A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

"Those two are indeed the royal knights of Canal."

With the two knights, Garlan and his party returned to the palace in the afternoon.

The high priest, who was dissatisfied because Garlan suddenly spent the night outside, immediately came to find Garlan after he came back. However, before he could even open his mouth to remonstrate, Garlan blocked him with this matter.

After meeting the Kanal knight named Moya in person, Shermer confirmed the other party's identity.

"Four years ago, when the crown prince of Kanal got married, I went to congratulate him on behalf of Aaron Landis. I had met this person before."

Shermer said,

"He was with King Karnal at that time, and he should have gained the trust of King Karnal."

Garlan nodded.

"That is to say, what they said about the Prince of West Asia being alive and being imprisoned by the Cult of All Things is true."

"This little prince from West Asia is really unlucky..."

The little fat guy Tal beside him couldn't help but muttered in a low voice.

"But those two knights were lucky. If they hadn't happened to bump into Lord Kayhos and the others, they would have died in the valley in the middle of the night."

When Garlan heard what Tal said, he suddenly remembered something and asked Kehos strangely.

"Speaking of which, Caihos, what are you doing with Heimos so far away in the woods at night?"

Kejos: "………………"

That's fighting to protect you.

Hit back the claws of the wolf that are reaching for you.

Of course it was impossible to say such words in front of Garlan.

He hesitated not knowing how to answer.

Fortunately, the high priest, who had no interest in his personal affairs, spoke up and helped him out, although this was not his intention.

"King Garlan, what are you going to do?"

Shermer offered his opinion.

"The Karnal royal family and the Aaron Landis royal family have always been in contact with each other. They have had a close friendship over the past generations. Although Karnal has now perished, since the last survivors of the Karnal royal family have come to ask for help, I think we should Free that prince."

"I think so too."

The young king, whose attention was diverted by Shermer, nodded and did not notice his guardian knight who breathed a sigh of relief.

"The religion of all things..."

Garlan said these three words.

His voice sounded very calm, but it was this calm tone that inexplicably made people feel palpitated, with some invisible sense of oppression.

The Cult of All Things was mainly active in Aaron Landis and Kanal before. Since Kanal was relatively prosperous and stable, they chose Aaron Landis, which has always been at war, as their main area of ​​activity.

Since Garlan sat on the throne, he not only stabilized Aaron Landis, who was almost in a war, but also began to attack the Cult of All Things with maximum intensity after being stabilized.

As long as the All Things Cult shows up anywhere, he will send out an army to kill them without mercy, destroying all the altars.

King Garlan even issued a decree that was deeply hated by the All-World Cult—anyone who noticed the traces of All-Things and reported it to the ruling government would receive a large reward if it was found to be true. Even if they have sufficient ability and qualified conduct after the inspection, they can be given a low-level official position in the township.

The consequence of this is that the All Things Religion has completely fallen into the vast sea of ​​​​war among the people and lost in a mess.

If during the period of King Camos who also suppressed them, they just hid here and there, lurking in the gutter like rats and continued to do things secretly, now King Garlan has only been in power for more than a year, and they are already hiding. There is no place left.

Several sacrificial sites that were destroyed were all reported secretly by the public.

This also makes it even more difficult for them to develop believers - because they themselves are not sure whether if they contact the believers who want to develop today, they will turn around and sell them tomorrow.

Therefore, the All Things Cult has gradually disappeared from Aaron Landis recently.

However, Kanal, which was occupied by the Gastards and a large area of ​​the country was still in chaos, became their best breeding ground.

They gradually withdrew from Aaron Landis and became active in the chaotic border area between Kanal and Aaron Landis.

Although Garlan has always wanted to uproot the cult of the Cult of All Things, according to the Continental Convention, as King Aaron Landis, he cannot send troops into the land of Kanal.

But now, the prince of Kanal asked him for help, and he could justifiably send troops into the territory of Kanal.

………………

In a certain room in the palace, after talking to the high priest who had met several times before, Moya lay on the bed, feeling uneasy.

After going through all kinds of hardships, they finally met the rumored young king and completed their mission.

However, his heart was still heavy.

During the year he was imprisoned by the Cult of All Things, he and other companions worked hard to find opportunities to rescue the prince. After such a long time, I still found some solutions.

Just because those cultists guarded the West Asian prince who was involved in the treasure very closely, they couldn't find a chance at all.

Moreover, the West Asian prince has been like a zombie this year and doesn't care about anything at all, and they are helpless.

