Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 110 Mourning
Exter, on the road leading from Black Sand Territory to Dragonsreach.

"I still advise Your Highness to put those two flags away... especially the Star Flag with the double stars and cross." Among the marching columns of northern soldiers, Viscount Cambida, holding the reins, rode up to the heavily guarded Thales, ignoring the extremely unpleasant expressions of Putila and Wya beside him, and addressed the Star's second prince:

"Although we have two thousand well-trained elite soldiers from the North, many of whom are regular troops around the Grand Duke, it is clearly not the best choice to let everyone along the way know that the Star Prince is here."

Thales paid no attention to the snowy scenery on both sides of the road, the distant mountains that were faintly visible, and the occasional wisps of smoke. The reason he missed the magnificent scenery of the snow-covered mountains of the North was partly because he was still thinking about what Ramon had said two days earlier, and partly because of the horse he was riding.

He was riding alone, carefully maneuvering his horse to prevent it from occasionally throwing him off balance. Rolf followed closely beside him, ready to use the wind to lift his young employer at any moment.

Although Ginny and Gilbert had taught him almost every trick in the book during the month or so he spent in Mindis Hall, Thales seemed to be born with a nemesis for horses. Whether it was the foal in Mindis Hall or the docile and obedient northern nobleman's horse that the Duke of Lombard had lent him, which was even specially equipped with a children's saddle, both horses clearly rejected his riding and even approached him.

By the way, saddles...didn't Ramon say that mages invented those too?
So, magic can be considered the science of this world? And mages are a group of people dedicated to researching and uncovering the truth?

What about magical energy? And how did magic disappear?
Unfortunately, the conversation was quickly interrupted by Kambida, so it seems we'll have to find another opportunity next time.

Thales watched anxiously as his horse crossed an uneven snowdrift, then breathed a sigh of relief.

“I thought it was international practice for the delegation to display its flag to identify itself,” Thales turned his head, looking helplessly at Cambida while carefully watching his disgruntled mount beneath him. “Besides, an army of two thousand men stretching for hundreds of meters, with such a commotion, even if I didn’t raise the flag, wouldn’t people know that the Star Prince has set foot on Exter’s territory?”

"Or perhaps Grand Duke Lomba feels that appearing too close to Prince Star at this time is not actually beneficial?"

Kambida smiled: "Your Highness, please trust the Grand Duke..."

But Putila interrupted him.

“We have to send two thousand men to ensure the prince doesn’t die in his own territory, and we also have to show our hostility toward the stars to our own people,” Putila slowly puffed on his pipe and chuckled. “The Duke of Lombardy is in a really tough situation… He mobilized his territory at all costs, but failed to take the Dragon Fortress. It’s really too much of a blow.”

Kambida's expression turned somewhat grim.

It wasn't apparent during the journey and battles, but Thales had a feeling that once he started interacting with people, his deputy, Putila, seemed to have returned to his most comfortable battlefield. Cambida came to Thales' side several times during the journey, intentionally bringing up political topics, but Thales deflected them with words that were sometimes humorous and sometimes embarrassing.

“Whatever the Black Sands Grand Duke’s purpose is, or whether it is to your advantage—you should speak directly to King Nuen, not to one of the Black Sands Grand Duke’s advisors.” This was Putila’s calm explanation in private.

Rumba officially withdrew its troops two days ago, and the mission departed at the same time.

The bumpy ride on horseback would take them out of the Northern Plains and into the Sighing Hills. The southwestern part of the hills would still be within the Black Sand Territory, but the northeastern part would be the territory of the Rebuilding Tower Duke of Exter, the Trudida family.

Despite his unwavering rejection of the other party's overtures and alliance proposals, the Grand Duke of Lombard generously allocated two thousand men. The regular troops among them would protect Thales on the journey, while the conscripts would gradually disband and return home along the way.

Thales didn't know whether to call it the Grand Duke's generosity or hypocrisy, or both.

Just then, a knight in a gray helmet parted the infantry ranks and rode up to them.

Thales could sense that Ada, riding behind him, was slowly shifting from a listless and bored state to a tense one—in fact, after being immersed in that fluctuation, Thales's various senses seemed to have been subtly but really enhanced.

It seems that the fluctuation is not only a lifesaver in emergencies, but its presence is also slowly changing Thales's body... but this is precisely what Thales is most worried about.

He didn't quite remember what happened during the time Serena strangled him to "die," or rather, during his brief period of unconsciousness. But Thales felt that he had experienced something important, and that fluctuation appeared after he woke up.

"The Lyman Pass is just ahead," said the gray-helmed knight who had previously confronted Arakka on the battlefield, the Fire Knight Tuleha. He solemnly reined in his horse and rode alongside Thales, saying sternly, "There is a village there where we can rest and eat, and continue our journey in the afternoon. We can also send scouts to investigate... After all, we will soon reach the territory of the Rebuilding Tower Duke."

