The Two Brothers Reunite
Karl's footsteps caught the female student's attention. She gently tugged at the mage's sleeve and whispered something.
The mage's thoughts were interrupted, and he slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Karl who was approaching.
Karl also took this opportunity to see the other person's appearance more clearly.
The mage looked to be around thirty years old, with delicate features. His complexion was somewhat pale due to his journey or simply due to magical effects. He had a high nose bridge and was quite handsome.
But what truly stirred Karl's heart were those eyes—deep gray eyes, calm yet sharp, revealing a penetrating insight—and the contours of their brows...
A vague, indescribable sense of familiarity washed over Karl, as if he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.
The mage was also quietly watching Karl, his gaze calm and serene, yet seemingly able to see through appearances.
The two stood a few steps apart, silently gazing at each other.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, with only the faint sounds of soldiers cleaning up the battlefield in the distance and the low rumble of thunder in the dark clouds above as background noise.
The two students standing nearby glanced at the mage, then at Karl, their eyes darting back and forth between the two men, filled with curiosity and doubt.
Suddenly, the monk's lips curled up slightly, forming a faint yet meaningful smile, breaking the silence.
His voice was gentle, with a hint of barely perceptible teasing. "Karl... it seems I've been away from home for too long, traveling far away, that you don't even recognize your own brother?"
Upon hearing this, Karl was taken aback, realizing why he felt a sense of familiarity. His mind raced, searching for memories of his brother.
Karl hesitated before speaking, his tone questioning, "You... you are Friedrich?"
The mage gently shook his head, his smile deepening slightly, "Friedrich is your elder brother, the hero who aspires to become Fifth-Order Knight."
Karl, a little embarrassed, tried again. "Then... it must be Kaspar?"
The monk shook his head again, his tone more playful. "Kaspar is your second brother. He's currently in the Royal Capital, serving as the King's court writer."
Karl's expression became even more embarrassed. He gave an awkward laugh, trying to cover it up with a joke, "Haha, just kidding... I recognized you a long time ago, my brother."
He took a deep breath and finally uttered that almost unfamiliar name. "Konrad!"
He finally remembered his third brother, Konrad von Schmidt, who was a few years older than him and had shown amazing magical talent since childhood.
When he was still a naive boy, Konrad was spotted by a wandering archmage and taken to a distant magic tower in the north to study. After that, he rarely returned home, and news of him became increasingly scarce.
Unexpectedly, he would appear on the most dangerous battlefield in the Northern Territory at this time, in this way.
"My brother!" Karl opened his arms to greet him. "Welcome to Carnford! Thank you! Really, thank you so much! Without your help, we could never have achieved such a glorious victory!"
When Konrad saw that Karl had finally recognized him, a very faint smile appeared on his usually expressionless face.
But he didn't embrace Karl. Instead, he pointed to the stormy clouds overhead, his tone calm yet tinged with helplessness. "No need for a hug, Karl. I still have that sorcerer's 'parting gift' on me. This ' Soul Rot Curse ' is quite unstable; getting too close might be risky."
Karl immediately understood, stopped, and nodded knowingly. "Understood, safety first."
He turned his gaze to the two young men behind Konrad and smiled amicably, "These two must be your companions, right? Thank you both very much for your help!"
Lina gave a lively mage's bow. "Lord Karl, greetings! I am Lina, and I am happy to be of assistance!"
Morian bowed more steadily and said, "Morian, I salute you, my Lord. Your castle... is far more fortified and... orderly than I imagined."
His tone carried a hint of barely concealed surprise; clearly, the sight of Carnford exceeded his preconceived notions of the Northern Territory Fortress.
Karl smiled and said calmly, "It's all out of desperation. In dire situations, people can always unleash unexpected potential."
As he spoke, Karl looked down and saw Unag, who was already dead.
Konrad's gaze followed Karl's downwards, landing on the body lying in the mud, dressed in the uniform of the Sauron Army.
He frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of apology and explanation, as if recounting a minor accident that occurred during an experiment:
"Ah, well... sorry, it was a slip-up." He pointed to Unag's corpse. "The situation was a bit chaotic at the time, and that Sauron sorcerer hiding in the back used a little trick in the heat of the moment."
"It seems to be some kind of short-range position-swapping spell that switched his position with the officer charging ahead. My blade... well, it was originally aimed at the caster."
He shrugged, indicating his helplessness. "And that's how it turned out."
Upon hearing this, Karl simply waved his hand dismissively, his gaze still calmly scrutinizing Unag's corpse as if assessing the value of an item. "It doesn't matter, life or death is unimportant. I only need a substantial Sauron Army's head to boost morale and prove our victory, and his head is just right."
Karl's words, utterly devoid of any attempt to conceal his utilitarianism and ruthlessness, sent a chill down the spines of the two young students standing behind Konrad.
They came from relatively peaceful inland colleges; had they ever heard such blatant remarks that treated human lives as bargaining chips for military merit?
Lina's face paled slightly, and she subconsciously tightened her mage's robes. She whispered to Morian beside her, her voice filled with barely concealed fear. "My God... it seems Father was right, the Northern Territory... truly is a rugged and terrifying place."
Morian swallowed hard, nodded silently, and looked at Karl with a newfound respect and wariness.
Konrad observed the students' reactions but offered neither correction nor comfort; instead, he gave Karl an understanding yet slightly complicated smile.
He knew all too well that in this cruel land, the laws of survival were so straightforward that there was no room for futile pity.
His younger brother had clearly grasped this point deeply.
Karl then gestured for them to leave. "Alright, this isn't the place to talk. The smell of blood is too strong. If you don't mind, please come with me to the castle to rest for a while. We can talk at our leisure."
Konrad nodded. "Alright, I did have something I wanted to talk to you about."