Demacia's capital, suburban military camp.
As the dazzling blue magic light of the Hextech flying gate gradually dissipated, what appeared before the eyes of Silas and other mage criminal soldiers was the long-lost bright sunshine of their hometown.
The sky of Demacia is very beautiful, with a primitive and pure beauty that has not been polluted by industry.
This is Zaan, which is shrouded in gloom all day long. It can't be compared with this at all.
"The sunshine is so nice here." The comrade-in-arms exclaimed.
"Really?" Silas just smiled and said, "I think Zaun is better."
"Do you still hate this place?" the comrade thought thoughtfully.
“No.” Silas shook his head.
He is not so narrow-minded now.
To be honest, the sun in Demacia is indeed very bright today.
"But..." But the mages in the Forbidden Magic Tower couldn't see the sun. The poor peasants working in the fields, the hawkers running on the streets, and the craftsmen working in front of the iron furnaces probably wouldn't like such a scorching sun.
"The sunshine in Demacia is very beautiful, but it belongs to a minority of people after all." Silas sighed as he looked at the vaguely visible walls of the majestic capital in the distance.
"It will be different in the future." The comrade said, "We came back this time to change everything."
"Yeah." Silas nodded heavily.
He did not forget the mission of his trip.
In Ionia, he witnessed and practiced a path that could save Demacia from the root. He saw the beautiful future that Lux promised him gradually taking root in another land.
So, Silas returned to the land that he once hated to the core.
At this time, he no longer hated the country of Demacia. He came to take revenge on his real enemy.
"Stand still, you devil-tainted sinners!" Suddenly, a harsh curse interrupted Silas's ambitious fantasy.
A team of knights from the Demon Hunter Corps arrived arrogantly on their war horses amid the rising dust.
The mage criminal army that Silas belongs to returned to Demacia this time along with the Demacia Expedition led by Jarvan and Garen.
When the team of demon hunters passed by the Debon Expeditionary Force, they didn't even dare to walk too fast. They dismounted and bowed to Prince Jarvan, General Galen, and all the soldiers of the Expeditionary Force.
But when he arrived in front of this group of mages, the Demon Hunter Knight's spirit immediately perked up.
They rode their horses to a proud stop in front of Silas and the others, then pulled the reins, sat high on the saddle, and raised their chins haughtily towards the mages.
At first glance, it looked as if these dozen demon hunters had surrounded the hundreds of battlefield-tested mages before them.
"Haha." Silas laughed secretly.
In the past , he might have been very angry, so angry that he wanted to lure the Freljord barbarians into the country and wipe out all the Demacians.
But now, he is relieved.
What is the Forbidden Magic Case? What is the Demon Hunter?
It is nothing more than a means of governance used by humans to cope with internal conflicts and divert contradictions under a limited resource environment.
Silas could now understand those nobles. With limited resources in Demacia and no ability to expand abroad, letting the mages be the "sacrificers" was indeed the best way to maintain internal stability.
If he were a German noble, he might have done the same.
But after the Wind Leader brought the wind of change to the world, this approach became outdated.
These arrogant demon hunters in front of me, and the masters behind them, are just...
“Just some bones in a grave.” Silas sneered.
Faced with this unprecedented change in ten thousand years, what is the Demon Hunter, and what is Eldred?
It's just dust.
It will be blown away by the wind .
The demon hunters had not yet felt the ripples of the storm. They still treated the mages in front of them as livestock that could be driven around at will and deserved to be enslaved.
"Sinners!" The leader of the demon hunters raised his whip, as if to say: "Listen to me! I..."
"What do you want to do?" A delicate voice suddenly came from the side.
Lux, carrying her extremely eye-catching Hextech mechanical staff, walked here quickly with Sona.
"Miss Laxana?" The whip in the captain's hand suddenly froze in mid-air.
"Who allowed you to talk to my soldiers like that?" Lux raised her eyebrows.
"I..." The Demon Hunter Captain looked grim. In fact, he didn't think he said anything wrong.
