A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

In the afternoon, the sunshine in the Royal City of Aaron Landis was perfect as always.

In the courtyard, the water droplets sprinkled in the air from the fountain of the stone statue of the Star Goddess bring a bit of coolness to the air.

In the room, it was still the usual teaching time of the high priestess every afternoon.

For Garlan, it is quite unusual to listen to Tapti's teachings. After all, it was Shemuel who was responsible for teaching him in the past.

But in this life, Shermer became a military general and a royal guard, and Tapti took his place.

Garlan also understands in his heart that everyone cannot be the same in every life.

But even if he understood, thinking of the strange look Xie Mu'er looked at him yesterday, he still...

Just when Garlan was in a daze, the chief priestess, who had finished explaining the entire Aaron Landis territory, took a sip of herbal tea and showed a dissatisfied look.

"I really don't know what your Majesty is thinking."

She said while taking another sip of herbal tea.

"Heimos is clearly the bodyguard given to you by His Majesty, but His Majesty catches him every day, saying that he wants to practice his martial arts. Can't this kind of thing be left to other generals?"

Garlan laughed dryly, not being easy to talk to.

In fact, he was a little worried at first about the fact that Brother Wang kept holding on to Heimos every day, and he once considered whether to talk to Brother Wang about it.

But Heimos said that although King Kamos wanted to teach him a lesson, in fact, he seriously taught him many modern powers, such as how to use energy guns that he knew nothing about. of. And he also wants to learn the powers that he does not have in this era as soon as possible.

Therefore, Garlan acquiesced to the fact that King Kamos would seek out Heimos from time to time.

"It doesn't matter, Heymos isn't here, isn't there Caihos?"

After Caijos returned to Aaron Landis, he had been assigned a position as a military attaché by Kamos. Because of his duties, Caijos had to stay with Kamos.

However, every time Camos sent Kehos to call Heimos away, Kehos would stay and be responsible for guarding Garlan.

So the guardian staying outside the palace now is Kehos.

"Forget it, this is not the first time His Majesty has been willful..."

The head priestess, who had been forced to get used to the abuse of this willful Majesty from the past, sighed helplessly.

She looked at Garlan, suddenly thought of something, and said it with a smile.

"For example, your name should be after the late Emperor, but at that time, His Majesty, who was only in his teens, acted like a fool and just snatched your naming rights away from the late Emperor."

She smiled and looked at Garlan with soft eyes.

"So, Prince, your name was given to you by His Majesty."

"'Clear Sky', he said, this is a very good name. He hopes that you will live under the sun all your life, and hope that your mood will always be like sunny weather, without worries."

Gallan thought for a while, then asked: "When you mention my name, Tapti, there is one thing that I have always cared about."

"yes?"

"Although you didn't teach me the history of Aaron Landis in class, after I came back here, I read some of it myself, so I also know some of the more famous history."

Garlan asked curiously.

"Brother Wang's name, my name, your name, Kayhos, Heimos, and Captain Shermur... It seems a little strange that so many of the same names happen to be put together?"

Garlan had been puzzled when he learned that the names of Caihos and others were still the same as in the previous life.

Although the reincarnation may have similar appearance and personality, it is impossible for the reincarnation to have exactly the same name. Wouldn't that be too much of a coincidence?

Garlan's question made Tapti laugh again.

She raised her hand to cover her lips, but the corners of her lips couldn't help but rise, but there was helplessness in her smile.

"Actually, I wasn't called by this name before, neither Kaihos nor Captain Shermul."

"ah?"

"I heard that His Majesty didn't have the same name as he does now."

"ah??"

"Probably when His Majesty was in his teens, he suddenly said that he wanted to change his name. The late Emperor originally did not allow it, but His Majesty's character... ahem, in short, the late Emperor really had nothing to do with him, so in the end he had to let him change his name. name."

"…………"

"Later, I was selected as His Majesty's Attendant, and Your Majesty directly gave me this name. Caihos, who was His Majesty's bodyguard at that time, was also named by His Majesty. Later, he was just an ordinary Royal Guardsman. The same goes for Muer."

Although some people said a word or two behind their backs, they were actually envious and jealous of them.

