In the brightly lit hall, Thales looked down from above, enduring countless shocked gazes, but only staring at the dazed Anker.
Waiting for his reaction.
"You … you?"
After a long while, Anker looked up in disbelief.
Thales was still staring at him coldly. His posture was relaxed, but his gaze was intimidating.
Like a hunter after an arrow left the bow, he confidently lowered his longbow.
"Your Highness, a proxy duel," Anker finally understood what had just happened, his eyes were red and his breathing quickened.
"Me and … you?"
Thales narrowed his eyes.
"No, no …"
Grief and pain surged from the eyes of the spoiler of the banquet as he hissed,
"No!"
In the hall, after the initial shock, everyone began to discuss what had just happened anxiously. But their voices became more restrained, and even the way they looked at the Duke of Star Lake changed.
The shackled Val Arunde was no longer drinking. His gaze was locked on the prince, his intentions unclear.
Zayen frowned and kept turning back to ask his butler.
The One-Eyed Dragon, Koshder, smiled faintly and was still in the mood to respond to the private inquiries of the other guests.
Thales tossed aside the scenes he had glimpsed from the corner of his eye and scoffed.
"Why not?"
The young duke walked down slowly. The royal guards behind him wanted to follow, but were stopped by an unquestionable gesture from Mallos.
"Isn't this what you want?"
Thales walked out of the encirclement and slowly walked down the stairs. His voice was as sharp as a blade.
"A duel with the second prince himself will shock the entire kingdom; everyone will hear about it, and you will achieve your goal of seeking justice. Such a banquet dish …
"Doesn't it smell good?"
Anker gritted his teeth. The short sword in his hand began to tremble, and his eyes were about to burst into flames.
He was not the only one in disbelief.
Doyle stood rooted to the ground, watching Thales descend from the sky and walk slowly towards him.
The murderous aura on Doyle's body slowly faded away, and what replaced it was confusion and bewilderment.
"Your Highness, you don't have to. I mean, you don't have to do it on my behalf. I can, can …"
Thales stopped in his tracks, his expression unhappy.
On the other side, Old Baron Doyle, after experiencing the double torture of grief and shock, showed a look of disbelief and joy. He came to his senses and desperately winked at his son.
But Doyle obviously did not notice his father's actions. He stared blankly at the imposing Thales, raising and lowering the scabbard in his hand. He stuttered as if he had not fully reacted to the situation.
"You don't need to, you don't need to, I'm the guard, to protect you …"
Then, Thales cast Doyle a sideways glance, and a cold glare swept past him, causing Doyle's words to die in his mouth.
"I did not ask for your opinion, Danny Doyle." Thales mercilessly called out his personal guard's full name.
"I command you: I will fight for you."
Thales looked at the crowd with a cold scowl.
"As a Jadestar, ordering one of the Seven Jadestar Attendants."
"Do you have any objections?"
Doyle was stunned.
As soon as he said that, the guests standing in front of him were stunned. They instantly became the focus of everyone's attention.
The young and promising Viscount Adrian let go of his wife and looked back at Thales sternly.
The old Viscount Patterson opened his blurry eyes and pushed away his two nephews who were supporting him.
The graceful Lady Elainor held Luther Barney, who was playing with his head lowered, in a tight grip. She was silent.
Baron Stone lowered his head slightly and glanced at the prince. His expression seemed to be sneering.
Lozano Glover crossed his arms tightly, as if he was rooted to the ground, and did not move.
Thales' gaze was as sharp as a blade.
A second later, the five nobles moved one after another. They either lowered their heads and pressed their chests, or bent their knees and lifted their skirts. They were submissive and willing.
But no one reacted as quickly as Baron Doyle.
"No, Your Highness, no objections, no objections!"
Thales' eyebrows twitched.
Old Doyle was seen rolling and crawling with a sobbing tone, which shocked everyone.
"With you here, as the Seven Jadestar Attendants, the Doyle family of Mirror River, we pledge our lives to you, ahhhhh —"
The battered and sniveling old baron was about to say something when his shrewd wife quickly covered the baron's mouth and dragged him back into the crowd with Doyle.
