Atlas Battle Song

"I'm back, Master Egg!"

As soon as Trander entered the door, he was hugged with a slap.

"Okay, okay," Trander smiled and stroked the young master's back, "I'm sorry I've been away for too long, and I left you lonely, right?"

"not lonely."

The young master rubbed Trand's neck.

"That's right, there is also the puppet little lion to accompany you, and the nanny and..."

Trander suddenly couldn't say the word "everyone", he was choked up.Because Master Egg may never see the kind old nurse and servants again, and never come back... Just let the young master stay at home for a few days, he thought.

Then we had to say goodbye.

At night, the two teenagers lay together.Trand tossed and turned, touching Egg's cheek.

"Master, we are leaving the day after tomorrow."

"Ah."

"We may never come back...you know what the count is going to do, right?"

"Ah."

"He wants to rebel." Trande lowered his voice and whispered into Igor's ear: "He must have been plotting for a long time, but he never sent anyone to protect you and Miss Ishtar. What catastrophic consequences. So we must escape first."

Egg looked at the stars outside the window, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

"What are they going to do?"

"Don't worry, the nanny and maid sister should be fine...Miss Ishtar is too. Your Majesty is a woman, and she has always been more tolerant of girls...Even if the army is defeated at that time, the main people who will be implicated are men. The knights will be beheaded... mainly you, the empire will not let you go."

"Oh, that's all right. Good night Silly Lion."

"Wait, don't sleep, let me tell you about the house in the imperial capital..."

The stars shine.

The young master had already fallen asleep with the puppet lion in his arms.

"Hey, really..." Little Trander smiled bitterly, leaned over and kissed little Egg on the forehead.

The two boys fell asleep with their arms around each other.

In the last few days, they went to the lake to see the otters every day.After returning, I had a lively meal with the servants.Everyone sits at a long table and eats like a big family.This was not possible before.The girls were talking and laughing, making fun of Little Trand.The young master also seemed very happy, and occasionally said a word or two.

"It's really rare. The young master is also much better. In the future, we should organize it frequently. When spring comes, we will go to picnic with the young master."

A girl said happily.

Trander felt sad in his heart, and he found that the old nurse was also a little sad, so he just smiled reluctantly, as if something was on his mind.Does she know something?Trander was worried, and often kept an eye on the old lady's whereabouts after dinner.

The old woman took out a letter, read it with a sigh, and put it away hastily when someone approached.

Is there any news?

But Trander has ignored these.

"This is the last night, master. If there is anything else you want to say to everyone, you must hurry up tonight. We will ride on horseback tomorrow morning, so that we can take a more secluded mountain road. We will take a carriage after we leave the earldom. At the beginning It may be a bit hard, I hope the young master can bear it."

"it is good."

That night, Yi Ge made a rare request: he wanted to see a puppet show.

The dusty puppets and stage in the playroom were brought out again.Little Trande was holding the whaletooth piano and playing background music, the old nurse was holding Master Egg, and the maids were operating the marionettes.

The little flying lion of the puppet, the magic kitten, the black knight, the elf princess, the old mage... the puppet characters that the young master loved before are all back.Brave adventure, fairy in the forest, princess and knight's love, clumsy devil...

Egg was happy.

The candlelight was warm, and the smell of honey and milk permeated the room. The girls were pinching their throats to imitate the words of the old mage, which sounded a little funny.Trande has had her voice changed so that she can play the knight with a male voice.The old Nan kept kissing Master Egg, as if saying goodbye.In that soft embrace, the young master fell asleep.

Trander carried the young master back to the bed and covered him with the quilt.In order to prevent himself from oversleeping, Trand did not undress, but just sat down in a chair and took a nap.

"Good night, my good young master, just keep all the happiness tonight in your sweet dreams."

On a sweet night, what Egg dreamed was still the abyss.

In the darkness, tentacles and indescribable monsters still came to the boy to seek desire and eat greedily.But the boy had long been used to it, and waited indifferently for the pain to end.

As long as you wake up, you can see the little lion again.

"Master Egg, it's time to wake up, master."

Opening his eyes, the face of the little lion appeared in sight.

Egg breathed a sigh of relief, and stretched out his arms for a hug.He was embraced by the silly lion, and the too real pain in the dream gradually dissipated.

"Good morning, let's go."

"Ah."

Trand changed Egg's clothes, dressed him as a girl, and put on a thick fur cloak.Trand himself also dressed up as a farmer, carrying a thick package and hiding the gold coins in fractions.After some disguise, the two children almost changed their appearance.

Trent instructed: "If anyone on the road asks, you don't have to answer, young master. I'll just deal with it."

"Can I take it with me?"

