Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 631 Rat
Thales stood in the middle of the study, pointing at the invitation on the floor with a look of utter despair: "Ready?"

"and many more."

Ashida stopped him.

The mage gazed at him intently, then slowly raised a finger:
"This time, let's try this one."

Thales was taken aback:
"Which one should I try?"

Before he could finish speaking, a gust of wind suddenly arose.

Suddenly, the broken chair with a missing corner rose from behind the desk and flew towards Thales!
Terston was immediately horrified and instinctively raised his hand.

"What the hell are you doing—"

Boom!
The chair hit the ground with a loud thud.

The next second, urgent knocking on the door rang out:

"Your Highness, Your Grace! What has happened? Please answer me!"

"We need to go in—you move aside."

"No, let's count to three together, one, two, three—"

boom!
With another loud bang, the two men on duty—Second-Class Vanguard Officer Leo Morgan and Second-Class Bodyguard Officer José Costa—forced open the door and rushed into the room, only to stop abruptly, their eyes wide with shock.

"Your Highness?"

Thales was seen lying on the chair in a strange posture with his back to the two guards.

"Leo, José, wow, it's you guys tonight."

Thales turned around with difficulty, forcing a smile:
"It's nothing, it's just that when I was exercising, hehe, a stinky rat was causing trouble..."

Morgan and Kusta turned to check: the entire study was empty, except for two candlesticks that were out, everything was normal.

“But, Your Highness, your nose…” The Kusta guard, speaking with a heavy Thornland accent, looked at Thales, who was sprawled on the chair with his buttocks sticking out, and hesitated to speak.

Thales calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from under his nose.

"It's okay, it's okay, you know, it's puberty."

He waved his hand:

"Go out."

Morgan nodded, walked to the candlestick, and relit the candle.

“But—” Kusta wanted to say something more.

"Get out!" Duke Starlake gritted his teeth.

Morgan pulled Kusta aside and bowed to Thales:
"If you need help, Your Highness, we are at the door."

Thales watched them leave and closed the door behind him.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Ashida, who had reappeared at some point, and said angrily, "I thought you had blocked the sound!"

“I did indeed seal it off.” The mage said thoughtfully.

"However, the interference and repulsion between magical energies of different thresholds and different magic users cannot be ignored, second only to the influence of legendary anti-magic weapons on magical energy."

Thales was a little confused by the string of terms, and coupled with his current disheveled state, he patted the chair he was sitting on and said unhappily:
"Okay, then please, next time you want to do this, could you... send out an invitation in advance?"

Ashida stared at the chair, saying nothing.

"This chair could have been used for another week, but now..."

Thales angrily let go of his hand:
The poor chair immediately split into two neat halves and fell to either side.

"Thank you so much!"

Okay, how am I supposed to explain this to everyone?
The Duke fell off the broken chair with a missing corner, hitting his nose and bleeding. In a fit of rage, he ruthlessly swung his sword, leaving the poor chair completely destroyed.

But the mage of air simply walked slowly to Thales' side, signaling him to be quiet.

“Now I’m going to ask you some questions. You must concentrate and speak very carefully,” Ashida said softly, but with great seriousness. “Speak slowly and word by word. If I tell you to stop, you must shut up immediately and not say another word.”

But Thales was still angry:

"What if I 'talk too much'? What then?"

Aishida glanced at him, her gaze cold and filled with murderous intent.

Thales choked.

He sniffed, inhaling the strong smell of blood, and felt sullen.
"Ok."

Ashida observed the symmetrically separated chair:
"What is this ability?"

"Who knows—I don't know what this is, or how I learned it. It looks like Rolf's superpower, or some street sorcerer's trick," Thales said irritably.

But my superpowers and magic tricks won't make me a target of everyone's hatred and a constant escape from death.

"Do not."

Ashida stared at the chair with fascination, but shook her head in denial.

“Superpowers are a natural part of life’s evolution, magic tricks are mere deception, but this,” the chair floated up in front of the magician, accompanied by his ethereal and melodious voice, “is beyond our comprehension, completely different.”

Thales wiped the blood from his nose, completely uninterested.
"whatever."

"What...can it influence?"

“Small objects,” Thales said listlessly. “The smaller the target, the lighter the better, the closer the better, the simpler the better, like paper, leaves, hair?”

