The curtains were fully opened, the glow of the setting sun was still infectious, and looking out from the room on the second floor, the snowy scene of Khiva was dyed with a layer of dim glow, like an old man sitting in the twilight, not lifeless, but lazy and tired.

The dim light shone on her body, although it did not actually bring warmth, but it made Sophia's heart warm.

Well, that's a delusion, but that's what Sophia wants to say.

"Maybe it was because I was too tired before, but now I start to think that this kind of idle life is very good. ”

Even though she knew that the sword that the disaster wanted to hang over her head could fall at any time, as long as she thought of Lucia, Sophia could still feel that the softest piece of her heart was filled.

- I'm getting weird, right? Sophia doesn't reject it, but indulges in this sweet, candy-like feeling.

When no one responded, Sophia raised an eyebrow and looked at the flames, only to find that her only friend was looking out the window at the moment.

The fires have been strange lately, Sophia can say for sure.

Agni, who is always alert and cautious, has been distracted more recently, always avoiding Lucia intentionally or unintentionally, and making eye contact with Sophia will be a little flustered.

Recently, the fire has been very strange, and because it is very important, Sophia has to say it twice.

"What's wrong, Agni?"

Seeing Agni in a daze, Sophia stretched out her hand and shook it in front of Agni's eyes.

Agni shook his body, but he quickly came back to his senses.

She had no intention of embarrassing her best friend, so Sophia asked her question again.

"What are you thinking, so distracted?"

The fire that returned to his senses pretended to bow his head inadvertently, staggering the meeting of Sophia's gaze.

"No big deal, just thinking about what we should do. ”

Sophia didn't notice Agni's small movements, she trusted Agni, believing that Agni wouldn't do anything to hurt her, although she didn't plan to delve into Agni's recent strangeness, and when Agni wanted to tell her, she would naturally say it.

"Yes...... It's been so hard lately, thank you for being by my side. ”

With that, Sophia turned around and gently embraced her best friend, who had not left her in the most difficult times.

Startled by Sophia's sudden movements, Agni moved helplessly for a while, but soon she also showed a gentle smile and hugged Sophia back, one hand caressing the back of Sophia's head, and the other hand gently patting Sophia's back.

"No thanks, it's my pleasure to be by your side. ”

There is no respect for the princess, only care and support for the best friend.

After a little hugging, both of them parted with a smile.

"It seems like we haven't done this kind of childish behavior since we were fifteen. ”

Sophia smiled happily, even if they are close friends, they will be separated by each other's identities, especially for the 'royal family', a class that emphasizes identity to stabilize status. She can be arrogant, informal, and appropriately unruly, but she can't go beyond her identity and status.

"It's not childish, it's intimate. Of course, our princess may not be able to tell the difference, after all, she is still a wayward child. ”

It's rare that Agni also laughs with interest.

"Hey~ Don't laugh, I'm more mature than you, tomboy Agni. Don't forget who taught you how to be a girl, do you treat your teacher with this attitude?"

Agni has been with the old general Jinkuro since he was a child, and he has come into contact with either swords or sword-wielding people, so he has developed a cool tomboy personality since he was a child, until Sophia can't see it when he grows up a little, and it took a lot of effort to finally change these bad habits of Agni, but coldness and seriousness can't be changed.

Agni immediately stood like a soldier, and then gave an exaggerated military salute to Sophia.

"Of course not, my esteemed teacher, I am not very serious on the surface, but in fact I am reflecting on your teachings all the time in my heart. ”

With that, Agni winked playfully at Sophia.

"Really. ”

The two frolicked for a while, and then stopped when the sun was about to sink completely.

"Ha~ha~. ”

Sophia sat in her chair, soothing her breath from laughing and watching the sun sink into the horizon.

It's about to go into darkness, like this country.

