The silence in Black Prison lasted for a long time.
Zakriel leaned against the wall like a child who had lost his soul. He did not make a sound.
Samel lowered his head for a long time. His body was stiff.
Thales stood where he was, on the verge of collapsing. He was in a daze.
Then, Ricky, who was outside, sighed softly and attracted everyone's attention.
Zakriel slowly stood up from the ground.
"Thank you for your question, child." The former Knight of Judgment moved forward dejectedly and passed the JC dagger in his hand through the gap between the bars.
"And your razor."
This is a good knife. It should not be used to shave a sinner. "
The fence cast shadows in the firelight and carved black marks on Zakriel's face.
Thales, who had a lot on his mind, took a deep breath and forced himself to stay awake. He nodded with a forced smile and took the dagger.
Zakriel's hand was rough, and the calluses on it were so hard that they did not seem like skin.
Thales took the dagger back with his mind in a mess. But when he turned his head, he saw Ricky looking at him expressionlessly.
Crassus of the Disaster Swords slowly extended his right palm towards the prince. He curled his palm.
Thales was slightly stunned at first. He then looked at the dagger in his hand and exhaled in resignation.
He took a step forward in frustration and placed the JC dagger in Ricky's hand.
Ricky then showed a faint smile that said, "You're so sensible."
The leader of the Disaster Swords lowered his head and flipped his hand over. He saw a line of words on the black sheath of the dagger.
'A king is not respected by his bloodline.'
Ricky came to a sudden realization. He looked at Zakriel, then at the gloomy Thales. He snorted softly.
Zakriel watched their interaction and curled up the corners of his lips. His tone was indifferent.
"Thank you too … thank you for not being a hallucination."
Thales snorted with the ghost of a smile. He tried hard to dispel the inexplicable gloom that haunted his heart. "How would you know?"
Zakriel smiled.
"Of course.
"Or perhaps your hallucinations are even more powerful than the ones in the past. We don't know." The Knight of Judgment shook his head and combed his hair. He seemed to have sobered up a little. "But you know, every time it happens, it's like my head has turned into a big pot, and twenty people are taking turns to use it to stew beef …"
He frowned, but his expression was somewhat absent-minded.
"They never shut up, but they don't ask me anything. They don't ask me how I feel, and they don't ask me who I saw. They don't ask unnecessary questions, just like you." Zakriel sometimes gritted his teeth, sometimes smiled bitterly, and in the end, his expression turned into one of helplessness.
"Because they already knew."
He shook his head in self-mockery.
"Just like I know."
As he spoke, Zakriel seemed to be amused by himself. He suddenly slapped his thigh and could not stop laughing.
"Haha, I know … Hahahahaha …"
Amidst his laughter, the wrinkles on his forehead appeared and disappeared, pulling at the brand of sin on his forehead, causing the sinister "S" to tremble back and forth.
Thales felt rather bitter when he saw this scene through the cell door.
Samel, who was beside him, could no longer hold it in.
The former flag bearer took a deep breath and said, "You know, Zakriel, I can still save you. No matter what happens after that, you won't have to face this —"
Zakriel stopped laughing.
"There's no need for that," he said gloomily.
"Everyone has a price they have to pay."
Zakriel looked around his cell.
"The price I have now," he said in a daze, "is what I deserve. It's just right."
Samel closed his eyes gently.
A few seconds passed.
"What about the others?" Zakriel sighed and said, "You've been to the top, right?"
This question made Samel speechless again.
"They …"
Samel wanted to say something, but he stopped.
Barney Junior's roar and the remains of his thirty-seven brothers appeared before his eyes at the same time made his lips tremble.
In the end, Samel forced a smile and said with great difficulty, "I've seen them.
It's alright. "
Zakriel did not reply immediately.
He stared at Samel. He stared at the way Samel turned his head slightly after he finished speaking, not daring to meet Zakriel's gaze.
"I see."
Zakriel smiled faintly, as if he had understood something.
"That's good."
He nodded slowly, turned around, and repeated his words.
"That's good."
Suddenly, Thales felt that the man's back had become hunched and small.
It was as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Samel no longer dared to speak. He just stood by the side with a pained look on his face.
Ricky, who was watching everything from the side, did not speak. He only watched the prisoner in the prison with interest.
Then, Zakriel sighed softly.
"Speak," the Knight of Judgment said in a surprisingly gentle tone, "why did you come here?"
He looked at Thales.
"For the sake of this child."
Thales smiled at him in return.
At that moment, Samel and Ricky were shocked at the same time. They looked at each other.
But they quickly realized that the other party was working together.
