Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 713 Setting up the flag
Under the cover of night, Jann frowned deeply, Hilly was astonished, and Seychelles and the others on the other side had unpleasant expressions.

The vassals' chatter continued incessantly, while the spectators further away, bewildered, grew increasingly noisy.

“Great! I knew Your Highness would find a way,” DD exclaimed excitedly, lowering his longsword. “No need to fight them to the death.”

The members of the Xinghu Guard all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait a minute!"

Just then, an unfamiliar voice rang out from the crowd.

"Your Highness, this is extremely inappropriate!"

Then, the great vassal of the south bank, Count Lacia from the swamp, stepped forward, furious, and his eldest son was unable to stop him:
"Noble arbitration is limited to public affairs!"

Thales's face darkened.

"The affairs of a vassal's family, including disputes over succession among siblings, fall under the category of 'self-determination within the fortress' and are not included here!"

Lacia looked seriously at the other vassals, both high and low:

We cannot set such a terrible precedent!

“The Earl’s words make sense,” said Earl Noah Harvia, a distinguished guest of the Emerald Celebration from Saltwall Port in the East Sea. “We cannot repeat the mistakes of ‘Deep Blue Stranding’ to ‘Red King’s Tyranny,’ allowing the internal affairs of one family to deteriorate and escalate into a civil war that sweeps across the kingdom!”

The speeches by the two earls drew a wave of support.

Thales remained expressionless, but Jann's brow relaxed and a smile appeared on his face.

"Pooh!"

Federico, pinned to the ground, said angrily:

"Wasn't it your 'Sun-Shooting Bow' that instigated internal strife within the Amund family, helping King John of the Red to stage a coup and bring about tyranny?"

People began to whisper among themselves again, but Count Javier remained calm and composed.

“And you, Acheson Lacia, have you put them back in—those two teeth my father knocked out…”

Federico was silenced by several guards before he could finish speaking.

Count Lacia lacked such composure; his expression changed drastically, and he became furious.
“You little brat, your father is a shameful traitor—”

Amidst the chaos, Paul from the Star Lake Guard suddenly raised his voice, drawing everyone's attention:

"In fact, we have such a precedent!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he handed his usual bow to the bewildered DD, trying his best to get rid of his rural accent from the Western Wilderness and speak politely:
"More than twenty years ago, the late Earl of Wing Castle, Spencer Clomar, murdered his wife while drunk. The nature of the crime was heinous, involved many parties, and threatened the rule of the kingdom. It was not something that a single family could decide. The principle of 'self-determination within the castle' was no longer applicable."

Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, Paul calmly turned around:
"Therefore, in the presence of a host of noble vassals—Duke Cyril, Guardian of the Western Wilderness; Earl Turamy of Vora Territory; the eldest son of the Earl of Stone City and the uncle of the Earl of Greyvine Harbor; and my father, Earl Lewis of Heroic Spirit Fortress, among others—the late Crown Prince Midil, by order of the King, arbitrated and decided the case!"

Thales' eyes lit up.

Jann frowned deeply.

Among the vassals, Count Havia was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Count Lacia found it hard to believe, while the twins of the Kalabyan family changed color in unison. They unfolded their folding fans, hid half their faces behind them, and hurriedly discussed the matter.

“Yes! Therefore, such a serious matter as patricide cannot be decided by the Kevin Deer family on their own,” DD realized, raised his bow and sword, and loudly chimed in, “His Highness Thales’ arbitration of this case is based on law and precedent, and is neither inappropriate nor presumptuous!”

“Unless someone objects,” Paul said coldly, glancing around, “disagrees with the late King Eddie’s decision, or questions the final outcome of the Wingburg case?”

After he finished speaking, Paul returned to the queue. The audience and vassals on the periphery looked at each other and whispered among themselves. No one else spoke in public.

DD's face lit up with joy as he handed the bow and arrows to Paul: "Well, young master of the Western Wilderness, bringing you along was quite useful after all—why do you look so grim?"

Paul shook his head.

"What case did you just say it was, murder of a wife?" Miranda turned around, slightly surprised.

Paul sighed and nodded:
“My father said that the Crown Prince has issued a gag order.”

Until now.

DD's eyes flickered: "Wait, so that means the Earl of Wingburg, my grandmother's brother-in-law's nephew's cousin, his parents are..."

“Shut up, DD,” Paul interrupted him.

The setting sun—he looked around and said self-deprecatingly—I've completely offended Emerald City…

And Wingburg.

