A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

The sky was gloomy, the sun had already set on the horizon, the earth was dimmed, and the lights of thousands of houses were lit one by one in this huge city.

In a certain secret room, a man was sitting on a black seat inlaid with precious stones, while gently stroking the jade ring on his thumb with his fingers, he was talking to a person kneeling in front of him.

"My lord, things are going well."

the kneeling man whispered.

"According to the plan, those two groups of people were secretly provoked, causing them to quarrel and cause chaos. Our people have successfully encouraged those little devils to do that, and the things have been secretly sent to the palace... It must be possible soon. See the results you want."

"This time, 'that person' is dead."

"At that time, no one will notice, and will think that it was just an accident caused by the struggle between the children, and the blame will fall on that 'ignorant' Prince Garlan."

"very good."

The man in the seat nodded in satisfaction.

"Good job," he said.

He turned his head, looked over the window, looked into the distance, and looked in the direction of the royal city.

His eyes staring in that direction were dark, showing deep disgust.

"Leaving that damn bastard alive will only cause me more trouble."

The extreme hatred for that bastard made this man, who had always been proud of his status as a subsidiary of the royal family and paid great attention to demeanor and language, spit out vicious curses at this moment.

He looked in that direction with a sullen look, his gloomy gaze seemed to see the existence that disgusted him through the sky, and he made a curse-like sound.

He said coldly, "That little bastard...he should have died long ago."

…………

........................

Fatty Tal has been very depressed recently.

Originally, His Royal Highness Garlan said that he had a good relationship with himself (made up by himself) that day, which made him very happy.But it didn't take long for him to discover that more and more people were coming to His Highness's side.

Tal was actually very self-aware. He knew that he had almost no strengths and could not do anything, so when he saw so many people flocking to please His Highness Garlan, he immediately became anxious, for fear that his position in front of His Highness would be suppressed by others.

What made him a little relieved was that although more and more people were courting His Highness, His Highness always had a gentle attitude towards everyone, but that kind of gentleness was indifferent, and he didn't seem to have any special affection for anyone.

Humph, don't think he doesn't know.

Those people who came to please His Highness wanted to be His Highness's followers.

However, not everyone can be a follower of His Highness.

So far, apart from the cavalier Cayhoes, only I, who was personally appointed by His Highness to accompany me, are barely qualified to be called His Highness's followers.

However, the little fat man still has a sense of crisis.

Although His Highness is not accepting new followers now, Bao Buqi will have someone who is powerful or will please His Highness one day... Then his position will be unstable.

No, he had to find a way!

As a result, Tal, who had a sense of crisis, jumped up and down even more violently.He is a chubby chubby man, with a cute appearance, and he is flexible and sweet-mouthed. During this period of time, he has already become familiar with the maids and guards in the palace.

The little fat man seemed harmless to humans and animals, and he didn't have a high sense of presence, so almost no one would guard against him.Taking advantage of this, he secretly sniffed out a lot of weird gossip, and then ran to Garlan in a hurry, telling Garlan these gossips as jokes, sometimes some The very weird news really made Garlan couldn't help feeling amused.

His Highness looks so cute when he smiles~~~

With this in mind, little fat Tal firmly carried forward this matter as his career, and vowed to become His Highness's pistachio, making His Highness laugh every day.

In other words, that evening, just after the time for dinner, he ran to Garlan's place in a jolt, and was going to tell Garlan a big news.

Compared with Tal's spirited appearance, Garlan looked a little listless and unable to cheer up.

Because he would have that terrible dream every night for the past few days, he couldn't sleep well at night, and he couldn't tell others the reason why he couldn't sleep, so he could only find a reason to fool him.

So, when Tal came looking for him excitedly, Garlan was lying on the jade couch with a listless look.

"His Royal Highness, let me tell you, something good is about to happen—"

"yes."

Garlan hummed lazily, still thinking about what to do if he continued to have nightmares tonight.

"I know you are very upset recently, that Prince Heymos is always targeting you, he must be doing it on purpose, no matter where he is, he will embarrass you..."

