Cecilia was indeed tired.
When Lita escorted Cecilia to the room they would be sharing for the night, Cecilia could barely keep her eyes open. Lita had to help the half-asleep Cecilia remove her many layers of heavy clothing. By the time Lita hung the snow-damp clothes on the drying line near the fireplace in the corner of the room, Cecilia had already curled up on the bed like a little kitten.
Lita sat down softly at the edge of the bed, looking down at Cecilia. For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether Cecilia was genuinely exhausted or if she had done something wrong that made her throw a tantrum. Although Cecilia was usually calm most of the time, this was the Northlands. Spending too long in the freezing snow was bound to build up stress. Besides, they had just experienced an extraordinary battle. Who knew what was going on beneath Cecilia’s composed exterior?
Lita could never forget the day she had caught Cecilia secretly crying. Just a few hours before that day, Cecilia had been testing her with complete ease. It wasn’t until Lita noticed Cecilia’s breathing gradually even out and her shoulders rise and fall slightly that she was convinced Cecilia had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Truth be told, Lita was also very tired. Not long ago on the battlefield, she had nearly died twice. But the intensity of the fight had left her no time to dwell on the fear. Compared to the skirmishes with bugs and low-level demons, this was a real battlefield. The fact that one misstep could mean death was an established reality. The only reason she could still lie here was because she was stronger than others and luckier than others.
Lita thought about this and then tapped her own head, muttering to herself, “The Northlands are terrifying. I’m actually thinking about things like this.”
Thinking too much wouldn’t change anything anyway. Better to conserve her energy. Lita climbed onto the bed—Cecilia’s bed. Although the room had two beds, the one meant for a full-grown man to stretch out was large enough to accommodate both herself and Cecilia. This was all thanks to Cecilia’s petite frame, so even when squeezed together, Lita didn’t feel cramped to the point of having nowhere to go.
Even so, Lita still wrapped her arms around Cecilia from behind, pressing them closer together on the not-so-large bed. In her drowsiness, Lita felt Cecilia turn over in her arms and then curl her entire body into Lita’s embrace. Was she cold? Lita wondered. She shifted half of the blanket that was over her onto Cecilia, trying to give Cecilia some warmth this way.
“Mom…”
From within her arms, Cecilia occasionally let out a faint murmur. Lita said nothing. She simply held Cecilia tighter, listening to the sleep-talk coming from beneath the blanket. As for the thought that Cecilia also had a side like this, Lita was already used to it. If anything, it was precisely because Cecilia had this side that Lita had developed such a strong desire to protect her. Lita gently patted Cecilia’s back through the blanket, while keeping her own eyes closed, resting and recovering her weary spirit.
“Lita…”
Lita heard a call. With her eyes still shut, she softly replied, “Lady Cecilia, I’m here.”
She waited for a long time, but there was no follow-up. Confused, Lita cracked her eyes open. In the moonlight reflected off the snow, she saw Cecilia’s sleeping face curled up in the shadows.
“Lita…” Cecilia called out again softly, as if she had already sensed Lita’s gaze. In her sleep, Cecilia pressed even closer. The hand that had been curled in front of her suddenly reached around to Lita’s side, making Lita tense up in surprise.
“Don’t go…” But there was nothing more. Cecilia simply held Lita like that, letting out an extremely faint murmur.
The morning in the Snowfield seemed to come earlier than elsewhere. The faintest light had barely appeared outside when Lita already heard the sounds of people moving about. But Cecilia still hadn’t woken up, so Lita continued to rest with her eyes closed. Given the harsh conditions of the Northlands, being able to sleep in a bed for a whole night was already a luxury. She had to take this opportunity to recover her energy as much as possible.
It was nearly noon when Cecilia finally opened her eyes. Lita wet a towel with hot water she had fetched, wiped Cecilia’s face, and then helped her change clothes before they left the room.
This was the first time Lita had seriously looked at this stronghold. Calling it a stronghold felt a bit off. During yesterday’s battle, Lita had seen the defensive structures on the Great Wall and the special designs meant to repel foreign enemies—such as the impressive four-layered gate. But when Lita entered the stronghold, she noticed that there was almost no defense on the inner side of the Great Wall. There was only a three-meter-high wall made of bricks frozen with hot water, a gate made of thick logs tied together with hemp rope, and a solitary watchtower.
