Twilight War

Gods of Arthur, for you I drink this cup.

——"Eda Fragments"

03

Corinth, Hall of the Rose Palace.

The lights are like daylight, and the bluestone road reflects the dim yellow light like a river.The carriage galloped across the wet stone road, and the glass of the black iron carved street lamps on both sides had black smoke.

The Rose Palace Hall was built 300 years ago by the ascetic Alfonso XIII. It has always been used as the highest-level banquet venue of the Vana Empire.

Tonight, red and white roses covered all the corridors of the palace hall. The aroma of the roses and the heavy rain were condensed together, as if they could condense in the air.

Outside the palace, the steam cars and luxurious old-fashioned carriages powered by the silver of the abyss were parked in the drizzle of Corinth.

Nowadays, when the silver of the great abyss is expensive, many people spend a lot of money to buy steam cars to show off their financial power.However, quite a few old-fashioned aristocrats regard steam technology as a heresy, preferring to show their elegance and nobility by riding a carriage that symbolizes the old times.

The aristocratic girl from Vana stepped down from the car with her calves in delicate dancing shoes, wearing a brooch with the family crest on her chest.The red carpet hanging down the steps from the entrance of the palace hall is changed every 15 minutes, so as not to wet the girls' beloved dancing shoes.

And Arthur's girls walked off the new military steam car with the army, wearing dresses with the military emblem of the Mithril Holy Tree, they were called the Valkyries of the Arthur Empire.

Valkyrie Varenna hurried over stepping on the bell that started the banquet, "Has it started, has it started?"

Her female partner gave her a look of disgust, "It's already started."

"Where is Huangxuan Jin?" Varenna asked excitedly.

"See for yourself."

"Hey, I don't know him. When I joined the Hall of Valor, Huangxuan Jin betrayed His Highness long ago," Varenna said, "Is that the one over there? It looks very cute, wearing the red uniform of the Knights of the Garter Ah, it should be him."

"That's Eliel Flamel from the Flamel family, Duke of Alchemy. It's not Huangxuanjin." The female companion took a look and said.

"What about that? What about that?" Varenna pointed at another person.

"That's the leader of the Knights of the Garter, Montuel Jiangde, the second son of the Jiangde family, and the younger brother of General Raging Wave." The female companion said impatiently: "Don't look for it."

"What about the one standing by the pillar?"

"No." "Which one is that?"

The female companion finally couldn't bear it anymore and said. "What are you looking for him for?"

"It's just very curious! Aren't you curious? Wandering among the three empires, betraying the country and collaborating with the enemy several times, and breaking trust, but still gaining the trust of Her Majesty Vichypel and Queen Isabel. What kind of person is this? ah!"

"How shameless." The female companion shook her head and said.

"It is said that he was a spy in the Arthur Empire. One of my seniors said that she had seen Huangxuan Jin in the Hall of Valor, and then he defected from Donghuang to the Arthur Empire. Guess what, Vichy His Royal Highness Pell still treats him as a guest of honor."

Varenna was still chattering non-stop, "What kind of person can do this?"

"I don't know either. There are too many rumors about that person, entangled like cobwebs, and no one knows which of those rumors are true and which are false," said the female companion.

She once heard people say that the traitor named Huangxuan Jin came from the ancient Eastern Empire - the Kingdom of Donghuang.He was from a clan that had guarded Donghuang for 800 years, but in the end he betrayed his country and his clan.

And all the retainers who swore to be loyal to him died because of him, and now he is the only one alive.

"However, Huangxuanjin is in a miserable state right now. There is no value to be used. Queen Isabel is not a long-term lover. The officials of Vaner look down on him. If he returns to Donghuang, he will die even worse. .” The female companion shook her head and said.

"...Is that so?"

The female companion shrugged indifferently, "It's not that he brought the blame on himself. Not all the people who were with him in the Hall of Valor have now become ruthless characters in the military department. Mountains open mountains, and waters cross waters. But he is too stupid to betray His Highness directly."

A huge and gorgeous crystal rose lamp hangs in the center of the palace. Since the Queen came to power, the old white candle lamps have been replaced with steam mercury lamps. Dozens of mercury lamps carved into roses illuminate the hall as if it were daytime.

"This kind of banquet is really boring." Queen Isabel put her hands on the railing, looking at the noble girls and young people on the dance floor downstairs.Her hair is like pale smoke, and under the luxurious light, it looks like a delicate white porcelain doll in an antique shop.

Since the Vana Empire launched a glorious expedition to the ancient Eastern Kingdom of Donghuang four years ago, the queen has gradually grasped the power of the entire empire, and her throne is full of bones and blood.

