Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 121 Clues
"You came pretty quickly." In the kitchen of the Hero's Tavern, Kaslan sighed and carefully examined the man and woman in front of him: "So you are the most outstanding seeds from the Tower in recent years, and the people who came to help?"

Cohen Karabyan had long since taken off his guard uniform and put on a warm, thick fur robe from the North, but his blond hair was still dazzling.

Miranda Arendt, on the other hand, wore snow boots and a dark half-body armor. Her shoulder-length black hair was tied into a ponytail and swung behind her head. The eagle emblem on her black gloves had disappeared without a trace, making her look nothing like a young lady from the Arendt family.

Having undergone rigorous training and trials in the Tower of the End, they all know how to better disguise and conceal themselves... Wilderness survival is always a compulsory course for End Swordsmen and End Knights.

But their pretense seemed to fail in front of the old man in the tavern.

“I don’t understand,” the white-haired old man, Kaslan, frowned deeply. “This isn’t some kind of trial game… Shao sent two minor nobles? My young master and young lady?”

Cohen's face stiffened.

Where did the deception slip up?

He lowered his head and looked at his entire outfit.

"Stop looking, I'm talking to you, you silly boy," Kaslan said coldly to his junior, "about your posture and gait."

Cohen turned to Miranda in surprise, who frowned and looked back at him.

“I can smell the battlefield officer scent emanating from you even from six kilometers away.” Kaslan shook his head. “Look at your frightened face, like a rabbit ready to jump up and bite at any moment. You must have just returned from the Western Wilderness front.”

Cohen looked at the old man in surprise.

How can it be?

I was just being normally on guard.

Following Jeddy's advice, he had clearly adjusted very well, and the symptoms of "battlefield withdrawal" were almost invisible.

Unless… Cohen looked at the old man with a serious expression: he too had once been one of his kind.

Animals living on the battlefield.

And they were the truly terrifying kind—Cohen felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled the cold, indifferent gazes of some suicide squad members in the desert.

Cohen glanced at the old man before him and gave Miranda a wink, but his former colleague ignored him. Left with no other option, Cohen smiled and said, "Mr. Caslan, Master Shao has entrusted us with the task of retrieving the Sword of Calamity..."

But his words were immediately and rudely interrupted by Caslan.

“And you, young lady, your mercenary attire is very professional. You should be able to get by in a place like Allenbia,” Kaslan ignored Cohen and continued to scrutinize Miranda, saying in a stiff tone, “But you should know that there aren’t many mercenaries in the North. The people here are fierce and warlike. Many things can be handled by the men in your family with a sword. Mercenaries don’t have any business here… Your attire will look out of place.”

Miranda's expression changed.

"And your demeanor... only a fool would not recognize you as an aristocrat, Miss Arend."

“Never mind,” Kaslan sighed, “At least she’s much better than many young nobles, Miss Aarond.”

Upon hearing this, Miranda's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

how come……

My identity.

How could he tell?

I didn't have any White Eagle insignia on me when I entered the border.

“I say,” the old man sitting in the chair placed his hands on his knees, his brows furrowed, his face full of doubt, “do you really know what kind of being you are facing?”

“Descendants of two dukes and earls, and people from Arend,” Kaslan said with disgust, clicking his tongue, “young masters and ladies from great noble families…”

"Write a letter back immediately and ask Shao to send some more people... preferably a master of the highest level..."

Cohen frowned.

Oops.

Is the contact person unhappy with us?

What should I do?
Just then, the lady from the Aarond family suddenly stepped forward, staring angrily at Caslan.

“Listen, old man,” Miss Miranda Arendt began, her expression unfriendly, “you do your job, and we do ours—that’s the ideal situation, as for our abilities…”

“We know what dangers we are facing, and we are not some pampered young masters and misses,” Miranda said solemnly, enunciating each word clearly. “Cohen is my contemporary, an awakener of the Radiant Stars, and I know him.”

"He has spent many years on the front lines of the Western Wilderness. He understands both combat and war very well. He is an outstanding soldier and officer. On the battlefield, his role is no less than that of some extreme masters who haven't moved their bones for decades," Miss Aaron said calmly.

