Exter, on the road leading to Longxiao City from the Black Sand Territory.
"I hereby advise Your Highness to put away those two flags...especially the cross and double-star star flag." Among the groups of Northland soldiers marching, Viscount Cambida held the reins and rode until he was heavily surrounded.
Thales stood beside him, ignoring the extremely poor expressions of Putilai and Huaiya next to him, and said to the second prince of the stars:
"Although we have two thousand well-trained elite soldiers from the North, many of whom are standing troops around the Grand Duke, but letting everyone along the way know that the Star Prince is here is obviously not the best choice."
Thales had no intention of paying attention to the snowy scenery on both sides of the road, the looming mountains in the distance ahead, and the occasional smoke. The reason why he missed the magnificent scenery of the snow-covered mountains in the North was partly because he was still thinking about two things.
The other part of what Ramon said a few days ago was the horse underneath him.
At this moment, he was riding alone, carefully controlling the horse under him to prevent it from shaking his back from time to time. Rolf followed nervously beside him, ready to use the wind to lift his little employer at any time.
.
Although Jinnie and Gilbert had taught him almost every trick of horseback riding in the Mindis Hall for more than a month, Thales seemed to be born with a conflict with horses, no matter in the Mindis Hall.
The colt was lent by the Grand Duke of Lombard. It was usually docile and obedient, and was specially equipped with a children's saddle. It was a horse bred by a noble family in the North, but it obviously repelled his riding or even getting close to it.
By the way, the saddle... didn't Ramon say that this was also invented by the mages?
So, magic can be said to be the science of this world? Mages are a group of people who are determined to study and discover the truth?
What happened to the magic power? How did the magic disappear?
Unfortunately, the conversation that day was quickly interrupted by Cambida, and it seemed that he would have to find another opportunity next time.
Thales watched nervously as the horse under him crossed an uneven snow pit and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought it should be an international practice for a mission to show its flag and reveal its identity." Thales turned his head and looked helplessly at Cambida while carefully paying attention to the dissatisfied mount under him, "Besides, two thousand people
The army stretches nearly hundreds of meters in front and back. With such a big movement, even if I don’t raise the flag, don’t people know that Prince of the Stars has set foot on Exter’s territory?”
"Or maybe the Grand Duke of Lombard feels that there is no benefit in showing too close to Prince of Stars at this time?"
Cambida smiled: "Your Highness, please believe in the Grand Duke..."
But Putilai interrupted him.
"We had to send two thousand men to ensure that the prince would not die in his own territory, and at the same time, he had to show his hostility to the stars to his countrymen." Putilai slowly smoked his pipe and sneered: "Rumba
The Archduke's situation is actually very difficult... He mobilized his territory regardless of the cost, but failed to capture the Broken Dragon Fortress, which is really a stretch."
Cambida's face turned a little ugly.
It hadn't been reflected when he was traveling and fighting before, but Thales had a feeling that once he started to come into contact with people, deputy envoy Putilai seemed to return to the battlefield where he was most comfortable. Cambida came to Tai several times on the way.
When he was around Charles, he deliberately raised political topics, but he pushed back with words that were sometimes humorous and sometimes embarrassing.
"No matter what the purpose of the Grand Duke of Black Sand is, whether it is beneficial to you or not - you should talk directly to King Nun, not an adviser under the Grand Duke of Black Sand." This was Putilai's calm explanation in private.
Lombard officially withdrew its troops two days ago, and the mission set out at the same time.
Amid the jolts of their horses, today they will walk out of the northern plains and enter the Hills of Sighs. The southwest of the hills is still within the Black Sand Territory, but the northeast of the hills is the Archduke of Exter's Reconstruction Tower, Trudy.
The territory under the jurisdiction of the Da family.
Although he did not hesitate to reject his overtures and alliance proposals in front of the other party, the Grand Duke of Lombard still generously allocated two thousand people. The standing army of these people will protect Thales on the road, and the levy troops will
On the way, they gradually dispersed and returned home.
