The matter ended in the silence of the crowd.
The old head of the Tasda envoy looked at Stoke, who had stopped breathing, with an extremely complicated look.
This young man used to be the proud and admired Tasdar warrior of the Tastars, and he should have a glorious future.
Now, it is buried silently in the desert of other countries.
In the most dishonorable way, even after death, he will be cast aside by everyone.
The old man closed his eyes, covering up the complicated look in his eyes, and let out a sigh.
If... Stoke could have been stupid, maybe he wouldn't have gone down that terrible path and ended up where he is now.
The flames of the camp have gradually burnt out and extinguished.
The surviving Tastars fought back their grief and began to collect the remains of their dead compatriots.
They would take all their dead compatriots home and bury them under the earth of their homeland.
Opada knelt beside the dead Stoke for a long time, then he stood up, took a deep breath, picked up Stoke's body, and walked towards the carriage.
No matter what Stoke did while he was alive, he was his elder brother, the son of his lord, the Tarstar, and he would bring his body back to Tarstar.
His actions made everyone around him look over, but no one said anything, and no one stopped him.
No matter what felonies Stoke committed during his lifetime, the lights go out.
Insulting a corpse is the most contemptible act.
Kaihos had already turned over and dismounted. At this moment, he was standing beside Garland, watching Opada carry the corpse away.
Then, he turned to look at Garland.
"Prince, what did you say to that guy at the end?"
Seeing that the prince just leaned over and said a word, Stoke's determined and mocking face suddenly turned into unwillingness and regret, Kaihos was really curious and couldn't help asking.
Garland looked at him and smiled.
"Secret~~"
He pursed his lips and said with a smile.
Just now, I was suddenly pissed off by Stoke's self-righteous eyes, and for a while, he punched his head in anger, and then he deliberately said that kind of lie.
When he thought about it later, he also felt that his brain was short-circuited at the time, how could he say such a thing, if it was found out...
After thinking about it again, the only one who knows what he said is that he and Stoke are the only ones who can't speak, and he is not so stupid to leak it out. Naturally, what he said will be buried forever. It's secret.
So, Garlan, who was relieved after thinking like this, completely forgot about it.
Then he turned and ran to the sturdy red-brown horse.
I don't know what happened. Ever since Stoke was stabbed to death with a sword, Heimos seemed to have been in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.
Most of the people had already dismounted and were busy cleaning up the aftermath. Heimos was still sitting on the horse, his eyes lowered, and he looked very thoughtful.
"Heimos?"
Garlan shouted twice, and Heimos seemed to wake up suddenly.
He glanced at Garlan, who was already in front of his horse, and his pupils shrank a little invisibly, but he quickly recovered and returned to his usual calm expression.
Then he rolled over and dismounted.
"What's wrong?"
he asks.
"Thanks to you this time."
Garland smiled at him.
Thanks to the help of Heimos, Stoke's group was led out, and this hidden danger was solved in one fell swoop.
"… "
Looking at the boy's sunny smile and the bright golden eyes staring at him, Heimos felt a little tight in his chest.
He never thought that Garlan would have such feelings for him.
Obviously Garlan said not long ago that he would reject Opada, because he could not like a man at all.
…
and many more.
Heimos suddenly thought.
Before that, in order to prevent Garlan from misunderstanding his relationship with Opada, he had sworn to the sun god Shamash that he would never like a man.
Could it be because he said something like that... Garlan didn't let him notice his feelings, so he...
Thinking of this, Heimos suddenly felt that his chest was so tight that he could not breathe well.
Garland liked him, but he said that in front of Garland.
At that time, when he swore, how would Garlan feel
…would it be sad
But he still had to pretend he didn't know anything, resisted that uncomfortable feeling, and continued to smile at him...
…
"Heimos, are you tired?"
Seeing that Heimos said a few words to himself, he stared at him and lost his mind, Gallan asked.
