"Your grandmother sent you a letter. She wants you to go back."
His father's voice rang in the night shift room. His familiar tone made him sit up straight.
"What?" he asked instinctively.
Even though he was gradually getting used to the weekly report and was used to his father's businesslike tone, he could not help but be stunned when he heard his father say such "unprofessional" words after the routine report.
The night shift room of the guards was located in a remote corner of Renaissance Palace. Compared to the noisy palace gate that faced King's Lane and the Hall of Stars that made people hold their breaths, this place was not noisy or quiet. The atmosphere was just right.
His father spoke faintly, and his voice was hoarse.
"Your cousin is not in good health. In truth, it is very bad.
He is not doing well in managing his fiefdom, and he needs help. "
'Grandmother. Cousin.'
These two names that he had not heard for a long time echoed in his mind, and he was dazed for a moment.
It was as if he had returned to the distant past.
'Help?'
But he only instinctively thought about it before he spoke without hesitation.
"No, I'm not going back."
When he heard his answer, his father crossed his arms behind the table. He leaned back in his chair while his armor clanked. His eyes burned, and he revealed the awe-inspiring aura that he had cultivated over the years.
This made him feel a little uneasy. It had been a long time since he was alone with his father and talked about housework without a third person.
But his father did not frown, and he did not show any hesitation. He seemed to have expected his answer.
"Your grandmother means that if anything happens to your cousin … someone needs to inherit the family's fiefdom and title," his father said softly.
This made him frown.
'Fiefdom and title …
'Someone needs to inherit …'
He instinctively frowned, then snorted softly. He tried hard to suppress the disdain in his words.
"They won't be so kind. What are the conditions?"
His father's expression remained the same. He did not know whether it was because his many years of career made him unable to show his emotions, or because he knew too much about himself.
His father said faintly,
"The condition is that after your cousin passes away, you have to marry your sister-in-law, who is your grandmother's grandniece.
"You have to give birth to an heir with her to maintain the relationship between the two families."
'Marry … my cousin's widow?'
When he heard this, he raised his eyebrows slightly. He was satisfied that he found a reason to be disdainful.
'As expected.'
"I understand." He crossed his arms as well, and there was a hint of contempt in his nasal voice.
"Tell them I won't go back."
"Let them do as they please."
His father nodded without any surprise at his refusal, as if he had not just refused the right to inherit a noble title, but merely said, "I'm not going home for dinner tonight."
His father's gaze shifted to his bandaged finger.
This time, the former truly frowned.
"Are you still practicing that sword technique?"
He subconsciously put down his arms, but before he hid them behind his back, he changed his posture at the last minute. He naturally assumed a posture of supporting himself with the arms of the chair.
He nodded and tried to answer in the most nonchalant tone.
"Yes."
However, his father's brows did not relax. Instead, they furrowed even tighter.
"Do you think you have a chance to defeat him in the next Knight Competition, or at least be on par with him and not be at a disadvantage?"
These words made his heart clench.
Defeat him.
Defeat him.
It was him!
That's right, just like that, defeat him! 'Just like that Northlander,' he wanted to say, in a confident, relaxed, steady tone.
But for some reason, he changed his words at the last minute before he said them. His tone was a little deeper.
"We will know when the time comes."
His father was silent for a while, but his eyes were still fixed on him.
This made him very uncomfortable.
"I think you should know that skill is not the only criterion when it comes to the selection of the watchman," his father said slowly. His eyebrows were still furrowed.
An ominous premonition rose in his heart.
He unnaturally changed his sitting posture.
"I know."
His father continued to stare at him.
"But even so, your chances of being a watchman are not optimistic."
It was as if there was a string in his heart that was tightly pulled taut.
"Zakriel's martial arts are the best, and he is deeply trusted by His Majesty. Nolanur has the support of the entire Northern Territory and a good relationship with others. Tony is someone Captain Cullen thinks highly of, and Cox's battlefield command and experience are highly praised and recommended by Prince Horace.
"They are all popular candidates."
His father stared at him and said things that everyone knew clearly. It was like a seal that was deeply imprinted in his heart.
"But you, you only have me as your father."
He did not know if it was an illusion, but when he said this, he seemed to hear his father exhale softly through his nose.