Thales keenly noticed that after Tuleha finished saying "Lehman Pass," Putila and Wya's expressions both darkened slightly, while Cambida curled the corners of his mouth.

"What does Your Highness think?" Before anyone else could speak, Cambida smiled at Thales and said, "Whether for practical needs or personal reasons, I suggest you stop at Lyman Pass for a while to rest or pay your respects."

Personal reasons?
A tribute?

As Thales looked on in confusion, Putila rode up beside him and sighed deeply:

“Lehman Pass is the southwestern starting point of the Sighing Hills and the only way for the northern plains to enter the hills,” the thin deputy envoy said, extinguishing his pipe and frowning. Wyatt, standing beside him, turned his head away.

“But that was also the place where Horace, the former second prince of the stars, ultimately perished in the Bloody Year,” Putila said with displeasure.

Thales' expression changed; he understood why the others' expressions had changed.

Clearly, Cambida had found a topic that Thales had to address.

It happens to be about the war between Exter and the stars.

As the prince of the stars, Thales lowered his eyelids at the opportune moment and sighed: "Of course, Horace is also my blood relative."

Kambida smiled and nodded.

However, Thales was also silently wondering to himself.

Was this the genius swordsman that Kessel spoke of, and the royal general with his strict military discipline that Sonia described, the one who died here?

But this is also an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the truth behind the bloody year.

He turned to Putila.

"What was the cause of the prince's death?"

"At the end of the Bloody Year, that winter was unusually warm. King Nunn assembled an army of nearly 100,000 men from seven grand dukes, with ample food and weapons, and besieged the lightly armed fortress." Putila sighed and was the first to answer Thales' question.

"At that time, the southwestern battlefield within the Star Kingdom had reached its final decisive moment—Duke John had the last main force of the rebels pinned down at the flank, and victory in the suppression of the rebellion was within reach. However, this also meant that they could not march north to provide reinforcements, and reinforcements for the Dragon-Slaying Fortress were nowhere in sight," Putila shook his head, put away his pipe, and said with a complex expression:

"With catapults, siege crossbows, magic guns, and countless assault troops, Prince Horace believed that the fall of Dragonstalker Fortress was only a matter of time, so he risked an attack, secretly leading a small force across the Great Needle Forest to break into the rear of Exter's supply line."

Wyman let out a deep sigh.

The next to speak was the commander of the Exter people.

“That was a risky choice,” Cambida chuckled. “Clearly, it was a miscalculation by the stars, and Horace lost the gamble, paying the price for it…”

Wyman looked at him resentfully.

“That’s a good choice, at least it hits the nail on the head,” Putilae replied with a cold snort.

Thales frowned, unsure how to respond.

Given his position, it would be best for him to say nothing at this moment.

He had heard Gilbert recount the royal tragedy of the Bloody Year, in which Horace had fallen into the trap of the Exter people.

Gilbert's statement that "there were no soldiers or reinforcements for three hours" seems to suggest that Horace's death, like that of other members of the royal family, was caused by a frame-up.

But according to Putila and Cambida, it seems that Horace himself took the risk and brought it upon himself.
Moreover, at such a distance from the edge of the stars, isn't it perfectly normal to be "without troops or reinforcements for three hours"?
He needs to know more.

Tuleha, who was standing beside them, spoke up at this moment:
"That was indeed a wise choice."

Upon hearing this, Kambida looked at the Fiery Knight with displeasure.

Tuleha's solemn voice made Thales's brow furrow:
“Horace has succeeded halfway; he burned nearly a quarter of our supplies—our supply lines are too long and too fragile. This move has at least bought a lot of time for the Dragonbreaker Fortress,” Tuleha said somberly, seemingly indignant on Horace's behalf.

"If we hadn't noticed early, King Nuen would have stopped the siege, withdrawn his main force from the front lines, and laid an ambush on the way back to the fortress..."

“Yes, we blocked Horace’s way back from the Great Needle Forest and forced him onto the plains,” Viscount Cambida snorted, seemingly dissatisfied. “Like hunting a fox.”

Putila's face darkened, Thales was also embarrassed, and Wyman looked indignant.

No Starling should be happy to hear an Exter recount how they strangled the Star Prince.

“That’s not fair, after all, he only has a little over a thousand,” Lord Tuleha spoke again, his voice heavy with emotion:
“We surrounded Horace on the plain with an army nearly twenty times larger than ours, but his warriors were elite soldiers who had fought countless battles and whose will was as tenacious as that of the Northmen. Under their counterattack, the Duke of Elk City’s troops suffered heavy casualties, and the battle flags of the Duke of Beacon City and the Duke of Weyland even wavered and retreated at one point.”

