Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 154 The Secret of 'Triumphant Return'
Everyone left the council hall.

Only two figures, one large and one small, remained, sitting side by side on a step at the edge of the hall.

Thales felt slightly uneasy.

What exactly is the purpose of this old man keeping me here?
Could it really be just for "a drink"?

King Nuen, draped in a thick cotton robe that revealed his wrinkled but well-defined muscles, looked at the bandages on his body with a grim expression and raised his wine glass.

“I’m getting old after all,” King Nuen said, taking a swig of wine and stretching his left arm, a pained expression on his face. “A battle of this intensity used to last me a whole day and night, but now…”

The old king snorted and poured the rest of the wine down his throat.

Thales didn't speak; he was trying to calm his slightly tense breathing.

He wasn't without experience of being alone with a king—in fact, his nominal father, King Kessel of the Stars, put even more pressure on him—but Thales always felt extremely uneasy sitting next to King Nunn VII, especially when the smell of medicine mixed with a faint stench of blood wafted over.

Perhaps it was because King Nunn had just killed someone with his own hands, or perhaps it was because the old king had lost all his blood relatives and was now alone and unpredictable, or perhaps it was because...

“Your plan is risky,” Thales’ thoughts were interrupted. King Nunn scooped up another cup of wine from the barrel and said slowly in his aged voice, “What will you do if the murderer—Pefit—remains calm and unresponsive in that situation?”

Thales let out a breath.

How to do?
“There is still a way,” the Prince of Stars tried his best to show a warm smile: “Then you should announce to the Grand Dukes that you will take them to have a frank talk with Chaman Lumba and shake hands to make peace… I guess the murderer will not be happy to go—he knows that the intelligence you and Lumba have combined will be enough to drive him to a dead end.”

King Nuen twirled the wine glass in his hand and listened quietly.

“Of course, we didn’t have to take such a risk. We could have planned it out slowly, revealing those two messages to the grand dukes little by little,” Thales shrugged. “But there was no other way. Marquis Slade Bemula informed me that the two grand dukes were leaving this morning, leaving us with only one night. We had to figure something out at the banquet…”

Just then, King Nuen suddenly chuckled.

The laughter lasted for several seconds.

The old king's enigmatic smile startled Thales, causing him to stop talking.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through Thales' mind.

No way.

“Wait, could it be,” Thales looked at King Nunn with an incredulous expression, a mixture of surprise and displeasure, “you…”

King Nunn turned his head and looked at him with a playful expression, but his emerald green eyes concealed a cold, emotionless scrutiny that sent a chill down Thales's spine.

Thales figured it out.

“No grand duke is leaving at all, is that right?” Thales closed his eyes and sighed deeply, his voice filled with resentment. “That was a false message you deliberately gave us.”

As high-ranking dukes, they couldn't possibly just glance at me and leave.

“A little prompting,” King Nunn nodded nonchalantly, “seems to be very effective.”

Appropriate prompting?
Very effective?

Thales recalled the panic and chaos of the day and suppressed the urge to make sarcastic remarks.

He composed himself—after all, this was Valhalla, and the Star Prince was merely a vulnerable guest.

“But I must say,” King Nunn put down his wine glass, staring intently at him with a complex look in his eyes, “well done.”

Thales was slightly taken aback.

“Thank you, but…” Thales turned his head and snorted softly, “That plan was actually devised by Putila, my deputy and mentor. He reminded me that we could also use Lumba as a bargaining chip…”

“However, you are indeed the true executor,” King Nunn interrupted him, his gaze sharp. “You deserve this praise… For your age, such performance is nothing short of a miracle.”

Thales gave a fake and ugly smile.

He didn't want to act like a monster—he was forced into it by the world.

"Perhaps, the Starry Sky royal family truly produces such geniuses," King Nuen sighed.

Thales' eyes flickered.

"A genius from the Starry Sky royal family?" Thales asked sharply. "Who else?"

King Nuen chuckled softly, a look of reminiscence crossing his face.

“Your father’s brother, your grandfather’s eldest son, Midil Shining,” the old king said calmly, “was also a precocious genius.”

Thales' eyes lit up.

Midil Shining Star.

Thales recalled Gilbert and Lady Ginny's attitude toward the late king's eldest son, the wise prince who was praised by everyone.

But he also recalled the despairing Duke of the North, Aaron, in the Palace of Restoration, describing Midil as "a gloomy and brooding elder brother of the king."

"He came to present his credentials when he was thirteen years old, to mediate the dispute between the Wilan Territory, the Black Sand Territory, and your Watchtower regarding the hunting grounds of the Great Needle Forest before the two sides went to war. That was the year before my coronation."

