Sonia stared at Thales' absent-minded face, and she seemed to be deep in thought.
"You know, when I returned to the capital this time, I realized that everyone is very comfortable." After a while, she snorted softly and took out her tobacco pipe and cigarette again. She started to roll another cigarette. "It's no longer as anxious as a few years ago. They're ready to move and flee at any time, and they're constantly worried that the Northlanders will attack again."
"That's a good thing." Thales nodded. "And you deserve the most credit for guarding the fortress."
But the Fortress Flower snorted softly and said in a mocking tone.
"In fact, I brought some people north to Black Sand Region a month ago and 'camped' in Lampard's territory. In other words, I was scouting."
Thales did not turn around. He only stared at the distant Lake of Stars. "How courageous."
"Now, it's very quiet there." Sonia's hand was steady and meticulous as she rolled the cigarette. She did not look like she was drunk at all.
"Black Sand Region just went through a civil war, and everything is still recovering. But the taxes for farmers and herdsmen have been reduced, and the customs fees for merchants to cross the border have also been reduced. There are also fewer illegal bandits on the road. There are also fewer group fights between villages where the Northland boorish men never get tired of it. I heard that no matter what kind of disputes there are, they rely on new officials or a lot of king's decrees that I can't understand to solve them. "
'King's decrees.'
Thales did not speak, but his thoughts slowly drifted away from sadness and lamentation.
"Most of the rotten and stinky Northland suzerains I've dealt with before — Levan, Mende, Devinson, Peruno, and Ica — have disappeared. Some lost their heads in the civil war, some moved to Black Sand City, and some have been replaced by new heads who listen to the king's every word. The rest are hiding in their castles, struggling to survive."
'Listen to everything.'
Thales slowly furrowed his eyebrows.
"Many young Northlanders have also left the countryside. I heard that some of them joined the king's army during the civil war, and some of them went to live in the city after the war. Those who stayed behind are also excitedly talking about how they can go to further places, such as Black Sand City, and work hard to be like other outstanding commoners, to get an official position or even a noble.
"Our spies further north, as well as the spies from the Secret Intelligence Department who occasionally come to rest, also said that every day, every hour, from the fallen nobles and wandering knights, to the commoners and local ruffians, there are newcomers who enthusiastically head to Black Sand City, hoping to make a career there."
Stand out from the crowd.
Make a career.
Thales' gaze became sharper. "Is that so?"
Sonia nodded. She had finally finished rolling a cigarette and was carefully rubbing the butt.
"To be honest, I've been fighting for quite some time. I'm not afraid of the northern heavy cavalry, their heavy swordsmen, or heavy-armored axemen. In fact, with Broken Dragon Fortress in my hands, it's not a big problem for me to fight against ten or more of them alone, but …"
Sonia paused for a moment.
A few seconds later, she rubbed the Crystal Drop Flint and lit the cigarette in her hand.
"But I can feel that something is different in the north, and this is not a question that I can answer on the battlefield with swords and Mystic Guns."
As Thales listened to her, his "old friend" 'words appeared in his mind.
"'Thales, you know better than anyone else that after six years, the ideal Eckstedt is getting further and further away from me."'
'Now that I think about it, it might not be so far away.' Thales, who had gone through the trials and tribulations after he returned to the country, felt sentimental.
'Just like the weak and powerless Kohen and the unshakable Lower City District, those who never forget may not have accomplished their work, but there will definitely be echoes.
'And how did you do it, Chapman Lampard?
'What did you give up on this journey?'
The Fortress Flower took a deep breath and exhaled an endless stream of smoke.
"What do you think of the North Star who returned from the north, Your Highness?"
Thales snapped out of his daze.
'North Star,' a voice whispered in Thales' heart. 'No, you don't like this nickname.
It may seem awe-inspiring, but it carries a mocking tone, as well as an undetectable sense of rejection and alienation.
'It gives you a lot, but it takes away even more.'
"I know."
The Duke of Star Lake nodded slowly. "Seven years ago, I was there, at the center of the storm."
Thales turned around to avoid the smoke. He felt that everything in front of him was obscured by Sonia's cigarette, and it was filled with the unknown.
