ARC: Curse of the Royal Tribulation
Chapter 85: Even if it’s His Majesty, Especially if it’s His Majesty.
Thales emerged from Anker’s cell after the interrogation, his expression blank and his mind dazed. It seemed as though his emotions had been numbed.
Before Raphael and Norb, Thales instinctively projected the dignified and collected bearing of a Duke of Star Lake, moving with grace and poise. He vividly recalled every detail that had taken place in the interrogation room, realising how his status had shaped his words and actions rather than their intended meaning, ultimately having far-reaching and irrevocable effects.[1]
That was both his good fortune and his curse.
The Secret Department men approached the Prince with the utmost respect, yet their lingering doubts were still palpable as they asked him, “What did he say to you, Your Highness?”
“It was nothing,” Thales recalled his voice being calm and controlled at the time, as if nothing really had happened. “He was only unwilling to accept his fate and was begging for his life.”
Raphael and Norb stayed silent.
However, the Barren Bone man’s gaze remained on him for a few moments longer, and Norb’s expression became more focused as he surveyed their surroundings.
But none of that really mattered.
“The horse carriage is about to fall apart; what would you like to do, my lord?”
“Hold on to your sword.”
Anker’s feeble words clawed at his mind like wounded animals, their desperate cries echoing relentlessly and piercingly, as though claws were scraping against stone.[2]
“Your Highness, please follow me. The exit is this way,” said Norb, bowing respectfully and humbly before Thales, who appeared lost in thought.
“Protocol dictates that we cannot return by the same route.”
When Raphael appeared before Thales and him, he cast a casual glance at Norb and said, “I’ll escort him out.”
Norb smiled and nodded, choosing not to argue. Gamus’s gaze darted between Norb and Raphael, occasionally stealing a glance at Thales.
However, Thales stayed indifferent.
The young man could only remember politely thanking Norb and Gamus before mechanically walking away under their respectful and cordial, or perhaps even flattered, gazes.
“So, you’re saying that you just started leading the interrogation today?” Raphael studied Norb’s calm expression closely.
“That’s correct,” Norb replied, smiling and nodding as he watched the Prince walk away.
Raphael glanced over at the unconscious Anker.
“How lucky,” he remarked.
The Barren Bone man spoke in a chilly tone as he turned to follow the Prince.
“And convenient.”
Norb bid farewell to Raphael with a courteous bow. However, as the other’s figure disappeared from view, his eyes took on a deep and enigmatic quality.[3]
“Good, that troublesome Prince has finally left,” Gamus said, wiping his sweat. He looked relieved, like a student after a tough exam. Adjusting his apron and causing his fat to jiggle, he turned to the naked Anker with a cheerful expression. He picked up a pair of pliers and declared, “Now, we can get back to the main event. Watch me squeeze him dry…”
“Gamus.”
“Yes?”
Norb turned around, his expression unreadable.
“Stop it,” Norb commanded.
Gamus walked towards Anker, pliers in hand, but his smile froze halfway.
“Okay, I’ll just—wait, what?”
Norb approached the unconscious Anker with a steady gait, leaning on a cane for support, his features set in a resolute expression,
“From now on, he shouldn’t be tortured in any way, not even by something as simple as being deprived of sleep. And if needed, you should give him painkillers.”
Gamus looked confused as he asked, “So… what should we do for the interrogation, then?”
Norb shook his head and replied,
“Let’s approach this like police officers. For now, we’ll keep the interrogation limited to verbal exchanges. That should be enough.”
After working together for an extended period, Gamus picked up on the calm but firm tone in Norb’s voice. He hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“But we’ve only just returned to the capital after a long absence, and we’ve stumbled upon a significant case that affects the Western Desert. If we don’t take this opportunity to prove our usefulness… “
“We have already proven our usefulness, “ Norb declared, his eyes darting towards the darkness outside the door before he leaned in to scrutinise their captive.
“It happened just a moment ago.”
Already proven our usefulness?
Gamus blinked and hesitated, feeling a sense of reluctance. He wanted to drive his point home.
“But didn’t you mention that there is a chance that this guy is not revealing all the information or hiding something, which could be significant? The other interrogators have practically ruined him; we must extract some information from him before he breaks completely or is sent to the gallows. We need to give something to Lord Hansen…”
“No,” Norb interrupted once again, straightening up and grasping his cane firmly. “Trust me.”
“He won’t die,” he said. With Gamus still looking puzzled, Norb briefly glanced at the heavily wounded and bruised Anker and uttered in a low voice,
“Not today.”
Thales strode down the poorly lit underground corridor of the Secret Department, his stoic expression giving nothing away. But inside, he felt like he was standing atop the Ghost Prince Tower in the Blade Fangs Camp, battling against the icy wind and stinging sand, his hands numb with cold.
“They also said that… if I had to use this key…”
Raphael marched forward, his outline dimly discernible as he forged ahead.
“I had to give it to you.”
They didn’t retrace their steps; instead, they pressed on through successive checkpoints, navigating the labyrinthine underground passageways. However, Thales couldn’t bring himself to care.[4]
“And only to you.”
Thales tightened his grip into a fist.
‘Why?’
He gazed down the dark corridor, and for a moment, his mind wandered to the Western Desert, a thousand miles away, where the loathsome-looking nobleman known for his peculiar ways and wicked laughter resided.[5]
Only a few months ago, he had been confidently sharing his views with Thales, offering guidance on how to rule the Kingdom. He had a unique perspective and demonstrated a deep concern for the well-being of the nation and its citizens.[6]
But why?
