My new friend (2)

【My new friend is a cruel person. 】

Even after a week of continuous fighting, Alex did not forget to give Fantine a bath. Although Fantine's body was always kept very clean for some reason, he enjoyed the pleasure of taking a bath very much.

The cool water purified by the purification stone poured over him, slowly evaporated in the milky white light emanating from his body, and turned into pure mist that dissipated, making the small pool where he was standing become as dreamy as a fairyland.

Inger approached with a magic wand in hand. Fantine shook her head, a few drops of water dripped on her ears, and she looked into his eyes with her watery eyes under her butterfly-wing eyelashes.

Fantine recalled the conversation she had had with him some time ago.

Inger secretly found him and set up a soundproof barrier: "Fantine, can you hide something between him and me from your master?"

Fantine tilted her head and asked, "Why?"

He just had doubts.

Inger lowered his eyes and whispered, "Because he will be sad if I tell him this."

Fantine recalled the time she spent with Little Jay. When Little Jay was old, he hid some things from him before he died, but he later told him that it was so that he could have good memories of his last days.

In fact, during that period of time, he was really good to him, always meeting his requests, never arguing with him, and always looking at him with gentle eyes, sometimes with a hint of sadness and reluctance in those eyes.

Although this white lie was ineffective, because he could smell the scent of physical aging and the approaching end of life.

Fantine then asked, "Are you dying?" He blinked in confusion, "No, I don't smell death on you, you smell like fire and a strong sense of life."

Inger smiled bitterly: "No, it's not because of that."

Fantine: "Why is that?"

Inger was silent for a while and said, "It's hard to explain. Fantine, can you help me keep it secret? I won't do anything that's bad for your master, and... isn't it enough to not make him sad?"

Fantine thought for a while. Although he had been in human society for a while and possessed intelligence comparable to that of humans, he still felt that he could not understand some of the complex ideas of humans.

However, he knew not to expose Xiaojie's lies because he understood Xiaojie's good intentions and was willing to cooperate. He understood that this was not a bad thing.

The same is true now.

He had seen his master risk his own life to save his friend.

He chose to believe this man's words.

Because he is the best friend chosen by the master.

As a knight's mount, it will always trust the person the knight chooses.

Fantine raised the corner of his mouth and smiled vividly as a deer: "Okay, I promise you."

Inger smiled back.

Fantine continued, "Just don't talk about what happened between the two of you in Mondstadt, and how he came to save you afterwards?"

Inger nodded slightly: "Just pretend... we were not friends before, and you and I have never met before."

Fantine was stunned, but when she came to her senses and wanted to ask something, the person had already walked away.

Fantine looked at the approaching figure with a twinkling eye.

Yes, this is the first time we meet.

Sure enough, Alex introduced him to him: "Look, this is my partner, he is very fast, has great endurance, and can speak human language."

Inger showed a proper look of surprise and asked, "What's the name? Monster?"

Fantine puffed out her chest and raised her head and said, "Nice to meet you. My name is Fantine, and I am Alex's only mount."

Alex laughed and said, "He's very proud. I met him in Mondstadt. He seemed to have been affected by the magic stone. He was born with the ability to understand human language and can communicate with others through his mind. Isn't it amazing!"

Inger reached out and touched Fantine's head and said his name.

Fantine bowed her head in obedience.

Alex looked at them in surprise: "I asked you to let others touch you but you refused."

Fantine pouted her hoof. "They stink!"

Alex couldn't help laughing again.

Inger nodded to Fantine, then turned to Alex and said, "I'm going to go to Sahe soon."

Alex's face immediately turned serious and he asked, "What happened?"

Inger calmed down and said, "They asked me for support... This is not a big deal. I have another mission this time, which was given to me by Princess Christine."

Alex was surprised: "A new prophecy?"

Inger considered his words and said vaguely, "Well... I can't say the details. She asked me to go over and take a look. I should be able to report to you when I come back."

Alex pondered for a moment and said, "It may be dangerous on this trip. You must be alert and act prudently. If you can't handle something, retreat first and come back for help."

