Iron Powder and Spellcaster

The Wargne County garrison is located in the center of Artemis City, adjacent to the garrison barracks and facing the diocese cathedral across the square.

After the Iron Peak County Army invaded Artemis, they immediately raised the Blood Wolf's personal flag here to announce to all citizens that the capital of Warne County had changed hands.

At the moment, the incomplete red flag is still flying above this gray two-story building - which means that the blood wolf himself is in the garrison.

However, none of the Wargne County gentry who came to visit with various reasons and purposes could achieve their wish.

Because the blood wolf is undergoing a physical examination.

Do you feel any pain? Kaman asked seriously while gently pressing the swelling area under Winters' ribs.

Not bad. Winters replied through gritted teeth.

Kaman showed displeasure, and the strength in his hand suddenly increased: I didn't ask you whether you could bear it, I asked you whether you felt any pain.

Winters groaned in pain: You are...asking questions knowingly.

Yes or no?

have.

What kind of pain does it feel like? A sharp, sharp stabbing pain? Or a slow swelling pain?

former.

here?

have.

here?

Swelling and pain.

After the palpation, Kaman stood up and walked to the corner of the room without saying a word.

Winters sat aside for a long time. It wasn't until he heard the sound of water that he realized that Carman was concentrating on cleaning his hands.

All the insults I have suffered so far. Winters' expression became complicated: None of them are as intense as your behavior at this moment.

Kaman seemed to have heard nothing, and walked back to his original position with an expressionless face, and asked solemnly: What are the diagnosis results of other doctors?

No results - because you were the first one seen.

Kaman couldn't help but frown, and there was a hint of reproach in his tone: Since the pain is obvious, you should receive treatment in time. Green Valley and Maiqiu may not be able to find a licensed doctor, but it is impossible that there is not a single doctor in Maplestone City. .”

Winters replied without thinking: I don't trust the doctors in Maplestone City.

Kaman understood that Winters was referring to more than just medical skills, but he still couldn't understand: You can leave the doctor in the barracks.

The very act of asking a doctor will reveal a lot of information. Winters shook his head in the negative and told Kaman frankly:

The newly cultivated land right now is like an iron pot filled with boiling oil. As long as a drop of water falls into it, it will immediately cause a fire. And what about Maple Stone City? Maple Stone City is worse than a colander to keep secrets. I don't want to convey a weak message. information, leading allies to make incorrect judgments.

Winters immediately regained his open-minded and free spirit, and commented easily: Who told me that my health status is now confidential information?

After Kaman lowered his eyes and listened to someone's boast, he sighed softly, with a helpless smile on his lips: It seems that everything is under your control.

Winters blinked and joked: If even you can think this way, it means that there is no crisis of confidence within our group of rebels yet.

After saying that, Winters leaned back against the back of the chair out of habit, but he inadvertently touched the injured area, causing him to let out a low groan in pain.

Why are you telling me this? Kaman asked.

Trust! Winters replied seriously.

He held his knees and waited until the pain eased slightly before speaking again, his tone still humorous: It hurts more and more every time... What's going on? Can I still be saved?

When Kaman heard this, his eyebrows knitted together again. He put away his smile and replied coldly: Honestly, I don't know.

Um?

It's difficult to explain the situation by palpation alone, and I don't have a pair of eyes that can penetrate flesh and blood and see bones. So, I don't know the extent of your injury. Kaman paused for a moment, cleared his throat, and continued: However, considering that half a month has passed since you were injured. If it was a fatal fracture, you would have had a high fever for days and died.

So? Winters' upper body leaned forward.

So, I don't know the specific extent of the injury. Kaman said mercilessly: But since you are not dead, then be grateful for it!

Winters smiled and whistled.

Although Kaman tried his best to keep a straight face, there was still unconcealable curiosity in his eyes: Who made you like this? As far as I know, there should be no high-level magician in Plato who can rival you.

It's not the hand of the caster. Winters replied simply.

