Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 128 The Born King (Part 2)

“Like this,” the old man’s voice rang out slowly, “the slaughter of souls never ceases.”

"Until we destroy all our enemies."

"Or Walton may be completely wiped out."

“But if that time comes—I swear in the name of all the kings of the past, the world will surely come to an end.”

As the old man finished speaking, Thales sensed that the five dukes on either side of him moved slightly, naturally or unnaturally, in the darkness.

“I believe this is a great weapon, but destruction and revenge alone may not be enough to give it its glory,” Thales said meaningfully. “Since it was once held in the hands of such a great figure, presumably, Nekaru’s wisdom and bravery, personality and brilliance are also reasons why the Soul-Slaying Spear is great.”

As planned, a anticipated conflict is expected to occur between Nunn and Thales.

The hunter's trap will be set at that time.

The old man did not answer.

Even though he knew it was acting, Thales still awkwardly curled the corners of his mouth.

The atmosphere was tense.

In that instant, Thales could understand what the lords in the Star Kingdom were thinking when they looked at Kaiser.

[No one knows what a king who lives alone and has no scruples will do...] The scene of the one-eyed dragon, Köst, forcing the emperor to abdicate in the Hall of Stars is still vivid in everyone's mind.

Thales suddenly became inexplicably nervous.

He swallowed hard and then bowed respectfully on the spot.

“Tels Star, as the second prince of the Star Kingdom, representing my father, His Majesty King Kessel Star, the thirty-ninth supreme king of the Star Kingdom, the Southern Islands, and the Western Desert,” Thales controlled his body to calm down—this had become easier after acquiring that fluctuating power—and recited his prepared lines word by word: “To visit the glorious Exter, and the honorable Dragon Sky City, and to pay a visit to the equally esteemed and renowned Grand Duke of Dragon Sky City…”

"The ruler of the entire Kingdom of Exter, a trusted and elected king—"

"The Born King, His Majesty Nunn Walton."

Born to be king.

This is the nickname of King Nunn VII; not many people use it, but it is widely known.

Because people often say that he showed the talent of a lord who could govern a region even when he was young.

He was almost born to be king.

Thales straightened up, looking at the old man's unchanging, yet stern, expression with tightly furrowed brows, and after taking a deep breath, slowly said:
“My father and I deeply understand your loss and grief.”

"He entrusted me to convey his deepest apologies to you and the Walton family on behalf of the Starry Sky family, and to express his condolences for His Highness Moral's misfortune."

This is a feud between two families, not between two countries—at least that much should be clear—this was Putila's prior warning to him.

"But he believes in your character and ability, and believes that you can make the best choice. The Starry Sky family is willing to provide all possible assistance to make up for and salvage the consequences of the tragedy."

“And here I am,” Thales said, “bringing the most peaceful and friendly message from the Star Family.”

Now, he has to wait for the other party's response.

Silence followed.

For a moment, Thales could only hear the muffled sounds from the fireplace and the cold wind outside the stone hall.

Five pairs of eyes in the darkness stared intently at him, unmoving.

The only person with the right to reply remained motionless, his blue eyes as dull as ever.

Just when he felt as if an eternity had passed, His Majesty King Nunn VII, the co-ruler of Exter and Grand Duke of Dragonstreet, the born king, finally took a slow breath, raised his head upright, and looked at Thales with a face full of vicissitudes and weariness.

"I am very old."

“I am only slightly younger than your grandfather, King Eddy of the Stars, but I do not have as many children as he did,” King Nunn sighed, his words slow and deliberate, conveying a chilling tone: “I was thirty when I had my first son.”

"And Moral... was a child I had when I was in my forties."

“I remember when he was about your age, he leaned against my seat here, begging me to let him go out of the palace and go hunting with the help of the White Blade Guard.”

King Nuen's expression was blank, his eyes revealing a complex mix of remembrance and sorrow.

“I always agree with a big laugh.”

“But ever since his brother died, I’ve been so careful,” Nunn said, squinting and slowly shaking his head. “I can’t let him suffer even the slightest harm… I can’t…”

“But reason tells me,” King Nunn straightened up, his tone calm, and moved closer to Thales, “that children must grow through trials and tribulations.”

There was a silence for more than ten seconds.

All that could be heard was the breathing of the dukes on both sides.

Reason told Thales that even if it was acting, Nunn's emotions at this moment were definitely genuine, and it was best for him not to speak.

If all of this was Nunn's plan...

Finally, King Nuen exhaled, closed his eyes, and slowly said:

"The day before I sent him south, Moral told me that he had a sweetheart, but she came from a poor background."

"So he came to beg for my help, hoping that I would allow and bless their union."

"I'm not very happy..."

King Nuen slumped back in his chair: "Do you know what I said to him?"

As usual, an ominous premonition settled over Thales's mind.

He comforted himself: everything was under King Nuen's control.

"I said……"

King Nuen opened his eyes, looked at his outstretched right palm, and said numbly and coldly:

"Let's talk about it when you get back."

"That's what I said..."

“Waiting for you…” King Nuen’s voice began to tremble involuntarily.

