Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 464 Rebirth (Chuunibyou)
The remaining torches grew weaker and weaker, and the dungeon grew darker and darker.

But he felt that the dungeon was experiencing an unprecedented peace and brightness.

Although Barney was still silently lost in thought behind him, Thales knew that he no longer needed to worry about the former vanguard officer's condition.

And his only remaining problem...

Thales shook his head, enduring the pain as he walked towards the last figure.

The long-faced man who had been kneeling on the ground, covered in wounds, with a look of despair on his face, seemed to have lost his soul.

The silhouette of the Knight of Punishment slowly emerged in the dim light.

His left arm, badly injured by Barney, hung limply and helplessly from his shoulder, like a hollow snake's skin.

“So, you’re the only one left,” Thales said softly.

The words fell.

The Knight of Punishment seemed to be still immersed in his own world, showing no reaction to Thales' words, and letting him slowly approach.

But just as Thales got within ten steps of him, Sacel sprang up like a cheetah suddenly awakened, instinctively grabbing the chipped axe blade beside him!
"Your Highness!"

Belletti gasped and instinctively stood up and moved forward.

The others also reacted quickly: Samir frowned and gripped his weapon, while Tardin, Brie, Cannon, and others stood up nervously and gathered around Sakel. Even Barney Jr. came to his senses and raised his torch.

But at that very moment, Thales suddenly raised a hand behind his back!

"Wait a moment."

The prince's voice was hoarse and weak, but everyone instinctively stopped in their tracks.

In the utter silence, Thales silently observed the long-faced man before him.

Sacel didn't move; he just continued to breathe in a daze.

The weapon in his hand was pointed at Thales.

It was as if it were instinct.

The air solidified again.

Behind them, Kaisen asked awkwardly.

"Hey, Huai...uh, Thales?"

Belletti glanced at Sacel, who seemed dazed but remained instinctively alert, and hesitated before speaking:

"Your Highness, you'd better..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tardin on the other side nervously interrupted, "We can't go any further!"

“Danger, danger.” This was Cannon’s slightly neurotic voice.

The people present reacted in different ways, but all stared warily at Sacel, who seemed to have just woken up from his ramblings.

But Thales laughed.

"Thank you, Belletti, and all of you, Tardin, Cannon," the boy said, forcing back his discomfort.
"But I need you to wait for me a little longer."

Thales turned around, a weary smile on his face, and raised one index finger:
"In a moment."

He turned and took a deep breath, then continued toward Sacelle.

As the two drew closer, Belletti's expression changed:
"Your Highness, for your—"

But an arm reached out from the side and stopped Belletti from moving!

“He said,” Barney, who had somehow stood up, said coldly to the astonished Belletti and Tardin:
"Let us wait."

He seemed to still harbor resentment towards Thales, and as he spoke, he appeared to be deliberately looking down, avoiding the prince's gaze.

Barney's forceful and measured tone startled Sackel, whose gaze gradually cleared and focused on Thales.

Belletti stared blankly at the vanguard officer, then at Thales, hesitating several times as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

But in the end, he said nothing and did nothing.

She simply stood still, watching the prince walk forward with worry.

Just like everyone else.

Until Thales came within three steps of Sacel.

Sakel gasped for breath, stunned.

He looked around at his former colleagues, who seemed eager to rush forward but stubbornly held back their steps.

Something is different.

He thought to himself.

Sacel looked around.
He saw that Barney, who was used to giving orders, looked unhappy, but didn't say anything.

Even the usually composed, even somewhat rigid, Belletti remained indifferent.

Even Samir, who disliked taking orders, simply pursed his lips and remained silent.

As for the rest, whether it's Tardin or Cannon...

These were his comrades, whom he once knew so well...

They stood quietly behind Thales, mostly watching and letting the prince walk step by step toward them, covered in blood, except for giving Sackel a warning look.

These guys...

Sakel turned his head stiffly, his mind scattered and confused, yet he instinctively gripped his weapon tightly.

"you……"

Sacel withdrew his tired and gloomy gaze and looked at Thales with a puzzled expression, as if he were getting to know the boy all over again.

"What did you do to them?"

He spoke absentmindedly, as if asking the other person, or perhaps asking himself.

