Exeter, Dragons, Valhalla. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Lord Byrne Mielke, the official of Nunn VII, stood quietly in the corridor outside the Hall of Heroes, watching the slowly rising snow outside the stone window, thoughtful.

The warriors of the White Blade Guard stood guard all around, their eyes sharp.

Mielke can't remember how many times in his forty-plus years of life he had watched the snow fall in the Northland.

The captain of the King's personal guard, the current leader of the White-Bladed Guard, Nicolai the Starfall, came from behind and stood beside him.

Lord Mielke didn't look back: "This year's desperate cold is estimated to be cold enough. ”

"Yes, old fellow," said Nicolais, looking at the snow outside the window, narrowing his eyes and smiling strangely:

"Do you remember when we first arrived at the White Blade Guard, training in the freezing snow of the sun?"

"Of course," Lord Mielke, who had been an official for many years, remembered the past and smiled slightly, "Kaslan is just like you now, with a stinky face every day, and trains us to death...... We all called him 'iceberg' behind our backs, and even when we talked in our dreams every night, we cursed him for dying early or not being able to get a wife. ”

"Until his mother-in-law came to see him in the barracks," laughed Nicollet, "and put Monty's eyes straight...... God knows how the mother-in-law of the 'iceberg' can be so beautiful, it's really unfair!"

Mielke's eyes drifted into the distance.

Oh, yes.

He still remembered that more than 20 years ago, when he first arrived at the White Guards, the famous commander of the "Shaking the Earth", Kaslan Rumba, used a leather whip to drive their group of "recruits" to the dead cold outdoors at four o'clock in the morning - although those who could be selected for the White Guards must have been iron-blooded men who had experienced the front line.

"Feel cold, right—the north wind and the bitter cold, this is the most generous gift of the lord of the mountains to the people of the north! they make you stronger, harder, and more unstoppable!" were the words of Kaslan.

Mielke still remembers the old boss's huge body comparable to a snow bear, and his fierce face covered with frost and snow: "Don't rub around, strip me all my clothes, and run - there is hot water at the finish line, if you can't run in half an hour, you will freeze to death on the road!"

Thinking of this, Mielke's eyes moved, and he opened his mouth to ask Nicollet, "Are you still continuing that 'greeting gift'? All the newcomers to the guard have to run around naked in the dead cold?"

"Of course, we were so miserable," Nicolai chuckled, "wouldn't it be a pity not to let the newcomers experience it?"

Michael and he looked at each other and smiled.

At that time, in the White Blade Guard, the almost invincible legendary Kaslan was in his prime, and Dominic, the "Blood Hammer", had not yet died in the White Mountain, always wearing his signature hateful smile, smiling and helping them for several laps, and the "Unquenchable Fire" Tyrond was still carrying his silver and black immovable bow, and his every move was majestic.

At that time, three of the future "Five Warriors" gathered here: Seri Nicolai, a stinky soldier who did not like anyone, had not yet earned his nickname "Meteorite" under the fortress, and no one believed that this always beaten thorn could become Caslan's successor in the future, and Isaiah Solian, who later became known as "Thorn Wind", was nicknamed "Prince of the Guard" because of his daily picky complaints about food Seven years later, he would have the battle to shine in the Thirty-Eight Lookouts, and probably no one would believe that Ned Monty, the terrible "Dead Raven", was a country crossbowman with a foul mouth, a pair of thief's eyes glancing around, and nothing to like to nag the girl who passed by the size of the girl's ass.

They were all young, hot-blooded warriors, each more proud and one impulsive - Mielke still remembers that Nicollet had been tied to a stake in front of all the guards recruits for disobeying orders, whipped to the point of a barbed whip by Kaslan, and moaning at a piece of wood.

Forged into His Majesty's most reliable blades and the most solid dragon's guards under the brutal hands of Kaslan, they fought bloody battles in the glacial defense lines of the Sentinel Territory, in the deep valleys of the White Mountains, in the complex golden corridors, and in the tragic Broken Dragon Fortress, leaving behind the remains of countless comrades, weeping and mourning in defeat, singing war songs in fierce battles, drinking heartily after victory, and finally engraved their names on the platinum pages of the "Whiteblade Legend", on the same page as those heroes of the Northland since the ancient empire.

