When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#565 - We not only want freedom

"With the morale of the soldiers in the camp, it's impossible for us to continue the attack."

Sir Clowin from Changfeng Fort said emphatically.

Inside the small stone house next to the knight's training field, a steaming fireplace was lit, and the cold wind knocked on the windows, as if to accompany the words of this Sir Clowin.

Around the bed of the White Horse Knight Spitrochu, the Red Horse Knight Moruo, the Black Horse Knight Hearn, and Moliati, the Iron Mask, and other senior commanders were present.

There was even an unexpected guest with a haggard look—Sechinger, who had escaped from Prince Condé's camp.

He was thinner than before, and even half of his foot had been chopped off by a battle axe, so he could only walk with a limp, supporting himself with a crutch.

Almost all four knights were present, the only one missing was the "traitor who surrendered outside the city."

To be honest, the morale in the camp is so low now because the Mountain Knights are also arguing internally about whether Wayne surrendered or not.

As the number two figure under Moliati, Wayne's position in the hearts of the mountain people is definitely not low.

But this surrender was too strange. Although rumors said it triggered a noble rebellion, Prince Condé did not clear Wayne's name.

Before confirming the authenticity of the noble rebellion, Moliati could not make a ruling.

Horn and Prince Condé could see clearly because one was the person involved and the other was an outsider.

The church deliberately blocked the news in Upper River County, and Moliati had been fighting and defending the city, so reliable news had not yet been delivered.

Lacunio released rumors and smokescreens all over the sky, to a certain extent covering up the truth of the Hotam County riot.

So, for Moliati and her army, Wayne's death is still a mystery.

Moliati didn't believe Wayne would do this, but… it happened.

This sense of collapse, and the subsequent continuous defeats in the battle with Prince Condé, led most people into defeatism.

The silent High Fort City is proof of this. In the past, the military camp would have been noisy, but now it is deathly silent.

Nearly 1,500 mountain knights were killed or injured,

Most of the local knights in Upper River County fled, the White Horse Knight was seriously injured and lost an arm, and Moliati fell from her horse in full view of everyone.

Although Prince Condé withdrew the day before yesterday, the knights have equated this expedition with failure.

Their biggest idea now is to go home.

After Knight Clowin's long speech, the White Horse Knight, lying on the hospital bed, barely raised his head: "Your Highness, if I'm wrong, you can correct me, but that dog Shahr, has he been promoted to Grand Knight?"

After a small half minute of silence, Moliati admitted: "Probably, at least he drank the second bottle of Blue Dragon Potion."

She could see that although she didn't know where the Nine Great Dragon Potions came from, Prince Condé had definitely embarked on the road to becoming a Grand Knight.

And the most extreme kind, exchanging lifespan for strength.

Moliati's grandfather Antoine was a Grand Knight, and she was too familiar with Grand Knights.

But the difference is that Antoine was a Holy Grand Knight and served the French royal family.

He not only had precious potions to prolong his life, but also had a high priest-level monk give Antoine a precious long-term blessing.

So he could not only stay awake, but also suppress toxicity, and enjoy the lifespan dividend brought by being promoted to Grand Knight.

He even had a daughter at the age of one hundred and five, and had Moliati's mother, Lurles, with his third wife.

It was only after his only daughter Lurles' witch identity was exposed that he had to withdraw from the competition for the throne and exchange his territory for Thousand River Valley.

This naturally led to him losing his consecration and becoming a senile old man who couldn't even hold a crutch.

By the time Moliati was born, Antoine had completely lost his cognitive ability and had become a fat old man who played with her every day.

Only when little Moliati practiced swordsmanship with Antoine, but was defeated ten times in a row by his muscle memory with his eyes closed, did she know what kind of person this grandfather used to be.

Clowin was still talking endlessly: "The war can't go on, if we continue to fight like this, I'm afraid there will be traitors among our knights, like that Wayne…"

As soon as these words came out, several senior commanders frowned in unison. Clowin seemed to realize that he had misspoke, and quickly laughed to smooth things over.

"No, Wayne is not a traitor."

