"Yeah," Riley replied without looking James in the eye.James asked again, "Who is he? Is he a senior soldier or a palace official?"Before Riley could answer James' question, someone lined up right next to James said, "How could he know? Even the senior soldiers don't know about it."James immediately turned to the young man who he knew was one of the soldiers who also lived in the same dormitory as him, "What do you mean the seniors don't know about that?""Commander Sehel didn't tell anyone about it. He only said that the war strategy has been changed by a new war advisor appointed by King Keannu."He then lowered his voice as he did not want anyone to hear him speak, "As for who he is, whether it is from the soldiers, officials or outsiders, no one knows except Commander Sehel and a few people trusted by the king who know."James Gardner understood his friend's explanation very easily and sighed softly with a furrowed forehead, "Mysterious. Oh, no ... it's more like very strange.
Alen immediately turned to James, as well as Riley who was staring at him with an incomprehensible look.At first James was a bit confused by the stares of his two friends. However, he suddenly realized something, "Hey, my father was a traitor. I know about it, but ... he didn't betray this kingdom."He took off his protective helmet and quickly rubbed his nose. That little activity was a sign that he was becoming nervous and agitated.Realizing that, Riley immediately put his arm around James and said, "We know. Your father is not a traitor like we think he is. Calm down!"Alen also responded, "Riley is right. You ... don't have to feel weird anymore. I'm sorry, I may have misunderstood you earlier. However, I really didn't mean to make you think of your father."The situation became awkward. The unusual conversation made them misbehave themselves.However, it didn't last long. When Ben and Shin moved to their places, the atmosphere became
James was silent, suddenly looking thoughtful.Alen also frowned as he looked at Riley as if asking for further explanation.Seeing an opportunity come to him, Riley emphasized again, "So, the main headquarters should be more thorough and careful. There is no disadvantage in following this procedure. It will benefit many parties, especially our kingdom.""With this test or examination, we can also find out who chose to resign or is no longer able to continue playing a role," Riley explained further.James really couldn't argue with Riley's words. He could only grumble, "But ... this is taking too long."Ben and Shin were stunned to see that Riley was able to make the two juniors finally come to their senses."Be patient!" Ben said quickly, helping Riley."Is your wound getting worse? Do you want me to check it, James?" Alen offered as he now seemed to be on Riley's side completely.Shin also said in a worried tone, "If your wound gets worse, I'll ask-""No, I'm fine," James cut in imp
Seeing the strange expressions of his two junior soldiers, Shin added, "Life as a palace soldier is not easy."A sigh was heard from the soldier who used to be a medical staff. The palace regulations did allow every soldier who finished their training period to get married. There are no regulations that prohibit them from living a normal life like the rest of society.However, in their first year of marriage, they were forbidden to bring their wives to live in the palace. The soldiers' wives could only enter and live in the palace in the second year of their marriage. But, they were not able to stay without permission. They had to undergo tests and examinations until they were cleared. However, once they were granted permission, they would be given the freedom to live in the palace with their husbands indefinitely and have the right to use the palace facilities provided by the kingdom. "General Reece is not married. Why should I?" Shin explained as he saw the shock on the faces of
James was even more inflamed when he heard these words full of sarcasm. He immediately detached himself from Riley and said, "You're class one soldiers, but why don't you use your brains to think?"The staff glared angrily, "Young man, watch your language!""Why should I?" James retorted as he was now free of Riley, "You don't watch your mouth when you speak.""James," Riley called.James turned his head, "Why? Do you want me to stay silent when we're even accused of being a treasonous force? I ... can't let them do that."The soldiers of the class one laughed condescendingly. "You're ... hm, James Gardner. Gardner.""Did you hear his last name that I just said?" the red-haired soldier continued.A staffer with a pistol in hand frowned, "Uh, so you're the one ... the traitor's son?""You're-"James' face turned red due to the anger that had overcome him. Riley clenched his fists, barely able to control himself anymore.Meanwhile, Ben and Shin also looked just as angry as Riley or Jame
Seeing James remain silent, Reynhard grinned once more, displaying his canines as if he was ready to tear James apart.The man felt that he had succeeded in scaring James so he confidently said, "Oh, good that you're scared now. You should know better, Gardner.""Don't think you're safe, just because you're friends with a future king's son-in-law!" Reynhard said, seemingly having the upper hand.The still silent James finally raised his face, looking into Reynhard's eyes with a flat expression.However, the young man still said nothing until Reynhard finally chose to speak again, "I ... may not dare to face Wood, but you ... a traitorous son of a bitch like you I can easily conquer."The man who was one of class one soldiers was about to smile, but he didn't because he suddenly heard James laughing out loud. In fact, his laughter was so crisp that the bewildered Reynhardt looked at him with a gaze full of astonishment and confusion, "What are you laughing at?" James stopped his laug
