A Tale of Strategies For the Throne - Chapter 9

“Thank…”

 

Tilting his head to look at Heymos, Galran’s remaining word ‘thank’ got stuck in his throat for a long time before he finally managed to spit it out with great difficulty.

 

“………thank you.”

 

He said the last word very reluctantly.

 

Galran really didn’t want to say thank you to this enemy who had killed him four times— but after all, Heymos had genuinely helped him and saved him from losing face in front of everyone. It wouldn’t be right not to say thank you.

 

However, after saying ‘thank you,’ he felt rather unhappy.

 

So, naturally, his unpleasant mood was revealed on his face.

 

Heymos looked at the child he was holding, who pursed his lips and didn’t answer him. Galran just lowered his head, and his long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, causing the shadows on his cheeks to move as well.

 

Heymos raised his head and gently rubbed the seemingly upset child’s head. Then, he glanced over to the side.

 

The chubby kid who had purposely bumped Galran off the steps had an awkward expression on his face. After Heymos glanced at him, he turned his head away and stomped up the steps before running into the main hall.

 

Heymos withdrew his gaze.

 

He had taken a boat to the royal city, so his arrival was slower, making him the last group of people here. He had only arrived the day before yesterday.

 

He was not very clear about the situation before his arrival, but now it seemed that this child in his arms was probably being ostracized and bullied by the other royal family members because of his skin color.

 

He thought it was no wonder this child now looked unhappy.

 

…………

 

No, it’s only you who can make me so depressed.

 

If Galran knew Heymos’ thoughts at this moment, he would want to say that out loud.

 

But since he didn’t know, when he felt his head being petted again, he looked up at Heymos.

 

Again with the head patting—

 

Why did it seem like everyone liked to pat his head?

 

Was it because he was the shortest here?

 

Despite Heymos trying to comfort him, an unaware Galran became even more unhappy, staring at Heymos with pursed lips.

 

However, the child’s eyes by nature were wide and round. Now, as he stared at Heymos, his large eyes contrasting his small, fair-skinned face and fluffy light golden hair on his cheeks, he thought he was staring at someone. But to others, his appearance appeared obedient and adorable.

 

Similarly, Heymos couldn’t help but laugh a little and patted Galran’s head again. He didn’t know why, but when he saw the child, he couldn’t help thinking of a newly hatched round and fluffy baby bird that had fallen out of its nest. Watching the little bird struggle on the ground, he couldn’t help but worry, wanting to hold it and take care of it.

 

After laughing for a bit, Heymos carried Galran up the steps in his arms.

 

As he walked, he thought to himself how incredibly light Galran was for a boy.

 

Galran was not pleased at being carried by Heymos. Partially because it was embarrassing, but also because he didn’t want to get too close to Heymos. However, noticing that Heymos was already walking up the steps, he decided not to cause a fuss. After all, struggling to get down at this point might cause Heymos to lose balance, and they both could tumble down the stairs.

 

With this in mind, he obediently let his antagonist carry him.

 

To prevent Heymos from purposely dropping him, Galran tightly wrapped his arms around Heymos’s shoulders. This way, if Heymos did decide to let go, Galran would still be clinging to his neck, right?

 

Daily life #Heymos always tries to harm me# series.

 

On the other hand, Heymos felt the child in his arms clinging tightly to his neck. His small arms, full of dependence and trust, made Heymos’s heart soften, causing him to hold Galran tighter.

 

Being an only child, Heymos was used to being alone. He had never before experienced this feeling of being needed so much.

 

Heymos realized that he did not dislike this feeling.

 

Daily life #their thoughts never align# series.

 

The two, each lost in their own thoughts, had completely forgotten about the small, chubby boy standing at the entrance of the hall who had incited this situation.

 

Tal, the chubby boy, indignantly watched Heymos and Galran approach him. He choked down his anger as neither Heymos nor Galran acknowledged his existence. Not even a glance.

 

His indignation grew stronger when he remembered how Galran had beaten him with a branch the previous day. After turning and tossing almost all night for this humiliation, Tal longed for revenge. He thought that once this day passed, he would lose his chance to retaliate if Galran left.

 

So, he took advantage of Galran’s unguard to bump into him, hoping to embarrass Galran publically. How could this thin, weak-looking Galran compete with him?

