They had been annoyed by the belated arrival of reinforcements. But then again, at least they now knew how long they could wait, and when they should go on the offensive, even if they weren't outnumbered enough to shake the horde.

When the Elven Ranger interrupted his stargazing, Khadgar just sighed. "We're one day closer than we were yesterday than we were yesterday. I can't rush the stars, Arelia. ”

"Soon, soon; Patience is a virtue," Arelia said angrily as she watched Khadgar crawl back into the room. "I hate these clichés. ”

"As an elf, you're notoriously impatient. ”

"As a human nsb, .nsb.m, you're a. I want to fight, not stay here. ”

Khadgar's anger erupted suddenly, "Arelia, you don't want to fight, you want to die. ”

She suddenly fell silent. "What do you mean by that?"

"We've all seen it. Your expression on the battlefield, the fanaticism for blood, the fanaticism for your so-called revenge. You are too reckless. The way you fight is too dangerous, Arelia, and you're not used to it. That's why Tulayan will constantly order you not to go far, and sometimes even tell you not to go out at all. He's out of fear, fearing he's going to lose you. ”

There was a mixture of arrogance, anger, and coldness in her eyes. "I won't be what he lost. I don't belong to anyone but myself. ”

Khadgar knew he should stop there, but he couldn't. All the while, he was a cold watcher. Watch as Arelia and Tulayan circle each other like two vigilant dogs. But it's clear. Both of them still love each other dearly. Khadgar couldn't take it anymore. "You don't even belong to yourself, you belong only to those who have died. Even if you follow in their footsteps and die, it won't save their lives. Did you know that there is a kind and intelligent man in this fortress, Arelia, who can give you a better understanding of life. You should try to change yourself – open your heart to something wonderful and rare, rather than keep it shut. ”

She walked over to Khadgar until their faces were only a few feet apart. "How dare you say these things to me! It's none of your business! Why do you care what I do to the way I live?"

"I care. It's because I don't even have a chance to ulcer myself!"

Khadgar didn't stop at his confession. The two stared at each other and fell silent. Before, even he himself did not realize the truth of the matter. But now, the truth is naked in front of him.

"I know to you that our human life is surprising in its brevity. Our youth is even more fleeting. The duration of our youth and craftsmanship is only more than ten years at most. And me, I don't even have that time. Arelia, I was an old man when I was seventeen. I'm younger than Tulayan! Look at this face, I'm twenty-two years old...... But what twenty-two-year-old girl would fall in love with my bad old man?"

He pointed indignantly at his face, which was full of wrinkles. The beard and hair are snow-white faces. She took a light breath and took a few steps back. The pity in her heart softened her expression. Khadgar suddenly felt embarrassed. So he looked to the side.

"I just...... Looking at the two of you, it's so light to throw away things that I've never had a chance to taste...... Sometimes, it bothers me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have thrown these whiners at you. ”

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't think about it. ”...

Between the two, there was a heavy and incongruous silence. Eventually Khadgar sighed and said, "Come on. Let's go find Tulayan and the others. We need to finalize the solution. Because, the occurrence of astronomical phenomena is ...... Well, you know that. ”

"It wasn't long before that," Arelia said, with a smile she hadn't seen before.

"It was quite spectacular there. Arelia described. Tulayan had sent her and her rangers to scout the fortress. Now, the two of them, along with Khadgar, Kudran, and Danas, were sitting in the chamber discussing what the Ranger had seen. "The aisle on the edge of the wall alone could hold dozens of orcs. And here are some watchtowers. She pointed to several locations on the map. "We should attack from this area. When you disturb them from here, I can send the rangers to quickly take out those sentinels. If the alarm bell doesn't ring, we'll open the main gate for you, and the real army will enter the fortress from there. ”

"Very well," Tulayan said, "we will attack from both sides, by surprise." We're going to give them some color and see. Surround them inside and don't give them a chance to escape. After that, draw in and take out the orcs who are still fighting. ”

"We will attack from above," Kudran noted. "Keep them busy with us, and then you boys, chicks, can rush in and get the job done. ”

Tulayan nodded, but Arelia shook her head and said, "I guess you can't handle it yourself." They have dragons to help them, remember?" They had all seen those black figures hovering over the fort, swooping and swooping like big birds playing.