It wasn’t that there was no defense; it was just better than nothing. ‘Put the good material where it’s needed’—that was probably the idea.
This stronghold was actually very large. The warehouse, barracks, training ground, and mess hall each took up considerable space. But their scattered arrangement made the entire stronghold seem a bit desolate. However, the midday sunlight reflected by the snow made up for it, giving Lita a warm feeling.
After having lunch in the mess hall—bread and stew—it was time for more serious matters. Guided by a soldier, Cecilia and Lita arrived at the meeting hall. Several people were already seated inside, discussing the casualties of the camp. Seeing them arrive, a soldier immediately ran out to notify the others. Before long, a few more people entered one after another. Everyone took their seats around the table, while Lita stood behind Cecilia.
Lita noticed that, aside from Brownie, whose status was comparable to hers, there were also a dozen or so others standing off to the side. Among them, Lita recognized a few as the Rangers who had come with her. From this, she inferred that most of the Rangers were probably here.
Once everyone was seated, Cecilia spoke first: “I apologize for making you all wait so long because of me.”
As soon as Cecilia finished speaking, several people immediately chimed in:
“Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess has traveled a long distance; she truly needed a good rest.”
“If not for Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess’s strategic help yesterday, the losses would likely have been even greater.”
After all, not everyone’s constitution was the same. Not everyone could fight their way out of a swarm of bugs like Lita, rescue Promi on the way, drag away two Night Commanders, fight Momoka, and finally take off one of the Night Lord’s claws.
“Enough.” Brandon cleared his throat, silencing the voices below. “Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess, your arrival made a completely different outcome for yesterday’s battle. If not for your and your knight’s assistance, the losses would have been unacceptable.”
He then turned his gaze to Lita and gave a slight nod. “Miss Lita, I have no way to repay you for saving my life. From now on, if you and Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess have any needs in the Northlands, the Snow Family will do everything in our power to help.”
At these words, another murmuring broke out. First, because most people either hadn’t been able to personally witness the battlefield or the situation there had been too urgent for them to see what was happening on Brandon’s side. Second, because Brandon’s guarantee actually carried far more weight than it sounded.
Seeing the shock on everyone’s faces, Brandon took the opportunity to explain the situation of the past few days, while also reporting the battle situation to those who didn’t yet know the full picture:
“Two nights ago, we received intelligence that a Splicer had appeared outside the Great Wall. I immediately led four Rangers and a unit out to engage them at Wind Rest Valley. We successfully killed the Splicer.”
After Brandon finished speaking, Brownie took over: “Yesterday morning, the Big Eater began attacking the eastern side of the Great Wall. I sortied with Her Highness Rosalia, drove back the Big Eater’s group, and cut off both of the Big Eater’s arms. I doubt it will pose a threat anymore.”
Brandon continued: “After that, last night, the Skeleton Mountain and Earthshaker forces launched a joint attack on the Great Wall. I believe you all know that. On the battlefield, a completely unknown Alien Ghost appeared. I nearly died at her sword, but Miss Lita blocked the attack at the critical moment.”
All eyes fell on Lita, as if waiting for her to say something.
“Ah… ah?” Lita was stunned. Then she felt a pinch on her thigh—Cecilia had secretly given her a squeeze. But with her thick clothing in the way, it didn’t hurt much.
“Oh, the situation at the time was like this…” Lita came to her senses and described in detail what she had discovered, the enemy’s fighting style, and finally the exchange between the tall Alien Ghost and the Death Knight maiden.
“Ke Xia Er… I’ve never heard that name before. Does anyone have any thoughts?” Brandon pondered for a moment and asked.
Without exception, everyone in the room gave a negative answer. It was as if this person had appeared out of thin air.
“So, this is the first time she has appeared before us?”
“It seems so.”
“Judging from her conversation with Skeleton Mountain, it seems she unified the Alien Ghosts and orchestrated all of this?”
As everyone was discussing heatedly, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.
“No. That’s not right.” It was from Cecilia. Cecilia frowned slightly and thought for a moment. “She… she is just a sword.”