Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 146 Black Hand
This was the first time Thales had seen King Nunn wearing a dark gold crown and a solemn and majestic gold-red robe. With the bearing of a powerful king, he descended the steps amidst his subjects and walked to the central long table in the council chamber, where he sat in the main seat reserved exclusively for the co-ruling king.

In his eyes, this nearly seventy-year-old man no longer possessed the gloom and obscurity of their first meeting; instead, he exuded an unprecedented aura of majesty, like the silent and terrifying alpha lion in a pride.

King Noon Walton VII, tall and straight, leaned on his armrest, his eyes piercingly fixed on the hall. Under the king's undisguised scrutiny and disdain, the four grand dukes awkwardly turned their heads or averted their gazes.

The official, Myrk, stood behind the king with a solemn expression; dozens of elite guards with white blades guarded every corner of the council hall, their hands gripping the white hilts of their swords warily; many more unfamiliar faces that Thales had never seen before, dressed in the attire that should belong to nobles, stood on either side of the king with varying expressions, exchanging glances without any attempt to conceal their presence.

This was also the first time that Thales had seen all of King Nunn's close advisors, belonging to the court of Dragonstreet.

Compared to the orderly and well-regulated Star Palace, the rulers and their subjects of Exter exuded a fierce, rugged, heavy, and wild aura emanating from their very bones, whether in their positions, postures, movements, or expressions. They appeared casual and crude, making those who saw the scene for the first time feel uneasy—it felt like standing among a group of dangerous carnivores ready to devour someone at any moment.

Thales couldn't help but glance at Putila beside him, who nodded slightly at him.

"wait?"

In the council chamber, the long-haired Grand Duke Ronnie asked in his muffled, thunderous voice, "What do you mean by this, Your Majesty?"

No one answered him.

“Hey! Your Majesty,” Grand Duke Trudida glanced at the several close advisors standing beside King Nunn, some with gray hair and others with shrewd eyes, and said with a pale face, “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but from the chief political officer, Count Risban, to Count Sirel who handles foreign affairs, and then to… you’ve brought half of the royal council to us?”

"Do you want to discuss with us why the wine at the banquet was so sour?" he asked, half sarcastically and half accusingly.

Archduke Aurelius beside him also looked at the king without any politeness.

Thales watched the scene with considerable concern: How was this going to end?

"It seems that His Majesty's long-standing leniency has spoiled you all."

“Listen up, you dukes of Exter,” a middle-aged minister beside King Nunn retorted bluntly to the Duke of Rebuilding Tower, “your sworn king, the sovereign whom the Northlanders swear to follow to the death, is giving you orders…”

The middle-aged minister, his face icy, reprimanded him without any courtesy:

"Wait!"

Grand Duke Trudida and Grand Duke Aurelius's expressions immediately turned cold, while Grand Duke Lyco seemed to be deep in thought.

Only Grand Duke Ronnie remained seated on the left side of the long table, his expression unchanged—just as when he first met Thales.

“At least tell us what this clumsy trap is for, Your Majesty?” A few seconds later, Grand Duke Lyco of the city sighed deeply and slowly sat down.

“Colluding with those brats from the Stars to make fun of the grand dukes under your command,” Grand Duke Aurelius sat down in his seat and said coldly, “I feel that my dignity has been greatly insulted.”

Just then, a series of knocking sounds came from the hall.

"Boom...boom...boom..."

The four dukes all turned their heads to look at the head seat at the end of the long table.

There, with a solemn expression, King Nunn VII was slowly tapping the table with his right hand.

"Boom...boom...boom..."

Thales squinted as he noticed that King Nunn wore a uniquely shaped ring on the little finger of his right hand, with a black gemstone set in the center of the silver-white metal band.

The king was tapping the table with that gemstone, seemingly casually.

“Dignity doesn’t give you the right to question your king, Rebien,” King Nunn began slowly, his gaze fixed on the table, seemingly particularly interested in the part he was tapping. “You only have one thing to do, boys, just like you did a decade ago.”

"Obey me."