Clowin didn't recognize Sechinger, just smiled awkwardly, and didn't speak.

Asking him to admit that he misspoke was okay, asking him to admit that Wayne was not a traitor, wasn't that overturning his own conclusion?

"You listen to me.", Sechinger almost yelled as he rushed to Clowin, "He is not a traitor, he is a hero."

This sudden roar stunned everyone in the house. Sechinger was not a fickle person, and few people had seen him lose his composure.

Glaring at Clowin with red eyes, Sechinger took out a crumpled letter from his clothes and sent it to Moliati.

"This is Sir Wayne's last will and testament.", Sechinger took a deep breath.

"A will?", The White Horse Knight, lying weakly on the bed, suddenly raised his head, "Wasn't he killed in an attack? Where did the will come from?"

Moliati hesitated to take the letter, she didn't even dare to open this light letter.

Opening the envelope, looking at the lines of cursive characters on the paper, the Grand Duchess forcibly controlled her slightly trembling hands.

"Little Moli."

"I hope you are not too angry with me, because I surrendered."

"When you see this letter, I am probably dead, but I don't know if my plan will succeed, after all, no one can determine Prince Condé's final reaction."

"Perhaps, I have to explain to you… with Lacunio's strategy… on the verge of defeat… with this letter… Prince Condé and the nobles of Hotam County distrust each other… This is a gamble, may the Holy Lord have mercy, I hope I can win."

"My luck is always good, Vincent picked me out of many servants at a glance and knighted me."

"You see, I married a woman from Thousand River Valley, my five children were born in Thousand River Valley, I have everything."

"I think this is very happy, so I advise you to find a husband, find a partner, don't bear it alone."

"I always think this is the life you want, because the little Moli's favorite game is to hold weddings with two dolls."

"She will wear a red dress, be naughty, eloquent, and make people so angry that they twitch, even to the point of being annoying."

"But I still miss her."

"I don't know what you encountered before Vincent died, why that lovely little girl became what she is now."

"But it doesn't matter, I am your father's knight, and also your knight, whatever you want to do, I will support you."

"That's how we got to today, and even two years ago I still didn't understand why Duke Hemashi's status in Thousand River Valley was so detached that he couldn't be treated like the Kushites."

"Obviously they are all dukes, enjoying enough things, as long as they are on good terms with the church, the Fors family will have a brighter future, and even the French throne can be peeped at."

"But when I saw the stone mills of the Blue Blood Monasteries, when my friends in Thousand River Valley, those friends who didn't shed a tear on the battlefield, cried so hard that they couldn't control themselves—"

"I found myself extremely terrified, I thought, what if one day my children also suffer these things?"

"If the church does not leave Thousand River Valley for a day, not only my children, even if you get married and have your children or adopt a child, will he suffer such a fate?"

"Are we going to be silent?"

"Not to mention the Kushite knights I have seen who have been forcibly driven out of their homes, they even have to offer their wives and daughters to an ordinary rural bishop in order to get relatively fair treatment."

"Some Kushite knights even said that an ordinary Leia farmer lives better than them."

"Thousand River Valley is the church's largest private land. In the Holy See, for the election of the Pope, the priests can still pretend to be hypocritical, but far away from civilization in Thousand River Valley, they show their true colors."

"That Horn is right, they are devils."

"I don't understand the feelings of the people of Thousand River Valley for this not-so-rich land, but I am willing to do these things for you."

"I always advise you, but I won't advise you now, you will have that day, without me advising you, but this day will never appear in the enslaved Thousand River Valley!"

"Do what you want to do!"

"If you have to ask, let the people of Thousand River Valley live in the sun and flowers, this is my will."

The latest novel is first published at Six/Nine/Book/Bar!

After reading the letter, under the gaze of others, the Grand Duchess stood up abruptly after a full minute.

Taking away the last page of the letter, Moliati silently walked to the door: "Bury him with ducal honors, in the Hemashi family cemetery, with my father and grandfather."

After saying that, she stepped out of the stone house, but did not go far, just stood under the eaves.

Before long, a burst of low crying hidden in the throat came from the stone house behind her.

