Kingdom's Bloodline, page 172
The former Duke of the Land of Cliffs Region—one of the directors of Broken Dragon Fortress and the one who watched the destruction of the second prince was also the 'One-Eyed Dragon', Duke Koshder Nanchester's older brother.
According to Putray's theory, he was held captive by Eckstedt and he later died in prison.
"We threw him in the dungeon and forgot about him. We waited for the arrival of spring and continued south towards the Constellatiate hinterland." Sure enough, King Nuven's narrative was similar to that of Putray's.
And then the king followed up with, "But when news of the Jadestar Royal Family's assassination arrived, the half-dead Rudolf struggled to meet me." King Nuven's expression grew heavier. "In the fortress, he told me an unexpected secret while he cried."
Thales clenched his fist as he silently listened to the king's narrative.
"Back in the day when Rudolf and Horace jointly guarded Broken Dragon Fortress, your Duke of the Land of Cliffs Region realized something that made him so uneasy, he was unable to eat or sleep."
King Nuven's gaze grew sharper.
"Horace Jadestar, the Second Prince of the Constellation Kingdom, your pride and joy, the Sword of Reversing Light. He once secretly recruited, organized and trained a special squad of mercenaries from various countries as well as regions. Mainly because outside the establishment of the kingdom's guards and Jadestar Private Army, Prince Horace had always loved making friends with many elites and brave men. Over the years, Constellation did not manage to detect it until the day Horace officially utilized that squad," King Nuven said.
"Rudolf then noticed some clues."
Thales could not help but get nervous.
"Rudolf noticed that within that year, the squad was entrusted with a mission," King Nuven's tone sounded indifferent as he spoke each word, "They were to stealthily sneak in, then hide, then infiltrate, and eventually invade a fortress whose structure was the most enclosed, whose guards had the tightest patrol system, whose defenses were the tightest, and who was famed to be the fortress that was the most impossible to break through.
"Huh?" Thales voiced out astoundedly.
'Fortress?'
The doubts in his heart grew stronger.
"When Horace led his troops out to attack and harass our supply line, the skeptical Rudolf Nanchester discovered many things in Prince Horace's bedroom." King Nuven nodded with his brows deeply furrowed. "He found everything from coded letters to secret account books."
King Nuven pulled his robe over and took a thick, folded piece of paper out from its inner pocket. In a cold manner, he said, "And also this little thing."
Thales looked at King Nuven in amazement. "You… were prepared?"
King Nuven did not say a word but shook the folded piece of paper in his hands.
Thales took a deep breath and suppressed his trembling hand. He took the folded piece of paper, spreading it open.
The paper was made out of a good material. It was smooth, yet solid to the touch. It seemed like it could be preserved for a long time.
It was two meters wide, so Thales had to lay it on the ground and spread it open with his arms to be able to read it.
There was an illustration of a map on the paper.
It was the map of a square building with its top and side views.
Thales could immediately see that the map was very intricate. Different colors and indications were used to clearly label the white walls, ubiquitous sentry towers, terrifying crossbows that defend the city, a few narrow entry points as well as all the important entrances, exit passages and rooms of the building...
Thales' pupils immediately contracted!
'This… Could it be…'
With a face full of terror, Thales brought the map close to his face. He stared intently at every inch and did not leave a single detail behind.
The map was also marked with densely packed numbers, figures, and arrows from the building's front door to its interior.
In disbelief, he read the words on it.
'Change of guards, number of guards, secret hiding spots, functional entry points, patrolling hours of the front and back doors, evacuation routes…'
Thales was dumbfounded.
'No.
'This cannot be.'
A few minutes later, the Second Prince of Constellation gently got up. The astonishment and shock on his face had yet to dissipate.
King Nuven took in the look on his face.
"In view of our ongoing war with Constellation, I kept this a secret. I took Rudolf into custody at Dragon Clouds City until he died in prison." King Nuven, who had just revealed a frightening secret heaved a sigh.
