A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

The matter ended in everyone's silence.

The old leader of the Tasda delegation looked at Stoker who had stopped breathing, with extremely complicated eyes.

This young man was once a Tastar warrior that Tastar people were proud of and admired by countless people. He should have had a glorious future.

Now, he is buried silently in the desert of another country.

In the most dishonorable way, even after death, he will be cast aside by everyone.

The old man closed his eyes, hiding the complicated expression in his eyes, and sighed.

If... Stoke could be more stupid, maybe he wouldn't have embarked on that terrible path and ended up where he is now.

The flames in the camp gradually burned out and went out.

The surviving Tasda people suppressed their grief and began to collect the remains of their dead compatriots.

They will take all their dead compatriots home and bury them under the soil of their homeland.

Opada knelt numbly beside the dead Stoker for a long time. Then he stood up, took a deep breath, lifted Stork's body up, and walked towards the carriage.

No matter what Stoker did while alive, he was still his eldest brother, his father's son, a Tastar, and he would bring his body back to Tastar.

His actions made everyone around him look over, but no one said anything or stopped him.

No matter what heinous crimes Stoker committed during his lifetime, his life would be ruined.

Insulting a corpse is the most disgusting act.

Kayhos had already dismounted and was standing next to Garlan, watching Opada carry the body away.

Then, he turned to look at Garlan.

"Prince, what did you say to that guy last?"

Seeing that the prince just leaned over and said a word, Stoker's determined and mocking face suddenly turned into unwillingness and regret. Caijos was really curious and couldn't help but ask.

Garlan looked at him, bent his eyes and smiled.

"Secret~~"

He pursed his lips and said with a crooked smile.

I was suddenly offended by Stoker's self-righteous look, and I was so angry that I deliberately told that lie.

When he thought about it afterwards, he also felt that he had a short-circuit in his brain at that time. How could he say such things? What if someone found out...

When I thought about it again, I was the only one who knew what he said, and Stoker. The dead couldn't speak, and I wasn't that stupid to leak it out. Naturally, what he said would be buried forever. It's a secret.

So, Garlan, who felt relieved after thinking this way, completely forgot about the matter.

Then, he turned around and ran in front of the sturdy brown-red horse.

I don't know why, but since he stabbed Stoker to death with a sword, Heimos seemed to have been in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.

Most of the people had dismounted and were busy cleaning up the aftermath. Heimos was still sitting on the horse with his eyes lowered, looking thoughtful.

"Heimos?"

Garlan shouted twice, and Heymos seemed to wake up suddenly.

He glanced at Garlan who had already approached his horse, and his pupils shrank slightly invisibly, but he quickly calmed down and returned to his usual calm expression.

Then he dismounted.

"What's wrong?"

he asks.

"Thanks to you this time."

Garlan smiled at him.

Thanks to the help of Heimos, Stork and his group were able to be lured out and this hidden danger was solved in one fell swoop.

"..."

Seeing the young man's smile as bright as the sun, and the bright golden eyes staring at him, Heimos felt his chest tightening.

He never thought that Garlan would have such feelings for him.

Obviously Garlan had said not long ago that he would reject Opada because it was impossible for him to like men.

…………

etc.

Heimos suddenly thought.

Before that, in order to prevent Garlan from misunderstanding his relationship with Opada, he had sworn to the Sun God Shamash that he would never like men.

Could it be because he said those words... In order to prevent him from noticing his feelings, Garlan...

When he thought of this, Heimos suddenly felt that his chest was extremely tight and his breathing was a little difficult.

Garlan liked him, but he said that in front of Garlan.

At that time, when he took the oath, how would Garlan feel?

...Would it be sad?

But I still pretended not to know anything, suppressed the uncomfortable feeling, and continued to smile at him...

…………

"Heimus, are you tired?"

Garlan asked after seeing Heimos talking to him for a few words and then staring at him as he was distracted.

Indeed, Heimos showed that in order to deceive Stoker, he led his army to the Northland and returned halfway. He had to avoid Stoker's group while quietly following the Tastad mission... ...Well, it seems that Heimos must have been having a hard time these days...and at first he thought Heimos was in the way and didn't want him to come with him.

