Guards wearing snow-white rime cloaks are stationed here. They are the new emperor's cronies and confidants. Most of them are from noble families, and their families are also allies who were loyal to the crown prince's brothers in the past.
Although these families have been suppressed to varying degrees after the Aimank brothers came to the throne, many people still survived, and they were more loyal to Elio, the descendant of the former crown prince, than other nobles.
.
At this moment, in a quiet courtyard in the palace, Elio was lying on the lawn and taking a nap. A maid with silver-purple hair was kneeling beside him, pillowing Elio on her knees.
After several days of continuous work, issuing orders and mobilizing troops, the young monarch finally reached the limit of exhaustion and fell asleep unknowingly at noon.
"Elio looks really cute when he sleeps." Kenos looked at the young monarch in the sun and wanted to touch his cheek, but she still held back.
Although she often plays pranks on weekdays, she still hopes that Elio can have a good sleep at this time.
Apart from her and Elio, there were only two other maids in the courtyard, but these two were very smart and stood far away. They would only go over if Cornos called.
Although this girl with silver-purple hair is also a maid, almost no one in the palace treats her as a maid, and even the great nobles in the imperial capital now respect this maid and dare not offend her.
The families of the great nobles have a long history, and some of them can vaguely detect the true identity of this girl, so they will not deliberately inquire about or provoke her.
As for the rest, in addition to being loyal to the Emperor, Imperial Dark Moon now obeys the orders of this silver and purple maid. This also shows her high status.
A few birds flew over the palace, occasionally landing and resting on the white palace dome, making a few bird calls. Except for a slight breeze blowing in the courtyard, there was no other sound.
Just like that, after a long time, the tranquility was broken by the door being pushed, and then there was the sound of slight footsteps.
Even if Kenos didn't look back, she knew who was coming in at this moment. She waited for the slight footsteps to come in front of her before looking up.
"Is Your Majesty asleep?" Anna mouthed the words, gently placed the plate with the silver sculpture on the lawn, and then slowly bent down.
Kenos nodded, looked at the clear grapes and purple oranges that Anna brought, then picked up a green and transparent grape and put it into her mouth to eat.
Although she is a maid, she has never regarded herself as an outsider, and people around her have long been accustomed to such behavior.
The two sat quietly on the lawn in the afternoon until Elio slowly woke up as the temperature gradually increased.
"Sister Anna." He looked at the two people beside him in surprise, and then slowly sat up.
"Erio is so biased. He has been sleeping on my knees for so long, but the first thing he calls Anna when he wakes up is sister." Kenos pretended to be jealous.
"Nowhere." Elio shook his head, but this was not three years ago. He had gradually become accustomed to Cornos's behavior of teasing him.
"Let's go sit in the pavilion for a while."
As he said that, he stood up and moved around, and he and the two of them came to sit down in the shady round pavilion. At this time, Anna helped him peel the oranges, and after Elio woke up a little, he immediately asked about Konos's current situation.
Military situation.
"Are you in such a hurry?" Kenos was slightly dissatisfied when she saw Elio couldn't take any time, but she still opened her mouth to report to him.
"Now Duke Griffin's army has conquered three provinces in the west. There weren't many forts there to begin with, and due to the hasty response, they retreated very quickly."
"But in the valley behind, there is a strong and tall white stone fortress. It is the fiefdom of Earl Desai. He is your father's brother and a friend of Crown Prince Ans Ayer, so don't worry that he will easily
betray."
"The place in the Valley is indeed difficult to pass, but I remember that there is a mountain road that can be crossed in the mountains near the south." Elio recalled the map he had seen before.
"You mean Langkou Ridge? It's only suitable for small troops, not suitable for large armies to travel through. Logistics and transportation are also difficult." Kenos shook her head, but seemed to have remembered something.
"But it is indeed a trouble. If the Griffin Duke captures it, he can send various small troops to harass the rear, and the El White Stone Fortress will also be in trouble."
"Who should I send over?" Kenos leaned her head on the table.
"Darcy is now leading troops north to resist the Duke of Raven's army. The wilderness in the north is very suitable for cavalry. Bazel has been gone for a long time, and Severi has disappeared after the queen escaped. He must have lived in seclusion.
"
"There are no generals, Elio." Cornos picked up a few more grapes and ate them slowly.
Elio leaned back in the chair, closed his eyes and meditated, ignoring the lazy maid.
After a while, a name came to his mind.
"Although she is not a general, she is still a rare genius. She is the one." Elio opened his eyes.
"Eurone West Wood."
"That genius girl? But she was a figure in the new army supported by Edron in the past, and she seems to be ignored now." Konos recalled this girl.
