A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

The majestic royal palace stands in the royal city, standing on the highest point, and it has been like this for thousands of years, overlooking the city it rules and the endless land of Aaron Landis from high above.

The vast and boundless ocean rolled and turbulent behind it, beating the stormy waves on the steep cliffs again and again.The Enki River, one of the two mother rivers, came to an end here after flowing through the whole of Aaron Landis, and crashed down from the cliff, forming a spectacular small waterfall.

The white columns with thick lotus tops support this huge palace, surrounded by thick pure white brick and stone walls, and fiery red carvings are wrapped around it, like clusters of flames burning on it.

The snow-white semicircular arch stands on the ground, picking out the rune patterns of the gods layer by layer, allowing the erected columns to support the vast interior space.

The style of the entire palace is majestic and dignified, standing on the highest ground, with great momentum.

The crossed vaults are like the sky, covered with a layer of broken gold, bathed in bright sunlight, shining with dazzling golden brilliance, which makes people dare not look up.

A young man dressed in a brand-new guard costume stood in front of this magnificent and magnificent palace, staring at everything that was shocking.

Lakdi is a new guard who stands out from thousands of competitors and is selected into the palace.

Although he could see the royal palace from the outside before, it was the first time for him to get close to it, and he could even walk into it right away—this made his heart beat violently, and he could not change his expression in the face of a fighting battlefield He couldn't help but get nervous at this moment.

Taking a deep breath, suppressing the uneasiness in his heart, he followed closely behind his senior, forced himself to be calm, walked up the long steps on the side, and walked into this gorgeous and solemn palace.

The wind blowing from the sea from the south swept across the land of Aaron Landis, spreading the heat.

The sun has also reached the hottest and brightest time of the year, covering the ground with light and heat.

Summer has come, and the pleasant warmth of spring has left with the goddess of spring, and the temperature in the entire land of Aaron Landis is rising rapidly and becoming hotter.

The first thing that came into the sight of the young guard was a courtyard that was so vast that it could hardly be seen at a glance. Inside, all kinds of flowers were in full bloom, and the greenery was proud.

The leaves of the cypress and palm trees are lush, the laurel stands in the courtyard, and the branches and leaves of the green olive tree sway slightly in the hot wind.Ivy climbs and wraps around the tall trees, forming large expanses of green shade.

Several pools are dotted around, surrounded by hyacinths, or blooming in lotus.The water from the fountain splashed down, causing ripples on the sparkling water surface.

Countless flowers bloom under the scorching sun, reflecting the bright sunlight, making them more beautiful and moving.

Seeing that a newcomer like him couldn't hold back his curiosity and turned his head to look around, and then was reprimanded sharply by the senior guard who led them, Lakdi hurriedly followed, obediently, Don't dare to look around anymore.

Follow the leading guard around the huge courtyard from the side, walk through the winding corridors, and then come to a small Shamash shrine in a royal palace.

A Shamash priest was standing inside, waiting for their arrival with a serious face.

Behind him, the statue of Shamash stands awe-inspiring.

This stone statue of Shamash is holding a shawl and robe with one hand, one hand is stretched out in front of the body, the palm is down, and the fist is clenched.

It was a gesture that symbolized an oath.

These dozens of young guards who were newly selected to enter the palace knelt down before the statue of Shamash's oath, suppressed their excitement, and swore to Shamash, the God of Judgment who was in charge of the oath.

They will serve Aaron Landis with their lives and souls.

They will devote their lives to their king until their bodies are reduced to powder and their souls return to the underworld.

Priest Shamash drew a vertical line between their eyebrows with bright red cinnabar.

That was proof that Shamash had witnessed their oath.

Aaron Landis people believe that people's brows are closely connected with their souls.

The engraving between the eyebrows is the engraving of the soul.

…………

With one hand pressing the unique sword of the palace guards that he had just obtained at his waist, Lakdi raised his head and chest, straightened his back, and tried hard to show a majestic aura.

He has increased his vigilance by 12 points to everything around him, and his face looks alert, as if an enemy will come out from the side at any time.

The older guard beside him couldn't help laughing when he saw him like this.

But after thinking about it, I was not much better than him when I entered the palace, so I held back and just patted the young colleague on the shoulder.

"Don't be nervous, our task today is just to patrol around the hall."

He comforted the young man by saying,

"Because today is the day when the king discusses state affairs in the main hall, so there are guards guarding nearby, and it is almost impossible for anything to go wrong. Take it easy."

It was fine if the older guard didn't say anything, but when he said it, Lakdi became even more nervous.

