When Barney Junior said this, Samel looked surprised. He subconsciously took a step back!
When he saw his reaction, Barney Junior snorted coldly.
The Disaster Swords were all stunned.
'Hood.'
Klein stared in surprise at Canon, who was curled up on the floor. He then looked in the direction where the hooded Stake had left.
"Is there really someone in this world who can identify someone through their footsteps that are barely audible?"
Ricky also stared at Canon in surprise. He thought about it for a moment and nodded slowly.
"I think, if you care about something enough, to the extent that you can pour eighteen years of effort into it …"
He shook his head and sighed.
"Then, there's probably nothing that can't be done."
On the other side of the hall, most of the prisoners stood up and approached the bars coldly.
"Is this true, Samel?" Beldin stared at Samel calmly, then at the Disaster Swords. His gaze was stern.
"Are you a member of Shadow Shield now?"
Naer, who was next to him, mocked him.
"Wow, this is a good sign, Your Excellency. At least you don't have to feel guilty."
Samel looked at them, then at the other. His breathing was irregular, but in the end, he turned to Barney Junior, who had the scariest expression.
He raised his hand and explained, "Listen, me and them, those assassins … this is just a temporary cooperation. I also hate that cockroach, but now, in order to come here —"
But Barney Junior interrupted him.
"You don't understand, Samel." Barney Junior sneered.
"I'm not talking about how you're doing now. Who the hell cares?"
Samel was instantly stunned.
Barney Junior exhaled and looked down at his palms.
"I'm talking about Lordan Charleton. That 'Blood Chant' is very good. In fact, he's very good. He's too good …"
When he heard this name, a thought appeared in Thales' mind.
'Lordan Charleton …
'Blood Chant?'
Thales' breathing slowly slowed down. Another name appeared before his eyes. A thin gray figure who jumped down from the Cliff of the Sky.
Barannette Charleton.
Flying Locust Blade.
Samel was obviously a little surprised. "Charleton? Lordan Charleton? "
But Barney Junior ignored him and continued on his own.
"… But he was far from being strong enough to charge into Renaissance Palace alone, assassinate His Majesty at will, and then leave. At least, eighteen years ago, when we intercepted him and fought him for a short time, he was not that strong."
Thales was shocked.
He came to a realization. Barney Junior was talking about the shocking and bloody scene in Renaissance Palace during the Bloody Year.
The death of Aydi II.
Samel frowned.
"What are you talking about, Barney?"
Barney Junior laughed absentmindedly. He then put down his palm and said to himself,
"After the incident, all of us in the Royal Guards, regardless of whether we were free or in prison, were guessing the possible enemies: Shadow Shield, the Assassin's Flower, the Secret Room, the Northlanders, the rebel army in the southwest, the forces of the desert, perhaps the Camians or other people who hated Constellation, and even the great nobles in the country who were at odds with His Majesty before the war … But the only thing we were unwilling to admit was that we were unwilling to admit …"
His words gradually came to a halt. He hesitated between a few words, as if he was unwilling to continue.
Thales' breathing quickened subconsciously. 'Possible enemies.'
He did not forget the map King Nuven gave him six years ago when he was still in Heroic Spirit Palace.
The map of Horace Jadestar.
The map of Renaissance Palace.
It lay quietly in the luggage, wrapped in an inconspicuous food bag, and rested on Marina's shoulder behind him.
In the hall, Samel's expression had never been so serious.
He took a step forward.
"What do you mean?"
Barney Junior laughed again.
"What I mean is …" Barney Junior raised his complicated gaze and revealed half of his ferocious face, which was branded with the Seal of Sin.
He said coldly, "Maybe we deserved it."
Beldin lowered his head in pain. Nalgi did not say a word.
Barney Junior finished his sentence, "Maybe Prince Kessel back then, no, the new king's decision to throw us into the Prison of Bones after the incident was the most correct one."
Samel's pupils widened slightly. "Barney, why are you saying this …"
Barney Junior snorted and ignored him. He just gazed into the distance with an unfocused gaze.
"Perhaps, back then, there was indeed a traitor who collaborated with the enemy among the glorious and dazzling Royal Guards."
