[Many people have had the same idea - magicians and other races can coexist peacefully and even help each other. 】
At this moment, what flashed through Thales' mind was the conversation from a long time ago.
That was Longxiao City six years ago.
Giza has just disappeared under the front of the Pure World.
In the ashes that filled the sky, when Thales vowed to find a new future for the magician, the scholar-like and elegant Asheida made an understatement and said to him intentionally or unintentionally:
[Whether it is a magician, a human, or even an elf, there are countless similar efforts and attempts...]
【They all failed.】
That beautiful voice was still fresh in my ears, but the cruel truth in front of me shook my heart.
They all failed.
Thales looked at Sak'el in front of him seriously, but he was thinking about another figure.
Asheida.
How much...have you hidden from me?
Eighteen years ago, you and Giza, and... what exactly did you do?
"Your Majesty, have you reached a covenant with Disaster?" Tardin said in disbelief in the utmost silence.
"Qi and blood? Oh, I still remember, is the Blood Bottle Gang right..." Nai said thoughtfully.
Their voices broke the silence, and the shocked people spoke out one after another.
In the atmosphere of uproar, little Barney took a step forward and shouted:
"Quiet!"
The noisy dungeon suddenly became clear.
Little Barney's expression was still stiff, but Thales could see that his calm appearance was hiding surging emotions.
Little Barney said coldly: "That's it?"
"Three Disaster Alliance?"
Opposite him, the punishment knight looked away from Thales, as if immersed in his own world, and murmured:
"Those disasters... they have no good intentions, and they don't care about the future of the stars. On the contrary, they just want to achieve their own goals through the kingdom, regardless of what kind of misfortune and disaster they will leave us."
"And that's just the beginning."
Just listening to Sak'el's dry and hoarse voice sounded like a dream disillusioned:
"As if overnight, natural disasters continued to occur in the kingdom. The grain harvest was cut off, freight was blocked, sea routes were blocked, merchants and peasants throughout the territory were in chaos, all industries were abandoned, and conflicts occurred frequently. Until rebellions broke out, the situation became corrupt and out of control..."
Everyone in the field fell silent upon hearing this.
"At this moment, when we are busy suppressing rebellion and eager to appease the country, the whole world seems to have received a certain order at the same time..."
The punishment knight looked blankly in the air:
"Our allies and companions are strangely silent: whether it is the Three Kingdoms of the Lost Sea, the Holy Tree Court, the Hall of Kings or even the Taixuan Palace on the other side of the sea, they all keep secret about aiding the stars."
"Our enemies and opponents have an unprecedented tacit unity: from the commercial boycott of Camus to the military intrusion in the desert, the sea plunder of the Kasai people, the blockade of Hamble's shipping routes, and Exeter's provocation in the north.
Even the rebels seem to have endless support behind them, as if they have agreed to attack together."
He recalled the history of the bloody years inch by inch, and the sadness in his words infected the atmosphere in the field, making the faces of the royal guards increasingly ugly.
Thales frowned unconsciously.
"Unfortunately, the source of the mana guns purchased from the Imperial Kingdom has been cut off for no reason, and the Eternal Oil and Lithium Mines cannot keep up. It has become extremely difficult to supply conventional weapons and military supplies."
Sak'el's words continued, his voice getting tighter and tighter, as if he was slowly suffocating:
"We lost more than just the war... The king and his vassals were at odds with each other, the nobles protested one after another, the relationship between the three major temples and the Renaissance Palace dropped to a freezing point, and the shameless Tower of the End even wrote a letter criticizing His Majesty's rule."
"Everything came together and turned into the most unfavorable situation for us..."
Pain and sadness appeared in his eyes:
"And what you can see is that the number of brothers in the guard is decreasing one by one. For the sake of duty and honor, they leave their wives and children behind, and follow the bright stars, getting ready to go to the battlefield one by one.
Maybe I’ll reply to a letter every half month to say I’m safe, or maybe I’ll never hear from him again.”
At that moment, no one in the royal guard, including Samir, spoke, but they all reacted, either bowing their heads deeply, or looking away unnaturally, and Cannon even sobbed softly.
"But do you think that everything that happened back then was really just a coincidence?"
Sak'el looked at the fire in Naki's hand with fascination. As his memories progressed, his words slowly became ferocious:
"I know, I know why, I know why we are the target of public criticism."
"No matter what your Majesty's original intention is, walking with disaster - this is the origin and beginning of our disaster. It has plunged the stars into an unprecedented predicament and turned the entire world into our enemy."
"Fuck!" Naki slapped his thigh and cursed.
I don’t know if it’s for King Eddie or for Sak’el.
The whole world will become our enemy...
Thales' breathing became disordered unconsciously.
"Why?"
Hearing this, little Barney interrupted Sak'el coldly:
"If you think this is the root and cause..."
