Alen immediately stepped aside according to James' orders without arguing. He hid behind a large statue and waited for James' next instruction.He would not do anything and just stand there while watching James' actions.Because he knew the situation was very critical and James was trying to save him from enemy attacks that might hit him.James quickly attacked Evan who was surprised by the agility of the young man who he guessed was the deputy war general of the Ans De Lou Kingdom.“General, retreat first!” one of Evan's men shouted who saw Evan starting to get overwhelmed against James.Evan shook his head firmly, “I will not retreat.”“But ... General, he-”“You ... go get help, I'll stay here to hold him off,” Evan said who again had to repeatedly dodge James' relentless attacks.In fact, he had thought that James might never get tired at all because of his relentless attacks.“General, come on! This won't work. He's ... too strong,” the soldier said in a panicked tone.Evan said,
However, before James listened to Riley's explanation, the young man who was seriously injured fainted.James, who initially looked shocked and annoyed at the same time, immediately became panicked, “Alen, why did he faint? Is the wound too severe?”Alen, who had begun tending to Riley's wounds, nodded, “We should take him ... back to the palace immediately, James.”“There's no equipment to treat him here,” Alen added.Ben immediately said, “We can take him to the palace right away. We've already won.”“But ... there's still-”“James, it's really all over. There's little we need to take care of, you can take Riley back to the palace. Anything else, let me and the others sort it out,” Reiner cut in quickly.James looked hesitant. It was not because he wanted to delay the treatment Riley should get, but he knew that there was only one fighter plane that could be used to return to the Ans De Lou Kingdom.“You … are you sure you can do it?” James asked with furrowed brows.His gaze did no
It didn't take long for James Gardner to understand everything. In fact, afterward he saw Alen Smith greeting the woman and middle-aged man who were obviously a married couple. “Alen, Alen. You're … a medical staff, aren't you?” Cassandra asked the young man she had already met.“Riley will be fine. Isn't he?” Cassandra said frantically.Alen nodded, “You don't need to worry, Mrs. Mackenzie. We will do our best to save Riley.”James was still silent where he stood. Alen's words had explained everything. Alen, one of his best friends, also knew everything that happened. James closed his eyes for a few seconds and chose to hold himself still.The young man took hold of the edge of Riley's bed and helped him to push again. He then said softly, “Alen, hurry up a bit!”Alen was immediately surprised and looked guiltily at James as if he already knew what James was feeling. However, he did not have time to say anything and quickly went about his duties while asking people not to come
Meanwhile, William also began to be confused to calm his wife who was crying more and more.However, Cassandra's crying finally stopped when she saw the operating room door open.Everyone also immediately stared at the door, waiting anxiously.As several people from the medical team came out, William and Cassandra walked over.“Doctor, how is my son?” William asked.The elderly doctor looked up at the middle-aged man who was staring at him anxiously.“General Mackenzie,” the doctor greeted after he noticed William's face.William nodded, “Yes, Doctor Sigmund. It's me.”Sigmund was surprised, “Riley Wood, I mean General Wood is ... your son, General?”“Yes, Doctor,” William replied.James just stared blankly ahead, as if he was ready to hear that statement. Meanwhile, Reiner and the other soldiers could only squeal in shock as an important fact had j
Ben suddenly bowed his head.James immediately closed his eyes, completely unable to believe the painful reality that had slapped him.Meanwhile, Shin looked at his friend with a look of disappointment.He touched Ben's shoulder and asked, “You knew about this big secret and you ... did nothing? What have you done?”Ben was silent.Shin took a deep breath and watched the expressions of all the soldiers who were his best friends. The man sighed softly, “Aren't we ... all friends? How could you ... and you hide this important thing?”Ben raised his head, “Then, what do you expect me to do?”“What did you say?” Shin retorted fiercely.“You think it's easy? Hiding a secret of this magnitude? You think ... what happens if I tell you and the others? Especially James. He ... would definitely fight with Riley. They'll-”“Damn it!” James cursed because he couldn't stand it anymore.The young man said, “Don't act like you know about me and can guess what I might do or happen. You think you can
Shin and Reiner glanced at each other, as if they were both confused about whether or not to leave the area as James had requested.However, the reason they hesitated was certainly not because they were both worried that James would hurt Riley. Instead, both of them were more worried about James.Unfortunately, James, who did not get an answer from his two friends, turned his head with a furrowed brow, “Why? Don't you two trust me?”“You guys ... think I would do anything ... to hurt Riley? Is it like that?” James added with a sad look on his face.Shin quickly turned to James, “Of course not. I am sure you wouldn't do anything that bad.”“Don't get me wrong, James! We're ... just very worried about you,” Reiner said quietly.James was startled and when he looked at his two friends in turn, he instantly knew that they were not lying at all.The young man closed his eyes and instantly realized his mistake, “I'm sorry, senior. I ... I ....”“No problem, we'll leave you so you can be alo
James laughed disappointedly when he saw Riley's silence.Riley suddenly stared at him wordlessly.“Why, did you ... did you never even have the intention of telling me about it?” James said in a sharp tone.Riley opened his mouth but not a single word came out of it.James was getting annoyed at him, “Uh, I see. I see now.”James nodded and stepped back, making Riley surprised.“James, it's not like what you're thinking,” Riley finally managed to reply to James.James shook his head.“Do you really know what I'm thinking, Riley?” James said in a sarcastic tone.The young man could no longer hide his immense disappointment, “You don't know, Riley. But ... I can tell what you're thinking.”“James, I ... know I've wronged you. But, please understand, my position is very difficult. I don't want you to ... hate me, James. I don't have-”“It must have been a lot of fun for you, huh?” James cut off Riley's words quickly.Riley who was originally leaning back immediately leaned her body, fac
At first Riley was eager to force James to answer him, but he stopped doing so when he finally understood that James might need some time alone.He sighed softly, “I'll talk to him later.”Meanwhile, outside Riley's room, all the people who were good friends of the two young people who were having complicated problems were staring at James with questioning eyes.While Alen and Ben were silent because they didn't dare to ask, Diego casually asked, “Did you ... talk to Riley?”James nodded.“Then ... how?” Reiner asked in an anxious tone.James did not answer Reiner's question and only said, “I'm going back to the dorm first.”Shin, who heard that, bit his lip and replied, “I'll accompany you.”James did not refuse and let Shin come with him, while Diego and Reiner remained there.After James and Shin were no longer there, Alen decided to go inside with Ben.Not long after, Diego and Reiner also entered Riley's hospital room area.“He already knew about it,” Ben said when he first looke
Gary Davis replied with a serious expression, "Your Honor, I apologize if you find my words presumptuous, but ....""Just say it! Say everything you want to say!" Xylan commanded.From the tone of his voice, Xylan clearly sounded impatient. "I'm ready to listen! And ... I won't get mad at you, don't worry!" Xylan added after he saw the hesitant look on Gary's face.Xylan thought maybe Gary was afraid that he would be punished if he said what was in his head so the future king's salon had to reassure Gary for the young man to be braver.Gary nodded, looking relieved. At least he had an assurance that he would not be punished. "Your Highness, you ... will be made the new king of Ans De Lou Kingdom. You are still very young and you yourself must have guessed that ... that ... I am ...."Xylan clucked his tongue impatiently, "Just say it! I have no problem. Just take it easy!"Gary nodded again and continued, "There are some who don't like you. Although ... for now things aren't looking
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