"You can use this information as a bargaining chip. Use it when necessary," King Nuven whispered. "A coward who was constantly reviled, the Duke of the Land of Cliffs Region who did not provide relief during trying times was misunderstood for way too long…
"From the beginning till the end, Rudolf Nanchester was the one truly loyal to Aydi the Second."
Thales rolled the map up as his frown became even tighter.
'Horace Jadestar.
'Mercenary squad.
'Rudolf Nanchester.
'How could this be?'
"Even your father is most probably unaware of this piece of information." King Nuven sighed. "In a sense, we Eckstedtians eliminated the murderers for you—you may want to send your thanks to Nicholas."
Thales breathed irregularly as he recalled the Jadestar Family Tomb in Renaissance Palace, Aydi the Second's big stone urn and the little ones on its side.
It took a while for him to snap out from his bewilderment.
"I don't think you could have forged this map," Thales said absent-mindedly.
"What do you think?" King Nuven said in disdain. He chased his words by draining his goblet in one gulp.
"Who exactly were those people in the mercenary squad set up by Horace?" Thales lifted his head and murmured.
"I don't know. Rudolf did not elaborate." King Nuven stared at his empty goblet. "He only mentioned that the mercenary leader was peculiar…
"He carried a strange sword."
Thales sat expressionlessly on the steps as he subconsciously gasped.
He could hardly speak because he was horrified by this secret.
"Why would he do such a thing?" The second prince blurted without realizing.
"I think he had his own reasons." King Nuven gently shook his head, his eyes filled with languish. "And they were good reasons."
"What do you mean? His own reasons?" Thales looked up.
"You will find out in time. Your father will tell you about the cause of the Bloody Year," King Nuven sneered. However, Thales felt like the sneer contained more sorrow than ridicule.
"The Jadestar tragedy."
Thales frowned and gradually clenched his fist.
A few seconds later, he slowly released it.
Thales hung his head and sighed. He bitterly handed back the paper to King Nuven.
"You keep it. This little thing is way too ominous." the Eckstedtian king shook his head and pushed it back.
"And after all, it's the map…
"… of your Renaissance Palace."
…..
Dragon Clouds City, half past four at dawn.
Under the pitch-black night sky, in a shop by West-Express Avenue.
"Let's just say that the doctor you're looking for is really in Heroic Spirit Palace —God knows how you're going to sneak in," beneath the weak light of an Everlasting Lamp, Gu, the meat shop owner from the Far East gloomily said to the man in front of him. "But, do you understand the cost of rescuing someone from Heroic Spirit Palace?"
The man before him just kept his head down. There was a strangely-shaped, fully black sword on his lap and he was wiping it attentively, in an almost nitpicky way.
Gu exhaled. With his Northlandic retroflex take on the common language, he patiently emphasized, "You will have to crawl up the slope the whole way, avoid the disciplinary officer on night duty as well as the patrols on the main street, cut through two private army-guarded noble districts, then cross layer after layer of towers and sentries. If you are discovered you will be attacked by crossbows or hacked to death by hundreds of people. Before that happens, rush to the gatehouse separating the city district and Heroic Spirit Palace…"
The man stood up and dropped the cloth he used to wipe his weapon. He raised the strange black sword and pointed it at the ceiling.
Gu continued, "Immediately climb the ten-meter-high gatehouse…"
"It's banquet night in Heroic Spirit Palace today." The man raised his head and squinted his eyes at his sword, as if evaluating its curvature. His uncharacteristic voice traveled into Gu's ears as he spoke. "That gatehouse will open at dawn, so there won't be a need for me to climb. An opportunity like this is as good as it gets."
"How will you do it? Are you just going to walk into the place in full view of the palace guards inside, outside, and even above the gatehouse? Under the moonlight and flame's glow, are you going to pass by the guards whose eyes are opened wider than their fists?" Gu tried to control his breathing, but he could not help raising his voice.