Those days, it was like a dream.

And, of course, the young man with a hearty smile who hid his identity and trained with them - he had fought with himself over a bowl of broth.

That bastard.

Thinking of this, Mielke couldn't help but smile lightly, and then his eyes darkened.

Mielke sighed: And now, even his own daughter is twenty years old.

At this point, Nicolas sighed, "The time has come. ”

Mielke returned his thoughts to the bottom of his heart, and he turned and bowed slightly to the two small figures beside him, "Please come with me, Miss Alex." ”

"It's past four o'clock in the morning!" Alex Walton, a beautiful girl who had just been pulled out of bed in a thick robe, rubbed her sleepy eyes with one hand and hot in front of her mouth with the other, and said angrily, "What is the matter, can't you talk about it tomorrow morning?"

Lord Michael looked at Alex's appearance and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This girl is spoiled so much.

So much so that the temper is the same as that of the daughters of merchants, or the nouveau riche nobles.

That's not a good thing—especially since she's the last direct line of the Walton family, albeit a girl.

"I have said it—this is your Majesty's order," the Lord nodded slightly with a blank face, "and believe me, what follows is vital to your future, noble miss." ”

The king's granddaughter turned her head and snorted coldly, expressing her resentment and anger at the moment.

Alex tightened his robe, and then glanced behind him, his childish tone full of dissatisfaction: "But why did you bring her here - this lowly maid!"

Mielke frowned slightly.

Behind Alex, a thinly dressed, platinum-haired, thin-skinned girl with thick black glasses, shivering in the cold wind of the night, took a step back timidly at the words.

"It is still your Majesty's order," Lord Mielke replied faintly, "and we must obey." ”

Alex stopped talking, glaring fiercely at the little slippery head behind her, who clenched her arm aggrievedly.

Mielke nodded, and led the two little girls towards the Hall of Heroes.

Alex yawned and raised his head proudly, while his little slippery head shrank and followed in a hurry, catching a glimpse of a fierce white-bladed guard warrior and taking a small step back in fear.

At this time, Nicolais, who was behind Michael, suddenly spoke up and stopped him.

"Byrne, remember when we took our sacred vows to the Book of Legends with our white blades," Nicolai took a deep breath, his eyes full of remembrance of the past, "the last words?"

Mielke thought there was something strange about Nicolas today—he wasn't usually so nostalgic.

Mielke stared straight at Nicolais, trying to find something in his old friend's face.

"Of course," but the training had penetrated into his instincts, so Mielke chuckled, then straightened his face and said word by word: "My blood is an oath, my body is a testimony, my sword is a testimony, and my soul is a sacrifice......"

Nicolai's eyes flashed, he nodded, and together with Mielke, he said the next sentence with a complicated expression: "Resist a strong enemy, a hundred battles first, until the blood is exhausted." ”

The members of the White Blade Guards beside the two of them suddenly turned pale, and they silently pressed their fists to their hearts.

"Defend life, sacrifice fearlessly, until the extinction of humanity. ”

Alex, who was waiting, rolled his eyes and exhaled impatiently.

On the contrary, the little slippery head next to him looked at the white-bladed guards with serious faces, and his eyes were full of excitement.

"Guarding the future, glorifying faith until the sun and moon dim. ”

"This is the new oath of the White Blade," the little slippery head couldn't help but mutter, "In the year 1386 of the Imperial Calendar, Sail Arend retrieved the Book of the White Blade, and he rebuilt the famous White Blade Guard, combining the ancient White Blade Oath with the Imperial Knight's Knighthood Oath ......"

"Shut up, stupid!" Alex interrupted her viciously, "You're annoying. ”

The little slippery head had red eyes and bowed his head deeply.

Nicolas and Michael looked at each other and recited the last sentence in unison:

"Inherit hope and shine until all things sleep forever. ”

The two were silent for a moment, then looked at each other and smiled.

Michael nodded, and he led the two little girls into the Hall of Heroes.

And the man he respected the most, Nunn VII, who had just experienced a duel, was sitting on the steps at the edge of the hall.

Beside the king sat the envoy of the stars that made the courtiers talk, the young and precocious Prince Tyles Bright Star.

