As some people jumped up and down, rumors soon spread among the city residents who had been in a state of anxiety.
It was like an infectious disease, but within a few hours, almost the entire city knew about it.
The consul fled with the other officials!
The soldiers protected the officer and escaped!
They were abandoned!
How can this be-
Although it was late at night, the city was already in chaos.
Because of the pirates' attack, they hid in the room tremblingly all afternoon, and the mentality of the flustered citizens was completely crushed by this last straw.
Fear, anger, disappointment and other surging emotions overwhelmed their reason, and under the instigation of certain people, their brains poured out, and they converged like thousands of streams, forming a terrible force.
Thousands of city residents poured onto the streets and gathered in front of the executive government in the center of the city from all directions.
"Let the consul come out!"
"Let the officials come out!"
"Where are our soldiers—?"
Before the government, the large square that was originally empty was now densely packed with people.
Everyone was shouting loudly, and anger was written all over everyone's face.
Some were screaming hysterically, while others were shaking their fists in anger and roaring loudly.
Humans are the beings that are most easily influenced by the same kind around them.
Even those who just wanted to come to see the situation were involuntarily affected by this environment, and they became excited when they were involved in the waves.
"How can you escape? What shall we do?"
"You want to leave us and run away, you cowards!"
Hundreds of soldiers responsible for guarding the ruling government struggled to stand at the gate of the ruling government, holding their spears in front of them to block the crowded citizens in front of them.
Their figures are like a solid wall, blocking the surging crowd and preventing them from rushing in.
And their obstruction angered these people who were already angry.
"Leave us! To leave us alone! You pigs and dogs are inferior!"
"You bunch of stray dogs!"
"Go away, we want to see the consul! Get out of your way, you fucking lackeys—"
Someone with disheveled hair screamed insults at the soldiers who stopped them.
Someone reached out and wanted to take the long guns from the soldiers' hands.
Once someone takes the lead, many others will follow.
A hand reached out and tore the soldier's hair and clothes.
There were also hands reaching out and hitting the soldiers heavily, even scratching the scars on their faces and arms with their fingernails.
"You helpless fellows!"
"You must not die!"
"Consul! Let him come out, come out and meet us!"
The blue veins on the faces of the soldiers who were wanton scolded and insulted were stretched out. They gritted their teeth and made no sound.
But they still stood there, blocking the surging crowd with their own bodies.
This is what Gallan saw when he rushed out of the side door with Kaihos and several generals in a hurry.
Unexpectedly, the scene has reached such an uncontrollable situation, and everyone was stunned for a while, and they were speechless for a long time.
In the dark night, I saw thousands of citizens crowded in the square, shouting to see the consul.
At this moment, with a sudden swish, the originally dark square lit up.
The torches surrounding the square connected by the special mechanism were all lit up.
In an instant, the light shines.
The brightest spot is a high platform extending out in front of the executive government building.
The front of the high platform faces the square, while the back is a hemispherical shape that surrounds the high platform.
Huge torches illuminated this high platform.
That is the bulletin board of the executive government.
Whenever there is a major event or a grand sacrifice is held, the city people will be called to the square, and the consul will stand on the bulletin board and speak to the crowd.
After the craftsman's special and ingenious design, on the bulletin board, the voice of the speaker can be amplified.
As long as the square is quiet enough, speaking loudly here can spread throughout the square for everyone to hear.
The noisy square was quiet for a moment when the torch on the bulletin board was lit.
Everyone looked up and saw a man in a navy general's costume appearing on the high platform.
"Captain Seth?"
"It's Captain Seth."
"Yes, it's him!"
Many citizens recognized this man at a glance.
Seth's presence made them start whispering to the people around them.
"Citizens of Tozes, please listen to me—"
Thanks to the special features of the bulletin board, Seth's voice sounded throughout the square.
"You are not abandoned."
He says,
"We are still there, the army is still there, please believe us! We are soldiers of Aaron Landis, no matter what happens, we will not leave you behind!"
"So, don't be afraid, please go back safely."
Seth shouted,
"We will protect the city, and we will definitely protect you!"
