Kingdom's Bloodline, page 516
“There must be someone who could completely end this hopeless and unnecessary confrontation.”
No one spoke. Even Samel, who had a mocking look on his face, stayed quiet. Barney Junior, who stood closest to Zakriel—right in front of him—closed his eyes. He seemed to be deep in contemplation.
Nalgi sighed deeply next to Thales. He was not the only one; the others also had worried faces, and they seemed troubled.
The prince’s heart was in turmoil. He remembered how Yodel had given him faltering words of encouragement in Mind is Hall when he revealed that he knew Thales was a Mystic.
‘”I have seen… many things. A little more than what you imagine… I have also met the calamities before, more than once… your family… Ever since the day they were born, they were doomed to be… entangled with those calamities.”‘
‘More than once. That must mean he didn’t just meet Asda before. Perhaps it also means that he had met Freuland, and even Giza before?’
When Thales remembered Yodel, he recalled the Secret Intelligence Department and the Black Prophet. What role did they play in that catastrophe?
Thales remembered Duke Arunde’s hysterical questions and accusations towards King Kessel in Renaissance Palace six years ago, after his plot had failed.
“‘You are just like your damned father. Both of you knew where your choices would lead, but you never gave a damn! If it were not for all of you bringing back that monster…”‘
They were most probably talking about the new queen, Freuland.
He had seen the way Kessel made his decisions. The sight of him coldly sending Thales away as an envoy to Dragon Clouds City remained vivid in his mind, as if it had only happened yesterday.
Was his grandfather, Aydi the Second, the same?
Thales also remembered Archduke Poffret’s intentional evaluation of Aydi the Second when he lost in the duel in Heroic Spirit Palace’s Hall of Heroes.
‘”Sooner or later, a madman like Constellation’s Aydi the Second will appear, and drag the entire kingdom down to hell!”‘
Thales stared at Zakriel with a stupefied expression. As the trusted watchman in the Royal Guards, he should have been the most loyal guardian of Constellation.
‘But…’
“No.” Inside the prison, a voice that lacked any form of emotion rose quietly. His words traveled into the people’s ears. “Even if it must be someone… it shouldn’t be you. It shouldn’t have been done by you, Immanuel Zakriel.”
Thales turned his head in surprise and saw Barney Junior slowly raise his head. A cold, sharp glare shone through his eyes as he stared at the Knight of Judgment. Zakriel was silent.
“You are not His Majesty, not Crown Prince Midier, not Prince Horace, not the prime minister, not an administrative officer, much less His Majesty’s Military Advisor, nor his Foreign Affairs Advisor.”
Barney Junior seemed to have overcome the shock brought on by his colleague’s betrayal, and the truth surrounding the Bloody Year. He seemed to have figured out what was going on.
At this moment, Barney’s voice was not loud, but his words were powerful and firm.
“You are not even the leader of the Royal Guards, but only His Majesty’s subordinate, the second son of Viscount Zakriel!” Barney Junior took a deep breath and asked through gritted teeth, “What right do you have which allowed you to arrogantly and confidently claim that you knew the future of our country?”
Zakriel did not speak, but there was deep pain in his eyes. The vanguard’s voice grew louder and firmer. “What qualifications do you have that allowed you to proclaim yourself as the savior of the world, even though you stood in the filthy depths of darkness!”
The guards were stunned. They cast each other a few glances. Their scattered gazes gradually focused on one target and directed on the Knight of Judgment at the same time.
Zakriel was frowning with conflict on his face. Faced with Zakriel acting in this manner, Barney Junior snorted coldly.
“Do you remember the Praetorian Oath?”
The Knight of Judgment was slightly taken aback. ‘The Praetorian Oath.’
However, before he reacted to it, Barney Junior loudly yelled, “I swear that this life will be dedicated to the throne, for the king, and no other master. I swear that this sword will only be brandished for the Emperor, be broken for the Emperor, and be used for no other purpose. I swear that this body will be buried under the throne, or buried as I serve the king; I will have no other end.”
