The Calamity of Canal.
After the incident, people called the incident so.
After Aaron Landis captured the royal city of Canal, the Gasdadians, seeing that their defeat was imminent, ruthlessly chose to burn with Aaron Landis and the Canal people.
They dug up the mountain on the top of the mountain, causing the originally stable mountain wall to collapse, creating a terrifying natural disaster.
When this happened, the whole world was shocked.
The entire continent was shaken, and the world felt disgusted and disgusted by the unscrupulous behavior of the Gasdadians.
Other countries instinctively increased their vigilance and preparedness for the Gasdadians.
Even the two countries, Yis and Geshu, who once allied with the Gasdads, are also afraid of them. Although they are regarded as savage and warlike peoples, they will never be cruel enough to make themselves tens of thousands. The extent to which soldiers are sent to death.
From their point of view, the Gastadians can be so cruel to their own people, how can they be so good to themselves who are just allies
So, years later, when the Gastadians tried to ally with it again, they were rebuffed.
The tragic consequence of this man-made natural disaster was that the commander-in-chief of Gasdade himself and countless Gasdard soldiers were buried under the ruins of the palace. Heimos, the commander-in-chief of the army, all died in the turmoil, plus thousands of Aaron Landis prisoners of war who failed to leave in time, a total of nearly 10,000 people.
The Kanal White Palace, which has been passed down for countless years and was regarded as a treasure and a symbol of civilization by the Kanal people, was destroyed, causing many people in the world to regret and embarrass it.
At the same time, one-third of the King City of Kanar was buried under rocks and became a land of ruins. Because it was the early hours of the morning and most people were staying in their homes, nearly hundreds of thousands of Kanars were buried alive under the rocks.
Countless relatives and friends were separated by life and death overnight.
That day, the entire city was enveloped in mourning cries.
It takes an extremely long time to build a prosperous and beautiful city, and it only takes an instant to destroy it.
War has never been so cruel.
…
…
One month after the 'Canar Calamity'.
Spring has come, the land is full of fragrant birds and flowers, and the vegetation is verdant. At a glance, there are green trees and flowers everywhere, and from time to time, you can see the clear gurgling water flowing through the land.
Along the way, the scenery that Sid had seen as ordinary in the past few decades has become a beautiful scenery for him at this moment.
But there are also some places that he feels unfamiliar, such as the neat and spacious road beneath his feet.
I heard that this is a road built by King Garlan himself. This road will be built from the king's city and gradually expand to the whole country.
If it can really be done, if the whole country will have this kind of flat and spacious avenues in the future, then the army will be much more convenient to go out and the marching speed will be much faster.
Sid thought so almost reflexively.
However, even if there is a little strangeness, this is still the land of Aaron Landis.
The familiar sound of wind, water, and air made him feel warm from the bottom of his heart.
He never dreamed that he could return to this land again.
Yes, like a dream.
However, seeing that he was getting closer to the king city day by day, for some reason, he suddenly felt a little uneasy.
A kind of unease, like worrying about being woken up from a sweet dream, spread from the bottom of my heart.
The closer you get to the royal city, the more serious this anxiety becomes.
He was not the only one who felt this way, the other companions all became silent in the two days before they arrived in the royal city.
…
A few days later, the army of Aaron Landis who set out on the expedition finally returned to the royal city after half a year.
They brought back from Canal more than 20,000 soldiers of Aaron Landis, who had been captured by the Gasdadians.
It was noon, and the magnificent and splendid royal city was already in sight.
When everyone looked up, they could see the golden palace in the royal city standing on the high cliff on the coast, bathed in bright sunlight, as if surrounded by white clouds.
Sid was stunned for a moment.
Among them was the young king who proclaimed 'I will never give up my people' and sent a large army to rescue them from the Gasdadians.
However, this battle was time-consuming and laborious, costing countless property, and thousands of soldiers were sacrificed overnight in the final Canal disaster.
Even... the black knight Heimos, the most famous general of Aaron Landis, also died in this battle.
He alone was Aaron Landis' worst loss.
