Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 465 Rebirth (Middle School Level 3)
No words can perfectly describe the dungeon at this moment.

After a series of collective gasps, for several seconds, the only sound in the air could be faintly heard: everyone's heartbeats. It seemed that even breathing loudly had become a luxury.

A few seconds later, the torch in Barney's hand finally went out completely after the last few flames were burned away in despair.

The dungeon was plunged into endless darkness, with only the acrid smell of smoke remaining, and the few living people there seemed to have all turned into corpses, motionless.

It felt like returning to the old Blackpath.

And so, in this silence and darkness, Thales felt the faint breathing sounds around him, and in a daze, he passed through the most special few seconds of his life.

At this moment, darkness seemed to become his shield, burying his fear, numbing his pain, and blocking all kinds of gazes.

Finally, with a few rustling sounds, someone in the guard trembled as he fumbled and lit another torch with the sound of flint.

Thales squinted, adjusting his eyes to the firelight, as if he had returned to the human world.

“No, I don’t understand… Calamity, magic users… they shouldn’t be… from a thousand years ago… immortal…” Kannon, a scout, held up the newly kindled fire, shaking his head unconsciously, his lips trembling, unable to form a complete sentence.

His gaze remained fixed on Thales, while Brie beside him was completely stunned.

But as Cannon reacted, everyone erupted in excitement, like the surface of a hot spring!
“Your Highness, this is a joke…” Executioner Belletti was completely unable to process the latest news; he stared intently at Sacelle, stammering incoherently:
“Watchman, sir! He’s saying he is, he can, he will… That’s another lie, isn’t it?”

Tardin looked at Thales with disbelief and astonishment: "What's going on... the prince is a calamity?"

"The Starry Sky Royal Family... Damn it, what have they done this time?"

Thales stared silently at the wound on his palm, ignoring the uproar around him.

Strangely, Thales felt incredibly calm at that moment—not the indifferent, even frightening, calm he had felt when he knocked on the door, nor the calm he had been forced to suppress by the River of Hell in the perilous situation, but a genuine calmness, as if he had let go of everything and removed all his unease, like a chess player staring at a chessboard.

"Oh my God."

Samir's gaze shifted back and forth between Thales and Sackel.

“Sakel, your previous words, those things about Queen Fiosa being a calamity, and your determination to complete your mission… they weren’t all lies, were they?”

But Sakel remained silent, staring blankly at the composed Thales, his eyes filled with sorrow and confusion.

Samir gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain his composure amidst shock and anger:

"Impossible, his age... Is he really only fourteen? If not, what is his connection to the Crimson Age?"

"What the hell is your damn mission?!"

Thales observed each of their reactions and understood a great deal in the process.

and so……

The boy slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

That's exactly how it feels.

He could even sense that the gazes directed at him from behind had changed.

The trust and respect that Thales had painstakingly built up were now marred by other impurities.

Fear? Disgust? Doubt? Unknown? Rejection?
But none of that matters anymore, does it?
"Hey, that fake Wyman!"

“I’m talking about you, my ‘nephew.’ You knew all along, didn’t you?” Tardin realized something and turned to look at Quick Rope, who was bowing his head and shrinking his chest, trying to make himself invisible.

"Wyman? Nephew? Huh?"

Suddenly jolted, Thales, who had been staring in shock at his quick rope, clutched his crossbow arm awkwardly, forcing an innocent smile.

"Oh! I, no, um, well... this is my first time too..."

Just as chaos was about to erupt in the dungeon, a muffled thud suddenly exploded out of nowhere!

Hey!
"Quiet!"

The sound carried far in the empty storage room, and everyone immediately fell silent.

It's Barney.

He had just thrown away the extinguished torch, drawing everyone's attention.

The vanguard officer's face was ashen as he swept his stern gaze over everyone before finally turning back to Thales.

Thales took a breath, smiled, and turned to meet his gaze.

"My sword has slipped from my hand."

After a long pause, Barney, his face full of contradictions, finally spoke.