He only said three sentences, but Barney Junior’s voice was very loud and clear. His words echoed in the air between the four walls, sweeping away all the hate that had previously lingered in the air.
He seemed to turn back into the vanguard who was solemn, calm, level-headed, and awe-inspiring.
Zakriel listened to these familiar statements and slowly became absent-minded.
“They did it. The old captain, Tony, and even my father,” said Barney Junior, who forced his anguish down to keep it from seeping into his words. He kept his voice steady. “And all our brothers who died inside and outside Renaissance Palace, and also those who sacrificed themselves at the frontlines.
“No matter where His Majesty wished to go, they all swore to follow him. They didn’t ask why, and they didn’t doubt him.”
Zakriel’s body started to tremble. ‘Old Captain Cullen, Chief Protector Tony, Deputy Guard Captain, Quill Barney Senior…’
In Thales’ eyes, Zakriel’s expression was not the only one that changed, all the guards’ expressions changed and they varied from each other. Samel lowered his head. He sank into deep listlessness. There was also conflict on his face. Canon leaned against the wall and covered his face as he trembled. The large Bruley pushed his fist against his chest tightly. Nalgi stared at his torch with a blank expression, as if there was a good show in it. Tardin, Beldin, and Naer were all dazed.
“I believe that even if they were headed to Hell’s River with His Majesty”—Barney Junior’s voice also began to tremble—”they would also do their best to grab a boat for His Majesty to cross the river… What about you?”
The Knight of Judgment’s chest heaved. However, Barney Junior’s words were like a sharp sword bitterly stabbing him in his vitals.
“Zakriel, all that you’ve said won’t pardon you from your sins. Those are just murmurs in your sleep that you used selfishly to convince yourself that you’re doing it for the good of the country.” Barney Junior finished speaking. He glared at Zakriel with a gaze full of disgust and contempt.
His words are obviously very powerful, because it allowed the Royal Guards to figure something out. They cast aside their hesitation and reluctance to attack their former brother, and the same disgust and contempt appeared in their eyes.
This time, Zakriel remained silent for a long time. Then, he struggled to speak.
“I didn’t want to shirk my responsibilities, and I don’t want to ask for forgiveness. You said you want the answer; that is my answer,” the Knight of Judgment whispered. “I will bear all the blame myself, for everything which happened that year…”
Barney Junior stared at him for a long, long time. Then, his expression returned to normal. He seemed to realize something. With a broken smile, he shook his head.
“No. You can’t bear anything.”
Chapter 448: 1 vs 8 |
The dungeon returned to a state of terrifying silence.
At this moment…
“That’s not right.”
Samel—the only person among the Royal Guards who avoided imprisonment—interrupted coldly, “If your aim was to only let the king to see the situation clearly, why didn’t you go alone with the legendary anti-mystic equipment to assassinate the queen you claimed is a calamity?”
Samel was now cold and resolute. He no longer looked like he was part of the former Royal Guards.
Thales was struck by a thought; he was reminded of the disaster the Jadestar Royal Family faced during the Bloody Year which Gilbert told him about before. He could not help but frown.
“Why did you use such an extreme method?”
Zakriel did not speak. Samel continued to interrogate Zakriel, “And why did you put the entire Jadestar Royal Family on your extermination list? Why did you refuse to stop until you killed all of them?”
Zakriel’s lips quivered. All blood faded from his face as he stared at Samel blankly.
“Yes.” Tardin joined the conversation with a pale face. “You know, even the most innocent wives of the princes, the royal grandchildren, and the lively and naive Princess Constance, even they…” He bit his lip, he could not continue.
Zakriel stared at Samel and Tardin for quite some time. Then, he sighed. “That was not my intention.”
When he saw this, Thales felt conflicted, but he immediately thought of another question.
