Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 573 You're Really a Dog

If you ask a Starman which department under the king is the most terrifying, he will most likely blurt out "the Royal Secret Service".

But if you ask him what's so scary about it, he'll be completely clueless.

For Thales, this department was a familiar place: whether it was their first meeting with the Black Prophet in Mindis Hall, their imprisonment in Dragonstreet, or their brief encounter at the Blade Fang Camp, they had dealt with each other far too often.

Unfortunately, it was definitely not a pleasant experience.

Now, this mysterious department, which has been operating since the reign of the Revival King and is the highest intelligence agency of the Star Kingdom, sits right in front of him.

"This is the Kingdom's Secret Service?"

Thales stepped off the carriage and looked around the manor on the southern outskirts of Yongxing City: surrounded by a small river, with barren fields, simple low walls, and an old mansion.

There are even farmhouses, warehouses, and woodlands that have been abandoned for many years and are growing freely.

Ordinary, nothing special.

If it weren't for its vast size and sparse population, this would be a typical suburban aristocratic estate.

"Maybe it really was confiscated from some noble family," Thales thought.

"At least for the last ten years or so, yes."

Raphael greeted the driver of the carriage, who remained silent and disappeared from Thales' sight with the sound of hooves.

Like an ordinary country traveler on the road.

The Bone Man gestured "please" to the prince and indicated the iron gate of the manor not far away.

However, the entire manor was silent, almost deathly still.

It looks like a tomb.

"I didn't see many guards."

Thales suppressed his trepidation, stepped on the fallen autumn leaves, and followed Raphael toward the iron gate.

But he soon noticed something amiss: two black crows emerged from the dense forest, flew over their heads, and disappeared into the old manor.

"unnecessary."

Raphael, on the other hand, walked with ease:

"Ordinary invaders pose no threat to us."

Thales raised an eyebrow:
"What about the unusual ones?"

But at that moment, Thales felt a chill run down his spine as he heard a whooshing sound in his ears.

Awakened by the roar of the River of Sin, he quickly turned his head!
But it was too late.

A huge black shadow suddenly appeared, unstoppable.

Head straight for Thales!
"No!"

Amid Raphael's shocked and furious shouts, Thales could only seize the reaction time granted to him by the Sin of the River of Hell, barely managing to assume the "Iron Body" stance.

thump.

The massive black shadow arrived in an instant and crashed into Thales' arms!
He flew out.

Thales first felt a violent jolt in his arm, followed by the pain of his back hitting and scraping against the ground.

And the protests of bones and muscles throughout the body.

It felt like my whole body was about to fall apart.

no no……

Amidst the surging tide of sin in the River of Hell, Thales gritted his teeth and endured the pain, struggling to open his eyes.

But it's not over yet.

A massive shadow immediately enveloped Thales' entire body: it firmly restrained his legs, pressed down on his shoulders, and pressed its enormous weight onto his chest, rendering the boy unable to move and struggling to breathe.

The attacker pressed forward defiantly, his face close to Thales's, and Thales could even feel the other's heavy, violent, hot, and rapid breathing.

No.

Thales struggled desperately.

He vowed that no matter how inconvenient, suspicious, or inappropriate it might be, he would always carry the police or warning officer with him.

We must never be unarmed and allowed to be slaughtered.

The attacker buried his head under Thales' neck, taking deep breaths, each one longer than the last, seemingly becoming increasingly intoxicated by it.

Raphael's furious voice finally rang out:
"No! Edward—"

Just then, Thales suddenly felt a heat on his cheek.

Below her neck, something wet and sticky covered her.

Chin, cheek, cheekbone, slowly sweep across his profile from bottom to top.

Hot, warm, soft.

And there was something... fishy and foul-smelling?
Thales was taken aback.

The other person left his cheek, leaving behind a sticky liquid.

A gust of wind brings a refreshing coolness.

Ok?
Before he could react, the dark figure approached again, accompanied by rapid and hot breathing.

Another wave of warmth and moisture washed over Thales's mouth, nose, forehead, and ears...

again and again.

Make him unable to open his eyes.

The other person was breathing heavily, his nose and lips brushing against Thales' skin countless times, pressing tightly against him, appearing quite excited.

Thales was stunned, and even the sin of the River of Hell silently dissipated.

What's this?
“Edward…this is Prince Thales, he is not a threat!”

Finally, the skeletal man's arm appeared on the attacker's neck, attempting to tear him off Thales.

Amid the attackers' protests, Thales felt a release in his chest, finally gaining some space to raise his head.

The prince was immediately stunned.

On top of him was a large, jet-black dog.

"Wang Wang!"

