Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 306 The Raven of Death

When Thales returned on horseback, Valhalla was already prepared: the main road from the first gate to the palace gate was swept clean, and the armor of the guards and soldiers was exceptionally neat, standing in formation—this was probably the limit for the rough and brutal Northmen.

"Maybe next time you come back, you won't bring bad news with you."

The second prince, preoccupied with his own thoughts, carefully held the reins of the black horse Jenny and spoke sternly to Putilai, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

“I see,” Putila's brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing with a strange expression. “Lord Ronnie’s proposal to the Grand Duchess, thus securing the stability of Dragonfall City, is actually bad news for Your Highness…”

what?
The prince paused for a second at those words, then understood.

He took a light breath.

Thales slowly turned to Putila, his face contorted in the most unpleasant expression, and said, slowly and deliberately, "You just had to bring it up..."

But he was interrupted.

“Ah, sorry,” the thin man smiled meaningfully, shrugging helplessly on horseback, “before you had your outburst—I swear I meant no other.”

Putila gave a harmless smile: "You know... what 'that' means."

Thales' eyes widened, his mouth moved a few times in the air, but he ultimately made no sound.

The prince could only snort in dissatisfaction and turn away.

Who can understand the frustration of having all that resentment forced back into one's chest by a single sentence?
"Given the current situation," the Second Prince said, barely suppressing the urge to dismiss his former deputy envoy, his lips twitching as he uttered the words through gritted teeth, "anything that disrupts the status quo could be a threat to us: such as the Grand Duchess's abrupt marriage and the interests involved behind it—that's what I mean."

"Of course," Putilai still had the same look of being beaten, ignoring that Lord Justin behind him had darkened his face. He shook his pipe with a leisurely and contented expression:

“You are a prince, so what you say must be true—whether it is true or not.”

Good heavens...

Thales covered his face, sighed painfully, and gave up the idea of ​​explaining anything to the stubborn old man.

“Unbelievable,” the prince said listlessly, looking at the approaching palace gates. “These words came from the mouth of a subject who had ignored his prince for more than ten days.”

Putila gave a soft hum and did not reply.

Nicolai had already been leading the Grand Duke's guards to wait in front of the palace gates, but this time, when the Meteorite saw Thales, he did not put on a deadpan expression. Instead, he stared at him intently and then gestured towards the stables, indicating that he should continue.

That's not common.

Puzzled, Thales dismounted his horse in front of the stable.

“Good luck,” Putila said casually. “I will be waiting for you in your room after the welcome is over.”

"That's quite a consolation," the already annoyed prince said, waving his hand dismissively.

Thales handed the reins to the groom, and then, accompanied by Wyatt and Rolf, walked toward Nicolai at the palace gate.

“The Grand Duchess and the Count are in the Hall of Heroes. Go and meet them,” Nicolai waved his hand without changing his expression. “I also need to greet the advance party of the delegation here—they are being particularly formal this time.”

"Because the matter is particularly serious?" Thales scoffed. "What happened with that last incident? You know, about the Grand Duchess..."

“Shut your mouth,” Nicolai interrupted him curtly. “The vanguard of Qiyuan City has arrived.”

Thales turned his head, and sure enough, a troop of cavalry with a different banner slowly drove out of the first city gate and headed towards the palace gate under the watchful eyes of countless Dragon Sky City guards on both sides.

Their banners were embroidered with an open, heavy tome, the pages of which were engraved with several imperial letters of unknown meaning.

The Code of Knights, the emblem of the Ronnie family, the rightful and noble rulers of Qiyuan City.

It is said that they are a prestigious knightly family that has been based in the North since the ancient imperial era, and have produced countless great knights who have left their mark on history. Even when the emperor forcibly demolished the Knights' Temple and the ancient knightly tradition gradually declined, they still maintained a very high reputation in the North.

Until the final battle.

Thales recalled the knowledge that the teachers in the North had imparted over the years.

Among the cavalry, the lead knight stood out: his face was dark, his eyes were flat, his sideburns were shaved, leaving only short, reddish-brown hair on top, and he was sturdy, yet he wore light leather armor uncommon in the North, with various small tools that Thales couldn't understand strapped to the leather belts that went over his shoulders. His only weapons, besides a short sword at his waist, were a crossbow strapped to his back and a quiver hanging from his saddle.

