At this moment, Thales, who was feeling heavy, smelled the strong smell of blood, and this strange scene reflected in his pupils:
In the deep and dark prison, the cold corpses of the mercenaries were spread on the floor between the two walls. The blood around them was warm and almost became a pool of water. Under the stingy and trembling torches, the scene in front of them was filled with a mixture of red and gray.
Feeling weird.
Among the mess on the ground, seven ragged but tall men, led by Little Barney, stood among them, like stubborn rocks separating the red and black waves, looking towards the other side of the passage without saying a word.
There, the punishment knight faced them silently, his eyes reflected the firelight, and the brand under his forehead was looming.
In the small dark prison, his figure resembled the towering mountains at the end of the sky, with an imposing, formidable and heavy presence.
Just out of reach.
Sak'el's eyes swept slowly, not referring to anyone in particular, but everyone in his sight was nervous, feeling that the other person seemed to be sizing him up, and subconsciously tensed up his body.
Like soldiers undergoing review.
But their faces became more and more serious.
It was as if at this moment, the darkness in the dark prison had truly arrived.
Thales became more and more nervous. He wanted to interrupt several times, but was forced to do nothing by the current atmosphere.
Countless ideas flashed through his mind, but none of them suited the current situation.
Thales could only ignore the wink from the fast rope next to him and try to force himself to calm down.
"take it easy."
"I'm not here to carry out punishment."
Looking at his tense former colleagues, Sak'el chuckled, his usual boring voice a little sad:
"Never again."
Execution of punishment.
As soon as these words came out, the memories of the seven prisoners whose faces were also branded seemed to be brought back.
The strong Bree let out a low hum. Taldin looked at the ground and twitched the corner of his mouth. The others, like them, relaxed their posture and their nervous expressions softened slightly.
Only little Barney, like a solid rock standing proudly in the cold wind, stared at Sak'el coldly.
The silence lasted for a few seconds, accompanied by several figures swaying under the firelight.
Thales and Quick Rope exchanged worried looks.
what happened?
He knew that they knew Sak'el, and he was also worried that they might join forces and be detrimental to him, but...
Why were they in this state when they met?
More importantly, what is he going to do?
The weird atmosphere made Thales even more anxious.
Until Belletti, a former prison officer, sighed and broke the ice.
"Long time no see," he looked at Sak'el with a hint of bitterness:
"Sir."
Hearing this title, Sacher took a deep breath.
He paused for a second and then looked at Belletti with a complicated face.
"Yes." Sak'el said hoarsely.
"Long time."
Luton Belletti.
Sak'el looked at this figure who was very different from more than ten years ago.
Among the elite Royal Guards, Belletti is an inconspicuous guy. He has always been dull and sullen, but the old captain took a fancy to this. In an era where people's hearts are floating, they need a mature and stable punishment.
official.
He still remembered that a long time ago, when he handed over the badge representing the punishment officer to the other party, Belletti's hands were trembling and cold.
But Sak'el was immersed in the past for only a few seconds before he pulled himself out of the emotion of meeting old friends.
He looked across the crowd and nodded slightly to the young prince behind the seven people:
"Your Highness Thales."
His tone was respectful, but his voice was filled with ice.
Listening to Sak'el's strange attitude, the seven prisoners exchanged glances.
Thales thought that this moment would come sooner or later. He ignored the quick rope and shook his head and took a step forward.
"where is he?"
The prince stared at Sak'el's slender face, trying hard to forget his deadly aura just now, and first asked about the person he cared about most:
"What did you do to him?"
Thales looked at the Punishment Knight worriedly and found that there were not many wounds on the opponent's body, but fortunately, Sak'el was holding a fighting ax in his hand, not the one he was so familiar with.
But a gray dagger.
he?
Little Barney glanced at Cannon, but the guard prisoner in charge of the investigation just shook his head slowly.
Sak'el was silent for a few seconds, his eyes flickering.
"He's fine, I assure you,"
"It just takes some time to recover."
Thales breathed an unknown sigh of relief.
But he was happy too early.
Soon, the figure of the Punishment Knight, like a mountain at dusk, slowly pressed forward, and as he spoke more and more seriously, he pressed towards the direction of the prince.
"but we……"
Sak'el's words echoed with his footsteps.
Step, step, step.
