A group of rebels held shields and long knives and trotted along three long ladders towards the low wall of Baron Bet's manor.
The floods have gradually receded, and although the ground is muddy, it is still much more convenient than a group of people crowded on a raft.
Several defending militiamen discovered them and immediately fired arrows. The leader of the rebels blocked it with his shield, and the arrow hit the center of the shield with a muffled sound.
The ditch outside the manor has long been silted up. The floodwaters washed away the sand and branches again, turning the remaining trenches into quagmire. The rebel leader accidentally got his calf stuck in the mud.
"Oops!"
In this moment of delay, Murat stepped out, grabbed a throwing spear and threw it from the wall of the village, piercing the wooden shield and nailing the rebel leader to the ground.
…
"Today is March 21. From last night to now, the rebels launched six attacks of 200 people, one of which stormed the wall. The rebels dispatched fallen mages to conduct long-range attacks, causing damage to our walls and defenses. A big threat.
"The northern wall has completely collapsed. We set fire there, temporarily blocking the rebel attack; the western wall is also damaged in many places. We used roof beams to top it, but the foundation is unstable and may collapse at any time. Murat led The militiamen fought them off. Two of the militiamen were killed and four wounded.
"As the flood receded and the defensive area became larger, I suggested that everyone retreat to the castle and shrink the defense line."
Nona, who was covered in mud and blood, wiped the black hair stuck to the corner of her mouth and marked the location on the map. Her delicate face looked very tired, because she had no time to rest, and the circles under her eyes were as dark as the black and white bears in the mountains of the East.
After reporting the current battle situation, she raised her head and looked around at the crowd of Homemonworth students sitting around the table.
They have been besieged here for three days, and the attacks from morning to night almost overwhelmed these boys and girls from the capital. Since the misfortune of Professor Witzleben who led the team, the owner of the manor, Baron Bethe, seems to have aged ten years overnight.
Moreover, food was starting to run out. It is very difficult for this small manor to provide decent and fine food for so many noble students.
"How's the situation with Fiona?" Sonia knocked on the echo crystal, and the signal was intermittent. Occasionally she would have nightmares when she fell asleep, worrying that something might happen to Fiona.
"There is no news. If something bad happens to them, the rebels will let us know," Nona said calmly. "Miss Fiona has to go to the towns to the east to organize reinforcements. Regular communications will be sent."
There was silence in the hall of the Baronial Palace.
Several girls who were traveling with him were curled up in the corner like kittens. Berthier and several boys had bandages on their foreheads and hands, listlessly maintaining their wands.
"Everyone, we should consider evacuating everyone to the castle." Sonia said to everyone.
But no one paid any attention to her. Continuous fighting and low morale have resulted in the inability to make even the most basic decisions.
Nona reluctantly saluted Sonia, the only one who could still pay attention, and turned back to the front line.
I have to find a way to encourage everyone. Singing a song and dancing? Or tell a joke? Sonia straightened her chest and began to think hard.
At this time, Dedeus came back from the manor dejectedly. Kurala, like Rana, was injured and still couldn't get up, so he went to a messy manor to rummage through boxes and cabinets, trying to find a hen to stew for her.
Judging from the way he came back empty-handed, he probably didn't find it.
Sonya walked out of the castle to see if she could find anything.
The battle that had just ended had left Bete Manor even more dilapidated, with charred houses and muddy mud everywhere. A few militiamen fell in the far corner, while others hurried past, turning a blind eye.
From time to time the rebel longbowmen would shoot down a hail of arrows. At first, everyone was careful to avoid it, but later, exhaustion made everyone numb, and they no longer even thought about hiding. They walked with their heads down among the arrows and death.
The baron's butler, Old White, sat on a stone, banging his pipe, and watched blankly as the noble lady approached.
"Hello, Mr. White."
"Hello, pretty lady."
Seeing that the housekeeper was still thinking about talking, Sonia asked politely: "Are there any hens in the manor?"
Old White replied, "Miss, we have so many chicks it's like magic."
That's great. Sonia was very happy but still corrected her seriously: "Sir, magic can't make a hen."
The housekeeper sighed: "Then we don't have any hens anymore."
At this time, several servants came with dinner.
After all the beef, mutton, bacon, white bread, and capons in the manor were eaten by everyone in the blink of an eye, Baron Bet no longer had to worry about entertaining.
Dinner is cabbage and radish stewed in water until soft, add a little shredded pork, and thicken it with thin gravy. This dish is easy to make, sticky and glutinous, and is very popular among locals.
