Eckstedt, on the road from Black Sand Region to Dragon Clouds City.
"Your Highness, I would still advise you to put away those two flags … especially the Constellation flag with the Double Cross-Shaped Stars." Among the marching groups of Northland soldiers, Viscount Kentvida held the reins in his hand and rode to Thales' side, who was heavily surrounded. He ignored Putray and Wya's unpleasant expressions and said to the second prince of Constellation,
He ignored Ramon's and Wya's unpleasant expressions and said to the Second Prince of Constellation, "Although we have two thousand well-trained Northland elite soldiers, it is obviously not the best choice to let everyone along the way know that the Prince of Constellation is here."
Thales did not pay any attention to the snowy scenery on both sides of the road, the indistinct mountain range in front of him, and the occasional chimney smoke. The reason why he missed the majestic scenery of the snow-covered mountains in Northland was partly because he was still thinking about what Ramon said two days ago, and partly because of the horse beneath him.
At that moment, he was riding alone, carefully controlling the horse beneath him to prevent it from swinging its back from time to time. Ralf followed nervously by his side, ready to use the wind to lift his little employer at any time.
Even though Jines and Gilbert had taught him almost every trick in riding a horse during the one month he spent in Mindis Hall, Thales seemed to have a natural conflict with horses. Regardless of whether it was the foal in Mindis Hall, or the Northland noble's horse that was borrowed by Archduke Lampard, which was usually docile and obedient, and was specially equipped with a child's saddle, they all clearly rejected him from riding them or even getting close to them.
'Right, saddle … Didn't Ramon say that it was also invented by the wizards?
'So, magic can be said to be the science of this world?
'Then, what's with mystic energy?'
Unfortunately, the conversation that day was soon interrupted by Kentvida. It seemed that he would have to find another chance.
Thales watched in fear as the horse beneath him crossed an uneven snow pit. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought it was international practice for the diplomat group to show their flags to show their identity." Thales turned his head and looked at Kentvida helplessly. At the same time, he carefully paid attention to his mount, which was chewing in dissatisfaction. "Besides, an army of two thousand people stretches for hundreds of meters. With such a huge commotion, even if I don't raise the flag, won't the people know that the Prince of Constellation has set foot on Eckstedt's territory?
"Or perhaps Archduke Lampard feels that there is no benefit in appearing too close to the Prince of Constellation at this time?"
Kentvida smiled. "Your Highness, please believe in the archduke …"
But Putray interrupted him.
"He had no choice but to send two thousand people to ensure that the prince would not die in his own territory, but he also had to appropriately display his hostility towards Constellation for his own people to see." Putray slowly smoked his pipe and sneered. "Archduke Lampard's situation is actually very difficult … He mobilized his territory at all costs, but he was unable to take down Broken Dragon Fortress. It's really too painful for him."
Kentvida's expression turned a little unpleasant.
It did not show up when they were traveling and fighting, but Thales had a feeling that once he started interacting with people, Vice Diplomat Putray seemed to have returned to the battlefield where he was most at ease. Kentvida came to Thales' side a few times during the journey and intentionally brought up political topics, but Kentvida rebutted him with words that were sometimes humorous and sometimes embarrassing.
"You should talk to King Nuven directly, not a strategist under the Archduke of Black Sand Region," Putray explained calmly in private.
Lampard officially withdrew his army two days ago, and the diplomat group departed at the same time.
As the horses jolted, they would walk out of the Northern Plains today and enter the Sighing Hills. The southwestern part of the hills was still the territory of Black Sand Region, but the northeastern part of the hills was the territory under the jurisdiction of Eckstedt's Archduke of Reformation Tower, the Trentida Family.
Even though Thales had rejected Archduke Lampard's offer of goodwill and alliance without hesitation, Archduke Lampard still generously allocated two thousand men to protect Thales on the journey. The regular soldiers among them would protect Thales on the journey, while the conscripts would gradually disperse and return to their homes.
Thales did not know whether this was the archduke's generosity or hypocrisy, or a combination of both.
At this moment, a knight in gray armor in front of them parted the infantry formation and rode to their side.
