A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

Time flies, spring, summer, autumn and winter are fleeting.

It is the late spring of the year again, the summer is coming, the short rainy season has passed, and the bright sun is shining on the small town.

Many years ago, it was originally a small and crude village with hundreds of disabled veterans and poor orphans.Over the years, from a village to a small town, and from a small town to a small city, it has now become a military city that many people envy.

Countless young people came out of this small city and became a member of the glorious Aaron Landis army.

Tall olive trees stand tall, and the dense canopy casts large swathes of shadow on the ground.

It is the time when the olive blossoms are in bloom, and clusters of small white flowers will fall down when the wind blows and the crown of the tree shakes.

On the training ground surrounded by large olive trees, a teenager was being besieged by five or six children.

Those children had obviously undergone long-term training, each of them was strong in stature, their attack methods were clean and neat, and their attacks advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, and they cooperated with each other to attack the boy.

But even so, they were still much weaker than that boy.

The young man swung the unsharp long sword in his hand, easily avoided the attacks of these children, and grasped the flaws and weaknesses of each child, and defeated them one by one.

Within a few minutes, these children were knocked to the ground one by one by him.

The children who were knocked over did not show resentment, they quickly got up, cast admiring gazes at the boy, and then continued to attack with determination.

Looking at the resolute faces of those children who were beaten back time and time again and already had many bruises on their bodies, the boy's blue eyes showed a little approval.

Then, ruthlessly overturned the group of children again.

In this way, he attacked, was knocked over, continued to attack, and continued to be knocked down. After this endless loop lasted for more than an hour, the boy withdrew his sword and raised his hand as a stop gesture.

The children immediately stopped attacking.

After crawling and rolling on the ground for nearly two hours, everyone was dirty and bruised, and it hurt to look at them, but the children's eyes were very bright.

They looked at the young man in front of them with shining eyes, then bowed and saluted.

This is the gratitude and respect for the young people from the heart.

Looking at the children in front of him who saluted him respectfully, the indifference in the eyes of the stern young man also slightly decreased.

However, he still didn't say a word, with a cold expression on his face, he just nodded slightly, and then left from the training ground.

When he stepped off the training platform, he casually picked up the cloak that was on the platform and tied it back around his shoulders.

The lion coat of arms embroidered with black and red silk thread on the neckline of the cloak symbolizes the boy's identity as the knight commander.

Before he walked out of the training ground, a hand suddenly came out from the side and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hehe, Mr. Novi, you are so imposing."

A slightly older tall boy smiled and said while holding his shoulders.

He was a tall and thin man, but his dark complexion was obviously caused by the wind and the sun.

"Look at those little brats whose eyes are so fixed on the badge on your body that they can't move."

Blue eyes glanced coldly at his companion who was always smiling. Novi raised his hand and skillfully swung the opponent's hand away.

He said indifferently: "More than half a year ago, you were also one of the 'little kids' you called."

The black and thin boy whose hands were opened casually shrugged.

This guy is still the same, and he doesn't understand the so-called humor at all.

He slandered so much.

However, he did not refute, and glanced sideways at the familiar training ground in front of him, as well as the children who were sweating profusely under the scorching sun, honing their martial arts skills.

It is said that it is a child, but it is actually only three to six years younger than him and Novi.

Half a year ago, he walked out of here with Novi and other companions, successfully passed the examination, and became a member of Aaron Landis's army.

They went to the front line of the western region, experienced one war after another, faded their greenness on the battlefield, and transformed into real Aaron Landis warriors.

It wasn't until Novi became the knight commander with his numerous military exploits that they knew that this young man who fought with them from the lowest level soldier on the battlefield turned out to be the disciple of the world-famous Riding Sun Knight.

They all understand in their hearts.

Although Novi has made a lot of military exploits, he was able to become a general-level knight commander at the age of 15. It may not be that there is no reason why the Scorching Sun Knight specially supported him.

Although he is envious, he is not jealous, and so are the other companions.

Because they could see clearly that Novi's combat achievements were all made by himself.

As soon as this guy went to the battlefield, his usual indifference was replaced by viciousness, and he frantically fought the Gastadians with red eyes, as if he had a deep hatred with the Gastadians.

At the beginning, because of his young age and handsome appearance, many veterans looked down on him and called Novi a mad dog mockingly.

Later, after Novi killed hundreds of Garstads and became famous, the soldiers all called him Mad Wolf in awe.

Novi's ruthlessness and madness in sacrificing his life made their companions feel terrified.

What's more, on the battlefield, Novi saved the lives of him and other companions more than once.

Therefore, they willingly followed Novi.

"You are now the goal of these little guys."

The black and thin young man laughed and said.

After entering the army for half a year, he made great achievements in battle, and jumped from a lowly soldier to a knight commander of the general class.

Novi's deeds have greatly inspired the orphans in this small town.

