Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 421 Clear and Unambiguous

The atmosphere of unease and horror lingered in the dark cell.

Even after Ricky's laughter and Sackel's sobs had both faded away, Thales could still feel the eeriness in the air, the chilling tremor that sent shivers down his spine.

A bloody year.

Eddie II.

Shining Star Royal Family.

And, the only threat to the Magic Queen...

Perfect anti-magic weaponry.

Thales was breathing heavily, just realizing that his hands and feet were trembling slightly.

The secret that had just been revealed greatly shocked the prince.

Thales looked down in surprise at his left hand—there were several shallow scars on his palm, barely noticeable unless you looked closely.

Six years ago, he used this very hand to hold that forbidden weapon... and sealed Giza away?

That weapon is very likely the one that killed the royal family of Canxing...

The Blade of Purification?
Thinking of its name, which was probably not a coincidence, and its strange, almost living call, Thales clenched his fist and felt a tightness in his chest.

What on earth is that?
Countless questions and goosebumps surged up, engulfing him.

"We should go."

On the other side, Ricky's expression of lingering pleasure vanished, replaced by indifference:
"That's it for today."

But just as he turned around...

"Wait, Ricky."

Samir, equally stunned, sighed and looked at Sakel in the cell: "One last question."

In the dim light, the figure of the Knight of Punishment seemed to sit slumped on the ground, filled with sorrow.

Ricky frowned slightly, but ultimately said nothing.

Samir walked step by step toward the fence, the firelight drawing the fence's shadow closer, continuing to approach the corner where Sakel was hiding.

“Just now, Saxel.”

“Little Barney told me,” Samir took a breath, hesitating slightly, “that there was a traitor in the royal guard back then who betrayed His Majesty and His Highness.”

Sacel in the cell shuddered and stared blankly as he raised his head.

His expression was unfocused.

Thales forced himself to clear his mind of his chaotic thoughts and looked at the arena.

“Barney’s words are so eloquent and eloquent,” Samir said, his face contorted with pain as he recalled the scene. “What nonsense about collusion from within and without, about falsely conveying His Highness the Crown Prince’s orders, about deliberately leading us in circles, about infiltrating our ranks afterward… all that rubbish.”

Sacel, sitting against the wall, continued to watch him silently, his face slightly lowered, shrouded in shadow, making him difficult to see clearly.

Samir chuckled softly, whether in a sarcastic or self-deprecating way.

“It seems there really is a traitor,” Samir said, his voice tinged with unspeakable sorrow.
"It's as if finding him would free Barney and the others, or at least allow them to atone for their sins."

Sacel in the cell let out a soft sigh, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the blow he had just suffered.

But at least he spoke, his tone casual, as if he were sleepwalking:

"Is it."

Samir's expression tightened.

“So, Sacelle,” he said through gritted teeth, as if he had made up his mind, “I must ask this question: Is it you?”

"The so-called traitors of that time..."

"is it you?"

This question elicited contrasting reactions from both Thales and Ricky; the former remained silent, while the latter was indifferent.

Sackel was like a slow-witted old man, taking a few seconds to react.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Samir with a bewildered expression in the dark corner where even light could barely reach.

"Back then, when the situation was urgent and we were surrounded by enemies on all sides."

Samir exhaled and gritted his teeth, speaking with some difficulty:

"Whether at the palace gates or in the Hall of Stars, whether it was Captain Cullen, Barney, or Tony, they all entrusted the elite main force of the guard—including the forty-six who were later sentenced—to you with complete confidence, either watching you leave or hoping for your reinforcements..."

He unconsciously clenched his fist.

"Because they all know and believe that no matter how powerful the enemy, if there is a punitive knight leading the way and their chosen next captain of the guard is present, then they can turn misfortune into good fortune and be safe from all dangers."

Samir turned his head away, as if he couldn't bear to hurt the man in front of him who was deeply hurt and covered in wounds: "Unless... unless he is a traitor."

The standard-bearer gently closed his eyes.

"Is that you, Saxeel?"

Both Thales and Ricky listened quietly.

