A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

Not far from the royal city, there is a special small town.

Tariyar.

grateful.

In ancient languages, tarial means thanksgiving.

The name of this town is Tarial. At the beginning, King Garlan, who was still a prince, brought hundreds of veterans and orphans who had no way to go here and established a small village. After seven or eight years, it has developed into a small militarized town.

Although the residents in this town are old or young, they all have the power of reserve soldiers. With just one order, an army of tens of thousands can be assembled here within a day.

King Garlan has announced that soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country or were seriously injured and had to retire will be resettled by the country - for this alone, the young king has received the gratitude and support of all the lower-level soldiers.

The resettlement method is based on the development model of Taryar Town.

After the end of the war against Karnar, several new villages have been established in different places.

The temperature in the King City of Aaron Landis has always been relatively warm in spring. It is now afternoon, when the sun is blazing.

There is a large training ground in the corner of the town. No matter what time of day, it is always the busiest place in the town.

The large training ground is divided into several areas, and people of different ages train or compete in different areas.

At this moment, in one of the areas, under the scorching sun, a group of young children around ten years old were training sweatily amidst the scolding of a one-armed instructor.

Judging from their age, they may be called children, but their faces can hardly see the innocence and immaturity of children, but appear extremely calm and mature.

As the sun gradually set, the instructor gave the order to end the training and left.

Some children left, while others stayed and continued to practice with their peers.

With a bang, the unopened bronze swords hit each other heavily.

One of the two boys who were fighting hand to hand staggered back two steps and fell to the ground, gasping for air, sweat soaking his temples.

The boy standing also had sweat on his face, his chest was rising and falling slightly, and his cold sea-blue eyes gave people a feeling of loneliness.

The boy sitting on the ground took a few breaths and raised a hand.

"Novi, I admit defeat."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other boys watching burst into good-natured laughter.

"Wow."

"Lost again."

"How many times did you say you lost this month?"

The boy who was laughed at made a noise at them, got up, and dusted himself off.

Then, he walked up to Novi and patted him on the shoulder.

"Tsk, you were obviously a weakling when you first came in more than half a year ago, but now most people can't beat you."

Novi opened his hand indifferently, and the boy didn't take it seriously and just shrugged.

When Novi first came here, he had a cold face and a repulsive look, which made people uncomfortable to look at.

The young boys looked unhappy with each other, and naturally a lot of conflicts arose in the process of getting along.

But after getting along for a long time, he realized that Novi didn't look down on them, but just didn't want to get close to them.

Then he was relieved.

The children who came to this town were all orphans, and they all had their own troubled pasts. Therefore, they could understand each other and never asked about each other's past, or did anything to reveal or insult each other's past.

For these mature children, if they have time to do such childish and useless things, it is better to step up their training and improve themselves.

"Novi."

Suddenly someone shouted.

"There's someone looking for you over there."

Novi frowned.

Who is looking for him here?

He walked outside the training ground and turned around to see someone waving to him in an alley not far away.

Quickly walking into the remote alley, his nominal master stood inside.

... She said she would take the time to teach him a thing or two, but in fact, she just left him here without any care.

Just as Novi was thinking this expressionlessly, someone came out from behind Caihos, wearing a very long cloak and a wide hood covering his face.

The man took off his cloak and hood and smiled at him.

He was suddenly startled.

"King Garlan? Why are you here?"

"I gave you the token, but you never used it to come to see me in the palace."

Garlan said, sighing.

"You don't want to see me, so I have to come to see you."

"No, it's not that I don't want to see you or anything."

Novi explained in a panic.

"Because time is very tight, I want to become stronger as soon as possible, and then...so..."

Halfway through his words, he noticed that his panic seemed to be exposed, so he mumbled the rest of the sentence and shut his mouth.

"Well, I saw it, Novi, you have become stronger."

Garlan laughed. He no longer deliberately teased the other person, and reached out to touch the boy's head.

After not seeing each other for more than half a year, the boy has grown taller. His skin, which was once abnormally pale due to not seeing the sun for a long time, has now turned into a healthy wheat color and looks a lot rougher.

The once skinny body also became stronger.

More importantly, the spirit radiating from his body was much better than the last time we met.

Moreover, it seems that there are companions of the same age here.

If the companions training with Novi saw this scene, they would be shocked.

In the training camp, everyone knew that Novi had a withdrawn and eccentric personality, and extremely disliked others touching him.

But now, he stood obediently and let others touch his head.

"Novi, I want to set off to the royal city of Karnal."

Garlan told him why he came here to find Novi.

"Do you want to come with me?"

The boy's face stiffened.

Then, he pursed his lips and shook his head firmly.

"I...can't go yet."

"I don't want to return to Kanal as the one who has died of illness. If I go to Kanal again, I hope it will be as the general of Aaron Landis' vanguard army who conquered Gastad."

