-Unedited-
The sun had begun to set, and the evening arrived. The maids in the palace started to get busy, sending delicious dishes to their Lords.
Kaijos followed Garlan back to his residence, entered the arched gate, and walked into the courtyard. Before he got even closer, he could vaguely smell the faint lotus fragrance coming from the edge of the pool.
The stone statue of the star Goddess Isdar stood on the fountain pool, and the drops of water falling from her hand splashed into the pool water, forming small circles of water.
“Prince, are you really going to do this?”
Kaijos stopped and suddenly asked as he looked at Garlan’s back.
Garlan stopped and turned around.
“Yes.”
His bright golden eyes looked directly at his knight and answered firmly.
I’m certain of it.”
The blond-haired knight stared at his Prince with his eye, and recalled that it was yesterday, in this place where Garlan first gave him an order.
Garlan said, Kaijos, from now on, don’t let Heimos approach me.
Although he was surprised by such an order, he didn’t say anything, and faithfully executed it.
“Prince, the palace is a very dangerous place. Although it looks magnificent and gorgeous, there are many dangers hidden under this beauty.”
The knight said. Although loyalty was his duty, it was also his duty to provide loyalty to his Master.
“Although you are the King’s Brother, I think it is irrational for you to cast out an important person who has a good opinion of you.”
Although Prince Heimos was not valued by King Camos, the young Prince had great potential. Over time, he would surely become a strong man who was not inferior to himself and the priest Ziemuer. He could even catch up the footsteps of the Lion King Camos.
Therefore, on the road to the throne in the future, Prince Heimos may be the biggest obstacle for the little Prince.
But fortunately, Prince Heimos had always been close to and loved the little Prince, so as long as this intimate relationship was maintained, he might be able to hold that powerful enemy with his emotions.
This was the most advantageous way.
Garlan hummed. He didn’t seem to be angry about the objection raised by Kaijos, but nodded in agreement.
“You’re right.”
He said, “I did a stupid thing.”
Using the intimacy that Heimos had towards him, as a rope, trapped the evil wolf…
This was the best advantage for him.
“Kaijos, although I can’t explain it to you now, I hope you can undestand that my relationship with Heimos cannot be improved.”
“I will never accept him, nor can I be friends with him.”
Garlan said, his gaze flicked over the tall stone statue of the Goddess beside him.
He turned his head and looked directly at Kaijos with bright eyes. The child’s eyes were always so clean and clear.
“So, knowing that I will never provide the same kindness to that person, I still have to take advantage of this, pretend I don’t know anything, continue to accept the kindness of the other casually, let that person invest time and energy on me and enjoy how that person treat myself…I can’t do this kind of thing.”
Garlan’s answer caused Kaijos to tilt his head slightly, looking down at the little Prince in front of him.
“It is indeed your style.”
There seemed to be a little complaint in his tone, and he raised his eyebrows and said.
“Don’t you think that this will cause trouble to me as your subordinate?”
Garlan was startled.
“You’re right……”
He raised his eyes and looked at Kaijos apologetically.
“Because of my waywardness, I’ll cause you trouble, I’m sorry.”
Because of his willful approach, it was likely to lead to a difficult situation in the future. In this way, he did cause a lot of trouble to Kaijos.
“There will indeed be trouble… well, a little bit more or less.”
The one-eyed knight scratched his head and said.
“But—”
Suddenly, he changed the direction of the conversation, raised the strands of blond hair on his forehead back with his fingers, and smiled handsomely.
“If you, as the Master, have no trouble, how can I show my ability as a guardian knight?”
“…Ha?”
“If everything goes smoothly, what do you want me as your subordinate to do? So, if there is no trouble for me to solve, that would be the most troublesome thing for me.”
“Ah, next I have to try to make myself stronger, and I definitely can’t let Prince Heimos surpass me.”
Even though Kaijos said in a joking tone, he seemed to be very serious.
He knelt down and touched the ground on one knee.
The green eyes like malachite curled up slightly and looked at Garlan with a smile.
