"Braveheart"? Sounds like a film that would help the war effort! / A film with multiple protagonists? War from different perspectives

"I gave some of these candies to some of the children; there aren't many left. I hope this will be helpful to you."

"Thank you, I feel much better."

After tasting the last bit of sweetness in her mouth, Horn felt a little better. Seeing that Horn still seemed to be under a lot of pressure, Lavshini couldn't help but say, "I know you're sad, but we all have to be strong."

"No... I just feel... perhaps the Bloodborne Archon is right." Horn shook his head with a wry smile and replied.

"When we retreated from Doren County, less than one-tenth of our infantry battalion survived... But after watching 'Darkest Hour,' as the acting battalion commander, I actually dragged my comrades, who had barely escaped the battlefield, back into this hell once again..."

"And in just a few months, I've discovered... my willpower isn't as strong as I thought."

"I brought them here, but I couldn't take them away... I dragged them back to hell... I should have come alone."

"--But I think the fact that they're willing to follow you to this hell shows they're prepared to face the same challenges as you." Lavshini sensed the sorrow in the Horn and couldn't help but offer words of comfort:

"Moreover, I think we still have hope. For example, what if that director Chen Qi makes another film to support us, like 'Darkest Hour'?"

"Director Chen Qi?" Horn had naturally heard of the name, but upon hearing Lavshini's somewhat naive words, she couldn't help but shake her head.

"Don't be silly. A movie like 'Darkest Hour' is already a rare find. Without this movie, Victoria might not have even made it this far; she might have already surrendered."

"Moreover, the war nowadays... can't be solved by just making another movie. Besides, it's only been three months since 'Darkest Hour' was released. How can a movie be finished so quickly? Even if Director Chen Qi is a genius, he'll run out of inspiration and need to think things through sometimes, right?"

"... But my sister and I both think he's omnipotent."

Lavshini, however, had a different perspective. She couldn't help but think of her sister—who had originally been just an ambitious woman, someone who was determined to build a nation for the Tara people.

However, thanks to director Chen Qi's work, her sister has undergone several dramatic changes. To this day, her sister has even forgotten about the Tara dynasty and is fighting for Victoria —even though she has never experienced the treatment of a crown princess for a single day, she is still fighting for Victoria.

This gave Lavshini a strange superstition about Chen Qi... She believed that if Chen Qi knew what was going on here, he would definitely change everything in his own way.

Just as the two women were talking, suddenly all the artillery fire above stopped abruptly. For a moment, everyone looked up in confusion, their expressions filled with suspicion.

The artillery fire from the Ursus Army Group is certainly less intense, but it never stops; it only involves large-scale bombardment at fixed times. But to be completely silent like this... feels subconsciously strange.

"--All Ursus and Victoria soldiers, listen up! We are members of the Notary Office from Laterano. I hereby inform you that your war has been going on for several months."

"And today is the day His Holiness the Pope extends an invitation to all nations to attend the Summit of Nations. The Pope has obtained permission from all the leaders of all nations. The Lord does not wish to see bloodshed, and today is a day of truce."

"--A day of truce? Never heard of that. What exactly are these aura-wielding Sankta trying to do?"

However, on Ursus's side, the viscount who was commanding the battle within the city immediately had a bad feeling about this, but when the officer beside him asked whether they should comply, the viscount was helpless.

"We can't go to war. Putting aside everything else, the Sarkaz are incredibly devout in their faith and their defense of God. I don't want to go to war with them."

"A ceasefire is a ceasefire, it'll only last one day! I don't believe these Sarkaz can cause any trouble in just one day."

"All artillery and sniper operators, pay attention to the sky! If a parachute drops, shoot it down!"

The Viscount, of course, hadn't forgotten how the first time a single film, "Darkest Hour," directly impacted the entire war, and now, seeing Sarkaz's arrival again, he reflexively sensed something was amiss.

However, if it's just firing and shooting down parachutes, it's not a bloody conflict. It's neither war nor injury, and it won't affect the course of the battle.

However, what the Viscount didn't expect was that he didn't see the parachute this time because the videotape wasn't delivered by Laterano —they really had only come to announce the truce this time.

Chen Qi also "coincidentally" sent the videotapes to Londinium via Penguin Logistics. Now, many Sarkaz transport teams have sent large quantities of videotapes to various parts of Victoria, including the front lines!

Chapter 107: Braveheart? Sounds like a movie that's good for war!

"What exactly are these Laterano trying to do?"

"Who cares what they do? The Viscount has ordered that any parachute supplies discovered be shot down. We must not allow a movie like 'Darkest Hour' to affect the course of the war again!"

