"With the morale of the soldiers in the camp, it is impossible for us to continue the attack."
The knight from Changfeng Castle, Clovin, spoke resolutely.
In this small stone house beside the Knight Training Ground, the fireplaces were roaring, and the cold wind beat against the windows, as if accompanying Knight Clovin's words.
Surrounding the bed of White Horse Knight Spitroch, Red Horse Knight Moro, Black Knight Heern, and the iron-masked Moliat, among other senior commanders, were present.
There was even an unexpected guest with a haggard look—Seching, who had escaped from Prince Kongdai's camp.
He was much thinner than before, even losing half a foot to a battle axe, hobbling along with a crutch.
The four knights were almost all present, with the only absence being the "traitor who surrendered outside the city."
To be honest, the low morale in the camp now stems from the internal disputes among the Mountain Knights over whether Vine had actually surrendered.
Being second in command under Moliat, Vine held an undoubtedly high position in the hearts of the mountain people.
But this surrender was too bizarre; despite rumors of a noble uprising, Prince Kongdai did not paint Vine black.
Before confirming the legitimacy of the noble uprising, Moliat could not make a judgnt.
Horn and Prince Kongdai could see the situation clearly because one was involved, and the other was an outsider.
The Church deliberately blocked information in both Upper and Lower Reif Counties, while Moliat has been busy with warfare and defending the city, leaving no reliable news to pass through temporarily.
Lakunio released rumors and smokescreens everywhere, sowhat concealing the truth of the revolt in Hotam County.
Therefore, for now, to Moliat and her army, Vine's death remains a mystery.
Moliat did not believe Vine would do such a thing, but... it happened.
This sense of collapse, along with successive defeats while fighting against Prince Kongdai, led most people into a defeatist ntality.
The silence in High Castle City now is proof; it used to be a place of raucous clamor, yet now it is as silent as death.
Casualties of nearly 1,500 Mountain Knights,
Most of the local knights from Shangruifo County fled, the White Horse Knight was severely injured with a broken arm, and Moliat was unhorsed in full view of the public.
Although Prince Kongdai withdrew the day before yesterday, the knights had already equated this expedition with failure.
Their biggest wish now is to return ho.
After Knight Clovin's lengthy monologue ended, the White Horse Knight on the sickbed barely lifted his head: "Your Highness, if I am wrong, you may correct , but has that dog Charles been promoted to Great Knight?"
After half a minute of silence, Moliat finally admitted: "Probably, at least he drank the second bottle of Dragon Potion."
She could see that, although she had no idea where the Nine Dragon Potion ca from, Prince Kongdai was indeed on the path to becoming a Great Knight.
And it was the most extre kind, trading lifespan for strength.
Moliat's grandfather, Antoine, was a Great Knight, so she was too familiar with Great Knights.
But the difference was that Antoine was a Holy Knight of the Falan Royal Family.
He not only had the precious potion that extended his life but also had monks of the Great Shepherd level bestow precious long-term blessings upon him.
So he could maintain his consciousness and suppress the toxicity, enjoying the longevity benefits that ca with the promotion to Great Knight.
He could even father a daughter, Louise, at 105 years old with his third wife.
However, when his only daughter's identity as a witch was exposed, he had to withdraw from the competition for the throne, exchanging his lands for those in Thousand River Valley.
This naturally led to him losing his saintly blessing, turning into soone who couldn't even steady himself with a cane.
By the ti Moliat was born, Antoine had completely lost his cognitive abilities, becoming a fat old man who played with her daily.
Only when Little Moliat practiced swordsmanship with Antoine and was defeated ten tis in a row by his muscle mory while his eyes were closed did she realize what kind of person her grandfather had once been.
Clovin continued speaking incessantly: "The war is unmanageable now; if we continue, I fear there will be traitors among our knights, just like that Vine..."
Upon hearing this, the senior commanders furrowed their brows simultaneously, and Clovin seed to realize his faux pas, quickly forcing a smile to smooth things over.
"No, Vine is not a traitor."
Clovin, unfamiliar with Seching, rely chuckled awkwardly, saying nothing.
To admit he misspoke was one thing, but to admit Vine wasn't a traitor would be overturning his own conclusion.
"Listen to ," Seching shouted nearly at Clovin's face, "He is not a traitor; he is a hero."
This sudden outburst left everyone in the room stunned; Seching was not soone prone to emotional outbursts, rarely seen losing his composure.
With reddened eyes glaring at Clovin, Seching took out a crumpled letter from his clothes and handed it to Moliat.
"This is Lord Vine's last letter," Seching took a deep breath.
"Last letter?" The bedridden White Horse Knight suddenly lifted his head, "Wasn't he assassinated? How is there a last letter?"
Moliat hesitated to pick up the letter, almost afraid to open the light envelope.
Opening the envelope, gazing at the lines of cursive on the paper, the Female Grand Duke forced herself to control her slightly trembling hand.
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