Editor: SleepyMango123
Proofreader: Lore
In the depths of the silent valley, there was already a mess on the ground of the altar. There were mutilated corpses everywhere, lying on the ground in all directions. The black cyan slate that had been erected around the altar was also smashed, and the gravel was paved with countless corpses.
The dried bloodstains had turned into an ugly reddish-black color, sticking to the cyan stone slab.
It seemed that the altar had been completely destroyed and was useless. However, no one could see that the faint but lingering dark energy on the altar was infiltrating the earth little by little.
This altar which was used to sacrifice the flesh and blood of young children to the God all year round was condensed with the grievances of those children before their deaths, and this time, the flesh and blood of the countless believers of the An-Ki Cult and their unwillingness and resentment before their deaths penetrated into this land, before anyone could notice.
Of course, after ten days of sunshine, the earth that had been infiltrated by the dark energy could purify itself and let this dark energy completely dissipate.
Although this dark energy would eventually disappear, in these ten days, it would still have some impact, especially on living things. The animals in this forest would be very grumpy, and the carnivores would be more bloodthirsty. Moreover, not only animals, but the humans living in towns close to this valley would also be affected. Many of their negative emotions that were usually hidden deep in their hearts would become much higher than usual. If there were some sort of incentive, it would be easy for it to completely erupt.
…
When he hurriedly walked outside the house with a few knights, Ziemuer saw another knight squatting in front of a dense bush in the courtyard.
The knight lowered his head, tied a small copper tube to a dark little mouse, and then made a gesture to it.
The little black mouse stood upright, squeaked twice at its owner with two small paws, and then slipped into the bushes. The night was its best cover, and its pitch-black fur quickly disappeared among the vegetation.
The knight stood up and reported to Ziemuer who was standing in front of him.
“Lord Ziemuer, I have already sent a message to King Camos.”
Ziemuer nodded, then raised his eyes to look at the sky.
The bright moon was high in the sky, and it was already late into the night. Even if King Camos had finished handling the affairs of Vernal City and rushed over after receiving the news, he was afraid the other man could only arrive at sunrise.
Well, before that…
The hooves of horses rang outside, approaching closer. Then a horse neighing could be heard outside the courtyard gate.
The young knight rolled over and dismounted the horse, and quickly ran in.
“Lord Ziemuer!”
He was the last knight guarding this area. There were only five knights left by King Camos to protect Garlan in the town of Ayre.
“What have you found out? Why did the riot occur at this time?”
Ziemuer directly asked with seriousness.
“Yes,” said the knight. “The emotions of those refugees had been very unstable these last few days because the food for the refugees here was transported from the City of Vernal. But for more than a week, the amount of grain provided for assistance decreased every day, and the refugees have long been dissatisfied. It was the governor of Ayre Town who did his best to appease them and even mobilised the town’s grain reserves. However, the grain reserves of Ayre Town were almost exhausted, so the refugees’ emotions have become more agitated these days.”
“In addition…” Under the gaze of Ziemuer, the knight paused before continuing. “In addition, in the evening, those refugees accidentally caught a female believer of the An-Ki Cult who wanted to abduct a child. Under the torture of the people who had lost their children, the female believer couldn’t endure it and told most of the truth. Among them was the collusion between the dignitaries of Vernal City and the An-Ki Cult to kidnap the children, so…”
The knight didn’t continue to speak, but he didn’t need to as Ziemuer had understood.
Those refugees were from the City of Vernal. Many of them lost their children in this disaster. Originally, they could only blame their fate. First, the flood and then the thieves. But now it turned out that it wasn’t because of that, but they were forced to such a point by those damn Vernal City dignitaries… This plus the panic of running out of food was brewing beneath the surface these days.
At this time, as long as there was a brave person ascending to shout, those refugees would do anything to survive, to get food, and get their children back.
So, naturally, a riot would occur.
This was not incidental. It was something that would happen sooner or later under the pressure of those who were selfish and disregarded their powers.
Ziemuer gritted his teeth.
Those damn greedy vermins—
“Is there a way out of this town?”
Ziemuer asked calmly.
His current duty was to protect the prince, not to suppress the mob, so the top priority now was to find a way to bring the prince out of the siege.