"Even if you break through the gatehouse, you still have to face a countless number of palace guards—they are all stringently selected aces among the local recruits, and have been personally trained by the White Blade Guards' instructor. Fierce, loyal, courageous, alert, sharp—"
The man hung the clean sword back on the sword belt around his waist. He then tightened the bounded weapon on his back.
However, Gu was still trying to stop him.
"Let's assume that you don't alarm them, what happens after you sneak into Heroic Spirit Palace? You have to face the White Blade Guards and the Dragon's Imperial Guards! There may only be two or three hundred of them dispersed across the palace, but all of them in there are veterans, rich in frontline experience. Also, there are countless transcendent experts and even supreme class Severing-Souls-Blade-wielding Star Killer—"
The man stretched his joints and turned towards the door.
Gu tailed him and profoundly exclaimed, "Do you know what the word 'veterans' means? It's not going to be as simple as participating in a battle and seeing blood. Based on Eckstedt's standards… once you wound up with one of them…"
The man did not listen to Gu. He put his hand on the door as a strange power surged within him.
In that instant, he could see everything on the street outside, from the patrols in the distance to the nearby hounds.
"You, you want to simply walk into a heavily-guarded, invulnerable palace without the help of an insider… and then drag someone out…" The long-winded Gu heaved an extended sigh and massaged his forehead. "You're really crazy."
The man did not reply. He stood up, cast his gaze on the frowning Gu and nodded.
"Gu, look for a better reason the next time you want to lie to me—at least don't use the Sensory Mystic," he plainly said.
Gu was stunned. He revealed a puzzled expression.
"Okay?"
In that moment, only Gu himself knew that stormy waves had set off in his heart.
"What did you say?" The Far Easterner responded as though there was nothing wrong. With a face full of questions, he asked, "What reason?"
The man patted Gu on the shoulder.
Gu frowned.
"I don't know about the Sensory Mystic, but I understand you, Gu." The man revealed a rigid smile.
Gu was slightly startled.
"You're good at hiding various emotions, but I can identify them…" The man applied pressure on his black sword and shook his head lightly. "The man who lives with a mask on lives with pain as well."
Gu clenched his fists under his sleeves.
The man then turned around, pushed the door open and said his final words.
"Also, send my regards to Morat—we haven't met in twelve years, I really miss him."
In that instance, Gu froze.
Gu stood there in a daze as he watched the man disappear through the door into the deep darkness.
Just like him in the past.
The next minute, the man's shadow appeared atop the roof of a low house.
There was fallen snow as far as the eye could see. The man raised his head, looked towards the sky and cast his eyes upon the dark moon, which was shrouded in clouds.
Then, his eyes swept past the districts of Dragon Clouds City that stretched along the mountain range. His gaze traveled across several city gatehouses, up the peak and finally locked on the magnificent palace.
'That's the residence of the Walton Family, the great family of archdukes in Dragon Clouds City.
'It's also the whereabouts of the current Common-Elected King of Eckstedt.
'Heroic Spirit Palace.'
The man recalled Gu's words.
'To overcome layer upon layer of guards and sneak into a heavily-guarded, invulnerable palace?'
He patted the black sword on his waist lightly as his lips curled up in a smile.
'Haih.
'In this regard…' The man closed his eyes.
'I'm already very experienced."
The next moment, his shadow disappeared into the snowy terrain.
Chapter 157: The Death of Soria |
Eckstedt, Dragon Clouds City, Heroic Spirit Palace.
Nuven the Seveth's administrator, Lord Byrne Mirk was standing in the corridor outside the Hall of Heroes. He was staring into the murky, snowy sky, deeply absorbed in his thoughts.
The White Blade Guards were on standby around him; their gazes were sharp and grim.
Mirk lost count of the times he stared at the falling snow in Northland throughout the forty years of his life.
The leader of the king's entourage and current head of the White Blade Guards, Nicholas the Star Killer approached him from behind and stood next to him.
