Kingdom’s Bloodline

In the deep and dark dungeon, Thales silently recalled the experience recounted by the vampire killer, while Lausanne II looked blank.

 No one responded to Shilai’s words, which was either teasing or sarcastic.

 “Then why don’t you go back?”

Thales asked quietly.

 Lausanne II raised his eyes numbly.

Tales took a deep breath:

"After Crown Prince Midir returned, no matter what the truth was, at least everyone, I mean, most of the people involved in the case were wronged, but why are you still willing to stay in the Blood Bottle Gang to do illegal business and collect money to kill people? Even if you do dirty work, you won’t go back to Mindis Hall and get up again from where you fell..."

"he?"

 Lausanne II suddenly raised his voice.

 “Midir?”

He sneered, his tone sad and disdainful.

"Of course, when he found me, handed me the blood, and sincerely apologized to me, hoping to relieve my anger and grievances and seek my forgiveness, he was so kind and compassionate that he almost gave me his wife. Looks like... tsk tsk tsk, it looks so sincere, courteous, virtuous, and sincere. It is really in line with the big shots who are humble and humble. A few **** words moved the common people to tears. Loyal ministers and filial sons. I persuaded myself, and since then I have devoted myself to him, devoted myself to him to death, made a lot of excuses for him, framed a lot of certificates for him, and beautified a lot of images for him. I wanted to give him my wife to borrow seeds. The scene of begging for a child.”

Thales frowned and tried not to reply to the other party’s extreme and indignant words:

“But if the tragedy that involved you was neither his will nor his…”

 Lausanne II interrupted him, his tone was irritable and full of hatred:

“Look, what am I talking about? Giving him a lot of excuses? Isn’t that what it is?”

 Taylor was speechless for a moment.

 Why is he so...excited?

The prince sighed:

"To be honest, I neither know nor understand him, but I..."

"You will," Lausanne II interrupted him again, "when your large group of personal bodyguards, loyal ministers and filial sons who are standing outside will admire you, respect you, be loyal to you and worship you for various reasons in the future, but they all The time when my family is ruined due to your involvement, and I will never be reincarnated."

  Thales couldn’t help but be startled.

"When you are like this, you can still hold their hands with tears streaming down your face and hold their hands sincerely, and say to them in the most heart-wrenching, gentle and understanding manner, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I blame myself too. I will make it up to you. Can you forgive me?'" ?', thereby moving them to the point of being obsessed and proud of it, in exchange for more people coming forward to die for you again, and you repeat this process sincerely over and over again, and when you get used to it..."

 Lausanne II raised his eyes, his eyes full of coldness:

 “You will know him.”

Tales didn’t fully understand.

 But at that moment, he stared at Lausanne II's eyes and listened to the other person's inexplicable narration, and felt a chill all over his body.

"It sounds like a cult." The eldest lady's voice came muffled.

Thales glanced aside and whispered:

 “Hile!”

 “Ha, you are right, Miss.”

 Lausanne II smiled softly.

"As for Midir, the man who perfectly blended cruelty and coldness with compassion and gentleness. He always had a smile on his face, a tender heart, and a broad mind. In fact, he was planning and calculating people's hearts. Not only did he make it impossible for everyone to escape from his grasp, We also need everyone to understand his pain and hesitation, and sympathize with his compassion and dilemma for the evil crown prince..."

Lausanne II snorted coldly:

 “A cult, there is no more appropriate description than this.”

What?

 Hearing these descriptions, Thales frowned.

He had previously thought that even if he was in a miserable situation, even if his personality was extreme, and even if he was affected by the undercurrents surrounding the royal family, Lausanne II would at least not praise that person, pardon his sins, and leave him with a cure. Crown Prince Midir’s cure for illness…

"I understand that because of him, you have been affected and experienced misery, and you have enough reasons to resent him..." Thales continued following the other person's words.

"Why?"

Hilai narrowed his eyes and asked doubtfully:

"Why this description? Why not 'hypocritical', 'insidious', 'cunning', or similar words to describe people? Why do you say he is, 'the evil crown prince'?"

