Twin Cities: I am the man of many myths

Chapter 212 Darius: So I came all this way for nothing?
Ashe clearly did not believe Li Ke's claim that the Frostguard clan would also join the alliance.

After some thought, she decided to send Tryndamere and several other clan leaders back to Avarosan, while she and Hilde stayed behind. This naturally caused dissatisfaction among the accompanying leaders. After all, the army of Avarosan was right outside the stronghold of Winter's Claw. Their own War Mother had entered the enemy's stronghold, so they were naturally on high alert and constantly preparing for battle.

Now, Ashe is sending them back to Avarosa with their people while she and Hilde stay here. How is this any different from making the Warmother a prisoner of the Winterclaws?
Will this work?

Although Ashe wasn't as domineering as Sejuani, her prestige within the tribe was just as high. If she insisted, nothing the others in Avarosan could say would change her mind. Therefore, Ashe remained with Winter's Claw.

Sejuani didn't say anything about it, but at lunchtime, her appetite was noticeably better than before. She devoured a whole leg of lamb, showing that Sejuani had a strong appetite.

It seems that Ashe's trust brought Sejuani a sense of pleasure?
These two sisters
"Li Ke, I'm really curious how you came to be involved with the Frostguard Clan?"

In the dungeon of Winter's Claw, Ashe stared in astonishment at a group of people sitting around a table eating. The group was a mix of men and women, and most of them had white hair. In Freljord, white hair is a symbol—a symbol of icy blood.

Only those who have been in contact with Zhenbing for many years will have such pure white hair. The white hair of the elderly is grayish-white, not this shiny snow white.

The only clan with a large Iceborn population is the Frostguard Clan, and therefore, this group truly is the Frostguard Clan.
But the problem is, didn't Li Ke say that he knew Lissandra? Did he meet Lissandra by capturing the Frostguard clan?

Ash couldn't understand it!
"How did you get to know her? Hmm, you should ask her." Li Ke pointed to Lelna in the crowd. Her black armor had been removed, and she was now wearing a purple wool sweater and black pants. She was sitting in a corner eating her meal, wearing sneakers, and her white hair was tied into a beautiful long braid.

In the middle of the group was a huge brazier, next to which were vegetables and various kinds of meat placed on wooden stakes. Lelna was scooping meat and soup with a spoon when she heard this and glanced at Ashe: "This is...Avarosa's War Mother?"

Rick walked up to Relna, with Sejuani behind him. He bent down to look at Relna and said with a laugh, "Hey, don't you have any sense of being a prisoner?"

"Heh, didn't you say you and Lady Lissandra had already made an agreement that the Frostguard Clan would help you and that I should listen to you?" Lelna snorted, nudged Rick in the chest with her shoulder, and continued, "I'm not a prisoner, don't disturb my meal."

“Frostguard, do you really believe everything he says? Don’t you even have a second thought?” Sejuani said from the side, her expression towards Lelna showing some displeasure.

These Frostguards can really eat a lot. Although Rick said that all the food was on him and that Winter's Claw didn't need to provide it, Sejuani was definitely unhappy to see these defeated guys eating better than her own people every day.

When did prisoners of war become treated so well?

"Lady Lissandra sent me to invite him, so why should I doubt him? Besides, if what he said is false, he will pay the price when Lady Lissandra arrives. But if what he said is true, wouldn't I be making a fuss over nothing? I'd only incur Lady Lissandra's displeasure, and his displeasure as well. Is it worth it for me to create trouble for myself?"

As Lelna ate the hot mutton, she tilted her round, fleshy face up with a faint smile and said, "I'm just a nobody. I just do what the big shots tell me to do."

Upon hearing this, Li Ke laughed and patted Lelna on the shoulder, "Then you need to go back now."

Looking at Leona now, dressed in casual clothes, she is completely different from the image she had when she first met her in black armor. The current Leona has less solemnity and majesty, but more vitality and youth.

"What do you want me to do?" Lelna asked.

“Have Lissandra come to Winter’s Claw; I have something to discuss with her,” Rick said.

Lelna listened for a moment, narrowed her eyes, and then said, "I understand."

She didn't ask Li Ke how he dared to do that, although she really wanted to ask him why he let Lady Lissandra come over instead of him going over there.

But Lelna chose to remain silent.

Just as Lelna just said, whatever the big shots do, the little guys just need to obey. In the Frostguard Clan, soldiers who act on their own are the most foolish and have no value.

Meanwhile, Ashe, standing to the side, was completely at a loss for what expression to wear.