"But if the target is too big, too heavy, too far away, or even too complex in structure, I'll get nosebleeds and dizziness. And if I use it frequently..."

Aishida squinted: "It hurts?"

Thales recalled his harrowing escape from the prison of bones.

"No, it's a little better than that..."

Thales twitched the corner of his mouth, his face expressionless:
"will die."

Aishida pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly:
"interesting."

“Most of the time, it’s like reaching out to grab something far away,” Thales said helplessly, picking up the half of the chair from the ground. Then, quite rudely, he walked up to the mage, ripped the half that was floating in the air down, and pushed them into a corner. “But a few times, when I reached out, I felt… I felt more than just reaching out; it was more like…”

At this point, Ashida suddenly turned around:

"Stop!"

Thales was startled by the abrupt interruption.

Ashida closed her eyes and spoke after a few seconds:
"How long?"

"This thing?"

While cursing the little fool in his heart, Thales composed himself: "I've been practicing for about half a year. Every time, I'm exhausted and my back aches so much I can barely get out of bed. Only now am I starting to get the hang of it—"

Aishida suddenly opened her eyes:
"stop!"

Thales choked again, feeling a lump in his throat, extremely uncomfortable.

Again?

“Remember my words, and watch your words,” the mage said cautiously. “You said you’ve found a way in, what way in?”

Thales swallowed hard.

"To put it simply, once I got tired of practicing with paper and wanted to try a different bridle. But that thick, stiff rope turned into—"

"Stop!" The mage's warning rang out just in time.

Hold.

Thales pouted and changed the subject:

"In short, I had no choice but to throw it down the drain—of course, under normal circumstances, just locking onto the target is not easy."

Ashida astutely grasped the key point:

"Under normal circumstances?"

Thales shrugged:

"Yes, knocking on the door was so easy, as natural as breathing or drinking water—"

Ashida raised her hand again:

"stop!"

Thales sighed helplessly.

Can't we just talk normally?
Ashida fell silent, lost in thought.

"I see. This feels weird, doesn't it?"

The prince, looking annoyed at being interrupted multiple times, sneered:
"You are curious and want to understand and explore, but because of the initial covenant of magical energy, you have to desperately restrain your impulses, resist temptations, and keep telling yourself that you cannot go deeper, you cannot continue, you must stop..."

He looked at Ashida, whose eyes were glowing blue, and a sinister smile appeared on his face:

"So you want to know more, you want more? Hehe, I can give you everything..."

A flash of blue light appeared in Ashida's eyes.

"Ahhh—empty, air...I'm sorry, teacher!"

The blue light flashed again, and Duke Xinghu, who was second only to the emperor and above all others, regained the right to breathe freely, pitifully panting as he lay on his desk.

“So, the Primordial Covenant of Magic,” Thales turned back, barely breathing, “was originally intended for existence?”

Ashida didn't speak. He stared at the chair in the corner and said softly:

"For our own sake."

That's just nonsense.

Thales sighed, and having lost his chair, he could only turn over and sit on the desk.

"Alright, I've given you what you wanted and answered your questions. Can we get back to the main topic now? Before I die from blood loss?"

The boy tapped on the table impatiently and said:
"Now, of the three magic users, what do you want?"

The blue light in the magician's eyes gradually faded. He turned around with his hands behind his back, and his silhouette in the study appeared cold and ethereal.

"You really want to know?"

“I told you, the more you hide from me,” Thales said listlessly, shaking his blood-stained handkerchief, “the more likely I am to stumble on things I don’t know.”

"Besides, aren't we students and guides? We are so close and trusting of each other, truly a model teacher-student relationship..."

Aishida suddenly spoke:
Answer me: Who won the final battle?

The boring classroom atmosphere suddenly became serious and formal, catching Thales off guard. He hurriedly put away his handkerchief.

Who's winning……

"Um, the world, mortals, all intelligent races?"

But Ashida didn't speak, and the mage continued to stare at him coldly.

"Ok."

Thales crossed his arms and pondered for a moment:

"The Magic Queen".

"The legendary anti-magic weapons they created can seal away magic users," he frowned, recalling what he had seen at the bottom of the Bone Prison, "but they can't work on themselves."

The Queen may set fires, but no disasters may be allowed to light lamps.

Aishida's eyes flashed.

"It seems you've learned quite a bit since we last met."

Thales gave a soft hum.

"Don't forget, I hold a crown in my left hand and magic power in my right."