Tiles’ eyes moved.

“Haven’t you heard that evil often appears in the face of innocence?”

 Lausanne II was lying on the ground, looking at the darkness above his head, and said coldly.

"And it's not me. The above comments and descriptions," the vampire killer said with a cold look, "are all Joaquin's words."

 “The Grand Knight Handro Joaquín?”

 “Your knight master?”

Tales and Hilley were both shocked.

Thales glanced at Hilley and asked:

 “Why? When?”

 Lausanne II sneered.

“Just after Joaquin, after he had a hopeful visit to the ‘awakened and recovered’ Crown Prince Midir.”

 He narrowed his eyes:

“Joaquín is crazy—or, close to it, talking nonsense.”

crazy.

crazy?

What's the meaning?

Thales thought of something and couldn't help but look at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

 “And in his madness, Joaquín said, he felt it.”

Lausanne II said quietly:

 “He is different.”

I saw the vampire killer’s eyes dimly:

“After returning from a disappearance unknown to anyone, the wise, kind, and compassionate Crown Prince Midir has disappeared.”

Tales looked confused when he heard this.

"He seems to be still gentle to everyone, even more gentle than before," the killer said coldly, "but Joaquin said that there is an unknown and strange poison mixed in that gentleness."

gentle.

 Very poisonous.

What's the meaning?

 Thales was stunned.

"And unspeakable evil is gathering behind him, hovering above his head, lurking in his shadow, like a chess player holding a piece, inducing him to uphold the noblest human nature and do what he wants for the most legitimate purpose. Worst choice ever."

Hilai frowned.

“‘They’ve got him,’ Joaquín said, or drunkenly, God knows what.”

Lausanne II changed the subject and sneered:

“But who knows, maybe the Crown Prince is this kind of person, but he hid it better before, hahahahahaha..."

 It’s just that those people who were immersed in his gentle face could not see through his true appearance at all.

Tales was in a complicated mood and didn’t know what to say.

 Having countless experiences, he knows that everyone is complex and has many sides, and will reflect different aspects in the eyes of different people.

But only Midir Shining Star, his late uncle, seemed to be the only one who, among countless people over the years - from the Iron Fist King to the Black Prophet, from Ji Ni to Sak'el, whether it was Kil An old minister like Bert who was almost full of admiration and admiration, or an opponent full of respect and wonder like King Nunn - he still maintained a radiant and perfect image in his mouth.

　Everyone misses him and praises him.

 Honsness.

 Charity.

gentle.

 Bright.

  Desirable.

 But this is the first time, the first time someone has described him in such a paranoid way.

  Or, accuse him.

 Evil?

Why?

 “But I’m not surprised.”

 Lausanne II calmed his expression, perhaps remembering his own experience. He was no longer sarcastic, but his tone was gloomy:

“No matter who has experienced such drastic changes, especially those with physical disabilities, it is difficult to remain the same.”

Heilai on the other side murmured and nodded:

“Well, having both legs broken is indeed a big setback.”

Rosanne II paused for a moment. He looked at Thales's expression and suddenly understood something.

 “You don’t know, do you? Even if you are a shining star?”

 The killer's eyes showed a cruel smile.

 “You don’t know what?” Thales raised his eyes.

 Lausanne II smiled.

“Although Joaquín was vague and hesitant, and although no one in the entire palace dared to mention the possibility and kept it secret, I guess people have eyes and ears. The beautiful Princess Saoirse’s strong smile every day has already explained everything.”

 Thales and Hilley both frowned:

 “What does it mean? What does it mean?”

“During those missing years, Midir suffered more than just two broken legs.”

I saw the vampire killer’s cold eyes:

“He has completely lost the ability to reproduce.”

Tales was shocked when he heard this.

"What?"

Hilai was also surprised. She glanced at Thales:

 “You mean Midir can’t...that?”

 “Hilai!” Thales couldn’t help but turn his head.

Hile shrugged:

"What's wrong?"

Tales’ mood was a bit complicated.

Even if the person is deceased, he still doesn't want to gossip too much, especially involving the other person's personal affairs and misfortunes.