I don’t know how many countries—especially the country of Geshu, who had been suppressed by Heimos for many years and palpitated when he heard the name of the Black Knight, secretly gloated over his misfortune.
The world said that the deterrent power of the black knight Heimos to other countries is almost equal to one hundred thousand troops.
Although these words are exaggerated to praise the name of the black knight.
But for the monarch of any country, it would never be worthwhile to exchange such a famous and unparalleled and loyal general for 20,000 or 30,000 prisoners of war who don't know if there are still any combat effectiveness in the future.
The king of Aaron Landis did a great fool.
The kings of many nations thought so happily.
Moreover, as a person of Aaron Landis, I also know that Heimos and King Gallan grew up together, and they both saved each other several times, and their relationship was even closer than the real one. Brother.
But this time, because of this war, he lost this family-like existence.
King Garland... Wouldn't he be annoyed by this as well.
Perhaps, he now regrets sending someone to save them...
Looking at the familiar Xiongcheng in front of him who had been away for almost two years, Sid thought anxiously.
He looked at the companions around him, and everyone's faces were full of excitement, but with a bit of hesitation.
Previously, very few returned as prisoners of war, and they were the first.
No one knows how they will be treated.
They were vanquished, captives, once slaves of the Gasdadians.
Because of them, Lord Heimos, who was regarded as a hero by the Aaron Landis, died in Canal.
…
They have committed so many sins.
It is very likely that they will be despised and treated with contempt because of this, or, perhaps, they will receive pity and sympathy from others.
They will be labelled losers for life and nailed to the pillar of shame until death.
Sid walked silently.
The closer he got to Wangcheng, the more confused he became. It was his confusion about his future.
At this moment, he was even a little afraid to walk into this city he had always dreamed of.
Just when Sid and other people were thinking about it uncomfortably, they had already reached the moat.
Sid looked up subconsciously and saw a wide moat bridge in front of him.
The moat bridge is a part of the gate of the king city. When it is erected, it becomes the city gate, and when it is lowered, it becomes a bridge over the moat.
Through the long moat bridge, the front is the huge and majestic city gate.
This huge city gate is divided into two layers. One layer is large, one layer is small, and one layer is placed on top of another.
Usually only the small door is raised for pedestrians and carriages to enter and exit.
And now, the entire city gate is slowly rising upwards.
Sid understands that this is to welcome the triumphant soldiers.
After the army entered, there would be countless people cheering on the side of the city boulevard.
He has been one of them in the past.
... And now, he didn't know what awaited those who were once captives.
Sid was thinking with a heavy heart, the companions around him were the same as him, they seemed very silent, and the excited expressions not long ago had disappeared from their faces.
At this moment, the army that was supposed to pass the moat bridge suddenly stopped advancing.
Seeing that the army was not moving, Sid looked up strangely.
The next second, his pupils contracted violently.
The quaint and heavy stone iron city gate slowly rose up, and a large group of people slowly walked out from the city gate.
The leader is a young boy riding a white horse.
Under the bright sunlight, the young king's beautiful face almost made people dare not look up.
He rode his horse forward slowly, the light-colored cloak flying behind him in the wind.
Long hair like flowing gold slipped from his shoulders.
A crown of lapis lazuli gold was worn over the bright blond hair.
When he appeared, everyone was silent.
The front coach Kaijos took the lead, and the soldiers on horseback turned over and dismounted.
Garlan Lema stopped in the middle of the moat bridge, and the royal knights in scarlet armor stood awe-inspiringly behind him, like a red flame spreading out behind him.
Needless to say, when the young king raised his eyes and glanced at this moment, the army standing in front of the moat bridge leaned down and knelt down.
One after another, piece after piece.
It didn't take a moment for the black army of Aaron Landis, who could not see their head, to bend down and kneel.
They bowed their heads deeply.
in the direction of their king.
"I'm here to meet my victorious soldiers."
The clear voice unique to the boy of King Garlan rang out in the quiet air.
"and also… "
Garlan's gaze swept across his soldiers, and then landed on a spot on the left front of the army.
There, there was a group of Aaron Landis who did not wear the armor of Aaron Landis and looked out of place in the army.