Thales didn't know whether this was the Duke's generosity or hypocrisy, or both.
At this moment, a gray-helmeted knight in front separated from the infantry formation and rode up to them.
Thales could feel that Ada, who was riding on the horse behind him, was slowly changing from a bored and relaxed state to a tense state - in fact, after being infiltrated by that wave of fluctuations, Thales's various senses seemed to have some tension.
A subtle but real improvement.
It seems that that wave is not only something he can rely on in emergencies, but its existence is also slowly changing Thales' body... But this is exactly what Thales is most worried about.
He didn't quite remember what happened when Serena choked him and "died", or when he briefly lost consciousness. But Thales always felt that he had experienced something important, and when he woke up
, that wave of fluctuation appeared.
"Ahead is the Lyman Pass." The gray-helmeted knight coming from the front was the extreme master who had faced off against Alaka on the battlefield, the Fire Knight Tuleha. He seriously reined in his horse's head and walked in the same direction as Thales.
Xing Xing solemnly said: "There is a village there where we can rest and eat, and then continue our journey in the afternoon. At the same time, let the scouts go to investigate... After all, we will soon be under the jurisdiction of Grand Duke Zai Zaota."
Thales keenly noticed that after Tuleha finished talking about "Lyman Pass", Putilai and Huaiya's expressions sank slightly, while Kambida raised the corners of his mouth.
"What do you think, Your Highness?" Before anyone else could speak, Cambida smiled at Thales and said, "Whether it is due to practical needs or personal reasons, I suggest that you stop for a while at Leman Pass.
In order to repair or pay homage to it."
Personal reasons?
Condolences?
When Thales was confused, Putilai rode up to him and sighed deeply:
"Lyman Pass is the starting point on the southwest side of the Sighing Hills, and it is also the only way to enter the hills from the northern plains." The thin deputy put out his pipe and frowned, while Wyatt next to him turned his head.
"But that was also the place where the former second prince of the stars, His Royal Highness Horace, finally met his death during the Year of Blood." Putilai said with hesitation on his face.
Thales' expression changed, and he understood why the others' expressions changed.
Apparently, Cambida found a topic that Thales had to respond to.
It happens to be about the war between Exeter and the stars.
As the prince of the stars, Thales lowered his eyelids at the right time and sighed: "Of course, Horace is also my blood relative."
Cambida smiled and nodded.
However, Thales was also muttering silently in his heart.
Did the genius terminator swordsman whom Kessel spoke of and the royal general who Sonia spoke of with ruthless military discipline die here?
But this is also an opportunity to learn more about the truth about the Year of Blood.
He turned to Putilai.
"The cause of the prince's death?"
"At the end of the Year of Blood, that winter was surprisingly warm. King Nun gathered an army of nearly 100,000 people from seven archdukes, with sufficient food and equipment, and besieged the weak fortress." Faced with Thales' question, Putilai
Sighing, he was the first to answer.
"At that time, the southwest battlefield in the country of Stars reached the final decisive moment - Duke John held the last main force of the rebels in the gap. Victory in the counter-insurgency battle was expected, but this also meant that they could not go north to rescue and break the dragon.
The backup for the fortress is far away," Putilai shook his head, put away his pipe, and said with complicated eyes:
"Trebuchets, siege crossbows, magic guns, and countless troops ascending the city. Faced with an uninterrupted and uncompromising onslaught, Prince Horace believed that it was only a matter of time before the Broken Dragon Fortress was breached, so he took the risk to attack, bringing
A small number of troops secretly crossed the Great Needle and broke into the rear of Exeter's supply line."
Wyatt sighed deeply.
The next person to answer was the Exeter commander.
"That was a risky choice," Cambida said with a chuckle: "Obviously, it was a miscalculation of the stars, and Horace lost the bet and paid the price for it..."
Waiya looked at him angrily.
"That's a good choice, at least it goes straight to your vital points." Putilai replied with a cold snort.
