Imperial Crown.

Chapter 271 War is not the goal [5 more]

After two days of vacation, Julia returned to her post as Hawkeye guard.

During the next ten days of patrols, no serious incidents occurred, but it was heard that Baron Vissaxin had recovered.

On February 1197, 2 of the Guangli calendar, Brocka led his son Howell and 19 guards to formally visit the Eagle Territory. Julia, as the Eagle Eye Guard, was responsible for maintaining order.

It has to be said that Brocka's elite men were indeed quite good. They were wearing full sets of armor, holding long axes and large shields, and had just experienced a baptism of blood. They walked with steady and high spirits, full of confidence.

Julia stared at the troop until they left, then slowly moved her eyes away.

"I say, what are you thinking about?" Thor came over.

"Nothing." Julia shook her head. "These people are very strong. We can't defeat them with the same number of Hawkeye guards alone."

Thor was stunned.

At the same time, Brocka had no idea that a young girl actually wanted to try to confront his elite troops with the help of a team of patrol soldiers.

He rode on a horse, wearing a formal dress, and whispered to his son beside him: "When you meet Baron Raven later, be alert, show respect, and don't say the wrong thing."

Ever since the massacre, Howell has been a little absent-minded, as if he has no interest in anything.

Hearing his father's words, Howell smiled and said, "Don't worry, father."

Arriving at the foot of Eagle City, Howell's slightly bent back slowly straightened up.

He had to stand up straight, because only in this way could he barely see the whole picture of Eagle City.

"This... this is..." Howell rubbed his eyes: "Snake Castle and Fox Castle are not this big, right?"

As spring approaches, the river water slowly begins to thaw, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

The entire Eagle City is surrounded by rivers, like a palace built in the sky.

Only an earl can live in a castle of this size, and only an earl is worthy of living there.

Howell followed Brocka down the stairs and dismounted, and walked to the door of the hall, where Raven and Nancy were greeting them with smiles.

According to imperial custom, when a baron invites a viscount, he needs to meet him outside the town and wait at least four hours in advance to avoid being impolite.

But neither Raven nor Brocka cared about this.

"It is an honor for me that Viscount Brocka is willing to come to our gathering." Raven stepped forward and shook Brocka's hand, then turned to look at Howell: "The young master in your family has also become much more mature and stable."

"Baron Raven, Lady Nancy!" Howell bowed.

Brocka chuckled and said, "This is all thanks to the example you set for me, Baron Raven. Unfortunately, my son hasn't even learned the basics from you."

Then he nodded to Nancy and said, "Mrs. Nancy, it's been a long time since we last met. My wife is not feeling well and cannot come here, so let me send her regards to you on her behalf."

Howell twisted his shoulders; the small talk among the nobles made him feel a little idle.

Mrs. Nancy was indeed beautiful, but he dared not look at her for too long, as staring at a married lady was extremely rude.

The name of the Fiery Rose is not for nothing, and Nancy is not only a magician, but also Raven's wife. No matter from which point of view, it is not a good idea to make her unhappy.

The greetings were soon over, and Howell followed his father to the second-floor restaurant under the guidance of the Ravens.

There was never a lack of banquets when nobles interacted with each other, and Howell had also attended the Slater family's family banquets with his father, but the luxury of Eagle City still exceeded his expectations.

There are no candles, only magical lamps. These lamps are not fixed on the walls or ceilings, but float in the air, just like river lanterns on a summer night. Walking among them is like walking in the Milky Way.

Howell was young at heart after all, and he couldn't help but look up and pick one down. He felt it was as light as a feather, and as soon as he loosened his grip a little, it floated into the air again.

What made him a little embarrassed was that the knights and their families who came to accompany his guests were not surprised at all and were obviously used to it.

Raven and Nancy sat at the head of the long table, Broca sat to Raven's left, and Howell sat close to his father.

Like all young people, Howell found attending banquets with his elders to be a troublesome and awkward experience.

Fortunately, the food in Eagle Territory is very delicious. Every time Howell eats it, he wants to kidnap the chef here. This also allows him to temporarily put aside many worries and concentrate on eating.

After the main meal, the banquet officially entered the buffer banquet stage.