Sonia had one last night. Although the baron praised the dishes, Sonia still felt that it tasted weird like the tea she used for divination.
Griffith said the tea I made tasted like troll vomit. Looking at it this way, it really looks like Griffith, so annoying, ugh...
Sonia thought about the real vomit and hurriedly covered her mouth and turned away. Fortunately, she didn't eat much, so there was nothing to vomit.
The servants brought the pot of rotten meat and vegetables into the castle hall, and the already gloomy atmosphere became even more solemn.
It's as heavy as a pot of vomit.
"Gentlemen and ladies, come and eat!" When the baron saw the rice coming, he immediately cheered up and happily scooped a large spoonful of it for himself. It was sticky and mushy, and he poured it into the bowl. .
Berthier covered his eyes and turned away.
"Everyone, pay attention!" Sonia suddenly clapped her hands, "I want to announce two decisions.
"First, I will shrink all the defenders and retreat to the castle; second, from now on we will eat rotten meat and vegetable paste for every meal!"
"Why do you eat rotten meat and vegetable paste for every meal!"
Everyone shouted together.
"Great," Sonia said happily, "I knew everyone had no problem with retreating to the castle."
"..."
The current situation is even worse than what happened in the Whispering Forest last year. Although that time was dangerous, at least no one died, especially no professor who was shot in half next to him.
Reinforcements may arrive soon, but everyone huddled in the castle is on the verge of collapse.
Sonia felt she had to take action. Just then, a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Miss Larmore's idea makes sense. The wall has been soaked in water for so long and the foundation has become soft. It will be too late to shrink the troops until it is breached." This was a familiar but unfamiliar voice.
Sonia turned her head in confusion and found that Viscount Isius de Crozier, who had gone to the room to rest unwell, returned to the hall.
He was wearing a silver mask that covered his forehead, eyes and upper half of his face. His figure seemed to have become more upright, his voice was calm and charming, and his temperament seemed to have suddenly matured.
"Viscount, are you feeling better? What's wrong with your face?" Murat immediately cheered up when he saw his lord finally left the room.
"It's okay, I'm a little allergic to the water and soil here." Isius waved his hand, stood upright in the middle of the hall, and glanced around everyone present, "I just used the magic spell 'Atmospheric Mirror' to observe the rebels Although they are large in number, the terrain has been torn apart by flooding, and our reinforcements are constantly destroying their strongholds. It won't be long before the rebel siege collapses. Therefore, the top priority is to stabilize our defense line. "
He seems to have changed? Sonia looked at her familiar classmates in confusion. She knew that Isius was particularly fond of military affairs, but he had never been on the battlefield and was very weak...
The Isius in front of him seemed to be a different person, with a mature and confident temperament.
The silver mask looked like it had just been made of silver. Under the mask, Isius' eyes were mysterious and distant, but they were sharp and unconcealable. This kind of look is very rare among students in the Magic Department, but it is quite similar to Shutoral's look.
By the way, it looks a bit like Griffith, with the blade shining like a cold light! Sonia felt that she had grasped the key, but she couldn't explain what was going on. Griffith warned him to be wary of him, but how?
Seeing no reaction from everyone, Isius spoke directly to the slovenly baron: "Your Excellency Bet, this is your territory. Please summon the villagers and militia to enter the castle."
"Yes, I will make arrangements right away," Baron Bethe stood up. "I will first collect the remaining supplies in the manor, and then summon the militia to retreat to the castle."
"Thank you very much." Isius watched the baron walk out of the hall, and then outlined a magic circle with mercury on the long table.
"Is this the Mirror of the Atmosphere?" Sonia asked after seeing the magic circle. "This is a senior class course, and it consumes a lot of dust crystals."
"Yes, we can grasp the entire battlefield from a high altitude. Although it is not very clear and the range is limited, we can also have a general understanding of the environment we are in." Isius asked everyone to sit down around the magic circle, "We Come take a look. This morning I noticed Fiona breaking through the blockade and making landfall on the east coast."
"Fiona succeeded?!" Hearing this, everyone cheered.
"Not only was she successful, but a friendly force joined her and annihilated 24 elite rebel soldiers on the shore." Isius paused and turned to look at Sonia, "Judging from the style of throwing spears and combat skills, , should be Griffith."
Griffith is safe and sound! And he even reunited with Fiona! Sonia happily calmed down her excited chest.
"So, what will they do next?" Others became more excited, "When will they come to rescue us?"
"Let's take a look, it seems interesting." Isius waved his wand, and a condensed mirror appeared on the long table, showing the situation near the manor.