Thales could sense that Aida, who was riding on the horse behind him, was slowly changing from a bored and undisciplined state to a nervous state. In fact, after being nourished by that wave of fluctuation, all of Thales' senses seemed to have been improved slightly, but definitely.
It seemed that the fluctuation was not just something he could rely on during emergencies. Its existence was also slowly changing Thales' body … But this was precisely what Thales was most worried about.
He did not quite remember what happened during the time he was' dead 'when Serena grabbed him by the neck, or rather, he lost consciousness for a short period of time. But Thales kept feeling that he had experienced something important, and after he woke up, that fluctuation appeared.
"Rayman Pass is right in front." The knight in gray armor in front of them was the supreme class elite who confronted Arracca on the battlefield previously. He was the Fire Knight, Tolja. He solemnly reined in his horse and rode in the same direction as Thales. He solemnly said, "There is a village there. We can rest and eat. We will continue to move forward in the afternoon, and at the same time, let the scouts scout out the area … After all, we will soon reach the Archduke of Reformation Tower's territory."
Thales acutely noticed that when Tolja said 'Rayman Pass', Putray and Wya's expressions darkened slightly, while Kentvida curled up the corners of his lips.
"What do you think, Your Highness?" Without waiting for the others to speak, Kentvida smiled at Thales and said, "Regardless of whether it is due to practical needs or personal reasons, I suggest that you stop for a while at Rayman Pass so that you can recuperate or pay homage."
'Personal reasons?
Pay homage? '
While Thales was puzzled, Putray rode to his side and heaved a deep sigh.
"Rayman Pass is the starting point of the southwest side of Sighing Hills. It is also the only way to enter the hills from the Northern Plains." The thin vice diplomat extinguished his pipe and furrowed his brows tightly. Beside him, Wya turned his head away.
"But that was also the place where Constellation's former Second Prince, Prince Horace, finally lost his life during the Bloody Year," Putray said with a displeased expression.
Thales' expression changed. He understood why the other people's expressions had changed.
As the Prince of Constellation, Thales lowered his eyelids in a timely manner and sighed. "Of course, Horace is also my blood relative."
However, he was also mumbling quietly in his heart.
'Did the genius Swordsman of Eradication in Kessel's words, and the royal general with cruel military rules in Sonia's words, die here?
'But this is also a chance to further understand the truth behind the Bloody Year.'
He turned to Putray.
"The cause of the prince's death?"
"At the end of the Bloody Year, the winter was unusually warm. King Nuven gathered seven archdukes and an army of nearly a hundred thousand men. They had sufficient rations and weapons to besiege the fortress, which had few troops." Putray sighed in response to Thales' question and was the first to answer.
"At that time, the southwest battlefield in Constellation had reached a critical juncture. Duke John had the last main force of the rebel army pinned down at Blade's Edge Gap. Victory in the battle to quell the rebellion was within reach, but this also meant that they could not go north to provide aid. The reinforcements from Broken Dragon Fortress were nowhere in sight." Putray shook his head and put away his pipe.
His gaze was complicated as he said, "Catapults, siege crossbows, Mystic Guns, and countless troops who went up to the city walls. Faced with an incessant and fierce attack that disregarded sacrifices, Prince Horace believed that it was only a matter of time before Broken Dragon Fortress was breached. So he took the risk and attacked. He brought a small number of troops to cross the pine forest in secret and broke into the rear of Eckstedt's supply line."
Wya let out a deep sigh.
The next person to answer was the Eckstedtian commander.
"That was a risky choice," Kentvida said with a chuckle. "Obviously, this was Constellation's miscalculation … Horace lost the gamble and paid the price for it …"
Wya stared at him indignantly.
"That was a good choice. At least it went straight for your vital parts," Putray replied with a cold snort.
Thales frowned. For a moment, he did not know how to answer.
With his status, it was best for him not to say anything at that moment.
He had heard Gilbert's story about the tragedy of the royal family during the Bloody Year. In his story, Horace had fallen into the Eckstedtians' trap.