Egg pointed to the puppet lion.

"Of course, it is our good friend." Trander smiled, and sent the little puppet lion to the young master's arms.

While it was still dark, the two children quietly went out without anyone noticing.

Trand brought the horse, which was the young master's favorite little black Markref.He carried Egg onto the horse, and when he turned around, he saw someone standing at the door of the mansion looking at them.

"!"

The boy was too shocked to speak, and the white mist rose with his breath.

The old Nan stood there.

She stared at the two boys who were about to elope.Trander panicked and was hesitating whether to run quickly.

"Wait a moment."

said the old woman in a low voice.She lifted the hem of her skirt to prevent the snow from staining her snow-white nightgown, and limped to the boys.She didn't shout or scold the child, but just stuffed a heavy sack into Trander's hand.

It's money.

"Little lion, take this on."

"grandmother……"

"Take it, the old housekeeper Lorraine gave me the money. He wrote to me and asked me to escape with the young master... But I am old and my legs and feet are not flexible, so where can I take the young master away?" ? The child I raised, how can I watch him suffer?"

As she spoke, the old nurse shed tears.Egg jumped off the horse and came over to hug the old Nan with no expression on his face.

"Poor child, poor boy, I wish you were my child... just be the child of an ordinary peasant woman..."

The woman's tears fell on the young master's neck, cool.Egg rubbed the large rough hands that stroked his cheek, feeling a familiar relief.

"Like Mama Erta."

Egg said.

"Farewell, my children... run away, run away together, and never come back. Run far away and live an ordinary life."

She hugged the two boys tightly.

Trander also shed tears, he will always remember this stern but loving old woman.

"Little lion, promise me...don't let the young master suffer, don't let him suffer like that again...You promise me: you will protect the young master until death, love the young master..."

Biting his lower lip, the boy tried hard not to cry, and while wiping away the snot and tears with his sleeve, he nodded desperately.

The time has come.

Before the morning light illuminates the pure white forest, a horse gallops away, carrying two eloped boys.

The old woman had been standing at the door of the mansion, watching the morning glow brighten and the wind and snow falling.In the memory, the children she raised are still playing in the garden with white roses blooming, laughing and running.

"Farewell, young master, please take care."

The lame old woman stood there for a long time, tears streaming down her face.

****

Along the way, the two children were cautious.

They walked through the deserted mountains and forests, on small paths.When he was hungry, Trander lit a fire and warmed the dried meat and bread he had brought for the young master to eat.At night, they sometimes stay in the cave for one night, and sometimes they stay at the farmer's house.

The peasants are spreading rumors that war seems to have begun between the east and the south. It is said that several noble lords rebelled, and now the imperial capital is sending troops to suppress it.

Trander was terrified when he heard this.

"It's still too late, if only Master Egg had been hidden before the battle began," he thought.

When they got up the next day, the two children hurried on their way again.

After walking for four days in a row, Master Egg's body couldn't take it anymore, so Trander tried to find a way to rent a simple covered carriage.

Uncle Coachman is a sincere person, and he happened to be transporting a cart of potatoes to the imperial capital for sale, so he took his two children with him along the way.Trand was escorting him on a horse, and Egg, who was dressed as a girl, was sitting in the carport to rest.In fact, this is a bit risky, because the carriage can only go along the road.

Sure enough, before he left Lumir Province, he encountered soldiers and checkpoints.

Trand became wary.There are 5 people on the other side, a small team.I'm afraid there will be such sentries guarding the road ahead.

The carriage stopped, and soldiers with long guns came over.

"Who are you?"

"Master, I'm a farmer from Lumir, and I'm going to sell goods in the imperial capital. The carts are filled with potatoes. I met this young couple on the road, and I took them to the imperial capital together." The uncle coachman took off his hat and nodded in fear.

"Who are you?" The spear pointed at Trander.

Trand got off his horse and saluted the soldiers: "I am the deputy to the head of the Empire's Second Royal Knights, Trand Muawia, and I am about to report back to the imperial capital. My wife is sitting in the car. We just Get married."

The soldier froze for a moment, probably thinking about which rank was better between Trander and him.

"What's the matter, why are you in a daze?" shouted the officer standing in front of the checkpoint.

"Team, captain..."

The rookie soldier weakly appealed to his superiors for help.The officer came over.Trand saluted again.The two negotiated briefly, and the officer checked Trand's ID, and then looked in the carport:

A black-haired girl in a thick fur cloak sat there. She had exquisite features, but her face was pale and sickly.The girl was wearing a clean embroidered coarse cloth dress, holding a puppet lion in her arms.Although she is married, she still looks like a child.

When the soldiers saw the sick girl, their tone of voice changed a lot, as if they were afraid of scaring the little girl.