Thinking of this, Garlan suddenly felt a little guilty.

When he raised his eyes, he saw a little blood splattered on Heimos's cheek, and he stretched out his hand, trying to please Heimos to wipe it.

However, Garlan's fingertips just touched Heimos's cheek, and before he even had time to rub it, Heimos, who seemed to be in a daze, froze as if he was electrocuted.

It looked like he was frightened.

Not understanding why Heimos had such a big reaction, Garlan pointed to the bloody cheek in confusion.

"You have blood splattered there."

"……Yeah?"

As if he finally came to his senses, Heimos raised his hand and wiped away the blood on his cheek.

"Sorry, I'm really tired."

He lowered his eyes and said.

"I'll take a rest first."

"Well, you have a good rest~~ Just leave the rest to me."

"..."

Heimos nodded silently, and once again looked at Garlan with complicated eyes, who looked up and smiled happily at him, then turned and walked towards the small lake not far away.

Always feel that Heimos looks a bit strange?

Garlan thought to himself as he looked at Heimos's leaving figure.

Have you ever been this tired?

He was wondering when he suddenly saw Opada walking towards him quickly.

"Garlan, the head of the envoy wants to see you."

…………

Garlan followed Opada to an open space, which was still filled with the smell of smoke from the fire.

He saw the old man standing there. The morning sun had risen, shining on the old man's weathered face, and on the dozens of Tasda corpses neatly placed in the open space in front of the old man.

The old man turned around and looked at Garlan.

"Prince Garlan," he said, "The people of Tastar thank you for your help."

"No...actually I..."

Garlan shook his head. He looked at the dead Tasda people in the open space with a somewhat sad and apologetic look.

"I'm very sorry. In fact, I have known for a long time that there is a group of forces targeting us...Originally, you would not have been so badly damaged. It was because of my carelessness and miscalculation that you lost so many companions."

He was originally thinking.

Even if there is an attack by horse thieves, with the strength of Tasda's soldiers and the assistance of a group of cavalry led by Caihos, they can still resist for a period of time.

That should be enough time for Heimos to arrive.

Who knew that there was actually an insider in the mission, catching them off guard for a moment.

After all, he had always believed that the mastermind behind the scenes was a force from another country, and he never expected that it would be someone from Tasda.

"You don't need to apologize."

The old man shook his head.

"Although I am old, I am still not confused. There is a traitor among our Tasda people. Those traitors deliberately asked to stay on duty tonight, and then joined forces to kill other soldiers who were on duty tonight, and put the horse thieves into the camp. Setting fire to everyone while they were sleeping..."

At this point, the old man couldn't help but grit his teeth with hatred.

"If it weren't for those traitors, how could those horse thieves easily invade our Tasda people's camp?"

"Even if we avoid this time, Stoker will find another opportunity to continue what he planned. Opada will die in his hands sooner or later. Prince Garlan, I am not confused. We Tasda people have a problem ourselves. , such consequences will not be blamed on you in any case."

"And if you weren't here, all of us would die here in regret of not being able to reveal the truth."

The old man turned his head, and his eyes swept over the dead Tastar warriors.

Although his face looked weathered, his eyes were still bright.

"Now, although they died, they died with honor."

"We will bring their bodies back to their homeland, and their souls will return to the service of Assur, the god of war."

He turned back and looked at Garlan again.

He interrogated the surviving confidants of Stoker, and what he learned from their mouths frightened the old man who had experienced great storms.

Killing Opada was just the first step. The guy had even planned to kill his father——

"Prince, I am very grateful to you. Although we have lost forty-three compatriots, we will be able to allow more compatriots to survive in the future."

"If it weren't for you leading Stoker out, and if his conspiracy really succeeds, then in the future, the number of Tasda people who will die will not be these dozens, but thousands or even tens of thousands."

"Stoke will let thousands of Tastars die for his own ambition!"

The old man crossed his arms over his chest.

He bowed his head deeply to the young man.

"Prince Garlan, I know that you suddenly offered to accompany us to Tastar, probably because you noticed this... You are not only smart, but also kind, and you even put yourself in danger to protect us. "

"You saved our lives and also saved Tasda. The people of Tasda will remember your kindness."

