Kingdom's Bloodline, page 487
Thales waved his hand awkwardly. "When I return to Eternal Star City, you can send a message to me. I will be very willing to talk to you about the future of Shadow Shield."
Stake smiled and shook his head.
"Of course we are willing to do this. But unfortunately, I do not think your father will be happy if you did."
Thales snorted. "I will convince him."
But Stake denied this. "I am afraid that will not be possible. I am certain that hatred and anger has blinded King Kessel's eyes. After Teng left, I did deliver messages to the Secret Intelligence Department before, but every time, there would be no feedback."
Thales frowned slightly.
"So we have to come to you. We could not get close to you while you were in Eckstedt. Once you return to Constellation, you will be confined in the palace, and the defences around you will be very tight. It is only at this moment that we have the opportunity to meet you without any forms of interruption."
Stake was extremely respectful.
"Please rest assured that you will be safe and you will return to Constellation. We will be your quietest and most powerful allies, and will only appear when you need it."
Thales stared at him for a long time. He furled and unfurled his fists.
But the prince smiled in the last second.
"A prince with Jadestar attached to his name in cohorts with with Shadow Shield? Are you sure you want to help me instead of putting pressure on me or trying to kidnap me?" Thales sneered.
Stake's expression stiffened.
"You know, a long time ago, a damn old witch taught me."
The image of a pouting girl with a lisp suddenly flashed in his mind before she disappeared and was replaced by am ugly face with a big mouth.
This caused Thales to feel a shudder down his spine.
The Prince of Constellation lifted his head and said happily,
"Betrayal is the true essence of an alliance."
Black Prison became quiet. The barely discernible sounds of fighting could be heard in the distance.
He had no idea whether those sounds came from the assassins, the swordsmen, or someone else.
Stake was silent.
"If you are worried about this, there is no need for it."
The assassin's leader took a deep breath.
"There were plenty of people in the tavern just now, and words can be twisted in those situations. I could not say too much, but know that I have followed Teng for a long time. I have learned some secrets contained in his tightly sealed mouth."
Thales was wondering where Yodel was at that moment. He was also watching Stake's actions warily at the same time.
But Stake's next sentence made him frown.
"Your Highness, you are not the only one.
"As far as I know, one of the employers of Shadow Shield during the Bloody Year…"
Stake sighed. The smile on his face seemed resigned. He seemed to regard this fact in a regrettable fashion. The speed when he spoke was not fast. His tone was rather gloomy.
"...is also named Jadestar."
After a few seconds, Thales' expression changed slowly.
'What?
'What did he know?'
He thought so uncontrollably.
'That map?
'That equipment?
'Or…'
But reality did not allow him to think more. Stake gently reached out his hand. He looked sincere and had no ulterior motives.
"Your Highness, do you know… who that is?"
'Who… that is?'
Just at this moment, Thales was struck by a thought.
In the next second, he saw a dark figure with a purple mask appear as if he was floating out of a water curtain. He instantly showed up behind Stake.
'Yodel.'
Thales' body tensed up.
He had no time to react, and could not respond. He saw Yodel jump out of the shadows with his killing intent blazing in him. Then, Yodel charged to his target!
The Supreme Sword formed ripples in the air, and it went straight towards the smiling Stake mercilessly and ruthlessly.
But the tides were turned at this moment.
*Bang!*
A loud noise sounded!
The sudden glare and loud noise made Thales suffer, because he was using hell's senses, and he focused on the situation at hand. He instinctively closed his eyes and took three steps back in pain. There were only ringing sounds in his ears.
The Sin of Hell's River surged and saved Thales from this embarrassing situation.
Thales could only used the most basic of senses—touch—to feel the ground. Luckily, the Sin of Hell's River sent him waves of feedback, which allowed him to feel the endless waves of killing intent in the distance.
The Sin of Hell's River was not omnipotent. This was the greatest lesson that the frightened Thales received. If a power was strong, it must then have its weaknesses, if it had advantages, it must then have disadvantages. The enhanced senses did not just provide him with benefits.
The teenager did not dare to put down his sword for even a moment. His nerves were tensed up, and he was ready to swing his sword and fight back. But somehow, up to the moment Thales' hearing and sight recovered, he was never attacked. Perhaps it was because the enemies did not pay enough attention to him, perhaps it was also because they did not have time to be distracted.
But it just made him even more nervous.
Because…
As he expected, at the moment Thales recovered his sight and hearing, he saw the situation in the hall clearly, and his eyes instantly burned in anger.
Stake was sitting down on the ground. He was half-drenched in red, and his left arm was shivering slightly as he held a strange awl. He was gasping for breath.
He looked a pathetic mess.
Two assassins lied dead beside him. All of their throats were slit in one go.
But the most important thing was that the masked Yodel stood before them. He held the Supreme Sword tightly in his hands, but he was unable to move forward.
He was spreadeagled. Each were bound by a strange, barbed metal chain. The chain dug into his joints and tendons, the barbs stabbed into his flesh and blood. They bound the Masked Protector tightly.