What is most striking is his relaxed demeanor and temperament, even while riding a horse, as if he were strolling leisurely.

The advance officer of the Qiyuan City delegation actually had this kind of attitude?

That means...

Just as Thales frowned, Nicolai, who was beside him, reacted even faster: the Meteorite showed an unusual look of surprise, staring intently at the brown-haired knight in the lead.

"Oh, this is quite a surprise." The Meteorite's expression slowly turned serious.

Thales narrowed his eyes, looked at Nikolai, and then at the leather-armored knight walking leisurely forward: "You two know each other?"

Nikolai ignored him, instead making a few gestures to his subordinates before heading forward alone. Only then did the prince notice that several of the senior Grand Duke's guards also wore the same expression.

Thales looked at the brown-haired knight whose face did not resemble that of an ordinary northerner with a strange expression.

he is……

Nikolai walked slowly to the front of the group of Qiyuan City cavalry, watching them dismount in unison, his face cold.

The brown-haired knight was of medium height, even slightly shorter than the somewhat thin Nikolai. He gripped his belt at his waist, staring directly at the Meteorite before him without flinching, a malicious smile on his face.

Thales sighed, and the Sin of the River of Hell gathered in his ear, listening to their conversation.

Nikolai stared at the knight for a long time.

He took a deep breath, pursed his lips, nodded slightly, and coldly snorted:
"How could it be you?"

His words were cold and unceremonious.

Thales felt a pang of anxiety: it seemed their relationship wasn't good?
In the coming storm, the relationship between Qiyuan City and Longxiao City will likely depend on the outcome of this mission.

And now...

Hearing Nikolai's unfriendly greeting, the brown-haired knight grinned, revealing a strange roguish air—only then did Thales notice that the knight's lips were unusually wide.

A special person.

The prince silently declined Wyah's suggestion that he leave first.

The brown-haired knight tilted his head, opened his mouth wide, and spoke in a voice as loud as a gong to Nikolai:
Have you heard this joke before?

Nikolai frowned.

"There was a man who traveled far and wide for business, and he was very worried that his wife back home would be unfaithful to him," the brown-haired knight said, shaking his head and chuckling.
"So one night he sneaked home, and luckily, apart from his sleeping wife, he didn't find any trace of the adulterer. So, relieved, he got into the mood and had a good time with his wife."

Nikolai's brow furrowed more and more deeply.

The brown-haired knight chuckled, pointing at the indifferent Nicolai: "Afterwards, his wife lit a lamp, saw her husband's face clearly, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise..."

The knight's eyes widened, and he exaggeratedly repeated Nikolai's words:

"How could it be you?"

The whole place fell silent.

The next second, the brown-haired knight burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost fell over.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

It's as if this joke is really funny.

But Nikolai remained unmoved.

The knight's companions behind him looked on with strange expressions, averting their gazes. One of them even coughed lightly, seemingly deeply ashamed of their leader's joke.

Thales, who was listening to all this from afar, couldn't help but frown.

What are you doing?
Only the brown-haired knight continued to look at Nikolai with a strange smile and shrugged.

Finally, after what felt like centuries, Nicolais's icy expression vanished, and he let out a long sigh.

“Same as before,” Nikolai said with a cold snort, his head lowered.
"It is not funny."

The brown-haired knight stopped smiling; his expression changed.

“Oh, God,” the knight looked at the Meteorite with disappointment:
"Your sense of humor is still as terrible as ever."

Thales listened to their conversation with a strange expression and began to suspect the nature of their relationship.

Who exactly is that brown-haired knight...?

Nicolai watched him quietly.

"How many years?" the Meteorite asked softly.

The brown-haired knight's smile slowly faded.

“Eighteen years,” he murmured, smoothing his brown hair. “Since I returned to Qiyuan City—we haven’t seen each other for eighteen years.”

The Meteorite nodded slowly.

But the brown-haired knight's expression suddenly came alive again.

"I bet you're still single, aren't you?"