Gilbert's statement that there were no reinforcements for three hours seemed to imply that Horace's death was the same as that of the other members of the royal family — he was framed.
But from what Putray and Kentvida said, it seemed that Horace had taken the risk and attacked. He only had himself to blame?
Moreover, they were so far away from Constellation's border. Was it not normal for them to be without reinforcements for three hours?
He needed to understand more.
At this moment, Tolja, who was beside them, spoke up.
"That was indeed a wise choice."
When Kentvida heard this, he looked at the Fire Knight with a displeased expression.
Tolja's solemn voice made Thales furrow his brows.
"Horace succeeded halfway. He burned nearly a quarter of our supplies. Our supply line was too long and fragile. What he did at least bought a lot of time for Broken Dragon Fortress," Tolja said solemnly. He sounded as if he was complaining about Horace's injustice.
"If we hadn't noticed it early, King Nuven would have stopped attacking the city, retreated the main forces at the frontline, and set up an ambush on the way back to the fortress …"
"Yes, we blocked Horace's way back from the pine forest and forced him to the plains." Viscount Kentvida snorted, seemingly dissatisfied. "Just like how we surrounded a fox." Putray's expression darkened.
Thales was also very embarrassed. Wya, on the other hand, had an indignant look on his face.
Any Constellatiate who heard an Eckstedtian tell the story of how they killed the Prince of Constellation would probably not be happy.
"That's not fair. After all, he only has a little more than a thousand men." But Lord Tolja spoke again. He said solemnly,
He said solemnly, "We used an army that was nearly twenty times our number to surround Horace on the plains. But his warriors were elites who had gone through hundreds of battles. Their willpower was as tenacious as the Northlanders. Under their counterattack, the Archduke of Elaphure City's troops suffered heavy casualties. The Archduke of Beacon Illumination City and the Archduke of Prestige Orchid's war banners even wavered and retreated.
"King Nuven had no choice but to use the rest of his troops and send the elite White Blade Guards under his command to block the gap. Only then did he manage to stabilize the battle line. The battlefield was terrible. The black smoke burned so much that even the fortress could see it … If Broken Dragon Fortress had sent reinforcements at that time, they might have had a chance to rescue your prince from the side of the chaotic battlefield. "
Putray gripped the reins tightly.
Thales was stunned.
"But they did not send their troops?" Thales recalled the scene of him being besieged under the fortress a few days ago. Puzzled, he asked, "The fortress did not send their troops?"
"No, I still remember," Tolja said faintly, "From the afternoon until the sky turned dark, the people in the fortress watched Horace's troops fall one by one on the plains …"
"There were no reinforcements for three hours."
Thales recalled Gilbert's words and furrowed his brows.
"Regarding this," Putray said with a straight face, "the fortress had its own reasons for choosing to do so."
"Enough of that." Kentvida snorted coldly. "Even us Eckstedtians feel bitterly disappointed when we see them leave us in the lurch."
'Leave us in the lurch?'
Thales gripped the reins tightly and gritted his teeth as he endured the jolt of the horse.
Kentvida cast Thales a meaningful glance. "Of course, perhaps they were just as cautious as the Fortress Flower two days ago."
"Who?" Thales turned his head and asked in puzzlement, "Who? When Horace led his troops outside, who was the one who guarded Broken Dragon Fortress? "
Putray looked worried as he looked at Thales.
"Go on." Kentvida chuckled. "Tell your prince, who is responsible for Horace's death … This is not a secret."
Thales suddenly realized that it was not appropriate to talk about this in front of the Eckstedtians.
Putray glared at Kentvida in dissatisfaction, but he still sighed and answered, "The Northern Territory was in danger at that time.
His Majesty the late king ordered the surrounding nobles to provide assistance, and the largest number of reinforcements came from the Land of Cliffs Region … the Duke of Constellation's territory, which was the closest to the Northern Territory. "
Putray watched Thales' expression worriedly until he was certain that Thales' emotions did not change too much.
"And after Horace left, the commander of Broken Dragon Fortress was naturally the person with the second highest status at that time," the vice diplomat said slowly, "The Guardian Duke of the Land of Cliffs Region — Rudolf Nanchester."