The dukes turned to their emperor, their expressions unreadable.

"return……"

The next instant, King Nuen suddenly clenched his right hand and slammed his fist on the long table.

"Boom!"

Thales didn't dare to breathe, quietly watching a father who had lost his son express his grief with utmost sincerity.

“That was my only, my only son…” The old man’s expression turned somber and gloomy.

“I should have watched him become a true man and a warrior, and then, before I died, handed over my position, my wealth, my power, everything to him, to Morar.” Noun VII’s tone was one of regret and despair.
“But now I can only sit here and listen to a little brat's hypocritical apology,” King Nunn’s tone grew increasingly flat, but the atmosphere became increasingly uneasy: “He says: I’m sorry, your son died in our country.”

"And there's nothing I can do."

Thales' heart sank.

Everything was fine before, but now the pace... is getting a bit bad.

Is the brutal part coming?

He reminded himself silently.

The old king sighed deeply, and his sorrowful mood clearly made the princes uncomfortable. They quickly looked at each other and exchanged glances.

"Why?" King Nuen looked up, his brow furrowed, and continued in a low voice, "Because I am a king."

"Because I'm almost seventy years old, because I have a family to support, because I have to maintain the balance of the country..."

"Because if I do anything to this child, I'll have to pay the price with all-out war, a fight to the death..."

Thales's expression changed, and he said softly, "Your Majesty, I sincerely bring the stars and the brilliance..."

"sincere?"

But Nunn didn't give him a chance to speak. Instead, the other man interrupted him with a numb expression and an icy tone: "Believe me, when you were my age, when your only son was slaughtered in the wild like livestock."

"You'll find that there's nothing there..."

"It was more genuine than hatred and anger."

The dukes awkwardly adjusted their postures, but none of them uttered a sound.

“Especially, faced with all this... as a king, I can’t do anything about it.”

Thales hurriedly adjusted his breathing, pondering the best words to respond.

How will King Nuen use this situation to set a trap and lure out the secret collaborator?
Nicolai and Slade didn't say much.

He turned his gaze to the five grand dukes who had concealed their faces in the darkness.

who is it?

“Do you know, your father was very clever. He sent you to apologize—to protect you and avert the war,” King Nuen raised his left hand, clenching it into a fist in the air. His voice was still trembling, but it had gradually calmed down.
“But he’s humiliating me, humiliating a father’s dignity, mocking my incompetence…”

"He sent his son, whom he had just found, to another father who had lost his son."

"apologize?"

The king's expression was cold and indifferent, but Thales grew increasingly terrified.

wrong.

This is clearly an act, yes—Thales sensed the atmosphere before him, trying to calm his breathing, repeating to himself over and over: just like Nicolai and Srace said…

King Nunn will be very tough on me...

Some were even...brutal.

All I need to do is...

"Clang!"

Just then, Thales was drawn to a metallic clang.

"His Majesty!"

One of the grand dukes closest to the king exclaimed in surprise.

Just now, King Nuen, with a cold face, drew the sword from the former's waist!

Thales gasped.

Is this just acting...? Really, does it have to come to the point of involving knives and guns?
King Nuen stretched out his arm.

"Boom!"

A longsword with a cross shape was thrown from afar.

It crashed onto the ground in front of Thales with a clanging sound.

The latter couldn't help but take a step back.

At this moment, the almost indifferent, somber figures of several grand dukes came into Thales' view.

Thales could only passively wait for King Nunn's next move, while forcing himself to start thinking about the situation of the grand dukes in front of him.

What are they thinking? How can they remain completely unresponsive to Prince Xingchen's predicament?
Will they see through this act? After all, although Nikolai had previously acted...

and many more.

wrong!

Thales gritted his teeth, staring incredulously at the lord's longsword inlaid with precious rubies at his feet.

Something must be wrong.

Just now.

A crucial question, which had been overlooked, flashed through Thales' mind:

Nikolai and Slay, the two who proposed to him the idea of ​​cooperating with King Nunn.

One was the leader of the White Blade Guard, and the other was King Nunn's steadfast trading partner.

But did they really... serve King Nunn purely?

To take an even more alarming view, were they really Núñez VII's men?

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

if not……

So what about their previous so-called "Nun's proposal"...?

The so-called trap... the so-called hunt...

Thinking of this, Thales' tightly clenched left hand trembled involuntarily.

No way?
"You've come to apologize?" Under the gaze of all the grand dukes, King Nunn VII calmly raised his head: "How brave."

“Let’s see how brave you are,” King Nunn stared at him expressionlessly.
A sincere apology should not remain merely a verbal statement.

Thales' pupils constricted sharply.

The words of the Marquis of Slade echoed in my ears once more:

His Majesty Nunn will take a tough stance against you, and may... be a bit rough.

A bit too rough?

The next second, King Nunn VII's words rang out without a doubt:
“Take this sword.”

Amidst the varied reactions of the various grand dukes, King Nuen's face remained icy as he spoke, enunciating each word clearly:
"Slit your own throat."

In that instant, Thales looked into Nunn's eyes, which were filled with hatred and anger, and his mind went blank.

(End of this chapter)