Kingdom's Bloodline, page 559
Quick Rope shook his head. “I can’t tell, but…” Quick Rope frowned and evaluated Thales. Then, in all apparent seriousness, Quick Rope put on a solemn and stern expression. “I can sense it. Compared to the Thales I met in the desert… you seem to have gained something, but also lost something.”
The two faced each other and remained quiet for a few seconds. Thales raised an eyebrow and smiled, resigned. “Maybe… I grew up.”
Quick Rope raised his eyebrows.
“You know, this trip taught me many things.” Thales sighed softly and looked northwest. It was the direction from whence he came. He looked a little engrossed with the view. “In fact, I learned more… than what I learned in the past six years.”
Quick Rope watched him and sighed. “So, this is farewell. You’re going back to be a prince, right?”
Thales snapped out of his daze. With a faint feeling of sadness, he said helplessly and mockingly, “Yes, I believe so, back to the shackles of power.”
‘Shackles of power.’ Quick Rope remained quiet for several seconds.
“Thales, what do you think of my father as a king?” Quick Rope suddenly asked.
“As a king?” Thales was stunned.
‘King Nuven?’ When he recalled the name, Thales remembered many past events, and he could not help but frown. ‘Nuven the Seventh of Eckstedt… as a king…?’
While he watched Quick Rope’s expression—he could not tell whether it was grief or indignation—Thales sighed and said, “He is, without a doubt, an overlord of his generation. He was farsighted, his methods of ruling surpassed the others; he was wise, brutal, and merciless.”
‘Just… very unlucky.’ Thales lowered his head dispiritedly.
“Yes.” Quick Rope seemed to have remembered the past. He nodded absent-mindedly. “Then what do you think of yourself when you compare yourself with him, Thales Jadestar?”
‘Me? With King Nuven?’ Thales was stupefied again.
In a few seconds, he remembered King Nuven’s resolution when he challenged Poffret, his ruthlessness when he killed Alex, his might when he rebuked the archdukes, his resolve when he handed Triumph over, his bravery when he personally went out to battle the calamities, and his countless schemes plotted behind the scenes that set him and Lampard up…
Thales could not help but laugh. “No, I won’t be able to measure up to him even after I have lived out my whole life.”
Quick Rope fell silent. His facial color was not good, as though he remembered something unhappy. He spoke with a sigh a few seconds later.
“Listen, Thales, I don’t know how the wise Kings of Eckstedt like the Dragon King, Winter King, Steel Breaker King, and the Whisperer led their armies and conquered lands, neither do I know how the Kings of Constellation like the King of Renaissance, the Oath Keeper, and the Virtuous King made their countries flourish and brought about great order…”
When he said the names of these famous people, his tone was not as relaxed and humorous as usual. Instead, it was rather serious. Thales found it hard to adapt to the change.
During that second, Quick Rope’s face was stern, and it made Thales instinctively straighten his back. He felt as though the person before him had returned to becoming Moriah Walton.
“But after today, I have come to learn at least one thing.” Moriah stared at the teenager. “Thales, be it my father or my brother, they cannot hope to compare to you, not even one bit.” He shook his head slowly, and his tone was firm.
Silence fell around them, and it lasted for a very long time.
While he stared into Moriah’s firm gaze that allowed no disagreement, Thales was completely taken aback. ‘What… did he say?’
When Thales finally wrapped his head around Moriah’s words, he blurted out instinctively, “Moriah, you—”
But Moriah interrupted him. “Thales, become a king, a good one.” King Nuven’s second son drew close to him slowly and pressed a hand against Thales’ shoulder. At that moment, Prince Moriah Walton’s eyes shone with a light that was rarely seen.
“Because from today onwards, I believe that you will be much better than the other kings. You can prove that even if you are bound by the shackles of power, you can live differently.”
Chapter 482: Get Yourself A Girlfriend |
Under the sun, Thales watched the smiling Moriah. He stared at Moriah dazedly while he pondered over his shocking words.
A few seconds later, the Prince of Constellation exhaled and smiled. “When did you learn how to lick someone’s boots?”