Captain Seth has always been known for his integrity in Tozes City, and his remarks made everyone quiet a little.
The anger in their hearts weakened a bit, and everyone looked at each other. Although no one moved, everyone was still standing in the square, but many people had hesitant expressions on their faces.
Those who were affected by the intense environment and lost control of their emotions also began to calm down, and a few sober people have begun to persuade relatives and friends who came together to leave here.
Seth breathed a sigh of relief.
But at this moment, a loud shout suddenly sounded from the quiet crowd.
"Well said! Who knows if you are lying to us!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment, but who was the one who shouted these words before they could react, and similar voices of questioning sounded one after another.
"That's right! Just a few words want us to believe you, how is it possible!"
"Yes, yes, you are just a captain, what qualifications do you have to say such a thing?"
"Don't be deceived by him!"
"Let the consul come out! We're going to see him with our own eyes and hear him speak—"
These questioning voices came from different places in the crowd, and all of a sudden, the quiet and hesitant people became uneasy again.
The flames were lit again, and they shouted after the voices.
"That's right! The consul is out!"
"You're just a mere captain, what's the use of what you say?"
"Where's the consul? Why hasn't he come out yet?"
"It must have really run away, you see, except for Captain Seth, none of the officials saw it, they must have all run away, leaving this person to trick us—"
"We want to see the consul!"
"We won't believe any of your nonsense until we see the Archon!"
In an instant, the crowd surged again in the square, and people shouted hoarsely together.
They rushed forward, trying to break through the blockade of the soldiers and into the government.
They were dazed by the anger, their eyes were red, and they all looked hideous, roaring to the point where the veins on their necks burst out.
They seem to want to vent their panic, anger, and fear at this moment.
Seth yelled on the bulletin board, roaring anxiously, but to no avail, never believed him again.
The line of defense formed by soldiers is already crumbling, and even soldiers cannot compete with so many crazy people.
The scene was completely out of control.
Several generals standing at the side door looked at all this with a sullen face.
Kaihos frowned deeply.
Looking at the uncontrollable situation in front of him, Garlan stood silently.
He closed his eyes slowly, and the fine blond hair scattered on the slender eyelashes, as if a little golden light was dyed on his eyelashes.
The deafening shouts echoed in his ears like a tsunami.
But in this irritable square, for some reason, only the place where he was standing was unusually quiet.
Garland stood there for a while.
Then, he opened his eyes.
The flames burning around the square seemed to fall into his golden eyes the moment he opened his eyes.
He turned around suddenly, without greeting anyone, and walked quickly back to the executive government hall from the side door.
When he left, Kaihos was instructing several guards by his side.
The knight ordered: "Immediately arrange for people to mix into the crowd, and control the few guys who coaxed and instigated others just now, and don't let others find out."
After he finished speaking, he turned his head and saw that Garlan's figure was about to disappear from the door.
He was stunned for a moment, his face suddenly changed greatly, and he hurriedly chased after him.
"prince!"
In the empty hall, only the sound of footsteps echoed.
Kaihos shouted, but Garlan didn't look back.
He walked through the hall, walked quickly through the corridor inside the executive government, and walked to the other side.
It was in the middle of the executive government. A door was open. Inside the door, the spiral stone steps led directly to the top.
Seth's anxious, futile cry came from the top of the spiral stone steps.
Going up from here is the bulletin board.
Garland lifted his foot.
However, as soon as he took a step up, the blond knight who was chasing grabbed his hand.
The boy turned back, he was standing on the steps, looking down at his knight.
Kejos clasped his wrist and looked up at him.
"No, Your Highness."
The knight said, his voice suppressed at this moment.
His pupils contracted forcefully.
"Can't."
If he was just hiding behind the scenes, no one would know that the prince was still in the city except for those generals.
This is why he has always been calm and never persuaded the prince to leave the city of Tozes.
He had already thought about it, and once the situation was defeated, he would force the prince to break through and leave.
He has this confidence.
However, if the prince appeared in front of everyone now...
Cayhorth gripped Garlan's wrist tightly.
At this moment, he felt that his breathing was a little short.
"Your Highness."
