Thelma looked at him with a slightly hazy look in her eyes,
"But they didn't do anything wrong, right?" She smiled and shook her head. She raised her right hand and looked at the 'triumph' ring on her thumb: "I simply..."
"Little slippery man!"
Thales interrupted her harshly again using that name from long ago.
The girl raised her head in confusion.
"No, Selma."
"Even if you can't choose who you want to be..."
"But at least, don't be what they want you to be."
Thales stared at her: "Please, don't become like that."
But Thelma was just slightly stunned and shook her head sarcastically: "It's useless. As the Grand Duchess of the North, my future path is already determined...even if it's not this time."
She said disappointedly: "I have thought about it: marry a local noble, give birth to a male heir, and then be politely sent to a secluded place until old age..."
"Snapped!"
There was a crisp sound.
Thelma looked at the second prince blankly.
Watching him grab his right hand.
"Little slippery man!"
Thales looked at her seriously and moved "Triumph" to the center of their sight.
"Even if you are a woman, you can live a wonderful life! I know such a woman."
"Ah, the lady officer Jini Bakwi who taught you swordsmanship and etiquette," Thelma shook her head and laughed: "I heard you say it a thousand times to get rid of the shackles of the family, stand alone in the capital, and be both a table knife and a long sword.
A beautiful legendary woman? But she is special, and she is not a lord..."
"No, it's not her."
Thales spoke decisively and stopped Selma's words.
"I'm talking about another young girl."
Thelma was slightly startled.
Her wrist held by Thales trembled slightly:
"You mean... young girl?"
"Yes," Thales nodded firmly: "She is also the last orphan of a great family. She survived wars and riots. She inherited the title and led a party when she was three years old."
Thelma did not refute him anymore, but looked at the prince with doubts and questions.
Thales took a deep breath and recalled the autumn and winter six years ago: "When I first saw her, she was about the same age as you are now, fifteen or sixteen years old, green, young, and even a little...
Childish."
"But at that time, she was already a big shot in her own right: I still remember the scene when she crossed the entire Hall of Stars, faced the monarchs, ministers and people of a country, and shocked the whole audience with her sonorous and powerful words."
Thales said in a daze: "And the moment she walked into the hall in her casual purple-black hunting suit, the crowd in the hall consciously stepped aside to make way for her."
"At that time, some people also laughed at her, looked down upon her, despised her, and looked down upon her, 'How can the stars be ruled by ignorant women and children?'"
"And that girl, she walked slowly like that, with a cold face, walking in small steps, elegant and aloof, and said what she wanted to say without caring, whether it was ridicule or condemnation, support or opposition."
"Two powerful earls could only walk behind her. One was murderous and the other was full of nobility. But neither of them could cover up her brilliance. Instead, they were suppressed by her aura and were almost invisible."
"The moment she waved her long sleeves and spoke in a cold voice, it seemed as if everyone in the audience had become her foils, whether they were kings or dukes, nobles or commoners."
Thelma was slightly surprised when she listened to his narration: "What you said is..."
Thales gritted his teeth and nodded.
"The Kingdom of Stars, guarded by the Blade Leader."
"Duchess Lyanna Turbuck."
The prince narrowed his eyes: "As far as I know, she is still an unmarried woman, under the emblem of the blood moon, single-handedly supporting the Teback family among the six wealthy families, protecting and ruling the Blade Territory."
Thales turned his head suddenly and looked at the stunned Thelma:
"What she can do, you can do too."
"One day, you can rely on your own strength, without relying on anyone, and stand on the top of Longxiao City alone, winning everyone's respect!"
Thales took a breath and looked at the girl's face intently: "One day, you can tell the vassals of Longxiao City openly: The person who rules them..."
"She is a Grand Duchess."
Thelma looked at Thales, stunned and then smiled helplessly.
"It's too difficult," the girl sighed, "I can't do it..."
Thales shook his head and said resolutely: "This is not difficult. What is really difficult is that you think you can't do it, so your vassals feel that Longxiao City under your rule is not safe."
Thelma blinked, and her eyes looking at the prince became softer and brighter.