It's just that both of them are silent, in a bad mood, and seem to have had a not very pleasant conversation.

Mielke brought two puzzled little girls to the king.

"Your Majesty," the officer nodded to the king, and stepped aside, "Miss Alex." ”

Tails looked up.

What's going on?

He looked at Alex, who had brown hair and blue eyes, and the little slippery head behind her, who didn't dare to take a breath - as if frightened by the situation in front of him.

Alex sensed his gaze, and the teenage girl glared back at the Star Prince unceremoniously, causing Tails to frown slightly.

That's what it is......

My future wife?

Tails, who was in a state of turmoil by the secret just now, involuntarily turned his head and sighed.

This action caused Alex to pout in dissatisfaction.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?" Alex Walton, the only remaining direct female bloodline of the Grand Duke of Longxiao City, curled his mouth and said to the plain Nunn King, "I'm tired now......"

Hiding behind Alex, she poked her head out and looked cautiously and curiously at Tails, whose eyes were dark.

The boy ...... What happened to him?

Not happy?

Nunn VII didn't answer his granddaughter's words, he just scooped up another glass of wine from the barrel beside him and took a sip.

"Mielke," the old king's voice sounded, "my granddaughter will marry this boy." ”

"As a former White Blade Guard, and as my officer, what would you do?"

Mielke frowned slightly.

Although it was expected, when I actually heard it......

"What!"

Miss Walton's exclamation rang out.

Alex's small eyes widened wider than her mouth, and she looked Tails up and down in disbelief: "Grandpa, you want me to marry ...... This one...... This ......"

"You want him to be my husband?" Alex's breathing quickened, and she looked at the listless Tails, the boy she had met in the library that afternoon, and had lectured her on the spot, and a sense of grievance welled up in her heart.

"He's skinny and small, and he's not as tall as I am!" Alex turned his head angrily and said to his grandfather anxiously, "It's almost the same as letting Little Slippery Tou marry him!"

The little slippery head behind her suddenly turned pale, and she shrank again.

"Come on, Miss Alex," Tails, who was in a terrible mood, had no energy to maintain a relationship with a teenage girl, and he said lightly without raising his head, "It's not a happy thing to marry you." ”

Alex was stunned for a moment, then turned to anger: "You ......"

But at this moment, Mielke's voice came in time, interrupting Alex, who was about to lose his temper.

"Though His Royal Highness Tails, who is of honorable status, is from the stars—if this is your will," Lord Mielke bowed his head respectfully, and quietly reminded Alex, "I will be as loyal to him as I am to Miss Alex." ”

King Nunn stared at him for three full seconds.

"Yes," said King Nunn, turning his head to Tails, "I'm sure you've seen it, this is Byrne Mielke, who was Surir's most trusted subordinate when he was still in the Whiteblade Guard. ”

Suril?

Tails' expression moved.

Is he King Nunn's firstborn?

He looked up at Mielke, who turned his head and nodded respectfully at him.

The angry Alex was about to speak, but was forced back by a stern look from Michael.

It seems - Tails said silently in his heart - this bad-tempered eldest lady still listens to her father's old subordinate.

"Then, to thank you for your help, and to prove that there is no longer enmity or conflict between us, according to the custom of the North," King Nunn narrowed, raising his glass and placing it in front of Tails, "take a sip of the bar from my glass—Bright Star and Walton, and we will be friends from now on." ”

Tails frowned and looked at the old king with doubt.

What is he doing?

To Alex and Michael, reaffirm my identity, or our relationship?

Is this necessary?

The prince of the stars thought for a few seconds and sighed: "You know, the Rumba of the Black Sand Collar did the same thing - pushed a glass of wine in front of me and invited me to form an alliance with him, but I refused. ”

"Wise choice," said King Nunn with an interesting expression, "and now?"

Under King Nunn's compelling gaze, Tails pursed his lips.

"Shouldn't you wait until tomorrow for you to release the letter and wait for my father to reply?" Tails asked tentatively, "if my father has any other opinions......

"That's between me and your father," King Nunn's determined look attests to his seriousness and seriousness, "but you are you, the son of Tails, not the son of Cather, or the second prince of the kingdom of the stars—it has nothing to do with whether you will marry my granddaughter, or whether or not Bright Star will be with the Walton Alliance." ”

"All I'm asking about is your attitude, Tails," the old king raised his glass, his eyes burning, "are you willing to dispel the enmity with me, with the Waltons?"

