Kingdom's Bloodline, page 398
They were not in the grove anymore, instead they were in a wilderness of complex terrain and strange, rugged rocks. The man had even started a fire under a gigantic, slanted rock against the wind.
There were two horses tied up around the tree behind Monty. Their saddles and equipment were of superior quality. One of them was equipped with an arrow quiver, while the other even had a long sword and shield hanging from it—they were definitely warhorses.
With hell's senses, Thales found that Monty's silhouette was in no way different from that of an ordinary person. He appeared as a transparent human form in his eyes as well. Yet, Thales could see that he was the same as the likes of the Fortress Flower, Kingdom's Wrath and the Star Killer. This supreme class expert had a strange power within his body. It was concealed within his veins and flesh, and would only sparkle briefly on occasion.
'The horses are on the opposite side. I have no weapon. This wilderness is one I'm not familiar with, and my enemy is very strong.'
Thales shook his head silently. 'The chances of escaping are slim.'
As Thales observed the man closely, Monty put down the dagger and flung a piece of jerky as well as a waterskin at him from afar.
Thales caught them in a flurry of movements and frowned immediately after.
"That's all?"
The prince patted off the dust on the jerky. With a look of disgust on his face, he said, "Since you've started a fire, couldn't you have hunted an animal and barbecued some meat or something?"
Monty shook his head, completely disregarding what Thales just said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you pampered prince.
"In the wild, the aroma of meat will attract unnecessary troubles—making a fire is already very excessive." The Raven of Death grabbed another portion of jerky in passing. He shoved it into his mouth and chewed with gusto. "Of course, you can choose not to eat."
Thales let out another sigh, and he appeared to be saddened. He nibbled on the jerky and adopted a look that indicated it was hard to swallow. He glared at Monty in discontentment.
The man across him appeared to be very interested in watching the prince have a hard time eating his food. He let out a low, mocking laugh.
"What is this place?" The prince seemingly gave up on resisting. He stared at Monty dejectedly and glanced at JC's dagger, which was still in Monty's hands.
"Where are we?"
Monty tore off another mouthful of jerky and laughed softly on purpose.
"On the road."
'On the road.'
Thales frowned a little. "Oh wow, what a detailed description."
"I'm really sorry I didn't bring you a map, Your Respected Highness," Monty said mockingly.
"The people from the Secret Intelligence Department, those who were initially supposed to wait and receive me in the forest…" Thales said faintly, "What have you done to them?"
Monty laughed when he heard those words.
He laughed in a very carefree manner. Both his shoulders trembled, as though he was very happy when he thought of the matter.
This caused Thales' heart to sink.
"Didn't I just tell you?" Monty winked, and there was a smug look on his face. "They're 'very busy'."
Thales, whose expression had become dark, did not respond. Instead, he opened the waterskin quietly.
He wrapped his lips around the opening of the bottle. In silence, he engaged Hell's senses and meticulously observed his surroundings once again. That included the position of the moon.
'It's midnight now. It's been at least a few hours since he knocked me out.
'But...
'It's strange.'
"It's just you?" The prince drank a mouthful of water and asked flatly.
Monty furrowed his eyebrows.
"What now?"
The Raven of Death narrowed his eyes slightly. A wary look flashed across his eyes.
"You think that if it's just me, you might actually have a chance?"
Thales cast a glance at the pouch by Monty's side, which carried a bow, and again, at JC's dagger, which lay silently on the ground. He sighed faintly.
"Forget it.
"I never dreamed of winning against Eckstedt's most famous former scout."
Monty snickered.
A chilling glare shone in the Raven of Death's eyes, causing Thales to feel anxious and fidgety. "Then, don't look at me like that. You don't stand a chance."
Thales put down the waterskin and wiped the corner of his mouth.
"But it's really just you alone."
Monty knitted his brows, and his words turned cold. "You like idle chatter?"
Thales shook his head.
But he still smiled faintly. "This means that there are other problems. So? Are you scared of being exposed? Being exposed for your secret kidnapping of the Prince of Constellation?
"Being exposed by Dragon Clouds City and your good buddy, Nicholas?"
Monty lifted his head. His eyes grew colder as he stared at Thales.
"Hah." He put on a fake smile and curled his lips.
Thales lifted his eyebrows as he put down the waterskin and began to tear at the jerky again.
"True. What you're carrying with you is not a prince, but two thousand cavalry units," Thales said vaguely.
Monty's gaze shifted slightly.
"Remember? Constellation's two thousand cavaliers are still waiting at the desert's border, waiting to interfere with your war against the Alliance of Freedom."
The prince tore at the tough jerky with arduous effort while he drank mouthfuls of water from time to time. "My presence is related to the interests of two great territories—the City of Faraway Prayers and Dragon Clouds City.
"The responsibility you carry with you is not light indeed, Lord Monty.
"Are you prepared?" said Thales softly.
Monty did not speak, but his face froze completely.
"You talk too much."
Nevertheless, Thales shook his head, unconcerned. "But you're very confident, right?
