Kingdom's Bloodline, page 547
Ricky snorted coldly. He leaned his body forward and raised his index finger at Thales. “No, this saying is correct, but you’re walking down the wrong path.”
Under Thales’ puzzled and confused gaze, Ricky spoke softly, “The meaning behind imitation is that you must understand your opponent.”
‘Understand?’
Thales blinked.
Ricky looked around him before he smirked.
“I don’t know Barney, Zakriel, and your disoriented friend. But through their experiences with their Powers of Eradication, I can understand them from another level.”
‘Another level?’ Thales thought hard.
The eyes of the Disaster Swords’ leader shone. “For example, through analyses and deductions, I can know…
“…that when I face Barney, perhaps I cannot forcibly parry the attack he delivered at the risk of his own life. I will have to use other factors from around me to hold him back, disrupt his movements, and foil his offense. Then, in the end, I will be able to defeat him.
“When I face Zakriel, I cannot compete against him in terms of exercising a perfect consideration of everything around me. In fact, I can neither hesitate nor think about too many things. I must focus on my strongest point and use it to break through his offense. It is only then that I will have a chance to fight back.”
Ricky suddenly stopped ranting.
Thales, who had been listening attentively, showed puzzlement on his face.
“I see, so that’s how it is. Ha!” With a show of realization, Ricky punched his own palm. He cast a glance in the direction where Barney Junior and Zakriel were, as if he had understood something. “A duel between Barney and Zakriel. It should be quite interesting.”
Ricky’s excitement faded away. He turned around.
“And if I have to face your disoriented friend, my best choice is not to face him head-on, not to fight him in multiple rounds, not to drag out the fight with him, and not give him a chance to find my weakness while he attempts to deceive me and throw feints at me. Instead, I will conceal myself, hide my intentions, and before he has a chance to react, I will deliver a fatal strike behind his back or from the darkness. In an instant, I will defeat him.”
Thales scowled, but Ricky changed the topic of conversation in an instant. He cast a profound glance at Thales before he said, “But did you know, you can do all this much better than I can.”
A thought struck Thales’ mind.
Ricky sighed and said, “My Power of Eradication has its own characteristics. It only reveals my greatest strength when the opponent I face has a fixed combat style.
“But you, Thales, your Sin of Hell’s River is ever-changing. Through imitation, brief contact and observation, you can achieve a more extensive, more detailed understanding of your opponent within a shorter amount of time. You can do more, and you can understand your opponent faster, better, and more comprehensively than I ever can.”
‘Gain an… understanding of my opponent?’ Thales pondered over the example Ricky had given and ruminated the meaning behind this statement.
“The Power of Eradication is one of the most marvelous powers humans have. How many powerful warriors had to go through endless hardship and experience various events to attain such an achievement?” Ricky seemed rather emotional. “The intention of the Sin of Hell’s River’s ability to imitate other powers is not to skip this process. On the contrary, it is to let you get a better understanding of your opponents’ experience, then modify and improve your own abilities, to boost your advantage during the battle, and give you choices to respond to their powers.”
Thales’ eyes twinkled. “You mean… I should not mimic my opponent’s strength, but find the key to victory?”
Ricky smiled.
The astonished teenager recalled the elite warriors he had ‘seen’ with the Sin of Hell’s River.
‘The surging fluctuations that resemble a volcanic eruption within Arracca Murkh; the colorless but resilient power that filled the Fortress Flower; the elusive, flickering silver spark that moved from Nicholas’ head to his toes; the gray hue in Raphael’s body.’
All of sudden, Thales understood: He should not become them. He should…
Surpass them.
“Through the Sin of Hell’s River’s power of mimicry, you can figure out one’s past experience, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. You can figure out the most fundamental aspect of their combat skills and turn it to your advantage. Not lazily skipping this part of the process, wishfully pretending to be the opponents themselves, and copying what they had achieved.”
Ricky pointed at Thales, who had gained an epiphany from his words
“Remember, the point is how you navigate your power, not the strength of your opponent’s power. It is about how much you gain, not how well you can imitate them.
