Kingdom's Bloodline, page 490
The enemy was incredibly shocked by his partner’s sudden death. In his anger and surprise, he flung his weapon again. But he had no more chances to do that.
*Shiing!* A crisp sound.
The chain-bearing enemy shuddered. A crossbow arrow pierced through his neck. The blood-stained Thales turned his head in amazement.
On the other side was Zakriel, who once again defeated another man. He released his grip and threw away the crossbow which had just fired its arrow. The last crossbow arrow which had landed by his feet earlier was already gone.
The Knight of Judgement said coldly to the prince, “You put up a good fight.”
Thales was instantly stunned.
‘Seven.’ Zakriel darted a look at the chain-bearing assassin and thought in his heart, ‘A careless idiot, trash, a dumbass, a blind idiot, a twat, a coward, an idiot…’
Zakriel continued to charge at his enemies, but could not help letting his thoughts wander as he sneered at a particular person in his mind. ‘That Far Easterner’s underlings, the Shadow Shield assassins are supposed to be quite terrifying… But have they become so weak during the years I was in prison?’
His thoughts raced in his mind. Zakriel plowed his way through without any obstacle. The only people before his eyes right then were the four holding Yodel.
When he saw that success was at hand and that he was unharmed, Thales could not help but feel relieved.
That was until Stake, who had almost used up all his cards, roared in anger. He moved past his subordinates and charged forward!
And at that moment, the bound Yodel struggled and cried out, “No!”
Something unexpected happened.
The unstoppable Zakriel saw Stake charge forward without regard for his own safety. When they were a foot away from each other, they both stopped…
Silence returned.
Zakriel and Stake stared at each other quietly. One of them had a serious look on his face, and the other had a fierce expression.
‘Huh?’
“Zakriel?” Thales leaned against his sword. He wiped the blood stain on his face, bore the pain, and walked forward. “How—”
In the next second, Thales was also stunned.
Zakriel stood in front of Stake. His body was tense, and there was a tight frown on his face. As for Stake, he appeared rather disheveled, but there was a savage look on his face. He had his right hand raised high in the air.
‘That is…’ Thales saw the thing in Stake’s hand clearly: It was a metallic ball with an intricate carving.
The prince understood something. He looked around at the space—not too big—and instantly felt a chill down his spine.
“Alchemy Ball.” Zakriel slowly lowered the saber in his left hand. He said with disgust, “This is why I hate the wizards the most, along with their eternally restless heritage.”
Before him, Stake laughed. “Yes.” The leader of the assassins shrugged.
“Six years ago when Teng saw it, he said the same thing.”
Chapter 428: Dusk |
Stake stabilized his breathing and gradually revealed a smile.
“You can make a bet, o famous Zakriel. Maybe I’m just bluffing? Maybe this is just flash and smoke?”
He shook the sphere in his hand, and it made a disturbing buzzing sound.
The Knight of Judgment stared at the sphere. The veins on his hand were about to bulge out of his skin.
Thales widened his eyes.
‘How…’
“I have to say that everything from earlier left a deep impression on me, Knight of Judgment,” said the smirking Stake.
“It seems that you are still full vim and vigor.”
Zakriel snorted disdainfully.
“As for you, Your Highness, you also gave me quite a surprise.” The leader of the assassins turned to Thales as he panted slightly.
“But isn’t it a pity to die here with me?”
Thales looked at Stake and bit his lower lip.
With the appearance of the sphere, the situation slipped in a direction they could not control again.
The prince looked at Yodel, but the Masked Protector just shook his head gently.
Damn…
“Let him go, Stake.” Thales took a deep breath and solemnly said, “I promise in the name of Jadestar that you shall leave safely.”
Zakriel glanced at Thales.
However, Stake shook his head. His smile remained.
“No, Your Highness.
“Do you think that I’ve come to this place with great pains just to leave safely?”
Stake sneered, “Shadow Shield will not perish because we are not afraid of death.”
He gently pulled out a bottle from his bosom, and under Zakriel’s watchful eyes, allowed it to roll to the middle of both parties.
Stake chuckled and said, “This is a common sedative, Your Highness. I swear, there will be no side effects. Please let your legendary knight drink it.”
He shook the alchemy ball in his hand.
“Then, all of us will remain safe.”
As he stared at the sedative in the bottle, Thales’ expression went cold.
“Do you think I’ll actually do as you say?”
Zakriel also snorted coldly.
But Stake just shook his head.
“I know that this may make you a little uncomfortable, but compared to what will happen next…”
He raised his left hand, smirked, and snapped his fingers. “They have arrived. I hate doing this, but…”
The sound of footsteps rang out .
Thales and Zakriel raised their weapons. They were on guard.
However, the men who came out of the darkness made the prince pale with shock.
It was three assassins.
They escorted three bound people and walked slowly into the firelight.
“No,” Thales said dumbfoundedly.
‘No.
‘How can it be them?’
Zakriel turned his head and looked at the prince. The corners of his lips curled in puzzlement.
