Fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood's wolf mentor

Gothe Kingdom, the capital city.

The Gothe army cleared a path, leaving it for the members of the convoy.

"Well, your identities should all be fine, you can leave on your own, but if there are any spies among you—we won't be lenient!"

To the members' surprise, the Gothe Kingdom was clearly at its wit's end, forced to its last capital city by the Wither Kingdom.

But they didn't do anything like forcibly plundering or conscripting soldiers.

The leader of the convoy also saw that these soldiers were different from those of the Srui Kingdom and the Wither Kingdom. Their expressions seemed a bit heavy.

More like those going to their deaths.

They knew they were facing a battle with a huge disparity in strength, but they didn't run away.

"Thank you, sir."

The leader bowed to the Gothe officer who let them pass. After that, he couldn't help but ask his question, "Sir, will you... win?"

"I don't know, but I believe in our King."

The officer paused, his eyes narrowed, and he continued in a low voice, "Even if we can't win, every Gothe warrior will die on this battlefield before the people."

The leader and other members of the convoy took their carriages into Gothe City.

As he walked, he looked back at the increasingly distant palace. At this moment, the red-clothed girl with extraordinary swordsmanship was following several royal guards, walking up the steps into the palace.

On the girl's shoulder stood a jet-black swallow, and beside her feet followed that...

Extraordinary wolf.

The original stereotype of a noble lady was shattered, and the veil of legend and mystery became even thicker in the eyes of the onlookers.

"What exactly is that young lady's identity?"

Other members of the convoy beside the leader also discussed.

"She alone... killed so many armored knights. Could she be a witch?"

"Besides, her swordsmanship is so good. Did she learn it from the womb?"

"I think she's a princess of the Gothe Kingdom. You know, every country always has some... powerful mysterious forces."

Another person who knew a little about the Gothe Kingdom said mysteriously, as if he had seen through the truth, "Besides, you have to know that the King of the Gothe Kingdom himself is no ordinary person..."

"Not an ordinary person?"

"Of course, the other Gothe brothers should also know, right?"

Among the crowd, several Gothe people looked at each other and nodded:

"We also returned here because of that."

"You mean..."

The convoy leader was stunned as he listened to these people's words. He saw something like faith in their eyes.

"We believe that the Gothe Kingdom will not lose here. The King will lead us—to defeat the Wither Kingdom, to defeat that vicious conqueror!"

...

The Royal Palace of the Gothe Kingdom.

Countless exquisite murals were carved on the four walls.

Many golden sculptures were placed around the palace, but the walls, sculptures, and everything visible seemed a bit old. The Gothe Kingdom had a long history.

"Your Majesty, Miss Ciparro is here."

A royal guard knelt on one knee in the center of the palace.

On the throne, a figure wearing royal attire with a long sword at his waist stood up. It was a person with silver-gray skin, but with a faint golden glow.

On his head, a white and gold cloth covered his eyes.

"Prince!"

Ciparro the swallow called out cheerfully and fluttered her wings to fly over.

The Gothe King, who resembled a metal sculpture, listened to the vibration of the air currents, reached out a hand, and let the swallow land on his finger.

After that, he slowly retracted his hand, gently touched Ciparro with his face, and said in a trembling voice:

"It's finally good to see you again, my best friend..."

"Of course, from now on, I will continue to stay with you."

Ciparro also answered with a smile, "When you regain your sight, you will be able to see me again—how are you feeling now? My happy Prince?"

"I haven't been this happy in a long time, Ciparro. You've brought back a feeling I haven't had in a long time."

The ruler of the Gothe Kingdom, at this moment, was like a young man, undisguisedly saying:

"It's like returning to paradise..."

After a brief exchange of reunion between the person and the bird, the Gothe King, or rather, the "Happy Prince" in Ciparro's words, turned his head, still covering his eyes, to look at Leake and Polo waiting in the palace.

"I'm sorry, both of you, for keeping you waiting. I was just... It's been a long time since I met Ciparro, and I was a little excited."

The Happy Prince walked down the throne, walked straight to Leake, stopped in front of him, and extended a hand.

"Thank you, Miss Leake, Mr. Polo—for protecting Ciparro so far, you will be eternal friends of the Gothe Kingdom.

You can call me Happy Prince."

Leake also reached out and shook his hand gently.

After the Happy Prince shook hands with Leake, he bent down and extended his hand to Polo, who was squatting aside, which surprised Polo.

The "Happy Prince's" hand was very cold, like some kind of metal in winter, and the feel... was like lead.

"Miss Ciparro is our friend, and we sent her here as a promise."

Although the Prince in front of him might not be able to see anything, Leake still performed a standard court etiquette.

