In Heroic Spirit Palace, after parting ways with Putray, who had a strange expression on his face, Thales walked out of the narrow and desolate Blood Court with a book under his arm, following his habit of the past three years. Accompanied by his entourage, he walked straight to the stable.
Wya followed behind him with a helpless expression. Ralf seemed to be used to this scene. He just quietly followed the prince's footsteps.
Behind them were a small number of Constellation soldiers. Most of them were recruited from Broken Dragon Fortress in the past, and they had gone through many difficulties together with the prince. This included the veteran Genard and the new recruit Willow, who was no longer a recruit.
Further away, the personal guards of the Archduchess of Dragon Clouds City and the palace guards passed messages back and forth as if they were facing a great enemy. From time to time, groups of soldiers would set off to clear the way. Lord Justin, who was in the lead, had a dark and tense expression, but he still meticulously carried out his duty to protect the safety of this special guest.
After all, this was the Archduchess' order.
"For the sake of safety, I sincerely suggest that you postpone leaving the palace for a few days, at least until the Archduchess' state affairs hearing is over." Wya seemed to be unable to stand the second prince's leisurely pace. "By then, the White Blade Guards … I mean the Archduchess' Guards will have enough manpower to protect you when you go out, instead of focusing most of their energy on the Hall of Heroes like now."
Wya's attendant glanced at the Northland soldiers around him. There were at least half of the number of people the prince usually had when he went out. Many of Dragon Clouds City's vassals visited before and after the state affairs hearing. Most of the Archduchess' Guards in Dragon Clouds City, whether it was the remaining former White Blade Guards or the elite soldiers newly trained by the Star Killer over the past few years, had been transferred to the Archduchess' side.
Thales pulled out the brown-covered book from under his armpit and flicked the words' The Light of Mankind: The Beginning and End of the Temple of Knights' on the cover. Nonchalantly, he whistled the tune Ralf had taught him.
Wya Caso had only returned to the kingdom twice in the six years he served the prince in Eckstedt. Each time he returned, he appeared to have matured a lot. However, he was as serious and 'overworked' as ever. He had never relaxed his tense body.
'This won't do.
Especially … when facing an opponent like that. '
Thales maintained his smile and said silently in his heart.
The prince said in a relaxed manner, "Safety issues such as assassins are not a problem. Northlanders are not idiots. Even children who have been burned before are afraid of fire, much less a country where a king has died."
Lord Justin, who was a former White Blade Guard and was walking by the side, snorted loudly without bothering to hide it. He mumbled something under his breath, and to Thales, who had good hearing, it seemed to be, "How dare a Constellatiate say that?"
Thales pretended not to hear her and shrugged. "Besides, being placed under house arrest in an enemy country's city is already very tragic. Don't deprive me of what little fun I have left."
"Tragic? I can see that you're enjoying your current 'prison' life. "Wya rolled his eyes. Since he was familiar with the prince, it was rare for him to retort sarcastically." Besides, there's never been a prisoner who has such a good relationship with the Warden that she can promise you the freedom to choose your 'relief' time every month, right? "
"Don't make it sound so simple. Going out of the palace to play chess …" Thales laughed. He waved at Wya without turning his head. "That is a pitiful right I fought for from the master of Dragon Clouds City and Count Lisban after enduring humiliation."
'Endure humiliation and suffering hardships?'
Wya's face immediately turned as dark as Lord Justin's.
'Are you referring to the countless times you dragged the archduchess to skip classes and caused a ruckus in Heroic Spirit Palace?'
"Do you really have to do it today?" Wya's innate personality made him resist the urge to continue mocking him. The attendant said with a straight face, "If it really doesn't work, then stay in the palace to play chess. You're playing against yourself anyway."
Under the watchful eyes and ears of King Chapman, in the treacherous atmosphere in Dragon Clouds City, and in front of the prince's identity, which Eckstedt noble would dare to sit across from the sole heir of Constellation and play chess, unless they were deliberately looking for trouble or had ulterior motives?