"Well then, after you finish this meal, you can set off this afternoon. It would be best if you could return with Lissandra in two days. Oh, and if she doesn't come, remember to tell her that the sooner she arrives, the faster she can complete the task she wants me to do."

Li Ke spoke earnestly to Lelna, as if urging her to do so.

Lelna simply grunted in response, indicating that she understood.

The southern border of Freljord.

Blood, clotted and mixed with mud and snow, stained his body. The man wore tattered animal skins, the dark red stains on which were very conspicuous. His black hair was a mess, like a large chicken coop. He held an axe in his large left hand. The handle of the axe was made of sturdy frost wood, and the top was a huge stone bound with the intestines of wild animals.

His attire showed how difficult his journey had been, but the man's eyes still shone brightly, without a trace of fatigue.

His unwavering will was simply outrageous.

“From the Winterthorn Mountains to here,” the man turned around and looked at the continuous snow-capped mountains. Beneath his broken eyebrows, his scarlet eyes narrowed slightly. There was a trace of unwillingness in his dark red pupils, but then that unwillingness turned into burning fighting spirit. He roared and put down the axe in his hand, instead taking out a dagger made of animal teeth from his waist.

Darius slashed his palm hard, closed his eyes, and let out a hoarse sound:
"I will come back, I promise you. I will come back to take your bodies. Don't go too fast over there. Wait for me to send the people of the Winter's Claw down to you."

After Darius finished speaking, he squeezed his palm hard, and blood splattered onto the frozen ground, quickly freezing into a blood-red block of ice. He took a deep breath, bent down to pick up the axe, and turned to stride southward.

This time, he will not turn back. He will admit his defeat and accept the judgment he will face upon returning to the Empire, but he will not yield. He will return to Freljord with the will of Noxus, he will.

Darius's decision not to look back was so that he could let go of his guilt when he "met" them again.

Heading towards Fort Worth, Darius trudged through the snow and ice, but his mind was not wandering. Instead, he was determined and continued step by step toward his destination.

It wasn't until he forgot the time and the sky darkened that Darius saw the gray-black smoke rising into the sky; that was the Fort Divergence.

Darius breathed a sigh of relief as the weariness in his heart subsided.

"stop!"

"This is Fort Worth in Noxus. Outsiders are not allowed to enter. Wait, you, you, you are General Darius?"

"My God, it's General Darius! The general is back!"

"Quickly, quickly, open the city gates and let the general in!"

"General Darius, we've finally found you!"

Darius had barely approached the Fort of Diver when a group of soldiers stopped him, but before Darius could even identify himself, the soldiers recognized him.

This is not surprising. Darius had been fighting the North for years, advancing deep into Freljord, until he encountered Winter's Claw, at which point Darius was defeated, and suffered a crushing defeat. He had been in Direwall Keep for several years, so it was normal for the soldiers in the castle to recognize him.

But what puzzled Darius was why these soldiers were so polite.
Darius had just prepared to deflect the incoming arrows and then shout his name, since a stranger approaching Direburg would likely be shot at like a pincushion.

But what did they do? They only issued a warning!

"General Darius!"

Just as Darius was wondering, a somewhat familiar voice rang out. He looked up and saw a soldier in armor rushing out.

It was a young soldier, a girl with a fair and clean face, who was looking at him with red eyes.

“Lillie?” Darius stared at her, startled. Then came another roar, from a massive minotaur, who roared, “General, you’ve finally returned!”

"Zart?" The appearance of this minotaur made Darius even more confused.

Zart ran to Darius's side. He was Darius's right-hand man. Although he was a Tauren, he trusted Darius implicitly and could be considered Darius's personal guard. Right now, he was looking at Darius with tears in his eyes.

"You, how did you get here?" Darius reached out and grabbed Zalt's broad arms tightly. "You escaped too? What about them? Did they escape too?"

Perhaps Darius himself didn't realize that his voice was trembling slightly.

It's not surprising that Zart was able to escape; he's a minotaur with immense strength and incredible stamina. But why was Lina able to escape as well?

She's just a greenhorn!

If she could escape, then what about the others?
Noxians say Darius is a beast, a demon, but in reality, Darius is not a cold-blooded person. He just knows that on the battlefield, emotions will only bring trouble, so when fighting, Darius transforms into a ruthless war machine.

But after leaving the battlefield, Darius was also a human being. He had his own children, relatives, and friends. Darius had climbed from a commoner to his current position, and he knew the hardships and difficulties of the lower-ranking soldiers. Therefore, in the army, Darius often went to the front line to communicate with the soldiers and train them.