He was a little annoyed. His father's gaze forced him to avert his gaze and look elsewhere.
"I know."
But his father did not seem ready to let him go.
"In the guards, people from the same family usually do not hold important positions at the same time, especially positions like the vice-captain and watchman."
There was an imperceptible sadness in his father's tone.
"There is a high possibility that you will not be chosen."
His breathing stopped for a moment, and he only managed to recover after a few seconds.
"I know."
He said with some difficulty.
His father finally averted his gaze and looked at the door of the night shifts room.
"But you still stubbornly want to try?"
For some reason, even though he frowned in the face of such a father, he felt an indescribable sense of relief.
"Yes."
He put down his arm and was still for a few seconds. Finally, he inhaled and answered,
"I still have to give it a try."
This time, his father was silent for a long time, and even the atmosphere in the night shifts room, which was not very relaxed to begin with, became solemn.
It was so long that he frowned and wondered whether it was time for him to interrupt and bid farewell.
"You know, the Royal Guards are not just guards who guard the king. It is also a contract, an idea, and a tradition."
His father exhaled slowly, but he did not look at him. Instead, he looked at the wall of the night shifts room.
There was a schedule with the names of the guards' members written on it. Cullen, Arunde, Barney, Tardin, Garth, Talon, Dagestan, Norfolk, Godwin, Kanny, Havea, Nalgi …
He did not know why his father mentioned this, but his father's gaze seemed to be a little profound.
"Since the era of the King of Renaissance, the powerful noble families sent out their blood descendants. Regardless of whether it was the eldest son, the second son, or the main branch, they protected the king and cultivated a relationship with the royal family to win Renaissance Palace's trust. The king also used this to maintain a tacit understanding with the vassal families and ensure his influence over the fiefs of his subordinates."
His father sighed. His voice was a little different from usual. There was less toughness, and more resignation.
"In a sense, for hundreds of years, the Royal Guards were a miniature version of the kingdom's territory. From the Six Great Clans to the Thirteen Distinguished Families, from the Seven Jadestar Attendants to the new nobles, the rise and fall of many families of various sizes were reflected in it."
He frowned fiercely. He had a premonition that his father was a little different today.
His father had always been very serious since he was young.
'He's never been so … earnest?'
"Sir." He frowned and looked at his father. He instinctively called out the title he was most used to.
"What are you trying to say?"
His father seemed to have been called back by this "sir". His father paused for a moment.
When he spoke again, he had already returned to being the tough commanding officer he was used to.
"I know that you don't have a good impression of your family, and you don't have a good relationship with your cousin."
His father looked at him again and sat up straight. His tone was stern.
"But if you go home, get a promise from your grandmother and cousin, and let His Majesty know that you have a high possibility of inheriting the title and fief from your cousin …"
He felt a chill in his heart.
'This again?
'Inherit?'
His father continued to speak and told him the whole story expressionlessly.
"Then, at least when considering the candidate for the watchman, His Majesty will look at you in a different light. I think he would prefer the person who is in charge of the kingdom for him to be a loyal guard close to him at all times.
"In fact, I can even resign and retire. This may increase your chances."
'Is that so?
'As long as I do this, as long as I accept it … my chances will increase greatly.'
He sighed silently.
A faint sense of disappointment surged in his heart.
After so many years, he and his father were certainly not the perfect example of a father being kind and filial.
But at least, he thought that his father's view of that land, those memories, and those people should be the same as his.
'But …'
"Do you really want me to go back and inherit the family so badly?"
He spoke quietly. His tone was filled with a sense of alienation and hostility that even he himself was surprised by.
But he did not want to retract this emotion. Instead, he let it slowly ferment and turn into cold, bone-chilling words.
"Go back and inherit the so-called 'family' that forced us to wander, caused my mother to fall ill, and caused my sister to die early because of lack of medicine?"
In his cold snort, it was as if someone had opened the cold window of winter.
It made his father suddenly turn into a terrifying ice sculpture.
Only a pair of eyes were left, and they were aggressive.
After a long while, his father answered stiffly, "This has nothing to do with them."
"Then what is it for?"
He retorted rudely.