Stake smiled. He took a step back, never releasing the alchemy ball in his hand.
“I have three hostages here… Oh, it’s four now.”
He smugly gestured at the newcomers with his chin.
Thales looked at Stake, and then at the people who just arrived. Fury and shock blazed in his eyes.
‘Damn it.’
Stake could be seen laughing and taking out his dagger. He walked to the first bound hostage and forced the struggling woman to lift her face.
“Firstly, the enemy who once made you suffer.”
Stake smiled and shook his head.
Under the tip of his blade was the dual-sword-wielding Disaster Swordswoman whom Thales once stole a kiss from—Lady Marina. She looked like a mess, and was mentally exhausted.
She gritted her teeth and glanced at the shocked Thales as shame burned in her. Shortly after, she struggled angrily.
“Bah, cockroach.”
With a violent hit from the assassin, Maria immediately went limp.
Thales’ heart slowly froze.
Stake went to the next person. He spun the dagger in his hand.
“Secondly, a stranger you don’t know.”
The owner of My Home, Tampa, obediently accepted the assassins’ persecution. He looked dejected, sighing as if he was in despair.
“I’m so bloody unfortunate. I guess it’s most likely that I forgot to worship the Desert God today…”
Thales clenched his fists.
Stake went to the last person and smiled as he pressed his dagger against the latter’s neck.
“Next is your loyal subordinate.”
It was Quick Rope, the novice mercenary who had been separated from them for quite some time. The mercenary with a head full of strange red hair wore a boyish and innocent smile.
He forced himself to twitch the corners of his lips in an awkward fashion. Then, he obsequiously lifted his eyebrows at Thales.
“Ahem, hey… Prince Thales, remember me? I am your… your… your Wya Caso?”
‘Your Wya?’
Thales exhaled in agony. He stabbed his longsword into the ground.
*Thud.*
‘F*ck you and your f*cking Wya!’
(In Dragon Clouds City, a certain attendant of a prince who was staring at a masked mute in consternation, sneezed.)
‘Why are you so stupid?!
‘Weren’t you still in the hands of Disaster Sword?
‘How can you be caught by them?’
Quick Rope was still blinking. His eyes were wide and innocent. He looked like he had been wronged, and was feeling very embarrassed.
Stake was not finish yet.
He raised his dagger and pointed at Yodel, who was bound by four people. He sneered while he spoke.
“And the last person, a mysterious guard who followed the prince and who would stick by his side, even if he was alive… or dead.”
Yodel shook his head again.
Zakriel frowned and looked at Thales.
The prince knew what he wanted to ask, but… in that situation…
“After seeing your performance, Your Highness, I have become even more confident in your kindness.” Stake used the dagger to toy with his hair. He swept the tip against some beads of sweat on his forehead.
“In this case…”
He narrowed his eyes and used the dagger to point at the hostages one by one. “Who will you choose to die first?
“Your enemy? The stranger? Your subordinate? Or your bodyguard?”
‘Who will die first?’
Thales widened his eyes as he swept his gaze over those people in disbelief.
Marina twitched weakly; Tampa sighed, though the meaning behind his sigh was obscure; and Quick Rope was doing his best to send signals at Thales with his eyes, showing just how strong his will to live was.
Thales clenched his teeth tighter and tighter.
‘How?
‘How can it be…
‘The Alchemy Ball and the hostages?
‘Yodel and Quick Rope…
‘Even the other two…’
Thales struggled and tried not to look at Zakriel’s doubtful expression.
The wound on his shoulder was faintly aching.
“This is impossible,” the prince said with difficulty, but found himself at his wits’ end.
“Zakriel has his own dignity and choices.
“I don’t think he will be willing to drink your drug—”
Stake quickly interrupted him. The leader of the assassins smiled and said, “Then we’ll settle for something else. After all, I’m someone who’s very reasonable.”
Stake lifted the metal ball in his hand. No one knew if he was doing it deliberately or not.
“Your Highness, why don’t you drink the sedative? And we’ll see how far your knight can go while you’re sleeping soundly.”
Thales was taken aback at first before he felt indignant.
Zakriel snorted. A cold sneer formed on his lips.
“You sure have the guts to say that.
Stake winked politely. He had seemingly forgotten his pathetic state when he was forced into a corner by the Knight of Judgment a while ago, thus forced to launch this desperate attempt.
Thales was silent. He did not say a word.
He suddenly found the torch behind Stake insanely glaring.
‘What should I do?
‘Where’s the way out?’
“Are you sure?”
“If you let them go now, all of you will still have a chance to escape,” Thales said bitterly.
Stake sniggered.
“Your decision, Your Highness.” He completely ignored Thales’ words and shrugged wilfully.
“Or should we start with some appetizers first?”
“Let us see how far your kindness stretches, shall we?”
‘Appetizer?’
Thales frowned. He had a bad feeling in his heart.
Stake held his dagger and walked to Marina’s side. The edge of the blade was pressed against the blood vessels on her neck. It forced her to look up and tilt her head back.