The lights flickered, the moonlight was hazy, and amidst the murmurs of countless people, Thales took a deep breath and turned to Jenn, whose gaze was deep and thoughtful.

That being the case...

“Now, as the glorious and noble Lord of the Iris, the master of the Emerald City, the pioneer and defender of the southern kingdom, Jann Kevindir, tell me,” Thales said coldly, “are you still a citizen of the stars, willing to accept my arbitration?”

But Jenn did not respond; he frowned deeply.
"This was all part of your plan, wasn't it?"

Not good.

Thales frowned slightly.

The Duke remained silent, and Seychelles and the others on the other side also had unpleasant expressions. Many soldiers of the Emerald Legion also looked at the Starlake Guard with ill intent.

“Please, Jenn, no,” Thales whispered. “Your sister is still here. She shouldn’t be dragged into this.”

But Jenn remained expressionless, only his eyes grew colder and darker.

Do you know what kind of person Federico is? Do you know what he wants?

Oops.

Thales' heart sank:
At this point, he's not going to flip the table again, is he?
Like Chaman Rumba?

“Jan, I’m not trying to help him…”

Just then, a commotion broke out at the other end of the arena, interrupting their conversation.

"what happened?"

"What kind of flag is that? Why is it so bright?"

"It looks unfamiliar, is it from around here?"

"Holy crap, I've seen that before, it's..."

"Sir, should we intercept them?"

"Intercept? Are you out of your mind? Do you even know what that is?"

Some exclaimed in surprise, some were puzzled, and some were excited. The restless emotions were transmitted layer by layer, and finally reached the Duke and the Prince from afar.

Thales turned his head as everyone looked at him, and then jumped in surprise:

A large, gleaming silver banner, impossible to ignore, appeared at the entrance of the arena and slowly approached them. The crowd and soldiers along the way gradually dispersed, not daring to obstruct it.

The flag, firmly guarded by a group of people, came unimpeded toward this place. The flag shone brightly under the lights, sometimes dazzling, sometimes clear, eliciting gasps of surprise from the entire arena.

The next second, Thales and Jann simultaneously saw the pattern on the large flag and were both stunned:
That's a nine-pointed star.

A gleaming silver object, impossible to ignore...

A giant nine-pointed star.

Jenn looked at Thales in surprise, while Thales looked back at him blankly and shook his head.

“That’s…” DD stared wide-eyed at the group of people following the flag.

“The one leading the way is ‘The Ghost,’ uh, I mean, Hugo Forbes, the standard-bearer.” Golov recognized the person at the very front.

"So the reason we couldn't find him earlier was because..." DD's expression changed as the group drew closer, "I knew that kid would come looking for trouble sooner or later..."

“It wasn’t just him. The one carrying the flag was Kusta, followed by Kompato, and old Gennad… Ah, those were the people who split up with us when we led His Highness through the breakout. They’ve reunited…” Miranda realized.

DD's expression was unpleasant:

"Oh no, oh no, those traitors must have spilled everything, like how we acted impulsively and without permission. The ghosts will be keeping a record of it all..."

"Wait, the ghost—he…he’s supporting someone—his superior!" Neshi exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone, including Thales, was taken aback!
“You are right, Thor.”

Under the banner of the nine-pointed star, Hugo, supporting the person on his shoulder, looked at the soldiers in the arena, heavily guarded and ready for battle, each one as if facing a formidable enemy, and sighed:
"They really messed up."

“I knew it. It’s good that you came back to find me,” said Tormund Marius, the royal guard watchman supported by Hugo, limping and grumbling. “Wait, what did you call me?”

He frowned and looked at Hugo.

“Thor—I know, but,” Hugo sneered, ignoring the Emerald Soldiers who were gathering at him with ill intent from every corner of the arena, “you have to choose one: either this or the Dreadnought.”

Marius took a deep breath, his expression grim.

Before long, the group overcame the obstacles and passed through the checkpoints, arriving in front of Thales.

"Thor, you, you're awake?"

Thales looked at Marius, who was covered in bandages, looked listless, and needed help to walk, and was both surprised and delighted.

As for the rest of the guard, most of them kept their heads down obediently, not daring to utter a sound.

“Yes, I just took a nap,” Marius said, looking at the grim-faced Janne across from him, the fierce-looking Seychelles, and the dark mass of legions behind him. “And you just messed things up.”