"It's just you. ”

Tails' heart moved.

It dawned on him that this was the first time since he became a prince that someone had asked "Tails" so formally, just asking questions.

And not any old or important title with the word "Tails" in it.

Tails looked at King Nunn.

In the end, the Prince of the Stars sighed.

"Of course. Tails silently took the king's glass with both hands and looked at the half of the rye in it.

Under Mielke's cautious eyes, Alex's puffing little face, and the little slippery head with curiosity and nervousness, the old king smiled.

Tails closed his eyes and took a small puff into his mouth.

He thought he had anticipated the alcoholic beverages of this world—there were often different drinks served in the back kitchen of Yara's Sunset Bar, and Tails poked here and there—but it wasn't until this sip ran down his throat and down his stomach that he realized that even in this world, wine is not the same as wine.

At least, the rye liquor that was exclusively for King Exeter was really ......

"Ahem, ahem......" Tails slammed his glass on the steps and began to cough violently!

The spicy smell of alcohol rushed up through his throat, mouth, nose, and straight to his brain!

In the previous life in the memory fragments, he belonged to the type who poured as soon as he dipped in wine. Tails didn't know if this body in this world would be better, but he at least knew that he was definitely not suitable for rye alcohol spirits!

"Ahem......" Tails coughed and his face flushed, and tears came out.

"Hahaha," Nunn looked at him and laughed havocly, "maybe we should start with something lighter." ”

Tails felt a fever on his face.

"It's okay...... "Tails finally adjusted himself, he looked at the wine glass with a bitter face, snorted, shook his head, and said, "Children don't drink, but they don't grow up." ”

Michael's expression moved.

Kaslan?

Hearing the name, King Nunn's smile suddenly froze.

Little Slippery seemed to have heard the name, only to see her eyes light up behind her glasses, staring at Tails with a radiant look.

The king's expression was subtle, and he looked at Tails strangely: "Kaslan?"

"The old man who sold liquor in the Black Sands?"

The smell of alcohol slowly left Tails' mouth and nose, and he chuckled a little weakly.

Did I say something wrong?

"Uh," he said under King Nunn's gaze, "I have heard Putirai say that he was once the captain of your personal guard, the previous commander of the White Blade Guard. ”

King Nunn's gaze rested on his face, leaving the latter rather embarrassed.

Until the king's voice rang out again.

"Exeter has ever been the best term," sighed King Nunn, "though it would not be fair to Nicolai to say so. ”

Lord Michael, who was standing on the side, nodded slightly, and at the same time once again frightened Alex, who was about to have a seizure, who was hanging out on the sidelines, crying, and about to have a seizure.

King Nunn muttered, "Kaslan, you have seen him...... Did he mention me to you?"

"Yes," Tails smiled, nodding, "Kaslan said, you used to be a good king. ”

Nunn VII was slightly stunned, but he immediately slapped his thigh and laughed: "Hahahahaha!"

"'Ever'?" King Nunn quickly grasped the keyword, only to see him laugh out loud without hesitation, "That's a good word!"

Tails was stunned for a moment, and had to shrug helplessly.

The king's laughter echoed through the empty halls.

Michael bowed his head slightly.

King Nunn stopped laughing, and he exhaled, as if recalling the bygone years.

"Tell me, old fellow—what did you say about me?" asked King Nunn, snorting.

"He said," said Tails, carefully observing King Nunn's countenance, "you are also a human being, and you too will grow old, and you will be bewitched by slander and lust, and swayed by desires and impulses. ”

The smile on the king's face vanished.

His eyes flickered several times, and his expression was uncertain.

It hurt Tails's mood to go up.

Finally, King Nunn let out a long sigh, "I can't say he's wrong. ”

Silence returned to the field.

"Now, Tails, why don't you invite our beautiful young lady to have a drink too?" King Nunn spoke suddenly, he raised his glass and handed it to Tails, then nodded slightly in Alex's direction, "Given your future relationship. ”

Tails, who took the wine glass, couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

What's going on here?

