The wind blowing from Grigori's Gap ruffles the tops of Aika's lodgepole pine trees.
The sun shines on the newly cultivated land, and under the golden light, people lie on both sides of the open space, with bloodless lips, peacefully, as if they have just fallen asleep.
The sky is clear and light blue. It is a sunny day today and there are no clouds in the sky.
Even in winter, the climate deep in the Acasta Plain is still warm and pleasant.
On such a day, it would be quite appropriate to say goodbye to one's old friends.
The wind, which was not too violent, continued to blow.
We have mentioned before that burial is a choice that people who believe in the White Holy Religion make after death. But what we didn’t make clear at that time was that it was originally preached for the purpose of “purification.”
In addition to religious factors, a large part of this cleanliness is to improve the sanitary environment.
For a long time, the church was the only master of knowledge in the world. Their education and technology were far more advanced than ordinary farmers and even a king. They were also the first to use new objects such as candles, glass, and clocks. Therefore, it seems appropriate that the church promotes this burial method that can prevent rotting corpses from spreading diseases and attracting flies and rats.
Returning to the original point, two days after the battle, the total number of Avenella soldiers who died in the battle was 1,672.
Among them, a total of 931 noble knights, officers and sergeants with knighthoods were killed, and the rest were civilian archers who should have stayed behind but rushed forward bravely.
Considering that the battle only lasted one night, this data can be said to be extremely astonishing. It truly reflects the determination of the warriors of Wavasika to prevent the other party from penetrating into the fortress and the brutality of the battle.
As the breeze blew, the soldiers who took off their weapons and armor picked up shovels and dug hard in the fields that were originally expected to be used to cultivate tea trees.
Edward and Henry stood at a slightly higher place and watched from a distance. Behind them were Mira and Ming Na. The skin at the corners of the blond girl's eyes had been worn out from wiping too many tears. She and Bai Bai The hairy Luo An Loli held hands tightly with each other. Some traces of sadness could still be seen on her face, but the girl had stopped sobbing and stood there with her chest raised and her head raised.
Bernie is obviously very successful as a father. With him as an upright man as a role model, Mingna has always been exceptionally strong.
When she faced Sivalier's elite soldiers, she dared to fight with a sword, which showed the amazing decisiveness and courage of this girl. And now, she can hold back her sadness and cheer up, which really makes most people Everyone admires it.
The wind clinging to the wall on the left side of Wawasika brought the fresh smell of trees. Edward turned his head and looked at Henry. The expression on the sage's face was as calm as ever.
His Royal Highness the Prince hesitated for a while. He was not sure whether it was polite to ask this question. Henry noticed that the other party was hesitant to speak, and then nodded gently.
"...Sir." Edward paused.
"Sir, I must have seen many separations." He carefully selected his words, as if he was worried about touching the scars in Henry's heart. The sage nodded. He understood the reason why the prince mentioned this, but his face was as calm as ever.
"If you continue to lose, can you get used to sadness?" Edward asked, his words tended to be in a West Vallier-style romantic style, so it sounded a bit like a song or a poem.
But the question is genuine and simple.
And the person who asked may be the only one in the world who is qualified to answer - because the one-sided information about Henry's past that Edward knows is enough to draw such a conclusion:
No one understands the meaning of the word "lost" better than him.
Perhaps the carefully considered words still triggered the sage's memories. Edward faced Henry's brief silence with concern, but the latter soon showed a faint bitter smile.
"You won't get used to it."
"Never." After saying this, the tall black-haired sage raised his head again and looked at the clear sky.
The slightly heavy topic was blown into the distance by the air current, and Edward no longer mentioned this matter. After rows of huge holes were dug and the bodies of the fallen soldiers were arranged neatly, the prince His Highness walked to the front.
"They died for Avenella." Edward began to say, but after just one sentence, he stopped.
The prince seemed not to know what to say, he just stood there and lowered his head.
Quietness lingers in this open space south of the city.
The panting soldiers were holding shovels, but they still straightened their backs despite being extremely tired. Many of them still had wounds on their bodies, and some of them even oozed blood due to their movements, but no one could stop these people from digging graves for their dead comrades.
"Because this is all we can do for them." The sergeant with only one arm left said through gritted teeth.
No one can stop them, not even Prince Edward himself.
This is probably hard to see in Sivalier—no, in any other kingdom on the west coast.
Since that day when Edward loudly declared and led the army to defeat the invaders of Sivalier, the entire Avenella was twisted into a strong hemp rope - in just a few months, the national pride rose to the extreme. Except for some people, they are now proud to be the people of Avenella.
And this is particularly intense in the Fortress of Wavasika, the birthplace of it all, which is now known among the people as the place where the Declaration of Avenella was first issued.
For the first time, the knights and sergeants discovered that there was so much to learn from these civilians. In the armies of Edward and Charles, people truly acted as a whole.