Even if these mages became soldiers of the Penal Army, they were still prisoners and sinners. Demon-tainted sinners were not worthy of being treated as human beings. This was the law of Demacia.
Therefore, even if these mages are now soldiers of the Crown Guard family, they should still be discriminated against.
But Lux didn't buy it: "Get down here!"
She raised the staff in her hand and released a dazzling light.
The magic hunters' horses were all irritated by the light and suddenly began to struggle and jump uncontrollably. Many knights were caught off guard and fell off their horses.
The leading demon-hunting captain was quite skilled and did not panic and fall off his horse.
But when he looked at Lux's stern little face, he was still sensible enough to turn over and "fall" off the horse in an embarrassing manner.
"Is this magic?" There was a young demon hunter at the back who didn't know what was happening and actually shouted out after he fell off his horse.
"Shut up!" The captain of the demon hunters glanced at the Crown Guard family emblem on Lux's armor , turned around and glared at the young man fiercely: "This is Hextech... What do you know!"
In fact, everyone is a little confused about whether this is Hextech or magic.
But since General Eldred hasn't spoken yet and the higher-ups haven't made the final decision, it must be Hextech, not magic.
As for whether it is Hextech or magic in the end, we will have to wait for the high-level meeting of the Demon Hunter Corps to study and decide.
“……”The Demon Hunter soldiers didn’t understand so much.
In short, their superior attitude in front of the magician was completely defeated.
"Let me tell you..." At this time, Lux said something that was even more difficult for the demon hunters to accept: "These mages are not sinners. They are war heroes who fought bloody battles with me on the front lines of Ionia!"
"They've probably defeated more Noxians on the battlefield than you've probably ever seen in your life."
"You should bow and salute these returning heroes just like you did to the expeditionary forces!"
"What?!" The captain of the Demon Hunters was furious when he heard this.
This is a problem that even the Mianwei family's power cannot make him bow his head.
This is a matter of principle and a political issue. As a member of the Demon Hunter Corps, he will never give in.
If he bows here today, he might lose his job when he returns.
"Bow." Lux said coldly with a straight face, "Otherwise, don't even think about leaving."
"Miss Laxana, your request is really too much!" The captain of the demon hunters said coldly: "If you insist on making us bow down to these criminals, then I can only go back and report to Commander Eldred and let..."
"Heh." Lux was unmoved.
After all, she came back this time to stir up conflict between the royalists and the demon-hunting army.
It would be best if Eldred knew about this. If not, her play would be in vain.
Lux's face darkened, her eyebrows raised, and she used her porcelain doll-like, tender and cute face to put on the domineering look of a noble lady:
"Do you know my last name? He is worthy of using Eldred to pressure me!"
"This..." The captain of the demon hunters looked extremely ugly.
"Bow." Lux urged coldly.
"This is impossible!" The captain of the demon hunters gritted his teeth and vowed to never obey: "The demon hunters will never bow to these demon-infected bugs."
"You are insulting me and the Demon Seekers, Miss Laxana!"
Looking at his determined expression, he really has the aura that he is ready to offer his heart to the Demon Hunters at any time.
"Sona?" Lux looked at her friend a little uneasily.
This was also the first time for her to play the role of a domineering young lady, and she was really afraid that she might accidentally drive someone to death.
However, Sona only held the zither, focused her attention on the demon hunters, and shook her head at them:
"Don't be afraid, everyone."
Now Lux felt relieved.
She raised her staff unceremoniously. The Hextech RGB lights on the staff shone brightly, and then:
Sizzle——
A laser shot out and narrowly passed in front of the demon hunters.
The next second, a line was drawn on the ground beneath their feet, a deep ditch flowing with molten magma.
Just one inch, just one inch, and their bodies would melt in the scorching heat.
"?!" The demon hunters were immediately horrified and broke out in cold sweats.
"Don't make me repeat myself." Lux said.
There was a delicate silence.
Then, the demon hunters looked at their captain in horror.
The captain of the demon hunters didn't hesitate for a second. He bowed to the mages tremblingly and said, "Welcome, welcome back heroes..."
