Editor: SleepyMango123
Proofreader: Lore
Ahhhh, it’s none of my business—
The man kneeling on the ground banged his head continuously. The red bloodstains were faintly seen on his forehead, but the man still kowtowed desperately and begged.
It has nothing to do with me anyway!
The women cried sorrowfully. It was like a needle, stabbing at one’s chest.
Although these were the people of Aaron Landis, the current King of Aaron Landis was Brother King, and the next in line was Heimos. Don’t talk about him being a king, he wouldn’t even be in the position of the King’s Brother for long.
So, no matter how you look at it, it’s not my turn, right?
The cry of the wailing child holding the priest’s thigh resounded through the night.
…
…
Ahhhhhhh! It’s obviously none of my business ahh—!
While wailing deeply in his heart, Garlan sighed amidst the crying of those people.
Then, raised his hand and pointed at himself.
“If you can’t find those children, let those people take me away and you can find them.”
After Garlan said these words, he regretted it, and he wanted to slap himself in the face.
Who told you to display such courage and be a hero.
Looking at the scene, apart from those little kids who cried with tears and snot coming out from their noses, he was already the weakest in strength, so why did he have to do that?
However, those words had already been said.
Under the eyes of the refugees looking at him hopefully…
His King Brother, Ziemuer, Heimos and the cavalry looked at him in astonishment…
For the sake of his pride, he could only slap one’s face until it was swollen in an effort to look imposing1.
En, the so-called heroes were probably forced out like this as well.
Ga— As a hero— rl— was so afraid of death— an— was roasting himself from the bottom of his heart.
…
…
Another day passed, and night fell once again.
The wind rustled the dense canopy of the tree, the fire of the bonfire swayed in the camp deep in the woodland, and the shadows of the branches and leaves that fell on the ground swayed endlessly.
The big camp was still quiet, but there were faint conversations just like the shaking of branches and leaves. The cavalry sat by the campfire, had dinner together, and talked quietly. From time to time, they looked at the biggest tent that was not far away.
At this moment, their king and that little prince were currently inside.
Everyone seemed to be waiting for something.
Suddenly, a sharp sound of horse hooves broke the tranquility of the camp. Dozens of cavalry rushed forward, and the one leading was the priest of Shamash.
When he arrived at the camp, Ziemuer took the reins, and the steed under him raised his front hooves high, neighed, and stopped. Ziemuer turned over and got off his horse. Almost the same moment he landed, the curtain of the largest tent was suddenly lifted. A tall figure quickly walked out, and two small figures followed behind.
King Camos walked quickly to Ziemuer, and his golden-brown eyes scorchingly stared at him.
It wasn’t only him, but all the cavalry on the scene stopped eating and talking, and didn’t make any movement. They unanimously turned their gaze over to them.
The camp was extremely quiet for a while, only the rustle of the wind blowing over the branches and leaves sounded under the night sky.
Under the gaze of everyone, Ziemuer put one hand over his chest, leaned over, and knelt down in front of King Camos on one knee.
He said, “I’m sorry, King Camos.”
The priest apologised, and the air seemed to come to a stop for a while.
Camos was silent for a moment and then nodded.
He said, “I understand.”
Then, he lowered his head and cast his sight on the little figure standing beside him.
“Garlan…”
Camos whispered Garlan’s name, with a tone of helplessness in his voice.
Yesterday, after Garlan made that proposition, almost everyone opposed to it.
How could they allow the noble Prince of Aaron Landis take risks for a group of commoner children? This was something they couldn’t imagine.
Among them, Ziemuer fiercely objected.
He was the priest of Shamash, and Shamash was the sun god of justice, in charge of laws and strictness. For him, the so-called strictness was absolute, and there was no room for confusion.
As the Prince of Aaron Landis and the future successor to the throne, Garlan was even more important than the City of Vernal. How could he subject himself to such dangers for a group of low-level civilian children?
As a mentor, he even unceremoniously reprimanded Garlan on the spot.
The refugees, who subsequently knew of Garlan’s identity, felt it was indeed impossible. They wanted to beg but didn’t dare to, and so they could only curl up in a sad corner and cry silently.
