Endless Silver Machine

Silence returned to the center of the smoke-filled battlefield. Far away from the royal capital, drizzle began to fall on the frontline battlefield located in the outer circle of Tebiri. The dust flying in the air sank to the ground with the raindrops. Even so, the view was still very poor.

There are no intact buildings left standing in the center of the battlefield, and there are more ruins with only skeletons left. From time to time, they collapse due to gravity, kicking up the soil that has been mixed with the rain.

This place was immediately taken over by the army of the Tebiri Kingdom. Judging from the results, the giant magical machinery of the Bisi Empire was completely destroyed, which was a complete victory for the Tebiri Kingdom. The Bisi Empire's army will not continue to threaten the stronghold occupied by the Kingdom's army for the time being.

Although this victory came at a heavy price.

——Rescue in place now! Don't move until his vital signs are stable!

——There are two girls with him! Is the lifting gear in place? Even if you dig three feet into the ground, you have to find it for me!

——Report, one of them has been found!

The Kingdom's army first found Aika in the center of the battlefield. The Kingdom's potion magicians accompanying the army immediately skillfully built a mobile camp on the spot and treated his injuries urgently.

Aika suffered a shocking penetrating injury to his abdomen, and the soil beneath him was dyed the color of blood. When the Kingdom's army found him, he fell alone among the ruins.

Wei Xi, who was far away from Aika, was also searched by the Kingdom's army not long after. She was lying peacefully in an empty safe area in the distance, covered with a black windbreaker, as if she really just fell asleep.

But after the medical soldier initially examined her, he could only shake his head regretfully.

"Yeah……"

As an army commander who has been around death all year round, he has heard such reports countless times.

But only this time, seeing a girl about the same age as his daughter become a victim of human war, his heart, which had been tempered to a rock-hard state, suddenly trembled.

Not only that, she had no obligation to sacrifice her life for the Tebiri Kingdom, but she lost her bright future. Above her sorrow was a higher respect.

The commander stood in front of Wei Xi who fell into eternal sleep. He took off his military cap and placed it on his chest. He lowered his head slightly and closed his eyes to express his condolences for the sleeping girl in front of him.

The soldiers around the officer also imitated their superiors and put their military caps on their chests to mourn Wei Xi.

…………

This several-minute long ceremony came to an end with the sharp sound of tire friction.

A motorcycle equipped with mountain rubber tires rolled over gravel and drove towards the center of the battlefield, kicking up dirt in the air behind its rear wheels like a wild horse.

It was a military vehicle of the Kingdom's army. In addition to the traces left by years of riding on the battlefield, the surface of the car body also has new scars. You can tell at a glance that it has experienced new battles on the way here.

The dilapidated military motorcycle rubbed a deep tire mark in the wasteland, and finally broke down due to the heavy load along the way. Thick smoke came out of the engine in the front of the body, and it stopped with a harsh noise.

"The license plate of that car is the number of our camp." The commander immediately returned to the cautious attitude when commanding the army and put on his military cap again. "I have not arranged for them to come at this time."

The soldiers paid their last respects to Wei Xi, put on their military caps, and raised their guns and staffs.

The unknown driver of the motorcycle was probably snatched from the camp by hostile forces. If the vehicle was used to disguise itself as one's own personnel and penetrated inside, the consequences would be disastrous.

The car door, which was so twisted that it was unclear whether it could still be pushed open, finally separated naturally from the car body when it was opened. It would be better to say that there was some force inside that forced the door that could not be opened open.

The soldiers who raised their weapons were all tense and on the verge of breaking out. If the other party was really a hostile force, they were ready to concentrate their firepower to annihilate them. Judging from the force of pushing open the twisted car door, it seems that the other party is not an easy target to subdue.

But what emerged from the bulky military motorcycle was a girl who seemed to be just hitching a ride.

She was wearing a girly casual outfit that didn't feel like "racing against death on the battlefield" at all. Her long silver ponytail hung down from behind her sports hat. She looked about the same age as the sleeping girl they were protecting behind them. How many.

