A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

After staying in the royal city of Aaron Landis for several days, the Tasda delegation embarked on their return journey. The Tasda people rode horses along the avenue to leave this majestic and prosperous city under the greetings of the citizens of the royal city. However, the people watching the excitement on both sides of the road did not know that the two of them, Aaron Landis, The prince also followed the mission on the road to Tastar.

Due to safety and other considerations, as well as Garlan's request, the news of their trip to Tastar was only known to a small group of people in the upper echelons of Aaron Landis. King Camos issued a strict order not to spread the news.

Behind the Tasda delegation were five hundred sturdy and majestic Guards cavalry, who followed leisurely in the name of escorting the delegation.

The citizens of the royal city did not know that their prince was sitting in a carriage in their farewell procession.

It wasn't until they left the royal city, far away from the busy places, and reached the driving road that Garlan and the others got out of the carriage and each rode on their beloved horses.

Of course, even though it was a thoroughfare far away from the city, there were still people coming and going, but as long as you put on a cloak and a hood and didn't pay attention, no one would notice.

Heymos's mount was naturally one he captured and brought back in the North. It was a horse with reddish-brown hair. At this moment, it was walking slowly, and its well-matched muscles also showed a streamlined texture, as if every part showed strength, both soft and strong.

Garlan's mount is a white pony given by King Camos six years ago. Six years later, the pony has grown into a tall and strong horse. The hair all over its body is snow-white without any mottled color. When the sun shines on it, it looks like it is covered in silver frost. This handsome white horse has a pair of blue eyes, like sapphires, which coldly reflect the shadow of the sky.

It doesn't look familiar, and once you stand there, it gives people an extremely cold feeling. Only when Garlan touches its neck, the cat will rub its hand in a reserved manner.

These two divine horses naturally won the admiration of Tasda people.

Although they were itching to see it, they all knew that once this kind of divine horse recognized its owner, it would not allow another person to get close to them, so they just watched from the side, and no one wanted to ride it with a coveted look.

The Tasda mission moved very quickly because almost all of them were on horseback.

The Tasdas and Aaron Landis were naturally separated into two groups, but during the journey, Opada often left the Tasda people's team and came to the side of Aaron Landis, riding horses and Garlan walked side by side while laughing.

He had already explained clearly to his companions what he had caused in the past. Seeing Opada getting in front of his beloved to show his courtesy, his companions did not stop him, and at most they just teased her a few words in good faith in private.

However, what made Opada unhappy was naturally Heimos, who had been following Garlan every step of the way.

No matter when, whether he was on the road during the day or camping at night, as long as he went to find Garlan, Heimos would always be by his side.

Wait for me.

Opada thought fiercely.

When we get to Tastar, uncle, on his territory, let’s see how he beats that guy!

However, Opada is not in a hurry now. Gallan is planning to go to Tastar anyway, so he might as well wait until he gets to Tastar. He will send all the trophies he has collected to his beloved before wooing him.

The journey went smoothly. Although the food and shelter were not as beautiful and comfortable as the palace, Gallan was in a good mood.

Because this was his first time traveling far away, since that experience when he was a child, in the past few years, he could only visit towns not far from the royal city.

Now, heading north, he could pass several large cities that he had never seen before, and see many customs and customs.

As he walked, he was thinking in his mind, after Heimos married a wife and had children, which road should he start traveling from the royal city, which city should he go to first, and which place should he go to next.

Thinking about the free life in the future, he felt better. These days, he had a smiling face as bright as the sun every day. That happy feeling seemed to be able to infect the people around him, making others Just looking at him made me feel better.

The only exception was probably Heimos, who followed him every step of the way and guarded a certain Tastar.

As for Gallan's words that he would be detained by Opada in Tastar and used as a scourge, Heimos felt a lump in his throat and wanted to open Gallan's mind and take a look inside. What are you thinking about?

Later, I turned around and thought, with the thinking of those Tastar people who only have muscles in their minds... maybe they can actually do such a thing.

As a result, he began to seriously consider whether to secretly mobilize the troops stationed there when entering Tastar territory.

Just when Garlan, Heimos and Opada were all thinking about their own thoughts, on the evening of the second day after setting off, just after the group camped under a mountain wall, they discovered that someone was leading a group of cavalry. Caught up from behind.

After receiving the news, Garlan lifted the curtain and walked out of the tent quickly.

The blond knight, who had just galloped up on his horse and still looked dusty, dismounted, walked a few steps forward, walked up to Garlan, then leaned over and knelt on one knee in front of Garlan.