“Once you master this, you will be able to find your way out of any situation and figure out the solution when facing any strong opponent.”
Thales jolted. It was as if a certain train of thought in his mind, which had been blocked for a long time, had been cleared.
Ricky squinted at Thales whose eyes lit up gradually. The stern expression on his face softened.
“The Sin of Hell’s River’s flexibility is not to allow you to almost perfectly mimic your opponents’ powers and become all your opponents. Rather, it allows you to face all your opponent fearlessly and with composure.”
Ricky took a deep breath and stared at Thales whose expression had changed completely. He sighed faintly. “This is the true ‘omnipotent Power of Eradication.’”
Thales fixed his eyes on him and nodded slightly with a solemn expression.
“I understand. But…” Thales hesitated for a moment before he eventually asked, “Why did you tell me all this?”
Ricky gazed at him and did not speak for a while.
However, before Ricky replied…
*Thump!*
A slight tremor came from underneath their feet. Everyone’s expression changed, Thales’ included.
A few seconds later, the rumbling sound ceased, and silence re-ensued.
Thales looked down at his feet, astonished.
‘This is…’ When he sensed the sudden lightness under his soles, Thales’ expression darkened. ‘The platform… has stopped.”
In that instant, everyone on the platform stood up, creating a small commotion.
“Ricky.” A few seconds later, Klein ambled towards them with a torch and said somberly, “We have reached the surface.”
Rocky nodded and waved his hand to form a signal. The Disaster Swords got into action. They geared up and were ready to move.
Thales glanced at his surrounding instinctively, and he found, much to his dejection, that he and his companions were still captives.
“Why did I tell you all this?”
Ricky turned his head around to peer at Thales and said profoundly, “As I have said, my dear, you own a key which can unlock a door we all long to open.”
‘A key?’ Thales frowned.
“Has anyone ever told you that you talk and act strangely, like the priests in the temple?”
Ricky was somewhat surprised. He let out a laugh immediately afterwards.
“Yes, someone has.”
While Thales was bemused, Ricky looked up at the ceiling that had drawn extremely close to them at some point. He looked as though he saw the world outside.
He gave an order loudly, “Be prepared, everyone, the day you leave the prison has arrived. It is time to look back at the Prison of Bones…”
Under the attentive gaze of the mercenaries, Ricky’s stare hardened, and a ferocious glint appeared in his eyes.
“…and say goodbye.”
Chapter 473: I am Not a Devil, After All |
It was a fairly small desert.
It was situated between several sand dunes of varying sizes. It slept deeply under the gloomy sky, and everything in it was dead silent.
Then, the sand on the ground began to tremble slightly.
*Thump!*
There was a dull thud, and an uneven platform suddenly rose in the middle of the desert.
*Thud!*
More dull thuds followed. Countless grains of sand gradually fell from the rising platform and into the dark hole beneath it. The falling sand hissed.
The platform was about several meters wide. It kept rising and revealed its black-gray surface.
More than ten seconds later, a figure covered in dust and sand emerged from the dark, mysterious hole with a torch in hand. The figure patted the sand off himself and glanced around.
He then turned around, extended his arm to grab the second person, and pulled them of the hole. He then pulled out the third man, the fourth… more and more people crawled out of the hole.
There was more than ten of them.
At last, a scrawny figure emerged and was pulled out by someone. He stepped on the sandy ground.
“Cough, cough…”
Thales, with his face covered in dirt, took off his face scarf, coughed out some dust and sand painfully, and patted the sand off his whole body.
The chilly, predawn wind and the odor of sand attacked his senses simultaneously. They gave him a chill. It was a vaguely familiar feeling.
Thales reached behind his waist instinctively, only to recall that his dagger was confiscated by Ricky.
…Behind the teenager, Tardin, Bruley, and Canon were brought out to the desert with their hands tied.
