A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

The sun god Shamash, the god of justice, the god of judgment.

He symbolizes the law, and he discerns traitors with impartial eyes. He holds the sky wheel in one hand and the sword of Shamash in the other.

All villains, as well as those who break the oath, will be punished by his sword.

On the day he became a priest of Shamash, he knelt under the tall idol and took the scepter given to him by his guide.

He held a scepter and swore an oath under the sun god.

I will firmly enforce the law.

I will obey the order of justice.

I will judge all things justly.

I will guard the teachings of Shamash at the cost of my life, at the cost of my soul—

The priests of Shamash, the priests of the sun, are impartial and powerful.

That's the case with Shemur.

He is an upright and strict person. Few people can see the emotions belonging to ordinary people from his face. He handles things rationally and calmly, and has never been swayed by personal feelings.

…………

"Ximur, I'm done!"

The white parchment was lifted up in front of his eyes, and the young man who held it tilted his head, half of his face was exposed from behind the parchment, and there was still a bit of childishness on that face.

Under the golden forehead hair that flowed like sunlight, the boy's eyes were curved like the arc of a crescent moon.

The boy looked at him with expectant eyes.

He glanced lightly and said, "No."

The boy with sparkling eyes froze all of a sudden, like a little squirrel with its ears shrugged.

He added: "However, it has improved compared to last time."

The boy's eyes lit up again, the golden pupils were like the sun in the sky.

He stood there with a bright smile on him.The sun bathed the child's body, as if covering it with a faint halo.

He smiled at him, and he looked at him with trust in his eyes.

This young prince seemed to have the brilliance of the sun.

He single-handedly raised the big kids.

He watched the little child grow up little by little before his eyes.

Like a seedling in the palm of his hand, he pulled out the tender green branches and leaves little by little.

…………

"Are you really going to die with that prince?"

That day, the man who came to him said so.

That person was his companion who studied with him when he was young, but later, he chose to become the priest of Shamash, and that person chose to become the priest of the God of the Night.

This priest of the God of the Night had already become another prince's confidant counselor a long time ago.

This person came here to persuade him to join Prince Heymos' command.

He was silent.

"Think about it, how can that weak prince He De sit on the throne?"

"A long time ago, when King Kamos asked you to choose, didn't you also choose to teach His Highness Heymos?"

"So, this is not betrayal, it's just implementing your own choice." The man said, "It is impossible for Prince Garlan to win His Highness Heymos."

He was silent for a long time, then answered.

"……you're right."

Garlan couldn't beat Heymos.

Everybody knows.

He also knew.

"He couldn't beat Heymos," he said.

That is the path of the Throne, cruel and full of blood and thorns.

The kid couldn't do it.

But Heymos was on that road.

Therefore, the throne must ultimately belong to Heymos.

"Is that so? So you are also optimistic about Her Majesty Heymos, isn't it?"

The man said to him with a smile.

"Only His Highness is qualified and most suitable to sit on that throne."

"........."

He closed his eyes and didn't answer.

Yes.

Prince Heymos is very powerful, incomparably powerful. Today, even King Kamos can no longer suppress this terrifying man like a beast.

A long time ago, he also believed that only those who are good enough and strong enough are qualified to sit on the throne.

But it was only now that he finally understood that this was not the case.

To sit on the throne requires more than strength.

Heymos is strong, but his heart is too narrow, so narrow that it is only himself.

Although Garlan is weak, he has a broad mind.He can put many people in his heart, and his gentle heart also makes him willing to protect everyone he can watch.

Heymos' eyes were so narrow that he could only see himself.

He wants the throne for himself.

He will not suppress himself, but will only obey his own desires, and he will achieve all his wishes as he pleases.

Because to him, nothing is important except himself, not even the whole of Aaron Landis.

...He vaguely saw the shadow under Prince Heymos' feet, and the darkness that wrapped around him.

It seemed to be an invisible omen.

When Heymos ascended to the throne, his strength led Aaron Landis to perhaps not a strong one, but a terrible abyss.

And the child he raised with single-handed care will soon become the first sacrifice——

…………Do not.

No.

He opened his eyes and looked at his childhood friend.

He said, "Okay."

…………

"You can't beat Heymos."

That's what he said to Garlan that day.

He saw the child's wide eyes looking at him in disbelief.

He seemed to be able to see something shattering in an instant from those golden eyes.

There seemed to be something broken deep in the boy's eyes, and he stood there looking at him with helplessness written all over his face.

At that time, he really wanted to reach out and touch the child's head like before.

But no.

【You can't beat Heymos. 】

You will die at his hands.

So, it's up to me.

Even if I betray my faith.

I want you to live and live to be on the throne.

……

You are a priest of Shamash, and fairness and justice are your beliefs.

When you tell a lie, you will turn your back on the way of Shamash.

When you lie, your faith will be destroyed by it.

Your soul will go to hell and burn forever.

…………

"Ximur, you broke your oath of allegiance to His Royal Highness Heimos. As a priest of Shamash, you told a lie. You betrayed your faith. What right do you have to say that you are serving Shamash? man of--"

He couldn't hear what the person behind him was saying.

His mind was blank at this moment.

The young man leaned quietly in his arms, as if he was in a deep sleep, but the blood oozing from the corners of his eyes and lips slowly slid across that pale, childish face.

