Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 50 You Will Be Better Than Him
That night, none of the four gates of Yongxing City were closed.

"A decree from the King! Make way! Make way!" A dozen knights, carrying both nine-pointed star and cross-shaped flags, galloped out of the city gate with solemn expressions.

"Are these all the messengers?" At the north gate, the city defense captain watched the messengers leave with a somber expression.

"Not only that." The city defense officer who rushed over shook his head: "There are three other city gates as well."

The messengers, carrying the warrants from the Fuxing Palace, hurried off to the locations of those important figures—a thought to the city defense officer who knew the inside story.

That's not all; there are even more messenger ravens—sent to nobles in more distant places.

"Something terrible has happened." The city defense officer, who was nearly fifty years old, patted the captain on the shoulder and said softly.

Hopefully, it won't be another bloody year.

----------------------

Thales, who firmly declined Gilbert and Ginny's offer to accompany him ("I'm sorry, Mr. Gilbert, Ms. Ginny, but this is my pact with her, and I must face it alone—I promise I will tell you what we talked about." —Thales shook his head firmly), walked silently beside Yodl.

For the first few minutes, neither of them spoke.

Only after turning a corner and isolating the nearest guard behind a wall did Thales stop silently and look at the masked guard.

Yodl stopped in his tracks.

“We need to talk,” Thales said hesitantly, then took a deep breath and added, “in private.”

Yodl walked up to him and silently squatted down.

“As you wish,” said the masked secret guard, gently placing his hand on Thales’ shoulder.

The next moment, a strange ripple spread out, and everything around Thales and Yordle turned an eerie white.

It felt like another world.

“The Realm of Shadows,” Yordle explained briefly.

Thales nodded, but his expression remained serious, unmoved by the strange, pure white background before him—he had more important things to do.

A moment of silence fell between them.

“Yordle,” Thales struggled to organize his thoughts and began to speak:

"How much...do you know about the matter between the Qi Mage and me?"

As always, Yodl remained silent, only slightly lowering his head to look at the black-haired, gray-eyed boy.

"When Morat wanted to go to the study with me for a private talk, you deliberately stopped him." Thales gently closed his eyes, slowly recounting the events, and said in a somber tone:

“You know the study on the third floor has special soundproofing that blocks the hearing and telepathy of vampires, so you insisted we stay on the second floor to talk, so you could seek Serena’s help and deliver this crucial warning right under Morat’s nose…”

“Let me deceive Morat’s shrewd questioning, and conceal…” Thales paused, slowly opened his eyes, stared at the purple mask, and finally said firmly, “…conceal my true identity.”

"Is that right?"

Thales stared intently at the royal secret guards.

The mask remained motionless, facing him.

After another awkward silence, Yordle lowered his gaze slightly, and a low, hoarse voice finally came from behind the dark purple mask:
“I… am not like Gilbert…”

"...I'm not good with words."

Under Thales's complicated gaze, the masked guard spoke in a deep voice.

"After Hongfang Street, I don't know how to start a conversation."

Thales looked intently at him: "But you knew it from the beginning."

Yodl's mask twitched slightly.

“Yes.” His hoarse voice came from behind the mask.

"That night..."

“I’ve always been here,” Yodl’s voice was heavy. “I heard the mage’s words.”

"I also noticed your... unusual behavior, the strange way you acted when facing the magic user, the vase that broke for no reason in the corridor, the explosion in the basement of the Vine Manor..."

"So I know you are..."

Thales took a deep breath: "Then my father..."

Yodl shook his head.

His voice, as if from another world, rang in Thales' ears: "Only I, young sir, only I know..."

The masked guard remained silent.

Thales was stunned.

Thales stared blankly at the strange man who had always protected him but always hid his face behind a mysterious mask.

Yes, he always knew.

But he kept the secret for himself.

"Why?" The boy heard his own voice rise and fall slightly, filled with incredulous surprise: "You know perfectly well that I am, am one of those..."

Thales paused for a second.

He recalled the dark basement, Ashida's face flickering in and out of the firelight.

At that moment, his tongue felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

But Thales gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and uttered the word with difficulty and pain: "Calamity."

"You know perfectly well how forbidden those calamities are—why do you still…"

Yodl gently gripped his shoulders, interrupting Thales' thoughts.