"King Nuen had to use troops on rest and send his elite White Blade Guards to block the gap in order to stabilize the front line. The battlefield was horrific, with black smoke so thick that even the fortress was visible... If the Dragon Fortress had sent troops to its aid at that time, and broken through from the flank amidst the chaos of the battlefield, there might have been a chance to rescue your prince."

Putila tightened her grip on the reins.

Thales was taken aback.

"But they didn't send troops?" Thales asked, recalling the siege he had faced at the fortress a few days earlier. "The fortress didn't send troops?"

“No, I remember,” Tuleha said calmly, “from afternoon until nightfall, the people in the fortress watched Horace’s troops fall one by one on the plains…”

[No soldiers or reinforcements for three hours]

Thales frowned as he recalled Gilbert's words.

“On this point,” Putila said sternly, “the choice of the fortress is justified.”

"Come on," Cambida scoffed. "Their inaction in the face of death chills even us Exter people."

To stand by and watch someone die?

Thales gripped the reins tightly, gritting his teeth as he endured the horse's jolting.

Kambida glanced at Thales with a meaningful look: "Of course, perhaps they are just as cautious as the Fortress Flower was two days ago."

"So who was it?" Thales asked, turning his head with a puzzled look. "When Horace was leading his troops out on campaign, who was stationed at Dragonbreaker Fortress?"

Putila looked worried and glanced at Thales.

“Go on,” Cambida chuckled, “tell your prince who is responsible for Horace’s death…it’s no secret.”

Thales suddenly realized that it seemed inappropriate to discuss this in front of the Exter people.

Putile gave Cambida a disapproving look, but he still sighed and gave the answer:

“At that time, the North was in crisis, and His Majesty the late King ordered the surrounding nobles to come to its aid. The largest reinforcement came from Cliffland Territory… the Star Dukedom, which is closest to the North.” Putilae looked at Thales' expression with concern, and only after confirming that Thales did not show much emotion did she continue:

"And after Horace left, the commander of the Dragonbreaker Fortress was naturally the second highest-ranking person at the time," the deputy envoy said slowly, "the Duke who guards the Former Cliff Territory—Rudolf Nanthost."

Thales paused for a moment.

Putila frowned slightly, but continued, "He is the current Duke of Cliffland, the brother of 'One-Eyed Dragon' Kusder Southtrod. After the Dragon Fortress was breached, he was captured by Exter and eventually died in prison."

As soon as he finished speaking, Thales felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

Could the former Duke of Southrest, who is also the brother of the current Duke of Southrest, be connected to Horace's suspicious death, which was suspected of being framed?

At least, when Horace was besieged, the one-eyed man's brother stood by and did nothing, even watching him die.

Is it.

The important question is, does Kessel also think so?

What does the one-eyed man think?
What does he think Kessel will think?
And the one-eyed man's deceased brother... could it really be...?

Also, what the one-eyed dragon said when he set off from Yongxing City...

"The leader of the cliff region does not want to sit idly by and wait for his death"—was that what he said?

Thales pondered the connection between these events, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

Putila patted Thales' saddle and shook his head at him.

Don't overthink it... That's what Thales thought he meant.

"At that time, Horace probably felt there was no hope of returning to the fortress," the Fire Knight Tuleha said with a bitter smile, stroking a sheathed sword on his saddle. "He made a decision that no one expected."

Putila shook her head, her face dejected.

Thales raised an eyebrow: "What did he—Horace—do?"

“He no longer attempted to break out towards the fortress,” Tuleha said with an admiring smile. “Like you, Horace turned and headed north to break out.”

Thales' heart skipped a beat.

Same as us?
He recalled what the man known as the Wrath of the Kingdom had said to him a few days earlier on the battlefield, before they broke through toward the Rumba flag.

Long ago, in a desperate situation, a bright star told me...

Since there's no way to retreat...

Why not go all out and move forward?

So... what Alaka was saying was...

"They fled here for a whole day and night, and we—the army of Black Sand Territory—also chased them here." Tuleha's expression was complicated as he raised his hand and pointed to the snow-covered hills that began to undulate ahead.

Thales turned to look.

They reached the edge of the plain, where black mountain peaks, their upper parts covered by snow, began to appear ahead.

Between the two low peaks, there is only a narrow entrance, barely the width of a highway.

The Exter army's march slowed down until it came to a complete stop.

"We've arrived," Viscount Kambida said calmly.
"This is Lyman Pass."

----

"Is this the battlefield from back then?" Thales asked Tuleha with a strange feeling as he looked at the snow-covered, strange rocks in front of him.

“We caught them and surrounded them again, while Horace’s remaining troops held their ground by that rock,” Tuleha nodded, his eyes deep. “The former Grand Duke of Black Sands lit torches and personally led his guards in a relentless siege, forbidding the use of bows and crossbows—he wanted the glory of capturing the Prince of the Stars alive.”