At this moment, Raphael was grabbing the vicious dog by the neck, dragging it backward with all his might, looking utterly pathetic in the struggle.

Thales recognized its breed.

It's an angry wolfhound.

This breed of dog, known for its ferocity, has always been a great helper for the nobles of the Star Kingdom when hunting and going on outings. Even long ago, Maurice, the leader of the Brotherhood—Quide and Rick's superior—also owned a majestic wolfhound. He once unexpectedly met Thales in the back alley of Sunset Bar and also enjoyed "playing" with him, well, the not-so-friendly kind of "playing".

The large dog in front of us also had similar features: both its sharp fangs and its fierce face.

Except for one thing.

It also...

It's too big.

Thales stared blankly at the wrestling match before him:
Although Raphael was slender, he was not short.

But even with his size, it was difficult for him to restrain the big dog; it was like a child struggling to reach out and hug an old tree two or three times his size.

At this very moment, the fierce-looking dog was watching Thales on the ground with great interest, breathing heavily, and occasionally licking its lips and slurping up saliva.

"Saab!"

Seeing that he was about to collapse, Raphael looked into the distance and shouted angrily:

"Quickly, pull it up!"

A gloomy, languid voice rang out at just the right moment, coming closer from afar:

"Coming, coming, relax."

A right hand with only three fingers appeared in front of Thales, grabbing the dog's collar and applying force with great skill.

Finally, Thales felt a sense of relief, as if someone had pulled back three layers of blankets covering him—even in the middle of summer.

The large dog was pulled away from his body and barked loudly in dissatisfaction.

"I'm sorry, Lord Raphael, Edward was walking around, and I didn't notice him for a moment..." The lazy voice responded to the dog's protests while offering a completely insincere apology.

Thales grabbed Raphael's hand, feeling the soreness and numbness all over his body, and struggled to get up.

"Damn it... what is this?"

Thales, still shaken, brushed the dust off his body and pulled up his sleeve to wipe the drool from his face.

Raphael coughed awkwardly.

“Your Highness, I believe you have already met Edward; he is one of our…guards.”

The skeletal man waved at the large dog in front of him, the exaggerated gesture eliciting a furious roar from the dog:

"Wang! Wang!"

He bared his teeth and grinded them, his eyes filled with malice.

But just as the fierce-looking creature instinctively tried to move forward, Edward's right hand, with only three fingers remaining, reached out and stopped him.
“You know, the guard… Edward doesn’t like being introduced like this. He considers this his territory and that he is the master.”

Raphael scoffed lightly:
"Is it."

The man holding the large dog—a haggard-looking middle-aged man with dark circles under his eyes, who looked like he hadn't slept well all night—ignored Edward's threatening barks and bowed to Thales.
"Duke of Star Lake, I have long admired your name."

Raphael looked warily at the Furious Wolfhound and introduced it:
"This is Sabo, the best tracker in the Kingdom's Secret Service."

Sabo shrugged:

"He also works as a doorman and dog walker."

The big dog next to them was disgruntled again:
"Wang! Wang!"

"Okay, okay, it's my fault," Sabo comforted Edward.
"I mean, I'm the doorman and the one who cleans your poop..."

Tracker, doorman, dog walker...

Thales, having wiped the unknown liquid off his face, nodded awkwardly and returned Sabo's greeting, but his eyes couldn't help but drift towards Edward beside him.

The secret service's watchdog...

Looking at the opponent's forelimbs, which were as thick as his own thighs, and its four paws reaching the height of an ordinary person's shoulder, as well as the impact of the heavy cavalry charge just now, Thales swallowed hard with lingering fear.

This is way too big!

Foul!
Upon noticing Thales scrutinizing it, the enormous black wolfhound instantly lowered the volume of its growls.

"Ow~"

Edward the big dog retracted his sharp teeth, revealed his tongue, his lower jaw opened in a large arc, and his tail swayed freely from side to side.

“Clearly, he likes you, Your Highness.”

Sabo frowned and said in a gloomy tone.

Edward was seen panting menacingly with his gaping maw, drool dripping from it, his bright eyes fixed on Thales.

His face was beaming with joy.

Full of energy.

Thales quickly lowered his head to avoid eye contact, and awkwardly straightened his disheveled clothes:

"Yes, I can tell."

Sabo held Edward's collar with one hand and struggled to scratch his back with the other, trying to calm his restlessness as he couldn't lunge forward.
"He hasn't tackled anyone in a long time; the last time was a long time ago..."

Raphael cleared his throat and gave Sabo a warning look:
"I'll go open the door. Keep an eye on your dog."