With faint joy and excitement, Samel nodded at Ricky and spoke resolutely.
"We just want to verify some things, Zakriel."
Zakriel did not speak. He only lifted his chin slightly.
Samel cleared his throat and furrowed his eyebrows slightly, as if he was recalling his own question.
But the first one to speak was Ricky, who took a step forward.
"First of all, Zakriel, how much do you know about the Tower of Eradication?"
When he said this, Thales frowned slightly.
He suddenly remembered what he saw and heard when he was held hostage in the tavern. The Disaster Swords ambushed the Tower of Eradication, and after suffering heavy losses, they retreated to Blade Fangs Camp. They regrouped their men and invaded the Prison of Bones while the army was on a westward expedition.
There must be something that drove the Disaster Swords to move from the Tower of Eradication to the Prison of Bones.
And that was …
"The Tower of Eradication?"
Zakriel's lifeless tone snapped Thales out of his thoughts.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. The corners of his lips curled up into a disdainful sneer. "Not much.
'A sinister, cunning, and self-righteous shameless force of power. "
'What?'
Thales was slightly stunned.
'Sinister and cunning?
Self-righteous?
Shameless? '
He scratched his head. He suddenly realized that this description did not fit with the impression he had of the Tower of Eradication in the past.
In the past, whether it was the loyal attendant Wya, the forthright and simple-minded Cohen, the scheming schemer Raphael, the cold beauty Miranda, the former enemy, the loud Kroesch, and even the old tavern head Kaslan, who was known as' a beast in human skin '(Cohen's language), these people from the Tower of Eradication constantly used their ideas and actions to instill this impression in Thales.
The Tower of Eradication was a noble and neutral place of inheritance. It taught people combat skills and their Powers of Eradication. It vowed to preserve the vitality and combat power of humans, and to pass on the spirit of being united and treating each other with sincerity during the Battle of Eradication. It was to pass on from generation to generation the spirit of being united as one.
'But today …'
Thales frowned as he looked at the disdainful Zakriel and listened to him continue to describe his impression of the Tower of Eradication.
"… They claim to be neutral and never build a country, but in reality, they are a separatist force, and are no different from local military leaders.
"They sway left and right on international affairs, act according to the situation, have no shame, and constantly encourage their subordinates to go out and do dirty mercenary business, which is dirtier than most countries. They call it 'training'."
The more Zakriel spoke, the more ferocious he became. He seemed to have a deep prejudice against that place.
"For centuries, that group of hypocrites who call themselves swordsmen lie on the bones of their ancestors that have been cold for centuries. They bask in the fame and glory that do not belong to them. They habitually use hypocritical and pretentious excuses to attract generation after generation of hot-headed youngsters. In the name of passing down skills and protecting humans, they are actually training their minions and gathering troops to strengthen themselves."
He gritted his teeth. When he spoke to the extreme, he even spat on the ground. Samel, who was outside the prison, frowned.
Ricky's eyes lit up.
"They study how to kill all day long, then teach their subordinates so that they can wield their swords and risk their lives for the wars of other countries. They kill more people, shed more blood, fight more wars, and make the world more chaotic. It's all thanks to those disgusting scumbags from the Tower of Eradication.
"After that, generation after generation of war orphans, filled with the hatred and ambition left behind by the previous generation, came to the Tower of Eradication's doorstep again, and handed over their loyalty and allegiance to those hypocrites who consider themselves to be virtuous in exchange for the skills to kill. Then, they continue their fated cycle."
Zakriel clenched his fists, as if he was in that situation. He looked like a hero who hated evil.
"And those despicable and shameless people still stay out of it. They still have the nerve to maintain their so-called noble integrity and valuable neutrality, because they only give out swords, and the ones holding the swords are only others. It's as if the filth and despicable acts have nothing to do with them."
"Bah."
The Knight of Judgment cursed.
"Damn the Tower of Eradication."
Thales stared at Zakriel with a strange expression. He thought that Ricky had asked him how much he knew about the Tower of Eradication.
'You call this "not much"?'
However, Zakriel's evaluation, or rather, accusation, had not ended.
"Have you ever seen shameless scumbags who carry out their missions with a face full of compassion, shout that they love peace, and protect mankind, but never stop for a moment, and never hesitate to sell weapons that kill people all over the world?" Zakriel curled his lips and fiercely bared his teeth.
"That's them."
"Scumbags from the Tower of Eradication."
Once he finished speaking, Zakriel snorted through his nostrils and ended his brief sharing of his thoughts.
The atmosphere in Black Prison became awkward for a moment.
