Kingdom's Bloodline, page 541
Zakriel looked straight at him, gritted his teeth, and pressed for an answer. “Say it. The man you serve… Is he one of the seven kings?”
Under the hood, Ricky’s exposed human pupil constricted! In that moment, many people were stunned, including Thales.
‘The seven kings? Hold on, Little Rascal, ahem, Saroma told me this before. The seven kings…’
Before Ricky gave any answer, Zakriel continued to speak loudly with his ferocious and determined voice, “What method did you use to show yourself in this world? Possession? Corrupting someone? Bewitching others? Or through violent invasion of a person’s body?”
Everyone was stunned. The peculiar and unfamiliar terms interrupted Thales’ train of thought and added to his confusion.
Perhaps it was because they were unable to catch up with the conversation, or they were too shocked after they came to understand the conversation, but many of them, Thales and the Royal Guards included, watched blankly as Zakriel and Ricky exchanged words.
A few seconds passed…
Finally, Ricky’s hood quivered. “You are indeed the Watchman of the Royal Guards. You do know a lot.”
The quivering voice that drew their fears rose again. Thales trembled subconsciously.
Zakriel stared at Ricky for a long time. Finally, the Knight of Judgment said,
“I see. I know what you are now.”
This time, the aggressive severity in his voice disappeared. Instead, there was a sense of solemness that was formed from a combination of reverence, astonishment, and wariness.
Ricky was slightly dumbfounded, then he laughed resignedly. His laughter made Thales wish he could cover his ears.
Ricky seemed to have realized something. “Ha. You have never seen it before, have you?”
As he bore with the torment to his ears, and the shock to his mind, Thales tried his best to understand what the man said.
Ricky looked up, and revealed a patch of the incredibly strange dark skin under his hood. Thales subconsciously looked away to avoid looking at him, as though he was afraid that Ricky would know he was looking at him.
Ricky’s terrifying voice started to grate against his ears again. “So, you were only testing me?”
Zakriel closed his eyes and nodded as if he was resigned to his fate. “But I am now sure that your kind exists.”
Ricky stared at him for a long while before he finally nodded. His human eye revealed admiration.
On the other side, Barney Junior could no longer hold himself back as he listened to the two men. He could not help but looked at Ricky with terror. Then, he looked at the Knight of Judgment. “Zakriel? What is going on?”
Zakriel let out a long breath. He turned to Thales and his old comrades. “…You should drop your weapons.”
After he spoke, the people on Thales’ side were shocked.
“Com-commanding officer?” Tardin tried to probe for an answer.
Zakriel shook his head. “There is no way we can defeat him. At the very least, we do not have the relevant weapons and tactics. We won’t make it.”
Ricky snorted faintly. His terrifying voice caused Thales to feel restless again.
“He…” Thales hesitated and glanced warily at Ricky, whose expression was cold and hid his terrifying voice and face under the hood. “What is he?”
Zakriel stayed quiet for a little while. His eyes swept over the others.
The people who knew, including the Disaster Swords, looked down, while the people who were in the dark revealed puzzled expressions on their faces.
“They are distant and imaginary legends, like the gods…”
Zakriel’s eyes were fixed on Ricky. As he was pressed down on the ground by two mercenaries, he breathed with great difficulty, gritted his teeth, and said, “But this kind of existence has been recorded by the watchmen of the past, and the kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Department. They appeared more than once in the history of the kingdom and even the Empire.”
‘This kind of… existence?’ Thales froze.
Zakriel sighed softly. He recited a description rhythmically,
“They feed on blood and flesh, and hunt for souls. They reveal themselves in flames, and vanish before the gods.”
Thales blinked. Zakriel’s words awakened a sense of familiarity. ‘… reveal themselves in flames… Vanish before the gods?
‘Indeed, this is the common language translated from the Ancient Empire’s language. This explains why it sounds peculiar.’
Thales frowned. “So he is…”
Zakriel shook his head. His gaze on Ricky turned warier. “No, it’s not a ‘he’.”
