Kingdom's Bloodline, page 396
Kurtz's obedience and trust made Thales feel a heavy weight in his heart.
Even if Kurtz lost hope... he could not give in to despair.
The rumbles beside their ears and the vibrations beneath their bodies continued. The cracking sounds behind them continued as well.
Nevertheless, he could not give up. He must go forward, continue to go forward without stopping!
Finally, they climbed onto the last piece of rock. Thales stuck his head out of the entrance of the cave, onto the ground, and greedily sucked in a long-awaited lungful of fresh air.
"Ah…"
Even though he could not open his eyes because of the bright sunlight, Thales felt relaxed.
He did not care about resting. He quickly rolled out of the exit in a hurry, then turned and pulled Kurtz, who was lagging behind due to not being able to move freely.
The Sin of Hell's River spread into his arms and legs. Thales roared furiously and pulled her out of the opening. Kurtz collapsed in pain beside Thales' legs. Both of them panted and sat at the opening below the hillside.
"My God…" The seamstress' face was covered in scratches and bruises, along with a lot of dirt stains. She trembled as she looked excitedly at the clouds in the sky. She extended her hand to the air, as if this was the first time she was touching air.
"We actually… came out alive?"
Thales fell down limp on the floor. He was also covered in wounds and panted in pain. But a few seconds later, he laughed blithely.
At that moment...
*Boom!*
When that loud sound came, a strong gust of wind blew out of the cavern, stirring up a large layer of dust that moved with great momentum.
Thales and Kurtz had no choice but to lift their arms to cover their heads. At the same time, they coughed unceasingly.
"Cough, cough… What's going on…?"
After a while, the huge cloud of dust dispersed. Thales and Kurtz sat on the ground with their faces covered in dust. They looked at the sight before their eyes, then stared at each other.
The cavern they climbed out of was completely blocked off by a huge piece of rock that fell from inside the cave; the exit was sealed.
If they had come out a little later…
Kurtz stared intently at Thales who looked like a refugee. She suddenly burst out laughing and lay down on her back. Thales laughed, too. He slowly lay down on the ground as well.
Just like this, they lay at the foot of the hill and laughed out loud in unison. They laughed for a good few minutes.
At this moment, the prince genuinely felt that being able to see the sky and the sun was a very blessed thing.
'Compared to those who are underground…'
When he thought of this, his mood sank.
"Hey, have you been here before? How did you know about the exit?" Kurtz had laughed enough. She lay on the ground and looked at the blue sky as well as the white clouds that she had not seen for a long time. Satisfaction welled up in her heart.
Thales' smile froze.
"I've walked the Black Track more than ten times." The seamstress chuckled and said, "But every time, I was the one who led the way for other people."
The next moment, Kurtz rose abruptly from the ground. She propped up her hands beside Thales' shoulders and clamped the prince's waist between her knees in a kneeling motion. Her whole body was on top of Thales, obstructing his view.
"Don't tell me that this is part of a compulsory course for nobles or the royal family." Kurtz nodded slowly and moved her eyes closer and closer to Thales. There was an intelligent spark in her eyes. "Even the noble families in Heroic Spirit Palace who have fiefdoms don't know about this rotten place. It took a few generations for us to find a route here, and many people never came out again once they went in."
Thales stared at her anxiously. Her posture made the teenager feel rather unsettled.
Kurtz's gaze grew fiercer. The prince's heart beat faster and faster.
'Shit. How do I, how do I explain?'
"Hahaha, I was joking." Kurtz suddenly started laughing loudly again. "We managed to escape anyway. Who cares about how you knew about it? Look at how scared you are."
Thales relaxed and let out a breath.
"But..." Kurtz's eyes flickered. Her gaze was a scrutinizing one, and she seemed to be deep in thought. "You are quite calm. It doesn't seem to be your first time."
"Huh?" Thales was startled.
Kurtz moved her palms away from the ground and supported herself with her elbows against the ground instead. She drew closer and closer to Thales.
Her breasts were almost touching Thales' chest. Thales stared anxiously at her.
Kurtz observed his expression and grinned cheekily. "No wonder you dared to call me a bitch. Hehe, you've toyed with quite a lot of girls, haven't you?"
This time, Thales choked and blushed. "Ack, cough." He turned his head awkwardly. "No such thing."
"Really? You enjoyed supporting my breasts just now, didn't you?" Kurtz narrowed her eyes and fixed her gaze on Thales as if she just caught him in the act.
Thales felt a surge of embarrassment rush to color his cheeks red again. "That, um, ah... By the way, regarding why I know the way… It's because…"
"Tsk." When she saw how Thales chose to change the topic, Kurtz shook her head scornfully. She rolled off Thales and sat back up.
After getting out of being pinned down, Thales apprehensively fled from where he was and stood up. But he then became speechless due to astonishment.
'This place is…'
He raised his head and looked at the lofty summit of the hill, layers of rocks, quiet ground, and tenacious plants before his eyes. He then looked even further up, his gaze tracing the curve of the summit and taking in the hills that meandered outwards.
It seemed incredibly unique under the illumination of the sun.
'It's the Sighing Hills.'