"Because you're the best scout in all of Eckstedt. The morale of the troops in the City of Faraway Prayers has also increased significantly because of that."
The Raven of Death let out a cold snort. His gaze on Thales grew increasingly unpleasant.
"Flattery won't help you, Your Highness."
He spoke in a cold and displeased manner, "So why don't you finish the food in your hands, then shut up and behave?"
Yet, at this moment, Thales started to laugh abruptly.
"Hahahaha…"
Monty was initially a little astonished. After that, he looked at him with a skeptical expression.
"I understand now." Thales swallowed the last mouthful of jerky with water and patted his half-filled belly. The smile on his face became happier and happier.
"Oh you, the Raven of Death…"
Monty's expression grew increasingly vexatious. He also grew more and more displeased.
"To hell with that.
"What do you even understand?"
Thales could barely withdraw his smile. He moved his gaze away from the man and shook his head vigorously. "It's nothing."
But immediately after, he could not help but snort again as if he could not restrain his urge to laugh. "It's just—haha—I suddenly realized that I'm really too thickheaded."
Monty's gaze turned fierce again.
The Raven of Death icily said, "After saying so much, you've given me an unpleasant feeling. What are you scheming, or what have you discovered?"
Thales appeared to be eating his jerky with full concentration, but he had his eyes trained on Monty again.
Monty became very uneasy under his watch. "They say that you're very good at convincing people, swaying people," he said in an unfriendly voice.
"Perhaps in the next moment, you'll mention certain things that will make me hesitate?"
It was only then that Thales put away his smile. Yet, he shrugged without showing the slightest degree of fear.
"You would hesitate… maybe. Is it because you're already feeling very guilty?"
When he said these words, the air sank into silence.
Only the crackles from the bonfire remained.
The warmth on the Raven of Death's face disappeared completely. This time, he looked silently at the prince for a long time.
His staring caused Thales to feel anxious at heart.
A few seconds later, Monty let out a cold laugh, and he stood up. "You know, there's a good way to overcome hesitation."
Thales was stunned momentarily. He watched as the Raven of Death walked towards him. He shrunk a step back without realizing.
"What?"
But Monty had already arrived before him.
He displayed that ferocious grin of a hunter again and clenched his fists. "That is… to not give yourself the chance to hesitate.
"Have you finished eating?"
Thales felt trepidation in his heart. Subconsciously, he got up and moved backwards. "Wait a minute, you—"
But before Thales could finish speaking, Monty's expression changed. Then, as though he did not need any starting momentum, he moved as swiftly as lightning and pounced on Thales!
*Thud!*
A muffled thud shot into the air. Thales did not even see the other party's movements clearly before he fainted again.
…..
"You've awakened again?"
This was the first sentence Thales heard when he woke up, feeling muddled and hungry. He also woke up in the middle of being tossed around.
The same man was speaking to him.
The first thing he saw was the ground.
'The grass, stones, soil on the ground...
'Wait a minute.
'Why are they all moving backwards...
'The ground's moving?'
Thales was startled!
He shook his head furiously, and finally realized to his surprise that he was lying face down on a horse's saddle in an unsightly posture. He moved with the horse as it slowly moved its hooves forward. His head and arms were on one side, his legs on the other.
The prince wanted to instinctively struggle up. Yet, he realized that he was tied firmly to the saddle. He could not even straighten his body!
"Damn it…"
Thales felt an aching pain all over his body. He looked at his surroundings in agony. The skies were clear and the sun shone brightly, but they were traveling on a small path covered in weeds. Cedar wood gathered on both sides. They were obviously no longer in the same place as their campsite the night before.
'Curses.
'Just what is going on?'
Thales watched the rising and falling hooves with a grave expression. His heart sank.
He raised his head desperately to look at Monty, who was whistling leisurely on the other horse.
"Damn it. Is this the sort of treatment you give to the prince?"
Thales exhaled. He felt the pain in his waist and abdomen grow increasingly unbearable. He could not help but grit his teeth and curse, "You're sure that your superior will not come and question you?
"What if I die halfway on the road?"
The Raven of Death turned his head around while he was on the horse. He snickered. "But you're not dead yet, right?
"And I am certain that… you will not die!
"Hahahahaha—"
Thales heaved a long and heavy sigh. He looked at his bound body and could not help but hang his head. He found that his luck was absolutely rotten.
"Hey, you, you thrice-cursed actor, you used too much force."
The Raven of Death did not seem to hear Thales' underlying meaning. He slowed down his horse and moved next to Thales.
"Listen up, talkative boy." Monty's smile was awfully terrifying. "For the peace and smoothness of our journey...
"You have two choices now."
Monty simply raised two of his fingers. The delighted expression of having his prey in his hands appeared on his face.
"First, you can continue chattering—"
But before he could finish speaking...
"I choose the second," Thales said coldly.
Even his expression and tone implied that he did not want to entertain Monty.
This made Monty's face stiffen for a moment.