After all, there are only three of them who have the honor to receive His Majesty's special attention and be given a name.

That is proof that they are His Majesty's confidants.

"…………"

"Later, the late Emperor discussed this matter with me. The late Emperor believed that His Majesty must have seen the deeds of the legendary hero Lion King Camos at that time. His Majesty admired him very much, so he insisted on changing his name. We were also given the names of the subordinates who had meritorious deeds around the Lion King at that time.”

"…………"

Gallan didn't know what to say for a moment.

Brother Wang's actions really left him speechless.

However, the idea of ​​being considered one's admirer also makes people laugh or cry.

Presumably, Brother Wang must have felt unhappy, complicated, and extremely depressed when everyone thought he was an admirer of the Lion King from two thousand years ago.

Thinking of this, Garlan couldn't help but laugh along with Tapti.

"But it is a pity that none of the three of us can become those people in history as His Majesty hoped."

Tapti continued to smile and said: "I don't want to be a female official. I entered the pantheon and became a priest. Kayhos disappeared and became a secret guard to protect you. But Shermer took the name of the high priest and became a priest." Commander of the Royal Guards."

She said, "By the way, you should have seen him yesterday, right?"

That palace is just one of the places that the Royal Guards is responsible for guarding. The Royal Guards also have other responsibilities, so Shermer, who is usually the leader of the regiment, will not stay there.

However, when His Majesty goes there to offer sacrifices to the ancestors, as the leader of the regiment, he must accompany him.

Garlan nodded.

"Saw it. He..."

He hesitated and said, "He's a very serious man."

"Yes, Shermer's character is actually more suitable for becoming a priest. It is said that an old chief priest once took the initiative to call him into the pantheon and let him inherit his position, but Shermur refused. Instead, Entered the Royal Guards."

His Majesty Camos once curiously asked Shermur in private why he refused.

At that time, she was also nearby and heard Shermer's answer.

Shermer said that he had a very strange delusion since he was a child. He always felt that he could not protect the people who were very important to him.

It felt like he had tried to protect someone many times in the past, but failed in the end.

Therefore, he has been working hard to make himself stronger since he was a child.

Because becoming a priest would not give him the power to protect others, he didn't want to do it.

At that time, His Majesty, who was always extremely curious, said nothing about these strange words that Shermur said.

He just raised his hand and patted Shemuer on the shoulder, sighed in a rare way, and didn't ask any more questions.

…………

"prince?"

Looking at the prince who was suddenly in a trance for some reason, Tapti called out softly.

"What are you thinking about?"

She said, "Is it because Shermer's attitude towards you is not very good? You don't need to pay too much attention to it. He is an unreasonable guy and treats everyone like that, even towards His Majesty."

"It doesn't matter."

The young man who came back to his senses looked at her, his eyes clear and brighter when reflected by the sunlight.

The young man's eyes were bent, like the curve of a crescent moon.

"He's going to like me," he said.

When he said this, he seemed to be smiling happily and confidently.

"I like him very much." The young man held his cheek with one hand, tilted his head, and looked at Tapti's curved eyes filled with a starry smile, "So I think he will also like me."

In every life, even the few times he failed, that person was always by his side.

Even if he failed, that person would stubbornly protect him until the end.

Even if they are still strangers.

It doesn't matter if there is no memory.

That familiar soul is still there.

He should believe that the bond between souls will still exist.

So, it doesn't matter even if you don't remember, as long as we meet and know each other again, and create memories of each other again.

He believed in himself and also believed in Xie Muer.

At this moment, all the gloom that had been accumulating in his heart since yesterday was dissipated. Garlan instead supported his chin with his hands, his eyes curled up, and he began to think about it with a smile.

It seems that he has to find some excuses to see Shermur and bully him... Oh, no, as a prince, he has to get acquainted with the leader of the Royal Guards as soon as possible.

…………

On the other side, Garlan and Tapti thought Kamos was in the martial arts training ground, but now he was standing in front of the temples.

After two thousand years of inheritance, the temple has become very different from before.

Because there was an internal fight between the Shamash Temple and the Nanna Temple thousands of years ago that led to the decline of the country, so after that, the power of the temple was greatly reformed.