Now she is already the most powerful girl in the entire Westland.

But the person next to her didn't answer, just quietly looked at the people downstairs.His eyes are almost transparent blue, slightly mixed with emerald green.It seems that there is no emotion, it is cold, like glass.

"You don't need to look for it. Don't worry, he won't come. I didn't even give him the invitation letter."

The queen smiled slightly.

"I don't know who Her Majesty is talking about." The voice was as cold as his eyes, with a texture of ice.Refreshing and noble.

The queen shrugged indifferently, "Yes, after all, two years have passed, and that guy named Huang Xuanjin has long since become a wild ghost in hell. Who would bother to remember a wild ghost?"

"Those who can remember him have also become ghosts two years ago, but they can't even enter hell."

The man did not speak.

Isabel chuckled and said, "I know why Your Highness is here, and I also know that I won't let His Highness do what he wants."

She has a baby face like a teenager, but her eyes are like a lone wolf.

"I came to Vana only for the covenant between the two countries." The man looked back at the queen, as if he didn't care much about her words.

"Vishpel, do you think I will believe you?" Isabel looked up at the man.

Varenna searched for a long time but couldn't find the traitor that everyone called. She was a little bored, so she waved to the waiter in the corner, "Here, please bring the wine here."

The waiter was still leaning against the wall as if he didn't hear it, with his head down, as if he was asleep.

Varenna's female companion felt a little offended, "I told you to bring the wine!"

"Hey, just come and get what you want, how can you expect others to hand everything to you." The waiter slowly raised his head, and it turned out to be the officer in the tavern just now, "After all, others are also very interested." Tired."

He was wearing a red waiter's gown, holding a silver plate and red wine impatiently in his right hand.

"Are you courting death?" The female companion angrily dragged Varenna to the officer.

"I'm really sleepy. I only slept for twelve hours today." The officer said with his eyes half-opened as if he was too sleepy.

"It's already a lot, okay! Obviously eight hours is enough." The female companion said.

"Eight hours? Are you kidding me? If you only sleep for eight hours a day, you will die! A normal person must sleep for sixteen hours a day!"

"A day's sleep time is eight hours. This is the research result of Professor Haitilmer, the lifelong lecturer of the Hall of Valor! There is a scientific basis!" The girl who studied in the Hall of Valor of Arthur's Empire argued.

"There must be something wrong with that professor's research. How can a person only sleep for eight hours a day? It must be sixteen hours." The officer sighed, and leaned his head against the wall with his eyes half-closed. It is to continue to sleep, "If it takes eight hours, the meaning of life will be lost by half."

"Is the whole meaning of your life to be in bed?"

"Not really." The officer shook his head slowly, as if shaking his head would consume too much energy, "It doesn't have to be on the bed, it's also very important to sleep on the rattan chair, if you sleep until the afternoon, you can still By the way, look at the dusk or something."

The officer raised his head, as if thinking of something, "Have you watched the dusk lying on the rattan chair? Life is incomplete if you haven't watched the dusk well once."

"Why do people like you come here?" The female companion frowned as if she couldn't bear it.

"That's right, I don't seem to be here to sleep." The officer lowered his head and thought about it seriously, and remembered that he seemed to come here to take the girl's brooch in exchange for wine.

So he looked directly at Varenna's chest and said, "Can I have the brooch?"

In Xilu, girls will wear the heraldry brooch representing their own family on their chest when they enter the social field. A girl without a brooch has no status.

And if a girl gives their brooch to someone else, it means she is saying to that person - I will wait for you to marry me.

This is common sense for all girls who go out into the social arena.

So Varenna's female companion took the wine glass held by the officer without thinking, poured the red wine inside on the officer, and then pulled Varenna to turn around and leave.

"Shameless." The female companion gritted her teeth and commented on the officer.

As a result, as soon as she took two steps, she bumped into a Vana nobleman head-on.

It is Andre, the son of the Marquess of Buckingham. Andre is highly valued by the Privy Council of Varna. It is said that he is likely to become the next major general at the military conferment ceremony next year.

The Privy Council once released the news that a person from the Guardian Guards Regiment would be directly selected as a major general. Although it did not refer to Andre, everyone knew that this spot must belong to him.

And tonight he was also given the responsibility of arranging the security work of the Sheng Qiangwei Palace Hall, which was almost like the Privy Council directly declaring the importance that Varner attached to him.

However, he also knew that tonight's banquet was attended by important characters, and even Vihipel, the consul of the Arthur Empire, also attended the banquet.

So of course he couldn't be patrolling outside like other guards. Instead, he put on elegant dresses, held champagne, and chatted with high-level figures attending the banquet from time to time.

