Atlas Battle Song

The count was executed.On that day, the silver plate holding the sinner's head was displayed in the square in front of the palace, and the entire imperial capital was jubilant.The people fell into rage and ecstasy, and celebrated the victory of the war with celebration.The emperor generously rewarded his subjects with wine and meat, and the crowd cheered, facing the golden snake imperial flag on a blue background flying high in the wind.

Everyone wanted to see the head of the rebellious "Vicious Serpent".Rumors circulated in the tavern. It was said that the man who committed the most crimes had a vicious and vicious face and often ate the children of the local people... Hearing this, people were frightened and angry.But when many people actually see the glass square on the square, they will be shocked from the bottom of their hearts, because the scene is so different from their previous imagination.

Inside the glass dome, a silver platter held the heads of sinners.

The black-haired young man was very handsome, his eyes were peacefully closed, and his thin lips seemed to be in deep thought.If it weren't for the blood on the silver plate, people might think it was a statue in the temple of Luna.

Perhaps because of the beauty of the deceased, or perhaps because of the kindness of the lord, this head was displayed to the people in a very gentle and precious way, instead of hanging on the city wall as usual.

"Is that the one who made us fight?" a little girl asked her father.

"Yes, and now the viper's head has been chopped off."

Listening to the conversation between the father and daughter, Trand, who was hiding in the crowd, felt a pang in his heart. Looking at that face, he thought of the old days... the manor, the banquet, and the Egg family sitting at the dining table talking and laughing.All gone, gone, taken away.

The crowd was celebrating, and the boy was alone in pain.

From a distance, Trand saw the man at the other end of the crowd—Miglin Vaughan Archimboldi.

The man in the blindfold also came to watch the earl's head, and he should have the key to the cell.

As long as he kills this guy and gets the key to the cell, Trand can rescue Egg, and the two escape by boat.

"Wait and see."

With a cold face, Trent touched the dagger hidden under the cloak.Even if he is just a boy with no power, and the other party is a well-born military officer...he will never let this man go.

The bard played triumphant music in the square, and the crowd cheered. Miglinen probably got tired of watching it and planned to go back. The boy put on the hood of his cloak and followed the man leisurely, as if he was a cold man. hunter.There were crowds of people around, pushing and shouting.The heartbeat became louder and louder, and Trander stared at the enemy intently, planning to strike when the enemy reached a certain alley that was rarely visited by people.

"Ah...you are Trande?!"

His arm was suddenly pulled, and Trander was furious and startled, and he turned his head and stared——

The Duke of Vulcan—Mr. Caroialo looked so worried that he was about to cry, and grabbed Tland's arm:

"Are you okay? God bless you, I'm really anxious these days, I've been looking for you everywhere! I thought something happened to you two boys! Don't be afraid, I will definitely help you, I swear."

"..."

Trand did not speak, and shook off the Duke's hand.

The Duke realized that something was wrong with the boy, so he quickly grabbed him again:

"Wait, where's little Iriol? Why are you alone? Did you encounter trouble and were chased by your enemies?"

This is not the time to talk!

"Let go!" Trand was in a hurry. He wanted to break away from the Duke and chase the officer, but he found that the normally weak Duke actually had a lot of strength when he got serious.In just a moment, the prey disappeared...

"Lord Duke..."

Trand clenched his fists, and the shouts of the crowd grew louder.

"Your expression is so scary, are you going to do something dangerous?" The Duke held Trand's arm tightly, like a teacher, but his tone was extremely gentle: "You are still a child, and you have things to do." There is no way to turn back. Wait for a while and don’t be impulsive...you can tell me if you need anything, let’s discuss it first, shall we?"

"You can't help anything..." The boy lowered his head.

The Duke looked into the teenager's emerald eyes and said in an unprecedented serious tone:

"I don't ask you to tell me everything, you just need to...tell me: Is there anything I can help you with. Trand, you and Iriol are my friends, and I will do everything for you... Will you trust me, Trand?"