This time, after Prince West Asia finally cheered up again, although he was still gloomy and cold, he acted much more soberly and decisively than before.

He directly told Moya and others to leave him alone and escape by himself.

Moya and the other knights naturally refused, but the Prince of West Asia said expressionlessly that they could not rescue themselves at all. Instead of staying here and wasting time, they might as well try to escape on their own, and then go to Aaron Landis's house. King Garlan asked for help.

Facts have proved that the prince of West Asia was right, they simply did not have the ability to escape with the prince.

Even though a group of them managed to escape on their own, they were constantly hunted down by followers of the Cult of All Things along the way, and their companions lost their lives one after another.

When they fled near the royal city, only the two of them were left.

If he hadn't been lucky enough to meet those two world-renowned powerful knights - he already knew that the one who was with the Knight of the Burning Sun that night was a black knight with the same name as the Knight of the Burning Sun - both of them would have disappeared. He died silently in the valley, unknown to anyone.

Moya still remembers.

What the Prince of West Asia said to himself before they escaped.

The prince of West Asia said not to tell anyone about the treasure of the Kanal royal family yet. If King Gallan is unwilling to help, forget it and don't care about his life or death anymore.

As for these knights, whether they want to join others or commit suicide and die for their country, it's up to them.

Moya still remembers the prince's indifferent look and the emotionless tone when he spoke.

He was obviously still a child less than ten years old, but his eyes were cold and lifeless.

Thinking of the prince's lifeless eyes, which were like an abyss, Moya's heart suddenly became very heavy.

He had never thought about it, or rather, he didn't dare to think about it at all.

Even if the person can be rescued, the prince's heart... has been completely destroyed by hatred and pain.

What will such a prince look like in the future?

…………

……………………

On this night, while Knight Moya was tossing and turning on the bed, on the other side, in Garlan's palace, the roar of the high priest of Shamash shook the entire room.

"I disagree!"

Shermer stared at Garlan sternly, his tone was firm and there was no room for change.

"I would never agree to this."

Garlan glanced at him.

"Shemal, I am just 'informing' you of this matter, not asking for your consent."

Xie Mu'er said angrily: "As the leader of a country, how can you go to dangerous places in person?"

"It's just a hideout of the Cult of All Things, not even a battlefield. With Kaihos accompanying me, I don't think there will be any danger."

"Even if he was there -"

"Shemer, either you help me make all preparations, or I find a chance to leave on my own."

The young man sitting on the white jade balcony with his knees bent tilted his head slightly, put one hand on his bent knees, and smiled at his high priest.

"Unless you can ensure that you can keep an eye on me so that I can't sneak out."

Shermer: "..."

A breath was stuck in his throat, making the high priest unable to go up or down.

He had always felt that King Kamos was willful enough to give him a headache.

Unexpectedly, Gallan, who became king, was actually better than his predecessors. From time to time, he would disappear and disappear, which made him very upset.

At any rate, King Camos was always afraid of his nagging, so he could still be honest and compromise. But now that it was Garlan, he was often stuck in the Achilles' heel of Garlan.

Almost all the people who had no choice but to compromise in the end were him.

Just like this time...

"……I see."

Shermer took a deep breath and kept telling himself in his heart.

Calm down, you must be calm. The person in front of him now is no longer Prince Gallan, but King Gallan.

As a Shamash priest who abides by ceremonial laws, he cannot be disrespectful to the king.

Yes, you can't.

After warning himself several times, the high priest finally suppressed his urge to scold Garlan with full force.

"I'll prepare everything for you."

He said, "But, I also have a request."

"What?"

"Except for Caihos, please ask Mr. Heimos to accompany you."

Since he could not give up the idea of ​​​​Gallan going there in person, Shermour could only ensure the safety of Garlan as much as possible under the premise of compromise, and gave the two strongest knights of Aaron Landis to Garlan. Lan, let him pack it up and take it away.

Garlan was startled.

If it had been before, he would have already agreed.

but……

"Heimos... that's not necessary. I still need him to be in charge of the royal city. I just need Kayhos to accompany me."

Ever since what happened the day before yesterday, he felt embarrassed whenever he saw Heimos and always unconsciously wanted to avoid him.

"There is nothing more important than your safety. Even if the royal city is destroyed, as long as you are still there, Aaron Landis will be as stable as Mount Tweilur."

Shermur said, he looked at Garlan calmly and did not give an inch.

