As soon as Little Barney said this, Samir looked surprised and subconsciously took a step back!
Seeing his reaction, little Barney snorted coldly.
The Swords of Disaster were all stunned.
hood.
Clay looked at Cannon who was cowering on the ground in surprise, and then looked at the direction in which the hooded drill left: "Is there really someone in this world who can identify their identity through inaudible footsteps?"
Ricky was also seen looking at Cannon in surprise.
"I think if you care about something enough to devote eighteen years of your energy to it..."
He shook his head and sighed:
"Then probably, nothing is impossible."
On the other side of the hall, most of the prisoners stood up and approached the bars coldly.
"Is this true, Samir?" Belletti looked at Samir calmly, then at the Sword of Disaster, with a serious expression:
"Are you a member of Shadow Shield now?"
Nye next door said sarcastically:
"Wow, this is really a good sign, Flag Officer, at least you don't have to feel guilty anymore."
Samuel looked at this, then that, breathing disorderly, but finally turned to Little Barney, who had the most terrifying expression.
"This is just a temporary cooperation. I also hate that cockroach, but now, in order to be here..."
But Barney Jr. interrupted him.
"You don't understand, Samuel," little Barney sneered:
"I'm not talking about how you are doing now, who cares."
Little Barney exhaled and looked down at his palms:
"What I'm talking about is, Lordan Sariton, that 'Aria of Blood' is very good, in fact, very good, too good..."
Hearing this name, Thales' heart moved.
Lordan Sarriton…
Bloody Ode?
Thales' breathing slowly slowed down, and another name appeared in front of his eyes, a slender gray figure leaping from the cliff in the sky.
Baranette Sariton.
Locust Blade.
Samuel was obviously slightly surprised: "Sariton? Lordan Sariton?"
But little Barney ignored him and said to himself:
"...But he is far from good enough to sneak into the Fuxing Palace alone, assassinate His Majesty as he pleases, and then walk away. At least during the brief encounter when we intercepted him eighteen years ago, he was not that good.
powerful."
Thales was suddenly startled.
He woke up and realized that what little Barney was talking about was the bloody scene in Fuxing Palace that shocked the world during the Year of Blood.
Death of Eddy II.
Samir frowned:
"What are you talking about, Barney?"
Little Barney laughed in a daze, then put down his palm and said to himself:
"After the incident, all of us, the Royal Guards, whether we were free or in prison, were speculating about the possible enemies: Shadow Shield, Assassin's Flower, Dark Room, Northlanders, Southwest Rebels, Desert Forces
, maybe there are Kangmas people or other people who hate the stars, and even the big nobles in the country who were at loggerheads with His Majesty before the war... but they are the only ones who are unwilling to admit it, unwilling to admit it..."
His words gradually stagnated, switching between several words, as if he was unwilling to continue speaking.
Thales' breathing speeded up unconsciously: a possible enemy.
He has not forgotten the map that King Nun gave him six years ago when he was still in the Palace of Heroes.
The map of Horace Bright Star.
That map of Fuxing Palace.
It was lying quietly in the luggage, wrapped in an inconspicuous food bag, and resting on Marina's shoulder behind her.
In the hall, Samir's face had never been so serious.
He took a step forward:
"What do you mean?"
Little Barney laughed again.
"What I mean is," Little Barney raised his complex gaze, revealing half of his ferocious face marked with sin, and said coldly:
"Maybe we deserve it."
Belletti lowered his head in pain, and Naki remained silent.
Little Barney said the following words: "Perhaps Prince Kessel, no, the new king, what he did afterwards by throwing us into the Prison of Bones was the most correct thing."
Samir's pupils dilated slightly: "Barney, why are you saying this..."
Little Barney snorted lightly and ignored it. He just looked into the distance with his ethereal eyes: "Maybe back then, there was indeed a traitor in the glorious royal guard."
He said calmly.
Samir was stunned.
In the five cells, every prisoner's breathing slowly tightened.
The next second, I saw little Barney turning back to look at Samir, his eyes filled with ice: "And him, he betrayed His Majesty, betrayed the Crown Prince, betrayed the entire Guard... and turned us all into what we are now.
.”
At that moment, Samir took two deep breaths and took a step diagonally:
"No……"
But Barney Jr.’s accusation isn’t over yet:
"And that traitor!"
With an angry look on his face, Little Barney stretched out his hands again and desperately grasped the metal railing in front of him, just to get closer to the other party.
"He must know His Highness Midir's order and handwriting very well to be able to falsely pass on the Crown Prince's request for help, exaggerate the riot at the palace gate, take advantage of the late king's love for his son, and transfer us from the Hall of Stars to guard Midir at the palace gate.
Your Highness, wait until we fall into a melee with the mob and those who are interested, and hold back most of the royal guards."