The Duke waited, watching the boy trembling and trying to catch his breath, not knowing whether it was anger or sadness.

Trander gave the Duke a desperate look... The red-eyed youth looked so sincere at this moment, as if the misfortune had happened to him.Only people who really feel pain can show this expression of weakness.

Maybe you can really trust this guy, Trander can't help it.He took a deep breath and whispered:

"Egg..."

"what?"

"His name is . . . Egg Swalds Gorgon."

"I..."

The Duke looked up at the sky and racked his brains to think about the meaning of these words, and finally suddenly realized that the name "Iriol" was actually a variant of "Ego".The Duke looked at the head in the glass cover in astonishment, that familiar face... he finally understood.

"No wonder I think Earl Gorgon looks familiar, so he is... ah! Then I know where Egg is!"

Trand said wearily, "It's in the military camp to the west."

"No," the Duke shook his head. "When I came to see His Majesty today, I heard that Sir Hall had escorted the sinner's son to the palace last night."

last night?

Trand thought he had heard wrong.He grabbed the Duke's wrist: "Say it again? How could it have been sent to the palace?"

"It's true, Egg has now been transferred to the palace prison."

Trand didn't want to believe it.I just found the young master last night, and I made an appointment to rescue him today...how could it be?Egg was sent to the palace that night...

"I missed..."

Trand's heart went cold.No one can sneak a prisoner out of the heavily guarded Night Palace.The walls of the triple barracks, thousands of Sibyl knights and guards, no one can fly.Even if he is extremely lucky and successfully reaches the dungeon deep in the palace... Is it really possible for him and Yi Ge, two children, to break through the security system of the entire palace and escape?

Until this moment, the boy finally realized that he could not save Egg.

"Trander?"

"Why... Master, did he do anything wrong? He..."

The boy's excitement caused people around to look over curiously, the Duke hurriedly said in a low voice, "This is not a place to talk about things, come with me, and I will tell you everything I know."

****

The maid Levinya brought two cups of hot tea and food, looked worriedly at the boy curled up in the chair, and then at the Duke.The Duke thanked her with a smile, and she also exited the study tactfully, leaving the two of them to talk alone.

The Duke added several pieces of sugar to the black tea, looked at the boy with red and swollen eyes, and sighed:

"Anyway, eat something first... You look in a bad state, with heavy dark circles under your eyes, haven't you slept much these days?"

Trander clenched his fists and held back: "How could I eat and sleep well? Master Egg was captured and locked in a cold and dark dungeon..."

Thinking of little Egg's situation, the Duke didn't feel like drinking tea anymore:

"However... Now that Egg is locked in the Night Palace, the conditions may be better. He should be under house arrest in the room, and the child will not be locked in the dungeon. You know... the dungeons of ordinary military camps... those jailers have How many are beasts, Yi Ge is so beautiful, what if..."

"do not talk!!"

"Ah... I'm sorry, definitely not! There won't be such terrible things in the palace, no, little Egg is sure to be safe!"

"The palace..."

Trand felt deeply hopeless, thinking that they were facing such a huge monster, the golden python swallowed Egg...

"My God, what should I do..."

The boy slumped on the chair weakly, covering his face with his hands, sobbing.

"We can still save him. Really, there must be a way." The Duke patted Trand on the back.

Trand raised his head and asked helplessly:

"Will His Majesty forgive Igor...? Impossible. Igor is the eldest son of a traitor. The Gorgon family's surname and title have been deprived. It is impossible for His Majesty to let Igor go... The best situation is to exile him." As a hard labor prisoner, but... the harsh environment of the ice field, it is impossible for Yi Ge, a noble young master, to survive..."

The Duke said: "We still have a chance. If it is a suggestion from a close subject...Turna will sometimes consider it."

"That's right... as long as he can survive..."

