A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

In the afterglow of the setting sun in the sky, the sunset glow is like fire.

Xiaguang shrouded the earth, covering the entire palace with a layer of fire.

Especially the exquisite wooden palace that Garlan is in at the moment, because the whole is carved from dark reddish-brown ebony wood, it brings out the fiery color of the setting sun even more.

In fact, Garlan also came here once when he was a child.

Back then, the arrogant, extravagant and lustful king searched the world for rare and precious wood, summoned skilled craftsmen, and spent countless properties to build such an ingenious palace, just for himself and his concubine to play with.

Although the later generations were dissatisfied with the king, they regarded this wooden palace as an extremely precious architectural treasure and have been carefully maintaining it.

So even after more than 100 years, the palace is still intact and beautiful.

However, no matter how good this place is, for Garlan, this place really makes him feel awkward.

King Kamos really likes it here and often brings him here to play.

Depressed by this, Garlan thought for a long time, and then told King Kamos that wooden palaces are not as durable as stone palaces and are easily destroyed.

It would be a pity if such an ingenious palace was damaged.It should be used as little as possible and preserved as a treasure.

King Kamos doted on Garlan, and felt that his younger brother must like this palace very much. He was afraid that it would be damaged, so he sent people to carefully protect it, and rarely took Garlan there.

Garlan, who avoided this place, was relieved.

At that time, Heymos went to the Northland Army and didn't know about it.

Now, he spent two days trying to find out which part of the palace Garlan likes the most from Garlan's attendants and maids, and he finally learned that 'His Majesty has liked it very much since he was a child. The wooden palace once dragged Kamos King to prevent him from going there because he was worried that it had been used too much and was worn out.

Therefore, Heymos resolutely chose this place for the decisive battle that meant a lot to him.

——Such a misunderstanding caused the current tragic situation.

Garlan had no way of knowing this.

At this moment, he was standing in the courtyard, looking expressionlessly at the wooden palace bathed in the fiery red sunset.

He was puzzled.

Why does Heymos insist on choosing the place where he hates the most every time he woos him?

Is this some special talent?

Does it have to be so accurate——

If it wasn't for knowing that Heymos had no memories of previous lives, Garlan would definitely suspect that the guy did this on purpose.

The boy who had been wooed three times sighed.

Facing the upcoming fourth time, he said that there is no wave in his heart, only feeling tired.

Yes, my heart is so tired.

Although he had the urge to turn around and leave, he thought about it and felt that there was no way Heymos would let him leave just like that, so he had no choice but to walk over.

Stepping up the black and red ebony wood stairs, two huge wooden carved doors are in front of him.

The entire gate is carved with patterns of the gods holding a banquet, and some places are pasted with gold leaf.

……

As the evening approached, the fiery red sunset glowed against the earth.

The rays of the sun shone on the young man who was stumbling forward, making his half of his blood-stained clothes even more red.

Short messy blond hair was scattered around his light brown cheeks, and bloodstains seeping from his forehead slipped into the corners of his eyes.

Panting violently, he barely moved forward, pressing his hand tightly on his right arm.

His right arm was hanging by his side, and the sleeve was completely soaked in blood. Even if he pressed his left hand hard on the wound, the blood from the wound still gushed out from his fingertips and flowed down his arm. Down, then, drips from fingertips.

He struggled up the wooden steps, dripping blood on the grass and the steps he walked along.

The exquisite wooden carved gate is in front of you, and the images of the gods are vivid.

The injured teenager had no time to watch.

Feeling dizzy for a moment and almost falling over, he grasped the carvings on the carved wooden door with one hand, and took several breaths before he recovered.

Then, he pushed open the door and staggered in.

Then, the gate was closed from the inside, blocking the setting sun and fire from outside.

Above the carved wooden gate, where the young man grabbed just now—the goddess of winter and the goddess of hunting has already been stained with blood on her long gilded hair.

…………

Standing in front of this carved wooden door in his memory, Garlan's gaze involuntarily fell on Huntress' long gilded hair that fell to her bare feet.

He seemed to be able to vaguely see traces of blood on it.