In the cell, Sacel took a few breaths and slowly raised his gaze.

"Was it me?" he repeated blankly, his eyes filled with confusion.

Samir gently opened his eyes, and although he felt a little reluctant, his tone remained firm:

“Sakel, you may not be good at forgery or espionage, but you are the Crown Prince’s trusted bodyguard and a top-notch fighter, not to mention you have also temporarily taken on the role of chief standard-bearer.”

Sacel gave a half-smile, but due to the limited lighting, Thales couldn't make out his exact expression above the corner of his mouth.

"Is it me...?"

He repeated it again in a low voice.

Samir sighed, seemingly lacking confidence in the other person's condition.

But after pausing for a few seconds, he decisively spoke.

“Sakel, I know you’re not thinking straight,” the standard-bearer said through gritted teeth, “but it doesn’t matter. I believe that, like many others, like me, there is only one thing in your memory that will never fade.”

Boom!
Samir raised his fist and slammed it hard into his chest!
This caused the three people present to turn their heads in surprise.

“Swear, Sakel, swear before me, before the bloodline of the Stars.”

Samir said resolutely, a cold glint in his eyes:

"With your honor, your dignity, your sword, your ancestors, and the name of the ancient Rudol noble family, the Sacel family, who have served the throne since the imperial era, solemnly swear this oath!"

Finally, upon hearing these words, Sacel shuddered!
The Knight of Punishment slowly stood up, revealing his branded face in the dim firelight, his eyes gradually regaining focus.

Ricky seemed to be deep in thought.

Samir, breathing heavily and with a pained expression, continued, "I solemnly swear, Sakel... throughout your entire life, you have never betrayed the Star Royal Family, the Royal Guard, or the Royal Guard's oath!"

Sacel's expression gradually turned serious.

Thales' breathing gradually slowed down.

"Tell me, tell me yourself, that you are not a traitor."

Samir said in a low voice, his tone seemingly helpless:
"tell me."

But Sakel did not answer; he simply looked at Samir from afar, his gaze slightly cold.

For a moment, only the breathing of the four people could be heard in the air.

But in the very next second—

tread!
Samir took a step forward and grabbed Sackel's cell bars!
Ricky's expression changed slightly.

"I beg you!"

Samir had his back to Thales, his expression unreadable, and his tone was somewhat resentful.

But Sacelle remained silent, simply staring at him.

“Please, answer me, Your Honor,” Samir’s words once again carried a pleading tone:

"This is extremely important."

His hands, gripping the fence, had begun to tremble.

Finally, Sacel scoffed softly, his previously unfocused gaze regaining its clarity.

"Too important?"

"Why are they—why is Barney questioning you, Samir?"

He curled the corners of his mouth into a smile and silently shook his head:

"Are you a traitor or not?"

Samir's face turned pale. Whether it was from the pain or something else, he instinctively loosened his grip on the fence and took a step back.

His hand trembled slightly.

"And you, do you hope I'm a traitor?" the Knight of Punishment laughed, "or do you hope I'm not?"

A long silence filled the air.

Samir lowered his head deeply.

However, soon after, a silent sigh came from the darkness.

Unexpectedly, Sacel's voice gradually rose, from low to high, from soft to loud.

“I swear,” he said calmly.
“Imanu Sakel, I solemnly swear by my honor, my dignity, my sword, my ancestors, and the name of the Sakel family, who have served the throne since the imperial era.”

Samir seemed to be encouraged by something, and raised his head with a complicated expression.

“To this day and night,” Sacel’s tone grew increasingly solemn as he continued speaking.
"I have never betrayed the Starry Sky Royal Family, nor have I ever betrayed the oath of the Royal Guard."

Thales's brow twitched.

It seems he's overlooked something.

Sure enough, Sacel's sigh came again:

"The only people I've wronged are you."

Samir's breathing seemed to be cut off.

The knight of punishment's dejected and sorrowful voice continued to ring out:

“It’s Captain Cullen, it’s Tony, it’s Morian, it’s Belletti, it’s Chimera, it’s Rogo, it’s Tardin, it’s Brie, it’s Nai, and you, Samir…” “It’s all the brothers of the Royal Guard.”