"And given your status, it's impossible for you to openly solicit prostitutes; noble ladies probably wouldn't even look at you," the brown-haired knight said with a look of disdain, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. "Don't tell me you've been taking care of yourself with your hands for the past eighteen years!"

At this, his companions behind him began to cough awkwardly.

Nikolai remained motionless, staring at the brown-haired knight who had uttered the indecent words.

Until he too curled the corners of his mouth and let out a suppressed laugh.

Nicolai's laughter gradually overlapped with the brown-haired knight's laughter—as if they had laughed together like this countless times before.

Thales looked at the Fallen One's smile strangely. As far as he knew, apart from a cold laugh and a sneer, Nicolai, whose face was practically dead, rarely smiled.

The next second, Nikolai and the brown-haired knight swung their right hands almost simultaneously!
Shoot at the opponent!

what?
Just as Thales' eyes narrowed, as if they had worked together a thousand times in perfect harmony, their hands clasped tightly together in mid-air!
Snapped!
Nicolai gripped the other's hand tightly, a rare smile playing on his lips:
"It's great to meet you, Big Mouth."

"Hahahaha," the brown-haired knight laughed loudly, making his mouth appear even larger:

"Same here, troublemakers!"

Thales watched their actions with some surprise—it seemed his earlier guess was wrong.

Their relationship...

It's exceptionally good.

After all, not everyone can so freely mock and ridicule the famous Meteorite.

Who exactly is that brown-haired knight?
The fact that this guy was sent as a member of the Qiyuan City delegation means that Grand Duke Ronnie...

Nicolai and the brown-haired knight released each other and walked side by side toward the palace gate.

The people of Qiyuan City seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and followed behind.

The brown-haired knight raised his head, gazing at everything in Valhalla with a look of deep emotion, as if revisiting a familiar place.

"So, I heard that six years ago, you single-handedly took down a head?"

The Meteorite's expression instantly turned cold.

“I suppose so, with some help from Byrne and you,” Nikolai said softly.

"Me?" The brown-haired knight seemed thoughtful. "So, you did use the secret I told you?"

“Yes,” the Fallen One’s face seemed to grow even paler, “and I am not proud of it—besides, he was already badly injured at the time.”

silence.

The two continued walking, but their conversation paused slightly in the subtle atmosphere. "What about Kaslan's widow? You know, the one..." The new knight's face darkened.

“There is no widow. Lady Talia died in Caslan… long ago,” Nikolai said, shaking his head.

Neither of them spoke.

“I understand that feeling,” the knight said calmly after a few seconds.

“When the boss recruited us into the guard, you probably never imagined this day would come.”

Nikolai did not speak.

The brown-haired knight raised his head, gazing at the Sky Cliff atop Valhalla, his eyes fixed on the statue of Nekaru, and sighed, "It's hard to believe that in the blink of an eye, we're almost fifty."

Guards.

Boss.

Thales's heart skipped a beat: he already had a guess about the knight's identity.

“Everyone gets old,” Nikolai said softly, seemingly with a deeper meaning, “whether king or commoner.”

“Speaking of which, for the past year, my chest has been aching whenever it rains,” the brown-haired knight seemed to be a chatterbox, and despite Nicolai’s taciturn nature, he continued to ramble on: “Do you have a similar problem?”

Nicolai shook his head: "I guess it's something left behind from when you were young at the outpost—you've been in the snow pits for too long."

But for some reason, Thales felt no sense of incongruity watching the usually taciturn Nikolai walk together with the talkative and exaggerated knight, casually chatting about everyday things.

As they always have been.

“A long time ago, a military doctor named Ramon told me,” the brown-haired knight said, gruffly picking at his ear, “that after forty, our physical strength declines noticeably, our bodies begin to age, and some ailments start to appear. Good heavens, I laughed at him back then…”

Nicolai sneered: "But at the same time, our experience and skills will gradually improve and mature, our emotions will become more stable, we will get rid of impulsiveness and madness, and make up for the degeneration of our bodies."

“So, compared to those young people in their twenties and thirties, we forty-year-olds have a balance of experience and physical strength, which is the strongest and most terrifying stage for a veteran,” the Meteorite shook his head: “Don’t underestimate yourself just because you listened to some liars.”