If this little Prince was the kind of person who would use lies and other people’s feelings to gain benefits to put himself in an advantageous position, he wouldn’t even face the threat of death during that dark night, and refused to take a step back before the group of refugees and made promises that he couldn’t do.
And he would not come to such a prince.
“It is my responsibility as a subordinate to solve the crisis.”
The knight on one knee raised his head slightly, reached out to hold Garlan’s right hand, and smiled at him.
“So, my Prince, please don’t worry about anything. Continue to implement your will as you do now.”
He said,
“——Even if this is the will that everyone considers ‘stupid’.”
People with the wisdom of Solgaleo were everywhere.
They use the so-called ‘wisdom’ to calculate in every possible way, in order to obtain their own interests.
People who possessed integrity and radiance like the Sun God Shamash were rare in the world.
My Prince, you have an upright and powerful mind like Shamash.
Please be sure to keep your innocent heart.
You will become the future King of Aaron Landis.
Please take Aaron Landis to the light with your wiseness and justice.
…
…
Rumors about Prince Heimos and Prince Garlan’s affair continued to circulate inside the palace and gradually fermented.
Everyone began to pay attention to this matter.
In addition, it didn’t seem to be just a rumour. The relationship between the two Princes, who originally seemed to be close, had sharply cooled down during this period. It had reached freezing point in just two days, and there was no sign of warming up after a period of time.
Till now, the conversation between the two Princes had become very little. Except for the necessary and courteous dialogue, there was no other contact.
Under the palace, an undercurrent surged.
Countless people began to make choices overtly or secretly.
They used to think that Prince Garlan was still young, and the relationship between the two Princes was good, and there was no need to rush to stand in line, so many people just waited and watched. Now, the relationship between the two Princes was at odds, and the distinction started to become clear. Some people who were good at speculation began to move around and prepare to place bets on the two Princes.
If they stood behind the right person, they might be the future central political figure above the court of Aaron Landis.
Obviously, Prince Garlan, who was favoured by King Camos, was more popular.
Many people even felt that when Prince Garlan was young, children were more approachable, talkative, foolish, and more likely to be manipulated.
On the other hand, Heimos…Although he was still underage, his compelling aura made him not a good talker at first glance. Under those sharp golden-red eyes, it was difficult for people to raise the idea of scheming in front of this young teenager.
Therefore, the vast majority of speculators quickly moved closer to Garlan and greeted him.
But it was not that no one voted for Heimos. After all, the excellent posture and powerful aura of Heimos had been known to everyone. Therefore, although few people have voted for Heimos, they were all very firm and unshakable people.
…
With a bang, the sharp arrow hit the target hard and even penetrated halfway through it.
The teenagers watching by the side showed admiration for Heimos’ archery. Not long ago, they had practiced with Heimos in the arena, and none of them were his opponents.
In this way, their desire to follow Prince Heimos was strengthened even more.
There were many more people around Garlan than there were few people around Heimos.
However, the arrow that Garlan shot unexpectedly deviated from the target. Thus, everyone was silent.
The archery instructor standing in the middle, frowned upon looking at it, and said nothing. On the contrary, some of the teenagers on Heimos’ side couldn’t help but smile secretly. However, it just so happened that their smile was seen by Garlan’s followers.
“What are you laughing at!”
A skinny teenager stood up and shouted at the smirking teenager with an annoyed expression on his face.
The other party was unwilling to back down.
“Why? I thought of a joke, can’t I laugh it by myself?”
“You are clearly laughing—”
——Laughing at Prince Garlan.
The thin boy choked, but still didn’t dare to say the second half of the sentence.
Thus, the laughing teenager became even prouder.
“Why? You can’t say it out? You are such a busybody.”
“You—”
Some people couldn’t stand it and started to join the battle.
“Hey, be careful when you speak.”
“Otherwise, don’t blame us when something goes wrong.”
For a while, the two sides confronted each other tit-for-tat.
Here were the children of high-ranking officials and nobles, each with their own arrogance, and they were not convinced by others. The archery instructor in the middle couldn’t stop them.
Heimos suddenly raised his eyes when the noise started to escalate, and looked at this side. The inexplicable and heart-pounding look made the voices of the teenagers choke.