Thales looked embarrassed.

“Believe me,” the prince said bitterly, “I was caught off guard too.”

Marius looked at him, sighed, and turned to the Duke of the South Bank:
"So, where is the election process at now?"

“Lord Marius,” Jann exclaimed in astonishment, looking at the nine-pointed star banner fluttering wildly in the wind, so eye-catching even in the night, “this is…”

Marius's eyes lit up.

“Oh, this? Your Grace, I forgot to introduce it. This is a gift from Heroes' Castle to His Highness, a banner with a shimmering silver nine-pointed star…”

Like everyone else, Thales looked up in bewilderment at the large flag above him.

It's like looking up at the stars.

“This flag…is the one my father gave me?” Paul in the group asked in a low voice, his emotions complicated. “Didn’t you say His Highness didn’t like it?”

DD and Golov looked at each other in bewilderment.

“Believe me, after tonight,” Commuto sighed, “His Highness will love it to death.”

Paul hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.

Marius patted Hugo on the shoulder, signaling him to let go, and then reached out to take the large flag from Custa's hand.

The flagpole was heavy, and Marius, still recovering from his injury, was struggling to lift it. Wyatt and Golov offered to help, but he waved them off.

“Apart from those six insurmountable flags atop the Palace of Restoration,” Marius glanced at Thales, then laboriously leaned on the flag, using it as a cane, and slowly made his way toward the Southern Dukes, “it is the largest Star Clan flag in the world, the most prominent symbol of the royal family.”

The Seychelles knight, who had been warily blocking his way, looked at the gleaming giant banner and instinctively stepped back.

"Of course, I'm worried too. After all, it's such a big flag. If something happens to it, like it gets torn, cracked, or faded, or even worse, if the flagpole breaks, the flag falls off, or the flag falls down in a big event, in front of everyone..."

As Marius spoke, he strode forward, and the flag swayed precariously with each step, causing everyone's faces to pale.

“Hey, you’d better get someone to help you…” the Seychelles knight tried to remind him.

“That would be a disgrace to the royal family, a humiliation to the kingdom, and a loss of face for the Starry Sky. It would be enough for the high priest and historians to record it as an ‘ominous sign’ or a ‘disgrace’,” the Watchman’s tone suddenly changed, making everyone’s expressions grim. “It could even be a major, terrible event, such as ‘disaster for the kingdom’ or ‘imminent defeat’ or even ‘the dynasty’s short lifespan’…”

Marius, gripping the flagpole, looked around, his words carrying a profound meaning:

"Regardless of who caused it, whether intentional or unintentional, it is suspected of being malicious, insulting the royal family, and subverting the kingdom..."

"His crime is so great that only death can atone for it."

Everyone around, including Thales and Jenn, stared at the gleaming banner above their heads and tensed up.

“So we usually fold it up and hide it away, not taking it out easily,” Marius suddenly laughed. “But how can Your Highness be without it on such a grand occasion as the election of generals—give me a hand, Captain Seychelles?”

"What?" Before the Seychelles knight could react, he saw the nine-pointed star flag crash down and the flagpole came straight at him!

He jolted awake, mustered his last strength, grabbed the flagpole, and saw Marius looking at him with a smile, exhausted.

Seychelles was immediately furious: "You—" "Thank you, Captain," Marius waved to him, looking relieved, "You've saved the Starry Sky royal family."

Seychelles paused, looking at the flag in his hand.

With his strength and ability, holding the flag was not difficult for him, but for some reason, Seychelles felt his mouth was dry and the flagpole in his hand was tilting from side to side, making it difficult for him to hold on. He had to use all his strength to hold the flag tightly.

"We just have to be careful; such a big flag, we can't let it fall over."

Marius said meaningfully:

"It could kill someone."

Seychelles' eyes turned cold, and anger rose in his heart. He shoved the flag back!
Everyone was startled!
But another hand reached out from the side and firmly grasped the nine-pointed star flag, preventing it from falling to the ground.

Seychelles turned its head in surprise:
"what are you doing?"

Knight Cassandra held the flag firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument:
"I'll save your life."

The Seychelles knight was quite indignant, but hesitated to speak.

His master, Jan, stared at the banner with an inscrutable expression, lost in thought.

“As for those who succeeded in bringing it down,” Marius turned away from them, “Captain Seychelles, would you like a nickname? ‘The Starfaller’ or ‘The Star Thief’?”

Seychelles was taken aback.