"Therefore, I know better than anyone else what kind of beast I released in Eckstedt, in Dragon Clouds City, and what kind of flames it will ignite."
'Beast.'
The Fortress Flower was silent for a while before she slowly said,
"So, can you put it back in the cage?"
Thales smiled.
'Put it back in the cage.'
He shook his head and sighed. "No one can lock it up. It was destined to be like this when it was born more than a hundred years ago."
'Perhaps, perhaps not just a hundred years ago.' He quietly said in his heart.
'From the day humans were born, it quietly landed.'
Sonia snorted sarcastically. She took a puff of her cigarette and leaned against the observation deck with a solemn expression.
"Now, many people in Eternal Star City think that Eckstedt is mired in internal strife, divided and declining, and that it will no longer be able to launch a national expedition like it did during the Bloody Year. It will no longer be a threat to us."
Thales pursed his lips.
"At least the first half of it is correct."
Sonia ignored his words and continued.
"And in the past seven years, the border between the two countries has been peaceful, and Broken Dragon Fortress has been deserted. Whether it's His Majesty, the important figures in the Imperial Conference, or even many families in the Northern Territory who have been enemies with Eckstedt for generations, they all feel that the enemy has been eliminated, and the external threat has been eliminated.
"Even old Solder is no exception. He rejected my proposal to strengthen the fortress' defenses, saying that he has more important matters to attend to.
"In fact, some people in the Imperial Conference think that I'm just being an alarmist."
As Sonia finished speaking, her gaze was sharp and threatening as she stared at Thales.
Thales stared back at her with a profound gaze.
The only thing between them was the wisp of white smoke rising from the cigarette between Sonia's fingers.
A few seconds later, Thales grinned and shook his head.
"Only a fool would think that Eckstedt is no longer a threat because of its decline, let alone the important figures in the Imperial Conference. I think that most of the time, they just can't help it. "
"Can't help it?"
Sonia was nonchalant.
"When old Solder asked me for reserve soldiers and said that he was going to Western Desert to rob the nobles, he looked very excited. It didn't seem like he was being forced by the king."
Western Desert.
The Sand King's Plan.
Thales was silent for a while.
"It's not the king." Thales gazed into the night sky, lost in thought. "It's not the king that's forcing them, not even individuals, but 'things' — fame, position, ideals, interests, power. It's everything they're trapped in, forcing them to make decisions that, from another perspective, may not be rational or long-term."
Sonia's cigarette flickered. She frowned amidst the smoke.
"And that's the scariest part." Thales subconsciously gripped the ring and dagger in his pocket, feeling that they weighed a lot, one on his left and the other on his right. "The most brilliant form of coercion is often subtle and silent, making you think that you're doing it voluntarily."
Under the moonlight, the lookout tower regained its silence.
After a while, the Fortress Flower flicked her cigarette and snorted coldly.
"Listen, I don't know what happened in Renaissance Palace, nor do I know what kind of 'beast' you released, but what I've seen and heard this time has given me a bad feeling. The next time Broken Dragon Fortress becomes lively, I'm afraid that the things we'll have to face will be far beyond our imagination."
Thales looked up.
"So?"
"I need more."
"More what?"
"Everything," Sonia answered without hesitation, "Anything that can prevent my ominous premonition from becoming reality."
She took a puff of her cigarette and exhaled softly at Thales.
"Soldiers, money, equipment, provisions, intelligence, morale, support, and perhaps government bureaucrats who won't hold us back — although in my experience, the last one is basically impossible."
Thales frowned. He lowered his head and coughed, then waved his hand to disperse the smoke.
'Sure enough, it's not as simple as returning to her hometown for a vacation, nor is it a coincidence that she just happened to pass by your castle.'
A voice said in his heart, 'Everyone has their own goals and desires.'
Even the candid and magnanimous Fortress Flower, who was famous for her reputation, could not avoid this.
When he thought of this, Thales felt a little gloomy.
'Sonia has a favor to ask of you, so you should agree to her or at least leave a message. Let's see what you can discover in the future,' he whispered in his heart. 'Even if this is just an empty promise, this is in line with the alliance you made with the king. Make use of the enmity between you and your father to reveal every crack in the kingdom.
