A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

The splashing waterfall scatters a gauze-like mist.

The clear water on the rocks shallowly covered the insteps.

The white deer and the boy stood in the water.

The white deer lowered its head gently, and the boy raised his hand to hold its head.

It once again rubbed the boy's cheek affectionately and gently, then turned around and jumped lightly onto the high rock with the flowing waterfall.

The white deer standing on the waterfall looked back. Its eyes were like black pearls soaked in the water, clearly reflecting the young man's figure.

After taking one last look at Garlan, it quickly ran towards the jungle not far away.

Its running posture is so light and graceful.

Then, the white figure disappeared deep into the emerald green jungle and disappeared from everyone's eyes.

When the white deer appeared, time seemed to stop at that moment.

That indescribably beautiful elf-like figure seemed to make everything stand still.

It wasn't until the white deer disappeared deep into the jungle that everyone came back to their senses as if they were awakening from a dream.

"Is that...a deer?"

"No, that's right, a white deer!"

"What a beautiful deer..."

"It seems like you've never seen it before?"

"Yes, although there are many deer in this mountain, this is the first time I have seen a white deer."

"I've never seen such a beautiful deer—"

"Yes, yes, when I saw it, I didn't know why I didn't dare to take a breath."

Everyone was talking a lot, talking non-stop with a feeling of excitement that they couldn't explain why.

"Speaking of...the white holy beast...I always feel like I have heard of it somewhere."

"Ah, me too, it seems that there was this line in the poem my grandfather used to coax me when I was a child."

Only some old people still remember the old ballad of Tweluer Mountain, and young people know very little about it. And this time, almost all the people digging ditches in the mountain were young and strong men, so naturally they couldn't remember it for a while.

Later, when these people who had seen the white deer with their own eyes went home and shared what they saw with their friends and relatives, they soon learned about this ancient poem from the elderly at home.

For a time, the ancient songs that had been almost forgotten were once again sung in Tweilur City.

It wasn't until a long time later that they knew that the boy who the white deer gave the laurel branch to was their prince.

Later, a bard wrote a poem based on this incident, and the moving poem was sung. It described the young prince Aaron Landis, guided by the white sacred beast, to save the special people from the flood. The story of Wellur City.

This poem, together with the ancient ballad of the Tweilur Mountain legend, has been passed down from generation to generation in the city of Tweilur.

Thousands of years later, archaeologists of later generations discovered these two songs with blurred handwriting on the broken stone tablets excavated from this ancient city...

…………

……………………

Under the urging of the soldiers, the people who were still talking excitedly about the beautiful white deer began to go down the mountain one after another. They could not wait to return to their safe homes and reunite with their relatives.

Soon, only a few people were left at the waterfall on the top of the mountain where there had been a lot of people not long ago.

On one side were Garlan and Shulos, on the other side were the Lord of Kanile and his staff, as well as dozens of close guards.

For the safety of Prince Garlan, the city lord did not intend to reveal Garlan's identity.

He walked to Garlan's side, and his eyes first fell on Garlan's hands.

The laurel branch in the young prince's hand was so green that it looked like it was carved from jade.

The old city lord frowned deeply as he looked at the laurel branch.

At Aaron Landis, the laurel tree has a special meaning.

According to legend, the sun god Shamash was born under the laurel tree. Therefore, Shamash usually only wears a crown made of laurel leaves.

Only the king of Aaron Landis could wear a crown or ornament carved in the shape of a laurel leaf.

Others can only wear olive leaf-shaped head crowns or ornaments similar to laurel leaves.

But why did that incredible white deer that suddenly appeared from the mountain bring this laurel branch to...Prince Garlan?

What does this foreshadow?

Or does the legend in the poem about the earth god Magah really exist?

That white holy beast...

"Lord Canile."

The whispered reminders from the staff around him brought the Lord Kanile back to his senses from deep thought.

He looked down, and the boy in front of him also raised his head to look at him.

Those golden pupils, when you look closely at them, even the edge of the iris is a pure golden halo.

Just as he was staring into Garlan's eyes, suddenly Shulos, who was standing next to him, took a step forward and raised his left arm to block Garlan's body.

"I'm the mastermind."

Shulos said in a deep voice.

"The plan to kidnap that noble was proposed by me. He was still young, a child. He was just coaxed by me into doing what I asked him to do."

"Shuluos..."

"Gall, don't talk!"

Suddenly interrupting Garlan who was about to say something, Shulos turned back and continued to stare at the city lord, and said quickly, "The child is ignorant. If you want to accuse me, just come to me."