Samel did not know how to continue the conversation. Thales also raised his eyebrows. Ricky, on the other hand, laughed out loud without a care in the world.
"Hmm, I like this guy." Ricky was done laughing. He scratched his chin and looked at the Knight of Judgment with interest.
"Are you sure you don't want to get out of prison? We will work well together. "
Zakriel returned him a cold smile.
Samel coughed and whispered to Ricky.
"Because of many things in the past, he has a deep prejudice against the Tower of Eradication."
Ricky shook his head nonchalantly.
"Back to the topic."
Samel sighed and took out a piece of paper from his bosom.
This action attracted Thales' attention. He had a feeling that this was the Disaster Swords' true goal.
Samel gently opened the paper and spread it out in front of Zakriel through the bars. He used the light from the fire to illuminate it.
"Zakriel, do you remember this?"
Zakriel narrowed his eyes. At first, he shrank a little because of the approaching firelight, but as he gradually got used to the light, he walked forward slowly and stared at the paper in Samel's hand.
At that moment, Thales suddenly felt that Zakriel's aura had changed.
His gaze became fierce, and his expression was no longer as casual as if he did not care.
It was as if he had turned from a pitiful man who had experienced the vicissitudes of life and was exhausted back into the Emperor's Praetorian Guard he once was.
But he only scrutinized the things on the paper without saying a word.
This made Thales even more curious. 'What is written on the paper in Samel's hand?'
But Samel was standing closest to the prison cell, and Thales could only see the blank back of the paper. Samel also held the paper up so high that Thales could not see it.
Just as the prince was hesitating whether he should stick his head out to peek at the paper in front of the two powerful kidnappers, Zakriel, who had become serious, suddenly extended his hand and took the paper.
It crushed Thales' hope of seeing the truth.
Zakriel furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the contents of the paper.
Outside the prison cell, Samel and Ricky waited quietly. Thales could feel that they were holding their breaths and staring at each other, waiting for each other's response.
After a long while, Zakriel finally raised his head. His expression was solemn.
He waved the paper in his hand and slowly asked the two uninvited guests.
"What is this?"
Samel was obviously encouraged by their unusual reaction. He curled up the corners of his lips. "This is a sketch I drew based on my impression of it after I saw it once.
As you can see, the real thing has color, and it is much brighter. "
Zakriel's eyebrows furrowed even more.
He first cast a glance at the two people outside the prison cell, then snorted coldly.
"How would I know what it is just based on this piece of paper?"
Samel stared coldly at his former colleague.
"If it were someone else, or something else, the answer might be no, but …"
Samel raised the torch high and shrouded Zakriel's entire face in its light, but Thales only felt that the latter's expression was a little gloomy.
"Do you see its outline? Do you see how special it is?"
"More than ten years ago, when I was still in Renaissance Palace, I saw it when I was on duty at the entrance of the royal treasury." Samel stared at the prisoner very seriously. "At that time, I only caught a glimpse of it from afar, but I will never forget it."
Thales' heart skipped a beat.
'The royal treasury … in Renaissance Palace?'
Zakriel did not answer. He only shifted his gaze to the paper, and his grip on the edge of the paper gradually tightened.
As if talking about the past, Samel's tone became a little gloomy.
"The secret treasures in the royal treasury are all invaluable and hold great significance. In all of Renaissance Palace, aside from the royal family, there is only one position in the guards who can directly come into contact with them.
"That position protects the inheritance of the Royal Guards and knows countless secrets. Only those who are trusted and have high hopes can take up the position. Based on convention, that person is basically the next captain and commander of the royal guards."
Zakriel still did not speak, but everyone in the room understood what Samel meant.
Samel composed his emotions, pointed at the paper, and said solemnly, "Guarding the royal treasury and controlling the movement of the secret treasures is one of his unique responsibilities.
"Guarding the royal treasury and controlling the entry and exit of secret treasures is one of his special duties. I can guarantee that this item is definitely on the list of people he should be guarding."
When he said this, Samel took a step forward and almost leaned against the bars.
"Tell me, Zakriel, former Watchman of the Royal Guards," the former flag bearer said coldly.
"What exactly is the thing drawn on the paper that was hidden in the royal treasury many years ago?"
In that second, Thales felt the atmosphere in the room turn cold. The pressure around Zakriel seemed to have dropped by another level.
Ricky's gaze on Zakriel gradually became sharp.
This made Thales even more curious about the paper in Zakriel's hand.
The Knight of Judgment sneered.
"You spent so much effort just to get me to appraise an antique?"
He looked up and glanced at Samel and Ricky.
