The sun is shining.

At the south gate of Longxiao City, a group of knights came to their destination.

When the thin man stepped into this famous city standing in the north again, looking at the hustle and bustle at the city gate, he only had endless emotion in his heart.

Even after that disaster, Longxiao City still looked majestic, atmospheric, rugged and shocking, and even the quarrels of passers-by were sonorous.

Those days......

But he still forcibly suppressed the thoughts surging in his heart, and withdrew his gaze from the towering statue of Necajo.

He still had something to do.

The thin man lowered his head and urged the horse with the reins.

The thin man said lightly to the dozen or so knights behind him, "Get ready, we have a long slope to climb." ”

The knights seemed accustomed to his indifferent tone, and did not say a word, but silently followed.

It was a low-key procession, with no flags, decorations, or badges to identify them, only luggage and sundries on the horses, and the hurried faces of each person.

Several of the people inside were obviously coming to Longxiao City for the first time, and they looked around in surprise.

"This is Longxiao City?" a young attaché wondered, "Wasn't it almost destroyed by the calamity?

"It's rumors that ruined Longxiao City, not a disaster," the thin man replied easily, "Wash your brain, Mark." ”

A few minutes later, a Northland nobleman with a military atmosphere came up to greet them with several cavalry, and after a brief meeting, he directly took them out of the queue to enter the city and into the city.

They walked through the open space in front of the city gate and began to ascend the hill.

"I'm really flattered that the chief garrison officer has come to greet us in person," the thin man greeted lightly: "Viscount Resten." ”

"Unfortunately, Her Excellency is in the Hall of Heroes - today is her day of hearing, and the Regent of Lisbane is there. The Northland nobleman named Reston appeared very capable and bold, and the patrol began to operate in an orderly manner with a few gestures from him.

I saw him bowing slightly at the thin man on the horse:

"His Excellency Lord Putile Niemann, who has come all the way from the Kingdom of the Stars. ”

Lord of the Stars, Putirai nodded in response.

Viscount Reston - the old subordinate trusted by the Earl of Lisbane, who remained as the garrison of Longxiao City after the Archduchess succeeded to the throne - looked at the dusty star people and bowed his head slightly: "But I think you must want to see that prince first." ”

The attachés of the stars looked at each other a few times, their eyes showing anticipation and curiosity.

The prince.

The second prince in the biography.

"That's right," said a smile on Putilai's thin face on the bustling streets of Northland, "Please take us directly to the Blood Courtyard." ”

Reston raised an eyebrow slightly.

Courtyard of Blood......

"Of course, the Courtyard of Blood, the most remote and dilapidated corner of Valhalla, is inhabited by a special guest," Reston sighed softly, "please follow me." ”

His Excellency the Viscount frowned and waved his hand, and a herald immediately set off, and after ten seconds, a patrol in front of them immediately changed direction and headed for Valhalla.

"You're a man of understanding, and I admire you—unlike your former receptionist. Puttilai nodded approvingly and pulled out his pipe.

Viscount Reston snorted and rode alongside Putile.

"Former receptionist?"

Reston curled the corners of his mouth, "I heard about his covert obstruction of the Mission's access to the Prince—after which he was found to be in close contact with a Count of the Black Sands. ”

"That's why I'm only up on my own this year," a grim-looking Reston coughed, "after he's hanged—ahem, replaced." ”

Putile took a puff of his cigarette, watched the smoke rings change on his horse, and sighed, "Thank you for understanding our anxiety. ”

"Willing to help," Reston nodded thoughtfully, "After all, this is Longxiao City, not Black Sand City." ”

Putirai narrowed his eyes and said, "King Chaman will still send envoys to 'condole'?"

When it came to the king, Viscount Reston's face showed disgust and disdain: "Three times a year, never late." ”

"If possible, he probably wants to buy the crows that flew over Longxiao City to spy on our every move," Reston glanced at Valhalla on the side of the mountains, "especially the whereabouts of those two." ”

Putile spat out a smoke ring: "But I listen, your king has been in big trouble lately?"