He said faintly.
Samel was stunned.
In the five cells, every prisoner's breathing became more and more tense.
In the next second, Barney Junior turned around and stared at Samel. His eyes were cold. "And he betrayed His Majesty, the crown prince, and the entire Royal Guards … He turned all of us into what we are now."
At that moment, Samel gasped a few times and took a diagonal step forward.
"No …"
But Barney Junior's accusation was not over.
"And that traitor!"
With an enraged expression, Barney Junior extended his hands again and grabbed the metal bars in front of him desperately, just to get closer to Thales.
"He must have known Prince Midier's orders and handwriting like the back of his hand. That's why he could fake the crown prince's request for help, exaggerate the riot at the palace gate, and use the late king's love for his son to transfer us away from the Hall of Stars … to go to the palace gate to support Prince Midier. Thus, he dragged most of the Royal Guards into a chaotic battle with the rioters and those with ulterior motives."
Samel seemed to be frozen on the spot. He was tongue-tied and could not say a word.
"At that time, Great Charleton acted against His Majesty in the Hall of Stars with the help of Shadow Shield. Master Vitano went to the battlefield with Duke John, and Instructor Aida was in the Sacred Tree Kingdom. Even when Old Captain Cullen risked his life to face 'Blood Chant' and a group of assassins, he could not protect His Majesty from the assassins …"
Barney Junior's voice became hoarse and unpleasant to the ears, as if the silk on a loom was being cut inch by inch.
At that moment, be it the Disaster Swords, their hostages, Samel, or Thales himself, all of them were completely stunned.
As Barney Junior narrated, the Prince of Constellation felt as if he had returned to half an hour ago. At the gate of the Prison of Bones, when Stake raised his hand slightly, the sneaky masked assassins appeared from the shadows, unexpectedly tore open the guards' necks, pierced their hearts, and cut off their lives. Then, they quietly disappeared into the darkness.
Within a few seconds, everything happened so suddenly that it was as if nothing had happened.
The prince could not help but feel a chill run down his spine.
Barney Junior's palm, which was holding the railing, began to smoke.
His face was contorted. It was obvious that he was in great pain, but he still endured the pain.
"When the riot at the palace gate gradually subsided, the news of the Hall of Stars being invaded also came. The crown prince urgently ordered us to return and provide reinforcements …
"And we, who were exhausted and anxious, returned according to the traitor's expectations, leaving only my father and a few others behind …"
Thales listened to all of this in a daze. This was something that his father should have told him.
Barney Junior hissed.
"We allowed them to be with Prince Midier, and at the palace gate, which we thought was already safe …
"They fell into Shadow Shield's trap."
This time, Thales clearly saw an ominous light shining between Barney Junior's hand and the railing.
When he thought of Midier's death, Thales suddenly recalled the scene six years ago.
The man who carried the strange black sword on his back.
And his confession.
"'That day twelve years ago …
"'I was indeed the one who personally wielded the sword …
"'And stabbed Midier Jadestar.
"'And I did it willingly, and I never regretted it."'
Thales was stunned.
'Black Sword, Barney Junior …
'That year, at the Hall of Stars, at the gate of Renaissance Palace …
'What happened?'
As he journeyed in this world, he traveled further and further, and the fog in front of him lessened.
But there were more and more suspicious points.
"When all of this was done, both the late king and the crown prince met with misfortune, and the dead could not testify …
"In addition, the situation was chaotic, and the war had yet to end. That damned traitor escaped punishment just like that. He pretended to mourn and look like he was in pain, but he still lived among us. He lived among the Emperor's Praetorian Guards, who were supposed to protect the royal family with their lives … and he got away scot-free."
Barney Junior's expression grew more pained, but Thales knew that it was not because he was holding the strange railing.
The muscles on Samel's arm grew tighter.
No one interrupted this scene. Perhaps the secret Barney Junior spoke of was too important, and no one wanted to miss it.
"Barney." Beldin stared coldly at Samel, gritted his teeth, and said, "What do you want to say? Why don't you be more direct?