He sounded like a frail old man, repenting for the sins of his youth with a heart full of despair.

Samir remained motionless.

"As someone on whom so much hope was placed, in that storm, I was neither capable nor able to protect you, help you, lead you, or accompany you through the difficulties and dangers," Sakel said blankly, staring at Samir and the brand on his face.
“I can only sit here, day after day, year after year, watching you sink to this state and suffer endless torment.”

Thales turned his head, recalling the thirty-seven Imperial Guards who had died in the prison of bones above, their blank, desolate, relieved, or insane eyes, and then looking at the unshaven Sacel, he felt a pang of unease.

Sacel gently closed his eyes and uttered a word that had been weighing on his heart for countless years:

"sorry."

Silence again.

Samir's expression remained unchanged for a long time, but he slowly turned his head away.

“So, you are not the traitor,” the standard-bearer said, his voice trembling slightly. “Or perhaps the traitor is already dead in prison.”

"Or perhaps, there was no traitor at all? No one betrayed His Majesty and his family?"

Samir turned around abruptly, his tone seemingly carrying a hint of pleading:
"Is everything... everything just the delusion of that schemer Barney?"

Sacelle did not answer him immediately, but paced back silently before sitting back down in his desolate spot.

After a while, a faint sigh was heard in the air.

"Maybe so."

Samir was slightly startled: "What?"

Sacel pressed his head back against the wall, his eyes seemingly losing focus once more.

"I think there must be traitors among them."

Upon hearing this, Samir, Thales, and even Ricky all changed their expressions.

Until he continued.

"But they are not just a person, nor a face, nor a name."

Samir frowned:
"What do you mean?"

Sacel shook his head with a helpless and empty smile.

"The brothers of the Royal Guard all come from the noble families of the capital," he said, gazing upwards as if seeing his past reflected there, his tone rising and falling with a measured rhythm.
“Barney, Belletti, Samir, Tardin, Sacel… The old captain is from the Sun Sword and Shield, one of the six great families, and is the younger brother of the Duke of the East Sea Guardian.”

"They all have an extremely high sense of honor, responsibility, and even mission. They are proud to be people of the stars, proud to be descendants of the empire, and regard the kingdom as their eternal homeland and place of belonging."

Samir listened to the words of the Knight of Punishment, lost in thought.

"but……"

Sakel then changed the subject.

“You heard what that man said too, about the secret of the Dragon Slayer,” his expression turned sorrowful and pained, “about… what happened back then.”

The other three were all taken aback.

Sacel's breathing became erratic for a moment, a bitter look flashed across his face, then turned into a twitching chuckle:
"Hahahahaha..."

No one spoke.

"Actually, there were signs of it a long time ago. I knew it, I should have known it sooner."

“From the decree limiting the power of the great nobles, from the commercial laws, from His Majesty’s wedding, from the advisors who frequently enter and leave the palace, from the meetings that are convened from time to time, and from the increasingly vehement audiences of the subjects, I should have seen that doubts had already been planted in the eyes of my brothers and others, and were slowly sprouting.”

Samir did not speak.

“Look at what His Majesty has done, look at the path His Majesty has trod, look at the battlefield he has chosen, and look at the enemies he has selected,” the prisoner said, his expression still complex as he stared at the ceiling, his laughter tinged with bitterness and regret.

“Look at the future he has chosen for the millions of people of the stars, a future he has chosen single-mindedly.”

Thales listened to him silently, imagining everything that Eddie II would have had to face in that era.

Sacel let out a hoarse breath.

Recalling the Blade of Purification and the secrets he had just learned, Thales frowned.

Samir turned his head sharply, seemingly unable to bear listening any longer.

"You and Barney, you both so desperately want to find that traitor, but..."