"Horace himself took up his sword, wearing his black armor, and stood guard under his nine-pointed star battle flag. No matter how his men fell one by one in the blades and axes, he did not retreat an inch."

"The best warriors on both sides roared and charged at each other, then fell one by one among the rocks. That night, despite our superior numbers, all four of our top-level experts were still wounded, and one of them even died."

When the history of the battlefield was discussed, the Fire Knight seemed to have a lot to say, while Kambida remained silent, only frowning as he looked at Tuleha.

"Horace pierced my chest with his sword, but before he could finish me off, I was snatched away by someone behind me," Tuleha sighed, touching his right chest.

Thales frowned.

The Sword of Light, is that it?

"His Highness Horace's swordsmanship was honed in the Tower of the End and refined through the trials of the army and battlefield. In the history of the Starry Sky Royal Family, only 'Wolf Enemy' can rival his valor," Putila said slowly, gazing intently at the strange rocks before him.

Thales felt Ada give a soft hum behind him.

"Grand Duke Hessard abandoned his goal—he realized that the intention to capture Horace alive would only result in more casualties for us."

"In the final fierce battle, Horace, who was wounded more than ten times, beheaded 'Unquenchable Flame' Tyrend, and then had his heart pierced by a knife." Tuleha urged his horse forward, staring at a rock half the height of a person, as if he had returned to that night of swords and shadows twelve years ago.

“A prince died here,” Kambida shook his head. “This place will probably become a tourist memorial in the future.”

Wyman glared at him fiercely without any mercy.

“Yes,” Putilas retorted sarcastically, “you should build a statue for Prince Horace… to commemorate his bravery, fearlessness, and skill in battle.”

Thales sighed, closed his eyes, and bowed deeply to the strange rock formation.

Another group of people who suffered in the war.

“Seeing Horace fall, his last soldiers also lost their will to fight, and just when we thought it was all over, one of Horace’s soldiers snatched the bow left behind by Terend in the chaos,” Tuleha continued quietly.

Kambida's expression suddenly changed.

Thales raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his voice: "You mean..."

Tuleha looked south and exhaled a long breath:
"The soldier, carrying Horace's body and the bow, his body riddled with wounds and riddled with crossbow bolts, roared like a madman as he led the last few men into the encirclement. For some reason, our men couldn't stop him—until he broke through to the old Black Sand Duke, and then..."

Tuleha gave a cryptic smile and let out a soft hum:
"In the chaos, the soldier disappeared into the night."

“From then on, Arakka Mu was known as ‘The Wrath of the Kingdom.’” Tulehamo stroked his sword, his eyes gleaming with boundless fighting spirit.

Thales took a deep breath and gazed at the strange rock formations in the distance.

But he couldn't see at all that countless warriors had fallen here twelve years ago, a prince had perished here, and another legend had risen to fame here.

No, there are still some questions.

Thales turns to Tuleha:

"So, Lord Tuleha, you personally experienced the war between the two countries twelve years ago? Including how you breached the Broken Dragon Fortress?"

“I participated in that war,” the Fire Knight nodded, “but as I just mentioned, thanks to Prince Horace’s sword, I was wounded early in the war, and by the time I returned to the battlefield, it was several months later in the war. At that time, Sonia Sathere and her Star Legion were gathering remnants of defeated soldiers—including Mu—and went north to fight us in several battles.”

“Oh,” Thales thought to himself, “you fought against the Fortress Flower?”

He truly is one of Exter's "Five Warriors".

“No, I didn’t have a chance to face her,” Tuleha frowned, “because of some despicable man.”

"A despicable person?" Thales was taken aback. "Who?"

“I don’t know,” Viscount Kambida chuckled. “Starry Night’s little tricks… Tuleha has always held a grudge against them.”

Don’t know who it is?
Holding a grudge?

All that could be heard was a cold snort from Tuleha, the Fiery Knight of Exter:
"On the battlefield, a damned guy disguised himself as one of ours and lurked behind me. Just as I was about to break through the enemy lines and reach the heart of the Starshine Legion's formation, that despicable fellow stabbed me in the back..."

"I was seriously injured again and missed the opportunity to face either Sather or Mu directly."

Tuleha frowned and gritted his teeth, saying:
"I still remember how that damned, despicable assassin hid behind a strange purple mask while escaping, using a gray short sword. He was elusive and incredibly fast."

Thales gave a strange "Oh" and scratched his head.

Disguised as other people

He struck the enemy from behind.

Purple mask.

A gray dagger.

They appear and disappear unpredictably, and move with incredible speed.

These characteristics and habits... seem familiar?
Ada behind her let out another soft hum.

“Is that so?” Looking at Tuleha’s cold eyes, Thales frowned and nodded sternly, “This is truly despicable!”

(End of this chapter)