“Griffith gathered a small army and successively captured the rebel camp in the north and the outpost in the east, and also used trebuchets to severely damage the rebel camp in the south.
"Hundreds of enemies collapsed under his attack. Look here, this high ground is the rebel camp blocking our northeast. It has been defeated by Griffith's attack."
As Isius spoke, he moved the mirror image to project the riverbank area not far from the manor:
"As we speak, he is leading a force of dozens of men to attack Boulogne Ferry. The flood there is receding, and as long as he controls it, a gap will be opened in the rebel encirclement.
"This place is not far from us, and its importance is self-evident. The rebels launched a crazy attack and had to disperse the force attacking us. They were repulsed by Griffith three times and launched counterattacks three times. Before dinner, from Small reinforcements from the east have arrived, and Griffith holds the position."
There were gentle cheers in the hall, and several students clenched their fists excitedly.
Griffith is awesome! Sonia quietly tapped the ground with her toes under the table.
"So, we have to hold on to this castle," Isius continued. Suddenly, he stopped and stared at the water near Beit Castle.
"What's wrong?" everyone asked.
"We have guests," replied the viscount.
Nona hurried into the hall and shouted: "Come and support me, there are mutated monsters outside!"
…
Monsters never seen before appear on the water.
They have heads and bodies covered with lizard-like scales, strong long tails, and sharp claws. They can swim from the water to the castle without taking a boat. Soon, they climbed onto the shoal and stood up, gazing at the castle with ferocious red eyes and growling lowly, with their mouths full of fangs like wolves and vicious dogs.
Their arms are extremely strong, their palms are webbed, and their gills bulge and contract from time to time like frogs. Their shiny blue scales are like monitor lizards, but their hind limbs are short and almost molted. Their long tails like giant pythons support their bodies on the sand. It moves like a snake, with the vertical pupils of a dragon in its red eyes.
What's even more amazing is that their scales in the water show a dark tone, and when they climb onto the yellow mudflats, they turn to yellowish brown.
The unknown monster makes people shudder, like a bad joke played by the gods, randomly kneading the characteristics of many different creatures together, exuding a chaotic and evil atmosphere.
Sonia looked at the ferocious and twisted monsters in horror, unable to imagine how they could appear here.
She felt dizzy and her will was traumatized. However, the madness she had been exposed to during this period of time gave her the resistance to withstand the impact.
There are seven or eight such monsters on the shoal, and further away under the water there is a terrifying giant shadow slowly swimming, more than ten times the size of the monster on the shore, completely blocking the way to the east. waterway.
"When did it appear?"
"Just now," Nona replied, "there were signs of fierce fighting in the direction of Boulogne Ferry, and then a group of rebels collapsed from there. Originally, I thought the siege was finally relieved, but the rebels soon returned After rushing over, these monsters also appeared in the water."
"That's their commander." Nona suddenly raised her hand and pointed.
There is a small boat further away, with the figures of two young men, one tall and one short, standing on top of it. Under the murky water, a terrifying dragon-shaped monster lurks. It is larger than its counterparts in the water. Its terrifying body is composed of a hideous dragon head, astonishingly powerful arms, a towering dorsal fin and a python-like long tail.
It holds a huge trident, not unlike the mythical monster of the deep.
"Don't panic, Sonia, they are the Westeros special combat technical force. Griffith encountered them on Neopolis Island," Isius said with a calm face, "They were recruited by Boy soldiers used as experimental subjects, an army composed of orphans from Verona.
"If they came to attack us, they should just kill Griffith directly. However, they did not do that.
"I'll go talk to them. Murat, follow me."
…
Under the protection of Murat, Isius walked across the muddy ground and approached the monsters. The classmates were sweating on the castle, watching them like two steaks heading towards the mouths of a group of vicious dogs.
The chaotic and twisted long-tailed monitor lizard roared horribly around him, ready to rush up and tear them apart at any time. Murat held the halberd tightly, ready for a fight to the death.
Two humans among the monsters also walked toward them. The leader was wearing a shabby military uniform and looked at the viscount with provocative eyes.
"Hello, I am Viscount Isius de Crozier. You must be Sergeant Oscar, and the person next to you is Mr. Mika. I have admired both of you for a long time."
"Yes, it seems that you are very well-informed, Your Majesty the Viscount," Oscar said with a slight smile, "Then I advise you and your friends not to make unnecessary resistance and surrender to us immediately."
