A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

The sun has already risen, the long night has passed, and the sun is shining on the land of Rudas City again.

Just overnight, the entire city of Rudas changed.

The screams of murder at night made the people in the city huddle in their houses in fear all night.

After a night, when the city finally calmed down, some brave people peeked out to take a look, and were shocked to find that the Gastad soldiers who had once flaunted their power in the city and wantonly insulted the Aaron Landis people were nowhere to be seen. .

Under the early morning sunshine, Aaron Landis cavalry wearing black and red leather armor could be seen everywhere on the streets of the city.

The familiar soldier uniform made the people of Rudas City burst into tears.

The hearts that had been worried all night finally relaxed at this moment. They looked at their soldiers excitedly, and the familiar black and red colors made them feel extremely relieved.

…

In the gorgeous castle in the center of the city, in a room above the tower, Juta stood in front of the tall floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the countless Aaron Landis soldiers who had surrounded the castle.

He only wore a shirt on his upper body, and his right shoulder was wrapped with a thick bandage. The bandage on the shoulder blade was still oozing with bright red blood.

He was terribly pale.

He didn't know whether it was because of the sharply painful arrow wound on his shoulder, or because of the soldiers surrounding the castle below, or both.

Last night, he was rescued by the soldiers after being hit by an arrow and fled back to the castle.

After he forced himself to send someone to convey the news of the fall of the East City Gate to the Gastad people who were suppressing the slaves, he lost consciousness and passed out.

Who knows, when I wake up, everything will be turned upside down.

He had thought that the powerful Gastad people were defeated in an instant.

And the glorious future he had fantasized about countless times also vanished into ashes that night.

Like he once said.

The winner is king.

But now he has become the loser.

...As both a betrayer and a loser, he will be nailed to the pillar of shame forever, with no possibility of turning over.

Why?

Juta gritted his teeth.

Veins popped out on the back of his fist that was pressed against the wall.

Why are things like this?

His clenched teeth chattered.

Why did he fail?

Things shouldn't be like this!

Shouldn't——

At this moment when Juta was gritting his teeth with hatred, he suddenly saw the young man standing on horseback in front of the gate below the castle, and the blond hair shining brightly in the sun.

Suddenly, he remembered the flying blond hair that was branded in his memory last night.

The arrow wound on his right shoulder suddenly started to hurt violently.

Crown Prince.

He looked at the blond boy intently.

It turned out to be the crown prince.

"Sir, what should we do now?"

The uneasy voice of his subordinate came from behind.

Putting one hand on the bandage on his right shoulder, Juta closed his eyes, and a strand of forehead hair fell weakly from Juta's eyes.

His eye sockets were shrouded in shadows, and his face was full of gray and defeat.

"Open the door."

he said dejectedly.

"... Surrender to the Crown Prince."

…………

Aaron Landis's army stood quietly in front of the castle. They stood upright, motionless, as tall as a large pine forest.

In front of the castle gate, Garlan stood on horseback.

Caihos and Xinyas also rode behind him.

After waiting for a while, Sinas became a little impatient. He looked at the gate of the castle, thought about it in his mind for a while, and then leaned over to talk to Garlan in a low voice.

"Brother, I can break that kind of door with just a few hammers, so why not..."

Just as he was halfway speaking, a creaking sound suddenly came from the room. Xinyas looked up and was surprised to find that the castle door opened by itself from the inside.

A pale-faced general walked out of the gate with a dozen subordinates, his hands and body empty, without any weapons.

They knelt before Garlan and bowed their heads deeply.

Seeing this scene, the soldiers in the castle who were still holding on to their spears and swords were stunned for a moment, but then, many people showed relief on their faces.

The next moment, they all threw down their weapons and knelt down with their generals to surrender.

It seemed that he didn't see Jutta and the others kneeling in front of the horse, nor did he see the surrendered soldiers kneeling on the ground. Garlan rode straight forward, his golden pupils staring straight at the open door in front of him.

The young man looked intently.

The horse under him slowly walked past the kneeling Juta, as if this person did not exist there at all.

Caijos and the others followed him without missing a step, riding past the group of kneeling people.

Juta knelt on the ground, head bowed deeply.

He watched the horses' hooves pass him one after another.