Cohen looked at Miranda in surprise, at his colleague who refused to budge an inch.

God.

When was the last time she praised herself?
Does a woman's temper really improve after a breakup?

Kaslan looked at the little girl with an amused expression.

Haven't moved a body full of old bones for decades?
interesting.

They're so energetic!

If I were thirty years younger...

“And I served under the Flower of the Fortress, leading the Stars’ army, traversing the Coldhold, the Lonely Tower, the Watchtower, and the border between the two countries countless times, and clashing with the Rumba family countless times,” Miranda stared sharply at Caslan: “I know how to fight, old man.”

“We are not inexperienced novices.”

"Of course, perhaps from your outdated perspective, only masters like Teacher Shatil and Master Jedi, who are at the pinnacle of their abilities, could handle such a situation."

“But Mr. Kaslan, anyone can look down on our experience and abilities just because we are young masters and ladies from noble families, but you alone have no right to say that.”

Kaslan squinted.

“This is the first time I’ve heard your name, Mr. Kaslan,” Miranda said, slowly drawing her sword to her waist, “not because of your reputation as ‘Earthshaker,’ but because of your surname, Kaslan Lumba.”

Kaslan raised an eyebrow.

Cohen was genuinely stunned.

“Yes, every member of the Aarond family must be thoroughly familiar with the situation of their mortal enemy family,” the female swordsman said calmly and slowly.

"So?" Kaslan narrowed his eyes again.

Miranda stared intently at Caslan in front of her: "So, if you have a problem with the name Aarond because you are a member of the Rumba family, you can just say so."

Miranda narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing every flaw in the old man's body. She gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, her tone chilling: "Let's settle our differences with swords, old man."

Kaslan looked at Miranda's sword and smiled disdainfully.

"Of course, or perhaps you're just trying to provoke us, wanting to see our strength for yourself?" Miranda said meaningfully.

"If so, then let's get started quickly, finish this quickly, and continue our mission instead of wasting time talking nonsense with this old geezer."

Kaslan looked at Miranda, his smile vanished, and his expression returned to its usual cold indifference.

Seeing the impending conflict, Cohen anxiously scratched his head and said, "Uh, Miranda...should we...?"

Just now.

"what!"

Kaslan laughed angrily, interrupting Cohen once again.

Kaslan slammed his hand on the table and jumped up from his chair.

Even though he was over sixty, his nearly seven-foot height, coupled with his seemingly undiminished muscles, still made him incredibly imposing.

But Miranda's sharp gaze remained unchanged; she simply bent down slightly and adjusted the angle of her attack.

"Alright, that's enough of the probing!" Kaslan suddenly burst into laughter. "Interesting, little girl!"

"She looks just like a little female leopard when she's angry!"

Miranda gritted her teeth.

That's it?

A female leopard cub?
This old man...

“Little Kroesi was right after all,” Kaslan said slowly, his eyes sharp, revealing his yellowed teeth. “Miranda has excellent observation skills and is decisive and resolute in dealing with matters, without any procrastination. She’s just a little too arrogant.”

Miranda was stunned.

Kroeshe...

"Ah!" Cohen clenched his fist excitedly, "So you know Chloesie, Uncle... What did she say about me?"

"You..."

“Well, she said…” Kaslan didn’t notice that Cohen’s address had changed from “Mr.” to “Uncle.” He recalled for a moment, turned his head, and showed a strange expression: “Cohen Kalabyan isn’t a bad person, but he’s a slow-witted idiot, that’s all.”

Cohen paused for a moment, then awkwardly touched his hair and laughed.

An endless lamentation welled up inside me.

My image... is it really that bad?

Kaslan chuckled as he looked at Cohen.

"Boy..."

"Go for it, kid!" Kaslan laughed and slapped Cohen on the shoulder.

Cohen's expression changed, but he gritted his teeth and kept his body still.

Seeing the latter's unwavering stance, Kaslan secretly cheered.

“You know,” old man Kaslan said heartily, “my wife used to call me—that slow-witted fool!”

Cohen was stunned for a full three seconds.

mother-in-law?

and so……

“Enough,” Miranda interrupted them, frowning. “Can we get down to business now?”