At the other ends of the chains were four Shadow Shield assassins. They held the chains tightly, and their gazes were cold. Their teamwork was great, they did not reduce the strength they used to grip the chains.
Thales felt chills in his heart.
Yodel's limbs trembled slightly. He struggled to fight back, to hold the Supreme Sword in a reverse grip, but because of the angle, he could not do anything to the chain.
'Sh*t.
'This…'
Thales' heart clenched. His sword hand stiffened.
"You know… All of us in this field are inexplicably sensitive to our peers. We know where they hide, how they would attack, who they would attack, and what route they would take."
Stake's voice rang indifferently in the air.
The leader of the assassins struggled to get up from the ground. He wiped off his cold sweat, as if he was still fearful of the danger he was exposed to just now.
"But I really did not think that one day, I could use this experience to save my life."
Stake first took a look at Thales, and then at the immobilized Yodel. He patted the dust on his body.
He looked at the suppressed Masked Protector, adjusted his expression, and revealed a genuine smile which had been absent from his face for quite a long time.
"We have finally met you… our mysterious peer who brought us great anxiety."
Chapter 426: He Was Probably Old |
Thales could not believe his own eyes.
Yodel, who always hid in the dark, who killed in one single blow… was detained?
The Shadow Shields behind Stake lit two torches, lighting up this small corridor brightly.
Even though Thales could not look through the mask to see his expression, he could tell that Yodel's struggles were becoming weaker.
He had to endure his limbs getting pulled in four directions. His body was becoming fainter, trying to enter the Path of Shadows, but under the pull of the chains, his attempts failed. He was forced to reveal himself.
"Spying, sowing discord, reaping benefits from it. You really have lived through a joyous period of time doing all these things, my dear peer."
Stake appeared to sigh in relief. He revealed a somewhat savage smile while he stared at his masked guest, brought to him in chains.
"Perhaps you still think that it is a pity we did not fulfill your desire in battling to the death against the Disaster Swords under the discord you sowed?"
Yodel did not reply in the dark and gloomy Black Prison. His dark purple mask was turned towards Stake who was at least five steps away from him. His silence made Stake frown slightly.
'Sh*t.' Thales forced himself to calm down. He gritted his teeth, bent his knees, and raised his silver sword until it was parallel to his line of vision.
There were not many two-handed sword techniques in the Northland Military Sword Style, and most of these two-handed sword techniques were desperate attacks for after the user's shield was broken.
But now...
He held his sword with his hands and looked at the nearest chain-bearer. 'I only need to defeat one of them.'
Thales summoned the Sin of Hell's River and made it spread to both of his legs. He prepared to strike.
"Ah, no no no." The observant Stake did not miss this scene. He quirked his eyebrows and raised his index finger at Thales in a cordial manner, then he shook it left and right. "If I were you, I would not do that, Your Highness."
Stake shook his head, his smile still as polite as ever. As he spoke, he pushed the awl in his hand slowly forward, and pointed it at Yodel's throat.
This action made the anxious Thales stop moving.
"After all, you have a precious status." Stake shook the weapon in his hand. The curve of his lips grew wider. There was a hidden meaning in his words. "If there is any injury, I could not bear to be responsible for it."
'Damn it.'
When he saw Stake's pleased and confident smile, Thales sucked in a deep breath. He lowered his longsword. He had to give up his attempt to break through and save Yodel and himself from this predicament. He tried hard to eliminate his anxious thoughts. Then, he began to wrack his brains for a way to rescue Yodel.
Yodel struggled with his right arm again. The tip of the Supreme Sword pierced into one of the chain links, but the assassin who held the chain immediately exerted strength into the opposite direction. This forced Yodel into an angle that was difficult for him to attack, and crushed the Masked Protector's attempts to free himself.
"You said so much nonsense just to lure him out?" Thales watched Yodel struggle against the four assassins, and he found that they were in a very troublesome situation.
Stake shook his head while clicking his tongue.
"Your Highness, what I said was not entirely nonsense." The leader of the assassins bowed as courteously as before, but Thales could no longer sense the respect he had in his words earlier. "Please do believe in my sincerity."
It was as if at this moment, Stake had already secured the last move on the chessboard, and was about to declare checkmate.
'Stay calm, Thales. Stay calm...'
The prince took a deep breath. He listened to what Stake intended to do using the hearing provided by hell's senses. The four assassins who struggled against Yodel all had unstable breathing. Their strength was being depleted. The two assassins behind Stake were regaining their strength quietly; they were recovering.
Stake's left arm was still shaking slightly. It seemed that he did not come out unscathed during his short fight against Yodel.
'But…' Thales looked at the darkness behind Stake. He felt worried. 'There are still countless sets of breathing over there.'
His greatest support was suddenly lost, and he could not fight against many people in one go to save the hostage.
'What should I do? What should I do to…?'
Thales stared at the trapped Yodel. He rubbed against Ricky's diamond-embedded silver longsword and sensed its near-perfect balance, but he knew that he was in a situation that was most disadvantageous to him.
Stake seemed to have suddenly completely recovered from the ambush. He took a few steps to the side and examined the bound Yodel. He clicked his tongue.