Trand sees a glimmer of hope.Since you can't rob the prison, finding a relationship and asking for help is the last resort.

Trand stood up weakly, and looked at the Duke with great determination, as if it was the moment before the suicide was about to step into the abyss.

The Duke was also taken aback by the boy's dangerous gaze, and he opened his eyes wide in bewilderment.

But the child did not do something terrible, on the contrary, he dropped his dignity and fell powerlessly before the Duke.

"Please...save Egg..."

The boy knelt on the ground, gave up his usual pride and self-confidence, and begged an adult more powerful than himself:

"You are His Majesty's confidant... If you said it, His Majesty might consider it, please... save Egg, and don't let His Majesty exile him. He is just a child, and he must be a convict in the ice field. will die..."

The duke was shocked and wanted to pull the boy up from the ground quickly.

Trander couldn't get up, and grabbed the Duke's wrist tightly:

"I know that you don't want to take the risk of offending His Majesty, and the Egg family has nothing to do with you...but...but..."

The boy continued, sobbing:

"I beg you...save him...I can do whatever you want, and I will do anything. Even if I have nothing now, as long as you ask, I will definitely satisfy all your wishes in the future, and I will do anything Here... please..."

The Duke was in a hurry, and quickly pulled Little Trand up from the ground:

"Hey silly boy, what are you talking about! Of course I will do my best to save Yi Ge, you two are my friends! Why would I ask you? You are a child who is working so hard to save Yi Ge, and I alone Do you still want to negotiate terms with you!"

"Do you really want to..."

"Why don't you want to! Do I want to watch an innocent child be exiled because of political involvement? I don't think His Majesty is willing to do this, but someone must step her down, and she can't take the initiative to pardon Egg's crimes Well... how about it, I'll ask His Majesty, shed a few more tears, and at most she will scold me. Others can at most laugh at me. Anyway, I have a thick skin... as long as I can save that child Egg. "

"Thank you……"

Trand struggled to recover.Perhaps it was because he was with the Duke that he was able to show helplessness and sadness in front of adults like a boy of his own age.

The Duke patted the boy's head distressedly: "I'm going to the palace to beg Your Majesty right now. Good boy, you've worked hard, leave the next thing to the adults."

Trand calmed down:

"Even if His Majesty agrees to your request in private, she will ask the princes for their opinions at the imperial meeting. Because the nobles jointly rebelled before, what His Majesty needs now is to stabilize the pure-blood nobles and regain the loyalty of several major families. "

"Oh, that makes sense, so what?" the Duke pondered like a serious apprentice.

"That's why I need to use my relationship to greet the ministers attending the imperial meeting in advance and gain their support. If most of the nobles support the pardon of Yi Ge, then His Majesty will be happy to agree if there is a step. As far as I know... …Besides the Gorgon family, several other nobles participated in the rebellion, but His Majesty did not move them at all, probably because he had reached some kind of agreement with the nobles in private."

"That's right, the poor earl was the only one who was executed..."

Trand nodded:

"Yes, His Majesty deliberately killed the Earl to deter these conspirators, and then gave them mercy... In this way, His Majesty may forgive Egg, which will show the subjects that she is merciful, and can also appease the pure-blood Sibyl. noble."

"Oh," the Duke began to take notes, "I'll tell His Majesty that in a while..."

Trande shook his head: "You don't need to say this, His Majesty must be aware that she is such a smart person...you just need to follow your own way."

"Okay, then I might hold her knees and cry..." The Duke pouted, "I can't help it, things about the elderly and children always make me emotional."

"There is also Egg's grandfather—the Duke of Swards is a powerful general who suppressed the rebellion this time. You are very kind to His Majesty. The Swards family certainly does not want Egg to die...I will go to see Egg. Grandfather, please support us too."

After some discussion, the Duke and Trande decided to split up.The duke was in charge of going to the emperor to ask him to forgive the son of Count Gorgon.In the name of the Duke of Ulkan, Trande lobbied the nobles attending the imperial meeting.