King Nuen slowly raised his head, his eyes flashing with an unyielding stern light as he looked at the dukes:

"Just like long ago, your father obeyed my father, and then he obeyed me..."

"At least back then, we were at peace."

"do you understand?"

The dukes all gasped in shock.

“According to what that child said,” after a few seconds, Grand Duke Lyco sighed and was the first to speak, “you’re testing our loyalty with lies? And we’re far from our own guards and retinues; this really worries me about my safety…”

“If I really wanted to take your lives without considering the consequences, you old bald man,” King Nunn suddenly raised his voice, causing Lyco to pause, “do you think you can walk out of Valhalla, or even Dragonsreach, alive with just those ragtag soldiers around you and that axeman behind you?”

"This is not your Guardian City."

Several dukes frowned simultaneously.

"At least tell us what you're waiting for," Ronnie said, brushing aside his long hair and letting out a cold snort.

"Your Excellencies, His Majesty the King has already shown great goodwill, so please remain calm. However, if you are aware of each other's status and responsibilities..." To King Nuen's left, another minister with a playful expression replied with a smile and a deeper meaning, "Find your place and sit tight."

No one spoke anymore.

A silence fell over the hall, filled with people waiting, their purpose unknown.

For a full few minutes.

Finally, Thales, who was getting restless, rolled his eyes and looked around sheepishly.

He attracted the attention of the bearded duke.

“After this is over, boy,” Aurelius turned his gaze to Thales with a fierce expression, and soon the others followed suit, “I will rip your heart out—as the price for challenging our dignity.”

Ronnie, Leco, and Trudida all cast different glances at him, some wary, some thoughtful, and some suspicious.

Thales closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Damn.

I thought it would be simple... Find the mastermind, King Nuen waved his hand, and a barrage of arrows was fired. Justice was served, grudges were settled, and then he could just walk away and leave.

However, judging from Aurelius's current performance, the side effects and aftereffects are quite significant.

“Save your energy, Your Grace,” Thales heard himself say listlessly, “Stop talking about things you can’t do…”

He no longer wanted to argue.

Aurelius gritted his teeth, but just as he was about to speak, a new person joined the council chamber.

As the sound of hurried footsteps approached, a brown-haired youth, dressed in a heavy robe embroidered with blood-red horseshoes, entered the crowded council chamber.

Grand Duke of Beacon City, the young Conkley Peffert, stood before the crowd, accompanied by his retinue.

Thales took a deep breath and then let out a heavy sigh.

at last……

"very good!"

Upon seeing Pefit's arrival, Grand Duke Trudida's eyes lit up. He looked around at everyone in the hall and smiled broadly.

Only Grand Duke Ronnie frowned deeply, while Grand Duke Leco showed a surprised expression.

"Now that we're all here, the five Grand Dukes invited by Your Majesty are gathered here under the watchful eyes of the White Blade Guard," the Grand Duke of Rebuilding the Tower raised an eyebrow, "So the question is, what exactly do you want? Are you going to use the ridiculous charge of plotting to wipe us all out, or..."

Trudida's voice abruptly stopped.

He swallowed the rest of his words.

Like a crossbow bolt that snaps instantly when the trigger is pulled.

Grand Duke Rebuilding Tower stared blankly at Peffert and his entourage as they approached.

They looked pale and disheveled, their hands empty. One of the warriors beside Grand Duke Pefit, even with support, clutched his shoulder, blood seeping from between his fingers.

Surrounding them was a whole circle of guards with drawn swords, their blades gleaming coldly as they stared at them.

Nikolai the "Fallen Star," exuding a chilling aura, was the last to enter and bowed to the king.

Trudida realized what was happening.

Peffert and his men were brought in by the bayonet guards after they had been disarmed.

Grand Duke Peffert himself stood expressionless, still emanating a chill, snow dripping from his brown hair.

"Is that enough?" The young grand duke, his eyes blazing with anger, looked up and surveyed the people in the hall. "A noble grand duke should not be treated like a criminal in the king's palace and castle!"