The lights began to change and flicker, making the whole room glow with light and making people feel as if they were in a dream; the music started, and Raven and Nancy held hands and went to the dance floor.

Howell stood at the edge of the restaurant with a glass of wine and yawned.

Howell felt somewhat exhausted after arriving at Eagle Territory. As someone who had been frequenting various social occasions since childhood, he gradually began to feel bored once he got used to the environment here.

His eyes were darting around, trying to find a dance partner or a romantic encounter.

Then, my attention was drawn to a woman who was dressed exquisitely and charmingly.

She was standing on the edge of the dance floor at the moment, wearing a light blue silk dress, her hair was combed into fluffy curls at the back, covering her white shoulders, and her lips were painted with dark red lipstick, making her look extremely beautiful. With the constantly dancing light and shadow behind her, she looked like a classical beauty in an oil painting.

Howell was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that the man's name was Petty and he was said to be an alchemist.

In his impression, alchemists were all shriveled old men with strange smells who stayed in their small houses and never came out. He never expected that there would be such a brilliant existence.

It’s a pity that she is Baron Raven’s personal maid.

It was a luxury to have an alchemist as my personal maid.

But Baron Raven is a third-level magician, so it is normal to think this way.

Rubbing the place where he was stabbed by Manson last time, Howell suddenly remembered that he did not see Manson at this party.

That's right, Madam Denise has already returned to Mon City, so it is only natural for Manson to follow her as her bodyguard.

Baron Raven can only feel at ease if Lady Denise is handed over to such an androgynous guy for protection, right?

Howell gave a mischievous smile and continued to look for his "prey".

He looked around but didn't find a suitable target. Just as he was thinking about whether he should find an excuse to leave, he suddenly noticed a girl in the corner.

Her hair was a rare silver color, and it was obvious that she had not dressed up much, just casually draped behind her. She was wearing a blue-gray silk dress that was not impolite but a little too plain, and almost blended in with her hair.

Plus, she was huddled in the corner with her head down, looking at something, so it was no wonder Howell didn't notice her at first.

Perhaps she felt Howell's gaze, so the girl raised her head and glanced at him quietly. Just this one glance made Howell's heart suddenly tighten.

She wore thick glasses on her nose, and her pupils behind the lenses were as calm and deep as an ancient well. Her nose was not very high, but it fit her oval face very well, and her thin lips were slightly pursed.

In this noisy environment, she is so different. Although she is a young and naive girl, her temperament is peaceful and steady, just like an ancient book, full of intellect.

The girl's eyes were immediately retracted, but Howell's mind was aroused. He walked to her side and bowed slightly: "Howell Leon, son of Viscount Broca, I wonder what I should call this lady?"

The girl raised her head, but her eyes were somewhat rudely not falling on Howell's face, and she said softly: "Fiona, Fiona Ramsay, the granddaughter of Sir Gordon."

Howell was a little surprised. He had heard of Fiona's name and knew that she was a new magician. He thought that even if she was not as flamboyant as Nancy, she would at least have some pride. He didn't expect that she would be so reserved and shy.

"Can I sit down?"

Although it was a question, Howell sat directly opposite Fiona.

Fiona gave him a disapproving look.

Howell smiled and said, "You didn't look me in the eye, and I sat down without my permission. It's both impolite. How about that be considered as a cancellation?"

Fiona remained silent and lowered her head.

According to her heart, she would rather study magic in her room and would never attend such an event. But who could blame her for coming because her grandfather asked her to come so that she could get used to social activities?

Seeing that his usual pick-up tactics didn't work, Howell smiled awkwardly, but was unwilling to stop there. He changed the subject with a glance, "Ms. Fiona, what are you looking at?"

Fiona raised the book in her hand.

Howell was surprised when he saw the words on the mottled spine of the book. "'History of Imperial Wars'? It was written in 879 by the famous scholar and wizard, Mr. Zordon Kuller?"

Fiona finally reacted: "...You've seen it too?"

"I haven't read much." Howell became more interested in her: "I didn't expect that there would be a woman interested in this kind of book."

Fiona rolled her eyes and sighed slightly. She was no longer surprised by such comments.

Howell quickly waved his hands: "Uh, I don't mean to look down on women."

"That is, I think a lot of knowledge cannot be learned from books."