“Lick someone’s boots?” Moriah snorted lightly. His eyes were filled with faint nostalgia. “Six years ago.”
Moriah looked up at the sky and sighed sentimentally.
“I learned how to do this when I was beaten severely by a few thugs in an alley in Vallier and was on the verge of death, and I crawled to the passers-by on the street side, trembling and begging for food.”
Thales’ smile faded. ‘Is that so?’
He stared at Moriah in front of him. The man was still smiling as usual, even though he looked disheveled, and his body was covered with bruises and wounds. Thales tried to imagine how he used to look like.
‘If this is the case, the past six years, when I was under Lisban and the Star Killer’s surveillance in Heroic Spirit Palace… this man…’
Thales suddenly recalled what the man said.
‘”Laugh, Thales. Laugh.
‘”Because life is a burden heavy enough on our shoulders.
‘”You need to smile so that the burden will become lighter.”‘
When he thought of this, the way Thales looked at Moriah changed. He inhaled deeply and tried to make his words of farewell sound lighter.
“Then why is it that you can never draw in clients to save money?”
Moriah’s expression instantly froze. Thales watched him with the ghost of a smile on his lips. Moriah looked down and scratched his hair, which was covered in dust and sand. Some of the dye also seemed to have come off.
After a few seconds, his cheeks relaxed. “Alright then, to show my sincerity before we part…” Moriah looked up, and his face revealed a hint of relief, which was rarely seen on him. “…Twenty nine.”
Thales did not understand. “What?”
Moriah chuckled. There was something new in his gaze as he stared at Thales.
“Over the course of two months, I got Tampa twenty-nine clients who deposited their money with him in case they perished.”
‘What?’ Thales was dumbfounded for a moment.
“Twenty-nine?” The prince immediately registered what he meant and said in amazement, “But I remember Kant was your—”
Moriah laughed faintly before he finished the words for Thales, “The very first deal that I closed by begging pathetically and working laboriously?”
Thales nodded skeptically. As he saw the puzzled expression on Thales’ face, Moriah shrugged. “Yes, but…” A shrewd look rarely seen on Quick Rope showed up on him. “All of them thought so when they came to see me in private.”
Thales was stupefied. ‘All of them thought so?’
“But you cried to me in the tavern when you were drunk last night…” he recalled instinctively.
Moriah sighed. He looked the teenager up and down with a gaze filled with compassion and resignation.
“Yes, because you were supposed to be my thirtieth business deal. A young nobleman who is sympathetic and has some money to spare should make up for the loss we suffered because of Kant, regardless of whether this nobleman is ‘eaten alive’, ‘skinned’, ‘imported’ or ‘sold off by provider’.”
Thales watched the young man dully. ‘What is he talking about? The thirtieth business deal… Eaten alive or skinned… Imported or sold off by provider…”
Moriah registered what he said. He glanced away apologetically and scratched his chin. “Pardon my use of insider language. Tampa said you are a friend of his old mate, and you obviously come from a higher rank, so we let you go. So, we wanted to observe you a little more, and we decided to continue our act without playing any cheap tricks on you, regardless of whether it was drugging you, deceiving you, or some other thing.”
Thales was at a loss for words. He suddenly recalled Tampa’s ‘first lesson’, and his ‘Western Desert Altbier’.
‘Insider… Cheap tricks… Drugs or deceit… Hold on. This man…’ As he figured out the situation slowly, Thales’s gaze on Moriah grew strange. ‘So this is why Tampa was the man Quick Rope thought of at the very moment he “killed” Dean and wanted to destroy his body to wipe off the evidence. This is because… they were in this together… They were con men who scammed others for their money?’
Thales’ expression immediately became extremely sour. In disbelief, he glanced at Moriah, who looked innocent.
“But Dante’s Greatsword… They would never let you do that…”
Moriah coughed. “Captain Louisa. Remember her?”
Thales was stunned again. He immediately recalled the female warrior who led the group of mercenaries, Louisa Dante. Moriah revealed an awkward smile.