"Why didn't you tell us then? Why didn't you ask the old captain or even my father for help?"
"They must have a way!"
"Why are you so good at making opinions?"
Sak'el's eyes moved.
The knight slowly swept past the royal guards present.
Thales noticed that many people subconsciously avoided his sharp, knife-like gaze.
A few seconds later, Sak'el chuckled mockingly and lowered his head:
"You do not understand."
"By the time I really wanted to do something, it was too late."
He shook slightly:
"The situation has worsened and gone from bad to worse. Even the most elite guard brothers who are guarding the princes have bad news coming from time to time."
"In less than a year, the rebels have gained momentum and conquered cities and territories. Our army's morale has been low and we are retreating steadily. The war in the Western Wilderness and Southwest has spread to the interior and spread across the country. The people of the kingdom are in panic all day long..."
Every time Sak'el said a word, the brows of the guards tightened.
"Until Exeter—the terrifying dragon who had just subdued the Golden Corridor and the Conmas people—bared his fangs and joined the ranks of adding insult to injury, he mobilized the entire nation's troops at all costs, a hundred thousand elites, and was unstoppable.
The iron hooves are rolling and coming fiercely."
"I think that is the final blow prepared by our enemies for the kingdom, the final chapter in this epic of national destruction."
Thales couldn't help but think of Nunn VII.
The king who is old but still powerful.
That cunning, shrewd, fierce and powerful lion.
He also recalled the purpose of Exeter's army going south, as told through the mouth of the Death Horn Crow.
Thinking of this, Thales couldn't help but wonder: Was it really just for political purposes that King Nun sent troops so decisively?
"And we are already so exhausted that we are at the end of our rope and can't even form a decent army..."
Sak'el's words became increasingly painful:
"In this way, the Star Kingdom, which has carried the glory of the empire and has been in existence for seven hundred years, has reached the edge of destruction. It is only one step away from falling into the abyss and ending completely."
"But even so, even if the disaster has brought the kingdom step by step to the prison river, you can't imagine His Majesty's insistence, paranoia and stubbornness..."
Having said this, the punishment knight suddenly raised his head and looked forward angrily:
"It's unimaginable that he has unshakable trust in the woman next to his pillow... and in that monster."
"And it all started that night."
Sak'el slowly closed his voice.
Little Barney closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"So you betrayed and rebelled? You surrendered to His Majesty's enemies?"
Mr. Pioneer Officer seemed to be trying his best to suppress his shock and tried to shift his focus to the present.
Sacher was silent for a long time.
Seems to be hesitating.
"Your Majesty is confused."
Finally, the punishment knight spoke calmly:
"He fails to see that disaster is the root of everything."
"He has to wake up."
The punishment knight's eyes gradually became clearer:
"As long as we stay away from those monsters with ulterior motives, spurn their sinister plots, no longer place hope on taboos, but return to the right track of the kingdom..."
He was like a painfully struggling traveler under the abyss who saw hope at the last moment:
"The strange alliance created by the enemy to add insult to injury has lost its foundation and will be destroyed by itself. Even the two legendary taboo existences that are above them will turn their attention away..."
"The supply of magic guns and eternal oil will be restored, the attitudes of allies will be restored, hostility that has no interest will be eliminated, the behind-the-scenes support of the rebels will be stopped, our predicament of being attacked from both sides will be alleviated, the divided hearts will be reunited, and the front line will be in danger
The situation will improve, and the only ones we need to worry about are our old rivals."
"The Kingdom of Stars can survive this catastrophe."
Sak'el's expression became more and more excited, but turned dim after a moment.
"But before that, someone must stand up, shoulder the responsibility, and turn the tide, even if that means the most unforgivable betrayal and the most unforgivable stigma."
Deep pain radiated from his eyes, and he looked at his fist in concentration:
"Someone must save ourselves - before His Majesty turns the entire world into an enemy and brings the entire kingdom into the abyss."
"Someone must put an end to this hopeless and unnecessary confrontation."
No one spoke, even Samir, who had a mocking look on his face, tightened his lips. Little Barney in the front closed his eyes deeply, seeming to be thinking.
Beside Thales, Naki sighed deeply. Not only him, but others also looked worried and worried.
The prince was distraught.
He recalled the hesitant words of encouragement Yodel gave him in private when he had a showdown with him over the magician in the Mindis Hall.
[I have seen those disasters, more than once... Your family, from the moment it was born, is destined to be entangled with those disasters...]
More than once.
That must be more than just Asheida, maybe it includes Fleland and even Giza?
Speaking of Yodel, he thought of the Secret Society and the Black Prophet. What role did they play in that catastrophe?
Thales recalled the hysterical questioning and accusation against King Kessel in the Renaissance Palace six years ago after the conspiracy of Duke Arlend in the north failed.