Let the eldest lady who looks so arrogant ...... Drink?

Lord Michael, who was watching, also looked puzzled.

"Huh?" Alex's face changed, she looked at Tails in horror, then at the iron wine glass, and then shook her head resolutely, "No, grandpa, I don't want ......"

King Nunn looked at her quietly, his eyes cold.

Alex seemed frightened by the old king's eyes, and her voice slowly weakened.

But the king's granddaughter seemed to refuse to give up, she frowned, her eyes suddenly lit up, she turned around and pulled the little slippery head over: "She! let her drink! she's my maid anyway!"

The unprepared little slippery head was suddenly pulled out by Alex, and the little girl in glasses looked at King Nunn and then at Tails with a frightened expression, and was almost about to cry: "I...... That one...... Not ......"

Tails narrowed his eyes and watched it all in bewilderment.

At this moment, Michael's voice sounded at the right time:

"Miss Alex!"

The king's official looked at Alex sternly, and there was anger in his eyes that could not be refused: "This is the end of the nonsense!"

Alex's voice froze, and she seemed to cower in fear.

"That's your grandfather, your king - it's his orders!" Mielke unceremoniously pulled Alex away, "Go, follow his orders, whether it's wine or ......"

"It's still your marriage. ”

Under Mielke's stern lesson, and King Nunn's eyes, Alex took a step forward with great grievance.

Reluctantly, she took Tails' glass, and with red eyes, gave the innocent Tails a vicious look, and looked at King Nunn pitifully—but the latter said nothing.

Tails spread his hands, indicating that there was nothing he could do.

Alex, who couldn't help it, pouted and poured a sip of wine into his stomach in pain and anger.

Alex angrily threw down his glass and glared at Tails, coughing a few seconds later.

The king chuckled.

"Mielke, reminds me of Surir's drinking," laughed King Nunn, "I once heard Kaslan say that when he was training in the White-Bladed Guards, he drank a lot of people. ”

"Yes," Mielke smiled as well, and he nodded, "His Highness Suril, he...... It's very bold and drinkable. ”

"Yes, I remember, you have a good relationship with him?" King Nunn looked up at Mielke, his eyes wistful.

"We met when you put him incognito and trained with the Whiteblade Guard," Mielke smiled and nodded, "He's not just a prince, he's my comrade and friend—I still remember his hearty laugh." ”

King Nunn curled the corners of his mouth.

Tails ignored Alex's disgruntled eyes, and he looked at the pair of monarchs who were nostalgic for the king's eldest son, Suril Walton, and began to secretly wonder: Should I go?

"yes, he's a guy who likes to laugh -- that's a lot like me. ”

"It is a pity that he has married a wife with a sad face all day long," sighed King Nunn, "and I remember that every time they dined in front of me, they did not even look at each other. ”

"Lady Adele is from Vine City, southwest of Conmas, where the climate is warm and humid, and she is the daughter of the Marquis of a city, and she is not very accustomed to the hard life of the Northlands," Lord Michaelke glanced at Alex and sighed, "Miss Alex, she has obviously inherited many of her mother's characteristics. ”

Alex pouted a third time.

King Nunn snorted.

"Tails," said Tails, just as Tails was about to take his leave, King Nunn suddenly raised his head and looked at him coldly, "I told you that my eldest son did not die by accident - he died by assassination. ”

Mielke's face moved slightly.

Suril?

He looked at Tails, and then at King Nunn, and seemed to stop talking.

And the old king's next sentence made Mielke really angry.

"Tell him, Mielke," said King Nunn lightly, "my son, how Suril died." ”

Tails held his breath and looked at Michael, new doubts emerging in his mind.

Not quite right.

The king's eldest son, why do you mention it so many years ago?

Moreover, King Nunn's turn was not natural—did he bring up the subject on purpose?

Alex seemed to know the gravity of the topic, and she fell silent, her face slightly frightened.

"Your Majesty," Lord Mielke objected with an ugly face, "in the capacity of His Highness Tails......"

But King Nunn interrupted him.

"Tell him! He needs to know," said the old king, grabbing the wine glass on the ground, and said with a cold face, "from the process to the result." ”

Mielke looked at King Nunn in a daze—the latter's expression had become serious and terrifying.