 “He...Midir is unable to produce an heir of his own. It is enough for us to know this.”

Hilai couldn't help but curl his lips.

 Lausanne II took a deep look at Thales.

“I guess from then on, the powerful insiders in the Fuxing Palace all knew one thing…”

Lausanne II sneered:

“That is, the return of the crown prince has not solved the most critical succession issue in the kingdom..."

Tales sighed and took the topic:

 “Even went further and worsened it.”

So, if what Lausanne II said is true...

If Midir, as the crown prince, is destined to be unable to have descendants and legitimate heirs...

Then what this meant to the Kingdom of Stars at that time, and even what it meant to the Bloody Year that followed...

Taylors fell into deep thought.

 Do you remember the national conference? Thales?

The voice in his heart quietly sounded:

 What happened when your father had no heir?

“So you don’t go back to Midir anymore because...he is broken?”

Feeling Thales’s eyes, Hilley quickly added:

 “I mean, because his personality has changed for the worse?”

 Lausanne II was silent for a long time.

"not only that."

Tales ignored the voice in his heart and tried to return to the present.

“Just before Midir returns…”

 The vampire killer spoke again, with mixed emotions:

“I met Turnbull when I was imprisoned on the border and serving a long sentence. I was in the most despair and pain, and just wanted to disappear from the world and destroy myself.”

 Thales and Hilley looked at each other.

 “Your old gang leader?”

The killer shook his head:

 “He was not the gang leader at that time.”

 “Until he climbed the high branches of Kevin Deer?” said Healey.

 Lausanne II smiled.

 “He? Climb a high branch?”

 The killer sneered:

“Turnbull is a special man, quite special.”

 Lausanne II narrowed his eyes:

"He mocked everything, sneered at everything, and looked down upon everything...not to mention those big shots who were in high positions but inferior to pigs and dogs, even some well-known upright officials and virtuous officials like Mr. Qingtian, even if they were wise and kind in everyone's eyes The virtuous monarchs and saintly kings, those perfect people who even the bitter ones can’t help but praise their virtues..."

“It’s not that I can’t help but sing praises, I just have to.”

 Thales was in a daze, unconsciously repeating what was in his heart.

 “What?” Heeley turned his head.

 Lausanne II also frowned and looked at him.

Just listen to Thales faintly say:

"I mean, if people don't try to force themselves to praise virtues, or in other words, force themselves to follow the logic of praising virtues, force themselves to believe in the plot of 'upright officials, virtuous officials, virtuous kings and saints', and force themselves to believe in those who sit at the top of power. He must be a saint and a perfect person, or at least a good person, forcing himself to believe that the injustice and suffering before him are accidental and temporary, and will one day be made up for by the masters of the blue sky in the form of private visits to the mortal world, and with the cheering encouragement from the left and right. If we find similar people and force ourselves together to believe that life can get better..."

Thales sighed sadly:

 “Then how sad this day must be.”

 Losanne II remained silent, while Hilley frowned slightly.

"What’s wrong with you?"

 Thales came back to his senses:

“It’s okay, I just... suddenly felt a little emotional.”

 Maybe it was Midir’s experience and tragedy that made him feel something.

 Lausanne II snorted coldly and returned to the topic:

"As for Kevin Deere, or the Royal Family of the Bright Star, what do you call those 'high branches'? Turnbull may climb them for survival and profit, but he will never feel how great, how noble, how sacred they are. Inviolable - in the era of the Red King, he might have been a free-spirited green man who despised the court."

Thales felt that the tone and expression of the vampire killer's words were quite complicated, including disdain and regret, and there seemed to be a hint of... admiration and envy?

 “But he wasn’t in that era,” Healy said.

  “That’s right.”

 Lausanne II admitted slowly:

"He's not in now."

He is no longer in the Red King era, when the kingdom was in dispute and the government and opposition parties were fighting, the rivers and lakes were vast and turbulent, and countless legends were born.

In his era, the palace was deep, the kingdom was majestic, and power and rule had already penetrated into the blood and bone marrow of every ordinary citizen.