"No, no, no, the army doctor said that once you're over fifty..." The brown-haired knight scoffed.
"No matter how much our skills and experience increase, they can't make up for the loss of physical strength and constitution. Every injury is a severe blow that is difficult to recover from. The problems left over from our youth are like a curse that clings to our bones, accompanying us from the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we close them in the evening, without ceasing..."

Nikolai gave a light scoff.

They were getting closer and closer to the palace gate.

“Although most of them are newcomers, I noticed Gella and Lum,” the knight said, his gaze sweeping over the Grand Duke’s guards on either side of the palace gates. “And Byrne? Isn’t he the one among us with the best career prospects besides you and Isaiah—Lord Myrk, Myrk’s Chief Clerk?”

He knew Michael, and he also knew the veterans of the White Blade Guard—Thales thought silently.

The knight's identity is now obvious.

“Byrne is gone,” Nikolai said calmly. “He was too badly injured six years ago and can no longer do anything.”

The brown-haired knight rolled his eyes slightly, his expression intrigued: "Really? Is it that serious?"

"Six years ago, Dragon Sky City lost more than just a king," the Meteorite said casually. "Sometimes, emotional wounds are harder to heal than physical ones."

The brown-haired knight stopped in front of the palace gate.

“I have a feeling, troublemaker,” he looked at Nicolai with interest, “you’re not quite the same as before—you seem less annoying now.”

“And you’re still just as annoying as ever,” Nicolai retorted mercilessly.

The knight laughed heartily: "That's more in line with our reputation as the 'Two Shames of the White Blade' from back then!"

Thales listened to their conversation with a furrowed brow—it was hard to believe that anyone could get along with Nicolai…

While Thales was lost in thought, the brown-haired knight and Nikolai had already walked up to him without him noticing.

"So, this is our beloved Prince of the Stars?" The brown-haired knight looked at the prince with great interest.

Thales exhaled: "Hello, I am Thales Shining Star."

The brown-haired knight lowered his head and carefully examined the prince.

However, the moment the brown-haired knight's light-colored eyes fixed on Thales, the prince suddenly shuddered!
A dangerous shiver ran down Thales’s spine and up to his shoulders.

The sins of the River of Hell began to churn endlessly.

Thales stared back at the brown-haired knight with a grave expression, raising his guard to the highest level: this was a feeling he hadn't even had when facing Nikolai.

what happened?

It's like... like being targeted by a terrifying hunter.

Could this guy, spouting outlandish theories, be even more... than Nicolai?

“You know, a long time ago I told that the Imperial family is the darling of the gods, so their blood is golden,” the brown-haired knight laughed, looking at the tense prince, and patted Nicolai beside him. “He didn’t believe me, saying he’d help me verify it sometime…”

Thales frowned.

He recalled his less-than-pleasant first meeting with the Meteorite.

Nikolai coughed.

“Prince Thales is a distinguished guest of the Grand Duchess, and is staying here temporarily at the King’s invitation,” the Meteorite interrupted the knight without hesitation: “Maintain the necessary respect, Monty.”

The brown-haired knight named Monty shook his head in dissatisfaction: "Alright, alright, Grand Duchess... my goodness..."

He looked away from Thales, but the guy was clearly not done yet.

“So, hey kid,” Monty bent down toward the prince, flashing a sly grin and raising his eyebrows three times, “that Grand Duchess, hehe…”

"Have you slept with her?"

At that moment, Thales froze on the spot.

what?
"Monty!"

Nicolai shouted angrily, relieving Thales's embarrassment.

“Watch your mouth,” the Meteorite said, placing his hand on Monty’s shoulder. His expression gradually turned cold, no longer showing the composure he had when meeting his old friend again. “Especially since you also represent Qiyuan City.”

The brown-haired knight exhaled.

“Okay, I take that back,” Monty shrugged, shaking off the Meteorite’s hand, his expression amused. “You haven’t changed.”

Nicolai gave another light hum: "As the advance party, I believe you still have work to do—my men will take you to see the Grand Duchess."