His eyes were gloomy, but his tone was unusually firm.

"So, until then, I won't step foot into Kanal."

"Really? I understand. Just do what you want."

Garlan did not persuade.

He smiled and touched Novi's head again.

"But if that's the case, then you have to work harder. There isn't much time left for you."

he said, lowering his eyes.

The drooping slender eyelashes concealed a cold edge passing through the golden pupils.

"Only five years at most..."

The gentle words are like an invisible blade, making people feel heartbeat for no reason.

Gastad.

The country that took away people important to him one after another.

He will never forgive.

"In that case, I will go back."

Garlan put on his wide hood again, hiding his conspicuous blond hair and features.

He said, "I will set off in a week. Before that, if you regret it, you can go to the palace to find me at any time."

Novi hesitated for a moment, and suddenly he grabbed Gallan's hand.

The boy who had been lowering his head suddenly raised his head and stared at Garlan with his dark blue eyes.

"I'll take his place!"

"Um?"

"Black Knight, I will take his place!"

"..."

Garlan's eyes paused inaudibly.

"How many years do you wait for me?"

Holding Garlan's hand tightly, Novi stared at Garlan.

He had heard all the rumors.

Because the Black Knight died, other countries were gloating and became restless.

King Garlan must have had a very difficult time during this period when a family member died and the situation still had to be stabilized.

Novi could only use the method he thought of to clumsily comfort Gallan.

"Don't worry, I will grow up and become stronger soon. I will definitely replace him as the new Black Knight, help you protect Aaron Landis, and help you fight -"

"You can't replace him."

What Novi mustered up great courage to say was flatly denied.

The child's eyes froze for a moment, he lowered his eyes and let go of Garlan's hand.

"No one can replace him."

"Uh...I'm sorry, I'm too self-righteous. For someone as powerful as the Black Knight, there's no way I can replace him..."

Novi spoke with some stammering and embarrassment.

However, his words were interrupted again.

Gallan said: "Similarly, Novi, no one can replace you."

"..."

"No one can replace another person in this world."

Garlan looked at Novi and said.

His expression looked calm, but a little more serious.

But Caijos, who was standing on one side, caught a glimpse of the young man's right hand hanging by his side from the corner of his eye.

The hand seemed to clench tightly unconsciously, and then slowly loosen it.

Caijos could vaguely see the traces of nails piercing deeply into the young man's palm.

He lowered his eyes and felt that his chest was tight and congested.

"No one can replace the Black Knights of the past, and the same goes for Novi who will fight for me in the future. Do you understand?"

Novi nodded obediently.

Garlan's eyes softened.

"Go back. It's been too long. I have to go."

Novi hummed and turned to leave. Suddenly he remembered something and turned around again.

"King Garlan."

"Um?"

"I know that the area around Karnal Palace is buried."

A cold light flashed in Novi's eyes.

"The area near the palace belongs to the upper city, and all the people living there are the nobles and officials of Kanal... Therefore, this time is the best opportunity."

…………

More than two months after the war ended, King Garlan was about to go to the royal city of Karnar.

Karnar will become part of Aaron Landis, and the people of Karnar will become the people of Aaron Landis. Therefore, King Garlan will definitely go to Karnar and wear a hat that symbolizes the identity of King Karnar. The heraldic ring uses the identity of the new King of Karnar to appease the people of the original Karnar people.

The reason why we set off so late was because we considered the safety of King Garlan, so we asked the Sixth Army Corps led by the veteran Kalleni to go in first and join forces with the troops staying in the King's City of Karnar to wipe out the forces in Karnar. The remnants of the Gastadians.

But just when everything was ready, an accident happened.

After two years of being honest, the Geshurs, who were defeated in the great war two years ago, now once again gathered their army to go south and invade the north.

At this moment, the military report from Hea, the commander of the northern army, was placed on the table.

"The Geshu people were seriously injured in the battle two years ago, so they have been recuperating in the past two years and do not dare to act rashly."

Kayhos said solemnly.

"But their country's products are poor and they must rely on supplies from other countries to survive. The supplies they plundered from other small countries in the past two years must have been seriously insufficient, so they went south again this time."

"And the most critical point that made them make up their minds..."

He paused and said,

"...It is the death of Lord Heimos."

Garlan didn't speak, but he understood in his heart.

The existence of Heimos and Kayhos is like the most sophisticated large weapons, which has a considerable deterrent effect on other countries.

Now that one of the two major threats has disappeared, of course some countries are ready to take action.

Especially the Kingdom of Geshu.

The title of the Black Knight of Heimos was almost established in the name of the Geshur people.

In the past few years, he had overwhelmed the Geshurs in the north. Two years ago, the Geshurs suffered heavy casualties at his hands in the first battle. The shadow caused by this made the Geshurs almost have a hatred for Heimos. Instinctive fear.