Samel gritted his teeth in a barely noticeable manner.
But he knew that he could not use force against the person in front of him.
So, Samel only took a deep breath and said gently, "Please, Zakriel.
"Please, Zakriel. This is very important to us."
Ricky did not move.
Zakriel stared at the contents of the paper for a few more times.
He asked faintly, "Why are you asking this? Did you find it somewhere? "
Samel exhaled and frowned.
"Zakriel, I am the one asking the question."
But Zakriel only shook his head.
"The value of information lies in the circulation of information. It allows both parties to take the next valuable action while receiving feedback and gaining benefits.
If you do not tell me more information, I will not be able to give more accurate answers. "
He raised the paper to eye level and waved it between them.
Samel was about to say something, but Ricky interrupted.
"Not long ago, we found this in the House of Legacy of the Tower of Eradication."
The three of them turned their heads together and looked at Ricky. They said calmly, "It is their top secret in recent years."
Thales' eyebrows twitched again.
'The Tower of Eradication's … top secret?'
"The Tower of Eradication?"
Zakriel's expression finally changed.
He looked like he was deep in thought.
"I'm guessing you weren't invited to visit, right? The House of Legacy is their core area. "Zakriel pondered for a while, then revealed a gloating smile." By the way, well done. "
But Ricky only shook his head.
"We did not get it. The Tower of Eradication has always protected it very tightly. Even though we paid a terrible price, we could only get a glimpse of it."
Samel's expression darkened. He nodded quietly.
"And according to the information, the master of the Tower of Eradication, the old Far Easterner, values it very much." Ricky looked at Zakriel with a serious expression that was rarely seen. "According to him, this may be the key to changing the world."
Zakriel frowned.
"Shao?"
His face was filled with disgust. "That stupid, old fool of a Gray Robed Sword Guard?"
Thales did not listen to Zakriel's disrespectful words about the Tower of Eradication, but his attention was attracted by Ricky's words.
'The Tower of Eradication has …
'The key to changing the world?
What is that? '
Thales stared at the piece of paper curiously, imagining what was drawn on it.
"Now you have the information you wanted, Knight of Judgment."
Ricky gestured at the piece of paper with his chin. "We found it in the Tower of Eradication, and Samel was the only one who recognized it. This brought us here, to you.
"Even if it's for the sake of us barging in to relieve your boredom … Zakriel, answer us. What is this?"
He focused his gaze on Zakriel's calm and dark face, as if he was trying to see something from it.
Zakriel was silent for a long time, staring at the piece of paper.
But Ricky and Samel seemed to be very patient.
Until the former watchman of the Royal Guards spoke faintly.
"Three hundred years ago."
Samel's expression froze. "What?"
Under the illumination of the fire, Zakriel walked closer to the bars, revealing his half-glowing, half-dark face.
The ferocious brand on his forehead was very clear, and the lower half of his face was completely dark.
But his eyes were full of life. He swept his gaze over the guests outside the prison cell, and his eyes shone like swords. He did not look like a person who had lost his mind at all.
Zakriel continued to speak.
"In the year 349 of the Calendar of Eradication, Aixora Yarrow married into the Jadestar Royal Family and became the queen of Midier the Fourth."
Thales, who was listening carefully, was instantly stunned.
'Midier the Fourth.
'Isn't that …'
Ricky was still frowning and confused, but Samel, who was familiar with Constellation's history, had his expression change slightly.
"Yarrow, Yarrow … You mean, the only elf queen in Constellation's history, Queen Aixora?"
Zakriel nodded slowly with a serious expression.
"And the thing on this piece of paper that you claim to have found in the Tower of Eradication is one of the dowries that Queen Aixora brought into Renaissance Palace from the Sacred Tree Kingdom."
His voice was steady, and his tone was solemn.
As the people outside the prison looked at each other, Zakriel raised his right hand and gently flipped the piece of paper in his hand so that it faced Thales.
At the moment the light from the fire illuminated the paper, the prince was first slightly confused, then he was greatly shocked!
The outline of a shortsword was carefully drawn on the paper.
A strange counterweight ball.
A gemstone in the middle of the sword's guard.
A handguard that was curved in the opposite direction of the blade.
Thales was stunned.
'That's …'
"Even in the royal family's treasure vault, which is full of treasures, it is a rather special one.
"Because this is the last weapon left in the world since the Uncivilized Era. It is said to be an ancient weapon that can slaughter Great Dragons."
Thales stared at the picture on the paper. The Knight of Judgment's unhurried but strangely powerful voice traveled into his ears, "The Sacred Elves call it …
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