"Isn't it," Reston snorted, seeming pleased, "since the coronation, Charman Rumba's troubles have never stopped. ”

Hearing the name, the entourage of the stars tightened their faces and quickly pricked up their ears to pay attention to the new king who had not ruled in Exeter for a long time.

"Half a month ago, the four Grand Dukes, led by the four Grand Dukes of the North and the West, launched a resistance to the king's persecution of the nobles in their domain, and in the name of the oath of co-governance, they called for solidarity with the old nobles of the Black Sand Territory who had been stripped of their titles by means of tax resistance—and called on others to join them in opposing the king's atrocities. ”

The corners of Viscount Reston curled up.

Of course.

Why not save a sum of money and look at the king's embarrassment?

"I suspect that Long Xiaocheng will soon receive an invitation to sign their joint condemnation letter," Reston exhaled softly, "You know, the reputation of 'family killers' is stinky enough. ”

"'Murderer' Charman," Putileh whistled, "and that's a mean way to call one's own king." ”

"I heard that was the first to be called 'long-haired' Ronnie of Qiyuan City," the garrison laughed happily, "It can be called the worst king nickname in the history of Exeter—you know, even Jacob I, who married his own aunt as queen, is only called 'the corrupt'." ”

Putileh chuckled, noncommittal.

Bad reputation......

Just because it's bad doesn't mean it's bad.

"I heard that the stars are not stable in the country?"

"Listening to the southwestern plague that has been quelled with great difficulty, there are signs of a recurrence," Viscount Reston naturally transitioned the subject, "and King Kessel has already sent three waves of standing troops in a row to the Blade Lord?"

Putilai narrowed his eyes slightly: "The old wound is too deep, and it is not so easy to heal." ”

"Just like you. ”

Reston and Putile looked at each other, and the dragon and the star nodded thoughtfully.

The group walked through the lively Longyi Square, walked through the chaotic bow area, walked through the axe area and spear area where the upper class were treated, and went all the way to the upper city area of Longxiao City.

Finally, the first city gate separating the Axe District and Valhalla appeared in front of this group of people.

Putile looked at the towering gates and sighed again.

Viscount Reston had a serious face and negotiated with the patrols guarding the gates for a few minutes before the stars were let into the gates.

Immediately, many patrol soldiers came forward with unkind faces and checked them from body searches to luggage, which made many Xingchen people angry.

"Rest easy, it's a necessary procedure—oh, that box contains a gift for the Grand Duchess, please be careful. ”

Putile habitually raised his hands and waited for the body search, while comforting the stars who were in a bad mood, asking them to endure the murderous and rude spirit of the Northlanders, and then said to Reston who was waiting: "It seems that your security has improved a lot. ”

Reston's face tightened.

"Three additional passwords have been added, a number of sentry posts have been added to the front, even the emergency warrants issued by the Grand Duchess herself have corresponding insurance measures, and we have even begun to try to recruit a rare anomaly in the Northland army—according to the advice of the prince," Reston's tone became stiff, as if to suppress something: "The city gate is always a wall separating danger. ”

"The story of being deceived by a high-ranking officer of great reputation and a soldier mole who teamed up to open the city gate will not be repeated. ”

Putile sighed in response.

Finally, after a complicated search, Xingchen's group passed through the city gate and came to the open space in front of Valhalla.

Putile looked at the eight big stoves in front of the palace gate, which were both familiar and unfamiliar, and remembered the scene when the back of that one walked into the palace gate alone, and couldn't help but sigh.

Groups of palace guards watched them unkindly as they patrolled.

They dismounted and let the guards take their mounts.

"The Blood Courtyard is over here, please follow me. The Viscount of Reston led them out of the majestic gates of Valhalla and into a secluded cloister.

The road beneath their feet became narrower and narrower, even overgrown with weeds, but the number of guards on the road gradually increased.

"How's he doing?" said Putirai with mixed feelings as he looked at the passing guards.

The attention of the people of the stars was attracted by this question.

Reston frowned.

How's it going?

This question......

"Everyone has a different opinion of him," the Garrison Officer carefully chose the word, "but I ...... it"

"The prince was quiet. ”

The centaurs of the stars bowed their heads to each other: this was in line with their judgment of the prince's youth and maturity.

Only Putile was taken aback: "What?"