“According to the rule, if any sellsword picked up a ‘piggy bank’ in the desert and referred him or her to Tampa, regardless of whether Tampa will ‘eat him alive’ or ‘import him’—like kidnapping him to sell him to the human traffickers in Blood Bottle Gang or in the Prison of Bones—that sellsword will get one-fifth of the share, so Louisa would profit from you.”
‘What?’ Thales was stunned once again. ‘Picked up… piggy bank… share?’
“If we worked with Tampa and ‘skinned’ or ‘sold you off ourselves’, we would get a quarter of the share, which is possible since you looked rich.”
Moriah touched his ears, rubbed them with his hands like he did not know where to put them. He seemed to feel embarrassed.
“It is very rare that we would… take you in as one of us.”
Thales’ cheeks were stiff. His lips were still fixed into a grin that twitched in a way that made him look like a robot.
Moriah pointed at Blade Fangs Camp helplessly. “But Big Dean insisted that we should not ‘sell you off’ immediately. Instead, we should wait until we get to the camp. Of course, now we know why.”
‘Sell me off?’ Thales watched Moriah dumbly. One second… Two seconds…
The young man before him revealed his teeth with a grin that still appeared careless and silly. From that moment onwards, Thales could no longer see honesty and clumsiness in his eyes, but shrewdness and craftiness.
“I told you: both the Great Desert and Blade Fangs Camp are equally dangerous.” Moriah stared at Thales’ expression and tried his best to put on a resigned look. He then smiled awkwardly.
Thales realized that he was completely speechless. He could only remain rooted to the spot, dumbfounded. His thoughts were in chaos.
‘So… Louisa Dante. That mercenary captain with the bright smile, does not back away from orcs, and looks energetic and responsible; the rookie, Quick Rope who stands before me, appears innocent, likes to fool around, and whom I always thought was “in charge of joking”; and Dante’s Greatsword who saved me… All of that was just a ploy. A ploy!’
In that instance, Thales felt lost.
‘From the baron who leads the camp, to the mercenaries who work for him… In that case, Blade Fangs Camp is indeed filled with people who practice a “simple and honest” way of life.’
The corner of Thales’ lips twitched as he thought, while complicated emotions welled up in his heart. But the haze of complicated thoughts did not linger in the prince’s mind too long.
A few seconds later, Thales took a deep breath to eliminate his gloomy thoughts before he burst out laughing in front of Moriah, who was shocked. “Hahaha…”
As he faced the bewildered and surprised Moriah, Thales, laughing continuously, suddenly realized that when he looked back on the details of the scattered interludes in his life, what filled his heart was no longer the indignation and wrath that used to occupy it. Instead, it was relief and magnanimity, both of which were emotions he had not experienced in a long time.
“Hahahaha…”
It was as though the ups and downs and unease in the past six years disappeared along with his long string of laughter. He no longer felt gloomy.
‘So… this is who I am.’
“Hahaha…” Thales’ laughter grew louder. Moriah was shocked, and his expression slowly changed. He wondered if Thales had gone mad.
Finally, after a few seconds, Thales stopped laughing and looked at Moriah, whose face revealed a strange expression. “So, what you experienced in Camus has been helpful to you, hasn’t it?”
Moriah’s face turned gloomy. “Yes.” The other prince nodded with dim eyes. “It has helped me tremendously. At least, I am getting closer to renting my first ship.”
Moriah looked up. He dispersed the gloominess he felt and put on the optimistic and joyful mask Thales was familiar with. “I believe that both my father and brother cannot do this, at least not without any titles attached to their names.”
He narrowed his eyes, pointed at Thales, and revealed a cunning smile.
“Same as you.”
Thales looked at him and began to laugh loudly again. But this time, Moriah also laughed with him. They did not know how much time had passed, but at some point, Thales put away his smile and said profoundly, “You know, Moriah Walton…”
When he was abruptly called by his full real name, the man who was laughing loudly was somewhat astonished. He paused to listen to Thales.
“You are probably the most unique and mysterious Prince of Eckstedt.”