'Even the Fortress Flower.
'But …'
After a while, the Duke of Star Lake said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, you've got the wrong person. I'm just an exiled prince who has fallen out of favor. I have no soldiers, no power, and I'm extremely poor."
Sonia stared at him for a long while before she turned in the direction of Star Lake.
"It's okay. Nineteen years ago, when I led the army north to Eternal Star City, I met your father among a group of refugees. He was about the same."
The Fortress Flower took another puff of her cigarette.
"In fact, Kessel had just escaped from being hunted. He was in a daze and was shivering. He was much more miserable and downtrodden than you are now."
When he heard this name, Thales frowned.
"Then, perhaps you should look for my father for help."
"If I could, damn it," Sonia swore and pointed at the moon with her cigarette butt. "Ever since he sat on the throne, your father has become less and less adorable and obedient. He's not the same as when we first met during the war, when you told him to kneel down, take off his clothes when you told him to dance, when you told him to dance, when you told him to be king, he cried and screamed and crawled to be crowned …"
Thales frowned deeply as he listened to these disrespectful words.
'Why did she say that?
'Your father is becoming less and less adorable … When I told him to be king, he would be crowned …
'Why did she say that to me?'
'Sonia Sasere. She's supposed to be the core general of the regular army of the royal family, the northern barrier of the kingdom, and the sword in the hands of the Iron Hand King, isn't she?
'Why?'
But Thales did not show it on his face. He only picked out one word from her words to tease her, "Strip, really?"
Sonia waved her hand as if she did not hear him.
"In short, I don't expect you to do anything now. Look at your pitiful little body. But I can wait. Wait."
Amidst the smoke, the Fortress Flower flashed him a smile.
But at that moment, Thales only felt empty inside.
Wait.
Wait for what?
What else? Another voice in his heart whispered. Between you and the king, what else can she wait for?
But, no, Sonia, she …
Thales suddenly panicked. He subconsciously rubbed the Bone Ring in his pocket and remembered his agreement with King Kessel.
Sonia switched her hand to hold the cigarette and sighed, "As for you, just keep what I said in mind. If the kingdom has any problems, it must be in the north. You have to be prepared for the future."
Thales gulped.
To be prepared for the future.
The future?
'No, impossible.' Thales dispelled the inappropriate thoughts.
Sonia was the commander of the fortress. She was only concerned about the threat of Eckstedt and the defense of the north. If the kingdom had any problems, it must be in the north. That was the crux of her words.
'So what?' Another thought emerged from the bottom of his heart again. 'She said that because as the defending general of Broken Dragon Fortress, she had to say that.
Because the enemy in the north is her capital. The threat of Eckstedt directly affects Sonia's safety and future, affects the regular army under her command, affects the resources she can obtain, affects the degree to which she is seen and valued, and affects her authority and status in the kingdom.
Because she is also in the net.
Unable to extricate herself.
Isn't it? Isn't this what you've learned in the past few months of political games, and you've used it against the king?
And you, Thales, you have to see through this. Her request for help is not that simple — No!
Thales closed his eyes and interrupted his thoughts.
He was thinking too much. Sonia, the Sonia he knew, was not that kind of person.
"Why, why me?"
Thales opened his eyes, looking a little tired.
"I believe that there are other knowledgeable people in the capital who can give you more substantial help."
Sonia enjoyed a mouthful of tobacco and pondered for a moment.
"Perhaps, because you are more special? For example, daring to break into the palace to rebel and threaten your father with a sword? "
Thales turned around abruptly!
The Fortress Flower raised the cigarette in her hand, "Don't look at me, rumors travel fast — uh, it definitely wasn't old Solder who told me."
But Thales' heart sank.
See, you're right, Thales.
She came to you because you broke into the palace to rebel and yet left safely, because you proved your worth and became the second most powerful person besides the supreme throne.
Hence, the situation in the kingdom changed drastically. Even the seemingly valiant, magnanimous, and heroic Fortress Flower was seen, she knew, and she felt — just as the king and Thales had foreseen — that Thales might be able to contend against King Kessel.
So she came.