Zakriel, Barney, and Beldin’s situations were worse. They were blindfolded and personally watched over by Klein and Josef.
Quick Rope appeared to be treated as an unimportant laborer. He carried the equipment collected by the mercenaries from the battlefield, darting a pleading glance at Thales every now and then.
Stake was blindfolded as well. He was shoved out of the hole under the watch of two mercenaries.
Everyone climbed to the surface one after the other.
“This is… this is not the Prison of Bones?” Thales steeled his heart and ignored Quick Rope’s miserable stare behind as he stepped on the incredibly pleasant sand. He cleaned the mess on himself while studying his surroundings under the dim daylight. “This is not even… Blade Fangs Camp.” The endless stretch of yellow sand terrified him.
Ricky turned his head around under the glowing sky. “What? Did you think we would go back?”
Ricky tossed away the torch in his hand, shook his head with a sarcastic expression, and said, “The entrance to the Prison of Bones has probably been surrounded by the Secret Intelligence Department long ago.”
Thales sighed internally. The prince wrapped his arms around his torso and rubbed it as the cold wind blew at him. He looked around, confused. “Where are we?”
“Not far from Blade Fangs Camp.” Ricky raised his head under the gray sky and gazed at a familiar row of fortresses in the distance.
“We’re just near enough to see it.”
Thales squinted his eyes and observed Blade Fangs Camp, which seemed so close to them. He felt disheartened.
In the desert, “just enough to see something” equated to “a whole day’s journey on foot”.
‘So, what are they up to next?’
“What are you waiting for?” Thales asked, rubbing his palms.
This time, Ricky merely darted him a cold look. “An opportunity.”
‘Opportunity?’ Thales frowned.
In the howling wind, Ricky looked up at the sky, turned around, and ordered, “Everyone, do a final check. We’re leaving.”
Ricky walked past Thales, who was thinking deeply, and headed towards Samel, who was standing in a remote corner.
He peered at the Royal Guards in the distance, all bound tightly, and lowered his voice to ask Samel, “How was it?”
Samel moved away from the group, cast a quick look at Zakriel, and shook his head. “They refuse to join us.”
Ricky heaved a sigh with a frown. “Barney?”
Samel gave a light snort, seemingly displeased. “Especially Barney. That fellow is as stubborn as a rock.”
Ricky stared at the blindfolded Barney and clicked his tongue softly. “He just happens to be the only person who has mastered the secret of Northland Military Sword Style.”
Samel’s eyes lit up. “Then, is he…?”
Ricky shook his head in disappointment. “The Thawing of Glaciers.”
The two of them fell into silence for a while.
Ricky glanced at his subordinates who were making their final preparations and performing their last inventory check behind him. He gestured at Zakriel with his chin.
“I have been trying to persuade their superior. If he agrees…”
But Samel shook his head firmly. “Not Zakriel.” The firmness of Samel’s tone surprised Ricky. “Zakriel is not the key.” Samel looked at the scrawny, somewhat short figure behind him with a complicated expression. “They will only devote themselves to him.”
Ricky looked in the direction of Samel’s gaze and saw the worn, weary teenager with a bruise on his chin. That teenager was currently staring at the sand under his feet and seemingly mumbling to himself.
“Him?” Ricky was momentarily startled. His eyes lingered on Thales for a few seconds. “You told me that you could instigate a fight between them.” Ricky turned his head around. His expression became stern. “What happened after that? The child showed up, and all of you bent your knees?”
‘What happened after that?’
Samel was quiet for a moment. He remembered Nalgi and Naer, who were now in eternal slumber, and he also remembered the smile on the teenager’s face.
‘”I rest now by the Emperor’s side…”‘
“Nothing.” Samel raised his head, shook off the memory, and tried not to look at Thales. “He is just… very persuasive.”
Sensing the disengagement in his tone, Ricky raised an eyebrow. “Huh…”
‘Very persuasive, eh?’ He gave Samel a meaningful gaze.