Although there are still many temples of different gods among the people, the main temple under the control of the royal court cannot be divided into different factions.

There is only one pantheon of gods in the palace.

Thirteen gods in the pantheon dedicated to Aaron Landis.

In other words, folk priests can believe in and serve a certain god alone, but priests with official status cannot be divided into factions and must serve the thirteen gods together.

"Why did you ask me to bring you here?"

Kamos asked, looking back at Heimos beside him.

Heimos stared at the majestic and majestic temple in front of him, with sharp arcs in the corners of his eyes.

A cold arc of light flashed across the edge of his golden-red pupils, and he said, "I want a debt."

After saying that, he strode inside.

…………

After studying with Tapti for a whole afternoon, Garlan felt dizzy and his brain was swollen.

Brother Wang also said that he did not need to take the exam... but what is the difference between him and those candidates who are reviewing and preparing for the exam?

Garlan thought sadly.

The High Priestess was standing behind the table, bowing to him.

The young man stretched out his arms and lay on the table, his whole body was wilted. He just weakly raised one hand and waved it, indicating that he heard it.

Seeing the prince's appearance, Tapti couldn't help but laugh.

She chuckled and turned around to retreat.

When she just walked to the door, she happened to bump into the returning Heimos.

Heimos nodded slightly to her, and then stepped inside.

For some reason, something suddenly moved in her heart. The head priestess looked back at Heimos's back and frowned.

She seemed to have a strange feeling, as if there was something very familiar to her about this person, but she couldn't tell what the familiar feeling was.

Tapti shook his head to dispel the strange feeling in his heart, turned back, crossed the courtyard, and walked towards the palace gate.

Garlan, who had been lying lazily on the table, heard familiar footsteps, but was too lazy to get up.

"Why are you back so late today?"

His arms were still stretched out on the table, but his face was raised and his chin rested on the table, which looked extremely unsightly.

However, the way those bright eyes look upward is really cute.

"It took a while to collect the debt."

Heimos said, an understatement.

"ah?"

What kind of debt do you want?

It had only been a few days, who had he lent money to? It can’t be Brother Wang, right?

...No, where did he get the money?

While Garlan was wondering, Heimos had already come over and stood on the opposite side of the table.

Putting one hand on the table, he leaned forward slightly.

"You said you don't like flowers very much."

He said,

"So this time, I was going to woo you with something else."

But he didn't expect that before he could open his mouth, Garlan would actually take the lead.

Heimos stretched out his right hand, which seemed to be holding something.

Garlan stood up and looked curiously at the hand held by Heimos.

"Is it for me?"

"Um."

The young man blinked and said with a smile: "Since it was originally intended to be used to woo me, if it is too bad or if I don't like it, I will dislike it."

Heimos smiled.

"you will like it."

he said firmly.

"I made it a gift just so you can never refuse me."

"You speak so confidently. Let's see what you do if you get slapped in the face."

Garlan muttered softly.

He said this, but there was an unavoidable look of curiosity on his face.

He stood with his hands on the table, leaned forward, and looked at Heimos's hands without blinking.

Under his gaze, Heimos slowly spread his hands.

What appeared in the palm without palm prints was a transparent ball the size of a pigeon egg.

The outside of the ball looks like a crystal flake without any impurities, crystal clear and shimmering.

The thin layer is like flowing light, the brilliance flows and the light is overflowing.

It is hollow inside, and there are three bright fluorescent points floating softly inside the crystal ball.

The three fluorescent points rotate interlacedly in the sphere in seemingly irregular but extremely harmonious and rhythmic trajectories. Even under the sun, they flash with a dazzling luster, as if they are alive.

Traces of light remain wherever the fluorescence passes, like scattered stardust or bits of snow scattered in the crystal ball.

It looks as beautiful as a dream.

Even though he had seen countless rare treasures in the past, Garlan couldn't help but be attracted by this beautiful crystal ball at this moment.

To be more precise, it was the three bright fluorescent points inside the sphere that attracted him and made him stare intently. A strange sense of familiarity made him couldn't help but reach out and want to touch it.

