Even though he was well prepared, Thales still tensed up after Sak'el appeared.
He still chased me.
Punishment Knight.
At this moment, he is the biggest threat in the dungeon.
Things don't look good for Sak'el.
The knight was already in a state of embarrassment. At this moment, his eyes were half open and half closed. He seemed to have been severely injured by the flash bomb just now. His steps that were once as steady as a mountain now needed the support of the wall and the weapon in his hand to stand upright. His right shoulder
There was a thick bandage wrapped around it, and it oozed bright red.
But even so, no one dares to underestimate him.
Sak'el gritted his teeth, held on to the wall, and stepped into the storage room step by step.
Like a beast gradually emerging from the darkness.
"No, damn it..." Quick Rope nervously raised the arm crossbow, but was held down by Thales before firing!
"calm."
Thales held the fast rope's arm tightly and gritted his teeth:
"not now."
Not only Thales and Quick Rope, but also Samir, Belletti, Nye and others also looked ugly.
"Hahahaha, 'Stop talking'?"
Naki recovered from his daze and smiled sadly.
"No," Naji's expression changed and he scanned everyone:
"Everyone here has the right to shut me up."
Naji raised his finger tremblingly and pointed at the punishment knight:
"except you."
"Sacher."
Thacker paused.
Already bruised and bruised, he stood by the door, looking confused and painfully at Naki, who seemed to be risking everything. His eyes passed over a group of dejected and slumped former colleagues.
It was very quiet in the cell, except for people who were in pain or gasping for breath.
Sak'el shook his head slightly and looked away.
"Naki."
"you are tired."
The punishment knight whispered, as if coaxing a child.
But Naki didn't appreciate it.
"Yeah, I'm tired."
I saw Naki retreating step by step and saying with a sad smile:
"I've had enough of your arrogance and arrogance, Knight of Punishment."
Thacker frowned.
"You don't want to tarnish the reputation of the royal family, but you also can't bear to expose the faces of our group of shameless traitors," Naki's breathing became more rapid:
"You always want to find the most comprehensive solution."
He narrowed his eyes, despair seeping into his tone:
"But you think that if you bear all the sins alone and hold up the toppling pillars alone, no one's honor will be tarnished, no one's reputation will be damaged, and you will remain silent and walk alone, it is a great sacrifice.
Are you worthy of everyone?"
Sak'el said nothing.
Little Barney was still kneeling on the ground in despair, his mind wandering, Belletti looked nervous, and Samir was silent.
Naki started to tremble.
A few seconds later, the anger that had been suppressed for countless years burst out from his throat:
"Fuck you!"
"You damn bastard, proud watchman Sak'el!"
The scolding echoed in the storage room, causing the torch in Samir's hand to flicker.
But no one said anything, including Sak'el.
Looking at Sak'el and Naki who were having a mental breakdown in front of him, Kuaisuo swallowed and nervously poked Thales:
"Whatever I say, I know that these lunatics are unreliable..."
However, Thales just looked at everyone present with complicated eyes and remained silent.
yes.
He looked at the collapsed Barney and the lost Naki.
However, if it weren't for this bunch of unreliable lunatics, we would have become part of the Bone Cage a long time ago.
"You think you are protecting us, protecting those who have passed away..."
Naki's eyes turned red, and he roared like a wild beast at the melancholy Sak'el:
"But you don't understand!"
Naji's voice gradually became quieter, but the difficulty and despair in his words became more and more obvious:
"You sacrifice yourself for others and take responsibility for your sins. You are great, glorious, selfless, and heroic..."
The poor guard prisoner collapsed to his knees, his weapon and keys slipping from his hands at the same time.
"But you, a selfish ghost who claims to be a saint, throw all your endless self-blame, guilt, and torture back to us! Let us play the ugliest roles on the stage and face the painful realities that you cannot face.
!”
Naki slapped his chest hysterically:
"us!"
Sak'el bowed his head and remained silent amidst the deafening accusations, as if he was not in this world at all.
Naji seemed to be tired of scolding. He collapsed on the ground, his voice was hoarse, and he murmured in a daze:
"You and Big Barney, you are both executioners who kill without blood..."
These words made little Barney, who was kneeling on the ground, tremble.
Just listen to Naji sobbing:
"The only difference is..."
"Big Barney makes us hate him..."
"You, you make us... hate ourselves."
Naji lowered his head and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking.
After several seconds, Sak'el raised his head in the almost endless silence.
He stretched out his hand in the direction of Naki in confusion, but trembled halfway and slowly put it down.
The past cannot be changed.
But at least...
Sak'el deflected his gaze, as if he didn't dare to look at Naki anymore, but staggered towards Thales step by step.