Not just to return home, not just to the north, not just to — to your pathetic personal friendship.
Thales looked at Sonia in silence, feeling vexed and uneasy.
Sonia did not notice the change in Thales' gaze. She continued to smoke, immersed in the hazy smoke, completely at ease.
"Perhaps it's also because you are one of the few who can cure Lampard? According to Miranda, seven years ago, you gave up the chance to escape and decisively returned to Heroic Spirit Palace, using your freedom to extinguish the flames of war between the two kingdoms. "
Thales took a deep breath.
Seven years ago.
Seven years ago again.
Damn it, seven years ago.
He suddenly lost interest in the conversation in front of him.
Whether it was for the defense of the fortress or for the future of the kingdom, at the end of the day, she was here to express goodwill, rope him in, ask for help, take sides — or any other euphemistic or unpleasant synonyms.
She, the master of the Supreme Shield, Sonia Sasere, who had once saved his life. She was actually not much different from the Duke of Western Desert.
"The powerful and influential nobles and suzerains will scramble to find you, rope in the prince who has just returned to the kingdom, and do everything they can to win you over to their side …"
Sonia, even Sonia, was the same.
At this thought, Thales only felt deeply disappointed.
As for him, Thales Jadestar, he could no longer be as honest and open his heart to his savior as he had been when they first met.
"So, I think that child." Sonia took a puff of her cigarette and sighed, but there was a hidden meaning in her gaze. "The child who balanced justice and forgiveness under the gallows, the child who dared to charge at Lampard, the child who dared to swing his sword at his father, should have some hope?"
At that moment, Thales tightened his grip on the Covenant.
"Hope?" Thales repeated mechanically.
Sonia wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last. In the future, there would be more and more people who would do the same. From a certain point, the people who talked to him would be filled with schemes, interests, goals, and desires.
Until there was nothing left.
Thales subconsciously tightened his grip on the Covenant in his pocket.
'But you know, Thales.
This is a necessary path, and this is just the beginning. '
A voice spoke to him in his heart. 'You know, you've already made preparations.
'No matter what the price is.'
Sonia smiled and knocked on Thales' forehead.
"I know that you're not a 'big shot' in Renaissance Palace yet, not yet. But the good thing is that you don't have the time to be like them, forced to the point where you have no choice but to be like them. You haven't become as annoying as them."
'Become them.'
Thales ignored her presumptuous actions. He only felt that the Bone Ring in his pocket was getting prickly.
She thought she knew, but she did not know at all.
Thales stared at her.
The Fortress Flower smiled and said,
"In short, the world will not remain the same. I hope that you, in fact, many people think that you are —"
"But I am not!" Thales subconsciously shouted.
The watchtower was silent for a moment.
Sonia was shocked. She looked at Thales, who was breathing rapidly. The smile on her face gradually disappeared.
"Not what?"
But Thales immediately reacted and adjusted his breathing regretfully.
"I'm sorry, Madam. I-I lost my composure. I might have drunk too much at night and could not concentrate."
He controlled his tone and forced out a few smiles.
"I understand your concern about the defense of the fortress, Your Grace, but you might not know about my situation —"
But before he could finish, Sonia interrupted him coldly, "Shut up."
Thales was about to say something, but at that moment, the Fortress Flower's eyes shone with a terrifying light. It was sudden and sharp, and he forgot to speak.
She was sizing Thales up and down carefully.
"Tell me, boy, how long have you been back in the capital?"
The teenager was stunned for a second.
"Half a year, I don't remember. I'm sorry for my slip of the tongue, but it's late now, Your Grace, I'm a little tired — "
But the Fortress Flower shook her head and tsked before she interrupted him again.
"Sunset, it seems like she was right. They f * cked you badly."
Thales frowned.
"What?"
Sonia smiled at the sky.
"Do you know, you're now like that mute subordinate of yours, wearing a mask to talk?" Sonia raised the cigarette and curled up the corners of her lips. Her smile remained curled, and her eyes remained cold.
'Wearing a mask …'
When Thales heard that, he was silent for a moment.
"Ralf could not speak."
"Are you different now?" Sonia quickly refuted him. She smiled coldly.