"Surrender, that's not enough," Isius said with a smile, "our situation is not that bad. My friend Griffith has just led the reinforcements to capture Boulogne Ferry. At most, we can hold on until the day after tomorrow. Then we will Be rescued.”
"Oh, really?" Oscar showed his sharp teeth and ordered to the terrifying creature underwater not far away, "Go and bring the head of our old acquaintance, the apprentice knight of Griffith."
"There's no need to bluff," Isius said calmly, as if he was chatting with a friend. His voice was penetrating, making people want to believe him. "If you weren't at the end of your rope, how could you defect? To the rebel side?
"I felt the unparalleled power and madness, and the chaos that was about to tear apart everything in front of me,
"You guys, time is running out, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the short Mika rushed forward. His figure was as fast as lightning, and a scimitar emerged from his right elbow, slashing towards Isius.
"Bang!"
In the midst of the flash of swords and shadows, Murat used his halberd to block it, and then swung his halberd downwards.
Mika stepped forward sideways, pressed lightly on the halberd, and then took out a silver scimitar with his left hand and swiped it towards Shutoral's neck.
The sharp blade split open the gauntlet, but it was blocked by Murat's raised right hand and failed to hurt the vital part. At the same time, Murat dropped his halberd, grabbed the opponent's wrist with his right hand, pulled out a dagger with his left hand and stabbed him in the eye socket.
"That's it!"
Isius and Oscar shouted at the same time.
Murat and Mika stopped at the same time like two statues in the confrontation.
"Enough blood has been shed, young soldier," Isius shook his head, "Your lives should not be lost for such a ridiculous war. Come on, take a walk with me."
After saying that, Isius walked alone to the edge of the deserted shallows.
Oscar looked at Murat and the others who were still in a stalemate, shrugged his shoulders and followed.
…
Isius stroked his silver mask:
"I know there is a way to suppress your mutations. Although it cannot be eradicated, it can give you more time and possibility."
"Oh," Oscar responded, "That doesn't impress me. My brothers are being tortured by madness and mutation, and will do terrible things at any time."
"I know," Isius's words were enigmatic, "I know.
"I know the cure."
Oscar looked at him indifferently.
Isius's words were calm and sincere:
"Suppressing the characteristics of madness is not easy and is a fatal poison for most people. However, a peaceful life can slow down this process and even reverse it.
"You must resist the distortion caused by madness, and find the coordinates to anchor yourself in the chaos to stop the process of destruction. Then, I can help you coexist with this power.
"This is going to take time, let me help you."
"Why can I trust you? The mage in the rebel army also said he can help us. Who should I trust?" Oscar asked.
"The rebel wizard, even if what he said is true, so what? Do you think they can win?" Isius asked, "It won't take long for Bijelan's reinforcements to arrive. The number of rebels wearing armor will There are not many, and there are no heavy cavalry, so they can't resist for long. By then, no matter how good the treatment plan is, it will be like a mirror to you."
"This idea is quite common," Oscar shrugged. "Those nobles who were killed by us must have thought so too. In the end, they couldn't even survive a day."
Isius took two steps forward, came to Oscar's side, and whispered:
"Don't waste any more time. I don't force you to join our side to fight. You can leave here with your people and watch the victory or defeat from a distance.
"Young soldier leader, you and your people are more than just chess pieces on this chessboard.
"By the time this little rebellion is over, there's going to be a power vacuum here."
Isius's wand slashed through the air, and the mud and water on the ground condensed into models of castles and manors: "The rebellion wiped out all the nobles here, and it will take time for the new arrivals to adapt. So, I don't plan to give it to you. Gold and silver, I will give you this.”
The young Viscount spread his hands.
"This?" Oscar also spread his hands and tilted his head towards the other party, "What is this?"
"Peaceful and normal life on the farms and mines of the fertile Vero River Valley."
Isius said: "The rebellion will tear the nobles here apart. My family will enter this area after the rebellion subsides. With the support of the king and the Senate, as well as the family's wealth, I will purchase the abandoned ruins at a low price. Lord land. You, young soldiers, can become my partners if you have no crimes worth pursuing.
"We can clear the obstacles together. You have a share of the agricultural products and trade income here.
"Oscar, from now on, you will no longer be someone's puppet or tool, and you can truly control your own destiny.
"Don't let you stay in the misery and pain of the past, don't, stop."
Oscar was silent. He walked slowly along the sand table, running his fingers across the logos. He slowly lifted them up and placed them on the Viscount's shoulders. He leaned close to his ear and whispered:
"Tell me about Baron Caris' mines and estate."