 

He had managed to knock Galran down pretty effortlessly, but what he hadn’t anticipated was Heymos showing up at that moment. To top it all, the lone wolf Heymos not only caught Galran but even carried him inside; this left Tal, whose plan had failed and was now ignored, grinding his teeth with anger.

 

Regardless, after watching them enter, he also swallowed his pride and followed them inside.

 

Although he enjoyed bullying others and causing trouble, Tal was always careful about who he decided to mess with. Heymos, despite only being there for two days and largely keeping to himself, was categorized by Tal as someone not to provoke.

 

He couldn’t explain why, but his intuition told him that messing with Heymos would lead to grave consequences.

 

Yesterday, the chubby boy’s rear end had been sore from being hit by a branch. Gnashing his teeth, he followed behind Heymos and Galran, glaring at Galran. Yet, Galran didn’t notice his fierce glare, not once did he look back at him.

 

The blonde boy, Galran, was obediently held by Heymos, his pale golden hair flowing around. Soft and plush, in the sunlight it seemed to emit a subtle aura. His small hands and feet were white as clouds in the sky.

 

The chubby boy became even more frustrated watching the duo from behind. He rubbed his sore rear end and suddenly felt a little bit wronged.

 

He thought to himself, sobbing softly. “QAQ You’re playing with him, not me. I didn’t mean to bully you… Who is to blame when you ignored me when I tried to talk to you? I just wanted to play with you in the beginning, but you ignored me. So I thought I’d teach you a little lesson, to get you to play with me… Okay, perhaps I was incited and went a bit overboard… But was it necessary for you to hit me? I’ve never been hit by my own father. I really only ever wanted to play with Galran.”

 

Being held by his arch-enemy, every area Heymos touched felt like it was being scalded by fire. As soon as they entered the main hall, Galran couldn’t wait to pull Heymos’s clothes, wanting the other boy to put him down.

 

Heymos naturally felt the movement. He lowered his head to look at Galran. Galran looked up at him, then continued tugging on Heymos’s clothes and struggled a bit harder. His meaning was clear — ‘I don’t want you to carry me anymore, put me down.’

 

Although this did seem ungrateful, Galran just wished to stay as far away from Heymos as possible, not willing to stay with him. After today, they would go their separate ways. There was no need to stick together. Galran just hoped Heymos would forget him by tomorrow and that they wouldn’t recognize each other anymore — better yet, never meet again in their lives!

 

Facing Galran’s ungrateful actions, Heymos only glanced at him. His handsome face didn’t show signs of being upset, he simply loosened his grip.

 

As soon as Heymos let him go, Galran immediately jumped down and then without a word of farewell, turned around and ran off quickly with his little legs making a pitter-patter sound.

 

He didn’t even look back, appearing ungrateful.

 

Heymos stood there, watching the small figure that ran off swiftly. After a moment, he turned his gaze away, walking toward the long rectangular stone table in the middle of the hall.

 

After leaving Heymos behind, Galran sought a secluded spot away from the crowd and sat down. He began to examine the others around him.

 

The grand hall they were in was expansive, with large columns supporting an arching ceiling. The floor was paved with cool, amber-hued stones. The vastness of the hall was such that even with sixteen or seventeen children and teenagers, it didn’t feel crowded. Two long rows of blue stone tables stretched across the grand hall and most people had taken their seats, waiting for something.

 

Instead of joining the others at the center of the hall by the blue stone tables, Galran had chosen to sit by the bordering railings. These railings, just like the floor of the grand hall, were made of amber-hued stones and were elevated by over a meter from the ground, giving off a feeling of loftiness. Galran sat there, his hands pressing on the railing on either side and his small legs dangling in the air, swinging leisurely out of boredom.

 

He tilted his head up, and in the distance, he could vaguely see the impressive silhouette of the royal palace.

 

At the apex of the sky, the palace roof was coated in pure gold, shimmering brightly under the sunlight – incredibly radiant, luxurious, and imposing.

 

Observing this scene, Galran felt somewhat contemplative.

 

He thought, in this lifetime, he probably wouldn’t set foot in that stunning golden palace that he was so familiar with.

 

The place where he was murdered by that person, four times over.

 

That is why he must keep his distance from Heymos to survive this time!

 

Yes, ideally, he shouldn’t even set foot in this city ever again!