He paused, then opened the door and walked in.

A crimson color overwhelmed the sky.

Looking around, the eyes are full of fiery red, as if the blazing flames are burning all over the entire hall.

Tongues of fire spewing out from all directions, accompanied by memories that suddenly surged from my mind, surged overwhelmingly at this moment——

……

………………

The boy sat on the wooden floor leaning on the carved columns, he was lethargic.

A deep sword wound pierced his right arm, and the blood flowed down unstoppably, staining the floor where he was sitting in blood.

The massive blood loss made his consciousness blurred, and his body gradually lost control.

Even if he knew that his current situation was dangerous, he couldn't move.

Even if he could move, where could he escape?

The entire palace has fallen under the control of that person.

He fled here with serious injuries, but he was just lingering on his last breath.

……it hurts……

So sad……

The boy leaned against the pillar, his face was terribly pale.

Opening his eyes slightly, he stared blankly ahead.

...is this going to die?

He has only been in this world for less than half a year, and he is going to die here?

The young man's tightly pursed lips had lost any color at this moment.

...wanting to go back...to his home...the place where he really grew up...

There, maybe the teacher is very strict, the classmates will bully others, the exams are annoying... Maybe there are many, many bad things...

However, he will not be alone like he is now.

...want to go back...

He hated this place, and he hated that person.

Why did he have to come here?

Why did he have to go through this painful thing?

Why, he had to be killed by that person for something he didn't want at all?

The boy curled up under the column, buried his face in his knees, and sobbed softly.

Cold, fear, unwillingness, and resentment all rushed to his head.

The loneliness of being alone in this strange world hung over him.

In the main hall, the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the sobbing young man curled up under the column.

I don't know how long it has passed, the sunset is like a fire, shining in through the wooden window, reflecting the whole hall as if it is on fire.

Do not……

Not like.

I don't know when the thick smoke that enveloped the hall spread over and choked into the nose and throat, causing the boy to cough painfully.

He raised his head, his sharply constricted golden pupils reflected red everywhere.

Countless fire snakes wrapped around the black and red columns and ran up the wooden beams, making a hissing sound.

The wind blowing in the evening was howling, blowing the fire waves to spread rapidly.

In the sunset, the entire wooden palace was engulfed in red flames.

The wood made a crackling sound while burning, and the velvet tassels hanging from the eaves had been burned into ashes, flying all over the sky in the fire field.

The smoke in the sea of ​​fire became thicker and thicker.

The boy coughed violently.

Even if you cover your mouth and nose, you can't stop the pervasive fine dust.

Countless dust infiltrated into his mouth and nose along with the air, making it gradually difficult for him to breathe.

The instinct of survival made him want to support the pillar to stand up and escape the sea of ​​fire, but his body, which had lost too much blood, was no longer in control.

Flames were everywhere, and there was no escape.

The heat waves came in waves, almost drying the blood in his body.

The scorching breath scalded his skin to the point where it almost melted.

He opened his eyes, and his pupils were full of fire.

The increasingly difficult breathing made his consciousness a little fuzzy.

Bloody tears seeped from the corners of his eyes.

Looking blankly at the flames surrounding him, the boy's face was full of helplessness.

With a bang, the wooden carved gate that was burning in the raging fire collapsed.

At the moment when the gate collapsed, he saw the figure standing outside the sea of ​​flames through the gap formed in an instant.

The young man's pupils reflected the flames all over the sky, and the rich crimson in them seemed to have completely swallowed up the very light trace of gold.

The man looked at him.

The air waves raised by the sea of ​​fire caused the man to fly darkly and frantically. Even under the extremely bright firelight, his originally handsome face was gloomy, exuding a deep hostility.

The man has been watching him.

Straightforward, eyes motionless.

The dark mist surged and churned at the bottom of the eyes, blocking all light from it.

At this moment when they looked at each other, the sea of ​​fire seemed to be still for a moment.

At the last second of losing consciousness in the smoke, he saw the corner of the man's lips suddenly raised.

…………

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

The wind picked up, blowing fiery red roses scattered in the hall.