“I am curious about one thing, Samel.” Ricky’s words made Samel nervous. Crassus narrowed his eyes. “Before we arrived, did you find out why the Knight of Judgment wanted to kill the child?”
Samel’s breath stopped for a second. ‘Why?’ He was silent for a few seconds.
Ricky slowly drew closer to him. “Is there anything you have not told me? Perhaps it’s… about the royal family?”
As he watched Samel’s expression, Ricky started to chuckle.
“Alright, I know that perhaps you still can’t forget the oath you made years ago. I can fully understand—”
However, Samel took a deep breath and interrupted him. “Zakriel did it because he really went insane.”
Samel stared at Ricky with a serious expression.
‘Really went insane?’ Ricky frowned with a doubtful look.
Samel lowered his head stiffly. “You saw it, too. Moments ago, Zakriel was still in a killing spree. Moments later, he went back to help them. I think he might have really gone crazy.”
This time, Ricky stared at Samel for a very long time under the dark but gradually brightening sky. But Samel did not look up.
“Oh, he’s gone nuts, huh?” Ricky’s eyes lingered on him. His tone of voice became strange. “No wonder it’s so difficult… to communicate with him.”
He was still studying Samel’s expression.
Samel coughed, and said suddenly, “Listen, if you want the secret behind Barney’s swordsmanship, sure. If we can take that child away—”
Right at that instant…
“Hey, Ricky! Uncle Ricky? Ricky dum-dum?”
Ricky and Samel turned their heads around, and to their astonishment, saw Prince Thales raise his hand in the crowd to wave at them.
‘Dum-dum?…’
“Hey, can we talk?”
Thales’ dramatic wave and shouts drew the others’ attention. Marina, who was behind him, even placed her hand on the sword hilt at her waist.
“You say… take him away?” Ricky glanced at Samel, sighed, and walked towards Thales. “I’d love to.”
Ricky came in front of Thales, and his expression returned to the composed and slightly amused look he always wore. “Your Highness, please do not tell me you are looking for a quiet spot to pee, because you could have done it right here. We would not mind.”
Unexpectedly, Thales grinned toothily.
“I have a question about the Air Calamity. He went to the Tower of Eradication with you, yes?”
The Air Calamity.
Once he said that name, the mercenaries who were occupied with their respective tasks fell into silence. Many people turned to look at them.
Ricky’s expression changed. He turned his head around and said to Samel with a grim look on his face, “Keep an eye on them.”
After that, Ricky wrapped an arm around Thales’ shoulders in an incredibly rough motion and dragged him to a quieter spot away from the others.
“Ah, ouch, be gentler… I’m still young, you can’t… Alright, I won’t struggle anymore. Don’t be so rough…”
As Thales protested and struggled, Ricky flung him away. “Give me a reason not to knock you out,” Ricky said coldly.
But Thales merely patted the dust and sand off himself, panted, and shrugged.
“The Dragon Breaker or whatever. That was what the Air Calamity wanted, am I right?” Thales said as he smiled. “The way you behaved in the prison made me feel that…. you were not so keen on that.”
There was a small, curious change in Ricky’s facial expression.
“What you wanted was Black Sword, who had the Sin of Hell’s River.” Thales’ tone of voice became serious. “Yes, I know, that weapon was brought back by Black Sword.”
Ricky’s eyes widened. He stared at Thales for three full seconds.
“My dear, I just realized that you were cuter when you listened quietly.” Ricky’s voice was as chilly as the desert night.
Thales flashed him a helpless, toothy grin. The teenager turned his head around to look at the group and scratched his head.
“It took some time to recall the names you mentioned, but…”
Ricky narrowed his eyes.
Thales turned around, drew in a deep breath, and said solemnly, “The Iron Blood King was a king in the Northland who died heroically when he fought against the ancient orcs before the era of multiple kings. There was a scene in the drama about the Age of the Empire that describes the Black Knight’s trial after committing regicide. Shawlon Tannon was a name in the Tannon Family of Northland. They were stripped of their territory, Prestige Orchid Region, as a punishment for conspiring in regicide. Their name was also removed from the ten archduke families of Eckstedt.