He was kneeling with his head lowered and a hand on his chest.

He said,

"Your Highness Garlan, Kehos has come at your summons."

He originally followed the outgoing army in triumph, but when he received the summons when he was approaching the royal city, he immediately left the army and hurried over here.

"Thank you for your hard work, Kehos."

said the little prince, who had sent a summons to his knights when leaving the royal city, and stretched out his hand to Caythos to help him up.

"No matter when, answering your call is what I should do as a guardian knight."

Kehos said this, then looked up and smiled at his master.

The bright blond hair was scattered on that handsome face, and the almost iconic dark eye patch covering one eye did not detract from his appearance, but instead gave him an indescribable attraction.

As soon as he raised his head, the Tasta people not far away began to whisper among themselves.

"Kayhos?"

"The 'Knight of the Sun'?"

"That's right, blond hair, and only one eye."

They talked to each other, looking at the blond knight with passion and reverence.

Tasda people admire the strong.

Knight of the sun.

The fame of this mighty new knight of Aaron Landis has spread throughout the continent.

Because of his blond hair like the sun and his terrifying lethality like the sun's flames on the battlefield, everyone gave him this title.

He followed the Lion King Camos, fought in the north and south, participated in nearly a hundred battles, made great military exploits, and gained a huge reputation.

It is said that so far, he has never been defeated in one-on-one battles with superior generals.

There were also some weak generals who refused to fight him or even ran away when they encountered him.

...and, as famous as his powerful fighting power on the battlefield, is his terrifying 'combat power' among the daughters of nobles from all over the world.

All the noble ladies are fascinated by him and heartbroken at the same time.

Because this handsome knight has been playing with flowers for many years, traveling among countless noble ladies, but has never stayed with any woman.

‘He has the handsome and sunny appearance of the sun god Shamash, but he has the cunning and ruthlessness of the night god. ’

'Those green eyes like malachite looked at each woman with tenderness and passion, but there was no trace of truth in those eyes. ’

'It's like sunlight, you can't catch it with your hands, it's like a phantom, it will disappear in an instant. ’

The ladies who love and hate him sighed like this.

'Sentimental and ruthless knight of the sun, where is the harbor you are willing to stop at? ’

…………

At this moment, this handsome and dusty knight stood up.

He grabbed Garlan's outstretched hand and stood up.

Although he didn't need any external force to get up, he wanted to hold that hand.

The warmth that he had not felt for a long time when his fingers touched made Caihos's eyes soften a little.

Every time he holds this hand, he can have a real sense of landing on the ground and being grounded.

He smiled and said: "I'm back, Your Highness."

After saying that, he leaned over and kissed the prince's hand, with a deep warmth in the upward curve of his lips.

That was what he would say every time he returned to Prince Garlan after he went on an expedition.

Even if this place is not the royal city.

For him, the place he could go back to was not the royal city, but the place where the prince he protected was located.

"Well, welcome back, Kehos."

Garlan said with a smile.

Kayhos smiled, let go of his hand, and then followed Garlan into Garlan's tent, talking as he walked.

"It's good to see you're still healthy, Your Highness."

"I've always been in good health, you don't have to worry." Garlan laughed twice and asked, "Where's Tal? He hasn't arrived yet?"

"He's slower than me and might have to get here a little later."

Thinking of Tarr's round and chubby figure since childhood, and how every time he rode, the horse would sweat profusely, Garlan nodded.

"Yeah, that's true." He said, "I've asked him to lose weight a long time ago, but he just won't lose weight."

Tal has lost weight countless times since he was a child, and he always vowed to do so, but every time he just went for a run, he would collapse on the ground and couldn't get up, and then he immediately put the idea of ​​losing weight out of his mind.

Probably thinking of the same thing as Garlan, the blond knight also smiled.

Then, he said directly: "So, what do you need me to do?"

"that……"

Just as Garlan was about to speak, the door curtain was suddenly lifted, and a tall brown-haired Tastar man strode in.

His loud voice also sounded in the camp at the same time.

"Garlan, I heard that the rumored 'Knight of the Burning Sun' is here. Let me come and see..."

The words came to an abrupt end, and Opada's eyes fell on Caihos, who was burly in armor. He glanced up and down, showing an admiring look.

Even without taking action, he could still feel the strong aura of iron and blood on this knight, the aura of the battlefield.

The man in front of me is a powerful and dangerous guy.