Thales frowned, not knowing how to answer for a moment.
Given his status, it was best not to say anything at this time.
He had heard Gilbert's story about the royal tragedy of the Year of Blood. In his story, Horace had fallen into the trap of the Exeters.
Gilbert's statement that he was "unarmed and helpless for three hours" seemed to imply that Horace's death was exactly the same as that of other royal members: he was framed.
But from what Putilai and Cambida said, it seems that Horace himself took the risk and brought the blame on himself?
And in a place so far away from the border of stars, isn't it normal to be "without troops and no support for three hours"?
He needs to know more.
Tuleha, who was beside them, spoke out at this moment:
"That was indeed a wise decision."
When Cambida heard this, he looked at the flaming knight with an unhappy expression.
Tuleha's solemn voice made Thales frown:
"Horace was half successful. He burned nearly a quarter of our supplies - our supply line was too long and too fragile. This move at least bought a lot of time for Broken Dragon Fortress," Tuleha said solemnly,
It sounds like he is complaining about Horace:
"If we hadn't noticed it early, King Nun would have stopped attacking the city, pulled back the main force on the front line, and set up an ambush on the way back to the fortress..."
"Yes, we blocked Horace's way back from the Great Needle and forced him to the plains," Viscount Cambida snorted, seemingly dissatisfied: "It's like rounding up a fox."
Putilai's face darkened, Thales was also embarrassed, and Huaiya had a look of injustice on his face.
Any Starman should not be happy to hear an Exterian talk about how they strangled the Star Prince.
"It's not fair to say that. After all, he only has more than a thousand people," but Lord Tuleha spoke again and heard him say solemnly:
"We used nearly twenty times the army to surround Horace on the plains, but his warriors were elites rarely seen in a hundred battles, and their will was as tenacious as the Northlanders. Under their counterattack,
The troops of the Grand Duke of Milu City suffered heavy casualties, while the battle flags of the Grand Duke of Fengzhao City and the Grand Duke of Weiland even wavered and retreated."
"King Nun had to use his resting troops and send his elite White Blade Guards to block the gap before he could stabilize the battle line. The battlefield was very fierce, and the black smoke was so burning that even the fortress could be seen... If the Broken Dragon Fortress was there at that time
Send troops to the rescue, break in from the side on the chaotic battlefield, and you may have a chance to rescue your prince."
Putilai tightened his grip on the reins.
Thales was stunned.
"But they didn't send troops?" Thales thought of the scene when he was besieged under the fortress a few days ago, and wondered, "Didn't the fortress send troops?"
"No, I still remember," Tuleha said lightly: "From afternoon to dark, the people in the fortress watched Horace's troops fall one by one on the plain..."
[No troops and no reinforcements for three hours]
Thales thought of Gilbert's words and frowned.
"On this point," Putilai said with a straight face: "The choice of the fortress has its own reasons."
"Come on," Cambida snorted coldly: "Their behavior of not saving anyone even in the face of death is chilling even to us Exeter people."
Will you die without saving anything?
Thales tightened his grip on the reins and gritted his teeth to endure the horse's jolt.
Cambida glanced at Thales with a deep look: "Of course, maybe they are as cautious as the Flowers of the Fortress two days ago."
"So who is it?" Thales turned around and asked with confusion: "When Horace led the troops to attack, who was stationed at Broken Dragon Fortress?"
Putilai looked at Thales with a worried look on his face.
"Go on," Cambida chuckled: "Tell your prince, who is responsible for the death of Horace... This is not a secret."
Thales suddenly realized that it seemed inappropriate to talk about this in front of the Exeter people.
Putilai stared at Cambida with dissatisfaction, but he still sighed and gave the answer:
"At that time, the Northern Territory was in crisis, and His Majesty the Late King ordered the surrounding nobles to come to aid. The largest reinforcements came from the Cliffland Territory...the Dukedom of the Stars closest to the Northern Territory."