Thales took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"nothing."

The boy said slowly:
"Just things you want to do, but you've never been able to."

Sacel paused for a moment, then felt a wave of dizziness.

Things I want to do, but can't...

A few seconds later, the heavily injured Punisher Knight shook his head violently.

"Is it."

He scoffed softly, lowered his dim gaze, and understood something.

The Knight of Punishment let his left arm swing freely, gritting his teeth as he raised his right weapon.

"You know, before coming here, as a hostage of the Star Kingdom stationed in Exter, I escaped all the way back from Dragon Sky City," the boy's voice rang out softly.

Sacel's axe blade froze.

Dragon Sky City.

Sacel's dazed mind stirred slightly, as if he had been stung by something.

His overburdened mind was once again filled with faint and chaotic memories.

Is it.

The hostages of the Shining Star royal family in Dragon City.

Sakel gripped the axe blade tightly in his hand.

So, since that tragedy, the kingdom has...

“I met a lot of people along the way,” Thales said calmly, as if he were having a casual conversation. “One of them in particular touched me deeply.”

"He said that after more than a decade of disguising himself, when he looked in the mirror again, he no longer recognized the person in the mirror."

Sacel's axe blade trembled slightly.

Thales turned his gaze away from the Time Crossbow in Quick Rope's hand and sighed:

"He has forgotten why he put on that mask in the first place. He has let the mask capture him, possess him, and control him."

Thales stared intently at the man before him:
"Just like a warrior who forgets his mission to protect, becoming a slave to victory."

"Just as a king forgets his responsibility to rule and succumbs to the vanity of his achievements."

The Knight of Punishment's body began to sway slightly.

Thales looked directly into Sackel's eyes.

He had seen that look before.

More than once.

At the Mangrove Manor, while the Ghost of the Wind dragged its crippled body and struggled in agony.

At the Palace of Reconstruction, as Val Arend shook his head sadly and revealed the conspiracy.

In the Hall of Heroes, as Officer Myrk absentmindedly picked up his daughter's body.

In the desolate wasteland, as the dying raven laughed maniacally and confessed everything.

They are all equally bleak, equally desperate, and equally... numb.

That's the look in the eyes of someone who has lost what they cherish most.

And Sacel before us...

What is the thing he cherishes most?

Thinking of this, Thales felt a sinking feeling in his chest and sighed softly.

“But, Saxeel.”

"When and why did you put on this mask?"

Sacel froze.

He stood there, his face a complex expression.

The silence lasted for several seconds.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," he managed to squeeze out the words after a long pause.
"But we...we must settle this matter."

As Sakel finished speaking, he gave the weapon in his hand a slight sway, as if reaffirming his resolve once again.

Thales raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I know."

"You still want to kill me."

The boy spoke casually, yet it made the guards behind him tense once again.

"And none of us can stop you."

Sakel frowned and remained silent.

But he seems to have a talent: his silence alone is enough to make the atmosphere around him cold and frozen.

However, the prince immediately broke into a smile:
“I have to admit, when you were still that heinous traitor who relentlessly pursued me... I could at least feel a little more at ease facing you.”

"But now..."

Thales sighed:
"The stories you told: you discovered the truth, so you were dissatisfied with the late king, so you orchestrated a palace coup and framed everyone. You are the traitor and the mastermind of the past eighteen years..."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"At least half of them are fake, right?"

The Knight of Punishment's cheek twitched slightly.

Thales stared straight at him.

"That's a mask you wear for others to see."

Sacel pressed his lips tightly together, his face stiff and ashen.

"You fabricated this to cover up the truth and to protect both the deceased and the living."

"So that your guards will no longer be torn apart, so that the survivors will no longer suffer, so that your ancestors who lie buried in the earth will no longer be unable to rest in peace."

"For this, are you willing to be the sinner and traitor who created this out of nothing, to bear the resentment that shouldn't be directed at you—better to let them hate you alone than to let them hate each other?"

The Knight of Punishment closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Barney looked at Sakel, his gaze a mixture of hatred, resentment, confusion, and helplessness.

The others sighed.

Only Samir shook his head in disdain. Thales smirked and continued:
“After seeing what you just did, I finally understood: this is the real Sacel.”