"I still remember that little cunning guy who worked hard to drag me out of the hands of disaster..."
"I also remember the little slick guy who came out of the fireplace and nervously recited his lines to help me out..."
"At that time, the girl didn't hesitate to say: It's too difficult."
Thelma didn't speak, she just watched silently as Thales held her hand.
"Selma, remember: choose who you want to be."
"If you don't want to be a vase that is at the mercy of others and traded casually..."
The prince squeezed her hand tightly and said in an unquestionable tone: "Then don't act like a vase!"
Thelma looked at the prince blankly.
After a few seconds, her originally confused and scattered eyes regained focus.
"If you don't want to hastily marry a man who is good enough to be your father and survive on your own belly..."
Thales looked sharply: "Then reject them!"
"Let's figure it out together. Of course, I think Lisbane will help you too."
"As long as you say: you don't want to."
"Then you don't have to marry them."
The two looked at each other and were silent for a long time.
Thales never turned his eyes away.
Thelma's eyes flickered, seeming a little moved and a little frightened.
Finally, Thelma looked at the prince with a determined expression and took a deep breath.
"Tiles." Thelma cleared her throat.
"I……"
She seemed hesitant.
Thales responded with encouraging eyes.
But the hesitation only lasted three seconds before the girl gritted her teeth and tightened her face.
"Tiles," Thelma raised her head with serious eyes: "I don't want to..."
"I don't want to marry Lord Hester."
Thales took out a breath and nodded heavily: "Yeah!"
"I don't want to marry Count Nagel's son either."
"Um!"
"I don't like them," Thelma's words slowly became smooth from the stiffness at the beginning: "I don't want to marry anyone else either."
Thales looked at her steadily.
"Very good," the prince raised his eyebrows: "You won't marry them."
Thales shrugged: "Because I don't like them either."
The two looked at each other, and after a few seconds, they burst out laughing together.
call.
Thales sighed slightly in his heart: Now, Putilai is going to nag me again with the expression "I knew it would be like this".
We have to think of a reason to convince him that it will be more beneficial to us if the Grand Duchess does not marry...
and……
I have to find time to talk to Lisban in the next few days.
About Longxiao City.
And the Grand Duchess.
While smiling, Thales pretended as if nothing happened and let go of the other person's hand.
In the library, a maid frowned.
"With all due respect, Ms. Jinx, I know that Ms. Jinx's mental state is not very good recently... but their behavior is still a bit too close."
"For the sake of Her Majesty the Grand Duchess, we should intervene," the maid turned to Lady Jinx and said tactfully: "She needs us now."
Lady Jinx still had that old-fashioned face. She quietly looked at the young prince and the young princess in the distance, laughing happily.
"Believe me, for Her Majesty the Grand Duchess," Lady Jinx turned her stern eyes and shook her head: "What she needs most right now..."
"not us."
Suddenly, Thelma spoke again.
"Tiles."
But this time, she tilted her head slightly, her expression making people feel a little cunning: "If I were willing to marry them, marry the vassals of Longxiao City... would you still say these words?"
"Will you still stop me from marrying them?"
Thales heard something and was immediately stunned.
He shook his shoulders: "Of course."
The girl smiled slightly.
"On the first day of the hearing, didn't you stand up and speak for me?" Thales scratched his head again: "The friendship between friends is mutual and cannot be replaced by money."
Thelma's eyes drooped slightly.
Thales scratched his head while awkwardly looking for a reason: "You know, you got a local husband from Longxiao City out of thin air, so maybe my good days are about to end... Of course, I must try my best to stop it."
"Oh, that's it." The girl's voice dropped again.
"By the way, Thales."
Thales blinked, showing confusion.
Thelma looked up.
The Archduchess narrowed her eyes intriguingly and asked, "Lyanna, is she beautiful?"
Thales' eyelids twitched again.
"I don't really remember."
The prince let out a breath and twitched the corner of his mouth: "The atmosphere was so tense at that time. I only remember that my legs were constantly shaking."
Thelma chuckled.
Thales also laughed a few times.
"but……"
His memory immediately returned to six years ago.
Lyanna.
Six years ago, she was fifteen years old.