"If it has nothing to do with them, why do you have to involve me? Why don't you just go back yourself, inherit that title yourself, marry that young and beautiful wife yourself, and become a good son of grandmother and a good subject of His Majesty? "
Bang!
There was a loud bang.
He silently looked at his father's fist that hit the arm of the chair.
The atmosphere became tense and oppressive.
He realized that they were both panting slightly.
And his father was like hundreds and thousands of times in the past. He used the gaze of an officer training new recruits to stare at him coldly, as if he was going to take out a whip the next moment.
But this time, he held his head high and puffed out his chest. He met the officer's gaze without flinching.
After a while, his father, whose cheeks were twitching, forced out a sentence from between his teeth.
"Because you are of my blood."
His father exhaled.
For some reason, his father slowly relaxed his stiff expression, relaxed his tense tone, and even averted his gaze, which was a rare sight to him.
"I think that you should be the one to choose."
"My son," his father said stiffly.
He shuddered slightly.
'Son?
'How strange.
'This isn't him.'
He looked at his father in front of him and said quietly.
For many years, regardless of whether it was in public or private matters, his father, who was tough and rigid, had always called him by his name or title.
Ever since his mother passed away, he had not called him that for a long time.
'My son?'
This made him not know how to face it for a while. Just like in the past, he was filled with anger, but at that moment, he could not find an opponent to vent it on.
In the end, he could only force himself to snort coldly and turn his head in disdain.
"So, we still can't escape, right?
"Even if we moved out of the family's fief, came to the capital, joined the Royal Guards, and relied on ourselves for so many years," he said scornfully as he glanced at the schedule on the wall.
"But we are still like animals in the wild who seek shelter from the rain. No matter where we go, there is always a dark cloud above our heads."
His father looked at him quietly and sighed. His tone was a little tired.
"No, we can't escape."
The father and son were silent for a long time.
"You have two choices. Accept your grandmother and cousin's conditions, and you can win a respectable title and fief. You can even become the next Watchman or even the captain of the guards." Finally, his father sighed and spoke again. Perhaps it was because he stayed up late, but there was fatigue in his voice that could not be dispelled.
"Or you can refuse —"
He cut off his father's words.
"I refuse. I don't care about the title and the title."
He said resolutely and left no room for doubt. He stared at his father without showing any signs of weakness.
"I won't go back.
I don't even want to have anything to do with them. "
'That so-called family with a black heart.'
He thought coldly.
His father frowned. "Even if this means that you might lose the competition to become the Watchman of the Royal Guards, and that you will only be a small —"
"Yes."
He answered without hesitation.
This time, his father stared at him for a long time.
For a long time.
During that time, his father's gaze changed a few times. His emotions were unclear.
But he also stared at him quietly without wavering.
Finally, his father averted his gaze.
"Very good." His father snorted softly, and his voice became much lighter.
"Then, don't go back."
This surprised him quite a bit.
In his memories, his father had never given up so quickly when they were in a fight.
He could only cross his arms again and work hard to get rid of the anger that he had nowhere to vent. He felt that the air on that day was particularly unsuitable for him.
The two of them seemed to be a little awkward. They were silent for a few seconds.
"Alright."
His father cleared his throat.
"Then, today's report is over. You can leave," his father sat up straight and said faintly.
"Vanguard Quill Barney."
In an instant, his father's expression became cold again.
It made him almost unable to believe that the tired father who called himself his son just now was the same person as the cold, indifferent, and stern officer now.
He stood up stiffly and felt that the disdain and resentment that had not disappeared from his body had found an outlet again.
"Alright." He also returned to his most habitual tone. Before he left the night shifts room, he glanced at his father one last time and closed the door coldly.
"Sir, Vice Captain Quill Barney."
* Crack! *
The door to the night shifts room was closed with a bang, and Barney Junior was jolted awake from his muddled memories.
He gradually regained his senses and felt that he was moving.
"Thank Sunset, you're better now. I thought we were going to lose you."
It was Nalgi's voice.
There was a faint joy in his voice. It was hazy, as if it came from afar. It did not sound real.
'Lose me?
'Am I still dreaming?'
Barney Junior tried to open his eyes, but he groaned in pain.
His eyes hurt, and when he opened them, he cried. There was also a strange buzzing sound in his ears.
'What's going on?'