Tal opened his mouth, crackling and scolding Heymos, but he kept repeating the same few words, which made Garlan feel drowsy.

After rebuking Prince Heymos, Tal came over mysteriously and said in a low voice, "However, His Highness Garlan, it will be fun to watch soon, don't worry, someone will help you teach him a good lesson." of."

"what?"

Lesson for Heymos?

Who in this world has the ability to teach that person a lesson?

Even now, probably only a few talented people such as King Kamos can do it, but no one who can do it will be so boring as to teach an underage boy a lesson.

"Really, I hid behind and overheard what Sim and his group said. They said that they got something and they wanted to use it to teach Prince Heymos a lesson so that he wouldn't be so arrogant, and give it to His Royal Highness Garlan. Exit."

"...??"

Garlan vaguely remembered... that Sim's group were all just eleven or twelve-year-old children?

He sat up lazily and didn't bother to say anything.

Those little devils wanted to teach Heymos a lesson... In fact, they were sent up to be taught a lesson, right?

Tal got closer, and spoke in a very mysterious tone, lowering his voice.

"It is said that Sim and the others got 'devil's blood'."

"what is that?"

"It's a terrible, pitch-black thing." The little fat man said in a tone of telling a horror story. All eroded to black."

"It is said that it is made from the blood shed on the earth by the devil from hell. Anyone who touches it will be targeted by the devil and cursed. No matter what they do, they will be very unlucky."

Gallan: "..."

This is also a kind of superstition, whoever encounters it will be unlucky.

These people actually believe it?Sure enough, they are all just a bunch of little ghosts.

He complained in his heart, resting his chin in one hand, and spoke lazily.

"So they plan to get that 'devil's blood' on Heymos? To make him unlucky?"

"Well! They said it was hard to get it!"

Tal nodded excitedly.

"I also saw 'devil's blood' while I was eavesdropping."

The little fat man's chubby face wrinkled into a bun as soon as he said this, showing a very uncomfortable expression.

"I can't put it into words...it just feels very disgusting...it's really dark, very sticky, and makes people feel uncomfortable just looking at it...ah, Your Highness, I saw that kind of thing, would it be Will be cursed, will these two days be unlucky too?"

Garlan was immediately amused by the little fat man's bitter face.

"How is it possible, there is nothing that will be unlucky at a glance."

Tull muttered unconvinced.

"Because it looks really disgusting, and there is a pungent smell, greasy like oil, and it moves like some disgusting thing is wriggling..."

Garlan didn't pay much attention to it at first, it sounded like it was just a prank by a group of children, and Heymos would probably just teach him a lesson in turn.

That’s right, those people jump up and down every day. Although they circle around me, they are not my subordinates after all, they are just schoolmates who study together. It’s not easy for me to ask or restrict them. If Moss hit a wall and suffered a lot, he would probably be honest.

Anyway, even if the group of brats fought together, they would not be Heymos' opponent.

Thinking of this, the child who was listening to Tal's chanting turned his head casually, and a red light fell on his face.It was the fiery red light of the last moment when the setting sun fell into the horizon, and traces of burning clouds could be vaguely seen in the sky.

He subconsciously stared at the churning Huoshaoyun.

Red and red...

It seemed that there was a flame burning hotly in the sky, just like the flame in his dream...

flame.

Suddenly, the eyelids of Garlan, who was staring at Huoshaoyun, twitched violently.

His heart beat violently for no reason.

【'Devil's Blood'...】

[It's pitch black...has an unpleasant pungent smell...like oil...]

Garlan's eyes widened suddenly.

A very terrifying thought that made his heart tremble for a moment suddenly rose in his heart.

The fire light of the setting sun shone, and the burning clouds in the sky were reflected in his golden pupils, as if in an instant, the crimson flames hit him overwhelmingly.

Reflecting his pupils into a fiery red——

"...Tal."

"Yes, what's the matter, Your Highness~~~"

"where is it?"

Garlan had rolled over and landed on the ground, his face was tense, and he was so nervous that he was breathing rapidly.

"What? Where is what you ask?"

"Where is Sim and the others blocking Heymos?!"

………………

........................