"Let's go, it's cold in winter, don't let the little girl get cold."

Before leaving, the soldiers also gave them a hot roasted sweet potato, and told Egg to hold it in his arms to warm his hands.Egg glanced at Trander, thought for a while, and then showed a timid smile.

This level was passed safely, and Trander heaved a sigh of relief.But I can no longer take a car. There will be so many outposts in the future, and I will be as lucky as I am today if I don’t keep them all.

That night, they stayed at the inn, and Trander gave the coachman some money and said goodbye to the uncle.

At the post station, they heard more news about the war: Earl Gorgon led the rebellion and united several princes to besiege the imperial capital.At present, the Sybil nobles are divided into two factions, one faction supports Earl Gorgon, and the other faction resolutely safeguards the imperial power.The princes loyal to the country are fighting the traitors, and the palace is sending royal knights to support them.

"All chaos, all chaos, this is civil war!"

"The aristocrats are probably trying to force the emperor to abdicate. I don't agree with that. The empress is a good monarch, much better than her husband."

"Yeah, what's so good about the bad-tempered old emperor in the past? He was so fierce. He made the taxes so heavy, and the military service was so heavy. The good positions in the army are the Sibyls, and ordinary humans don't even think about it. "

"So, I still think that woman has the ability to manage the relationship between the empire and other countries well, and there are many business opportunities."

The merchants staying overnight at the inn drank and chatted, and Trand also drank beside him.

"Brother, how about going to the southern provinces now? Is there no way to go to the Earl of Gorgon?" he asked.

"The road to the south has been blocked. There is a war going on. I'm afraid only the army can get there."

Trand was thankful that they escaped in time, otherwise it would be impossible to fly.He got up and went back to the house, and had to hurry tomorrow morning.

An uncle businessman called him:

"Wait, kid, take this too."

They threw a cloth bag to Trander, who caught it and sniffed it. It smelled like mint.

The merchant uncle said with a smile:

"Peppermint tea for your sweet little wife, she looks sick. Drink some herbal tea that will help you sleep and health. If you have money, I can sell you some honey. Honey and tea are a perfect match .”

Trand smiled wryly.

No wonder the good intentions of merchants are traps to keep you buying.How much is mint tea?Honey can be expensive.But people are right, it does help your health.And he wanted Master Egg to have something sweet, too.

"Thank you uncle, then I'll buy your honey."

"Hey, so refreshing!" Another businessman hurriedly said, "If you buy his honey, I also sell almond candy here. Do you buy it? All the ladies in the imperial capital like it."

"I'll have to taste it," Trand said.

"Come on, come on, a good husband is willing to spend money for love, and a real man will dote on his wife."

The merchants were very happy and sold a lot of things for the boy.

That night Master Egg drank hot honey and mint tea and ate marzipan and blancmange.Trander sat beside him, resting his chin on his hands, and smilingly feeding the young master a snack.

"Do you like it, young master? Although it's not as good as the dim sum at home..."

"sweet."

Egg was very obedient, and licked Trand's fingers with his soft pink tongue.

"!!!"

This set the little lion completely on fire, and he jumped up with a whoosh, ready to rush downstairs with full momentum.

"How can this be enough, I'll buy it again!!! I'll buy it all——!!!"

"do not."

Yi Ge grabbed him urgently and saved Silly Lion's wallet.

The next day, Trander quietly took the young master on the road again.

In order to avoid the outpost, they still chose the path taken by hunters in the forest.It was very difficult in the mountains in winter, and the two children were shivering from the cold.Trand took off his fur coat, wrapped the young master tightly, and wore only a little on himself.

"The little lion is going to turn into a cube of ice..."

Egg covered Trent's ears that were red from the cold, looking very worried.

"No, it's okay...! I, I'm quite strong, just move around! And the emperor is not far away, and I can arrive tomorrow at the latest!"

The little lion was jumping up and down in the snow, rubbing his hands while running around the young master, his nose was red from the cold.

But he was right, looking from the top of the hill, the majestic city walls of the imperial capital were right in front of us.

Coming soon.

The two children went down the snow-covered hillside cautiously.

Trande held the horse with one hand, and held the young master tightly with the other.Egg frowned, girls' clothes were really inconvenient.

"I finally understand that Ishtar doesn't like to wear skirts."

"Hahaha, Miss Ishtar is a real man after all, she can kill a bear with one punch." Trander wiped his nose and smiled maliciously.

"I don't know if the bear will be killed or not. It should be no problem for her to kill the lion."

Thinking of their sister, the teenagers couldn't help but sigh, not knowing how the little girl was doing.

