"Yes, they found it." Riley quickly picked up Alen's pin again and looked at the clue in the form of a floor plan of the food warehouse that appeared a few seconds later. Alen also looked at the small pin with an astonished look, "Wow! This is amazing!"Riley nodded in agreement, truly pleased with the results they had achieved this time. At the same time, their group's name had also been announced as one of the groups that had found the food warehouse. "Come on, let's go to the camp! You must be thirsty and hungry, right?" Riley said with a faint smile.Alen nodded enthusiastically, "Of course. I just drank a few drops of water and ate some bread. How am I not hungry?"Riley chuckled softly and ran quickly around, looking at the floor plan so they wouldn't get lost when they found the food warehouse.On their way, they passed some other groups and it was obvious that some of them were looking at them with annoyance.Suddenly Alen laughed and Riley turned to him, still running, "What
"Gotcha," Alen said when he managed to pull the hand of one of the five would-be soldiers. Unfortunately, the soldier didn't give up easily and put up a fierce fight. Alen tried to bind his arms, but it turned out that the prospective soldier with the purple flag still managed to escape. Then he ran quickly."Oh, no. I won't let you go," Alen said as he ran after her.Meanwhile, Riley had already managed to knock down a young man with an oval face and a body much shorter than his own. He immediately grabbed both of his opponent's hands, preventing him from moving."Let go of me, damn it!" the opponent cursed, but Riley ignored him and with quick movements bound the hands of the desperately rebelling future soldier."Damn it, what are you doing?" the eyes of the soldier, who wore a ferret pin as his insignia, bulged perfectly.Riley simply said, "Calm down, I just need a few seconds."And after turning the opponent around, Riley saw the silver pin. "No," the would-be warrior struggled
Riley didn't answer and instead squatted down to examine Warren's wound. As soon as Riley held Warren's leg, which was still dripping with blood, Warren immediately grimaced, "Oh, are you adding to my misery?"Again, Riley didn't respond to his friend's words and instead turned to Dean, their friend who was with Warren, "Dean, how did this happen?"Dean sighed and began to tell the story, "We just came from the food warehouse and when we were about to catch up with you guys, some people attacked us and tried to take my pin. Warren tried to stop them and was successful. Well, unfortunately one of them had a knife and attacked Warren aggressively."Alen was gaping. "This is crazy! He wasn't the only one with a knife, Riley had one too. But ... he never used it to attack other future soldiers."Warren said, "But ... they ran away in the end, you cowards!"The young man laughed crisply, but fell silent when Riley gave him a sharp look. "Why? It's their fault, Riley. Not me."Riley sighed,
Warren gritted his teeth, "Voluntarily? Do you think we're that weak?""We have a first rank leader, in case you forgot," Alen said with a challenging look.One of them spat when he heard Alen's words, as if he wanted to insult Alen and his friends. Alen clenched his fists while the spitting young man grinned, "And where is this Wood? Why don't I see him? Wasn't he with you earlier?"Dean started to answer, but the insolent man, now snorting again, said, "He must have run off and left you here."Mocking laughter erupted from the group of would-be soldiers from Group three with red cloth marks on their arms."Oh, never mind. No need to waste time, let's grab their pins and get out of here," one impatient group member said.He instructed his friends to immediately attack the three opponents he considered weak."The rest of you watch," the young man said again, requesting that only three people from his group fight the would-be soldiers with the lion pins."Damn it! They underestimated u
Unfortunately, even though the three of them attacked Riley at the same time, they still couldn't defeat him. In just a few minutes, Riley managed to subdue them.Riley tied them up with ropes while enduring the attacks from the members of the group of three, who were quite random. However, Riley once again showed his amazing skills as he managed to tie six people to a tree in a very short time.Now only the four opponents stared at Riley in amazement, wonder, and horror. "H-how did he do that?" Damian asked, his legs shaking.He saw Riley kick, but his hands were also busy grabbing his other friend and elbowing his other opponent at the same time. Really, he could defend himself while attacking without getting hurt in the slightest."He's ... very fast and agile. I ... I don't dare to face him," one of them swallowed.Damian snorted in exasperation, "You want to be a coward?"The young man with the knife in his hand did not answer, for although he was offended, his courage was evapor
Warren prepared to attack James. But contrary to their predictions, James raised both hands.Riley sighed, while Dean exchanged glances with Warren, who also seemed confused about the meaning of the gesture.Meanwhile, Riley asked in a surprised tone, "Are you alone?""Hm," James replied briefly, still with his hands raised."Then where are your group members?" Alen asked, who looked around for his group mates. But he did not find anyone behind James. The young man was all alone.James even asked back, "By the way, how long do I have to raise my hands?"Riley snorted, "And who told you to raise your hands?""Oh, damn it!" James cursed.He lowered his hands in desperation.The man walked towards them so casually.That made Warren stare in surprise, "What are you trying to do?""Riley, why are you so quiet?" Dean asked confused.James wiggled his eyebrows as he looked at Riley. Riley immediately rolled his eyeballs lazily and explained, "He's not going to attack our group."Warren was
Greg shrugged, "He looks too much like Jody Gardner's son. Didn't you see for yourself, General? He didn't even attack James Gardner, instead he avoided him."Andrew shook his head and exhaled heavily. While Keannu said without looking at the estimate, which he also considered a silly guess, "If he really was the son of one of Jody Gardner's men back then, he would have openly revealed his loyalty immediately.""Your Honor, in that case, he could have been warned by his father not to be too overtly on James Gardner's side," Greg argued, still confident in his guess.Andrew couldn't stand it anymore, "Damn it! Are you stupid or what?""Oh, come on. You're a war general, but ....""Actually you are stupid, Greg." Andrew said in a lazy tone.Greg gritted his teeth, "If he's not the son of one of the royal traitor's followers, then whose son is he?"Andrew was silent for a long time, Keannu also seemed to have no idea of the answer.Seeing that the two were silent, Greg said impatiently,
William immediately turned to his wife and held her shoulders, trying to calm her down, even though he himself was growing restless.Then he turned his eyes back to the young girl who was the daughter of his best friend. "Mary, you're not wrong about this, are you? Jody Gardner ... has a son? Why didn't I hear about this before?" William still sounded like he couldn't believe it. Mary explained, "We don't know exactly how, General Mackenzie. But judging by James Gardner's birth record, it is most likely that his mother, Dorothy Winks, left the palace while she was pregnant. And ... it is possible that Jody Gardner himself did not know that his lover was pregnant."William frowned, as if trying to jog his memory. The incident had happened more than 20 years ago, but he was sure he could remember what had happened. He vaguely remembered that Dorothy Winks had left the palace long before the incident in which he killed Jody Gardner. "Well, actually, his birth certificate has the name
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