"It was also in this hall that he faced my father, and the two Grand Dukes of Wilan and Black Sand," King Nuen said slowly, looking at the Hall of Heroes flickering in the firelight. "I watched as the previous Grand Duke of Wilan, poor old Olesh, was rendered speechless by a child in front of everyone."

“I see,” Thales nodded sheepishly. “No wonder, Oleshu—that bearded man always had a problem with me. It seems we really are sworn enemies.”

“Yes, I suppose,” King Nunn smiled, “My father died a year later, partly thanks to Midil.”

Thales awkwardly remained silent.

“You know, in the past, someone as bizarre as you, this so-called genius, would have made me extremely wary,” the old king tightened his outer robe again, his gaze subtle: “Especially since you are the first, no, the only heir to the Star Throne.”

Thales frowned slightly; King Nunn's gaze made him somewhat uncomfortable.

“It’s such a pity that Midil died… I’ve always been curious what kind of king someone like him would become,” King Nunn sighed, turning his head to look directly at Thales. “But you still have a chance.”

"And the chances are very high."

“I believe that once you are crowned king, it will be a rebirth for the Star Kingdom,” King Nunn’s eyes began to sharpen. “Exter will have a formidable opponent.”

Thales jolted, his nerves, which had just relaxed, tensed up again.

Not really.

What is this nonsense?

What on earth does this guy want to do?
He was somewhat unsure of King Nuen's intentions.

Thales endured King Nunn's gaze, struggling to calm his increasingly rapid breathing.

King Nuen suddenly laughed eerily.

“There’s no need to be so nervous,” he said calmly, his tone filled with the majesty of a king: “I’m not a man-eating beast.”

Thales suppressed the urge to retort, forcing an awkward smile as he glanced at the center of the hall—the spot where Peffert's neck had just been snapped.

King Nunn noticed Thales's gaze and couldn't help but laugh.

“As the heir to a king, bloodshed is inevitable sooner or later,” the king said, taking a sip of wine, his eyes sharp. “This will be helpful to you.”

Thales frowned.

Blood was drawn.

The image of Quaid's dying eyes flashed before his eyes, and he recalled the sensation of the dagger piercing his flesh.

And there's the teenage superhuman assassin who emits a piercing, demonic sound, and his wet, warm, beating...heart.

Thales forcefully suppressed a wave of discomfort.

"What are your thoughts after watching that duel?" King Nuen put down his wine cup and asked slowly.

“Impressive,” Thales replied truthfully, “especially watching how an older veteran took down a hot-blooded young rookie.”

King Nuen chuckled.

"And the fierce dueling customs of the North have also broadened my horizons," Thales carefully chose his words, "and of course, your courage as the king of a country to step into the dueling arena."

"Humph."

“When I initiated the duel, I saw your expression,” King Nunn said, gazing intently at Thales. “You were quite dismissive, weren’t you?”

Thales was slightly taken aback.

King Nuen continued to stare intently at him.

“Well,” Thales took a deep breath and said awkwardly, “you know, considering your age—after all, it involves such a large country, what if something goes wrong?”

A few seconds later, under Thales's tense gaze, King Nunn suddenly said out of the blue, "You know, the connection between the Walton family and the Star family began a long time ago."

Thales was puzzled.

King Nuen gently extended his right hand, revealing a black ring on his little finger: "Do you know what this is?"

Thales frowned.

Then he honestly shook his head.

“This is ‘triumphant return’,” King Nuen smiled mysteriously, “and it is also one of the origins of our two great families.”

Thales was taken aback.

Triumph?

He watched as King Nuen took off his ring, turned it to the inner ring, and showed it to him.

Thales squinted and saw a pattern engraved on the inner ring that King Nunn had pointed to; it seemed to be a horse...

A horse with wings?

“This is the emblem of the Pegasus,” King Nunn said calmly. “It is the family crest of the Imperial Carother family since Emperor Comora established the empire.”

Thales was slightly taken aback.

Pegasus.

Imperial family? Carother?

"More than six hundred years ago, when both Exter and Star Kingdom had just been established," King Nunn said in a deep and distant tone, "the first conflict between Exter and Star Kingdom broke out because of King Tormund's bloody methods against the original nobles during his expansion."

Tormund's bloody methods... Thales remembered something.

"Nekharu and Tormund, the Dragon King and the King of Restoration, the Northerners and the Imperials, led their elite troops forged in the final battle, and clashed with each other around Coldhold."

"Finally, the two former kings each took a step back and signed the first peace treaty in the history of our two countries, agreeing that the two countries would be divided into the north and south, each expanding its own territory without interfering with the other."

King Nuen exhaled:

"That was Exter's earliest contact with the stars."

Thales squinted, recalling what he had seen in the library yesterday afternoon.