Under Thales’ puzzled and confused gaze, Ricky spoke softly, “The meaning behind imitation is that you must understand your opponent.”
‘Understand?’
Thales blinked.
Ricky looked around him before he smirked.
“I don’t know Barney, Zakriel, and your disoriented friend. But through their experiences with their Powers of Eradication, I can understand them from another level.”
‘Another level?’ Thales thought hard.
The eyes of the Disaster Swords’ leader shone. “For example, through analyses and deductions, I can know…
“…that when I face Barney, perhaps I cannot forcibly parry the attack he delivered at the risk of his own life. I will have to use other factors from around me to hold him back, disrupt his movements, and foil his offense. Then, in the end, I will be able to defeat him.
“When I face Zakriel, I cannot compete against him in terms of exercising a perfect consideration of everything around me. In fact, I can neither hesitate nor think about too many things. I must focus on my strongest point and use it to break through his offense. It is only then that I will have a chance to fight back.”
Ricky suddenly stopped ranting.
Thales, who had been listening attentively, showed puzzlement on his face.
“I see, so that’s how it is. Ha!” With a show of realization, Ricky punched his own palm. He cast a glance in the direction where Barney Junior and Zakriel were, as if he had understood something. “A duel between Barney and Zakriel. It should be quite interesting.”
Ricky’s excitement faded away. He turned around.
“And if I have to face your disoriented friend, my best choice is not to face him head-on, not to fight him in multiple rounds, not to drag out the fight with him, and not give him a chance to find my weakness while he attempts to deceive me and throw feints at me. Instead, I will conceal myself, hide my intentions, and before he has a chance to react, I will deliver a fatal strike behind his back or from the darkness. In an instant, I will defeat him.”
Thales scowled, but Ricky changed the topic of conversation in an instant. He cast a profound glance at Thales before he said, “But did you know, you can do all this much better than I can.”
A thought struck Thales’ mind.
Ricky sighed and said, “My Power of Eradication has its own characteristics. It only reveals my greatest strength when the opponent I face has a fixed combat style.
“But you, Thales, your Sin of Hell’s River is ever-changing. Through imitation, brief contact and observation, you can achieve a more extensive, more detailed understanding of your opponent within a shorter amount of time. You can do more, and you can understand your opponent faster, better, and more comprehensively than I ever can.”
‘Gain an… understanding of my opponent?’ Thales pondered over the example Ricky had given and ruminated the meaning behind this statement.
“The Power of Eradication is one of the most marvelous powers humans have. How many powerful warriors had to go through endless hardship and experience various events to attain such an achievement?” Ricky seemed rather emotional. “The intention of the Sin of Hell’s River’s ability to imitate other powers is not to skip this process. On the contrary, it is to let you get a better understanding of your opponents’ experience, then modify and improve your own abilities, to boost your advantage during the battle, and give you choices to respond to their powers.”
Thales’ eyes twinkled. “You mean… I should not mimic my opponent’s strength, but find the key to victory?”
Ricky smiled.
The astonished teenager recalled the elite warriors he had ‘seen’ with the Sin of Hell’s River.
‘The surging fluctuations that resemble a volcanic eruption within Arracca Murkh; the colorless but resilient power that filled the Fortress Flower; the elusive, flickering silver spark that moved from Nicholas’ head to his toes; the gray hue in Raphael’s body.’
All of sudden, Thales understood: He should not become them. He should…
Surpass them.
“Through the Sin of Hell’s River’s power of mimicry, you can figure out one’s past experience, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. You can figure out the most fundamental aspect of their combat skills and turn it to your advantage. Not lazily skipping this part of the process, wishfully pretending to be the opponents themselves, and copying what they had achieved.”
Ricky pointed at Thales, who had gained an epiphany from his words
“Remember, the point is how you navigate your power, not the strength of your opponent’s power. It is about how much you gain, not how well you can imitate them.
