In front of Briggs Fortress, the Elric brothers stood amidst the wind and snow, surrounded by soldiers pointing guns at them.
"I am a State Alchemist, not a special agent."
Edward explained once again, sighing helplessly.
"Don’t move, hands in the air."
A soldier tightened his grip on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.
"Brother, what should we do now?"
Although Alphonse was not afraid of guns, he didn’t act recklessly.
"Let’s wait; their officer should be here soon."
The Elric brothers felt a bit exasperated; the northern soldiers wouldn’t give them a chance to explain. Even showing their State Alchemist watch was useless; without central authorization, these people didn’t believe their identity at all.
This was normal at ’Brickies Fortress’, a border fortress, where spies attempted to infiltrate every year, often pretending to be alchemists.
Olivier Mira emerged from within the fortress, the female general stood aloft, scrutinizing the brothers.
Olivier Mira’s tone was not pleasant, matching her mood.
After verification, Olivier discovered that what the man said might be true. If so, war was imminent, and she wouldn’t wait passively.
Hearing Olivier’s interrogation from above the fortress, Edward looked up.
"I am Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, introduced by Major Armstrong from Central to see the Vice Admiral. Please dismiss the guards."
The Major Armstrong Edward spoke of was Olivier Mira’s younger brother.
Hearing that they were introduced by her brother, Olivier Mira didn’t bother with pleasantries.
"We’re not bad guys."
"Who knows that; anyone can impersonate a famous person, especially since a ’demon’ has recently appeared in my territory. Who knows if you are accomplices."
Edward Elric was somewhat puzzled.
After the search, a silver pocket watch and a letter were handed to Olivier.
"This is the introduction letter from the major, proving we’re not bad guys."
Olivier Mira looked at the envelope in her hand, recognizing her brother’s handwriting at a glance.
"Heh~, indeed that idiot."
Speaking, Olivier Mira tore the letter into pieces without reading its contents.
"Hey, why not read it? It contains information about me and my brother."
"An introduction letter means nothing to me. I don’t need someone else’s assessment; I judge people with my own eyes."
As she spoke, Olivier Mira had already shredded the letter.
The chilling wind howled as the Elric brothers were about to enter the fortress, and they couldn’t help but look up, immediately struck by its grandeur.
A hundred meters tall, the iron strong walls bore traces of ice and snow.
"Amazing, so high~, so big!"
Hearing Edward Elric’s exclamation, Olivier Mira’s gaze lowered, her expression somewhat grim.
"Move along, or I’ll pull those antennas off your heads."
The antennas Olivier referred to were Edward’s cowlick and a tuft of hair on Alphonse’s armor.
Edward personally experienced the North Queen’s strength.
Inside the fortress, the Elric brothers did not gain freedom; instead, they faced a second round of ’interrogation.’
Olivier Mira sat across from the brothers, with a steaming cup of tea in front of them.
"Do you know the Flame Alchemist?"
Hearing Olivier’s question, the brothers were taken aback.
Edward nodded, then shook his head.
"We only met once, he’s a total fanatic. Last time, he blew up many buildings in Central City, and I had to fix them. For some reason, though, he was recently wanted for killing an important military officer."
After listening to Edward’s description, Olivier Mira pondered deeply.
The information she received was the same: Su Xiao had killed an important military officer and was ultimately wanted.
If she remembered correctly, that so-called important officer was merely a powerless colonel, unrelated to the Flame Alchemist.
The military’s information was full of contradictions, coupled with the actions in Central City in recent years, making Olivier Mira feel uneasy.
"Let’s leave that aside; I need you two to explain why you came directly to me without going through Headquarters and the secret behind your brother’s hollow armor."
The Elric brothers exchanged a glance.
"Well, if we divulge it, we might face a court-martial..."
Before Edward could finish, Olivier suddenly interrupted.
"Is it Sage and homunculi?"
Olivier only uttered two keywords without mentioning the Philosopher’s Stone and homunculi, to avoid leaving any proof.
Edward stood up abruptly.
"It seems that man wasn’t lying; this is not good, very bad."
Seeing Olivier’s reaction, the Elric brothers were somewhat bewildered.
"Out with it, little dwarf, spill everything you know!"
Olivier coldly stared at Edward.
"Who are you calling a little dwarf!"
"You, with the antenna, little dwarf, you have five minutes to state your case. By the way, know that Central City’s laws don’t apply here."
A group of soldiers rushed into the room, with dozens of gun barrels aimed at the brothers. Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Don’t think I’m bluffing, this is the northwest, and deaths are commonplace, even for State Alchemists; I can take responsibility for the lives of my tens of thousands of troops."
"Tens of thousands of lives?"
Edward was puzzled, suddenly feeling that this female general before him might know more than he did.
Hesitating for a moment, Edward disclosed all he could.
Ten minutes later, Olivier’s gaze was fixed on the floor as the soldiers in the room slowly receded.
"What proof do you have that you’re telling the truth?"
Olivier’s question left the brothers speechless.
"We don’t have any for now, but the Philosopher’s Stone and homunculi do exist. I’ve seen them with my own eyes."
"I believe in the Philosopher’s Stone because I have indeed seen it, but as for homunculi..."
Su Xiao once handed Olivier a small piece of Philosopher’s Stone, smaller than a grain of rice.
Olivier took out the Philosopher’s Stone, and as the Elric brothers saw it, they felt a chill run down their spines.
Edward was already in a combat stance.
"No, it was given to me by someone else."
"Where is that person?"
Edward’s breathing was noticeably heavier; who knows how many lives were sacrificed for this small piece of Philosopher’s Stone.
"You don’t need to know that; you only need to confirm if this is the Philosopher’s Stone. Is it really that miraculous?"
"This is the Philosopher’s Stone."
Upon receiving Edward’s clear affirmation, Olivier took a deep breath.
"Demonstrate it, let me see how it defies equivalent exchange."
"No! I won’t use this item. Its material for creation is human, and I will never use it."