"How long has it been since you last spoke like a human?"
Thales was speechless for a moment.
"Why, are you possessed by a demon, or cursed by a witch?"
'Cursed by a witch.'
Thales gulped and resisted the desire to touch the ring.
"I will help you push the kingdom forward, get rid of obstacles, and break the shackles. For this, I will do whatever it takes.
"Very well. Then, as we agreed, child, become my sword. Cut your way through all the obstacles until the kingdom is free."
He took a deep breath.
"I, you don't understand, Sonia —
"You haven't tried it, how would you know —"
"You don't know!" the distraught Thales interrupted her loudly.
His breathing quickened as he stared at Sonia, who was holding a cigarette in her hand.
'Sonia Sasere, you just heard a few rumors and weighed up the situation, and you rushed back to your hometown to' visit 'me. You relied on your so-called old friendship to say some meaningful words, such as "there are matters in the north", "I can wait", "prepare for the future", "you are rather special". You said it in an understated, boastful, and self-righteous manner …'
Thales activated the Sin of Hell's River and tried his best to calm his breathing.
"You don't know, Sonia." Thales tried not to think too much. He stood up and tried to end the conversation as gracefully as possible.
"You don't know anything."
"He gave you a sword."
"I don't know anything."
The teenager said absentmindedly.
"I, Thales Jadestar, am destined to become your enemy."
'What, everything …
"My son, you must fulfill your promise and swing your first sword."
Sonia did not speak. She sat opposite Thales and stared at him without blinking. She let the cigarette in her hand burn.
But her gaze made Thales even more uneasy. He wanted to turn around and hide.
Finally, the Fortress Flower exhaled and looked at the starry sky above her head.
"You know, when I came to Star Lake Castle to enlist as a guard, my mother was so shocked … Ah, shocked. The nannies in the castle taught me that phrase."
Thales snapped out of his daze.
"What?"
But Sonia didn't pay any attention to him and continued to speak.
She only continued to speak airily, "And when I came here, the first thing they said when they saw me was, 'You went the wrong way, girl. The scullery and weaving workshop are not here.
"And when they found out that I came here to enlist as a guard …"
Sonia chuckled softly. Her emotions were complicated.
"John is an open-minded duke, so no one dared to directly say, 'Hey, girl, you are not suitable for this. You should go home to give birth and feed your child'."
The Fortress Flower turned around and asked Thales. There was an underlying meaning in her words.
"Isn't it like now?"
Thales, who was in a bad mood, frowned.
"Now? Now what? "
Sonia snorted coldly.
"Now, no one dares to directly say to you, 'Hey, prince, duke, North Star, you are a newcomer. You are delicate, noble, soft-hearted, barbaric, boorish, and unromantic. You are not suitable for this job. You should go back to bed and sleep. When you have learned to be obedient, you can wait for your father to pass the throne to you.'"
'Delicate, noble, soft-hearted.'
Thales subconsciously clenched his fists.
Sonia leaned forward and drew closer to Thales. Her tone was full of mockery.
"But they all think so. It's just that most of the time, they don't even know it. And their gazes when they look at you are filled with pity and sympathy, the kind that can move them. Why, can't you sense it?"
Thales suddenly felt an inexplicable indignation. "I —"
Sonia narrowed her eyes.
"So much so that you yourself are starting to think the same. You self-righteous little piece of trash."
Thales could not listen to it anymore. He took a deep breath.
"Good night, Sonia. It was nice chatting with you."
But the moment he turned around, Sonia's mocking and disdainful words traveled into his ears again.
"Instead, they are polite and courteous, but there is a hidden meaning behind their words. 'Oh, Your Highness, you are really mature!', 'You have already done your best for your age!', 'We cannot expect more from you!'"
Sonia's tone became gloomy.
"Just like back then, the recruiter looked at me with a strange gaze and said to me, 'Oh, what a heroine!', 'How can a girl have such ambition?', 'You should really let those cowardly men see you!', 'You should really let those cowardly men see you!'
Thales stopped in his tracks.
"And they said that because you are a newcomer, because you are an accident. Based on common sense, you should not be in the same room with them, just like how I was in the past."
