Soul of Burning Steel

boring.

Holding a spear and a shield in his hand, Francis stood at the gate of the Lord's Mansion. Looking at the empty street in front of him, he couldn't help sighing: There is no one there, but you still want me to guard the gate... Hiss—it's so cold!

The eaves were icy, the white ground was covered with frost, and the wind and humidity in the winter morning made him tremble slightly. The armor made of steel could not keep warm at all, and the leather armor was penetrated by the cold like paper, but even so, Francis did not let go of his vigilance. , but carefully observe the movement around him back and forth.

He kept complaining, but he also knew that after being a mercenary for more than ten years, he should do things with money. It's really uncomfortable to be a gatekeeper, but it's better than fighting with people.

Francis knew about the attack that just took place near the Great City Gate. He heard the news not long after he got up. It is said that the orderly said that the raiders were so powerful that they defeated fifty heavy-armored spearmen alone. Now people are still lurking in the city, no one knows where to go, no wonder his employer is so careful.

Not fifty farmers, but fifty soldiers! It is incredible to defeat it by one person, even the head of their mercenary regiment may not be able to do it.

Although Francis didn't think that the raider would choose to attack when everyone's security was the strongest, he would still do everything he could with due diligence. As long as he got the money, he would never fish in troubled waters. It is his code and persistence.

As for the guy who was supposed to guard the door with him, but claimed that the weather was too cold, and said that he had gone back to get his clothes, but he hadn't come back yet... After all, people are different, and he doesn't want to be like that.

Over forty years old, Francis has not broken through to the high silver level. As a human being, this means that he has little chance of advancing to the golden glory, but even if there is no possibility of progress in the future, he at least has a wealth of combat experience, a mercenary He can continue to eat this meal for another seven or eight years. He will not consider finding a place to buy a piece of land until he is physically exhausted after he is in his fifties, so that he can spend the rest of his life in peace.

But will mercenaries have the rest of their lives? What a bad joke.

Amused by his own thoughts, Francis suddenly heard a voice other than the wind.

Tap, tap, tap.

At the corner of the street, footsteps sounded.

It was inaudible at first, but as it approached, the sound became louder and louder, until Francis turned his head suspiciously and looked towards the corner where the footsteps came from.

If it was normal, no one would pay attention to the sound of footsteps, but since the beginning of the martial law, few people in this city came out to walk on the streets. In addition to the commotion and severe cold in the morning, no one came out today. There was such a clear sound of footsteps suddenly under the circumstances, no wonder Francis was puzzled.

After a while, a tall black-haired man appeared in his field of vision, followed by a girl with silver hair and green eyes. Judging by their height, they looked a bit like father and daughter—well, they should be brother and sister ? But in this case, the hair color is wrong.

No, no, no matter how the relationship is, the most strange thing is why these two people came out at this time? Even though it was so cold, there was an attack before.

There was a moment of confusion in his mind, but Francis immediately came back to his senses. Looking at the two people who were getting closer, he didn't have time to care about whether they were weird or not, so he immediately walked forward, frowned and said loudly: Please Stop, there is a restricted area ahead, please detour!

...very dedicated.

After a few seconds of silence, the black-haired man nodded. He didn't seem to care about Francis' serious expression and the weapon in his hand. He commented to himself: There are so many people, and you are the only one who looks like a warrior.

What... why so many people?

After thinking about this sentence for a while, Francis suddenly smelled a faint smell of blood in the wind, and suddenly, a chill rushed up his spine.

(Yes, there are obviously many people patrolling nearby, logically speaking, it is impossible for these two people to reach the gate of the Lord's Mansion, is it?!)

He opened his eyes wide, looked at a man and a woman in front of him, and silently opened his mouth wide.

Those people are all dead.

Seeing Francis' expression, the man's voice did not fluctuate at all, and he replied flatly: You will be the same later.

He is the guy who raided the city gate!

This is just a guess, and it seems that the guess is not wrong. Although he has not made a move yet, Francis just glanced at the man, and he felt as if he had been hit by a fear spell. trembling.

In front of him, seventeen heavy-armored gunmen were abolished with a single sword, and a few terrifying monsters who were patrolling soldiers in the street were killed silently. Judging by the aura, it didn't reach the golden level, but it was definitely enough to easily deal with him. It is not an existence on a horizontal line!

...Please leave!

Trembling, Francis controlled the spear with his hands that could barely suppress the tremor. Francis pointed the tip of the gun at the man in front of him. Although there was still fear in his eyes, he did not take a step back. Instead, he said loudly: Repeat, this is a restricted area. If I go any further, I will attack!

The black-haired man in front of him was wearing a simple leather jacket and horseback riding outfit. There was nothing on his body that could be called a weapon. There was a small blood stain on his trouser leg—it seemed that he killed those patrolling mercenary companies. No weapons are used, it is really powerful beyond imagination.

Just because he understood the strength of the other party, when Francis said this, he felt that his heart was being grasped by a hand, and the grip was getting tighter and tighter, and the blood all over his body was out of control—but he He still didn't put down his weapon, and even though his hands lost strength from fear, he didn't take half a step back.

If you receive money, you have to do things, and when you get commissions, you have to do your duty. It is his duty to guard the gate. No, even if his strength is not strong, his will will not back down.

Fighting is not terrible. Fighting to the death is the minimum awareness of the imperial people, while the tenacity of the northerners far exceeds other imperial people. As a northern mercenary, Francis has his own pride! Even if there is no chance of winning, he will fight!

Nice willpower.

The black-haired man looked at the spear pointed at his throat in Francis's hand, and he didn't move at all. He just said something that could be regarded as a compliment: It's a pity.

And then... there is no more.

The black-haired man in front of him suddenly disappeared, and when a gust of wind blew past, Francis felt a tightness in his chest. The spear in his hand was broken into two halves by a sudden force, and his body seemed to become much lighter. He flew towards a high place, slowly fall...

His will sank into darkness, and before he fell into the deepest coma, the mercenary vaguely heard the loud sound of the closed door being punched open.