In the training ground at night, Tails hurried forward, his weapon shot, and his sword blade was vertical and horizontal!

Two crunchs.

One after the other, the two pendulums hanging in the air were flexibly picked apart by him.

Tails took the opportunity to bully him, passed through the gap opened by the pendulum, and practiced stabbing the person in front of him with his sword!

Boom.

His blunt sword pressed against the thick wooden shield in the opponent's hand with a muffled thud.

Tactilely, the results are good.

But he didn't have time.

In the narrow field of vision of the helmet, Tails gritted his teeth and retreated the same way, retreating sharply!

He was going to return unscathed, back to the starting point.

The creak of the rope swinging sounded.

The pendulum closest to the boy reverberated and came closer and closer.

Tails' nerves were tense and he could only speed up his calf kicks, struggling to maintain his precarious balance as he retreated.

The sins of the Hellriver in their bodies felt nervous, and they became agitated, but Tails ignored them.

Call!

The pendulum swept over his shoulder and didn't hit him.

Tails breathed a sigh of relief.

Great, there's only one last ...... left

"Bell!"

Before he could finish thinking about it, Tails felt a sharp pain in his eardrums!

His helmet was hit by a second pendulum, buzzing.

I'll you......

Tails bowed down in discomfort, threw away his sword, pulled his neck out of his helmet with three blows and five divisions, and rubbed his left ear, which was ringing in the ears and in pain.

Directly ahead, the prime-age guard who was sparring for Tails, the vanguard officer in his thirties, who always held back a smile when the prince made a fool of himself, lowered his shield and looked at the commander present.

"Be steady. ”

Marlos stepped forward, patted the lime dots on Vlaten's shield, and watched the two pendulums that were tangled together in the back and forth, indistinguishable from each other, thoughtfully.

"The strength must be ruthless, the stabbing sword must be accurate, and the action must be correct. ”

"The most important thing is not to be hit by the reverberating pendulum. ”

"If one of the five is not done properly, the practice will not count. ”

Without sympathy, Marios withdrew his gaze from the tinnitus-torn prince, tapped on Vlaten's shield, and gestured to the side of the bodyguard, Conmuto.

"Do it all over again. ”

Konmuto walked out of the field, exchanging a new shield for the thick lime-dotted shield in Vlaten's hand.

Tails easily straightened out his painful left ear and got up in frustration:

"I don't understand. ”

"Why is this training so rigid: you must go straight up and down, you can't swing your sword to block, you can't roll with a bow...... Just to compare the speed with the two reverberating pendulums?"

Tails stared intently at the metal pendulum that rippled back and forth like a swing in front of him.

Thankfully — or, politically correctly, thanks for the sunset — it wasn't long ago that his martial arts classes had come to an end with both static staking and confrontation training.

But instead of it, there is sword target practice.

Tails looked at the pendulum dangling from the air attached to the freely propelling wheel carrier.

In the past few days, from pendulum training, to ring piercing training, dodge training, and thrust training......

There are no less than seven or eight kinds of targets alone, and there are multiple choices with different levels of difficulty within each type of training, and there are many kinds of tricks.

Of course, Tails's beatings are also constantly being reinvented day by day: his helmet is deformed by the swinging pendulum, he is foaming at the mouth by the spinner wheel that spins faster and faster, he is dusted by the sandbags falling from the rain, and he is dizzy from the target positions shouted out out of order......

Something he won't admit to death......

He misses the dead face a little.

Nicolas training is about destroying your self-confidence in the midst of endless setbacks.

Marios's training is to wear down your patience in boring repetitions.

In the training ground, the accustomed guards looked at each other, and the logistics officer who was guarding the equipment on the sidelines, Piloga, handed over the water glass to buy Tails some rest.

As time went on, even if the young Duke of Xinghu began to slowly become familiar with his twenty-odd Star Lake Guards.

In the vanguard officer team, I don't know if it's family history or personality, Garyn Glover is faintly the leader, and the "zombie" himself is introverted, reliable, and has no complaints (with D.D.), and also won the trust of Marios, the watchman entrusts him with many matters, and under the leadership of Glover, the eight vanguard officers under the Duke of Tails are all vigorous and distinct, and the left-handed swordsman Zonevid who has fought with Tails, including Vlaten, who is now his sparring partner, is among them.

The six-man team of bodyguards was the closest to Tails, and unexpectedly, the gag and cynical Danny Doyle was in it ("Who wouldn't want to be friends with a rich tycoon. —Marios's casual words during the meal), there is a lot of fox friends and dogs who are united, and they do not hesitate to bully men and women for the sake of the prince, and Konmuto, who once fought with Tails and rose from the guard officer to the guard, is also one of them.