Since Elio came to the throne, most of the high-ranking officers of Edron's new army have been replaced, and many of them have been demoted or retired and left the army.
"She is indeed very powerful, but I don't know if she is willing to come out and challenge her." Cornos picked up a grape, peeled it carefully, and handed it to Elio, who had just finished eating the orange that Anna handed him.
"I'll write a personal letter, hoping to impress her." Elio hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"A personal letter from the emperor is really an honor, but do you have to be so solemn? If you issue a decree, she probably won't resist. After all, her family and friends all live in a small town in the middle of the country."
"That's it. In times of crisis, we should try our best to show sincerity." Elio shook his head. He did not grow up in the royal family, and he did not value the so-called noble status as much as other royal families.
"Then I will get the paper, but this time I will deliver the letter. I also want to see this genius praised by the sages. If she is as powerful as Bumansha, she will have found a treasure.
"
"Bumantha, hey, let's not say it anymore. Such a character will not be used by the empire." Elio also seemed a little regretful.
Two days later, Young Lion Province, Panmai City.
This is a small city on a plain, with a river passing through it, and the city is built on the riverside.
It is early autumn now, and the wheat in the fields has been harvested, leaving only scattered golden wheat stacks.
Walking on the road in the fields, there are scattered wheat straws and wheat stubble everywhere, and the air is filled with a sun-baked smell, which is very dry.
A group of knights in red armor and white cloaks walked through the wheat fields. They crossed the long wilderness and entered the riverside town. After a while, they drove out again and headed for a small village outside the city.
Finally, the group dismounted and stopped outside a simple school in a village.
This school is built with yellow adobe bricks, and the roof is made of ordinary painted wooden boards. There are still mottled and peeling parts, making it look very crude.
When the group of them walked into the small courtyard inside the school, they could still hear the sound of children reading.
"When you make big wishes, you will reap big fruits; when you make small wishes, you will reap small fruits..."
The footsteps of the knights stopped the sounds in the house for a moment, and then the wooden door opened, and a blond girl came out. She was wearing trousers that were easy to work on, and a light red skirt with a split.
It looks very beautiful.
"Are you Miss Eulogne?"
"Yes, who are you?"
Auronie looked at these people with a little surprise. She had been in the army and had a rough understanding of the military ranks of the empire. Judging from the clothes of these people, they should be the imperial guards under the new emperor.
"I see, we are here to convey the emperor's will and letters." After saying that, one of them took out the well-preserved letter from the metal cylinder on his waist, and the paint on it was very complete.
"Give it to me?" Orionne guessed in her mind.
She opened the envelope and silently read the words on it.
[Mademoiselle Eulogne personally writes:
I am the 71st emperor of the empire, Elio Cang Jusselberg...
Now the Griffin family's army is marching eastward, causing many casualties and killing countless people along the way.
Valley owl
…
In view of the current situation in the empire, Miss Auronne is specially invited to join the army again to protect the innocent people in the empire.]
After closing the letter, Eulogne already had a rough idea of the purpose of these knights.
"I understand, please let me prepare a little bit. These children also need someone to take care of them."
"I understand that if Miss Auronne needs help, you can tell us." Before leaving, the emperor specially asked several people to respect this girl.
"Well, I will tell you if necessary." After that, Auronne went back to the house again and explained to the children.
…
"Sister Auronne, are you leaving?"
"Don't let Sister Auronne leave, don't."
"Those are bad people. Sister Auronne, please don't leave." The children were chirping, not wanting this girl to leave.
In this remote place, Eulogne is not only beautiful, but also rich in knowledge and strength. Even the captain of the guard in the city cannot defeat her. She is the idol of many children.
In the past two years that she has been working as a teacher here, she has also gained recognition from many residents. Unfortunately, the local area is not very wealthy and cannot give her much support.
"It's okay, sister will be back and will check your progress carefully~" Auronne comforted the children, some of whom cried.
The few knights standing outside were very worried. The girl had temporarily softened her heart and continued to stay there. It would be difficult for them to go back and explain.
Fortunately, after a period of comfort, the girl finally came out.
"Now, I am going to the city and ask the priest in the city to send someone to take care of these children so that I can leave with you."
"No problem, please let us go with you." After saying that, a few people freed up a horse and let Eurogne ride it, and then headed towards the town.
Looking at the people riding horses in the field, Kenos' figure appeared in the sky.
"This girl is quite easy to talk to. I thought it would be difficult to convince her." After finishing speaking, she slowly lowered herself down and listened to the discussion among several children in the school room.
"Is Sister Auronne going to fight?"
