Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 7 Escape Plan
"Clench your teeth on this piece of firewood, it will make you feel better. I'm sorry, I... this is the only way I can think of."

Thales frowned and knelt before Ryan.

The beggar, who had a limp, was half-lying on the ground against the wall, with blood slowly flowing from his severed right hand.

Ryan stared blankly at Thales, who was sharpening a dagger on a blunt stone, as he stuffed a piece of firewood into his mouth.

Behind Thales, the girl Coria sat blankly in the courtyard, her left cheek, where the silver coin had burned, was covered with a cloth after being treated.

She was clutching the charred silver coin tightly in her hand.

The girl stared wide-eyed, looking here and there, occasionally glancing up at the moon, and sometimes bursting into hysterical laughter.

Behind her, Quaid's lifeless body, its eyes wide open, leaned against the broken wall.

A wave of nausea washed over Thales.

That tactile sensation, that feeling of metal piercing flesh, would occasionally appear faintly in Thales's hand as he wielded the knife.

Thales sighed, struggling to suppress the eerie feeling of killing for the first time.

The burns on his chest were still painful, which took away a lot of his attention.

He had to kill Quaid, and Thales had no regrets about that.

Even as he plunged the dagger into Quaid's neck and watched him fall unwillingly, Thales felt a surge of pleasure.

That was the thrill of revenge.

In that instant, it seemed as if all the grievances and hatred were relieved and released.

It was as if long-awaited justice had finally arrived at that moment.

Simple, direct, and effective.

But... Thales closed his eyes, shutting Quaid out of his sight, lying in a pool of blood, but he couldn't stop the emptiness and chill from creeping over his body.

No.

He kept repeating to himself: No.

No matter how exhilarating or relieved you felt at that moment.

He can't like it.

That's murder.

Slaughtering one's own kind.

Perhaps he had no choice, but for whatever reason, he has no reason to be proud of it.

Killing Quaid was not about becoming a scumbag like him.

More importantly—Tales turned to look at Coria and placed the sharpened dagger into the flames.

These children have probably experienced the most crucial moment in their lives.

That was also the most terrifying scene.

Another illusory scene appeared before his eyes, with the projector's light and the text on the slides emerging like waves.

"...From a developmental psychology perspective, childhood and adolescence are the most critical periods for the formation of a person's mind and personality. Bloom's longitudinal studies have found that the environment, interactions, and behaviors experienced during this stage are strongly correlated with future personality and psychological development. Many theoretical studies also suggest that this influence may even last a lifetime."

Thales shook his head, burying yet another piece of the memory that had been recovered deep in his heart.

The mental health of the beggars is secondary; the immediate problem to be solved is how to survive.

Thales suppressed his nausea and turned his attention to the dagger in his hand.

This dagger is shorter than an adult's forearm. It has a single-edged blade with a slight curve at the tip. The wooden handle is wrapped with black leather straps to prevent slipping, while the sides of the blade are smooth... Hmm?

Thales suddenly noticed that, washed by blood and flames, two letters had appeared on the side of the blade.

JC.

JC?
Thales's expression changed slightly.

No matter how many tricks, how many plans, or how clever you are... Thales thought, none of them were as effective as this dagger called "JC".

The next second, Thales' eyes turned cold.

The blade that was warming itself by the fire just a moment ago suddenly appeared next to Ryan's severed hand!
"laugh!"

Thales made a clean cut without hesitation!
They severed the last bit of skin and flesh between Ryan's palm and wrist.

"Hmm! Hmm... Hmph!"

Ryan convulsed violently like an Ashir shrimp thrown into boiling water!
He gripped the firewood tightly, his eyes were closed in agony, his face was contorted in an exaggerated way, tears and snot streamed down his face, and a frightening groan came from his throat.

Thales quickly pulled over a strip of cloth covered with medicine—which was actually just some Urdron grass—and, despite the other's struggles, tightly wrapped it around Ryan's severed hand, tying it into a knot.

Hopefully this will work, stop the bleeding, and prevent infection, otherwise...

Thales looked at the fire and shook his head.

Ryan was still convulsing in pain, and Thales held his severed hand tightly while trying to pull him into his arms as he trembled violently.

"Hang in there, Ryan, it'll be over soon, hang in there!" Thales whispered to comfort him with his eyes closed, feeling another sharp pain as Ryan brushed against the burns on his chest.

Thales looked to the other side: Kelly, Ned, and Ensola, three children who had been perfectly fine not long ago, were now lying quietly in the moonlight.

It looked like she was asleep.

Ryan's breathing gradually became regular, but Coria began to sob softly again.