Fiona was a little annoyed by being constantly interrupted while reading. She put the book on the table and looked at Howell: "If you want to find a dance partner, you can find someone else. I just want to be alone for a while, okay?"

As a magician, let alone the fact that Howell was only the heir to the viscountship, even if he really inherited the title of viscountship, Fiona was qualified to be rude to him.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm not here to dance with you." Howell sighed, grabbed the wine glass and took a sip: "Actually, I've been reading this book recently, trying to solve my own doubts, but I haven't found the answers."

Howell rested his elbows on the table, shaking his glass, and said, "You should have heard that we recently attacked the Koga Territory of Wesassin."

"Although it may sound a bit hypocritical, I am increasingly confused lately. Why do we have to fight?"

"It's not just this war started by our family. Many wars in history have been fought for no reason."

"There are many things that we can sit down and talk about!"

“War is not a few lines or words written in a book; it is the bloody slaughter on the battlefield, the groans of the wounded after the war, the destruction of villages and towns, families, and the demise of living people.”

By the end, it had almost become Howell's soliloquy.

Fiona was somewhat helpless about the fact that she had become an "emotional trash can". She sighed, "I don't know what you've been through, but if you can't figure it out, that's your problem, not the book's."

Howell looked up in astonishment and met Fiona's gaze. She gently pushed her glasses and said seriously:
"War has never been a goal."

The stunned expression was reflected in Fiona's thick glasses. She lowered her head, put away her book and left, leaving Howell sitting there.

"War...is not the goal." Howell licked his lips and was confused for a moment.

If that's the case, why did my father start this war?
He wasn't the only one who had this problem. Vissasim, whose entire territory had been occupied, was even more confused!
But for him, the key is not this. The key is whether Raven can help him get justice?

After half a month of recuperation, Vissaxin had basically recovered his health, and his armor had been repaired and placed in the corner of the room.

As he stroked the surface of the armor and looked at his own reflection, Wesasi could feel the cool temperature of his palms, but this did not calm him down.

He began to pace back and forth in his room anxiously, drinking large gulps of cold water, but the fire in his chest continued to burn.

In a trance, he seemed to hear the music coming from the restaurant downstairs.

Reason told Wesasi that this was impossible, because the restaurant was on the 2nd floor and he lived on the 5th floor, and Eagle City's sound insulation measures were very complete.

But this did not stop him from thinking about what Raven and Bloca were talking about, whether Bloca would belittle or ridicule him, and whether Raven would take this opportunity to sell him out!

"It shouldn't be." Visasi said to himself, his voice so hoarse that even he was a little surprised.

If Raven intended to sell him, he would not have taken him in, treated his injuries, or treated him like a baron.

However, Raven’s grand welcome to Brocka does not mean that Raven himself does not have the confidence?
Can I get my territory back?

This question kept echoing in his mind, and he couldn't forget it until he fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

Recently, Visasinn had been having dreams all the time. Sometimes he dreamed that he returned to Koja Town and took back his territory; but more often, he had various nightmares - being tied up in front of Brocka and having his head chopped off, being thrown high from Eagle City, or being tied to a stake and burned to death.

This time the nightmare was particularly realistic. He was tied up hands and feet by Broca and put into a large wooden box. Someone kept banging on the box and torturing him, making it impossible for him to close his eyes.

He struggled and struggled, and suddenly he felt an acute sense of weightlessness. He opened his eyes and found himself falling under the bed.

There was a knock on the door. "Baron Versassin, are you awake? Baron Raven invites you to the rooftop terrace to enjoy the view with Viscount Broca."

"Got it. I'll be there right away." Vissaxin pretended to speak in a normal voice and turned to look out the window. Only then did he realize that the sky had already become completely bright without him noticing. However, it was overcast and made people feel depressed.

He came to the bathroom and was stunned when he saw himself in the Angel's Glory.

His eye sockets were sunken, his eye bags were swollen, his cheeks were sagging, his face was pale, and his stubble under his chin was dense and eye-catching, just like an alcoholic who had been drinking heavily for years.

After washing with cold water and shaving off his stubble, Versacem changed into decent clothes, took a deep breath, and then opened the door with full of suspicion.

Baron Raven, can you help me take back my territory? !
……

(End of this chapter)