Thales spread his arms wide, then awkwardly hid his blood-stained left hand behind his back.

The boy continued, "In this way, the two emperors drove the other magic users to the brink of extinction, monopolized the right to use magic energy, and, as you said, deepened their understanding of magic energy. They are the biggest winners."

Ashida nodded.

But the next second, his tone became mysterious:

"Then why did the two magic emperors, as the biggest winners, disappear for seven hundred years, hiding behind the scenes, only known in the awe of a few, with no one even knowing where they are?"

Telston was taken aback.

Why did the two magic emperors disappear without a trace?
Well, that's the question...

The mage strolled in slowly, posing a series of increasingly pressing questions, his aura growing ever more imposing:
"Why would they distribute legendary anti-magic weapons to mortals and rely on the kings, lords, governors, and bishops of this world to perform the duty of monitoring the world on their behalf?"

"Why not simply reveal your identity, rule over billions of living beings, command everything in the world, and let those who obey prosper and those who oppose perish?"

"Just like what radicals do?"

Ashida stared intently at him, awaiting the student's response.

Um, what the old crow was talking about, the limits of rule? No, that only applies to mortals.

Thales suppressed the first answer and realized that it was indeed a good question.

He began to think about the logic behind it.

"Because the warrior defeated the dragon, not to become the dragon himself? Okay, just kidding."

"Because, because it's convenient? Because of laziness? Because of efficiency? Because they, uh, don't have time? You know, not every magic user has the leisure to help gangsters fight and seize territory."

The mage of air continued to stare at him silently, offering no response to Thales's sarcasm.

Thales had no choice but to stop teasing and said seriously:

"Well, to be honest, the only thing I can think of is that since they used the Cleansing Plan to erase the existence of magic masters, it would be inconvenient for the Twin Emperors themselves to appear in front of the world, so as not to undermine the effect of blocking information and covering up history?"

Ashida stared at him for a very long time.

It was as if she wanted to connect with his heart through her gaze.

This made Thales a little uneasy.

Wait, did he go off-topic? What did I just ask?

Finally, the Qi Mage gave a cold laugh.

“I’ve been curious about this for a long time, and to find out,” Ashida said, her eyes burning, “I need more information.”

"And Freylan was right about one thing."

The guide slowly said:

"Since the final war, the Starry Sky royal family has a long history and has been involved in many things. They must have many secrets that magic users cannot know."

Thales slapped his forehead.

Oh, right, that's why Ashida joined the Three Calamities Alliance.

"So, you risked having your address doxxed and registered as a member of the 'Flailan Mutual Aid Group' under your real name, just to see references that you couldn't find elsewhere, in order to study 'why the two emperors are such homebodies'?"

Thales asked tentatively.

Ashida watched him silently, without moving an inch.

Okay, it seems he didn't get the joke.

Thales could only sigh:
"So what are the conclusions of your research?"

Ashida looked away and turned to look out the window.

"They are hiding."

A deep blue light returned to the mage's eyes; his tone was hollow, yet it sent a strange chill down one's spine.

"It's because they are fearful, wary, and vigilant."

Are the two emperors filled with fear, apprehension, and vigilance?
Thales was taken aback and asked in confusion:
"What's there to be afraid of? They are already the most powerful mages, no one can stop them..."

No one can stop it.

Thales paused, then realized:
"Oh, you mean, Toros? He has the power to surpass the two emperors?"

Toros.

Aishida suddenly turned around, her eyes flashing with a sharp blue light!
Thales was so startled that he stumbled.

The mage spoke slowly and gently: "I noticed just now that, even though I rarely mention it, you seem to already know something about this senior."

His eyes sharpened:
The question is, how did you find out?

Thales swallowed hard.

Enduring Ashida's aggressive gaze, he recalled the words of the senior he had spoken at the critical moment before knocking on the door:

Guiding you is Ashida's responsibility; it is not my place to interfere.

Within the community of mage masters, there exists a sacred and inviolable relationship between the guide and the guided. For example, you and Ashida share a special and close bond; you are both exceptionally important to each other.

Thinking of this, Thales subconsciously said:
"Books. Read from books."

But Aishida immediately pressed for an answer:

"what book?"

Thales blurted out:

"Forbidden books, in the collection of the Sunset Temple..."

The mage relentlessly pursued:
"Which one?"