This makes many people nervous!
"Barney, Barney, wake up!"
As Sak'el approached step by step, even though he had been deprived of his position as the highest-ranking person after Little Barney, Belletti was in a state of confusion and anxiously called out the vanguard officer's name, hoping that the latter would take action.
But little Barney, who was kneeling on the ground, looked distracted, as if he didn't hear anything.
Sak'el glanced at Little Barney with a dead look in his eyes, glanced at the mark on the latter's face, and immediately looked away.
he's gone.
Sak'el said to himself silently.
The unshakable and undefeatable vanguard of Quill Barney is no more.
He turned his head sadly and continued to move forward.
"Damn it!"
Belletti cursed and gave up on waking Barney.
He frowned and looked back: In addition to the absent-minded Naki, Cannon knelt down and sobbed in pain, Bree covered his head and closed his eyes tightly, and Tardin was dejected and motionless.
The veins in Belletti's hands became tighter and tighter.
No.
The truth of that year made everyone, including him, confused. His abnormal colleagues made him at a loss what to do, and the Sak'el who he once looked up to in front of him was completely unfamiliar to him.
Behind him are the Bright Star bloodline who are sworn to protect him, even though they have already tainted this mission.
What should he do?
Facing the shattered fellow guardsmen and Sacel who was getting closer and closer, after a few seconds of hesitation, Belletti, the only remaining guard member, finally made up his mind and raised his weapon.
"Nye, Samir, help me!"
He summoned Nai, who was still normal, and Saimir, who looked solemn, and tried to organize a final defense.
Nai walked to him with a sigh.
Samir hesitated for a while, then dropped the torch and raised his sword.
Sak'el still staggered forward step by step, ignoring the three Bellettis who were retreating step by step as if facing a powerful enemy.
Thales slowly frowned, then slowly relaxed his brows.
"I understand, sir."
Belletti held an ax in front of Thales and hissed to Sak'el:
"You may not be the traitor, at least not the only one. Maybe you have your own reasons, and we are not qualified to accuse you anymore."
Belletti gritted his teeth and said:
"But no matter what happened back then...you can't touch this child."
Following the footsteps, Sak'el's face was completely illuminated by the torches on the ground, and the mark on his forehead became more obvious.
"Look at them, Belletti."
The Punishment Knight looked sadly at Barney and Naki who were kneeling aside, looking at their almost collapsed expressions, and shook his head sadly.
"Believe me, bury everything here..."
"This is the best way."
Sak'el was getting closer and closer, the ax blade in his hand reflecting the cold light.
Seeing Belletti who was in poor condition but still blocking him, Thales couldn't help biting his lips.
At this moment, the punishment knight's footsteps suddenly stopped.
Belletti, who was extremely nervous, exhaled.
Sak'el frowned and turned back slowly:
Little Barney, who was kneeling in a daze, stretched out his hand and weakly grabbed the knight's calf.
"Sacher, tell me."
The pale little Barney raised his head, staring into his bloodshot eyes, half pleading, half questioning:
"My father...why did he do this to me?"
Little Barney seemed to have just woken up from a nightmare, his expression was dazed, and his sentences were intermittent:
"Deputy Captain Quil Barney...what kind of person is he?"
This sentence made all the guards prisoners moved.
Even Sak'el was in a daze for a moment.
There was silence in the dungeon for a few seconds.
"He is a good man," Sak'el lowered his gaze, remembering his long-lost friend, and said with respect:
"He was just born in the wrong era."
Little Barney was shocked.
After saying this, Sak'el stepped forward lightly and shook off Barney's arm.
Little Barney was immersed in Sak'el's words. He was slowly knocked down by the latter, but he seemed unaware.
Sak'el was getting closer and closer to them, and they could even see the mark on his forehead clearly.
This made Belletti more and more nervous, and the fast rope pulled Thales back all the way.
"What should we do now?"
I heard Kuai Sheng gritting his teeth and whispering: "We can't beat you, but we can't even find the exit. Where can we escape?"
yes.
what to do?
Where to escape?
Thales met Sak'el's eyes and found that there was only endless darkness in them.
Thales couldn't help but take a deep breath.
He suddenly remembered how the other party was trembling in the cage, hysterically facing the invisible world, mumbling to himself.
[I know you are testing me...but please believe that I have never hesitated because of sacrifice. I know that this is what I have to pay, whether it brings merit or sin, good deeds or bad consequences, and I will accept it calmly.
Therefore, never escape...]
Thales thought again of his opponent's superb skills in dealing with the enemy in a tight encirclement.
[I am the royal knight and honorary lord of the Kingdom of Stars! The executioner and watchman of the royal guard, the protector of the throne, and the keeper of the royal treasury...]
