Section 93 Price

Ashrufat's tone was as relaxed as ordering food, and he didn't even raise his head to look at the little girl.

"So...... Ashrufat, why are you still with me?

"I? I'm an exception. Of course, you can understand that I am doing my duty as a guard. Ashrufat replied calmly. "Falcon City is now under Byron's complete control. Relying on years of installing cronies to purge outsiders...... It can be said that the overall situation has been decided, and no one can turn the sky upside down. Where do you want to go in the future?"

"Where can we go?"

"Honestly...... As a guard, I don't have particularly good advice. I'm not a wilderness sage, and any path I take at the moment seems adventurous. Ashrufat said.

"You said you were stronger than Garunas. The little girl suddenly remembered what Ashrufat had declared before.

"That's just me bragging. Ashrufat didn't seem to care at all. "Whatever you say, you can't take it seriously. To put it mildly, who would dare to say that he could do better than Garunas, at least he had a solid track record - it was thanks to his wisdom that the land was united into one nation. It's easy to brag, but it's hard to actually do. ”

He picked up a piece of wood with his hand and stirred up the campfire. In fact, the fire did not burn very much, and it was this fire that provided light and warmth on this cold and rainy night. However, the hut is small, so the campfire must be guarded with care, as it could set the entire hut on fire.

"Garunas......" said Ashrufat. "An amazing person. One might say that he wasn't good enough, but that's just maybe. His methods have been proven to be correct, and his strategy has been proven right by history. What we can discuss in future generations is really just a topic like 'is there a more correct way?' Is there a more correct way? Perhaps, but more likely it is that this so-called 'more correct way' is wrong at all, just a piece of paper. ”

"Still," continued Ashrufat. "Actually, I believe I'm better than Garunas. For Garunas seems to have nothing but his intelligence, but I have something that he does not have. He chuckled softly. "Let's not talk about it right now. As a guard, I've protected you from danger, do you have any ideas for what's next?"

"I ......"

"If you're going to go to Rafah...... Personally, I would advise you not to do this. Because the first journey is long, our Duke Byron is a shrewd man, and he will definitely set up layers of checkpoints and arrange a large number of pursuers to intercept and intercept them. Secondly, even with General Rafa, things may not change in essence. It's just that the man who tried to catch you like he did last night changed from Byron to Rafa. At the very least," Ashrufat thought for a moment. "You are to marry the son of General Rafah, or at least to make a marriage contract. You see, my past speculations are about to come true. ”

"Is there any other choice?" the little girl looked at Ashrufat, perhaps because of the tone of Ashrufat's voice, and the tears in her eyes were already flowing uncontrollably down the corners of her eyes. But Ashrufat didn't seem to care at all.

"Yes, let's say, you can put aside the title of 'queen'. Think of yourself as an ordinary girl...... I bet the Duke of Byron will chase and intercept you to get to General Rafa, but he certainly wouldn't have anticipated that. You should be able to avoid his eyes and ears and hide somewhere where no one knows you...... Not at home, but also abroad. Well, I can help with that, but I'm actually a bit of an industry. You can live quietly for the rest of your life in a place where no one knows you...... At least, it can be regarded as a repayment to our monarchs and ministers. Why, you canonized me as a knight? Ashrufat said. "As your personal guard, I think that's all I can do. ”

The little girl calmed down, or seemed to calm down. She wept silently, but did not speak. Although she was wrapped in a cloak at this time, her body looked extremely thin and pitiful at the moment.

"As long as you give up this title of 'queen', it is the easiest and least effortless result. Ashrufat said. "There is no risk, as long as you hide for a while, no one will be able to recognize you, after three or five years, you can move freely without worrying about exposure, and you can even go back to Eagle Falcon City one day...... Of course, as a foreign guest. ”

"I ...... They are descendants of the Makremiz family. The little girl stretched out her right hand from her cloak and grabbed the dagger from the side—since the last time she had successfully killed little Byron, she had found another dagger for herself, and had kept it close to her to prevent accidents. She was still crying, but there was already a determination in her voice that was not for this age. "I inherited this throne from my father, and I will not give up even the slightest hope! My father told me that the people of the Makremiz family can die in battle, but they must not give in!"

"What if there is no hope at all?" asked Ashrufat, seemingly casually.

"Then I'd rather die!" the little girl looked at Ashrufat. "Ashrufat, my mother-in-law once told me that you have the spirit of a king, and you also told me that you are willing to teach me the study of kings...... Tell me, what should I do in this situation?!What should I do as a queen?"

Ashrufat finally looked away from the burning campfire and looked at the little girl, but did not speak.

"If there is no way, then I would rather die. She closed her eyes and aimed the blade of her dagger at her neck. But the next moment, before she could make any movement, she felt a lightness in her hand. The little girl opened her eyes and saw that her dagger had been taken away by Ashrufat.

"If you have the courage to pick up a dagger and stab yourself, how about a different target and stab at the enemy?" asked Ashrufat.

"I ......"

"Actually, it's all up to you. As long as you identify yourself as a queen, as long as you can make the determination to consider the throne the best grave...... In fact, things are not as desperate as you think. Ashrufat looked at her and said slowly. "I remember you said in the past that you wanted me to pledge allegiance to you...... Go beyond the role of 'personal guard'...... Then I ask you, I'm very expensive, can you afford to buy me?"