"The point is not to play chess, but to 'relieve', Wya." Thales did not stop walking. The book in his hand slowly tapped against his left palm. "I don't expect people like you, who can freely enter and leave Dragon Clouds City, to understand the feelings of a prisoner."
Wya shook his head in resignation and was about to speak again.
"Alright, alright, Wya, be a good person and say less." Thales waved his index finger behind him and casually ended the conversation. "Learn from Midira next to you. He never talks too much."
Wya frowned. His suspicious gaze moved back and forth between Midira Ralf, the Phantom Wind Follower.
Sure enough, the mute Ralf did not say a word. He expressionlessly gave Wya the middle finger in a provocative manner.
"I can't deny this." Wya sighed in pain. He lowered his head and rubbed his forehead. "He really doesn't talk much."
Thales whistled.
At this moment, a young and exaggerated female voice rose above their heads.
"Oh, oh! Young Thales, are you going out of the palace again? "
A few of the Archduchess' Guards who had just arrived raised their crossbows nervously, but the others were calm and unruffled, as if they were used to it. Wya and Ralf rolled their eyes almost at the same time.
With a thud, a short figure wrapped tightly in a cloak jumped down from a tree on the side. With one hand on her waist, she caught up with Thales and gave him a thumbs up with the other. "Don't worry. With me around, his safety will not be a problem!"
"Why do you always like to lie on the branches, Lady Aida?" Wya questioned the cloaked lady, who was supposed to be the prince's first protector.
"The sun is so bright. Of course, I have to find shade!"
Wya raised his head suspiciously. He could not figure out what 'shade' and 'branches' had in common.
"I'm sorry, Aida. I'm just going to Spear District to play chess." Thales sighed and replied impatiently, "I'm not going to the suburbs to hunt for rabbit meat."
"Huh?"
Aida rested her head on her hands and walked backward in front of him. The cloak that covered half of her face could not hide the disappointment in her voice. "Can't you just take two more steps?"
"Two more steps from Spear District to the suburbs. Are you talking about the Great Dragon's' two steps'?"
Aida said pitifully, "The food in Heroic Spirit Palace is always cold when it's served. Don't you think … Boy, think about it. It's hot rabbit meat!"
"The cold food in Heroic Spirit Palace is for the sake of your safety. Check the food …"
"Speaking of safety …" Aida clenched her fist and sighed bitterly. "As your personal protector, I fought bloody battles all those years ago. I was covered in cuts and bruises all over my body before I rescued all of you from the hands of the enemy. In the end, I saved all of Dragon Clouds City … Now, I just want to eat some hot meat, but you can't even make such a small request …"
"Are you talking about a certain young lady who rushed to Heroic Spirit Palace with a greasy mouth six years ago, only to find that everything was over? So, she happily asked me for money to pay up so that she could prove that she was not a chicken thief?" the prince replied indifferently.
In the next second, Thales turned and skillfully tilted his head to the side. He dodged the angry elf lady just in time, and also dodged the poking finger that came from her tiptoes.
"Hey, hey, hey, you actually dodged it again! The third time! "The cloaked lady stood rooted to the ground in a daze. She raised her right index finger and said with a trembling voice,
"Why are you so familiar with this?!"
Thales exhaled, shook his head, and continued to walk forward, leaving behind the sad and helpless Aida ("Where did the adorable little Thales who could never avoid my finger of death go?") and the countless soldiers and guards who ignored her and continued to walk forward. Over the past six years, everyone had long since gotten used to this protector's peculiarity.
Over the past six years, everyone had long since gotten used to the protector's peculiarity. Wya responded with a sympathetic look, and Ralf simply whistled a low, trembling whistle to set off her mood at that moment.
Thales felt the unique fluctuation that gathered at the bottom of his feet and the side of his neck slowly disappear. He frowned as he sensed the faint fatigue in his tendons.
Just now, it was this familiar fluctuation that helped him avoid Aida's finger.
With a solemn expression, Thales recalled the words of the man with the black longsword on a certain bloody night a long time ago.
"This is a cursed power … You can only increase it through special methods …"
'As expected, it's been six years …
'The effect and price of this thing …' Thales clenched his fists and felt the soreness and numbness in his legs and neck.