"What exactly do you want by using force to coerce me to come to the council hall?"

"This challenges our long-standing northern traditions and disregards the Naikaru co-governance pledge!"

King Nuen narrowed his eyes.

The four dukes each had a different expression.

Thales raised an eyebrow from an angle where no one could see him:

Tonight, it's finally coming to an end.

"Is this what you wanted us to wait for, Your Majesty? Using every means possible to gather the five of us here," Grand Duke Lyco said with a helpless tone, looking at the disheveled Grand Duke Pefit. "Now can you tell us the whole story?"

“Could it be that what that brat said is true,” Oleshu said angrily, “that we have to wait for Rumba to come along?”

Trudida chuckled softly.

Under everyone's gaze, the old king of Exter paused for three seconds before slowly speaking.

“Very good,” King Nuen clasped his hands together, his expression serious and his gaze sharp.

But his next words surprised almost everyone.

“Little Thales, my clever guest.”

King Nuen slowly turned to the side, looking at Prince Star standing to his side.

Thales, who was just about to watch the show, was completely stunned.

what?
Little Thales?

Do I know you well?

“Come, tell me, my loyal grand dukes, why are they here?”

As King Nuen finished speaking, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

“Tell them…the so-called truth.”

All eyes, filled with a mix of emotions including hesitation, surprise, and gloom, turned in that instant towards the second prince of Xingchen.

Thales stood there stunned for a moment.

Damn it. He quickly forced an ugly smile, raised his hands, and spread them out to the sides.

“I have no desire to get involved in Exster’s internal strife, Your Majesty,” Thales smiled. “Internal affairs are your own business to handle, and that is…”

But he didn't finish speaking.

“You’re already involved, Thales.” Nunn’s deep, aged voice, accompanied by the king’s profound gaze, interrupted him: “You are already in it, unable to extricate yourself, future King of the Stars.”

"And you promised to do this for me—your promise, didn't you?"

Thales gritted his teeth.

The doubts in the eyes of the dukes slowly turned into solemnity.

Thales swallowed hard and frowned.

Nunn, that damned old man.

Was it to show the Grand Dukes that the heir of the Stars stood with him?

Thales' brow furrowed even more deeply.

King Nuen's gaze grew even sharper.

“Go on, what are you waiting for, little prince?” Aurelius continued to glare at him. “After you tricked us all with your ridiculous words—to be honest, I thought Rumba would come too.”

Thales ignored him.

Finally, after a low reminder from Putila, he let out a helpless sigh.

Ok.

He stepped forward, drawing the attention of almost everyone in the hall.

“I apologize, Your Excellencies,” Thales said, bracing himself against the unfriendly gazes of the five dukes, “Most of what I said to you tonight was false, except for one thing.”

“Prince Morar was assassinated in the Stars.” Thales sighed. “One of the masterminds behind it all is among you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, all five dukes frowned.

The king's close advisors began to whisper among themselves.

The second prince ignored the increasing noise in the hall.

“And His Majesty Nunn has ordered me to find the mastermind behind the conspiracy between Lumba and Prince Moral,” Thales said expressionlessly.

“Alas, I knew it…” the bald Grand Duke Lyco sighed. “Inviting us here is not just about dealing with this Star Prince.”

Grand Duke Trudida turned his head and shook his head dismissively, saying, "The mastermind behind the conspiracy with Lumba? Ha, I get it."

“But this is not a good job…” Thales turned to the five grand dukes and nodded: “You, almost all of you are suspects.”

The five dukes awkwardly turned their heads, avoiding the combined gazes of Thales and King Nunn.

“And it has been proven that you are indeed restless,” Thales chuckled and continued, “To be honest, I really didn’t expect that those words would attract all four of you... I thought it would be just one or two at most.”

“My loyal dukes, the co-rulers of Exter,” King Nunn began slowly, “it seems you all harbor great ambitions.”

Whispers immediately filled the hall again.

Aurelius and Leco looked extremely embarrassed, Ronnie maintained his cold expression, Trudida chuckled, and the young Peffert remained gloomy.