However, Heimos didn’t say anything. He just turned around and walked straight after taking a look.
As soon as he left, everyone naturally died down, and the young people quickly followed his pace.
Garlan, who stayed there, still practiced archery on his own, and turned a deaf ear to the words that surrounded him and complained that Heimos deliberately made him lose face.
When the training was almost done, he left the archery range.
After he left, some people didn’t leave. A dozen teenagers got together, muttered a few words, and then smiled.
…
Boom!
The last young man fell heavily to the ground and fell face down to eat dog shit.
A dozen or so young people who were still arrogant not long ago were lying on the ground. They either had splitted lips, foreheads bled, or their arms were bruised. In any case, they looked miserable.
They looked fearfully at Prince Heimos, who had beaten up a dozen of them together in an understatement.
The young man next to Heimos who had secretly laughed a while ago was also bluish and swollen. The group blocked them, seemingly wanting to embarrass Prince Heimos, and wanted to deliberately beat him in front of the Prince. But in the end, they were easily taught a lesson by Heimos and ran away.
He looked at the back of the group of escaping teenagers, and said angrily, “Prince Garlan must have instructed them to do it!”
“That’s right.”
Several other people also said.
“His Royal Highness, Prince Garlan must have deliberately demonstrated his authority to you.”
“If it’s not this time, they will do it next time.”
“We should also look for opportunities to fight back.”
“Even if it was Prince Garlan, he cannot insult you like this. You must let him know who is in charge.”
Heimos lightly replied, “No, it should have nothing to do with Garlan.”
He knew that Garlan was not such a person.
…
Over here, the teenagers who wanted to teach others but were beaten, gathered together and complained.
“It’s really hateful.”
“It’s not that I can’t beat him. After all, he is a Prince. I’m afraid that I will really hurt him and it’ll become troublesome.”
“Yes, that’s it.”
Everyone added on one after another.
Immediately afterwards, a young man suggested.
“We can’t really hurt him, but we can trouble him in other ways.” He whispered, “I have a good way.”
“Ah? What method?”
The teenager lowered his voice and secretly unraveled his idea.
Everyone looked at each other.
“Will this be okay…?”
“What’s not good about that? It’ll only make him uncomfortable and won’t really hurt him.”
“Yes, this can only be regarded as a level of mischief.”
“Furthermore, we can say that this is what Prince Garlan asked us to do. King Camos loves the prince so much, this little thing is impossible to pursue.”
“Tsk tsk, Prince Heimos wouldn’t dare to disturb King Camos with such a small matter, so he could only suffer a dumb loss on his own.”
A teenager said hesitantly.
“But His Highness Garlan didn’t let us cause trouble for Prince Heimos. It wouldn’t be good for us?”
The other person patted his head.
“You are stupid! His Royal Highness and Prince Heimos clearly don’t see eye to eye. Prince Heimos always puts him on one side. If he doesn’t say anything, he must be very upset. We’ll help him teach Prince Heimos a lesson and His Highness will definitely be happy.”
When he was happy, he would be willing to get close to them.
What a great way to please Prince Garlan.
“It seems to be right…”
Thinking of this, the leading teenager made a final decision.
“Then do it!”
…
…
The fiery flame was like a giant fiery snake. It wrapped the black-haired boy tightly around in its terrifying body.
The black water was flowing slowly…
…The smell of burnt flesh…
The teenager, who was swallowed by flames, made a tearing kind of agonising cry that …
……
…
The fingers that were burnt to black charcoal stretched out from the flames.
An ugly hand like a devil sticking out of hell… as if to grab him and drag him into the flames…
Towards him, he slowly stretched out…
……
…
………………
…
In the dark night, the sleeping child suddenly woke up.
The white moonlight came in through the skylight and fell on Garlan’s sweaty forehead.
He sat on the bed, panted frantically and his dazed pupils dimmed slightly.
Why?
He clutched his chest as his heart was beating violently.
It seemed as if some ominous omen had struck him, causing his heart to be startled and flesh to jump.1
He thought blankly.
I haven’t had this dream for a long time…Why am I dreaming of it again?
