This year's border town is very different from previous years.

In previous years, after the end of the Demon Moon, you would have to wait for another month in the slums of the Long Song Fortress until the snow had completely cleared before you could return home. And when I returned to the town, I saw mostly a mess. The houses that had been left untended for months were in a dilapidated state, some of the sturdy wooden huts had long since been crushed by the snow, and some townspeople even hid from evil beasts in their homes, biting the cabinets and tables to pieces, and dragging hay rags to fill the corners, apparently using this place as their lair to hide from the wind and snow. They often spend a week repairing their houses and replacing mouldy furniture, and the residents of the area are used to the lingering smell of decay.

This year, however, the border town has taken on a new look, with the snow quickly swept away and the colourful paper flags issued by His Royal Highness the Prince hanging in front of the house. From a distance, the monotonous and dilapidated town becomes colorful, and various flags are mixed together, like a sea of flowers. Everyone rushed to tell each other that on the first day after the end of the Demon Moon, His Highness would hold a grand celebration ball in the square!

What a ball is, it is a social occasion that only the upper class of the aristocracy can attend, and everyone has never heard of it only from the mouths of well-informed big city merchants, but even they cannot participate in it. According to businessmen, it is not an event that can be invited just by having money. His Royal Highness the Prince actually let everyone participate?

"Your Highness, isn't it okay for you to do this?" the chief knight dissuaded, "there is no band or lead dancer here, who will control the rhythm of the ball?" besides, in such a remote place, even the nobles do not necessarily dance, and your lords will only mess everything up." ”

Carter had only been to one ball during his time in the royal capital, which was held by a marquis to celebrate his daughter's birthday. Elegant strings and rousing drumbeats intertwined, with ladies dancing to melodious music, while men showed their fast and powerful dance steps, spinning or tapping, joining the movements to the beat of the drums. During the break, the attendants shuttled through the crowd with drinks and snacks, and the men searched for the woman they liked, and when the last piece of music played, they mustered up the courage to come forward and invite, and the successful ones had a lot of fun after the ball was over.

Carter sighed, although he couldn't make an appointment with the girl he liked when he was young, the elegant and romantic atmosphere still lingers on him to this day. Replace the nobles with great grace for these villagers who deal with stones and wild beasts every day? God, he couldn't imagine such a scene.

"Lead dancer, yes," Roland instructed the militia to remove all the stone sculptures and gallows in the square, "Iron Axe and the militia." ”

"The sandman?" Carter froze. As the captain of the musket team, the performance of the iron axe in the demon moon has finally won the approval of the chief knight, and the title of alien race is no longer mentioned, but the other party is a member of the Mojin clan after all, how can he know the etiquette of the continental kingdom!

Roland smiled mysteriously: "Because it's not the usual ball, you'll know when the time comes." ”

There was not much preparation to be done, mainly to remove the barriers in the square and erect a firewood pile in the center. A table was built with bricks on the side of the pyre, which was used to grill food. That's right, that's what Roland came up with in the first place to be a celebratory ball—a mix of a campfire party and a barbecue.

What to use to increase the people's sense of identity with the place of residence has always been a serious consideration for the prince. Nationalism and nationalism are too profound for these rural villagers who have worked for the lord all their lives and cannot read a single word, and only their family wealth and relatives are worthy of care. The more backward it is, the more short-sighted it becomes, this is the law of the development of civilization, "civilization will always become as big as its ideas in the end", Roland deeply believes this.

However, this does not mean that spiritual construction can be ignored, and the victory celebration is one of the transformation methods he has figured out. In fact, he found it incomprehensible that the world had not expressed any expression of celebration after the Demon Moon. The annual invasion of evil beasts is simply like a natural disaster, and defeating such an evil is naturally a special note.

So he decided to name the first day after the end of the evil month every year as Victory Day. Wherever the territory belongs to him, this day is not only closed, but also celebrated with various events. As long as it lasts for three or four years, it will become a tradition and be passed down in the territory. Gradually, the lords will feel that they are different from the people under the rule of other lords.

Before noon, the square was crowded with people, and militia members lined up in a circle to keep everyone out of the pyre.

It seems that the free distribution of food is still quite attractive, and at least half of the whole town has come, Roland thought. The fly in the ointment is that the square is a little smaller after all, except for the open space outside the pyre, more than 1,000 people are almost shoulder to shoulder, and it is difficult to have room for movement. He also saw that some of the children had climbed onto the nearest roof and peered into the middle of the square.

The first celebration is inevitably flawed. Roland estimated that the time was almost up, and took the stage to give a speech.

This is the second time he has given a public speech in the square, and his state of mind is much calmer than the last time.

"Good afternoon, my lords. I am Roland Wimbleton, the fourth prince of the Kingdom of Greykeep. He still chose the same beginning as last time, but this time the effect was completely different, and before the words fell, the crowd had already erupted into enthusiastic shouts, "Long live His Royal Highness!" "Long live Your Highness!"

Roland suddenly felt a heat in his chest, this time he didn't arrange anything, seeing the spontaneous cheers of the militia and the masses, a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction filled his heart.

When the call subsided, he pressed down on his hand, "The Demon Moon is over, and the Evil Beast has never been able to cross the walls even a single step despite the heroic efforts of the militia team. The fact that the border town has defeated a terrible enemy at a very small cost proves that if we all come together, we can stand firm here, even without relying on the handouts of the Changge Fortress! They want to threaten the town with food, they want to force us to submit with hunger and cold, and today's victory tells them that it is all in vain!"

"That's right, I don't want to go back to that place again!"

"Follow His Royal Highness the Prince, there is no day of hunger in winter!"

"Finally, I don't have to be blackmailed by them, Your Highness is merciful!"

Taking advantage of the rising emotions of the people, Roland continued to say loudly: "Let us celebrate this glorious and glorious victory, this is a day to remember! I declare that from now on, the first day after the end of the Demon Moon will be called "Victory Day"! The celebration ball is for this purpose! My lords, enjoy the day to the fullest! Now, the ball begins!"

Torches were thrown into the greased pyre, and the flames rang out with a clatter, instantly igniting the atmosphere of the square.