But for some reason, the always obedient little prince was stubborn this time. Even if he was reprimanded by Ziemuer, he still pursed his lips and refused to change his words, making his instructor very angry.
Ever since he became Prince Garlan’s mentor, he had never lost his temper.
In the end, it was King Camos who made the final decision.
He had ordered Ziemuer to take dozens of warriors out the next day to look for clues. The time limit was one day. This was because as Ziemuer had said, the longer the delay, the more dangerous it was. When the time came, even the adults may be in danger, not to mention the missing children.
If Ziemuer was able to find some clues within one day, Garlan naturally did not have to take the risk. However, if he still couldn’t find it…
In the quiet night, under the gaze of everyone, Garlan raised his head, looked at Camos, and nodded.
“Yes, Brother King, I’ll do it.”
Ziemuer frowned and his eyes full of disapproval. If King Camos made a decision, it was impossible for him to disobey the king’s order.
“Wait a moment.” Heimos, who had been watching silently since yesterday, suddenly spoke.
He raised his hand and pointed to the camp that accommodated the dozens of rescued refugees not far away.
He continued, “If you just need children as bait, there are several there. Any one will do.”
The black-haired young prince plainly said.
“Prince Heimos, although I want to do this as well,” Ziemuer replied, “But those children couldn’t do anything except cry. What else do you think they can do?”
“They don’t need to do anything, just be bait. When the time comes for them to be caught, we will follow closely.” Heimos immediately answered.
“But in this way, they are in a dangerous position. When they cry, it is very likely that our identity and other traces will be exposed.”
“Of course it’ll be dangerous. That’s why I’m proposing for them to go instead.” Heimos still had a matter of fact tone.
“It is them who want to save their own. Of course the danger should be borne by them. Why should Garlan take the risk?”
Garlan, who stood by and listened to Heimos and Ziemuer, felt that it was time to stand up and show that he was determined. It was time to show his courage and act cool, so he spoke up, “Actually, I…”
“You shut up!”
When talking to Ziemuer, Heimos, whose expression and tone had always been calm, suddenly turned his head and shouted at Garlan.
The fierce light from the young golden-red eyes forced Garlan to hold back the rest of the words he wanted to say.
Garlan, mouth agape and unable to speak, was a little dumbfounded. He saw Heimos turning around to continue his conversation with Ziemuer.
“Don’t tell me that those children are very pitiful and shouldn’t be put in danger. Garlan isn’t much older than them.”
“Regardless of whether the rescue is successful or not, we have done our best. So, even if the final result is not ideal, it is not our fault.”
Knowing that Ziemuer was not the one who made the final decision, Heimos looked at King Camos without blinking and continued, “And don’t forget, Garlan is a prince. Those people are just low-level civilians.”
During the heated debate between Ziemuer and Heimos, Camos didn’t speak, as if in deep thought.
Then, he leaned over and squatted down in front of Garlan, his eyes leveled with him.
He looked at Garlan very seriously and asked, “You know what you are talking about and what you are doing, right?”
The child’s big golden eyes blinked slightly.
“Yes, Brother King.”
“You are still young and in addition, you are a prince. You don’t need to do this kind of thing, do you know that?”
“En, I know.”
“But you have already made up your mind, haven’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“Even if this thing is very dangerous, you may get hurt or even lose your life?”
“…Brother King.” The corner of the little prince’s mouth twitched. “If you ask one more question, I’m going to regret it.”
In fact, he was already a little bit regretful.
Camos grinned. He squatted on the ground, raised his hand, and vigorously rubbed his little brother’s head.
“Good.”
He laughed loudly and then decisively said, “You do it!”
Looking at Garlan with burning eyes, he continued, “You are the Prince of Aaron Landis and this King’s Brother! No one can object to what you want to do!”
King Camos’s vigorous voice echoed in the dark forest. The final decision was set in place.
The dark-haired boy lowered his eyes, and his slender eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes. The breeze that came over blew the black hair onto his cheeks for a moment.