-Unedited-
The sun had begun to set, and the evening arrived. The maids in the palace started to get busy, sending delicious dishes to their Lords.
Kaijos followed Garlan back to his residence, entered the arched gate, and walked into the courtyard. Before he got even closer, he could vaguely smell the faint lotus fragrance coming from the edge of the pool.
The stone statue of the star Goddess Isdar stood on the fountain pool, and the drops of water falling from her hand splashed into the pool water, forming small circles of water.
“Prince, are you really going to do this?”
Kaijos stopped and suddenly asked as he looked at Garlan’s back.
Garlan stopped and turned around.
“Yes.”
His bright golden eyes looked directly at his knight and answered firmly.
I’m certain of it.”
The blond-haired knight stared at his Prince with his eye, and recalled that it was yesterday, in this place where Garlan first gave him an order.
Garlan said, Kaijos, from now on, don’t let Heimos approach me.
Although he was surprised by such an order, he didn’t say anything, and faithfully executed it.
“Prince, the palace is a very dangerous place. Although it looks magnificent and gorgeous, there are many dangers hidden under this beauty.”
The knight said. Although loyalty was his duty, it was also his duty to provide loyalty to his Master.
“Although you are the King’s Brother, I think it is irrational for you to cast out an important person who has a good opinion of you.”
Although Prince Heimos was not valued by King Camos, the young Prince had great potential. Over time, he would surely become a strong man who was not inferior to himself and the priest Ziemuer. He could even catch up the footsteps of the Lion King Camos.
Therefore, on the road to the throne in the future, Prince Heimos may be the biggest obstacle for the little Prince.
But fortunately, Prince Heimos had always been close to and loved the little Prince, so as long as this intimate relationship was maintained, he might be able to hold that powerful enemy with his emotions.
This was the most advantageous way.
Garlan hummed. He didn’t seem to be angry about the objection raised by Kaijos, but nodded in agreement.
“You’re right.”
He said, “I did a stupid thing.”
Using the intimacy that Heimos had towards him, as a rope, trapped the evil wolf…
This was the best advantage for him.
“Kaijos, although I can’t explain it to you now, I hope you can undestand that my relationship with Heimos cannot be improved.”
“I will never accept him, nor can I be friends with him.”
Garlan said, his gaze flicked over the tall stone statue of the Goddess beside him.
He turned his head and looked directly at Kaijos with bright eyes. The child’s eyes were always so clean and clear.
“So, knowing that I will never provide the same kindness to that person, I still have to take advantage of this, pretend I don’t know anything, continue to accept the kindness of the other casually, let that person invest time and energy on me and enjoy how that person treat myself…I can’t do this kind of thing.”
Garlan’s answer caused Kaijos to tilt his head slightly, looking down at the little Prince in front of him.
“It is indeed your style.”
There seemed to be a little complaint in his tone, and he raised his eyebrows and said.
“Don’t you think that this will cause trouble to me as your subordinate?”
Garlan was startled.
“You’re right……”
He raised his eyes and looked at Kaijos apologetically.
“Because of my waywardness, I’ll cause you trouble, I’m sorry.”
Because of his willful approach, it was likely to lead to a difficult situation in the future. In this way, he did cause a lot of trouble to Kaijos.
“There will indeed be trouble… well, a little bit more or less.”
The one-eyed knight scratched his head and said.
“But—”
Suddenly, he changed the direction of the conversation, raised the strands of blond hair on his forehead back with his fingers, and smiled handsomely.
“If you, as the Master, have no trouble, how can I show my ability as a guardian knight?”
“…Ha?”
“If everything goes smoothly, what do you want me as your subordinate to do? So, if there is no trouble for me to solve, that would be the most troublesome thing for me.”
“Ah, next I have to try to make myself stronger, and I definitely can’t let Prince Heimos surpass me.”
Even though Kaijos said in a joking tone, he seemed to be very serious.
He knelt down and touched the ground on one knee.
The green eyes like malachite curled up slightly and looked at Garlan with a smile.