"Speak louder, I can't hear you!" Lux snorted.
"Welcome home, heroes!"
"Speak louder! I said I can't hear you, and I mean I can't hear you!"
"Welcome home, heroes!!!" the demon hunters shouted with a sad look on their faces.
"Hahaha..." The mages couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Even Silas, who had always looked bitter and resentful for more than a decade, couldn't help but laugh.
Although he had let go of his narrow hatred and embraced a greater ideal, it must be said that seeing these demon hunters who usually treated mages like dogs bowing here at this time... it felt pretty good.
"Okay, okay." Lux severely humiliated this team of demon hunters and then hurriedly stopped.
After all, she had been a noble for a short time and was not used to oppressing others like this.
So after achieving the goal of giving the Demon Hunters a head start, Lux got to the point in a timely manner:
"What did you intend to tell us just now?"
"Well..." The captain of the demon hunters wiped the sweat from his forehead and said hesitantly, "General Eldred asked me to pass on the message."
"He asked me to remind you that these sinners under your command... these warriors, when they return to Demacia's capital later, they must not go through the triumphal arch, but enter the city through the side gate."
"Oh?" Lux thought.
The Arc de Triomphe is actually the eastern gate of the Demacia capital.
This tall and magnificent city gate originally had no name.
However, over the past few hundred years, the victorious soldiers of Demacia always entered the capital from this gate, and were inspected by the king and nobles, as well as welcomed by the people of the capital, on the wide street paved with white stones at the gate...
So over time, this city gate was called the Arc de Triomphe by the Demacians.
"Is there also a welcoming ceremony prepared at the Arc de Triomphe this time?" Lux asked knowingly.
"Of course." The captain of the demon hunters replied, "This time, Prince Jarvan's expedition was victorious and he returned triumphantly. Not only did His Majesty the King and all the lords come in person, but even the citizens of Xiongdu gathered outside the triumphal arch spontaneously to see the expeditionary force."
The scene was filled with the roar of gongs and drums, the blast of firecrackers, the waving of red flags, and the sea of ​​people...
Demacia may not have seen such a bustle in the past few decades.
"Then why don't you let us go?" Lux raised her thin eyebrows: "We are also part of the expeditionary force!"
"This..." The captain of the demon hunters was stunned.
Are you crazy?
He really wanted to ask that.
The prohibition of magic is an iron rule in Demacia, and mages are universally recognized as sinners.
It was already a great mercy for them to be allowed to wear explosive collars and leave the Forbidden Demon Tower to serve the country.
Even if these criminals have made contributions on the front line, they are only worthy of sneaking back to Xiongdu through the unnoticed side door, from the dark corner that belongs to them.
But now, Lux actually wanted to walk in openly from the Arc de Triomphe with a group of demon-tainted sinners in front of His Majesty the King, all the nobles in the court, and countless citizens of the mighty city?
How disgraceful!
The impact is really too bad.
This will cause the Demacia's rituals and music to collapse, and the country will no longer be a country!
"Ms. Laxana, please be sure to..."
"Shut up." Lux raised the staff in his hand: "How much do you earn a month? Why are you playing with your life?"
"..." The Demon Hunter Captain was silent for a moment.
In fact, he earned quite a lot. Salary, bonuses and various gray incomes made his life no worse than that of a small noble.
but……
The Demon Hunter Captain looked at the faintly lit RGB light bar on Lux's staff.
Sure enough, life is more valuable.
"Please do as you wish." He led his subordinates and quietly stepped aside.
Lux proudly mounted her horse and turned to the mages, saying, "Comrades!"
"Let's go into the Arc de Triomphe this time!"
…
The capital, the Arc de Triomphe.
King Jarvan III, at this moment, was standing at the gate of this magnificent city with the nobles of Demacia's capital, happily waiting for the triumphant return of the Demacia expeditionary force.
In addition to the king, nobles and the king's guards who were lined up in battle formation, countless citizens who had heard the news were crowded and waiting on both sides of the road.
