Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 23 Revenge in the Secret Chamber
I finally got a good night's sleep, is bad luck about to strike again so soon?

The thought flashed through Thales' mind in an instant as he watched Gilbert calmly summon several nearby Terminator guards.

Yodel patted Thales on the shoulder and shook his head at him. His expression behind the mask was unknown, but Thales imagined a "smiling face" for the silent guard.

The final swordsmen efficiently accepted their orders and left one by one.

The once empty and silent Mindis Hall seemed to suddenly come alive. Fifty guards moved in an orderly manner under unified command and dispatch, with commands and reports rising and falling.

"The third team is heading to the main entrances on the second and third floors."

"Defenses on both sides of the hall are complete!"

"Reinforcements are being deployed to the sentry post on the roof!"

After calmly leaving a few words to a swordsman who looked like the leader of the guards, Gilbert turned and went back to his study, dragging Thales, who was peeking in through the door, inside.

Yodl had already vanished into thin air, just as always.

The middle-aged nobleman skillfully used his cane to pry open the panel behind a bookshelf, pulling it open to reveal a secret chamber inside.

"Who are they? Are they friend or foe?" Thales asked, struggling as Gilbert carried him into the secret room.

Gilbert lit the ever-burning lamp in the secret room, closed the hidden door, and asked meaningfully:
"I guess you're asking who would choose to break into a heavily guarded royal property at 5 p.m. without warning?"

Clearly, he no longer regarded the young master behind him as an ordinary child.

Thales chuckled, already knowing the answer to the question.

"I apologize for making you wait here for a moment, but confidentiality remains our top priority." In the dim light, Gilbert carefully lifted a curtain, revealing a sizable square iron plate with six different filter holes.

Thiel curiously peered through the hole and saw six different places: the Mindis first-floor lobby, the garden, the second-floor balcony, the second-floor corridor, the third-floor staircase, the third-floor porch, and the outdoor hall roof.

“This is a surveillance mirror made using the reflection of a mirror, which can bring different key areas within the Mindis Hall into view,” Gilbert said with a smile.

"This—this is a periscope!" Thales rolled his eyes inwardly.

"Here we go, the first match is between the two teams."

"The rest of the guys have scattered."

The Yordle's voice came from the void.

Thales immediately pressed his face against one of the monitors.

In the garden outside the first floor, a team of ten Starry Sky Family Terminator Swordsmen were forming a well-coordinated formation, with their swords and shields drawn, surrounding and attacking five intruders who were dressed in different ways but all covered in masks!
The five intruders seemed to be a well-coordinated team. Two of them wielded nimble scimitars, moving among the swords and shields, looking for opportunities and rescuing their companions from danger. One used a shield and chain hammer, repeatedly smashing through the dense array of swords and shields, forcing one of the guards to retreat. Another used a half-sword to close in, trying to break through the gaps in the formation. The last one also had a sword and shield, seemingly directing the operation and filling in any gaps.
“They are hired rangers and adventurers!” Gilbert glanced at them through the monitor and said, “It seems to be a long-standing, well-coordinated team that lives between war and the violent requests of lords. They do everything from hunters and soldiers to bodyguards, scouts and even assassins.”

“I only arrived at Mindis Hall last night, and there are already visitors?” Thales sighed helplessly.

Is the dignity of royalty so cheap?

“I assure you, Mr. Thales—the majesty of the royal family is not cheap; on the contrary, it is precisely the abnormality of the royal family that makes our enemies uneasy and fearful,” Gilbert said softly, without a trace of tension or seriousness in his tone, as if this were merely a game.

“An enemy?” Thales turned his head, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Yes, please don't worry about outside. The well-trained guards and Yordles will handle everything."

"And now is the perfect time to explain the third question to you—our enemies and allies."

The middle-aged nobleman stepped back a few paces, sat down on the dark sofa in the secret room, and said with a smile:
"For now, your existence is a top secret that we must keep confidential."

"Especially for the lords and nobles of the stars."

"The six powerful families that guard the borders, along with the thirteen noble clans that support the kingdom, form the core of the Star Council. Despite constant changes and numerous conflicts, they represent the noble forces that swore an oath to co-rule with the Star Royal Family at the beginning of the kingdom's founding."

So, at least on the surface, this was a country ruled by a king and nobles, Thales noted in his mind.

He needed more intelligence.

"Are the nobles—the lords, large and small, who are enfeoffed throughout the country and rule over their respective territories?"

Gilbert nodded: "That was the original source of noble power from the ancient empire to the final empire. As it evolved into the Star Kingdom, although many nobles have only left with titles and honors, those who truly control the lifeline of the country are still the six great families and thirteen noble clans with vast territories."

"According to the oath and royal decree, they are ordered to guard the four territories, submit to the king and pay taxes. The territory that the royal family can directly control is the traditional central territory of the Starry Sky family."

A country that rivals even the Middle Ages—this is a far cry from the level of national productivity I've observed.