It was eerily quiet, except for the clatter of horse hooves that kept sounding beside him.

No one spoke to him, not even scolding or scolding him.

Everyone turned a blind eye to him, as if he didn't exist at all.

It was clear that he had already planned to wail and beg for mercy to the crown prince and express his last words, but at this moment, Juta could not utter a single word.

His heart seemed to be held tightly by an invisible hand, almost suffocating him.

The arrow wound on his shoulder suddenly felt sharp pain, making his body tremble slightly from the pain.

After riding through the wide vestibule and arriving at the gate of the castle, Garlan dismounted and walked into the castle.

The hall was very quiet. Both soldiers and servants were kneeling on both sides, kneeling on the ground, bowing their heads deeply and humbly pressing their foreheads to the ground.

At this moment, only the footsteps of Garlan and others echoed in the hall.

Garlan did not stop for a step. He walked quickly, led by a soldier who sneaked into the castle disguised as a slave, walked straight through the hall, crossed the courtyard at the back, and came to a huge cold storage building at the back of the castle. Before.

The door was opened, and a large sheet of white mist surged out.

The young man kept walking and plunged into the cold white mist.

Walking to the depths of the room, an ice coffin came into Garlan's eyes.

That familiar stalwart body lay there quietly.

Because of admiration for the bravery of the Lion King, the Gastad people took the rare opportunity to restrain the body of King Camos.

The slightly curly short golden brown hair is scattered on the ice and snow, and the Lion King lies quietly, as if he is just sleeping.

The dilapidated black and red armor, still stained with indelible blood, was placed on the tall body, with dark brown skin and strong arms placed on the chest.

The sleeping face is still strong and clear-cut, with a high nose and deep eyes, and a slightly short stubble on the chin.

Just like the day a little child and a man met for the first time.

From that day on, the man always had only a short stubble on his chin.

Time seems to have never passed.

Standing next to the ice platform, Garlan leaned over, and his long golden hair fell from his shoulders and fell on the cheek of the sleeping Lion King.

He lowered his head and kissed the cold forehead.

Just like many times before, when night came and darkness fell every day, his brother-in-law would kiss his forehead, as if he was guarding him in the darkness.

My brother.

my father.

King of Aaron Landis.

The glorious lion.

The gods crown you.

You have returned to the kingdom of the gods in glory.

But I believe it.

You stand in the hands of the gods, and you will still look down on the land of Aaron Landis that you protect.

In the kingdom of the gods, you will still look at... me whom you protect.

…

Garlan raised his head, and his gaze fell on the top of the sleeping King Camos.

Among the brown curly hair, a lapis lazuli gold crown intertwined with laurel leaves is worn on the head of the Lion King.

The sky-like lapis lazuli gem was stained with a drop of blood, and the blood seemed to seep into the gem. For some reason, after so long, it still seemed to have the same bright red color as if it had just flowed out.

That drop of blood.

The bright red is dripping, but it will flow before it flows.

Garlan reached out and took off the lapis lazuli gold crown on King Camos' head.

He knelt on one knee in front of the sleeping Lion King.

The bloodstained cloak lay scattered at his feet.

Close your eyes.

The soft-lined side cheeks are tougher than anything else at this moment.

Lower your head.

White hands held up the golden crown.

The young man put the lapis lazuli crown that seemed to be dotted with blood beads on his head.

…

Keyhos stood at the door and did not go in. He also blocked Xinyas who wanted to go in with Garlan.

Prince Garlan definitely didn't want others to see his fragile appearance as he cried.

Kejos thought.

Even as a guardian knight myself.

The sun shone down, illuminating this area brightly, but it could not illuminate the heavy mood of the blond knight guarding the door.

He stood silently at the door waiting.

Time passed by minute by minute, just a quarter of an hour, but it was extremely long to him, and every second made him feel like he was tormented in fire.

Just when Kehos could hardly wait any longer, there was a creak and the door opened again.

Garlan's figure emerged from the white mist and stood in front of everyone again.

The wind blowing in front of him lifted the light cyan cloak behind him high at that moment, and then gently fell on his back again.

The cold white mist slowly dispersed around him, as if the young man had walked out of the ice and snow.

Kayhos's pupils shrank suddenly.

He saw the golden crown of lapis lazuli with laurel leaves on the prince's golden hair.