Thales was slightly startled.
Putray furrowed his brows, but continued, "He was also the current Duke of the Land of Cliffs, the elder brother of the 'One-Eyed Dragon' Koshder Nanchester. Later, when Broken Dragon Fortress was breached, he was captured by Eckstedt and died in prison. "
The moment he finished speaking, Thales' heart trembled.
The former Duke Nanchester … Could it be that the brother of the current Duke Nanchester had something to do with Horace's suspicious death?
At least, when Horace was besieged, the One-Eyed Dragon's elder brother stood by and did nothing to save him.
'Is that so?
'More importantly, does Kessel think so too?
'What about the One-Eyed Dragon? What does he think?
What does he think of Kessel?
'And the One-Eyed Dragon's already dead elder brother … Could it be that …
'And the One-Eyed Dragon's words when I set off from Eternal Star City …'
Thales thought about the relationship between the two, and his brows furrowed.
Putray patted Thales' saddle and shook his head at him.
'Don't think too much …' Thales felt that this was what he meant.
"And at that time, Horace probably felt that he no longer had any hope of returning to the fortress." The Fire Knight, Tolja, stroked the sheathed blade on his saddle. With a nostalgic expression, he smiled bitterly and said, "He made a decision that no one would have expected."
Putray shook his head. His expression was desolate.
Thales raised his eyebrows. "He … What did Horace do?"
"He no longer tried to break out of the encirclement in the direction of the fortress." A smile of admiration appeared on Tolja's face. "Like all of you, Horace turned around and ran in the opposite direction. He broke out of the encirclement all the way to the north."
Thales thought of something.
'Like us?'
He remembered what the man known as the Kingdom's Wrath said to him on the battlefield a few days ago before they broke out of the encirclement towards Lampard's flag.
"A long time ago, in a hopeless situation, a Jadestar told me …
"Since there is no way to retreat …
"Why not go forward with all your might?"
'So … What Arracca said was …'
"After an entire day and night, they escaped here. We, the army of Black Sand Region also chased them here." Tolja's expression was complicated. He raised his hand and pointed at the snow-colored hills that had begun to rise and fall in front of them.
Thales turned to look.
They arrived at the end of the plains. A black mountain peak that was half covered in snow began to appear in front of them.
There was only a narrow entrance between the two low mountain peaks. It was only as wide as the gallop.
The Eckstedt troops moved slower and slower until they stopped.
"We are here," Viscount Kentvida said faintly.
"This is Rayman Pass."
—
"This is the battlefield from back then?" Thales looked at the strange rocks covered in snow in front of him and asked Tolja, who was beside him, with a strange feeling in his heart.
"We held them in place and surrounded them once again. Horace's remaining troops guarded the area next to those rocks." Tolja nodded and said with a profound gaze, "The former Archduke of Black Sand Region lit a torch and personally led his guards to besiege them continuously. He also ordered them not to use crossbows. He wanted to obtain the glory of capturing the Prince of Constellation alive." Tolja nodded.
"Horace, on the other hand, personally wielded his sword and wore his black armor. He stood guard under his Nine-Pointed Star War Flag. No matter how the people around him fell one by one under the blades and axes, he never took a step back.
"The best warriors from both sides roared and pounced on each other. Then, one by one, they fell between the rocks. That night, even though we had the advantage in numbers, the four supreme class elites on our side were all injured. One of them even lost his life there."
When he talked about the history of the battlefield, the Fire Knight seemed to be filled with emotions. Kentvida, on the other hand, remained silent. He only looked at Tolja with a frown.
"Horace pierced my chest with his sword. Before he could stab me again, I was snatched away by someone behind me." Tolja sighed and touched his right chest.
Thales furrowed his brows.
'The Sword of Reversing Light, huh?'
"His Highness Horace's sword skills came from the Tower of Eradication. He also experienced the baptism of the army and the battlefield. In the history of the Jadestar Royal Family, only the 'Enemy of the Wolves' can compare to his bravery," Putray said slowly as he stared at the strange rocks in front of him with a profound expression.