Thales choked.

He had to put on an apologetic smile:
“Okay, to be honest, it’s actually the guard recorder—the standard wing of the royal guard, who records the words and deeds of people throughout history.”

Aishida squinted:
"Whose record?"

“The King of Restoration.” Thales’ eyes didn’t blink.
"Tormond I, he mentioned what he saw in the final war, well, what he witnessed, including Toros."

"Oh, the records are kept in the Palace of Rejuvenation. Would you like to take a look?"

Aishida remained silent for a few seconds.

“No,” the mage said, gazing at him intently. “There are legendary anti-magic forces inside; it’s not safe.”

Thales looked like he had just realized something:

"Oh, what a pity."

"Do you want me to steal it for you?" "No need," Ashida said softly, turning away.

“But no,” the mage continued, “they are not afraid of Toros.”

His words were tinged with deep apprehension:
"You can't imagine what level and height the Magic Queen has reached since creating the legendary anti-magic weapon."

"I think even someone as senior as Toros cannot compete with the two emperors who are unstoppable."

Even Toros couldn't contend with the two emperors?

Thales was slightly surprised at first, then asked in confusion:

"Then what could they possibly be afraid of?"

Ashida did not answer directly.

“Think, Thales, think,” the mage said, gazing at the star-studded lake reflecting the countless stars. “Don’t develop the bad habit of waiting for answers.”

Thales frowned.

The two emperors are unmatched.

unmanned……

No.

Thales's eyes flickered.

It's not 'no one'.

Not at all.

"each other."

Thales stared intently at the chair that had split in two in the corner.

“Bloodthorn and Black Orchid, as the victors of the final battle, as mage masters who surpass the vast majority of their peers,” he looked up at the mage masters, “the only ones who can truly rival the two emperors are each other.”

The young man said solemnly:
"What they fear and are wary of is the other party."

Aishida gave a soft hum:
"Looks like you're not so dull after all."

Upon receiving the approval, Thales' eyes lit up:
"Therefore, without a common enemy, the two empresses became each other's greatest threat, and broke off relations after the war, becoming bitter enemies."

"And they hid behind the scenes to guard against ambushes—this is a battle royale game where 'whoever finds the other first' wins?"

Faced with the student's hopeful question, the magic master remained noncommittal, simply saying:
"As I said before, you are getting closer and closer to the truth of the world."

This is probably Ashida's version of "You're absolutely right," Thales thought to himself.

"Okay, I understand that, so what?"

Thales returned to the main topic, wary of Ashida changing the subject:

"Your purpose in joining the Three Calamities Alliance isn't to use it to win over one of the two emperors and attack the other, is it?"

Ashida remained silent for a long while.

But when he spoke again, his tone was different.

"Thales, are you sure you want to keep listening?" the mage asked quietly.

Thales was taken aback:
"what?"

The mage turned around, his figure blocking out the moonlight, giving Thales a sense of oppression for the first time.

"It should be understood that truth and secrets often carry a heavy burden."

Aishida spoke softly, her voice carrying a deeper meaning: "Are you really... ready?"

Looking at the other person's expression, Thales frowned in confusion: "Why are you suddenly talking like you're telling a ghost story?"

His teacher gave a cold smile:
"Because once you know, there's no going back."

No turning back?

Thales curled his lip indifferently:
"Even if I didn't know, there's no turning back for me, right?"

What a joke.

Do you really think that I, the number one person in the world of Errol who can turn bad luck into good, Thales Star, was scared as a child?

At this point, Thales suddenly realized something, and he raised his finger menacingly:

"And you can forget about 'getting out of class' now!"

Ashida gave a lukewarm hum, her emotions unreadable.

But contrary to his usual behavior, he spoke quite readily:
"During my time working with Freylan, I obtained some valuable historical records through the Starry Sky Royal Family, the Kingdom's Secret Service, and even the Blood Vial Gang."

Thales squinted:
"about?"

A rare smile appeared on Ashida's face.

The meaning is strange and difficult to understand.

"You already know that all the legendary anti-magic weapons were created by the Twin Emperors and are ineffective against them, right?"

Thales looked at him nervously, his mind filled with suspicion:

"so?"

The mage lowered his voice:
"What if there are exceptions?"

"What if there were weapons in this world that weren't created by the two emperors?"

Thales was taken aback at first, then he understood.

Damn.