"You, you mean, Wang, Wang... Uh, that one, Wang is here now?"

He stammered and asked,

"Then, wait a minute, will he, will he, see, see me?"

Thinking of this possibility, he hurriedly lowered his head to see if the clothes on his body were not clean or messy.

Seeing that the new junior was so nervous that he started to stutter, and then tried to fiddle with his clothes, the senior guard finally couldn't hold back and laughed out loud.

He smiled and patted the young man on the shoulder.

"Don't be nervous, we can only take a look from a distance outside, far away, surrounded by people, it is impossible for the king to see you."

"Is that so..."

Lakdi breathed a sigh of relief, and he was not so nervous anymore.

However, there was a little disappointment in my heart.

Indeed, if you think about it carefully, there must be many big figures around the young king, and it is impossible for him, an inconspicuous little guard, to be seen.

It's better not to think about it, and honestly perform your duties of patrolling the palace.

As long as you work hard, you will be promoted to the head of the guard in the future, transferred to the inner palace, and guarded at the gate of the main hall, you will be very close to the king.

Thinking of this, he immediately shook off the disappointment in his heart. Lakdi only felt that his whole body was full of strength, so he continued to follow the senior with his head upright to carry out the task.

The older guard shook his head amusedly, and led him forward.

When he came near the main hall, Lakdi saw two rows of guards in black and red armor standing upright on both sides of the main hall like cypress trees.

They stood upright, without looking sideways, with solemn expressions, holding silver guns, the tip of the gun flashed coldly in the sunlight.

The young guard's heart trembled.

Even if the soldiers of the two guards just stood there without moving or speaking, an invisible mighty power would be released silently, and the terrifying evil spirit that had been fighting in the bloody sea of ​​the battlefield all year round rushed to the face, which made people feel trembling in the bottom of their hearts. cold.

They stood there, as if the place where they were was the place where soldiers fought with iron horses.

The older guard led Lakdi around and taught him as he walked around.

"Usually when there is no court meeting, we can patrol around the hall, but when the king's guards are guarding here, just walk around outside like now. Those guards won't talk to you about favors."

He emphasized his tone and warned, "Also, an unfamiliar face like you must never try to get close to the king. As long as you move closer to the past, even if you wear the clothes of the palace guards, you will be regarded as inappropriate by those guards." The elements were arrested without further ado."

Lakdi didn't listen to the teachings of the seniors at all. Although he followed the older guards, his heart had long drifted away, and he looked hard at the hall with his eyes, desperately trying to see inside.

King Garlan.

The new king of Aaron Landis.

He succeeded to the throne at the age of a teenager more than a year ago, and now, like him, he has just reached his full age.

It is said that when the young king was still a prince, he was called the 'Wise Prince' and was loved by many people in the royal city.

More than a year ago, the brutal Gastadians invaded Aaron Landis and approached the royal city. Aaron Landis was once in danger of subjugation.

It was the King Garlan, who was still the crown prince at that time, who turned the tide at the critical moment, led the army to defeat the enemy, saved Aaron Landis, and drove the invaders Gastade out of the country.

Since then, the prestige of the boy king has spread throughout the entire continent.

Inheriting the throne of the Lion King, he also became the new patron saint of Aaron Landis.

——Garlan, son of the gods, Aaron Landis was reborn because of you, you are the king of Aaron Landis, you are the immortal glory of Aaron Landis——

The song that resounded through the earth praised the young king so much.

Save Aaron Landis, save millions of Aaron Landis from destruction.

This alone makes the people admire and respect him from the bottom of their hearts.

So is Lakti.

With full of admiration for this young king, he tried hard to take a look at that distant figure.

Pass through the two rows of guard soldiers standing on both sides of the gate of the main hall like cypress, and pass through the huge arc-shaped arched snow-white jade gate with exquisite patterns.

The sun shines in from the skylight on the crossed vault, making the whole hall bright.

Ignoring the countless crowds on both sides of the main hall, his eyes followed the long fiery red carpet on the bluestone floor of the main hall all the way to the end.

Countless big figures that he didn't even dare to imagine bowed respectfully under it.

The unreachable distance made Lakdi barely able to see the figure sitting on the huge golden throne.

The beams of light falling from the skylight are staggered and converged on the throne, making the person sitting on it look as if the whole body is emitting golden light.

Like a god descending.

……

Just when Lakdi was in a turbulent mood and his eyes were staring straight at the distant and vague figure that gave people a sense of majesty, he suddenly found that the figure moved.

He thought he was staring too hard and his eyes were dazzled, so he rubbed his eyes vigorously, and then looked over.

