Zakriel's voice faded away.
The entire tunnel instantly fell silent.
Thales could not describe the atmosphere at that moment.
But he could clearly see that the prisoners had different reactions. Bruley looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He shuddered and whimpered. Tardin closed his eyes in anguish. His expression was one of anguish. Canon and Naer's gazes were wooden, as if they had expected it.
Barney Junior stared at the ground in a daze. He did not move.
"So, you still said it in the end."
Samel sneered. He seemed to have vented the resentment he had been holding in for a long time.
"Zakriel, you."
Zakriel did not say a word.
"No …" Beldin raised and put down his weapon a few times. He seemed to be in disbelief.
"It's really … really you, sir?"
His eyebrows furrowed. He looked indignant, and he wanted to ask for help from his companions.
Nalgi stared back at him in a daze and shook his head subconsciously.
Quick Rope seemed to be quite shocked as well. He whispered to Thales, "My God … They're right. You Constellatiates really have a lot of thoughts in your heads …
"The White Blade Guards don't have so many thoughts …"
Thales twitched the corners of his mouth stiffly. He ignored him.
"Obviously, when I questioned him earlier, he wasn't in the right state."
Samel interrupted coldly. There was an inexplicable bitterness in his voice.
"And now …
"Does anyone still doubt me?"
The prisoners were silent for a while.
As he watched all this, Thales suddenly understood.
When Quick Rope let Barney Junior and the others out, the seven prisoners had already seen through the impostor 'Wya'.
But these seven ruthless people did not choose to immediately get rid of this lousy liar, because Quick Rope, who thought himself to be smart, provided another piece of information that he embellished.
'Zakriel is chasing after the prince.'
It was ironic. To a certain extent, Quick Rope's blabbermouth had saved his life.
Hence, the seven prisoners followed Quick Rope with a different mindset. It was not just to fulfill their previous oath to protect the Jadestar bloodline.
It was also to confirm their suspicions.
To confirm whether the nightmare that had tortured them for more than ten years was in Zakriel's body.
Now, they finally got what they wanted.
Naer's harsh voice rose.
"Turn yourself in, Zakriel.
"Whatever your reason, come with us to His Majesty — whoever it is, turn yourself in."
The logistics officer seemed to be trying very hard to control himself. When he said the word "His Majesty", his face darkened.
"Go and clarify the truth for our brothers in the guards who have been tainted for eighteen years — whether they are alive or not — and clear their names."
"Then, receive your judgment …"
"And punishment."
He bit out the last word.
As the center of attention, the Knight of Judgment appeared to be unusually calm.
After listening to Nai's words, he paused for a moment before silently speaking.
"I can't."
The faces of the guards changed.
Some of them even instinctively reached for their weapons.
Zakriel's face was shrouded in darkness and could not be seen clearly. Only the brand of a sinner on his forehead was exposed under the firelight, and it looked very strange.
His eyes reflected the faint light of the fire as he looked at Thales, causing the latter to feel uncomfortable.
"As I said, I have to finish what I have yet to finish."
Unfinished business.
Samel snorted.
"Looks like violence is the only way."
But Zakriel did not move.
It was as if he had sunk into a bottomless abyss. He did not hear anything, much less answer.
This made the already anxious Thales even more uneasy.
Tardin, who had his head lowered, could no longer take it. He took a step forward and roared.
"What bullsh * t unfinished business!
Watchman Zakriel! "
Tardin's roar echoed in the tunnel.
In the face of such a calm Knight of Judgment, Tardin seemed to be enraged. He was exceptionally irritable.
"Do you really know what you are doing?
Did you go mad eighteen years ago?! "
Zakriel moved a little.
'Did I go mad eighteen years ago?'
He raised his head. Under the light, his face was as calm as still water. His gaze drifted to the empty space.
"Perhaps."
He curled his lips into the ghost of a smile, as if he was talking to an invisible person.
'I have to do this.
I have to. '
When Tardin saw this, he became even angrier.
"You bastard —"
However, a calm order interrupted everyone's thoughts.
"Quiet."
It was Barney Junior.