Now, she should be at a young age, like a flower blooming.
That impressive girl.
"The moment Lyanna spoke, the moment she released that blade-like look in her eyes and stood up to several dukes without showing any signs of weakness..." Thales thought out of his mind and pictured the heroic figure in his mind.
The Girl Duke: "Even when she faced Exeter's envoy and taunted Lombard forcefully..."
Thelma opened her eyes wide and looked at the prince's response.
"I found that words like 'pretty', 'beautiful', 'lovely', 'stunning' and so on to describe beauty are no longer enough to describe her."
"Lyanna in that moment."
Thales closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Like a magnificent diamond reflecting the sun," the prince recalled the past events in the Fuxing Palace and sincerely admired the heroic Duchess of the Blades. He exhaled: "Dazzling, dazzling, shining.
.”
"Once you see it, you will never forget it."
At this moment.
Boom!
With a muffled sound, Thales felt a pain in his chest. He twisted his face and opened his eyes, looking at a book that was thrown to his chest.
"New books arrived today," Thelma also held a book in her hand and said coldly:
"I looked through it and found some places that might be of interest to you."
"Look, you're wasting too much time."
"Didn't we have a good chat just now?" Thales rubbed his chest painfully. He just realized what mistake he had made and was unwilling to accept it. He was about to retort: "But you can't..."
"Shut up and read a book!"
The Grand Duchess made a serious face and said fiercely:
"Don't waste time, I have to go to class later!"
Thales let out a breath and rolled his eyes while Thelma lowered her head.
Fierce woman.
The prince lowered his head with a grimace, straightened his sitting posture, and opened the bookmarked book "Confronting the Sky" in his arms.
What book is this?
"What's your opinion on Dragon Language?"
Thales opened the bookmarked page and his attention was immediately attracted by the chapter title.
The prince's face became serious.
Following his habit, he began to study in a low voice.
"'The structure of the dragon's throat is extremely special, so the pronunciation of dragon language is also extremely complex, to the point where it cannot be recorded without a musical instrument..."
"The recorded dragon language can only express part of the syllables. In the mouth of the giant dragon, most of these dragon language words have another reading and pronunciation that we can't imagine..."
Dragon language.
Of course, Thales's six-year career in the library was not just for finding peace.
more importantly……
The prince thought of that night, the huge figure rising into the sky in the firelight, and the various mysteries surrounding himself, and his heart became heavier and heavier.
For six years, he and Thelma searched for many documents and learned the names of at least fifteen giant dragons in history.
However, among the fifteen names with different characteristics, there was only one that he was looking for...
"Except for a few races, such as the elves whose singing voices are comparable to those of larks, most races cannot rely on sound to directly communicate face-to-face with dragons," Thales read the drawn paragraph and frowned.
: "No wonder the Sky Queen wants to communicate with us like that. It turns out we can't speak dragon language..."
hateful.
so……
As long as the name is pronounced in dragon language, is it not a common language, or even something that humans can pronounce?
In this case……
"Not there!"
Selma's voice came, seemingly impatient: "Look through the second bookmark!"
Thales, who was feeling complicated, raised his head angrily: "How could I know if you don't tell me..."
However, the moment he saw the other party's fierce eyes, he shrank back again.
The prince obediently opened the second bookmark:
"'The ancient elves are one of the few races in history that can fight against giant dragons without falling behind. In the Dragon Slaying War (this name comes from the historical materials of the ancient elves, we know very little about the war more than two thousand years ago.
, the author believes that the dragons must have another name similar to the "long-eared game"), the ancient elven kingdom has hunted at least six named dragons, so they also know the most about dragons.
race, and even a lot of the author's information comes from the generous provision of a friend in Baishan...'"
Thales narrowed his eyes.
Six heads?
Could it be that what Thelma wanted to show herself was the list of these six dead dragons?
Thelma knew that she had always been interested in dragons and often looked up their names...
But she may not know that the giant dragon she is looking for has lived until now, at least until fourteen years ago, when she was born into this world.
And it, no, her name is...
"...the warriors who slay the dragon are usually divided into several groups to work together."