That guy......

Putile remembered the image of an adult who talked eloquently and made people speechless from time to time.

Be quiet?

He thought it was incredible.

"Most of the time, he sat quietly by himself and read, sometimes talking to himself and even reciting aloud, but he forgot to sleep or eat, and each time the position was different, from the corner of the courtyard to the cliff of the sky, and he felt sorry for his guards......"

"He had to go out of the palace every month to play chess in the spear area, and he liked to stay in the box by himself, playing chess with himself, and sitting for several hours at a time, until his entourage reminded him that the Grand Duke's personal guards needed to eat......"

He didn't care much about the strife in Longxiao City, and refused to accept any court banquets or hunts—even if the nobles' eyes were fixed on him—but he was very familiar with the servants in the court, and he liked to smile when he heard him, and even greeted the crows when he saw them. ”

"There were so many teachers who taught him and His Excellency the Grand Duchess - half of them did not last two months, because they 'could not agree with the prince's style', and the Count of Lisbane was a headache......"

"Ah," Putile shook his head with a smirk, "I'm here to solve this problem. ”

Viscount Reston had a strange expression:

"But he had a good relationship with the Grand Duchess, and the two of them often stayed in the library from morning to afternoon, which made him a lot of enemies among the nobles of Longxiao City," said Reston in a low voice, "The Count of Lisbane is very dissatisfied with him for this. ”

And that's not all.

It also attracted a lot of dissatisfaction and protests for the female archduke.

Reston said silently.

Putirai knew this and nodded slightly.

After making their way through countless doorways and heavy guards, they finally came to a dilapidated and old three-story building with almost no foyer, where a number of palace guards still stood, scanning them with vigilant and fierce eyes.

"It's like going to jail...... You know, the jailers on surveillance are all over the place......" a star attaché whispered to his companion.

Out of the palace guards came a guy who was clearly the leader, tall with sharp eyes and a long knife at his waist.

Viscount Reston greeted the captain of the guard.

"Lord Justin," the Viscount nodded politely, extending his hand to the stars behind him, "This is the ......"

The former deputy commander of the White Blade Guard, Lord Justin, who had once guarded the palace under the attack of the Black Sand Collar, nodded with a flat expression, and his gaze circled around the guest's body:

"Putile Nieman, I know him. ”

Putile smiled: "It's a pleasure to meet you, I want to ......"

But Lord Justin clearly did not like to talk too much, and he still had a blank face, and interrupted Putillai straight to the point: "I know what you mean. ”

"He's in the backyard, come with me. ”

Putile smiled slightly, thanking him for his understanding.

"I'll wait for you here," Reston stood with his hands behind his back, pursing his lips and nodding, "It will take a while for the Grand Duchess to listen to the government." ”

With anticipation, the attachés of the stars looked at each other and followed Putile through the first floor of the building to the backyard.

Even in the light of the sun, the canopy-shrouded backyard looked eerie and dilapidated, as if no one had lived in it for a long time: the tiles were uneven, the roots of the trees were full of broken stones, the white trunks of the trees were almost integrated with the cracked courtyard walls, the walls were desolate and full of shadows, and the air was rendered with a hint of ominous atmosphere, which made people feel melancholy at first sight.

A dozen soldiers who looked like stars stood in the dilapidated courtyard, guarding the entrances and exits.

A young man in his twenties saw them from afar, and his eyes lit up and he hurried to greet them.

"Oh, what a surprise," the young man was tall and ordinary, but he had a pair of sharp eyes: "Your Highness, he ...... I thought you would arrive in a week. ”

When the young man came to Putirai, the attachés of the stars could not help but notice that he had an unsheathed sword at his waist, which was slashed on one side.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Putile spat out a smoke ring without hesitation, raising an eyebrow: "Squire Waiter Waiya Cassel." ”

Hearing this surname, the visitors of the stars cast strange glances at Huaiya.

It turned out that it was the ...... of the "cunning fox"

But the prince's attendant didn't seem to like this gaze very much, and he turned sideways to give way to the sight behind him.

The guests were first attracted by the strange man leaning against the wall, with his arms folded: he had short pale hair, covered the area from his throat to his nose with a silver mask, revealing only the tattooed upper half of his face, and looked at the people with a cold, wary look as if they were intruders.