His movements were light.

However, the moment his fingertips touched the crystal ball, the crystal ball that had been lying in Heymos's palm suddenly exploded like a fragile bubble.

The three fluorescent points rotating in the sphere instantly drew three arcs in the air, flew in different directions like arrows, and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Garlan was startled.

"what happened?"

He looked at Heimos in surprise and said, "I didn't mean to break it. I really just touched it, very lightly."

Seeing Garlan nervously explaining to him, Heimos laughed.

He reached out with his empty right hand and touched Garlan's head.

"fine."

He stroked Garlan's hair and said, "It already belongs to you."

"??"

Gallan looked at Heimos in confusion, finding it very confusing no matter how he thought about it.

He simply leaned forward and stared at Heimos.

"Stop playing riddles, what is that thing you gave me?"

Heimos looked at Garlan who was approaching him and raised the corners of his lips.

However, he did not answer directly, but suddenly talked about something else.

"Do you still remember, Garlan?"

He said, the golden-red eyes reflecting the shadow of the young man in front of him seemed to be melting and flowing with red gems.

With the heat of the flame, Garlan was gently wrapped in it.

Just like what he had always done, he held the boy in his hands carefully and lovingly.

"I said, as long as it is what you wish for, I will do it for you."

"Don't change the subject, answer me first..."

Before Gallan could finish his sentence, there was a sudden bang and the door was suddenly opened.

Garlan was startled by the sudden sound of the door and subconsciously turned his head to look over there.

The high priestess who had just left not long ago returned here at some point, slammed the door open and barged in.

She was panting violently, as if she was almost out of breath, and her chest was heaving violently.

A strand of hair from her neatly combed temples fell loosely on her forehead, falling slightly messily on her cheeks.

Her eyes were fixed on Garlan. The hand that pushed the door open just now was still pressed on the door panel, and her fingertips were trembling slightly.

In two lifetimes combined, he had never seen Tapti behave in such a rude or even offensive manner, and Garlan was shocked.

He looked at Tapti in astonishment and asked, "Taputi, have you forgotten something here..."

The high priestess didn't answer.

She stepped through the door.

Her long brown hair flew up in the air, throwing away a long arc.

The hands that couldn't wait to reach forward, in just one breath, held Garlan in his arms, who had no time to finish the second half of the sentence.

She hugged her tightly and forcefully, as if she was hugging the most precious treasure that had been lost and found.

She lowered her head and pursed her trembling lips deeply into the soft golden hair.

She didn't say anything, or maybe it was because she couldn't make a sound at the moment, so she could only hold her prince tightly in her arms with both hands.

The room was quiet for a long time, no one spoke.

It was so quiet that it seemed like time stopped at this moment.

Garlan let the other party hold him blankly, unable to react for a long time.

In his chaotic mind, a ridiculous and impossible idea flashed through his mind.

"Tap...Ti?"

…………

A bit of fluorescent light flew out lightly, leaving a shallow trace of light in the air, and then dissipated without a trace under the sunlight.

Deep in the garden, Caijos was sitting under a big tree next to a briskly flowing stream, obviously taking this opportunity to be lazy for a while.

He leaned against the thick tree trunk, with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed, looking leisurely and contented.

Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy of trees, illuminating his short, dark blond hair in spots.

Suddenly, my heart palpitated.

Kehos opened his eyes suddenly.

He saw a strange fluorescent light flying lightly in front of his eyes, spinning in circles.

The very strange fluorescence should have made him wary.

But for some reason, when he looked at that fluorescent light, he felt an inexplicable feeling of intimacy and familiarity.

It was as if it belonged to him and was a part of him.

After watching it for a long time, Kayhos reached out his hand to grab this bit of fluorescence.

But the moment he just stretched out his hand, the fluorescent light that was originally spinning in circles in front of his eyes suddenly rushed towards him quickly and disappeared into the center of his eyebrows.

Kayhos instinctively raised his hand to press his eyebrows.

The center of his eyebrows suddenly became hot, as if there was a flame burning on his forehead.

The burning sensation became more and more intense, spreading from the center of his eyebrows, and in just a moment, it penetrated and spread to his entire body.