“Of course,” Monty smiled and shook his head, “the task of entertaining Lord Ian is entrusted to you.”

After saying this, Monty turned his head and gave Thales a deep look before taking a step forward and walking with his companions into Valhalla.

Thales was left behind, silently watching his retreating figure.

“That is…” The prince scratched his head, finding it hard to believe that such a strange person had come to Qiyuan City.

“Ned Monty,” Nikolai answered succinctly, “the former White Blade Guard, now a lord under the jurisdiction of Qiyuan City.”

really.

Former White Blade Guard.

But the prince already had some ideas about this mission.

Putting everything else aside, just look at the question Monty just asked him, whether it was a joke or not...

Thales narrowed his eyes: There are no meaningless words in diplomacy.

That means……

"You two are on good terms?" the prince asked seriously. "Duke Ronnie sent him here to take advantage of your relationship?"

“If that’s the case,” Nikolai shook his head, “I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed.”

“Ned Monty,” Thales chewed on the name, narrowing his eyes. “He’s very good?”

"You mean, aside from his foul mouth?" Nicolai scoffed. "Sort of. Some bored people put me, him, and three other guys together and call us something like..."

"Five generals, right?"

Thales quickly realized: "It also includes the Fire Knights of Black Sand Territory."

"So he, Monty, has also reached the pinnacle," Thales asked curiously. "Between him and you, who is stronger?"

Nikolai glanced at him, his eyes filled with disdain.

“The title of ‘Extreme Realm’ is often mythologized in the minds of many,” Nikolai scoffed. “But only when you’re on the battlefield do you realize that in the midst of a chaotic mass of people, the role that an Extreme Realm expert can play is greatly diminished.”

“Therefore, the extreme realm is more suitable for another kind of work with a small number of people,” the Meteorite turned his head, his eyes narrowing slightly: “Assassin.”

Thales recalled the assassin who had appeared out of nowhere six years ago, waiting for his chance.

“I completely agree,” he replied sullenly. “What does this have to do with Monty?”

Nicolai looked at Thales, his words carrying a deeper meaning: "Although Monty is a warrior, the work he does is the closest to that of an assassin in the army."

Thales paused slightly: "You mean..."

"He was recruited into the White Blade Guard as an elite sniper crossbowman."

“Later, Kaslan recognized his talent and trained him to be a scout,” Nicolai nodded. “Soon, Monty became the most fearsome scout in all of Exster.”

“Our job is to face the enemy head-on and fight to the death, while Monty is better at stealth and surprise attacks.”

"Twenty years ago in Baishan, on the eve of the Battle of the Deep Valley, he sneaked alone into the ancestral altar of the Elf Royal Court to spy on the enemy, leaving behind countless corpses along the way—until his imitation of the crow's cry was discovered, he escaped the encirclement and left triumphantly."

“From that time on, Monty got the nickname: ‘Death Raven’.”

The Meteorite ended his speech.

Thales seemed to be deep in thought.

The death cry of the crow.

That's really not a nice way to address someone.

"You haven't said yet, both of you are 'Five Generals'," Thales continued, "who is stronger, him or you?"

"Him? Monty?"

Nicolai seemed to have heard the funniest joke. He looked in the direction Monty had left and sneered repeatedly: "Within ten steps, I can snap his neck in five seconds."

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

wrong.

“Then,” Thales, having grasped the implied meaning, and adhering to the principle of not wanting the deadpan face to be happy, kindly pressed on:
What about ten steps away?

Sure enough, the next second, Nicolai gave Thales, who was as curious as a baby, the worst look he had ever given him.

The Meteorite crossed his arms, turned his head to the side, and scoffed in dissatisfaction: "Hmph."

Thales' eyes widened, and he scratched his head.

Watching Nikolai turn and leave, he probably knew the answer.

So he sighed helplessly and walked toward the Hall of Heroes.

At that time, Thales thought that Ned Monty was probably the strangest and most unusual guy he had ever met.

An hour later, he and Selma met their true guest in the Hall of Heroes: the heir of the Knight Code family, an official envoy from the City of Faraway...

Ian Ronnie.

(End of this chapter)