After finally getting down to the foot of the mountain, it was getting dark.

"We are fighting now, and the gates of the city are closed at night, so we have to find a place to stay." Trand said.

"there."

Egg pointed.

Looking around, there is indeed a wooden house with lights in the dark forest, which should be the home of the Orion outside the city.

Trand nodded:

"Let's go there for a night."

Walking to the wooden house, the two children knocked on the door.

"who?"

The door opened and a drunken soldier stepped out and looked them over.Looking into the house, there are three soldiers inside, also drinking.

Trand has bad feelings.

He didn't want to get involved with these soldiers, so he hurriedly made an excuse and said, "Hey hey, good evening gentlemen! Would you like to buy mint tea? Freshly picked, skin and teeth maintenance, the price is very favorable."

"Go, go, who the hell buys that old mother's thing, get out! Sell it elsewhere."

"Oh, sorry to bother you then."

After speaking, Trander hurriedly took Yi Ge's hand and walked back.

"Wait, don't go—" The two soldiers in the room saw Egg and ran out drunk, "It's getting dark, where are you going at night~ Why don't you stay here for one night too."

"That's right! Pretty little girl, don't leave. It's so cold. How nice it is to stay here and sing with the big brothers. The big brother can hug you and keep you warm."

The soldiers took Egg's arm.

"Ugh..."

"Don't touch him!"

Trand was furious, and shook off the soldier's hand.

"'he'?"

The soldier narrowed his eyes, studying Egg suspiciously.

not good……

Trander stood in front of the young master, and the two children slowly backed away.Unexpectedly, another soldier in the room heard the movement and quietly walked around behind them to ambush.

"Got you, little one!"

Suddenly, someone hugged Egg from behind.The boy was terrified and struggled.Another man hugs Trander, who pushes him away to save Egg.

"Let him go!"

"Ugh..."

Egg broke free and ran back to Trand.The two boys stood back to back, and the soldiers were deadlocked.

One of the soldiers grabbed one of Egg's gloves and cursed angrily.But at such an accidental moment, the light in the room came through.The soldier saw clearly the dark pattern on the pair of lambskin gloves——

Three giant snakes.

"Gorgon's family... Hey, this is the child of the traitor Gorgon!" The man shouted.

Oops, it was discovered——!

Trand felt a chill in his heart.Why didn't he notice it before?Before going out, he obviously checked all his belongings, because he was afraid of revealing his identity, why didn't he notice that there were dark lines on the gloves!

"Catch him! We're going to be rich!"

Panting heavily with excitement, the soldier drew his knife and surrounded the two children.

How to do!By now……

Trembling, Trand drew the dagger hidden in his boot.If these people leak the news, it will be over...the only way to do it.

He made up his mind and raised the knife.

Egg glanced at the dagger in Trander's hand, and said:

"That's it."

Before Trand could attack, the dagger in his hand was taken away——

"Varied--"

In the dark night, the metallic silver light streaked across, like an ominous snake.

On the pure white snow, a large amount of blood sprayed out, and the hoarse screams gradually subsided.The throat was severed.

"..."

Egg got down from the man's body, holding the bloody dagger in his hand, expressionless.

Like a leopard, eyeing its prey.

"how come……"

The remaining three soldiers came back to their senses.The speed of the young Sybil was so fast that they didn't see it clearly.

"Damn brat, I'm going to kill you, and then cut off your head and present it to the emperor!"

Egg looked at Trander.The two teenagers exchanged glances.

The spear comes—

Egg flew out the dagger and accurately pierced it into the back of a soldier's hand.

"Ahhh!" the soldier howled in pain, his bloody hand did not hold the spear.Trand grasped the barrel of the gun.The young man was so strong that he stabbed the captured weapon into the enemy's abdominal cavity with his backhand.Blood and intestines flowed out.The soldier fell, dead.

The two died tragically, and the remaining two soldiers were a little hesitant, running in different directions.

"Egg!" Trander yelled.

Like a running leopard, Egg was astonishingly fast. He chased after him, and the dagger pierced the soldier's throat from the back of his neck.

The man fell to his knees, tongue out, convulsing dead.

"..."

The boy panted, and touched the sweat and blood on his forehead. The skirt was really inconvenient.Trand rushed over, also covered in blood.The body of another soldier lay on the snow not far away. "Are you all right, master!"

"Hug." Egg shook his head.

The boys hugged each other with lingering fear.The forest became silent again. In the moonless night, the snow was shining brightly, and the steaming blood seemed black.This was Trande's first kill.But he didn't regret it at all, and he wasn't afraid.The moment his hands were stained with blood, the boy understood:

Wanting Egg to live.

No matter who he will fight against, what crime he will commit.