Indeed, Huymos showed that in order to deceive Stoke, he led his army to the north, and returned halfway, while avoiding Stoke's group, and quietly keeping up with the Tasdar mission... Uh, it seems that Heimos must have been very hard these days... And at first, he disliked Heimos for getting in the way and didn't want him to come with him.
Thinking of this, Garlan suddenly felt a little guilty.
As soon as he raised his eyes, he saw a little blood splattered on Heimos's side cheeks, and reached out his hand, trying to please Heimos to wipe it.
However, Garlan's fingertips just touched Heimos' cheek, and before he even had time to wipe it, Heimos seemed to be absent-minded and stiffened like an electric shock.
It looked like he was frightened.
Not understanding why Heimos reacted so strongly, Garlan pointed to the blood-stained cheek in confusion.
"You have blood splattered there."
"… yes?"
Seemingly finally coming back to his senses, Heimos raised his hand and wiped the blood from his cheek.
"Sorry, I'm really tired."
He lowered his eyes and said.
"I'll rest for a while."
"Well, you have a good rest~~ Just leave it to me next."
"… "
Heimos nodded silently, and once again glanced at Garlan, who raised his head and smiled happily at him, with complex eyes, then turned and walked towards the small lake not far away.
Always feel that Heimos looks a bit strange
Garlan looked at the back of Heimos leaving and thought to himself.
Are you so tired
He was wondering when suddenly he saw Opada walking towards him quickly.
"Garlan, the head of the mission wants to see you."
…
Garlan followed Opada to an open space, and the open space was still filled with the smell of smoke after the fire.
He saw the old man standing there, and the morning sun had risen, shining on the old man's vicissitudes of life, as well as on the dozens of Tasda corpses neatly placed in the open space in front of the old man.
The old man turned around and looked at Garland.
"Prince Garland," he said. "The Tarsdars thank you for your help."
"No... Actually I..."
Garlan shook his head. He looked at the dead Tustars in the open space with a bit of sadness and apology in his eyes.
"I'm very sorry. In fact, I already knew that there was a group of forces targeting us... Originally, you wouldn't have suffered so much damage. Because of my carelessness and miscalculation, you lost so many companions."
He was thinking.
Even if it is a horse thief attack, with the strength of the Tasda soldiers, with the assistance of a team of cavalry led by Kaihos, it can still resist for a period of time.
That time should be enough for Heimos to rush over.
Who knew that there was actually an internal response in the mission, which caught them off guard for a while.
After all, he always thought that the mastermind behind the scenes was a force from another country, and he never thought that it would be a Tasdar.
"You don't need to apologize."
The old man shook his head.
"Although I'm old, I'm still not confused. There are traitors within the Tasda people. Those traitors deliberately asked to be on duty tonight, and then joined forces to kill other soldiers on duty at night, put the horse thieves into the camp, and take advantage of them. Set fires while everyone is asleep…”
Speaking of which, the old man couldn't help but grit his teeth with hatred.
"If it weren't for those traitors, how could those horse thieves easily invade our Tusda camp?"
"Even if he avoids this time, Stoke will find another opportunity to continue what he planned, and Opada will die at his hands sooner or later. Prince Garland, I'm not confused, we Tasdars have a problem themselves. , causing such consequences, it will not be blamed on you in any case."
"And, if you weren't here, all of us would die here in regret for not being able to expose the truth."
The old man turned his head, his eyes swept over the dead Tasdar warriors.
Although his face looked vicissitudes, his eyes were still bright.
"Now, although they are dead, it is an honorable death."
"We will bring their bodies back to their homeland, and their souls will return to Ashur, the god of war."
He turned back and looked at Garland again.
He interrogated the confidants of the few surviving Stokes, and what he learned from their mouths shocked the old man who had experienced strong winds and waves.
Killing Opada was just the first step, and the guy even planned to kill his father—
"Prince, I thank you very much. Although we have lost forty-three compatriots, we can make more compatriots survive in the future."