They held all kinds of flowers in their hands and had excited smiles on their faces. Although the scene was so crowded that there was no place to stand, the enthusiasm of the citizens remained unabated.
These people really weren’t forced to come;
Because the Debon Expedition led by Prince Jarvan did achieve a lot of results in Ionia this time.
"Have you heard? Prince Jarvan defeated 100,000 elite Noxian troops in the battle of Baruo. Even Sion, the former Hand of Noxus who once killed His Majesty, died in his hands this time!"
"yes,!"
"I also heard that even President Levi of the Leader said that without the full support of Prince Jarvan and the Debon Expeditionary Force, the Leader would not have been able to win this war..."
“…”
Hearing the citizens' praise of his son from afar, King Jarvan's old face was full of smiles.
It’s stable. It’s stable now.
His son is capable, but his biggest weakness is that he is young, has no military achievements, and has no prestige.
King Jarvan is already old, and the situation in Demacia is so delicate.
If he suddenly passed away one day, Prince Jarvan would have no achievements or reputation and no prestige in the army, and it would be difficult for him to convince the people if he ascended the throne at such a young age.
Now, Prince Jarvan has maxed out his military merits and prestige in just one battle in Ionia.
First, he brought back Sion's body this time.
Sion was once a great general of Noxus, and was the murderer of the previous king, Jarvan I.
On the battlefield, in front of countless Demacian soldiers, he crushed the king's head with one hand.
This humiliating defeat is still a national disgrace that the Demacians cannot let go of more than 50 years later, and it is a blood feud that the two subsequent generations of King Jarvan could not forget.
And this time, Prince Jarvan personally washed away the shame for his great-grandfather, the Jarvan royal family, and Demacia!
Sion's body, which had been transformed into an immortal and incorruptible body by blood magic, now hung on the wall of Demacia's capital like a trophy, staring with his eyes wide open at the people of Demacia who were cheering loudly for Demacia.
Based on this alone, Prince Jarvan is enough to become a great hero of Demacia.
And his achievements are not limited to these.
"It was he who led the coalition forces to victory!"
"It was he who defeated the Noxian army of 100,000 in one battle, defeated the Black Rose and the famous general Du Kokael, and frightened the Noxians into shrinking their battle lines. The war pressure facing Demacia was instantly reduced..."
If we go by this record, then Prince Jarvan is simply the general among generals, the symbol of invincibility, the nemesis of Noxus, the savior of Ionia and Demacia, the young hero that even Du Kokael admires, and the most outstanding marshal among all the outstanding generals in Runeterra...
"Ahem." King Jarvan himself felt a little embarrassed when he heard the increasingly outrageous flattery from the crowd.
He knew that saying this would over-downplay the existence of the main friendly force, the Windwarker, and seriously highlight the role of Prince Jarvan himself and the Debon Expeditionary Force.
Even if we are a little modest and say that the 100,000-strong Noxian army was defeated by the Debon Expeditionary Force and the Wind Leader, it would be suspected that "the Star-Forged Dragon King and I are the strongest duo in the world."
but……
This statement did not originate from King Jarvan or the German government, but from the Leader himself.
It was President Levi of the Wind Leaders Association who published an open article in the newspaper, exaggerating Prince Jarvan as a key figure in the Battle of Baru and the Demacia expeditionary force led by him as the absolute main force.
In Levi's version of the battle report:
Sion was killed by Jarvan, Elise was killed by Lux, and Du Kocha was captured by Garen.
Even Vladimir, whose strength was close to that of a god, was killed by the three of them and Levi.
In short, in the promotion of Leader of the Wind, Jarvan, Garen, and Lux ​​are all legendary heroes rarely seen in Demacia for a hundred years. Jarvan, as the prince and leader, has the most roles and the heaviest halo.
Although I don’t know why the leader is praising his son so much, is it to show goodwill to the Debang royal family, or is there some other deeper purpose...
But since the friendly forces helped to do so, the old king gladly accepted it.
Anyway, he just needed this kind of publicity.
Looking at the citizens of the city who were shouting Jarvan's name and looking forward to the triumphant return of the expeditionary force, King Jarvan felt more and more relaxed.