Every step he took was like a frightening war drum, and as the number of steps accumulated, the murderous intention became more and more serious.
"We should go."
"Your Highness."
time to go.
At that moment, Thales' face turned pale, and his mood that had just relaxed became tense again.
Little Barney looked at Sak'el and then at Thales behind him, frowning.
Step, step, step.
Sak'el stepped forward, and the ax blade in his hand was stained with blood in the firelight.
His eyes became sharp again and he looked straight at Thales.
It seemed like I could never see anyone else.
Thales gritted his teeth and subconsciously held the hilt of the sword.
But the next second, two solid and strong figures moved together and suddenly intervened in this strange confrontation!
The fire flickered.
tread!
Sak'el's figure froze for a moment, and his heavy steps that were as heavy as breaking mountains stopped in place.
He squinted his eyes and looked at the obstacles in front of him.
Thales' eyebrows moved.
It's Belletti and Brie.
One of them is strong and the other strong, like a huge rock blocking the road, one on the left and the other on the right firmly blocking the path that the punishment knight must pass.
His eyes were burning, his expression was calm, and he showed no intention of shrinking back.
Sak'el's eyes slowly focused, passing over the axes and maces in the hands of Belletti and Bree, and looking at the man behind them.
Little Barney, as dead as a statue.
"Is this how you welcome old colleagues and senior officers?"
Sak'el stared at the expressionless little Barney and tilted his head:
"No hug?"
The words are joking, but there is no sense of relaxation at all.
Thales noticed that at this moment, the seven prisoners all had serious faces, as if they were rejecting them.
what happened?
Do they have a grudge?
Unexpectedly, at this time, the fast rope next to him patted his shoulder and secretly gave him a proud thumbs up.
This made Thales even more confused.
But little Barney quickly answered his doubts.
"I don't know how you got out, Watchman."
Barney's voice was as calm as ever, his head was slightly lowered, his pupils were pressed against his upper eyelids, and he stared at the majestic punishment knight in front of him in a chilling manner.
He tilted his head behind him.
"But the prince's attendant...Waia Castle told us some bad news when he let us out."
Just listen to Little Barney say coldly:
"About the news that you are insane and are hunting down the prince with Shadow Shield."
As soon as he said this, Sak'el frowned, and the seven prisoners pursed their lips vigilantly and exchanged glances.
What?
Insanity, chasing the prince?
In surprise, Thales cast a questioning look at the fast rope.
The latter blinked proudly and raised one corner of his mouth.
Thales didn't care about anything else. He quickly lowered his head and asked quietly for the rope:
"What did you tell them about Sak'el?"
Kuaisheng looked like he wanted to take credit but was pretending to be reserved. He glanced at Thales and said in a heeding voice:
"of course……"
But he immediately noticed that the talkative Naki was staring at this side with intense eyes, which made Kuaiseng pause in his words and subconsciously put away his playful expression.
I saw Kuaisheng puffing up his chest in an upright manner and raising his voice so that everyone could hear:
"Of course you tell the truth!"
Thales looked at Kuai Rope with a headache and his loyal look, and saw the latter looking at Sak'el in the distance with an indignant look on his face, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth:
"How could the noble bloodline of Canxing be covered in dust by the filthy hands of a madman!"
Quick Rope's righteous cry echoed in this small passage.
Nana, Nani?
The corners of Thales's mouth twitched, and even the current nervousness was relieved a lot.
Naki, who was staring at them, looked back at the fool and looked at Little Barney with a strange expression, as if asking for advice.
But little Barney didn't say a word, just stared at Sak'el.
In front of them, Sak'el remained motionless, looking back at little Barney from a distance.
The echo of the fast rope disappeared in the air, the confrontation between Sak'el and the seven men remained the same, and the dark prison returned to a desolate and suffocating atmosphere.
After a while, just when Thales felt so uncomfortable in this suffocating air that he wanted to interrupt, Barney Jr., who had the highest status among the seven, finally spoke.
"Watchman, you're not crazy, are you?"
His eyes were normal, his tone was dull, and he referred to Sak'el's former position:
"At least, I'm not that crazy yet."
Listening to the other party's profound words, Sak'el was silent for a while, and then quietly spoke:
"It depends on the definition of crazy."
He looked at Thales, but seemed to see something else, his eyes wandering.