He turned his head to the side and looked at his raised finger. He scratched his chin somewhat unhappily.
"Damn it," the Raven of Death said in displeasure. "I haven't even begun to speak."
"Hmph," Thales replied him bluntly. He refuted stiffly, "In any case, the outcome of the first choice is always the worst, isn't it?"
Monty snorted in dissatisfaction. He turned his head to face the front once he found that he had just brought contempt upon himself.
They had probably traveled about an hour on the road, and the time taken was so long that Thales only had strength to gasp for breath.
'The feeling of being hung off the back of a horse is really… painful… My God...'
"Hey... Big Mouth…
"The Star Killer told me before that he could twist and snap your neck in five seconds." At that moment, the only thing Thales felt was his consciousness fading away, and his waist as well as his back hurting. His abdomen, which was rubbing against the saddle was about to be worn through. This caused him to hate the person before his eyes so much that he wanted to beat him up.
"Honestly speaking, the me right now really wishes to see that scene."
Monty halted for a moment on his horse.
"Five seconds? He said that?"
He looked visibly displeased.
But just a moment later, Monty schooled his face.
He laughed in disdain and turned to Thales, who was gnashing his teeth on the back of the horse. "Now I believe it. You're indeed a pile of trouble, at least when it comes to annoying people.
"You're already in such a state, and you still can't shut your mouth?"
Thales gasped for a breath of air in pain as he put on a smile on his pale face with all his strength.
"See, this is where the problem lies.
"When I was still in Dragon Clouds City's hands, they thought I was trouble." The prince's sweat fell to the ground. Speaking was rather difficult, and his voice was hoarse. "But after they lost me, they finally realized that I was actually a bargaining chip.
"And now, I'm in your hands."
The teenager raised his head with all his might. He was drenched in cold sweat, yet he still tried his best to put on an ugly smile. "Take a guess, who's the most troublesome one?"
Monty snorted coldly and drove his horse forward.
Slowly, he raised his hand and straightened it before he aimed it at Thales' neck.
Thales instantly felt a chill surge up his spine. Fear returned to his mind again.
"All right, all right. Don't use physical violence." The prince lowered his head in regret and exclaimed, "I'll cooperate!"
With that, Monty revealed a satisfied smile.
But Thales twisted around while he grimaced, and he began to speak again, "I'll just ask one final question...
"You're certain that we're on the right track?"
The Raven of Death furrowed his eyebrows fiercely.
Monty let out a long sigh. "Didn't you choose the second option?"
Before Thales could register what was going on, Monty's hand struck the back of Thales' neck violently!
*Bang!*
As he watched the prince who fainted (again), the Raven of Death nodded in satisfaction.
He switched into a comfortable sitting position and muttered as the horse swayed forward.
"It's much quieter now."
…..
Thales swore upon his life that this was the most difficult journey he ever had the displeasure of taking in his short life so far. It was the most terrifying slumber he had experienced, and Monty was also the most boring person he had ever met.
Thales' schedule every single day was to eat and faint, faint and wake up, eat after waking up, and faint after eating.
It seemed like Monty was never tired of this. Whenever Thales became slightly chatty or angered him, he was basically served with the hand strike. Monty would even occasionally mention that "first rule".
Hence the reason why Thales would occasionally wake up on the back of the horse, or sometimes wake up to the wilderness. Every time he woke up, he could only see that the scenery had changed. The sun and moon would change positions with each other. He could not even figure out how much time had passed.
His waist and back were sore, his limbs suffered from cramps, his head was dizzy, his vision was blurred, and his ears rang. But these were now all common occurrences for him during the "trip".
'My God.'
Thales, who was about to go insane, wailed in anguish in his heart.
'Hey, even those rearing pigs aren't this cruel!
'It feels like I'm back at the Abandoned House… No, this is worse than that.'
He protested in silence, 'I remember you now, Raven of Death, Nate Monty.
'You damned bastard.
'I'll show you when I get back to Constellation!'
Thales thought to himself as he fumed with rage and gnashed his teeth.
However, just as Thales thought that this life would continue until they arrived at their destination, a day finally came where he woke up on the horse's back and found something different.
This time, he was forced to wake up by rough shaking.
"Hey, wake up!"
When Thales opened his eyes in a blurry state, he heard the Raven of Death's voice. He sounded rather anxious and grave.
'Yet another day.
'Sigh.'
As the prince adjusted to the light, he felt lost. "What now?
"Are you lost?"
He then realized that the scenery around him was different again. They had moved from hills filled with cedars and strange, rugged rocks to a rather bumpy, low slope. The trees had reduced in number, and the weeds had increased.
'This is…'
In agony, Thales extended his hand and eased the pain caused by laying on the horse's back even though he had almost become used to the pain. He even found a way to use Hell's senses to alleviate the pain.
"You don't want to be brought back to Dragon Clouds City, right, Your Highness?" Monty asked coldly.
Thales sobered up a little. Soon, he realized that there was something off about Monty's words.