Inger nodded and looked at him, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

Alex: “What’s wrong?”

Inger shook his head, said nothing, and turned away.

Alex looked at the white deer and muttered, "I thought he could at least tell me after we became friends, but he still has a lot of things on his mind that he would rather hide than say. I can't force him to say it, and he always looks unhappy. Fantine, do you have any idea?"

Fantine thought for a moment and said, "...My old friend once told me that if you want someone to open up to you, you should first try to understand him...But I think you two are already very good friends."

Alex rubbed his chin. "Really? Is that what you think?" He smiled thoughtfully. "Yes, I'm doing it."

After observing for a while, he thought that Inger was a cautious, disciplined, rigid and meticulous person, very suitable to be a leader of the army. At the same time, he also had strategy and a broad view of the overall situation. He could look at the battle situation with a more comprehensive and broad vision and make the best judgment. He was also an excellent commander. Attack magic, healing magic, and transmission magic were all his specialties. Basically, there was no magic he didn't know. He was a great wizard on the front line and a reliable military doctor in the rear.

But in private, he was somewhat lacking in humanity. It should be said that he deliberately acted cold towards others, but others were very warm to him. He seemed to be very lacking in energy and was too lazy to deal with more people and would not speak unless necessary.

He is a man who can punish soldiers who make mistakes with harsh punishments and a cold and iron face, but at the same time, he has a soft heart hidden under that aloof appearance.

For example, the Snow Griffin that flew over the mountains from the capital a few days ago without permission. The way he held it and rubbed its neck feathers with a tearful smile on his face made the soldiers, including Alex, stunned for a while.

He is a man who knows how to advance and retreat, knows how to protect himself, and should be said to value his life very much.

Alex experienced this firsthand during the battle.

Inger will focus on killing the poison, but will do everything he can to isolate himself and not let the poison get close to him.

When leading a team to exterminate the demons, he would try to find different ways to capture them alive. He is also a conservative in terms of strategy.

Don't let yourself get hurt, and try not to let your subordinates get hurt, if you get hurt, get medical treatment quickly. Don't get tired of giving instructions on hygiene and disinfection.

Alex doesn't hate this practice. On the contrary, he likes it because it is all for the sake of keeping himself and more people alive.

Most of the veterans seemed to be used to it, and he occasionally heard some new recruits talking about him in private, saying that he was too timid, and every time he heard it, he would just pick them out and punish them.

However, a few days later, something happened that completely overturned his understanding of him.

Alex prefers to take a shower alone in a secluded and quiet place.

It's not just about the dirt on the body, it's more about digesting and processing the psychological deposits.

They don't have much time to commemorate the dead warriors, but they will hold a small ceremony and build a small stone platform at the back, on which they will pile up and place the soldiers' nameplates and epaulettes that can be recovered. That is all the evidence that a person has fought.

Pick a blooming wild flower from the still living land and place it on the side of the table. Build a small snowman in winter. The living comrades say a few words to the relics as a farewell.

This is a ceremony for the living, who need to say goodbye.

There were very few intact bodies left, so they could only be put in cloth bags and sent back.

The nameplates were carefully preserved, washed and packed in boxes, waiting for the next batch to be sent back to their homes.

Alex could always be seen among the crowds of people paying their respects.

He did not cry, but carefully recalled every name and face he could remember. His memory was not as good as Inger's, but he tried very hard to remember them.

It was all he could do.

After pouring cold water over him from head to toe, Alex let out a breath and slapped his cheeks heavily.

He is a general, a commander, and now the emperor of Chuuni, a symbol of hope.

Therefore, he could walk arm in arm with the soldiers, call them brothers, talk to them, and chat about everything under the sun, but he could not show the slightest hesitation, cowardice, hesitation, or weakness in front of the soldiers.

It is in such difficult times that a smile is indispensable.

His smile can infect the soldiers, and he has to do that.

He did the same thing in his previous life.

But he also needs to adjust and rest properly, he needs his own corner, where he can put his confusion and lingering despair. This secret place cannot be seen by others.