Kaihos said softly.
His voice was very soft, as if he was afraid that a little louder would make something irreparable.
"This time, just this time is fine. This time, you must listen to me."
He says,
"Please... don't go."
do not go.
If you go.
Once you appear in front of everyone, you cut off all your escape routes.
Standing on the stone steps, the young man looked down at Kaihos with his golden eyes.
He didn't answer.
He just looked at Kaihos and smiled.
A little silence, a little silence.
The knight held the boy's fingers slowly and with difficulty.
He stood downstairs and watched Garlan turn away.
When the boy turned around, the light-colored cloak that flew up passed his eyes.
Deep shadows passed through his malachite-green eyes.
The knight stood there, watching the back of his prince disappear into the spiraling stone steps.
…
…
Seth stared blankly at the noisy crowd below, his voice was hoarse, but it didn't work.
At this moment, he suddenly felt exhausted.
Before the enemy came in, Tozes City was about to collapse from the inside.
How ironic.
They desperately tried to defend the city, but the townspeople who were instigated by someone didn't believe them, they decided they were going to abandon themselves, and yelled at them.
Even if he was as tough as Seth, he was a little disheartened for a while.
Just when he was at a loss, suddenly, there were footsteps.
When he saw the familiar figure, his eyes widened.
"prince?"
He lost his voice and called out the identity of the person.
The surprise at the visitor made Seth forget that he was on the bulletin board at the moment, and his voice was amplified when he shouted.
In the square, the special title suddenly rang in their ears, causing many people to startle and look at each other in dismay.
"prince?"
"What is he saying?"
"How is that possible? Did you hear it wrong?"
They talked a lot and couldn't help but look up.
"How do you—"
Kaihos' plan had already been revealed to Seth.
Seth was very much in favor of Kejos' idea, and told the generals not to reveal the fact that the prince was still in the city.
When he saw Garlan coming up here, he was in a hurry and wanted to persuade Garlan to go down.
"Seth, step back."
Garlan's words caught all of Seth's words in his throat.
With a deep sigh in his heart, he lowered his head.
He said, "Yes, His Royal Highness."
He bowed his head and stepped aside.
When answering, he was still standing on the center point of the high platform, and his voice was expanded again.
Everyone heard the name again.
"Yes, he was talking about the prince."
"Is it really..."
"Impossible, the prince's noble status is much more noble than the consul. The consul has fled, how can he still be?"
"But he clearly shouted..."
"Yeah, I heard it just now."
The people who were still excited just now all quieted down for a moment, and everyone stared at the brightly lit bulletin board with wide eyes.
They held their breaths and waited.
They saw Captain Seth step aside and kneel.
A boy appeared in their sight.
The light of the huge torch illuminated the boy's face, as well as the long golden hair blown by the wind.
That is... His Royal Highness
The townspeople of Tozes looked at the boy with awe and awe, and their natural awe for the supreme royal family made them shut their mouths and dare not make any more sound.
After all, that's a prince.
No matter how they were stunned by anger and gave them the courage, they would not dare to be presumptuous to the noble prince.
"The townspeople of Tozes."
Under the gazes of thousands of citizens, Garlan spoke.
"I am the prince of Aaronlandis, Garland."
Really His Royal Highness!
The hearts of everyone were beating violently, and they were raised high.
But in the next second, the hearts they raised high fell heavily in an instant.
"As you know, the consuls of Tozes and most of the officials have fled," Garland said.
"!"
Seth looked up sharply.
They tried their best to hide it, but the prince said it directly.
He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't say a word.
Garlan's words were like a bolt from the blue, stunned the citizens of the entire square in one fell swoop.
They stood there dumbfounded, mouths open but no sound came out.
After confirming the fact that they had been abandoned, their anger instantly burned their eyes. At this moment, their fear and despair even overwhelmed their reverence for the prince. Some people opened their mouths and wanted to shout.
However, before they shouted, Garlan spoke one step ahead of them.
"Everyone who wants to escape has already escaped, and they have escaped."
Garland said.
He raised his hand and pointed to his side, the kneeling Seth.