What I want to say is … "
"Samel, that year …" In the prison cell, Barney Junior's hand, which was holding the metal railing, began to tremble in the smoke. But he still gritted his teeth and refused to let go, as if he was holding onto a treasure that he could not give up, a belief that he could not violate, and a truth that he could not ignore.
"When we gritted our teeth, swallowed our blood, bore the stigma, and stiffened our necks when we were escorted here … why did you run away halfway?
What are you feeling guilty about? What are you afraid of? "
Samel stared at Barney Junior in disbelief.
Barney Junior roared at the top of his lungs and shook the unmoving metal railing.
"And after so many years, when you came back as a fugitive …
"And why did you hang out with the people from Shadow Shield?"
Samel closed his eyes and said laboriously, "Barney Junior …
"Tell me!"
* Bang! *
A loud noise rose, and the metal railing erupted with the most glaring light it had ever produced!
Barney Junior could no longer hold on to the railing. He fell to the ground.
His whole body convulsed, his hands smoked, and he roared in pain.
But Thales could no longer tell whether he was in pain because of the physical torture, or because he was grieving because of the despair in his mind.
Even Nalgi, who was by the side, could not help but say, "Barney, be careful, that thing is very dangerous …"
"No, Barney." Samel took a step forward and said while trembling, "Why, why would you think this way …"
But Barney Junior roared in anger. He forced himself to get up from the ground and said with hatred,
"Why did Prince Kessel insist on throwing us into prison back then?"
Because he knew that there was a problem with the Royal Guards a long time ago! "
He glared at Samel.
"Because he knew that after the incident at Renaissance Palace, the assassination of His Majesty, and the death of the crown prince, the Emperor's Praetorian Guards, who were chosen from the outstanding descendants of the nobles and swore an oath to protect the throne, could no longer be trusted."
Thales watched this scene in a daze. As he listened to the words of these people who had personally experienced the tragedy, he felt an extreme chill around him.
Barney Junior's accusation slowly turned from an angry and indignant accusation to a wail of pain and despair.
"After so many years, there must have been many people in the guards who had figured it out … So they, including us, could not eat or sleep, were tormented, and even went insane, and committed suicide … Because the Royal Guards were bound together for good or ill!"
Tears slowly gushed out of his eyes. His voice also became intermittent, and he could not speak clearly. "As for why it was the Prison of Bones … Maybe, maybe Prince Kessel was just unsure, maybe he just wanted to see if the traitor would jump out on his own …"
Barney Junior shut his eyes tightly. Tears slid down his cheeks and wet the brand of the sinner.
"And in the end …"
* Thud! *
Barney Junior knelt on the ground.
"In the end …
"No …"
He roared with resentment, "You escaped, Samir …"
"You …
"You!"
In the other cells, the former members of the Royal Guards watched the confrontation between Samel and Barney Junior with pale faces.
Samel sucked in a sharp breath and stared at Barney Junior with a flushed face. He punched his own chest. "Yes! I escaped!
"But it wasn't me!"
He yelled in a near frenzy and spoke incoherently.
"It wasn't me! It wasn't me! "
Barney Junior did not have the slightest interest in listening to Samel's argument.
"That's not all.
"Samel, I remember that you have a good foundation in words. You have a good understanding of the way nobles write, use of words, styles, and even the language of the Ancient Empire.
"Presumably, you would have no problem imitating handwriting or forging letters, such as His Highness the Crown Prince's warrant?"
Samel's words of defense were instantly silenced.
He turned to the other prisoners as if to seek their understanding, but they were silent.
He just watched coldly from the sidelines.
Barney Junior lay on the ground and gritted his teeth with tears in his eyes. "This is also why you were promoted to flag bearer …"
As he stared at the other party's increasingly unpleasant expression, Barney Jr. said coldly,
"We, the Royal Guards, are the reincarnation of the Emperor's Praetorian Guards. In the past six hundred years of history, the commander has been in charge of the entire team, the penal officer has been in charge of punishment, the vanguard officer has been in charge of battle, the protector has been in charge of the guards, the logistics officer has been in charge of ensuring supplies, the instructor has been in charge of training the new recruits, and the watchman has been in charge of protecting the legacy …"
Barney Junior suddenly raised his head and glared at Samel with bloodshot eyes. "And the flag bearer!"