"If it weren't for the fact that you led Stoke out, and if his conspiracy really succeeded, then in the future, the dead Tustars would not be these dozens, but thousands or even tens of thousands."
"Stoke will kill thousands of Tustars for his own ambitions!"
The old man's arms were crossed and placed on his chest.
He bowed his head deeply to the boy.
"Prince Garland, I know that you suddenly proposed to accompany us to Tasda, probably because you noticed this... You are not only smart, but also kind, and you even put yourself in danger in order to protect us."
"You saved our lives and saved Tasda, and the people of Tasda will remember your kindness."
Not only him, Opada next to him, and other Tasdar people all made the same actions as the head of the envoy at this moment.
They crossed their arms on their chests, bowed their heads, and saluted the young prince.
"From now on, you are the forever friend of the Tasda people."
That is the etiquette of the Tasdars to their most esteemed friends.
"O wise prince of Aaron Landis, please remember that the Tastars are your most faithful friends."
The old man who raised his head gave Garlan a sincere smile.
He says,
"If one day you need help, the Tasdars will answer your call if you call out—"
…
…
The sun was already high in the sky, and the sun shone on the water of the small lake.
On the small hill on the side of the lake, someone was standing there.
"I never understood why my father didn't give the eldest brother any opportunity to defend himself, punished the eldest brother without any interrogation, and even secretly blamed his father for this."
"Now I understand... At that time, with the prestige of the big brother in Tastard, if the father did not take the time to imprison him, as long as the big brother seized the opportunity and shouted, there would really be many people following him."
The dazzling sunlight shone down, causing Opada to narrow his eyes.
After last night, this young man seems to have matured and grown up a lot overnight.
He looked down at the fire-scorched camp not far away and made a sigh-like sound.
"My father has always been proud of his big brother. Later, when this happened, he didn't show it on the surface, and he was actually very sad in private. Sometimes I would watch him standing in the martial arts field in a daze in the middle of the night."
The whole person has been caught in the memory, he said in a low voice.
"At that time, I went up to talk to him, and he patted my shoulder and smiled and said to me, if my elder brother is like me, it would be better not to be so smart."
"He was smiling, but he looked sad."
"He said that smart people tend to think too much, and if they think too much, they will have unnecessary desires, blindly chasing what they think of, and forget to keep their feet on the ground and forget what is really important... So, be a human being Be a little confused, that's fine."
Having said that, Opada closed his mouth and stopped talking.
He turned his head and looked at Garlan standing beside him.
Pale blond hair scattered on the white cheeks, and the sunlight made the boy's eyes bright like golden amber.
Prince of Aaron Landis.
A beautiful and wise boy who made his heart flutter at a glance.
With such a thing happening, it is impossible for Garlan to continue his mission to the Tastar country.
So, not long after, it was time for them to part ways.
"Garlan, even if uncle doesn't make such a promise, when you are in danger, as long as you call, I will come to protect you."
He wants to express his heart to the one he loves.
before parting.
The young man's golden eyes looked at him, reflecting his shadow, and then he smiled.
"Thank you, Opada, my friend, I believe in your friendship."
"… "
The words that were about to be said were choked in Garlan's throat. Opada opened his mouth, but he couldn't say the words.
Garland regards him as a friend.
He watched Garlan turn his head and looked down at the small lake not far under the hill. Following Garlan's gaze, he saw Heimos who was resting by the lake just a few meters away.
Also, that one-eyed knight with the same blond hair as Garlan.
Garlan looked over there and smiled.
He is looking at his knight.
Opada thought to himself, closed his open lips, and swallowed the words that had reached his throat.
And by the lake under the hill, Heimos, who felt something, looked up.
He saw Garlan who was standing halfway up the hill looking at him, smiling happily at him, and Opada who was beside Garlan.
Unable to say why, he suddenly felt a move in his heart.
Subconsciously, his attention was all focused on that spot in an instant.