What King Nunn was referring to was probably the peace treaty signed by Tormund and Nekaru.

If I remember correctly... "The Agreement Between Nekaru and Tormund, Exter and Star in the 11th Year of the End Era, Regarding the Handling of Border Issues"?
Is this the name?

“What is not recorded in history is that the two former kings privately exchanged an ancestral treasure as a token of their alliance.” King Nuen put the ring back on his hand.

“This ring is the token that King Tormund gave to King Nekaru,” King Nunn said, taking a breath.

"It passed from Nekaru to his nephew, then to the Walton family, and remained in the hands of successive Grand Dukes of Walton as a symbol of their Grand Duke status, passed down from generation to generation."

"Outsiders don't know its origin and history, just as it originally had no name, but all the grand dukes called it 'Triumphant.'" The king's tone was somewhat ethereal, his eyes wandering elsewhere.

Triumphant return.

Thales frowned slightly.

“A good name,” he said cautiously. “It sounds very inspiring.”

"Excited?" King Nuen chuckled.

“As I said, it was originally an heirloom of King Tormund, the King of Restoration, originating from the first emperor of the Final Empire, and one of your ancestors,” King Nunn said, stroking the triumphal artifact with a sharp look in his eyes.
"Kathel Carloser VI".

Thales' eyes darted around.

Kaiser?
An emperor who shares the same name as his father?
King Nunn raised his eyes: "This ring once belonged to the famous Emperor Kessel VI, and passed down to King Tormund, who then gave it to Nekaru as a testament to their covenant."

"And this King Catherine VI has a bad reputation. In his life, which was neither long nor short, but certainly eventful, countless adversaries fell victim to his schemes and plots," King Nunn took a breath, his tone serious:
"His greatest achievement was restoring the prestige of the Calothere dynasty amidst the chaos following the collapse of the ancient empire, reclaiming the Triumph City from the rebels and lords, and ultimately establishing the empire, which lasted for three hundred years."

Thales nodded.

The emperor who reclaimed the triumphant capital, and ultimately the founder of the empire.

It turned out to be the case.

That's why it's called "triumphant return".

"Do you know that emperor's nickname?" King Nuen suddenly raised his head and looked at Thales with amusement.

Thales paused for a moment, then shook his head again.

King Nunn's expression as he looked at Thales grew increasingly subtle.

This made the latter extremely uneasy.

“This little ring has many uses,” King Nuen sighed, gently flicking the triumphant ring.

This time, Thales was truly stunned.

Wide range of uses?
Thales stared blankly at the ring, a terrible thought creeping into his mind.

Sure enough, King Nuen's next words sent a chill down his spine: "The ring can conceal three different kinds of medicinal powder, two different kinds of gas, and even a poisoned needle."

Hidden.

Poison needle?

As Thales listened to the old king's narration, he even forgot to breathe.

But King Nunn continued speaking:

"For example, when two people in a duel are evenly matched..."

Thales was jolted.

“With a gentle turn of the mechanism, ‘Triumphant’ can release the pre-prepared Sel Grass poison gas at close range,” King Nuen’s eyes were icy cold, and his tone was terrifying:
"Its extraction is very expensive, but it can numb the muscles and mind of the poisoned person without them realizing it. During strenuous exercise, this poison will spread through the blood, and the poisoned person will feel weak, numb, and increasingly irritable."

My strength has decreased.

Muscle numbness.

Irritable and restless.

The second prince was stunned.

Thales turned his head and looked at King Nunn with disbelief.

King Nuen also turned his head to look back at him.

The next second, the old king confirmed Thales's terrible suspicion with a suspicious smile.

"how?"

"Do you really think that I, an old man nearing seventy, am all you have?" Norn Walton VII, the High King of Exter and the most respected ruler of the Northlands, looked at him meaningfully.
"To easily defeat a strong, middle-aged man whose physical strength, reaction time, speed, and power are all at their peak, and who has received years of combat training in the North?"

Thales stared at King Nunn in shock.

Nunn gave a meaningful smile.

Thales's mind was in complete turmoil.

He replayed every scene from the duel in his mind, then focused on the one that best matched the description before him:
Pfelt was breathing heavily.

He almost always missed with his axe.

And then there was the young Grand Duke's final hysteria.

isn't it?
Thales didn't know what expression to wear at that moment, nor did he know what expression he already had.

He simply stared intently at King Nuen.

Did I forget to tell you?

"The founder of the final empire, the one known as Kessel VI," King Nunn smiled, his expression mysterious, and softly uttered three words:
"The Poison Emperor".

I know everyone misses me.

Hurry up and use your votes and tips to make your presence felt!
By Wujian, who looked completely serious.

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(End of this chapter)