'There's no progress at all.'
Thales walked into the stable at the side of Heroic Spirit Palace and kicked his boots on a stool to hide his intention of relaxing his tendons.
The prince came to the familiar stable surrounded by two people. A strong black horse poked its head out of the fence and affectionately stuck its nose out at him.
"Did you treat her well?" Thales smiled and scratched the black horse's chin. He looked at her teeth and said to the coachman beside him,
"You know, Jennie likes cleanliness."
The full-time coachman of Heroic Spirit Palace patted his chest proudly and promised the prince that his steed had never been so healthy before.
The black horse was Prince Jennie's exclusive steed. She was brought to Dragon Clouds City by Constellation's diplomat group three years ago. She was a good girl who was carefully selected from thousands of steeds. As a mixed-blood of a Northland warhorse and a plains horse, she inherited her mother's violent temper and her father's strong legs. She was ruthless towards many riders who tried to subdue her.
Surprisingly, Thales, who had never been talented in riding, got along well with Jennie. Even Viscount Kenney, who led the diplomat group at that time, clicked his tongue in amazement.
Thales chuckled and stuffed the book in his hand into the saddle bag. He untied Jennie's reins. At the same time, Wya and the other soldiers began to look for their own steeds.
At this moment …
"Good day, respected Prince Thales."
A melancholic and calm female voice came from outside the stable. "As a fifty-six-year-old elder, I have to remind you to pay attention to your safety during this trip."
The soldiers and guards made way for the newcomer and bowed to the newcomer. The Constellatiates, on the other hand, frowned.
Thales closed his mouth, which was left open because of his smile. He turned his back to the new lady and sighed.
"Good day, Madam Ginghes." He did not even turn his head. Still, he prepared to depart. "I thought you should be by the archduchess' side right now, helping her to show her grace to the vassals and nobles in a proper and elegant manner."
Ginghes was one of the archduchess' personal female officials. She was a noblewoman in her fifties but looked like she was in her thirties. Her clothes were simple, her hair accessories were simple, and her manners were well-mannered. She always had a stern face that was even more serious than Wya's, but her language and etiquette were impeccable.
Rumor had it that she was the widow of a powerful vassal under the late King Nuven. Six years ago, she was invited by Regent Lisban to Heroic Spirit Palace to take care of the archduchess' daily life and teach her the appropriate etiquette. She should have been an excellent and competent female official like Jines Bajkovic in Renaissance Palace, if she had not requested that the Prince of Constellation, who used to read leisurely, also attend Northland etiquette lessons.
Incidentally, she was also one of the reasons why Thales skipped class with the archduchess for the first time.
Madam Ginghes still spoke in a voice that made people unconsciously nervous. "Also, I brought a message from a few other lords.
I suggest that you listen carefully, even if you are from the south. "
Hearing this, Thales helplessly stopped what he was doing. He turned around and bowed to her.
Madam Ginghes nodded in satisfaction. She raised her neck, which was at an angle comparable to a swan's neck, and cleared her throat.
"The Archduchess of Dragon Clouds City asked me to remind you that during the time she is in charge of politics," the lady said arrogantly, "the new books that arrived in the palace …"
"Alright, Madam Ginghes." Thales scratched his ear, feeling a headache coming on. "Please tell the archduchess that I will wait until she returns before opening the gifts."
Madam Ginghes narrowed her eyes. Although her expression did not change, Thales knew that she was displeased with the prince's interruption.
But a few minutes later, the lady spoke again.
"Count Lisban also asked me to remind you that when he accompanies the archduchess in charge of the regent, for your safety and Dragon Clouds City's reputation, please obey the king's edict …" The female official lowered her posture a little this time, but she still looked straight into Thales' eyes.
"Alright, Madam Ginghes." Thales stroked Jennie's horse's head to soothe her restlessness, which was displeased with her master's delay in releasing her. "Please help me thank Count Lisban, who is busy with the regent, but still finds time to care about me. Tell him that I will not run out of Axe District and Spear District."
Ginghes frowned slightly.