He looked at the family crest on Varenna's chest - a robin holding a branch of the World Tree, which actually belonged to the Cassandra family.

And Varenna is indeed a little beauty, the type who is not stunning at first glance, but becomes more comfortable the more she looks at it.

"Miss, I wonder if I can invite you to dance." Andre held out his hand to Varenna.

Varenna froze for a moment, she was not very good at rejecting others, but she was really not in the mood to dance today, so she shook her head.

Andre still stretched out his hand stubbornly, "It's not good to refuse someone else's invitation."

Varenna's female partner didn't dare to act too much in front of Andre. She knew Andre's identity, but she really couldn't let Varenna be bullied by others, so she had to say: "My friend doesn't want to dance today, please Let's go."

Andre smiled, "I invited this lady, how do you know she's not shy."

Varenna was a little overwhelmed, she didn't even know where to put her white and slender hands.

Andre chuckled and was about to pull Varenna's hand, "When a girl says no, she probably wants it in her heart."

As a result, just when he was about to touch Varenna's slender white hands, his hand was suddenly cut by something flying in mid-air, and blood slowly overflowed from the scar.

"If the girl says no, she doesn't want it. Are you mentally handicapped or have a problem with your ears." The officer in the corner raised his head and said lazily.

Those half-closed eyes were like blades hidden in a scabbard.

When he saw the officer, Andre subconsciously took a step back, gritted his teeth and looked at the officer, "Why are you here?"

The officer ignored him, walked directly between him and Varenna, and pulled out the wine bottle opener that had penetrated into the wall. There was a trace of red blood on the bottle opener.

"Just for a bottle of wine," said the officer.

"If I remember correctly, you are not on the banquet list at all, are you?" Andre smiled fiercely with the corners of his mouth pulled, and ordered the guards around him, "Call someone to come and throw this intruder out."

The officer looked down from the fence on the second floor, and the guards pouring in from the entrance of the palace hall separated the guests. Those guards were wearing red military uniforms, like a red river pouring into a grand banquet.

The guests downstairs didn't know what happened, and retreated in a panic.

"It seems that it is impossible not to fight. Really, why do you have to pick today? If you don't sleep for sixteen hours, you will have no strength to fight."

The officer handed the tray to Varenna, pulled off the bow tie tied around the collar, and stepped directly onto the fence on the second floor.

Varenna was at a loss with the tray in both hands. He looked at the back of the officer about to jump off, "Wait, who are you?"

The officer stepped on the fence and was stunned, "Who am I? Heh, it seems that no one has asked me for a long time."

He looked at the radiant mercury lamp in the center of the palace hall, as if in a daze.

"Ah, I remembered, my name is Huangxuan Jin." The officer smiled, and then jumped directly from the fence on the second floor——

"... Huangxuan Jin of the Jiangnan Huangxuan family!"

The red dress on the boy was flying in the air.

Varenna, who was carrying the tray, stared at Huang Xuanjin's back and froze in place.

All the guards surrounded the first floor, and guns were not allowed to be used during the banquet, so they all carried sharp epees in their hands.

They waited for Huangxuan Jin to turn him into a hedgehog as soon as he landed.

As a result, after waiting for a long time, Huangxuan Jin did not see the ground, so they raised their heads and looked up.

Huangxuan Jin was hanging on the huge crystal chandelier in the center of the palace hall, still flickering.

He stroked his face helplessly, "Why did that woman, Isabel, put the chandelier in such a place..."

"However... things have come to this point, and we can only fight well. It is useless to escape." He smiled, pulled out the black dagger from his waist, and then threw it directly behind him.

The dagger was called Chengying, and it was recast from Donghuang's famous sword. It was easy to cut the iron like mud, and it was no problem to cut off the chandelier.

The boy and the chandelier landed in the center of the hall together, and the huge and gorgeous rose mercury lamp shattered behind him, like a nine-day galaxy falling down, and he inserted the dagger back into his waist.

He slowly stood up and picked up the severed copper tube of the chandelier. When the lamp was lit, the silver of the great abyss flowed into the wick along the hollow part of the copper tube and began to burn.

The guards in red uniforms surrounded Huangxuan Jin in the center, while the nobles all panicked and avoided.

The copper pipe was stained with red wine, like blood.

The rain outside the window suddenly started to fall in a hurry, like a white horse coming suddenly.

Just like that rainy night many years ago, the bound black-haired boy knelt alone in the middle of the heavy rain.The ferocious and strange flame emblems slowly emerged from the foreheads of all the men in black robes around them. The lights of the lanterns they carried in their hands were dim. The men in black robes walked slowly in the rain, like ghosts without souls.

