Chapter 129: Act 61 – Bruglas’s Last Night (Part 2)
Freya fell silent.
She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before lifting her head to look at him, her light brown eyes heavy like a pair of brown gemstones. The young lady knight raised her left hand, hesitated for a moment, and then took off the ring from her index finger: “Brendel, wear this ring. Out there, you need it more than I do.”
Brendel was slightly taken aback, staring at the Fireball ring, its brilliant ruby shimmering under the candlelight.
He glanced back at Freya, who turned her face slightly away and said, “This ring was originally yours. I…I’m just borrowing it temporarily; have you forgotten?”
At that moment, the bartender, who had been chatting with him earlier, stood up and patted the young man’s shoulder, smiling, “Looks like you’re in a bit of trouble, my friend. I’ll be busy for a while but will come back to tell you the legend about that wine cup.” With that, he picked up a glass and moved to the other side of the bar to deal with the few drunken mercenaries.
The young lady knight, with her long ponytail, instinctively closed her mouth at the scene, unable to say a word.
Brendel shook his head and smiled lightly, though the faint smile on his face couldn’t hide the warmth in his heart. Looking at Freya, he felt once again the heavy weight of the term “partner” in his heart. He had initially only left a message for Freya, but unexpectedly, this stubborn girl from the countryside of Buche insisted on meeting him after seeing Romaine.
He knew very well that she wasn’t just there to hand over a ring; it carried a sense of concern hidden beneath that gesture.
At this moment, Freya’s mind was a mess; she clenched her fist. When she first heard about Brendel leaving with the others, she had only one thought—regardless of the consequences, she had to see everyone at least once—like a child who couldn’t leave an adult.
Calming down, she felt her face flush.
She had been considering this question: traveling alone to Erluin’s Royal Cavalry Academy, leaving everyone behind, especially Brendel—could she really do what Brendel had said, to have the power to protect little Firis and protect everyone?
Freya felt filled with doubt and anxiety about the uncertain future; Brendel was like a lifeline before her, yet when it was critical, she didn’t dare reach out to grasp him tightly.
The lady knight stared at the corner of Brendel’s garment, lost in thought for a while.
Brendel, of course, saw through her thoughts, as they were written all over Freya’s face. He smiled slightly, reached out, and took the ring. The lady knight was momentarily stunned, looking up: “You…you accepted it?”
“Of course, how could I refuse a ring gifted by the Valkyrie?” Brendel replied with a smile. But deep down, he knew Freya wouldn’t encounter any danger at the Royal Knights Academy, and he truly needed all the strength he could gather at this moment. Otherwise, he wouldn’t accept the ring just to reassure Freya.
“Valkyrie?”
“In my homeland, there is a legend about a Valkyrie. The legendary Valkyrie was magnificent, riding her warhorse, holding a swallow-tailed flag in one hand and a long sword in the other, leading her people to victory and protecting her country.” Brendel looked at her, smiling faintly, his thoughts recalling another Valkyrie’s tale.
At the end of the First Era, during the stormy days in Vaunte, the lady clad in silver armor gazed upon her every subordinate with her dazzling light brown eyes. Brendel remembered the backdrop should have been the dim sky of Megal Fortress, the tattered banner of the Silver Crusaders hanging limply on a spear—while that female general rode her beloved horse—Silver Sand, who was shorter than many warriors—she didn’t tower over Freya much at all.
At that time, she had her long ponytail tied back in a way that reminded people of the reassuring brown hair from the Buche era, representing a name you could depend on. It brought comfort to everyone, for she was Freya, the guardian of Erluin, the Valkyrie.
That Freya had lowered her head and looked at each of them, gently passing in front of them on her horse draped in silver battle attire.
It was drizzling.
Her only subordinates were just over a hundred students from the Royal Knights Academy, many of whom were offspring of high nobles, some even later became their most formidable enemies. Yet at that time, they all followed that lady knight, a group of knights dressed in white battle robes appeared before those remnants.
When despair, hopelessness, and ruin clouded their hearts, as every player lost confidence, they thought Erluin was finished; this broken nation was no match for the mighty Madara. They wallowed in self-pity, shaking their heads and lamenting why they were born into such a country—without hope, without tomorrow, only the humiliation that failure brought.
But when these young knights appeared, it was as if there was a pure light, slicing through the dark clouds like a sharp sword.
Brendel would never forget that scene—
The first words spoken by the lady general were:
“Soldiers, please turn around, and fight with me; we shall defeat Madara—”
“Forgive me for not being able to understand your current coldness, hunger, fear, and pain, but I can see a deep despair in you; this despair, I empathize with. Because at this moment, our homeland has failed, and if we retreat, the undead will sweep over our land. We are the losers, no matter how we argue.”
“We have no choice in this; the frustration suffocates us. Is this truly all we can do? Soldiers? No, please turn around, but we at least have one chance. Let me lead you into battle once more.”
“Please believe in me.”
She pressed her hand on her chest.
“I will fight alongside you.”
“I am willing to take on all responsibility for that.”
“Follow me, let me die before you. Let me use this promise to earn the courage of a man—”
That was the first time the silver lily shone on the battlefield, and from then on, the legend of the Valkyrie was woven into a poignant poem that moved countless players in Erluin. Speaking of this guardian of Erluin, perhaps compared to most NPCs, players have a deeper memory of such a name.