Moriah lowered his head and stayed quiet. Thales studied him carefully.
“You are wrong.” A few seconds later, Moriah looked up again and revealed the large, white teeth unique to Northlanders.
“My name… is Quick Rope. I’m a sailor and… a sellsword.”
‘Quick Rope.’ Thales sank into silence. As he watched Quick Rope, who was contented and happy, a void he could not describe grew in his heart. ‘Moriah Walton. He’s Quick Rope. Then… what about me? Thales Jadestar. Who am I?’
The sand blown by the wind swept past the vacant land. Thales stared at Quick for a long time. In the end, he nodded before he swung his right arm. In the next second, Quick Rope instinctively grabbed the item Thales threw at him!
As he studied the weapon he held in his arms, he looked up in great surprise. “What’s this?”
Thales smiled and pointed at the Crossbow of Time in the man’s arms. “Your thirtieth business deal.”
‘Thirtieth deal…’ Quick Rope was stunned before he asked in disbelief, “A-are you sure? Do you know—”
Thales responded with a hum and nodded. “This item has always belonged to the Northlanders, and I don’t want to have to worry about being killed by this thing again at some point in time.”
When he mentioned the secret, the duo did not talk for a while. Quick Rope sighed, but he swiftly and put the bow on his back without hesitation.
“As a cala-that thing, you’re really generous.”
‘Generous.’ Thales snickered. “Yes.”
‘After all, I’m not the who’s generous.’
(In a corner of a tavern in Northland, the Raven of Death, who had a thick layer of bandages wrapped around himself, choked on his liquor as he chugged the stuff down his throat with a gloomy look. He threw the mug away and coughed violently.)
Quick Rope snorted faintly as if he knew what Thales thought of. “Don’t be too pleased with yourself.”
The Prince of Constellation cast a glance at Quick Rope like he wanted to thoroughly examine this person who traveled with him—even though he failed as a traveling partner—after they met in the desert. He then sighed and said, “If I die, according to the rules, you will lose a lot.”
Quick Rope put away his smile and looked at him quietly. ‘Lose a lot… Is that so?’
“So…” Quick Rope said faintly, “Don’t die.”
‘Don’t die.’
Both men stood quietly for a while. A few seconds later, Thales said softly, “Alright.”
For some reason, Thales suddenly felt that this was their last goodbye. The Prince of Constellation exhaled.
“As for you, don’t forget the Secret Room wants you, and Lampard wants your life.” Thales looked at Quick Rope seriously and said, “Don’t get caught.”
This time, Quick Rope was also quiet for a while. He glanced at the bruises on Thales’ face, and answered slowly, “Alright.”
A soft breeze blew.
“So, are we even?” Thales asked faintly.
Quick Rope watched him with a profound look and nodded. “Yes.”
However, just as Thales and Quick Rope gazed at each other without a word, the sadness of parting almost spilled out of their bodies in the form of tears…
*Bang!*
An arm suddenly wrapped around Quick Rope from behind him!
“Do not disturb His Highness any further. We still have a long way to go…”
Tardin of the Royal Guards appeared out of nowhere and forcefully dragged Quick Rope away, not giving him a chance to speak, and he did so while Thales watched them with a stunned expression and Quick Rope struggled!
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. We will take good care of him!” Tardin gritted his teeth as he dragged Quick Rope away, as though he harbored a deep grudge against him.
Thales was astounded to see that Quick Rope did not forget to wave goodbye at him as he struggled and called for help. “Ahhh, hey, Thales…”
The muddle-headed Prince of Constellation subconsciously nodded.
“Oh. Good then…” Tardin’s tone suddenly changed, and it was filled with worry. “And, um, Your Highness…”
With a hint of hesitation and uncertainty, Tardin held himself back from speaking further. Thales raised his eyebrows to show his puzzlement.
Tardin glanced at Quick Rope suspiciously before he looked at Thales nervously. In the end, he braced himself and said gravely and earnestly, “It is time for you to get yourself… a girlfriend.”
‘Huh?’ Thales was stunned.