He remembered the unusual respect and respect shown by the Punishment Knight when he claimed to kill him.
[Please rest assured, Your Highness, after your unfortunate departure, I will take full responsibility for the crime to comfort you for the injustice you suffered here. And your secret will be buried here without damaging your reputation.]
Finally, Thales thought of Sak'el's relieved expression when he smiled at all his old friends and admitted his betrayal.
[The person who really should be charged with collaborating with the enemy, but despicably concealed the truth for eighteen years...that shameful, sad, hypocritical, disgusting, self-righteous, sanctimonious, duplicitous guy...is me.]
Punishment Knight.
What kind of person are you?
"I understand, quick rope."
Thales spoke softly, and the calmness in his tone surprised even himself.
Like a prey that broke free in an instant.
Kuaisheng raised his eyebrows:
"Understand what?"
Thales shook his head at the fast rope and gently released his fist:
"It's useless to just run away."
"Because from a long time ago..."
Thales looked at the lost Barney and Naki, and at Sakel who was slowly approaching, and made a pun:
"We have nowhere to escape."
Kuai Sheng was stunned for a moment, his face full of doubts.
After saying this, Thales made up his mind and felt relaxed for a while.
He should do this.
He must do this.
The next second, under the horrified gaze of Quick Rope, Thales took a step forward in Sak'el's direction.
"Is this what you want?"
The boy's voice echoed in the dungeon.
The punishment knight's steps faltered.
All eyes were focused on the prince.
"Bury all the dirt and pain in the past and underground, pretend that nothing happened, and tell yourself that this is the best choice?"
Thales gasped, broke free from the fast rope, ignored Belletti's expression, endured the pain, and continued:
"If I die here, will your responsibility, your past, their torture, their pain... everything back then be over?"
Thales stretched out his fingers and passed over every guard prisoner who was in pain, collapsed, or lost his mind.
Sak'el was stunned when he met Thales' firm eyes.
He opened his mouth to speak, but in the end it turned into a sigh.
"You don't understand, Your Highness."
The knight closed his eyes and shook his head.
Thales took a deep breath and glanced at everyone.
Little Barney was still in a state of collapse and confusion, Naki was still twitching low, and Sak'el in front of him was weak and lifeless, with a sad look on his face.
"No."
"But there's only one thing I don't understand."
Thales turned his head sharply and gritted his teeth!
"who is it?"
Sak'el's eyebrows moved:
"What?"
I saw Thales speaking categorically in his rare and unquestionable tone:
"Who is the person behind you?"
The person behind it?
As soon as this statement came out, everyone frowned.
Sak'el twitched the corners of his mouth, as if he didn't want to pay attention.
But what Thales said next greatly exceeded his expectations:
"I haven't known you for long, but..."
Thales slowly turned his gaze:
"Naki may value his family more, but he can't just watch you bear the responsibility for his crimes..."
Naki's shoulders trembled suddenly.
Thales turned to the other side:
"Cannon, Bree, and Tardin, you may have been insiders back then, but you never took it calmly, so that even though you were imprisoned for eighteen years, you are still tortured by your own conscience."
Cannon's sobs fell silent, Bree stopped trembling, and Tardin froze.
Thales finally looked at the absent-minded Barney:
"I don't know Big Barney, but I can see from him that his father is probably just as stubborn and determined. He has an idea in his mind and carries it out throughout his life."
Sak'el's brows became more and more intense.
Thales exhaled and used the Sin of Hell River to soothe his increasingly faster heartbeat.
"What I see from you people is not the despicability and despicability of betrayers."
The prince said resolutely:
"It's a painful dilemma between a rock and a hard place."
Everyone raised their heads and looked at Thales with either shocked or puzzled eyes.
Sak'el suddenly took a step forward!
However, Belletti and Nai stood in front of him, threatening to perish together.
Thales was startled, but he still had the courage to say the following:
"I believe that as the royal guards and the king's ministers, no matter how evil and selfish you are, you will never abandon the pride in your heart and turn your back on the Lord to seek glory with peace of mind."
"You are not that kind of person. You neither dare nor can't."
The prince gritted his teeth and said:
"Unless there is another reason, a more logical reason, for you to convince yourself that this is the right thing to do and it is not a betrayal!"
Sak'el's face became increasingly ugly.
Thales knew that he was on the right track.
So the prince ignored Kuai Sheng's wink, puffed out his chest and continued:
"As for you, Sak'el, you are a noble knight and a loyal guard. Even if you are about to attack me in the next second, you still treat me with such respect..."
"I think the only thing that can allow you to tarnish your honor and mission is a higher honor and mission."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sak'el trembled all over.