The Happy Prince also returned a salute at the same time.

Although his eyes were covered, he seemed to still be able to perceive everything around him through other senses.

"Before, I could vaguely see the things you experienced, and now, when you are really standing in front of me, I can perceive it more clearly—

You are indeed not ordinary people. I sensed... hope, blessings, praise, and respect from you...

You have saved many people, which is why that sword chose you, right?"

The Happy Prince's empty gaze, which was covered, swept across the Star Killer Sword on Leake's waist.

"You also recognize... the Star Killer Sword?"

"I just... feel a little familiar with it."

The Happy Prince said, his calm and sincere voice, like a gurgling stream, and with a bit of pleading:

"I know this may be a bit difficult, but... can you please help me save the people of the Gothe Kingdom and save them from the flames of war?

I can give you anything I own, from power, life, to this entire country."

Leake and Polo understood what the Happy Prince was referring to after hearing this.

He wanted them to intervene in this war and help the Gothe Kingdom defeat the Wither Kingdom.

But... war?

A war completely unfolded between people.

Countless people, wielding swords and spears, tried their best to kill another person. After killing their own kind, they didn't even know the name of their opponent.

A life disappeared, but the mark of hatred was deeply engraved in the memories of more people!

"Prince, you are not an ordinary person either. In our exchanges with the outside world, we already know that the Gothe Kingdom's military strength cannot compete with the Wither Kingdom.

But all the Gothe people are still fighting for you firmly—why is that?"

Polo looked at the familiar and unfamiliar "Happy Prince" in front of him and suddenly asked.

"Because I am also fighting firmly for them, for the happy life that every good person should enjoy."

The Happy Prince replied without thinking, "I came here, to my homeland.

I took action, wanting to use my wisdom to make everyone no longer hungry and cold, and to put smiles on their faces—I was almost successful, but...

I encountered war.

War, a vortex interwoven with bestial desires, brings more pain—

And I'm not good at that."

After hearing the Happy Prince's words, Leake and Polo fell into a long silence.

They believed in Ciparro and also trusted this Prince, but...

Actively intervene in a war between two countries?

The soldiers fighting, whether Gothe or Wither Kingdom, are not puppets or monsters.

And most people, their killings may just be based on the difficult to refuse orders given by their superiors!

Not out of self-preservation, but massacring a large number of ordinary people.

Although the opponent's soldiers may have killed civilians and stained their hands with blood, in such a situation, Leake was absolutely certain that this would never be approved by the Star Killer Sword.

"Your Majesty, can I... think about it again?"

Leake still said with some difficulty.

"Of course, it doesn't matter, this is just a request."

The Happy Prince didn't try to persuade him, but smiled and said to Leake and Polo:

"You can stay in the city first. If you plan to leave, it's best to bypass Qingyue Mountain within three days—"

Saying that, he raised his head and looked in the direction of the Wither Kingdom, as if he was looking at something high in the sky,

"The Wither Kingdom's Conquest Fleet has arrived, and they will launch an attack within a week. At that time, they will not let go of anyone within the Gothe Kingdom—

He always does that in every war."

After that, the Happy Prince waved his hand and let a royal guard step forward. The royal guard was holding a golden box in his hand.

This was the Gothe King's gift of thanks.

The guard handed the box to Leake and Polo, and then led them to their residence within the palace.

...

Outside the palace, in the Gothe capital.

Leake and Polo were walking on the street, every Gothe person who passed by had a look of grief and determination on their faces.

Many of them were holding something in their hands.

Some were food, and some were clothing.

"What are they going to do?"

Leake was a little puzzled.

"Should they be going to the market to sell? But in this situation, is there still a market in the Gothe Kingdom?"

Polo was also hesitant, so the two followed one of the Gothe people and walked towards a direction in the city.

The buildings in the Gothe capital were very tall. It could be said that this was the most prosperous city Leake and Polo had ever seen. Almost all the buildings looked new.

Most of these taller buildings were built within the last ten years.

Polo made this judgment, and the oldest building was the palace where the Happy Prince was.

"We're here, but it doesn't look like... a market?"

After walking through a street, Leake's eyes lit up and pointed forward.

Polo also saw where those Gothe people were going. Several Gothe soldiers in full armor were standing there, and a lot of supplies had already been placed on the ground.

Most of them were food, and there were also many swords, knives, and even metal utensils.

"What is that place for?"

Leake showed a puzzled look, stopped a Gothe old man who had finished putting down his items, and handed out a silver coin to ask.

"Huh? You don't look like a Gothe person?"

The Gothe old man was stunned for a moment, but he still answered, "Those are the supplies that we voluntarily donate to our defenders, our King."

"Donate... supplies?"