"Thales, boohoo, I was so scared. Kolia didn't have typhoid fever, Kolia is all better now..."

Thales put Ryan down, turned around and hugged Kolia, carefully avoiding the burns on her face, and gently patted her.

"It's alright, Coria, it's all over now."

I am sorry.

It was my fault for failing to protect everyone.

"Thales!"

Thales opened his eyes.

Sinti ran back, panting.

Thales took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down:

"How's it going outside?"

Sinti was the least injured of the children in the Sixth House. After Thales helped him set his dislocated leg (his life as a beggar had taught him a lot about self-rescue, such as setting bones—or dismantling bones), Thales sent him out to scout and keep watch, to warn of any potential threats.

"No one from above is coming."

"No Rick, no thugs, no Brotherhood members, it's like nobody outside the abandoned house knows anything."

Sinti, being the oldest and having the longest-standing rapport with Thales, directly addressed the latter's most pressing concerns.

"Quid seems to have been to quite a few houses. Some people managed to escape, but not counting us, there was no movement in at least six or seven houses."

Thales' eyes dimmed.

The sixth house is not the abandoned house closest to the gate.

He probably guessed the fate of those houses.

"Now everyone knows what happened. Everyone is saying that the Brotherhood is going to wipe us all out. Some people are hiding in their houses and are too afraid to come out, but many more have run out into the streets, and some are trying to escape."

Thales' eyes lit up: "Wait, you're saying the thugs are all gone?"

Sinty knew what Thales was thinking. He shook his head and said bitterly:
“It’s no use. The door is locked from the outside. Karak and his men are shouting at the door, but no one comes. We can’t get out unless we can cross the moat and the spikes inside.”

“We,” Ryan said, clutching his right arm and struggling to sit up, his face pale, “do we have to run away? We can wait here until morning, until Rick and the others come, and tell them Quaid went mad on his own…”

“No!” Thales interrupted Ryan decisively. “Quide died in the abandoned house. If they find the killer, we’re all dead. Even if they don’t find the killer, they’ll use the beggars as an excuse. Quaid’s father has considerable influence in the Brotherhood; they won’t let this go so easily.”

“Moreover,” Thales said coldly, looking at Ryan, “Is also…”

"Do you want them to send another Quaid? Even if the next leader isn't like Quaid, do you expect him to feed you well and then kneel down begging you not to kill him after he finds out his predecessor died at the hands of a beggar?"

Ryan, Coria, and Cindy didn't quite understand what he was saying. The three of them blinked, looking bewildered but impressed.

Thales looked at the three men's expressions, lowered his head helplessly, sighed, and said:

Simply put, we have to escape.

"Oh."

The three children then nodded in unison, as if suddenly realizing something.

Thales shook his head helplessly.

Suddenly, another scene appeared before his eyes.

Snowflakes were falling heavily on the scattered streets. A slender figure skipped and hopped ahead of her, while she herself muttered to herself.

"...Therefore, Weber, using his observations and historical summaries, took the origins of capitalism in Europe as an example, and in his book, he satirized Marx's theory that the economic base determines the superstructure..."

"I don't understand what you're saying, but it sounds really impressive."

"Sigh... Simply put, Webber is looking down on Old Ma."

"Oh, is that so? Then let's go have hot pot in memory of Webber!"

"You were the one asking me what classes I had today, could you please not jump the subject so quickly? And why did you change the subject so naturally!"

"Then it's decided, Korean BBQ! Strike Freedom, launch!"

"We were just having hot pot—hey, don't push me—and what's this Strike Freedom thing—I told you not to push me—"

Thales closed his eyes tightly, trying to dispel the illusion that surged back from the void.

Recently, memories have been flooding back more and more frequently, with one "past event" after another surfacing.

But not now.

It can't be now.

There are more important things to do now.

Thales opened his eyes and found that the three children were waiting for his decision.

He stood up and took a deep breath.

"First, when no one is outside, move Quaid out of the sixth room. Although it's heavy, we can't let anyone know that his death is related to us for several hours."

“Then, Sinti, go among everyone and secretly pass on a message—it must be secret. Tell them that there are five loose spikes under the moat to the left of the fourth house. Remove them, cover the remaining two spikes with a stone slab or something, and you can escape the abandoned house.”

Cindy was startled:
"You...you found the secret passage in that deep ravine?"

"A secret passage?" Ryan and Coria seemed startled as well.

Thales didn't say anything, he just patted Sinti on the shoulder.

"Go."

Seeing the surprised and admiring looks in the three people's eyes, Thales shook his head inwardly.

That wasn't a secret passage dug by some incredibly powerful beggar elder.