“Child,” he said hoarsely.

"I've seen... a lot of things, more than you can imagine."

“This country and your family,” he said softly, “are destined to be entangled with those calamities from the day they were born.”

"It was like this more than 600 years ago."

"It was the same twelve years ago."

Thales felt a jolt in his heart.

Twelve years ago?

The Star Family, entangled with disaster?
"The same is true now."

“I have seen those disasters, more than once.”

"I gotta Feeling."

“What is truly terrifying and frightening is not those disasters.”

"It is ourselves."

"We are ordinary people, and we are willing to degenerate to what extent, become corrupt, and sacrifice our bottom line because of the existence of so-called disasters."

Yodl paused, as if pondering his next words.

“I know, you may be a ‘calamity’.” The usually silent masked guard spoke so much in front of him for the first time.

He hesitated and said, "But I know that many people in this country, even... have become uglier and more terrible than those disasters."

"They have brought disaster without even realizing it."

Thales frowned unnaturally.

"Like Morat?"

"He is just one of them: the Black Prophet is no longer a prophet, only darkness remains."

Yodl looked up, his dark glasses reflecting the stark white surroundings, and Thales's figure stood out, appearing thin and pale.

"In comparison."

“Mr. Thales, I’m more inclined to believe you.”

Yodl seemed to have not spoken this much in a long time, but the awkwardness with which he tried to find the words, and the honesty behind it, left Thales with mixed feelings.

At that moment, the boy didn't know how to face this secret guard.

"But why me?" Thales took a deep breath for three seconds and spoke again: "Just because I have the blood of the Stars flowing in my veins?"

Yodl slowly shook his head.

“I am not Gilbert, and I do not believe in so-called bloodlines.”

"What I believe is that the seven-year-old boy who did his best to protect his companions even in dire circumstances is a different kind of being from those ugly people."

"I also believe in you, a brilliant star of humble origins, who will become... a unique king in this decaying kingdom."

An extraordinary king?
Thales blurted out instinctively, "Just like Crown Prince Midil, my uncle?"

Yodl remained silent for a few seconds.

"No," the masked guard said, his voice low and sorrowful.

In a hoarse voice, he said firmly, "You will be better than him."

“I know that you have something that he doesn’t.”

Thales was slightly startled, and his breathing quickened.

He stared at Yodl, whose expression was unreadable, and remained silent for a long time.

half an hour.

"Thank you."

After finally calming down, Thales could only utter these two words.

He, who was usually quick-witted, was speechless at this moment.

The masked guard, kneeling on one knee, nodded heavily and forcefully.

Yodl spoke again, his voice hoarse.

This time, his words seemed even more sincere:
"Yordel Gatoh".

"At your service."

Thales took a deep breath.

He remained silent for a long while.

“There’s one more thing,” he heard himself ask with difficulty.
"If you had stayed that night..."

"When...did you...start being here?"

Yodl's hand sank slightly.

Thales, slightly out of breath, slowly said:

"You saw him, you saw Quaid in the abandoned house..." Thales asked through gritted teeth, his voice trembling, "...did he?"

The masked guard easily opened his hand.

He didn't speak.

No words were spoken.

At that moment, Thales felt only the coldness of Yodl's mask and the lenses on it.

His heart suddenly turned cold.

“You didn’t stop him,” Thales murmured, recalling the bloodshed of that night.

"We didn't stop him until he entered our house..."

Thales asked, trembling:
"why?"

"Couldn't Prince Ming... be among those beggars?"

"And...those children..."

Thales had actually suspected it for a while, but he wasn't sure.

He had to ask.

Yodl slowly stood up, interrupting him.

"time to go."

Yodel said calmly.

"They will have doubts."

At that moment, the masked guard was like an emotionless machine.

It reminded Thales of Ashida's smile.

There is no temperature.

------------------

Although Serena's room wasn't as far as Ginny had said, "a hundred meters away," it wasn't as close as she had imagined either.

The vampires' guest rooms were located in the spacious storage cellar of the Mindis Hall, away from the sunlight, the crowds, and Thales.

“Good evening, Mr. Thales.” The pale-faced vampire, the ancient butler Chris Corleone, bowed slightly at the “door,” offering a deathly smile to the Yordles.
"Welcome back, Mr. Mask—you really gave us a fright when you suddenly appeared just now."