King Nuen watched everything unfold in silence, his hands clasped together.

“So, it’s almost impossible to find the mastermind among you people by following the rules…” Thales sighed.

“I have no choice but to find another way. Instead of targeting the suspects, I’ll start with the truth of the matter, and how the murderer who knows the truth will react.” Thales nodded to Putilai and smiled. “Since there’s no way to retreat, why not go all out?”

“I see,” Grand Duke Ronnie of Qiyuan City said sternly, “What you said is all false… There was no secret meeting between Longxiao City and Black Sand Territory, nor any cooperation between Walton and Lumba, is that right?”

Thales shook his head: "Of course not, I made it all up—His Majesty would not ally with the enemy who killed his own blood relatives."

On the rectangular table, King Nuen's eyes flashed strangely.

“I understand,” Grand Duke Lyco said, his words slurred. “The key lies with Rumba, isn’t it? Because the so-called mastermind behind Moral’s murder was secretly colluding with Rumba?”

“Hmph,” Aurelius scoffed, “What a lame scheme—to convince us, and at the same time, that the mastermind, that Rumba and His Majesty are cooperating? To make him believe that Rumba would betray the mastermind’s identity to His Majesty?”

“The trap is set so blatantly,” Grand Duke Trudida leaned back and chuckled, “Does anyone really fall for it?”

Thales stared at the three of them, his gaze sweeping back and forth for several seconds.

Until the second prince smiled gently.

“No,” Thales said solemnly, shaking his head decisively, “it’s not that simple.”

"Don't forget what I told you, those things like 'Rumba wasn't the murderer, but Miko accused him of being the murderer'—perhaps the innocent Grand Dukes will believe them," Thales continued solemnly.
“But only he, only that mastermind, would never believe this—as Rumba’s accomplice, only he knows that Rumba is indeed one of the real culprits! Rumba cannot clear his name of the murder of the prince, so Rumba could not cooperate with His Majesty, and therefore could not betray him.”

“Only the Black Hand knows,” Thales turned around, looking around to assess the effect of his words: “What I called the ‘alliance between Walton and Rumba’ is nothing but alarmism. Rumba would never seek an alliance with His Majesty.”

"So what exactly did you mean by what you said last night?" The bald Grand Duke Leco's eyes gleamed. "You talked a lot about how His Majesty would abandon hatred and choose interests, but if you can't convince the murderer that Rumba and His Majesty are cooperating..."

“I don’t intend to make him believe this. I just want to tell him,” Thales said calmly, “His Majesty’s side suspects that Lumba is not the murderer and is trying to contact Lumba.”

At the head of the long table, King Nuen gave a faint, cold smile.

"Moreover, if we start from when Nikolai came to pick me up, the communication between the two sides may have already begun a long time ago."

Archduke Aurelius said impatiently, "You just said that Rumba is the murderer, and he wouldn't dare to cooperate with His Majesty. You can't get the name of the mastermind out of Rumba..."

"I'm not done yet!"

“His Majesty Nunn’s investigation has also uncovered a crucial point,” Thales interrupted him coldly, startling Aurelius: “That mastermind did something else!”

"He also participated in the plot to murder me, the plot to murder Prince Star!"

The whispers in the council chamber stopped instantly.

"In the power struggle between Dragon Fortress and Lumba, he bribed a group called 'Sword of Calamity' to use Lumba's magic-powered gun troops to assassinate me, attempting to frame Lumba," Thales said, taking a deep breath and enunciating each word clearly.
"This is exactly what I want him to know!"

"I want that mastermind to know: His Majesty Nunn already knows that the person who murdered Prince Moral is also the one who framed Lumba!"

Putiret, standing behind Thales, sighed, while Marquis Slays beside him smiled.

“So, in the end, all that nonsense I’ve been spouting to you all tonight was just to tell you two things,” Thales shrugged. “First, His Majesty is in contact with Rumba. Second, His Majesty knows that the mastermind behind Prince Moral’s murder is also plotting against Rumba.”