Not only him, but Opada next to him, and other Tasda people all made the same move as the mission leader at this moment.

They crossed their arms over their chests, bowed their heads, and saluted the young prince.

"From now on, you are Tastar's forever friend."

That is the etiquette that Tasda people treat their most respected friends.

"Wise Prince Aaron Landis, please remember that the Tastars are your most loyal friends."

The old man raised his head and smiled sincerely at Garlan.

He said,

"If one day you need help, as long as you call, the Tasda people will respond to your call-"

…………

………………

The sun was already high in the sky, and the sunlight made the water of the small lake sparkle.

On the hill on the side of the lake, someone was standing there.

"At the beginning, I never understood why my father didn't give my eldest brother any chance to defend himself and punished him directly without any trial. I even secretly complained about my father for this."

"Now I understand... At that time, with the prestige of the eldest brother in Tasda, if my father had not imprisoned him immediately, as long as the eldest brother seized the opportunity and shouted, many people would really follow him."

The dazzling sunlight shone down, causing Opada to squint her eyes.

After last night, this young man seemed to have matured and grown up a lot overnight.

He looked down at the camp that was burned by fire not far away and made a sigh-like sound.

"My father has always been proud of his eldest brother. But then something happened. He didn't show it on the surface, but he was actually very sad in private. I would sometimes watch him standing in a daze at the martial arts training ground late at night."

He whispered, his whole body already immersed in memories.

"At that time, I went up to talk to him, and he patted my shoulder and smiled and said to me, it would be great if my eldest brother was like me and not so smart."

"He was smiling, but he looked sad."

"He said that smart people tend to think too much. If they think too much, they will have unnecessary desires. They will blindly chase after the things they think of and forget to be down-to-earth and forget what is really important... So, It's good to be a little confused."

At this point, Opada shut her mouth and stopped talking.

He turned his head and looked at Garlan who was standing beside him.

Pale golden hair scattered around his fair cheeks, and the sunlight made the boy's eyes as bright as golden amber.

Prince of Aaron Landis.

The beautiful and wise boy who made his heart fall in love at first glance.

After something like this happened, Garlan could no longer continue his mission to Tastar.

So, soon after, it was time for them to go their separate ways.

"Garlan, even if my uncle has not made such a promise, when you are in danger, as long as you call me, I will come to protect you."

He wants to express his feelings to the one he loves.

Before leaving.

The young man's golden eyes looked at him, reflecting his shadow, and then he bent his eyes and smiled.

"Thank you, Opada, my good friend, I trust your friendship."

"…………"

The words he was about to say were choked in Garlan's throat. Opada opened his mouth, but couldn't get the words out.

Garlan considered him a friend.

He watched Garlan turn his head and looked down at the small lake not far below the hill. Following Garlan's gaze, he saw Heimos resting by the lake only a few meters away.

Also, the one-eyed knight with the same blond hair as Garlan.

Garlan looked over there and smiled.

He was looking at his knight.

Opada thought to herself, closing her open lips and swallowing the words that had reached her throat.

And at the edge of the lake under the hill, Heimos looked up as if he felt something.

He saw Garlan standing halfway up the hill looking at him and smiling happily at him, and Opada beside Garlan.

He couldn't explain why, but his heart suddenly moved.

Subconsciously, his attention was all focused on that spot in an instant.

Naturally, he heard the conversation between the two people there.

At this moment, on the hill, looking at Garlan who was smiling happily at Kehos, Opada took a deep breath.

He said: "Garlan, do you have someone you like?"

The young man looked back at him, then smiled at him.

"Um."

His eyebrows were raised and his smile was bright.

"What kind of person is that?"

Opada couldn't help but ask.

"Well... we have been together since childhood. When he was a child, he especially liked to be close to me. I don't know why. He is not very good to others, but he is very close to me. Moreover, he especially doesn't like to let others... Uh, people, come close to me.”

"It was very cute when it was young. Of course, it was very powerful when it was young, but it just liked to act like a spoiled child to me. Later, it grew up, became taller, became prettier, and became more and more powerful, but it was still the same to me as when I was a child. Same."

