Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 43 The Secret of Thales
Over the next twenty days, the weather in the capital turned cold, and winter arrived.

Under Ginny's fierce tutelage, Thales, at the cost of more than two hours each morning and evening, and under the necessary conditions of exhaustion and back pain, mastered all three defensive stances, seven offensive stances, and one combined stance of the ancient northern military swordsmanship. Only after his arms began to adapt to the shape and weight of the shield and sword did he finally switch to a larger sword and shield. According to Ginny, he began to move from what she called "passively taking beatings" to (still in Ginny's words) "learning to take beatings."

“Before, you were the one who got beaten up. Now, you need to know why you were the one who got beaten up.” This was the incredibly strict Ginny.

"Then you'll still get beaten up—hey lady, you haven't said start yet—hiss!" This was Thales, flustered and confused.

Under Gilbert's strict supervision, Thales learned the advanced grammar of the Common Language and the basic usage of the Ancient Empire Language in the cultural classes every afternoon and evening. He also began to learn about the rhetoric of the Star Nobles and some necessary foreign language skills (such as Far Eastern proverbs and Elven warnings). In his tireless history lessons, he also learned some basic common sense about the world of Errol.

"In the Star Realm, a nobleman who cannot use the ancient imperial alphabet and ancient grammar for rhetoric is unqualified. And Mr. Thales, I believe you will need some time to familiarize yourself with the complex and ever-changing ancient imperial alphabet..."

The next second, watching Thales casually finish writing down the ancient imperial alphabet, Gilbert sighed dejectedly, throwing his teacher's dignity into the Sea of ​​Endings:

"...Well, okay, let's move on to the next chapter, the basic rhetoric of the ancient imperial language."

In Thales' eyes, apart from the little pony that enjoyed throwing him around and the bizarre aristocratic etiquette, there seemed to be nothing else that bothered him. Even Corleone's vampire trio and that loli grand duke didn't bother him.

So… Thales nodded slightly to himself: it was time to explore the mysteries surrounding him.

One slightly warmer afternoon, Gilbert, carrying books and a cane, saw Thales standing on a chair in the study, searching for something on the heavy bookshelves. Curious, he asked:
"What are you looking for, my little sir?"

“Ah, Gilbert, wait a moment—according to the alphabetical order, it should be here…wait, why is this book so thick…”

Gilbert chuckled and walked to the bookshelf, helping Thales, who was still exhausted from practicing swordsmanship that morning, pull the thick book out from among the books on both sides.

“Thank you, Gilbert. Ah, now the books are complete.” Thales wearily tossed the thick book onto the cedar desk, placing it alongside the others already on it.

“This is…” The middle-aged nobleman approached and saw the titles of the books at the top: “History of the Star Family”, “Genealogy of the Star Royal Family”, “Collection of Star Laws and Royal Decrees from 10 to 612”, “Collection of Star Court Documents”, as well as several other books, and the one he had just acquired, “Chronicles of the Star Kings”.

“These are some books that I’ve found that might record my family history, based on the letters and words I’ve learned these past few weeks. I plan to study them slowly after I can read them fluently.” Thales scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, “After all, as my father’s only son, it doesn’t seem right for me to know nothing about Starry Sky, the royal family, or my blood relatives.”

Gilbert raised an eyebrow slightly, but then he felt relieved: thinking about their conversation in the secret room, he knew he should never underestimate the young man's adaptability and precociousness.

“Especially after hearing what you said about ‘King of Restoration’ Tormund, and Lady Ginny telling me about the late king’s eldest son, my uncle, Prince Midil.”

As Thales spoke excitedly, he tidied up the books on the table, discreetly piling a few books under the others.

The boy continued, "So, I'm even more curious about Canxing and the family I come from."

Gilbert looked at Thales, smiled, and nodded slightly.

He did not notice Thales' slightly unusual breathing rate.

"Your eagerness to learn and your diligence are truly gratifying... Lady Gini, did you tell you the story of the late King's eldest son?"

“Well, not many,” Thales nodded, pushing the book aside. “I know roughly that Midil Shining Star is a kind person with a gentle smile, and seems to be quite popular.”

To Thales' surprise, Gilbert's eyes dimmed, as if a memory had been stirred: "It's more than just being popular..."

But he quickly replied, nodding thoughtfully: "You probably won't find any records about him, after all, he wasn't the king of the stars, and he didn't die that long ago."