"Six years ago, two groups of my men accepted a request from Val Arunde. We went south even though we had not dared to set foot on the inner territories of Constellation for years." He sighed gently, then narrowed his eyes as he stared at Yodel. "In the end, after a failed attempt to assassinate some people in a horse carriage, we were ambushed by the Secret Intelligence Department. Only two scouts came back alive."
When he heard this, Thales was somewhat stunned. 'Six years ago. Val Arunde. The assassination on a horse carriage. Isn't that…?'
Stake snorted coldly. He swept his awl past Yodel's mask.
"What a coincidence, my scouts had described a similar mask during their trip to Constellation as well. So… who are you?"
Yodel remained silent but Thales could tell that the barbs on the chain which had sunk into Yodel's flesh were now stained with drops of fresh blood. Yodel's struggles were becoming weaker.
...But the Masked Protector shook his head at Thales.
"Hmm..." When Stake did not get his response after a long time, his lips curled up. "I can tell that you are not an orator."
'Damn it!' Thales' breathing became quicker. He raised the longsword in his hand slightly.
Yodel still remained quiet, as though someone had used a soldering iron to seal his mouth. Under the dim light, that familiar yet unfamiliar dark purple mask appeared simple and dull.
The leader of the assassins finally gave up on trying to communicate with the strange masked man. 'Maybe… he's dumb. I can't really tell.'
"Now, since this uncertain element which affects our conversation has been rid of, can you come with us now, Your Highness?" Stake slowly turned his head and looked at Thales.
He maintained that genial smile while he stood among the hooded assassins, before the impenetrable darkness. He reached out to Thales who stood far away from him.
However, the prince could only feel a chill down his spine.
"We can work and cooperate together well."
Thales stared at his palm. His eyebrows knitted together as tightly as possible. He was practically gritting his teeth so firmly that he almost shattered them.
He swung his hands. The longsword drew an arc in the air while he tried to get used to the weapon's characteristics.
"Ambushing my guard is not a good sign for a cooperation."
Stake lowered his palm and said with a smile, "I believe so, too. After all, when he swung his sword at me, he did so without hesitation."
Thales was struck dumb for a moment. He changed his attitude and said coldly, "Listen, Stake, if you want to get out of here alive—"
When he said these words, Thales suddenly stopped talking. He held the remaining half of his sentence in his mouth, and that sentence was, "The Secret Intelligence Department already has this place surrounded."
'No.'
Telling Stake this news would only make him more desperate. He would be even more mindful of acquiring hostages and bargaining chips into his hands.
'What should I do?' Thales looked at Yodel, but he could only see inverted images on his lenses.
After he had summoned his courage, Thales said, "We can still discuss what you said, but as the first step for this negotiation, I would be more willing to see that my guard is healthy and safe."
Stake stared at him again for a long time, he then immediately laughed, quite happily, too. As he laughed, the chain-bearing assassins bound Yodel even tighter.
The Masked Protector shuddered slightly. He shook his head again in Thales' direction.
"There is only one way to guarantee his safety, Your Highness." It seemed that Stake was tired of Thales' words. His smile became a little cold. Stake narrowed his eyes into slits, and he cocked his head slightly. "...And you know what it is."
Thales tightened his grip on the sword hilt. 'Damn it! This man is so stubborn and fixated on his goal, none of the talks about working together, negotiations, or profit can divert his attention. He only wants me! Me!'
Stake watched Thales. He did not seem to be the slightest bit worried. "To be honest, I heard a lot about you from Baron Lasalle, and he heard a lot about you from King Chapman, including your personality."
When he heard that name again, Thales suddenly felt that things were turning bad very quickly.
Stake took a step forward smilingly. He looked at Yodel, and then at Thales. "...Such as your benevolence, loyalty, determination, and courage."
Stake's facial expression changed slightly. He raised his awl slowly. "But I always wondered how these traits could exist in a person at the same time... Well, today we will have a chance to test this."
Right before Thales' unpleasant expression, Stake gently placed the tip of the awl against the Masked Protector's neck. The assassin grinned.
Yodel remained still, his arms a bloody mess. The four assassins who stretched his limbs taut used more strength.
"What is the meaning of this?" Thales' face was pale. He spoke faster.
"As I said, I am a businessman." Stake spread out his arms, seemingly resigned. The awl in his right hand suddenly pressed against Yodel's throat!
This made Thales involuntarily clench his fists tighter.
"Business deals are always formed by two willing parties. So, I hope to see you follow us quietly and willingly. Do not cause any trouble, do not try to exploit any loopholes, do not play any tricks. You must understand that we know and have experienced just how troublesome you are." Stake lifted the corners of his lips in a profound manner. He gestured at the silent Yodel.
"Choose, Your Highness." Stake may be smiling, but there was a chilling glare in his eyes. "Will you show us the magnanimity and kindness of a king, or the resolution of a king?"
'Magnanimity and kindness...' With a pale face, Thales cast a glance at Yodel, who did not have the strength to move anymore. '...Or resolution?'