Cohen stopped thinking about Kroesi. He shrugged helplessly and gestured to Caslan: That's just how she is.

“Hey,” Kaslan stopped laughing, his expression changing, “Listen, I know why you were sent to deal with the Blade of Calamity.”

“You, kid, there’s a reason you were sent here, Shao told me,” Kaslan looked at Cohen seriously, “you’ve been through the Sword of Calamity, haven’t you?”

Cohen was taken aback, then nodded subconsciously.

He lowered his head.

“They’re in the capital of Star City,” Cohen said gravely. “They’re connected to the Blood Bottle Gang.”

As for the other sword of calamity he encountered—Cohen recalled their reunion in the Hall of Stars, gritted his teeth, and remained silent.

not the right time yet.

“You didn’t tell me that, Cohen.” Miranda frowned as she looked at her colleague.

Cohen frowned, grinding his teeth slightly, and did not answer.

It's not that I don't want to tell you.

But... if we're talking about the Sword of Calamity...

Raphael...

Cohen's expression remained unchanged, but he clenched his fist slightly.

“And you, little girl,” Kaslan turned to look at Miranda, “you weren’t dragged into the Purifiers for no reason, were you?”

Cohen's expression changed. He looked up at the female swordsman, a contemporary with whom he had a similar background, similar experiences, and had known for many years.

Miranda gritted her teeth and remained silent.

Kaslan didn't speak, but simply waited quietly for her answer.

After a moment, Miranda spoke with difficulty.

“This concerns my father, the Guardian of the North… the former Duke of the Guardian of the North, Val Arend.” At this point, the young lady of the Arend family paused.

Cohen looked at her with concern.

That... traitorous duke, huh?

But in Kaslan's eyes, this neatly dressed young girl, though her voice was unsteady, gritted her teeth and slowly said, word by word, "In the last four or five years, I've discovered that he's been in contact with some strange swordsmen from the north... and their finishing power is very strange..."

Miranda looked up, her face grave: "I told Chaltier about it."

Cohen looked surprised.

“Look, this is why you are here… You have all come into contact with the Blade of Calamity, and even fought it directly, so you know its characteristics,” Kaslan said slowly. “That’s why you have been included in the Purifiers.”

Upon hearing the familiar words, Cohen's expression turned serious.

“Uncle, you also know about the Purifiers?” he asked.

"You know?" Kaslan laughed out loud.

Cohen looked at him strangely.

“A long, long time ago,” Kaslan’s expression slowly turned cold, “it was Shao and me who formed the Purifiers.”

Cohen's eyes widened, while Miranda stared at the old man in astonishment.

“Listen, the Purifiers were established long ago,” the old man said slowly, “just as the Blade of Calamity began its activities long ago.” “Long ago?” Cohen repeated solemnly, recalling the records of the Blood Vial Gang and the Blade of Calamity over the past century.

“A long time ago,” Kaslan nodded solemnly, “we—two young people who were crazy about swordsmanship and curious about the power of termination—tried to find out the truth about the Sword of Calamity and ultimately eradicate their threat.”

“Back then, we were about your age, far from reaching our peak, impulsive and active, without considering the consequences,” Kaslan said calmly.

“Shao and I made many efforts… all sorts of things, but they were never very effective. Back then, the Sword of Calamity was much more discreet and hidden than it is now—many times, we couldn’t find any trace of them for years.” Kaslan’s face showed a nostalgic expression.

“Later, I joined the White Blade Guard, and as for Shao… he became the Successor.” Kaslan said slowly, “The Purifiers then paused.”

"Until one day, Shao informed me that he was preparing to reconvene the Purgers."

"Why?" Cohen asked, puzzled. "Why reconvene?"

Kaslan gave him a meaningful look.

“Because of them—the Sword of Calamity has begun to move again,” Kaslan said with a heavy, oppressive tone: “just twelve years ago.”

Kaslan revealed a fierce and wary look in his eyes, like a dangerous hunter eyeing its prey, and spat out the next sentence through clenched teeth: "And more high-profile and active than ever before, more unscrupulous, and more dangerous and deadly."

Cohen was stunned.