"Lastly …"
"Captain Soray Nicholas asked me to remind you that because the day of the state affairs hearing is especially special, you must cooperate with Lord Justin and his personal guards when you go out." The lady's voice softened, but it still made people nervous. "Also, because of your bad record of only returning after eight o 'clock two months ago …
"This time, once you return after five o 'clock in the afternoon, he is prepared to recall all his personal guards and lock the gatehouse. At the same time, he suggests that you settle your own food and lodging."
Thales frowned, took a deep breath, and exhaled long and loud.
In his mind, he automatically filtered out Madam Ginghes' embellishment and reconstructed the Star Killer's original words as he crossed his arms in annoyance and said with a pale, dead face, "Tell him not to come back after five o 'clock. He might as well just die outside!"
The prince pushed the fence open, stepped onto the stool, and mounted the horse.
"Alright, Madam Ginghes." The prince faced the stern female official and muttered to himself for a few seconds. "Once again, I have to trouble you to tell that dead … Tell Lord Nicholas …"
Ginghes, the female official, raised her eyebrows.
"Five o 'clock?" Thales sighed and said seriously and sternly,
"Why doesn't he just die?"
The next moment, Thales flung the reins without hesitation. Jennie neighed loudly and spurred the horse forward!
The prince rushed past the stunned female official without turning his head. The attendants and soldiers beside him followed one after another, including the helpless Wya, the calm Ralf, and the sulking Aida.
He flung the reins in his hand and spurred the horse out of the square in front of Heroic Spirit Palace, heading towards the First Gatehouse.
The journey from Heroic Spirit Palace to Spear District did not take much time, especially with the cooperation of the Archduchess' Guards and the patrols. The streets and roads could be said to be unobstructed.
When he teased Wya just now, there was one thing he did not lie about. This was a hard-earned opportunity for Thales to play chess in Spear District, which was not far from Heroic Spirit Palace.
Thales controlled the rise and fall of his body as he jolted on the horse. He watched Jennie's ears and her cheerful steps from behind and curled up the corners of his lips.
In the past six years, at least his horsemanship had improved by leaps and bounds. Eckstedt's culture might be slightly inferior to Constellation's, which had a unique heritage, but when it came to military skills, even the crudest and lowest Northland nobles were far ahead of their counterparts in Constellation.
Thales still remembered that during his outdoor lesson with the archduchess (this was a polite name), when Nicholas, who was in charge of the 'lesson', discovered that Thales, who was allergic to horses, was not good at horsemanship, and the archduchess refused to get on a horse because of her fear …
The expressionless Star Killer asked for thick ropes and tied them firmly onto the horses. Then, he lit the horses' tails.
Once a day, for two hours.
The effect was immediate. Ten days later, both he and the girl became 'experts' in horsemanship amidst vomiting and dizziness. At least, they were experts.
Once this was done, Nicholas untied the ropes and began to leisurely correct their riding postures and techniques, introducing them to the horses' harnesses.
Then, they would pick up weapons … and then, they would hunt on horseback …
Later, a former White Blade Guard told Thales in private, 'Multiply the duration and frequency by two, then turn the torches used to light the horses' tails into beehives. This is the standard horsemanship training for the White Blade Guards. '
When the prince thought of this, he could not help but sigh.
In the next second, Thales tugged the reins in his hands. He exerted a little force, and at the same time, he sat back deeply. He gently slid his legs back into a relaxed position.
The intelligent Jennie immediately began to slow down. Thales, who had confirmed this, let go of the reins at the right time to encourage her. He comforted the beautiful girl who was extremely excited, unable to suppress her passion, and longed for an outlet. She let out a dissatisfied snort.
Jennie's hooves stomped heavily on the ground. A few seconds later, she stopped in front of their destination.
Wya and Lord Justin's mounts stopped as well.
Thales caressed and praised the smug Jennie. She had recently developed a bad habit of attracting her master's attention by acting coquettishly in a dissatisfied manner. At the same time, he lamented that horses were no less difficult to handle than humans. He thought of the hundreds of cavaliers in Black Sand Region. God knew how much time and energy it took to train a cavalier who was skilled in galloping.