"Then what kind of mission is it that makes you betray Bright Star without hesitation?"
Everyone's expression slowly changed.
Just listen to Thales say coldly:
"unless……"
The Punishment Knight could no longer remain calm, and he roared loudly:
"Your Highness!"
But Thales ignored him. He just stood up from the floor and said with difficulty in the dim light:
"Whether it's the Northerners or the Shadow Shield, they have all warned me, but I've never been willing to believe it..."
Thales gritted his teeth and inserted the long sword belonging to Ricky into the cracks of the ancient floor tiles.
"So, tell me, Sak'el."
"who is it?"
In front of Thales, Sak'el's expression changed several times.
Just listen to Thales continue:
"Back then, I stood behind you group of desperate nobles, used your noble status to bribe all parties, used saving your family as a bait, encouraged you to relax your guard, planned to assassinate the foolish king, and planned to clean up the mess afterwards and board the
Of the throne…”
The prince's eyes were sharp and his momentum was compelling, and he spoke harshly:
"Which shining star is it?"
Thales' words echoed between the walls.
Half of the people were stunned.
"You said...what?" This was Barney who was shocked.
The other half, Nucky and Cannon, paled, while Bree and Tardin looked away.
In front of them, Sak'el shook his body violently and covered his head in pain.
The silence lasted for several seconds.
For a moment, Thales' own rapid breathing was the only thing in the prison.
Until a trembling sound came:
"I see……"
"That's why you want to bury the truth and carry the accusations on your shoulders," Samir glanced at everyone, his tone trembling slightly, with a look of shock and realization on his face:
"That's why you keep it secret and still have conflicts."
"Some people may be directly involved, and some may just guess the inside story, but this is the reason why you all tied up your hands. An equally orthodox shining star supports you?"
He took a step back, gasped twice, and said with a cold sneer:
"What kind of disaster, what kind of anti-demon forces, that's not a reason... This is the biggest scandal that the Bright Star royal family can't really make public."
Samir's sword edge trembled slightly:
"It's so ridiculous... betrayal, loyalty, it's all bullshit..."
"The so-called Year of Blood, the nightmare that has tortured me for eighteen years, the assassinations and rebellions that kept the major nobles secret, was actually an internal incident within the Bright Star royal family..."
"Bloodline fratricide?"
Facing his question, Sak'el sighed the longest breath he had today, but the palms covering his forehead trembled even more.
Little Barney opened his eyes in disbelief and stood up again.
Thales remained silent and just let out a breath.
Kuaisheng opened his mouth wide, not knowing how to react.
Sak'el still had his eyes closed, seemingly unable to answer.
Belletti and Nai looked at each other, their eyes full of sorrow and pain, and the last trace of disbelief.
Samir laughed again.
His laughter trembled and trembled, which was very scary.
"Hahahahaha, let me guess..."
His eyes were complicated and difficult to understand, mixed with hatred and disdain for unknown reasons:
"Is it the Crown Prince Midir who is seeking fame and reputation and is unpredictable, but can directly benefit from the death of the late king?"
Samir raised his head suddenly and said bitterly:
“Or is it the ‘Light-Tracing Sword’ Horace, who is a great hero and has numerous military exploits, but is violent, bloodthirsty and ambitious?”
"Is it the 'fat' Bancroft who seems to be obese and mediocre, but is actually greedy for pleasure and amassing money excessively?"
"Is it the 'beauty' Hyman who has a good body and literary talents, but is narrow-minded and vicious?"
Samuel's choice of words made Thales frown.
Regarding these princes, he once heard King Kessel recall it in the Bright Star Tomb, but...
Pursuing fame and reputation, being violent and bloodthirsty, amassing wealth without restraint, and being vicious and vicious.
These descriptions...
Samir took a breath and continued:
"The Duke of Star Lake, the King's younger brother John, who still dominates the army and is still young and powerful, but according to the rules, as long as the genealogy of the late king's knees is not extinct, he will never be able to take the throne?"
Thales's heart moved.
Previously, Marina of the Sword of Disaster's request to him reappeared in his memory.
In the extreme silence, Samir roared angrily:
"Is it the son who kills his father, or the brother who kills his brother?"
No one answered him.
Including the already shaky Sak'el.
"Or to be more vicious, he is simply the one who, after what happened in those years, will ruthlessly sweep you, me, and all of us who know or are not aware of it into the garbage dump, and sit on the throne and enjoy everything."
Iron-fisted King Kessel?”
Samir seemed to be greatly stimulated by this truth. He looked at everyone in silence and sneered loudly:
"Don't tell me, is it that idiot little princess who has been diagnosed as mentally retarded since she was a child, Constance?"
??I am unemployed and have officially entered a period of turmoil.