Twelve years ago...

Wouldn't that be...

He looked at his contemporaries.

Miranda clenched her teeth, also shocked by the fact.

But the little girl was mostly pale.

It was as if she had recalled some unpleasant memories from the past.

Cohen frowned.

“Come with me,” Kaslan stood up solemnly. “I will take you to see Chroesia and find clues about the Blade of Calamity.”

The old man turned around and led them away.

“This matter involves quite a lot, not only the Sword of Calamity and the Tower of Ending, but also your Star Prince.” Kaslan pushed open a door and led the way, speaking as he went.

"Wait, what did you say?" Cohen exclaimed in surprise, "You mean, the second prince who is on a mission to Exter, Thales Star?"

Miranda frowned.

“Yes,” Kaslan said with a smile, “he was an interesting kid who stopped by my place not long ago.”

"The heir to the stars... what happened between him and the Sword of Calamity?" Cohen asked gravely.

"Didn't Shao and the others tell you?" Kaslan turned around curiously.

Cohen shook his head, while Miranda, who was standing to the side, seemed to remember something and her expression changed.

Kaslan slowly said:
"The sword of calamity once tried to assassinate your prince."

For a moment, both Cohen and Miranda were stunned.

After a few seconds.

"The Sword of Calamity?" Cohen pressed urgently. "Why? Why would they assassinate the Prince and Heir of the Stars? I thought their target was only us, just the Tower of the End..."

“Listen, you don’t understand the Sword of Calamity, and neither do I,” Kaslan’s tone changed. He stopped and turned around. “But based on my experiences from years ago…”

Kaslan's expression turned serious: "Their goal is far more than simply defeating the Tower of the End and taking its place."

"As for that prince... who knows? Perhaps he's also involved with some northern lords who want him dead..."

“Impossible!” Miranda said calmly. “His Majesty Kessel has used the oath concerning the throne to restrain those who want to harm him—His Highness will be safe in Exeter, and no one will dare to lay a hand on him.”

"Really?" Kaslan laughed, and after the laughter subsided, he looked at the young man in front of him with a complicated expression.

“Your prince, and the oath of your king… turned him into those precious ancient alchemical orbs, which will explode and injure people if destroyed,” Kaslan said calmly. “Indeed, in the North, no one dares to lay a hand on him, at least not to let him explode in their hands.”

At this point, Kaslan lowered his head, his gaze darkening: "Yet they all hope he explodes in someone else's hands."

----

Thales stared blankly at Nicolai and Marquis Slays before him, pondering the invitation—or rather, the request—from King Nunn that they had brought.

“Wait a minute, from what you’re saying,” Thales felt a sense of foreboding, “King Nuen hasn’t found that enemy yet, the Grand Duke of Lomba’s collaborator?”

“See, this is why we have come to see Your Highness,” Marquis Slays nodded slightly and gave a polite smile.

"Why me?" Thales said sullenly. "I'm just a seven-year-old kid. I can't play such advanced games."

“You’re not just a seven-year-old, you’re a seven-year-old genius,” Shrews added with a wink.

Thales closed his eyes, feeling an unbearable headache.

Ugh.

“As you said, Prince of the Stars, you are the one who should have borne the wrath of His Majesty Nunn,” Nikolai said slowly, his tone filled with a subtle threat. “But now there is an opportunity for you to be freed from the pain you should not have to endure.”

"Whether you do or not is up to you, kid."

Thales let out a long sigh.

"Regarding the Grand Duke of Lombard's collaborator," the mission's deputy, Putila, already aware of how things were going to turn out, asked gravely, "what do you know now?"

“We have a very clear objective,” Nikolai replied, his face pale. “When you were still at the foot of Dragon Fortress, Lumba besieged your mission in an attempt to lure the fortress’s defenders out of the way.”

“Yes,” Thales took a deep breath, recalling Arakka and his Fury Guard, “that’s true… and it was certainly not a pleasant memory.”

“The magic gun unit in the Rumba army, under the orders of a spy officer, attempted to assassinate you,” Nicolai continued, mounted on horseback. “And based on the information we and the Dark Chamber have, it’s almost certain that the mastermind behind that spy officer is our target.”