Thales stepped down from the stirrup and passed the reins to Genard behind him. He raised his head and looked at his destination. It was a chess room in Spear District.
It was said that this place was originally a well-decorated hotel for nobles, until the owner, who ran it on his own, was killed by bandits during the catastrophe that engulfed Dragon Clouds City six years ago. One of his fellow countrymen from Camus Union invested in this place and converted it into an entertainment room for nobles according to its original decoration. It was said that business was quite good.
Of course, the term 'pretty good business' was no longer relevant to this place today. Since three years ago, when the Prince of Constellation chose this place as his destination for his monthly excursions, this chess room had no choice but to clear the place once a month to await the prince's fate. However, this was obviously not a bad thing, because after that, its business did not decline. Instead, it increased. Everyone fought to see the place where the mysterious prince, who had lived in the palace for a long time, 'fought'.
Thales stepped into the chess room amid the owner's flattering voice. Hundreds of the Archduchess' Guards and patrol teams had already searched the place thoroughly and isolated the neighboring areas.
The prince looked at the empty hall and sighed.
He slowly walked up the stairs and arrived at the private room on the second floor. The guards, ranging from Justin to Wya and Ralf, followed closely behind him.
Under the owner's guidance, Thales stepped through a door with practiced movements and arrived at the largest private room. It was a semi-outdoor private room with a large area. One side of the balcony faced the street of Spear District downstairs. The prince's chess seat was at the edge of the balcony. From there, he could have a panoramic view of the street.
Through the balcony, Thales was not surprised to see countless personal guards and patrols guarding the streets and the key points of the nearby buildings. There were at least two hundred of them. Their bows were loaded and they patrolled at regular intervals to guard against possible uninvited guests. Almost everyone had their eyes fixed on Thales, who was on the balcony.
With this kind of formation and atmosphere, coupled with martial law, even if the number of people was reduced by half, the tragedy from six years ago would not happen again.
'Once bitten by a snake …'
The prince shrugged, sat down on his seat, and put down his book.
He shifted his gaze to the chessboard and chess pieces in front of him. Starting from the Alumbia Kingdom, 'The Rise and Fall of the Empire', which had been popular in the Western Continent for almost a hundred years but was still as popular as ever, the seat opposite him was empty.
"Alright." Thales looked at the red king standing up on the chessboard. He looked at the black and red chess pieces in the chess box that were both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He said to Wya and Justin, who were still tirelessly inspecting the surroundings, "You can go out now. After all, it's not closed, and there's a balcony. It's the same for you to stand guard outside the door or on the street.
"Just like before, I want to be alone."
Behind Wya, Ralf nodded slightly. After he put down a plate of food and water that had been checked, he grabbed the owner, who was about to say a few words of flattery, and went to the first floor. Aida had long disappeared. She was probably on the roof.
"Prince Thales," Lord Justin, the former White Blade Guard, said cautiously, "As usual, three hours. If you need anything …"
The prince exhaled. "I'll let you know as soon as possible."
Lord Justin nodded and exchanged glances with Wya. Both of them walked to the door ten meters behind Thales and guarded the entrance. At the same time, they stared fixedly at the prince, who was reading and playing chess at the same time.
"It's like this every time." Thales shook his head and chuckled softly. He continued to take out chess pieces from the chess box and began to place them on the chessboard one by one.
The private room and the street returned to silence. Only the footsteps of the soldiers could be heard from time to time, and Wya's faint grumbling toward Ralf could be heard from behind him.
Guards, catapults, shield warriors, pawns …
Just when Thales placed the second last chess piece on the board and was about to take the last chess piece, a voice suddenly rang out.
Two slender, fair fingers with beautiful nails suddenly appeared.
The fingers descended from the sky and grabbed the black king. They gently placed it on Thales' chessboard formation, arranged it properly, straightened it, and even aligned it with the chessboard. They turned the front of the chess piece perpendicular to the red square.
They were meticulous and meticulous.
"Thank you."
Thales raised his eyebrows. He raised his head and nodded lightly at the uninvited guest who suddenly appeared.
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