Carman suddenly became nervous, his pupils dilated, his lips pursed, and his fingers curled up.

Seeing Kaman's expression, Winters smiled knowingly: You're not a priest, but you still haven't explained Saul's whereabouts.

Kaman was obviously relieved, and he coughed slightly: I was not there when Brother Saul left. You know, I was with you in Steel Castle.

Don't deceive yourself. Winters' eyes were bright: Whoever took Saul away, they burned a cathedral and silenced all the monks present. You are the last priest of Gevaudan, He also has the status of a priest. Although I don’t understand the status of priests within the Catholic Church, if one day the Catholic Church tracks it down, you won’t be able to escape.”

Kaman replied solemnly: No matter what, this matter will not involve you. I can guarantee this.

Don't make promises easily. Winters sighed longly. It was obvious that Kaman had information that he didn't know, but the latter was currently unwilling to make it public. He said helplessly:

“If I’ve learned anything from my experience, it’s that the more confident a promise is, the more tortuous it is to realize it. Even when the promise comes true, it’s often not in the way you originally envisioned.”

Kaman looked guiltily at the ground, avoiding Winters' gaze. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat and tried to change the subject: You still haven't told me - who made you like this?

Winters' expression became solemn unconsciously, as if he was recalling the scenes on the battlefield. He struggled to squeeze out the answer: Dispatching troops to the new land.

How is that possible? Kaman became more and more puzzled: The rebels who are fighting against you...the newly-reclamation land dispatched troops also have high-level spellcasters accompanying them?

No. Winters closed his eyes: They only have some spellcaster officers who can use amplification.

Then how did they hurt you like this?

This time, it was Winters' turn to remain silent.

Kaman originally wanted to ask more questions, but he held back his curiosity. He smiled tolerantly: It seems that we all have some secrets to keep.

Winters opened his eyes and stared directly at Carman. When the latter felt uncomfortable being chopped, Winters suddenly reached out and grabbed Kaman's shoulders and whispered one word:

trust.

Kaman wanted to push Winters' arm away in disgust, but felt a little embarrassed and could only nod awkwardly.

Winters let go of his hand, sat back in his chair, and explained the cause and effect: As early as when the Butcher Duke invaded the Piedmont, there were reports of suspected court mages participating in the war. When the mad emperor took charge of the expedition, the court mages were even more Openly into battle.”

At that time, there were no spellcasters in the Alliance. Winters glanced at Kaman: And there were no priests.

Kaman looked away guiltily.

Assassinations, sneak attacks, breaking formations, beheadings, all the combat methods you can think of, the court mage has used every one of them. The heavily guarded fortress was silently captured by the enemy overnight, and even a single soldier who escaped None. The officer who was alive and well one day was found dead in his sleep the next day, and even the cause of death could not be found.

I can hardly imagine how determined and courageous people of that era were to bury their dead and then continue to resist.

But courage and determination are not enough. Fortunately, Alliance soldiers never lack another thing - wisdom. During the long war, the martyrs gradually summarized some of the rules of action of the court mages.

They found that the Palace Mage's goals are very particular. In most cases, they only attack units below the size of the Centurion. In other words, the 'power' of the Palace Mage is not unlimited. Under the premise of limited 'ammunition', Court mages necessarily tend to pick 'high value' targets.

Secondly, court mages mostly move at night. On the one hand, it can be said that they are good at hiding, coming and going without a trace. On the other hand, it also shows that they tend to avoid frontal battles.

Finally, let's analyze the records of the few court mages who participated in field battles. Without exception, they were all put into the battlefield as an elite assault force that determined the outcome of the battle at the most anxious moment of the battle.

Winters paused deliberately to give Kaman some time to digest. He proudly introduced: Based on the summarized rules, the Alliance Army explored a series of countermeasures. After the war, various countermeasures It was summarized again and finally formed the current 'anti-magic tactics'.

The court mages are like invisible beasts. Seeing that Kaman was confused, Winters gave an analogy: Their actions are extremely covert, but their behavior is predictable. Therefore, it is most effective to deal with them. The method is a trap.