He was sure that his eyes were not dazzled, the figure had indeed moved, and walked down from the golden throne.

He was stunned to see that figure walking across the fiery red carpet in the main hall and walking towards the main hall gate.

Where the figure passed, the guards and female officials on both sides of the hall bent down and knelt down.

At this moment, the soldiers of the guards standing on both sides of the main hall gate bowed slightly, lowered their heads respectfully, and greeted the arrival of their king.

Before he could react, the older guards led him and pushed him down.

"Don't be in a daze!"

Lakdi was pressed down and knelt down.

Pfft!

puff puff!

Lakdi felt his heart beating like crazy, and he could almost smash his chest.

Goddess of Luck, Isdar, thank you for your blessing!

Thank you for allowing me to witness the majesty of the king on the first day I entered the palace.

He kept praising Goddess Isdar in his heart, and out of the corner of his eyes, Lakdi, who lowered his head, saw a pair of feet coming out of the gate, followed by dozens of pairs of feet.

He took a deep breath, raised his head secretly, and glanced up.

This glance made Lakdi suddenly suffocate.

The golden long hair was scattered behind the young king, shining in the sunlight, emitting golden brilliance like the golden throne at the end of the hall.

He was at the forefront of everyone.

Behind him, a sky-blue cloak fluttered behind him along with his steps.

The young Wang is like a legend, with a face as beautiful as light.

That is a kind of beauty that dare not be desecrated.

His face is very young, even a little immature. He doesn't look tall, but rather slender, especially compared to the tall and burly people who are closely following him. .

But among the crowd, he was born to give people a feeling that he overwhelmed everyone.

It was an indescribable aura, as if as long as the young king stood there, all the people around him would be invisible to him.

Lakdi's heart tightened suddenly, and his whole body froze for a moment. He didn't dare to take a second look, and quickly lowered his head deeply.

He couldn't give a reason.

Even if you just look at it from such a distance, that invisible aura is overwhelmed.

The self-evident power of the young king made Lakti feel breathless.

It wasn't until everyone left, and even the guards followed suit, that Lakdi calmed down, raised his head, and looked at the direction his king was leaving from afar.

That is... King Garlan.

He thought in a trance.

out of reach.

unattainable.

Exist like a god.

…………

........................

In a blink of an eye, a day passed.

The new guards have just entered the palace today, and they are not familiar with many things. It is impossible to assign them night shift tasks, so it is time for them to leave the palace.

Although the elderly bodyguard who led him told him that he could return, Lakdi kept dawdling and refused to leave.

Seeing that the patrol was about to arrive at the starting point, and he was about to end today's mission and leave the palace, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

He looked around, pointed to a corridor that turned into a place and said, "Is that also our patrol area? We don't seem to have been there before."

The older guard glanced at it nonchalantly, and replied: "Oh, there is a small garden there, there is nothing in it, and generally no one goes there, and it is not closed if you don't go..."

"I'll go on a tour!"

Before the elder guard finished speaking, Lakdi, who was dawdling not to leave the palace, his eyes lit up, and ran there excitedly without waiting for the other party's answer.

Feeling the excitement of these young guards entering the palace for the first time, they were so excited that they wanted to walk around every corner of the palace. The older guards couldn't help laughing and shook their heads.

Forget it.

Young people are energetic.

As a senior, it is good to be considerate and considerate.

The older guard was just smiling when suddenly there was a loud voice from behind.

He turned his head and saw a group of guards running in a hurry, scattered in groups, as if they were looking for something anxiously, the atmosphere was very tense.

Looking at the leader again, it turned out to be the one——

The elder guard's heart tightened suddenly.

problem occurs?

…………

........................

Lakdi ran excitedly through the winding corridor, and at the end of the corridor, as the old guard said, was a small garden.

Although there are no luxurious buildings, it is surrounded by streams, shaded by trees, and the lush grass is like a carpet of green velvet. The hot sun is blocked by the lush tree crowns.

In addition, when the evening is approaching, when the wind blows, there is a cool breeze, giving people a very comfortable and comfortable feeling.

Although he had been patrolling for a long time, the young guards who were still full of energy began to walk around the grass. At this moment, the senior no longer stared at the side, and he no longer had to be detained. He looked left and right, looked around, and looked left with great interest. Glance right.

As the wind blew, the lush treetops above shook for a while, and the sunlight cast from the gaps in the branches and leaves shook for a while, reflecting a ray of light, which was reflected in Lakdi's eyes.

Lakti was taken aback.

He saw something glowing in the grass near the stone wall in the distance.

He fixed his eyes and saw the sun flash again.