Thales' eyes darted around, and he casually flipped open a book, using it to cover the backs of the stack of books beside him. He asked with a curious look, "In that case, do you know Gilbert? What kind of person is my uncle, His Highness Midil, in your impression?"

Gilbert paused for a moment, then fell into thought, no longer paying attention to the pile of books beside Thales.

“Your Highness Crown Prince Midil…” After a few seconds, Gilbert sighed softly, his voice filled with nostalgia: “As early as when the late King Eddil was sixty years old, he had already begun to assist in governing the country. At that time, no one doubted that he would be another wise ruler after Mindis III.”

"He oversaw diplomatic affairs for a period of time, and I had the privilege of working under His Highness."

"At that time, due to poor cooperation with my colleagues, I messed up the task of receiving the Steel City delegation: to serve the dwarf prince from the Hall of Kings with crystal goblets bearing the emblem of the Sacred Tree."

"At that time, His Highness Midil used humorous language to persuade the furious prince that the reason why the Sacred Tree Wine Cup was on the banquet was to commemorate the prince's grandfather's feat of repelling the army of the Sacred Tree Kingdom."

"And I can only feel ashamed."

"Afterwards, His Highness Midil, of course, did not punish me—as magnanimous as rumored—but he personally handed me the crystal goblet with the sacred tree emblem and said to me..."

At this point, Thales watched in astonishment as Gilbert, with a deeply emotional tone, repeated the words of the former Crown Prince:
“Kil, this crystal goblet is now worth as much as the friendship between the Palace of Restoration and the Hall of Kings—this is a debt you owe the kingdom. When you have accomplished enough to repay this value, return this goblet to me to settle your debt.”

Gilbert gazed into the distance, remaining silent for a long time.

Only Thales remained, trying to conjure up an image of his uncle in his mind based on the stories told by Ginny and Gilbert: a prince with superb skills and noble character.

A few minutes later, Gilbert continued thoughtfully, “People say he is kind-hearted and gentle, but in the eyes of us officials, His Highness’s talent and wisdom are in no way inferior to his character and temperament.”

“It’s hard to imagine how one can be both kind and dignified, both gentle and decisive—but His Highness Midil is just that kind of person,” Gilbert put down his book, put his hands behind his back, and looked at him with admiration. “It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but even now, I feel that the people of the Star Kingdom are not worthy of such a good prince.”

“It’s a bit early to say that,” Gilbert said, as if he had come to his senses, looking intently at Thales. “But if possible, Mr. Thales, I hope that you can also take His Highness Midil as your role model.”

“The stars need such a successor.” Gilbert’s serious and earnest gaze made Thales tremble slightly.

Just then, Thales suddenly remembered something.

“Gilbert, my uncle…” Thales lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, but then raised his head and asked, “How exactly did he die?”

"You only said that he fought alone with his sword and died alongside his guards at the palace gates."

silence.

“Sigh…” Gilbert closed his eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and then said, “During the Bloody Year, he ordered the guards and soldiers to retreat, and walked into the crowd alone. Without losing a single soldier or a single life, he quelled the crisis of the mob storming the palace gates.”

"Unfortunately, although his guards reacted in time, the assassins, who had been plotting for a long time and were hiding among the mob, had prepared six poisoned swords and daggers for him. At that time, I was too busy with my increasingly difficult diplomatic work, and by the time I learned that the royal family had been assassinated... sigh."

Thales looked into Gilbert's eyes and remained silent for a long time.

The boy recalled the story of His Highness Midil that Ginny had unusually told him a few weeks earlier.

Especially her last two sentences: "Thales, I know what Gilbert said to you today, but I don't know what you think yourself. However—I remember a letter His Highness Midil gave me years ago, and I only wish to forward it to you verbatim:
Madam, I pardon you out of admiration, not pity.

I admire your courage to break free from constraints and shatter shackles.

But now that you've made your choice, please don't hesitate. Don't weakly return to that suffocating birdcage that once suffocated you—don't let the birdcage of your mind imprison your free wings, and don't sacrifice your true self for illusory rules.

I sincerely hope and wish that from now on your life will belong only to yourself.

Best wishes for a successful examination for guard officer qualifications.

Thales pondered the meaning of these words—in what state of mind would a prince, born and raised in what he called a "birdcage," utter these words?

Gilbert pulled him from his reverie and reverie and began their afternoon lessons.

