The flame was inexplicably ignited, and anger accumulated until it could no longer be contained, as if it were an innate impulse.
Elfons is not human. Half of his blood is that of a dragon.
More than 20 years ago, Alphonse was abandoned in the snowfields of Bliza when he was a baby, and was taken back to the Ice Palace by Desfield.
The baby was on the verge of death, and in order to save him, Desfield did not hesitate to infuse him with her own demonic blood, allowing him to continue living.
People respectfully call Desfield the "Holy Dragon" simply because he knows how to use light magic and his description of the "Holy Dragon" in ancient scrolls is somewhat consistent with this.
Their secret was known only to Desfield and Alphonse.
For the first time, Alphonse felt so uneasy and bewildered by these facts.
He glanced at the emblem on the back of his left hand. When not in use, it didn't glow white, but rather emitted a faint phosphorescence. It had a secret: only demonic blood could activate this extreme ice emblem.
In the commander's private quarters, where no one else was present, Alphonse removed his armor and undergarments.
His broad back was covered with crisscrossing welts from whipping, no less severe than those of the soldiers being punished today.
The only difference is that these scars have been accumulated for a long time.
These are traces of his constant struggle against the demonic forces within him, and his barely managed to suppress them.
He mocked himself, saying that no amount of constraints and rules, no amount of restraint and lashing could change the fact that he was a demon.
The whipper was his colleague and close friend Finchley, the only person in the army who knew Alphonse's true identity.
Every few days, when he could barely suppress his demonic impulses, Alphonse would go to Finchley and ask him to go to a place where no one would find him, using this cruel and extreme method to try to bring himself back to his senses.
At that moment, he heard light footsteps coming from outside the military camp. He quickly put on his clothes to avoid letting others see the injury on his back.
Priscilla lifted the curtain, bowed, and entered. Seeing his strange expression, she asked, "What's wrong?"
The camp was much warmer than outside, but there were no stoves lit for heating. Priscilla took off her wolfskin sweater to keep warm.
Alphonse shook his head, his expression returning to calm, and looked away as he put on his armor.
Priscilla thought she had seen through his thoughts and believed that he was still feeling guilty about her inexplicable outburst earlier that day, so she leaned in and hugged his back, closed her eyes and felt the warmth of his body, and whispered, "Maintain your composure and dignity, Captain."
Alphonse turned around and returned the hug.
"So you should have punished that cook today, you should have treated everyone the same."
"What?"
"Discipline in the military must be clear in terms of rewards and punishments. Whether adults or children, anyone who does something wrong must be punished."
"He didn't actually do anything wrong this morning... I just couldn't control my emotions and lost my temper..."
Alphonse didn't tell her the underlying reason why he couldn't control his anger, only giving a vague answer.
“Maintain your authority and dignity, Commander.” Priscilla repeated, this time with a hint of suggestion, “Only impartiality can make subordinates obedient, and only harsh punishments can eliminate any thoughts of betrayal.”
"Aren't you exaggerating?"
Priscilla, who was in her arms, pushed Alphonse away, her expression slightly disappointed. "Why are you always so cowardly? You can't even bring yourself to punish a child!"
Upon hearing the word "coward," he once again lost control of his anger, glaring at the other person and shouting, "What did you say?"
"You fled the capital because you were afraid of the Royal Knights, weren't you? Afraid of being suppressed by them? Afraid of not being able to achieve any victories? You remained silent and did not refute the rumors of 'treason'! You just wanted to avoid all of this and escape everyone's attention!" She vented all the dissatisfaction she had accumulated over the years.
Upon hearing these words from an unknown source, Alphonse's face turned red with rage.
"Alphonse, what you're doing... how is that any different from those deserters?"
“You…” Another undercurrent was surging and agitated within him, wanting to surge and erupt.
His fingers felt an urge to pinch someone, and his entire arm felt an urge to draw a sword. The demonic energy uncontrollably spread.
The warmth inside the camp was dispelled by the frigid air of the polar ice, and Priscilla felt suffocated as if she were being strangled.
This is the kind of murderous aura that only Alphonse, the Silver Commander, would have when facing the enemy on the battlefield, wanting to slaughter the enemy and drink blood like a savage.
She stared in shock at him, now a completely different person, and regretted her words, wondering if she had gone too far. She whispered, trying to salvage the situation, "But it's alright... weakness is temporary. You can become stronger..."
"How dare a woman point fingers at me? I am the Grand Master of the Silver Knights, and it is none of your business to interfere in the affairs of my order."
Alphonse managed to suppress his anger, fastened his sword, put on his cloak, and prepared to leave the camp.
Then, he turned back, but his eyes didn't meet the other person's, and he said in an icy tone, "There's something I must tell you: it was your father who 'exiled' my tribe to the north. And you are his daughter."
Alphonse pulled back the curtain, and a howling, cold wind rushed into the camp.
-
A bright spot shone through the gray sky, casting a faint, indistinct glow. It was the sun, obscured by dark clouds.
The weather made it impossible to tell whether it was day or dusk. Finchley estimated that it wouldn't be long before the soldiers assembled.
So he ended his reconnaissance mission and hurried back from a distance of 500 meters from the military camp. As he dismounted and walked, his keen ears caught a faint sound.
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