Thales felt Aida snort softly behind him.
"The old Archduke of Black Sand Region gave up on his goal. He realized that his intention to capture Horace alive would only cause us to suffer more casualties.
"In the final, fierce battle, Horace, who was wounded more than ten times, beheaded the 'Unceasing Fire' Terende. Then, his heart was pierced through by a sword." Tolja urged his horse forward and stared at a rock that was half the height of a man. He felt as if he had returned to that night twelve years ago, when the shadows of swords and blades flashed.
"A prince died here." Kentvida shook his head. "This place will probably become a tourist memorial in the future."
Wya glared at him mercilessly.
"Yes," Putray replied sarcastically, "All of you should build a statue for Prince Horace … to commemorate his bravery and fearlessness, as well as his ability to kill his enemies."
Thales sighed. He closed his eyes and lowered his head deeply at the strange rocks.
'Another group of people who were unfortunate during the war.'
"When they saw Horace fall, the last of his soldiers also lost their will to fight. Just when we thought that everything was over, one of Horace's soldiers snatched the bow left behind by Terende in the chaos," Tolja continued to say faintly.
Kentvida's expression suddenly changed.
Thales raised his eyebrows. There was a hint of surprise in his voice. "You mean …"
Tolja looked to the south and exhaled a long breath.
"That soldier carried Horace's corpse on his back. He carried that bow, and with wounds all over his body and a few crossbow bolts, he roared angrily like a madman. With the last few people, he rushed into the encirclement. For some reason, our people could not stop him. Until he reached the old Archduke of Black Sand Region, and then …"
Tolja flashed an indecipherable smile and snorted softly.
"In the chaos, the soldier disappeared into the night.
"From then on, Arracca Murkh was known as the 'Kingdom's Wrath'." Tolja stroked his own blade. Endless fighting spirit shone in his eyes.
Thales took a deep breath and stared at the strange rocks from afar.
However, he could not tell that countless warriors had fallen here twelve years ago. A prince had also fallen here, and another legend had become famous from then on.
'No, I still have some doubts.'
Thales turned to Tolja.
"So, Lord Tolja, you personally experienced the war between the two kingdoms twelve years ago? Including how to break through Broken Dragon Fortress? "
"I participated in that war." The Fire Knight nodded. "But as I said just now, thanks to Prince Horace's sword, I was injured during the early stages of the war. When I returned to the battlefield, it was already a few months later, during the later stages of the war. At that time, Sonia Sasere brought her Starlight Brigade and gathered the defeated soldiers along the way, including Murkh. They fought a few battles against us in the north. "
"Oh." A thought flashed in Thales' mind. "You even fought against the Fortress Flower?"
'Should I say,' As expected of one of Eckstedt's Five War Generals'? '
"No, I did not have the chance to fight against her." Tolja frowned. "Because of a despicable person."
"Despicable person?" Thales was stunned. "Who?"
"I do not know." Viscount Kentvida smiled and said, "Constellation's little trick … Tolja has always been brooding over it."
'I do not know who?
Brooding over it? '
Eckstedt's Fire Knight Tolja snorted coldly.
"On the battlefield, a damned person disguised himself as one of us and hid behind my back. When I killed my way through the enemy's formation and was about to attack the center of Starlight Brigade's formation, that despicable person attacked me from the back …
"I was seriously injured again and did not have the chance to fight against Sasere or Murkh directly."
Tolja frowned.
"I still remember that when that damned despicable assassin fled, he hid himself behind a strange purple mask and used a gray short sword. He came and went like a ghost and was extremely fast."
"Oh," Thales said with a strange expression and scratched his head.
'Disguised himself as someone else.
Attacked the enemy from the back.
Purple mask.
Gray short sword.
Came and went like a ghost and was extremely fast.
'These characteristics and habits … I seem to have heard of them somewhere before?'
Behind him, Aida snorted softly again.
"Is that so?" Looking at Tolja's cold gaze, Thales frowned and nodded sternly. "This method is really despicable!"
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