By setting up false high-value targets, the court mage is lured into a trap. The whole process is divided into three steps, discovery, locking and destruction...

Kaman finally heard what he was interested in: Destroy? How to destroy?

He observed Winters' body language suspiciously: According to your statement, the rebels during the Rebellion War could neither recognize magicians nor have the combat power to match magicians.

Yes. Winters admitted happily: So, just don't identify it.

Winters' ribs felt a dull pain again, and he patiently explained: The full name of destruction is actually 'ensuring destruction'. If it is confirmed that the court mage has entered the tunnel, the tunnel will be completely filled; if it is confirmed that the court mage has entered the forest, the tunnel will be completely filled. The forest will burn down; if it is confirmed that the court mage has entered the fort, the fort will be blown up to the sky.

Compared with destruction, discovery and locking are actually more critical. Discovery means intelligence collection and analysis; locking means confirming that the court mage has entered the trap.

Winters thought of something and added: In fact, there is another link - concealment. That is, if intelligence shows that the enemy spellcaster is present, then every link in the chain of command must conceal itself as much as possible.

Winters said with a wry smile: Just like the battle in Riverdale Village, as soon as I arrived on the battlefield, all the officers of the Sixth Army took off their uniforms, and all the military flags were arranged in misaligned positions. Even the messengers no longer reported directly to the officers. .”

All the officers are hiding. Kaman asked suspiciously: Could the 'Sixth Army' itself be unaffected?

Of course there will be an impact, but it is better than having the officer corps wiped out in vain. Winters tried to correct Kaman's misconception: There is no win-all or lose-all strategy on the battlefield. Every commander is facing various disadvantages. Find ways to win within the limitations of factors.”

Kaman rubbed his forehead, narrowed his eyes, and asked: Magicians are not unintelligent beasts after all. After falling into traps a few times, they will also understand your strategy. By then, can you still expect them to foolishly follow the traps? Drill inside?

The genius of this strategy is that, Winters replied enigmatically, because the magician is not an unintelligent beast, the trap becomes more effective.

Suddenly an idea flashed in Kaman's mind. He clarified his thoughts and words bit by bit: You are saying that because the emperor's wizards knew your strategy, they became timid and did not dare to attack easily.

Winters smiled and shook his head: It goes further than what you said.

Go further? Kaman was confused.

Many of the so-called 'traps' are not even fake 'high-value targets.' Winters was silent for a moment, and with the greatest respect, told Kaman word by word: The first thing the old marshal did when he entered Daffodil Castle. Heaven, three thousand kilograms of explosives were buried in the central bastion; General Antoine Laurent's letter said that when he closed his eyes every night, he was ready to die with the puppet emperor's lackeys.

No matter how powerful the court mages are, they are still human beings. They dare not engage in a battle with no return. They are afraid of death. But we... Winters paused: But the martyrs of that era were not They are afraid of death. They despise death. They just can't use magic, but in terms of courage, they are a hundred times or ten thousand times braver than the vicious dogs raised by the false emperor.

Winters concluded emphatically: “So, we won the sovereignty war.”

Kaman was speechless for a long time. After a while, he nodded with difficulty and acknowledged Winters' words.

So, this is my injury. Winters leaned back in his chair relaxedly. His upper body, which was not protected by armor, was covered with scabs and scratches. And on the chest protected by armor, there are large areas of bruises and redness that have not yet been removed: What does it count?

Carman was silent for a long time and suddenly asked: But, you don't want Miss Navarre to see you like this, do you?

Winters was speechless.

He hurriedly held the armrest and sat up straight, looking at Kaman eagerly: So, I can only count on you, Father.

Kaman crossed his arms and looked at Winters in a circle: There is no need to apply medicine for flesh injuries, just wait for them to heal on their own. The key is the bone injuries under the ribs, which are also difficult to treat. You can only wait for them to heal on their own.