This is why Darius was deeply loved and trusted by the soldiers.

“General, it was the Claws of Winter who released us. They took care of us along the way, and then released us when we reached the border,” Lina said.

Zart also reached out and stroked his head with his large hand. A piece of his bull horn was broken off. He said in a simple and honest tone, "General, the Claw of Winter isn't a bad person."

Darius's face twitched; Zart's words had horrified him.

Is Winter's Claw not a bad person?
Has he forgotten how the people of the Winter's Claw fed them weeds when they were slaves?

"What exactly happened?" But that's just the kind of race the minotaurs are. They are incredibly strong and natural warriors, but they are also simple and naive. As long as you give them food and a place to live, they will agree to anything.

They don't pursue fame or fortune; there's only one reason they become soldiers—to have enough to eat and drink.

Therefore, Zart's words cannot be trusted; Darius asked Lina while looking at her.

Lina took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and took Darius's arm, saying, "General, let's go into the city first. You can rest for a bit. Don't worry, everyone is fine. Except for those who froze to death or starved to death at the beginning, everyone else has survived."

“Since the day you left, not a single one of us has been killed, and everyone has returned safely to Noxus,” Lina said earnestly.

Darius was taken aback, then nodded, and was helped into the city by Lina.

------

After showering himself with hot water, Darius changed into clean new clothes. He felt drowsy from the exhaustion after the bath, but he knew he couldn't fall asleep until he got to the bottom of things. So, Darius was sitting in a chair with Lina and a group of soldiers whose names he could name standing opposite him.

“So, what happened?” Darius asked.

Lina shouted, "General, five days after you successfully escaped, a Zaunite named Rick came to Winter's Claw. He's the one who got the leader of Winter's Claw to release us."

“Li Ke? Who is that?” Darius was puzzled. If the person who ordered the release of Lina and the others was from the Winter's Claws, Darius could understand it, but... a Zaunite?

What right does a person from Zu'an have?

Also, who is Li Ke?

Lina's eyes lit up, and she continued, "That's a long story, General. While we were fighting in the north, something happened in Noxus. The Grand Chancellor Swain staged a coup against Darkwill and, in front of all the people in the marketplace of the Immortal Fortress, had Darkwill hanged and executed."

“Swain?” Darius narrowed his eyes and took a breath.

Swain, a man even Darius would admire.

But wasn't he loyal to Darkwell? His loyalty to His Majesty was no less than Darius's, but Darius realized he was wrong; Swain was never loyal to people or power, but to the country.

Darkwell became senile in his later years, making a series of blunders. Swain disapproved of him, so a coup d'état seems unsurprising.

With Lina's explanation, Darius learned about the recent events in Noxus.

Then, Lina explained Li Ke.

"General, Lord Rick is an ally of Noxus, and along with Lord Swain and Lady LeBlanc, they hold three seats in Noxus. Swain controls the government and the military, Lady LeBlanc handles diplomacy, and Lord Rick is a special envoy. Our escape this time was thanks to Commander Swain who asked Lord Rick to rescue us. He went alone to the North, deep into Winter's Claw, to confront Sejuani, the Warmother of Winter's Claw."

Lina spoke of Li Ke with eyes full of admiration.

Because she had fought in Freljord, Lina knew best what Freljord was like.

However, Lord Rick went alone to Freljord, deep into the enemy camp!

That's the Claw of Winter!

Their legion couldn't even defeat a single branch of the Winter's Claws, yet Lord Rick successfully persuaded the Winter's Claws' War Mother. How could Lina not admire such courage and boldness?

After hearing this, Darius gained some understanding of Rick and couldn't help but feel grateful to him.

As for Swain, forget it. For Darius, Swain as emperor is far better than Darkwell.

Swain was the Grand Marshal of Noxus, and Darius had previously taken orders from him, so he knew Swain's character.

After a long pause, Darius hesitated before finally saying:
So, did I make a wasted trip?

"Was all this fighting with humans and beasts, drinking morning dew and eating raw meat my own doing?"

No, if I had known it was like this...
Wouldn't it be better if I just stayed put?
Darius was somewhat depressed for a moment.

Lina and Zart both laughed, and then the soldiers behind them joined in with loud laughter.

As if it were contagious, everyone inside and outside burst into laughter.

Darius listened to the laughter, his head lowered, but a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Darius murmured to himself beneath the gentle curve of the arc.

"It's so good to have survived such a disaster."

He thought to himself with a sigh.

(End of this chapter)