Yodl did not reply.

Chris turned to Thales nonchalantly and nodded slightly: "His Highness is awaiting your arrival."

With a mix of trepidation and complex emotions, Thales looked up at Yodl beside him.

The latter subtly nodded his mask, walked to the other side of the door, and stood at the door with Chris like two doormen.

Thales nodded slightly, took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and walked toward Serena Corleone, who was already waiting inside.

His savior.

He is the next problem after Morat.

"Ah, my long-awaited ally."

The little girl with red eyes had a deep expression. Against the backdrop of her black dress, she bowed to him, lifting her skirt.

“It seems that, with my help,” Serena, who had a lisp, emphasized the word “help,” and continued with an unsettling smile, “Li has gotten out of trouble.”

"Is it time to talk about our salaries and bonuses?"

----

(Chapter 33 is occasionally censored, so I'm posting it here for future reference.)
----

Chapter 33: Donating a bag of blood saves a life

Serena was already waiting in her so-called "room".

Apart from the two ever-burning lamps, it was pitch black—Thales suspected that the two lamps were also lit for him.

Lorana and Istrom were nowhere to be found.

Behind the little girl with blood-red eyes was still that ridiculously large black coffin—if Thales hadn't witnessed firsthand how the vampires manipulated a mechanism and folded it back to the size of a normal coffin, he would have doubted whether the vampires had any so-called "magicians" to move it.

But at this moment, looking at the black coffin, Thales frowned.

"What's wrong?" Serena asked curiously.

"It's nothing," Thales said calmly, his expression returning to normal, swallowing back the question, "Why did you put a toilet in the middle of the room?"

“I’ve come to thank our ally for his support, Celine—may I call you that?”

Serena raised her eyebrows almost imperceptibly, and pouted her chubby little face.

Is it merely support, an obligation of allies, not assistance that requires reciprocation?

What a cunning and pedantic fellow.

Serena thought with dissatisfaction.

“It was just conveying a few incomprehensible words—let’s just call me Ms. Serena—and I also learned some of Serena’s dirty little secrets along the way,” Serena tilted her head, revealing an adorable loli smile: “In Su Ye’s words… ‘Why not?’”

"Right, especially me, with my ambiguous and intimate ally with the magic master?"

There was a moment of silence between them.

Sure enough, the old hag—Thales thought to himself: she won't let this opportunity pass.

“No, your help is very important to me, and I am very grateful to you.” Thales smiled shyly, his eyes sincere, like a grateful little boy.
“Otherwise, in front of the Black Prophet, I might even confess to him the truth about the internal strife of the Corleone clan and your refuge in the stars—he is the Black Prophet, after all. Who knows what terrible things he might do after he has these secrets?”

“I don’t want to see anything bad happen to my allies—I hope you feel the same way, Celine.”

Serena's eyes instantly turned cold.

“You’re not willing to suffer any loss, are you, my ally?” She smiled deliberately, revealing small fangs. “Also, don’t call me Celine.”

"This won't scare me now," Thales said, amused as he watched Serena, who looked about five or six years old, curving her lips in front of him.

“I believe allies should trust each other, not threaten each other back and forth.” Thales’ smile grew even brighter as he stepped forward. “Our interests are aligned, my dear Celine.”

“Since our interests align—please call me Ms. Serena—then please show more sincerity. For example, I and my subordinates both need more blood, fresh blood.” Serena’s red pupils focused as she stepped forward and looked at Thales.

Sure enough, a leopard can't change its spots—cough cough.

“The blood of the living is a bit difficult—but I’m here to fulfill the covenant,” Thales took a deep breath, stepped forward, looked directly into those red eyes, tried to banish the image of the mummified corpse from his mind, and smiled, “to bind our common interests even tighter—Cerine.”

Serene? That impudent short-lived creature—Serene thought with slight annoyance: Once I reclaim the throne from that wretched woman…

She looked at Thales's relaxed smile.

"Hmph, so," Serena chuckled, her small lips slightly upturned, "that Li has finally made up his mind to propose to me?"

Forehead--

Thales felt a jolt in his worldview.