He was waiting for his son to return with his army so that he could show off in front of the people of Xiongdu and the soldiers of Debang.
However……
"It's bad, Your Majesty!"
A messenger came hurriedly and brought him an unexpected message: "Your Majesty, General Laxana has made a request..."
"Lux?" The harmless and young face of Lux appeared in King Jarvan's mind.
What bad request could she make?
"She refused to allow the Mage Penal Army to enter the city through the side gate. She asked us to treat those demon-tainted criminals as part of the expeditionary force and welcome them into the Arc de Triomphe together!"
"What?!" The old king was stunned.
The surrounding nobles were in an uproar.
Although the messenger had lowered his voice, there were almost no useless people who could become nobles in this world.
The nobles present were all extraordinary warriors with keen hearing, and they all heard this incredible news.
"That girl Laxana wants to bring the Demon-tainted Sinner into the Arc de Triomphe?!"
The nobles looked in shock at Pete Crownguard and Ogatha Crownguard, Lux's parents.
They all wanted to know what the Mianwei family was planning to do this time.
But the Pitts looked shocked, and it was unclear whether they were acting or they really didn't know about it.
"Your Majesty!" Eldred could no longer sit still.
He slowly swept his eyes over the members of the Crown Guard family present, then quickly walked up to King Jarvan and said, "The demon-tainted sinners must not enter the capital from the Arc de Triomphe—"
"Please also order the rejection of General Laxana's unreasonable request."
Eldred used strong words, which showed that beneath his calm appearance, he was definitely hiding an uncontrollable anger.
"That's right, Your Majesty!" Seeing this, the nobles of the Forbidden Magic Faction also echoed: "Please give an order to reject General Laxana's unreasonable request!"
Almost everyone spoke for Eldred.
This was the scene that made King Jarvan most unhappy.
But this time, the old king could understand.
Because Lux's request was too outrageous—
Which door to enter from? This question seems ordinary.
But in fact, it is a fatal issue involving the foundation of the Demacia nation, and the "Great Ceremony Debate" has been held for several years without any result.
Lux simply wants to publicly slap the Demon Hunters in the face in front of all of Demacia.
What's worse is that she did such a thing and the Mianwei family made such a big move without telling him, the king, in advance.
"Peter." King Jarvan frowned and looked at his old friend: "What is your daughter doing?"
"I don't know either." General Pitt shook his head.
“……” The old king was silent.
He thought his old friend was playing dumb.
Although after the Mianwei Family and the Demon Hunter Corps completely broke off, the Mianwei Family became his political ally whom he could absolutely trust.
He was indeed looking forward to the fight between the Crown Guard Family and the Demon Hunters, hoping that it would help stabilize the gradually unbalanced situation in the country.
But that's not now.
Now that the leader has developed to a very high level, why would he have the time to engage in internal strife?
The Crown Guard family did something that was seriously detrimental to unity, and they didn't even tell him, the king, in advance...
What on earth do they want to do?!
King Jarvan's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and he finally gave an order: "Send a message to Laxana Crownguard, and have her lead the Mage Penal Army into the city through the side gate."
"If that girl continues to be willful, then..." The old king said, with a rare emphasis, "Let her stay outside the city with her men, and don't let her come in again!"
He gave the order under the satisfied gazes of the nobles, however...
"Your Majesty," the messenger said hesitantly, "In fact, it's not just General Laxana who made the request..."
"Who else?" The old king's face darkened: "Garen?"
He was really angry now.
Taking advantage of his victory and prestige, he openly threatened the king.
What, you want to rebel?
"Tell me! Who else? Who is fooling around with that girl?" King Jarvan asked in a deep voice.
"Also, and..." The messenger swallowed nervously, "Also, His Royal Highness Prince Jarvan."
"He said... he said those mages were also part of the expeditionary force, and were German heroes who had fought alongside him through thick and thin."
"If those mages are not allowed to enter the Arc de Triomphe, then he will not come in either."
King Jarvan: "..."