The Watchman gave a weak laugh, put his arm around Hugo's shoulder again, and began to groan and gasp for breath from his old wounds.
"Who knows, you might end up... on par with that Yankee called 'The Meteor'."

Seychelles was incredulous. He looked at the nine-pointed star above his head, then at Marius walking away from him, filled with shock and anger.

At this moment, everyone in the arena stared in awe at the nine-pointed star flag. Thales was among them, and he subconsciously reached out to block out the silver light that flashed and shone as it moved, occasionally assaulting his vision and stinging his eyes.

As if from some unknown time, an invisible pressure enveloped the entire arena and even the Emerald City, forcing everyone to look at this light, floating nine-pointed star.

No, Thales, that's not a nine-pointed star.

A small voice echoed in the prince's heart, saying to him:

That is—you.

Thales shuddered involuntarily.

And what you symbolize.

Thales looked down in a daze at his cuff—there lay a dark pattern of a nine-pointed star.

"enough!"

Jann's cold voice rang out, startling everyone who was unconsciously looking at the flag.

“Yes, yes,” Thales came to his senses, steadied his breathing, and forced himself to regain his composure. “So, Lord Jann, going back to the beginning, are you willing to abide by the Sacred Star Covenant and accept my arbitration?”

At that moment, vassals, dignitaries, soldiers, the Star Lake Guard... everyone held their breath, waiting for the Duke's answer.

Jenn's eyes turned cold.

arbitration.

He turned around and glanced at Hilly, who had been silent the whole time.

arbitration.

He looked down and glanced at Federico, who was panting heavily on the ground.

Finally, he turned his head with difficulty and looked at Thales, whose eyes were burning with intensity.

That damn brat.

"I--"

The Duke of the South Bank was about to speak when a gust of wind blew, and the flags above his head fluttered loudly!
He paused, speechless.

Moreover, the silver embroidery on the flag has excellent reflectivity, and the nine-pointed star emblem floats back and forth in the night sky, shining with silver light.

This made the distant iris flags appear even more dim and lackluster.

At that moment, Jenn looked at the huge nine-pointed star above his head with a complicated expression.

Finally, as the nine-pointed star rose into the wind for the third time, the master of Emerald City, the Duke of the South Bank, took a deep breath and lowered his head.

“Look, Thales, you’re pretty good at cards when you take off your mask and start playing seriously, aren’t you?”

Jann gave Thales a faint, cold laugh, but the laugh itself was undeniably desolate:

"Even though it was someone else's hand."

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

Jenn smiled slightly:
"Unfortunately, no matter how good your hand is, you still have to pay your own bets in the game."

The next second, before Thales could react, Jenn stepped forward and shouted:
"Of course, Your Highness! As a citizen of the Stars and a nobleman of the Kingdom, I shall accept Your Highness's judgment without complaint!"

The crowd around was in an uproar.

The Emerald Soldiers standing in the front row looked at each other in disbelief, while the vassals and guests quieted down considerably, with many secretly glancing at Thales.

Finally, upon hearing the other party's definite answer, Thales breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately.

No major trouble ensued.

Jenn smiled, but his smile was extremely complex and full of meaning. He waved his hand and gave the order:

"Emerald Legion, lay down your weapons, make way, and let them arrest me."

Seychelles gritted its teeth, quite unconvinced:

"grown ups--"

"Under the Nine-Pointed Star Banner, His Highness Thales commands that the Kevin Deer family will obey without question!" Jann interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Seychelles took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and ordered his men to retreat, but his gaze toward the Star Lake Guard was extremely cold.

Soon, the Emerald Soldiers looked at each other, put away their weapons, and retreated voluntarily or involuntarily, many of them secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

Relieved, Thales nodded to his subordinates. Wyatt and Golov exchanged a glance, then cautiously stepped forward, passing the leaderless and helpless Emerald Legion, and arrived at Jann's side.

Grover wanted to take over the escort as a show of force, but Jenn wouldn't give them that opportunity:

The Duke himself stood tall and strode decisively out of the legion's defenses.

Join Thales' team.

“If you have any objections, Jan, you are welcome to appeal to me during arbitration and make your own voice heard,” Thales said, looking at him with mixed feelings. “You can also hire someone to speak on your behalf. If I remember correctly, the guild of defense lawyers is in the Glory District—it will cost money, but it will save you some trouble.”

Jann smiled slightly, unconcerned.