Shulos suddenly stood up and took all the responsibility on himself, which shocked everyone present.

Then, the staff standing aside couldn't help but lower their heads, pursed their lips and smiled.

The Lord of Canile City just glanced at this rude guy, and then ignored Shulos.

He looked at Garlan again, raised his right hand and pressed it on his chest, leaned forward slightly, and bowed his head to salute Garlan.

He said: "This is the first time we meet, His Royal Highness Prince Garlan. I am the lord of Tweilur City, Kanile."

Although he had seen Prince Garlan from a distance before when he went to the royal city to report on his duties, this was the first time he met face to face.

A certain bard who stood firmly in front of Garlan was stunned for a moment.

"……ah?"

Shulos looked confused.

prince?

...What prince?

What kind of prince is this?

Is this city lord too old and out of his mind? Why are you calling them "His Royal Highness"?

The prince is Garlan, not Gar.

.........Must be too old, something went wrong in the brain due to sudden stimulation.

Yes, yes, that must be the case.

Just when Shulos was convincing himself in his heart, a hand reached out and patted the arm he was holding in front of him.

"Don't stop me."

Garlan said.

"it's me."

He patted Shulos' arm and pressed it down hard to stop it from blocking him.

He said, "He's calling me."

He looked at the bard who had become stupid and repeated again: "I am Prince Garlan."

[Don't worry, I am the prince and I will protect you. 】

【That’s me. 】

The bard's mind exploded with a bang at this moment.

Gal.

Prince Garlan.

No! He must be dreaming!

And it’s still a nightmare!

Think about what he has been doing these days -

When she thought the prince was a girl, she started teasing the prince.

Later, when he found out his gender, he kept teasing him with the title "young master".

He also touched the prince from time to time.

He didn't know how many times he had rubbed the prince's noble head with his right hand... Goddess Avdmir... your most handsome disciple is going to have his hands chopped off!

And, the worst thing is...

[Tsk, if you were a prince, then I would be King Camos. 】

Damn it! Why am I so mean-mouthed? Why--

The bard, who was roaring in his heart and wished he could slap himself so hard that his mouth would become swollen, decisively turned around.

If you don't run away now, are you waiting to be beheaded?

However, Shulos, who was eager to escape, had just taken one step.

The young man behind him seemed to have read through his mind and reached out from behind to grab his shoulders.

"where are you going?"

Garlan asked with a smile.

"I...that...I'm in a hurry, I need to find a place to resolve it..."

"oh."

Garlan let go.

Shulos breathed a sigh of relief and started to run away.

However, as soon as he took another step, the boy's voice that seemed to be talking to himself came into his ears from behind.

"I'm still planning to go back and get that bow back to you later..."

The second step he was about to take froze in mid-air, and Shulos couldn't move.

That bow was of great significance to him, and he also told Garlan that it was something given to him by the mentor who raised him and taught him archery before he died.

That was something he absolutely didn't want to lose.

Shulos took a deep breath and turned around.

A look of death on his face.

"Come on, goug out the eyes first, or cut out the tongue first? Or chop off the hands first?"

Garlan: "..."

He raised his foot and kicked Shulos moderately.

"Okay, stop pretending."

He said angrily, "You know I won't do anything to you."

"Really? You won't punish me for my offense?"

The bard's eyes lit up and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"He who doesn't know is not guilty. You don't know who I am, so that's not an offense."

Garlan said amusedly.

"So, please stop acting. If you overact it, it will look fake."

"Really? I think it's pretty good."

"I don't think you are the kind of guy who would tie your hands and feet after hearing my identity. Besides, if you were really afraid, you should have knelt down and begged desperately for mercy."

"Well……"

The two were talking when suddenly the hoarse voice of the city lord came from the side, interrupting their conversation.

"excuse me."

Lord Kanile looked at Garlan, frowned and said, "Your Highness, what are you doing here if you don't stay in the palace? Also, why don't you even have bodyguards with you? Does the king allow you to leave the royal city? It's unavoidable for you to do this. Did you neglect your own safety too much? Moreover, there will be a very important ceremony to be held in the near future. If you leave without authorization, would you be too willful? "

Although the city lord is over fifty years old, he is in strong health and can speak with a full breath, without pausing in between.

Moreover, those words, one after another, came step by step with a great sense of oppression.

Coupled with the serious aura unique to elders brought by the old city lord, Garlan was a little unable to resist.

"Wait, wait a minute, I know what I'm doing is wrong...but the matter is very complicated and I can't finish it at the moment. Why don't we go back to the city first?"