Putilai looked at Thales's expression worriedly until he confirmed that Thales didn't have many emotional changes, and then said:
"After Horace left, the commander of Broken Dragon Fortress was naturally the second-highest-ranking person at that time," the deputy envoy said slowly, "The guardian duke of the former Cliff Territory—Rudolph Nantryst
.”
Thales was slightly startled.
Putilai frowned, but continued: "That is, the current Duke of Cliffland, the brother of the 'One-Eyed Dragon' Guost Nantrist. Later, the Broken Dragon Fortress was breached, and he was captured by Exeter, and finally
Die in prison."
As soon as he finished speaking, Thales was shocked.
Could it be that the former Duke of South Triest... who is also the brother of the current Duke of South Triest, was related to the mysterious death of Horace who was suspected of being framed?
At least, when Horace was besieged, the one-eyed dragon's brother stood by and even refused to save him.
Is it.
The important thing is, does Kessel think so too?
What about the one-eyed dragon? What does he think?
What did he think Kessel would think?
And the one-eyed dragon's dead brother...is it really...
Also, those words of the one-eyed dragon when he set off from Yongxing City...
[Yadi Leader doesn’t want to sit still and wait for death]——Is that what he said?
Thales thought about the relationship here, his eyebrows getting tighter and tighter.
Putilai patted Thales's saddle and shook his head at him.
Don't think too much... Thales thinks that's what he means.
"At that time, Horace probably felt that there was no hope of returning to the fortress," the flaming knight Tuleha stroked a sheathed sword on his saddle and smiled bitterly with a look of nostalgia: "He did
We made a decision that no one expected.”
Putilai shook his head, looking lonely.
Thales raised his eyebrows: "What did he—Horace do?"
"He no longer breaks out in the direction of the fortress," Tuleha said with an admiring smile on his face: "Like you, Horace turned around and broke out in the opposite direction, breaking out all the way north."
Thales's heart moved.
Like us?
He remembered what the man known as the Fury of the Kingdom said to him on the battlefield a few days ago, before breaking out towards the Lombard flag.
[A long time ago, in a desperate situation, a bright star said to me...]
【Since there is no way to go back.】
【Why not move forward with all your strength?】
So... what Alaka is saying is...
"For a whole day and night, they fled here, and we, the army of the Black Sand Territory, also chased here." Tuleha looked complicated. He raised his hand and pointed to the undulating snow-colored hills ahead.
Thales looked away.
They came to the end of the plain, and black peaks covered with snow began to appear in front of them.
Between the two low peaks, there is only a narrow entrance, which is only as wide as a galloping road.
The Exeter's team moved slower and slower until it stopped.
"We're here." Viscount Cambida said calmly:
"This is Lyman Pass."
————
"Is this the battlefield back then?" Thales looked at the strange snow-colored rocks in front of him and asked Tuleha on the side with a strange mood.
"We bit them and surrounded them here again, while Horace's remaining troops were guarding the stone," Tuleha nodded and said with deep eyes: "The former Grand Duke of Black Sand lit the torch,
He personally led his guards to besiege without interruption, and ordered not to use crossbows - he wanted to gain the glory of capturing the Prince of the Stars alive."
"Horace personally held the sword, wore his black armor, and guarded his nine-pointed star banner. No matter how many people around him fell one by one under the sword and axe, he would not take a step back."
"The best warriors from both sides roared and rushed towards each other, and then fell to the rocks one by one. That night, although there were many people, all four of our extreme masters were still injured, and one of them even died.
this."
Talking about the history on the battlefield, the Burning Knight seemed to have a lot of emotions, while Kambida remained silent and just frowned at Tuleha.
"Horace pierced my chest with his sword. Before he could make up for it, I was snatched away by the people behind me." Tuleha sighed and touched his right chest.
Thales frowned.
The Sword of Light, right?
"His Royal Highness Horace has learned swordsmanship from the Tower of the End, and has experienced the wash of the army and the battlefield. His reputation for bravery is only comparable to that of the 'Wolf Enemy' in the history of the Bright Star Royal Family." Putilai's expression was profound.
