Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest-Chapter 341 - 14: The Falling Snowflakes are as Cold as Her Heart
Chapter 341: Chapter 14: The Falling Snowflakes are as Cold as Her Heart
"Miss Sanna from the Casting Group has come to see Chief Captain Kao again!"
The news spread, and various soldiers, team leaders, squadron leaders, and squad leaders who happened to be off-duty came flocking. No one wanted to miss the monthly exciting event.
All military personnel had one day off per month.
Each day, one-thirtieth of the people could rest.
The shifts could be rotated for coordination, but it was necessary to ensure that twenty-nine thirtieths of the army were undergoing tough training, rain or shine, even if there was a snowstorm, physical training must proceed.
The rest days were arranged by team units.
Team leaders and soldiers could coordinate and choose which day of the month to rest.
As long as it didn’t disrupt the monthly rest rule, wishes were generally fulfilled; if there were conflicts in rest times, the superiors would arrange them.
Kao was the Chief Captain of the Guard Squad; it was only natural he chose the same day off as Sanna.
However, the relationship between the two was far from the cordiality of normal siblings.
When they learned that the siblings had arranged to meet behind the grove, the off-duty soldiers and officers all went to watch the spectacle.
Kao stood inside the ring, his face somewhat darkened.
He didn’t mind fighting with Sanna, but how had the news leaked?
He surveyed his surroundings with a chilling gaze. Wherever his eyes landed, everyone instinctively lowered their heads or looked away, especially those from the Guard Squad couldn’t afford to be remembered for grudge by the renowned petty Chief Captain.
Kao was expressionless. Just lowering your head is enough? I’d just need to check today’s off-duty chart at the military department to know everything.
"Hurry up!" He urged with a cold face, aiming for a quick resolution. freēwēbnovel.com
"What’s the rush?" Sanna cracked her knuckles and lightly jumped twice in place, warming up.
A cold wind swept through the forest, the branches holding onto their last few leaves.
The atmosphere was silent.
"Sanna! You must win this time!" Gwivelle clasped her hands into a megaphone shape, shouting loudly to Sanna.
"I will win!" the girl swung her fist vigorously at Gwivelle, her face brimming with confidence.
Gwivelle was somewhat worried; she always said this, and the outcome was always less than ideal.
"What do you think?" Zelda, one of the watching Battle Witches, asked Brenna.
"I’m not very optimistic..." Brenna, the Swift, responded, "Yes, Sanna can now arm wrestle with Kao after casting a spell, but honestly, if I had the same strength as him, I’m not sure I could kill him outright; there’s a chance I’d get killed instead."
"It’s strange; he’s only so young, hasn’t been to many battles, his combat experience shouldn’t be that extensive." The Combat-ready Zelda commented.
"Our little Sanna too, I don’t know why, but her combat experience has skyrocketed recently. Right under our noses during training, she’s so fast, fierce, and accurate, you’d think she’s killed many by the look in her eyes when she fights."
"You should ask our ’All-Knowing’ Highness what he did," Brenna, the Swift, smirked, "Such a young Third-Tier Knight; I bet if His Highness let him participate in a combat tournament, he’d definitely win the Heroic Star awarded personally by the Black Iron King."
"But a Medal Knight title might not compare to his performance on the battlefield; he’s in command of all the Guard Squads after all."
"So, do you think little Sanna can win?"
"Three to seven odds, in a fight to the death, well..."
"Hey, it’s starting to snow."
...
No sooner had the words been spoken than the siblings began their brawl.
Both were lightly dressed, their hands and feet wrapped in bandages for better force exertion.
Sanna attacked first with a swift right straight punch.
Kao dodged by moving his head aside while lifting his left leg, whipping it out like a steel flail, the air whooshing.
Sanna suddenly ducked. The straight punch was a feint; she quickly withdrew it, supporting herself with one hand on the ground for a Thomas Rotation targeting Kao’s right leg planted in a golden-rooster-stance.
Kao was somewhat surprised and fell to the ground.
Sanna spun her body around, quickly stood up, and delivered a downward chop with her right leg in a War Axe style.
Kao rolled away just in time to avoid the attack, covered in dirt.
Boom!
The ground trembled slightly, and leaves scattered as Sanna lifted her right foot, leaving a several-centimeter-deep footprint in the hard soil layer.
Seeing his clumsy movements, a strong thrill of excitement flashed in Sanna’s eyes.
"Kao, feel the pain I felt before!" she yelled, chasing after Kao who had just gotten up and was unsteady on his feet.
Bang!
The tree as thick as a bowl was kicked down by Sanna on the spot. Wood chips flew, and half of the trunk fell with a crack.
Kao took her more seriously, kept retreating, and evading while patiently and carefully observing Sanna’s movements.
Boom!
Another thin tree was kicked down at the waist!
The trees in this forest were sparse and thin. Kao had plenty of space to retreat, but Sanna was eager to give him a good beating, aiming to make him kneel before everyone.
Sanna lightly jumped, leaping three to four meters high, striking down from above, aiming a mountain-crushing meteor smash at Kao.
Kao suddenly flung the soil in his hands, startling Sanna. She instinctively closed her eyes to avoid the dirt blinding her and then felt a pang in her body.
The mountain-crushing meteor smash turned into a Lightning Tornado Slash, and Sanna crashed hard.
She landed heavily on the ground, writhing in pain for a moment. Her keen senses detected someone approaching her quickly. She gasped, curled up without hesitation, and covered her head...
At that moment, the snowflakes falling from the sky were as cold as her heart, trembling with coldness.
...
In the evening, Tucker, carrying a wooden bucket, hurried back from the department store to his residence.
He barged in through the door and then quickly used his back to close it tightly, isolating the outside wind and snow.
He walked from the living room to the bedroom and immediately felt the temperature inside was higher than outside.
The howling wind and snow outside didn’t move the sturdy brick walls. A small gap in the ventilation of the coal stove allowed the honeycomb coal to release heat slowly and steadily.
The entire room was both warm and quiet.
Tucker approached the bed with the bucket and softly said, "Look, Lola, guess what I’ve brought back?"
The pregnant woman sat on the bed, covered in warm wool blankets over most of her body, with their baby born last year sleeping beside her. She was expecting her second child and was close to giving birth.
"Why did you buy more stuff? We haven’t even finished the soap we bought last time."
"This time it’s milk," Tucker said. "Look, this bucket weighs twenty kilograms, and it only cost one copper coin, enough for you and little Richard for several days."
"And the pregnancy subsidy, I can hardly keep it down..." Lola exclaimed with surprise.
"And for little Richard too..." Tucker whispered, careful not to wake the child.
"Ah, alright, he is growing," Lola conceded.
"Should I go buy another copper coin’s worth of honeycomb coal? Is this enough?"
"This is enough."
Lola looked at him tenderly, "The free stuff is enough. All these are His Highness’s grace." She had never imagined a pregnant woman could receive such meticulous care.
Giving birth was no longer a terrifying thing.
"Yes, all of this is His Highness’s grace for you and me. When little Richard is old enough to understand, I will definitely tell him about these things."
...