There were six men in the Punishment Wing and the Logistics Wing, and Gray Patterson was led by a fastidious bald old man ("Hehe, you know why that guy's nickname is 'The Gardener'? because, ah, once he caught a guy cheating on a maid in the grass, and then—hey, sir, you're here, my one, go first, hey!"—Doyle who ran into Patterson around the corner thirty seconds later).

Dward Stowe, who is in charge of logistics, is pleasant-looking, often smiling and asking Tails if he is satisfied with the food and expenses ("How stupid do you have to be to believe that the guys in charge of keeping accounts and managing money are good people?"—Doyle, who is biting bread).

Hugo Fouby, who was in charge of the flag wing, looked gloomy, but he was haunted and walked silently ("I guess it was hung up a few years ago, only ghosts are left floating in the air, but we don't know it."). Doyle, who gritted his teeth with pleasure on his face), and his two of his flag bearers' subordinates were only in the hands of Marios, and were rarely directly involved in the affairs of the Guard.

And (according to Tails' malicious speculation) the captain of the personal guard, the guard watchman, the respected Wang Yuyan - ahem - Lord Tormond Marios, with his three subordinates and the leaders of the above five wings, arranged the complex and newcomer Star Lake Guard in an orderly manner and worked smoothly, especially when the banquet was coming, I have to say that there is still such a set.

"Target practice doesn't mean you can be opportunistic and tell stories. ”

Marlos looked at Piloga disapprovingly—D.D., who was supposed to serve the prince, had not finished his sentence in the kitchen—and handed the glass to Tails:

"Over the past six years, you've learned from the Northlanders the art of seeing and dismantling. ”

"This may have given birth to your finishing powers......"

"But that also means exchanging blood for blood, winning in danger, it means moving forward even if you kill red eyes, gritting your teeth when you cut off your blade, it means leaving no way out, no matter what is important, half betting on luck, half betting on madness. ”

The watchman's eyes condensed slightly:

"In reality, this situation will only happen when the weak attack the strong and the chance of winning is very small. ”

Tails returned the glass of water to Piloga, soothing his aching muscles.

"But more often than not, you'll have a lot of chips in your hands, but you'll face complex enemies, and more constraints. ”

Marlos narrowed his eyes:

"At this time, what you need is not just the will to sacrifice yourself for a moment, but to cultivate the accumulated movements, habits, concentration, calmness, sensitivity and courage in daily training. ”

"That's what you're here today. ”

Well, Tails admits that, at least in lip service, Marios can still finish abusing the Meteors, listen to this set of tricks......

As for the rest.

"Battles are carefully planned in advance, and every aspect must be taken into account, and every factor must be taken into account, and all preparations must be made, rather than getting by, and going wherever you go," says Marios.

"This is the opinion left by the former watchman of the Guard, who was highly skilled and once guarded the Mindish Hall. ”

Tails' thoughts paused slightly.

This time, the prince turned his head and looked back at the vast but exquisite courtyard of the Mindish Hall with mixed feelings.

With a gentle breeze and the illumination of the lights, the Mindisi Hall at night is more like a tourist attraction than a solemn Wang Family Garden.

Former Watchman.

Guarding Mindis Hall.

"Your ex. ”

Tails looked back:

"You know him?"

Unexpectedly, Marius looked deep and thoughtful:

"Yes. ”

"I know him. ”

Before Tails' slightly surprised expression, Marhros leisurely added:

"From the historical record. ”

A second later.

Tails let out a breath and rolled his eyes.

You know a hammer.

"Of course, I know that sword target practice is boring and far less interesting than real combat. ”

Marlos took Tails' hydration bag:

"As you have already learned, there are three major schools of martial arts in China: technical attack, trendy, offensive and defensive. ”

The watchman turned his head and glanced at Piloga and Commutto, who had been on their shift to sparring the Prince.

The two are in unison.

Marhros waved at the older logistics officer and the stout guard officer and smiled:

"That's enough to digest for a while. ”

Piloga and Konmutto breathed a sigh of relief, smiled again, and bowed politely to the prince.

"But they can only be regarded as unique in style, and they are far from the mainstream of today's martial arts. ”

"Well, wait until you've passed the first stage of sword target practice. ”

Marlos looked back:

"Let's go back to confrontation training, our young men have talents who can show and teach you the two dominant martial arts in the schools of Xingchen and even the entire Western Continent. ”

Tails' eyes moved:

"Dominance?

"Yes," says Marhos, with the allure of his grandmother's storytelling:

"From the beginning of the imperial era, they have competed with each other for thousands of years, and they have gone through countless experiences on the way, witnessed thousands of ups and downs, and have been passed down to the present day. ”

Tails asked:

"And that's?"