He looked at the smug, smiling four-hundred-year-old witch with an expression of utter disgust, as if he had just eaten shit.

You win.

Thales sighed, and under Serena's shining gaze, rolled up his left sleeve, extending his exposed wrist in front of the red-eyed loli.

“My blood—this is the agreed-upon covenant,” he said calmly.

Serena's expression changed slightly, but then she smiled and said, "I now believe in your sincerity, my dear ally."

I thought he would keep defaulting on his debt.

The Grand Duchess closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and the smile on her lips grew wider and wider.

This boy isn't so bad after all.

“Remember, one-eighth of a pint, Celine.” Thales’s eyes were grave, his breathing rapid. “No more.”

“But it can’t be less.” Serena opened her eyes, ignoring Thales’s form of address, and smiled strangely: “I will control the health.”

A look of intoxication and fervor appeared on the little girl's face.

At this moment, Thales, who was filled with trepidation, felt even more that he was facing a vampire grand duke who was four or five hundred years old.

Health points?
Can you use a different word?

Thales looked at Serena, who had transformed into a gourmet, and swallowed hard.

The shadow of the "mummified corpse" has lingered ever since.

"Hey, can you be a little gentler with your eyes..."

"Your expression is a little scary, it's giving me the creeps..."

"Hey—give me a hint, sis! Don't just bite me like that, you idiot!"

"Ah! It hurts!"

Thales's panicked voice came from inside the room.

Yodel's mask trembled, and he was about to move when he was stopped by the vampire steward in front of him.

“This is their alliance,” Chris said coldly, staring defiantly at the masked guard opposite him.

Humans are always at a disadvantage when faced with the fangs of vampires.

Even if that cub—that child—is the heir apparent to the second strongest nation in the Western Continent.

But as the blood-sucking continued...

Something seems off?

Thales' voice came from the black coffin again.

Chris's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Okay, keep this pace."

"Stay rational and don't cross the line."

"Serena, be good, for my health, let's take a break..."

Chris's face began to turn from white to ashen.

Damn short-lived species.

Was that kid doing it on purpose?
He glared fiercely at Yodl across from him.

Yodl paused for a moment, his hand raised in mid-air.

Chris's face twitched as he saw Yodl turn his hands outward, making a "helpless" gesture.

“Yes,” the masked guard said hoarsely and helplessly, “this is their alliance.”

Yodl easily stood back in the doorway and put his hands behind his back again.

Before Chris stormed into the room, Serena finally had her fill of blood, released the tense Thales with satisfaction, and licked her bright red lips.

"Thank you for the hospitality," the red-eyed loli girl said sweetly.

“You’re welcome,” said Thales, his face ashen. He sat on the ground, looking disgruntled, rubbing the two small holes in his wrist, his mouth opening and closing.
"Donate a bag of blood, save a life."

He always felt that the other person had secretly taken a lot of drugs.

------------------

“Don’t worry, that child is stronger than we think.” Gilbert walked down to the lobby and looked at Ginny, who was lost in thought.

Just then, the sound of a galloping horse came from outside the Mindis Hall.

Gilbert's expression changed—it was a messenger on horseback.

"Looks like it's going to be an eventful night." Ginny snapped out of her reverie, looking at the messenger with a complicated expression, and respectfully handed over a wax scroll bearing a nine-pointed star seal.

Gilbert broke the sealing wax and opened the scroll, his expression growing increasingly grim.

“Something terrible has happened.” Gilbert put down the scroll and frowned deeply. “His Majesty has urgently summoned us to the palace.”

“Of course, you are, after all, his most trusted aide and former foreign minister.” Ginny sighed, turned around indifferently, and walked upstairs: “As for me, forget it. I’d rather stay here and watch over the child.”

"Do not."

Gilbert turned to Ginny, his expression more serious than ever.

He lifted the top edge of the scroll towards Ginny and gave it a gentle shake.

At the bottom of the paper, Kessel Shining's signature and nine-pointed star mark are visible.

"His Majesty has urgently summoned all of us to the Fuxing Palace immediately."

"Including that child."

Believe it or not, I really am updating twice today. —by Wujian with a serious expression

P.S.: I heard it's Qixi Festival today? How many people are spending it alone like Wujian?

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(End of this chapter)