"The booby-trappers usually face the enemy head-on and are well-equipped. They usually have a machete with similar specifications to the Elf Guards, which can cut gold, and a mithril armor shield with a high melting point that can insulate the temperature. It is both offensive and defensive. The author suspects that this is
The origin of human swordsmanship, at least the spirit and equipment of Northland military swordsmanship, should be based on the tactics of the booby-trapped troops. Master J.L. Mindis, an expert on northern ancient history in the Tower of Ascetics and the author of "The Legend of the Iron-Blooded King"
They hold the same view, but Master Laimer, an expert on the history of weapon craftsmanship in the Alchemy Tower, believes that the Northland military swordsmanship was mainly influenced by the ancient orc fighting skills of the enemy on the battlefield; "
"Snipers, this unit is responsible for long-range strikes and containment. They are equipped with a variety of special arrows that can affect the dragon. They hold foldable strong-arm long-range sniper bows to quickly strike and suppress fast-moving air targets, from dragon eyes to
Weaknesses such as the dragon's armpit are not limited to this. To this day, the 'Wanderer' elven settlement in the Empire's Green Heart Province still retains this bow-making technology, which has also affected the Green Heart Province and has become the leading producer of archers in the Empire.
, the saying that "the north is fierce, the waves in the west are ruthless, and the green hills produce strong bows" is widely circulated. The gray-cloaked archer troops passed down from generation to generation in the Romit family are even more terrifying existences that can kill people hundreds of steps away. I believe this is related to
The sniping skills of the ancient elf kingdom when hunting dragons are not unrelated (although the gray ponchos refuse to admit it)...'"
Thales was confused and became more and more at a loss as he read.
what are these?
How to hunt a dragon?
"The Obliterators, these elves with the smallest number also undertake the most dangerous tasks. They have to get close to the dragon's fatal weakness in battle, trying to inflict damage or even kill the enemy with one blow. The Obliterators are generally the best scouts and vanguards.
They went into battle lightly and sneaked up close. They only had the most inconspicuous, but most expensive, priceless dagger at hand. This dagger was said to be forged with special and secret materials and methods, and could penetrate dragon scales without any hindrance.
, but what puzzles the author is how, even though it is so sharp, such a short sidearm can pose a fatal threat to a huge dragon..."
"According to the author's research, this legendary sidearm is called the 'Dragon Breaker'. Historically, it was rare in number. Only the most powerful Obliterators are qualified to equip it. It is said that it is a magical weapon that can even kill a giant dragon every time it is damaged.
, the blade of the sword can accumulate the power of the hunted, thus becoming 'more powerful, sharp, strange, deadly, and full of vitality'. This is the original word in the ancient elven literature, but the author's translation of the last word is still unclear.
Doubtful..."
Seeing this, Thales raised his head to look at Thelma from time to time, but the angry look in her eyes forced him to lower his head again and again.
The prince could only sigh deeply.
All right.
He turned the page.
The next second, Thales was shocked!
"Did you see it?" Thelma sighed:
"I'm surprised too."
Thales raised his head blankly, and the big book opened to one of the pages, on which a simple sketch of a weapon was sketched.
He touched the picture and instantly knew what Selma wanted him to see.
"This is..." Thales said blankly.
"Well," Thelma nodded solemnly: "According to the above records, it is an elite weapon only possessed by the Obliterator troops of the ancient elves."
"'Dragon Breaker'."
"More than three hundred years ago, the strong fortress built on the border between the two countries by King Midir IV, the King of Oath Keepers, is named after it."
Thales lowered his head in shock and looked at the weapon diagram drawn in the book in disbelief.
It was a short sword with a strange weighted ball and a gem inlaid in the center of the sword grid. The guard was curved in an anti-arc shape towards the sword edge.
Even though it wasn't colored, he still recognized it.
The one who breaks... the dragon?
In Thales's nearly fourteen years of life, he had seen a dagger of this style once.
No, he didn't just see it.
Six years ago, Thales once held a dagger of the same specifications.
That short sword as red as blood.
It wakes up like a warrior who has been sleeping for a long time and shines in his hands.
That's like a sentient dagger.
It conveys vague syllables and words, calling itself...