Lance Is Dead! Bring the General's Body Back to the Northern Frontier!
Arrogant!
Overbearing!
Act recklessly!
Those nobles, ministers, and lords who supported and rallied around him must have had these thoughts in their minds when they heard what the man sitting on the city wall said: they must have thought that the man was simply incapable of doing this.
Only she, the princess, knew that the man on the city wall was simply stating a fact.
If the king of this kingdom were not his elder brother Andre, he would truly have the power to destroy the Ander Kingdom, or plunge it into endless war.
Barbarians.
The Barbarians outside the northern border were his backup plan.
With his death, the Barbarians outside the northern border no longer had any concerns; they would directly launch a massive military offensive against the northern border.
There was one thing she couldn't understand: how did the person sitting on the city wall manage to send news of his death to the Barbarians?
He was the biggest corrupt official and the most ruthless traitor in the history of the Ander Kingdom. He was also the most talented corrupt official and traitor in the history of the Ander Kingdom. He was both literate and martial. If he hadn't been transferred back to the Eternal Capital back then, would things be different today? He is still the god of war in the hearts of the soldiers of the Northern Frontier.
There's one more thing she doesn't understand.
Why? Why does this person only have eyes for her brother, Andre? Is she, this princess, so terrible? So terrible that he doesn't even want to look at her? So terrible that he'd rather face death than leave her?
The members of the Bronze Bounty Guild were also captivated by the old man in the white and gold robe before them.
The old man is usually free-spirited, carefree, and greedy. But once he gets serious, he becomes domineering, unreasonable, and tyrannical.
This domineering yet incredibly charming nature of the old man, despite him being a villain, deeply moved Andre, who was standing nearby. Lance's kindness towards him was entirely selfless.
"Teacher, we still have the strength to fight back. You don't need to do this. With your abilities, we can definitely turn the tide and win."
"Indeed, you are right. If I wanted to, we might be able to turn the tide of the war. But if I did that, countless people would die in this pointless war, including the Northern Frontier Army below, the excellent sheriffs of the Eternal Capital, and the loyal soldiers and generals on the walls of the Eternal Capital. The Northern Frontier Army is the elite of the kingdom and was once my comrade-in-arms. I am greedy, but I never kill my comrades."
I also don't want to see those excellent sheriffs and subordinates of the Eternal Capital die under the onslaught of the Northern Frontier Army.
Upon hearing Lance's words, the Northern Frontier Army below the city wall all silently lowered their heads.
That man, once the God of War of the Northern Frontier, when he took off his platinum robe and put on his armor, no one on the battlefield could defeat him head-on.
They all had the courage to draw their swords and fight King Andre, but they might not have the courage to fight this man on the city wall.
It's not that I'm afraid of dying.
If they were afraid of death, they wouldn't have chosen to wear this armor and fight against the Barbarians who raided the northern frontier year after year.
"Teacher"
Sitting on the city wall, Lance turned to look at Andre, and patted Andre on the shoulder again. "After I leave, you will definitely become the most outstanding king in the history of the Ander Kingdom."
With a smile, Lance praised Andre, then leaped off the city wall.
"No!!!"
Andre exclaimed in surprise and reached out to grab it, but missed. Just as he instinctively tried to jump down, he was caught by several generals from the military headquarters.
Upon seeing this, the members of the Bronze Bounty Guild did not hesitate and jumped off the city wall. They could not stand by and watch the old man go to his death alone.
Seeing his teacher land safely on the city wall, Andre pushed away the military general who was holding him and breathed a sigh of relief. His teacher was alive and hadn't died from the fall. Seeing the Bronze Party members jumping off the wall one by one after their teacher, Andre's eyes showed surprise. Weren't they afraid of death? Below the wall, Lance glanced at the Bronze Guild members who had landed one after another, then turned to Princess Elsa riding a fiery red horse and said to the Bronze Guild members behind him, "I said no one here can judge me. My fate is in my own hands."