They have already been subtle and unstoppable, turning every corner of the kingdom into a replica of the palace regulations, a granary, and even a septic tank.

Without exception.

So Turnbull has evolved—or, rather, deformed?

"Regardless of interests, situations, and conflicts, in the struggle for power, Turnbull can always see through the key nodes," Lausanne II looked bewildered. "Faced with different opponents, he always alternates between using, relying on, and betraying. His freedom, well-founded advance and retreat, his sophisticated means, and his proficiency in actions are beyond my reach. It seems that he was born to wave the tide of power. I even sometimes thought: If it had been him who had been in the position of little attendant, I think I can go higher, be more stable, and go more smoothly."    At least it won't be such a...failure? "

 “You really think so?” Thales expressed doubts.

 Lausanne II glanced at him with a playful expression.

“At least, Turnbull used his attitude and methods to help me understand some truths.”

The vampire killer sneered:

“Whether it’s hypocrisy, sincerity, kindness, or insidiousness, what happened to me has nothing to do with my immediate boss or what kind of person Midir is.

“Even if he is really a good person, a great sage, even if he is not a guy who can use an apologetic smile, a gentle and generous tone, and force people to die by playing with moral principles that crush people...

“Will my situation be better, will I be saved and protected? Will my destiny be changed?

"Could it be that those flies that surround him and his family and the throne, both inside and outside the court, won't squat in the dirty sewers and plot as always, just waiting for people like me to approach? After he was injured and fell down, did he pounce on him and eat his corpse?"

 Lausanne II’s series of rhetorical questions made both Thales and Hilley frown.

"After thinking about this, I no longer need the perfect Crown Prince Midir, whom everyone praises and wishes to die for, to pity me and save me."

"And I also remembered what Horace said to me on that day," Lausanne II said coldly, "on the field where the election will be held."

 Thales and Hilley were stunned and looked at each other blankly.

 Only the vampire killer had a gloomy expression, staring at the endless darkness on the ceiling.

　　【Use all your strength... to prove... to prove that you can become the sword of our family... the chess piece of our kingdom... and become a... knight... who is qualified to serve me, us, and the kingdom loyally...】

 “I lost that duel.”

Lausanne II said softly:

“But I don’t know since when, words and gestures like Midir’s, no matter how sincere the speaker is, how courteous a corporal, or how charming, can no longer make me bow down willingly, but can only make me feel sick to my stomach. Gagging.”

Taylors remained silent.

"Even... the more Midir is a saint, a perfect man, a good person, the more... then in that position, he will attract more people - whether they are moths to the fire or scavenging flies. , bringing more and worse tragedies.”

 He paused for a moment and closed his eyes.

 It was quiet in the dungeon.

“That’s why you don’t go back,” Thales said slowly. “You don’t go back to the crown prince, or even to Joaquin.”

 No more returning to the world of knights.

 No more going back to the old life.

"You know, I once envied Turnbull. I thought that his contemptuous attitude and his flexible methods were the best way to face power." Lausanne II suddenly said.

 “Once?” Healy raised an eyebrow.

 “Until I see what will happen to him—and what will happen to me.”

 The quiet path of Lausanne II.

"So now I understand better: Even if you leave the heights, even if you hide in the lowest corner, even the smartest people, those who are comfortable in the wave of power," Lausanne II sneered, "can't escape the power. curse."

He was inevitably involved in it and was polished beyond recognition.

Tales couldn't help but feel emotional.

 “Or worse.”

“Swimmers drown in water,” Miss Kevin Deere sighed. “Turnbull cannot escape the curse of power and capsizes in the wave of power, for no other reason than that he is comfortable in the wave of power.”

 Perhaps, whether it is successful or embarrassing, it is the curse of power.

The voice in Thales’ heart sounded silently:

　　It’s just two sides of the same body.

“Also because it’s not just power, it’s not just strings of control or chains of imprisonment…”

Thales opened his mouth slowly and expressed what was deep in his heart:

“It’s more of a system, a system, a structure, an environment, a context, a field, a domain… whatever you want to call it.”