As Thales listened to Gilbert explain the four different voices of the universal language using ancient proverbs and poems as examples, he glanced at the pile of books beside him.

He wasn't telling the truth to Gilbert just now.

He wasn't looking for Canxing's family history, nor did he want to know about his saintly uncle.

Thales was looking for information about magic users.

From the first day he arrived at Mindis Hall, Thales had been planning to explore “magic power.” After the unstable but effective explosion at the Wild Grass Manor, his desire to uncover his own secrets grew even stronger.

Gilbert's account of the history of the final war, and his attitude toward the "Calamities"—so-called "magicians" like Ashida—made him even more alarmed.

Although… Thales whispered to himself: Yodel might have overheard his conversation with Ashida.

The three books, "The End of the War: The Cataclysm," "From the Final Empire to the Star Kingdom," and "Cahill Ye Luo's Travels: The Great Rift: A Supplement," are his true targets hidden among many deceptive history books: the truth about the End of the War and about those "Calamity" magic users.

In any case, it's best not to reveal the secret of his strange "magical power" to anyone until you're absolutely sure. The safest approach is to start your investigation from books after you've learned to read and write.

Now, Thales, at Gilbert's request, began copying aristocratic terms in different voices.

Despite his feigned ease and naturalness, he secretly hoped that Gilbert wouldn't come up and look through the books himself, would leave after class, and wouldn't help him carry the books back to his room.

If all goes well and these peaceful days continue, perhaps some progress will soon be made on the matter of my secret.

But Thales will soon learn that for someone like him, a peaceful life is always just an illusion.

For example, what Thales was unaware of was that not far from the Mindis Hall, a meeting concerning his hidden secret was taking place.

His secret is in danger of being exposed.

Under the shade of the tree, Yordle stood quietly, seemingly waiting respectfully for the person in the all-black carriage ahead. But those who had seen him fight knew that Yordle was currently in a state of high tension, ready to attack at any moment.

"It's been a long time, young Yod."

As the old, hoarse voice rang out, an aged figure stepped shakily from the carriage door that the king had opened.

Despite the fact that the Extreme Perception had already allowed Yordle to know who the other person in the carriage was.

But when he actually saw him in person, the brow behind the Yordle mask couldn't help but furrow.

This was an old man dressed in a simple black robe, leaning on a black wooden cane. His hair was sparse and gray, and his face was covered with wrinkles. His appearance was ordinary and unremarkable, and he could not even leave an impression on the most perceptive person.

"Aren't you going to greet your father?" A hoarse, aged voice, as if it had been nurtured in darkness for years and was devoid of emotion, slowly emerged from the old man's throat.

Yodel remained silent in response to the old man's question.

The old man grinned, revealing his gums with only a few teeth left: "Well, I almost forgot, even though you have my blood, your surname is Cato, not Hansen."

Yodl remained silent.

"I just got back not long ago." The old man seemed to be used to Yodl's attitude and was not offended at all, and continued to speak.

"And my children brought the results of their investigation of Red Town Street, and something interesting as well."

Yodl remained silent.

The old man chuckled softly and said slowly:

"The air mage, Ashida Sakorn, whom the Secret Service had been searching for for twelve years without any leads, has been confirmed to have returned to the capital and was seen in Red Street."

The gears behind the Yodl mask began to turn unnoticed.

"Although the Blood Bottle Gang was a gang he co-founded with that serial killer, the arrival of the infamous Qi Demon Master clearly wasn't solely for the purpose of wiping out the Brotherhood and clipping the wings of the Black Sword."

Yodl remained silent, but the gears behind his mask spun faster and faster.

“Don’t be nervous, Mr. Cato,” the old man said in a hoarse, aged voice, letting out an unpleasant laugh. “I’m just following His Majesty’s orders to investigate how you, with royal blood, were able to seal a magic master.”

Yodl suddenly looked up!
On the mask, a pair of crystal lenses instantly changed from dark to bright yellow, staring intently at the old man in black.

"This mask is still so repulsive. I've long suggested to Your Majesty that you throw it away as soon as possible..."

The old man in black, leaning on his cane, seemed unaware of the gaze directed at him from behind his glasses.

He walked unsteadily to Yodl and let out two unpleasant laughs:
"So... Mr. Yordle Gato, one of the legendary anti-magic warriors and the bearer of the Supreme Sword and Shield."

"Can you explain to me clearly what happened to the Qi Mage on the night of the incident?"

(End of this chapter)