The tent was filled with noise. Nail, who was lying on his bunk in a daze, turned his head and saw a corner of the thick curtain being lifted. Iron Axe bent down and entered the tent.

"Co-Commander," he didn't expect the commander of the First Army to visit him. He quickly sat up straight, saluting.

"No need to be so polite," Iron Axe walked to the bunk and sat down cross-legged. "How's the injury?"

"It's not a big problem, just lost two teeth," Nail touched his still swollen cheek. "It doesn't hurt much anymore."

"That's good," Iron Axe nodded. "Nana Waxiaojie has been too busy these days, so those with minor injuries can only recover on their own for now. After all the rescue is over, you can apply to Baron Payne to repair your teeth. The First Army will pay for it."

"I completely understand. This little injury doesn't need to bother her. After all, Nana Waxiaojie is also very tired..." Nail hesitated slightly. "I wonder how Hound is..."

Hound was the one who snatched the spear from his teammate and knocked him unconscious with the butt of the spear. The scene of the other party aiming the spear at him was still fresh in his memory.

"Don't worry, he's fine," Iron Axe comforted him. "He was knocked down by the Guards the moment he raised his gun. Plus, the act of attacking his teammates was not voluntary, but forced by the Pure. So there will be no punishment. He has now returned to the team and is participating in training."

"Is that so..." Nail breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought I was going to die. How about the other squads?"

According to the pre-war deployment, each bunker was equipped with two machine gun squads and a five-person Guards team. Even if the enemy approached the bunker, they had the ability to hold their ground. Apart from the two or three people in the squad responsible for transporting ammunition, everyone else wore God's Stone of Retaliation. He thought it was foolproof, but he didn't expect there to be loopholes.

"More or less, such accidents have occurred," Iron Axe spread his hands. "But it didn't cause too much harm, otherwise we wouldn't be standing here."

"The Church was driven back..." As soon as the words came out, Nail realized it was a baichi question. "Uh, I mean, what happened after that?"

"The enemy launched the final charge, but failed to cross the fourth trench. Both the God's Punishment Army and the Judgment Army were completely defeated. They left more than two thousand corpses in front of the position, and then fled in panic... We won the final victory."

What puzzled Nail was that Iron Axe didn't show much excitement when he said this, but was mixed with an unspeakable sense of heaviness. But since the other party didn't say the reason, he didn't dare to ask.

What followed was a long period of silence.

After a while, the commander sighed and patted him on the shoulder hard, "Since there's nothing serious, you should rest well. I'll go see the other injured guys."

Seeing that Iron Axe was about to leave, Nail mustered up his courage and stopped him, "Sir..."

"What is it?"

"I... I want to leave the First Army." He said in a low voice.

"Why?" Iron Axe frowned.

"I may not be able to serve as a machine gunner anymore," Nail lowered his head in shame. As long as he closed his eyes, he would always think of the scene of the young woman in the red robe being swept by the machine gun, "During this battle, I didn't fire decisively at the enemy..."

"And the target was an underage Pure, right?" Iron Axe interrupted him. "Your squad has reported to me in the post-war summary. I don't think your idea is right, but it can't be considered wrong. Now I just want to ask you one thing, are you going to betray His Majesty?"

"No... Sir, of course not," Nail quickly denied. "My whole life belongs to His Majesty."

"Then I will not agree to your request," Iron Axe said without hesitation. "Now is the most critical moment for the First Army and even Neverwinter City. I require everyone in the army to abide by their duties and protect His Majesty Roland Wimbledon, the King of Greycastle, with their lives. It's not about being able to do it or trying to do it, but about having to do it! If you can't serve as a machine gunner, you can be an observer or a protector, but you are absolutely not allowed to leave the army, understand?"

The commander's last sentence was a stern shout.

"Yes, yes! Sir!" Nail saluted.

"That's it." After saying that, Iron Axe left without looking back, but a huge wave was set off in Nail's heart.

Didn't we win? Why is it the most critical moment now? And Iron Axe so solemnly asked the First Army to protect His Majesty Roland with their lives... A terrible thought suddenly popped into his mind, could it be... that His Majesty had an accident in this battle?

As soon as this thought emerged, he felt a chill down his spine.

*******************

"How is the situation?" Calvin Cander walked into his daughter's bedroom and saw that she was packing her clothes.

"The First Army and the witches have surrounded the castle, and even I can't get in," Edith pouted. "But if he gets better, the news will definitely come out as soon as possible, so... I guess it's the same as before."

"What about you? Are you preparing to travel far?" The Duke picked out a black gauze evening dress from the mountain of dresses piled on the bed, and looked at it from side to side. "Isn't this one too revealing?"

Edith rolled her eyes. "I didn't say I was going to choose it, and wasn't this a gift you gave me? You were planning to have me wear it to Tifikos's banquet."

"Ahem... is that so," Calvin put down the dress embarrassedly. "Do you think His Majesty's men will retreat to Neverwinter?"

"Most likely," Edith stuffed her coats into her suitcase one by one. "Although the Church was completely defeated, the First Army also consumed a lot of supplies. The General Staff estimates that it will take a month to restore combat capability. It would be fine if His Majesty Roland was okay. He could just stay in the Northern Lands for a while longer, but now that he is unconscious, the morale of the army will be difficult to guarantee. At this time, Iron Axe would definitely not dare to continue attacking the Holy City. It is not difficult to guess what he will do next."

"Do you have to go back with them?" Calvin said with some worry, "If His Majesty really... has an accident, the kingdom may fall into civil strife. It would be safer to stay in the Northern Lands."

"That's why I want to go to Neverwinter even more," the Pearl of the North straightened up and flung her long hair behind her. "It has become the new starting point of the kingdom - whether Roland is there or not. And his coma is both a challenge and an opportunity for the Cander family."

The Duke couldn't help but gasp. "Do you want to..."

"You're thinking too simply," Edith shrugged. "The only one who can replace Roland is his sister Tilly Wimbledon. Apart from her, I'm afraid no one can firmly connect ordinary people and witches. But one problem is that she is also a witch, so she will need more help from ordinary people in handling noble affairs." She paused. "That person will undoubtedly be me, Father. This is the best shortcut to climb to the peak of power, and I don't want to miss it."