Hile and Lausanne II were both silent.

Thales sighed:

 “Because it is everywhere, even if no one knows it.”

 Do not rest for a moment whether you are a king or a beggar.

 There is no exemption based on whether you are wise or foolish.

 “Tiles?”

Hilai’s call brought Thales out of his thoughts.

 Damn it, I got distracted.

 The prince looked at the weak-looking vampire captive in front of him and quickly gathered his thoughts.

"So, after leaving Mindis Hall, you were disheartened and joined Turnbull's command. However, you and Turnbull were defeated long before the Emerald City changed hands." Thales sorted out the time clues. "Then let me guess that neither you nor Turnbull have anything to do with the inside story of the assassination of the old Duke of Leinster, or at least know very little about it?"

 Lausanne II’s eyes were gray and motionless.

"Is there any need to ask?" Heilai crossed his arms, but his words were no longer as aggressive as before, but more helpless and pitiful. "You see, he doesn't know anything about this question..."

 “The murderer.”

Unexpectedly, Lausanne II suddenly spoke up, interrupting Hilley.

“The murderer who was bribed by Viscount Sonar to assassinate the old Duke, and was eventually caught and confessed, Bolwyn,” the vampire killer said slowly, “I knew him—I knew him before he died.”

 While alive…

 When you were alive or when he was alive?

 Thales choked off these inappropriate words in his throat.

“Is this the gangster boxer you killed when you came back this time, the father of Little Bolwin?” Thales recalled the clues.

“For the sake of the past, I would have spared his son’s life,” Lausanne II admitted, “but it seems that Federico didn’t think so.”

 Thales and Hilley looked at each other.

“Very well, you know the murderer of the old Duke, so?”

"Old Bolwin, he was originally a hired killer contacted by Turnbull from outside," Lausanne II said. "The purpose is to share the business pressure - or as people say: to contain me."

"The Blood Bottle Gang was once managed by Uncle Sona...so he had a way to bribe this murderer?" Shilai asked.

"A hired killer who can be used to contain you must be very powerful?" Thales asked.

Lausanne II looked at the prince and then at the eldest lady. Faced with two questions with different emphases, he finally only answered the one he knew the answer to:

 “It’s okay.”

 Thales and Hilley looked at each other.

 They didn't have time to wonder which question the other party was answering before the vampire killer spoke again.

"But considering the Kongming Palace at that time, especially the Duke's living room, which seemed loose but was actually heavily guarded..." He snorted coldly, "With Old Bolwyn's skills, let alone breaking through the defense, he could even sneak in and get close. It’s all difficult.”

"how do you know?"

"I tried."

 Thales and Hille nodded in unison, but were immediately startled.

"you…"

"Don't worry," Lausanne II said calmly in the face of Hilley's surprise, "I'm not going to your house to kill anyone."

 At least it’s not someone who kills your family.

Hilai's face became slightly brighter.

“So you’re saying that old Bolwyn, the official murderer, didn’t kill my father?”

 Lausanne II sneered.

“Unless the old Duke hired him to kill him, no matter how much money Sonar gave him, Old Bolwyn couldn’t do it,” he said disdainfully. “He can’t be the murderer.”

Tiles and Hilley were both silent.

 So, in the case of the assassination of the Duke, at least the conclusion about the real culprit was wrong.

The confession of old Bolwyn is...

very good.

Thales said silently:

  It can also be considered a gain.

 “Do you have anything else to ask?”

 Lausanne II looked depressed:

 “While I still have the strength to speak.”

Hilai frowned and thought hard.

Thales, on the other hand, sorted out his thoughts and said:

“You, now that things have happened, do you still have any unfulfilled wishes?”

 Lausanne II frowned slightly:

"What? Something happened here and you are finally sending me on my way?"

The prince shook his head:

“Or in Heeley’s words: Did you finally achieve what you wanted when you came back this time, found the source, met the craftsman who ‘forged the sword’, and asked about the material of the sword?”

 Lausanne II was silent when he heard this.