If this little Prince was the kind of person who would use lies and other people’s feelings to gain benefits to put himself in an advantageous position, he wouldn’t even face the threat of death during that dark night, and refused to take a step back before the group of refugees and made promises that he couldn’t do.
And he would not come to such a prince.
“It is my responsibility as a subordinate to solve the crisis.”
The knight on one knee raised his head slightly, reached out to hold Garlan’s right hand, and smiled at him.
“So, my Prince, please don’t worry about anything. Continue to implement your will as you do now.”
He said,
“——Even if this is the will that everyone considers ‘stupid’.”
People with the wisdom of Solgaleo were everywhere.
They use the so-called ‘wisdom’ to calculate in every possible way, in order to obtain their own interests.
People who possessed integrity and radiance like the Sun God Shamash were rare in the world.
My Prince, you have an upright and powerful mind like Shamash.
Please be sure to keep your innocent heart.
You will become the future King of Aaron Landis.
Please take Aaron Landis to the light with your wiseness and justice.
…
…
Rumors about Prince Heimos and Prince Garlan’s affair continued to circulate inside the palace and gradually fermented.
Everyone began to pay attention to this matter.
In addition, it didn’t seem to be just a rumour. The relationship between the two Princes, who originally seemed to be close, had sharply cooled down during this period. It had reached freezing point in just two days, and there was no sign of warming up after a period of time.
Till now, the conversation between the two Princes had become very little. Except for the necessary and courteous dialogue, there was no other contact.
Under the palace, an undercurrent surged.
Countless people began to make choices overtly or secretly.
They used to think that Prince Garlan was still young, and the relationship between the two Princes was good, and there was no need to rush to stand in line, so many people just waited and watched. Now, the relationship between the two Princes was at odds, and the distinction started to become clear. Some people who were good at speculation began to move around and prepare to place bets on the two Princes.
If they stood behind the right person, they might be the future central political figure above the court of Aaron Landis.
Obviously, Prince Garlan, who was favoured by King Camos, was more popular.
Many people even felt that when Prince Garlan was young, children were more approachable, talkative, foolish, and more likely to be manipulated.
On the other hand, Heimos…Although he was still underage, his compelling aura made him not a good talker at first glance. Under those sharp golden-red eyes, it was difficult for people to raise the idea of scheming in front of this young teenager.
Therefore, the vast majority of speculators quickly moved closer to Garlan and greeted him.
But it was not that no one voted for Heimos. After all, the excellent posture and powerful aura of Heimos had been known to everyone. Therefore, although few people have voted for Heimos, they were all very firm and unshakable people.
…
With a bang, the sharp arrow hit the target hard and even penetrated halfway through it.
The teenagers watching by the side showed admiration for Heimos’ archery. Not long ago, they had practiced with Heimos in the arena, and none of them were his opponents.
In this way, their desire to follow Prince Heimos was strengthened even more.
There were many more people around Garlan than there were few people around Heimos.
However, the arrow that Garlan shot unexpectedly deviated from the target. Thus, everyone was silent.
The archery instructor standing in the middle, frowned upon looking at it, and said nothing. On the contrary, some of the teenagers on Heimos’ side couldn’t help but smile secretly. However, it just so happened that their smile was seen by Garlan’s followers.
“What are you laughing at!”
A skinny teenager stood up and shouted at the smirking teenager with an annoyed expression on his face.
The other party was unwilling to back down.
“Why? I thought of a joke, can’t I laugh it by myself?”
“You are clearly laughing—”
——Laughing at Prince Garlan.
The thin boy choked, but still didn’t dare to say the second half of the sentence.
Thus, the laughing teenager became even prouder.
“Why? You can’t say it out? You are such a busybody.”
“You—”
Some people couldn’t stand it and started to join the battle.
“Hey, be careful when you speak.”
“Otherwise, don’t blame us when something goes wrong.”
For a while, the two sides confronted each other tit-for-tat.
Here were the children of high-ranking officials and nobles, each with their own arrogance, and they were not convinced by others. The archery instructor in the middle couldn’t stop them.
Heimos suddenly raised his eyes when the noise started to escalate, and looked at this side. The inexplicable and heart-pounding look made the voices of the teenagers choke.