“Settle down, lady.” Stake stood behind Marina. He smiled savagely and said, “It won’t be good if I scratch your face.”
Marina was just about to struggle when she heard those words. She went pale.
Thales’ expression became even more unpleasant.
Zakriel observed Thales’ face, and he apparently understood something. He looked pensive.
“How about we start with your enemy?”
Stake sneered. He stared at Thales, who was some distance away from him. “I’ll cut open her blood vassals to serve as a clock, reminding you to make your decision.
“Then we shall move to the stranger, your subordinate, and you bodyguard.”
Every single one of his words made Thales feel worse, and he became even angrier.
‘Calm down, Thales.
‘Calm down!’
In his undeniably rich and varied life, he was always the one who had a blade against his neck and used as chip to threaten others.
‘This is really the first time… someone’s used another person’s life to threaten me.’
Thales pursed his lips and mocked himself.
He felt extremely depressed.
“Zakriel, can you?” he forced those words out of his mouth.
But Zakriel already seemed to know what he was going to say. He just shook his head.
“A possibly fatal alchemy ball, plus four hostages in four different places… I can’t split myself into four to protect them all.”
The Knight of Judgment shook his head solemnly.
“No one can.”
Thales’ heart sank.
His last hope was destroyed.
When Zakriel saw how the prince reacted, he sighed slightly.
“But I can still save you, boy.”
The Knight of Judgment cast a glance at the faraway Stake and whispered, “His words are not credible, and your status is obviously more important than theirs.
“It’s not a difficult choice.”
Thales’ arm tensed. He found the sword in his hand extremely heavy.
‘Not a difficult choice?
‘But…’
Thales glanced at the hostages one after another: the distressed, bad-tempered noblewoman, Marina; the deceitful but kind-hearted Tampa; the free-spirited Quick Rope, who had an extraordinary status; as well as…
With great difficulty, the prince looked at the dying Masked Protector.
‘Do I choose to sacrifice them all and escape alone?
‘Or do I sacrifice some of the “not so important” people and place my hopes on Zakriel ambushing them, hoping that he’ll turn the tides?
‘No.
‘No!
‘Stake has more than one card up his sleeve.
‘And as for me…
‘I have nothing, I’m stumped.’
Thales only felt a heavy burden settling on his shoulder.
“I don’t have all day, Your Highness.” Stake was tired of the stalemate. “Hurry up and make your decision,” he said coldly.
Very strangely, Thales was suddenly reminded of a moment six years ago.
Six years ago, when he was in Heroic Spirit Palace, he had also shouted at the five archdukes at the top of his voice and almost fell into despair.
At that time, he had even been swayed, and had truthfully wondered if he should accept Asda’s proposal to use the latter’s power to overturn the situation.
‘Wait.’
When he thought of it, Thales shivered slightly.
He clenched his teeth, and his grip around the sword gradually stiffened.
‘I’m not… completely stumped, am I?
‘At least…’
Thales raised his head laboriously, and looked around at all the people in the area.
He, Thales Jadestar, still had one last card up his sleeve.
The last.
When he thought of it, Thales gripped the hilt of his sword so hard, he almost crushed it.
The prince looked directly at Yodel’s dark purple mask. His expression was hard to read.
The Masked Protector was struck by a thought.
He realized what the prince wanted to do.
“No.” Yodel struggled as he trembled. He anxiously yelled Thales’ name.
“Thales! Don’t!
“Don’t take the risk! You’re far more important than any of us!”
Thales closed his eyes.
Zakriel frowned. Stake glanced at all them suspiciously too.
‘I’m far more important than… everyone else?’
The prince remembered the assassination that took place in Renaissance Palace a long time ago. Back then, Yodel pushed him away, disregarded his own life, and blocked three arrows with his body.
He remembered another scene in Dragon Clouds City, where people armed themselves with weapons to enter Heroic Spirit Palace. All because they wanted to fight for a chance for the prince’s unreliable plan.
‘At that time…
‘To Yodel and to those people…
‘It must have been an easy choice as well, right?
‘Because…
‘Because I am not just Thales, not just Prince Thales, but the heir to the kingdom.
‘But, am I, really?’
Thales remembered what Asda said to him a long time ago.
“‘If I had appeared in front of you when you were still a child beggar… would you have reacted this way?”‘
The prince ground his teeth when he remembered his old self.
‘”Losing yourself in your life as a prince, or struggling and living a miserable life as a child beggar… As you tread between the pain and joy of both existences… have you ever thought of what you really are?
‘”A prince who’s respected because of his bloodline? A lowly and unfortunate child beggar? A child genius who matured early? A pitiful person who’s struggling and trying his best to change his fate?”‘
Thales’ breathing began to quicken again.
‘”When you’re stripped of all the definitions given to you by others, and you leave all the circumstances that have become your purpose of existence, what do you have left of yourself?”‘
‘What am I left with?’
The next second, Thales suddenly opened his eyes!
“Zakriel.”
At that moment, he could feel that his voice sounded more determined and firm.