Because she brought them out of the fate of failure, giving them glory, making the name Erluin one of pride. She was their banner and the root of pride for Erluin players, who were willing to fight for her because each one of them was willing to fight for their own honor.
The battle song of Erluin was composed by an ordinary player who was not well-known on the forums, yet it was sung by countless people—
We are proud Erlunians.
Even in defeat, we shall not lower our noble heads.
Our courage is etched upon our blades.
Our faith is to guard our battle flag.
The blood of Erlunians flows on the path we long for.
What we yearn for—
Is that one day, the silver lily’s banner will rise again.
What we yearn for—
Is that Erluin’s faith shall never fade.
When we die, the voice of our souls still echoes.
Echoing on this land.
It tells—
This is our homeland
The land we love.
Brendel lowered his head, rubbing his eyes. When he lifted his head again, he found Freya looking down, softly saying to him, “How could I possibly do what a legendary figure does? Brendel, I’m just a foolish girl; I can only try my best.”
Indeed! Your best is the root of this legend.
The young man gazed at her, admiring this earnest Freya. Even the smallest matters would be met by her utmost effort; perhaps she was unaware of her potential, but someday, gold would shine brilliantly from the mud of the riverbed.
He chuckled, “Just think of it as a dream.”
Freya glanced at him, nodded, and asked, “Is it the legend of the Highland Knights?”
Brendel nodded.
Freya fell silent for a long while before finally saying softly, “Is there anything else you want to tell me, Brendel?”
“Nothing more, wait….” Brendel hesitated for a moment and then called out to her. He thought for a moment and asked, “Freya, what do you think of Erluin?” He lowered his voice deliberately as he said this. In fact, his gaze had already swept through the bar, watching if anyone was paying attention to them.
“Erluin? What do you mean?” The girl was taken aback.
“If we were to compare a nation to a person, Erluin now resembles a dying old man, seriously ill.” Brendel replied.
Freya was momentarily stunned.
During this period, she was no longer the naive girl militia captain of the past. After witnessing the filth among the nobles, she had grown worried about the upper society controlling the fate of this nation, yet she couldn’t understand what the problem truly was.
Was it meant to be this way?
Or had something gone wrong—
The anxious girl could only comfort herself that in this world, where there is light, there is also darkness. Perhaps everything would get better; this was merely a cycle of history. Yet deep down, she always wanted to know if her past understanding of this world was simply naive.
But she hadn’t expected that Brendel’s first words after asking her to stay eliminated all comforting thoughts in her heart, leaving only the worst.
For a moment, Freya couldn’t say a word.
“Freya, listen to me.” Brendel also hesitated repeatedly before saying this; he was always worried about affecting the path that this Valkyrie would take in the future. But in the end, he made up his mind—because Freya was not just that Valkyrie; that was merely an image in his heart—she was more than that, a trustworthy partner.
He had no real family in this world, and Freya had lost both her parents who raised her; they both needed each other’s support more. In fact, ever since that night in Qing Village, Brendel understood that his bond with this Valkyrie could never be severed.
Like two lonely, weak individuals relying on each other in the dark. Brendel found it hard to imagine a world without the people of Buche, where he could connect with the world without feeling the omnipresent solitude. And it was the same for Freya at this moment.
“Erluin may never return to past peace; only a drastic change can save this country. Of course, such changes could also lead to its fragmentation, but each of us living in this era can only do our best to salvage it. I don’t know how many people can see through this. I also don’t know how many can understand what I mean, but Freya, do you understand?”
The lady knight stared blankly at him, but instinctively nodded.
“Do you now understand why I want you to go to the Royal Knights Academy?”
“But I…”
“Freya, do your best.”
“I don’t know if this is true, Brendel, but I want to believe you,” Freya took a deep breath and said uneasily, “But my mind is a bit chaotic now. I only feel scared; what about everyone in Buche? Can’t we change any of this?”
“So I am also doing my best, Freya, and I need your help.”
The girl looked at him, haltingly asking, “What…should I do?”
“If something happens, you should wholeheartedly support Her Highness the Princess. I heard that the Princess Grifian of Erluin is well-known for her wisdom; if anyone from the Corvado dynasty can lead this nation out of its predicament, we can only trust her.” Brendel thought for a moment and answered, “At the Royal Knights Academy, I believe you’ll have a chance to meet her.”
“Brendel, how do you know so much?” Freya couldn’t help but ask, “Are you joking with me?”
“I wish I could, but when you subconsciously become a chess player, whether you like it or not, you can see the whole picture. You’ll understand in the future, Freya.” Brendel smiled gently, “Don’t worry too much; we’ll meet again. Freya, don’t forget what I said—I will stand behind you—”
The young lady knight lowered her head, thought for a moment, and then softly said, “I understand, so I will take my leave.”
As Freya said this, she seemed so alone like a solitary migratory bird. When she turned around, Brendel felt a sudden urge to call out to the girl from Buche. But in the end, he restrained himself; Freya had her own path, and he couldn’t be selfish.
However, at that moment, the girl stopped again and turned her head back, “Brendel.”
“Yes?”
“I…please take good care of Romaine; she is my best friend.”
With those words, she left the bar without looking back. Leaving Brendel alone, deeply pondering the meaning behind her last sentence. But in the end, the young man merely shook his head and picked up the glass sitting on the bar.
(PS: Sorry, there have been many events this year, and I have not much to say. I will strive to write more in terms of chapter length.) (To be continued. For more details, please log in; there are more chapters awaiting and support the author for legitimate reading!)