"Winter will be harsh this year," said Lord Mirk without turning to look at him.
"I think so too, old pal." Nicholas squinted as he peered at the snow outside the window and smiled in a strange manner.
"Do you remember when we were still new in the White Blade Guards, those days of training in the harsh winter?"
"Of course I do." Lord Mirk, who had been working as an administrator for years flashed him a slight smirk. "Just like you now, that stone-faced Kaslan trained us mercilessly… We called him 'iceberg' behind his back, even in our sleep. We prayed for him to die early or be spouseless for the rest of his life."
"Until the day his wife came to visit him at the camp." Nicholas guffawed. "Monty was extremely shocked… Who knew Iceberg's wife could be so beautiful? The injustice!"
Mirk stared into the distance.
'Right.'
He recalled when he first joined the White Blade Guards twenty years ago. The infamous Ground-Shaker Commander Kaslan Lampard chased the new recruits out to the field with a whip in the bitter winter. At that time, those who could make it into the White Blade Guards were mostly strongmen who had fought in the frontlines.
"Feeling cold? The north wind and harsh winter are the greatest gift bestowed on us Northlanders by the Master of the Mountains. They make you stronger, tougher and unstoppable!" That was what Kaslan told them.
Mirk still remembered his old superior's brawny physique. It was like that of a snow land grizzly, and his frost-covered face was filled with an unwavering ferocity. "Stop slacking, take off all your clothes, and start running—there's some hot water at the finishing line. If you can't make it within half an hour, you'll freeze to death!"
Thinking of this, Mirk averted his gaze to Nicholas and asked, "Are you still carrying out the rite of initiation? Making the new recruits run around on the field in the bitter winter?"
"Absolutely. We were all tormented the same way," Nicholas said, chuckling. "Wouldn't it be unfair if we let the new recruits off the hook?"
The both of them exchanged glances, smiling.
At that time, the legendary, undefeatable Kaslan was still young and robust; Dominic the 'Blood Mace' had yet to die in the White Mountain battle; and Terende the 'Inextinguishable Blaze', who counted the laps as they ran with an infuriating smile on his face still carried his Motionless Bow with black and silver stripes in a truly pompous manner.
At that time also, three of the future Five War Generals were gathered there: Soray Nicholas was merely a haughty, misanthropic newbie, and had not gotten the nickname 'Star Killer' at the Fortress. No one would believe that a little rogue like him, who was frequently targeted by bullies would become Kaslan's successor someday. No one expected that Yvsia Sullian, nicknamed 'Spike Wind' and 'Prince of Guards' (for he often whined about the canteen food) would make himself known in the legendary Battle of the Thirty-Eighth Sentry Ground. Perhaps no one would have believed that the formidable 'Raven of Death', Nate Monty, used to be an archer from the countryside, who liked to tell dirty jokes and ogle women on the street as well as gauge the sizes of their bottoms.
They were young and dauntless warriors, one prouder and more impulsive than the other— Mirk still remembered, to this day, that due to Nicholas' disobedience, he was tied to a pole in front of all the new recruits. With a small piece of plank between his teeth, he groaned as Kaslan beat his body into a bloody pulp using a thorny whip.
Under Kaslan's merciless training, they became King Nuven's most trusted weapons, the toughest of the Dragon's Imperial Guards. They bled on the ground of Glacial Sentries, on the battlefield of White Mountain's valley, the maze-like Golden Passage, and the Broken Dragon Fortress, leaving behind countless bodies of their comrades. They wept for their defeat, chanted war songs amid the battles, and drank themselves to oblivion to celebrate their victories. Finally, they carved their names on the platinum-coated pages of the 'Legend of White Blade Guards' alongside the names of Northland's heroes from the Ancient Empire Era.
Those were the days. Now, everything felt like a dream.
There was also a young man with a bright grin, who kept his blue-blood status a secret. He trained with them back in the day, and fought Mirk for a bowl of broth.