“I’m afraid not, Lord Ziemuer. I have circled the area just now. Some of the roads out of the town were blocked by mobs with wood or something similar, and some were simply burned.”
“…”
Ziemuer raised his head and looked at the night sky. In his sight, the fire from the distance of the town was flashing, and there was a restless energy in the wind. He vaguely saw a few gloomy auras blocking the bright moon in the sky, making the whole night gloomy.
“…Ominous energy…”
As though feeling something, the priest of Shamash murmured to himself as he watched the countless firelights in the night moving towards them. It was the mob holding torches.
Then, he turned his head. His eyes instantly sharpened as he glanced at the five knights in front of him.
“Protect the prince, this is the only thing we must do.”
He commanded, “Stay. Don’t let anyone step in here.”
The knights leaned over and knelt on one knee, their clenched fists pressed against their hearts.
“Yes!”
That was the act of swearing an oath to Shamash, the Sun God they believed in.
They were the knights of King Camos, and it was their duty to guard the Prince of Aaron Landis.
As long as their hearts were still beating, they would never let anyone step into this house!
In the dark, Ziemuer nodded expressionlessly.
He raised his hand and extended the sceptre in his hand to the five knights in front of him. In the dark, the green leaf-carved gems on the scepter became more and more verdant.
The priest of Shamash spoke, his voice deep and distant as a chant.
He said, “The brilliance of Shamash will always shine onto the souls that believe in him.”
After speaking, Ziemuer glanced outside again, then turned around, and walked inside the house quickly.
When he walked through the door, the door panel slowly closed behind him, shutting out the countless messy footsteps rushing towards the house.
The torches swayed in the dark, and the mob holding the torches had swarmed to the street, surrounding all the mansions.
The other mansions were full of flashing lights. The owners of the other mansions kept all their guards and strong slaves outside to protect them. Only this place was quiet and dark, and a little light came out from the tightly closed house.
When Ziemuer entered the house, he saw the little prince sitting on the bed looking at him.
“Is it dangerous?”
The little prince asked him, the snow-white bandage on his neck prominent under the firelight.
He was silent for a while, and then replied, “Don’t worry.”
He continued, “The knights under King Camos are the most elite and powerful.”
Soon, there was the sound of the clash of weapons, followed by the screams of people.
But fortunately, those voices were outside, unable to break through into the house.
The mighty knights guarded the outside loyally, using their bodies as walls of flesh and blood to wipe out all the mobs trying to rush in under their own accord.
Hearing the sound of fighting outside, Garlan couldn’t help gripping the sheets tightly.
He cast his gaze to the side, and the priest of Shamash stood firmly by the bed, with his back facing him, holding the sceptre like a stone statue of a patron saint.
The tall and steady back gave him an inexplicable sense of peace…
No.
Garlan shook his head vigorously.
Don’t forget.
This man betrayed me.
Mustn’t forget this—
“His Royal Highness! Lord Ziemuer! Be careful—”
A heart-piercing roar from a knight was suddenly heard outside the room.
Suddenly, there were bangs in succession, as if something sharp were nailed hard outside the room.
Ziemuer reacted immediately. It was an arrow!
Those mobs actually had bows and arrows?!
It seemed that they had captured the ruling house in Ayre Town and opened the weapon arsenal in it.
He gritted his teeth.
If it were just ordinary mobs, relying on the five elite knights and on the narrow terrain, as long as the knights blocked the key points, it might not be impossible to hold on and wait for King Camos to rush back.
However, the mob now had bows and arrows in their possession… dozens of bows, and after several rounds of firing, it was impossible even for the knights as powerful as King Camos to withstand them.
Just as Ziemuer’s mind was spinning rapidly, suddenly with a few swoosh, another round of arrows came. Several of them went through the most vulnerable part of the house and into the room.
Ziemuer waved his hand hastily, and the hard sceptre fended off those arrows.
However, at the moment when he was blocking those arrows, two others swished by..
Garlan, sitting on the bed, suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis.
He immediately raised his head, his breathing became stagnated.
A sharp arrow broke through the thin wooden window and rushed towards him like a bolt of lightning.