Samel, who was in a daze, jolted!
"And the Vice Flag Bearer, Sir Colin Samel," Barney Junior said coldly.
"You flag bearers are responsible for the internal supervision of the guards, the exchange of intelligence, and even secret investigations. That's why everyone doesn't like you, second only to the penal officers … But if there's anyone who can discover traitors early, it's definitely you."
"It can only be you guys."
Barney Junior's pupils shrank.
"On the other hand, if there's anyone who can protect traitors, overlook traitors, or even …"
He did not continue.
At this moment, Samel's body swayed a little, as if he had suffered a blow.
He stared at the ground in a daze, as if he could not come back to his senses.
Barney Junior stood up slowly. There were still traces of tears on his face.
"Tell me, Samel, the one who escaped from prison eighteen years ago and returned with Shadow Shield eighteen years later." Barney Junior restrained his anger and asked in a deep voice, "Are you that traitor?
The one who caused the deaths of His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince?
The one who caused the deaths of His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince?
The one who destroyed the Royal Guards' honor that lasted for hundreds of years?
"That heinous and unforgivable …"
"Traitor?"
The hall became quiet.
Barney Junior and his companions stared at Samel, wanting to get an answer from him.
The Disaster Swords stared at the two of them without blinking. Perhaps they were just curious about the truth of the past, or perhaps they wanted to understand their companions' past.
Among them, perhaps Thales was one of them.
But no one dared to break the silence.
Until Samel.
The former Vice Flag Bearer seemed to have lost all his strength. He staggered a few steps back and only snapped out of his daze when he knocked against the torch he had dropped earlier.
The light from the torch illuminated Samel from bottom to top, making his face look gloomy.
Only the brand of sin on the side of his face was bright red.
It was as if he was burning in hell.
Barney Junior continued to stare at him coldly.
Samel stared at the fire on the ground desolately. He stooped down in a daze and picked up the torch.
His body was hunched, and his movements were slow.
He looked like an old man with one foot in the grave.
"I know that you won't believe anything I say now.
Am I right? "
After a long while, Samel finally spoke with great difficulty. It was as if he had used up all the strength in his life.
* Thud! *
Penal Officer Beldin punched the wall beside him and said angrily,
"Then what are you running away from?!
Come on, Vice Flag Bearer Colin Samel! You are now standing in front of us, in front of the seven remaining Royal Guards! "
"Tell us that you will solemnly swear on your honor, your dignity, your blade, your ancestors, and the name of the Samel Family, which has been rooted in the capital for hundreds of years. You have never done anything against the Jadestar Royal Family, against the Royal Guards, and you have never let down the oath you swore as a Praetorian Guard!"
Samel's body swayed slightly.
Beldin pressed his entire body against the bars and roared,
"Tell me!"
* Crack! *
There was a loud bang. Beldin fell to the ground in pain under the power of the bars. He gritted his teeth and moaned.
Samel instinctively wanted to go forward, but he stopped in his tracks.
In another prison cell, Tardin spoke slowly with his unique desolate voice, "Yes, tell us, Samel.
"In any case … you and we have nothing more to lose."
His voice was filled with a deathly stillness, and it sounded even more sorrowful.
Tardin's roommate, Bruley, who had not spoken all this while, also walked forward slowly. He expressed his opinion with a cold gaze.
Samel bit his lower lip. His eyes were lifeless.
"Damn coward. You even dared to run away halfway and abandon your companions. Is it that difficult to swear an oath?" This was Sazel Nae from the other side. He gritted his teeth and stared at Samel as if he was staring at a murderer.
On the other side, Canon, who was originally trembling on the ground, was no longer cowering. He only stared blankly at Samel, who was being questioned. Behind him, Nalgi stared at the vice flag bearer without a word. He sighed softly, and there was only sorrow in his eyes.
"In the name of the chief penal officer, Luton Beldin, I hereby order you, Colin Samel." Beldin stood up again. While he panted, he said solemnly, "Tell us.