But Kudran smiled. "Ah, yes, but not a lot, little girl! you know no, we'll kill them all before you even have time to blink. ”

Tulayan couldn't help but smile at the confidence of the Hammer Dwarven Leader, and said, "Still, we try not to rely on the help of the Griffin Knights, just in case. Kudran nodded.

Tulayan looked at Khadgar, "Is there anything you can do to restrain their warlocks, or the black dragons?"

"I'm sure I can. Khadgar replied. His gaze swept to Kudran and said, "I have an idea that may give your griffons more of an advantage, and help the soldiers at the same time." ”

Tulayan nodded. Plans were taking shape, but the next part was what he feared. He took a deep breath and said. "We need someone to stay and watch over the Watchtower. Because we still need to retreat. Arelia. I want you to be responsible. ”

"What?" Her mouth was wide open, staring at him.

"I need to have someone I trust to stay here and that's the key to the plan. This is our base and we can't risk losing it, in case the orcs are separated-"

"You need me to complete the raid. ”

"I sued you. I need you to stay here. Send your rangers to clear the guards. ”

She shook her head and replied, "No, you don't. Any soldier who remains here knows how to hold the castle. My Ranger is at my command. If you had ordered me to stay in the rear, I would not have sent them with you. ”

"Don't be unreasonable," he began, but she interrupted him.

"Quite unreasonable?Tulayan, I'm a veteran, and you didn't know where I was when I was in the war!"

"Arelia, you...... You are too reckless. Tulayan said, hate it, but he had no choice. "I saved your life, when—"

"And I've saved you all. More than once!" ...

"Gentlemen," Khadgar said softly. He put his hand on Kudran and Danas's shoulders and motioned for them to sit back in their chairs. "I'm pretty sure you all want to see the astrological alignment I've mentioned. ”

"Oh, yes," Kudran said. The three of them quickly left the room.

Tulayan was so engrossed in Arelia that he didn't notice that the two were now alone in the room, undisturbed. "Arelia, you're not alert enough when you're fighting, not like you used to. I can't just keep looking behind you and trying to save you. ”

"I have the right to revenge! They killed my family—my people—"

"Do you think Rias would want you to sacrifice yourself in vain?

It was the first time Tulayan mentioned Arelia's brother, and she froze. Tulayan was heartbroken, and before she could speak, he continued recklessly, "I know you're a good warrior for you. It's just that...... Not now. ”

"Relas...... There are others...... I wasn't with them at the time. Maybe I could have done something about it. But I'm not there. I'm alive and well now, but they're all dead. Her clear emerald eyes filled with tears. Tulayan took a deep breath, he had never seen her cry over her dead loved ones. "So after that, I did everything I could to get something back. I killed the orcs who killed them. It really worked, because it stopped my heart from mourning. ”

Suddenly, Tulayan understood. "What you said to me that night," he prayed only that he wouldn't say anything wrong. "I got someone to translate. He hesitated for a moment and whispered, "That's 'help me forget.'" ”

Tears slipped down her beautiful, emaciated face. "But I don't want to forget. I don't want them to just leave. If I don't feel sorry for them...... It's as if they didn't really leave. ”

Tears welled up in Tulayan's eyes. His heart was broken for Arelia. But she needs that, she needs to remember the dead. Killing orcs wasn't the antidote to her knot, and neither would her pain. Now, all these feelings she tried her best to restrain seemed to be coming back, and she was on the verge of collapse.

"I can't stay in the rear. Don't let me do that. Last time, I stayed. I won't let my beloved go to death, and I ......"

Suddenly, her arms were around Tulayan, her head buried deep in his chest, and he hugged her tightly. Arelia's slender body trembled with sobs. She was like a woman overboard, grabbing him and not letting go. Tulayan gave her blonde hair a gentle kiss, sniffing the scent of pine, earth, and flowers on her body.

"I will never leave you alone and leave you alone. He swore an oath.

She lifted her tear-drenched face and whispered softly as he leaned over to kiss her, "And I, will never leave you." (To be continued......)