Eighteen years ago, the first and only legendary anti-magic weapon in history not created by the Magic Queen...

Within the prison of bones, the mysterious voice of the leader of the Blade of Calamity seemed to echo in my ears:

[In the Star Kingdom, on the very foundation of this Dragon Slayer, it was barely forged.]

So, what he said is correct...

Thales took a deep breath:

"So, you're telling me you've discovered an unregistered legendary anti-magic weapon that can work against the Magic Queen?"

This time, Ashida stared at him for a long time before speaking seriously:
"Just in case you regret it after listening, let me ask you one more time: are you really sure you want to listen..."

Thales rolled his eyes inwardly.

"Cut the nonsense!"

The Duke's statement was firm and unquestionable:
"Say!"

Why make things so mysterious?

Do you really think I don't know?

The Dragon Slayer, the Blade of Purification—the achievement of the greatest monarch, and the only possible weapon capable of sealing the two emperors—was already in his hands, and he had actually used it.

Did you really think that by putting on this act and creating a lively atmosphere, you could scare him?
Ashida gave a mysterious smile.

and many more.

Thinking about this, Thales felt a headache coming on:

Beyond the composure of someone seasoned by countless battles, how does one strike the perfect balance between feigning surprise and projecting worldly experience without arousing suspicion?

"In the final battle, every legendary anti-magic weapon was created by the two emperors and then distributed to the chosen Catastrophe Hunters, so that they could use the power of the masses to hunt down the magic masters."

While Thales was pondering, the Air Mage spoke.

But what Ashida said was not what Thales thought:

"But after comparing all the relevant records of the Star Kingdom, I discovered something interesting: some of the weapons were distributed after the final war."

Thales, who was eagerly anticipating hearing "The Blade of Purification," paused for a moment, not quite understanding.

"So, that's normal."

The boy picked at his ear, continuing to sort out his thoughts:
"Although the war is over, the hunt for calamity continues—the Twin Emperors' targets are not only radicals, but also other magic users, such as you, not to mention troublemakers like Giza who are still alive and kicking..."

At this point, Thales shuddered violently!
and many more.

What Ashida just said doesn't make sense.

----

Outside the study, Morgan, the vanguard officer, and Kusta, the bodyguard officer, stood facing each other, one with a cold and stern expression, the other with focused concentration.

“Our prince,” Kusta stared intently at the door, but heard no further sound from inside, “sometimes he does things that are unexpected, doesn’t he?”

Morgan did not respond.

Kusta gave a soft snort:
"Did you hear what Komuto said? They're in the Red Town..."

"Don't bother trying to get close, Thornman," Morgan Vanguard interrupted him rudely, without even glancing at the other man. "I'm not interested."

Kusta's expression froze.

Thorns and brambles.

With his bronze skin and exotic features, Kusta took a deep breath:

“Yes, my father is indeed from the Thorns, but he is also a nobleman of the Kingdom of Elenbia, and my maternal grandmother was a true Starfolk…”

"Who cares who fucked you, you bastard?"

Morgan, the unapproachable vanguard, raised his voice and scoffed disdainfully:
"Just guard your gate, Thorn Barbarian."

The Thorn Man—Custa—breathed heavily and clenched his fists.

“They said you were a veteran,” Kusta’s tone turned cold, “but you were kicked out of the army—because you deserted out of fear of battle?”

This statement had an effect; Morgan shifted his gaze for the first time, fixing it on Custa.

But Custa's tone became increasingly sarcastic:
"That would be really interesting, wouldn't it?"

The Thorn Man sneered:

"Didn't your superior beat you until you shit yourself?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Morgan's expression changed.

It was icy cold to the bone.

The veteran's hand moved toward his weapon.

“Remember, we’re on duty,” Custa said coldly, his hand on the hilt of his knife. “So don’t get any stupid ideas.”

"Unless... you want to be expelled from the guards again outside the military?"

Morgan stopped.

His eyes were cold:
Do you know why they expelled me?

Kusta sneered disdainfully:
Who cares—

"What are you doing?"

The sudden appearance of the unfamiliar figure startled both Kusta and Morgan.

Costa instinctively drew his sword!

clang!
With a sharp sound, Costa's blade stopped in time, slamming into the wall, only a foot away from the stranger's neck.

"Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!"

Kusta cursed fiercely, still shaken, and sheathed his blade:
"I almost fucking killed you—Mr. Vitano?"