The Royal Guards turned their heads around. They were either indignant, tired, or in pain as they waited for their chief vanguard to speak.
The latter's gaze was unfocused. He stared at the ground numbly and without moving.
Only the rising and falling of his chest proved that he was awake.
"Zakriel." Barney Junior raised his head slowly. His voice was numb and hollow.
"Do you remember how the old captain died in battle in the Hall of Stars?"
Zakriel's breathing froze a little.
'Old captain …'
When they heard this name, all the Royal Guards, including Samel, fell into a strange silence.
Thales sensed a faint hint of sorrow in it.
"Do you remember how Tony died of exhaustion …
"Do you remember my father? Do you remember how he faced multiple enemies?"
Barney Junior paused, as if he could not continue.
Zakriel was silent for a long time. His heavy breathing could be heard clearly.
A few seconds later, Barney Junior spoke in a hoarse voice.
"And the others, many, many people. Those who lived and died with us, who thought that they could entrust their lives and wealth to us, all died in the past.
They died because of your betrayal. "
Zakriel loosened his grip on the axe handle gently. The axe landed heavily on the ground.
* Thud! *
He leaned his entire weight on the axe. His chest rose and fell slightly.
"Of course, I remember."
The Knight of Judgment's shoulders trembled slightly.
"I remember everything."
Barney Junior stared at him in a daze. His face slowly contorted.
"You remember."
He stared at Zakriel in disbelief.
"And you simply admitted to it, 'the traitor, Zakriel'?"
Barney Junior's voice trembled a little, but as he spoke, the corners of his lips curled up into a smile.
"Sunset Goddess, you look like … you're saying, 'Yes, I stole your lunch'."
Zakriel opened his mouth to speak.
But as Barney Junior spoke, he bent down deeply, as if he had thought of something interesting. He laughed hoarsely, "'Stole your lunch' …
"Hahahahaha …"
His laughter was unpleasant and piercing to the ears. It echoed in the walls around them.
But Zakriel did not laugh.
The Royal Guards did not laugh either.
"Hahaha …"
Thales could feel the atmosphere around them and Barney Junior's laughter. It was incredibly bitter.
Barney Junior finally had enough of laughing.
He slowly straightened his back. The smile that seemed to have been forced out was still on his face.
"When you look like this, you make me feel … Oh my god, it's as if the eighteen years we spent in prison, the thirty-seven guards who passed away, and even Samel. It's as if the pain and torture they went through were all meaningless."
The Royal Guards looked sorrowful. Nalgi even covered his forehead in pain.
Barney Junior's smile became chilling.
"Because to you, this is just something you mention in passing after you've had your fill, right?"
Zakriel pursed his lips.
Barney Junior took a step forward. His smile remained, but his words were laced with deep sorrow.
"You should have been our role model, Zakriel, controlling punishment and protecting the legacy."
How many young Royal Guards treated you as their idol and spread your deeds by word of mouth? How many people wanted to chase after you, defeat you, and surpass you? "
Beldin stared at Zakriel sadly and shook his head slowly.
The Knight of Judgment was dazed for a moment. His face turned paler.
Barney Junior forced the tears in his eyes back into his eyes. His tone became aggressive.
"You should have been the target of every Emperor's Praetorian Guard."
He thumped his chest heavily.
"Including me!"
'Including me.'
Barney Junior trembled. His smile turned frosty.
"And you chose such an ending to bid farewell to your career as a Royal Guard and fulfill your oath as a Praetorian Guard?"
Zakriel sucked in a deep breath and shut his eyes tightly.
He seemed to be afraid of what he would see when he opened his eyes.
"That's not all …"
Barney Junior took a step forward. His voice was stern.
"You pushed His Majesty into a trap of death, and he will never be able to escape.
"You pushed the kingdom into the abyss of chaos, and he will never be able to rise again.
"You pushed your companions into the dark, filthy abyss, and he will never be able to escape.
"You stepped on the Praetorian Guard's oath, which we engraved for our entire lives, and threw it away like a pair of worn-out shoes."
Thales watched the confrontation between the two highest-ranking former Royal Guards with a complicated expression.