The Fortress Flower turned around to face the starlight on Star Lake. Her expression was numb.
Thales did not turn around, but his Adam's apple bobbed.
"Why are you saying all this?"
"Because I know this feeling." Sonia took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, as though she was savoring the fine wine brewed from her memories. "This feeling of walking into a completely unfamiliar world, facing all the unknown obstacles that you are not used to, but still having to pretend to be tough and move forward."
At that moment, Thales shuddered a little.
The feeling of stepping into Renaissance Palace appeared in his memory. It was cold, narrow, and oppressive.
The scene when he walked into Ballard Room also appeared before his eyes. Everyone was smiling, their words were sincere, and they looked dignified.
'But …'
"And this is your opponents' territory. It is a battlefield that they are used to for a long time. It has fixed rules, and it is an environment that is beneficial to them but harmful to others." Sonia stared at the starlight but bottomless Star Lake in a daze. "And we, we are using our weaknesses to attack their strengths. We are going to accommodate them, follow them, and do the 'old things' that you might never be able to do."
Thales was silent for a long time.
"Be careful, boy. You are like me, inferior to them, but like your father, superior to them. And you came back from the north, so you are outside of them."
At that moment, the words Jines said to him before the royal banquet surfaced in his mind.
"This means that, at the end of the day, you are not them, from the inside out."
'But …'
Thales tightened his grip on the dagger and the Bone Ring in his pocket and snorted coldly.
"Let me guess. What you want to say is that although you went through a lot of difficulties, you still succeeded. You passed the enlistment and became a guard, and you stayed in the castle, right?"
He turned around and looked at the back of the Fortress Flower, who was lying on the lookout.
"Through your Power of Eradication or something else, you showed the strength of a newcomer and amazed the world with a single brilliant feat. You proved that women are not inferior to men, and that you can be outstanding in a man's territory? Not only that, you even reached the peak and shocked countless people, including Duke John's. In the end, you became one of the three marshals of the kingdom. So, now you want to give me chicken soup and say, 'Hey, don't give up, you are from the Fallen Roar', right? "
Sonia did not answer. She only sighed deeply and pressed the cigarette butt in her hand on the lookout.
Thales shook his head sarcastically.
"Save it. This is not the same at all."
Once he finished speaking, Thales no longer hesitated. He turned around and left.
"They say that women are not suitable for the battlefield." Sonia's voice came from behind him. She was getting closer and closer. "So, be careful."
The Sin of Hell's River surged. Thales frowned.
"What?"
But in the next second, he felt pain in the back of his knee!
* Thud! *
Thales was knocked down. When he finally reacted, he placed his arms on the ground.
"What are you —"
But the moment he turned his head in shock and anger, he saw Sonia's cold face and the bottom of a military boot slowly growing larger before his eyes!
* Bang! *
The Sin of Hell's River roared madly. Thales blocked the Fortress Flower's kick in a split second, and the impact made his arm bones numb. His entire head was ringing!
'What's going on?'
Sonia's Power of Eradication was reflected to his senses. It was like an unbreakable ice — strong, sturdy, powerful, and heavy.
But his good luck ended there.
Sonia's next knee strike came along with the momentum and completely broke through his defense.
Thales felt his vision go black, and he immediately fell on his back. Sonia knelt on his chest, grabbed his neck, and pressed him firmly on the ground.
The Sin of Hell's River flowed madly in the air, but it could do nothing.
'Damn it!
How can this gap be so big?! '
"F * ck you —"
Thales cursed in exasperation, but what followed was a merciless slap from the Fortress Flower!
* Slap! *
The slap could not be said to be unbearably hot. Not only did it make Thales dizzy and see stars, it also slapped the prince's anger back into his mouth, and he could only pant.
"Children should not swear," Sonia, who was suppressing him, said coldly. "Don't f * ck him all the time."
The lookout was located in the middle of the castle, and the guards' focus was mainly on external threats (which was also the reason why Thales chose this place). But even so, the sounds of fighting could still be heard.
"Who's making a ruckus up there?!"
Lights lit up on the slightly shorter castle wall and shone on the lookout. A voice that Thales was very familiar with rose, and it was filled with righteousness.
