Calvin faced the man before him, whose aura seemed utterly unremarkable. Yet, the palm of his hand gripping his Knight’s Sword was sweating profusely, as if he were holding not cold steel, but a red-hot branding iron.
At this moment, so tense it felt frozen, Arthur spoke, his hoarse voice shattering the silence between the four of them.
"You didn’t go support the fortress?"
Lid slowly drew the rapier from his waist. The blade glinted coldly in the gray mist. He said faintly, "It seems you know exactly what’s happening over there."
"Unfortunately for you, the Extraordinary stationed in the Stormlands aren’t just Dominic and Simo. And it’s certainly not just me."
He faced the three of them, his voice reaching each of them clearly. "Go back. You’re not going anywhere today."
Calvin’s heart sank. A premonition of disaster coiled around it. ’Something terrible is going to happen at the fortress.’
So he tightened his grip on his Knight’s Sword and said in a low voice, "I don’t think so. Arthur, now!"
"Mm."
Frost instantly spread out from Arthur, blanketing the ground around him. He took a step forward, his opening move a wide, sweeping vertical slash.
The heavy Knight’s Longsword in his hand was instantly coated in frost, bringing with it a bone-chilling wind as it descended on Lid’s head.
At the same time, Calvin slid to Lid’s side like a panther. His hand had barely left the ground from the low slide when his Knight’s Sword was already slashing diagonally toward Lid’s chainmail-covered waist.
The two of them, one from the front and one from the side, worked in perfect coordination, sealing off most of Lid’s room to dodge.
"Too slow," Lid said suddenly, his voice as calm as if he were stating a fact.
The next moment, his figure blurred into an afterimage. The seemingly delicate rapier in his hand erupted in a dazzling flurry of cold light, like an ice flower blooming and withering in an instant.
CLANG!
Calvin felt an indescribable, immense force slam into him, as if he’d been hit head-on by a Northern Transport Beast at full charge.
He didn’t even see how his opponent had managed to parry and counter-attack. He was sent flying uncontrollably, crashing hard onto the ground several meters away. The impact sent a violent surge through his chest.
Meanwhile, Arthur, who had launched the frontal assault, was forced back several steps before he could steady himself. The Gloomy Blue Soul Fire beneath his helm flickered violently, betraying his inner turmoil.
And all of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Hiding in the back, Glen was startled by the fight that had started and ended in an instant. He quickly ducked back behind the door, peeking out with just half his head to whisper a cheer, "Mr. Arthur, Mr. Calvin, you can do it!"
Lid didn’t even spare him a glance, as if he’d had no interest in the young man from the Xuebei Clan from the very beginning.
He lowered his rapier, his gaze falling on Arthur. A hint of surprise tinged his voice. "You can follow my blade?"
Arthur was about to speak when a sudden, searing heat flared in his chest. The Sunflower felt as if it had come to life, burning intensely.
It was like a restless flame flickering inside his cold breastplate, bringing with it a sensation he had almost forgotten... a palpitation, like a heartbeat.
His silence made Lid chuckle, a hint of understanding in his smile. "It seems you’re quite wary of me."
"Of course, if I were my old self, I would be just as cautious when facing a Fallen Knight in service to a Demon."
Calvin struggled to his feet, wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, and walked over to Arthur’s side. He faced Lid once more and asked in a low voice, "What do you really want?"
Lid’s expression remained perfectly calm. "I’ve already told you. I wouldn’t have the same patience for anyone else, but since you’re Calvin, I don’t mind repeating myself."
"You have two choices right now. Either you stay here and go nowhere, or you defeat me here, fair and square."
"I’ll give you time. If you’re not ready, then go back."
As his voice faded, the three of them once again fell into silence, with only the gray mist flowing soundlessly around them.
Calvin could see that Arthur seemed to be out of sorts and chose not to attack immediately.
His eyes were fixed on Lid, not missing a single subtle movement, trying to find a potential opening.
Glen, however, who was still hiding in the back, grew pensive. His gaze shifted back and forth between Arthur and Calvin, as if he were deep in thought.
After a long while, Lid reached out and casually crushed a wisp of gray mist that had drifted before him. Then he said something that seemed to come out of nowhere:
"It seems autumn is coming."
"The gray geese of the Northern Territories will soon fly south, to the even more southern nations, to pass the winter."
Glen peeked his head out again and asked in a low voice, "Do you mean... we should go back in the autumn?"
Lid ignored him again, simply gazing up at the gray, mist-shrouded sky. He seemed to be muttering to himself, yet also as if he were recounting a distant story:
"I remember, the year I turned eight, Duke Deer was escorted to the Royal Capital and never returned to the Northern Territories. I didn’t understand anything back then. I just obliviously followed my family as we migrated south."
"I was even excited, thinking I could finally be like the gray geese and fly to the warm south for the winter. I dreamed of leaving the deep snow that held every footprint, of getting away from the irritating snowflakes that always found their way down my collar, of escaping the cold that seeped into my bones, and of the stifling boredom of being cooped up in a dim house for most of the long winter... I fantasized that once spring came and the flowers bloomed, I’d return to the home I knew so well."