Sakel's brow twitched violently.

But Thales continued:

"Eighteen years ago, as a guardian of the heritage, you couldn't bear to take sides and could only watch helplessly as your comrades turned against each other, fought each other, and blood flowed like rivers."

"After the tragedy, for the sake of the royal family's reputation and dignity, you cannot speak out to reveal the truth and can only watch as innocent guards are unjustly imprisoned."

"But faced with their plight and tragedy, you cannot forgive yourself for your inaction and silence. You voluntarily isolate yourself from the outside world and bury yourself deep underground as punishment for yourself."

Thales looked at Sacel with a touch of sadness.

With each word he spoke, the knight's pain and inner turmoil deepened, and his chest heaved more violently.

The complex and conflicted expressions in the eyes of the guards deepened.

Their gazes toward Sacel were already chaotic and fickle, but now they were tinged with even more obscurity and hesitation.

“So, Lord Sacelle,” Thales sighed.
"Whether you wear a mask or not, you never forget your beliefs."

Sakel suddenly opened his eyes!

"Are you finished speaking?!"

His right hand, gripping the weapon, trembled just like his voice: "This won't help you..."

Thales interrupted him.

"almost."

"But before that."

Thales let out a soft breath.

"Before you take action, I want you to know, and I want them to know too,"

He turned around and looked at the group of bewildered, anxious, and confused former royal guards.

“Sakel, you are neither a traitor nor a villain.”

"On the contrary, you are willing to bear unjust accusations and undeserved stigma in order to safeguard the reputation of the deceased and protect the honor of the royal family."

"You would rather remain silent and bear the misunderstandings and hatred behind the tragedy than see brothers turn against each other and kill each other."

Thales looked at him calmly:
"You're even willing to sacrifice their trust, friendship, respect, and admiration for you—things you once cherished and that you now only have left—as long as it can protect and save them."

The dungeon fell silent again, with only the sounds of people breathing heavily, some fast, some slow, but never evenly or steadily.

At this moment, the royal guards looked at Sakel with incredibly complex and unfathomable expressions:

Sacel stared intently at Thales, the bloodshot veins in his eyes clearly visible in the firelight.

You can't sway me.

The Knight of Punishment's voice was very deep, with a hint of bitterness in his words.

“Of course,” Thales chuckled, “because whether it was eighteen years ago or eighteen years later, from beginning to end, you have always been that noble knight who disregarded praise or blame, was selfless and fearless, and was a model of virtue.”

"The watchman who safeguards the legacy of the Guard."

Thales sighed softly:

"You were just unfortunate enough to be swept up in the tide of the times, lost your way, and unable to wake up."

The torrent of the times...

Sacel's trembling intensified.

Terrifying memories surged up like a tidal wave, assaulting him.

Sacel clenched his teeth, forcing himself not to look at the expressions on other people's faces.

Because he was afraid.

Fear……

But just as Sackel's thoughts were still churning—

"Everyone present..."

Thales glanced back at the people around him, took a deep breath, and then let out a long sigh.

It was as if they had made up their minds.

He knows what to do.

Everyone turned to look at the prince.

“You know,” Thales said softly, lowering his eyes:

Why did Sakel want to kill me?

At that moment, Sakel's wavering thoughts were instantly interrupted.

what?
He was completely stunned.

He wasn't the only one with this expression; everyone present was also taken aback.

From the still awkward Barney to the worried Belletti, to the wary Samir, and then to Tardin, Cannon, and Brie—confusion, bewilderment, and doubt filled everyone's hearts.

Only when he realized what was happening did his expression change drastically!

Thales calmly adjusted his breathing and raised the corners of his mouth:

"Because he knows."

"Because Sacel knows exactly what I am."

What am I?

The prince was calm and at ease, as if this were just an ordinary answer.

The silence in the dungeon lasted for several seconds.

and many more.

Sacel's expression slowly melted away, and he looked at the utterly ordinary Thales with an indescribable astonishment.

he……

he wants……

“I don’t understand,” Samir said, squinting.

What does "what exactly is it" mean?

Soon, amidst a chorus of questions from the crowd, the incredulous Kaisen was the first to gape in surprise and instinctively reach out his arm!
"Um, um, Huai—I mean Thales?"

