapping her hands and telling Naimon that she could turn back.

"How did you escape? Even Luthor couldn't find you, did you escape to another world?"

"I really haven't tried liquefiing myself, and I almost can't recover. Anne smiled wryly, "It took me all day to get all the parts of my body back together and get back to the way they were...... I couldn't help it, but at the time I had to liquefy myself to dodge the dense attacks. ”

She said as she dragged her luggage to the middle of the house and opened two of the boxes. Both boxes were empty, and she hummed a little tune to make them into a portable square bath. The handle in the corner is the activation mechanism, and the box is attached to the handy magic that can generate hot water at any time, and it can also turn out a layer of one-way transparent frosted glass. Now Naimon understands why she has so much luggage.

He turned his head again and whispered, "Don't use such a dangerous tactic next time, Annie. ”

"Are you worried about me?" Anne jumped into the bath, and the sound came through the frosted glass, sounding a little different. "Don't worry, don't you see I'm back again......"

"Of course I'm worried!" Naimon's voice became louder, "One or both of them are like this! You people, don't you know what danger is?! Next time, you will hide in the corner like those noble ladies and wait for others to charge, okay?! You are a logistics officer, not a stormtrooping officer!"

There was a sound of water coming from inside the frosted glass. Anne replied after a moment: "If those of us who know magic don't rush, who will? If people like me who are strong in magic don't rush, do I want those who don't know magic to rush? I can't do this kind of thing if I want others to die when I know that I can solve a problem." After all, every mage has his own way of preserving his life, and I probably have more lives than others. ”

"But......," Naimon hesitated, "didn't you miscalculate this time? With so many cardinals and archmages in the Empire, how can you guarantee that you will be able to escape every time? ”

"No, no, you don't understand. Anne stood up and wiped her back with a towel, vaguely seeing her delicate figure, "My ...... The elder brother can't take risks, he's the key figure. I'm just a person with a little bit of magic and a lot of tricks, and even if something happens, it doesn't matter. Everything I want to do, as long as he can do it, will help me achieve it. I trust him. ”

These words were almost the same as Luther had said in the morning. An impulse pushed Naimon to stand up, stared at Anne behind the frosted glass and asked loudly, "Then can't you try to trust me?"

"Huh?" the blonde snorted, her face suddenly flushed, and she plunged back into the bath, burying her entire head in the water, and Naimon could only hear the popping of bubbles she spat out in the water. The boy's own face flushed red, and he added, "Hmm...... I know I'm not very trustworthy yet. I don't have the power of magic, I don't have money, I don't have status......"

Anne smirked and poked her head out from beneath the water, "Turn around, Soleton." I'm coming out. ”

"Oh. Naimon turned his head in a panic and did not continue the topic.

Anne, who had freshly groomed her body, took off her bath towel and got dressed. "Okay, you can watch it. What do you think?"

Naimon turned his head to look at Anne, who was tying her hair into a ponytail. Her red uniform had been shredded in the battle, and she had to change into a blue uniform to cover up the red scars on her body. Some of the scars seem to have been trimmed, and the remaining parts that have not been erased look like a special kind of makeup, which is not ugly. There was only one small place that puzzled him.

"Not bad. It's just that the costume doesn't fit well. The bust is tighter than before, right?"

Anne's movements froze, and her face flushed again: "Where are you looking at this pervert?

"No, no, I'm just curious about how this kind of effect can be restored after liquefaction......" Naimon hastily argued, but no effect was received.

"That's all you have to say?"

The blonde girl chased out of the room. Naimon dodged her attacks with agility, keeping deeper questions in his mind. After all, every mage claims to have several lives, and they don't necessarily tell the truth.

"Anyway, welcome back, Annie. ”

He jerked his head back and said softly. Hearing this, Anne was stunned on the spot with a flushed face, and Naimon took the opportunity to laugh and run out the door.

He almost burst into tears.