Alex, who sensed that the atmosphere was wrong, lowered his head and took a step back, touching the little slippery head.

"What's wrong?" Tails carefully controlled his tone, "Your Majesty, you just said it, the assassin from the stars, right?"

Mielke was stunned, as if he didn't expect Tails to already know.

King Nunn glanced majestically at Mielke.

Tails rolled his eyes, observing the situation, and regretted that he hadn't slipped away sooner.

It seems that the atmosphere is not very good.

The engager sighed, and finally spoke:

"Twelve years ago, at the turn of summer and autumn, Prince Suril took Lady Adele and Miss Alex, who was less than a year old, out to Longxiao City. ”

"Because I was in charge of Prince Surir's safety, Nicolai assigned me to defend them with a team of white-knuckle guards," Mirk said, his eyelids lowered and his voice low and painful, as if the memory was very unbearable, "but an accident happened. ”

Tails didn't say a word, but listened quietly.

"I don't know if it's a coincidence, Harold Rumba, the eldest son of the former Grand Duke of Black Sands, was a guest in Longxiao City at the time, and actually went to the same place to hunt," Mielke said here, breathing a sigh of relief, but his words began to tremble slightly, "That assassin...... Mixed in with Harold's retinue. ”

"The Assassin sneaked under Lady Adele's carriage and waited for Prince Suril to return, who had finished talking to Harold, before ......"

Mielke clenched his fists and exhaled through gritted teeth.

King Nunn was silent, and sat on the steps with a blank face, his eyes numb.

"I shot a signal bolt for help," Tails could tell that the day Mirk had experienced must have been quite painful and difficult, and the latter's eyes were closed and his face twitched, "Nicollet intercepted the assassin on the way...... But in the end he ran away. ”

"Prince Suril was so badly wounded that he lost so much blood that he ...... on the spot Mrs. Adele, in order to protect Miss Alex, also ......"

Speaking of this, Mielke closed his eyes in agony: "I failed to protect them......"

Alex lowered his head and just stared blankly at the ground, and the little slippery head behind her didn't dare to take a breath.

After a few seconds, Lord Mielke finally relented, he swallowed his throat, and said mournfully, "Although there is no evidence, the dark room is very sure after the investigation......"

"The Assassin came from the stars - even directly under the orders of the court. ”

Tails frowned.

King Nunn raised his head slightly:

"Tails, it wasn't for nothing that we sent troops south back then. ”

――――

Star Kingdom, Eternal Star City, an unknown underground.

"Boom!"

A sharp metal sound of the iron gate being violently opened echoed clearly in this dark place.

Two torches soaked in eternal oil were lit, and two men dressed in guard costumes appeared in a row of dark corridors.

The light of the fire illuminated the cells on the left and right - the thick iron bars.

With the sound and the light of the fire, there was a commotion in the cell.

"Damn! don't you have a sense of time!" In one of the cells, a neatly described but shabby-dressed, suspiciously aristocratic man, seemed to have just been woken up, and saw him lying on his bed, sleepy-eyed and angry: "It's definitely early in the morning or late at night! If it had been before, it would have been in the Foreign Affairs Department......"

The two guards with torches ignored him, as if they had become accustomed to it.

They respectfully stepped back from the sides, giving way to a sturdy figure in the middle.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Eddie, you are here at last!" was a scruffy old man with a disheveled hair and a bewildered expression, who pounced on him under the stimulus of the light, shook the iron fence with all his might, and shouted wildly: "Please consider my words, even if you do not consider yourself, but what about Your Highness Midil? Will you give him a star full of holes?"

At the signal of the sturdy figure, the two guards glanced at each other, walked ahead, and began to lead the way.

The prisoners on both sides woke up in varying shapes, but most were screaming out of order or frantically.

"You're all going to die, hahaha," said an old prisoner lying on the ground, who yelled frantically, "even if it's the royal family, you're all going to die...... How dare you, how dare you...... Haha......"

The three figures ignored it and continued to move forward.

"Look who we have welcomed," said an imposing prisoner in the prime of life, leaning on the fence and squinting at the firelight, he seemed to be very conscious, "Isn't this the fifth prince, a disgrace to the royal family...... Why didn't you work a woman's belly for your poor blood, and come here to blow the cold wind?"

