Fairy Tale: Little Red Riding Hood's Wolf Mentor

Chapter 187 Gem Eye
In the palace, the Happy Prince raised his hands and put on a golden armor.

Many soldiers and commanders of the Goethe Kingdom stood by, and everyone had a solemn look on their faces.

"Lake, Poro, you're back? What did you think about it?"

The Happy Prince looked at Lake and Poro and asked softly. Above the Happy Prince's head, the swallow Sipalo also waved his wings in a friendly manner, but did not say anything to keep him.

Perhaps, Xipa Luo did not want to interfere with Lake or Poro's decision because of herself.

Especially being involved in a war between kingdoms.

"Your Highness, if we don't join, is there any chance of victory in your battle?"

Lake did not answer directly, but asked a question first.

"I don't know, but I have always believed that miracles exist in this world."

The Happy Prince smiled and said, looking around, as if he could sense the presence of every Goethe soldier, "But these miracles can only be born in faith - of course, I decided a long time ago that I no longer want to be an idealist.

I know that there is a huge gap in military strength between the Kingdom of Goethe and the Kingdom of Weser, and we have been defeated repeatedly, but now, we have more opportunities to win.

Because you came, Xipa Luo brought back the part of me that I had not yet found.

My eyes, and—power."

As the Happy Prince spoke, he opened his hands, and the pouch on Sypaloo's chest opened, and three gems of different colors flew out and circled in the air.

But then, the Happy Prince's expression became serious, and he said to Lake and Poro:
"But if that happens, regardless of whether we win or lose, the number of casualties in the Kingdom of Goethe and Weser will be unimaginable. Even if our kingdom wins, it will take a long time to recover.

If you help me, perhaps this war will end faster."

"Is this so..."

Lake listened, nodded, and said directly, "Okay, I will help you, but I don't want to do too much and massacre ordinary soldiers. I know that those Weiser soldiers did kill many innocent people in the war.

But I... don't want to kill too many people, and the Star Killing Sword doesn't like it either."

"Ha, I know. Don't worry, I won't arrange for you to do anything like that!"

After hearing Lake's answer, the Happy Prince laughed. He pointed at the Star-Slaying Sword at Lake's waist and continued, "Sipalo told me about you, and I myself—I absolutely do not want that pure starlight to be stained with more blood."

Then the Happy Prince stopped smiling and waved his hand. An adviser behind him came forward with a wooden model of an airship in his hand. He held it in the air with a wooden stick and placed it on a sand table in the center of the palace.

The Happy Prince looked at the model and said to Lake:
"The King of the Kingdom of Weiser used magic and some unknown craft to create this fleet that flies in the sky, which is called the 'Sky Conquest Fleet'.

King Weiser personally attends every battle, and he is stationed on the flagship of this fleet."

As the Happy Prince spoke, he looked at Lake and added slowly:

"If you can board this flagship and kill King Weiser, perhaps you can end this war early and restore peace to the world."

"Just as we thought..."

Lake and Poro looked at the spaceship on the sandbox, then raised their heads and looked back at the Happy Prince. "We'll do this as quickly as possible."

……

In the capital of Goethe, the atmosphere became increasingly cold as time went by.

Fewer and fewer people left the Gothic capital, until the army was approaching and no one could leave anymore. Now, the only people left in the Gothic capital were those who were ready to die fighting for tomorrow.

"Your Majesty, traces of the Weiser Kingdom's Sky Expedition Fleet have been discovered from multiple directions. They may directly encircle the city on the day of the battle."

Every day, sentinels from the Kingdom of Goethe would report to the royal palace, Sanssouci Palace.

And on the sand table in the palace, many soldiers would stay up late every day to deduce - the army of the Kingdom of Weser, just the ground forces, is several times the size of the garrison of the Goethe Kingdom.

Not to mention...the air force that can be called "invincible" on the ground battlefield!

"Have you found the flagship's location?"

