Since he had to face someone he didn't know but wanted to get important information from him, An made a simple analysis of Erlan before setting off:
The fact that he was able to save his country from the fire of war as a teenager shows that he has a strategy far beyond that of ordinary people;
To personally lead troops in battles and win consecutively means that he has made good achievements in arranging troops, and he may also have developed good martial arts skills;
As a prince, he stabilized all parties and seized the window of war to rapidly develop national power, which meant that he also had excellent governance skills.
This is a man very similar to Lecco, and they don't even officially inherit the name of "King".
Perhaps without Leko, Erlan would be the legendary figure who calmed down the chaos.
So, normally speaking, what kind of character would such a person have?
Mysterious or approachable?
The export is full of philosophy? Or does it give people the impression that they are wise and foolish?
These were all unknown to An. In order not to leave a stereotype on himself, he only made a rough analysis and then stopped, deciding to adapt to the situation after actually seeing the person.
If we talk about the first impression of the first meeting, Erlan's feeling for An was barely in line with the previous speculation. However, when he had to destroy the chessboard, he never expected that Erlan would change his mysterious and wise temperament and become more... He went too far and blew up the chessboard!
He also kept mumbling that Prince Regent Lecco would never play chess...
Could it be that my inability to play chess coincided with the impression Leko left on Erlan?
When encountering an unexpected situation, An, whose brain was running rapidly, quickly thought of the reason. However, Erlan had changed too much before and after, and it was difficult to understand what he said for a while, so An did not answer it without authorization.
"There's no need to knock the chessboard away, right?" An said calmly with a smile on her lips, as if everything was expected.
"You have the nerve to tell me, weren't you the one who knocked the chessboard flying when we first met?" Throwing aside the complicated robe, Erlan crossed his legs as if chatting with a friend, "...well, Don’t tell me, it feels pretty good, if I had known I would have done this to those old guys from the beginning!”
First meeting...
It sounds like it was the time Leko played chess with him in the palace of Elland.
They weren't playing chess at the time, and Leko just flipped the chessboard over?
The reason why the whole country of Erlan joined the empire was not because they decided the outcome on a chessboard, but because Leko used other methods to convince Erlan?
Maybe it has something to do with Erlan’s exclamation...
stop!
It's not time to think about Leko's method now, first think about how to answer the call.
"Those old guys" should refer to Erlan's retainers. Judging from the entire sentence, the time should be at least before he and Leko met for the first time.
Why lift the chessboard?
...By the way, Erlan is a prince, and he will definitely not be recognized by everyone at the beginning. It must have taken a lot of effort for him to rectify people's hearts, and during this period, he will inevitably have to make mistakes with those people.
make sense!
An raised his head and said to Erlan with a half-smile: "You have exposed your true nature so early. I'm afraid you alone can't deal with those wolves who are coveting you, right?"
No matter how talented Ellan was, if he didn't gather his own people's spearheads and attack the outside world at the beginning, he would not be able to defeat the invaders alone.
When Erlan heard this, his originally happy expression turned into something bad, as if he had eaten something bad: "You just say some disappointing things, it's bad luck!"
The bet was right.
An tapped his fingers on the table a few times, smiled and said nothing.
Erlan's reaction on the one hand confirmed the speculation, and on the other hand, judging from the lack of anger in his tone of voice, this was probably the way he and Leko got along.
It doesn't matter if you don't speak now, just wait for the other party's reaction.
"You guy, you disappeared for seven years, your personality has not changed at all, and you don't know how to catch up with long-lost old friends." Erlan shook his head and sighed, "Do you know how uncomfortable I have been in these seven years? Every year , the people you settled will come to ask about your whereabouts. But they ask me, who should I ask? How do I know which dark corner you have gone to to hatch your bad intentions? "
"Explain to them, but they still don't believe me. They say I have the best relationship with you. How could I not know anything?"
"I was so angry when I heard this! If I knew where you were, I would definitely be the first to come and beat you!"
"You hid it deep enough!"
"When you showed up with this identity, I went to investigate. The background was so perfect that I thought it was just two different people who looked alike. The result is good. Now that you are showing off, you are clearly slapping me in the face. !!”
Erlan slammed the table angrily and stood up, as if he was going to fight An with fists and kicks at the next moment.
But he quickly sat back down, the anger on his face completely disappeared, and he seemed a little happy.
"Well done, it means you are much stronger than me. Only in this way can you solve the current problem."
An realized the key, but at the same time, his thinking seemed to become slow.
"Calm down, Ellan." An frowned and rubbed his forehead with his fingers, "I know a lot has happened, especially recently, but you can't panic."
"I'm okay, Leko. But I'm really not as good as you in controlling my emotions. I can only find ways to divert my attention..." Erlan rubbed his eyes tiredly, "If you can explain I might feel better if I find out how I disappeared for so long and what my plans are for the future."
"……not the right time yet."
Hearing An's answer, Erlan took a deep breath and let it out again.
"I knew it!" he said, "Forget it, don't worry about it. You're here to ask me how far my investigation has gone... What I found is really unexpected."
An immediately woke up.
"The bandits who attacked you after you left the imperial capital do have Watt... my most trusted bodyguard behind them." Erlan's face was gloomy. It was the first time he showed such a heavy expression since we met, "In He was not killed in prison, but committed suicide."
An looked calm on the surface, but was full of surprises in her heart.
Is the bandit’s commander really the former imperial capital guard captain? ! !
But, why? What reason did he have for killing Leko?
For profit?
Not to mention that he is Erlan's personal guard, just saying that he resigned from the post of captain of the imperial capital guard without any fault is enough for him to enjoy his old age in the imperial capital. After retiring from office, he worked as an instructor in the army. His status was not low, and his salary was even more generous. If it’s just for profit, there’s no need to do this!
Out of dissatisfaction?
But he is not only Erlan's most trusted confidant, but he should also be trusted by Leko, otherwise he would not be the important captain of the imperial capital guard. If he had not voluntarily abdicated, Leonhardt might not be able to take this position. . This alone shows that he is not dissatisfied with Lecco!
Then why?
An couldn't figure it out no matter what, but these words came from Erlan's mouth, so he couldn't deny them easily.
After thinking hard, it was better to ask directly, An said: "What did you find out?"
"Watt did not return to work in my Chamber of Commerce after resigning as captain of the Imperial Guard. Instead, he served as an instructor in the army. I met with him and he said that he was more accustomed to the atmosphere of the army, so I didn't force it. I am more professional. I haven't seen him for more than a year." Erlan clenched his fists, "After he died, I wanted to prove his innocence, but in the end, I found out that the source of the bandits' weapons was indeed him!"
Erlan's face was full of resentment, not sure if it was because of the betrayal of someone he trusted.
"But he only provided the weapons. Others are providing the source and support for the bandits. There is an instigator behind all this!"
"I am currently investigating the jailer who was rumored to have killed Watt. I have clues that he was actually sent to silence him, but Watt committed suicide first. Watt's suicide exposed him."
"It's very inconvenient for me to find out the truth. You have to cooperate secretly!"
Others could easily see that Erlan was forcibly controlling his emotional fluctuations.
An couldn't help being influenced by him and nodded in agreement: "Of course I won't wait around."
After saying that, he calmed himself down.
What Erland has said so far almost overlaps with his initial speculation, and there is no substantial progress. The most critical part of Ande’s inquiry:
"What did you catch?"