"* Ursus profanity*! That director Chen Qi, is he discriminating against us? Is he Infected? Why does he have such a big problem with us Ursus? His movies are either anti-us or slanderous!"

However, when the people from the Laterano Notary Office arrived at the scene, all the soldiers of the Ursus Army Group changed their expressions upon seeing the Sarkaz, clearly recalling the "pleasant memories" from a few months ago.

The film "Darkest Hour" turned their three-nation offensive into a protracted war. Kazimierz was so frightened that he considered it a victory after making a quick buck, leaving them to face the buffed Victoria alongside the weaklings of Leithania.

Now that Laterano and his group have returned, it's hard for Ursus's side not to suspect that these people are once again favoring Victoria's side.

I'm so angry and cold. What did Ursus do to you? Why are you being targeted at every turn?

However, this idea was just a thought for the members of the Ursus Army Group. The Sarkaz hadn't made any moves yet; even if they wanted to shoot down the parachutes, they'd have to wait for them to deploy first.

"The people of Laterano... what exactly do they want?" Meanwhile, on Victoria's side, some people gradually returned from the sewers to the streets, watching the Notary Office personnel guarded by the Pontiff Knight high above. Horn couldn't help but ask:

"They shouldn't be able to get involved in this war, but repeatedly siding with Victoria's side... isn't that inappropriate for them?"

"--Don't worry, they have plenty of reasons this time. These traitors are only truly devout to 'that' they believe in. This truce is just a pretext."

However, while the Horn was still filled with doubt, the Bloodborne Archon had already unknowingly returned to the surface from the sewers. He was clearly aware of what agreement Theresis had reached with Chen Qi in an attempt to end this endless war.

Although the Bloodborne Archon was not optimistic, he didn't mind if it was just a one-day truce to see how things went.

"Think about it, our people should be arriving soon."

"Who is it? Reinforcements?" Horn heard the Bloodborne Archon's mutterings and asked subconsciously. However, at that moment, the Bloodborne Archon seemed to sense something and cast his gaze in a certain direction.

Soon, all the Victoria who emerged from the sewers heard the sound of conveyor belts turning. Before long, they saw a rather large land vessel sailing towards them from the other side of the gate, amidst billowing dust.

The landship had just arrived at its position when groups of Sarkaz began to emerge. However, it wasn't just Sarkaz; there were also quite a few Victoria, but judging from their makeup, these Victoria looked more like construction workers.

"Your Majesty, as instructed by the Regent, we have arrived with the Victoria Engineering Corps." A Sarkaz mercenary immediately approached the Bloodborne Archon and spoke:

"And there's the projection screen, the projector, the videotapes... they can start working anytime."

"Then let's do it." The Bloodborne Archon nodded and casually ordered, "Build several sufficiently large open-air cinemas. Oh, and remember to build a few for our Ursus friends' faction as well."

"Don't worry, tell those Victoria construction workers they'll be fine. Nobody dares to kill anyone today, not even those from Ursus, unless they're prepared to fight Laterano."

"I have only one requirement: these projects must be completed before dark, understand?"

"Yes." With the Bloodborne Archon's order, the Sarkaz began to work in an orderly manner. Several teams of Sarkaz, leading the Victoria Engineering Corps, started working first, while another team piloted the land ships and headed towards the Ursus army.

"... Is this a movie directed by Chen Qi?"

Upon hearing about the construction of an open-air cinema and the screening of movies, Horn immediately understood that the only person who had ever received such high-profile cooperation from Sarkaz and Sarkaz was the mysterious director Chen Qi.

However, this time, upon hearing that Chen Qi's film would not only be shown here but also sent to Ursus, Horn began to worry—after all, she couldn't fathom Chen Qi's personality; in Horn's view, Chen Qi was a rather capricious and mysterious figure.

He could accelerate the division within Victoria with a TV series, then rekindle hope for everyone in Victoria with a movie, and now another movie... Horn's truly unbelievable what he's trying to do.

"He's an enigmatic person... He clearly possesses the talent to shake the earth, yet he's unwilling to carry out such an action." The Bloodborne Archon also held some personal opinions about Chen Qi, this "friend of the Sarkaz"... He didn't deny Chen Qi's talent, but lamented that Chen Qi was destined not to become one of their Sarkaz, while Theresis needed to rely on his talent.

The Bloodborne Archon had suggested that he directly inject the Bloodfiend Demon bloodline into Chen Qi's body, making him a true member of the Sarkaz. In this way, the Bloodborne Archon could confirm that Chen Qi's talents could be used by the Sarkaz.