"It's not me, it's really not me!" one of the prisoners cried out with his head in his hands, "I never touched Prince Bancroft's glass!

"Norfolk, yes, Norfolk," said a prisoner with his back to the hallway, muttering to himself what was carved into the wall, "I know what he was planning, carrying Duke John and Count Karabiyan behind his back...... Maybe it had something to do with the rebels, I had suspected him for a long time, but the nasty woman, Sonia Suthre......"

The three of them continued on their way.

"Hey, boy!" a prisoner with a scar on his face pounced on him and shouted, "What happened to the Western Front? After you captured the Altar of the Desert God, did we retake the Bladetooth Dunes? What about the orcs, what about the eight tribes under the Dragonshire Throne? Tell me!"

To these voices on both sides, the sturdy figure turned a deaf ear and went straight forward.

The two guards with calm expressions led him into the next area, where there were no airtight cells, but instead sealed with heavy iron gates, each with only a horizontal gate, which served as the only link between the closed cells and the outside world.

Two guards led the visitors to a room on the innermost floor, where one of them knocked vigorously on the iron door.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Another guard looked at the sturdy visitor, who bowed slightly.

So the guard grabbed the iron bolt that controlled the gate on the iron gate, and opened a hole that could only accommodate half a face.

It was pitch black in the cell.

and the frightening silence.

Until a rough voice slowly came from the dark cell:

"What a surprise. ”

"What brought the great king of iron fist to a traitorous duke?"

The two guards bowed slightly, inserted their torches into the recess in the wall behind them, and left respectfully.

In the light of the fire, the bearded and haggard face of Val "Iron Eagle" Arend, the current Duke of the North, appeared at the gate of the iron gate.

Outside the door, the supreme king of the Kingdom of Stars, Kessel V, sat down gently on the chair that had been prepared long ago outside the cell.

"I want to come to you to talk about the past," Kessel said softly, expressionless, "In the year of blood, the fall of the North. ”

Val's face changed and he disappeared behind the iron door.

Then, his muffled laughter was heard from the cell.

In the flickering firelight, Kessel was silent and did not speak.

"There's nothing to talk about," said the Duke of the North, laughing enough, "I wasn't even in the North at the height of the war—my father, brother, wife, sister, they were the ones who faced that war. ”

"If you want to talk, go to the Prison River and talk to them. ”

Kessel silently looked at the bottomless darkness behind the gate and exhaled softly.

"What I want to tell you is the real cause of the war," said Kessel V's voice, as strong as ever, but with a little more mournful and melancholy, "Exeter's invasion. ”

There was a moment of silence behind the iron gate.

"What do you mean?" Val's voice came slowly.

"The rebellion was terrible, the whole Blade Territory and half of the Southbank Territory...... Coupled with the Bone Tribe and Orcs in the Western Wilderness, one-third of the Star Land is burning in the flames of war," Kessel said calmly, as if recounting a very ordinary thing:

"And after the counterinsurgency defected...... We can't even get a ready-made army. ”

"So your uncle was sent to recruit a new army," Val snorted coldly behind the Iron Gate, "Starlight Legion." ”

Kessel nodded, though he knew Val couldn't see:

"Exeter saw an opportunity, and Nunn VII contacted the Grand Dukes frequently—the invasion of the northern dragons was almost a foregone conclusion, and they set a schedule for the conscription of an army to descend south to the stars in the spring of the following year. ”

"Wait!" Val's tone changed, and he quickly sensed that something was wrong:

"No way, Exeter invaded in the winter of that year!"

This time the silence lasted especially long.

Kessel let out a deep sigh.

"Yes," said the king's deepest and most muffled voice from under his throat, "because of an accident, they brought the invasion forward schedule. ”

Vaal's face reappears behind the gate.

His face was cold, and he stared at Kessel outside his cell.

He realized what was going on here.

"What accident?" the Duke of the North asked anxiously, "Why did Exeter advance his schedule?"

King Kessel stared at the ground, motionless.

"Answer me. Val gritted his teeth:

"Answer me, Kai!"

Kessel took a deep breath and looked up at his former close friend.