It even makes people wonder whether she personally drove the heavy motorcycle that contrasted so obviously with her petite figure all the way here from the camp a few kilometers away, and whether there were other people in the motorcycle.

Even if this girl is really an enemy force, they have never seen such a young girl on the battlefield before, so they have to hesitate to attack her out of ethics.

"Everyone get out of the way."

Facing dozens of guns and staffs aimed at her, the girl who looked to be only about twelve or thirteen years old did not show any fear at all. Instead, she was surprisingly calm, which made the soldiers feel inexplicable pressure and fear.

Every time the girl took a step forward, the soldiers holding weapons became more shaken. Many of them couldn't help but look at the commander in the middle, hoping that he would give the order. This was just a way to alleviate their own guilt out of helplessness.

It was almost time to ask her about her identity. Just when the commander had this plan, the headset received a message from the camp.

--it's me……

Listening to the report on the other side of the headset, the officer looked at the silver-haired girl who was approaching step by step.

——...Really, I understand, I will handle it here.

After ending the communication in the camp, the commander confirmed to the unidentified girl in a loud voice.

"Excuse me, are you the knight in blue sent by the Holy See, Your Excellency Liuyin?"

"I didn't bring anything to prove my identity. When I came here, I asked people from the Tebiri Kingdom to greet you in advance. Have you contacted me now?"

"It is true that I just received the contact." The commander stretched out his hand and motioned for the soldiers to put down their weapons. "I'm sorry, it's a bit rude to treat friends from other countries like this."

The soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief. No one really wanted to attack such a young girl. Especially when I had to accept the painful fact that a child of the same age passed away in front of me not long ago.

"Originally, as the head of the army, I should be held accountable for your use of force to seize our military vehicles. But you seemed to have rushed over here because you heard that we were having difficulties. I will not be concerned about your behavior this time. Investigated.”

After apologizing for the rude way of greeting him, the commander also used his identity as an army commander to warn this uninvited friend from another country. While they were talking, the silver-haired girl Liuyin had already arrived in front of the group of soldiers.

The soldiers who were more than two heads taller than Liuyin were like a high wall between her and Wei Xi, but Liuyin could see Wei Xi lying on the rock behind them through the gap between the walls at a glance.

"Xiao Xi...how is she doing?"

"Unfortunately……"

The commander did not drag his feet. He somewhat thought that the girl in front of him had some kind of connection with the girl who fell asleep forever, but he did not hide it from her.

A glimmer of light seemed to flash in Liuyin's eyes. But she quickly lowered her head and did not question him again.

The knights of the Holy See are absolutely not allowed to cry on such occasions.

If she heard this news for the first time and was unprepared, she would not have the confidence to control herself.

But while driving here, she already knew the information transmitted from the camp and the battlefield center through the car radio. What Aika and Wei Xi were going through was a life-threatening battle.

The commander also seemed to see Liuyin's difficulty. Although she didn't ask any questions, the chief told her about the other person's situation.

"The young man who was traveling with her is over there. His life should not be in danger now. There is another young girl who is following her. It is said that no one saw her boarding the airship when they set off, and there is no one in the center of the battlefield now. Find her whereabouts."

"...where are the enemies?"

Liuyin finally squeezed out these words.

"The magic machine dropped by the Bisi Empire has been destroyed by them. After that, they seemed to have had a conflict with someone else. But the process was very short. The power of destroying the magic machine interfered with our unmanned aerial vehicle. machine, so the enemy’s movements were not tracked, and no bodies were found at the scene.”

The underground system that was penetrated by Aika in a rage also sent out search teams. But apart from the ruins of the walls, the enemies who were supposed to fall to the deep underground at the same time were nowhere to be found.

Liuyin did not continue to ask. She lowered her head and took a step forward. The wall of people silently made way for her, guiding her towards the sleeping white-haired girl with her eyes closed.

Wei Xi lay on the flat rock, her black windbreaker shielding her from the smoke of the battlefield. When Liuyin met Aika in Pufa Town, he was wearing this windbreaker, so she knew that this was Aika's concern for Wei Xi.