The Knight of Judgment changed the pronoun immediately, causing the people present to feel extremely fearful. “‘It’ is not a human being.”
‘It?’ With a peculiar fear within himself, Thales glanced at Ricky, who did not move under the hood.
In the next second, Zakriel employed his most mysterious and most nervous voice as he said, “It is from hell…”
In the strange and restless atmosphere, Ricky smiled under the hood, making him look like a monster. It was amused, and under everyone’s fearful gazes, it listened to the final words Zakriel said.
“It is a demon.”
Chapter 468: The Silent Demon |
In the firelight, under Klein and Josef’s vigilant watch, Thales stepped on the stone staircase in the storage room. There was a strange odor in the air. It made Thales crease his brow on several occasions.
It was hard to believe that a few hours ago, he was escorted into the Prison of Bones by the Disaster Swords, yet a few hours later, he was forced to leave the prison with them while still under their watch.
It was a rather peculiar enactment of the saying “finish what you started”. This journey ended the way it began.
The badly wounded Zakriel limped in front of Thales while supported by Canon and Bruley. They were even more heavily guarded than Thales. Ricky, hooded, walked beside them, and never left their side.
Not so far away behind Thales were Tardin and Quick Rope. They were tied up again, and had gloomy looks on their faces. They had to bear with the vigilant gaze of the others.
Barney Junior and Beldin, who had injured Ricky previously, were perhaps considered ‘dangerous individuals’. The two of them were separated from the rest, their hands tied to their backs, and weapons held against them. Each was assigned his own guard.
When he thought of this, Thales, weak and exhausted, could not help but let out a sigh.
After Zakriel collapsed from the fatigue, they were forced to accept the truth and surrender—not just because of the oddities and mysteries around Ricky, but the fact that the members of the Royal Guard were spent and utterly worn out after going through several battles and enduring the Alchemy Ball’s sensory torture.
The secret stone stairway in the storage room led them to a new platform. Through the light of the torches held by the Disaster Swords who stood at the periphery of the group, Thales could vaguely see a dozen silhouettes waiting for them at the end of the passage.
The moment he discerned the figures, Thales’ pupils froze.
‘That’s…’
“Looks like you are the winner of the night, my honorable Crassus.”
A fresh-faced man with bruises on his face sat tied up on the ground. He glanced at Thales and Zakriel, and put on a fake smile. He turned to look at Ricky.
“Wow.”
‘It’s Stake.’ Astonished, Thales stared at the subdued leader of Shadow Shield. ‘He didn’t run away. He fell into the clutches of the Disaster Swords.’
Stake turned to look at Thales. He smiled weakly, retaining his last remaining dignity as a leader. “See, Your Highness, if only you decided to leave with us… at least…”
The leader of the assassins shook his head at the murderous Disaster Swords. He wore a look of regret that said “Why did you not listen to my advice?” Thales frowned as he looked at him.
Ricky was not bothered by Stake’s words. He looked at Samel, who stood behind him. Samel nodded and stepped forward.
He suppressed the look of hatred on his face and asked, “When are your men on the ground taking action to divert the camp’s attention?”
Thales was slightly startled. The captive Stake felt the same.
‘Divert their attention?’ His eyes darted around the room.
“Take action?” Stake seemed to have remembered something, and a smug look appeared on his disheveled face. “I told you before: look at me now. Do you think they will do anything?”
Samel’s expression turned grim. He strode forward. “I’m not Ricky, Stake. I won’t be as polite…”
Stake laughed. “Good. So, if you don’t mind, I want to talk to Crassus directly, if you still want to escape from Blade Fangs Camp with our help, that is.”
He looked past Samel and looked at Ricky. Ricky did not speak, and his face was all the while obscured by the hood. In the next second, however, Samel frowned deeply and stomped on Stake’s head!
Stake fell to the ground with a groan. Blood streamed from his nose.
“Listen, assassin!”