However, Heimos didn’t say anything. He just turned around and walked straight after taking a look.
As soon as he left, everyone naturally died down, and the young people quickly followed his pace.
Garlan, who stayed there, still practiced archery on his own, and turned a deaf ear to the words that surrounded him and complained that Heimos deliberately made him lose face.
When the training was almost done, he left the archery range.
After he left, some people didn’t leave. A dozen teenagers got together, muttered a few words, and then smiled.
…
Boom!
The last young man fell heavily to the ground and fell face down to eat dog shit.
A dozen or so young people who were still arrogant not long ago were lying on the ground. They either had splitted lips, foreheads bled, or their arms were bruised. In any case, they looked miserable.
They looked fearfully at Prince Heimos, who had beaten up a dozen of them together in an understatement.
The young man next to Heimos who had secretly laughed a while ago was also bluish and swollen. The group blocked them, seemingly wanting to embarrass Prince Heimos, and wanted to deliberately beat him in front of the Prince. But in the end, they were easily taught a lesson by Heimos and ran away.
He looked at the back of the group of escaping teenagers, and said angrily, “Prince Garlan must have instructed them to do it!”
“That’s right.”
Several other people also said.
“His Royal Highness, Prince Garlan must have deliberately demonstrated his authority to you.”
“If it’s not this time, they will do it next time.”
“We should also look for opportunities to fight back.”
“Even if it was Prince Garlan, he cannot insult you like this. You must let him know who is in charge.”
Heimos lightly replied, “No, it should have nothing to do with Garlan.”
He knew that Garlan was not such a person.
…
Over here, the teenagers who wanted to teach others but were beaten, gathered together and complained.
“It’s really hateful.”
“It’s not that I can’t beat him. After all, he is a Prince. I’m afraid that I will really hurt him and it’ll become troublesome.”
“Yes, that’s it.”
Everyone added on one after another.
Immediately afterwards, a young man suggested.
“We can’t really hurt him, but we can trouble him in other ways.” He whispered, “I have a good way.”
“Ah? What method?”
The teenager lowered his voice and secretly unraveled his idea.
Everyone looked at each other.
“Will this be okay…?”
“What’s not good about that? It’ll only make him uncomfortable and won’t really hurt him.”
“Yes, this can only be regarded as a level of mischief.”
“Furthermore, we can say that this is what Prince Garlan asked us to do. King Camos loves the prince so much, this little thing is impossible to pursue.”
“Tsk tsk, Prince Heimos wouldn’t dare to disturb King Camos with such a small matter, so he could only suffer a dumb loss on his own.”
A teenager said hesitantly.
“But His Highness Garlan didn’t let us cause trouble for Prince Heimos. It wouldn’t be good for us?”
The other person patted his head.
“You are stupid! His Royal Highness and Prince Heimos clearly don’t see eye to eye. Prince Heimos always puts him on one side. If he doesn’t say anything, he must be very upset. We’ll help him teach Prince Heimos a lesson and His Highness will definitely be happy.”
When he was happy, he would be willing to get close to them.
What a great way to please Prince Garlan.
“It seems to be right…”
Thinking of this, the leading teenager made a final decision.
“Then do it!”
…
…
The fiery flame was like a giant fiery snake. It wrapped the black-haired boy tightly around in its terrifying body.
The black water was flowing slowly…
…The smell of burnt flesh…
The teenager, who was swallowed by flames, made a tearing kind of agonising cry that …
……
…
The fingers that were burnt to black charcoal stretched out from the flames.
An ugly hand like a devil sticking out of hell… as if to grab him and drag him into the flames…
Towards him, he slowly stretched out…
……
…
………………
…
In the dark night, the sleeping child suddenly woke up.
The white moonlight came in through the skylight and fell on Garlan’s sweaty forehead.
He sat on the bed, panted frantically and his dazed pupils dimmed slightly.
Why?
He clutched his chest as his heart was beating violently.
It seemed as if some ominous omen had struck him, causing his heart to be startled and flesh to jump.1
He thought blankly.
I haven’t had this dream for a long time…Why am I dreaming of it again?