So far, you've done well. Now, you don't need to interfere in my fate. You can leave here as well. Let me walk my own path from here on out.
With his back to the Bronze Guild members, Lance raised his right hand, waved it a few times, and strode toward the tens of thousands of the Northern Frontier Army and Elsa.
"Grandpa, we..."
"Stand there and see me off on my final journey."
Elsa, dressed in fiery red armor, saw Lance walking towards her, dismounted, and handed the horse to one of her personal guards.
"Your Highness, you..."
"He won't kill me. Pass down the order: no one is to act without my command."
"Yes."
Elsa looked at Lance, then walked towards Lance. Soon, they were face to face, sizing each other up.
Can I ask you a few questions?
"Ask away."
"If Father had made you my teacher back then, would you have protected me as you protected my brother, Prince Andre? Would you have been willing to launch a coup and bear the infamy of a traitor in order to put me on the throne?"
"If your father had chosen you to inherit the throne and appointed me as your teacher, I would have protected you just as I protected Andre, and I would have used the same methods to put you on the throne."
As for the infamy of being a traitor, I do not agree with it, because from beginning to end I have always been a corrupt official who was loyal to the emperor and loved his country.
Your father chose Andre as his successor and asked me to be his teacher, hoping to better cultivate this successor. However, as your father grew older, his attachment to power caused him to lose his mind.
He used you, the second in line, to restrain and suppress the successor he had previously chosen. Only I remain true to my original intention and wholeheartedly carry out the decision he made back then.
Staying true to his choice back then. Having gone this far, do you still think I'm a traitor?
"."
Princess Elsa, in a daze, forced her father to abdicate and made her brother Andre inherit the throne. Was this because he was loyal to the king and loved his country?
I wanted to accuse him of making excuses, but upon closer examination, his claim of being "loyal to the emperor and patriotic" didn't seem problematic. "When I met you, you weren't yet my brother Andre's teacher. When I returned to the Eternal Capital, why didn't you choose to support me? You knew perfectly well that if you had chosen to support me then, your fate would have been different."
"It makes no difference. Choosing you will still kill me; the only outcome will be that you will order my death."
"If you weren't greedy, I wouldn't have sentenced you to death."
"It turns out I'm greedier than you think."
"Come back to the northern frontier with me. I have a way to save your life. You saved my life once and let me go once. Even if you are a corrupt official or a traitor, I still have a way to save your life."
Those rumors were not spread by me, but by the nobles, ministers, lords, and merchants who had submitted to me.
From beginning to end, I have only two goals: to become the Queen of the Ander Kingdom, and to make Andre hand you over, so that you will regret not choosing me back then, but choosing Andre instead.
I've thought about everything, but I never considered killing you. Do you believe me if I say that?
Lance smiled and nodded, "I believe you."
"Then come back to the Northern Frontier with me. Your threat just now was enough to intimidate those nobles, lords, ministers, and merchants who support me and want to put me on the throne."
"Yes, I am going back to the Northern Frontier, but I want to be carried back by my comrades there. I just don't know if they will still be willing to see this traitor and corrupt official off on his final journey."
Princess Elsa's eyes showed confusion and bewilderment. She had already said all this, so why was this person still so determined to die? Why did he have to choose this fate? "Why? Why must you choose this path? You can live. I have a way to make you live."
"It's impossible. If I don't die, it will affect Andre's rule. Now, everyone in the Ander Kingdom knows that the current king's teacher is a traitor, a corrupt official, a dog who takes bribes and causes countless families to be torn apart. Those nobles, ministers, lords, and merchants who want me dead will not be at ease. They will continue to cause trouble. Only when I die will they be at ease, and only then will the people in the Ander Kingdom not be misled by them."
Princess Elsa understood; it was indeed true. Even royalty could not ignore the overwhelming public opinion.
But she felt that Lance's insistence on dying was not just because of these reasons, but must have a deeper one.