"Nalgi, put me down …"
He endured the pain and opened his eyes. He could only see a blurry light and shadows. He could vaguely see a small team formed by a few people fumbling about as they moved forward.
He was among them. He was supported by Nalgi as he staggered forward.
"No, I don't think you can stand steadily now, sir." Nalgi sounded a little tired, and his footsteps were not very steady.
Barney Junior shook his head hard. Although the ringing in his ears did not subside and his eyes were still in pain, he had regained some of his consciousness. He could vaguely see Beldin's back as he staggered in front of him.
He remembered some things.
The Prison of Bones, Zakriel, and …
The Alchemy Ball.
"Where are we? Hell's River? "Barney Junior accidentally stepped on a piece of gravel and staggered.
A somewhat unfamiliar but somewhat familiar voice of a teenager came from behind him weakly.
"Of course not.
"We need to take a boat to Hell's River …"
Barney Junior furrowed his eyebrows. He extracted a name from his slowly recovering memories.
'It's him.'
Before he could turn around, the owner of the voice staggered towards him.
It was a pathetic teenager. He was covered in blood, and there was a frighteningly red and swollen cheek.
He had his left hand on the shoulder of an impatient red-haired young man, and in his right hand was a smooth longsword that shone with a silver light. He limped.
"Is he all right?"
When he heard the teenager's words, Nalgi frowned and turned to Barney Junior. He extended his hand and shook it.
"Can you see me clearly, Barney? Barney Junior? Barney Bunny Bunny? How many fingers do I have now? "
'Damn it.
This talkative guy …
'When I recover …'
Barney Junior blinked furiously, but he still could not blink away the blurry double image in his eyes. But he did see Nalgi.
"Four."
He snorted softly and said in annoyance, "But …
"Do you mean the one on the left or the one on the right?"
Nalgi raised his eyebrows and retracted two of his fingers. He hummed happily.
He patted Barney Junior's arm and turned to the teenager. He flashed his teeth happily.
"It's okay. He's fine."
The teenager also raised his eyebrows and turned his head around.
'What the f * ck do you mean by "fine"?'
At that moment …
"Wow, wow, wow!"
In front of them, the person supported by Beldin suddenly spoke loudly. He was surprised and delighted.
"I think I heard a voice!"
His voice was so loud that it reverberated through the tunnel and stimulated their eardrums. It shocked everyone.
A huge commotion broke out in the tunnel. Most of them were complaining in dissatisfaction. For a period of time, the tunnel was filled with wails.
"Oh my God, make him shut up …"
"Knock this bastard out …"
"Boohoo, boohoo …"
"Chop him up …"
However, Tardin, who was supported by Beldin, continued to shout happily.
"Hey, Nalgi, great poet, hurry up and say something! I think my hearing is recovering! "
His voice became louder and louder.
The entire group swayed as if they had been hit by an earthquake.
Beside Barney, Nalgi shuddered violently.
"Damn it, lower your voice, Tardin! My ears hurt when you talk … "
But Tardin did not seem to have any self-awareness.
"Huh?"
He turned his head around with a puzzled expression and opened his mouth in an exaggerated manner.
"What did you say? What hurts? Can you speak louder? "
His voice lingered in the air, and it was deafening.
The group wailed loudly again.
"Don't talk to me!"
Nalgi covered his ears in pain. His voice also became louder.
"Even now, I still see double, and I still bump into walls when I walk …"
The more Barney Junior listened, the more agitated he became, but he slowly calmed down.
They were all there.
"Quiet."
Barney Junior found that his sense of balance was recovering, so he slowly steadied his footsteps and removed some of his weight from Nalgi's shoulders.
"What happened?"
Barney Junior knew who he should ask. He turned to the teenager beside him.
"Your Highness, that Alchemy Ball …"
"What's going on?"
Beside him was Thales Jadestar, whose eyes were also glazed over. He grimaced in pain and yawned. He exchanged glances with "Wya" beside him and smiled at him rather awkwardly.
"That's …"
Thales paused for a moment.
"You saw it." Thales shrugged. The sudden movement made Quick Rope and him sway. They clumsily held onto the wall so that they would not fall.
"That Alchemy Ball is a …"
Thales racked his brains and finally found a word that was easy to understand.