His golden pupils stared fixedly at that place.
At this moment, Sid, who was kneeling on the ground, only felt that his heart was being tightened by an invisible big hand.
He lowered his head uneasily, his fingers clasped on the ground unconsciously.
Looking at the people of Aaron Landis who were obviously worried, Gallan smiled.
"Welcome home," he said.
The voice of the young king spread across the silent earth.
No superfluous, complicated language.
It was just a simple sentence, four words, but the depressing atmosphere that enveloped the group of people was instantly swept away.
All the apprehension, the uneasiness of being close to the nostalgia, and the complicated and chaotic thoughts all vanished before this sentence.
[Welcome home.]
Sid lowered his head deeply, clenched his fingers, and forcibly held back the grief at the tip of his nose.
Yes.
Go through hard times.
They finally... went home.
…
…
Under the cheers and welcome of the people on both sides, the army that went on the expedition completed the Wangcheng Avenue among the scattered petals and returned to the military camp on the other side of the Wangcheng.
Caijos returned to the palace with Garlan.
Soon, he was already standing in the palace's room.
There were only Gallan and him in the room now, and the female officer was guarding the courtyard outside.
Kaihos came here alone, not to report the battle situation to Garland. After all, he would send a battle report back every few days, so Garland knew exactly the process of this war.
Standing in front of the silent Garlan, for the first time, the blond knight had the urge to run away from the boy.
For the first time, he felt that it was so difficult to talk to this child he watched growing up.
"… I'm sorry, Your Highness."
After brewing for a long time, Kaijos finally spoke with difficulty.
His voice was terribly dry.
"I cannot bring the body of Lord Heimos back to Aaron Landis."
He clenched his right hand tightly against his chest, maintaining a bowed salute.
For some reason, he dared not look at the face of the young man in front of him, and said with his eyes down.
"Almost half of the mountain has collapsed, and the whole part of the palace has been sunk, completely buried by the sliding mountain and cannot be excavated."
"If the excavation is forced, I am concerned that there is likely to be a danger of continued collapse there."
Heimos is very important to His Majesty.
Cayhorth knew.
A month has passed, and the death of Heimos is already doomed. If his body can be brought back, it may bring some comfort to His Majesty.
But he knew better.
Even if Garlan was in the King City of Karnar at the time, he would never have made the decision to risk his life to excavate the remains.
The blond knight bowed his head, looking like a child who had done something wrong.
"I'm really sorry, Prince."
In the confusion, he subconsciously called out the familiar name again.
His hand on his chest clenched tightly.
"It's all my fault that I shouldn't have let Lord Heimos sneak into the King City of Kanal..."
"Cajus."
A hand reached out and held his hand, which was clenched so tightly that the knuckles were slightly white.
Garland looked up at him.
"If you want to investigate the cause, it's me."
He says,
"I asked Heimos to rescue the captive Aaron Landis, and he would risk himself, otherwise, you know, he wouldn't do that at all—so, in the end, In the end, it was me who harmed him, and it was me who was at fault."
"It's not your fault, prince!"
Kaihos raised his eyes suddenly, he held Garlan's hand and retorted without hesitation.
"No one expected something like that to happen. On the battlefield, things are changing rapidly, and no one knows what will happen next."
"Prince, I know it's hard for you, but you can't blame yourself, do you understand?"
Garland didn't answer right away.
He glanced at his hand that was clenched by Kaihos, then smiled.
He said, "That's just like you, Cayhorth. The flinching look just now doesn't show the demeanor of being a sun knight at all."
"… "
Kaihos couldn't react for a while, and looked at Garlan blankly.
Garland shook his head.
"As you said, things on the battlefield are changing rapidly, and no one can predict it, so it's not my fault, let alone your fault, I can only say..."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"That's how it should be."
"Your Majesty..."
Garlan raised his left hand and placed it over the one that Kaihos held his own.
He held his knight's hand in both hands, raised his head, slightly curved his golden pupils into a soft arc, and smiled at his knight.
"Kaijos, I'm glad you're back with me safely."
he said with a smile,
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine."