Riley didn't answer and that made Reynhard feel victorious. He haughtily added, "Wow! How pathetic! I guess you won't be able to do anything without-""If that's what you think, then I wouldn't blame you," Riley cut in quickly, making several senior soldiers immediately sneer at him.Reynhard smiled dismissively, "Oh, so you admit it." "Of course, why would I deny it? It's the truth," Riley retorted, making Reynhard's friends look down on the young man.Reynhard laughed sarcastically, "Uh, I see. You are really disgusting, Wood. "You pathetic soldier! Using your position to get special treatment." A friend of Reynhard's said while staring with a mocking expression.Some people laughed mockingly, but Riley didn't seem to care too much.However, after letting the people have their fill of laughing at him, the almost-twenty-two-year-old said, "Indeed, being a future king's son-in-law is quite an advantage for me after all."The people fell silent again, watching Riley intently.Riley t
Alen immediately shook his head, replying stammeringly, "N-nothing, General Reece."Andrew Reece looked suspicious, but the war general chose not to discuss it too much. He simply said, "Well, then please rest. Tonight you must listen to further war instructions from your seniors."James frowned in surprise, but Riley first commented, "Will the war strategy be conveyed by the seniors to ... us as juniors, General?"Andrew turned to Riley and smiled gently, "Yes. In thirty minutes, I will call the commanders along with some seniors to discuss the matter. Afterward, the seniors will call their colleagues and you as their juniors to explain what I have to say."Listening to the explanation, James suddenly became somber. While Alen let out a long sigh, realizing that their situation was not good.Meanwhile, Riley seemed to be as calm as ever and even replied, "Yes, General.""Alright, relax first!" Andrew told them.Before exiting the tent, Andrew walked towards Riley. James and Alen sta
Hearing Gary Davis' answer, Xylan Wellington frowned.Is this really the same young man who always gives me good solutions? Xylan wondered.The future king looked deeper and deeper at Gary and finally raised his right eyebrow when he realized he had thought something stupid.More and more Xylan realized that Gary Davis might indeed be smart and dexterous and quite knowledgeable. But, such an intelligent person could also have an innocent nature like the young man had just shown himself."Your Highness, why don't you answer my question? Am I-""Forget it!" Xylan cut in quickly.Gary scratched behind his ear in confusion.Xylan sighed and said, "Gary, are you anxiously awaiting the announcement of the changes in staff and palace officials later?"Gary frowned, quite surprised by Xylan's question.The young man opened his mouth and stammered, "Your Royal Highness, I ... I'm just ...."Just by looking at Gary's expression, Xylan instantly knew that his guess was correct. The young man di
"Of course it is. Otherwise, how could his café business be successful?" Diego said, who seemed to be satisfied with the results achieved by James, his best friend.Reiner became more interested, "How? I mean ... you know he's ... well, he can't be polite and he tends to annoy people. So, what did he change?"Diego looked like he was about to answer, but Shin suddenly said in an incredulous tone, "Oh, wait a minute. He manages the cafe business together with his mother, right? Uh, I'm sure the customers come to his place because of his nice mom."Ben nodded in agreement, "I've never met James' mother, but ... considering James is like that, I'll take Shin's word for it."Diego immediately put on a sour expression, looking rather annoyed. This was because his own friends apparently didn't know James very well.However, he was the one who was witness to how James had changed so much that he felt the need to set the record straight."Hey, I'm telling you seriously. James, who is the owne
Alen did not immediately answer the question of his senior and good friend. He seemed to think for a moment before finally giving an answer, "It's like you don't know James.""What do you mean?" Shin replied while blinking.Alen snorted impatiently, "Shin, James is unpredictable. You must also know that sometimes he can do things that no one would ever think of. So, how can I guess what he might do?"Shin was stunned. The young man smiled wryly, "Damn, you're right about that. He is indeed unpredictable."In the end, the two people did not ask James any questions about what they discussed. When the funeral was over, they all returned to their respective places. However, not James Gardner. The young man who was the war general of Ans De Lou Kingdom at that time was seen walking towards Xylan Wellington's residence.Of course, this led to various speculations among most of the palace residents. It was not only the officials and staff of the palace who began to notice the irregularitie