Naturally, he heard the conversation between the two at that place.
At this moment, on the hill, Opada took a deep breath, looking at Garlan who was smiling happily at Kaihos.
He said, "Garlan, do you have someone you like?"
The boy looked back at him, then smiled at him.
"Um."
Eyebrows raised, smile bright.
"What kind of person is that?"
Opada couldn't help asking.
"Well... We've been together since we were young. When we were young, he especially liked to get close to me. I don't know why, he was not very good to others, but he was very close to me, and he didn't like to let other people... uh, People, approach me."
"It was cute when it was a child. Of course, it was very powerful when I was a child, but it liked to act like a spoiled child to me. Later, it grew up, became taller, became more beautiful, and became more and more powerful, but it was still the same for me as when I was a child. Same."
Looking at the boy who kept talking, Opada felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.
However, he could see that Garlan really liked that person very much.
Because when talking about that person, Garlan's eyes were softer and warmer than anything else.
Garland continued to speak.
"From childhood to adulthood, it has been protecting me, and we have always been together."
He said, "So, no matter what happens in the future, I will not be separated from it, and I will always be with it until I die."
Even if he leaves the royal city to travel to the mainland, he will definitely bring Nega with him.
Garland thought.
He will never part with Nerga in his life.
…
That's right, the person he said was the big lion who grew up with him and liked to act coquettishly in front of him, Nega.
In order to make Opada give up on himself completely, he had to carry Nega out of the top tank.
…
Opada let out a long breath.
For some reason, after learning about Garlan's thoughts, his mood brightened in a moment.
He glanced at the knight by the lake and smiled calmly at Garlan.
"Well, I believe you will always be together."
The young man who grew up in just one night smiled and blessed his beloved teenager.
He glanced down and said, "Your knight is calling you, there is probably something, go quickly."
"yes?"
As soon as Garlan lowered his head, he saw Kaihos waving at him, as if calling him over.
"Then I'll go first."
The brown-haired Tastar smiled and watched his beloved boy go away to the knight's side.
At this moment, his mood is very calm.
Because he believes.
That knight will always guard Garlan, and they will be happy together until their final death.
Just thinking about it, there was another movement in front of him, and Opada saw Heimos, who was originally by the lake, walking towards him.
Heimos looked calm and indifferent at the moment, but his heart was churning violently.
He heard what Garland had just said.
He never knew that Gallan had such deep and strong feelings for him.
The boy said he would stay with him until he died.
The child who was doted on by him and grew up loved him so deeply.
He looked at the Tasdar man who had been rejected before he had time to express his feelings, and his mood was very complicated.
There seems to be a bit of sympathy, and a bit of… something else… like a sense of superiority.
Opada smiled at him.
"I'm dumped."
He waved his hands calmly.
Opada was so calm, but Heimos didn't know what to say for a while.
"Hey, we are all the same. Garland has someone he loves. I, and you, are all broken up."
Opada sighed without hesitation.
"… what?"
Opada's words left Huymos baffled.
"Love breakup? Me? What do you mean?"
"Don't pretend, do you think I can't see if you don't say anything?"
Opada pouted.
"I've seen it already, you have the same thoughts about Garland as I do."
Huymos felt a little confused.
He opened his mouth rarely, but was speechless.
"It's useless to pretend. I like Garland, so, who else likes him, I can feel it at a glance."
Opada continued.
"Mingming likes it so much, and pretending to be like that, it's because of this that I don't feel good about you."
He wanted to say something, but suddenly lost his mind.
Hey, it's useless to say anything.
The same is the end of the world, why continue to hurt each other.
Thinking of this, Opada waved his hand in distaste, turned and went down the hill, and left.
Only Heimos remained there.
The golden sand refracts the hot sunlight, glittering and piercing the heart.
Heimos, who was standing on the sand, looked dazed and confused.
He felt his heart in the depths of his chest beating violently for no reason at this moment.
said the Tastian.
He... to Garland...