A trace of confusion appeared in Leake's eyes. She had never heard of this word in the countries she had passed through before.

"His Majesty let us live a happy life, but those foreign bastards want to destroy all of this and make me return to those dark winters—fuck them!"

The Gothe old man said, veins popping out on his forehead, and waved his fist, "They want to destroy us, so even if we die, we will tear a piece of meat from those guys!"

After the Gothe old man finished speaking, he coughed twice, calmed down, and then said, "Now, all the soldiers defending the city in our Gothe Kingdom are volunteers. Old guys like me can't go to battle, but we can also donate some limited help."

Leake looked at the Gothe people around him. They didn't seem to be panicked, but mostly had a trace of determination before going to war.

"Do you all respect His Majesty so much?"

Leake couldn't help but ask. The respect these Gothe people had for the King was not only because of the imperial power and status, but a more heartfelt and deep-seated admiration.

"Do you know the history of our Gothe Kingdom? Even among so many countries around, it can be called one of the oldest."

The Gothe old man smiled. He looked at the extremely tall ancient stone platform in the center of the city square, but now it was empty.

"Can you tell me about it?"

Leake asked again.

"Of course, I'd be happy to."

The old man nodded and began to speak, "Every kingdom inevitably moves towards decline under the squeeze of nobles and royal power. Our Gothe Kingdom should have died a long time ago—

At that time, our royal family and nobles attacked each other and died in the chaotic infighting.

All the people were waiting for death in chaos in the cold, hunger and plague, until that day, the true King of our Gothe Kingdom returned—

He was golden, descended from the sky with his eyes covered, his appearance was exactly the same as that of the Prince who symbolized 'happiness' in the history of our Gothe Kingdom!

With unparalleled wisdom, he took over this kingdom that was on its last breath.

Every decree he issued brought tangible benefits to all citizens.

Hunger began to recede, and the cold was melted away by the spring sun… We moved towards revival, and in just a few short years, we had already surpassed the most prosperous era in history!

At that time, everyone smiled happily, until—

War began.”

Old Man Goethe's voice became low and沉闷, he looked down at the palm of his hand, where there was a deep scar, as if it had been cut by some sharp blade, “Our neighboring country, the Weisser Kingdom, was completely different from us.

Their king was an absolute tyrant, who only knew how to develop the military and invade and destroy many weak countries. Their people were oppressed by cruel policies.

The number of people who starved to death, worked to death, or froze to death was countless every year.

And all those who dared to launch rebellions were bloodily suppressed by the military power controlled by the Weisser King—

After that, the Weisser Kingdom declared war on us.”

The old man Goethe sneered, “Do you know what their reason for declaring war was? They said that our Goethe Kingdom was harboring criminals?!

Heh, the criminals they were talking about were all civilians who couldn't bear the oppression and fled their homes to our Goethe Kingdom!”

After saying this, Old Man Goethe seemed a little tired. He waved his hand, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

And Lake and Poro were speechless for a long time.

Poro looked at the empty ancient stone pillar in the city center, and finally said:

“I was reminded of a fairy tale, Lake.”

“What story?” Lake blinked.

“This story is called… The Happy Prince.”

//Oscar Wilde Fairy Tale·The Happy Prince

On the new page, there was a golden statue of a prince in the sky above a city, overlooking the buildings and citizens below. His eyes were as clear as gemstones.

A swallow stood on his head.

[Cyclical Return: The Happy Prince·Sacrifice of Love]

[Fairy Tale Authority: Unknown]

[Unsealing Ceremony: The shining prince uses self-sacrifice to dispel suffering. Such beauty should not disappear—help the Happy Prince dispel the villains who erode hope!]

[Description: When he finally stood in the sky above the city and had the power to overlook the world, he could no longer be happy]

[He discovered that his pure gold body was so powerless at this moment—unable to fill any hungry stomach, unable to warm even one homeless child who was scantily clad]

Lake picked up the page and compared the stone platform of the golden prince statue on the page illustration with the empty ancient stone pillar in the center of Goethe Capital in reality.

“Let's go, Poro.”

Lake returned the page to Poro and said.

“Have you decided?”

“Yes, I've decided.”

Lake gritted her teeth and grasped the hilt of the Star Killer Sword at her waist, “In Dant Territory, we searched for several days and couldn't find Bluebeard, and now, the Goethe Kingdom is facing a Weisser King who is even worse than Bluebeard.

If such a person were to rule the people—

Without a doubt, it would be a tragic thing.”

“Well, in that case…”

Poro nodded. The two of them stopped wandering around the city and went back in the direction they came from, towards the royal palace “Sanssouci” in the center of the city, “Let's go find the Happy Prince.”