"What do you mean … flash bomb?"
'Flash …'
Barney Junior was silent. He mulled over the word for a while.
"Flash bomb?"
Thales frowned and looked at the Royal Guards who were shaking their heads like a group of drunkards as they supported each other to go home.
"It's not just a flash.
There might be some sound effects from a stun grenade … I only regained my hearing after a few minutes. It's still buzzing … "
'And that light …'
Thales closed his eyes in frustration.
'Even though I covered my eyes in advance, it still hurts …'
Barney Junior was silent for a while before he asked the question he was most concerned about.
"What about him?"
The group fell silent.
They knew what he was going to ask.
Thales glanced at Barney Junior and saw anxiety and longing on his face.
Barney Junior had a bad feeling.
"Tell me, what about him?"
The vanguard frowned. "Did you kill him?"
"Barney, about that …"
Nalgi said in a troubled manner, "Um, Zakriel …"
Barney Junior quickly asked,
"What happened to him?"
The group was silent for a while. In the end, Beldin still spoke.
"Let's put it this way." The penal officer's calm voice rose. It sounded like he had not recovered from the shock of the Alchemy Ball.
"Zakriel's senses and attention were more sensitive than ours, and he was also more focused …
"After he lost his sight and hearing, he was more affected than anyone else. He roared at the air …"
Barney Junior felt that something was amiss. He cast aside these details and asked directly,
"Did you kill him?"
The entire group froze because of his question.
Samel, who was at the forefront, coughed and said faintly, "He went crazy.
"He's gone berserk — — but his battle instincts are still there, and he's even more aggressive, swinging his weapon madly"
Samel panted, as if he was relieving the pain in his eardrums.
"You should have seen how he was at that time. He searched for every living thing without a care for his life and tried to cut everything within a two-meter radius into pieces. Nalgi tried to get close, and he almost got his head chopped off. As for me …"
Samel patted the bloody bandage on his left arm and sighed.
Barney Junior paused for a while and gritted his teeth.
"Long-range attacks?"
Beldin shook his head and said softly, "We tried.
"I've tried."
"That guy is Tardin's fake nephew. Do you remember him? He tried to shoot an arrow from a distance, aiming for Zakriel's head. I don't know why, but he missed. He only shot his shoulder. "
Thales felt Barney Junior's gaze on him. Quick Rope, who helped him move forward, lowered his body and lowered his head in fear, as if he wanted to stuff his entire head into Thales' arms.
'Missed?'
Barney Junior stared blankly at Quick Rope, who lowered his head in embarrassment.
Beldin sighed and said, "Zakriel felt pain.
"Zakriel felt the pain and felt the direction of the arrow. He ran into the darkness in the opposite direction."
Barney Junior's expression froze.
"Tell me." After a while, Barney Junior stared at the darkness under his feet and said in a daze,
"You killed him."
No one spoke, and Thales subconsciously fell one step behind him.
Many of the Royal Guards also lowered their heads.
Barney Junior exhaled heavily and gritted his teeth.
"Why?"
He stomped his foot so hard that Nalgi, who was beside him, staggered.
"Why … Why didn't you chase after him and kill him?!"
His tone was filled with hatred, and his voice was loud.
It was so loud that everyone's fragile eardrums hurt again.
"Barney!"
Beldin spoke calmly.
"The power of that Alchemy Ball was extraordinary. We were also affected by it quite a bit."
Many people, including Quick Rope, instinctively stared at Thales. The prince could not help but raise his eyebrows.
'What does this have to do with me?'
"For a few minutes, all of us were deaf. It was as if someone was blowing a conch in our heads. We had problems with our balance, and when we stood up and took three steps, our heads would sway …"
Beldin sighed and said,
"Even if our situation was better than Zakriel's, it still took us quite some time to stand up and escape down here."
Barney Junior stared at Beldin in disbelief, then at the others, but many of them turned their heads away from his gaze.
"Don't worry," Samel said softly.
"Zakriel's senses are more sensitive than ours, and he was more affected. I guess he needs more time to recover compared to us. He might not be able to fully recover.
At least we're still alive. "
Barney Junior fell silent and lowered his head quietly. The entire team continued to move forward slowly.