"Please agree to my request."

Garlan looked at him and nodded helplessly.

Kayhos, who was standing aside, didn't speak. He just turned his head and glanced to one side.

Through the window, he could vaguely see the figure in black who had come here not long ago and suddenly stood motionless in the courtyard far away.

He just looked at that figure and turned away.

Turning back, the blond knight's eyes were a little complicated.

………………

Because he planned to go to the western border to see if the situation required mobilizing troops, Garlan only took a group of knights with him, about a hundred people, when he left the palace secretly.

Not to mention that each of these elite knights are loyal and outstanding in martial arts, the mere presence of Kaihos and Heimos on the left and right is enough to make this team terrifyingly powerful.

Gallan felt that with this kind of luxurious configuration, even if he took a good trip to the territory of Karnar controlled by the Gastad people, he would be able to return unscathed in the end.

Not to mention just solving a secret hideout of a cult.

Because Knight Moya was too seriously injured, the young knight led the way.

These more than a hundred people avoided crowded places and headed west from remote places.

After traveling until dusk, Caihos chose a flat land near the river and set up camp here.

Soon it was late at night, and the crescent moon hung high in the sky.

The bonfire in the camp was burning, and the firelight illuminated the darkness here, and the entire camp became quiet little by little.

Garlan had just taken off his cloak and was taking off his boots when someone suddenly opened the tent door and walked in.

He subconsciously raised his eyes and glanced, and his eyes suddenly froze.

The familiar tall figure walked in, and the warm yellow firelight in the tent reflected on the man's handsome side cheeks. Those golden-red eyes fell on him as always, no matter what.

After just one glance at each other, Garlan looked away uncomfortably.

When Huymos watched him so intently before, he had been used to it since he was a child, and he didn't feel anything. But ever since that day... I don't know why, but when Heimos looked at him like this, he felt a little weird...

Seeing Gallan avoiding his gaze, Heimos pursed his lower lip and lowered his eyes.

He didn't say anything, he just walked in and began to take off his armor.

Garlan was shocked.

"What are you doing taking off your clothes here-?"

The frightened boy was like a kitten whose fur exploded, looking at the other person warily.

"Shemurr told me before he left that one of Keyhos and I must stay with you when you sleep at night." Heimos said lightly, "Kehos is responsible for keeping vigil tonight, so I'm coming over. here."

Garlan: "..."

Sherlock, please don't be so overprotective of me, okay?

Sitting on the simple bed with his knees bent, Garlan didn't know what to say for a moment.

Because he packs lightly and travels lightly, the tent he brings is also the smallest and lightest, with very little space and can only accommodate three or four people at most.

So the distance between him and Heimos is actually very close.

But both of them were silent, not speaking, and the atmosphere was a bit depressing.

Garlan was a little confused.

In the past, he and Heimos had often been alone together, but at that time he had been chatting and laughing with Heimos casually, just like he was joking with Caijos and others.

He had never felt so uncomfortable.

Garlan glanced at Heimos secretly from the corner of his eye.

Heimos had taken off his armor, and his body, wearing only a thin shirt, looked extremely fit under the light, and his tight skin texture lines seemed to be sculptured.

He sat on another simple bed, his eyes lowered, his dark hair falling sideways, half covering the corners of his narrow eyes.

The thin lips shimmered a little under the light.

The more you want to forget some memories, the more they will stick in your mind.

When he saw Heimos' lips, the words Heimos said not long ago suddenly rang in his mind again.

…‘In every late night dream…’…

Garlan took a deep breath, he was a little panicked.

Now, it's late at night.

But he and Heimos were alone again.

A lonely man.

This guy had a serious desire for him.

What if this guy suddenly becomes animalistic like last night...

calm down.

Now we are camping, everyone is here, including Kehos, and the thin tent cannot block any sound.

There was no way Heimos could force himself on him in this situation...

Garlan comforted himself repeatedly in his heart for a long time before calming down.

However--

Just when he relaxed, he looked up and was shocked to find Heimos standing in front of him at some point.

At the same time, his right hand was reaching towards him.

My heart tightened.

My mind panicked.

Almost instinctively, Garlan raised his hand and suddenly opened the hand Heimos stretched out to him.

The crisp snap was particularly loud in the quiet camp.

The camp was eerily quiet.

Heimos stared at his opened hand, staring at the red marks that had appeared on the back of his hand.

A terrifying glimmer flashed across his golden-red eyes.