The sharp arrow flashed with a cold metal luster under the flame of the oil lamp and reflected in the child’s dilated pupils, approaching——
In the next second, the cold arrow would be nailed into the child’s soft forehead——
A tall figure suddenly appeared in Garlan’s sight, blocking the terrifying sharp arrow in his eyes.
He was hugged by a pair of powerful arms and fell into a chest that seemed strange, but vaguely familiar.
With a very slight puff of an arrow submerged into the flesh, Garlan felt the body holding him tremble, and a painful groan sounded in his ears.
…Ziemuer?
His eyes widened in shock. The arrow was right in front of him, and it pierced through the ribs of the priest holding him.
The sharp tip was no more than a few centimeters away from his pupil.
Garlan opened his mouth and wanted to call Ziemuer’s name, but before he could make a sound, he was dragged off the bed by the Shamash priest.
Panting for breath, Ziemuer pulled the carpet under the bed, and a small wooden door from the floor was revealed.
Then, he stretched out his hand and pressed Garlan into the dark hole under the floor.
“Hide well.”
Ziemuer knelt on one knee, holding the sceptre in one hand and pressing open the secret door in the other, and spoke to Garlan in a deep voice.
Garlan, who was stuffed into the dark hole by him, raised his head. His pale little face and big golden eyes looked at him.
Ziemuer looked at those bright golden eyes and thought they really were like the rays of the sun.
…They might be the last sun he could see.
The Shamash priest looked at the little prince who had always made him angry. The sharp arrow that pierced his shoulders had blood oozing out and flowing down his arm, staining the sceptre in his hand.
He said, “Wait here, King Camos will come and get you.”
At this moment, the man’s low voice was softer than ever, and he seemed to use his own way to do his best to coax the child who was about to be locked in the dark underground.
He said, “Your Royal Highness Garlan, you will be safe.”
Bang! The secret door bar was pressed heavily by Ziemuer and closed shut.
Then, the tiny gap was also covered by the carpet.
Garlan’s surroundings went black, and his whole being was plunged into darkness.
In the darkness, he heard the sound of the man’s footsteps hitting the floor hard, coming from above him.
Then, gradually away from him.
Editor: SleepyMango123
Proofreader: Lore
In the depths of the silent valley, there was already a mess on the ground of the altar. There were mutilated corpses everywhere, lying on the ground in all directions. The black cyan slate that had been erected around the altar was also smashed, and the gravel was paved with countless corpses.
The dried bloodstains had turned into an ugly reddish-black color, sticking to the cyan stone slab.
It seemed that the altar had been completely destroyed and was useless. However, no one could see that the faint but lingering dark energy on the altar was infiltrating the earth little by little.
This altar which was used to sacrifice the flesh and blood of young children to the God all year round was condensed with the grievances of those children before their deaths, and this time, the flesh and blood of the countless believers of the An-Ki Cult and their unwillingness and resentment before their deaths penetrated into this land, before anyone could notice.
Of course, after ten days of sunshine, the earth that had been infiltrated by the dark energy could purify itself and let this dark energy completely dissipate.
Although this dark energy would eventually disappear, in these ten days, it would still have some impact, especially on living things. The animals in this forest would be very grumpy, and the carnivores would be more bloodthirsty. Moreover, not only animals, but the humans living in towns close to this valley would also be affected. Many of their negative emotions that were usually hidden deep in their hearts would become much higher than usual. If there were some sort of incentive, it would be easy for it to completely erupt.
…
When he hurriedly walked outside the house with a few knights, Ziemuer saw another knight squatting in front of a dense bush in the courtyard.
The knight lowered his head, tied a small copper tube to a dark little mouse, and then made a gesture to it.
The little black mouse stood upright, squeaked twice at its owner with two small paws, and then slipped into the bushes. The night was its best cover, and its pitch-black fur quickly disappeared among the vegetation.
The knight stood up and reported to Ziemuer who was standing in front of him.
“Lord Ziemuer, I have already sent a message to King Camos.”
Ziemuer nodded, then raised his eyes to look at the sky.
The bright moon was high in the sky, and it was already late into the night. Even if King Camos had finished handling the affairs of Vernal City and rushed over after receiving the news, he was afraid the other man could only arrive at sunrise.