But the questions in his heart only increased.
Zakriel's shoulders sank lower and lower. Thales could even see that the center of his eyebrows was twitching, as if he was experiencing a nightmare.
Barney Junior looked at him in disgust.
"Tell me, Zakriel, how do you sleep every night?
Especially when your hands are stained with your companions' blood, your shoulders bear the debt of the king's blood, and your mind is filled with the blood of the past …
"Every time you breathe, don't you find the stench of blood on your body pungent?!"
Finally, when he heard this, the pale Zakriel opened his eyes, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare!
He could no longer support his body. He leaned on his battle axe and knelt on one knee!
"Aaaahhh!"
The Knight of Judgment roared in pain.
"I know!"
He gripped the axe handle tightly with his right hand and pressed his left hand against his forehead. The twitching between his eyebrows grew more intense, as if he was fighting the most intense battle.
Everyone watched Zakriel in silence. No one made a sound.
Thales sighed in his heart. He knew that the Knight of Judgment's mental state was not stable.
He was probably …
'He probably met the "other world" again.
'But everything has a cause. I wonder what caused his other world to form, and how did it manifest itself?'
When he thought of this, Thales suddenly had a thought.
'Wait.
'This might be … a breakthrough?'
"I know …"
After a few seconds, Zakriel's tone became humble, and it sounded more like he was begging.
"But I have to do this …
"I have to do this …"
He opened his eyes, held his head, and kept repeating this sentence. Only then did his emotions gradually calm down.
"I have to …"
But in the next moment, a sword that shone with a cold light pierced through the air!
Thales was immediately shocked.
'Later, I still have questions to ask!'
Nalgi cried out involuntarily.
"No, Barney!"
At that critical moment, Zakriel, who was in pain, acted like a beast whose territory had been invaded. He subconsciously swung his axe!
* Clang! *
As the metal clashed, he took two steps back. He was disheveled, but he managed to block the fatal ambush in time!
The Knight of Judgment panted harshly. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Barney Junior, who was trembling while holding his sword.
'No.'
Thales furrowed his eyebrows.
He could not let the situation continue like this. The hatred and anger between them would overwhelm his rationality.
Besides …
He still had things he wanted to know.
When he thought of this, Thales suddenly said, "Zakriel!
What do you 'have to' do? "
The prince's interruption caused Barney Junior's sword to stop moving.
Nalgi could not help but look back at him.
Thales ignored the others' gazes and spoke to himself.
"What reason do you 'have to' betray us?"
He wanted to make Zakriel speak … Now, while he was emotionally unstable and mentally unstable, this was his only chance.
Thales said in a cold voice,
"Why do you 'have to' do it?
Is it because of the Dragon Breaker? Is it because of the weapon that the Two Empresses are wary of? "
When the prisoners questioned him just now, Thales already had a vague sense of what they were going to ask.
'The Bloody Year.'
For a long time, this piece of history had shrouded Thales' life like a haze. It was as if there was a thread in the dark that controlled his fate from afar.
At every moment, it brought him panic and fear, as if he was a lonely boat crossing the sea, and he was drifting about uncontrollably.
Hence, he did not know where it came from, but an impatient desire and impulse to know the truth about the Bloody Year arose spontaneously.
They surged towards him like a tidal wave and seized Thales' brain in an irresistible manner, making him feel as if his heart was on fire.
'What happened during the Bloody Year?
'What does the death of the Jadestar Royal Family mean?
'The Dragon Breaker, the Blade of Purification, the calamities …
'What does it have to do with me, who was not even born at that time?
'The Dragon Breaker …'
Zakriel seemed to remember something when he heard this, but he only stared at Thales in a daze and did not answer.
When Thales saw this, he could only grit his teeth and recall the first time he met Zakriel.
'This is my only chance.
A chance to dig out the truth! '
"Do you still remember the rotten skin with maggots and flies on it, Zakriel?" Thales said coldly.
'Skin?'
This sentence was very baffling.
But Barney Junior was shocked to see that when he heard Thales' words, the steel-like Zakriel suddenly swayed!
