However, Reiner, who was indeed ignorant and did not really want to know other people's secrets, immediately pushed that matter out of his head.Uh, why would I think about that? It's none of my business, Reiner thought to himself.After finishing the discussion, the war commanders hurriedly left the room along with Andrew Reece who walked towards the direction of the king's residence.“I didn't expect that General Reece would take such offense,” Joseph said.Seamus nodded with a grim expression on his face, “I should have known ....”He let out a long breath first as if gathering strength and only after gaining energy again did he speak, “General Reece has been a war general for more than twenty years and he ... is one of the senior soldiers who has gone to the battlefield thousands of times. He must be able to judge a person's ability well so ... he chose Riley.”Seamus wanted to hit himself on the head for his stupidity in doubting the soon-to-retire war general's choice. Reiner r
While Reiner was already looking rather irritated, the other two war commanders also shared Reiner's frustration.Meanwhile, James himself was still pensive as if he was confused. However, it was different with Riley. The young man still looked calm and Andrew just watched the son of the legend carefully without interfering in the slightest. “I'll try to discuss it with them,” Riley said suddenly.James immediately turned to his friend, “You mean you want to negotiate with them? Is there any way they'd be willing to do that?”“I don't know, but it's one of the better ways to go about it than starting an attack right away,” Riley explained.Joseph gulped, “Are you sure about it?”Riley looked at Joseph and then nodded, “It's not a matter of being sure or not, but it's more of a way to avoid war and ... even if this method fails, at least we still have time to prepare our troops.”Reiner suddenly winked, seemingly amazed by the strategy Riley had chosen, “Wow! That's good.”Riley nodde
Michael Hellfric waited for James' reply.Come on, hit me first and I swear I'll hit you back with more painful blows. This is for the sake of my uncle who was killed by your father! Michael thought to himself.However, Michael's hopes could not be realized. Instead of hitting Michael with an outburst of emotion, James gave him a casual smile.This left Michael dumbfounded.James sighed softly, “I know, the inauguration as deputy war general is curious. But ... you should know one thing, Mr. Hellfric.”Michael raised his right eyebrow, looking wary as James walked closer to him and then hunched his shoulders.The young man continued, “King Keannu knew from the beginning that I was the son of Jody Gardner, a war general who was labeled a traitor in this country.”“However, he still gave me the opportunity to prove my worth and this is the result ... I was chosen as deputy war general,” James said as he touched the label on his military uniform.Michael was silent, as if confused by Jam
James sighed softly, but still seemed reluctant to answer. Meanwhile, Shin apparently still had high curiosity so he asked again, “It's been three years. Have you given up on finding him?”Ben saw James' complicated expression. The young man quickly responded to his friend's words, “Shin, what's wrong with you? It's all in the past. How could a deputy war general have time to think about such matters?”He chuckled but apparently no one was laughing with him so he returned to shutting his mouth tightly as he began to realize that the tension around him was getting serious. Meanwhile, Reiner who was actually very curious but didn't want to make James dig into the past again said, “You've been here and achieved many things, James. You're ... not just an ordinary soldier, but you're a deputy war general who has helped win this kingdom several wars.”“Your service to this kingdom is great. You ... wouldn't possibly destroy all those efforts and achievements just because of that past, wou
Riley turned to James and said, “I'll go there alone.”Reiner and the other two war commanders gaped in shock, while James firmly said, “No. You're not. Are you out of your mind?”“This is one way we can find out what they really want,” Riley replied.James shook his head and got up from his chair with an angry expression. “We already know their purpose for invading our kingdom. It's clear that they want to take control of part of our kingdom. So, what else should we investigate? Isn't the most important thing to defeat them?” James said in exasperation.If James already looked emotional like that, almost no one would dare to oppose him. He was still very young and everyone in the room was older than him, except Riley.But, the fact was that they knew that whatever the young man who served as a deputy general of war said was mostly the truth.However, Riley was not like other people who just stayed silent when James was angry, so calmly the young man who was only one year older than