“Then whose intention was that?” The prince’s words drew the others’ attention. “You did not tell us the complete truth.” Thales said loudly, “Tell me, who were the group of people who worked with you to assassinate the king and intended to overthrow Constellation? Who were they?”
‘And most importantly…’
“Just what kind of scheme were the group of calamities plotting with King Aydi that would bring them such disaster?” Thales asked through gritted teeth.
Zakriel seemed to have been rendered speechless by this questions. He remained silent for a long time, but in the end, he only shook his head and remained silent.
Samel spoke up again, “One more thing: If what you said was true, then why?” The former vice flag bearer stared fixedly at the former Knight of Judgment. “Since you fulfilled your goal… why didn’t you stand out that year and admit that you were the traitor?
“You are not a person who is afraid of shouldering your responsibilities, and you fear death even less. You were even willing to bear my punishment when I fled. With your personality, shouldn’t you have told the truth frankly and received your punishment with dignity, just like what you’re doing right now?”
Zakriel pursed his lips tighter, but the prisoners were slowly noticing this strange aspect. They all frowned and looked at him.
“Why did you hide this for eighteen years? Why did you let us be tortured for eighteen years?!” Samel delivered his questions one after another. Indignance and a refusal to accept what Zakriel said as the full truth could be heard in his words. “Why then did you wait until now? Why did you suddenly come out and tell us these things, and also that you’re the damn traitor? If I didn’t step foot in this place and they didn’t let you out, did you intend to continue staying quiet until you died?”
Zakriel did not make even the slightest movement. He just buried his face in the darkness where no light could shine.
“And…” Samel gritted his teeth and waved his arms. It gave Thales a scare. “Why is your target this prince?!”
At that moment, Thales was shocked!
‘Shit. Why the prince…?’
“What else are you hiding from us?” Samel roared. “What kind of secret is it that you’re willing to bring to Hell’s River instead of telling us?”
Thales darted a glance at Quick Rope, who was moving restlessly because he wanted to flee. The prince felt that things were about to become very bad.
‘Why did we come back to this topic?’
Everyone in the Royal Guards, including Barney Junior, scrutinized Zakriel with questioning glances. Quite a number of them cast their gazes on Thales again.
‘This is very bad.’ Thales gritted his teeth discreetly. ‘Zakriel didn’t spill my secret before this. It might have been because he still felt guilty towards the royal family and did not wish to tarnish the Jadestar name…
‘But now…’
With an uneasy heart, Thales shot a glance at Zakriel, who seemed to be hesitating. ‘Now, he has already spilled the truth of the alliance between the Mystics and King Aydi the Second. He already… has no reason to hide my secret, right?’
Just at that moment, Zakriel spoke up softly; the Knight of Judgment said plainly, “To advocate for the dead.”
This made the others, especially Thales, stunned.
‘Advocate for the dead? What does that mean?’
Zakriel slowly drew a breath. Deep wariness formed in his eyes. “None of these things were a coincidence, regardless of whether it is the infiltration of the Prison of Bones today, or the presence of this prince, the Disaster Swords, Shadow Shield, or even the Dragon Breaker in this place.”
A thought appeared in Thales’ mind. ‘It’s not a coincidence…?’
Zakriel raised his head swiftly and looked at Thales. “That dagger of yours, Your Highness.”
‘Dagger?’ Thales gulped involuntarily. ‘What?’
While he had to bear the other people’s skeptical gazes, Thales resisted his urge to reach for the JC dagger.
The Knight of Judgment’s tone was indifferent, and there was a coldness laced in each of his words. “I know that, it was crafted using the dark steel purified underground by the dwarves, and made with a similar material as the one used for the Supreme Sword. But special Crystal Drops were fused into the steel for other purposes. It’s a very extraordinary blade.”
Before Thales could react to the situation, Zakriel revealed his JC dagger’s origins with his next sentence.