Thales exhaled.
He turned back and continued to pace.
The crowd below, whether it was guards, servants or guests, instinctively made way for the prince.
Until Thales stepped into the hall, onto the lowest ground, and stood at the same height as the tensed Anker.
"As for you …"
But Thales did not stop. He walked forward steadily towards the center of the hall.
Anker looked up in a daze, slightly surprised.
He realized that the blade in his hand could reach the prince if he took two steps.
Doyle, who was closest to him, was the first to react. He put down his father and rushed forward, exclaiming at the same time,
"Your Highness!"
The guards who followed Thales down the hall also sensed that something was wrong. Mallos frowned and raised his voice.
"Your Highness, we're close enough!"
Count Godwin panicked.
"Prince Thales! Your precious body … "
Beside Mallos, the exasperated Vogel, who had been dealt a series of unexpected blows, ordered,
"Surround them! Protect His Highness! "
In the hall, the startled guards and nervous royal guards moved at the same time. Their footsteps were chaotic, causing the guests to cry out in alarm.
Until Thales roared angrily, shocking everyone who had lost their composure.
"Stop!"
He turned around and raised his arm, pointing at Doyle, who was charging forward.
"Step back!
"All of you, step back!"
The footsteps of the royal guards stopped in unison.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Thales ignored Mallos' frown and Vogel's anxiety, and turned his head back.
He looked at Anker, who had subconsciously raised his sword to defend himself.
"Since my guest has the guts to come to the meeting alone and armed with a sword," Thales shifted his gaze away from Anker's short sword and focused on Anker's eyes, his footsteps did not stop.
"Then I naturally have the guts to stand before him and look him in the eye."
Anker trembled.
"Calm down!"
In the chaos, Mallos ignored Vogel ("Hurry and get him back!") And protested angrily.
"His Highness has spoken!"
He raised his fist and stood his ground, gesturing for the royal guards to calm down.
Seeing that Mallos had openly set the tone, Vogel could only grit his teeth and shut up, glaring at the watchman's impudent actions.
Finally, Thales stood in front of Anker, facing the other man's anger and misery.
"Duke Thales," Anker lowered his short sword and glared at the duke with resentment,
"Why?"
Thales' expression was calm and composed.
"Why?"
He snorted coldly.
"Anker Byrael.
"Do you think you can openly come to my territory and do whatever you want? Do you think you have my weakness, and can use it to hurt and threaten me?"
Anker tightened his grip on his sword.
His gaze lingered on Thales' chest and abdomen.
This made Vogel even more nervous, and he kept urging Mallos to take action, but the latter remained unmoved.
As for Thales, he was equally unconcerned.
"I don't know who gave you this rotten idea, but, a duel?"
Thales chuckled and glanced at the crowd, intentionally or otherwise.
"Just because I came back from the North?"
Thales turned around slowly, indifferently facing the sword-wielding, emotionally unstable Anker.
"You, and the people behind you, you don't know that I've been facing such predicaments and problems my entire life, struggling to survive between the last and most desperate choices."
Thales swept his gaze over the guests around him before he turned his head around.
He looked at Anker, who was stunned and speechless, seemingly hesitant to take the opportunity to attack and kill the prince with his sword.
"Now, Anker, no matter who you are, or whose people you work for," Thales said coldly.
Ignoring Anker's blade, he continued to approach Anker amidst the gasps of the crowd, until the distance between them was less than half an arm's length.
"No matter if it's for yourself or for others."
Thales said solemnly,
"Make your choice."
At such a close distance, Thales noticed that Anker was trembling uncontrollably, his breathing erratic, and his expression uncertain.
He was out of sorts.
With his hell's senses, Thales understood with a glance.
In Anker's current condition, not to mention a duel, he might not even be able to execute a proper sword technique.
"Choice?"
Anker finally lost it and spoke angrily.
"Either I kill you, or, or …"
His breath was so heavy that it could almost collide with Thales' face.
