I will be crowned king

On the 19th day of the siege, near Thunder Castle.

Ludwig, who was leaning on a knife, stood motionless in the cold wind. Louis Bernard, who was tied up in chains, stood beside him. In the distance was Roman, who was tying his horse.

Looking at the fortress still standing not far away, the slightly pale young knight suddenly looked back at Ludwig, his bleeding lips raised in a slight arc.

"why are you laughing?"

Ludwig frowned slightly. Even if it was for victory, this slightly "humiliating" method still made him feel unhappy.

"You didn't ask Mr. Anson to come - as my captor, shouldn't he be here?" Louis chuckled:

"Or is it that the distinguished Brigadier General Ludwig Franz believes that doing so will rob his honor of his subordinates, so he has to keep the exchange ceremony private?"

"Sir Louis Bernard, you are too worried. I am not shameless enough to rob my subordinates of their honor."

Facing the enemy's ridicule, Ludwig snorted:

"The exchange ceremony was deliberately kept in private for the sake of your army - what will the Imperial soldiers in the city think when they see the commander indulging the enemy for the sake of his relatives?"

"In addition, the agreed time is six thirty, and it is already almost fifteen minutes overtime. Does your brother, Mr. Kroger Bernard, the heir to the Principality of Adlan, pay so little attention to the life and death of his own brother? ?”

"It looks like this." The smiling Louis did not mean to deny it at all, and did not forget to ridicule Ludwig: "You value time so much, are you worried that the value of the captives will be reduced and you will not be able to exchange for what you want?"

Just when the two tit-for-tat people were still taunting each other, a brisk sound of horse hooves came from a distance, and a knight appeared in the morning mist in the wilderness.

At the same time as the sound sounded, Roman, who had sharp eyes, had already stepped forward with the knife, holding the handle of the gun tightly with his right hand behind his back, staring intently at the figure that was approaching quickly.

The other party abided by the agreement - at least that's what it seemed - he got off his horse and came on foot when he was about to approach, making both Roman and Ludwig slightly relieved.

After all, the empire's cavalry is so famous, and the previous surprise attack without warning left both of them with lingering fears - if the other party was really serious, it would be almost impossible to stop dozens of cavalry from robbing people in the wilderness. Possible things.

"you are late."

Looking at the burly figure wearing a cloak and carrying a sword on his back, Ludwig, whose breathing was slightly stagnant, said coldly.

"Because you picked a hard-to-find place." Kroger Bernard, who was walking with heavy steps and a rich voice, stopped about ten steps away:

"It took a little longer on the road."

"Then before the exchange ceremony begins, let's negotiate each other's conditions first." Even though there was only one person on the other side, Roman, who sounded serious, could still feel the pressure:

"As agreed, we will return Sir Louis Bernard to you - you can see that we did not torture or torture your brother, and you can ask him yourself when you return to the camp."

"As the price of return, from tomorrow until three days later, the Imperial Army in the fortress must cease fire outside the city and cannot make any offensive moves; and in order to ensure that we can abide by the agreement, here is a contract for you... …”

Roman was still talking, but Kroger's eyes had already fallen on Louis Bernard beside him, staring intently at his brother who was smiling at him.

"…After that, please sign this, and the exchange ceremony will be officially over."

Roman frowned slightly when he realized that he was being ignored. He endured his anger and took out a paper agreement, then walked forward and handed it to the other party.

"No need to bother."

Kroger glanced coldly, causing Roman to stop a few steps away, and then looked at Ludwig, who also had a sullen look on his face:

"Leave Louis behind, and you leave. I promise not to bombard your rat nest in the next three days, and the troops in the city will not come out in force to drive you all out... It's that simple."

"Really?" Ludwig laughed angrily: "Then, Your Excellency Mr. Kroger Bernard, how can we, the scum hiding in the rat's nest, ensure that you will not launch a surprise attack when we retreat? , will you kill us all?"