“Then, let me go,” he said. “If it’s a child, I am also one. I am much better than Garlan, and my chances of success are much greater than him. I can even escape by myself, which is even better.”
He stepped forward.
“So, you can let me—”
A small fair hand stretched out and held Heimos’ hand, causing the boy’s words to stop abruptly.
Heimos lowered his head and looked at Garlan, who was holding his hand.
The child tilted his head to look at him and grabbed his hand with soft fingers.
“Really hard.”
Little Garlan, who squeezed his hand vigorously, emphasised, “Your hand is very hard.”
Garlan held his hand in one hand and pointed at him with the other.
“Brown skin.”
Pointed to his eyes again.
“Golden eyes.”
Then he raised the hand that Heimos was holding.
“Your hands are covered with calluses made by practicing swords. They are so hard, unlike mine which don’t have any calluses at all.”
The words that Heimos wanted to say got choked up.
With brown skin and golden eyes, most of the bloodlines in the royal family had this appearance, which was often regarded as a feature of superior nobles.
Moreover, his palm had very obvious thick scars. Using the excuse of years of hard work would not work because the position of the calluses could be seen at a glance, and it was made because of long-term sword practice and archery.
Coupled with the unconcealable aura of Heimos, he didn’t look like a poor child in a disaster.
“If it was me, I can just pretend to be a child of a wealthy businessman who was hit by this flood. No one should doubt me.”
Garlan’s complexion was fair and unlike a superior nobleman. He had never practiced martial arts, and he didn’t have any calluses on his hands. At first glance, he gave others a completely harmless feeling.
The boy tightened his lips, and the pitch-black hair scattered around the corners of his eyes, casting a shadow on them.
He didn’t speak and just clenched the soft little hand that was holding him tight.
After Garlan said those words, he originally wanted to retract and let go, but Heimos gripped tightly, and he couldn’t free his hand even after a few tugs.
He looked up and saw that the lips of the boy holding his hand were pressed like a thin layer of paper, and it looked like he was being stubborn again.
That kind of expression made Garlan suddenly remember the expression of when Heimos was stubbornly trying to snatch the paper from his hand not long ago, and thought about what Heimos had said just now to replace him. For a while, Garlan felt a little emotional.
For some reason, looking at the boy’s tightly closed lips, he had the illusion that he was bullying Heimos.
Inexplicably feeling a little guilty, Garlan thought for a while, put his other hand on the back of the hand that Heimos had used to clench onto his, and patted gently as he comforted him.
“It’s okay, I’ve always had good luck.”
The child raised his head and met Heimos’ eyes. His small face wrapped in soft, light golden hair.
He smiled at Heimos. When he smiled, the light refracted by the blond hair reflected on the child’s face, making the smile seem to glow in the dark.
“Heimos, I’ll wait for you to come and find me.”
Heimos’ breathing paused for a moment. He looked down at Garlan’s eyes as if there was a glimmer of light flashing. The hand holding Garlan loosened slightly and tightened once again.
He said, “Okay.”
Just a word showed his determination.
He whispered, “I’ll find you.”
Hearing Heimos say this, Garlan subconsciously wanted to smile at Heimos again.
However, before he had time to smile, a hand stretched out from the side abruptly, held his shoulder, and turned him one hundred and eighty degrees.
Then, the head with the brown hair came into sight.
“Garlan, Brother King will also look for you.”
The tall and sturdy Lion King squatted on the ground looking at Garlan, with his sturdy face full of grievances.
His eyes staring at Garlan were full of accusations, ‘how can you forget this Brother King?’.
“Huh?…Yes, yes. You’re right, I’ll also wait for Brother King to come and get me! Brother King is the best!”
Garlan, who was trembling in his chest due to the little aggrieved eyes of King Camos, quickly reached out and touched Camos’ face and smoothened the aggrieved Lion King brother’s hair.
Ziemuer, “…”
Expressionless and didn’t want to speak.
The cavalry, “…”
It was too dark and we didn’t see anything.
The wind was so strong that we couldn’t hear anything clearly either.