At that moment, the Knight of Judgment shuddered, and he was drenched in cold sweat.
He widened his eyes and stared at Thales in disbelief.
Thales suppressed the reluctance in his heart and continued to add more information from the 'other world'.
"Yes, think about it. There are also countless heads on the ground that are stuck on the tips of spears. Think about what they say to you every single night."
Thales spoke faster, hoping that the Knight of Judgment would admit defeat as soon as possible.
"Are those the guards that you killed?"
Under everyone's incredulous gazes, as Thales spoke, the terrifying Knight of Judgment felt as if he had returned to a nightmare. He subconsciously took a step back and stared at the dark space with a face full of terror and fear.
Aside from Samel, everyone else was shocked when they saw Zakriel like this for the first time.
"And the hanging corpses hanging from the ceiling with their tongues stretched out, their eyes rolled up, and their heads swaying nonstop above your head … And the crying of babies that never stop. Did you see and hear all of these?"
* Clang! *
Zakriel's axe fell to the ground.
The crowd was surprised to see him hugging his head with his hands. His face was pale, and he panted while he knelt on the ground.
"Tell me, Zakriel, what in the world happened eighteen years ago?"
Thales braced himself and raised his voice.
"What made you have to betray the late king's trust, slaughter the Jadestar Bloodline, kill your own colleagues, sacrifice innocent blood, tarnish your own honor, and experience this terrifying life where you have to face these faces, heads, hanging corpses, and endless crying of babies every single day and night?"
In the next moment, Zakriel seemed to be unable to take it anymore. He covered his head and roared in pain.
"Aaaahhhh!"
Everyone was startled.
"You don't understand!"
Zakriel lowered his right hand and pounded the ground in pain.
"I had to do this …"
His face was contorted, and his eyes were filled with panic as he stared at the air. "I had to do this!"
Thales clenched his fists. He ignored Quick Rope's attempts to stop him and took a resolute step forward.
"Why?"
The prince shouted angrily.
"Why? Why, Zakriel? Why did you betray me? "
He shouted loudly.
"As the last of the Jadestar Bloodline, in the name of the deceased Jadestars, Thales Jadestar orders you to tell me!"
Thales was a little agitated. His voice echoed in the area.
The former Royal Guards were all surprised. They began to size up the unfamiliar teenager again with a gaze that was rarely seen on them.
Thales Jadestar.
When he heard the familiar family name, Zakriel, who was on the verge of a mental breakdown, trembled violently. He raised his head in a daze and stared at Thales.
His gaze was helpless and desolate, and it made Thales feel terrible.
But the teenager's strategy seemed to be effective.
"I had to do this," Zakriel said absentmindedly.
"It was because of the late king, Aydi."
At this moment, everyone in the area, including the Royal Guards, Thales, and Quick Rope, were stunned.
'What?'
"The late king?"
'The late king …
'Aydi the Second?'
Greatly shocked, Thales felt that he had grasped something. He probed further.
He asked tentatively, "Did the late king … order you to do what you did?"
Zakriel trembled violently again.
"No, because of the late king …"
He shook his head absentmindedly.
"Because the late king was no longer the late king …"
Thales was stunned again.
This sentence was still very confusing and puzzling.
"What do you mean?"
Barney Junior stared suspiciously at Zakriel, who was obviously not in a normal state.
"What kind of crazy things are you talking about?"
A few seconds passed. Zakriel's panting slowly died down. The pain and madness in his eyes also slowly disappeared.
After going through the frenzy that was like a storm just now, Zakriel stood up with some difficulty. He shook his head and regained his composure.
The Knight of Judgment, who had regained his senses, was the first to be stunned.
Soon, Zakriel looked at Thales with a complicated gaze.
"You …"
Judging from his expression, he seemed to have realized what he had just said.
But Thales did not intend to show weakness.
The prince took a deep breath and continued to speak.
"What do you mean, Zakriel? Why is the late king no longer the late king? "
Zakriel stared at Thales quietly.
Unknowingly, the teenager, who had been standing awkwardly among the prisoners, had turned from a hostage to a protected person.