Just then, quite abruptly, Yodl's voice rang out again in their ears:

"Intruders from the rooftop—the sentries are holding them off."

Looking at the impassive Gilbert before him, Thales resisted the urge to look into the monitor.

“While these lords have their own legitimate private armies, they often choose to hire outsiders to handle miscellaneous tasks—especially those that require them to distance themselves from responsibility. This is especially true for lords with higher power and status, such as our guests.” Gilbert’s lips curled into a slight smile.

"Then what is the purpose of this high council composed of lords and nobles, and what power does it possess?" Thales asked perceptively.

"The High Council was a product of the reign of the 'Wise King' Mindis III. During the costly Fourth Continental War, the Wise King commanded the powerful lords, nobles, officials, priests, merchants, and scholars of the country to jointly establish the High Council and the State Council. The former was a council exclusively for the nobles of the territories, while the latter was open to people of prestige and status throughout the entire planet. Mindis III, through his superb mediation skills, eliminated numerous conflicts and obstacles, distributed taxes, allocated resources, and repaid loans, allowing the planet to preserve its precious vitality in the war that devastated the nations on both sides of the strait."

A platform where state power intervenes to resolve conflicts between different levels, reach compromises, and build consensus among different classes—Tales made another note of this in his mind.

"Leaving aside the National Affairs Conference, the Starry Sky Noble High Council was retained after the wise ruler. Important national affairs of the Starry Sky, such as royal decrees and laws affecting the entire territory, are always promulgated only after the Supreme King and the nobles reach a consensus. This has become a common practice. In fact, after the formation of the High Council, the past discord within the kingdom, the infighting among nobles, and the superficial compliance have improved considerably," Gilbert said calmly.

A rudimentary form of representative government? No, it couldn't be that advanced. It's more like a feudal structure composed of lords on the way from a hierarchical state to an absolutist state, but it has already begun to become a stage for the struggle between local forces and central power.

"But with the arrival of the Bloody Year, the conflicts between the six powerful families and the thirteen noble clans and the Starry Sky Royal Family became increasingly apparent. In the thirteen days following the assassination of the late King Eddie II, despite the ongoing conflicts among the nobles, the Starry Sky Royal Capital, under the rule of the High Council, actually decided to close the city gates and withdraw its troops until His Majesty Kessel's return, at which point an agreement was reached with him to crown His Majesty."

The independently operating Feudal Advisory Council—an organization uniting feudal lords to speak out to the monarch—was bad news for me—Thales thought with a chill.

The parliament has become so efficient that it can now exclude the role of the monarchy.

This is a terrifying force; given the right moment, it could become a devastating force capable of overthrowing the monarchy.

"And the six great families have been watching the situation closely, as King Kessel has gone twelve years without an heir."

Gilbert's eyes were filled with wariness as he replied, his tone mysterious but complex:

"Excuse me for speaking frankly, but our powerful northern neighbor, the kingdom of the heroes Nekaru and Sara, known as the 'Blade of the Western Continent,' employs a system of electing a king through lord elections—the king is chosen from among the various lords who are eligible to participate."

As he spoke, Yodl's hoarse voice rang out once more:
"Enemy attack on the second floor! The third and fourth teams are dealing with it."

"There are five more people. They're almost on the third floor."

Thales made no move this time.

Gilbert took a deep breath and pointed outside:
"Now, Mr. Thales, do you understand where your enemy is?"

Thales remained silent.

The hereditary king of the stars.

Foreign systems of electing a king.

Six powerful families and thirteen prominent clans.

enemy.

Gilbert essentially gave him the answer directly.

But Thales felt this information was far from sufficient. A multitude of possible speculations flashed through his mind. He extracted the relevant information from his rapidly working brain while continuing to ask:
"If the royal lineage is severed—the six powerful families guarding the borders would naturally be the first choice to inherit the crown. However, this also means that the new king would inherit all the territory, property, vassals, and influence of the Starry Sky family?"

"What if one of the six powerful families, who were originally evenly matched, suddenly became royalty, rapidly expanded, and possessed legitimate supreme power—the Starry Sky Clan?"

"The six powerful families have become one giant beast and five powerful families. So, just like when Canxing was still the royal family, they live happily together and move towards a bright future?"

Gilbert was used to his young master's constant interruptions, but this time, the middle-aged nobleman remained silent, simply gazing at him with a serious expression.

Thales looked back at him, his heart growing heavier.

"In order to work together to win that crown—between the six great families and the thirteen noble clans," Thales' eyes gleamed, "they must have gone through complicated and headache-inducing bargaining and the division of interests, at least to reach an agreement on who should wear the crown."

Especially after a full twelve years without an heir, many people probably thought that the extinction of the Canxing family bloodline was inevitable.

Whew—Thales exhaled deeply.

It seems that one's own life and death truly affect the peace and turmoil of a nation.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Thales paused for a moment.