“Once you master this, you will be able to find your way out of any situation and figure out the solution when facing any strong opponent.”
Thales jolted. It was as if a certain train of thought in his mind, which had been blocked for a long time, had been cleared.
Ricky squinted at Thales whose eyes lit up gradually. The stern expression on his face softened.
“The Sin of Hell’s River’s flexibility is not to allow you to almost perfectly mimic your opponents’ powers and become all your opponents. Rather, it allows you to face all your opponent fearlessly and with composure.”
Ricky took a deep breath and stared at Thales whose expression had changed completely. He sighed faintly. “This is the true ‘omnipotent Power of Eradication.’”
Thales fixed his eyes on him and nodded slightly with a solemn expression.
“I understand. But…” Thales hesitated for a moment before he eventually asked, “Why did you tell me all this?”
Ricky gazed at him and did not speak for a while.
However, before Ricky replied…
*Thump!*
A slight tremor came from underneath their feet. Everyone’s expression changed, Thales’ included.
A few seconds later, the rumbling sound ceased, and silence re-ensued.
Thales looked down at his feet, astonished.
‘This is…’ When he sensed the sudden lightness under his soles, Thales’ expression darkened. ‘The platform… has stopped.”
In that instant, everyone on the platform stood up, creating a small commotion.
“Ricky.” A few seconds later, Klein ambled towards them with a torch and said somberly, “We have reached the surface.”
Rocky nodded and waved his hand to form a signal. The Disaster Swords got into action. They geared up and were ready to move.
Thales glanced at his surrounding instinctively, and he found, much to his dejection, that he and his companions were still captives.
“Why did I tell you all this?”
Ricky turned his head around to peer at Thales and said profoundly, “As I have said, my dear, you own a key which can unlock a door we all long to open.”
‘A key?’ Thales frowned.
“Has anyone ever told you that you talk and act strangely, like the priests in the temple?”
Ricky was somewhat surprised. He let out a laugh immediately afterwards.
“Yes, someone has.”
While Thales was bemused, Ricky looked up at the ceiling that had drawn extremely close to them at some point. He looked as though he saw the world outside.
He gave an order loudly, “Be prepared, everyone, the day you leave the prison has arrived. It is time to look back at the Prison of Bones…”
Under the attentive gaze of the mercenaries, Ricky’s stare hardened, and a ferocious glint appeared in his eyes.
“…and say goodbye.”
Chapter 473: I am Not a Devil, After All |
It was a fairly small desert.
It was situated between several sand dunes of varying sizes. It slept deeply under the gloomy sky, and everything in it was dead silent.
Then, the sand on the ground began to tremble slightly.
*Thump!*
There was a dull thud, and an uneven platform suddenly rose in the middle of the desert.
*Thud!*
More dull thuds followed. Countless grains of sand gradually fell from the rising platform and into the dark hole beneath it. The falling sand hissed.
The platform was about several meters wide. It kept rising and revealed its black-gray surface.
More than ten seconds later, a figure covered in dust and sand emerged from the dark, mysterious hole with a torch in hand. The figure patted the sand off himself and glanced around.
He then turned around, extended his arm to grab the second person, and pulled them of the hole. He then pulled out the third man, the fourth… more and more people crawled out of the hole.
There was more than ten of them.
At last, a scrawny figure emerged and was pulled out by someone. He stepped on the sandy ground.
“Cough, cough…”
Thales, with his face covered in dirt, took off his face scarf, coughed out some dust and sand painfully, and patted the sand off his whole body.
The chilly, predawn wind and the odor of sand attacked his senses simultaneously. They gave him a chill. It was a vaguely familiar feeling.
Thales reached behind his waist instinctively, only to recall that his dagger was confiscated by Ricky.
…Behind the teenager, Tardin, Bruley, and Canon were brought out to the desert with their hands tied.
Zakriel, Barney, and Beldin’s situations were worse. They were blindfolded and personally watched over by Klein and Josef.