“That is a weapon which belongs solely to the Assassin’s Flower—the Charletons. It is also the evidence which proves that a Charleton has completed his or her training, and has formally begun their life as an assassin.”
The crowd was utterly stunned! Even Quick Rope looked fearfully at Thales.
As the theme of the conversation, Thales himself felt stiff. He could not move.
‘He knows. But…’
Zakriel’s eyes were full of wariness and fear, as though the unstable prisoner who had just escaped from prison earlier was only a figment of their imagination.
“Your Highness, the appearance of that dagger in your hands, including how the Shadow Shield assassins tried to threaten and cajole you into leaving with them just now, is enough to tell us something.
“I don’t know what reason could have possibly driven them to infiltrate the Jadestar Royal Family again to approach such a unique individual such as yourself, even though they participated in the assassination that year.”
When he mentioned how unique Thales was, Zakriel stopped talking again. It frightened Thales so much that he broke out in cold sweat.
“But this must be connected to the misfortune the calamities brought, along with the scheme they didn’t manage to successfully execute that year.”
The prisoners’ eyes glinted as their gazes moved back and forth between Thales and Zakriel. This time, the Knight of Judgment’s face was full of caution as if every single person before him was his enemy.
“I can sense that there are people filled with indignation. They refuse to let the tragedy that once happened come to an end.” Zakriel’s eyes glinted. “They are still trying to unearth the taboo of the past, trying to look for the legacy all those years ago, trying to advocate for those who died eighteen years ago in the disaster…”
‘Advocate for those who died?’ Thales stared at Zakriel blankly. ‘No… It’s not like that.’ Thales forced himself to turn his head away. ‘This dagger… was given to me by Jala in the past…’
But when he thought of this, Thales’ thoughts stopoed for a moment. ‘Wait a moment. The JC dagger and the Assassin’s flower may just be a misunderstanding, but Shadow Shield…’
Thales could not help but think of the words Stake said in the tavern.
‘”From madly assassinating the royal family members, to giving his all to ensure the prince’s survival… the drastic change in Teng’s attitude before and after only proved one matter: The prince’s existence must mean something.”‘
Zakriel no longer paid attention to the prince’s abnormal behavior. He continued speaking in a headstrong manner, his words as cold as ice, “They must be stopped.”
He emphasized on the word “stopped”, saying it firmly in a tone that allowed no argument.
“They must be stopped before the tragedy of the past reappears and the next mistake is made.” When Zakriel finished speaking, Thales felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Samel laughed. “Advocate for the dead?” Samel repeated with a shake of his head. He seemed to regard Zakriel’s words with contempt. “What a lousy excuse. You haven’t answered me—”
“Enough!” Just at that moment, Barney Junior seemed like he had lost his patience, and interrupted Samel without hesitation. Samel darted a displeased look at Barney Junior, but the latter ignored him. “If that’s the case, you aren’t prepared to be arrested without putting up a fight; you still want to attack the prince, right?” Barney Junior looked straight at Zakriel.
Zakriel remained silent for a second. He did not reply directly, and just repeated the words he had said earlier,
“They must be stopped.”
When he heard this, Barney Junior’s eyes turned colder. “Very well.”
The former vanguard removed the shield on his back, raised his longsword, and pointed it directly at Zakriel. He looked murderous.
“Then you must be stopped.”
All hesitation and sentiment was removed from Barney Junior. He coldly said, “In the name of the Royal Guards, we must purge evil and punish the traitor to bring justice.”
Thales immediately felt everyone’s bodies and minds tense up.
Beldin, Bruley, Tardin, Canon, Naer, and Nalgi slowly spread out. The Royal Guards held their weapons once more, stood in formation, and showed their killing intent, which they were no longer directed at Thales and Quick Rope.
Their weapons were directed towards the Knight of Judgment in front of them. Even Samel slowly drew his sword while he stood by the side.
It was like they had returned to the state of when they were at war, as though the scene where they met their old friend a moment ago was just an illusion.