Wei Xi was as peaceful as sleeping. If you gently pat her cheek now, will she come over in a daze?

Liuyin even harbored a glimmer of such a fantasy. I couldn't believe that she would never wake up from her sleep as those people said.

"……hiss……"

It wasn't until he came to Wei Xi in person and turned his back to the group of soldiers that Liuyin sniffed and knelt down in front of Wei Xi.

Holding the small hand exposed under the windbreaker, the cold temperature once again proved the ruthless fact to Liuyin.

At this moment, Liuyin truly realized that he could no longer feel the warmth from Wei Xi's body, and he could not even see her for the last time.

"...hiss...hiss..."

Liuyin kept sniffing to suppress the increasingly uncontrollable sobs, holding Wei Xi's weak hand against his forehead with both hands.

There were still many things he wanted to say to her... Liuyin had already thought about them all before leaving the Holy See, but he never thought that all the thousands of words would eventually be buried in his heart forever.

No matter how hard she suppressed her crying, it was completely exposed in the eyes of the adults behind her. In the hearts of those soldiers, they hoped that she could cry happily, which would make her feel a little better.

Liuyin's tears had already flowed down his cheeks, and each drop was mixed into the dust on the ground, mixed with the brown dust that had been soaked in rain.

"We are going to send her back to the camp first. If you agree, the funeral will be held there..."

"……No."

Liuyin deeply imprinted the touch in his hand at this moment in his heart, cutting off the last nostalgia.

She put down Wei Xi's little hand and stood up on the spot.

The biting cold air spread out from her whole body and spread throughout the center of the battlefield in an instant.

This is not only to keep Wei Xi, but also to freeze the magic in her heart.

If you want to keep Wei Xi in this world forever, you can only use this method.

Even if it's just for your own selfish desires.

"This...this is..."

The officers and soldiers retreated involuntarily under the pressure of the huge magic power. Even the most powerful kingdom magician in the magician army has never seen such strong magic power.

"I'm sorry...Xiao Xi, I can only do this."

As long as your heart is frozen as cold as solid ice, you can do it.

In a matter of seconds, Han Bing built a sealed ice coffin that was two people high, and contained the white-haired girl who fell into a deep sleep forever.

In the center of this dusty battlefield, the icy white coffin showed infinite sanctity and sorrow.

"As long as she stays here, you don't need to worry... Please send her back to the camp."

"Okay, we will arrange to transport it by airboat."

The ice coffin can keep Wei Xi's time at this moment forever. Perhaps it should be called the "eternal coffin".

Through the ice coffin constructed with his own magic, Liuyin can feel Wei Xi's presence at all times. But the body that can no longer feel the warmth will only stimulate Liu Yin's heart all the time. This approach is like self-abuse.

She just wanted to keep Wei Xi in this world forever.

The potion magicians of the Tebiri Kingdom have completed emergency treatment for Aika at the mobile camp. Probably due to excessive blood loss, Aika's face showed a pale anemia and symptoms of magic exhaustion syndrome. Even Liuyin, who had little contact with pharmacy, could see it at a glance.

"How is he?"

Even so, Liuyin could only ask the kingdom's potion magician in the most calm manner.

Since arriving here, Liuyin has never shown his sincerity, and has never shown the pain in his heart on his expression. Because she is now the envoy sent by the Holy See to communicate between Lan Ming Yiela and the Tebiri Kingdom, she shoulders a very heavy responsibility.

Liuyin didn't want to let go of the sense of responsibility that Wei Xi admired most in the past.

But she also wanted to do what Aika said, think more about herself and be her true self.

The result was like this, even I didn't know what I was doing, I was just walking back and forth between Wei Xi and Aika. No matter what I can do for them or what I want to do, I have not realized it.

——I heard that those students from Shigetsutsu Academy are now on the front lines.

——Isn’t it possible? Shouldn’t they stay in the capital and wait for us to pass? This is war, not a game where you can just run in if you want to participate, and quit at any time if you don’t want to participate.