It is said that the name of the Black Knight can make children stop crying among the Gesu people.

In the past two years, even if the Gesu people were extremely short of supplies, they did not dare to go south to plunder easily. This was actually because of the deterrent power of Heimos.

Now that the mountain was gone, the Geshurs, who were good at taking advantage of others' danger, immediately attacked without mercy.

Sitting on the malachite throne, the young king pondered for a while, and then gave an order.

"Kayhos, you lead the First Legion to the north."

The scale of this battle is probably not small, and we cannot just send small-scale troops and ordinary generals there.

And now the only one who can lead the entire legion to support the northern border is Caihos, who is the cavalry commander.

"Your Majesty, can your plan to go to Karnal be postponed?"

Caihos asked solemnly.

The original plan was for him to accompany Garlan to the Royal City of Kanal. If he went to the north instead, he would not be able to accompany Garlan.

"I'm afraid not."

Suojia, the priest of Nanna, who was standing aside, shook his head and said.

"The time for Your Majesty to go to Karnal has been announced a long time ago. Now, people all over Karnal are waiting."

"If you back down at this time, it will greatly affect His Majesty's impression in the hearts of the Kanal people. Those opposing Kanal nobles will definitely take the opportunity to discredit His Majesty."

"And not only Kanal, but other countries are also paying attention."

Shermul, who was standing opposite Suojia, spoke.

"Then I will accompany Your Majesty there..."

"No, Xie Mu'er, you must stay in the royal city."

Garlan rejected Shermer's proposal.

During the period when he left the royal city, the people who stayed behind in the royal city were very important.

Currently, the only one who can fully trust him and have the ability to take charge of the royal city is Xie Mu'er.

Caijos hesitated for a moment and then persuaded.

"Your Majesty, I always feel that it is very dangerous, otherwise I will wait until I come back..."

"No, Lord Caihos, I know that you are worried about His Majesty's safety because you cannot be with him, but if His Majesty postpones his trip, not only will his reputation be damaged, but he will also lose a great opportunity."

Suojia interrupted Kejos.

"As you know, the actions of the Gastad people destroyed one-third of the royal city of Kanal. As far as I can find, most of the dead Kanal people, except for some wealthy businessmen, were It is the nobles and officials of Karnar who control almost all the power in Karnar.”

"If they had not died, even if His Majesty has a reputation for justice, it would have taken a lot of effort to wrest Kanal's power from these people. But now that they are dead, Kanal's current power is completely empty. .”

"Your Majesty can easily seize Kanal's power if he goes there now."

"If it is postponed for another two or three months, the noble city lords in other areas of Kanal will take the opportunity to intervene. In this way, there will definitely be no less trouble in the future."

"My trip to the Royal City of Kanal went as planned."

Garlan said.

"But, Your Majesty..."

"Don't worry, Kehos, even if you are not here, I will be protected by a large army. When we get to Kanal, Kaleni and the Sixth Army will be there."

Suojia was silent for a while. He glanced at Garlan and suddenly whispered: "If Lord Heymos is still here..."

"He's gone!"

The young king's tone when he interrupted Suojia was unusually harsh, and his voice suddenly rose, which surprised Suojia and others.

Probably because he didn't expect that he would use such a tone, Garlan was stunned for a moment.

After a while, he spoke again.

This time, his tone returned to the calm tone he had just spoken.

"He is no longer here, Suojia, don't always think about relying on someone who is no longer here. In that case, you will not be able to do anything."

Suojia lowered his head.

"...I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

he whispered.

The matter had been decided, and everyone bowed and bowed before retreating.

Falling behind Shemuel, Kayhos glanced back when he finally walked out of the room.

Empty room.

A huge throne.

The young king's slender figure sat on the cold malachite seat, with his long golden hair scattered on one side of the green armrest.

He sat very quietly.

The indifferent expression on his cheeks made it impossible to guess what he was thinking as he sat quietly at this moment.

…

【He is no longer here! 】

[Don’t always rely on someone who is no longer around. 】

Kejos thought.

Are His Majesty's words talking about Suojia...or His Majesty himself?

…………

……………………

"This is a great opportunity. King Garlan will leave the royal city and go to Kanal."

"As a person of low blood, he dares to sit on the highest throne shamelessly."

"Extreme greed, constantly taking away what is rightfully ours."

"Protecting those lowly civilians, but constantly persecuting noble people like us."

"He has no qualifications to be the king of Aaron Landis!"

"There have always been many guardians around him, and we cannot act rashly."

"But now, the black knight Heimos is dead, the sun knight Kehos must go to the north to fight the Geshurs, and the priest Shemur of Shamash must sit in the royal city."

"In the past two years, he has managed the royal city to be impregnable. We couldn't find any chance while he was in the royal city, but now he has voluntarily left the safest place."

"This is our best chance to get rid of that arrogant and self-righteous king——"