The eyelashes, which were as light as cicada wings, trembled slightly in the wind, like the traces of the last life that had passed away.

At this moment, he seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.

He didn't know what he was doing, he just vaguely felt that something seemed to shatter in the deepest part of his body at this moment.

What came to his mind at this moment was the way the child looked at him when he left.

Countless, terrifying things gushed out from the depths of his body, stirring, as if tearing his whole body apart bit by bit.

The body of the person in his arms is getting colder and colder, together with his heart...

……

Even if you betray your faith and give up everything.

I also want to protect you.

But even if you give up everything.

I still can't keep you.

He closed his eyes.

O great Shamash, all guilt is on me.

I will bear the crime that the prince committed when he was young.

Please take his soul into the kingdom of God...

…………

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

In that void, there seemed to be a pair of eyes watching, seeing everything that happened after that.

Confusion was written in those eyes.

This is what happened after he died in that life?

...Ximuer didn't abandon him...he has actually been guarding him...isn't he?

But why did he see this scene?

Confused, he saw Heymos pull out the long sword at his side.

The sharp blade was raised in Heymos' hand.

No.

Heymos, no!

He wanted to stop him, he wanted to stop him, he yelled with all his strength, wanting the man to stop.

But all of this is the past, something that happened in the past.

He could only watch, but nothing could stop him.

He could only look at the sharp sword in Heymos's hand, which had drunk the blood of countless people, gleaming with a terrifying coldness in the sunlight.

stop... stop!

You have killed me, let him go!

No one can hear his voice, no one can hear it.

He could only see Ximuer kneeling there in a daze while hugging his corpse.

He could only watch Heymos' hand fall heavily.

The sharp blade pierced Shemuer's chest in an instant——

Heymos! ! !

…………

As the sun sets, the horizon is bright red, which is the Huoshaoyun.The sun, which was about to fall into the ground, scattered golden-red light obliquely on the ground, shining in through the window.

The red sunset light fell on the face of the blond child lying quietly on the bed.

Suddenly, the child suddenly opened his eyes.

His hand stretched out into the air vigorously, as if trying to grab something that didn't exist, his fingertips tensed to the extreme.

His dilated pupils trembled violently, and he opened his mouth as if he was about to gasp for breath, but his throat seemed to be blocked, and he couldn't breathe or make a sound.

"Garlan?"

Someone walked quickly, grabbed his hand, and shouted his name nervously.

Garlan turned his head.

In the next second, his pupils shrank violently.

The familiar face that came into his eyes made his mind go blank.

He couldn't think anymore.

Heymos!

That was the only name left in his mind.

It was almost an instinct of the body, he propped up his elbows, sat up sideways, reached out to touch Heymos' waist, and pulled out the dagger tied on the other's belt.

Pulling the dagger out of its sheath, he stared at Heymos, and stabbed the dagger at Heymos——

There was a loud bang.

The dagger pierced the metal bracelet, making a crisp metal impact sound.

Almost at the moment Garlan raised his hand to stab the dagger, Heymos raised his hand and blocked the stabbing sword point with the metal guard on his wrist.

In the next second, he grabbed Garlan's right wrist holding the dagger with his backhand.

With just a little force, the severe pain made Garlan let go of his hand.

The dagger fell and was caught by Heymos' other hand.

Heymos clasped Garlan's right wrist tightly, and pushed his whole body back onto the bed heavily.

Garlan's back hit the bed and there was a loud bang in the room.

And at the same moment when Heymos pinned him down on the bed, the snow-white blade of the dagger that Heymos took back was already on his throat.

Just a little force can cut his throat.

Everything happens in an instant.

From the time when Garlan drew his sword and stabbed Heymos, until Heymos pressed him back on the bed and pressed the dagger against his throat.

This series of actions all happened within two seconds.

Everything was Heymos's body's instinctive reaction to the enemy. After waiting for two seconds, he came to his senses. Looking at the scene in front of him, he was also stunned, with a look of astonishment on his face.

"Garlan?...Did you just have a nightmare?"

he asked suspiciously.

The child who was pressed on the bed by him stared blankly at him with wide eyes. At first, he was dazed, as if he hadn't recovered from a dream, and his eyes were all loose.

After that gaze came to his senses, he looked at him, as if he understood something, suddenly blinked, and a series of tears fell down.

The sudden tears instantly made Heymos flustered.

In a panic, he withdrew the dagger that was on Garlan's neck, and let go of the other's hand.

"This is a fighting reaction formed after physical training. I didn't want to do anything to you, but my physical reaction was too fast and I couldn't control it..."

Garlan didn't answer.

He opened his eyes, those big golden pupils were soaked in mist, and tears fell from the corners of his eyes, falling in a mess.

He bit his lower lip tightly and didn't make a sound, but the tears in his eyes looking at Heymos kept falling down, hard.

Although he didn't speak or make a sound, the look in his eyes made people feel distressed for some reason.

"Don't be afraid, Garlan."

Scared by nightmares?

Or were you frightened by the dagger on your throat just now?

Heymos thought.

"Don't be afraid, trust me, I won't hurt you."

He said softly, stroking Garlan's forehead gently with his hand.

"No matter what happens, I won't hurt you," he said.