Hilai finally came back from his thoughts and asked: "So, if Uncle Sona really wants to hire criminals through blood bottles, do you still remember the actual process..."

 But Lausanne II interrupted her with a sneer.

"I found it, Your Highness, but it's not a craftsman," Lausanne II said quietly, "but a cage."

Tales and Hilley both frowned.

 “As for the material of the sword…”

I saw Lausanne II’s sharp eyes:

“Tell me, Your Highness Thales, when you face the entire cage, when you break it free, break it, or explore it to understand it, you are only strengthening it..."

The killer narrowed his eyes:

 “What should you do?”

This time it was Thales' turn to be silent.

 He raised his gaze and looked at this immortal swordsman who had been fooled by fate all his life, but hesitated to speak.

"I do not believe."

　　They both looked to one side: Heilai took a step forward and raised his eyebrows.

"Although you sound very miserable and hopeless...I don't believe that this cage is so omnipotent or so unsolvable."

 Thales still frowned, while Lausanne II sneered.

“I also don’t believe that all we can do is reinforce it.”

Hilai said softly, looking around the dungeon in a serious manner.

“And if this cage still needs to be reinforced, or in other words, there is still room for reinforcement..."

Miss Kevin Dill narrowed her eyes:

“Then it must be weakened or even damaged.”

 “Isn’t it?” He asked the last question, and Hilley poked Thales who was in deep thought.

Tales took a deep breath, glanced at the pocket where the bone ring "Gortaksa" was hidden, and showed a reluctant smile to his companion:

 “Yeah, maybe.”

The eldest lady was not very satisfied with Thales' ambiguous answer, but just as she raised her eyebrows, Lausanne II spoke.

 “You are a good man, Your Highness, or at least act like it.”

 The vampire killer’s eyes are complicated:

 “Like Midir.”

Taylors sighed.

 He has heard similar words quite a lot.

 In the past, Thales would have taken this as a compliment.

 But today, here, after hearing the lamentable experience of this vampire killer, being described like this made him feel mixed.

 “Thank you.” Thales said perfunctoryly.

Lausanne II put away his smile and remained expressionless:

“So you will fall, Your Highness, hard.”

Tales frowned slightly.

 “Then I’ll get up again.”

 He looked at the other person, unwilling to show weakness.

Hilai also raised his eyebrows at him.

 The vampire killer snorted disdainfully.

"Of course, I have no doubt you can get up, but look at me now."

 Lagging his body and wearing shackles, Lausanne II narrowed his eyes:

"With what attitude are you going to get up? What are you going to do when you get up? Revenge? vent your anger? prove yourself? Make your enemies regret their mistakes? Continue the unfinished business? Or overcome the hurdle that tripped you? Or break this unbreakable prison cage?"

“Just don’t be like a certain person and go find a swordsmith.” Thales said insincerely.

 Lausanne II was not angry, he sneered.

 “But one thing is certain.”

“When you get up again, Your Highness,” his eyes changed, “you will no longer be what you were in the past.”

The other party's expression and the implications of his words made Thales feel very uncomfortable, and he suddenly wanted to leave this place.

 “Certainly not the way it used to be.”

 The young man put away his expression and replied coldly:

 “I will get better.”

 Stronger.

 Tougher.

"Which one is 'good'? What is 'good'?" Lausanne II asked with a sneer.

 “Let’s go,” Hilley suddenly said, expressing Thales’s thoughts, “There’s nothing more to ask here.”

Tales nodded gratefully, took one last look at Lausanne II, and turned to leave.

Hilai took a deep look at the prisoner and followed Thales' footsteps.

“And you, girl, are you really determined to be his queen?” Lausanne II sneered.

Hilai and Thales were both stunned.

"Humph," the eldest lady reacted. She turned around with a look of disdain, "Just this idiot? You think too highly of him..."

 “Then get ready.”

 Lausanne II put away his smile.

“Because one day, you may have to wield a knife against the person next to you who has become a stranger.”

His words echoed in the dungeon, cold and cruel, making Hilley and Thales both frown:

 “Or the other way around.” (End of chapter)