Opada's intuition told him so.

"Opada, this is my guardian knight, Kehos."

Garlan said, "This is Opada, the son of General Tasda and my good friend."

He turned sideways and said to Caijos, "I will tell you the details tomorrow."

Then, he turned to Opada: "Sorry, Opada, Kehos has traveled a long time to get here. I want him to rest first."

"No, I was too abrupt, because I heard that the 'Knight of the Burning Sun' was coming, and I was a little curious, so I ran over."

Opada quickly smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he didn't mind.

"Then I'll go back without disturbing you."

He turned around and took a step before turning back again.

"By the way, Garlan, we hunted an antelope this afternoon. I plan to roast it myself. Can you come over later? The lamb I roasted was praised by many people."

Opada said, looking at Garlan expectantly, his eyes bright.

"Tonight? Sorry, I have subordinates coming over tonight. I'm afraid I don't have time to go there."

"That's it..."

Kehos stood aside and said nothing, looking at the Tasda man named Opada looking at his prince with bright eyes, and a look that he was all too familiar with.

People often look at him like this.

I see.

This Tastar vs. Prince…

The blond knight in the game flowers looked at his master again, pondered for a moment, turned around and left the camp without asking any more questions.

After leaving the camp, he raised his head and scanned around the place where the Tastar people were camping not far away.

The size of the mission was not large, with only a dozen upper-class Tasda people, and the number of escorts for the mission was only more than a hundred Tasda soldiers.

After all, as a mission, if you bring too many troops to his king's city, it will not bring friendship but provocation. Moreover, Tasda and Aaron Landis have been close friendly diplomatic countries for nearly a hundred years, and Tasda is not worried about what will happen to his mission in Aaron Landis.

After making a rough calculation in his mind, Kayhos left quickly.

Naturally, his soldiers had set up a tent for him, and there was a stream nearby. After traveling for such a long time, he was covered in dust, and he really needed to cleanse himself.

When the blond knight washed all the dust from his body in the river and returned to his tent with wet blond hair in the night wind, he saw an unexpected guest waiting for him there.

He raised his eyebrows, raised his hand to lift back his wet blond hair that was still dripping with water, then took a few steps forward and bowed.

He asked: "Prince Heimos, do you have any business with me?"

Heimos, who was deep in thought in his tent, turned to look at him and hummed.

Kayhos vaguely felt that the prince was not in a good mood at the moment, and seemed a little anxious.

strangeness.

Prince Heimos has always been the kind of person who is so calm that no one can see his emotions.

Kehos thought.

Unlike Garlan, who had not seen Heimos for four years, he followed King Camos on an expedition and went to the Northland almost every year. The last time he met Prince Heimos was only half a year ago, so He is fairly familiar with Heimos.

"Please pay attention and guard Garlan."

Huimos paused and added.

"Don't let Opada, one of the Tastars, get to him."

He frowned, pursed his lips, and then continued to say unhappily, "He is always so stupid. He doesn't even know that he is being betrayed by others. He doesn't even know what the other person's intentions are and he easily lets others get close to him..."

I see.

I remembered the way the Tasta man named Opada looked at the little prince not long ago, as well as what Prince Heimos said at this moment, and what Tal revealed to him before coming.

Kayhos probably guessed what the situation was like now.

“Care leads to chaos.”

The one-eyed knight suddenly said this.

"Prince Heimos, it is inevitable that neither you nor Your Majesty will make a correct judgment because you care too much about His Highness Gallan."

He said, "So, I can't agree with what you just said."

The knight's words made Heimos turn his head and stare at him intently with his golden-red eyes.

"……What's the meaning?"

Kayhos chuckled slightly, his expression calm.

"Prince Heimos, the name you are given as the 'Black Knight' in the North is the praise you have received from everyone and even your enemies for your strength and achievements. It is not for nothing."

He paused before continuing.

"So, do you think His Highness Gallan was praised as the 'wise prince' by everyone in the royal city... was he touted?"

"..."

Heimos said nothing, he still frowned and stared at Caijos closely.

“The reason why His Highness is so praised is that he has always rendered ‘a wise and just judgment like Shamash’ in all matters that came into his hands.”

"Yes, there is no doubt that His Highness upholds fairness and justice."

"But nothing in this world is black and white. In fact, most things cannot be solved simply by relying on so-called fairness and justice."

