"Here is..."

"Well... the western border of Closberg, the Belgarde Gate." Heliga pointed out the window. At this moment, he and Fei were sitting on the train to Baryahat, with the striking golden military horse and white stand-alone. The coat of arms of the horned beast is clearly visible, "After passing through here is the Galeria Canyon, where the empire defends the Republic's backing, the Galeria Fortress."

"It's too exaggerated." Seeing the outline of the huge steel giant across the canyon from a distance, even Fei exclaimed.

"Several elite mecha divisions are permanently stationed...including the empire's most prestigious fourth mecha division. And..." Heliga paused. "The two powerful guides deployed here just recently Power train cannon."

"Can the entire Crossbell be destroyed in two hours... indeed, it is terrible." Fei has also heard such rumors. "It's no wonder the people of Crossbell are hostile to the empire."

"The same is true for the Republic. Although they did not deploy such things as train cannons, they have also been watching Crossbell for a long time, and all kinds of conspiracies and small tricks have never stopped." Heliga is accustomed to this, "Great power. The game between...hey, it's hard to say...oh, here it is."

During the conversation, the train had passed through the mighty valley and gradually moved towards the fortress made of steel. Here, the train will be subject to the most basic inspection, and passengers are not allowed to get off and stay here or take pictures. A few minutes later, the train started again, and it even felt faster than other times. It seemed to be anxious to escape the steel cage.

"The destination is... Bariahat, right?"

"Well... it is a large city in the southern part of the empire that is called "Emerald Prince" and is dominated by nobles. It is also the capital of Kruchen Region, and the ruler of this state, the Albarea family is also located there. How to put it, it is a city full of luxury and aristocracy... it doesn't fit our style very well. Fur and jewellery are abundant there. Although the quality is high, the price is difficult to bear. "

"Your hometown is further south, isn't it?"

"Well. Because there is no direct train, so I have to transfer to Bariyahat. Of course, if you like, we can also transfer in Bariyahat first. Although the noble residents there are not very friendly, but There are still some nice people in Artisan Street."

"...Forget it, let's go early." Fei has no interest in this kind of city, "I am more worried than that..."

"Ok?"

"……It's nothing."

Fei seemed to be troubled by something, tilted her head to one side and stopped talking. Heliga's eyes rolled and she understood Fei's inner thoughts.

"Indeed, if you are a mother, you might be shocked if you know your background and experience. But your father will definitely not care about this little thing." Heliga smiled and patted Fei on the shoulder, "No matter what What happened, Fei is now my companion."

"...Hmm. I will introduce myself well."

"Ok."

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"Well... the air of nostalgia. This place still hasn't changed much." After a few more hours of turbulent driving, Heliga finally set foot on the land he had missed for a long time. Still the feeling of clouds and mist, still the kind of humid air.

"It's a very clean town." Fei looked at the clean streets and buildings. "It's just... it seems that something is missing?"

"Yeah... I don't think it's as lively as I thought." Heliga murmured, "Well, let's talk about this later, let's go back first..."

"Oh, isn't this young master?" Not long after he walked out of the station, an enthusiastic uncle recognized Heliga. "It's been two years, right? It's a sudden return."

"Ah, you are the uncle Yatru of the fishery." Heliga still remembers this uncle who was enthusiastic and responsible, "Are you okay?"

"Well...In the past few years when you were away, a lot of things have happened." Unexpectedly, the uncle did not show a particularly happy appearance, "I am no longer working in the fishery...because...hey, forget it. , I can’t say clearly about these things. You should ask your Excellency the Viscount..."

"Ah...oh..." Seeing the other party's apparent hesitation and stop, Heliga frowned. What happened?

Later, when Heliga was walking on the way home, she also met some childhood acquaintances. Although everyone seemed to be as enthusiastic as before, the atmosphere became weird as we chatted, and the topic couldn't continue. With this sense of doubt, Heliga finally returned home——

The courtyard seems to have not changed at all, but it also has a little more deserted meaning.

"Father, I'm back." Seeing the middle-aged man walking out of the house, what emotions rushed into Heliga's heart? He himself is not very clear.

"...Welcome back. Heliga. You...have grown up." The burly Warners looked much older for some reason at this time, but his enthusiasm for his son did not weaken. "However, it seems that there is no What does the letter tell me in advance?"

"Well... something happened before, because a series of things were too shocking, so I forgot this detail..." Heliga scratched her head awkwardly, "Right, father, this is..."

"Philip. Faye Kraussell." Faye stepped forward, with a determined look that she could not tell that she was actually a lazy girl.

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"Heliga, did you notice it too?" After a simple greeting, Warners called his son to the study alone, with a serious expression.

"Well... Everyone has become a little cold for some reason." Heliga nodded, "What's wrong?"

"No way, the economy is in depression, and their days are... well, not so happy." Warners smiled bitterly, and for a moment seemed to be a few years older, "As for the reason...I miss you I can guess it too."

"...Is the Duke of El Barrea's house?" After a while, Heili Kaleng spit out a name.

"Yeah... you know that the duke's family has always been dissatisfied with our family who has taken a neutral stand. It is not that you have not seen their methods before you leave. Because of their intervention, our economic development here has continued. Decline. So under this situation, not long ago, I finally agreed to the terms of the Duke’s house."

"Standing nobles...?"

"Hmm...Don't show that expression, Heliga." Warners touched his son's head lightly. "In a sense, I, who forcibly fought the Duke, caused them to live in the eyes of the people in the town. One of the factors that is not good. The relationship between the lord and the lord has changed, and it involves many aspects. It is not so easy to control. I also communicated with other neutral nobles and saw this. , I realized how much damage my previous protests would cause to the territory as a whole. Of course, there are also special cases, such as Shu Huaze’s family, which has a good relationship with the royal family, and the Alside family, which is well-known in the martial arts world. Not involved in these things."

"Father... you... worked hard." Faced with this fact, Heliga didn't know what to say.

"In short, this matter will pass immediately. As long as the duke's family no longer uses their tricks to interfere with our economic development here, people's living standards should be able to return to normal." Warners waved his hand, "Then , My son... let me hear what you have seen and learned during the two-year journey."