Chapter 595 - v3c360 (1/2)

v3c360

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Requiem(10)

“Our goal is simple. There are three portals in total. If we even leave just one behind, the mission will be a failure.

“The task of finding the a.n.a.lyzing Portal will be left to Amandina, while the others, including myself, are to cover her as she approaches the portal, and to protect her until she’s done.

“Do you have any more questions?”

Brendel looked at all of them. They would have to face thousands of Devils later and no one expected success except him. Most of those present only saw the action as a n.o.ble act. First of all, they had less than forty people and secondly, their opponent was an army of Devils. Short of a miracle, they were unable to see how they could secure victory.

Some of Anthony’s knights looked nervous. Some frowned deeply, while some others joked around as if they did not care. Garlock, the usually silent and quiet Seeker of Wonders, was demonstrating a spell model to Ciel. Nicholas, the Sword Grandmaster of Seifer, was polis.h.i.+ng his longsword over and over again, and the Princess was staring at the darkness of Ampere Seale in the rain alone, daydreaming about something. All these actions seemed meaningless, however, it showed a certain extent of uneasiness among them.

Who could face death with equanimity when the final moment was so close?

But even so, everyone nodded silently. They did not know that there was still a trace of hope – that there was a chance – in the young man’s heart. They merely thought that it was a kind of chivalrous persistence and steadfastness, to still wish to initiate a challenge despite knowing that failure would be the outcome. In this day and age, such determination would be considered naive in the eyes of most n.o.bles, and yet at the same time, it was rare and worthy of admiration, because no one could blaspheme the pursuit of ideals and honor itself.

That was exactly why the crowd had admiration for Brendel.

Brendel could more or less sense the meaning of this, but he was not going to explain the misunderstanding. “Well, too much time has been wasted. We only have five minutes to prepare, then we will leave immediately, so please hurry up or leave a will. You and I both understand that death is inevitable this time.”

Everyone was silent.

Only Ciel smiled. “It’s a pity, there should have been a chance for our descendants to build us a monument to record the events and heroic acts that will happen here today, with inscriptions that read ‘The great Trentheim and his entourages’, but it seems like that there’s no chance of that now. It’s still a question of whether anyone will remember us in the future,” the young wizard described in detail.

“Why would no one remember?” Dilferi on the other hand could not help but wonder.

“It’s simple, because some righteous Holy Cathedral will hide the truth, but can we stand up and go against it?” Ciel replied, and the wizard could not help but give a light laugh as well.

The joke was interesting, but the point was that it fit with the malicious suspicion in the minds of the people at the moment regarding the Kirrlutz people. Wasn’t all of this now the work of the Kirrlutz and the Holy Cathedral of Fire? Although everyone was now united in cooperation against the Devils, there was not a hint of discomfort in their hearts, especially the Lantonilan knights who all let out a loud laugh with impunity.

Brendel could not help but chuckle as well. It seemed that this fellow Ciel had a lot of opinions about the Holy Cathedral of Fire, but it was agreed that what he said would probably come to pa.s.s in the future if they actually died here.

In fact, even the one and only Paladin among the crowd shook his head with a casual smile at Ciel’s words. As a high-running member of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, he would naturally be aware of how the Holy Cathedral acted, but it was nothing unacceptable to him as he was loyal to his faith instead of the Holy Cathedral’s ways of doing things.

Brendel emerged from the crowd and walked to the edge of the woodland to take a look at the gentle sloping belt to the north, and he sighed. Some things were easier said than done. A gently sloping meadow connected the hills to the north of Ampere Seale with the bay. This terrain was terribly unsuitable for a raid. The little Devils’ vision may be limited, but the h.e.l.lhounds were the best scouts, so if they left the forest they might get discovered immediately.

Brendel could not help but be in despair at the thought of being discovered and the ever-increasing number of Devils by the portals.

He could not help but think that it would have been better if the battle had been fought in the middle of the hills, but unfortunately, the Devils were not stupid. Moreover, they had run out of options.

A rustle of footsteps came from behind him, and Brendel did not have to look back to know that it was the Countess of Yanbao, as she was the only one here who could be that clumsy and make such a ruckus.

“Mr.Brendel.”

“You wanted to ask what you could do?” Brendel replied without turning his head.

“You… you must not be at all liked by girls, Mr.Brendel.” Dilferi stopped for a moment and continued. “I was indeed wondering what I could do, Mr.Brendel, were you impressed by my ability to summon Devils?”

“Ha,” Brendel laughed. “You figured it out?”

“There are no other possibilities.” Dilferi looked a little sad. “But I’m about to disappoint you; although I’m secretly learning the psychic arts, in truth, I can actually only summon very weak low-level Devils.”

Brendel could not help but look at her. “Really? But I do have one question, Countess. Aren’t you afraid at all? You know what it means to be here, don’t you?”

He looked at his watch. There were three minutes left. There was still more time, so he asked the question that he had been curious about since before. The head of the White Lion Legion, Leider, had chosen to join for reasons he could more or less have guessed. That major figure was historically a tragic character. One could say that he was arguably a tragic hero. He was one of the few people who was distinct from the other n.o.bles of Aouine, but he chose a wrong path.

To be honest, Brendel did not agree with Leider’s choice, and as an individual, it might be admirable. However, from the old man’s position, it was far too short-sighted. To cut off the future of the kingdom because of one man’s misjudgment was not a mistake that could be overlooked for the sake of a righteous purpose.

But if Leider was trying to make up for his mistake, Brendel wondered about Count Yanbao’s actions. Although she was his chosen candidate, her reactions were a little too outstanding, as if her chivalry was overflowing.

It was not quite the same as Brendel’s impression of her.

Dilferi hesitated, but finally nodded seriously. “I know I might die here, Mr. Brendel.”

Brendel listened as she continued. “But I’m not the only heir to the Yanbao family, and if I die here today, the House of the Sword Guardian will only glorify me and wash away the shame brought on by the shattering of the Sword Throne. If I live, my family will not be reborn as a result, but if I die, I won’t be able to decide my own fate and that of my family.

“So I thought, perhaps I could at least decide the value of my own life.” Dilferi looked at Brendel seriously. “And besides, I’d rather die bravely and honorably. Wouldn’t it be nice to die beside a true knight who could shed his last drop of blood for this kingdom? Isn’t it romantic?”

Romantic my a.s.s.

Brendel was unable to comprehend this inexplicable sacrifice of hers, just as he had never been able to fetter personal freedom for the sake of his family. Je looked at the Countess and for the first time, he felt an invisible gulf between them.

“Is it worth it?”