The crown of King Camos.

The lapis lazuli gold crown reflects the bright sunlight.

After a night of melee, Garlan's fair cheeks were stained with dust, and his body was still stained with blood.

The long sword at his waist reflected a frightening light.

The young man's figure was as tall and slim as usual, slightly slender, and his face was beautiful.

But at this moment, as the young man stood there, an indescribable aura seeped out of him.

That kind of momentum actually gave people a faint sense of oppression.

That made Kayhos lose his mind for a moment.

majesty.

That invisible sense of oppression is called majesty.

Although it was still very weak, as if it had just sprouted, at this moment, he could really feel the aura from the young prince that he had only felt from King Camos in the past.

——That is the majesty of the king——

After coming back from his momentary trance, Kehos looked at the prince who was already walking forward.

The golden crown and the golden hair complement each other, and are brighter than the sunshine in the sky.

The remaining green pupils reflected the cluster of golden light, and a bright smile appeared in the knight's eyes. He quickly caught up with Garlan.

That is his king.

A king who is stronger and tougher than anyone else.

…

………………

At noon, the entire city of Rudas was bustling with activity.

This city has been silent for too long, as if it is dead.

Now, it finally comes alive again.

The citizens of the city flocked to the center of the city with excitement, rushing to the castle that they had once avoided.

At this moment, the streets were deserted and the surroundings of the castle were densely packed with people.

Although they are all people, this land is unusually quiet.

Everyone was calm, held their breath, raised their heads, and stared at the scene in front of them with wide eyes.

On the castle, the white flag symbolizing Gastad fell from the flagpole.

It was carelessly discarded and disappeared into the depths of the jungle.

Then, under the gaze of everyone, the lion flag with red background and gold pattern fluttered in the sun and slowly rose into the sky.

This fiery red flag finally flew over the castle and Rudas City again.

In the red flames burning high in the sky, the golden lion seemed to be roaring at the sky and the earth.

Everyone looked at the flying red flag excitedly, and the next second, the enthusiastic cheers almost overturned the roof of the castle.

Everyone raised their hands and roared wildly, cheering.

They were shouting like crazy, with tears in their eyes, as if they wanted to vent all the pain and fear they had endured for the past month at this moment.

Among the cheering crowd, an old woman was supported by her son.

She stood tremblingly, raising her head, her eyes fixed on the familiar fiery red lion flag, with a look of reassurance in her eyes.

Her son was supporting her and looked excited.

"I told you, nothing will happen, it will definitely be fine!"

He shouted to his mother at the top of his voice amidst the deafening cheers all around.

"The Crown Prince is here! He will protect Aaron Landis and protect us, just like King Camos-"

He shouted, looking up.

"Look, the Crown Prince is right there!"

On the open balcony of the castle, the young crown prince stood there.

Maybe his figure doesn't look as burly as the Lion King, but at this moment, as long as he stands there, everyone feels extremely at ease.

They cheered and shouted for the crown prince.

For Aaron Landis.

…………

On the other side of the cheering people, a girl wearing linen clothes covered her mouth in disbelief.

That is--

She looked at the young man standing on the high platform and recognized the familiar figure at a glance.

Crown Prince?

The person who saved her that night was the crown prince?

The girl's mind went blank at the moment.

This surprising thing stopped her thinking temporarily.

She just covered her mouth and stared blankly at the beautiful blond boy in her memory.

Yes.

She didn't admit her mistake.

it's him.

Although it was too far to see the face clearly, the figure was the same as in her memory, which made people feel reassured.

That golden hair is like sunshine that can warm everything.

It turns out...he is the crown prince...

The crown prince who saved the city.

She couldn't explain why, but suddenly, a tear fell from the corner of the girl's eyes, covering her mouth.

【do not be afraid. 】

She suddenly remembered the warm smile the boy showed her that night.

That reassuring voice seemed to ring in her ears again.

【I promise you that. 】

The girl closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks and staining the back of her hands.

【Everything will go back to before. 】

She didn't know why she was crying so hard all of a sudden.

But the corners of her sour eyes were weeping uncontrollably.

She cried uncontrollably.

…

do not be afraid.

My people.

I promise you, everything will go back to how it was before.

I would put Aaron Landis back in the old days.