With cold sweat on his forehead, Stake clenched his teeth, endured the pain, and tried to sit up. But Samel’s boot was still on his chest. Clearly, he did not plan to make it easy for Stake.
“Even in captive, you still manage to strike a deal with us,” Samel said coldly. “But if we are all captured by Constellation… Don’t forget that we still have the letter which proves that you murdered Herman Jadestar.”
Once he mentioned the name, Zakriel, Canon, Bruley, and Tardin—all the imprisoned Royal Guards—were shocked. They raised their heads at once and looked at Stake.
Stake, who was struggling desperately a moment ago, froze. Thales arched an eyebrow, recalling the letter in his bosom.
Samel gave a cold snort. “So, do you want to leave with us, or become a guest of the Secret Intelligence Department? King Kessel and the Black Prophet would love to see you.”
Silence.
The Disaster Swords watched their interaction closely. Stake clenched his teeth and panted on the ground for a while.
At last, the leader of Shadow Shield clicked his tongue, sighed and, defeated, he said, “Half an hour from now, someone will notice something is wrong with the Prison of Bones. According to the plan we made—now ruined thanks to you—my men will first burn down the quartermaster’s depot, then assassinate an extremely unpopular noble in the Western Desert to create an unprecedented chaos in the camp.”
Thales lowered his head and heaved a sigh.
Stake tilted his head. A chillingly grave expression emerged on his face. “I guarantee you, those sick and tired Western Desert nobles who traveled a long way here will panic. It will take them two hours to realize what is going on.”
Samel scowled. “You can do that?”
Stake gave a cold snort, as if he was saying “What would you know?”
“Williams, who happens to be the most difficult to deal with, is not in the camp… So, yes, we can make that happen.”
Samel turned to look at Ricky. The latter nodded under his hood. Samel lifted his boot, allowing Stake, who was panting in pain, to sit up.
“Good. We will take action by then.”
However, the moment Stake caught his breath, he let out a laugh and said, “Oh, but, there will be a small issue with what comes after.”
Samel, who was turning away, turned his head around with an angry look. “What are you up to this time?”
Stake immediately shook his head. After coming to completely understand the temperament of the man before him, he put on a servile expression, and said in resignation,
“You have to understand: When my men meet up with us at the entrance only to find me a captive… Don’t misunderstand me, they won’t fight you. But you should know that Shadow Shield has an ‘outstanding’ tradition of ‘sacrificing others for survival’.”
‘Sacrificing others for survival…’ Samel narrowed his eyes slightly.
Stake turned his head away, wiping off the blood on his chin with his collar. He sighed in defeat and said, “My subordinates… they will just cut off the escape route and leave without hesitation. They will leave us for dead in this chaotic camp.”
The Disaster Swords were silent for a while.
Samel raised his head. “Sacrifice you? Even if you’re their leader?”
Stake smiled a sheepish smile.
“It is exactly because I am their leader.”
‘And then,’ Stake thought grimly to himself, ‘there will be a new leader of Shadow Shield in the Dragon Clouds City branch.’
Thales looked at Stake. The man had a bloody nose and was covered in wounds. The teenager suddenly had a new understanding of Shadow Shield.
Stake shrugged and wore a helpless expression, which no one could tell if it was genuine or fake. He gestured with his chin at the rope used to bind him.
“So? I will give up on the prince, but our partnership has yet to end, right? At least untie me, let me preserve my dignity in front of my subordinates…”
In that moment, a terrifying voice rose into the air, like hisses of a desert snake, or the howling of wind in a cave. It made Thales uncomfortable.
“Worry not…”
As the others stepped back and covered their ears instinctively, Ricky, still hooded, walked through the crowd. He came in front of Stake and continued to torture Thales’ ears with his non-human voice.
“We have our own way around that.”
It was uncertain whether he had gotten used to it, or Ricky was controlling himself, but Thales felt that when he heard Ricky’s non-human voice again the discomfort and the urge to tremble was not as intense as before.
