When Yuna flew back to Linfeng City, she was greeted by the deafening cheers of the defenders on the city wall.
Every time the White Raven returns, she always brings victory to Linfeng City again and again. Whenever they see her, people's uneasy and nervous mood about the battle situation on the front line quietly calms down.
Sure enough, the White Raven then fired a green flare in the air, which represented that the battle on the front line had been won.
Seeing the signal flare, Evelin breathed a long sigh of relief and told the adjutant beside her: "The war is over. Send the news to the city lord's palace and tell everyone in the city this good news."
After that, she quickly organized a team and went out of the city to meet the knights.
On this side, Yuna landed in the yard of the workshop. Aisha had been waiting for her for a long time. She went up to help her unload the Valkyrie equipment and said with a smile:
"Thank you for your hard work. Did the battle go well?"
"It went very well." Yuna nodded, "Nolen and the others will be back soon."
"That's good." Ai Xia looked at the white raven mask on her face and couldn't help but sigh, "I always feel... you are all so awesome."
She has been living in a stable uptown area and has little knowledge of the war taking place outside the city, and cannot intuitively understand how cruel it is.
But even so, she could feel from the panic and precarious atmosphere in the city recently that Linfeng City was experiencing a huge existential crisis.
As an ordinary person, she was unable to change the current situation in Linfeng City. Her personal strength and will seemed so fragile and insignificant under the operation of the war machine and the turmoil of the general environment.
But Nolen and Yuna are different. They are also living individuals, even neighbors around her, and they can use their own power to truly and powerfully change the environment and rewrite the war situation.
The White Raven of Linfeng City... To this day, her existence has spread to the streets and alleys, becoming an "idol" that everyone knows and worships during the war.
"May the white raven protect you."
Whenever a battle starts outside the city, the people in the city will always clasp their hands and say this reverently to protect the soldiers on the front line from returning victoriously and to protect their homes and relatives from disaster.
When we first met, she was a disabled girl with missing legs. More than a month later, she transformed into a beloved white raven. Her existence was as dazzling as Nolen's.
Perhaps, this is also the reason why Nolen chose her in the first place.
She thought as she unfastened the shoulder straps of Yuna's Valkyrie backpack.
At this moment, Yuna stretched out her hand and gently covered the back of her hand.
Ai Xia raised her head in surprise and met the girl's clear blue eyes.
Different from the previous impression of being taciturn, this time the girl spoke to her seriously:
"Thank you, Sister Ai Xia, you have helped me so much during this time... It's great to have you here."
From the moment she lost her legs, Ai Xia took care of her meticulously for a few days, and after she became a white raven, Ai Xia always helped her wear equipment and maintain weapons.
Ai Xia helped her a lot without complaining, just like her biological sister. Although she did not shine with eye-catching light, she was the most powerful support for others to move forward.
White Raven is not a personal hero. Without the silent efforts and support of Nolen, Luo Zhen, Aisha and countless craftsmen behind the scenes, this existence would not be born.
It is also a symbol of Linfeng City's will and a flag for Linfeng City to resist aggression.
I was just lucky enough to become an idol who was pushed to the stage while completing my revenge. It was nothing special.
Now that her long-cherished wish has been fulfilled, everyone who has helped her during this process deserves her most sincere thanks.
Ai Xia was slightly stunned. When she heard the girl call her "Sister", her eyes couldn't help but smile into crescent moons:
"Well! If you need any help from me in the future, please feel free to take care of it for me!"
Yes, everyone has their own things to do and their own direction of efforts.
There is no need to envy the bright moon, fireflies also have their own light.
…
Until nightfall, the Knights finally cleaned up the battlefield with the subsequent reinforcements and returned to the city together.
Once a prairie fire is ignited, it is equally difficult to extinguish it. After wiping out the remnants of the Lebus clan, the aftermath is also a time-consuming and labor-intensive task.
And even if the flames are extinguished, the wounds caused by the war on the grassland will not heal easily.
It will take a long time for the scorched land to regain its vitality, and it will also take a long time for the population lost in the war to recover.
How to rebuild Linfeng City after the war is still a long and arduous task for the City Lord's Mansion.
"However, this national war finally comes to an end today."
Ryan said, "Forget the rest of the troubles for now, this is worthy of our whole day's commemoration and celebration."
Sitting in the carriage escorted by the knights were Nolen, Ryan, and Evelin. They were also the three people who held the highest power in Linfeng City at this time.
"I have already ordered the city lord's palace to grandly welcome the knights' triumph, and a victory ceremony will be held in the city tomorrow."
Evelin warned, "In order to make this ceremony more grand, the white raven also needs to be present. Nolen, don't forget this?"