"Of course I can!" said the little girl decisively, without a trace of hesitation.

"I said it...... My price is so high that any king would think twice before making a bid...... Because I'm not a mortal...... I need all your trust!" Ashrufat stared at the little girl's face, "Can you trust me more than you believe in yourself?"

"I'll do it. But you also have to ...... You have to teach me how to be a queen!" the little girl felt that she was having trouble breathing. There seemed to be something in the air that made her feel fearful, not that she was aware of some kind of danger, but a feeling that came from biological instinct. It's like a goat watching a lion stare at itself.

She suddenly realized that this fear was the result of Ashrufat's gaze. It was the first time that Ashrufat had looked at her with such a gaze, staring, scrutinizing, looking, and evaluating. From another point of view, it was the first time she had looked at this man so closely. She seemed to feel an indescribable sense of coercion emanating from this man, is this what her mother-in-law called "the spirit of a king"?

"If you have this determination, you would rather die than regret it. Ashruphat stood up, came to the little girl, and stood there face to face. When the little girl was so nervous that she didn't know what to do, Ashrufat knelt down on one knee, lowered her head, pulled up the hem of the cloak she was wearing a little, and touched it on her lips. "I'm willing to lend you my strength for the time being. He looked up again and said.

"I don't regret it!" said the little girl. Ashruphat stood up, and suddenly, the suffocating atmosphere of the moment was gone. The little girl found that she couldn't control herself and cried.

"Don't cry. Ashrufat bent down and put his hand around her shoulder, his voice still grim. "You can't cry. The first lesson of a queen, which is also the most basic requirement, is that there must be no tears, at least not for outsiders to see that they are crying. ”

"Now......" said the little girl, choked up. “...... No outsiders ......"

......

"What are you talking about? Is that Ashruphat not just a magician, but also a ...... Wizard of Chaos?!" Duke Byron's eyes widened, there really couldn't be more ridiculous than this.

"Otherwise, there is no way to explain the situation. Essien said. "This also explains why Ashruphat has been hiding his magical abilities...... To tell the truth, why should a magician be a guard? As long as he shows his true ability, he can get too much good treatment, even if it is easy to ask for the title of a nobleman. ”

"Hmm...... There is some truth to it...... But have the cultists of the evil gods infiltrated to this extent?"

"Your Excellency. Essien said. "Don't forget the fall of the White Castle. The minions of these evil gods have penetrated far deeper than we expected. There was also a cultist found in the city before...... That's even the abusive believers of the Blood God, the one who will not hide themselves among all the cult godists. ”

"You're right...... But if that Ashrufat is a cultist, why would he do this, and what would he do next?"

"Send the little queen to Rafa, of course!" replied Esin. "If the barbarians want to invade our country...... The best thing to do is to cause a civil war. Now this little queen has the power to do that! You have to take action right away!"

"That's right...... But if he's a Chaos wizard...... I'm afraid he still has the help of his party. I'm afraid it's not easy to intercept ......."

"Don't worry, sir. No matter what means those cultists use...... Even if they were flying, they couldn't be faster than magic communication. ”

"Yes, tonight, everything has to be arranged. Bring me the pen and paper!" Byron's last words were addressed to the servants. "Do everything possible to stop them in the road, and never let the little queen and Rafa meet. ”

......

"Will ...... General!" Robin hurried over and banged the door. "Are you asleep?"

"What's the matter......" a lazy voice came from the room. "Robin, I just fell asleep......"

"Urgent, my lord, news from Eagle Castle ......"

“...... Let me sleep a little longer...... I'll talk about it tomorrow......"

"Your Excellency, General, don't sleep! Now His Majesty our King will probably have to get up from his bed to study this problem! This is news from the palace directly!"

"What?" A few seconds later, the door opened. Bayrell walked out, dressed in scruffy pajamas and his hair unkempt. Robin lit the candlestick on the table, and Beller, sleepy-eyed, began to read the letter.

"What, that's what happened. Our Duke Byron staged a coup d'état, but unexpectedly failed to catch the little queen. Under the protection of a personal guard, the little queen of the Makremiz family actually escaped from Eagle Falcon City. Béral commented as he watched. "Byron, this guy is really a waste...... How can a regent, who has been a regent for many years, still make such a low-level mistake?"

"General, this is an urgent ......."

"What urgency is the inevitable result. Bayral dropped the letter on the table and yawned. "It's the latest information, but it's not as valuable as my sleep...... It's not just a waste of mine, it's a waste of your sleep. Robin, it's easy to get old if you don't get enough sleep, be careful that when you get old, your wife will dislike it. ”

"My lord, she's not my wife yet, she's just a fiancée, a fiancée!" Robin explained eagerly, but the next second he realized that he had unknowingly been diverted by Bayral. "What do you say, sir?"

"It's as inevitable as there are casualties in a war. Beller replied nonchalantly. He had already begun to walk towards his bed. "What does it matter if the little queen falls into Byron's hands or not? If there's nothing else to do, you're good to go. ”

"What, what do you mean...... Little Queen......"

"There are four sides of chess. We, the barbarians, Rafa, Byron, everyone else are pawns, not chess players. It is difficult to move from a chess piece to a chess player...... Okay, I'm going to sleep, you can turn off the lights and go. With that, Bayor lay back on the bed.