The seven prisoners frowned almost simultaneously.
Thales felt that he could no longer remain silent. If he continued like this, it would only be a matter of time before his secret was exposed.
So he cleared his throat:
"Everyone, please listen to me..."
However, before he even finished his sentence, Barney suddenly spoke!
"No disrespect to you, Your Highness, whom I have never met before!"
His voice was cold, and he interrupted the Star Prince extremely rudely:
"But please speak less respectfully to avoid deepening misunderstandings."
Thales was so cut off that he choked on his tongue.
He looked at little Barney who was looking sideways in confusion, feeling that the latter's gaze was a bit scary.
"Misunderstand?"
Thales was stunned.
Little Barney snorted coldly.
"Yes."
Little Barney held down the hilt of the sword and turned his eyes to the other side, staring at the equally puzzled Quick Rope, which made the latter shudder.
"For example, the imposter next to you is full of lies. His words only want to instigate internal strife between us and Sak'el, the so-called 'Agent Kasuo'."
His words echoed in the dungeon, hollow and stinging.
Thales took a few seconds to digest this statement.
Impostor.
Full of lies.
Provoke internal strife.
The so-called Casso...
Wait, that means?
Thales turned his gaze numbly.
As expected, Kuaisheng was dumbfounded and in disbelief, staring blankly at Barney, whose eyes were like daggers.
The other party's eyes were very cold, as if they could pierce through everything.
At that moment, Kuaisheng felt a chill in his vest.
No way.
"Hey, Thales," Kuai Rope gave an ugly smile, pulled the prince's clothes dryly, whispered, and backed away slowly:
"I think we should leave for a while so that they can reminisce alone..."
However, the moment the quick rope turned around, two other people appeared behind the rookie mercenary, blocking his retreat!
not only that.
I don’t know when it started. Tardin, Naki, Cannon and Nye, two in front and two in the back, four people have firmly surrounded Thales and Quick Rope from four directions!
There were actually more people than there were to intercept Sak'el.
The four of them all looked at Kuai Sheng, who was smiling more uglier than crying, with alert and scrutinizing eyes.
The sudden accident made Thales feel confused.
how……
"Please stay where you are and don't act rashly, 'Attendant Castle'."
Taldin was seen holding a sword in one hand and a sword in the other, looking at Kuai Rope with an ugly expression in a joking tone.
"By the way, Wyatt."
Tardin shook his head contemptuously, his eyes unkind:
"Your mother, Viscountess Gilbert Castle, is my biological sister."
What?
Kuai Rope's eyelids jumped immediately, and his heart went cold.
"She died eighteen years ago precisely to protect her young son during the turmoil in Yongxing City."
Taldin's eyes flashed slightly, he slowly raised the weapon in his hand, and he quickly took a step back in fear.
"That's you, 'Wya Castle,' my dear nephew."
nephew?
Kuaisheng's complexion became increasingly pale and ugly.
Even Thales was stunned.
Tardin, he is Wyatt's...uncle?
"Obviously, your 'mother' is not 'in good health' as you said, let alone 'hehehe'."
Tardin stared at his 'nephew' coldly:
"Also, liar, next time, remember to change your Camus accent."
After he finished speaking, the seven prisoners stared at him very unfriendlyly.
At that moment, Kuaisheng's smile completely froze.
Under the scrutiny of the guards prisoners, and being exposed, he cast an innocent and embarrassed look at Thales asking for help.
that……
Are we... going to be in trouble?
But even Thales could only sigh silently in his heart, wishing he could slap himself on the head or Kuaisheng's face.
This smartass bastard!
Oops.
Thales felt the seven people's eyes becoming suspicious and unfamiliar again, and suddenly felt a lot of pressure.
Just now, the unfriendly atmosphere between the seven people and Sak'el gave him a little luck.
But now, after the fast rope was exposed and he lost the trust of seven people, he has fallen back into the most dangerous situation.
On the other side, Sak'el looked at Thales who was surrounded from a distance and said nothing.
Little Barney snorted softly and brought the target of the conversation back to the opposite side.
"As you can see, Sak'el, everything that happened today is full of doubts."
Little Barney twitched his chin:
"For example, this inexplicable mysterious prince, the lieutenant around him, and you who are acting abnormally now."