"Just now, when I..."

He looked at the broken sword lying behind Thales.

As Barney hesitated, everyone began to recall their past memories.

"That's not a coincidence, it was you?"

Thales paused for a few seconds, then pursed his lips.

"Yes."

The prince said in a low voice.

Barney opened his mouth, staring at him in disbelief, before turning to the two bodies on the ground a few seconds later.

"Why, why me..."

Barney stared at the dead Naki and Nai, his expression becoming very complicated.

Why not save...they?

Thales paused for a moment.

In that instant, a vision flashed before his eyes of him using magical energy during the "Contact" phase after receiving Toros's tutelage.

That kind of absolutely unreasonable indifference.

And blood everywhere.

The dungeon seemed to have entered a strange phase. Everyone was filled with astonishment and questions, but under the strange atmosphere and tacit understanding, no one spoke. They just stared at Thales without prior arrangement.

"I want to, but I can't."

Thales sighed and lowered his head:

"sorry."

Barney remained silent for a long time before finally lowering his head.

"Is it."

A faint sadness spread, and Barney's words seemed to have some kind of magic, making Thales suddenly feel that the gazes behind him were no longer so piercing.

Until Sacel's voice rang out in the air.

"why."

The knight of punishment's hoarse and sluggish voice drew everyone's attention.

"Why? Why did you tell them?"

Sacel raised his head in the dim light and stared intently at Thales, his face a mixture of hesitation, pain, sadness, disappointment and sorrow.

"You may not be afraid of death, but at least... you don't have to... you don't have to endure this..."

Sacel's eyes suddenly turned very sad:
"You can die in their admiration and respect, instead of—"

As the Executioner knight questioned him with sorrow, Thales sighed.

"But they will hate you."

The Knight of Punishment paused slightly:
"them?"

Thales silently watched Sacel, at his blood and dust, at the obvious exhaustion and the pain he was enduring on his face, and at the conspicuous and ugly brand on his forehead.

Sakel.

This warrior is so powerful that he is almost invincible.

I wonder how dashing and spirited he must have been when he was young?

Thales smiled and said, “I know that for some reason you would never reveal my identity, even if it meant your death—and you’re prepared to keep it a secret even afterward and then willingly die at their hands.”

Thales turned his head and glanced at the guards behind him; many of them were still immersed in surprise and doubt.

Barney was taken aback:
"us?"

Thales ignored him and instead turned to the knight with a sigh:

"They respect me, so yes, they will resent you."

"again."

Sakel was stunned.

“If I don’t say it, the misunderstandings you’ve finally managed to clear up will only deepen after I die.”

Thales' expression turned somewhat somber as he said this:
"Once again, you will be abandoned, hated, and regarded as a madman and a traitor by the companions you once cherished most."

"You will die with their resentment."

Barney and the others watched the conversation between the two with surprise and disbelief.

Sackel, however, remained completely frozen in place.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, panting:
"I don't know."

Thales scoffed softly, as if he had figured something out.

“Sakel, to serve the kingdom, to defend the royal family, to protect your companions, to uphold your beliefs,” Thales said sadly, his heart heavy.
"For eighteen years, you've carried so much of the past and paid such a heavy price..."

Thales raised his head and looked into the void, where a dazzling silver figure seemed to appear before him.

That hero forgotten by the world.

And that voice that seemed to echo in my heart:
I've been dead for a very, very long time... so long that I don't even remember how long...

Thales seemed lost in thought.

The scene of that silver figure standing alone in the unfathomable darkness, facing countless souls of the dead, radiating a light that was both grand and insignificant, seemed to appear before him once again.

That figure, all alone for countless years, sacrificed himself to shoulder the greatest and most selfless mission, protecting the people and things he once loved most.

But no one ever knew or understood it.

Yet he still smiled, without complaint or resentment, without seeking salvation, remaining calm and composed.

May the mountains embrace your footsteps, and may the earth protect your journey.

Thales took a deep breath, pulling his mind out of the void of the past and trying to return to the present.