Agni followed Sophia's gaze and looked out the window, the earth was being eaten away by darkness little by little, which made it easy for her to guess what was going on in Sophia's mind. She was heartbroken by the heavy burden on Sophia's shoulders, but she couldn't share Sophia's burden without government affairs and strategy, so she could only protect Sophia's safety with her own weapons and fists and feet, but recently, even the only thing she could do made her feel powerless.

- I'm still too weak. Saying this to himself, Agni walked up behind Sophia and pressed Sophia's shoulders from behind.

"Don't worry, Your Highness Princess, the darkness will always pass and the dawn will always come. ”

Sophia knew that Agni was right, but it was darkest before dawn, and Sophia didn't know if she could make it through it, and if the country would get through it.

But Sophia would not say anything that would only add to her worries, and she put her hand on the fiery hand, and said slowly in a tone that seemed to be talking to herself, as if she were talking to the fire.

"yes, there's not much more we can do, we just have to wait for the final act of this drama to begin. ”

Tired, disappointed, helpless, or empty? Sophia didn't know.

In any case, it was time to free herself from the burden of 'responsibility', hoping that she would end up with what she cherished most.

Sophia rested one hand on her heart, and the other clenched the hand that the fire was on her shoulder.

Thinking so, Sophia suddenly felt her arm being grabbed, and then the world swirled.

Bang Rumble!!

The three-story main house was blown away by the shock wave like a pile of sand hit by the waves.

The city guard officer twitched the corner of his eyes and looked at the man-made disaster in front of him, and then looked at the king's envoy in front of him, who was dressed in black and wearing a silver mask, and finally carefully controlled his tone and spoke.

"Your Excellency the Envoy is probably going too far in doing this, isn't it......? ”

The officer of the city guard could not finish his sentence, for the king's messenger was immediately interrupted in that strange and eerie voice.

"The princess will not be stumped by this little scene. ”

When the officers of the city guard heard this voice, they would always think of the souls in the story who had come back to seek their enemies' lives, especially after being glanced at by the white eyes under the mask of the king's messenger.

However, the king's envoy obviously didn't intend to get along with a small character like him, and just glanced at the city guard officer, and the king's envoy turned his gaze away.

"You also have a mission to do, we are enough here, take your men and carry out your own mission. ”

With that, the messenger stepped into the mansion, which had lost its owner.

"Remember, the blockade of the royal capital does not allow anyone to come in, and no one is allowed to go out, except the dead. ”

The officers of the city guard, who did not dare to refute the envoy or disobey the king's order, did not know the reason for this order, but they still gave a military salute in a standard manner.

"Yes, sir. ”

Without responding to the officer of the city guard, who knew nothing, the king's envoy approached the collapsed main house step by step.

"Separate from the hustle and bustle of the world, "The Moon in the Belly of the Sea". ”

As the king's envoy finished chanting the name of the magic, a wave of fluctuations invisible to the naked eye surged in all directions, completely covering the entire mansion.

The fifth-order magic "Moon in the Belly of the Sea", although there is an incomprehensible name, the effect is very easy to understand, this magic that is not strong or weak can be surrounded by a layer of enchantment that is invisible to the naked eye, and people who originally wanted to enter or approach as long as they do not have a clear and strong purpose, then they will subconsciously forget or ignore the area covered by the enchantment, which is closer to hypnotic magic than shielding magic.

Click, click, click.

There was a sudden silence all around, only the footsteps of the king's messenger sounded, an indistinguishable echo that was clearly in the open area but was indistinguishable indoors, and with the darkness around it, there was a kind of supernatural horror.

Just as the king's envoy was about to step on the ruins, an inconspicuous faint blur flashed in the air in the night, and then the king's envoy stopped abruptly.

"The beast that bares its fangs at the princess is punishable by death, remember that, one man is the city. ”

Like a ghost, Agni, who had been standing behind the King's messenger at some point, shook his hand and withdrew the wire that had been released.

PS: The battle of Khiva has officially begun!!

Ps2: Ask for a referral ticket!!