“Gilbert,” the boy rose from the sofa, frowning, and said slowly, “What role did these great lords play during the Bloody Year? I seem to recall you mentioning—a coup? That royal catastrophe—”

Gilbert simply took a deep breath, but his gaze was incredibly complex.

A chill ran through Thales' heart.

His Majesty was beheaded on the throne.

The princesses were strangled in their sleep.

The princesses were burned to death in the castle.

The princes even died in their swaddling clothes.

The eldest son of the king fought alone with his sword and died at the palace gate.

The king's brother was ambushed from behind on the battlefield.

There are also four princes.

Thales stared wide-eyed, then collapsed onto the sofa in a daze.

After transmigrating, he realized for the first time that life was so complicated—you know, even during the most difficult and darkest days in the Brotherhood, Thales never gave up.

A long silence followed in the closed room.

Until Yodl's voice rang out again without warning!
"Looks like the last elite unit. They've reached the third floor and are engaged in battle."

But Thales no longer cared.

His thoughts were drifting to the potential employers of the intruders outside the secret door:

Why is there such a pathetic royal family? They were completely wiped out by their own lords!

My escape from the fraternity was practically suicide!
How could his so-called father still sit calmly on the throne, wearing his crown? What gave him such confidence?
A mage?

Wait a minute—my so-called father, is he still the king?

Why is he still king? And how can he remain king?

this means--

"No!"

The next moment, Thales sat up, his face grave, but he resolutely dismissed his own guess:

"First of all, the Bloody Year was a catastrophe from top to bottom and from the outside in—and the secret assassination of a king who was recognized as wise would not help the chaotic state of affairs among the nobles."

"Secondly, Gilbert, you said that the High Council ruled independently for thirteen days after the king's assassination—thirteen days without a king! Was it because they couldn't reach a consensus on how to divide the spoils and support a new king, or were they actually terrified and caught completely off guard by the king's death?"

“The crucial point is that my father, His Majesty King Kael, was crowned after reaching an agreement with the High Council—which shows that he had sufficient support from the great lords. Did someone foresee back then that Prince Kael, in the prime of his life, would have no offspring for the next twelve years, so that the lords could dream of a crown that could only be realized twelve years later? What kind of supernatural ability could make such a guarantee?”

"The final point of doubt is—you said that my father has already taken his revenge. The hidden dangers have been largely resolved, and the remaining grudges are either unavoidable or impossible to fulfill. Perhaps the six powerful families are indeed terrifying, but if they really were the masterminds behind the murder of the royal family, then shouldn't His Majesty Kessel, known as the 'Iron Fist', have taken some action in the past twelve years?"

"Moreover, in essence, the royal family and the lords of the six great noble families are nothing more than a long-established noble family."

"If they are truly prepared to sit on the throne, they know they absolutely cannot—at least not conspire to set this precedent. If the top noble families were to one day ascend the throne, who knows if they wouldn't repeat the same murders and massacres of royalty?"

"The six powerful families are not the murderers who slaughtered the royal family!"

"Really? Gilbert?"

Thales stared intently at the middle-aged nobleman, as if trying to rip something out of his mind.

Gilbert tilted his head up and then smiled with admiration.

Gilbert cleared his throat and nodded:
"Originally, my plan was simply to steer your thinking toward the six major rival families, and that would have been enough. But it seems I underestimated you, my dear young master."

"His Majesty must be proud that you could think of this."

"But the lords who were in the palace back then were by no means without responsibility—at least, in the matter of the royal family being massacred, they chose to stand by and even welcome it."

Gilbert's eyes dimmed, and after hesitating for a moment, he finally insisted on speaking:
"The disaster of the Canxing family is indeed caused by someone else."

"But I don't know much about the real truth either."

“Only His Majesty knows all the details—this is a tragedy for Canxing, and it is he who should tell you it to you personally.”

Thales stared intently at Gilbert.

But then, he exhaled forcefully, as if a fully inflated sphere had suddenly deflated, and slammed onto the sofa behind him.

"Tch—" Thales rolled his eyes, disregarding his composure: "You should have said so earlier!"

Gilbert smiled.

The middle-aged nobleman bowed slightly, tacitly agreeing with his young master's statement, and thought to himself: Thales, this child—perhaps the stars will be different because of this.

Although, you—the true enemies of the Shining Star Royal Family—may be even more terrifying than the so-called six great families and thirteen noble clans, who knows?

The extremely abrupt sound appeared again:
“It’s all over,” Yodl’s voice came again. “No one was left alive.”

Gilbert's expression turned serious. He nodded, stood up, and slowly said, "Very good."

Thales hadn't reacted yet; his eyes just widened.

That's it? Solved in the time it takes to eat a meal?
The stone had just fallen, and it sank without even a sound?

Gilbert, standing by the hidden door, gestured to Thales to leave, saying, "Please don't worry, Mr. Thales—he's just testing the waters."

"We can handle these miscellaneous tasks."

"Your battlefield is a hundred times more dangerous and treacherous than ours."

(End of this chapter)