The so-called secret passage was dug out by him over four years using the excuse that he could return home at night after begging twice a week at the West Gate, along with a dagger, vines, linen, and corrosive agent he had smuggled from a pharmacy.

It's practically like "The Shawshank Redemption" in the world of Errol.

As for that legend, it's nothing but a fabricated fantasy.

There has never been a savior, has there?

Thales patted Cindy on the shoulder again, and Cindy nodded and was about to turn around when he scratched his head and asked in confusion:

"Why tell everyone? Can't we escape on our own? The more people there are, the more crowded it gets, and the slower we'll escape."

No, Thales thought to himself.

The Brotherhood is no pushover. They have eyes and ears in every street, every road, and every corner of the Lower City's Third District. The outskirts of Westgate are also full of their henchmen or people who fear them. For a few beggars under the age of ten, even if they escaped the abandoned house, it would be difficult to escape the Brotherhood's clutches.

In Thales' original escape plan, it would take another six months for him to fully understand the location and patterns of the Brotherhood's informants between the Third District of Downtown and Red Street.

If they prepare supplies from Sunset Bar and Grove Pharmacy, their chances of escaping will greatly increase.

If only we could escape to Red Street, which isn't part of the Brotherhood. But now, now is definitely not the best time.

But in order to survive, they had to escape.

Accidents always happen suddenly, don't they?

Therefore, he had to turn the unauthorized escape from the sixth house into a collective riot among the beggars.

Only the sixth house is missing; that's too obvious. The Brotherhood will soon find three lonely, suspicious beggars on the streets at night.

Secondly, the more people there are, the slower they escape, but the safer and less noticeable they become.

However, to explain these things clearly...

Thales looked up at Sinti, his piercing gaze making the latter feel uncomfortable.

"Sinti, do you still remember the promise we made four years ago?"

Sinti paused for a moment, then lowered his head and pondered for a moment.

When he looked up, his eyes had become resolute.

“Of course.” Cindy looked at Thales, the boy who was a head shorter than her, and said slowly, “You take care of the ideas, and I’ll take care of the execution.”

Thales nodded solemnly.

"Let's escape together!"

----

YaL. Ritton watched the last customer leave Sunset Bar with a bored expression, then lazily got up and put his glass away.

There weren't many drinkers today, especially not the Brotherhood members. Many had been called up to participate in that "big operation," and even the cook, Edmund, had gone with a machete, supposedly to repay a debt of gratitude.

The old man hasn't been back for a long time.

I am bored.

Yara glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 3:30 a.m., a bit early.

However, that clock was a bit slow.

"That clock is very old," Yara thought. "Even the back chamber that holds the eternal oil is rusty. The rust mixed into the eternal oil greatly reduces work efficiency."

We need to think of a way to get the old man to bleed a little money and replace the clock.

With so much business at Sunset Bar, no city tax collectors come to collect taxes ("For the King's sake, I'll give him two middle fingers!"—Yara), and no fools come demanding protection money ("One hundred coppers each, and I'll protect your fingers from being chopped off, how about it?"—Yara), and even the supplies are sourced from the Black Street Brotherhood at discounted prices ("Nal Rick, you're in charge of the accounts, tell these brothers lying on the ground, and my knife, what price should we pay you for the supplies, hmm?"—Yara), surely a little money would be enough to replace the bar's clock?

That stingy old man.

After closing the door and finishing her work at the bar, Yara put down her apron and rag, tightened her leather shorts, turned off the ever-present light at the front desk—it's ironic that its inventor chose that name—and went into the kitchen.

It's a bit early today. As usual, after my workout, there's still...

The next moment, Yara's expression turned cold and ruthless!

She instantly lowered herself, bending her knees to a position where she could easily exert force, and the infamous wolf leg knife from the underworld instantly appeared in her left hand.

It flew out like a lightning bolt!
"Boom!"

The wolf-leg knife was plunged deep into a wine barrel, with only the hilt sticking out and the blade still trembling.

"Ah!" A little girl screamed in terror.

Yara slowly straightened up, tucked the other wolf leg knife back into her boot, and then lit the ever-burning lamp beside her.

The lights illuminated the dimly lit kitchen, revealing several small figures.

“Yara, um…” The disheveled boy, Thales, still shaken from the wolf-leg knife, forced a smile, raised his slightly trembling right hand, and shook it awkwardly:
"Hi...it's me."

Yara stared at him coldly, without saying a word.

Her eyes were sharp and terrifying, and Kolia shrank back toward Thales in fear.

A few seconds later, the female bartender suddenly strode over.

The three beggars behind Thales all took an awkward step back.