"Tracking the Weiser Kingdom's flagship. Seventeen reconnaissance marks have been made. The trajectory is being determined..."

"Well, time is running out. This will be our last stand."

The Happy Prince was working tirelessly on the scroll in front of him, writing military orders and tactics. After a while, he raised his head and looked at the ancient palaces around him. Behind the aging murals, the walls still revealed a faint golden color.

But in the Happy Prince's vision, he could not see any colors. The world he perceived was made up of countless complex lines and energy flows.

He can accurately sense every corner and everything beyond the walls.

"I... must be ready to open my eyes again. Suffering and threats will not disappear by simply closing them."

He murmured, his senses penetrating the wall as he looked towards the top of the Gothic capital city wall not far away.

There, he could sense the gathering of stars.

Clear, transparent, holy...

It's like that distant paradise.

"I am a king now. I am no longer a prince. I can do more. I must do more—"

The Happy Prince, or... King Goethe, perhaps, he is not as powerful as all Goethe people think, or rather, every king's heart will become more and more dazzling after being burned countless times.

"Humans shouldn't live in this world just to feel pain. I just want more people to be able to enjoy happiness without worries."

……

On the city wall, Lake and Poro looked into the distance.

Among the swaying grass and trees, the army of the Kingdom of Weser was spread all over the mountains and plains, with tents rising and falling like a black forest with no end in sight.

Many behemoth-like siege weapons have been built.

Like one bloodthirsty beast after another.

But these are far from the most oppressive. In the clouds not far away, several warships that seem to be made of steel are suspended in the air.

"How did such a big guy do it?"

Poro opened his eyes wide, and he saw clearly that there were many tiny carvings on the dark bottom of the expeditionary battleship, but no matter what - it was a miraculous project!

It’s a pity that their goal is war and massacre.

Poro turned his vision and saw that on the other sides of the city, there were also conquering warships hanging under the clouds.

They did not deliberately hide their bodies.

It seemed as if they were deliberately using the hideous carvings on their hulls to put pressure on the defenders of Goethe City.

"Ms. Lake, and... uh, Mr. Poro."

A Sergeant Goethe walked up to Lake and Poro and saluted. "His Majesty the King invites you two to the Souci Palace."

Inside the ancient Sanssouci Palace, all of Goethe's soldiers were fully armored. The Happy Prince, clad in golden armor, stood erect before his throne, three gemstones—orange, turquoise, and azure—spinning slowly behind him.

"The flagship of the Sky Expedition Fleet, where the King of Weiser Kingdom is stationed, has been located. They will launch an attack the day after tomorrow at the latest. But this time, we are not defending, but attacking!"

After hearing this, all Goethe's soldiers tightened their grip on their swords.

Although they had previously understood from their discussion with the Happy Prince that what they were going to do next was not to defend the city but to take the initiative to attack.

However, this action of using one's own weaknesses to attack the other's strengths still made them feel a little difficult.

This is a war from which there is no turning back.

"Our city walls cannot stop the attacks from the sky. They will drop rockets and oil barrels from the sky and slaughter our people from the sky.

We can't prevent this from happening in the city, so we can only do this and take the initiative to choose the battlefield outside the city walls!"

After saying this, the Happy Prince kept his head tilted back, as if gazing into the distance. A hint of golden light condensed on his silver-gray skin.

He murmured:

"Happiness, joy...all good things require a price, even if the price is sacrificing what I have..."

At the top of the palace, through the open skylight, a shadow flew over.

The golden sunlight shone on Xipaluo's dark back, making her body look like it was cast from gold.

Sipaluo gently landed on the head of the Happy Prince, and all the Goethe soldiers below were looking at the bird flying from the sunshine.

"My dearest swallow friend, you are my eyes. Can you tell me what you see outside the city walls?"

The Happy Prince asked Sipallo softly, just as he had done countless years ago when he had just lost his eyes.