"Then, where did it come from?"
Just when Thales thought that everything was over, Barney Junior suddenly spoke.
"Alchemy Ball?"
Thales' eyelids twitched, and he exchanged glances with Quick Rope.
'This …
'What do I say?'
"It's the Jadestar Royal Family. They always have some reserves …" Thales said hesitantly.
Barney Junior frowned.
"Why didn't you use it earlier? Or just give it to us? "
Thales furrowed his eyebrows. Then, he relaxed them and said confidently,
He said confidently, "Isn't it the best time to release it when he's fully focused?
If I waited until Zakriel saw it before I threw it, I don't think it would be so effective. "
'Am I supposed to tell you that it's because I forgot to use it earlier?'
Fortunately, Barney Junior pondered for a while and stopped asking.
Thales retracted his resentful gaze.
Besides, everyone, including Zakriel and Quick Rope, thought that it was a powerful explosive Alchemy Ball, just like the one Raphael used in the secret tunnel in Dragon Clouds City.
But in reality …
"Hey, how do you know that this Alchemy Ball only has flashes and sounds?"
As expected, Quick Rope poked his ribs restlessly and whispered,
"When Stake took it out, he clearly said …"
Thales sighed in his heart.
'See, this is my biggest concern.'
"I just know." Thales smiled and shrugged with a look that said, "I'm very knowledgeable."
"I know that this thing is not fatal."
Quick Rope frowned when he saw this.
"But what if it's the kind that explodes? You must know that there are no obvious markings on Alchemy Balls. Only a few people … "
The rookie mercenary looked at him in dissatisfaction.
"Many years ago, I saw one …"
Thales coughed softly and stopped the topic.
"It's not.
The Jadestar Royal Family has a long history, and they have a way to identify Alchemy Balls. "
He smiled mysteriously.
"Just like how our blood is golden …"
Quick Rope put on a disgusted expression that said, "Forget it if you don't want to say it." He turned his head around in boredom.
Thales sighed in relief.
Indeed, when he faced this Alchemy Ball that Stake used to threaten him and Zakriel, he was also trembling in fear at first.
But all the mysteries were revealed after he found the anchor point and rationally entered a state of losing control.
In that magical state, Thales saw the inner layer of the Alchemy Ball clearly.
It was a ball of spinning energy.
And at that time, he vaguely knew that the spinning energy inside was actually very empty. Even if all of it was released, it would at most send a few feet of dust flying away.
'More importantly …
'There are no obvious markings?'
In fact, when Thales' vision penetrated the inner layer of the metal shell, he found that there were a few words in the language of the modern Empire that he was not familiar with engraved on the inner layer of the metal shell that could not be seen from the mysterious Alchemy Ball.
[Blinding Glare XX Film + XXXX Film]
[Alchemy Tower, Battle Wizard XX Honorable Product, XX No. EE1109-8-17, Creator: First Class XX Master, D.E. Charleton]
[Used to suppress perception, XX Suppression, XXXX, XX, etc.]
[Unified XX, limited to use in the tower, strictly prohibited from exporting XX. Prohibited areas include, but are not limited to, Soul Tower, Bright God Church, XXX, the Third Ring, Hell's Gate, XXXX, Temple of Knights, the Empire, and XXXXX]
This strange line of words contained a lot of information, such as the creator's surname.
There were also a lot of unfamiliar terms in it, but it was enough for Thales to understand its function.
Hence, when he thought of what he could use to restrain Zakriel, who had outstanding perception, it came in handy.
Quick Rope frowned and said thoughtfully, "That's right.
"So, just now, Stake threatened you with a fake bargaining chip and threw us around in circles?"
"It seems so."
When Thales thought of the cunning Stake, he shook his head in annoyance.
"Actually, it's not wrong. I should have thought of it a long time ago.
"How could someone like him have the courage to die together with us …?"
At this moment …
* Thud, thud … *
Thales was the first to be shocked.
Under the torment of that "XX film", everyone's speed of recovery was different. They supported each other as they moved forward unsteadily.
But at this moment, almost everyone tensed up!
* Thud, thud, thud … *
Behind the team, in the dark tunnel, a series of undisguised footsteps suddenly sounded.
* Thud, thud, thud … *
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