Weier Atrium, that is the only way to come back from the training ground, it is a slightly narrow road.

When Heymos came out of the corridor, the sun had almost set and the sky was getting dark.

There are two rows of white stone poles erected on both sides of this road. There is a shelf at the top of the stone poles, and there are two small braziers about the size of palms on it for night lighting.

Generally speaking, the street lamps used for night lighting are special olive oil lamps, which are more durable and brighter.However, the road around this atrium is relatively spacious, there are no tall buildings, and it is slightly close to the coast, so the sea breeze is relatively strong.The shrubs and trees on both sides here are very dense, so there have been incidents where the sea breeze blew down the oil lamps and caused fires.

After that, the stone poles here were replaced with fire plates filled with charcoal fire, so that even if they fell, they would not be burned all at once.

However, because the illumination of the charcoal fire is not enough, the stone poles on both sides are relatively close together, almost one more than one meter away.

Heymos was also a little tired at the moment after having been undergoing rigorous training on the training ground all afternoon.He came out of the promenade and walked up the narrow path of the Weir Atrium.

The shimmer of the fire plates on the stone poles on both sides reflected on his cheeks, there were faint traces of sweat on his forehead, and a bruise on his arm was also very conspicuous.

Just as he was walking quietly by himself, there was a sudden loud noise in front of him.

A group of teenagers who were about his age were facing him, walking towards him, talking and laughing with each other as if deliberately amplifying their voices.

Heymos frowned, and recognized the group of guys who troubled him last time. It seemed that the encounter was not accidental. These people probably came to block him on purpose.

"Ah, Prince Heymos."

Pretending to see Heymos just now, the dozen or so teenagers laughed and saluted Heymos, and then continued to walk over.

However, when they passed by Heymos, the two teenagers holding the porcelain pots in their hands suddenly became unsteady, swayed, and poured the contents of the porcelain pots at him.

The distance between the two was too close, and the thing that was sprinkled was liquid. No matter how fast Heymos reacted, he could only dodge half of it in time.

The black liquid splashed from the porcelain pot in the boy's hand behind splashed onto his body. The pitch black liquid started from the place where his left arm was close to the shoulder, and went down to his left foot, almost covering half of his body. The body is covered.

A pungent smell came to his nostrils, and the dark, greasy liquid that splashed half of his body slowly flowed down his body.

The uncomfortable feeling on the covered skin, as well as the disgusting smell, made Heymos frowned.

"I'm sorry, Prince Heymos, I accidentally slipped my foot, I'm really sorry."

The two teenagers who poured Heymos half of their body with the black liquid looked terrified, bowed their heads, and kept apologizing.

"I actually let your noble body be stained with 'devil's blood', I am really a capital crime."

"Oh, what can I do, people who are infected with the 'devil's blood' will be cursed by the devil."

"It's hard to wash off~~~"

"It is said that it will be unlucky for a long time."

"In the future, I will be targeted by the devil—"

The teenagers next to him were talking in a hurry. It sounded like they were worried about Heymos, but the tone seemed to be gloating.

The young man named Sim who took the lead spoke even more bluntly.

"It was originally something His Highness Garlan asked us to find, and it was intended to be given to you, Prince Heymos, but we gave it to you in advance, ah, I'm so sorry." He said with a smile, "You You won’t go to King Kamos to sue His Highness for such a trivial matter, will you? After all, our Highness is still young, and we are just joking with you.”

Heymos just frowned, turned his head, and looked at the dirty black liquid on his body lightly.

He didn't pay attention to what those teenagers said about being difficult to wash, being contaminated, being cursed, and being unlucky.

However, the name that suddenly entered his ears made the corners of his eyes twitch abruptly, and his pupils also contracted suddenly, and then slowly relaxed.

There was no expression on his face that was covered by most of the shadows, but his thin lips were pursed, and the lip line suddenly became sharper.

He spoke, his voice was very low.

He said, "...Garlan?"

Heymos suddenly made a sound, which stunned Sim and the others.

Heymos didn't know when he raised his eyes to stare at them. His golden red eyes were like the deepest night, and there was a little cold glimmer in his eyes, which made people shiver in their chests when they saw it.