Compared to the previous noise and commotion, all of this happened quietly. Some onlookers whispered among themselves, but no one dared to speak loudly.

On the other side, Morgan shoved aside several terrified guards, roughly dragged Federico off the ground, pulled the gag out of his mouth, and escorted him to the Star Lake Guard.

“Not bad, cousin,” Jann glanced at the culprit of today’s events, his eyes concealing an unspeakable emotion, “Not bad.”

He looked at Thales, his words carrying a deeper meaning:

"But you think that's all?"

“Yes, cousin,” Federico, who was being escorted, replied quickly, panting heavily, with ill intent, “you’re finished.”

The two cousins' eyes met, and the air around them seemed to grow tense.

"The Duke just surrendered like that? That simple?"

Inside the guard, Neshi was incredulous:

"They have a legion, an entire city, and two experts at the pinnacle of their skill..."

DD shook his head, relieved that he had survived another night under the prince's control.
"Yes."

"And all we have is..."

"We have the wrath of the kingdom."

Neshi was taken aback:
"What? Where?"

DD patted him on the shoulder and smiled:

"Behind."

Neshi looked behind him but saw nothing. When he turned back, he looked completely bewildered.

"No, Jen!"

Just then, unable to hold back any longer, Hillary broke through the barriers and rushed to her brother.

Wyatt frowned, but Golov glanced at Thales and shook his head at him.

The young lady grabbed Jenn's hand, then looked back at Thales, who was looking down, in a daze. She wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say.

In the end, it was Jenn who pulled her back without hesitation.

“It’s alright, Cecilia, sister, listen,” the Duke said, holding his sister’s hand with a complicated look in his eyes, “we are Kevindir, aren’t we?”

Hilai stared blankly at her brother, her eyes reddening.

Jann smiled, glanced at Thales, then turned back to hold his sister's hand.

"Don't forget, Ning is here because of friendship..."

Hilly was silent for a moment, then gritted her teeth, nodded, and said decisively:
"We will not perish because of the enemy."

Unaccustomed to and disliked witnessing this scene that resembled a life-or-death separation (especially since he was the instigator), Thales sighed and turned away with mixed feelings.

The Emerald Soldiers guarding this direction all paled and retreated in a panic.

Thales was taken aback, then smiled helplessly and turned to explain.

"Listen, everyone, don't panic, I'm not trying to steal..."

But when he turned around, he met the vassals of the South Bank Territory. They were all startled and quickly turned to the side or stepped back to avoid looking him in the eye.

Thales paused for a moment, then turned to the out-of-town guests. They had been looking solemn, but when they saw the prince looking at them, they all forced smiles and bowed in a friendly manner.

The Karabyan sisters were more cautious than before, less frivolous and more distant. Count Havia maintained his composure as usual, as if nothing had happened. Count Lacia reluctantly bowed his head at his eldest son's urging. Count Sunflower of Changqing Island frowned, lost in thought. The Sea Wolf ship owner, Tanganga, was obsequious, his gold teeth gleaming. Hassat of the Tyrells had an exaggerated, fiery smile. Yannick of the Feast Territory smiled and applauded him. Count Li of Corleone, however, had long since disappeared.

Thales frowned deeply.

He then realized that everyone in the arena was bowing their heads and avoiding him, turning away if they couldn't avoid him. Only when they couldn't avoid him would they bow respectfully and carefully from afar, for fear of offending him.

everyone.

Almost everyone.

“Your Highness,” Marius’s languid voice rang out, “are you ready?”

Are you ready...?

Thales snapped out of his daze and instinctively reached for the bone ring "Covenant" in his pocket.

Strangely, the grotesque Gurtaksa, with its sharp bone spurs, was now lying quietly in his inner pocket, docile and light as a feather, as if the previous immense weight and faint stinging pain were just a temporary illusion.

A night breeze swept in, causing the large flag in Cassandra's hand to rustle and gleam with silver light once more.

Standing beneath the nine-pointed star, Thales clutched the bone ring that never saw the light of day, gazing at Janne whispering goodbye to her sister, at Federico with burning, menacing eyes, at Seychelles, resentful yet swallowing his anger, at the vassals and guests whispering with wary eyes, and at the Starlake Guard, whose faces were full of smugness and laughter...

Finally, he looked up at the star-studded night sky over Emerald City and suddenly understood:
Regardless of the process, the details, or the outcome...

At least for this moment.

Emerald City...

It's his.