His words brought everyone's attention back to the front.
"We believe in you, Sak'el, you never do anything crazy that makes no sense."
Little Barney glanced at Thales and said softly:
"So, what reason does this so-called 'His Royal Highness' have to die?"
"That would make you target him and the last bloodline of the royal family the first second you are released from prison?"
As he finished speaking, Sak'el's eyes flickered.
"The reason why I have to die..." He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, murmuring and repeating.
At that moment, Thales' face was ashen and his heart was bitter.
No.
The reason why I have to die...
Even Quick Rope realized that they seemed to be in danger.
The seven guard prisoners stood silently: two stopped in front of the punishment knight, four surrounded the prince and the fast rope, and little Barney stood in the middle, steadily waiting for Sak'el's answer.
Sak'el came back to his senses and glanced at Thales again, with a complicated meaning that was hard to explain.
Thales was in a gloomy mood, looking at Sak'el with a sad expression as he clenched the fighting ax in his hand, with wrinkles on his face.
But something unexpected happened.
Sak'el shook his head seemingly impatiently and said something light:
"I'll explain later."
Thales' heavy heart suddenly stopped.
As soon as he finished speaking, Sak'el stepped forward without hesitation!
Go to Thales.
The seven people waiting for his answer, including Thales, were all shocked.
Will you explain later?
Little Barney frowned fiercely.
Belletti and Bree looked at each other, seeing surprise and confusion in each other's eyes.
But the next second, the two former members of the royal guard moved together and raised their weapons at the same time.
call!
The cold blade came through the wind and stopped in mid-air!
The movements are smooth and clean.
Only an inch away from the Punishment Knight.
He had to stop walking towards the prince.
"I'm afraid I'd rather you explain it now, Sak'el."
Little Barney stared at each other seriously:
"After so many years in prison, we have become a little clumsy."
"But if you want to have a long-lost discussion, there is no problem."
The situation in the field became tense again.
Sak'el didn't even look at the weapon in front of him, he just lowered his head, took a deep breath, and raised the corners of his mouth.
Little Quill Barney.
He is still the same stubborn person.
He is paranoid.
In front of the punishment knight, Belletti's eyes were dull and calm, while Bree's expression was ups and downs, and his brows were up and down.
"If I explain it clearly..."
Sak'el looked away and sighed:
"Will you help me?"
These words made Thales frightened.
He looked around, but found bitterly: the guard prisoners' protection and surveillance had never been relaxed.
Sak'el glanced at each of his former colleagues and continued in a hissing voice:
"Even if it means pointing the sword at the blood descendants of the Bright Star royal family?"
His voice was like a sharp blade, very piercing.
As soon as these words came out, the former members of the guard were breathing disorderly and frowned.
Belletti subconsciously looked back at Barney.
Sure enough, among the seven, only Barney Jr. remained calm and answered him unusually calmly:
"It depends on how you explain it."
"Everything happens for a reason."
In the tense confrontation, Sak'el fell silent.
"Yes," he said sadly:
"Everything happens for a reason."
He looked like this, and Thales couldn't help but think of the punishment knight who went crazy in prison and spoke to another world.
Seeing signs of compromise on the other side, Little Barney nodded slowly. At his signal, Belletti and Bree put down their weapons and waited for the other side's response.
This made Thales even more nervous.
That's right.
Sak'el only needs to explain to them his identity as a magician...
He is a highly respected person in the royal guard. As long as he explains a little bit, there is no reason why they will help him.
As for these star people who came from noble families, their attitude towards the legendary disasters in the End War...
Thales closed his eyes, and the more he thought about it, the heavier he felt. He even began to think about ways to break out of the encirclement head-on.
But what to do with the fast rope around me?
How about trying magic power again?
"I'm sorry for letting you see this, Your Highness."
When Thales opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that the Punishment Knight, who was full of murderous intent not long ago and wanted to kill him, was now standing at the far end, looking at the Prince of Stars from a distance with a look that was difficult for him to understand.
"This is my weakness and incompetence."
Sak'el's face showed compassion and pain, but he still smiled at him with an ugly smile full of wrinkles, which complemented the ferocious mark on his forehead:
"But please don't worry, it will be over soon."
He nodded gently and spoke in a gentle tone, as if he was comforting a lost child:
"everything will get better."