Well, before that…
The hooves of horses rang outside, approaching closer. Then a horse neighing could be heard outside the courtyard gate.
The young knight rolled over and dismounted the horse, and quickly ran in.
“Lord Ziemuer!”
He was the last knight guarding this area. There were only five knights left by King Camos to protect Garlan in the town of Ayre.
“What have you found out? Why did the riot occur at this time?”
Ziemuer directly asked with seriousness.
“Yes,” said the knight. “The emotions of those refugees had been very unstable these last few days because the food for the refugees here was transported from the City of Vernal. But for more than a week, the amount of grain provided for assistance decreased every day, and the refugees have long been dissatisfied. It was the governor of Ayre Town who did his best to appease them and even mobilised the town’s grain reserves. However, the grain reserves of Ayre Town were almost exhausted, so the refugees’ emotions have become more agitated these days.”
“In addition…” Under the gaze of Ziemuer, the knight paused before continuing. “In addition, in the evening, those refugees accidentally caught a female believer of the An-Ki Cult who wanted to abduct a child. Under the torture of the people who had lost their children, the female believer couldn’t endure it and told most of the truth. Among them was the collusion between the dignitaries of Vernal City and the An-Ki Cult to kidnap the children, so…”
The knight didn’t continue to speak, but he didn’t need to as Ziemuer had understood.
Those refugees were from the City of Vernal. Many of them lost their children in this disaster. Originally, they could only blame their fate. First, the flood and then the thieves. But now it turned out that it wasn’t because of that, but they were forced to such a point by those damn Vernal City dignitaries… This plus the panic of running out of food was brewing beneath the surface these days.
At this time, as long as there was a brave person ascending to shout, those refugees would do anything to survive, to get food, and get their children back.
So, naturally, a riot would occur.
This was not incidental. It was something that would happen sooner or later under the pressure of those who were selfish and disregarded their powers.
Ziemuer gritted his teeth.
Those damn greedy vermins—
“Is there a way out of this town?”
Ziemuer asked calmly.
His current duty was to protect the prince, not to suppress the mob, so the top priority now was to find a way to bring the prince out of the siege.
“I’m afraid not, Lord Ziemuer. I have circled the area just now. Some of the roads out of the town were blocked by mobs with wood or something similar, and some were simply burned.”
“…”
Ziemuer raised his head and looked at the night sky. In his sight, the fire from the distance of the town was flashing, and there was a restless energy in the wind. He vaguely saw a few gloomy auras blocking the bright moon in the sky, making the whole night gloomy.
“…Ominous energy…”
As though feeling something, the priest of Shamash murmured to himself as he watched the countless firelights in the night moving towards them. It was the mob holding torches.
Then, he turned his head. His eyes instantly sharpened as he glanced at the five knights in front of him.
“Protect the prince, this is the only thing we must do.”
He commanded, “Stay. Don’t let anyone step in here.”
The knights leaned over and knelt on one knee, their clenched fists pressed against their hearts.
“Yes!”
That was the act of swearing an oath to Shamash, the Sun God they believed in.
They were the knights of King Camos, and it was their duty to guard the Prince of Aaron Landis.
As long as their hearts were still beating, they would never let anyone step into this house!
In the dark, Ziemuer nodded expressionlessly.
He raised his hand and extended the sceptre in his hand to the five knights in front of him. In the dark, the green leaf-carved gems on the scepter became more and more verdant.
The priest of Shamash spoke, his voice deep and distant as a chant.
He said, “The brilliance of Shamash will always shine onto the souls that believe in him.”
After speaking, Ziemuer glanced outside again, then turned around, and walked inside the house quickly.
When he walked through the door, the door panel slowly closed behind him, shutting out the countless messy footsteps rushing towards the house.
The torches swayed in the dark, and the mob holding the torches had swarmed to the street, surrounding all the mansions.
The other mansions were full of flashing lights. The owners of the other mansions kept all their guards and strong slaves outside to protect them. Only this place was quiet and dark, and a little light came out from the tightly closed house.
When Ziemuer entered the house, he saw the little prince sitting on the bed looking at him.
“Is it dangerous?”
The little prince asked him, the snow-white bandage on his neck prominent under the firelight.