He looked at the strange rocks in front of him and said slowly.
Thales felt Ada snort slightly behind him.
"The old Grand Duke of Black Sand gave up his purpose - he realized that the intention to capture Horace alive would only cost us more casualties."
"In the final fierce battle, Horace, who suffered more than ten wounds, chopped off the head of Tyrunde, the Endless Fire, and then pierced the heart with a sword." Tuleha urged his horse forward and stared at a piece of
The stone, which is half a man tall, seems to return to that night of swords and swords twelve years ago.
"A prince died here," Cambida shook his head: "This place will probably become a tourist memorial in the future."
Huaiya glared at him mercilessly.
"Yes," Putilai replied sarcastically: "You should build a statue for Prince Horace...to commemorate his bravery and fearlessness, as well as his ability to kill enemies."
Thales sighed, closed his eyes, and bowed his head deeply towards the strange rocky land.
Another group of unfortunate people in the war.
"Seeing Horace fall, his last soldiers also lost their fighting spirit, and when we thought it was all over, a soldier next to Horace grabbed the bow left by Tyrunde in the chaos."
Tuleha continued to talk quietly.
Cambida's expression suddenly changed.
Thales raised his eyebrows with a hint of surprise: "You mean..."
Tuleha looked towards the south and exhaled a long breath:
"The soldier carried Horace's body on his back, took the bow, was covered with wounds and several crossbow arrows, roared like a madman, and led the last few people into the siege. For some reason, we
No one could stop him - until he rushed in front of the old Duke Heisha, and then..."
Tuleha showed an incomprehensible smile and hummed softly:
"In the chaos, the soldier disappeared into the night."
"From then on, Alaka Mu was known as the 'Wrath of the Kingdom'." Tulhamo stroked his knife with endless fighting intent in his eyes.
Thales took a deep breath and looked at the strange rocks from a distance.
But he could not tell at all that twelve years ago, countless warriors fell here, a prince also died here, and another legend became famous from then on.
No, there are still some questions.
Thales turned to Tuleha:
"So, Lord Tuleha, you personally experienced the war between the two countries twelve years ago? Including how to break the Broken Dragon Fortress?"
"I participated in that war," the Fire Knight nodded: "But as I just said, thanks to Prince Horace's sword, I was injured in the early stages of the war. By the time I returned to the battlefield, I was already several years old.
Months later, the war came to a later stage. At that time, Sonia Sathre led her Star Army to collect the remaining defeated generals - including Mu, and went north to fight with us several times."
"Oh," Thales thought with a thought: "Have you ever fought against the Flower of the Fortress?"
Should I say that he is indeed one of Exter's "Five Generals"?
"No, I don't have a chance to fight against her," Tuleha frowned: "Because of some despicable person."
"Despicable villain?" Thales was stunned: "Who?"
"I don't know," Viscount Cambida said with a smile: "Xingchen's little trick... Tuleha has always been worried about it."
Don’t know who it is?
Worrying about something?
Just listen to Exeter's flaming knight Tuleha coldly snort:
"On the battlefield, a damn guy dressed up as one of ours and lurked behind me. When I was about to break through the enemy formation and was about to attack the center of the Star Legion's formation, that despicable guy gave me a
one time……"
"I was seriously injured again, and I didn't get the opportunity to compete directly with Sutherley or Mu."
Tuleha frowned and gritted his teeth and said:
"I still remember that damn despicable assassin hiding his head and tail while escaping. He hid himself behind a strange purple mask and used a gray dagger. He was elusive and extremely fast."
Thales said "Oh" with a strange expression on his face and scratched his head.
pretend to be someone else
Hit the enemy from behind.
Purple mask.
Gray dagger.
Elusive and extremely fast.
Where have I heard these characteristics and habits?
Ada behind her snorted again.
"Really?" Looking at Tuleha's cold eyes, Thales frowned and nodded sternly: "This kind of approach is really despicable!"