Quick Rope appeared to be treated as an unimportant laborer. He carried the equipment collected by the mercenaries from the battlefield, darting a pleading glance at Thales every now and then.
Stake was blindfolded as well. He was shoved out of the hole under the watch of two mercenaries.
Everyone climbed to the surface one after the other.
“This is… this is not the Prison of Bones?” Thales steeled his heart and ignored Quick Rope’s miserable stare behind as he stepped on the incredibly pleasant sand. He cleaned the mess on himself while studying his surroundings under the dim daylight. “This is not even… Blade Fangs Camp.” The endless stretch of yellow sand terrified him.
Ricky turned his head around under the glowing sky. “What? Did you think we would go back?”
Ricky tossed away the torch in his hand, shook his head with a sarcastic expression, and said, “The entrance to the Prison of Bones has probably been surrounded by the Secret Intelligence Department long ago.”
Thales sighed internally. The prince wrapped his arms around his torso and rubbed it as the cold wind blew at him. He looked around, confused. “Where are we?”
“Not far from Blade Fangs Camp.” Ricky raised his head under the gray sky and gazed at a familiar row of fortresses in the distance.
“We’re just near enough to see it.”
Thales squinted his eyes and observed Blade Fangs Camp, which seemed so close to them. He felt disheartened.
In the desert, “just enough to see something” equated to “a whole day’s journey on foot”.
‘So, what are they up to next?’
“What are you waiting for?” Thales asked, rubbing his palms.
This time, Ricky merely darted him a cold look. “An opportunity.”
‘Opportunity?’ Thales frowned.
In the howling wind, Ricky looked up at the sky, turned around, and ordered, “Everyone, do a final check. We’re leaving.”
Ricky walked past Thales, who was thinking deeply, and headed towards Samel, who was standing in a remote corner.
He peered at the Royal Guards in the distance, all bound tightly, and lowered his voice to ask Samel, “How was it?”
Samel moved away from the group, cast a quick look at Zakriel, and shook his head. “They refuse to join us.”
Ricky heaved a sigh with a frown. “Barney?”
Samel gave a light snort, seemingly displeased. “Especially Barney. That fellow is as stubborn as a rock.”
Ricky stared at the blindfolded Barney and clicked his tongue softly. “He just happens to be the only person who has mastered the secret of Northland Military Sword Style.”
Samel’s eyes lit up. “Then, is he…?”
Ricky shook his head in disappointment. “The Thawing of Glaciers.”
The two of them fell into silence for a while.
Ricky glanced at his subordinates who were making their final preparations and performing their last inventory check behind him. He gestured at Zakriel with his chin.
“I have been trying to persuade their superior. If he agrees…”
But Samel shook his head firmly. “Not Zakriel.” The firmness of Samel’s tone surprised Ricky. “Zakriel is not the key.” Samel looked at the scrawny, somewhat short figure behind him with a complicated expression. “They will only devote themselves to him.”
Ricky looked in the direction of Samel’s gaze and saw the worn, weary teenager with a bruise on his chin. That teenager was currently staring at the sand under his feet and seemingly mumbling to himself.
“Him?” Ricky was momentarily startled. His eyes lingered on Thales for a few seconds. “You told me that you could instigate a fight between them.” Ricky turned his head around. His expression became stern. “What happened after that? The child showed up, and all of you bent your knees?”
‘What happened after that?’
Samel was quiet for a moment. He remembered Nalgi and Naer, who were now in eternal slumber, and he also remembered the smile on the teenager’s face.
‘”I rest now by the Emperor’s side…”‘
“Nothing.” Samel raised his head, shook off the memory, and tried not to look at Thales. “He is just… very persuasive.”
Sensing the disengagement in his tone, Ricky raised an eyebrow. “Huh…”
‘Very persuasive, eh?’ He gave Samel a meaningful gaze.
“I am curious about one thing, Samel.” Ricky’s words made Samel nervous. Crassus narrowed his eyes. “Before we arrived, did you find out why the Knight of Judgment wanted to kill the child?”