“I can't, General,” Reiner replied in a formal tone.Riley called him by his title which meant that the youngest war general was exercising his authority so he had to behave the same way towards him.Riley sighed, “I have to go there. This is to save our kingdom.”Reiner remained adamant, “Then why don't you talk to the deputy war general, General?”Riley exhaled harshly, “You heard yesterday that he doesn't agree.”“Me too. I don't agree with you going there alone either. That would be like handing yourself over to the enemy. Gosh, Riley, you're not that stupid, are you?” Reiner retorted.Riley fell silent.At the sight of Riley's silence, Reiner was stunned. He had just realized something.“Shit! Riley ... you went there on purpose to give yourself up, right? You knew that was going to happen and you were still determined to go there. You-”Reiner did not have time to finish his sentence because at the same time Riley hit him on the weak part of Reiner's body and slammed Reiner onto
“If I could have prevented it, I would have,” Reiner said without the slightest attempt to detach himself from James.James gritted his teeth, “Why couldn't you prevent him?”“He slammed me to the ground. You know how capable he is, right? He's so fast that I couldn't predict he would attack me so suddenly like that,” Reiner explained guiltily.James shook his head firmly, “You ... why didn't you call for help? No yelling and-”“He tied me up, James. Do you think I would intentionally let him go?” Reiner asked by looking at James straight on.Reiner added, “And he covered my mouth with a cloth. He ... seemed to have anticipated that someone would want to stop him so he immediately knew what to do.”James felt his head throbbing violently. However, because the young man still didn't know what to do, he still gripped Reiner's collar as if by doing so he could blame Reiner for Riley's departure.“Are you that weak that you can't break free?” James asked again.Reiner sighed softly, “Is t
“There's no need to argue like that,” a soldier with a tired expression said.As they fell silent, the young man who was a first-class soldier who had also been Riley's opponent for the title of war general, Josh Cleve, continued, “We shouldn't argue about something like this. All we have to do is fully support the deputy general's decision.”His friend who was also a first class soldier responded, “Josh, you ... don't hate him at all? He beat you, but why are you supporting him?”Josh looked surprised at his friend's words, “Why should I hate him? James ... or Riley can win over me because their skills are so much better than mine.”“Anyway, it's all been proven. They both deserve those two titles,” Josh added.After hearing all of Josh's words, not a single soldier commented on James Gardner's war strategy.Just before leaving to search for Riley and attack their enemy, James told Alen, “Whatever happens, you have to stay close to me, Alen. We ... don't know what might happen. If I g
James shook his head, "I can't say right now."Reiner immediately let out a disappointed sigh. "You are ... making us curious.""Right, why can't you say it now?" Ben asked with a curious expression."Can't you give us just a little ... bright spot?" Shin tried to persuade hopefully.James chuckled softly, "Sorry, I really can't tell you guys right now, but ... I'm sure it won't be long before we know everything."Diego gave him an unsure look, "Will it be us or will it be you?"James flashed a bright smile, "Of course we all will.""I don't believe it," Alen said quickly.The war general blinked repeatedly and looked at each of his good friends with a puzzled look.He then pointed at himself with his right index finger and said, "You think I'm lying? Since when did I lie or break my promise?"Ben frowned and looked thoughtful. He looked up as if he was considering something.An exasperated James said, "Damn it! Do you have to think just to answer a simple question?"Diego held back a
Ben immediately grimaced. Meanwhile, Alen and Shin laughed crisply together. Then, Diego pretended to look up.However, Reiner boldly replied, "It's not about feeling sorry for you. I ... just think Riley is too much."James clucked his tongue and took the empty seat next to Diego who immediately turned to him with the same look."That's his right," James replied, sounding casual."Rights? What right do you mean, the right to put his best friend in trouble?" Reiner replied cluelessly.James shrugged, "I've been causing him trouble for the past few years as well."Shin widened his eyes, "Hey, what are you talking about? What trouble? He-""I left this palace and let Riley handle all the problems in this kingdom by herself. I mean ... I know you guys have always been there for him and so many great warriors have helped him, but ... yeah it's still hard for him," James explained after cutting off Shin's words that he hadn't finished yet.