Samir seemed to be frozen in place, speechless, unable to speak a word.
"At this time, Great Sariton, with the cooperation of the Shadow Shield, took action against His Majesty in the Hall of Stars. Master Vitano followed Duke John to the battlefield. Instructor Ada was in the Kingdom of the Holy Tree, facing '
"Blood Ode" and a group of assassins, Old Captain Cullen could not protect His Majesty even if he risked his life..."
Little Barney's voice became hoarse and unpleasant, as if the reeling silk on the loom was being cut inch by inch.
At that moment, whether it was the Sword of Disaster, their hostages, Samir, or Thales himself, they were all stunned.
As Barney Jr. narrated, Prince Star seemed to have returned half an hour ago: at the gate of the Bone Prison, when the driller raised his hand slightly, the sneaky masked assassins flashed out of the shadows and tore open the guards unexpectedly.
neck, piercing the heart, cutting off the vitality, and then disappearing into the darkness silently.
In a few seconds, everything happened suddenly and subsided as if you didn't notice it.
The prince couldn't help but feel chills all over his body.
Little Barney's hand holding the railing began to smoke.
His face was twisted, and it looked like he was very uncomfortable, but he was still enduring the pain:
"When the riot at the palace gate gradually subsided, news of the invasion of the Hall of Stars also came. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince urgently ordered us to return for reinforcements..."
"And we, exhausted and anxious, turned back again according to the traitor's expectation, leaving only my father and a few others..."
Thales listened to all this blankly, this was something that should have been told to him by his father.
Little Barney hissed:
"Let them stay with His Highness Midir at the palace gate where they thought they were safe..."
"Fell into the trap of the Shadow Shield."
This time, Thales clearly saw an ominous light glowing between Barney's hand and the railing.
Thinking of Midir's death, Thales suddenly recalled the scene six years ago:
The man carrying the strange black sword.
and his confession.
Thales was stunned.
Black Sword's words, Barney's words...
Back then, in the Hall of Stars, at the gate of Fuxing Palace...
In the end what happened?
During his journey in this world, he went farther and farther, and the fog in front of him became less and less.
There are more and more doubts.
"When all this was done, both the late king and the crown prince suffered misfortune, their deaths were unconfirmed, and the situation was chaotic and the war was not over. The damn traitor escaped punishment, pretending to be mournful and painfully loyal, and still living.
Among us, we live among the Imperial Guards who are supposed to protect the royal family with our lives... with impunity."
Little Barney's expression became increasingly painful, but Thales knew that this was not because he was holding the strange fence.
The muscles in Samir's arms became tighter and tighter.
No one interrupted this scene. Maybe the secret Barney said was too important and no one wanted to miss it.
"Barney," Belletti on the side looked at Samir coldly, gritted his teeth and said, "What you want to say, you might as well be direct."
"What I want to say is..."
"Samuel, back then." In the cell, little Barney's palms holding the metal railings began to tremble in the smoke, but he still gritted his teeth and persisted, as if he was holding on to the most inviolable treasure that could not be given up.
Belief, the most unignorable truth:
"When we gritted our teeth, swallowed blood with tears in our eyes, endured the stigma, and were escorted here with stiff necks...why did you run away halfway?"
"What are you feeling guilty about and what are you afraid of?"
Samir looked at Barney in disbelief.
Little Barney roared almost at the top of his lungs, shaking the motionless metal railing.
"And after so many years, when you come back as a fugitive again..."
"Why do you hang out with the people from Shadow Shield?"
Samuel closed his eyes and said with difficulty: "Little Barney..."
"tell me!"
Snapped!
There was a loud noise, and the metal railing erupted with the most dazzling light from just now to now!
Little Barney could no longer hold on to the railing and fell heavily to the ground.
His whole body was twitching, his hands were smoking, and he was roaring in agony.
But Thales could no longer tell whether he was in pain due to physical torture or sad because of spiritual despair.
Even Naki on the side couldn't bear to say: "Barney, be careful, that thing is very dangerous..."
"No, Barney," Samuel took a step forward and said tremblingly: "Why, how could you think so..."
But little Barney howled angrily, struggled to get up from the ground, and said bitterly:
"Why did His Highness Kessel insist on putting us in prison?"
"Because he has known for a long time that there is something wrong with the Royal Guards!"
He glared at Samir:
"Because he knows that after the incident at the Fuxing Palace, the assassination of His Majesty, and the death of the Crown Prince, the Emperor's Guards, who were selected from the outstanding descendants of the great nobles and swore to protect the throne, can no longer be trusted."
Thales looked at this scene blankly, and listened to the words of those who had witnessed the tragedy, but felt extremely cold around him.