They regard Novi as their goal and want to be like him.

"But having said that, it's been a long time since the legion was rotated. When we come back, why did you suddenly think of running back here?"

Aaron Landis's new military law stipulates that the troops on the border front must be rotated every six months.

Of course, it is impossible to rotate all the troops. It is a rotation of troops one by one according to the order. The number of rotations cannot exceed a quarter of the total number of troops.

In this way, it can not only ensure that all troops can be trained in the border war in turn and have the opportunity to gain military exploits, but also ensure the stability of the army guarding the border, so that the enemy will not take the opportunity to enter due to confusion in the rotation.

Originally, it is reasonable to say that each rotating unit should stay at the border for at least two years, but the unit they entered as newcomers happened to be their turn, so they only stayed for half a year before returning.

However, half a year later, they will return to the battlefield again, but they don't know which border battlefield they will be sent to.

"King Garlan said that the rest of the soldiers should go to the military town to teach them if they are free."

Novi said lightly as he walked.

Today, there are more than a dozen small towns like Taryar that specialize in housing disabled retired veterans and orphans, surrounding the royal city.

People call these small towns military towns.

Novi's answer made the corner of the black and thin young man's mouth twitch.

"You're still the same..."

His good friend is indifferent to everything, except King Garlan who worships him like a god.

As long as it is what King Garlan said, he will never go against it.

I remember when they had a rare vacation not long after they arrived in the Kanal area, he tried his best to drag Novi, who was still practicing martial arts, to drink together.

As a result, in the tavern, I accidentally encountered local people gossiping about King Garlan, complaining and sarcasm, and finally talked about the king's appearance in a disrespectful tone.

Of course they are angry and they will go to stop.

However, before they could speak, a figure rushed up.

That was the first time he saw Novi with a fierce look outside the battlefield. Those idlers were beaten up with bruised noses and swollen faces, crying bitterly and begging for mercy.

Novi also violated military discipline, was beaten with dozens of military sticks, and lay in bed for several days.

……

"I'm going back."

Untying the reins of the horse tied outside the training ground, Novi said coldly, without waiting for an answer, he turned on the horse and galloped away.

The black and thin boy, who was immersed in the memories of the past, coughed several times due to the dust raised by the horse's hooves, and shouted twice at Novi, who had thrown him down shamelessly. He hummed and turned back.

Forget it.

he thinks.

Now that you're all here, let's spend a little more time.

At the beginning, he was also taught by those serving soldiers who were willing to come here to teach them. Now, it is his turn to teach others.

After all, it is what their most respected and beloved His Majesty said, of course they should listen to it.

………………

After mercilessly throwing off the nagging guy, Novi trotted all the way and left the city.

However, not far from the city gate, he turned a corner, left the spacious and lively main road, and ran to another place.

He remembered that there was a small river in a slightly remote place over there.

His horse was chained outside for several hours, where he planned to give his beloved horse some water and food before riding back to the royal city.

When he got to the river, Novi led the horse to the river.

The human-like steed gave him an affectionate bark, then lowered its head and drank the water.

Novi looked at it, the indifference in his eyes became less, and he stretched out his hand to comb the mane of his beloved horse.

Every knight's horse is his closest comrade-in-arms.

Shemur once told him so.

He has been taking good care of his war horse. After all, this horse is still the gift from the...

Howling!

The horse, which was drinking water quietly, suddenly neighed, and its front hooves stomped several times, splashing the water on Novi's half body.

Novi was a little taken aback.

This is a well-trained war horse, even when faced with the charge of thousands of troops, it will not panic, but at this moment it is so frightened.

He grabbed the rein hard, comforted the horse, and looked forward vigilantly.

Seeing this, Novi was stunned.

He saw the creek flowing upstream, and at a bend in the distance, a male lion was drinking water with his head bowed by the river.

It was a huge and majestic lion.

A golden-brown mane shone like gold in the sun.

It didn't seem to notice the horse that was frightened by it, or maybe it didn't bother to pay attention to it at all, and then turned and left after drinking water for a while.

An inexplicable thought rose in his heart, and involuntarily, Nuo Wei led the horse that had been comforted by him, and quickly chased after him.

The horse was very reluctant, but still couldn't hold back its master, so it had to follow.

After chasing the place where the lion drank water, and making a detour, Novi saw the figure of the big lion walking slowly.

He saw the lion walking into the olive grove.

In the tall olive grove, under the dense shade of greenery, a man sat under an olive tree.

The big lion walked up to the man, lay down lazily, and licked its paw.

Sitting on the grass against the trunk of a tree is a young man.

He closed his eyes and seemed to be taking a nap.

With one hand hanging on the grass, the right knee of the slender leg is erected, and the right arm is casually resting on it.

The young man was wearing a white sleeveless tunic, which looked simple, but when the sun shone down, the patterns embroidered with gold thread hidden in the pure white fabric reflected a faint gleam.