Kusta and Morgan stared intently at the hunched figure that appeared beside them—the old man Vitano, the caretaker of Starlake Castle, was standing shakily at the door, carrying a lamp.

Recalling Commander Marius's politeness towards the man before him, Kusta quickly sheathed his blade and changed his tone:

"You, you scared me."

“Hey, old man,” Morgan, who was less patient, glared at Vitano and also sheathed his two short swords. “What are you doing here?”

The lamplight flickered, the figures trembled, and Vitano slowly turned his head, his cloudy eyes glancing at the two:

"You guys... didn't you feel it?"

"Wow, you... you can talk?"

Kusta was taken aback at first, then realized what he meant and cleared his throat: "Sorry, what did you mean?"

"mouse."

Vitano stared at the study door.

“Inside the castle,” the old man said confidently, raising his lamp.

"There are rats."

Despite their deep animosity, Kusta and Morgan exchanged a glance at this moment.

Although the communication was not very efficient.

Yes, we know.

Morgan sized up the old man and said coldly:

"An 'old' mouse."

Kusta smiled:
"Of course, the only place in this haunted castle without rats should be Xunying Studio—that's a den of stray cats."

But Vitano shook his head, his gaze fixed on the door.

"Do not."

"It's an imported rat."

Vitano gazed at the door and said slowly, yet firmly:

“It’s very, very big.”

"It's big."

Kusta and Morgan exchanged another glance.

The thorn-man squinted, pointed to his head, and lowered his voice: "Hey, isn't he... a little... something here..."

Morgan pursed his lips and didn't reply.

But the next second, Vitano's figure trembled, and he took a step forward.

"Hey!"

Two arms, one on the left and one on the right, resolutely blocked his way.

They also blocked the doorway.

“Please stop, Mr. Vitano,” Custa said firmly and seriously, seeing the direction the old man was heading. “If you truly wish to see the Duke, I can announce your arrival first.”

“This road is blocked,” Morgan said more succinctly.

Vitano shakily came to his senses and began to scrutinize the two of them again.

"You are the Royal Guard?"

The old man asked softly.

Kusta lowered his arm and smiled:
"Yes, we are royalty at Starlake Castle..."

"You should jump," the old man said coldly, his words coming out out of nowhere.

Kusta frowned: "What?"

“You,” Vitano said slowly, his voice trailing off like a dying man, “should all jump off the castle.”

Jump?
Morgan's eyes sharpened, and he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Jump down? Why, why?" Kusta asked, puzzled.

Vitano turned his head, first glancing at Custa, then glaring at Morgan, before finally fixing his gaze on the Duke's door.

"Because you're utterly useless."

"We can't even catch a mouse."

After speaking, the old man ignored the two puzzled people and turned around on his own.

In the flickering lamplight, he struggled to leave, step by step, until he disappeared into the depths of the corridor.

Kusta and Morgan stared intently at his retreating figure, utterly bewildered.

“DD is right,” Custa shook his head after watching him walk away. “That old guy, even if he’s not a zombie, he definitely has something wrong with his head.”

“Kill him,” Morgan said coldly.

“Yeah—what?” Custa was taken aback.

Morgan stared down the deserted corridor, grinding his teeth, his tone sending chills down one's spine:

“Next time he shows up like this, we’ll kill him together.”

Kusta blinked:
"Are you crazy?"

Morgan bared his teeth, his killing intent palpable: "No, I'm serious."

Kusta took a deep breath and looked around: "No—the Harvest Lady and the Sunset Goddess are above, why?"

Morgan snorted coldly.

“Because, given the distance from which we found him,” the veteran’s eyes sharpened, “it was enough for him to take us down.”

Kill us?

“Ha, ha, for Thorneland’s sake, I fucking can’t believe it,” Costa said, bewildered and laughing at the same time. “Okay, we killed that old man, and then how do we explain it? Because he said we, well, couldn’t catch mice?”

Morgan nodded, his eyes still fixed on the corridor as if some threat lurked there.
"Correct."

"And he was that rat—that damned rat."

Kusta looked confused.

“You’re insane, insane,” the Thornman sighed after trying again and again, finally giving up on thinking. “You and him, you’re both insane.”

Lady Harvest, if there is a next time, he would rather partner with that disabled mute man on duty.

Damn rat.

(End of this chapter)