"You didn't give me a choice at all, did you!"
Anker's eyes were bloodshot, his expression ferocious, and the shortsword in his hand trembled uncontrollably.
The onlookers could not help but break into a cold sweat for His Highness — Mallos had no choice but to hold down Vogel, who was gnashing his teeth, and never let go of his fists that restrained everyone.
But Thales paused and said softly,
"No."
The prince's tone became serious.
"I gave it to you.
"Not only did I give you a choice, I also gave you a chance."
Thales looked into Anker's eyes, which were filled with despair and desolation, and tried his best to speak sincerely.
"The best chance, the other option."
"You know."
Thales' voice unwittingly took on a hint of anxiety.
"You know!"
But Anker, who was staring back at him, was unmoved. Anker's gaze went from hot to cold, from bright to dark, from resentment to disappointment, from pain to numbness.
Finally, Anker closed his eyes gently.
"Your Highness, can you do me a favor," Anker said faintly, his voice seemingly immersed in a gray hue.
"Kill me?"
The onlookers and the vigilant guards were stunned.
Thales' gaze dimmed.
"Of course."
But in the next moment, Thales' voice became cold again.
"But only in a duel — on the terms we agreed upon."
Anker was silent.
One second, two seconds …
Until the third second, Anker suddenly opened his eyes!
At the same time, the blade in his hand moved, slicing through the air and causing the wind to howl.
Straight at Thales!
In the next second, the attentive crowd erupted into a cacophony of exclamations!
"No!"
"Damn it!"
"Protect His Highness!"
"He's a-a-killing again!"
The chaotic crowd either retreated or moved forward, momentarily blocking their line of sight and hindering the royal guards who were ready to rescue!
"Damn it! Mallos! Your lousy idea … "
Vogel pushed aside a guest who was blocking the way, exasperated.
"If the prince — you're done for!"
Mallos did not say a word. He merely clenched his fists and gestured for his subordinates to maintain order.
Until a loud roar came from the center of the hall, from the center of the chaos!
"In the name of Thales Jadestar, I said it! Step back!
"Motherf * cking everyone!"
Thales' voice had never been so enraged. It even shook the dome.
"I can handle it!"
The chaotic scene fell silent.
The guards took a few seconds to restrain the crowd. The royal guards rushed to the front, led by Mallos and Vogel, and surrounded the center of the hall.
Only the two people in the center were left.
When they saw the scene in front of them clearly, quite a number of customers sucked in a sharp breath.
Anker's blade stopped between their necks, neither moving forward nor backward — his sword-wielding wrist was firmly gripped by Thales, unable to advance or retreat.
Thales and Anker stared at each other. One was calm, the other in despair. They trembled slightly in the tense wrestling.
Mallos frowned.
Vogel, on the other hand, was shocked and furious. He was about to instruct his subordinates to move forward.
"Damn it, hurry up —"
But Mallos' voice was louder than his.
"Steady!"
The watchman raised his fist high again, causing everyone to freeze.
"His Highness' orders are not to be disobeyed!"
Vogel's footsteps paused.
Mallos said coldly,
"His Highness is handling it.
"Not to be disturbed."
Vogel was exasperated. He lowered his voice.
"Handle it? You're the captain of his guards! If something happens to him … "
This time, Mallos did not swallow his anger. Instead, he replied coldly,
Instead, he replied coldly, "Then I'm still the captain of his guards."
The vice-captain's words were choked in his throat.
In the hall, Thales carefully pacified the Sin of Hell's River that was infused into his arms. While obstructing Anker's intentions, he did not let the Power of Eradication turn into a bloodthirsty beast.
"Anker, don't do this."
Thales shook his head, his eyes carrying a warning look.
"Sentinel hasn't been brought, our duel hasn't begun."
But Anker shook his head.
"Let go, let them kill me," Anker lowered his voice, his tone gloomy.
"I have to die, I can't walk out of here alive."
Thales frowned.
In that instant, he felt like he was back in the Prison of Bones.