The most dazzling performance in this war was the White Raven. Even ordinary people who had never been to the battlefield had heard the legend of the White Raven and had seen her flight trails soaring high in the sky.
Her appearance at the ceremony is sure to make everyone present excited.
At the same time, after the suicide march incident, the city government also urgently needed this victory to consolidate its prestige.
If the White Raven can appear at this time, it will undoubtedly make the people think that the White Raven also supports the City Lord's Mansion, and then turn their love for the White Raven into trust in the City Lord's Mansion.
Nolen nodded. Now that he was considered a member of the City Lord's Mansion, he naturally didn't mind helping her with this small favor.
Evelin added: "Of course, you are also a hero who defends Linfeng City. When the time comes to participate in the parade ceremony, are you interested in standing next to me?"
Fundamentally speaking, Nolen had the greatest impact on this war.
The White Raven's equipment was created by Nolen, including the new magic cannons that were later used to defend city walls and attack strongholds. These epoch-making alchemical weapons completely turned the tide of the war after their invention.
Without Norun, it was unclear whether Linfeng City could defeat the grassland people in the end, let alone end the war within two months and completely eliminate the enemy.
Nolen smiled and said casually: "No, just let White Raven do the limelight thing. I won't be the conspicuous bag."
"As the greatest contributor to the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, you deserve the highest award."
Ryan smiled, "You will sit on the carriage attending the ceremony. When the ceremony is over, we will hold a medal ceremony for you at the City Lord's Mansion. Please look forward to it!"
Linfeng City's troop consumption in this war was not small. In the current civil strife in the empire, I don't know what dangers and challenges will be waiting for them in the future.
Therefore, even if the war ends, Nolen will still be an indispensable presence in the city lord's palace. The strategic-level magic weapons he creates can make up for the lack of existing combat power in Linfeng City to a considerable extent.
And by promoting him and awarding him honors, it is the simplest and most direct way to bind him to Linfeng City.
The atmosphere on the way back was very relaxed. When they arrived at Linfeng City, the knights were greeted by a large number of excited people singing and dancing.
Within a few hours, the news of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War quickly spread throughout Linfeng City. People rushed out of their homes and took to the streets to express their joy to their relatives and friends.
The most exciting among them were the refugees outside the city whose villages had been looted and burned and made homeless. This meant that not only could they rebuild their homes, but their blood feud would finally be avenged.
Troops of the Knights filed into the city. On both sides of the road, some people scattered flowers, some cheered, some applauded, some laughed, and some were so excited that they cried.
Nolen looked at the people celebrating in the carriage and was touched in his heart.
In the beginning, his reason for joining the war was not complicated. It was just to fulfill his agreement with Yuna, not to let the city he lived in be bullied by foreign enemies, and at the same time, he was still profitable.
But at this moment, so many happy faces appeared in front of him.
Looking at the flowers they presented to him, he finally had a sense of protecting the lives of tens of millions of people and completing a great feat.
Correspondingly, there is a heavy responsibility that I have never felt before.
However, this feeling... seems pretty good?
The longer he was suppressed, the more enthusiastic his emotions became when he relaxed. At this time, the whole city was already boiling. Amidst the noisy crowd, Nolen quickly got off the carriage.
Returning to the workshop, he saw the light in Yuna's bedroom was on. Nolen pushed the door open and saw her sitting on the bed in a daze.
Because she had to go back earlier than Nolen, she had already washed away the dust and sweat and put on a set of clean and soft underwear and outer robe.
She did not tie her braids, and her soft, medium-length pale golden hair cascaded down her shoulders. The dim light made her unpowdered features appear soft.
At first glance, it seems that the person sitting here is not the invincible white raven on the battlefield, but just an ordinary girl who has just come out of the bath and is ready to rest.
"Thank you for your hard work today."
Nolen got straight to the point, "There will be a victory celebration ceremony tomorrow morning. Then you can wear a white raven mask and fly around in front of the city lord's mansion to cheer for the young lady."
"Yeah." Yuna nodded, her expression seemed a little absent-minded.
"What?" Nolen sat down next to him, "Are you worried?"
"No, I just feel...everything that happened today is a little unreal."
Yuna whispered, "During this period, I have been dreaming about how to fight and how to take revenge. But today, when I finally killed him and avenged my family, I seemed...not what I imagined. So happy.
"When I calmed down, I felt that I was still confused and empty. It shouldn't be like this. Nolen, what's wrong with me?"
"Isn't it true...?"
Nolen sighed, "I had the same feeling just now. When you achieve a goal that was previously unreachable through your own efforts, the unreal feeling of being in a different world is indeed a quite novel experience.
“But I am not confused. On the contrary, I feel very fulfilled, because I know that the results in front of me are just a piece of scenery on my long journey.