The rich fragrance of flowers awakened Garlan who was trapped in memory.

When he saw the fiery red covering the entire hall, the familiar scene made his dying memories of a certain life surge out.

That piece of memory was so strong it almost swallowed his consciousness.

Because it was the death that he buried deep in his memory, the deepest and least willing to recall.

He came to Aaron Landis for the first time.

When he came to a strange world for the first time and was unfamiliar with the place, he was panicked and at a loss.

He didn't know what to do, didn't know how to do it, he was out of tune with this world and everyone here.

No matter how many people surround him, he also feels that he is alone.

Because he is not of this world.

Then, in less than half a year, it was all over.

He died alone in the flames.

Even now, he still clearly remembers the helplessness and pain when he was surrounded by flames.

Also, the last cruel smile Heymos showed him at that time.

Looking back now, the rejection and fear of Heymos may have left an indelible mark on his heart at that moment.

…………

After waking up, Garlan saw clearly that the large expanse of fiery red was not flames, but fiery red roses covering the entire hall.

The scent of roses filled the air.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew in through the open window, and the fiery red petals flew up, passed by Shaogarlan's side, and then fell softly.

At first glance, it looks like a rain of rose petals has fallen in the hall.

In the hall, footsteps suddenly came from behind.

The voice was very soft, but it was especially obvious in the quiet hall.

Garlan turned his head, he saw someone coming

Heymos walked towards him stepping on the fiery red petals.

Seeing the other person approaching him step by step, Garlan blinked.

Then, out of the blue, he smiled at Heymos.

The smile was very gentle, but the look in his eyes was full of meaning.

……

The beautiful boy turned sideways and looked back at him, standing among countless delicate fiery red roses.

Like a white deer stepping lightly into the blooming flame flowers.

A few flower petals fluttered down from the boy's side, and a few strands of flowing blond hair blown by the wind fluttered in the air, brushing the corners of slightly pink lips.

He smiled at him, a red flame-like petal flitted softly across the white forehead, reflecting the crimson cinnabar pattern on the center of the eyebrows under the golden forehead hair.

That smile made Heymos' heart skip a beat for an instant.

After stopping for a moment, it jumped wildly again.

It's like the heart of a young boy who is just in love.

It's so tense, unsettling, yet has a special sweetness to it.

— that makes one almost drown in it like this.

His beloved teenager is ahead.

Garlan was smiling at him, the smile was unprecedentedly gentle.

He had never seen Garlan look at him with such gentle eyes.

Heymos suddenly realized.

He thought that Garlan must have already guessed what he wanted to say to him, so he encouraged him with this kind of gentle gaze that he had never seen before.

Because Garlan has actually been waiting for himself to say that sentence, and he has been waiting for a long time.

Ok.

It must be so.

The black knight, who had made every decision on the battlefield, came to a conclusion with such certainty in his heart.

For a moment, he who was still a little apprehensive suddenly became more confident.

Speeding up his pace, Heymos walked up to Garlan in a few steps.

Garlan looked up at him.

He saw the bright red pattern between the eyebrows under the young man's broken hair, just like when he saw the grown-up Garlan for the first time, it made people's heart beat uncontrollably.

Heymos leaned over, and his lips gently touched the red lines on the other's forehead.

The strength with which he held Garlan's shoulders was very light, as if holding a fragile treasure.

Garlan didn't say anything, didn't move, just stood there quietly, just looking at him with bright golden eyes.

Just like this, Heymos felt that his heart had softened completely.

Suddenly another gust of wind blew up, setting off pieces of crimson petals, passing by the two people who were in the sea of ​​flowers.

It's now--

This is the best moment--

This is the decisive moment——

Taking advantage of the icing on the cake, Heymos resolutely opened his mouth.

He said:"----"

He didn't say anything, however.

He didn't have time to say anything.

"I reject."

The boy who smiled softly and brightly at him spoke first.

Answer in a second.

Simply neat.

In a word, the confident black knight will be killed with one blow.

Heymos: "..."

and many more.

This situation.

This result.

It's a little different from what he imagined... No... It's very wrong!