As the wind passed by, the dense olive tree crowns swayed slightly, and tiny white petals rustled down.

The long blond hair fell down from the young man's slender shoulders like a waterfall, intertwined with the snow-white skin, reflecting the sunlight that leaked from the gaps in the branches and leaves, making his figure translucent and translucent .

The young man in light sleep is like an elf transformed from a white deer in the jungle.

Where he is is like the most beautiful painting in the world.

Like a dream that is hard to find in the world.

As long as there is a little movement, that beautiful scene will turn into bubbles.

Tethering the horses outside the jungle, Novi walked slowly.

His steps were very light, even his breathing was light, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.

But no matter how lightly he stepped, as soon as he got closer, the male lion that was lying lazily beside the young man suddenly stood up.

His golden-brown mane flew in the air, and his huge eyes stared at Novi.

The mighty lion leaned down slightly and let out a low growl from its throat, as if warning Novi.

Novi paused.

At this moment, a white hand lifted up and patted the big lion's head.

"It's okay, Nega, this is an acquaintance."

The big lion shook his head, tilted his head and groaned, then fell down again.

It changed back to the lazy look just now, flicking the long tail behind it.

The young man under the tree opened his eyes at some point while stroking the big lion's fluffy head, while turning his head to look at the young knight commander who appeared in front of him.

Then, smile slightly.

He said, "Long time no see, Novi."

Novi stepped forward quickly, clenched a fist in front of his chest, bent over, and knelt down on one knee.

Then, he looked up at each other.

"King Garlan, don't you have any guards with you?"

As soon as Novi opened his mouth, he pointed at the key point.

He stared at Garlan.

"Did you sneak out of the palace again?"

The young man with an immature face put on an extremely serious expression, and said seriously, "Your safety is related to the entire Aaron Landis, and you should not act so rashly."

"........."

Garlan, who was reprimanded by a boy who was seven years younger than him just after saying hello, was speechless for a while.

Strange, he obviously handed Novi over to the unruly Kaihus to teach him. Why does this kid grow up to be more and more like the serious and old-fashioned Shemur?

Garlan thought puzzledly.

"I brought the 'guard'."

Garlan replied, raising his hand to pat the big lion lying beside him.

The big lion raised its head and howled at Novi, as if expressing its dissatisfaction.

Novi was stunned.

And Gallan quickly changed the topic when Novi didn't know how to refute.

"Why, you came back to teach the younger generation?"

Novi nodded.

He still maintained the kneeling posture.

Garlan lowered his gaze, and saw the black and red lion embroidery pattern on the neckline of the boy's cloak.

"By the way, I heard from Kaihos that you have made a lot of military exploits and been promoted to Knight Commander."

Garlan stretched out his hand and brushed the black lion embroidery with his fingertips.

He was a little emotional.

"Time flies, I still remember when we met four years ago, you were still a child, and you grew up in a blink of an eye, went to the battlefield, and became a knight commander."

He smiled and said, "I don't know if you still remember those things when we first met. At that time, you saw all my embarrassment."

Novi lowered his head, expressionless and silent.

The first encounters with this person in front of him, one by one, each scene, are deeply imprinted in his heart, and it is impossible to forget.

Garlan glanced at Novi's waist, where a long sword hung on the waist of the young knight commander.

"How is it, does it still work?"

He pointed to the sword and asked with a smile.

Novi subconsciously raised his hand and clenched the hilt of his sword.

It was the sharp sword that King Garlan personally gave him when he was about to go to the front line half a year ago.

There was also the brown steed tied outside, which was also given to him by King Garlan.

"……very useful."

he whispered.

Because of that seemingly indifferent face, he looked a little awkward when he spoke.

Garland laughed again.

He reached out and touched the boy's head in front of him.

"It's good to use it."

he said gently.

Should have avoided it.

Novi thought.

He is no longer a child, he is already 15 years old, he is already a general on the battlefield, and he cannot be patted on the head with the attitude of treating a child.

But as he was thinking about it, his body remained still, allowing Garlan to stroke his head.

When he was caressed by familiar fingers, the boy's usually cold heart suddenly softened a little.

Novi lowered his eyes slightly.

Even though he has become a powerful fighter, in front of this person, he is still attached to the temperature of this person's fingers like a child.

…………

"If you find something bad in the city, remember to tell me."

"Are you here for inspection?"

"more or less."

Garlan said, "They slipped out anyway, so I might as well go around the nearby military towns to see if there is any problem."

"So you really sneaked out."

"..."

"No matter what, please allow me to escort you back to the palace now."

"I managed to escape..."

"escape?"

Novi asked strangely, "Why did you run away?"

As a king, why did you escape from the palace?

Garlan hesitated for a while, and finally sighed, and replied depressedly: "To escape marriage."

Novi: "Huh???"

Confused.