Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 218 Blade and Wings

In the darkness, Thales followed the fleeing crowd, walking anxiously.

The White Blade Guards had split into three teams: one team was moving forward to search for danger, while the other team was keeping watch for possible pursuers.

The last team then guarded them.

Nikolai walked at the head of the group and let out a deep sigh in the darkness.

"When did this happen?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

No one answered him.

Until Miranda's voice came from the side.

“If you ask me,” the female swordsman said calmly, “it has been from the very beginning.”

Nikolai remained silent for a second.

“He might have just been deceived,” the current commander of the White Blade Guard asked dejectedly. “You know, Black Sand Territory forged intelligence on the Blade of Calamity and then passed it on to Kaslan…”

Thales let out a breath, feeling the mental exhaustion begin to creep over him again.

No matter what lies ahead...

please...

End it quickly.

"Come on," came the impatient Cohen, who was walking at the back of the group, his voice rather loud.

“Your hypocritical former boss has shown himself to deal with us,” the guard mocked, “hiding among the soldiers of Black Sand Territory—and knocked me down with two punches.”

“Then you should feel honored,” Nikolai suddenly looked up, suppressing his anger, and said coldly in the darkness, “Not everyone is qualified to take two punches from Caslan.”

Cohen frowned, about to retort, but Raphael interrupted him.

“They were able to persuade Earthshaker to help,” Raphael squinted. “Now we know how they managed to sneak open the city gates without a sound or bloodshed.”

Nikolai lowered his head and remained silent.

No one could see the complex emotions swirling in his eyes at that moment.

Thales' heart skipped a beat.

“Wait a minute, if Kaslan knew about this secret passage from the beginning,” the prince murmured to the group, “then how did you manage to sneak in?”

Nikolai raised his head.

But the person who answered was Cohen.

“Perhaps they want to wait until all the White Blade Guards are here,” the guard said through gritted teeth, “to deal with it once and for all.”

No one else spoke.

The atmosphere became very oppressive.

“Look, they were guarding us, first waiting for the Secret Service, then for the White Blade Guards,” Cohen said, before he could finish, “besieging the point and attacking the reinforcements—is there a more vivid example of this tactic?”

Nikolai slammed his fist against the wall.

"Bang!" There was a muffled sound.

Even in the darkness, everyone turned to look.

The meteorite raised its head and exhaled.

Nikolai's eyes turned cold again.

“Go to hell, Kaslan,” the Meteorite said coldly.

Raphael gave a soft hum, the meaning of which was ambiguous.

At this moment.

“Well, perhaps, outside of the debate…” Thales’ voice suddenly broke in, sounding weary.

"What should we do?"

The second prince murmured, "If this is the only exit from the secret passage."

Nicolai gently clenched his fist.

The Meteorite suddenly laughed.

“We had no choice,” he said softly. “Didn’t we?”

Thus, the group could only continue walking nervously through the secret passage in the strange atmosphere.

The unknown dangers lie ahead.

Heading towards that equally mysterious exit.

Thales sighed slightly, but at this moment he could only put aside all distractions and concentrate on following the group forward.

Another child moved to his side.

A soft voice whispered in his ear: "Thales."

"I can't escape, can I?"

In the darkness, Thales couldn't see the little rascal's expression, but he could tell that her voice was filled with sadness and despair.

Thales sighed.

He was already feeling annoyed, and now he really wasn't in the mood to comfort the little girl.

“Don’t worry,” Thales said somewhat absentmindedly, “Even if there’s an ambush ahead, we’ll definitely find a way to escape…”

But the little rascal's voice suddenly became louder.

"No!"

She seemed somewhat agitated.

Thales was slightly taken aback.

“That’s not what I meant,” she gasped in the darkness, her voice trembling with fear. “I meant…they, they all found me, they found me…”

"I... I can't escape, I can't leave!"

The little rascal's reaction even made Nikolai and the others who were talking on the other side turn their heads to look at him.

Thales then realized what the little rascal was talking about.

She means...

Thales moved closer to the little rascal.
The second prince held his breath, feeling the little rascal's body rise and fall slightly beside him.

“They, they called me…Miss Walton…” the little rascal whispered, trying her best to keep her balance, but Thales could still sense the fear in her heart.

Thales' mood darkened.

"They won't let me go..." The little rascal's voice had already begun to tremble with a hint of tears.

That's right.

As agreed in the butcher shop: this little maid originally planned to sneak away quietly after escaping danger.

but now……

Thales looked up and glanced in the direction of Nicolai and the others.

The White Blade Guard found her, the Scarlet Witch recognized her, and Rumba knew her.

What King Nunn left her was not just a ring and an identity, but also a curse.

A curse that once you join, you can't leave the game.

The prince felt a deep sadness.

Not only that.

Thales then thought of the present moment after King Nunn's death.