Thales recalled the bombardment from the magic gun, staring blankly at the snow, still shaken.

“As far as I know, Lombardy is also investigating this matter. When we arrived at Lord Caslan’s Hero’s Tavern, their investigation seemed to have made some progress…” Putila frowned. “So, the mastermind behind sending spies into Lombardy’s army to try to kill Prince Thales and frame Lombardy is just a collaborator of Lombardy when they plotted to murder Prince Moral?”

"That sounds disheartening, doesn't it?" Marquis Slays shook his head slightly, his gaze deep: "He conspired with the Duke of Lombard to murder his own prince, but then immediately betrayed and framed the Duke of Lombard in the murder of another foreign prince."

“The nobles are like vultures fighting over carrion, deceiving and scheming against each other,” Ada suddenly spoke from under the cloak. “The Northland, and the people of the Northland, even the nobles and lords, were not like this before.”

"Without the empire, you have degenerated even faster."

The group of people walking fell silent for a moment.

“The North, the people of the North,” Nikolai seemed to have been touched on something. He stared at a red-edged black banner with a crimson dragon in front of him, nodded slowly, and said, “One day, we will regain the pride of being children of dragons.”

"In short, the Grand Duke of Black Sands is unaware that the person trying to frame him is his collaborator." Marquis Slays coughed. "And we confirmed this from the progress of the investigation in Rumba."

“Chaman Lumba must know the identity of his collaborator. In that case,” Thales raised his head seriously, “why not tell Lumba the truth and cooperate with him?”

“Don’t forget that Rumba is also His Majesty’s enemy. To conspire with him to take revenge on another enemy? I don’t think the rulers of Black Sand Territory will obediently cooperate,” Marquis Slays sighed. “Besides, the character of the Northerners, tsk tsk.”

“We will not cooperate with patricide scoundrels like Chaman Lumba,” Nikolai said, his eyes filled with gloom. “And he and his collaborators will pay the price for Morar’s death.”

“Since both the Duke of Lombard and his collaborator are your enemies—one who killed most of your men at the fortress, and the other who even tried to kill you with a magic gun,” Marquis Slays smiled and picked up the less-than-pleasant topic, continuing to pressure Thales: “His Majesty Nunn made it very clear that whether His Highness agrees or not, you are already on this ship.”

Thales closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Although he knew all along that once he took that title, he would have to face everything he once hated most.

But he still underestimated the power of the power games within this circle.

This is a game where you can't choose whether to play or not, or whether you should try your best to play.

Born for the stars.

Is this the rhythm you're going for?

It's such a horrible feeling.

The second prince of the stars slowly opened his eyes.

"To lure out that collaborator of Rumba, is that it?" His Highness said calmly, "What does Nuen plan to do?"

Just as Nicolai was about to reply, the prince interrupted him in a completely different tone.

“Furthermore, if I cooperate with his revenge plan,” Thales raised his head, his gaze sharp and gleaming like a honed blade, “what benefits is Nunn willing to offer me?”

Nicolai paused for a fraction of a second, noticing that Thales no longer addressed him as "His Majesty Nunn" or "King Nunn".

But the commander of the White Blade Guard immediately curled his lips and revealed a faint, cold smile.

“You will be satisfied,” the Meteorite said, looking at the Second Prince, “The Walton family—the Dragonlance family—is never stingy.”

“There’s another problem,” Thales continued, his gaze intense. “You said that, according to Rumba’s investigation, his collaborator was the mastermind behind the murder of me using the magic gun.”

“That’s right,” Nicolai frowned. “Is there a problem?”

"Where did you get the details of Rumba's investigation, and how did you confirm them?" Thales asked in a deep voice.

“This is our business.” Nikolai shook his head. “You don’t have to…”

But Thales immediately interrupted him.

“This is my business!” Thales said resolutely, emphasizing his insistence: “Especially when Nunn asked me to risk my life to play this revenge game with him, I should have enough intelligence to confirm whether his plan is feasible!”

Nicolai stared at Thales with a cold look in his eyes, and Thales had no idea what he was thinking—until Shrews coughed softly beside him.