Then, down again, to the crowd, to the soldiers who stopped the citizens who had been shoved and rammed by them.
"So those who stay here now are those who refuse to escape with the consul, want to protect you, and are determined to coexist with Tozes City."
With just a few understatements, the roar that everyone was about to burst out was forcibly suppressed.
Once again, the square presents an eerily quiet condition.
Garlan said: "Citizens of Tozes, are you still going to continue to insult these warriors who stayed behind to protect you?"
Everyone was at a loss for a while.
But, perhaps intentionally or unintentionally, those who rammed into the soldiers backed away a little involuntarily.
The square was quiet, and everyone was relatively speechless.
Rumors of the Archon's escape had infuriated them.
However, when it was confirmed that the rumors were true, they were not in the mood to continue to be angry.
Empty in their hearts, the terrible reality made their minds go blank.
Standing on the side of the square, Caijos looked up and looked at his prince.
The guards he had scattered out had secretly controlled the dozen or so people who had just taken the lead in the crowd.
"My wise people of Tozes City."
On the high platform, the prince's voice spread out in the sky.
"Don't let the anger and panic go to your head, think about it, whether the officials run away or not, you're here, it's useless."
He was not angry at the unrest of the townspeople.
His voice was calm, just like his calm expression at the moment.
"My people, Solga, the god of wisdom, has bestowed wisdom on mankind, so now, calm down and think with your heads."
He says,
"Think about who the winner will be when Tozes City is in chaos."
"Think about it calmly, do you want to continue."
This time, without those who kept rhythm making trouble, in the silence, the townspeople began to calm down.
The fine rain began to fall again.
Being drenched by the icy rain, the mind that had been swept away by anger and fear was a little clearer.
What did they do
Thinking of what they did just now, many people's faces turned pale, and they felt like a dream.
They don't even know how they did that.
It felt like I was swept into the trend all of a sudden, and I couldn't help shouting with the blood punch.
At this moment, everyone fell silent, and the square was terribly silent.
Only the sound of the wind whistling was heard.
Soon, a sob broke the dead silence.
Someone sobbed.
"Your Highness, I'm scared."
"I'm really scared," she said in a crying voice.
"Please tell us, can we survive?"
She sobbed and said the common voice of everyone present.
"Please tell us what exactly should we do?"
In the silent square, the voice seemed unusually clear.
Almost everyone heard it.
Subconsciously, as if it was a resonance, everyone looked at Garlan.
The eyes of everyone looking at Garlan are very complicated.
On the one hand, they wanted to hear 'I will protect everyone' from the prince's mouth, 'The city of Tozes will be safe', 'Everyone will live well' and so on to comfort them, even if it was a lie.
On the other hand, they felt that if the prince really said the same thing as Captain Seth, then he was simply coaxing them and perfunctory them.
Even they themselves felt at a loss for this contradictory mood.
They don't even know what kind of answer they want to hear from the prince.
They could only raise their heads and wait in silence for the prince's answer.
Garlan looked down at the thousands of people below who were watching him.
"I have no idea."
He says,
"I don't know if I can keep Tozes, I don't know if we can survive."
The light in everyone's eyes dimmed.
The prince did not lie to deceive them.
On the one hand, they felt a little comforted, on the other hand, they became more and more desperate.
"But, my people."
On the high platform, the young prince looked down at his people.
Garland said, "Even in death, I am with you."
The howling wind carried his words across the silent land.
The crowd stared blankly above.
Their prince was standing on the high platform.
The crowd could not see his face, but could hear his voice.
There are no glamorous promises.
There was no fiery agitation.
Simpler than anything... even cruel words.
But it was such a cruel language, and for some reason, at this moment, their hearts that had been frightened and restless became calm for some reason.
Someone bowed their heads and clasped their hands like a prayer.
Some people covered their faces and wept silently.
Someone bowed and fell to the ground.
Someone squatted down and hugged their young child tightly.
Someone raised his hand and silently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
In the city of Tozes in the dark, the drizzle is falling, and the night is quiet.
…
I don't know how it will turn out.
But, my people.
Do not be afraid.
Even in death, I am with you.