Chaos reigned in Dragon Sky City.

Walton's future is in jeopardy; it seems the Cloud Dragon Spear will never be able to rule the city again.

Exter—a dragon kingdom with a history spanning six hundred years—is about to be plunged into an unknown turbulent vortex, its future uncertain and its fate unpredictable.

Furthermore, Lombard, along with his army and vassals, is secretly carrying out his clandestine plot to frame Thales for the assassination of the king (though as the Prince of the Stars, he is not entirely innocent).

What is that ruthless tycoon planning to do?
Where will he lead Dragon Sky City, Exter, and the two great powers of the Western Continent?

And these...

Thales turned his head and could make out the outline of the little maid in the darkness.

Are these things really something that this little girl, who has experienced a dramatic change overnight, faced life and death, and is now sobbing softly in the darkness, can bear?

Thales sighed softly as he reached for the little rascal's hand in the darkness.

Those were small, dusty hands, trembling and cold.

The little rascal's hand twitched slightly.

"Are you scared?" Thales asked softly in his gentlest tone.

The little rascal's sobs paused slightly.

“Yes,” she nodded in the darkness where no one could see her, “I’m sorry, but I really…”

“It’s good to be afraid,” Thales said calmly.

The little rascal's breathing suddenly stopped.

“I’m just as scared as you are,” Thales’ voice rang in her ear.

The little rascal was stunned.

“So we must remember it,” the prince thought, clenching his fist slightly as the image of that night on Red Street flashed before his eyes: “Remember the fear of being completely at the mercy of others, unable to make your own choices.”

“I loathe this feeling,” Thales murmured. “It’s more of a loathe than the fear I feel.”

The little rascal didn't say anything; she listened quietly to Thales' words.

“So try to hate it, hate this situation of being unable to control yourself, hate the situation of having to be a Walton,” Thales gently squeezed her hand. “You won’t be afraid of ‘being a Walton’ anymore.”

The sly one spoke softly: "Disgust?"

Thales pressed on her hand.

"Correct."

“It is precisely because of our aversion to it—in order to be free from this fear, in order to one day be able to choose freely—that we become strong,” he said unequivocally. “No matter who you want to be, there is no need to be afraid.”

"When you can face the future without fear..." The prince took a deep breath.

For some reason, at that moment, the image of Ms. Ginny appeared before his eyes.

It was that day, wearing high-heeled boots, striding confidently and proudly behind the king into the Hall of Stars. It was her unique air of indifference to the countless gazes around her.

Thales' pupils contracted slightly: "At that time, you will definitely be able to make choices freely without being swayed by anything."

The little rascal sniffed and fell silent.

Thales fell into deep thought and remained silent.

Soon, the first group of scouts returned and joined them.

When their footsteps approached, Cohen and his men nervously drew their swords.

However, the other party brought several strange messages.

"what?"

"Nothing was found?"

Nikolai frowned.

“No,” a leading guard shook his head in the darkness, answering his superior’s question: “We haven’t found anything, whether it’s an ambush, a trap, a snare, or manpower in the open—we’re almost at the exit.”

The meteorite frowned slightly.

"Is this normal?" Raphael's voice came from behind.

Nikolai shook his head.

“It shouldn’t be like this,” the commander of the White Blade Guard pondered. “Kaslan should know about this secret passage.”

Cohen's voice came from behind: "Does he not know what's going on here?"

“Possibly,” Miranda said softly, “or he was held up by something.”

“Perhaps they’re lying in ambush outside the exit,” Wyatt raised his eyebrows, his voice filled with worry, “waiting to wipe us out.”

Thales snorted and interrupted them.

“Alright,” the second prince said, feeling a headache coming on, “it’s no use saying anything more.”

“Whatever awaits us ahead,” Thales said dejectedly, “we only have one answer, don’t we?”

They can only move forward.

There is no escape route.

Just like he was on the battlefield in front of the fortress.

The only way forward is forward.

The crowd in the darkness fell silent once more.

With an indescribable sense of tension, everyone set off again.

For several minutes, only hurried footsteps could be heard in the darkness of the secret passage.

The impenetrable darkness, the monotonous rhythm, and the unease in my heart made the atmosphere increasingly heavy.

Therefore, Thales could only silently count his steps to relieve his increasingly depressed state of mind.

Finally, when Thales counted to what was either the 728th or 827th step, a faint reflection of light began to appear on the walls on both sides in front of him.

Everyone was refreshed.

But the nerves that had just begun to relax and ease became tense again.

“That’s the exit.” Nikolai placed his hand on the hilt of his knife and whispered to the person behind him:
"Be careful."

The group immediately fell silent.

Cohen exhaled, shrugged, and then slowed his pace.

Miranda and Raphael remained silent, seemingly in sync.

Thales didn't dare to breathe, afraid of disturbing something unknown.