“Rumba had been tracking down the spy officer who commanded the magic gun unit, and his men had efficiently found clues in the black market,” Nicolai finally began slowly, “but just when they were about to discover the truth, a group of strange swordsmen suddenly appeared. They used bizarre finishing powers to almost wipe out Rumba’s investigators and cut off the trail.”

"A strange swordsman? A bizarre power of ending?"

Nicolai nodded: "This was outside Rumba's area of ​​expertise, so he consulted a professional."

“And that professional,” the Meteorite said, looking down at his White Blade Guard uniform, “is an old acquaintance of ours.”

“And those strange swordsmen?” Thales pressed.

Nikolai gave him a deep look.

“King Nunn recently dispatched him to the stars to collect the prince’s remains and investigate the assassination of the delegation. He sent back a message the day before yesterday,” Nikolai detailed the key information: “The prince’s last guards left crucial clues using the Walton family’s secret methods—among the assassins who attacked Prince Moral, there were also several strange swordsmen with bizarre and unusual finishing powers.”

“You mean,” Thales realized, “the swordsmen who assassinated Prince Moral and the swordsmen who cut off Lumba’s investigation—are the same group of people?”

Nikolai nodded slightly.

"who are they?"

“According to the information, they are a group of traitors from the Tower of the End, scheming and cowardly cowards,” Nikolai looked at everyone: “The Tower of the End has a very special name for them.”

The Meteorite's expression was profound as he slowly spoke:
"The sword of calamity."

Thales's thoughts were momentarily interrupted by the name.

Disaster...

The sword?

"Ah!" Wyman, who was listening, suddenly exclaimed softly as if he remembered something.

“Speaking of which, when I was in the Tower of the End, I think I overheard a few inheritors talking about this name,” Wyman said, slightly nervous as he sensed everyone’s gaze on him. “But it has always been just a legend, the Sword of Calamity… It is said that they were a group of traitors who wanted to take over the Tower of the End.”

Thales frowned.

“Let’s talk about it sometime, Wyah,” the second prince said. “About the power of the End, and the Tower of the End.”

Wyman nodded.

“In any case, this so-called Sword of Calamity was involved in both the assassination of Moral and the betrayal of Lumba. They must have had a close relationship with Lumba’s collaborator to be able to obey his orders and be at his beck and call,” Nikolai said, looking at the distant snowfield with a frown. “We also connected these two events and caught them by the tail.”

“I understand,” Thales nodded solemnly. “When will Nunn’s plan begin?”

"The Weilan Snowfield is right in front of us. Beyond it lies Dragon Sky City," Nikolai said slowly, his gaze fixed on the snowfield that almost met the horizon.

“The five Grand Dukes should have already arrived in Dragonsreach. Your first challenge will be meeting with them and King Nuen. Be prepared, Your Highness.” Srace blinked.

"You mean, the target we're looking for—that collaborator—is among these five great kilometers?" Thales astutely grasped the key point.

“There are clear interests at stake, enough resources and power to cooperate with Lombard to shake Walton’s rule, mobilize those so-called swords of calamity, and even have the audacity to assassinate the Star Prince and betray Lombard,” Putila took a deep breath: “It can only be one of the Grand Dukes.”

“He is definitely among the five great kilometers—the Star Prince is visiting, and he certainly won’t miss this moment,” Nicolai said coldly, “after all he has done.”

“Of course,” Marquis Slays rubbed his gloves, his eyes filled with the excitement of a grand opening: “In public, His Majesty King Nunn will be tough on you, perhaps… a little rough.”

“Rough?” Thales narrowed his eyes.

“Is that so?” Thales gazed intently at the sky, gently touching his neck, recalling the feeling of it being choked, and said firmly:
"I like roughness the most."

Smiley's smile grew even brighter.

A strange light gleamed in Nicolai's eyes.
Putila took a deep drag on his pipe.

Ada remained silent, head bowed, under her cloak.

Wyatt and Rolf simply stared at each other blankly.

It was noon, and the sun was high in the sky above the snowfield.

But everyone who had been in the North for several days knew this.

Extreme cold is coming soon.

This is the amount for the past two days. I hope you are all well.


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(End of this chapter)