And from then on, no one in this land, except the Sarkaz, could accept him. After all, Bloodfiend was notorious among the Sarkaz, a fact that Bloodborne Archon was well aware of.

Unfortunately, Theresis did not adopt this plan, but instead gave Chen Qi considerable respect... Now the Bloodborne Archon had no choice but to treat Chen Qi as a "friend".

"He truly opened my eyes, so this time, a movie ending a war—such a feat is unprecedented, and I'm looking forward to it."

The Bloodborne Archon said calmly. As an immortal being, Chen Qi, an ordinary person, had indeed surprised the Bloodborne Archon more than once. He also wanted to know if Chen Qi could end the war through means other than war itself.

Soon, with the help of the Victoria engineering team and the strong Sarkaz, open-air cinemas were slowly built on the two front lines of Victoria and in the ruins of the Mobile City. Even in the Leithania and Ursus camps, several open-air cinemas were built.

"What does this mean? Do you think we'd watch this kind of stuff?"

"Whether you look or not is none of our business." This was the response from the Sarkaz leaders on both sides when questioned by the Ursus and Leithania officers.

"We're just responsible for building it, and then we put the projector with the videotapes here. Whether you watch it or not, we can't force you."

"However, even if you don't watch, you'll probably hear the sounds from the other side. So, my suggestion is, rather than letting your soldiers be itching to see it, you might as well let them see it."

"--Who knows what movie you're filming this time? What if it's another 'Darkest Hour'?" The officers from Leithania and Ursus answered with suspicion, to which Sarkaz replied dismissively:

"If that were the case, we wouldn't have sent it to you in the first place. Why would we want to boost your morale?"

"Anyway, whether you watch it or not is up to you, we can't control you. But let me tell you, it's a good movie. The morale of your own troops has already dropped quite a bit. After fighting for so long, it's rare for you all to have some time to relax. If you hold back and cause a mutiny in the army, we can't control that."

However, Sarkaz's words silenced both sides' generals. In fact, when Sarkaz led the Victoria construction team to build an open-air cinema in full view of everyone, and even sent over the projector, the morale of their troops had already been affected.

Now everyone knows that their commander has such a thing. If they really don't show it to them, it will dampen the army's enthusiasm and morale, which is a minor issue. If they're not careful, it could cause a mutiny, and then how can they fight the next day?

But if they release it... who knows what the movie is about? Is Chen Qi really that kind-hearted as to make a movie that would benefit their war effort? Impossible!

This is a completely open conspiracy! And they have no choice but to walk right into it; the other party has already come right up to them!

For a moment, looking at the already built open-air cinema, the projector left behind by the Sarkaz, and their own troops watching helplessly... even if the officers of Leithania and Ursus wanted to order the open-air cinema to be blown up, they couldn't bring themselves to do so.

"Well, let's just wait and see. Things can't get any worse than they are now, anyway."

Since the Sarkaz Legion joined the fray, the casualty and crippling rates of both armies have increased several times over, putting immense pressure on their logistical systems. At this point, a way to relieve mental stress would be beneficial for the army.

--No matter how amazing Chen Qi is, they're still at war, right? He can't possibly ruin the morale of their elite troops with just one movie, can he?

With this idea in mind, the Ursus and Leithania armies, as well as the Victoria Legion on the other side, all arrived at the open-air cinema at this time. In reality, it was just a simple facility with only two tall supports for the screen, and there were no seats available, so everyone sat on the ground.

As the projector rotated, everyone saw the movie title displayed on the screen, and this title immediately relieved those who had been worried it was a trap.

--Braveheart. It sounds like the name of a movie that inspires everyone.

Unbeknownst to everyone, in their moment of thinking this, they had already fallen into Chen Qi's "trap." Their momentary lapse in vigilance cost them their last chance to refuse to watch the film...

Chapter 108: A Movie with Multiple Protagonists? War from Different Angles

[A few days after Carl set off, the war escalated... I was also forced to be transferred to the front lines. I knew the dangers there, but I had no choice.]

[I hope I can come back alive... and Carl too. I hope we won't be enemies on the battlefield in the future.]

[And Marie and the children... I sincerely hope they'll be alright on the farm while Carl and I head off to the battlefield. I hope the war won't reach them, and that fate will be kinder to these innocent people.]

Judging solely from the title and the initial plot, you might find it difficult to consider "Braveheart" an anti-war film. While the opening scenes are somewhat oppressive, this is typical of most war movies, and therefore not particularly noteworthy.