The three knights used their throats to block the sound, and the crying was as ridiculous as thin mosquitoes.

The four knights of Hemashi had known each other for almost thirty years, and Wayne was the youngest of them.

Wayne once said that he would hold funerals for the other three knights one by one and send them all away.

But now, it was the three knights who were looking at the remaining fragments of his life together.

Lacunio burned Wayne's body, clothes, and even armor.

Sechinger faced the hot wind blowing up during the burning and found this surviving piece of cloth in the ashes that danced like black butterflies.

The Gray Horse Knight was a person who valued honor and appearance. He had never been so embarrassed and unbearable in his life, even on the most dangerous battlefield.

He did not charge, did not gallop, and was shot through the head by a farmer on the way to surrender.

He died without honor, unclean.

But what he exchanged was a road to victory paved with honor and life as stepping stones.

If they were asked to return to North Mund County now, would they ignore this road?

Standing in front of this long street leading to the church, Moliati's iron mask and the face behind the iron mask showed no expression.

She just stood in the cold wind, staring blankly at the empty and unmanned long street in front of her.

Not only had Prince Condé walked this long street, Horn had walked it, but even Moliati had walked it with Wayne.

"It's snowing in March…"

Her voice was neither sad nor happy, and Moliati didn't know who she was saying this to.

She stood for a long time, then suddenly said to Lannes, who had a sad face beside her: "Send the letter to the military camp, let the priests read it, and in the evening, I will personally preside over the mourning."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lannes bowed deeply and trotted to the military camp.

Moliati looked at the towering tower, the cold wind blew through her platinum blonde hair, and the snow in March was getting heavier.

The heavy snow covered the tube tiles, like a layer of white fluff.

A white vapor came out from under the mask, and Moliati stepped towards the long street.

The servants quickly picked up their cloaks, but were pushed away by the Grand Duchess: "Don't follow me, I'll go myself."

Letting the cloak fall to the ground, she slowly walked into the snowy world.

Almost every spring, Moliati and Wayne would come to High Fort City to purchase supplies. She had walked this long road from the knight's training field to the church countless times.

But this time, she could only walk it herself.

Behind the courtyard wall and the tower, there was a continuous sound of soldiers crying. The once silent High Fort City became noisy again.

Accompanied by the sound of crying and roaring, Moliati walked quietly alone in the snowy world.

The tall figure of the Grand Duchess was so slender, dark red, looming in the snow.

She didn't know how long she had walked, but Moliati saw the black marble steps of the church.

She looked up, but heard the whole city crying in the wind and snow.

For Wayne, for the injustice and grievances they had suffered over the years, and even more for the family and friends who had been persecuted by the church.

Stepping on the sound of crying, along the steps, Moliati walked to the top step by step.

Standing in front of the church door, she looked back at the road she had walked, but there was only a lonely line of footprints on the ground.

She still didn't cry.

Grasping the last page of the letter in her hand, Moliati lowered her head and silently read the last line of gift left by Wayne on it:

"Go, as your father and I hoped."

"We not only want freedom, but also blood for blood!"

…………

On March 13, 1446 of the Imperial Calendar, Moliati Heshinien Fors, Grand Duchess of Hemashi, made a surprise attack on the White Maple Mercenary Corps in the snowy night, and miraculously killed the head of the White Maple Mercenary Corps.

After dispersing the original organization of the mercenary corps, the Grand Duchess selected about half of them and formed a new White Maple Mercenary Corps, employing them with double salaries with mountain knights as officers.

On March 14, 1446 of the Imperial Calendar, Moliati led more than 2,500 mountain knights, more than 1,200 White Maple infantry, and more than 500 local knights, and set off in the direction of Stagnant Water Dock.

They abandoned all baggage and only brought three days of rations.

If the trip goes smoothly, these 4,300 people will arrive at Stagnant Water Dock on March 18 or 19.

Then, she will go down the river to Feiliu Fort to complete the unfinished business of her father Vincent, her teacher Huanno, and her guardian knight Wayne—

Flowers, sunshine, and freedom.