But Quick Rope quickly noticed his surroundings: under the suspicious gazes of those around him, he couldn't even finish saying Thales's name before awkwardly withdrawing his hand, his voice weakening.

Thales remained indifferent, showing no concern whatsoever.

"you……"

Sacel looked at Thales in surprise and doubt, unable to contain his reaction any longer:
"You can't...Are you crazy?!"

Samir, Tardin… Many people didn’t understand, and they exchanged questioning glances as Sackel and Thales talked.

Little Barney stared at Sackel's expression and Thales's back, sensing something different.

Something is wrong...

What secrets does the prince still hold?
Thales curled the corners of his mouth slightly, shook his head, and gave the Executioner a smile.

“I know you now, Watchman.”

Thales laughed:
"But you don't understand me."

"You have no idea what I've been through since I came into this world."

Thales raised his right hand, slowly opened his palm, and looked at the bloodstain in the center of his palm that had been cut by a dagger and had not yet healed.

Just as he did before he came to the prison of bones.

Sacel looked at Thales at that moment, speechless with astonishment.

In his presence, the boy's expression was calm, relaxed, even...

It was very enjoyable.

He frowned as he observed Thales's quick rope.

No.

He suddenly realized that this was not Thales's scheme or tactic.

No.

He really wants to...

Quick rope suddenly felt an unparalleled panic.

“Death may make me unhappy, but it no longer frightens me,” Thales said with a rare sense of relief.
"And what truly terrifies me..."

As Thales spoke, his eyes became lost in thought.

The image of Ashida's haughty face and Giza's crazed expression flashed before his eyes.

[Thales, in this world, they don't hate us.]

They are afraid of us.

What they cannot forgive and find difficult to accept is not our behavior, but our very existence.

And... the mysterious figure of Toros.

Thales sighed softly.

"What terrifies me is the fear, anxiety, and unease I couldn't shake off when I was carrying that secret—it haunted my nightmares, and I couldn't escape it."

"I am terrified of the moment when this secret will be known, uneasy about the fate and unknown I will face, nervous about how the world will treat me, and anxious and uneasy all day long because everything familiar may leave me."

Thales slowly raised his head, his gaze gradually focusing.

"Today, that moment has arrived."

Thales turned around and found Quick Rope staring blankly at him.

The boy smiled at him, then let out a long sigh.

thank you.

"But it wasn't that bad."

Seeing the stunned expression on Quick Rope's face, Thales clenched his fist tightly, feeling the pain in his palm.

"On the contrary, the moment you truly confront it, the moment you face the consequences..."

"Now I truly understand."

Thales turned around and calmly raised his gaze.

"The only thing that is haunting me, tormenting me, punishing me, and refusing to let me go is not that secret, not my impending fate, not the unknown that I cannot control, nor anything else."

"And it is precisely myself."

“What I need is not self-imposed shackles,” Thales clenched his fist and pressed it hard against the spot on his chest where the silver coin had once burned him, “but to let go of my past self.”

"Reborn from the ashes..."

Sacel was completely stunned.

"Your...Your Highness?" Belletti seemed to realize something was wrong, and with a face full of worry and doubt, he spoke in a tone that was half reminder and half warning.

Faced with the almost bursting questions from the group, Thales simply smiled with relief.

"That's right, everyone."

He closed his eyes, trying hard not to look at the reactions of those around him.

The prince's voice echoed in the dungeon, accompanied by Sacelle's almost frozen expression and Kuaisheng's barely suppressed breathing.

“I, Thales Star, am one of the greatest taboos in this world, passed down through generations.”

“They are the same kind of culprits who, in Sacel’s opinion, caused trouble and disrupted the kingdom back then.”

The next moment, Thales took a deep breath in the dead silence and opened his eyes.

"I am a mage."

With the calmest, most indifferent, and most nonchalant tone he had ever used, the boy uttered the answer that made Sackel, Quick Rope, Barney, and everyone else gasp in shock:
"A calamity."

I know that "Rebirth" isn't finished yet... but I promise, the next chapter really is the last one! (By the way, I really wanted to change the title of this chapter to "Coming Out" > "_ " <)

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(End of this chapter)