 

Just as Galran was reasserting this resolution, a commotion stirred in the middle of the hall. When he looked in that direction, he noticed a group of people making their way from the entrance of the grand hall.

 

Leading the pack was a tall man. His curly brown hair draped on his broad shoulders, and his deep brown skin marked him as a high-ranking noble. His attire was different from the others. He wore a long dress that draped down to his ankles only cinched at the waist with a gold-wire belt. He was wearing soft cloth shoes. Instead of gold, silver, or jeweled accessories, he wore a crown crafted from emerald-green laurel leaves.

 

In his right hand, he held a silver scepter about the length of his arm. The tip of the scepter was adorned with a design of intertwined laurel leaves, just like his crown and it was studded with leaf-shaped emerald gems.

 

Galran watched this tall man, his face expressionless.

 

He bit his lower lip hard, his hands, which were pressed on the stone stool, clenched bit by bit. His fingers gripped the stone bench tightly.

 

Xemuer.

 

His teacher.

 

His guide.

 

The person he most trusted before.

 

To him, this man had been a severe teacher, a strict father figure.

 

Xemuer is a priest, serving the sun god Shamash.

 

This kingdom worships many deities, correspondingly possessing a considerable number of priests in service to these gods. Only the high nobility and those of royal blood, the purveyors of prestigious lineage, qualify to become a priest serving the gods. Within the kingdom, these priests essentially assume a highly respected religious and scholarly status.

 

Shamash, the sun god, is also known as the celestial deity of justice. Hence, his priests primarily uphold and administer the nation’s laws. The kingdom’s legal code is determined by the king, controlled and executed by Shamash’s priests. For this reason, Shamash’s priests are generally serious, upright, ascetic, and unapproachably human. They value order, respect the law, and despise disorder.

 

Galran’s gaze incessantly affixes on Xemuer, who has already taken his position within the grand hall.

 

The man stands among the crowd. He is a priest, and an erudite scholar, but he is not frail. His imposing stature is clearly evident as is the tense outline of muscle on his tanned arm clutching the ceremonial staff.

 

Galran still clearly remembers.

 

In his first reincarnation, he was impatient with this strict tutor who would reprimand him from time to time. He often clashed with this person, who reminded him of his school disciplinarian.

 

Once, harassed by the crowd, he stood alone in the garden. He hadn’t been standing long when he saw Xemuer rush towards him.

 

The man charged so quickly that he had no time to react.

 

He stood transfixed, watching as Xie Muer advanced, raising his ever-present staff towards his head…No, it whistled past his head with the wind, striking forcefully behind him.

 

Thud!

 

A muffled sound rang out, much like the sound of a watermelon being shattered.

 

Subconsciously, Galran followed the path of the staff, and was splashed in the face with blood.

 

…I seem to have seen a horrifying scene…

 

Triggered by the gruesome sight, Galran fell into a momentary daze from the shock, before finally regaining consciousness.

 

Then, he saw an assassin at his feet, the body still twitching slightly. On the ground, blood and brain matter were splayed about, the assassin’s head resembling a shattered watermelon…

 

Yes, Xemuer, his tutor who was both a priest and a scholar, had swung his staff and dispatched the assassin with a single blow.

 

One strike, one life.

 

Xemuer’s staff, which was always held single-handedly and never left his side, weighed over forty jin.

 

Galran at that time: “…………”

 

From then on, he maintained only one expression in front of Xemuer, capable of delivering a fatal blow with a single swing of his staff.

 

Obedient.JPG

 

……

 

However, it’s this person – his tutor, the person he once trusted most.

 

In his third reincarnation, this person betrayed him and defected to Heymos side.

 

Footnote:

 

“QAQ” – This is a popular emoticon used in East Asia, especially China, to denote crying or sobbing. The “Q”s represent the eyes, and the “A” stands for the crying mouth.

 

The term “过河拆桥” literally translates to “cross the river, destroy the bridge”. It’s an idiomatic expression used to criticize someone who takes advantage of a situation for their personal gain but then fails to reciprocate, show gratitude, or maintain loyalty once they’ve received the help they needed. It’s similar to being ungrateful or cutting off someone who has been of use.

 

Shamash is an Akkadian sun god, associated with truth, justice, and morality.

 

A jin is a Chinese unit of weight (approximately 500 grams).