Mount and Blade

Several people strode to the canteen of the Fire Dragon's Nest. A wild boar caught in the nearby forest this morning had just been processed and was just enough for their dinner. As long as they started drinking, they felt that time passed quickly.

Green and Baziso had been doing physical training for the past month, and the figures of several people heading to the canteen were naturally seen by Green.

... Edward and General Kirstin are back.

I don't know if Edward has decided to confess to Hickel. Green decided to finish training with Baziso early today and then find out the latest news.

When Green and Baziso finished today's special training, Green simply wiped off the sweat on his body and asked Baziso to run to the canteen to collect today's meals.

At this time, the canteen had been reserved by Gurenberudo and others. General Kirstin was almost drunk, and all the soldiers were eating and chatting around the campfire outside the house.

Even though Green and Baziso finished their training early, they arrived a little later than the soldiers, but the canteen would not lack their food.

The two received a pheasant and berries unique to this season, strawberries being one of them.

Just as they were about to leave after receiving their meals, they saw the drunken Kirstin entangled with Gulenberudo. An old man who was almost two meters tall was entangled with a 2.7-meter-tall strong man like a child making trouble.

"You are my son after all, right? Why don't you call me dad!"

"General Kirstin, you are drunk." Gulenberudo was still as old-fashioned as ever, with no expression on his face.

"You are really stubborn! Don't call me general, call me father!!" The drunken Kirstin began to play tricks.

It was the first time that Green and Baziso saw the old man Kirstin throwing a tantrum on Gulenberudo like a naughty boy.

"But..." Gulenberudo was a little helpless.

Green and Bazso were laughing on the side. They had never seen General Kirstin so funny.

"It seems that the general is too happy today." Bazso whispered.

Green nodded, "Let's not disturb them here."

The two quietly left the cafeteria. The bonfire outside reflected the happy faces of the soldiers, and laughter and singing echoed in the night sky.

Seeing that General Kirstin was already drunk, Hickel and Edward also left, giving the two some time to be together.

After all, when Kirstin was drunk, being alone with Gulenberudo was his happiest time.

Green and Bazso found a quiet corner and enjoyed their dinner.

Green was more curious about the progress of Edward and Hickel. He chewed the tender and delicious pheasant in big mouthfuls, chewing quickly, and staring at Edward and Hickel who had just come out of the cafeteria door.

The gossiping mind simply could not stop, just like when a former roommate has a girl he likes and wants to pursue, everyone turned into a military strategist to analyze the current relationship situation.

Edward, who has always been perceptive, naturally noticed Green, who was looking at him unconcealed in the corner not far away. He dodged his eyes for a moment, but pretended not to see him.

He finally had some time alone with Hickel. As for what he mentioned to Green last time, he had been thinking about expressing his feelings to Hickel since he returned to the capital, Norudkahuati.

...I don't know how many times I have rehearsed it in my mind.

...But the frequency of my heartbeat still unconsciously became flustered.

Fortunately, Hickel, who drank two large glasses of malt liquor, did not notice Green and Baziso in the corner today. The two walked towards the tower.

Seeing Edward evading like this, Green became more and more curious and almost couldn't help but rush up to ask what was going on. However, he knew that he couldn't rush over so rashly. After Edward and Hickel walked a distance, Green tore a piece of chicken and stuffed it into his mouth, and then stuffed the rest of the roast chicken to Baziso.

"Mud... wings, Wo... oil food."

Relying on his small size and inconspicuousness, Green sneaked over and followed the two people. As expected, the two went to the tower.

Green had a hunch that Edward must have something to say to Hickel today. After the two went up for a long time, Green hesitated and pretended that nothing had happened to enter the tower.

...It seemed that the two went to the watchtower. Green squatted on the stone steps below the watchtower quietly and pricked up his ears to eavesdrop.

Hickel and Edward came to the watchtower of the tower. At this time, the night completely enveloped the earth.

The entire Fire Dragon's Nest was surrounded by mountains, and the sky looked like it was framed.

Soldiers were drinking and having fun around a bonfire in the open space of the fortress. They were the subordinates carefully trained by Grunberudo, Shikle, and Edward.

The three of them liked to stand on a high place and overlook the fortress. The quiet evening breeze blew Shikle's long silver-white hair, and the fragrance from those hairs made Edward feel much better.

"Shikle." Edward called Shikle's name for no reason. No... there was still a reason, but his heartbeat was too fast now. If he didn't calm down, he might not even be able to speak clearly.

They were childhood sweethearts before they became Judah's captives. They grew up together since childhood, and the parents of both sides also planned to arrange a baby marriage for them when they grew up.

But everything was left unresolved due to the interference of complex factors such as Judah's capture, Furda's marriage, and military service.

"What's wrong?" Shekel's snow-white skin and face were slightly flushed due to the smell of alcohol, and she asked in a very normal way.

But in Edward's opinion, she was too beautiful and charming. His heartbeat, which had finally calmed down, was out of rhythm again, so he had to clear his throat.

Normally, he could look at Shekel openly, but when the two of them were alone, he dared not look into Shekel's blue eyes.

The words of that night echoed in his mind, as well as the conversations he had thought about hundreds of times in his mind.

Edward, under the influence of alcohol, decided to muster up his courage, "I remember, your birthday is coming soon, right?"

Green, who had been eavesdropping for a long time, only heard Edward say these two words, and couldn't help but feel anxious for him, and his fists clenched.

After hearing this, Shikel was stunned for a moment, and then he noticed that Edward was looking at him. When did his childhood friend look at him so seriously?

"Yes, I didn't expect you to remember it."

"Of course I remember it." Edward smiled, and gently stroked the lines on the stone brick with his right hand, as if he finally found some courage to face Shikel.

"Before, there were many wars in the Fire Dragon's Nest and many chores on my shoulders, so I rarely brought you some interesting gifts." Edward opened the cloth bag around his waist. It was a silver necklace with a water blue gem inlaid on it as a pendant. The gem was surrounded by gold ornaments made of elves and horns.

And that horn means "the horn of the dragon slayer", representing the Principality of Grant.

At that time, the tribal chiefs who slayed the dragon became nobles, and the warriors who slayed the dragon were worshipped as kings. In order to commemorate the ancestors who defeated the evil dragon, the horn that summoned all the tribal warriors became the royal flag emblem of the Principality of Grant.

The warriors who participated in killing the dragon were allowed to drink the dragon's blood. Legend has it that the warriors who drank the dragon's blood formed the so-called "sea bear tribe" when they woke up the next day. They were strong and powerful, and their bodies were amazingly tall, with flaming red hair.

"This is as compensation for the previous, and... this birthday gift." He looked at Hickel quietly, his eyes full of tenderness.

Hickel was slightly startled, and her water-blue eyes were stunned without blinking, as if she didn't react. This was not like the Edward she knew.

No, maybe it should be said that she hadn't seen Edward like this for many years.

He... now overlapped with the little Edward with twinkling eyes.

Hickel was in a trance for a moment, remembering that when he was a child, under the big tree in his hometown, Edward, who had stained his silk clothes in order to pick fruits for himself, also had this smiling face now.