NOVPUB"According to the Supreme Command’s battle report, in the past 24 hours, over 25,000 members of the Kingdom Association Allied Forces have either died or gone missing, and the enemy’s advance is swift, starting from Holsen and continuing furiously northward, pushing our forces back step by step. Meanwhile in the north, the enemy’s 4th Army Group also broke through our blockade near Ilis Province and is heading straight for Austin Port."
"General Albion, the Supreme Commander of the South, made a speech this morning, calling for all citizens and soldiers of Poson to unite with a single heart, swearing to resist the invaders to the end. He emphasized that although we are currently in a difficult situation, as long as we keep resisting, the dawn of victory will eventually come. Let us join hands and welcome the final dawn together!"
The presenter’s voice choked up, unable to suppress the sorrow and anger within.
The broadcast then played the stirring "Song of Glory"—
"Forward, forward, brave warriors!"
"Hold high the banner of justice and truth."
"With our blood and lives, let us compose an immortal anthem to the heroes."
"Death requires courage."
Lanci lowered his head for a while then returned to the dock.
He sat silently alone on a bench, facing the morning sun and the sea breeze.
The setting sun’s afterglow brushed the slowly flowing river, turning its surface golden. The clouds on the horizon were dyed crimson by the sunset, reminiscent of the color of dawn.
Lanci sat alone on a long bench in a simple white shirt, his face marked with sadness and bitterness, his eyes tearful and resentful as he gazed into the distance, as if reminiscing about the times spent in Ichrite.
The music from the church behind him was tender and distant, as if groping lonely in the dark for a path forward, speaking not, just walking, not knowing how far away the light might be.
The surroundings, because of his silence, seemed exceptionally quiet, with only the occasional bird calls and the voices of children in the distance.
Beside the riverside in the sunset, on the bench, the breeze fluttered his hair and the corners of his robe, yet he remained motionless.
"Lanci miaow..."
Cat Boss raised a paw worriedly and gently patted Lanci.
It was the first time it had seen Lanci like this.
However, Lanci shook his head to signal to Cat Boss that he was alright.
He picked up the small cat and looked into the distance.
"Think positive, Lanci miaow, maybe Loren isn’t dead. After all, he’s so strong, perhaps he really found a way to escape. Moreover, the Cerryti Empire’s public declaration of Loren’s death might just be to demoralize our side. And there’s more..."
Cat Boss didn’t know how to comfort Lanci anymore.
It could only take out the Imitation Stone Tablet-Wind and stuff it into Lanci’s hands, hoping it would provide him some solace.
Although those killed by the Twelve War Gods don’t leave behind any corpses, one cannot claim that Loren has hope just because his body wasn’t sighted.
If he held on to this hope, perhaps the day when the War Gods of the Cerryti Empire use the Original Tablet of Wind, he may suffer another more despairing blow.
Lanci looked at the Imitation Stone Tablet-Wind, clutching it tightly, then he raised his head.
"I’m going to Cerryti, don’t worry."
His eyes, the color of fresh green, reflected the setting sun and the river waves, and the opposite riverbank,
"I will keep going."
"Only if we are on the same path, will we eventually meet."
"When the day of victory comes, I will visit you."
He muttered firmly.
"I will carry on Loren’s name in the Cerryti Empire and see his will through to the end."
Who he was speaking to with those final words, perhaps he himself did not know; perhaps it was to himself, perhaps to the Hutton Kingdom, or perhaps to the Goddess of Destiny.
"..."
Cat Boss watched Lanci.
It’s well-known that there are two Lorens in this world.
When public Loren disappeared, it was up to the hidden Loren to take strong action.
"Wait, Lanci, what if he’s not dead..."
Cat Boss suddenly felt worried.
It feared that even if Loren was still alive, if Lanci took his name and went too far in the Cerryti Empire, then even then, Loren might not dare to show himself.