……Golden?

Lakdi walked over subconsciously, and was stunned when he saw it.

The glowing thing he saw turned out to be the long golden hair spread on the grass, the light spots leaking from the branches and leaves shone on the golden hair, shining, and the owner of the long golden hair was lying sideways on the soft grass, Appears to be asleep.

It looked like a boy, but because his back happened to be facing him, Lakdi couldn't see the face of the blond boy.

Probably some young attendant or a young student from Solga Temple School came here lazily?

Thinking of this, Lakdi felt a little funny, squatted down, reached out and gently pushed the blond boy's shoulder.

"Hey, wake up."

He shouted, "It's already evening, if you don't get up again, you won't be able to leave the palace."

As if woken up by his push, the boy moved.

With this movement, Lakdi saw the cloak that the young man was wearing under his body.

The sky-blue cloak, the soft and smooth fabric, and the looming golden threads inside the fabric all reveal its rarity and preciousness.

Uh... this cape... seems to be...

…………

...somewhat familiar?

Just when Lakdi was still trying to figure out where he had seen this cloak, the boy who was woken up by him finally sat up.

The long golden hair slid down from the boy's shoulders like velvet, spreading out in the air.

The boy who sat up on the cloak that was pressed on the grass raised his hands, stretched vigorously, and opened his mouth to let out a big yawn.

The kind of action that is arbitrary and has no image.

Then, the boy continued to sit on the grass, turning his head sideways.

Like a golden gem, he glanced at the person beside him who woke him up.

The young guard squatting on the grass had already petrified the moment the boy got up.

The hand he pushed the boy's shoulder just now was still frozen in mid-air.

Although he can't wait to chop off his extremely impolite hand——

After being glanced at by those golden pupils, Lakdi's heart trembled.

He took a sudden step back, knelt down on the grass, pressed his hands on the ground, almost prostrate on the ground, and pressed his forehead tightly against the grass.

"Please, please forgive my offense, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I, I...that, I didn't know it was you, I, I dared to touch your noble body, no, I mean, I, I..."

The panicked Lakdi was already incoherent.

His mind was blank, and he felt that his heart had stopped beating.

A hand reached out and patted the back of his head.

Lakti raised his head in horror.

Then, he saw the boy king who was squatting in front of him suddenly rolled his eyes and smiled brightly at him.

Lakdi was a little dazed by that smile, and stared blankly at the other party.

"You do one thing now."

Blinking his eyes lightly, Garlan said,

"Okay, I'll forgive you for offending me."

"Eh? ... Yes, yes! Please tell me!"

Just as Garlan was about to open his mouth to speak, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure approaching in the distance out of the corner of his eye.

Too late to say more.

He quickly threw the cloak into Lakdi's hands and stood up.

"Listen, Ximuer is coming soon, go and trick him away, don't let him know that I'm here."

Xie, Xie Muer?

High Priest of Shamash?

That High Priest who is ruthless and stern enough to make people look pale? !

"Wait, wait, Your Majesty, this - this subordinate can't do it - how dare I deceive Your Excellency the High Priest?"

Lakdi eagerly wanted to get up, but a finger was pressed on his forehead.

He didn't dare to move immediately.

Garlan, who had already stood up, pointed a finger on his forehead.

The young man looked at him with a smile, his smile was bright, but for some reason it made people feel uneasy.

"This is the order of the king."

"Uh……"

Lakdi hesitated for a moment, then saw Garlan's figure quickly disappear into the depths of the dense bushes, and then there was no movement, probably hiding there.

He stood there blankly with the cloak in his hand.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

A stern voice came from far behind.

Lakdi shuddered and turned around abruptly.

A tall man wearing the costume of a Shamash priest was walking towards him quickly, with a serious face, looking at him coldly, holding a golden scepter in his hand.

High priest of Shemuer!

Lakti hurriedly bent over and knelt down.

"I'm a guard who just entered the palace today, and I'm in charge of patrolling this area."

"What are you holding in your hand?"

Xie Muer's powerful eyes stared at the young guard kneeling at his feet, and the cloak in his hand.

Lakdi was so nervous that he was about to be speechless, but the smiling face of the boy suddenly appeared in his mind, and he was suddenly blessed.

"Your Excellency, High Priest, I was about to go out to report to the higher authorities. When I came here to patrol just now, I saw someone lying on the grass and didn't know what he was doing. I walked over to question him, but as soon as I got close, he threw I threw this cloak on my head, and before I could react, he had already run away."

He said anxiously, "Your Excellency, that person is very suspicious and must be found out as soon as possible."