Return to the Knight of Punishment.

"But you have never been understood."

"there has never been."

"For eighteen years, you have had to bear the burden and face the consequences alone."

Thales's heart sank, and his face darkened slightly.

Like that unknown lone hero.

Even if buried deep underground, he would not hesitate to ignite himself to dispel darkness in places devoid of light and hope.

Even when he was drowning, he still tried his best to reach out and lift those who had fallen into the water back to the light of day.

Even though the past is gone, he remains stubborn and persistent, upholding his original promise to the past.

No one knows.

Nobody cares.

It never ends.

There will be no pardon.

Thank you for conveying her greetings.

He looked intently at Sacel, noticing the slight tremor in the other's eyes.

"The worst part is that, in the end, the Knight of Punishment is still misunderstood, hated, despised, and ignored by those he cares about and cherishes most—misunderstood as a traitor, a madman, and an evil person by those he wants to protect the most."

Thales spoke in a low voice, and the guards behind him reacted one after another, their expressions varying.

But everyone's stunned gaze was fixed on Sakel.

Sacel breathed in a daze.

“Your life story is all about others, Sacelle, the kingdom, the guards, brothers, responsibility, mission… Your shoulders bear everything,” Thales paused slightly, his voice betraying unconcealed weariness and sorrow.

"But you are the only one missing."

Sakel's right hand, which was holding the weapon, twitched slightly.

Thales let out a long sigh and said dejectedly:
"No one knows or appreciates what you've done."

"You can only sit alone in the cold, dark nights, silently counting the past, your only solace being the belief in your heart..."

"Even the final curtain and death..."

Thales' voice was very soft.

"Even though you don't care, but..."

Thales said quietly:
"This makes me a little sad."

Sacel gasped for breath, staring in disbelief at the boy before him.

“Sakel”.

Thales paused for a moment before slowly saying, "You've already carried too much; you shouldn't continue to be misunderstood and hated."

A few seconds later.

"Pointless."

Sacel's trembling and hoarse voice rang out:
"Do you think you've done something clever? Pity me? Move me? Sway me?"

The Knight of Punishment lowered his head slightly, his eyes hidden in the shadows beneath his brows. He gripped the axe handle tightly and gritted his teeth.

"you are wrong."

Sacel tried to suppress his voice, but couldn't stop the trembling in his arm, whether from pain or his emotions:

"What you are doing now means nothing to me."

Thales exhaled and looked at the darkness between Sackel's brows.

"But it makes sense to me."

He lowered his head, his tone filled with sadness and sigh.

"To us."

Sacel was taken aback again.

"you?"

Thales nodded, his smile somewhat bitter.

"My family, Shining Star."

A second later, Sacel's chest began to rise and fall visibly!

Thales raised his head again:
"If I'm not mistaken, it was the late King Eddy who appointed you as the Watchman of the Royal Guard."

"It was the same person who dragged you into his family's internal strife and ruined your entire life."

"But King Kessel cruelly and unjustly imprisoned you, causing you to fall into this state to this day."

Thales' eyes dimmed, and he sighed, tapping his chest.
"As for eighteen years later, it was the sudden intrusion of another shining star that shattered your peace and rekindled the nightmare from eighteen years ago."

Thales tried to look at the other person with the most indifferent gaze:

"The tragedy that befell you, Sacelle, regardless of right or wrong, stemmed from the bloodline of that noblest yet most indifferent kingdom."

At that moment, Sacel remained silent, but his breathing became erratic.

"And the most ironic thing is that even today, you still think about fulfilling the duties of the royal guard and protecting our reputation."

"Although you won't have any complaints about the royal family for various reasons... it must be very tough."

Thales' voice sounded somewhat forlorn:

“I think our… Starry Sky family owes you far too much.”

He saw that Sakel's fists were clenched tighter and tighter.

But Thales ignored him and continued to look at the body on the ground, his voice hoarse as he recalled the scene of the two leaving:

“You know, as Thales Shining Star, facing you all…”

"I can offer Naki and Nai comfort, as a final farewell;"

"I can forgive Tardin and the others, to ease their pain."