"If it's just one thing, maybe it's just a coincidence, but over the years, for so many things, no matter which one it is, His Highness can make a fair and wise judgment on it, making everyone willingly obey his judgment. "

"It's always been like this."

The blond knight's remaining green eyes lowered slightly and smiled.

"Prince Heymos, I think you should also understand that in order to do this, in addition to the 'heart of justice', it also requires the 'eyes' to distinguish the true from the false, and the 'wisdom' to see through everything. '..."

Before Keyhos finished speaking, Heimos had already turned around, lifted up the curtain, and quickly left the camp.

Looking at the drooping and swaying curtains, Kayhos chuckled.

No matter how talented he is, he is still a young man after all.

The blond knight narrowed his eyes and thought with a chuckle.

However, he soon pondered again.

That's it for King Camos. After all, His Majesty has always loved His Highness very much, and His Majesty's character is not usually very sensitive to such things, so it is normal that he did not notice it.

But Prince Heimos...

As far as he knows, this person's character has always been calm and composed, especially on the battlefield. He is almost rational to the point of cruelty, and he is also very keen on things... How can such a person not see it?

Something is really wrong.

Moreover, the look on Prince Heimos’s face just now showed no signs of calmness on the battlefield. It was simply like...

...as if he was panicking...

…………

...Concern leads to chaos...?

Kehos pondered.

Although it made sense to say that, for some reason, he always felt that things were not that simple.

…………

Late at night, another cavalry team came to the camp.

A round body rolled off the horse like a ball, and then quickly rolled into Garlan's tent.

"Your Highness, this is the information you asked me to collect——"

The little fat boy back then has grown into a chubby fat boy, but his chubby face is still very cute when he smiles.

He handed the forearm-long copper cylinder in his arms to Garlan, his eyes sparkling like a fat puppy begging for reward, and he wagged his tail hard at Garlan.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Opening the copper tube and taking out the parchment inside, Garlan quickly scanned several of them.

He thought for a moment, then took out one of the parchments. Because the camp was set up against a mountain wall, one side of his tent was a solid stone wall. He hung the parchment on the curtain that clung to the stone wall.

It was a map, a topographical map of the area where Tastar and Aaron Landis bordered.

Tal leaned forward and pointed to two places on the hanging map.

He said: "Your Highness, I have checked carefully. Only these two places are occupied by thieves. I have not heard of thieves in other places."

"Is that so...what's the scale of thieves in these two places?"

"The ones here are bigger, but their territory is quite far away from the place you mentioned. Well, I found all their information and wrote it down here."

Tal took out a piece of parchment from the pile and handed it to Garlan.

Garlan took it, looked down at it for a while, then looked up at the map hanging on the wall, and began to ponder again.

Tal watched Gallan pondering from the side, and finally couldn't help but asked in a low voice.

"Your Highness, is this really okay with you?"

"Um?"

"You obviously know it, but...King Camos is very angry. When I left the royal city, everyone in the palace was trembling with fear, including Prince Heimos. He was also...aren't you afraid that he would be angry?"

The young man blinked, tilted his head slightly, and gave his fat subordinate a cute and cunning smile.

"Isn't it interesting to see Heimos in such a miserable state?"

"Although it is indeed rare, hehe...hehehehehehe——"

Tal's sudden cassette made Garlan happy.

"Tal, although I know that you have always been afraid of Heimos, you won't be so scared just by mentioning his name, right?"

Looking at Tal who looked at him in horror, Garlan smiled.

He wanted to say something else, but before he could say it, a hand suddenly stretched out from behind and grabbed his shoulder.

The extremely familiar deep voice that came from behind at the same moment made the boy's smile freeze instantly on his face.

"It's funny to see me in such a mess...isn't it?"

Even if he didn't look back, he could still feel the dangerous aura in that deep voice.

Garlan's smile was still frozen on his face. The hand that grabbed his shoulder tugged and pushed him, turning him around and pressing him hard against the stone wall with the map hanging on it.

A hand stretched out heavily, over the side of his head, and pressed it against the stone wall.

The man's tall body pressed forward, almost covering the young man's entire body under his figure.

Those golden-red eyes looked down at Garlan, with a glimmer of light in them. Just one look at them made people tremble in the heart and send chills down the back.

"Uh, that... Heimos, I can explain it, actually..."

Garlan, who was imprisoned between Heimos' body and the stone wall, suddenly panicked.

"Do not listen."

Huymos rejected it outright.

He looked down at the young man below him, holding Garlan's chin tightly with his right hand, his eyes scorching to the extreme.