1(Actual word: 打肿脸充胖子) try to satisfy one’s vanity when one cannot really afford to do so
Editor: SleepyMango123
Proofreader: Lore
Ahhhh, it’s none of my business—
The man kneeling on the ground banged his head continuously. The red bloodstains were faintly seen on his forehead, but the man still kowtowed desperately and begged.
It has nothing to do with me anyway!
The women cried sorrowfully. It was like a needle, stabbing at one’s chest.
Although these were the people of Aaron Landis, the current King of Aaron Landis was Brother King, and the next in line was Heimos. Don’t talk about him being a king, he wouldn’t even be in the position of the King’s Brother for long.
So, no matter how you look at it, it’s not my turn, right?
The cry of the wailing child holding the priest’s thigh resounded through the night.
…
…
Ahhhhhhh! It’s obviously none of my business ahh—!
While wailing deeply in his heart, Garlan sighed amidst the crying of those people.
Then, raised his hand and pointed at himself.
“If you can’t find those children, let those people take me away and you can find them.”
After Garlan said these words, he regretted it, and he wanted to slap himself in the face.
Who told you to display such courage and be a hero.
Looking at the scene, apart from those little kids who cried with tears and snot coming out from their noses, he was already the weakest in strength, so why did he have to do that?
However, those words had already been said.
Under the eyes of the refugees looking at him hopefully…
His King Brother, Ziemuer, Heimos and the cavalry looked at him in astonishment…
For the sake of his pride, he could only slap one’s face until it was swollen in an effort to look imposing1.
En, the so-called heroes were probably forced out like this as well.
Ga— As a hero— rl— was so afraid of death— an— was roasting himself from the bottom of his heart.
…
…
Another day passed, and night fell once again.
The wind rustled the dense canopy of the tree, the fire of the bonfire swayed in the camp deep in the woodland, and the shadows of the branches and leaves that fell on the ground swayed endlessly.
The big camp was still quiet, but there were faint conversations just like the shaking of branches and leaves. The cavalry sat by the campfire, had dinner together, and talked quietly. From time to time, they looked at the biggest tent that was not far away.
At this moment, their king and that little prince were currently inside.
Everyone seemed to be waiting for something.
Suddenly, a sharp sound of horse hooves broke the tranquility of the camp. Dozens of cavalry rushed forward, and the one leading was the priest of Shamash.
When he arrived at the camp, Ziemuer took the reins, and the steed under him raised his front hooves high, neighed, and stopped. Ziemuer turned over and got off his horse. Almost the same moment he landed, the curtain of the largest tent was suddenly lifted. A tall figure quickly walked out, and two small figures followed behind.
King Camos walked quickly to Ziemuer, and his golden-brown eyes scorchingly stared at him.
It wasn’t only him, but all the cavalry on the scene stopped eating and talking, and didn’t make any movement. They unanimously turned their gaze over to them.
The camp was extremely quiet for a while, only the rustle of the wind blowing over the branches and leaves sounded under the night sky.
Under the gaze of everyone, Ziemuer put one hand over his chest, leaned over, and knelt down in front of King Camos on one knee.
He said, “I’m sorry, King Camos.”
The priest apologised, and the air seemed to come to a stop for a while.
Camos was silent for a moment and then nodded.
He said, “I understand.”
Then, he lowered his head and cast his sight on the little figure standing beside him.
“Garlan…”
Camos whispered Garlan’s name, with a tone of helplessness in his voice.
Yesterday, after Garlan made that proposition, almost everyone opposed to it.
How could they allow the noble Prince of Aaron Landis take risks for a group of commoner children? This was something they couldn’t imagine.
Among them, Ziemuer fiercely objected.
He was the priest of Shamash, and Shamash was the sun god of justice, in charge of laws and strictness. For him, the so-called strictness was absolute, and there was no room for confusion.
As the Prince of Aaron Landis and the future successor to the throne, Garlan was even more important than the City of Vernal. How could he subject himself to such dangers for a group of low-level civilian children?
As a mentor, he even unceremoniously reprimanded Garlan on the spot.
The refugees, who subsequently knew of Garlan’s identity, felt it was indeed impossible. They wanted to beg but didn’t dare to, and so they could only curl up in a sad corner and cry silently.