“I can inspire Barney who is feeling down and help him get back on his feet and face life again.”

Little Barney, Belletti, Tardin… the people behind the prince were all staring at him in a daze.

“But you, Saxeel…”

Thales averted his gaze, avoiding eye contact with the knight, as if that would make him feel a little more relaxed.
“As a powerless prince, I cannot change the tragedy of the past, cannot clear your name, cannot reopen the old case ordered by the king, cannot give you the justice you deserve, and cannot even give the people you cherished back then a somewhat acceptable explanation.”

Thales looked at the two bodies on the ground with resentment, recalling the countless bones in the cell, and said with no small amount of sorrow, "Faced with you who have given so much, lost so much, and endured so much, I really don't know what else I can do for you."

"So, if we're both destined to die here..."

“Then I want to leave without any regrets, whether it’s letting go of my own fears or settling my guilt towards you,” Thales smiled bitterly and awkwardly, like a patient in their final moments:

I also wish you a peaceful and tranquil departure.

Sakel remained motionless.

"I don't want others to continue to hate you, and I don't want you to remain alone, burdened in the darkness with sins that are not yours."

I want them to understand you—or at least try to understand you.

Thales lowered his head and let out another long sigh, as if exhaling all the resentment he had felt that day.

"Compared to this..."

The prince raised his head.

This time, the boy's face was devoid of bitterness and hesitation, replaced only by a relaxed and relieved smile as he faced the crumbling knight of punishment:
"My secret isn't that important anymore, is it?"

In the crowd, Quick Rope stared blankly at Thales, who looked like this.

He wasn't the only one who reacted this way.

Sakel neither answered nor made a move.

Thales shook his head, hiding his inner sorrow even more tightly, and forced a second smile:
"So, it's not just me."

Thales looked directly at Sacelle, then turned to look at the rest of the people around him:

"This is also for their sake."

"Them?" Sacel replied absentmindedly.

As soon as these words were spoken, the guards around him reacted in various ways.

The prince calmly and earnestly said:
"They should know that, both then and now, what kind of person their commander and watchman were: Immanuel Sackel was never a traitor who betrayed his loyalty for personal gain, much less a madman who had lost his mind after years of imprisonment."

Tardin sighed and lowered his head, Cannon's face contorted in pain, and Brie looked dejected.

"They should know that you are still the Sacel they believe in, admire, and love, still the one who upholds his beliefs, adheres to his sacred duty, and deeply loves his brothers and comrades—the Knight of Punishment."

Samir looked conflicted, while Belletti wore a sorrowful expression.

"They need to know what you have done for them, to know your sacrifices, your efforts and struggles—even your most irrational actions are nothing more than fulfilling your mission to eliminate terrible calamities."

Barney clutched his injured right arm tightly, biting his lower lip, his gaze towards Sackel growing increasingly complex.

"They need to know that they owe you, the watchmen of the guard, an apology and a thank you."

It's unclear when it started, but Sacel, who had buried himself in the darkness, has remained motionless.

Samir closed his eyes and turned his head away as he listened to all this.

Barney, who had just emerged from the gloom, stared at Sackel, his eyes filled with endless sorrow.

Others are not much better.

Another unspoken silence ensued.

Thales chuckled softly, his voice calm and serene:
"I'm sorry, this is the last thing I can do for you."

He stared intently at Sacel:

"At least, you no longer have to endure it alone and grit your teeth to be strong."

“At least, I can let them see the real you, let them understand, let them see the burden you bear—you have suffered too much injustice and misunderstanding, and I don’t want my death to be a part of it.”

"At least I hope that after today, that darkness, that darkness in which you will continue to struggle, will be less cruel and cold."

Thales spoke slowly and deliberately, while Sacel simply bowed his head, burying his face in the light.

Finally, the boy, feeling another wave of dizziness wash over him, sighed deeply.

He curled his lips, scoffed, and shook his head:

"So, yes, I am a calamity."

