Message for Qian II

Effram wanted to say something more, but suddenly noticed that Brando was staring at him coldly. He hurriedly shrank his neck and swallowed the second half of his sentence back into his flesh-filled belly. The envoy convoy continued forward, driving past the Imperial soldiers and refugees. Most of them remained silent as their gazes passed over those shivering men, women, and children. Yinide, the ducal daughter from Viero, sensed that the atmosphere within the procession was somewhat eerie. The little loli from House Goran-Elson tightly held her wet nurse's hand, looking rather timid, while Aike, who closely followed behind Brando, wore an eager expression. He looked like he wanted to help those refugees, continuously casting his gaze toward Brando, yet he failed to obtain permission. The non-commissioned officer from Yanila Su followed behind him, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist, his gaze fixed solely upon those Imperial soldiers.

Chiara, on the other hand, looked on with cold detachment. This little girl, wearing a grotesquely oversized scholar's square cap, stood beside Yinide and watched all this with a coldness that surpassed her age, though an expression of irony toward Effram and the others occasionally flickered across her expression. As for Charles, Hypamira, and Medisa, the three of them had their own thoughts upon seeing this scene, yet they all stood behind Brando, waiting composedly for orders. Meanwhile, Yuta merely frowned slightly as she looked at these refugees; she had already witnessed scenes of this nature far too many times in this kingdom.

Brando, however, did not even glance at these refugees, nor did his gaze linger on those Imperial soldiers for even a second. He pressed his lips together and, with a cold face, led the convoy through the midst of the chaos. Those