He exhaled slowly and walked forward without realizing it himself. He touched the layer of rock that was in front of him.
This was the first time Thales, while standing away from the valley at the foot of a hill, looked around at this hill ridge which surrounded Dragon Clouds City.
It lay quietly above the ground and beneath the clouds. It never moved an inch despite the scorching sun, the beating of the wind and rain, and the footsteps of travellers on it.
It had never moved since the ancient past to the present, and it would not move now and in the future; it would not move for eternity. There was a peculiar beauty to it.
At that moment, Thales suddenly understood something: It was not the Sin of Hell's river, not hell's senses.
But…
"You asked me why I knew the way. It was because..." Thales was lost in thought for a moment. "Because someone gave me a blessing when we parted."
"What?" Kurtz's expression changed. "A blessing?"
Thales felt the tremble of the rock formation beneath his palm and smiled.
'Yes.' He lowered his head and looked at the sealed cavern. The silhouette appeared in his mind once more.
'"May the mountains be tolerant of your feet. May the earth bless you on your journey."'
"He wished for me…" Thales looked at the ground absent-mindedly and thought of the deep and quiet space beneath his feet. He then said with complicated emotions in his heart,
"...To never be lost. So, I found the way out."
Kurtz fixed her gaze on Thales and observed him for a few seconds. She stared at his absent-minded expression.
"Hah." Kurtz sighed and shrugged. "Another person went crazy."
Thales snapped back to attention and chuckled. "Maybe."
The two of them lay quietly on the ground to replenish their very depleted strength.
There was no frightening darkness, soundless solitude, vibrating ground, and falling rocks behind them. At this moment, it was as if the whole world became laid back.
Thales rested his head on his arms and stared at the dark human-shaped silhouette that could be vaguely seen on the summit. The corners of his lips slowly turned up.
"Heroic Spirit Palace," he said faintly.
Kurtz was taken aback. "What?"
Thales stared at the dark silhouette and muttered absent-mindedly. "It's the palace where generation after generation of Dragon Clouds City's archdukes had lived in, the magnificent Dragon Clouds City.
"It is built on a perilous slope and is the summit that suppresses all mountains." He smiled a little and said, "But why is it named as such?"
Kurtz frowned and stared at him with the type of gaze one used when looking at a lunatic. "Heroic Spirit? Well, you should ask the person who built it."
Thales snorted softly. He shook his head, feeling incredibly sentimental. "In the language of ancient Northland, it means: the deceased spirits of heroes."
There was a breeze. It brought a new gust of air to the tiny piece of flat ground at the foot of the hill. The sunlight was obstructed by the clouds, enveloping both of them with shade.
Thales stared at the summit. "Did you know, Kurtz, that perhaps there really is the deceased soul of an ancient hero in a corner of the city, somewhere under this chain of hills…"
The teenage boy sighed. "He keeps watch over this city and land, day after day, year after year, never to see the sun or the sky. He guards the city without end, without anyone knowing… in the darkness where Dragon Clouds City and the people can't see."
Kurtz arched an eyebrow. Her gaze when she stared at Thales became stranger and stranger.
At this moment, the prince suddenly remembered the time he first encountered Silver Shadowman.
While his mind was not clear, Silver Shadowman had seized Thales' throat. His arms, emitting silver light, went to pierce into Thales' chest. But the moment he seemed like he was about to take away Thales' life, he stopped.
Thales sank into a daze. He subconsciously extended his hand towards his chest and pressed down. The teenager trembled slightly.
Thales' expression slowly darkened. With complicated emotions in his heart, he said, "What do you think, Kurtz?"
Kurtz stared pitifully at Thales with the kind of gaze one used when looking at the sick. She turned over in resignation. "You're asking me?"
'He's at it again, this crazy brat,' she criticized in her mind.
"Only the gods know."
'I see.'
Thales continued touching his chest. He could not help but curl up the corners of his lips a little and flash a slight smile.
"You're right." He stared at the towering summit in the clouds and said with a smile, "Only the gods know."
Beneath his palm, he could feel the outline of a pair of spectacles.
It was precisely that pair of spectacles. That heavy, old-fashioned and worn pair of black-rimmed spectacles that had lots cracks in it.
Chapter 353: The First Rule |
Under the clear sky, Thales stood together with Kurtz outside a little house in the wild. He looked on as two saddled pack horses grazed in a leisurely, and carefree manner.
"Are you sure that you don't need me to send you off?" Kurtz leaned against a tree branch and asked, scratching her head.
"Even though Dragon Clouds City's search operation is only limited within the city, all the main outposts must have been informed…"
Thales sucked in a small breath and looked at the little house in a relaxed fashion.
The house was the hiding place outside the city belonging to Gleeward and his brothers.
These thugs from Shield District had arranged for Thales' escape through their own men who delivered necessities and large piles of sh*t out of the city (When he thought of this, Thales' expression darkened again). The two pack horses looked meekly at them while they grazed.
Perhaps his adventures in the Black Track were too interesting, but for a moment after he managed to flee, Thales almost forgot the main purpose of their journey.
When he remembered it, all sorts of feelings welled up in his heart.
