Chapter 582: Act 329 – The Battle of Saintly White XIII
By the time they reached Mal Heights, it was almost midnight. The silver moon hung high in the sky, casting a gossamer-like moonlight across the mountains and fields. The forests were silent, covering the mountains on both sides, but the river at the foot of the mountain opened up to form a flat area.
The cadets from the Royal Knight Academy planned to scout the terrain at night but were stopped by Brendel. He ordered everyone to rest in place and resume the defense layout in the early hours. The noble private soldiers were exhausted from a night’s journey and praised Brendel’s command; however, the young cadets inevitably had some complaints—how could they prepare a defense without scouting the terrain first? Even the most rudimentary defenses must be adapted to the terrain, as clearly stated in the infantry manual. What was the commander thinking? But military orders were like mountains, and everyone had to sleep with their doubts.
The seasonal snowmelt made the night air in the mountain forests particularly cold. Due to a lack of preparation, the cadets often had only a thin blanket, which was hardly sufficient for the temperature. Brendel noticed several young people suffering from the cold, their faces turning pale. However, the noble army of Ouding also lacked tents—there was no other option. He could only make a circuit to see if there was anything else he could do to help.
The private soldiers of Earl Ouding, the Nagas, the officers from the Royal Knight Academy, and the Dragoons of the Southern Army did not mix. The discipline of the noble private soldiers was not as good as imagined, and considering there were many female cadets, Earl Ouding personally restrained his subordinates to avoid causing any troubles. The Dragoons needed to take care of their mounts and also kept to themselves; the grey-finned Nagas from the Sea of Glitter were accustomed to the cold but found the dry land uncomfortable; they curled up beneath the riverbed to rest.
For Brendel, once his physical fitness reached the Golden realm, sleep became less necessary. With his metabolic system optimized, going days without sleep was normal. He walked slowly along the edge of the black pine forest, where the sky was filled with stars. In another world, it was hard to see such beauty, and Brendel couldn’t help but stop to gaze.
However, a cold wind blew from the southern mountain pass, and the storms from the Ampere Seale were beginning to gather, inevitably veiling the upcoming battle in shadow. Suddenly, Brendel heard the sound of crushed shrubs behind him. He drew his sword and turned back to see a flash of bright color; Princess Erluin had changed into silver armor, with a modified skirt beneath, standing gracefully in the woods.
“Mister Brendel.”
“Your Highness,” Brendel was somewhat taken aback, not expecting the princess to be awake, let alone come to find him. He wouldn’t have thought that this encounter would lead her to stroll in the woods. He awkwardly smiled, “What brings your Highness here?”
Princess Grifian looked somewhat despondent. She knew she shouldn’t have been there; however, after leaving Ampere Seale, she had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. The crude incident with Brendel made her feel sick, wishing she could have killed him with a sword at that moment.
But for the sake of Erluin, she forced herself to calm down and endure. She told herself that this kingdom had far uglier faces, and she could hold back her emotions even in the face of Viscount Begning’s betrayal. Yet, the scene from that day felt like a nightmare, leaving a shadow on her soul that she could never forget.
If only that person had shown himself to be more abominable, but he was so talented instead.
In Grifian’s silver eyes, Brendel’s figure was reflected, filling her heart with a complicated mix of feelings. Throughout her life, she had never seen such unfounded love and hatred; everything that happened that night made her believe there would never be unconditional support in this world. But how could he pretend to be selfless when his true nature had already been exposed?
Moreover, the identity of Brendel as a descendant of Darus filled her with deep concern—what if he sought something greater? But this was her last chance; she hoped to find the answer herself. Even if it meant sacrificing more, as long as she could protect Erluin and rescue Haruz, she would persevere.
Brendel felt Princess Grifian staring at him intently, causing him to blush slightly. He didn’t know how complicated the princess’s thoughts were, but he could roughly guess the cause. That night, he was also in a daze, acting impulsively…
Truly, a single misstep could lead to eternal regret; thinking back, it was too embarrassing.
At the time, if the princess had just spoken a word requesting him to perish, he might have been ashamed enough to take his own life; but having lived in modern times, his mindset was much more resilient. After a day, he could pretend nothing had happened.
Yet being stared at so intently by the half-elf maiden still made him feel a bit uneasy. He couldn’t help but cough lightly and turned his back.
This subtle action surprised Princess Grifian; born into royalty and possessing exceptional intelligence, she had seen much treachery and cunning. She immediately sensed the implication of Brendel’s movement.
“So, Mister Brendel can feel embarrassed too?” The princess’s voice was soft yet clear, like a nightingale singing sweetly in the woods.
“I’m sorry, that…” Brendel was almost sweating, thinking, Your Highness, you’re playing a shame game here. Though he knew he was in the wrong that day, wasn’t she going a bit too far? His soul was only nineteen in this life, and in his previous life, he had been a shy young man who struggled to express his feelings. Although he had gradually corrected some mindsets after rising to power, he still felt a little flustered at this moment.
That guy actually blushed? Princess Grifian couldn’t believe her eyes and suddenly felt curious, “Since Mister Brendel knows that was… inappropriate, why did you still do it?”
She gritted her teeth a little: “Really… too much! I thought Mister Brendel was a true knight.”
Brendel was left speechless. How could he respond? He couldn’t say that a true knight should seek romance, right? That would be absurd. Nor could he say he would take responsibility—it seemed inappropriate. Not to mention, would the princess even want him to be responsible? What about Little Romain? In his past life, it was his upperclassman who influenced him the most, but the past couldn’t be chased, and the present couldn’t be awaited. Brendel was clear about his feelings.
Princess Grifian watched him for a long time.
Brendel felt flustered under her gaze.
Finally, the half-elf maiden exhaled softly, “I see now.”
“Eh? What do you understand?” Brendel’s heart jolted, turning back to look at the princess in confusion. Upon closer inspection, the future noble and elegant regent of Erluin was still just a girl who had just turned sixteen, inheriting the unique delicacy of the elven race, looking even more fragile.
Princess Grifian seemed to have unraveled her heart’s knot. She raised her head, her silver hair shimmering softly in the moonlight; she smiled gently and lifted her skirt to walk out of the woods, quietly coming to Brendel’s side, looking at the stars.
“Mister Brendel is also watching the stars?”
“Pretty much,” Brendel replied somewhat absentmindedly, not understanding what the princess meant.
“The astrologers say that those who have died will become stars, so my ancestors and father are watching over us from above, right?”
This story sounded romantic, but Brendel knew they were just burning balls of fire. Of course, he wouldn’t say this to spoil the mood; besides, there were proper astrologers in this world.
“Probably.”
“Mister Brendel doesn’t believe in fate?”
“No, I believe.”
“Eh?” The princess paused slightly, turning her head. She was not very tall and could only see Brendel’s broad shoulders.
“I believe in the fate created by humans in the epic of Crusian; fate is resistance,” Brendel quietly repeated a line that his upperclassman had once told him.
“Fate… is resistance…” Princess Grifian savored these words carefully.
In the distance, Brendel saw Nemeses’s figure as she was covering several lady cadets with her blanket. This detail surprised Brendel; he never expected the cold-faced lady knight to have such a gentle side.
After sending off the princess of Erluin, Brendel felt somewhat bewildered. The half-elf princess had said nothing in the end; she just stayed with him outside the forest, watching the stars for a while. What kind of attitude was this? He still couldn’t figure it out