"You can't." Kroger's voice was still calm to the point of being a little violent:

"So you are the scum in the rat's nest. The only thing you can count on is my magnanimity."

Arrogant, and unabashedly threatening.

Ludwig and Roman's expressions changed at the same time.

Although they had roughly guessed that the other party would not have a good face during the communication before coming, they were still a little surprised by such an arrogant and devoid of sincerity.

Kroger Bernard...does he really not care about his brother's life or death?

Or is this guy so arrogant that he thinks he can snatch his brother away from the two of him single-handedly?

No matter which one, it's not good news... Ludwig secretly tightened his grip on the handle of the knife.

"If this is the case, then we cannot return Sir Louis Bernard to you." Ludwig said coldly: "This kind of insincere behavior cannot be called an agreement at all."

Kroger sneered: "Really... Then how long can you scum that run away after being hit twice by cannons survive outside Thunder Castle?"

"Hold on until the fortress falls!" Ludwig gritted his teeth.

"…Give Louis to me."

Kroger became impatient: "For the sake of the Church of Order, His Excellency Ludwig Franz, I will give you another chance."

"The same words will be returned to you intact, Mr. Kroger Bernard; the premise of negotiation is trust. If you are unwilling to show any sincerity, then..."

Kroger suddenly took a step forward, raised his right hand and pressed the hilt of the tearing sword. The heavy blade turned into a black shadow and fell to the ground like a scream of a ghost.

"clang--!"

A loud noise exploded in their ears, and Ludwig and Roman were shocked, drawing their guns at the same time and pointing towards the opposite side.

"stop!"

Roman shouted sternly, taking a step forward and blocking Ludwig behind him, his expression extremely stern.

Kroger sneered, grinning slightly, dragging the tearing sword forward.

"This is the final warning!"

Roman, with a sinister look on his face, threatened again, with cold sweat covering his forehead.

What answered him was the roaring black shadow of the tearing sword.

"呲鎯!"

The dazzling light of fire flashed past at the moment when the big sword and the saber met. Roman used the opportunity to avoid the fatal blow and buckled the gun hammer with his left thumb.

"boom!"

Tilting his head almost instinctively, Kroger dodged the shot aimed at his head.

Roman, whose pupils shrank suddenly, immediately raised his blade and pounced like a hyena's claws.

"clang!"

There was another collision between sharp blades, and the force from the big sword knocked Roman away. He could hear the screams of the bones of his right arm; enduring the severe pain, he grabbed the moment they were separated and drew his gun again. shooting.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three shots were fired in succession, but all missed; the sword holding the afterimage swiped with a sweep, knocking the gun out of Roman's hand.

Seeing the burly figure rushing towards him in an instant, Roman gritted his teeth.

"Boom!"

The sword that hit the ground rolled up clouds of smoke and dust, obscuring the figures of the two men.

After a while, the smoke dispersed.

Roman, who looked stunned, stared at the other party, breathing heavily without saying a word.

Holding the opponent's right hand holding the knife, Kroger looked disdainfully at the saber that "almost" split his neck:

"Hyena-like fighting posture... I didn't expect to encounter a talented person with the blood of the 'Wild Hunt Knight'?"

"Tell me, scum, what is your relationship with the Wharton family?"

Feeling the power coming from his right hand, Roman's expression began to become slightly distorted.

"Don't speak?" Kroger's eyes gradually narrowed into slits:

"It doesn't matter, your blood will tell me..."

"Brother Kroger, stop it!"

A timely shout stopped Kroger who had already pressed the hilt of his sword.

Taking a deep breath, Louis with a serious face looked back at Ludwig beside him:

"I promised Anson Bach before I came here, so I hereby promise you: If my brother breaks today's agreement, then I will leave the fortress and join your army."

"This is my promise, a knight's promise - whether you believe it or not!"

After saying that, he dropped the astonished Ludwig and strode away.