"So, if you feel empty inside, you might as well find another goal for yourself and think about what you want to do in the future. Maybe you won't feel confused."
"From now on..." Yuna muttered this word in a daze, feeling a little dazed for a moment.
Two months ago, when her family was killed and her legs were cut off, the girl knight named Yuna Aska was supposed to die that day.
But Nolen saved her and gave her the reason to live "revenge". From then on, she lived for this goal wholeheartedly.
But now, after her desire for revenge was fulfilled, she lost her life goal and fell into a state of emptiness again.
The originally planned life plan of "going to work in the city lord's mansion and bringing my family to live together in the city" no longer exists.
She was ready to sacrifice everything to defeat the prairie people, but she was still alive after the war.
Since you are alive, life must go on.
But she couldn't imagine what her future life would be like, and was even afraid of it.
how should I do?
Where should I go?
"Do you still remember our previous agreement?" Nolen suddenly asked.
"Of course I remember!" Yuna said quickly, fearing that he would be unhappy, "We agreed that I would use everything I have in exchange for the opportunity for you to help me take revenge.
"I'm very grateful to you, Nolen. Really, thanks to you, I can take revenge with my own hands. You helped me fulfill this wish, and I will definitely abide by the agreement...
"From now on, I am your slave."
When she said the last words, her tone was trembling.
Looking at her anxious eyes and listening to her slightly trembling voice, Nolen understood what she was afraid of.
During the period when her family was killed, her body was mutilated, and she was waiting for revenge, she had been living a life of hell.
But after the war ended and her great revenge was avenged, she looked to the future, only to find that she would have to live a life of a shackled slave from now on.
In the eyes of the public, slaves are not a good word. Unlike free people who are employed by employers, slaves have no privacy, no pay, and are not allowed to live independently from their slave owners.
To put it bluntly, slaves are accessories of the slave owner. They do not have free will as human beings. No matter whether they are abused or treated in the future, they can only accept it.
From Nolen's modern perspective, this is indeed tantamount to a hellish life.
So, Yuna realized that her future life was just going from one hell to another, so she felt empty and confused?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but fall silent.
After a while, he suddenly asked: "Do you... regret it?"
Hearing this abrupt question, Yuna was slightly startled, then knew that Nolen had misunderstood her. She quickly shook her head vigorously and said: "No, that's not the case, I -"
The words came to her lips, but she couldn't say them out.
She is the chief of the Knight Academy, she is the undefeated White Raven, and she looks so shining and powerful to outsiders.
But she knows better than anyone that she is not strong.
Her wanting to be the chief was what her parents expected; her motivation to continue living and avenge her family was given by Nolen.
Unlike Nolen, she was born with a lack of strong desire.
She is just a fragile empty shell. Without the support and guidance of others, she is like a ghost, simply floating in the world and not truly alive.
And when the family that had been supporting her died, Nolen took their place and filled the void in her heart.
During this period of revenge, Nolen became her only support. He was always firm and confident, and always guided her to do the right thing.
For a sixteen-year-old girl, it was him who helped her survive the most difficult period of her life, which gradually made her attracted and began to yearn for him.
But when she gradually realized the gap between herself and Nolen, she couldn't help but struggle and suffer in her heart.
She is willing to become Nolen's slave because this is the agreement.
At the same time, she knew that Enolun's character would not abuse her, and he had never forced her to do anything.
In fact, she lived well during the time she lived in the workshop, and the status of "slave" was actually in name only.
Originally, she didn't care about the false reputation of identity, but now she started to resist deep down in her heart, not because it was shameful, but because she had another reason that she couldn't say -
She likes him.
He made her stand up, enlightened her when she was most helpless, and communicated with her soul when she first joined the battlefield and faced the enemy alone.
The time she enjoyed most was when she was flying freely in the sky, with the whistling wind in her ears and what he said to herself in her heart.
Every word he conveyed to himself in the soul link was quietly nourishing his dry heart, and his will accumulated into a small amount, filling her empty container.
We can communicate soul to soul, our hearts are connected, and it is clear that the distance between you and me can be so close.
But I can never touch you.
Because I am your slave, our relationship is not equal.
You can have me, but I can't have you.
So you will have a better choice, whether it is the noble Evelin or the gentle Aisha.
They are all more suitable to be your significant other than me.
When I realized this, I deliberately didn't think about it and put all my energy into revenge.
But as the war ended and everything fell into place, I had to face this cruel fact again.
There is nothing in my world, only you are left in my world.
Just you, Nolen.
You are the only desire I have in this life.
You are my elusive love.
You are my mirage in hell.
This is the chapter I was going to update yesterday because it was very important to stay up late and polish it until now. Sorry for being late, but there is another chapter tonight.
(End of chapter)