He was silent for a while, and then replied, “Don’t worry.”
He continued, “The knights under King Camos are the most elite and powerful.”
Soon, there was the sound of the clash of weapons, followed by the screams of people.
But fortunately, those voices were outside, unable to break through into the house.
The mighty knights guarded the outside loyally, using their bodies as walls of flesh and blood to wipe out all the mobs trying to rush in under their own accord.
Hearing the sound of fighting outside, Garlan couldn’t help gripping the sheets tightly.
He cast his gaze to the side, and the priest of Shamash stood firmly by the bed, with his back facing him, holding the sceptre like a stone statue of a patron saint.
The tall and steady back gave him an inexplicable sense of peace…
No.
Garlan shook his head vigorously.
Don’t forget.
This man betrayed me.
Mustn’t forget this—
“His Royal Highness! Lord Ziemuer! Be careful—”
A heart-piercing roar from a knight was suddenly heard outside the room.
Suddenly, there were bangs in succession, as if something sharp were nailed hard outside the room.
Ziemuer reacted immediately. It was an arrow!
Those mobs actually had bows and arrows?!
It seemed that they had captured the ruling house in Ayre Town and opened the weapon arsenal in it.
He gritted his teeth.
If it were just ordinary mobs, relying on the five elite knights and on the narrow terrain, as long as the knights blocked the key points, it might not be impossible to hold on and wait for King Camos to rush back.
However, the mob now had bows and arrows in their possession… dozens of bows, and after several rounds of firing, it was impossible even for the knights as powerful as King Camos to withstand them.
Just as Ziemuer’s mind was spinning rapidly, suddenly with a few swoosh, another round of arrows came. Several of them went through the most vulnerable part of the house and into the room.
Ziemuer waved his hand hastily, and the hard sceptre fended off those arrows.
However, at the moment when he was blocking those arrows, two others swished by..
Garlan, sitting on the bed, suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis.
He immediately raised his head, his breathing became stagnated.
A sharp arrow broke through the thin wooden window and rushed towards him like a bolt of lightning.
The sharp arrow flashed with a cold metal luster under the flame of the oil lamp and reflected in the child’s dilated pupils, approaching——
In the next second, the cold arrow would be nailed into the child’s soft forehead——
A tall figure suddenly appeared in Garlan’s sight, blocking the terrifying sharp arrow in his eyes.
He was hugged by a pair of powerful arms and fell into a chest that seemed strange, but vaguely familiar.
With a very slight puff of an arrow submerged into the flesh, Garlan felt the body holding him tremble, and a painful groan sounded in his ears.
…Ziemuer?
His eyes widened in shock. The arrow was right in front of him, and it pierced through the ribs of the priest holding him.
The sharp tip was no more than a few centimeters away from his pupil.
Garlan opened his mouth and wanted to call Ziemuer’s name, but before he could make a sound, he was dragged off the bed by the Shamash priest.
Panting for breath, Ziemuer pulled the carpet under the bed, and a small wooden door from the floor was revealed.
Then, he stretched out his hand and pressed Garlan into the dark hole under the floor.
“Hide well.”
Ziemuer knelt on one knee, holding the sceptre in one hand and pressing open the secret door in the other, and spoke to Garlan in a deep voice.
Garlan, who was stuffed into the dark hole by him, raised his head. His pale little face and big golden eyes looked at him.
Ziemuer looked at those bright golden eyes and thought they really were like the rays of the sun.
…They might be the last sun he could see.
The Shamash priest looked at the little prince who had always made him angry. The sharp arrow that pierced his shoulders had blood oozing out and flowing down his arm, staining the sceptre in his hand.
He said, “Wait here, King Camos will come and get you.”
At this moment, the man’s low voice was softer than ever, and he seemed to use his own way to do his best to coax the child who was about to be locked in the dark underground.
He said, “Your Royal Highness Garlan, you will be safe.”
Bang! The secret door bar was pressed heavily by Ziemuer and closed shut.
Then, the tiny gap was also covered by the carpet.
Garlan’s surroundings went black, and his whole being was plunged into darkness.
In the darkness, he heard the sound of the man’s footsteps hitting the floor hard, coming from above him.
Then, gradually away from him.