Marios didn't reply, just shook his head and gestured to Vlatten on the other side of the pendulum.

The latter crooked the corners of his mouth, silently raised his shield, and returned behind the pendulum.

Tails sighed, resigned himself to his feet, and put on his helmet.

Under the light of the moon and lights, the sound of footsteps and sword swings sounded again on the training ground.

Finally, after Tails didn't know how long it had been, how many shields he had hit, how many pendulum blows he had taken, Marles spoke up:

"Well, these few moves are good, quite qualified. ”

Thank goodness – ahem, thanks for the sunset.

Tails let out a breath and slammed his sword to the ground.

Until......

"Then let's do it twenty more times. ”

Marlos was full of spring breeze.

Tails' drooping little face tightened again:

"What?"

"But the pace, the strength, the precision, the movement, including the damn pendulum...... I've done a good job in all five of them!"

The teenager protested angrily.

"Yes, Your Highness, you have done all five things very standardly, so, in order to maintain such a good state......"

Marlos smiled and said:

"Let's consolidate it a little more. ”

Tails thought the night was long.

Finally, after twenty standard pendulum stab drills (which included countless times as many failed moves as it came to pass, not counting the total), Tails collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

"I've heard that 'Angry Seas' is an improvisation on the line between life and death. ”

Tails still lay still, just struggled to lift his head, trying to divert the topic and avoid the next 'consolidation':

"And that's the best training you've found for me, exhausting me to death?"

"Is it really meaningful to be in real combat?"

Marlos snorted softly and motioned for the others to clean up.

"If you really want to talk about the meaning of actual combat, Your Highness, do you think that as the Duke of Xinghu and the second prince. ”

"How many chances do you have to go to the battlefield and face the enemy head-on?"

As the Duke and Second Prince of Star Lake.

A chance to go on the battlefield and face your enemies head-on......

Tails, who was sitting on the ground, tilted his head to look at the sky, frowned and recalled:

It seems to be ......

Quite a lot.

Marlos is sarcastic:

"So, according to you, why don't you learn how to blow the sharpest whistle and shout the loudest 'help', and then wait for someone else to kill for you and save you at the most critical and needy moment?"

Tails tugged at the corners of his mouth on the ground.

I want to, too.

It's a beautiful thought.

"Unlike the ancient nobles who personally led the troops and charged forward thousands of years ago, today, the existence of martial arts classes does not require you to become a warrior with one as ten, or a pioneer in battle. ”

"That's someone else's job. ”

Marlos glanced at him:

"Our work. ”

The watchman's attitude became serious:

"In the royal family and even in most of the high nobility, this lesson is just for you to know and empathize: in the past, the warriors around your ancestors who regarded death as their home, in the future, the warriors of your subordinates who fought for their lives ......"

"While they go forward and fight for you, and die for you......

"You have to know what they've been through and what they're going to face. ”

"In order not to forget. ”

Lying on the ground, Tails exhaled, remembering the bloody scenes of the past: the birch forest, the Broken Dragon Fortress, the Dragon Sky City, the Blade Tooth Camp......

Tails sighed:

"Believe it or not, I know better than you do...... More than a lot of people. ”

Marhros walked up to him and appeared upside down in Tails' field of vision, blocking the stars in the sky:

"I have no intention of questioning you. ”

"But that's not all. ”

The Watchman Whispered:

"Everyone, including our royal guards, has made this oath and upheld the belief that if the crisis comes, the battle will begin, and we will sacrifice everything to protect our master. ”

"But there's only one person who can't think that way. His tone suddenly became stern.

Tails' expression moved.

"You. ”

Marlos said indifferently, as if he didn't care:

"You have to always think and be prepared: what are you going to do when we can't do our job, or even when we're not on our side?"

Unable to perform their duties, or even by their side......

For some reason, a deep black prison beneath the Bone Prison suddenly appeared in front of Tails' eyes.

The boy closed his eyes and opened them again.

"You mean, when even my closest and most trusted guards betrayed me and forsaken the Lord?"

For a moment, the air on the training ground seemed to be still, and the guards who were on shift were stunned.

Marlos was silent for a second.

"I didn't say that. ”

But Tails ignored him.

"And will you?"

The Duke looked directly at the captain of the guard above his head:

"Maybe it's because of a better, higher reason......"

"Betray me?"

Vlatten, who was on the side, subconsciously glanced at Marios.

It's hard to answer.

But Marlos only looked at the prince fixedly, and did not say a word for a few seconds.

Maybe it's autumn, maybe it's the temperature of the training ground at night, and Tails who is lying on the ground only feels slightly cool behind him.