"It will, Diego," James replied."He can wait," James repeated with emphasis.Diego didn't seem convinced by James' answer.James was usually reluctant to go into too much detail about what he was thinking. However, Diego was one of his best friends so he didn't want to confuse his best friend.So, James said, "He's not an easy guy to beat, Diego. And ... there's one thing you need to know.""What's that?" Diego asked with one eyebrow raised."His own father, I mean General Mackenzie told me that his son ... will not die easily," James explained.Diego was so dumbfounded that he didn't dare reply.James was sure his job of explaining was done, but he still added, "If the greatest and most powerful general the Ans De Lou Kingdom has ever seen said that, then there's a very good chance that Riley is still alive out there."Diego was silent for a few moments.But then he said, "If General Mackenzie believes that, we have no right to doubt him.""You're right, Diego. Therefore, we just ha
William's lips lifted upwards once again, forming a warm smile."James, without me explaining it, you ... must know it yourself, right?" William said softly.After that, the old man who was once the strongest soldier in the kingdom patted James on the back and then left James pensive.The young man swallowed hard. Suddenly he remembered all the things about Riley, more precisely their friendship that they had established since the beginning.All those memories came back. One of the memories that bothered him was when they were still not officially inducted into the army. At that time he was upset and made the stupid and desperate decision to attack the enemy as proof that he was different from his father. Then, the only person who really cared about him was Riley. He was the one who sacrificed himself to save him. At that time, he and Riley were both aspiring soldiers. Neither of them had the slightest experience on the battlefield. But, Riley was still looking for him.Uh, when he
James Gardner nodded, "Yes, Your Royal Highness. May I do so?"Xylan Wellington quickly nodded, "Go, General Gardner. You can talk to him."James was grateful that Xylan did not hold him back."Thank you, Your Highness," James said as he quickly left the crown prince along with three first-class soldiers to guard him.Indeed, the three soldiers were certainly no match for him. However, he chose to trust the three of them.Luckily, it turned out that William Mackenzie who looked much older by a few years was also looking for him so their meeting did not encounter any obstacles."General Mackenzie," James greeted the father of his best friend respectfully.William Mackenzie smiled faintly and replied, "General Gardner."James nodded, "You … are you alright, General?"William returned a smile and said in a low tone, "How can I be fine when I have some problems, General Gardner?"James frowned, looking rather confused.Not wanting to riddle and confuse James, William quickly explained wit
James suddenly gave Gardner a lopsided smile. He knew it was not easy being Xylan Wellington's shield. But, he really did not expect that the crown prince who he thought was so smart was also so innocent.His intelligence seemed to be inversely proportional to his knowledge in terms of understanding the world around him.However, he had already decided to replace Riley in order to make up for the few years of time he had wasted so he should try to be patient.Thus, he calmly replied, "You should start thinking about the matter of all of their opinions, Your Highness.""Why should I?" Xylan retorted, who did not seem to accept James' words.James bit his lower lip, feeling the need to suppress his irritation even more. Come on, James. Don't give up so easily! James thought to himself."Because you are the future king and will soon inherit the throne of this country. So, you should start thinking about what they think of you," James replied.Xylan was about to reply, but James was fas
The indecision on Xylan Wellington's face was evident. James Gardner, who felt that he had succeeded in making the crown prince realize the big mistake Xylan was about to make, called out, "Your Highness."Xylan flinched slightly when he heard his name being called by James.The young man turned to James, but still did not open his mouth.At that moment, James Gardner was certain that Xylan would change the decision they had just discussed.However, he suddenly saw Xylan smiling at him. That of course made James blink his eyes in confusion.But, within seconds, his confusion was answered. He heard Xylan say, "General Gardner, what you said is true. Everything is right. I ... might get some opposition for choosing Gary Davis as the king's advisor."He nodded. James immediately got a bad feeling that he didn't want to imagine."But, General Gardner. I have found no other good candidate than Gary Davis for that position. And ...."He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about somethi
"Yes, that's right. My personal assistant who ... is currently outside the door of my father's residence," Xylan replied, not seeming to find anything strange about his answer.James was still so shocked that he was left speechless, at a loss for what to say in response to Xylan's explanation."Why, General Gardner?" Xylan asked as he looked at James who was not speaking.James moistened his lower lip, still thinking of the right words.However, Xylan couldn't wait for him so he spoke again, "General Gardner, I know what you're thinking."James blinked his eyes, looking stunned.Xylan let out a long breath, "This must be the status of Gary Davis who is my personal assistant, right?"James' eyes widened slightly until he then looked at the crown prince with an astonished look.That's what I mean, why would you even think of making a personal assistant an advisor to the king? Have you ... lost your mind, Your Royal Highness? James thought to himself.Uh, James Gardner actually never jud