What was it? What deeper reason made Lance so determined to face death? When Princess Elsa's eyes inadvertently swept over her brother Andre on the city wall, in that instant, she understood. She knew why Lance was so determined to face death.
For Andre!!! For my brother Andre!!!
He wanted to use his own death to accelerate his brother Andre's growth, so that Andre could become a truly qualified king! A qualified king cannot only be kind but also have ruthless methods. Lance dying in front of him would definitely stimulate Andre and cause Andre's personality to change drastically.
Once Lance is dead, she will lead her troops back to the northern frontier. Those nobles, ministers, lords, and merchants who drove Lance to his death will be purged; they will definitely not survive.
Andre will make them pay for their teacher's death!
In Andre's mind, his teacher was greedy for money, but he never thought of killing them.
Those thieves who voluntarily paid money to avoid disaster ended up driving his teacher to his death; killing them would not appease his hatred.
Princess Elsa gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with jealousy and hatred. Wasn't she afraid that Andre would become a tyrant, willing to sacrifice her own life to accelerate Andre growth?!
hatred.
She hated it so much.
Why was Lance released back to the Eternal Capital back then?
Why didn't Lance reveal his identity back then?
Why didn't you go back to the Eternal Capital with Lance back then?
If, if, if she had randomly chosen someone back then, would it be the person Lance is now risking his life to protect? Jealousy!
She was jealous of her brother, King Andre. Why did Andre have to meet someone like Lance?! Her talent surpassed that of her brother, King Andre, so why did Lance risk his life to stubbornly support him?! "Do you want Andre to become a monarch Andre indiscriminately kills innocent people?!"
"Shh," Lance put his hand to his lips, gesturing for Elsa to speak softly, "Andre will not become a monarch who indiscriminately kills innocent people. After I die, all those he kills will deserve their fate."
A qualified monarch should not only possess benevolence, but also authority and a touch of ruthlessness. Those people rushed to give me money, I accepted it, and did their bidding. Afterwards, however, they harbored resentment and sought opportunities to kill me. Actually, I'm not a very magnanimous person; in fact, I'm quite petty. They wanted to put me to death. I didn't kill them; I left them to my students, to help them become qualified kings.
Do you know what kind of flower this is?
A brightly colored, lotus-like purplish-red flower appeared in Lance's hand.
"God-Devouring Blood Lotus!"
"Yes, the legendary poisonous flower that can kill dragons. Those nobles, lords, ministers, and merchants should recognize it. After I die, tell Andre to write in the history books: 'Andre The great corrupt official was hanged.'"
As he spoke, Lance plucked a purplish-red lotus flower and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. He swallowed one, two, three pieces. Almost half of the [God-Devouring Snow Lotus] was gone. Princess Elsa, seeing black blood trickling from the corner of Lance's Lance, reddened her eyes. She had tried to snatch the [God-Devouring Snow Lotus] from Lance's hand, but failed. "Goodbye Elsa."
Then she watched helplessly as Lance slowly ate half of the [God-Devouring Snow Lotus].
Watching Lance's life force grow weaker and weaker.
Watching blackish-red blood continuously spill from Lance's lips, dripping onto his platinum robe, watching Lance slowly close his golden-red eyes with a smile on his face, watching Lance left hand, holding the [God-Devouring Snow Lotus], slowly fall to his side, watching Lance's head slowly lower until—
There was no sign of life at all.
Tears streamed down Elsa's cheeks. "Lanlan... Lance... Ru... If there is an afterlife... If in the next life we can meet again... Can you... Can you look at me? Can you... Can you... Stop being a corrupt official? Can you..."
"Grandpa!!!"
When the members of the Bronze Bounty Guild saw the old man's drooping left hand and his slowly lowering head, they realized something and rushed towards him. When Meredith, Louis, Dalton, Bazel, and the other members of the Bronze Bounty Guild saw the white-gold robe stained with black and red blood, and the black and red blood dripping from the corner of his mouth from time to time, their minds went blank.