But for some reason, the always obedient little prince was stubborn this time. Even if he was reprimanded by Ziemuer, he still pursed his lips and refused to change his words, making his instructor very angry.
Ever since he became Prince Garlan’s mentor, he had never lost his temper.
In the end, it was King Camos who made the final decision.
He had ordered Ziemuer to take dozens of warriors out the next day to look for clues. The time limit was one day. This was because as Ziemuer had said, the longer the delay, the more dangerous it was. When the time came, even the adults may be in danger, not to mention the missing children.
If Ziemuer was able to find some clues within one day, Garlan naturally did not have to take the risk. However, if he still couldn’t find it…
In the quiet night, under the gaze of everyone, Garlan raised his head, looked at Camos, and nodded.
“Yes, Brother King, I’ll do it.”
Ziemuer frowned and his eyes full of disapproval. If King Camos made a decision, it was impossible for him to disobey the king’s order.
“Wait a moment.” Heimos, who had been watching silently since yesterday, suddenly spoke.
He raised his hand and pointed to the camp that accommodated the dozens of rescued refugees not far away.
He continued, “If you just need children as bait, there are several there. Any one will do.”
The black-haired young prince plainly said.
“Prince Heimos, although I want to do this as well,” Ziemuer replied, “But those children couldn’t do anything except cry. What else do you think they can do?”
“They don’t need to do anything, just be bait. When the time comes for them to be caught, we will follow closely.” Heimos immediately answered.
“But in this way, they are in a dangerous position. When they cry, it is very likely that our identity and other traces will be exposed.”
“Of course it’ll be dangerous. That’s why I’m proposing for them to go instead.” Heimos still had a matter of fact tone.
“It is them who want to save their own. Of course the danger should be borne by them. Why should Garlan take the risk?”
Garlan, who stood by and listened to Heimos and Ziemuer, felt that it was time to stand up and show that he was determined. It was time to show his courage and act cool, so he spoke up, “Actually, I…”
“You shut up!”
When talking to Ziemuer, Heimos, whose expression and tone had always been calm, suddenly turned his head and shouted at Garlan.
The fierce light from the young golden-red eyes forced Garlan to hold back the rest of the words he wanted to say.
Garlan, mouth agape and unable to speak, was a little dumbfounded. He saw Heimos turning around to continue his conversation with Ziemuer.
“Don’t tell me that those children are very pitiful and shouldn’t be put in danger. Garlan isn’t much older than them.”
“Regardless of whether the rescue is successful or not, we have done our best. So, even if the final result is not ideal, it is not our fault.”
Knowing that Ziemuer was not the one who made the final decision, Heimos looked at King Camos without blinking and continued, “And don’t forget, Garlan is a prince. Those people are just low-level civilians.”
During the heated debate between Ziemuer and Heimos, Camos didn’t speak, as if in deep thought.
Then, he leaned over and squatted down in front of Garlan, his eyes leveled with him.
He looked at Garlan very seriously and asked, “You know what you are talking about and what you are doing, right?”
The child’s big golden eyes blinked slightly.
“Yes, Brother King.”
“You are still young and in addition, you are a prince. You don’t need to do this kind of thing, do you know that?”
“En, I know.”
“But you have already made up your mind, haven’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“Even if this thing is very dangerous, you may get hurt or even lose your life?”
“…Brother King.” The corner of the little prince’s mouth twitched. “If you ask one more question, I’m going to regret it.”
In fact, he was already a little bit regretful.
Camos grinned. He squatted on the ground, raised his hand, and vigorously rubbed his little brother’s head.
“Good.”
He laughed loudly and then decisively said, “You do it!”
Looking at Garlan with burning eyes, he continued, “You are the Prince of Aaron Landis and this King’s Brother! No one can object to what you want to do!”
King Camos’s vigorous voice echoed in the dark forest. The final decision was set in place.
The dark-haired boy lowered his eyes, and his slender eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes. The breeze that came over blew the black hair onto his cheeks for a moment.