…
After talking with Garlan for a while, Kaihos left the room.
After all, half a year after the expedition, after a fierce battle, he led the army back to the royal city in a turbulent manner. Even he was a little tired.
Kaihos had seen it with his own eyes. After witnessing the death of Camos two years ago, the young teenager curled himself up in the dark, hugged himself and buried his head in his knees, for two whole days, without saying a word, Not eating or drinking, it looks like a wood carving without a soul.
He also knew.
In the past two years, Heimos has gradually occupied an extremely important position in Gallan's heart.
So, until he saw Garlan with his own eyes, he was very worried.
After seeing Garlan's current state, he can finally relax a little.
The young king showed the same demeanor in front of the army as before, and his power was even stronger.
When the two of them were alone just now, Garlan stood in front of him. Although he seemed to have lost some weight, he looked very calm when he mentioned the news of that person's death.
Even the smile seems to be the same as before, not much has changed.
Cayhors thought.
Yes, after so many things, that little child has grown up a little bit after all.
Become stronger than before, and mature a lot.
With such emotion in his heart, Kaihos, who had just left the door, suddenly remembered that he seemed to have dropped his cloak on the table in the room.
Fortunately, he hadn't gone far, he quickly turned around and walked back to the room.
He didn't close the door when he left, and now he's back when he's back, and his Majesty seems to be still in the room and hasn't left.
Caijos went to the door, put his hand on the open door, and was about to push it open.
Before he started, when he looked up, through the crack of the door, he saw the profile of Garlan standing there.
Garlan stood in front of the open floor-to-ceiling windows with a calm expression, as if he was looking at the courtyard outside where the birds and flowers were fragrant.
The warm spring wind blew in from outside, ripping up a few strands of long blond hair that fell on her shoulders.
The room was flooded with sunlight, bright and warm.
At this moment, only Garlan was alone.
He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, raised his hand, and leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window.
The young man looked at the courtyard and seemed to be fascinated.
The thick golden forehead fell down, and the shadow shrouded his eyes.
Kaihos's hand was already on the door, and he was about to push it in.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from the courtyard and lifted the boy's blond hair.
Kaihos saw Garlan's eyes.
His brain hummed violently.
He saw the boy's eyes.
It was a look that was indescribable in words.
But it doesn't need to be said, let alone described.
Anyone who sees it can feel the bone-like pain marks in it.
Cayhorth's mind went blank.
He stood there dumbfounded, and saw that Garlan's hand, which was holding the window, slowly retracted.
As if the wind had made it a little cold, Garlan's arms clasped him tightly.
The boy standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window slowly squatted on the ground.
He hugged himself tightly.
He lowered his head, and his long blond hair fell from his shoulders, as if wrapping his whole body in it.
The teenager hugged himself like this, buried his head deeply, squatted, curled his body, and shrank himself into a small ball like a child.
It looked extremely helpless.
The boy's fingers were clasped on his arms, so tightly that they sank to the point of bruising.
The white fingertips may be due to the extreme force, and you can almost see the traces of trembling...
…
Unable to watch it any longer, Kaihos reached out and pushed the door to break in.
But a hand suddenly stretched out from the side and stopped him.
Kaihos, who was in extreme confusion, was about to make a move, but when he looked up, he saw the face of a familiar female officer.
He stayed for a while, then was forcibly dragged away by Tapti and taken outside the room.
"Why don't you let me in?"
Kaihos showed an unprecedented anxious look, and even groaned at Taputi in a gaffe.
Just thinking about the scene he just saw made his heart ache.
"Your Majesty would not want you to go in."
Tapti looked at him with frost on his face.
"why?"
Cayhorth clenched his hands, his fingers rattling.
"Cajus, he is no longer a prince, he is a king."
said the female officer, looking solemn.
But there was deep sadness in her eyes.
"He is the king who guards the whole of Aaron Landis."
Therefore, he will not depend on you.
And don't depend on anyone.
Therefore, he can smile calmly and stand in front of everyone as if nothing had happened.
That's his dignity as a king.
…
And the only person in the world that he can rely on as a king is no longer there.