Looking at the young man who kept talking, Opada felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

However, he could tell that Garlan really liked that person.

Because when talking about that person, Garlan's eyes were softer and warmer than anything else.

Garlan continued talking.

"Ever since I was little, he has been protecting me. We have always been together."

He said, "So, no matter what happens in the future, I will not be separated from it. I will always be with it until I die."

Even if he leaves the royal city to travel around the mainland, he will definitely bring Nerga with him.

Garlan thought.

He will never be separated from Nega in this life.

…

That's right, the person he was talking about was the big lion Nega who grew up with him and liked to act coquettishly in front of him.

In order to make Opada completely give up on him, he had no choice but to carry Nerga out to top the tank.

………………

Opada let out a long breath.

For some reason, after learning about Garlan's thoughts, his mood suddenly became brighter.

He glanced at the knight by the lake and smiled calmly at Garlan.

"Well, I believe you will always be together."

The young man who grew up and matured in just one night smiled and blessed his beloved boy.

He glanced down and said, "Your knight is calling you. There's probably something going on. Go quickly."

"Yeah?"

As soon as Garlan lowered his head, he saw Kehos waving to him, as if calling him over.

"Then I'll go over first."

The brown-haired Tastar smiled and watched his beloved boy go away to the knight's side.

At this moment, he felt very calm.

Because he believes it.

That knight will always protect Garlan, and they will be happy together until their final death.

Just as he was thinking about it, there was suddenly other movement in front of him, and Opada saw Heimos, who was originally at the lake, walking towards him.

Heimos looked calm and indifferent at the moment, but his heart was turbulent.

He heard what Garlan just said.

He never knew that Garlan had such deep and strong feelings for him.

The boy said that he would stay with him until death.

The child he grew up doting on loved him so deeply.

He looked at the Tasda man in front of him who had been rejected before he could express his feelings, and he felt very complicated.

It seems a bit sympathetic, but also a bit... something else... like a sense of superiority.

Opada smiled at him.

"I'm dumped."

He spread his hands calmly.

Opada was so calm, but Heimos didn't know what to say for a while.

"Hey, we are all the same. Garlan has someone he loves, and I, and you, are all lovelorn."

Opada lamented without hesitation.

"……ha?"

Opada's words left Heimos baffled.

"Lovelorn? Me? What do you mean?"

"Stop pretending, do you think I can't tell if you don't say anything?"

Opada said with a pout.

"I have already seen that you have the same thoughts about Garlan as I do."

Heimos felt a little confused.

He rarely opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"There's no point in pretending. I like Garlan, so I can tell who else likes him at a glance."

Opada continued.

"You obviously like her very much, but you still pretend to be like that. That's why I feel unhappy with you."

He wanted to say something else, but suddenly he lost his mind.

Alas, it's useless to say anything else.

We are both fallen people in the world, why should we continue to hurt each other.

With this thought in mind, Opada waved his hand half-heartedly, turned around, walked down the hill, and left.

Heimos was left alone.

The golden sand reflects the blazing sunlight, sparkling and piercing the eyes.

Heimos, who was standing on the sand, looked confused and his mind was confused.

He felt his heart deep in his chest beating inexplicably fiercely at this moment.

said the Tastar man.

He... to Garlan...?

The author has something to say: Well, so the situation now is like this——

…

Heimos knew that Opada liked Garlan.

Opada thinks Garlan likes Kehos.

Kayhos also knew that Opada liked Garlan and that Opada thought Garlan liked him. He also knew that Heimos had a very special feeling for Garlan.

Opada believed that Garlan and Kehos were in love, and knew that Heimos liked Garlan.

Heimos knew that Garlan did not like Opada, and thought that Garlan was unrequitedly in love with him and deeply in love with him.

Opada hit the nail on the head again and said that Heimos actually loved Garlan...

And Nega: "Ooooooooo~~"

………………

Okay, it’s so confusing that I can’t even talk anymore.

In short

In the midst of the chaos, our little prince Garlan just wanted to take his beloved pet lion Nerga and leave the royal city to let himself go and become a free elf~~