It's quite uncomfortable.

He's probably not very friendly—quite a few people think so.

"Bang!"

A muffled sound came.

The star's gaze immediately shifted to the source of the sound—the two people in the field who were practicing swordsmanship.

What caught the eye was the seven or eight-year-old boy.

I saw that he was holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, sweating profusely, but his face was resolute and he gritted his teeth.

Resist the attacks of the guard in front of you again and again.

"Arms should be raised, pay attention to the ups and downs of my shoulders, anticipate the next attack, and defend the ...... in time" The guards who practiced with him were not tall in size, and they deliberately lowered their posture to take care of the boy's movements and height, and the wooden sword knocked on his joints from time to time, forcing the boy to retreat.

"Bang!"

There was another muffled thud, and the boy fell to the ground in embarrassment.

He bit his lower lip, wiped the sweat off his head, rubbed his sore knee, and looked at the guard dissatisfied: "Does it have to be like this?"

"Stand up!" the guard shook his head, his tone serious and unaccommodating: "Raise your sword!"

Huaiya frowned, looking at the seven or eight-year-old boy, as if he couldn't bear it, but finally stopped talking.

Putile, beside him, narrowed his eyes and stared at the training in the field.

Everyone in the stars craned their necks and looked at the boy on the ground who gritted his teeth and endured, but his expression was tough.

That's ......

The only prince of the stars?

The ...... who was hostage in an enemy country and used his life to maintain peace between the two countries

But......

The visitors looked at the boy who had been knocked down by a sword, and their hearts darkened.

The prince looked at his hands and legs, sighed heavily, and got up listlessly: "But this is too much ......"

"Isn't it necessary if you still want to inherit your father's position and take over his responsibilities?" the guard's words sounded sternly from behind the helmet, sounding terrifying, and the people watching the battle around shook their heads: "A sharp blade may tear flesh apart, but if you hold it in an unstable hand, you can't cut even the most fragile reed!"

The prince, who was still a weak boy, could only take a deep breath, holding back his emotions, he refocused and raised his sword and shield.

Many onlookers looked unbearable, and many glanced at the newcomer Putirai with strange expressions.

Sparring starts again.

"You know the essentials of this swordsmanship," the instructor-like guard dutifully instructed the boy despite his sternness, guiding his movements: "Keep your feet steady, but not too tight, and control your center of gravity, which is especially important when switching between offense and defense......"

However.

"Bang!"

The third time, the strong but weak boy fell hard to the ground, and the wooden sword fell to the ground.

There is no way to fight back.

Behind Putira, the attachés of the stars looked at each other in disappointment, and withdrew their gaze from the boy.

Obviously, His Royal Highness the Prince is not very talented in martial arts, and even knows nothing about it......

It becomes a little complicated to make them look forward to it.

If this is the future of the Kingdom of the Stars......

"That's enough," Huaiya, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't stand it any longer, and the prince's attendant crossed his arms and said dissatisfiedly to the boy's instructor, "He's only eight years old!"

Rolf, leaning against the wall, whistled lightly and made a gesture that no one else could understand.

The prince on the ground took a deep breath, clenched his hands, and threw a punch to the ground, but still looked at his instructor in disbelief.

"Eight?"

The guard snorted coldly, and he looked down at the boy.

"When I'm his age, I'm far less merciful than I'm dealing with enemies, and I'll give you a second - no, a twelfth chance to get up!"

The prince who stood up turned pale.

"You don't need me to know how special your identity is. ”

The guard's words were merciless, and the boy with his special status was a little surprised and ashamed.

But the boy was still unconvinced: "But I'm smarter than all of them......"

"It's not a question of being smart or not!"

The guard's voice grew harsher:

"Your opponents, each one of them is much older, much more powerful, and much more experienced than you! Without a strong will and a strong body, how will you step into that highest position in the future, how will you control an entire ......?"

Right now.

"Your Highness!"

An extremely high shout resounded throughout the audience, and even attracted the attention of those palace guards in the distance.

There was silence in the field.

Putile took a step forward, patted Waiya on the shoulder, and motioned for him to step back.