Reiner frowned when he saw James' expression which he found very strange. Moreover, he also saw how James' lips suddenly formed a smile."What's wrong with you?" Reiner finally chose to ask.James once again smiled at Reiner, making Reiner wink.Reiner also got goosebumps instantly. "What's wrong with you? Don't tell me you're going crazy, James!"A sigh was immediately heard from James. He snorted in exasperation, "Damn it! I still have hopes of meeting Riley, even if it's not now. Why should I go crazy?"Hearing that, Reiner let out a sigh of relief. Because, James' nagging was one of the ways that showed that his good friend was really just fine. "Then, why are you being like that? Smiling horribly. Very strange, just so you know! Not like your usual self," Reiner explained, who still looked a bit horrified.James grinned again, revealing his row of clean teeth. He then said, "Oh, it's about Gary Davis. You ... just made me realize something, Rei.""Realized? About what?" Reiner a
Instead of answering James Gardner's question, Xylan Wellington said, "I ... I know what you're trying to say, General Gardner."Great, so what's the answer? Reiner thought, starting to feel lazy.James raised an eyebrow, "Yes, Your Majesty?"Xylan sighed softly, then closed his eyes for a few seconds. After regaining control of himself he replied, "It was my negligence, General Gardner.""Negligence? About what, Your Majesty?" James asked, sounding like he wanted a clearer answer."My sister. I ... know she has done wrong," Xylan said quietly.The viceroy bowed his head for a few seconds, while James remained silent, waiting for him to speak again.And without James pressing him, Xylan said, "I've actually noticed something strange about her. This ... even, before you set out to find my brother-in-law again, General Gardner."James' eyes widened instantly, but he still refrained from commenting.Xylan cleared his throat softly before continuing, "But ... even when I felt something wa
Hearing the new war general's question, Xylan Wellington laughed awkwardly.It was a laugh that didn't really come off, in fact, it sounded so strange that it made anyone who heard the viceroy's laughter confused.Reiner also looked at Xylan with a strange gaze while James did not even blink. The look in his eyes showed a demand.A demand for an explanation from Xylan regarding what he had just said.When he saw that urgent questioning look, Xylan finally stopped laughing. He cleared his throat softly before saying, "Hm ... I know from the main soldier.""The main soldier?" James repeated as he frowned.Xylan gulped and smiled clumsily, "The king's court soldiers, General Gardner."Oh, that wasn't really what James meant. He knew without even asking that the main soldiers were the palace soldiers specifically assigned to escort and guard him.There were usually five of them and one of them was required to stay by his side
James Gardner remained silent, giving no clear answer to Reiner's question.An immediate anxiety struck the ground war commander. Not wanting to be ignored by James, Reiner asked again, "James, tell me. Are you going to stay in the palace? You're not going to leave, right?"He looked anxiously at James who was staring out the car window. However, after he waited patiently enough he finally heard James answer, "I don't know."Reiner's heart was like being hit by a rock instantly."So ... are you leaving?" the man asked in a tone that sounded disappointed."It depends."Reiner, who was still staring at James, raised an eyebrow, looking confused, "Depends on what?"James sighed softly, "It depends on King Xylan's answer."Reiner was getting more and more confused. However, he did not have time to ask further as the car they were in had already entered the main gate of the Ans De Lou Royal palace. Even so, Reiner still did not want to give up so easily so he continued to stick to James e
At first Michelle Veren didn't understand what James Gardner was asking. However, when she saw the look on the general's face, she immediately knew he meant the time of the departure of the three people they were looking for.So, the Veren boutique owner replied, "About an hour ago, General Gardner."Hearing that answer, Reiner immediately went limp. But, it was inversely proportional to James who was even full of enthusiasm. This could be seen from James who even said, "Come on, Rei. Let's go after him."Reiner looked sadly at his best friend and replied, "It won't catch up, James. It's been too long."James did not even listen to Reiner's words and ordered some of his men, "Prepare the car, let's go after them!""James," Reiner called softly.James ignored the call and kept saying to his men who were still quietly waiting, "Find out through the CCTV which area they are currently in. They ... should be visible if they take the highway from behind this building."Reiner bit his own
Unfortunately it was all too late for the young girl to realize. All the words of the girl named Alice Porter were clearly heard by Reiner Anderson and James Gardner.With a dark look on his face, James said, "Miss, you-""No, no. I just misspoke, I ... I don't know anything. You heard me wrong," Alice said, whose face paled even more. Especially when she saw the aura of James Gardner, the terrifying war general, she found it even harder to breathe.Reiner also could not help himself so he said in an exasperated tone, "Tell me everything you know or you ... will know how terrible it is when you face the two of us.""I don't care if you are a woman. I can still find a punishment that you deserve," Reiner continued coldly.Alice swallowed harshly. Of course the young girl was very confused. Moreover, no one was trying to help her at all. All the employees in the boutique looked so frightened that no one dared to open their mouths."Say it now! We don't have much time, Miss!" James gro
James' question immediately made Reiner silent for a few moments. He stared at the boutique with a confused look on his face.Meanwhile, James didn't want to waste any more time so he wordlessly walked towards the boutique owned by Michelle Veren, a forty-year-old female designer who was quite famous in the country.Reiner didn't just stand by and do nothing, lamenting his inaccuracy. He followed James with a small trot right behind James without a word.As soon as James was faster than him to reach the door, he immediately saw the two boutique guards who opened the door for them."Can I help you?" one of the boutique guards asked James."I'm looking for Princess Rowena. Where is she now?" James asked back matter-of-factly as he darted his eyes all over the first floor of the boutique.Although there was a suspicion rising in James' mind, the young man put his anxiety ahead of his suspicion."You're looking for Princess Rowena? Who are you? You-""James Gardner. Royal War General Ans