"Stand up, raise your hands, and show your face! Let me see! "
Sonia snorted coldly. She turned her knee and pressed down on Thales' neck ("Damn it, why is it my neck again?!" — Furious Thales).
"I'm f * cking a man here!"
The Fortress Flower straightened her body and revealed half of her head. Her roar shook the entire castle.
"Do you have a f * cking problem with that?!"
Once she finished speaking, she lowered her head and spoke to Thales without hiding it.
"Scream, scream louder! Are you not full yet, you piece of trash?! Use all of your strength! "
Thales was shocked and angry at the same time. Unfortunately, his neck was pressed down, and he was tongue-tied. He could only let out a few sounds.
Hearing her voice, the patrolman on the castle wall was silent for a few seconds.
"Ah, it's Lady Sasere!"
The next moment, the patrolman's voice became gentle and obsequious.
"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding, haha! Um, um, sorry to disturb you! Duke Thales asked me to bring you good news on his behalf … Please be gentle! Zombie is my partner. He might be big, but he might not be able to withstand your strong — "
"Get lost!" Sonia's roar rose again.
Under the watchtower, the patrolman's voice and his lights disappeared at the same time. Many of the Jadestar Private Soldiers who came with him also disappeared.
It was only then that Sonia sneered. She released Thales' neck slightly and lowered her head.
"Now, no one will disturb us anymore."
Thales had never hated his guards as much as he did at that moment.
He swore that once he was free, what awaited Doyle would be the most terrifying punishment and torture in the world, something the latter could not imagine.
The Sin of Hell's River continued to gather in his arm, but the teenager could not break through the Fortress Flower's blockade.
Sonia, whose gaze was originally cold, suddenly grinned and giggled as she watched him struggle in a pathetic manner while tears and mucus flowed down his face.
In the next second, she let go of her knees, dragged Thales up from the ground, and leaned against the watchtower.
Thales, who had been pardoned, could not be bothered to retaliate and take revenge. He panted in pain and rubbed his chest.
"You crazy woman, what do you want to, do, do …"
"I screwed up."
Her casual words made Thales' words come to an abrupt halt.
'Screwed up? What screwed up? '
Thales panted and could not help but look at Sonia.
"I failed during the entrance test for the recruitment of castle guards. Even with all my strength, I could not lift a weight stone."
Sonia was smiling.
But at that moment, the smile on the Fortress Flower's face looked tired, bitter, and numb.
She did not have the demeanor of a general who dominated the battlefield and resisted the Northern Invaders.
Thales did not know how to answer her, which was rare to see.
"It was the same for the long-distance running test. My stamina did not pass at all."
Sonia did not seem to realize that she had just bullied the prince. She turned around tiredly and sat down next to Thales.
"There was also shooting. I managed to draw my bow while trembling, but I just could not hit the target. There was also reading and writing. Did I tell you that it was the wet nurse in the castle who taught me how to read?"
She stared fixedly at the night sky.
"As for fighting, it was even worse. I guess I was more used to swinging a hoe and hitting people, rather than wearing armor and wielding a sword to kill people. Even new recruits could knock me down."
Thales slowly regulated his breathing.
"Although I was considered a good hand among the farmers, and I was also known as a shrew in all the villages around here, and I even fought with wild boars and bandits with a pitchfork, among the men who came from all over the country to wield their swords …"
Sonia said faintly,
"In short, I screwed up. Among all the applicants, as the only woman, my results were the worst.
"I remember their gazes and mockery … And all my efforts were in vain. I proved to them once again that women are not suitable for the battlefield, and perhaps even more so, should not be soldiers. They can't do those fighting and killing things."
'I screwed up.'
Thales' breathing paused for a second.
At that moment, the Fortress Flower, whose might shook the entire Western Peninsula, slowly raised her head. She stared at the bright moon and the starry sky in a daze. Her drunkenness seemed to have returned to her senses.
"All my dignity, persistence, and hope were shattered by the bloody reality the moment I walked into this unfamiliar world."
Sonia turned her head to look at Thales and revealed a weak smile that did not match her identity as the Fortress Flower.
"Just like you."
(End of this chapter)
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