- "You are guilty!"

—“You—guilty.”

The silver gun piercing through the chest, the blood of the glacier stained red, the huge withered trees, the eternal and endless darkness, like an abyss where even time has stagnated.

The boy bit his pale lips.

If I have sinned, what sin am I bearing.

If I am guilty, whose sin am I bearing.

Huang Xuanjin slowly scanned the circle of alert and nervous guards, casually turning the brass pipe in his hand, half of his half-length black hair was tied behind his head with a red string.

"I just want to drink a bottle of wine!" The young man lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Why do everyone want to make trouble with me!"

He took a step forward, and the guards quickly surrounded him. Huang Xuan Jin swung the copper pipe in his hand, and slashed the knees of the guards, his movements were sharp and fast, but also somewhat drunk.

He jumped onto the table and fought among the crowd.

The voice of the man in black was like the night wind blowing through the bleak trees, and those people peeped at the black-haired boy from under the robe, like a night wolf spying on a dying sheep.

"You will die, and our king will wake from your body."

The old man cut the boy's right arm, the blood stained the boy's sleeve, and the black-haired boy was still biting his lip.

"Your blood will stain the holy road of our king's return."

Everyone panicked and avoided. The red wine spilled on the ground like a meandering river. Someone knocked down the burning wall lamp, and the flames burned on the bloody red wine.

The noble girl ran away with her long skirt.

Huangxuan Jin couldn't help but smile when he saw the flames bursting out suddenly.

Not kidding anyone, he just thought it was fun.

Suddenly, he saw a pair of eyes in the chaotic crowd and flames...

It was a pair of cold, almost transparent eyes.In this world-destroying karma, it is still icy blue.Mixed with emerald-like crisp green.

Huang Xuanjin stared blankly at the people behind him.

That person's hair was like silver mixed with a little light gold, which was reflected into a rose gold-like color in the flames.

The man didn't know how long he had been looking at him like this.

The night rain was like a curtain, and Huang Xuanjin felt as if he was even more drunk, the wine was flowing in his blood.He saw the man raise his glass slowly to him, and the red wine in the clear glass swayed.

Huang Xuanjin lowered his head and took a glass of red wine beside him, his body swayed slightly as if he was drunk, and raised his glass to that person.

How could I not accompany the wine you invited.

After drinking the glass of wine, he threw the glass on the ground.

Goblets shatter in the snaking fire.

The guard watched as he carried the brass pipe in his hand and walked towards His Royal Highness Vichypel who was sitting in the corner.They wanted to stop the boy, but Huang Xuanjin chopped him down with a copper pipe.

He licked the corner of his mouth, his eyes were drunk but like a bloodthirsty beast.

"Protect Your Highness!!!"

The guards yelled, trying to rush to protect Vehipel.But Huangxuan Jin cut down all those who stood in front of him one by one like a god blocking and killing a god, like a Buddha blocking and killing a Buddha.

His chest was stained red with red wine, as if he had come from a bath of blood.

Finally, he slowly stood in front of Vehipel.

The man looked at him, his eyes reflected the burning flames in the palace and the bloody young man.

Huang Xuanjin smiled at him, tilted his head and said to him:

"Hey, can I have your brooch?"

04

……

"Even if you are guilty, it is not your turn to judge."

The cold voice was even colder than the endless night rain.

The young man who was pressed against by the blade suddenly raised his head.He saw the thick rain curtain slowly parting, and everything seemed to have come to a standstill.

The old man in black robe avoided almost in horror, staring at the person coming.

The man came slowly on a white horse, wearing a silver armor and holding a sharp silver spear in his hand.Countless black crows circled and flew behind him in the rainy night, and their black feathers fell in the rain.

The rain hit his silver armor, forming a halo like holy light.

A black crow landed on the shoulder of the man in silver and white armor, his bright black eyes were like tiny obsidian.

The sound of fighting sounded behind the man, and the imperial knights under the man's command, all wearing silver armor, beheaded those black-cloaked men who roared like beasts in the rainy night.

Behind the man was like an endless battlefield, but he just looked down at the restrained black-haired boy.

The boy raised his head and stared blankly at the silver-haired man descending like a god.

The man had eyes as blue as a frozen lake in winter.

"Want to follow me?" the man said, his voice was a little cold.And the black crow on his shoulder shook its small head lightly, and the boy kneeling in front of the man was reflected in his bright black eyes.After looking at the emaciated and thin boy for a while, the crow turned his head and straightened his wings, and black feathers fluttered down on the man's shoulders.

——Do you want to follow me?