I will be crowned king

On the border between the Kingdom of Clovis and the Empire, a certain Church of Order.

Louis Bernard was sitting alone on the bench, his gloomy face extremely ugly, and his empty eyes stared at the relief of the Ring of Order on the wall for a long time.

After traveling a long way to this small town controlled by the empire, the garrison commander who had already received the news quickly transferred the three best doctors and placed him in the local Church of Order for recuperation.

Even the few cavalrymen who followed him were placed in this orderly church with pleasant scenery, gas, hot water, clean beds and private bathrooms, and enjoyed sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and watching the sunset.

At this moment, Louis, who was wearing a brand-new, ironed military uniform, could not even smell a trace of smoke or blood on his body; the two maids sent by the "hospitable" garrison commander were outside the door behind him. Arguing over the color of the tablecloth for lunch.

Muddy trenches, collapsed city walls, battlefields filled with the sound of fighting and gunpowder smoke...the familiar memories seemed to come from another very distant world.

But this is all an illusion and an illusion.

This is the border between the Empire and the Kingdom of Clovis. Even getting here from Thunder Castle only requires ten days of urgent marching. It is only a matter of time before the war spreads here.

He didn't escape from the battlefield at all, he was just hiding.

After experiencing the initial panic, confusion, grievance and even anger about Brother Kroger's arrangements, Louis Bernard, who finally calmed down, could only blame himself.

Deeply blame myself.

Because the situation in front of him and the decision he made with brother Kroger... were all made by himself.

It was my own naivety and arrogance that blinded my eyes with the bright glory. I tried to end this war by myself, but I didn't consider the reaction of the Kingdom of Clovis at all. I believed that the enemy would really be obedient because of being hit by me. surrender.

His own stupidity made brother Kroger and thousands of outstanding soldiers pay the price for this arrogance.

Louis looked numb, and the battle report clenched in his right hand was crumpled into a ball of waste paper.

Brother Kroger... He must have guessed the lie behind Anson and Ludwig's "quid pro quo", so he forced himself to leave the battlefield on the eve of the siege.

He knew very well that his naive self was not prepared to face war at all; staying in the fortress would only be a burden that required him to worry about and protect.

"...You have your own path, and the only thing I can do for you is to let you unswervingly follow this path and keep going..."

In order to protect his innocent brother, Brother Kroger chose to sacrifice himself.

Is it worth it?

Having accomplished nothing and never realizing that I was a burden to others...can I really shoulder the honor of the name Bernard?

Staring at the holy ring of order on the wall, Louis questioned himself over and over again.

The door behind him was opened, and steady steps echoed in the empty church. A middle-aged man wearing a dark blue windbreaker sat next to Louis, holding the latest battle report in his hand.

"grown ups."

Louis was slightly startled when he noticed the other party, and instinctively stood up to salute.

"No, sit down." The middle-aged man sighed and raised his hand to hold his shoulders:

"I followed your father, Duke Adland, and fought alongside your brother - to me, you are like my nephew, and we don't need these courtesy between us!"

At the other party's insistence, Louis could only nod slightly.

Looking at the young knight sitting back in his seat, the middle-aged man hesitated for a long time while holding the battle report in his hand, and sighed deeply.

"This morning, the latest battle report from Thunder Castle was sent from the front line." The middle-aged man's voice was a little hoarse:

"At around one o'clock in the morning on January 1, the hundredth year of the Saint's Calendar, the Clovis army outside Thunder Castle launched a general attack; around two o'clock, they captured the outer city wall and blew up the fort."

"At three o'clock in the morning, an infantry regiment invaded and occupied the main fort. They launched a surprise attack from the main entrance and cooperated with the attack of the grenadiers to defeat the last defenders of Thunder Castle."

"At 3:20, the hundreds of surviving soldiers and officers surrendered to the Clovis and Thunder Castle was lost."

The middle-aged man who read this suddenly paused, and looked with concern at the calm face, like a marble sculpture:

"...Commander Kroger Bernard, life or death unknown."

At that moment, the dazed Louis' body trembled slightly, and his pupils suddenly shrank as he stared at the Ring of Order.

"Most of this battle report is official information from Clovis's army, and there should be no mistakes - except for the tearing sword that Kroger carries with him; there is nothing else."

The middle-aged man pursed his lips and said very confidently: "The barbaric Clovis people are always arrogant. Even if they can find the slightest bit of evidence, they will not say such things as 'life or death is unknown'."

"Therefore, dear Louis, your brother Kroger Bernard must still be alive! We just lost him temporarily. Maybe tomorrow, maybe there will be news about him in a few months!"

"The current difficulties and pain are only temporary. The more frightening and unsettling this time is, the more we must pray; for ourselves, for the people we love, for them..."

"grown ups."

The words without a trace of emotion interrupted the middle-aged man's eloquence.

Louis turned his head numbly, looking at the stunned face, desperately trying to comfort himself:

"You came all the way from the military camp not just to tell me this...right?"

The handsome young knight's eyes were calm, with neither anger nor joy. He was as serene as a sculpture that had lost all emotion.

The middle-aged man, who frowned slightly, sighed inwardly.

"Your arrangements have been made." The middle-aged man pursed his lips and whispered:

"According to the opinions of the Inquisition, the supreme arbitration body of the empire, and His Majesty himself, you are granted the title of Royal Attendant Louis Bernard to serve as an envoy to the Elf Kingdom of Yser."

"Iser?"

"That's right, it's the elven kingdom that abandoned its decadent beliefs and became a part of the world of order in the fifty-seventh year of the Saints Calendar...well, it seems to be forty-seven years." The middle-aged man nodded incomprehensibly:

"This country, entrenched in mountains and dense forests, and bordering the southeast of the Kingdom of Clovis, has begun to accumulate strength in the past few years, trying to expand southward - but in this way, the Elf King Ysel, who wants to restore the glory of the elves thousands of years ago, , we have to face some neighbors who also plan to establish hegemony..."

"Clovis."

Louis said without thinking.

"Yes, the war between these two countries is only a matter of time." The middle-aged man continued: "But the military of the Yser elves is too backward. Their ignorant 'traditional supremacist' idea makes their army unable to defeat the enemy." The Luowei people are completely vulnerable to a blow!"

"So since almost two years ago, the empire has been sending instructors to the Elf Kingdom of Yser to help them purchase rifles and artillery and form a new army."

"And dear Louis, your mission is to help the Elf King of Yser establish his confidence and intervene in this war at the most appropriate time; cooperate with the empire's multi-faceted offensive to attack the Kingdom of Clovis from both east and west directions! "

Looking at the motionless young knight, the middle-aged man twitched his stiff lips: "Of course, I know this doesn't sound very glorious; even as an envoy, you are unlikely to appear on the battlefield to win your own glory. ,but……"

"No more, my lord."

Louis interrupted again:

"It is an honor for me to gain the trust of His Majesty Herred, and it is also an honor for the Bernard family."

The middle-aged man's face showed a little bit of unbearability.

Standing up slowly, the upright young knight looked back and walked towards the outside of the church.

The moment he held the door handle, he suddenly turned his head and looked at the middle-aged man who was still sitting on the bench looking at him:

"Excuse me……"

"The infantry regiment that invaded the main fortress of Thunder Castle, what was their commander's name...?"