——I don’t know what they think... That child from the "Qianze" family is a student of Cocona, right? The ability of the legendary "Mechanical Alchemy" is equivalent to several armies, and our proud Xiaoxi is also guarding him. Even if he goes to the front line battlefield, he will return safely.

——Wait... Did you just say that Xiao Xi also went with that person? No, no, this is already the confidential military information of the Tebiri Kingdom, right? Think about it carefully, it's impossible for you to have this kind of information, right?

——I have arranged for spies to deal with matters in the Tebiri Kingdom before, so the authenticity should still be guaranteed.

——……

——What’s wrong, Liuyin? Can't you sit still when you hear Xiao Xi's name?

——Orefiel, can I leave the royal capital to you temporarily? I will find a way to bring them back as soon as possible. Really, the most important issue now is not to get involved in any war at all!

After Orefiel told Liuyin this information on the way to King Tebiri's capital, she rushed to the frontline battlefield specified in the information "at any cost" and against time. However, after arriving at the camp, they learned that they had recently gone to the center of the battlefield in order to prevent the magic machinery dropped by the Bis Empire. After Liuyin showed his identity documents, he had to go through many procedures before he could authorize the use of military vehicles and airships. So she couldn't help but snatch the nearest military motorcycle from the camp.

But Liuyin never caught up.

When the burned-out locomotive engine came to the frontline battlefield, everything ceased to exist.

…………

In the camp of the kingdom's army, after Aika received all the treatment that could be done under the existing conditions, he was moved from the medical camp to the shed previously built for them.

"I'm really sorry. They are the benefactors of our country. If this is a peaceful era, they should enjoy the highest level of treatment. However, due to the situation, I can only live here temporarily. Please forgive me. In addition, We will do everything we can to provide convenience for you, which is the minimum compensation."

Judging from the current situation, this solitary shack is already the best treatment in the border camp. The medical battalion of the Kingdom Army also has to admit other wounded people, so Aika cannot stay there for close monitoring after treatment. Before leaving the shack, the chief specifically asked Liuyin, who was guarding him, to notify the people nearby immediately if there was an emergency, and they would provide help unconditionally.

It is said that Aika is indeed very lucky. He has experienced two fierce battles that affected the center of the battlefield, and then was stabbed through the abdomen by a knife, but his life was not threatened. It’s just that no one can predict the extent of recovery. The worst case scenario is that Aika will not be able to get out of bed freely for a period of time. This is the judgment of the Kingdom’s potion magician.

——Although I think his purpose of coming here has not been achieved, but now, I must inform the royal capital to send someone to take you back. It is impossible to rest here. Although I have asked him to lend a helping hand as much as possible, it seems that I am too rash. Someone who can fundamentally solve the war should not die in such a place.

The officer's parting words expressed deep regret. It is very rare to get such regrets. People are passing away every moment on the battlefield, and there is no time to regret them one by one.

In the hearts of the officers, who were neither relatives nor friends, they only had respect and sentimentality for Aika and the others. But to Liuyin's ears, such words seemed too cheap and meaningless.

Before Liuyin arrived here, she had not carefully understood why Aika came here with Wei Xi, and now she had no intention of questioning the superior. Because she no longer wanted to know, it didn't matter whether she knew or not.

It's probably not Aika's fault... He has a goal that he must achieve, and Wei Xi will accompany him to dangerous places only when she understands the causes and consequences and sincerely supports him.

Liuyin looked at the ice coffin standing alone in a corner of the shed. The shelter made of ice that would never melt protected Wei Xi forever.

After the chief left the shed. Liuyin, who had been holding on for so long, finally lost strength in his legs and collapsed on the ground.

"Woo..."

The tears that he thought had turned into ice and could never be shed again dyed the red dust under Liuyin's body like blood.

The engine roared outside the shed, and any movement in the shed would be obscured by the noise outside.

Finally, a wail that no one could hear burst out of her throat.

…………