But as their vision improved, they moved forward at an even faster pace.

As they approached the exit, the light ahead grew brighter.

Until the exit appeared clearly before them—at the end of the deep tunnel, an opening that shone with blinding white light.

Nikolai sighed.

Everyone relaxed.

It wasn't because of safety, but because being in a dark and oppressive environment for a long time made their mental state somewhat abnormal.

So the moment I saw the exit, it felt like something I had been anxiously waiting for had finally come to fruition.

although.

This result is not good.

A figure stood silently at the exit.

Thales' heart sank.

"Is this the person who will be there to meet you?" he asked softly.

“Of course not,” Nikolai shook his head, no longer lowering his voice: “He’s not stupid enough to stand right at the entrance of the cave.”

The meteorite's expression became very calm, as if he were somewhat relieved?
Cohen sighed.

The guards quietly dispersed, protecting the area around the little rascal.

Miranda placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and parted her lips slightly: "Ready for battle?"

Raphael narrowed his eyes: "Did you see who it was?"

“I can’t make out their faces,” Miranda said with a slight smile, “but that figure… it’s so familiar.”

Cohen frowned. "Familiar? You mean, Chloeshi?"

Nicolai ignored the ensuing argument.

He gestured to the people behind him, and then one of them strode forward.

I walked towards that figure.

The figure turned his head slightly, and the light shone on his face.

When everyone saw the newcomer's face, they were suddenly startled.

That's not 'Earthshaker', that's not Kaslan.

“We meet again,” Nikolai said softly, walking about ten paces away from the newcomer.

"Ms. Cassan."

Ahead of him, the Scarlet Witch smiled slightly and nodded kindly as always.

Thales stared in disbelief at the Scarlet Witch reappearing before him. He turned to look behind him, then back at Cassan.

How could she have done it so quickly...?

“Kaslan did indeed tell you about this secret passage,” Nikolai said coldly.

The Scarlet Witch smiled faintly.

“I only just found out myself, don’t blame him,” the old woman observed Nicolai’s position, then raised an eyebrow slightly: “He’s close enough, Lord Nicolai.”

The meteorite stopped in its tracks.

His hand remained on the Soul-Severing Blade.

"Where is he?" Nikolai had to squint because of the backlighting—he couldn't see what was happening outside the cave.

Cassan looked at him and sighed, "He won't show up."

Nikolai gripped the hilt of his knife tightly.

“Hmph,” Nikolai looked away, his voice full of disdain: “Coward.”

Behind him, Thales frowned: "They're standing too far away... they can't hear anything."

He tried to activate the Sin of the River of Hell, but the power of termination he had used to find his way in the secret passage had been greatly depleted. He called out to it several times, but the Sin of the River of Hell did not respond.

Miranda looked puzzled: "Why is there only the Scarlet Witch?"

“Maybe it’s the same old trick,” Cohen said, shielding Thales from view and looking around suspiciously. “That big guy with the knife might be lurking in some ditch, planning to jump out like last time.”

“Be on guard,” Raphael said calmly. “This time, we have no backup.”

“Sigh,” Wyman said softly, “when will they probably start fighting?”

Thales looked at the two people talking, his heart heavy: "We'll find out."

Nicolai's gaze returned to Cassan.

"And you, Tuleha?" The Meteorite sized up Cassan, estimating the distance between them, and said in a cold voice, "Where is your ambush?"

The Scarlet Witch sighed softly.

“Outside,” Cassan nodded and bowed slightly, “crossbowmen you can’t imagine are lying in ambush in the most cunning corners—they are all experts in sniping and assassination in dark rooms.”

"As for Black Sand Territory... I don't plan to let them participate in this hunt."

Nicolai's pupils contracted slightly.

He hates this feeling.

On the battlefield, the feeling of being locked on tightly.

His eyes gradually adjusted to the light, and he saw the outside world through the hole—still empty.

Nicolai looked back into the Scarlet Witch's eyes, his pale face twitching slightly: "Aren't you afraid I'll take you hostage again?"

Cassan gave a friendly smile: "Oh, this time I'm prepared, so you're probably not having it so easy."

Nikolai's unease grew stronger, and he stared at the old woman without saying another word.

"Then what are you waiting for?" the Meteorite said coldly. "Make your move—or do you think we'll surrender obediently just because we're stuck here?"

But to his surprise, Cassan shook her head: "Of course not."

“I do have all the advantages,” the Scarlet Witch said calmly, “but that’s not what I want. Pointless violence and death won’t help.”

"We haven't finished talking yet."

"A conversation that belongs only to the White Blade Guard and the Dark Room, only to the blade and the wings."

Nikolai was slightly taken aback.

what?
Why haven't you changed the security system in so long?
Ah, that's because...

I fell asleep in front of the computer... (picking nose)
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(End of this chapter)