"I saw those foreign armies sharpening their blades and spears. Beside their horses hung the heads of the dead. They sharpened their swords, and all they talked about was the ambition of killing, plundering, and aggression...

The slaves, chained, built trenches under the barbed whips.

The ground they passed by was covered with bloody remains..."

After hearing what Sipalo the Swallow said, all the Goths fell silent, and the Happy Prince once again replied in a calm voice:

"I understand. I will stop the advance of war and suffering, even if it means sacrificing my second life, given by God!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all of Goethe's soldiers drew their swords, pointed them toward the sky, and shouted loudly:

"sacrifice!"

"sacrifice!"

"sacrifice!"

Amidst the shouts, the Happy Prince walked out of the palace and along the street, in the gaze of all Gothic soldiers and civilians, towards the city wall.

Step by step.

On his forehead, the golden and white bandage covering his eyes slowly fell off, turning into a glittering dust.

The Happy Prince's eyes were revealed, but in them was only a deep, lightless darkness.

"Before coming here, I had imagined that when I regained my sight, I would look around and see everyone living a happy and fulfilling life...

但I get rid of my money.

I understand now, and it's the same truth I should have understood long ago—only those who have witnessed suffering firsthand can solve it."

Behind the Happy Prince, the three gems gradually stopped spinning.

Two gems, one azure and the other turquoise, slowly floated in front of the Happy Prince's eye sockets.

"I once gave my blue eyes to a playwright. Dreams, the interpretation of the soul, allow the will to transcend suffering. Under my gaze, the dreams in your hearts will allow you to leap over suffering—"

The azure blue gem flew into the Happy Prince's left eye.

He looked at those Goethe soldiers, and behind every soldier in his eyes, a pair of invisible wings appeared.

"I once gave my blue eyes to a cold and hungry match girl. No one is born to suffer. I hope every trembling soul will regain warmth and strength."

The turquoise gem flew into the Happy Prince's right eye.

Under the cyan light, everyone felt a warmth and comfort from the inside out.

Several soldiers opened their eyes wide as they saw that the long-standing wounds on the surface of their skin had begun to heal again.

Finally, the Happy Prince drew his sword from its sheath, and raised the long sword at his waist, pointing it towards the sky.

"I once gave the red gem on my sword to a mother who had shed her blood and sweat for her young child. Under the crimson light, all warriors who wield their blades to protect will be invincible!"

The red gem was re-embedded in the Happy Prince's sword.

Not only in the palace, but in the entire city, all the people who were ready to sacrifice in order to defend, heard the drums of war gradually sounding in their hearts!

Weakness caused by hunger, cold, age or injury was slowly dispelled.

Instead, there is a power that seems to be born from the bottom of the heart!

"guard!"

"sacrifice!"

All the soldiers began to shout.

The women, children and the elderly who were unable to fight also shouted and cheered for Goethe's soldiers.

Amid the roaring waves, the Happy Prince climbed to the top of the city wall and looked at the steel forest shrouded by King Wether's flag under the dim sky, and the expeditionary fleet emerging from the gaps in the dark clouds.

The Happy Prince took a deep breath. His voice was very calm, but it resounded in the hearts of every Goethe soldier:

“I once gave all the gold foil on my body to those who were sinking in the sea of ​​suffering.

To every soldier who sets out on this day, you have sacrificed your lives for your loved ones with your own blood. I respect you. Now, the prayers and love of all those you protect will also clothe you in golden armor!

As he finished speaking, countless golden rays of light condensed into solid objects on the silver-gray surface of the Happy Prince's body, covering his body and making it shine brightly once again.

The same was true for the other Goethe soldiers. Golden light appeared out of thin air around them and wove into golden armor.

"Warriors, open the city gates. Our final war has begun."

The Happy Prince waved his golden sword and pointed it forward.

The enemy's formation is like an abyss, with dark clouds pressing down overhead.

But at this moment, where the black tides intersected, golden light suddenly appeared!

(End of this chapter)