Sabo tilted his head indifferently, while Edward bared his teeth again.

"Wang Wang!"

"You've misunderstood. Raphael wasn't talking about you, he was talking about me. He's keeping an eye on me..."

The Bone Man strode toward the double iron gate.

Sabo watched Raphael's retreating figure, then glanced at the large dog beside him, which was constantly nuzzling against him and clearly showing great interest in Thales:

"Tsk tsk, Lord Hansen must be very unhappy..."

Thales suppressed his fear of Edward:
"Why?" "Don't you know?"

Sabo pulled out a piece of chain ("Who the hell chains dogs?!"—the prince's later complaint) and fastened it to Edward's collar.

He took a step closer to Thales (the prince instinctively took a step back) and whispered:

"Rumors circulate in the Secret Community that Lord Hansen's leg was bitten off by a horrific dog."

what?
The Black Prophet's legs?
Thales pricked up his ears.

"But there is still controversy about which dog it is, and there are even bets on it."

“But, tsk tsk, if you ask me,” Sabo winked at the large dog beside him, his expression serious and suggestive:
"Do you get me?"

The enormous, frightening wolfhound barked excitedly, its enthusiasm for Thales undiminished.

Thales took a step back and nodded stiffly.

In the distance, Raphael approached the double iron gate, rolled up his sleeves, and waved his fingers in the air.

Even more strangely, as he moved his fingers, ripples appeared in the air in front of the iron gate, like the surface of shimmering water.

Thales frowned:
"What is he doing?"

“Magic runes,” Sabo glanced at the prince, then at Edward, and answered casually, “The tricks of the Soul Tower. Only by drawing the matching runes on the corresponding sealing array can passage be granted. I prefer the Alchemy Tower; they are classical and prefer to use keys.”

Thales' heart skipped a beat.

"But I remember that magic was forbidden?"

Sabo shook his head:
"Forgetting".

Thales looked up in confusion:
"what?"

Sabo tugged at Edward's chain and ruffled his fur, preventing the large dog from slipping out and getting close to Thales.

"Magic is forgotten, not forbidden."

Thales' expression shifted:
Is there a difference between being forgotten and being banned?

Sabo shrugged:

"In terms of actual results, there are none."

"But if we look at it from the perspective of motives and purposes..."

Just now.

“Sabo,” Raphael’s voice came through, sounding somewhat dissatisfied, “that’s enough.”

Before anyone knew it, the Bone Man had turned around, and the iron gate behind him opened a crack.

Sabo smacked his lips and waved his hand dismissively:
"All right……"

But before he could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred!
Suddenly, Edward the big dog jumped up and darted toward the iron gate!

Thales was taken aback.

Perhaps unprepared, or perhaps unable to let go in time, Sabo, equally shocked, was pulled down by the chain and dragged towards the iron gate by Edward.

The next second, the massive Edward slammed into Raphael in front of the iron gate with overwhelming force!

boom.

The skeleton was mercilessly knocked away, falling to the side with a groan.

Sabo, on the other hand, was thrown off the chain and rolled several times on the ground, groaning as well.

Thales stared in astonishment at what he saw: two men had been brought down by a dog.

"Are you...are you all alright?"

I'll just say it.

This dog is huge!

But what happened next was even more unexpected.

Before the dumbfounded Thales, the massive black wolfhound, dragging its empty leash, excitedly burst open one of the iron gates, then eagerly ran back and clumsily pushed open the other gate.

After doing all that, it happily turned around and looked at Thales.

The prince felt a chill in his heart.

"Wait, hehe, well, good puppy, Edward, right... um, I don't actually know them... if you have a grudge against them..."

But the next moment, Edward roared and strode towards the boy!
"No, no, no, no! You, you don't come any closer! Ahhh—"

The prince, still haunted by his past, took five or six steps back in fright. In the end, disregarding royal decorum, he turned and ran!
But Edward's massive size was one thing, its speed was equally astonishing.

Thales hadn't run more than a few steps when the big dog swept past him and pounced in front of him!

What the hell!

Thales instinctively raised his arms as if to defend himself.

Fortunately, Edward didn't recklessly pounce on people this time.

It nimbly stopped a short distance in front of Thales, and first let out two obedient whimpers, as if to remind him of something.

Ok?
Thales lowered his arm in confusion.

The big dog cautiously approached with small, hesitant steps.

This time, looking into its obedient eyes, Thales realized that the Sin of the River of Hell within him had no reaction.

Edward stuck out his tongue, wagged his tail, and spun around twice on the spot with his massive, mountain-like body.

"Wang! Wang!"

It barked twice at the open door, its eyes behaving obediently and its barking ingratiatingly.