Stake was also affected by the voice, and trembled for a few seconds. He was perplexed for a moment, and then out of instinct, he asked, “Crassus, why is your voice… so strange?”
Ricky cast his gaze on the person behind Stake. In the next second, the sinewy figure behind Stake stepped forward and knocked him out with his sword pommel.
Thales saw the person who just knocked Stake out… was shocked again.
“We’re done here. Prepare to evacuate.” Klein, who stood beside Ricky, strode forward to join that person. “Good job, lass. The intel you delivered is extremely valuable. You will be compensated.”
It was Marina.
Under Thales’ astonished gaze, the Disaster Swordswoman who kidnapped him and Quick Rope and brought them to the tavern nodded. Marina Novork’s cold glance met the prince’s momentarily before she looked away.
‘Wait, what was Klein talking about? What intel did she deliver?…’
A second passed, and realization dawned on Thales.
Earlier on, Marina was the one who brought the information regarding Zakriel’s attempt to hunt Thales down to the Disaster Swords after she woke up. After that, Shawn caught up to him and Quick Rope. When Thales had no choice but to seek help from the imprisoned Royal Guards, Samel took Shawn’s place and joined them.
When he thought of this, Thales paled. He peeked uneasily at the hooded Ricky beside him.
After the prince was rescued by Yodel, he thought he had gotten rid of the mercenaries, and the only threat left was Shadow Shield. In actuality, Thales was under the surveillance of the Disaster Swords all along—by either Marina, Shawn, or Samel. They kept themselves hidden in the dark, and he never managed to free himself from their surveillance. They waited until Thales’ party and their opponent were both wounded and spent.
The more he knew, the heavier Thales’ heart became.
The group was held captive by the Disaster Swords, and they continued to journey forward.
They went up another flight of stairs and came before an enormous, round platform that seemed to be able to fit hundreds of people. There was a cylindrical pillar in the center of the platform, and a dozen stone slabs and tables of varying sizes were placed around it in a fan-shaped formation. There were also some huge, empty and worn wells. Among them, shattered stone fragments and metallic debris lay scattered on the ground.
Thales stepped over an obstacle, uncertain whether it was a scrap of metal or a stone block. Stunned, he stared at the stack of stone slabs on the platform and asked, puzzled. “This place is…”
Ricky answered without turning around, “A foundry… or what is left of it.”
Ricky’s voice began to sound normal this time. Although it was still awful, it no longer sounded like the unbearable noise of scratching against a metal slab.
Ricky sighed and said, “A long, long time ago, the very first batch of anti-mystic equipment prototypes in the world were produced here in secret.”
Thales felt his heart jump. He stared at the long-abandoned stone platform, and his expression changed.
“What a shame…” Ricky stopped pacing around.
Thales realized that they had come before a block of stone that was placed in a vertical position.
Ricky took out the key he retrieved from Thales and gently patted the dust off an eye-shaped carving that read [Towards omniscience] on the stone block.
“Everyone, take a break, and hold tight,” Ricky said flatly.
Once he gave the order, Zakriel and Samel kneeled down beside a stone slab. Canon and Bruley protested as they were escorted by armed guards. Quick Rope and Tardin walked to a corner in the distance under Klein’s watch.
The Royal Guards were separated. They would not be able to look out for each other.
‘But… Take a break? Hold tight?’ Thales recalled Ricky’s words, yet he still could not wrap his head around it.
In the next second, as the key in Ricky’s hand began to turn, a rough and unpleasant rumble echoed from beneath their feet.
*Rumble…*
Thales held on to a stone table next to him, and barely managed to stand on his feet. He glanced around instinctively. ‘Perhaps a doorway is opening,’ he thought.
He realized he was wrong when he looked up.
*Rumble…*
In the dim firelight, Thales was astonished to see the wall at the edge of the platform slowly slide down. Soon enough, Thales felt a weight on his body, and a faint pressure from beneath his feet.