The visitors of the stars looked at the leader of their journey, expecting him to bring some change to the seemingly weak prince.

After all, that's the future of the Star Kingdom......

Only then did the seven- or eight-year-old boy notice the arrival of Putile, and he scratched his head in embarrassment.

When the onlookers saw this scene, their faces were strange.

The thin Lord looked sharply into the field.

After a second, he sighed softly.

"Your Highness, don't make any more trouble," Putile put away his serious expression, with meaningful eyes, and said helplessly: "Be mature." ”

"It's time for you to grow up. ”

The boy blinked, looking around with trepidation, as if he was a little afraid.

A few seconds later.

The guard in front of the "prince" moved slightly, and dropped the wooden sword in his hand.

He straightened up and turned his head.

The guard tugged at his shoulders and, with the crackling of his joints, took off his arm guards and gloves: "Ah, you're so old-fashioned, with a bad sense of humor. ”

A muffled voice came from behind the helmet, as unpleasant as a duckling's voice.

The people around him, whether it was Rolf or Wya, looked helplessly at the "guard".

Putile rubbed his forehead, only to feel that his head was as big as a bucket.

The new attachés of the stars looked at each other in amazement, unable to react for a moment.

I saw that the stern "guard" took off his helmet, revealing a handsome face of thirteen or fourteen years old.

The boy under the helmet shook his sweaty face, stepped forward, threw the helmet to Rolf, and smiled heartily at Putile, who was half a head taller than him.

Under everyone's gaze, the real second prince of the Star Kingdom, the boy-looking Terles Bright Star, like an ordinary Northland man, punched Putira's shoulder with a refreshing punch.

"It's been a long time, Putira. ”

Putilai, who was knocked back a step, shook his head helplessly: "It's a shame that they have returned you to be 'quiet'." ”

What a "quiet prince".

Tails laughed, patted Putile on the shoulder, and gave a fresh, relaxed smile to the people behind him, making people feel close.

"Friends from home," said the prince, beating his chest happily, and cried out in a muffled thump in his chest, "welcome to the Northland!"

Under the stunned expressions of the attachés, Putile sharpened his teeth with a headache and pouted: "What's the matter with that boy?"

Tails patted his head and turned around.

"Joseph, I have met an old friend," His Royal Highness the prince reversed his stern posture just now, squatted down and said gently to the boy: "That's it for today, you can go back, your father is probably in a hurry." ”

"Don't be nervous, my teacher told me: to learn this swordsmanship, you have to learn to be beaten first. ”

The boy exhaled as if he had been pardoned, rolling his eyes as he removed his protective gear: "I thought it was over today." ”

Tails laughed.

The young prince turned his head and raised his eyebrows at Putilai, whose face was about to turn to charcoal gray: "This is Joseph, the son of the head chef, and his dream is to take over his father's position and become the head chef of Valhalla, in charge of the entire back kitchen...... His status allowed him to join the apprenticeship chef at the age of eight, but you know, Valhalla's back kitchen is highly competitive, and his worst skill is cutting meat, so he needs special training in using knives......"

"Alright...... Putile sighed helplessly, flicking the embers out of his pipe, "I'm glad to see that you've become more cheerful in six years." ”

"His Highness Tails. ”

Instead of the dead child with a serious face in the past.

Tails' expression stopped for the last second.

He stood up and restrained his smile.

As the prince's expression changed, the atmosphere of the guards and attachés also cooled.

"No," he said lightly, "not six years." ”

Putile gave him a puzzled look.

"I remember it very well," said the prince, raising his head and with a little emotion, "today is the year, month and day. ”

Tails looked at the sun in the sky and sighed with a complicated look in his eyes:

"It was six years and one hundred and sixty-seven days. ”

"I'm almost fourteen years old. ”

?? Whining...... Whining......

?? Tails ...... Whining...... You've finally grown up......

?? I thought it was ...... I thought it was ...... Whining......

?? Hurry up, everyone, the reward of the reward, the vote of the vote, the message of the message (crying silently without a sword), otherwise what if he wakes up from bed in the next chapter and finds that he is still seven years old?

?

????

(End of chapter)