Thales inhaled the air, which was tinged with the smell of grass in the wilderness, and looked at the tenacious weed beneath his feet. The coniferous forest exclusive to Northland and a small number of evergreen trees a distance away caused him to marvel at their sight.
It had been six years.
He was out of Dragon Clouds City.
From time to time, the prince would turn to look at the summit in the distance and imagine the disorderly streets, which bustled with activity, along with the crude, majestic palace.
He shook his head and smiled. His past life in that place had come to an end.
"And do you know where you're supposed to go?" Kurtz furrowed her eyebrows.
"Yes, I know which direction to head in, and where the outposts are set. I won't go there." Thales recalled the map, and realized that the route Raphael pointed out to him was still quite clear in his mind. "Don't worry, someone will meet me at the road ahead.
'And…'
Thales stood on the ground and sensed the peculiar pulse beneath his feet.
He said in a soft voice, "I know the way."
Kurtz fixed her gaze on him with a hand on her hip, as though she knew some of his secrets.
It made Thales anxious.
"Alright." After a long time, the seamstress spread her hands. "When you're there, just let go of the reins…
"It's an old horse belonging to the Falon Family, and it knows how to go home on its own."
'Speaking of which…'
Thales looked at the horse with a worried expression.
On full alert, he tugged the reins, testing the waters. He was prepared to dodge the horse's hooves at any time.
But he was startled.
"What's wrong?" Kurtz asked, puzzled.
"It's nothing." Thales held the reins in surprise and watched as the old horse obediently let him pull it over. He extended his hand to pat its head, still testing the waters. "It's just that… in the past, I had never gotten along well with animals… including horses. But today…"
The Falon Family's old horse looked meekly at him. It even stuck out its tongue to lick the hollow of Thales' palm. It was acting very affectionately.
Thales suddenly felt really accomplished.
'What's up with today?
'Bachelors' bonus? Even animals are being obedient?'
He blinked, finding the world truly wonderful. He then recalled what Nicholas taught him about horse-riding and nimbly vaulted onto the horse's saddle.
Kurtz looked at the obedient old horse. She then stared at Thales in contempt. "Pfft. Judging from those experienced acts of yours, you must have ridden plenty of good horses, haven't you?"
Thales arched an eyebrow in resignation and was about to leave.
"Wait."
Kurtz suddenly spoke and flashed a creepy smile.
"Let me give you a farewell present. Come over here.
"I'll tell you a little secret about Gleeward."
Thales responded in surprise.
But for the sake of the friendship they forged after a life and death moment they shared while they fled the cavern together, he obediently steered the pack horse forward. He leaned his body forward and moved his ear close to Kurtz.
'Gleeward's little secret?
'Could it be…'
However, the moment he leaned down, Kurtz put her arm around his neck and flashed a cheeky grin, which showed that she succeeded in her scheme.
Thales was shocked.
The next moment, Kurtz tiptoed forward and affectionately moved closer to Thales' cheek…
*Muak.*
She kissed Thales on the mouth.
Thales was first momentarily startled.
The next moment, he was so shocked that his jaw dropped!
"You-You-You!
"What are you doing?!"
With a terrified expression, Thales pulled the reins and moved backwards in an exaggerated manner. Then he wiped his lips!
It was even wet!
She actually licked him!
Licked him!
He could still feel the touch of her lips on his mouth, and he pointed in disbelief at Kurtz, who kept grinning cheekily. "You, you, you…"
"Hahahaha!" Kurtz leaned against the tree trunk and convulsed with laughter. She was almost bent over. "Little brat, your reaction is so interesting…"
Thales stared at Kurtz, feeling stunned, and realized that Kurtz only saw her action as a… prank?
'She sees this… as a prank?'
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Thales forced himself to make a disgusted face. He wiped his lips while he said in exasperation, "Hey! This joke isn't funny at all!
"Who do you think you are—"
"Oh, it's not funny?"
Kurtz's gaze moved towards him. She stuck her tongue out and deftly licked her lips. She winked slyly at Thales, who was sitting on the horse. "So... are you telling me that you want to take it a step further?"
Thales was so frightened that he lifted the reins again and made the horse leap backwards.
Thales' thoughts were a mess. He only felt that the world was full of evil. He really did not know what sort of facial expression he should have in the face of the boorish and violent Kurtz.
"Tsk," Kurtz said contemptuously when she saw Thales' reaction.
"That couldn't have been your first kiss, right? You suck!"
Thales' expression turned grim. The pride in his heart made him feel that he could not give the impression of weakness.
"Hmph, you flatter yourself, woman!" Thales put on a scornful expression. "The person I gave my first kiss to is much more beautiful than you!"
But she was a maniac who could kill someone without batting an eyelid.
Kurtz laughed loudly without stopping as a response.
Thales, who just invited ridicule on himself, shook his head and prepared to control the horse to leave.
"Thank you, child."
Kurtz's voice traveled into the air. Her words were drawled out, and her voice was a little low.
Thales turned his head around, perplexed.
"Remember to be a good man when you grow up." At this moment, Kurtz's expression was a little downcast. "The type who is able to bear responsibilities. Be a dependable man even during the darkest moments of your life."