[Just like your damn father, you and he both know what your choices will bring, but you never care...if you hadn't brought that monster back...]
They were probably talking about the new queen, Frylan.
He had seen Kessel's appearance, especially the scene where the Iron Fist King coldly asked him to send him as an envoy to Longxiao City, which was still vivid in his mind.
Was his grandfather, Eddy II, also like this?
Thales also recalled the evaluation of Eddie II that Archduke Perfitt, who had failed in the duel, inadvertently leaked in the Hall of Heroes of the Palace of Heroes.
[Sooner or later, one day we will have a lunatic like Eddie II of the Stars, dragging his entire country to hell!]
Thales looked at Sak'el in front of him blankly.
As a trusted watchman in the royal guard, he should be the most loyal guard.
but……
"No."
In the dungeon, a faint and low-emotional whisper sounded in everyone's ears:
"Even if it has to be someone..."
"That shouldn't be you, it shouldn't be done by you."
Thales turned his head in surprise and saw Little Barney slowly raising his head, a sharp cold light shooting out of his eyes, pointing directly at the Punishment Knight.
"Emanu Sakel."
Sacher was silent.
"You are not His Majesty."
"You are not the Crown Prince of Midir, you are not Prince Horace, you are not the Prime Minister, you are not a political officer, and you are not His Majesty's military and diplomatic advisor."
Barney Jr. seems to have gotten over the betrayal of his colleagues and the shock of the truth.
He seemed to have figured something out. His voice was low at the moment, but his sentences were sonorous, powerful and decisive:
"You are not even the captain of the royal guard, but just a servant of His Majesty, the second son of Viscount Sacre!"
Little Barney took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and asked:
"What right do you have to arrogantly declare the future for the entire kingdom?"
Sak'el didn't speak, but there was deep pain in his eyes.
The Pioneer Officer’s voice became louder and more determined:
"What qualifications do you have to stand in the depths of filthy darkness and falsely claim to 'save the world'!"
The members of the guard were stunned for a moment, and looked at each other for a few times. Their scattered eyes gradually became unified, and they shot at the punishment knight at the same time.
Facing the frowning and struggling Sakel, little Barney snorted coldly:
"Do you remember the Oath of the Guards?"
The punishment knight was slightly startled.
Oath of the Guard.
But before he could react, Little Barney opened his mouth and shouted:
"I swear that I will devote my entire life to the throne and serve the imperial power forever. I will have no other master."
"I swear that this sword will only be wielded for the Emperor's order, and will only be broken for the Emperor's order. It has no other use."
"I swear, I will either be buried in the place where the throne rests, or my bones will be buried halfway through my life. There will be no other end."
It was only three sentences, but little Barney's voice was very loud, echoing between the four walls, sweeping away the previous hatred.
He seemed to have turned back into the serious, calm, and steady pioneer officer.
Sak'el slowly fell into a trance while listening to these familiar sentences.
"They did it."
"Old Captain, Tony, and even my father," Barney Jr. suppressed the astringency in his throat and kept his voice steady: "and all the Guard brothers who sacrificed their lives inside and outside the Fuxing Palace, and even died on the frontline battlefield."
"No matter where His Majesty goes, they will follow him to the death, regardless of his intention to go or doubt that he is there."
Sak'el's body trembled.
Old Captain Cullen...
Chief Security Officer Tony...
Deputy Captain of the Guard, Great Quail Barney...
In Thales's eyes, not only Sak'el, but also the people in the guard were in different situations:
Samir lowered his head, feeling deeply confused and struggling.
Cannon leaned against the wall, hiding his face and shaking slightly. The big man Bree clutched his chest tightly. Naki looked at his torch expressionlessly, as if there was a good trick in it.
Tardin, Belletti, and Nye were in a daze.
"I believe that, even on the way to Hell River."
Little Barney's voice also began to tremble:
"They will also try their best to get the ferry boat for His Majesty."
"what about you?"
The punishment knight's chest heaved.
But Barney Jr.’s words were like a sharp sword, attacking his vital points:
"Nothing you say, Sak'el, will absolve you of your own sins."
"It's just you being selfish and persuading yourself."
Little Barney finished his words, leaving only disgust and contempt in his eyes.
His words were obviously very powerful, and everyone in the royal guard also figured something out.
They threw away their hesitation and intolerance towards their former siblings, and their eyes were replaced by the same disgust and rejection.
This time, Sak'el was silent for a long time.
Until he opened his lips with difficulty:
"I don't want to excuse or shirk responsibility, let alone ask for forgiveness."
"You said you wanted an answer," the punishment knight said softly, "this is my answer."
"Everything that happened back then, all the guilt..."
"It's all on my shoulders."
Little Barney stared at him for a long, long time.
Until Barney's expression returned to normal, he seemed to have figured something out, smiled miserably and shook his head: "No."