"I don't know, those people on horseback seem to be from the imperial capital."
"Yeah, it could be that Sister Auronne is attracted by the emperor. After all, Sister Auronne is so beautiful and powerful. If I were the emperor, I would also marry Sister Auronne."
Bang, there was a slight sound of fighting in the house.
"Since you talk so much, Sister Auronne will definitely not marry the emperor. That emperor is a bad person. I heard that he killed many people when he came to the throne."
"Brother George in the city used to be an officer, but he was dismissed from his post, and so did sister Eugenie. Sister Eugenie used to have a great reputation in the army." A child said yearningly and proudly.
"How do you know so much?"
"Humph, you don't know anything. Many people in the town have said these things."
"I guess it's because you often don't study hard and sneak out to play, so you can hear this kind of news. No wonder Sister Ou Ruonee often talks about you."
"You, you." There was another sound of fighting in the house.
"Okay, okay, don't argue anymore. Sister Auronne left this time, and I don't know when she will come back." A child mediates the two parties, and everyone's mood dropped again.
"Will you come back, Sister Eulogne?"
"Yes. If Sister Auronne doesn't come back, then you can join the army and go find her on the battlefield."
"How brave. I heard that the battlefield is very photogenic. There are dead people everywhere."
"Uh, is it that scary? Don't scare me..."
"Yes." A child nodded solemnly, but he did not continue to describe it.
Listening to the words of the children below, Kenos felt funny. These little guys still had a lot on their minds.
But yes, children are like this, with many innocent ideas, and sometimes they are extremely childish and simple.
Let's go to the town and see what Miss Eulogne said.
Angel Church in Panmai City.
The white church is surrounded by a low circular wall. In front of the church is a small square, and behind it is the cemetery of this small town, where many graves are buried.
It was afternoon, there was no one in the church, and an old priest was listening to Eulogne's words.
"In other words, are you ready to agree to the emperor's call and go to the battlefield?"
"Yes." The girl nodded.
The old priest sighed slowly: "Now that you have decided, I can't stop it, but this war will not be as simple as in the past."
"Although there have been uprisings and rebellions in the south in the past, they were all small-scale wars, and the other side would not kill you. But this time..."
"The Salius family is famous for their bravery in the empire. Those knights riding griffons and holding spiral thunder guns were good at hunting dragons in ancient times. They showed their powerful strength during the war with Oz.
strength."
"The Griffin family has ruled the Western Region for nearly a thousand years, almost as long as the history of the empire. The strength they have accumulated is also extraordinary. In addition, the empire is now divided. The southern and eastern regions will not send troops to support, and only the central part can resist the two armies.
, it’s really worrying.”
"I know that you were favored and cared for by that general when you were a child, so you joined the army immediately after graduation. But that general has retired now, so why are you still involved in this chaotic and dangerous battlefield?"
"I see that you are not the kind of person who loves vanity, and relying on your own strength, you can live comfortably wherever you go."
"Is this a question?" Eulogne looked out the window, ran her fingers through her hair, and waited for a while before answering.
"Actually, it's not that complicated. I just want the current order to continue."
"Xinhuang has built many schools, allowing many children to have access to education. This incident has given me a great feeling."
"I am also a commoner. I am able to achieve what I am today because the general helped our family when I was a child. This allowed me to step into the school of Emenas and come into contact with the world's top teachings and rich cultural resources.
Knowledge."
"If there are other children like me who can get rid of the ignorant and poor life in the past, I think that would be a very happy thing."
After she finished speaking, she stopped and stood quietly.
"Well, I can't refute this reason. May the Lord Angel bless you and come back alive from the battlefield." The old priest touched his gray beard, shook his head helplessly, and then cast a blessing spell on Ojoni.
Of course it's better than nothing.
"I also store some healing potions that I refine daily. Although they are not high-end products, they may be able to help you." After saying that, he slowly walked behind the angel statue and took out the three metals stored in the secret compartment.
The vial was handed to Eulogne.
"Take it away. This is the rear area anyway. We don't need much on weekdays."
"Then thank you, Grandpa Pastor~"
After receiving it, Eulogne put it in the pocket on her waist, then waved goodbye and left the church.
After the blond girl and the group of knights left, the old priest asked a scholar in the city to take over Eugenie's work, and then he went to the hillside outside the city and watched the sunset gradually set in the distance.
"It's war again, war again. After this time, can the empire continue to exist? Alas..."
After finishing speaking, he held his wooden stick and staggered down the hillside step by step.
The afterglow of sunset and the purple fire reflecting in the sky are exceptionally beautiful and yet so far away.