Afterwards, Kaman gave the doctor's instructions in one breath: Don't ride a horse, don't get angry, don't raise your arms - in short, don't do anything to affect the injured area.

You want me. Winters was slightly disappointed: Recuperate.

Yes. Rest.

Winters asked tentatively: In addition to resting, is there any way to make me recover faster?

Kaman thought for a while and replied: Drink more milk, get more sun, and... sleep on your back, not on your side.

Winters was persuasive: Besides what you mentioned, are there any more direct intervention methods, such as...

The wrinkles between Kaman's brows appeared again, and a few sneers floated from his throat: For example, magic.

Yes. Winters stopped being secretive and asked directly: Why not use magic?

Carman's face showed two emotions of pity and anger at the same time. He spent a lot of effort to calm down his emotions, organize his words, and finally explained to Winters with a high degree of restraint: Magic is not a mason's mortar, something is broken. Just wipe it wherever you go. It is a miracle, it is authority, it is power, not used by us, but manifested by our hands. It will achieve the results it promises, and those results are not shaped by us... …”

Winters, who was listening attentively, suddenly said: It can't be done.

Kaman was stunned for a moment after being interrupted: What?

You have said so much, but it can be summed up in one sentence - Do it! No! Come on!

Winters couldn't help but laugh heartily. As he laughed, he gasped in pain because the injury under his ribs was being stretched. His movements were quite funny: It seems that even the omniscient and omnipotent God of Creation would take my ribs. no way.

Kaman's face darkened instantly. He stood up and walked to the medical equipment box without saying a word. When he came back, he had a sharp boning knife in his hand that only butchers would use.

Winters' whole body was filled with chills: What are you going to do?

Cure the wizard. Carman made a pun.

Winters retreated behind the chair as fast as lightning, his pain suppressed by the stress state. Although his reason told him that there would definitely not be a only one person standing finale today, his intuition made him feel an unprecedented crisis.

What would happen if divine magic was applied to torture? Just thinking about it in your mind, you can understand that being burned on the rack is a very merciful way to die.

Winters quickly inspected the battlefield—the exit to the office was behind Kaman, and the dignity of jumping out of the window was too costly.

Kaman approached step by step and explained unsmilingly: The injury is inside the body. If you want to use magic, you must cut through the skin, fat and tendons, right down to the bones, before you can accurately perform the surgery.

Winters keenly caught the loophole: Can't divine magic work through flesh and blood?

Kaman smiled politely and did not answer directly.

He flicked the sharp blade that shone with cold light, and the blade responded with a sweet and clear sound: Don't worry, if you can stop struggling, you will only leave a very shallow scar in the end.

Winters held on to his only weapon, the armchair, and stepped back: No need! It's good to just rest!

You are not boasting, you are not even afraid of death. Kaman asked with a smile: Why are you still afraid of surgery?

As soon as he said this, Winters stopped and stood still.

This move surprised Kaman. Kaman looked at Winters calmly, waiting for the latter to speak.

Okay! After a fierce ideological struggle, Winters finally gritted his teeth and replied bravely: At least it can be used as a sample for magical experiments - then come on.

But he asked uneasily: But I vaguely remember that you said, 'You cannot use magic on bone injuries, otherwise the injured person will die easily.' Why can magic be used on ribs? What's so special about ribs?

There's nothing special about it. Kaman shook his head calmly: If you use magic on the bone injury of the ribs, the recipient will die easily.

Winters was stunned for a moment, then roared in grief and anger.

The roar alarmed people downstairs.

The sound of thump, thump, thump, thump came from going up the stairs. Kaman smiled at the sound and didn't see what he did, but the sharp blade had disappeared from his hand.

The door was knocked open.

Angel broke in.

Pierre, armed with a saber, followed closely behind.

[The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday is not over yet... not yet...]

[I owe a chapter (add to the list of debts that need to be paid off in a short period of time), sorry Orz]

[I will never set up a FLAG again (Q_Q)]

[Thanks to book friends for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]