Amidst everyone's puzzled gazes, Thales slowly nodded:

"In that case, whether His Majesty can reach an agreement with Lumba is no longer important. What is important is—when His Majesty contacts Lumba, will he also inform Lumba of this matter in order to confirm the truth about Morar's murder?"

The dukes were immediately taken aback!
They have figured out the cause and effect of the matter.

“And that’s possible! After all, according to me, His Majesty Nuen has been contacting the Black Sand Territory through Nikolai for several days now…”

"That mastermind not only murdered His Majesty's son but also betrayed Lumba. Faced with such a possibility, he must be feeling uneasy... Would His Majesty, in order to gain Lumba's trust, tell him that the person who framed Lumba was also the one who murdered Moral?"

"And Rumba happens to be the one who knows the truth about the murder of Prince Moral and knows the identity of the mastermind!"

“So the key is not His Majesty, but Lumba himself,” Thales sighed deeply as he observed everyone’s reaction. “If the answer is ‘no,’ then he is lucky, but will this luck last? Will the next communication between the two sides bring up this matter?”

“If the answer is ‘yes,’ then Grand Duke Chaman Lomba will know that it turns out that his long-time collaborator had planted a traitor in the Black Sand Territory’s army and framed him at the Broken Dragon Fortress!”

"This is betrayal!"

"At that time, if I were Rumba, the first thing I would do is immediately inform His Majesty of the Black Hand's identity," Thales said with certainty in his eyes, his voice firm and resolute.

"Through the Dragonlance family, we will make this collaborator who dared to betray, sell out, and frame him pay the heaviest price in Dragon Sky City!"

Upon hearing this, King Nuen suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter from his seat.

The laughter grew louder.

But in the council chamber, the others remained silent, simply watching the king's smile.

King Nunn stopped laughing and turned his gaze to one of the five dukes.

“Continue,” King Nuen’s gaze was now incredibly sharp as he looked at the silent Grand Duke, his aged voice now filled with murderous intent: “We are all looking forward to him.”

Thales turned his head and nodded to the old king.

He exhaled through his nose and raised his head:

“Once this happens, the identity of the mastermind and what he has done will be exposed to Rumba and His Majesty!”

"The thought that his identity and crimes could be leaked to His Majesty Nuen at any moment by Grand Duke Lomba in a communications..."

"The thought that every extra minute he stays in Dragon Sky City increases the chances of him being exposed..."

"Just thinking about how His Majesty Nunn's vengeful rage has nowhere to go..."

Thales paced to the center of the arena, let out a long sigh, looked at the extraordinary Grand Duke, and slowly said:
"How could you possibly sit still, eat well, and sleep soundly? How could you not hurry back to your own territory, hold fast behind the high walls, and seek to protect yourself?"

The five dukes had different expressions.

But four of them, knowing full well what was going on, turned their gazes toward the Grand Duke, who had been different from the moment he arrived.

"Is that so..."

Thales spoke slowly, turning his gaze to the person.

The person who was gentle, fair, and warm-hearted when we first met in the council chamber, but who remained silent tonight.

The youngest of them all, the grand duke whose clothes were embroidered with blood horseshoes.

"Your Majesty, I, and Lumba share a common adversary: ​​the mastermind behind Prince Moral's murder, my enemy who attempted to assassinate me, Lumba's collaborator and traitor..." Thales smiled amicably.

"Can you tell me why, at four in the morning, before dawn, when the banquet was in full swing, when the palace and city gates were being opened for the first time, when I had made such a powerful announcement and proposal, and was looking forward to your meeting..."

"You didn't even have time to say goodbye before you hurriedly left the Palace of Heroes, boarded the carriage, drove towards the city gate, and left Dragon Sky City without a care in the world?"

Thales shook his head, uttering his name with mixed feelings:
"Your Excellency, Duke of Fengzhao City—Conkley Peffert?"

At this point, the room fell completely silent.

Until the illustrious, brown-haired youth, radiating coldness and covered in snowmelt, slowly raised his head and looked at the prince gazing at the stars.

His eyes were filled with numbness.

(End of this chapter)