"Will do."
Sak'el lowered his head slightly as he spoke.
Thales was completely stunned.
he is……
Falling into his "other world" again?
The seven people facing each other looked at each other.
Little Barney seemed to be getting more and more impatient when he saw Sakel like this.
"Sarkel, the watchman."
He spoke again, and this time, Barney's tone was far less polite than before, appearing harsh and unpleasant:
"answer my question."
"Is there anything we need to know about this prince?"
Little Barney's words were very cold, more like a threat.
Thales clenched his back molars, and even the fast rope beside him tightened his grip on the crossbow in fear.
One second, two seconds.
In this small passage, the firelight dimmed and the figures were graceful.
Finally, Sak'el slowly raised his head, showed a warm smile, and bit out the word that surprised everyone:
"No."
I saw the punishment knight scanning everyone in front of him coldly:
"There's nothing you need to know, Chief Vanguard Barney."
"All you need to know is: I have to do this."
"This is enough."
At that moment, everyone was stunned.
Among them, the most profound one is Thales himself.
Why.
Thales blinked.
He obviously wants to kill me, right?
Because I am a magician.
He obviously just needs to tell this reason...
But why, why did he keep the secret for me?
Wouldn't it be better to explain the facts and use righteousness to persuade them to turn their focus on me?
Thales stared at the other person blankly, unable to understand.
Why is this person... so strange?
"Sarkel!"
Finally, little Barney could no longer hold back and shouted angrily:
"Don't push me!"
Barney's roar echoed nearby, but in response, Sak'el chuckled.
"Forcing you?"
"I know, I have been a punishment officer for so long and I have offended many people." His eyes passed over the frowning Belletti and Bree in front of him, and passed their weapons:
"But has my popularity dropped to this point?"
It's like a joke, and it's like a mockery.
"Including you, Barney, why are you still jealous that I took away the position of watchman?"
At that moment, Thales saw Little Barney clenching his fists with a pale face.
Behind him, Naki sighed softly, while Tardin shook his head secretly.
Oops.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Belletti let out a breath and gritted his teeth.
"Just because you are popular, sir," Belletti still insisted on the respectful title:
"That's why we can't believe it."
His face was tense, as if he had something to hide, and he spoke out from between his teeth:
"That's the bloodline of Canxing, sir. It's the existence we swore to protect."
Belletti pointed at Thales and said in a suppressed voice:
"Why do this?"
Upon hearing the question from his former subordinate, Sak'el, who was originally smiling, slowly turned cold.
The bloodline of Bright Star...
The existence that I once swore to protect...
He paused for a few seconds, his expression half-smiling.
"Because...this is my mission."
Sak'el spoke softly, gently and calmly.
Like saying good night before going to bed.
"That's enough, Sak'el!"
Barney Jr.'s angry shout interrupted Belletti who was still about to speak.
"I'm not in the mood to beat around the bush with you!"
Listening to Barney's angry rebuke, Sak'el didn't react at all. Instead, he snorted like a sleepwalker and nodded.
This made little Barney even more angry.
"I don't know what you are hiding, but if you think you can get away with it by being vague..."
The atmosphere began to change.
But listening to them going back and forth around their secrets, Thales, who was at the center of the topic, suddenly felt something:
No.
They're not talking about me.
At least……
It's not just me.
Seeing that the conflict was getting more intense, Naji, who was standing at the end, coughed hard.
"Uh, Barney? Boss Sackel?"
He stretched out a hand to each side, forced out a smile, and tried hard to ease the conflict:
"Let me tell you, let's all calm down..."
But Naki misjudged the situation.
The next second, Thales felt his hair stand on end as a figure flashed before his eyes!
"call!"
The wind howls and the fire trembles!
"No!" Barney shouted angrily.
"Boom!"
Thales struggled to open his eyes.
But the next scene he saw was of Belletti and Bree. Two tough warriors groaned and fell to both sides under heavy blows until they hit the wall.
And Sak'el, who had been calm and self-controlled just after knocking down their opponent, had already transformed back into the punishment knight with a fierce expression and full of murderous intent!
He broke through the two of them in an instant, coming through the air with such ferocious momentum that he was like destroying mountains and collapsing mountains!
He rushed towards Thales who was shocked and unable to react in time.