"When I received the information from the Northland, the whole court was in fear: the stars were incapable of fighting on three sides," Kessel said slowly:

"The court at that time came up with a plan. ”

"Delay Exeter's invasion schedule. ”

An unprecedented coldness hit Vaal's heart.

"Procrastination?" the Duke asked unconsciously.

Kessel nodded expressionlessly and said, "Provoke the contradiction between Longxiao City and the Black Sand Collar, let them take care of themselves and have no intention of invading." ”

"Bang!"

Val pounced, grabbed the two railings on the gate, and stared at Kessel through gritted teeth: "How?"

"The stars have sent assassins, mobilized all their men, and targeted the two heirs of Dragon City and the Black Sand Lord, Suril Walton, and Harold Rumba," Kessel's voice grew hoarse, as if a force was devouring the power within his muscular body:

"That assassin should have blamed the death of one of the heirs on the other's head - creating a rift between Longxiao City and the Black Sand Collar that could never be repaired. ”

Hearing this, Vaal's breathing grew heavier and heavier.

"But the unexpected happened. ”

"For some reason, the Assassins have been discovered," Kessel said slowly, "and the eldest son of Suril Nunn is dead." ”

Val leaned against the iron door with his back to him, expressionless.

"There was no evidence left, but Nunn knew it was our hands," Kessel closed his eyes, "and worse, it exposed our falsehood—to show them that we were powerless to resist the advance of the north." ”

Kessel slowly opened his eyes, and his tone was full of exhaustion: "So Exeter advanced the schedule, chose the winter, and chose the most unfavorable time for supply delivery, and sent troops south. ”

There was a long silence again.

Until the Duke of the North broke the silence.

"Hahahaha......" Val let out a sad smile:

"The assassination plan that should have delayed Exeter's attack instead prompted and advanced their invasion schedule?"

"Hahahaha!"

Kessel did not speak, but sat quietly.

"Who?" Val gritted his teeth as he gritted his teeth as he gritted the iron door, "Who came up with this damn plan?"

King Kessel looked at Val, and looked at his expression mixed with pathos, pain, anger, hatred, and shock, and shook his head:

"My father was forced to do so: the Starlight Legion was defeated at first, John retreated step by step, from the Emerald City to the Fangs, and then all the way out of the Vola Corridor, and the rebels even went deep into the city of Eternal Star - no one expected John to achieve such a comeback victory in such a short period of time. ”

"The whole court is shrouded in the shadow of the fallen country," Kessel took a deep breath, "That's why there was that assassination." ”

Val's expression froze, but his hand holding the door was shaking.

"If, if there wasn't this plan, there wouldn't have been that assassination......" the Duke of the North muttered subconsciously.

Kessel pressed his hand to his knee and bowed his head slightly, "Hmm." ”

"If Exeter waits until the beginning of spring to attack," Kessel's face contorted slightly, he tried his best to control his neck, and nodded in a slight trembling, "Now it seems that John's Starlight Legion is completely in time to go north to support your father and the fortress." ”

"The Broken Dragon Fortress will not be breached. ”

"And whether it's Coldcastle or ...... Nor will it fall. ”

"The North will be intact. ”

Vaal slid down behind the iron door.

"Bang!"

There was a muffled thud of kneeling from behind the iron gate.

and the suppressed bitter roar of the Duke of the North.

Kessel just waited quietly.

The flickering light of the fire illuminated the side of his face, and the eyes of the King of Stars were full of numbness.

It's been a long time.

"What about the stupid Assassin?" Val's pathetic voice, slightly toned, came from behind the iron door, "Did you gouge out his heart?"

Kessel V turned his head and looked into the empty void.

In the air, there was only the low, muffled sobs of Val Arende.

Kessel's eyes were filled with complex emotions.

"For that failed assassination," I don't know how long later, the supreme king of the stars, Kessel Bright Star V, looked into the void and said slowly with an emotion that was difficult for ordinary people to understand, "that assassin is paying the price. ”

"He will be imprisoned forever behind a cursed mask, and will not see the light of day," the king's voice was silent: "In endless solitude and boundless darkness, he has tasted pain and tormented." ”

"...... with the rest of your humble life"

"For the Countless Lives ...... Lost"

"Serving a prison sentence. (To be continued.) )