They couldn't believe it, they couldn't believe that the old man had died right before their eyes. "Old man..."
Watching the old man leave with a smile on his face, Meredith and Annie could no longer hold back their sobs.
Standing on the city wall, Andre heard the cries of the Bronze Guild members and saw his teacher Lance's head bowed in that instant.
Everything went black before my eyes, and I fainted.
Fortunately, there was a pharmacist on the city wall who used medicine to wake Andre from his coma.
"Old... where's my teacher? Where's my teacher? Oh, I remember... my teacher is outside the city! Don't help me up, move aside, I need to find my teacher! My teacher is waiting for me under the city wall! I need to see my teacher! Get out of my way!!! I'm telling you all to get out of my way!!!"
"Your Majesty, you mustn't go! You mustn't go! There are rebels down there! If you..."
"Get out of my way!!!"
Kicking the official blocking his way, Andre stumbled down the city wall and, under the protection of the Bronze Army, arrived at the city gate. "Open the gate! Open the gate quickly! My teacher is waiting for me outside!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down."
"Open the city gates!!! This is the Royal Decree!!!"
Faced with Andre's bloodshot eyes, the soldiers guarding the city gate dared not disobey Andre orders and opened the gate.
Andre stumbled and ran toward where his teacher Lance, was.
The military general, the soldiers guarding the city, and the sheriff all followed.
"Teacher, I'm here. I'm here. I'm here."
Stumbling and scrambling, Andre pushed aside the members of the Bronze Guild and came to his teacher, Lance.
When he saw the dark red blood spilling from the corner of his teacher's mouth, he felt dizzy again and almost collapsed to the ground.
"Teacher, I'm here! Open your eyes! I've made a lot of money while you were away. How about we split it equally when I get back? I'll give you a bigger share this time. I won't fight you for it, okay?"
Open your eyes, teacher! It's not dark yet, you can't sleep now. Don't sleep, I'll give you all the money I've earned recently, all of it, okay? I won't share it with you, teacher. Teacher, open your eyes! I can give up this kingship, I can give it to Elsa. Didn't you say you were going to build a huge manor so that I and Meredith could retire there?
I'll fix it for you, I'll pay for it, okay? Once it's fixed, I'll take care of you in your old age. I won't be busy anymore, I'll go fishing with you. Teacher, please don't sleep, I beg you. If you don't wake up soon, I'll take all your money, not a single coin will be left, your little treasure trove, your little treasure trove. Your... ahh...
Andre completely lost control of his emotions. He was filled with hatred! He hated that he, as king, couldn't even protect his own teacher! He hated that his throne was bought with his teacher's life! Northern Frontier Army Elsa, those nobles, ministers, lords, and merchants who spread rumors, went back on their word, and drove their teacher to his death—die!!! I will make you all die!!! "Lance is dead!"
Princess Elsa took a few steps back, raised her gun, and shouted.
boom--
Tens of thousands of the Northern Frontier Army faced Lance and knelt on one knee at the same time.
"The Northern Frontier Army —Welcome General Lance back to the Northern Frontier!!!"
"The Northern Frontier Army —Welcome General Lance back to the Northern Frontier!!!"
"The Northern Frontier Army —Welcome General Lance back to the Northern Frontier!!!"
After three cries, a group of the Northern Frontier Army clad in heavy black armor rose from their ranks, approached the dead Lance, and knelt on one knee once more.
"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. General Lance's dying wish was to return to the Northern Frontier after his death and be buried on his favorite scenic mountain. Please, Your Majesty, do not obstruct him."
Ignoring the Northern Frontier Army, Andre cut a piece from his royal robe with his greatsword, walked up to Lance, and carefully wiped the blood from his teacher's mouth.
"Teacher, please walk slowly. Soon, many people will come to accompany you. I will renovate your manor even more magnificently than you can imagine. Once it is finished, I will go to the northern frontier to bring you back."