"Understood, Your Highness."

Lord Canile replied that he would not continue to press.

"It's an honor for you to come to my city, and I will report your presence to King Camos immediately."

He paused and looked at Garlan.

"Your Highness, do you have any objection?"

"…………"

Garlan paused for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

He said: "No."

The old city lord with a serious face nodded with satisfaction.

Then, a group of people prepared to go down the mountain.

The Lord of Canile City left a few guards and asked them to temporarily station beside the waterfall. He decided to rotate the soldiers up the mountain this month to guard the place for a period of time to avoid accidents from happening again.

As they walked down the mountain, Garlan and Shulos continued to talk.

"You have lied to me for so long, waiting to see my joke. Your Highness, won't your conscience hurt?"

"I told you I was a prince."

"Who would believe your statement——"

"You usually believe it, right? After all, no one dares to say that he is a prince...ah, but there is one who dares to say that he is Kamo..."

"Stop, stop, stop! I was wrong, I admit my mistake, everything is my fault, please don't say anything!"

The two of them were talking when suddenly, Garlan's footsteps stopped abruptly.

Shulos didn't react and continued to take a step forward before stopping.

He saw Gallan's face next to him. Gallan stood still with an expression of disbelief on his face at this moment. His golden eyes were wide open and he looked forward in astonishment. He even opened his mouth as if he wanted to I wanted to make a sound, but I didn't know why I held it back.

Shulos subconsciously followed Garlan's line of sight and looked over.

Seeing this, he was also startled.

A young man stood under a big tree not far away.

It was a stranger, whom he had never seen before.

It was an extremely striking black-haired young man.

No one can ignore his presence.

Underneath the night-like black hair, there is an extremely handsome face that is unforgettable at one glance. Even a certain bard who has always been narcissistic is embarrassed to say that he can compare with it.

But at a glance, the first thing that caught people's attention was not the handsome face, but the young man's eyes.

The golden-red eyes are full of sharpness, with an invisible edge, and they can suppress everyone just by looking at them.

"He..."

Lord Kanile made a sound and swallowed it back.

He did not reveal the identity of Heimos, but his face was stern, and it was obvious that he was very unhappy now.

What's going on with these two people running around everywhere instead of staying well in the palace?

Not long ago, I felt that His Highness was more stable and reliable, and more suitable to be the Crown Prince than Prince Gallan.

Now, the old city lord decided to take back these words.

Heimos walked toward Garlan.

His eyes had always been on Garlan, as if he had completely ignored the existence of others.

For some reason, Garlan, who had come back to his senses after the shock, felt a little nervous and guilty when he saw Heimos walking towards him.

He swallowed softly.

He could imagine that Heimos must have been very angry when he left without saying goodbye.

At this moment, seeing Heimos walking towards him and staring at him unblinkingly, Garlan had the urge to run away.

However, let alone the fact that the only way down the mountain is blocked by Heimos, even if there is another way, if he really escapes in front of Heimos... I always feel that... his end will be miserable. .

Therefore, he could only stand there obediently.

Walking in front of Garlan, Heimos lowered his head and glanced over the young man's face bit by bit.

It's like a thirsty traveler in the desert sees manna, not missing a single bit of it.

That gaze was so deep that there was no end in sight.

He looked at Garlan deeply, as if he couldn't see anything else in his eyes.

Heimos stretched out the left hand he had been holding and unfolded it in front of Garlan's eyes.

A green malachite earring lay quietly in the brown palm.

Shulos next to him saw it and was surprised.

"This is the earring that was snatched away at that time. Why is it here with you?"

Garlan also didn't understand, but he didn't ask any more questions and just reached for it. However, before he could touch the earring, the big brown hand stretched out in front of his eyes moved away.

His fingertips came up empty.

He raised his head and looked at Heimos doubtfully.

Heymos glanced at Garlan, raised his right hand to lift the blond hair on Garlan's cheek, and gently pushed it behind his ear.

Then, he put the malachite earring in his hand back on Garlan's earlobe.

A bit of emerald green is dotted on the white earlobes.

White gold tassels falling from the emerald stone hung on the brown fingers.

Heimos lowered his head and stared into the golden eyes that were also staring at him.

Garlan was here, in front of him.

He can see it and touch it.

"Where else do you want to go?"

he asks.

His eyes were originally sharp, but the moment they landed on Garlan's face, the sharp blades turned into soft fingers.

Even the deep voice was full of softness.

He said: "No matter where you are, I will accompany you."