Tell us. "
When he heard this title, Samel stared at the gazes of his seven former colleagues. He looked at the brand on each of their faces, and he was dazed for a moment.
He quietly raised the torch and turned around. He gritted his teeth, and there was indignation on his face.
"Good … good … very good …"
In the end, Samel seemed to have figured something out. He sucked in a sharp breath, raised his head, and said angrily, "I! I, the vice flag bearer, Colin Samel!
"I swear on my honor, my dignity, my blade, my ancestors, and the name of the Samel Family …"
With every sentence Samel spoke, he took a step forward. His eyes were burning with anger.
"In my entire life, I have never done anything wrong to the Jadestar King …"
When he said this, Samel suddenly stopped talking!
He was like a windmill that got stuck, and he stopped at this word.
At that moment, Samel seemed to have remembered something. His face turned incredibly pale.
The vice flag bearer lowered his head and turned his gaze away with a trembling voice.
He glanced behind him.
Thales, who was watching this scene from the side with an unknown emotion, suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
He soon realized that Samel was looking at him.
He was looking at the Prince of Constellation, Thales Jadestar.
As he stared at Samel's surprised, pained, and hesitant gaze, Thales suddenly understood Samel's hesitation at that moment.
He knew that Samel could not make this oath.
Because …
Thales wanted to speak, but Marina pressed the tip of her sword against his thigh again. The latter's resentful gaze clearly expressed her attitude towards the prince's interference.
'This is bad.'
The Prince of Constellation closed his eyes in pain. He had offended Marina so much that …
"I have never, never …"
Samel turned his head around with great difficulty. He looked like he was struggling, but he subconsciously repeated,
"I have never done anything wrong to the Jadestar King …
"I have never …
"I am sorry …
"Jadestar …"
His words kept lingering on his tongue, as if he could no longer form a coherent sentence.
Finally, Samel closed his eyes and exhaled in pain. He did not speak anymore.
It was as if he had accepted his fate.
He did not dare to look at his former colleagues' faces.
He knew that he would only see disappointment, hatred, and …
"Hahahahaha …"
A long burst of laughter came from the prison. It was relieved, sorrowful, desperate, and pained.
It was Barney Junior.
He stared at Samel, who could not make the oath. His face was already covered in tears.
"Why … can't you continue?"
Samel was like a lifeless corpse. He raised his head stiffly.
"I know, I know what you're thinking, Barney Junior," he said with great difficulty.
"But I, I can't make this oath, because … because I have indeed done something wrong to the Jadestar Royal Family … But back then, it wasn't me, it wasn't me!"
He said in panic.
But Samel could only look at the seven people in the prison. All of them looked at him with the most unfamiliar gaze.
It was as if they were looking at an alien in their own race.
"It wasn't me …"
Samel seemed to have realized something. He repeated in a daze.
"Samel, my father …"
Barney Junior sobbed and shook his head with a broken smile.
"You know …
"He, Chief Protector Tony, and a few new guards whose names I can't remember, are guarding the poisoned Prince Midier in front of the palace gates. They're fighting against a hundred enemies alone, and they're not retreating."
Barney Jr.'s tears flowed down his cheeks as he smiled in pain.
"Do you know how many times he was stabbed when I dug him out from the pile of corpses?
"My father … the Deputy Commander of the Royal Guards, our Oathkeeper, Quill Barney Senior!"
Samel shut his eyes tightly. His facial features were contorted.
"And King Aydi!"
Barney Junior raised his voice.
"You know, when we rushed to the Hall of Stars, we could only see his body, which had died with his eyes wide open …" Barney Junior's words made all the other prisoners lower their heads, as if they had returned to the most terrifying past.
"Not just these … there were also the three princes' wives, their children, and the beautiful Princess Constance —"
"No!"
Samel suddenly opened his mouth and interrupted him.
"No, Barney, no, I beg you, don't, that wasn't me …"
His expression was already numb, and his tone was almost pleading.
"It wasn't me!"
But everything was set in stone.
"Bah!"
On Samel's left, Beldin spat fiercely in his cell.
The penal officer looked at the glaring and ugly brand on Samel's face. He spat out the most terrifying word with great hatred.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