Little Barney's accusation slowly turned from an angry and unwilling accusation into a painful and desperate wail:
"After so many years, there must be many people in the Guards who have figured it out... So they, including us, are restless, deeply tortured, and even go insane and commit suicide... Because the Royal Guards are both prosperous and destructive!
"
Tears slowly welled up from his eyes, and his voice became intermittent and hesitant: "As for why it is the Prison of Bones... maybe, maybe Prince Kessel is just not sure, maybe he just, just wants to see
Will that traitor jump out on his own..."
Little Barney closed his eyes tightly, and tears fell from his cheeks, moistening the brand of the sinner.
"And the result..."
thump!
Little Barney fell to his knees.
"result……"
"No……"
He howled bitterly: "You escaped, Samir..."
"you."
"you!"
In the remaining cells, the former members of the guard looked at the confrontation between Samuel and Barney Jr. with pale faces.
Samuel took a deep breath, looked at Barney with a red face, and punched his chest: "Yes! I escaped!"
"But not me!"
He shouted almost crazily, speaking incoherently:
"It's not me! No!"
Faced with Samir's argument, little Barney had no interest in listening.
"not only that."
"Samuel, I remember that you have a good foundation in writing. You have a good understanding of the writing method, diction, style, and even ancient imperial literature of noble correspondence."
"Supposedly, whether you imitate handwriting or forge letters, such as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's warrant, it's no problem?"
Samir's defensive words suddenly stalled.
He turned to the other prisoners, as if trying to gain their understanding, but they were silent.
Just watching indifferently.
Little Barney lay on the ground, crying and gritting his teeth: "That's why you were promoted to flag officer..."
Looking at the other party's increasingly ugly expression, Little Barney said coldly:
"We, the royal guard, are the rebirth of the emperor's imperial guard. In the history of more than six hundred years, the commander has taken charge of the entire team, the punishment officer is in charge of punishment, the vanguard officer is focused on fighting, the guard officer is a close guard, and the logistics officer ensures supplies.
, the instructor trains newcomers, and the watchman protects the inheritance..."
Little Barney suddenly raised his head and stared at Samir with red eyes: "And the flag officer!"
The entranced Samir was shocked!
"And the second flag officer, His Excellency Colin Semel," Barney Jr. said coldly:
"Your Flag Officer is responsible for internal supervision, intelligence exchanges, and even secret investigations in the Guard, so everyone doesn't like you very much, second only to the Punishment Officer... However, if anyone can detect the traitor early, it must be you.
.”
"It can only be you."
Little Barney's pupils narrowed:
"On the other hand, if anyone can shield the traitor, ignore the traitor, or even..."
He didn't say any more.
At this moment, Samir's body shook slightly, as if he had been hit by something.
He stared at the ground blankly, as if he couldn't come to his senses.
Little Barney stood up slowly, with tears still on his face.
"Tell me about Samir, who escaped from custody eighteen years ago," little Barney restrained his anger and asked in a deep voice:
"Are you the traitor?"
"The person who killed His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
"The man who ruined centuries of honor for the Royal Guard?"
"That heinous one..."
"traitor?"
The hall fell silent.
Little Barney and his companions stared at Samuel, trying to get an answer from him.
The Swords of Disaster were all staring at the two of them, maybe they were just curious about the truth back then, maybe they wanted to know about their companions' past.
Among them, Thales may also be included.
But no one dared to break the silence.
Until Samir.
The former second flag officer seemed to have lost all his strength. He stumbled back a few steps and knocked on the torch he had just dropped before he came back to his senses.
The firelight illuminated Samir from bottom to top, making his face look dim.
Only the mark of sin on the side of his face was red and distinct.
Like burning in hell.
Little Barney still stared at him coldly.
Samuel looked lonely at the light of the fire, then leaned down numbly and picked up the torch.
The body is stooped and the movements are slow.
Like a dying old man.
"I know, you won't believe anything I say now."
"Right."
It took a long time before Samir spoke with difficulty, as if this sentence had exhausted all his life's strength.
Boom!
The punishment officer Belletti on the side punched the wall and said angrily:
"Then what are you running from!"
"Come on, Second Flag Officer Colin Semel! You are standing in front of us now, standing in front of the only seven colleagues left in the Royal Guard!"
"Tell us, you will solemnly swear with your honor, your dignity, your sword, your ancestors, and the name of the Semir family, which has been rooted in the royal capital for hundreds of years.
I have never done anything to disgrace the Bright Star Royal Family or the Royal Guards, and I am more worthy of the oath of the Royal Guards!"
Samir's figure swayed slightly.
Belletti pressed his whole body against the fence and roared:
"tell me!"
Snapped!
There was an explosion, and Belletti fell to the ground in pain under the force of the fence, gritting his teeth and groaning.