"No... That's right! This is a gift from Prince Garlan!"

Although Heymos's look made his back tremble, Sim still had the courage to answer with a straight neck.

"He said, it's best for you not to appear in front of him again. Wherever he is, you'd better stay away."

[This is His Highness's order. 】

【The prince doesn't want you to approach him. 】

The boy's eyes became darker and darker, and the line of his lips became sharper.

He lowered his head slightly, his fine black hair scattered in front of his eyes, casting a deep shadow on his eye sockets.

…………

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Burning flames...

Slowly flowing black water...

…………The boy burned by the flames………

……

In the past few lifetimes, Heymos had always bound his arm with a snow-white bandage...

...every life...that pair of eyes that stared at me coldly...like those terrifying eyes that had been poisoned...

【Sim and the others said they would help you teach Prince Heymos a lesson. 】

Devil's blood...

[It is a disgusting black liquid that is said to be cursed by the devil if it is contaminated. 】

No!That is--

Almost exerting all his strength, Garlan ran forward desperately.

Because of the violent running, his breathless chest seemed to explode, and the little fat man who couldn't keep up was already thrown behind him halfway.

Sweat trickled down the corners of his eyes and seeped into his eyes, making his eyes sting slightly.

But he was still running forward, not daring to stop.

Maybe the second he stopped to breathe, that terrible dream would be staged before his eyes——

If that really happened in previous lives, then this time he will stop it no matter what!

Don't let that miserable thing happen again!

Finally, a sharp turn, the end of the corridor is ahead.

Near the exit of the corridor, he saw Heymos and other teenagers standing on the road in the atrium.

The moment he saw Heymos, the corners of Garlan's eyes twitched uncontrollably.

He saw that half of Heymos' body, who was facing away from him, had already been doused with pitch-black liquid. At this moment, the viscous liquid was still dripping down from the boy's body.

really.

He guessed right, the so-called 'devil's blood' is black oil.

Then it was true that Heymos was burned in his dream—

Thinking of the tragic and terrifying scene in the dream, Garlan clenched his fists.

Fortunately, caught up.

His chest, which was about to explode, could no longer hold it. He held on to the pillar, panting violently.

Well, it's still too late.

That horrible thing hasn't happened yet.

He catches up.

Thinking so rejoicingly in his heart, Garlan took a few breaths and straightened up again, and quickly ran towards Heymos and the others.

However, as he ran forward, he was also a little puzzled.

...In any case, Sim and the others would never have the guts to set the prince on fire...

Is it an accident?

He was just thinking so puzzledly, ran over there, and walked down the steps at the exit of the corridor.

Suddenly, a black shadow flew across the darkened sky.

Garlan's eyes widened suddenly.

The sharp arrow shot from the dark swept across the night sky and reflected in his dilated pupils.

The sharp arrow in the dark night shot silently from the dark place, swished, and drew an arc in the air.

At the end of the arc is a brazier on top of a stone pole.

Heymos was standing just under that stone pole—

With the arrow in his eyes, Garlan's mind went blank.

It was instinctive, or subconscious, and he rushed forward.

Chasing the trajectory of the arrow passing through the air, he rushed over.

Sharp arrows galloped through the night sky.

That's too late!

It is impossible for a person to catch up with the speed of the arrow.

Garlan's hand was stretching forward with all its strength——

With a snap, the tip of the arrow hit the fire plate on the stone pole heavily.

The hit fire plate shook unsteadily, and suddenly fell from above.

The red charcoal fire fell from the overturned fire plate, and the flaming fire cut a bright trace in the night, falling straight down towards the boy whose body was half-drenched in black oil.

It was about to fall on the boy in the next second——

Someone rushed over from behind.

Garlan stretched out his hands and exhausted all his strength to forcefully push Heymos away from under the overturned fire pan.

Burning coals that fell from the night fell on the little child.

Chi Chi several times.

It was the sound of flesh scorching in the silent night sky.

The burning coals imprinted deep black marks on the child's snow-white skin.

"Garlan—?!!"