“I’m thinking… if the so-called traitors you speak of, if those who have hopes and dreams for the future of the Star Kingdom, if they really know something—like the Dragon Slayers—that’s why they acted for this, willing to bear the pangs of conscience, even if it goes against the king’s will…”

Sacel stared blankly into the void, lost in his own world, becoming increasingly incoherent:
"If they can no longer distinguish between betrayal and loyalty... that's not impossible, is it?"

Samir was stunned.

However, Saxe continued absentmindedly:

"The question is, Samir, from what stand should we take to unequivocally condemn them? Should we be the loyal ones who despise the traitors? Should we be the devoted ones who accuse the disloyal?"

The air inside and outside the cell seemed to freeze, as prisoners and breakouts tasted different kinds of bitterness within.

Finally, Samir's expression, which had been as if he were in a dream, flickered.

"I don't understand," he said quietly.

Sacel smiled.

"Ha, I don't understand either."

The Knight of Punishment seemed to slowly come to his senses. He hugged his arms tightly and buried his face in the darkness.

“Go away. You don’t belong here, you don’t need to be here, and you’re not the one who should be condemned.”

Sacel slowly stretched out his hand and pointed again to the empty corner outside the cell, as if there really was someone there:

"He's not the one who should be here facing him."

It seemed like an eternity before Samir, like a hibernating animal suddenly waking up, struggled to turn around.

He no longer looked at the Knight of Punishment.

Samir took a deep breath, as if to swallow all the resentment and grievances he couldn't express.

“I already told you,” Ricky tapped lightly on the hilt of his sword on the other side, seemingly unconcerned.

Those who face the past will not find the answers.

Finally, under Ricky's gaze, Samir took a step, with a feeling that was hard to tell whether it was regret or relief, and walked back the way he came.

Leave Sacel's cell behind.

Thales stared at his retreating figure, his brows furrowed.

"What are you waiting for, Your Highness?"

Ricky chuckled, as if calling a child to eat:
"The show is over."

To his surprise, Thales didn't follow, but instead raised a pair of eyes that had somehow become alert and looked at Ricky.

"So this is your goal?"

"This secret?"

Thales bent down, picked up the extinguished torch from the ground, and looked at the remaining warmth on it, where he could vaguely make out thin, flaky ash.

Ricky frowned almost imperceptibly.

The prince slowly raised his head and, in the firelight as Samir walked further away, exhaled softly: "And then?"

Samir's footsteps stopped, and he also noticed Thales's behavior.

“Then, we’ll go home.” Ricky gave Thales a cold look, not pleased with the latter’s uncooperative attitude.

"Unless you still want to drink and chat with that guy who killed your uncle?"

Thales let out a heavy sigh.

and so.

This is the final step for these people.

Perhaps, as some have speculated, there is another exit from the prison of bones, one that can completely evade the camp's surveillance.

After that, there was nowhere else to go but their clutches.

Thales took a deep breath and whispered to himself, "I'm ready."

I'm ready.

The next second, His Highness raised his head with a bright smile:
"Hey, can we make a deal?"

Thales looked at the torch, now reduced to a mere stick, and scratched his head in apparent frustration: "What I mean is, look, now that you've got what you wanted, and I'm just a weak boy..."

Ricky shook his head slightly, taking over his words without room for argument:
"That's what we want too."

Thales paused in his speech.

Ricky slowly stepped forward, a subtle threat in his eyes:

"Even more than our original goal."

Thales raised an eyebrow.

He had to sigh and say, "But you know, neither the Kingdom nor the Secret Society will let you leave the camp easily."

Samir came back and, together with Ricky, looked at Thales, who seemed to be intending to negotiate.

“They won’t,” Ricky scoffed.

"But they don't know."

Thales gave a helpless smile and shrugged: "But..."

"What if they find out?"

In the firelight of Samir, Ricky frowned slightly:

"What do you mean?"

Thales flashed a shy smile, revealing a bright white smile.

"What I mean is, what if the Royal Secret Service had known everything about your operation from beginning to end, clearly and completely?"

Ricky was slightly taken aback at first, then his expression darkened:
"you……"

But just as Ricky uttered his first syllable, something unexpected happened!
(End of this chapter)