Samir subconsciously wanted to step forward, but stopped abruptly.
In another cell, Tardin spoke slowly with his unique desolate voice: "Yes, tell us, Samir."
"Anyway... you and we have nothing to lose."
His voice had a dead air and became increasingly sad.
Tardin's roommate, Bree, who had been silent all this time, also slowly stepped forward and expressed his opinion with cold eyes.
Samir bit his lower lip, his eyes dull.
"Damn coward, you dare to do anything like running away and leaving your companions in the middle. Is it so difficult to swear an oath?" This is Sass Nye on the other side. He is grinding his teeth and staring at the murderer.
Samir.
On the other side, Cannon, who was trembling on the ground, no longer shivered, but stared blankly at Samuel who was being questioned. Behind him, Naki looked at the second flag officer without saying a word, sighing slightly, with only
sorrow.
"In the name of Chief Punishment Officer, Luton Belletti hereby orders you, Colin Semel," Belletti stood up again and said solemnly while breathing:
"tell us."
Hearing this title, Samir looked at the eyes of his seven former colleagues and the marks on each of their faces, and felt dazed for a moment.
He silently held up the torch and turned around, clenching his teeth with a look of reluctance on his face.
"Good...good...very good..."
Finally, Semel seemed to have figured something out. He took a sharp breath, raised his head and said angrily: "Me! I, Second Flag Officer Colin Semel!"
"I swear by my honor, my dignity, my sword, my ancestors, and the name of the Samir family..."
Every time Samir said a word, he took a step forward, his eyes blazing.
"In my entire life, I have never done anything to apologize to King Canxing..."
Having said this, Samir suddenly stopped talking!
He stopped at this word like a windmill stuck.
At that moment, Samir seemed to have remembered something, and his face became extremely pale.
The second flag officer lowered his head and turned his eyes tremblingly.
Glancing behind.
Thales, who was watching this scene with no idea of his mood, suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
He soon realized that Samir was looking at him.
The prince looking at the stars, Thales Bright Star.
Looking at Samir's surprised, painful and hesitant eyes, Thales suddenly understood Samir's hesitation at that moment.
He, Samir, cannot take this oath.
because……
Thales wanted to speak, but Marina's sword edge pressed against his thigh again, and the latter's resentful eyes clearly expressed her attitude towards the prince's intervention.
Oops.
The Star Prince closed his eyes in pain. He offended Marina so much that...
"Never, never..."
Samir turned around with difficulty, his expression was extremely struggling, and he just subconsciously repeated:
"I've never done anything to apologize to Canxing..."
"there has never been……"
"sorry……"
"Bright Star..."
His words kept spinning on his tongue, and it seemed that he could no longer form a coherent sentence.
Finally, Samir closed his eyes, exhaled a painful breath, and stopped talking.
As if accepting his fate.
"Hahahahaha..."
There was a long burst of laughter from the prison, relief, sadness, despair and pain.
It's Barney Jr.
He looked at Samir who could not swear an oath, and his face was already filled with tears.
Samir was like a lifeless corpse, raising his head stiffly.
"I know, I know what you think, little Barney," he said with difficulty: "But I, I can't make this oath, because, because I did do things that were sorry to the Bright Star royal family... But back then,
It wasn’t me back then, it wasn’t me!”
He said in panic.
But Samuel could only look at the seven people in the prison, all of them looked at him with the strangest eyes.
It's like looking at an alien in the tribe.
"not me……"
Samir realized something, and he repeated dully.
"Samuel, my father..."
Little Barney sobbed and shook his head with a sad smile.
"you know……"
"He, Chief Guard Officer Tony, and a few new guardsmen whose names I can't remember. They guarded His Highness Midir who was poisoned in front of the palace gate. One against a hundred, they fought to the death."
Little Barney shed tears and laughed painfully:
"Do you know how many times he was stabbed when I dug him out of the pile of corpses?"
"My father...the deputy commander of the royal guard, our original oath bearer, Great Quil Barney!"
Samir closed his eyes deeply, his facial features distorted.
"And His Majesty Eddie!"
Barney Jr. raised his voice.
"You know, when we rushed to the Hall of Stars, we could only see his dead body..." Little Barney's words made all the other prisoners lower their heads, as if they had returned to the most terrifying past:
"Not only these...there are also three princes and concubines, their children, and the beautiful Princess Constance..."
"No!"
Samir spoke suddenly, interrupting him.
"No, Barney, no, please, don't, that's not me..."
His expression was numb, and his tone was almost pleading:
"not me!"
But everything is a done deal.
"Pooh!"
To Samuel's left, Belletti in the cell spat fiercely.
The punishment officer looked at the dazzling and ugly mark on Samir's face, and bit out the most terrifying word with deep disgust: