Imperial Crown.

Chapter 133 Winter is Gone (7 Words Update )

On March 1194, 3 of the Guangming calendar, eight days had passed since Raven and his companions left the abandoned castle.

Winter is gradually fading away, and spring has arrived on the earth inadvertently.

During the march, although there were damaged remains everywhere after the ravages of the Hand of Death's Legion, they could not stop patches of green from appearing. Although the green would fade to invisibility once they got close, it did not affect the pace of the three coalition forces, which became increasingly relaxed.

Thanks to the twice-reinforced warhorse "Claw Yellow Flying Lightning", Raven's scouting efficiency far exceeded the imagination of Viscount John and Judra. Simon's rich experience and outstanding courage enabled him to always obtain detailed and rich intelligence.

In the past eight days, Simon had helped them avoid two blockades by the skeleton army and successfully wiped out an undead force of about three thousand in number, with their own losses being quite limited.

This undoubtedly greatly enhanced Raven's status in the three coalition forces, and he could always enjoy the best supplies first.

It was still noon that day, but under the arrangement of Viscount John, the troops had already set up camp by a river early.

Next, we will completely leave Harold County and enter Hodges County. It will take five or six days at the shortest, or no more than ten days at the longest, to reach the city of Monn, and the situation we will face will become even more dangerous.

Now is the final rest before that.

Raven's camp was stationed at the uppermost reaches of the river.

As the temperature gradually rises, the snow has almost melted, and the river has also basically melted, with only some thin ice remaining on both sides of the river bank.

At this time, Lux was sitting by the river, staring at the flowing water in a daze.

Footsteps sounded, and Raven walked to the river and covered her shoulders with his cloak: "It's too cold by the river, be careful not to catch a cold."

"It's not cold." Lux's voice was a little stubborn, but even though she said that, she did not reject the kindness, but pulled her cloak tighter.

Raven smiled when he saw this and sat down next to her: "I'm sorry, I have to lead by example in the barracks and can't accompany you often."

"Yeah." Lux responded.

She didn't care about this. Rather, if Raven showed any extraordinary enthusiasm for her, even disregarding the lives of his soldiers, that would really disgust her.

Raven also knew this, so he was even more grateful to Lux.

If it weren't for her, even if he could rescue Viscount John, he would probably suffer heavy losses when facing those undead cavalry, or even be trapped in them.

No matter what request Lacus made, Raven would probably find it difficult to refuse, but she just didn't take any credit for it, which made Raven feel quite guilty.

"All the priests have been transferred in advance. Will there be any trouble if you disobey orders and follow me?"

"I serve the Lord of Light, not Archbishop Thomas." Lux said calmly, "I can judge right from wrong myself."

Hearing this, a glimmer of surprise flashed in Raven's eyes.

Lux's face was reflected in the water. Her expression was calm but firm, her golden hair was loose, and her sapphire eyes were so clear that even the flowing water was eclipsed.

This seemingly weak girl is not only able to destroy the undead, but also has a firm and unshakable heart.

Raven felt his defenses loosen slightly: "...Thank you."

Lux shook her head.

A breeze blew by, ruffling the ends of Lux's hair. Her hair brushed against Raven's face, making him feel a little itchy, and he couldn't help but take a deep sniff.

Lux moved slightly to the side, looking a little embarrassed, and lowered her head.

Just when Raven thought he was being too reckless, Lux's low voice came out: "...I haven't showered yet."

Raven was stunned, then suddenly realized!

No wonder Lux came to the river alone in such a chilly spring day. It turned out that she wanted to take a bath!
Yes, there was limited water supply during the march, and they were all grown men. Not only did the objective conditions not allow it, but she also had no time or leisure to take a bath.

"Then I'll have someone boil some water and chop some wood to make you a bathtub?" Raven asked tentatively.

"No need, just stay here." said Lux.

"This water... aren't you afraid of being cold?"

“…Don’t be afraid!”

No matter how you listen to it, there is a sense of bravado in it.

After these words were spoken, the air fell into an eerie silence again. The two of them stared at each other across the river, feeling a little awkward.

Finally, it was Lux who spoke first: "You...go away. How can I take a shower if you just watch me here?"

That makes sense!

But Raven really couldn't just leave Lux here alone. What if someone saw her?
"Well, I'll go stand guard for you, or someone else can come over, okay?"

Lux said: "...Then you have to promise not to peek."

What's the use of making a promise? Just because I agreed doesn't mean I won't do it. How can this woman still be so gullible?

Raven opened his mouth several times, but finally decided not to ruin Lux's expectations of others' kindness: "Okay, I promise."

As he spoke, Raven stood up, turned his back, and walked a few steps outside, signaling with his eyes that the personal soldiers who followed him should leave, the farther the better.

After a while, a rustling sound was heard behind him, and the girl's unique body fragrance floated over in the air, making Raven a little distracted for a moment.

It took almost all of Raven's willpower not to break the contract. He stood firmly, his eyes darting around but he didn't look back.

There was a sound of water behind me.

This is a bit fatal.

Although he was no longer a virgin, Raven had not done proper health care for a long time. When he heard the sound, he felt a little itchy. He did not move, but pictures began to reappear in his mind, each one more erotic than the last.

It's simply a form of torture.

Just as Raven was daydreaming, a scream suddenly came: "Who!?"

Raven turned his head suddenly and saw Lux half-shrunk under the water, her hands on her chest, staring at the opposite shore vigilantly.

At this moment, Raven also became alert. The river was very wide, and the three allied forces were camping on the east bank of the river. It was impossible for anyone to go around to the other side at this time.

Without hesitation, Raven wiped his belt and an enchanted crossbow appeared in his hand. He immediately knelt on one knee and pulled the trigger. The crossbow arrow whooshed into the grass.

"hold head high--"

A scream was heard, and a wild boar emerged from the grass and fell to the ground. Its four hooves kept twitching and a crossbow arrow was stuck in its forehead.

Seeing this scene, Raven was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

Lux's voice sounded again: "You, you, you... turn around!"

Raven followed suit and turned around. This time when he imagined it in his mind, he had a clear reference.

It is indeed white and round——

Raven was referring to the moon tonight.

A clearing was cleared by the river and a bonfire was built. The wild boar that had been shot down by Raven had been gutted, skinned, and placed on the fire.

This wild boar was not very big, and its tusks were only about two inches long. It was not yet an adult, so it was just the right size to be roasted whole.

Lux sat by the fire, wearing a priest robe and Raven's cloak, her wet hair stuck to her shoulders, her feet were bare, and perhaps because of the reflection of the flames, her face was charmingly red.

Raven turned the wood that was pierced on the wild boar, looking at the grease dripping from it, and then looking at the girl beside him, his heart full of satisfaction.

"Still watching." Lux said in a low voice: "I should have known not to let you stand guard."

"What's so great about that?" The more she refused, the more Raven stared at her face: "At worst, I'll take a shower later so you can see it clearly from head to toe?" "You! You really saw it!" Lux frowned slightly aggrievedly.

Raven coughed and quickly looked away.

The rich aroma soon spread, and the wild boar's meat had turned into an attractive golden color.

Taking out the dagger he carried with him, Raven cut off a piece from it, threaded it with a branch, and handed it to Lux along with a piece of washed wild garlic.

The girl took the still steaming barbecue, pursed her lips to gently blew away the hot steam, carefully tore off a piece of it with her pearly teeth, and a look of satisfaction suddenly appeared in her eyes.

"Do you like it?" Raven asked.

"Yeah!" Lux nodded slightly.

Raven also smiled. It was a great satisfaction for him to have his cooking recognized by others, not to mention that the person was Lux.

Soon, a wild boar was reduced to a skeleton.

The fire crackled, the air was clear and quiet, and the moonlight poured down and mixed with the firelight, illuminating a group of young men and women.

Lux looked at Raven: "Do you like looking at my feet so much?"

Raven said, "It's okay."

"Then why do you hold on to them?"

"Strange, how did your feet get into my arms?" Raven also frowned, but did not let go of the softness in his hands.

Lux snorted, "Raven, that weed smells so strange. Which book did you read that about?"

"I don't know if it's in the book or not," Raven said. "I discovered it when I was very young, but I didn't have any meat to eat with it."

"Did you have a hard time as a child?"

"It's okay." Raven looked up at the moon. "You know, I grew up in an orphanage. It's also the property of the Church of Light."

"Although there were donations, most of the time the orphanage could only rely on the grants from the Grace City Church to operate, so the food was very limited. I can say that I spent a long time in hunger, until later..."

"What happened later?" Lux was quite curious.

"Nothing..." Raven shook his head.

If Lux knew what I did later, my image in her mind would be completely destroyed.

Thinking of this, he remembered the director of the orphanage, Ms. Nightingale, who was a responsible, gentle and kind old lady who always tried to lead him onto the right path.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize her good intentions at all at that time.

I don’t know how she is doing in Meng’en City.

"Don't just talk about me, talk about you." Raven looked into Lux's eyes and said, "Come to think of it, I only know that your teacher is Priest Crouch, and I know nothing else."

"There's nothing much to say about my life." Lux's voice was gentle: "It is said that before I was born, my mother dreamed of the Lord of Light. My parents thought it was a good omen, so they contacted my teacher."

"After I was born and was baptized, I did have the potential to become a priest, so I was trained as a priest since I was a child and learned a lot."

"From the age of six to eighteen, I grew up in the Royal Capital Church. Later, I wanted to train myself and see more scenery. It happened that the priest of the Eagle Territory passed away, so I took his place."

After waiting for a while, seeing that Lux didn't continue, Raven was stunned for a moment: "That's all?"

"You know everything that happened afterwards," Lux said.

Raven smiled, a smile that showed a hint of understanding.

Compared to Raven, her life is as clean as a blank sheet of paper. No wonder she can maintain such a mentality.

At the same time, he also captured some details from Lux's words.

For example, her parents were able to contact Priest Crouch before she was born. You have to know that he is a seventh-level strongman, and the current Archbishop Thomas of the Nord Province is only at the fifth level.

Even if Crouch didn't have the seventh level at that time, but only the sixth or fifth level, it was definitely not something that ordinary people, or even ordinary nobles, could access.

This is enough to show that Lux's origin is very noble.

It's no wonder that she has no concept of money.

"Achu——" Lux suddenly sneezed.

Raven smiled and wrapped the blanket around her tighter: "You still say you're not cold!"

Lux lowered her head and listened obediently.

The two of them sat like this until the fire gradually died down and the moon was at its highest point in the sky. Then Lei Wen said, "Let's go back."

"Yeah." Lux retracted her red little feet, put on her shoes, but refused to move.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"My feet are a little sore..."

"Then I'll carry you?"

"……good……"

Under the moonlight, Raven carried Lux ​​on his back and slowly walked towards the camp.

When they reached the outskirts of the camp, Lux jumped off Raven's back and walked back to her own tent. Raven also returned to the main tent and was greeted with Eric's slightly playful smile.

"Congratulations, Baron!"

Raven rolled his eyes.

A night passed, and early the next morning, Raven met Viscount John and Judra and continued to march towards the city of Mon'en.

However, contrary to expectations, in the next few days, they rarely saw the large army of the Hand of Death, or even scattered skeleton soldiers.

The unusual situation made the three nobles more alert.

Since there were no obstacles, they completed the journey that was previously expected to take five or six days in just three days and arrived in Slater County where the City of Mon'en was located.

Walking on the mountain path, Raven could already see the iconic spire of the Church in Mon'en City.

At this moment, Simon rode back on his horse, leaving a trail of dust.

"My Lord Baron, Viscount John, Mr. Jude." Simon looked serious, his voice trembling slightly: "I suggest that the troops stop first. There is something that I need your personal confirmation."

Over this period of time, both Viscount John and Judra have recognized Simon's professionalism.

So they ordered the troops to stop.

"What's going on?" Raven asked.

"Please follow me!" Simon turned his horse's head.

Raven and the others followed behind and soon arrived at a high cliff shrouded in mist.

Judela was a little annoyed: "What on earth is going on? Why do you have to come here to talk about it!?"

Simon didn't say anything. At this moment, a strong wind blew and dispersed the thick fog covering the cliff.

A never-before-seen painting appeared before everyone's eyes!
……

(End of this chapter)