Shemuer's eyes twitched slightly.

"I see." He said coldly, "Your patrol mission has been completed, now, it's time for you to leave the palace."

"But that suspicious person..."

Lakti said hesitantly pointing in a certain direction—it was completely opposite to the direction Garlan was hiding in.

"I'll take over this matter. Okay, guard, you can go."

The high priest interrupted the guard mercilessly and stretched out his hand.

"Give me the cloak."

"Yes."

Obediently handing over the cloak to the high priest, the young guard obeyed the order and got up to leave.

After walking out of the long corridor, he confirmed that the people on the high priest's side could never see him, so his feet went limp and he fell to the ground.

It took all his life's courage to force himself to be calm and deceive the high priest just now, and now he was sitting on the ground slumped on the ground, and the hands supporting his upper body were trembling.

He gasped for breath, his heart was beating so hard that it almost jumped out of his mouth.

He couldn't believe that those words just came out of his own mouth.

That is the High Priest, the High Priest acting in Shamash's will—

O just sun god Shamash.

I hope you will forgive me for deceiving your priests on the grounds that I am only faithfully carrying out the royal order.

Lakdi panted for a long time, and finally calmed down.

My feet are still weak and I can't stand up.

He continued to sit on the ground, raised his head, and watched the sunset that turned fiery red in the sky.

He thought of the young king who was as tall and unattainable as a god when he first saw him.

He thought again of the pure and innocent boy with a clean and bright smile just now.

Which one is true.

still is……

All true?

…………

........................

That guard did a great job.

Garlan hid in the bushes, watching Shemuer lead the men to chase in another direction, he was relieved.

If she was caught on the spot by Xie Muer, she would definitely be reprimanded by Xie Muer for a full three hours.

The horror of the magic sound...

Garlan looked up at the sky.

The sun was almost approaching the horizon, and it was approaching evening. Garlan rubbed his temples, thinking that he had escaped for a long time, and it was time to go back.

Through the thick undergrowth, he glanced outside.

There are only two entrances and exits to this small garden, and there is a corridor through which Ximuer comes in. With Ximuer's obsessive-compulsive disorder, people will definitely stay at the exit of the corridor.And the other one is exactly where Ximuer is chasing after, so he will not be so stupid as to throw himself into the trap.

Well, there is only one option left.

Coincidentally, the cloak that got in the way was also taken away by Shemuer.

Looking up at the tall white stone wall in front of him, Garlan took a few steps back.

He looked at a tall olive tree beside him, and reached out to grab the shortest branch.

With one leap, he jumped up.

A few more jumps, one after another, he jumped up to the crown of the tree nimbly.

Kneeling and half-kneeling on a thick branch, the fine sunlight fell on Garlan's body through the dense canopy.

When the flowers bloom, clusters of small white flowers bloom on the emerald green branches and leaves. When the wind blows, the thin branches and leaves shake, and the small white petals flutter down.

He squatted halfway on the thick branch, and the faint fragrance surrounded him.

The tall olive tree had already passed the high wall, and many of its branches and leaves were sticking out of the wall, and the thick branch he was on also stretched out of the wall.

As long as he jumps down, he can jump over the wall.

Just as Garlan was about to poke his head out of the dense canopy to look at the scene outside the wall, he suddenly heard an angry shout from behind.

He looked back subconsciously, and saw his deceived High Priest walking towards him in a huff, his gaze was like a sword.

Facing Shemuer's fierce staring eyes, Garlan blinked innocently and smiled at his high priest.

Then, he turned back.

Without further ado, he jumped decisively.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew, and the canopy of the olive tree shook and made a rustling sound.

The tiny petals are like pieces of small white snowflakes, flying away, as if following the jumping boy in the wind.

A pair of big brown hands suddenly stretched out from the wind.

Without missing a beat, he grabbed the waist of the boy who fell from the sky.

Grab it firmly in the air.

The light golden long hair, like molten gold, slid down from Garlan's fair cheeks, passed over the strong brown arms, and fell on the black shoulder armor of the man who caught him.

The golden eyes widened slightly, revealing a bit of surprise, reflecting the slightly raised corners of the other party's lips.

Heymos shook his head.

The tiny petals that follow the boy with the wind are like pure white snowflakes, rustling from the air.

One of the petals fell gently on his dark forehead hair.

Black hair fell from the corners of slightly protruding eyes, and a gentle smile appeared in the golden red eyes staring at Garlan.

He waited outside the wall for a long time.

When the wind blows, he holds out his hand.

Then, he caught the boy who fell from the sky accompanied by the rustling rain of flowers.