“I know,” Yara said coldly, walking up to him and pulling her wolf-leg knife from the barrel two inches from Thales’ ear.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be aiming at the barrel."

Yara flicked her wrist, defiantly twirling her knife in front of him before tucking the weapon into her boot.

"And you, you little brat..."

She said in a sinister tone.

Thales suddenly became wary!
The next second, the boy instinctively raised his hand to protect his forehead!

But before that, a slender finger had already poked it hard.

"Ah! Pain!"

The female bartender's voice rang out in dissatisfaction:
“I told you, you should call me—Sister Yara!”

----

"When I came in through the back door, I didn't see Edmund, so I thought I'd come and check out the kitchen..."

In the cellar of the Sunset Bar, three beggars, besides Thales, leaned against a large sack of food, fidgeting and struggling to eat the white bread in their hands—they hadn't had such good food in a long time.

A little distance away from them, Thales sat on a barrel twice his height, looking straight ahead at ALS Rilton, arms crossed, one leg against the wall, exuding a lazy yet dashing air.

If it were in his previous life, Thales would probably look at her with admiration, scrutinizing her from head to toe, then look up at the sky, savoring the moment and marveling at the beauty of this world.

As for what Thales will do next... he'll just go home and do whatever he needs to do.

As for now—sorry, he's still young.

"Just tell me straight, why did you come to me?" Yara remained indifferent, getting straight to the point.

But Thales was used to it; ever since he first met this "older sister" who was only eighteen or nineteen at the time, four years ago, in the garbage dump in the back alley of a bar, she had always spoken and acted in the same way.

That's who she is.

he knows.

“Quide has gone mad; he killed almost half of the beggars in the abandoned house.”

Thales said solemnly, while silently clenching his fists.

Half of them were beggars.

Yara's expression shifted; first, she looked incredulous, then her eyes darkened.

damn it.

From the moment Yara saw these wounded beggars, she began to have doubts about what had happened earlier that day.

Yara composed herself, inwardly cursing Rick.

This is the person in charge of the accounts.

He got Quaid drunk so that...

You really dare to do that.

I actually agreed to his request just for those ten gold coins?

Yara clenched her fist tightly.

Half of them were beggars.

Just for... ten gold coins?
Yara's expression darkened.

This is no small matter; it will definitely anger the Brotherhood.

“No one came to stop him, and no one came to save us. We had to escape on our own,” Thales said somberly, as if the scene from a few hours earlier was repeating itself.

Yara remained silent, only looking at him with a somber expression.

The three beggars in the distance sensed the atmosphere and didn't dare to utter a sound.

Finally, Yara closed her eyes and sighed.

"I see."

"You guys stay here and hide. Don't worry, with me here, that gorilla Quaid won't dare come..."

A ruthless glint appeared in the female bartender's eyes:

"If he comes, I'll chop off his—cough cough—his hand."

Thales pursed his lips, hesitating to speak.

Yara glanced at the other three beggars and frowned.

She could recognize which were new injuries.

Especially the child whose right hand was wrapped in cloth.

Damn Quaid.

“When Edmund gets back, I’ll send him to find the higher-ups. Quaid can’t escape what he’s done—why didn’t that guy just die sooner?”

And that damned Rick.

Thinking about this, Yara felt somewhat disheartened.

Thales's eyes darkened.

He looked at the three beggar children, exhaled deeply, and then looked at Yara.

"The Brotherhood has a big mission today, which is why the guards and patrols are lax..."

The female bartender let out a sigh of relief, put her legs down from the wall, and stood up.

“You managed to escape, you must be… Sigh, never mind, I’ll go get the medicine, and if you need a doctor, wait a minute.”

Yara, who was talking to herself, paused.

She suddenly realized that something was wrong with Thales in front of her.

The child was covered in wounds, his clothes were torn to shreds, and the sleeve of his right hand was even stained dark red.

"Kid, what's wrong?" Yara asked, puzzled.

But Thales did not answer; his expression only grew more somber.

and many more.

That kid's eyes...

Something's not right.

Yara walked up to Thales and pulled him off the barrel.

The female bartender knelt down, put her hands on Thales' shoulders, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Little devil, you..."

But Thales remained silent.

"What's wrong with you?"

Yara's eyes suddenly became very serious and urgent.

At first, Thales was hesitant to look Yara in the eye.

But in just a few seconds, he composed himself and resolutely raised his head.

He had no choice, did he?

“Yara, Quaid is dead.” Thales heard his own voice ring out, calm and without tremor.

"I did it."

If you've made it to this chapter and are still here, that's great.



(End of this chapter)