“Then, let me go,” he said. “If it’s a child, I am also one. I am much better than Garlan, and my chances of success are much greater than him. I can even escape by myself, which is even better.”
He stepped forward.
“So, you can let me—”
A small fair hand stretched out and held Heimos’ hand, causing the boy’s words to stop abruptly.
Heimos lowered his head and looked at Garlan, who was holding his hand.
The child tilted his head to look at him and grabbed his hand with soft fingers.
“Really hard.”
Little Garlan, who squeezed his hand vigorously, emphasised, “Your hand is very hard.”
Garlan held his hand in one hand and pointed at him with the other.
“Brown skin.”
Pointed to his eyes again.
“Golden eyes.”
Then he raised the hand that Heimos was holding.
“Your hands are covered with calluses made by practicing swords. They are so hard, unlike mine which don’t have any calluses at all.”
The words that Heimos wanted to say got choked up.
With brown skin and golden eyes, most of the bloodlines in the royal family had this appearance, which was often regarded as a feature of superior nobles.
Moreover, his palm had very obvious thick scars. Using the excuse of years of hard work would not work because the position of the calluses could be seen at a glance, and it was made because of long-term sword practice and archery.
Coupled with the unconcealable aura of Heimos, he didn’t look like a poor child in a disaster.
“If it was me, I can just pretend to be a child of a wealthy businessman who was hit by this flood. No one should doubt me.”
Garlan’s complexion was fair and unlike a superior nobleman. He had never practiced martial arts, and he didn’t have any calluses on his hands. At first glance, he gave others a completely harmless feeling.
The boy tightened his lips, and the pitch-black hair scattered around the corners of his eyes, casting a shadow on them.
He didn’t speak and just clenched the soft little hand that was holding him tight.
After Garlan said those words, he originally wanted to retract and let go, but Heimos gripped tightly, and he couldn’t free his hand even after a few tugs.
He looked up and saw that the lips of the boy holding his hand were pressed like a thin layer of paper, and it looked like he was being stubborn again.
That kind of expression made Garlan suddenly remember the expression of when Heimos was stubbornly trying to snatch the paper from his hand not long ago, and thought about what Heimos had said just now to replace him. For a while, Garlan felt a little emotional.
For some reason, looking at the boy’s tightly closed lips, he had the illusion that he was bullying Heimos.
Inexplicably feeling a little guilty, Garlan thought for a while, put his other hand on the back of the hand that Heimos had used to clench onto his, and patted gently as he comforted him.
“It’s okay, I’ve always had good luck.”
The child raised his head and met Heimos’ eyes. His small face wrapped in soft, light golden hair.
He smiled at Heimos. When he smiled, the light refracted by the blond hair reflected on the child’s face, making the smile seem to glow in the dark.
“Heimos, I’ll wait for you to come and find me.”
Heimos’ breathing paused for a moment. He looked down at Garlan’s eyes as if there was a glimmer of light flashing. The hand holding Garlan loosened slightly and tightened once again.
He said, “Okay.”
Just a word showed his determination.
He whispered, “I’ll find you.”
Hearing Heimos say this, Garlan subconsciously wanted to smile at Heimos again.
However, before he had time to smile, a hand stretched out from the side abruptly, held his shoulder, and turned him one hundred and eighty degrees.
Then, the head with the brown hair came into sight.
“Garlan, Brother King will also look for you.”
The tall and sturdy Lion King squatted on the ground looking at Garlan, with his sturdy face full of grievances.
His eyes staring at Garlan were full of accusations, ‘how can you forget this Brother King?’.
“Huh?…Yes, yes. You’re right, I’ll also wait for Brother King to come and get me! Brother King is the best!”
Garlan, who was trembling in his chest due to the little aggrieved eyes of King Camos, quickly reached out and touched Camos’ face and smoothened the aggrieved Lion King brother’s hair.
Ziemuer, “…”
Expressionless and didn’t want to speak.
The cavalry, “…”
It was too dark and we didn’t see anything.
The wind was so strong that we couldn’t hear anything clearly either.
1(Actual word: 打肿脸充胖子) try to satisfy one’s vanity when one cannot really afford to do so