Sensing the other person's goodwill, Thales looked at the gate in the distance, lowered his arm in confusion, and pointed to himself:
"I?"

The big dog got even more excited after receiving a response.

This time, it wagged its tail, barked once at Thales, and then barked twice at the iron gate:

"Wang! Wang Wang!"

Under the expectant gaze of the other party, Thales looked at his blocked path and the two figures lying on the ground in the distance, their fates unknown, and forced a smile:

"You mean, the door?"

"Wang!"

The big dog happily pounced on the (pale-faced) prince, circled Thales twice, and nudged him forward by arching its back.

"Okay, okay, I'll go..." Thales walked forward nervously, unsure of what to do.

Edward walked beside him, occasionally licking the back of his hand affectionately and rubbing against the boy's arm.

Until they reached the iron gate.

“Oh,” standing in front of the iron gate, Thales understood, feeling both enlightened and relieved:
"You mean..."

"You opened the door especially for me?"

"Woof!" Edward barked even more enthusiastically.

“Okay, good dog,” Thales said, suppressing his unease, tentatively reaching out and awkwardly scratching its furry head.

"Thank you?"

Edward stuck out his tongue, twisted his head, and looked quite content.

He was clearly enjoying it.

On the other side, Raphael got up cursing and swearing, brushing the dust off his body as he glared angrily at Sabo, who was also tidying himself up.

“Well, we all know Edward is smart,” Sabo said ominously, reaching out to grab the dog’s leash and taking over Thales’s scratching motion.

"But this is the first time."

Edward growled at him in annoyance, his voice threatening.

“We’d better go inside quickly,” Raphael said, eyeing the large dog warily, his face full of displeasure.
"It looks like it hasn't had enough."

So Thales turned back one last time and waved awkwardly to Edward.

The angry wolfhound barked excitedly in response and tried to move forward again, but Sabo pulled it back.

With a click, the iron gate closed.

Sabo, who was equally disgruntled, and the giant wolfhound, who was gazing longingly at Thales, were both locked outside the door.

“Sabo,” Raphael looked at the large dog suspiciously through the iron gate:

"The Duke of Starlake is traveling in private, do you understand?"

“I understand, I’ll tell them,” Sabo shook his head indifferently.
"An innocent and adorable little deer accidentally wandered into Edward's territory."

The big dog on the side howled angrily.

"Okay, okay! I know!"

Sabo scratched Edward's neck in exasperation.

“I was just talking about a big wolf, a wolf, okay? It won’t damage your reputation… I swear, all the other dogs will admire you…”

Listening to the argument between the man and the dog getting further and further away behind him, Thales felt a lingering fear.

"So, Sabo, he can talk to dogs?"

The Bone Man laughed:
"He believes he can."

"What do you mean?"

“At least Lord Hansen said that Sabo himself has believed this for decades,” Raphael shook his head indifferently. “As for whether it’s true or not…”

"Only a dog would know that."

Thales smiled.

He grabbed his collar and sniffed the spot where Edward had bitten him.

The prince immediately frowned.

He won't admit his mistakes.

That's fresh...

Bloody smell.

"So, old buddy, when was the last time you pounced on someone like this, aside from eating?"

Outside the iron gate, Sabo pulled out an old notebook and opened the cover, which had the words "Don't get eaten!" written crookedly on it.

As he listened to Edward's roar, he enthusiastically took notes:
"what?"

"You mean the taste? The same taste? A dog? Another dog?"

Sabo's eyes widened.

"What? A big dog? His big dog? A powerful dog? A dog with a large territory? A dog that breeds puppies? A dog that all dogs fear?"

Sabo suddenly realized something.

"Big dog, his big dog, the big dog that gave birth to puppies... Oh, I get it..."

He put down his pen, touched Edward's head, and looked at Thales's back through the iron gate.

What you're trying to say is—

The Angry Wolfhound stared at Sabo's palm, licked its drool-filled teeth, and let out a warning growl.

"His mother?"

The angry wolfhound's eyes turned cold.

The next second, the ferocious dog's muscles twitched, and it tilted its head back to look!
Hey!
The sound of teeth clenching exploded in the air.

At the critical moment, Sabo skillfully and swiftly withdrew his hand.

"I see, well, so you bully the weak and fear the strong..."

Sabo showed no fear. He raised his right hand, which had only three fingers, and smiled at the ferocious-looking wolfhound: "I'm saying, maybe his mother isn't human..."

"But you really are a dog!"

Edward grunted in dissatisfaction.

Then, it disdainfully turned its head away, flicked its tail and paws, and swaggered back to its walk.

(End of this chapter)