"The conversation is over."

Sacel seemed stunned, and the others remained silent.

Until Thales sighed and spoke.

“Alright, now,” the boy looked at Sacel with relief.
"Let's end this."

The silence lasted for nearly ten seconds.

Finally, in the darkness, Saxel slowly raised the axe blade.

His hands were slow, and even trembling.

But he still raised it.

Thales silently closed his eyes.

Waiting for that moment.

He didn't have to wait long.

clang!
A dull thud of metal colliding!

“You know, if he is as he says,” Barney’s weak voice rang out:
"Then your efforts will be in vain."

Thales took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

Above his head, Barney Jr. held the longsword he had once used to commit suicide, blocking Sackel's axe blade.

The vanguard officer, who was seriously injured and whose right arm was broken, was holding up his sword with his intact left arm, which looked quite strenuous.

His opponent, Sacel, had also lost his left arm, so it seemed they were evenly matched.

Barney glanced at Thales, who remained as calm as ever, and scoffed:
"You don't have legendary anti-magic weapons, so you can't kill him?"

In a corner where no one was watching, Kuaisheng, drenched in cold sweat, subconsciously tugged at his clothes, trying to cover the crossbow in his arms.

Sacel kept his head down, his eyes hidden in the darkness.

He gritted his teeth and struggled to speak:
"He is not yet a qualified calamity. The secret records show that he can still be stopped before the final step leads to disaster."

Thales curled the corners of his mouth, sighed, and nodded:

"He might be right."

But Barney Jr. replied bluntly:
“I didn’t ask you, little prince.”

Thales's face stiffened.

Barney turned to face Sackel and shook his head.

"The records in the secret department? Qualified?"

"So what? You have to take an exam to create a disaster?"

Sacel's axe blade began to tremble.

His tone was already unsteady, and now it turned displeased: "This is no joke!"

"Get out of the way, you already know who he is..."

But Barney suddenly shouted!
"so what?"

"According to you, the late king also had another one!"

Thales watched Barney's actions in silence, gritted his teeth, and felt a slight heaviness in his chest.

With a flick of his arm, the vanguard officer separated the intertwined sword and axe blades in mid-air.

Sakel remained silent.

After he saw Barney, Belletti and Tardin, who had somehow already rearmed themselves, walked up behind Thales.

Cannon and Brie followed closely behind.

They all looked at him with relief.

The knight's axe blade trembled slightly.

“You don’t understand…” Sacel’s words were filled with conflicting emotions:

"The empire...the kingdom cannot fall into the same trap."

Barney snorted.

He seemed to have reverted to being the chief vanguard officer of the guard who always found fault with Sackel.

“I know that even if you are seriously injured, I still can’t stop you,” Little Barney hissed in pain, struggling to raise his sword again.

"Not to mention myself... I'm not much better off."

Barney lifted his leg, his eyes blazing, and walked laboriously toward Sackel until the two were face to face.

“But listen to me, Saxeel.”

In the darkness, Sacel remained motionless, gripping the axe blade tighter and tighter.

But unexpectedly, Barney, standing in front of him, suddenly relaxed all his expressions and sighed sadly.

"sorry."

At that moment, Sacel, who was prepared, was stunned.

"Barney, you..."

Barney turned his head to look at the ground, his expression stiff, as if he were talking to thin air:

"I've never been convinced by you, but today, ah..."

Sacel didn't speak, but opened his mouth in slight surprise.

"I must say, His Majesty and the old captain have a very accurate eye," Little Barney said hesitantly, his face a mixture of disappointment and self-deprecation.

"You are definitely better than me at being a watchman."

Barney opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, and finally uttered the word:
"Sir."

Sacel trembled slightly.

“And that…” Little Barney stared intently at the floor tiles beneath Sackel’s feet, as if he dared not look up.

Barney held the sword hilt upside down with his left hand, hesitated for a long time, and then shakily raised it.

"Thank you."

The next second, his left fist twisted and hesitantly and quickly struck Sackel's right shoulder twice.