Over the course of a few months, they became true brothers.
Noble cavalry and civilian archers are no longer two different types of people. At least under the banners of Edward and Charles, all Avenella soldiers were just soldiers.
They are just soldiers who are proud of their identity from the bottom of their hearts.
If anyone from other West Coast countries came to Wawasika now, he would be surprised by the atmosphere.
They are proud of their companions and trust this group from the bottom of their hearts. The commoners trust the nobles who originally needed to look up to them. The nobles no longer put on airs, but dine with them, train with them, communicate with them, and interact with each other. study.
The seeds Edward planted a few months ago are now beginning to sprout, and perhaps one day it will grow to cover the entire Avenella.
The silent Prince thought so.
'A country where there are no barriers between people. '
'That should be, how desirable. '
"..." The silence continued, and many soldiers gritted their teeth, but it was not because the prince couldn't say anything touching - because they felt the same way, and any words they said would seem feeble. It is really too difficult to say something under the circumstances.
"Hiss--" A sound of deep breathing came one after another. These exhausted men with wounds on their bodies could remain silent when facing the enemy's ferocious attack. But at this moment, many people standing beside the corpses of their dead comrades could endure it. My eyes couldn't help but turn red.
No one can accuse or laugh at them for being fragile.
Because the person lying on the ground turned into a cold corpse had been drinking ale with him two days ago and talking happily about trivial matters at home.
The knight, who excitedly told everyone that he was going to be a father, drank happily with the soldiers after the training that day. He, who had always been steady, got drunk for the first time and showed his childish side.
The simple sergeant's dream is to own his own farm here and bring his family to live with him. The same honest and honest smile still remains on his face.
Everyone lying here has their own story, and these stories, if you ask the soldiers who straightened their backs but couldn't help crying, they will tell you one by one.
Let me tell you that these amazing warriors never let anyone down, and that is why they are forever absent from our lives.
The wind is still blowing.
Such bloodshed and sacrifice will not be uncommon in the future. Edward's eyes seemed to see the distant future through the dense Aika black pines - the sky was clear, but what was reflected in the prince's eyes were dark clouds.
Sivalier, now Padrosi.
No one can be offended by Avenella. This country is extremely weak and is almost open to bullying. In the last game, they tried their best to reverse the situation, but what about this time?
The more than a thousand cold corpses lying on the ground seemed to be silently accusing His Royal Highness of the powerlessness of a royal family - but what saddened Edward the most was that their sacrifices were almost meaningless. These amazing warriors tried their best to fight for their lives against a far more powerful enemy, but the enemy had no intention of capturing Wavasika from the beginning.
Glory and heroism cannot hide the fact that they are actually just victims of the machinations of the huge empire across the river - Avenella is so weak that even its own people cannot properly protect themselves. guard.
Padrosi's conspiracy has not yet surfaced, and they must have some purpose in attacking Wavasika.
Edward, who lowered his head, thought this, but even if they knew this purpose, what could they do - under the iron heel of Padrosi, the kingdom was at the mercy of others.
It must change, everything must change, but before it can change, it must survive...
The pressure as huge as a mountain made the nails of the blond prince's clenched fists turn white due to excessive exertion. His father, the contemporary king of Avenella, was obsessed with fighting for the throne of Sivalier. in; and the remaining brothers are more concerned about whether they can become kings than whether this country still exists.
He was alone in Avenella.
Desperation enveloped Edward, a feeling that had not dissipated since he learned that the attackers were Padrosi.
"Pa..." Someone tapped him on his left shoulder. The prince turned around, and Henry looked directly at him calmly.
"I will help you." The sage's words were as simple as ever, but they gave him great confidence. Edward nodded seriously, then took a step forward, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. It took half a minute to adjust to his mood, and then he continued.
He didn't intend to say any passionate truth, he just said it word by word.
In the language of Avenella, he spoke the eulogy that would become the custom of military funerals in this country in the future.
——That’s a quote from the Avenella poet Lawrence, the only poet who insisted on writing poetry in Avenella.
"We will grow old eventually, but they will not."
"They no longer worry about time, age, or condemnation."
"Whether the sun rises or sets."
"We will remember them."
The wind continues to blow.
Everyone, including the prince, bowed deeply towards those who disappeared with the wind. The soldiers raised their shovels, and the soil gradually covered their faces.
Melodious music sounded in the distance.
Avenella used their own way to bid farewell to their departed relatives and friends.
…
Postscript: The last verse of this chapter is not original, but is quoted from the "Confessional Poem" by the British poet Robert Lawrence. I like this paragraph engraved on the SAS memorial plaque very much. I think it describes the soldiers in many aspects. In memory of fallen comrades. I also hope that I have highlighted this emotion well in this chapter so that everyone can feel it.