"It's time for you to take a shower. ”

Marios's voice remained aloof:

"Rest early. ”

"After all, fifteen hours later, your welcome party will begin. ”

"Hopefully tonight will help you ease your nerves. ”

yes, a welcome banquet.

Damn the feast.

Tails sighed, the back of his head slamming back to the ground.

The guards on duty began to pack their bags.

In the distance, a listless figure limped closer, followed by another sturdy figure.

"You're done with it?"

Doyle, with a tired face, came to Marios, followed by the usual expressionless Glove:

"At least give me a chance to get close to the prince, or my dad will ...... tomorrow"

Marios didn't look at him, but just walked straight ahead:

"How's it going?"

Doyle looked at Marles with no affection:

"Don't worry, in the back kitchen, in the warehouse, in the haunted rooms of the Mindis Hall that have been piled up for hundreds of years, following Shi Tuo, staring intently, not leaving, and I have also established a good relationship with a vote of maids-cough-cough-servants, and sorted out the situation......"

"At tomorrow's feast, at least no one will be able to poison the prince and his guests—of course, aphrodisiacs. ”

Marlos chuckled, ignoring Doyle's tactful complaints.

"I have coordinated with the Guard Hall, the royal standing army, and the guards of the Fuxing Palace, and there is no problem with the arrangement of personnel and posts, even after His Majesty has left," Brotherover behind Doyle said coldly:

"No one can threaten him, let alone assassinate. ”

Marhros was silent for a moment.

"Poisoning?"

The watchman turned around and looked at Tails, who was lying on the ground looking at the stars in the distance, and his gaze froze:

"That's the least thing I'm worried about. ”

————

Today is October 30th, which commemorates the "Chase for the Holy Day" to commemorate the defeat of orcs for the first time in human history.

It is said that in this traditional festival, the whole world celebrates from Crystal Island to the Devil's Sea, from the Mountain of Sighs to the Sea of Flames.

Tails remembers what the beggars called "Fat Sheep Day" – the day when the streets were filled with noisy celebrations, regardless of where their wallets were, were the cutest.

It's a pity that for Prince Tails, today is no longer "Fat Sheep Day", but his damned homecoming welcome banquet.

Growing up, Tails had only attended one banquet.

And the experience of that time is obviously not for reference - the dignified Duke of Xinghu can't always roll up his sleeves and pick up his wine glass, and shout at the guests in the Mindis Hall, "Eat, drink, fight, grass, do whatever you want!", right?

But it has to be said that it was not until the next afternoon, as the host of the banquet, that Tails stood under the statue of the Three Kings of the Stars to greet the guests, that he realized how difficult the job was.

"Look at you, what a man. ”

Viscount Patterson in front of him was old-looking, only older, and he was supported by two nephews to attend the banquet, his eyes were cloudy, but he was an important person, and he belonged to the kind of guests that Tails needed to greet in person—he ruled the Fort Ford, was an important eastern stronghold of the Central Territory, and he was a direct vassal of the royal family.

Ranked among the Seven Servants of the Bright Stars.

Among all the heavyweight VIPs, he was the first and arrived early, which made Tails, who was in the lounge receiving makeup and dressing, reciting the banquet process and various etiquette, be in a hurry, and had to disrupt the arrangements and hurry out to greet him.

I saw Viscount Patterson trembling but unceremoniously pushing away the two sons and nephews who were helping him, leaning forward and firmly grasping Tails's arm.

"I still remember...... Eighteen years ago, I was sitting in the Hall of the Stars...... Look at your father, crowned king. ”

"Now......" the old viscount gasped.

Gloufo and Doyle stood nervously to the right and left of the prince, their knees slightly bent and leaning forward, as if ready to pounce at any moment.

But Tails felt that it was not to protect him, but to fear that the old man, who could not even speak, would fall to the ground and die suddenly.

"The prince has a banquet, the spicy hands are ruthless, talking and laughing, the old minister is in ashes" - this kind of news is better to be less.

Tails kept smiling, following Professor Guinie's standard royal etiquette, with grace and affection, squeezing the old viscount's goosebump-like palm, keeping an eye on his balance, and inquiring about his health (the viscount had some ears behind his ears, and his nephew had to repeat the prince's words several times in his ear).

Just like a standard Duke of Star Lake should do.

"My body knows it for itself, Your Highness, and it won't last a few years. ”

"But it doesn't matter," at that moment, a glimmer of light flashed in Viscount Patterson's cloudy eyes:

"Because...... Time flies, and the stars are still the same. ”

Tails felt his palms tighten, and saw Viscount Patterson lean down, and with great effort, pressed his chin against the prince's glove:

"The kingdom is young. ”

With goosebumps, he gasped and gritted his teeth:

"The time is right. ”