Right in front of him, Barney Junior had brought the blade of the sword to his neck.
"Yes," Thales chased away the unpleasant memories and said firmly,
"But this is only the choice he gave you."
He balanced the strength in his arms, not allowing Anker to move an inch, and stared into Anker's eyes.
"The person who gave you this sword, he's not worth dying for."
Anker seemed infuriated. His pupils contracted, revealing his anger.
"I'm not doing this for him!"
Thales did not back down.
"I know!"
The prince stared at the pair of eyes that alternated between anger and despair, hoping that Anker could read his meaning.
"So I gave you a chance.
"Seize it!"
Thales' voice was a little anxious.
Anker was dazed for a moment.
His breathing slowed down, and his pupils refocused.
"Why …"
"Because I know you're not his pawn," Thales said firmly.
"I know what you really want."
Thales tightened his grip, closing the distance between the two, and said in a volume that only they could hear,
"You're not here for revenge, and you're not here for personal gain.
"And you're not here for your father."
Anker was stunned at first, then in disbelief.
"You, how did you …"
Thales said coldly,
"Because I believe that we're the same people."
The same people.
Anker's palm trembled.
"What?"
"But the person who gave you the sword," Thales stared into his eyes,
"He's definitely not."
Separated by a horizontal short sword, the two stared at each other, one determined, the other confused.
Anker's hesitation only lasted for a moment.
He gritted his teeth, his eyebrows twitching.
"He gave me a sword, and you gave me a 'wager'."
Anker glared at Thales.
"You're both forcing me to take the next step you want.
"Are you different from him?"
Thales was silent for a moment.
A second later, the strength in the prince's grip weakened.
"He wants to be a chess player and win the game," Thales said in a low voice.
Anker sneered sarcastically.
"And you want to lose?"
Thales raised his head slowly.
"No."
"I just, I just understand …"
He said tiredly,
"The other chess pieces."
Anker was startled.
"I told you, we're the same kind of people."
Thales said with difficulty,
"Anker Byrael."
Anker loosened his grip, and the distance between them returned to an arm's length.
But the short sword was still between them.
The prince stared at Anker with a burning gaze, and tried to touch Anker's weapon.
"Now, let go, and give me the sword."
Anker's gaze was confused. He glanced around at the royal guards, who were eyeing him as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
He gritted his teeth.
"I can't."
"The chess piece can't," Thales pressed his left hand on the hilt of Anker's sword, his gaze firm, "You can.
"Anker Byrael, you can."
Anker hung his head.
"If I let go," Byrael's gaze regained clarity, but then became pained.
"What should I do?"
Faced with this question, Thales was silent for a while.
But he quickly looked up.
"I don't know, but I'll try my best."
Anker snorted, his emotions indecipherable, as if he was crying and laughing at the same time.
"I've tried my best.
"No, you haven't," Thales shook his head unquestionably.
"You didn't see me.
"I."
He said firmly.
This time, Anker stared at him for a long time.
Under Thales' gaze, Anker's gaze went through a series of confusion, pain, torture, struggle, anger, and resentment.
Finally, it returned to relief and silence.
The next second, Thales felt his hand lighten.
And in front of him, Anker's body fell forward.
"Thud!"
There was a muffled thud. Under countless gazes, Anker closed his eyes, knelt beside Thales, and slumped.
Thales exhaled softly, raised the short sword in his hand, and turned around with mixed feelings.
"It seems the duel didn't go through."
He raised his voice and reverted to the uncompromising Duke of Star Lake, forcing away the sharp gazes of the onlookers.
The duke strode towards Mallos, who had his fists clenched all this time.
Thales nodded. While his emotions were indescribable, he forced his tone to be the same as before, "The bet hasn't been fulfilled.
"What a pity."
Under countless surprised gazes, Mallos waved his hand.
The well-prepared royal guards swarmed forward and roughly pinned Anker, who had long since given up resisting and had a numb expression on his face, to the ground and tied him up.
(End of this chapter)
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