Many of the dialogues and voiceovers in this film are presented in the form of diaries and letters, which help the audience understand interpersonal relationships, the current situation, and psychological descriptions. In just the first few minutes, the background and interpersonal relationships are clearly introduced to everyone.

Therefore, when viewers of "Braveheart" see Margaret's character, the son-in-law "Carl," and Młynar's character, "Emil," both forcibly drawn into the battlefield due to their respective positions, they cannot help but feel moved, even if it seems commonplace.

"Do we have to become enemies who turn against each other just because we have different stances?"

"We enlisted voluntarily back then, didn't we? But now it's wartime, and the dukes are all mobilizing. Although many people are signing up one after another, there are probably some who are forced..."

Near the Horn, several Victoria soldiers couldn't help but whisper among themselves. One of them glanced at the silent Sarkaz mercenary beside him and asked:

"And what about you? I've heard that most of the Sarkaz are mercenaries, right? Is that the case where you are?"

"... To be honest, I've never met my parents. I've been a mercenary since I can remember." The Sarkaz, without blinking, replied, "So I don't feel anything. All these years have passed, and I don't even know if I killed my parents during any of my missions."

"The conditions in Kazdel are far harsher than you imagine. There's no such thing as voluntary enlistment. If you want to survive, you have to learn how to survive."

Sarkaz's words abruptly ended the conversation with his worst possible outcome, and the Victoria soldiers awkwardly turned their attention back to the big screen.

The story continues. After some basic training, Emil joins the Gaul army in a charge against the Leithania army. Emil's role is that of a standard-bearer, a crucial duty for any unit. During a charge, the bloodthirsty soldiers rely solely on the flag to determine the direction of the main force; as long as the flag stands, the army's spirit will not falter.

Emil, who was in this position, was naturally in great danger. Facing the Leithania army, the Gaul who trained them led the charge into the enemy lines, but the Leithania army was well prepared. What awaited them was the Leithania sorcerer order.

Despite the relentless bombardment of the Originium Arts by the warlocks, the bravery of the Gaul leading the charge could not prevent him from being killed by Originium Arts.

Emil, a veteran with extensive combat experience, was still incredibly agile despite his advanced age. Everyone held their breath as they faced the barrage of Originium Arts.

"Charge!!" Emil roared as he charged forward. The front lines of Leithania were right before them, and everyone was hoping that Emil could charge into the enemy camp and fight bravely.

Just as everyone was thinking this, a burst of Originium Arts instantly focused on Emil in the movie. With a gush of blood, Emil's body immediately collapsed to the ground.

Without any dramatic turn of events, and unlike the protagonists in those superhero movies who fight on even after being shot or stabbed, Emil, struck by the bullet, simply fell into a pool of blood, like an ordinary, nameless soldier, leaving everyone in the movie stunned.

[There are no heroes on the battlefield, I know that very well.] Emil's voice slowly drifted out in the movie, as the camera focused on him being shot in the shoulder and falling unconscious on the battlefield.

[Even if you risk everything, you can't change the course of the war. Everyone is just struggling to survive until the next second. I have no desire for glory or medals; I only hope I can live until the war ends.]

As the camera slowly zooms out, more and more of the corpses of Gaul gradually come into view, a scene that leaves the audience, who were hoping that the protagonist, Emil, would stand up, in silence.

It turns out... there are no protagonists in war. The protagonist might be the lucky one, but not the invincible one. As long as one is made of flesh and blood, one can be injured and die. In war, everyone is equal.

[Miss Marie, Private Emil of the 150th Infantry Regiment, was wounded in battle on August 21st and captured by the enemy. Hopefully, we can get news of him soon.]

In the blink of an eye, the daughter on the farm received this letter from the front lines. This turn of events was truly unexpected, and whispers had already begun to circulate among them.

"No way? Emil, he's really dead? Isn't he the main character?"

"You didn't look closely. He's not dead, just captured, but it looks like it'll be hard for him to escape."

However, before the soldier could finish his discussion, the camera panned to reveal a Sarkaz wielding a halberd.

This Sarkaz also appears in the first few minutes of the film. He is a mercenary who came to participate in the war, but he was discriminated against by some Gaul because of his race. In the film, Emil, played by Młynar, helps him out of this predicament, and the two have a brief encounter.

[I arrived in Gaul at the beginning of the war. Some Sarkaz said I was crazy. I was lucky among them; I had a wife and a family, and I had clearly earned enough money to leave the battlefield.]

[But I've returned, as a Sarkaz mercenary, to punish those who ruined my life.]

"Oh? Isn't that Wendigo? He's in a movie too?"