Samel’s breath stopped for a second. ‘Why?’ He was silent for a few seconds.
Ricky slowly drew closer to him. “Is there anything you have not told me? Perhaps it’s… about the royal family?”
As he watched Samel’s expression, Ricky started to chuckle.
“Alright, I know that perhaps you still can’t forget the oath you made years ago. I can fully understand—”
However, Samel took a deep breath and interrupted him. “Zakriel did it because he really went insane.”
Samel stared at Ricky with a serious expression.
‘Really went insane?’ Ricky frowned with a doubtful look.
Samel lowered his head stiffly. “You saw it, too. Moments ago, Zakriel was still in a killing spree. Moments later, he went back to help them. I think he might have really gone crazy.”
This time, Ricky stared at Samel for a very long time under the dark but gradually brightening sky. But Samel did not look up.
“Oh, he’s gone nuts, huh?” Ricky’s eyes lingered on him. His tone of voice became strange. “No wonder it’s so difficult… to communicate with him.”
He was still studying Samel’s expression.
Samel coughed, and said suddenly, “Listen, if you want the secret behind Barney’s swordsmanship, sure. If we can take that child away—”
Right at that instant…
“Hey, Ricky! Uncle Ricky? Ricky dum-dum?”
Ricky and Samel turned their heads around, and to their astonishment, saw Prince Thales raise his hand in the crowd to wave at them.
‘Dum-dum?…’
“Hey, can we talk?”
Thales’ dramatic wave and shouts drew the others’ attention. Marina, who was behind him, even placed her hand on the sword hilt at her waist.
“You say… take him away?” Ricky glanced at Samel, sighed, and walked towards Thales. “I’d love to.”
Ricky came in front of Thales, and his expression returned to the composed and slightly amused look he always wore. “Your Highness, please do not tell me you are looking for a quiet spot to pee, because you could have done it right here. We would not mind.”
Unexpectedly, Thales grinned toothily.
“I have a question about the Air Calamity. He went to the Tower of Eradication with you, yes?”
The Air Calamity.
Once he said that name, the mercenaries who were occupied with their respective tasks fell into silence. Many people turned to look at them.
Ricky’s expression changed. He turned his head around and said to Samel with a grim look on his face, “Keep an eye on them.”
After that, Ricky wrapped an arm around Thales’ shoulders in an incredibly rough motion and dragged him to a quieter spot away from the others.
“Ah, ouch, be gentler… I’m still young, you can’t… Alright, I won’t struggle anymore. Don’t be so rough…”
As Thales protested and struggled, Ricky flung him away. “Give me a reason not to knock you out,” Ricky said coldly.
But Thales merely patted the dust and sand off himself, panted, and shrugged.
“The Dragon Breaker or whatever. That was what the Air Calamity wanted, am I right?” Thales said as he smiled. “The way you behaved in the prison made me feel that…. you were not so keen on that.”
There was a small, curious change in Ricky’s facial expression.
“What you wanted was Black Sword, who had the Sin of Hell’s River.” Thales’ tone of voice became serious. “Yes, I know, that weapon was brought back by Black Sword.”
Ricky’s eyes widened. He stared at Thales for three full seconds.
“My dear, I just realized that you were cuter when you listened quietly.” Ricky’s voice was as chilly as the desert night.
Thales flashed him a helpless, toothy grin. The teenager turned his head around to look at the group and scratched his head.
“It took some time to recall the names you mentioned, but…”
Ricky narrowed his eyes.
Thales turned around, drew in a deep breath, and said solemnly, “The Iron Blood King was a king in the Northland who died heroically when he fought against the ancient orcs before the era of multiple kings. There was a scene in the drama about the Age of the Empire that describes the Black Knight’s trial after committing regicide. Shawlon Tannon was a name in the Tannon Family of Northland. They were stripped of their territory, Prestige Orchid Region, as a punishment for conspiring in regicide. Their name was also removed from the ten archduke families of Eckstedt.