His brain exploded with a bang, and his green pupils suddenly dilated.

Caijos gritted his teeth and pressed his fingers hard on his head, but the corners of his eyes couldn't stop twitching.

Countless familiar scenes passed through his mind, as if they were right in front of him, as if it was yesterday.

He saw the raging battlefield.

He saw him kneeling on the cliff where the waves were roaring and crying bitterly.

He could feel the surge in his heart as he watched the young man put the golden crown on his head under the bright sunshine.

He saw the young man's resolute back on the wall of the sea city...

…

………………

Time seemed to be moving backwards rapidly, re-imprinting scenes into his memory.

What finally settled in his mind was the moment when he bent down and knelt in front of the young blond child.

My prince.

From now on, I am your guardian knight.

I will protect you until death.

………………

The fluorescent light dances lightly, like a small butterfly, dancing in the sun.

Accompanied by a breeze, it slid silently into the Royal Guards station on the side of the palace.

Deep in the training ground, there was a faint sound of cold and stern scolding.

Xie Mu'er, dressed in simple and elegant clothes, stood in front of his subordinates, with a stern expression on his face, and scolded them mercilessly.

The subordinates who had lost to their leader one after another in the previous sparring had their heads down and were being trained honestly.

Anyway, it wasn't the first day they knew about their leader's stern behavior.

Although they were a little unconvinced at first, after witnessing their leader's rigorous training that could almost be called self-abuse, and his uninterrupted horrific deeds every day, they could only admire him.

Although he is already very powerful, His Majesty is probably the only one who can fight against the leader without falling behind.

But even though he has reached this level of strength, the leader still hasn't slacked off at all and is still honing himself like this for ten years, making even those who don't like his rigid character can't help but respect him.

As usual, he reprimanded his subordinates, and Shermuer did not stay any longer and turned around to leave the training ground.

The subordinates who were left behind looked at each other and couldn't help but smile bitterly and let out a sigh of relief.

Although it is a good thing to have a strong boss, being too strict is really too much...

Stepping out of the gate of the training ground, a ray of sunlight shone down and fell on Shermuer, making the traces of dust on his clothes extremely obvious.

He frowned, but quickly suppressed the unhappiness in his heart.

Although he is a bit of a germaphobe, getting dirty during training is unavoidable and he has become accustomed to it over the years.

He looked at his hands and felt a little anxious.

No matter how strong he became, he always had the feeling that it was not enough, far from enough.

He always felt as if something very important was being lost from his hands again and again.

He couldn't protect it no matter what.

He didn't know what it was, he just instinctively wanted to make himself stronger.

Maybe if you become stronger, you won't feel that sense of powerlessness anymore.

In a moment of confusion, suddenly, a reflection flashed across the corner of his eye.

Shermer subconsciously raised his eyes and looked towards the place where the light was reflected.

He saw a bright fluorescent light circle around his eyes, and then fall lightly towards him.

He subconsciously raised his hand to block it.

But that bit of fluorescence passed through his palm, disappeared between his eyebrows in an instant, and disappeared.

The scorching flame suddenly spread between his eyebrows and burned his entire body.

In an instant, countless scenes passed before his eyes.

He saw that that night, he stood in the dark night, looking in the direction of the royal tomb, and watched in silence all night.

Dew wetted his temples.

He saw the burning wooden palace lighting up the sky with red fire...

He saw the figure falling from the cliff before he could reach out to catch it...

He saw the stains of blood on the blindingly pale stone wall that could not be washed away...

...Under the stone statue of Isdar, the young man fell in his arms, his hands stained red with blood, and he heard his own mournful cries...

…………

Snap.

An inaudible sound.

A drop of water fell on Shermer's palm.

He lowered his head and looked blankly at the wet mark in his palm.

In the sunlight, his brown cheeks glowed with water.

Caught off guard.

But it is also beyond control.

………………

My prince.

Even if I give up everything, I still want to protect you.

Even if I have to give up my faith.

The author has something to say: Shermur is the only companion who has experienced Garlan's death several times.

Therefore, his obsession is actually the deepest.

Okay, are you satisfied with the word count this time? Mmm~~