Puff, puff.

Two muffled thuds as a fist struck a shoulder.

It's like a dragonfly skimming the water—no, it's like a drop of deadly poison.

It's as if clicking it even once more would kill him.

Having done all this, Barney breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had completed the most difficult task.

He turned around as if fleeing for his life and ran back to his original position of confrontation in a few steps.

Thales' lips curled slightly at the sight.

"Alright, the debt is paid off."

Barney swept away all his awkwardness and embarrassment, and looked at him coldly again: "Let's start fighting."

But Sakel remained where he was, motionless.

His face, left in the darkness, was still indistinct.

Until another figure passed Barney and walked toward Sackel.

Surprisingly, this person actually pressed his right shoulder against Sacel's and reached out his left hand to gently hold the other's back.

"This may be the last time we hug, sir."

Sacel's axe blade trembled slightly.

Belletti pressed her ear to Sacelle's right shoulder, gently patted his back, and choked out:

“Sunset, I miss the days when I was under your command at the Wing of Punishment.”

At that moment, Sackel's shoulders trembled slightly.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

The knight's breathing grew louder and louder.

“You shouldn’t have made me a clerk,” Belletti said with a bitter laugh, his voice trembling as he turned his head away, trying his best not to look at the other person.

“You know… I’m terrible, I can never do anything right.”

He patted Sackel hard on the back, which made the latter shake violently.

Belletti closed her eyes, turned back to Barney's side, and didn't dare to look at Sackel.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Cannon didn’t step forward, the scout sobbing, his chest hunched and head bowed, “Back then…”

"Sorry, it was us, we messed everything up..."

"It's our fault..."

Sacel let out a painful sigh.

"Waaah," Brie next to Cannon made an incomprehensible sound:

"Ugh."

“Ah, he probably meant he regrets it,” Tardin sighed, ignoring Bree’s protests and giving a final, pale smile.

“But…we’ve dragged you and others into this, Commander Sakel.”

Tardin stared blankly at the body on the ground:
"But at least, we can rest in peace together, just like those thirty-odd fools."

"We will be reunited."

Sacel's axe blade trembled more and more violently.

"Hey."

It's Samir.

"Although I am no longer a member of the guard."

“But I owe you a thank you, sir,” the Blade of Calamity scoffed, seemingly unconcerned, completely unaware that his attitude mirrored that of Barney: “I escaped back then thanks to you.”

For the first time, Sacel opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then stopped himself.

Samir sighed, his voice lowering:

“And if I hadn’t escaped, you wouldn’t have had to be imprisoned in solitary confinement.”

"In short, I still owe you an apology."

Samir looked away, gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and said:
"sorry."

“I’ve lost all sense of duty as a guard, but… this child can’t die, so…”

Samir shrugged and said nothing more.

Sacel did not react, but the veins on his hand twitched slightly.

As Samir finished speaking, the guards all sighed in unison, as if they had accomplished a great task.

Sacel remained silent.

"Now."

Barney smiled, looked at Sackel, and said with relief:

"Let's settle this with a fight to the death."

however.

"and many more……"

A discordant sob drifted out.

"I...I'm sorry too..."

Thales turned around and saw Quick Rope wiping his eyes and speaking in a low voice.

Huh?
A second later, under the strange looks of everyone asking "Why are you crying?", Kaisen suddenly realized what was happening and his face froze.

His sorrowful expression vanished instantly, and he instinctively took a step back, revealing an awkward smile.

"Um, um... the atmosphere, the atmosphere, the atmosphere..."

But this time, no one scolded him, no one glared at him, and no one stopped him.

Instead, Barney, Tardin, Belletti... they simply turned around, dragging their weakest bodies and with the deepest resolve, and stood beside Thales, raising their weapons at Sackel.

Facing their final battle.

I know, I was wrong! This chapter of "Rebirth" is already over the word limit!
It's okay, there's another chapter. It will be released next year after midnight.

Happy New Year 2019 everyone!
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(End of this chapter)