It's a pity that Trand's plan completely failed.

When the nobles heard that the visitor was just a boy from Heipixi Plateau who was from a humble background and an ordinary knight squire, no one wanted to see him at all.Some nobles were kind-hearted and reluctantly agreed to see the boy, but when they heard that the other party's request turned out to be to plead for the son of a traitor, they immediately drove the boy out of the house.

The door was shut again and again, cursed and humiliated again and again.

There was nothing Trent could do. Even if he knelt down to those adults and begged that he could give anything, even if he made the most bottomless promise, no one would really look at him.

The boy was humiliated and silently swallowed his anger and tears.

He remembered again that before his mother died, their mother and child had no one to rely on, and could only beg for a little charity from the lord.

It's the same now, no one cares about him, no one treats him well.But Trand didn't care anymore.

He just wanted Egg to live.

From that moment on, the question that haunted Trand's life was literally born:

"What kind of strong person do I have to be to protect the one I love? So that I won't be taken away by others?"

The Duke, on the other hand, is faring well.

As soon as he met the holy Sibyl Emperor, Mr. Kaloyalo showed the most wonderful storytelling skills in his life, moving with emotion and understanding, and when he told the story of a little boy raising a cat, he himself unexpectedly Start to wipe away tears.

The imperial ladies were at a loss and watched His Majesty's reaction nervously.

The emperor remained calm and listened to Kaloyalo in silence.

"Your Majesty, that boy knew nothing of his father's crimes... Poor boy, he was devastated by the loss of his mother."

Caloyalo felt that the emperor was a little impatient, and he decided to finish with only ten words:

"Ego is a kind and gentle boy. He neither bullied others nor blasphemed the gods... The sins of the parents should not be passed on to the children. If an innocent child is to be punished for the mistakes he never made, then Each of us is guilty, for there is no one whose ancestors did not have blood on their hands... Our empire was built in blood, and the existence of mankind is sustained by the blood of dragons. If sin is sustainable, Your Majesty Yes, then our suffering will never end."

As soon as this remark came out, the female officials in front of the imperial court were shocked. They did not expect the duke to be so stupid: such words were tantamount to threatening the emperor to make a compromise in disguise.

The female officer Wernali couldn't bear it anymore, and said sharply: "Duke Vulkan, please drink something and rest for a while!"

"I'm not thirsty yet, what can I say..."

The Duke didn't understand the look at all, but he took a few sips of the delicious wine and started eating peaches again.

"..."

The female officer Verneri was desperate, seeing that Kaloyalo started to eat peaches on his own in front of the imperial court.

The emperor was not angry, but just watched the pet cat eat with interest.

The Duke found that everyone was watching him eat, and suddenly felt embarrassed, swallowed the peach in a hurry and almost choked.He patted his chest and said, "Your Majesty, I'm sorry, I'll continue!"

"Say no more, Kaloyalo."

The emperor sighed, his tone quite gentle.There are only the duke and the court ladies who are close to him here, all of whom are old friends, and she herself is relatively relaxed.

"I still remember...that kid once won the championship in a martial arts competition, and it is indeed a good sword."

After speaking, the emperor was tired, and was supported by the female officer back to the inner room to rest.

With these words alone, even a person like Kaloyalo, who is extremely politically insensitive, understood what the emperor meant:

She would forgive Egg if the conditions were right.

The duke hurried back and relayed the words to Trand verbatim.The two saw hope again.

"Your Majesty has acquiesced, as long as the nobles give her a step down."

"Yes...but our lobbying is fruitless."

"There is one more person, if he can be won... the other pure-blood nobles will have the courage to agree to forgive Egg's sin."

"Egg's grandfather? Could he possibly agree?"

"It has to be agreed."

Trand immediately took the duke's handwritten letter and went to meet the old aristocrat known for his impartiality—the Duke of Swalders.