Alex took a moment to clean himself up both physically and mentally, and put on a smile again. He dried himself, changed into clean clothes, and was about to get out of the pool when a group of people came over the bushes.

He never had the habit of eavesdropping, but when he was about to speak, the voice from the other side had already reached his ears.

"Listen carefully, the first rule is that you cannot mention the words 'undead wizard' in the army. You are not allowed to mention anything related to him. There is only the commander here, Admiral Neka."

"......yes."

Many young people will still go to the battlefield for the title of "Undead Wizard" and "Knight of the Dawn".

They have no ill intentions and admire the heroes on the battlefield.

A new soldier asked: "Then why can we mention the title of His Majesty the Emperor?"

The old soldier who was teaching the lesson frowned and said, "It is a soldier's duty to obey orders. You are not allowed to ask why this rule was made. You just need to follow it! This is an order from above!"

At this time, Alex walked out leisurely from the back and said lightly:

"I'm also curious, who gave this order?"

"You! Ah... Your Majesty..." The old soldier who was about to frown and scold suddenly knelt down.

Alex raised his hand and said gently, "I don't mean to blame you, but is 'Undead Wizard' the title of Admiral Inger Neka? What does this title mean? Why did he get such a title?"

Expressions of shock and confusion appeared on the faces of both the new recruits and the veterans.

During the time when Alex was seriously injured and recuperating in the palace, and when he later temporarily took over Ola's abdication and returned to the capital to hold a simple succession ceremony, he had no time to pay attention to anything other than politics and war, let alone read magazines.

He didn't even know the existence of the "undead wizard". He only really had an impression of Inger two months ago.

And now, from the words of these people, he learned a piece of information.

He didn't know that he was an "immortal wizard" and that someone was deliberately hiding this fact from him.

Alex smiled and patted the veteran's shoulder gently. "You tell me. After all, I'm your boss. There's no one above me, so don't worry."

The old soldier recalled that this good-tempered and friendly knight emperor, the original prince, was amiable 90% of the time, but that didn't mean he would never get angry.

Without a dignified general, it is impossible to lead the ten armies of Qiu Nei.

Also, anyone who has seen him angry will never dare to make him angry again in their life.

The old soldier felt as if an unknown cold-blooded animal was crawling on his back. He shivered and said, "Yes..."

He told everything he knew.

"The order was passed down layer by layer. Starting around June, the military camp issued a death order not to mention the name of the 'Undead Wizard' or anything related to it. Because it was an order, we had to obey it, and every time we had a new member, we were told to strictly enforce this order... As for which level it was passed down..."

Alex guessed that the person below the marshal was the admiral, and that the order must have been given by Inger himself. At that time, Ola was still in power, so it was very likely that she also acquiesced or was even the instigator of this matter, but it still did not resolve his doubts.

He turned to the new recruit and asked, "Don't be afraid. How about telling me about the 'undead wizard'? Don't be so reserved. Let's just sit down and talk like we're having a chat."

He was in no hurry to leave until the battle horn sounded.

The recruits had difficulty expressing themselves at first, but as Alex put his arm around their shoulders, they gradually relaxed and began to talk about the rumors they had heard.

The immortal wizard, the miracle of resurrection, time and time again, transformed into a bird in the flames, and shaped into flesh under the incense tree.

Being shot in the head by a spy in the treatment tent, he was reborn on the spot. He saved the life of the enemy's prince by exchanging his own life. He purified the land and poisoned himself, and accidentally entered the enemy camp, and was rescued by a knight.

"Which knight rescued him?"

"I don't know. We were not witnesses of the battle. Only one person rushed in there. We heard about it from others. We are forbidden to talk about it. We don't know anything about it in the rear."

During that time, Alex was sure he was lying in bed, so he didn't experience it personally.

Alex looked up at the sky in bewilderment.

Alex then realized that he was wrong, and for the first time he felt that he saw the real Inger Nyka.

Inger Nyka, he is a cruel man.

A person who is extremely cruel to others, especially to himself.