Zakriel closed his eyes and finally sighed.
'At the end of the day, he is a Jadestar.
Just like them. '
He chuckled softly, as if he had let go of something in his heart.
Under everyone's skeptical and wary gazes, Zakriel opened his eyes and spoke languidly.
"As all of you know, after Queen Natalie passed away in childbirth, the devoted King Aydi remained single for many years.
Until that day. "
As he listened to the old story that only the Elders of Constellation knew, Thales could not react for a moment.
But Barney Junior frowned slightly.
"That day?"
Zakriel sneered, but there was a hint of anguish in his voice. "That day.
That day, King Aydi met an old friend he had not seen for many years outside the palace. "
'Old friend?'
Thales still looked puzzled, but some of the former Royal Guards' expressions had already changed.
The Knight of Judgment's gaze was pained. He recalled the unforgettable past.
"His Majesty ignored the objections of the important ministers and princes, and insisted on bringing that lady into Renaissance Palace to marry her as his new queen."
Tardin, who stood in front of Thales, reacted. His eyes widened.
"You mean …"
Zakriel nodded silently.
His dry voice echoed in the cold and dim underground. It was filled with a sense of ruin and vicissitudes.
"Just like that, after an incredibly hasty and controversial wedding, we welcomed the new mistress of Renaissance Palace, King Aydi's second queen."
"New queen? Queen Fiosa? "Barney Junior muttered to himself as he recalled.
'Fiosa?
Why have I never heard of her before? '
The unfamiliar name puzzled Thales. He looked at Quick Rope, and the latter also had an expression that asked, "Who is she?"
'Strange.'
Thales remembered very clearly that he did not see this name in the Jadestar Royal Family's tomb six years ago.
When he heard this, Samel could not help but interrupt him.
"What does this have to do with her?"
Zakriel picked up his axe, turned around, and cast a glance at Samel. He repeated his words in a mocking manner.
He repeated his words in a mocking tone, "What does this have to do with her?"
At that moment, the Knight of Judgment's expression suddenly became stern.
"She is the source of all misfortune." His voice was chilling, and it was filled with the murderous air of autumn frost.
"But the old captain, Barney Junior, and even Lord Hansen did not notice it."
Barney Junior and Beldin exchanged a glance. An ominous feeling rose in each other's hearts.
As Zakriel spoke, he seemed to be immersed in his own memories.
"But I should have noticed it. As the Watchman of the Royal Guards who are in charge of the ancient books, I should have noticed it a long time ago."
He slowly tightened his grip on the weapon in his hand, and his face tensed up.
"I should have warned him. I should have advised him.
But I failed in my duty. "
The knight showed indignation, resentment, and pain.
The uneasiness in Thales' heart grew stronger.
"What do you mean? What did you notice? "
Zakriel did not answer immediately.
He slowly raised his gaze and stared at Thales, making the latter even more nervous.
"One day, in the vast number of legacy scrolls of the Royal Guards, I coincidentally found it."
Without realizing it, everyone in the room held their breaths and stared.
They waited for the Knight of Judgment's answer.
Zakriel stared at Thales for a full three seconds.
"I discovered that our queen, the second wife of King Aydi, who has always been in question, is not called Fiosa at all. She is also not a descendant of some so-called fallen noble family as recorded in the Jadestar Family Register."
Zakriel's dry voice rose again, but it was filled with hatred and anger.
"In fact, she has lived longer than all of us in the Royal Guards combined …
"As early as a thousand years ago, before the Empire collapsed, she was already famous for being good at manipulating people's hearts and creating illusions."
At that moment, the expressions of the people who were listening changed.
'What?
A thousand years ago?
Manipulating people's hearts? '
Thales was stunned.
The Knight of Judgment spoke in a hoarse voice with deep wariness and inexplicable reverence.
"At least six hundred years ago, the ancestors of Constellation used another name to call her.
A taboo name that I can only find in the ancient scrolls. "
'A taboo name?'
In an instant, everyone's nerves tensed up.
In the next second, Zakriel fiercely spat out the name that made many people's expressions change.
"Sensory Mystic."
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.