He was the mastermind behind Anker, holding the key piece that could subdue the feudal sovereigns of the Western Desert and even potentially bring about his own downfall. And yet, he chose to pass them on to a… Jadestar.[7]
Thales gritted his teeth.
At first, he was confused and uneasy. But as he began to grasp the situation, his anxiety intensified, leaving him feeling restless and agitated.
‘Why?’
Cyril Fakenhaz—this pompous and pretentious old bastard.[8]
‘What gives him the right to act in this way?’
‘Who does he think he is?’
‘By what right?’
‘By what reasoning?!’
‘By—’
“Hey, it’s Morat’s snake spawn!” exclaimed a man’s voice with a distinct Northern accent from behind a prison cell door, bringing Thales back to reality.
“Long time, no see.”
Raphael disregarded the other party’s familiar tone and strode briskly past the prison door.
Snake spawn
Thales was struck with a sense of eerie familiarity as soon as those words reached his ears. It took him back to the days in Eckstedt, when the Archduke of Prestige Orchid, Olsius, would often hurl insults at him, calling him ‘little viper of Constellation’ with malice in his voice.
Adding to that was the fact that the prisoner who had spoken those words had a distinct Northern accent.
It felt as though he had been transported back in time, to the days in Dragon Clouds City when he could still manage to soldier on despite the hardships, without the weight of heavy burdens, and even find solace in the midst of adversity.[9]
Dragon Clouds City
Thales’ pupils quivered, and he abruptly came to a standstill.
Raphael picked up on Thales’ unease, furrowing his brow as he turned back to see what had caught his attention.
Thales turned slowly, fixing his gaze on the iron door from which the voice had emanated.
The door had a small opening, and a seldom-seen Everlasting Lamp in the corridor cast a ghostly light on the indistinct silhouette visible through it.
“How privileged I am to have your esteemed visit,” came the voice again.
Thales’ eyes slowly widened.
He took a deep breath and leaned in even closer, hoping to catch a better glimpse of the figure concealed behind the iron flap.
A hand suddenly extended from behind Thales, grabbing the iron flap with strength.
Raphael appeared in front of Thales, pulling the gate shut with great force and fastening it firmly.
“The way out is ahead, Your Highness,” said the Barren Bone man calmly, “you’re headed in the wrong direction.”
Thales stood motionless before the prison cell, his gaze fixed intently on the closed iron flap.
“Why?” he asked, his voice tinged with a hint of frostiness.
“Why did you shut it?”
Raphael smiled in response and turned the question back on Thales.
“Why did you stop?”
Thales paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on the iron flap.
“Open it,” he said steadily.
Raphael chuckled softly, adopting a casual and flippant attitude.[10]
“He’s just an annoying prisoner…”
Thales looked around the narrow corridor, taking note of several other cells similar to the one before him. It was apparent, however, that only one cell was currently occupied.
The prisoner was being held in solitary confinement.
“Open it, Raphael,” Thales repeated calmly.
The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension.
Raphael’s smile vanished as he spoke in a more formal tone, addressing the person before him. “Your Highness, this individual is a high-level detainee under the jurisdiction of the Secret Department and its internal affairs…”[11]
Thales interrupted him and spoke deliberately, emphasizing each word with a cold, steely tone,
“I order you, Raphael. Open. It.”
Raphael furrowed his brow and said, “Your Highness, according to the rules of the Secret Department…”
Thales’ expression hardened, and his frustration boiled over as he interrupted Raphael. “Just open it already, for fuck’s sake!”
All the oppression and frustration he had experienced in the Secret Department erupted into rage, exploding within his chest.
Despite the Prince’s sudden outburst, Raphael remained unfazed as, gradually, his gaze deepened.
Unable to contain his impatience any longer, Thales took a step forward and seized the handle without hesitation, pulling the iron flap open with a loud clang that reverberated through the corridor.
Raphael made no attempt to stop Thales, the glint in his eyes was sharp and piercing, devoid of warmth.
“What’s up, Raph?” The same voice from before rang out again, dripping with sarcasm.
“Long time, no see. Did you want to treat me to a nice meal?”
A face covered in stubble appeared at the gate, its owner casting a cold and indifferent gaze towards Raphael.
Thales, upon catching sight of the other person’s face, widened his eyes in disbelief.
“Gu?”
Thales was seized by shock and confusion, causing him to blurt out, “Is that really you?”
The face with clearly Eastern features behind the gate froze for a moment. The prisoner turned to Thales, appearing mildly perplexed.
Raphael’s expression darkened, and he let out a barely perceptible sigh.
Thales couldn’t believe it. He scrutinised every inch of the Far Eastern prisoner’s face, initially unsure about the man’s voice but now firmly convinced of his earlier suspicion. It was true—it was him, without a doubt.
Six years ago, this man was nothing more than a humble butcher’s shop owner in Dragon Clouds City who had offered him shelter and a meal on the bleak morning after the night of the Dragon’s Blood.
“It’s really you, Gu,” Thales said, still in disbelief.
In a flash, memories of Dragon Clouds City, West-Express Avenue, the butcher’s shop, and the Little Rascal flooded Thales’ mind.
Yet…
“Who are you?”
The dishevelled Far Easterner looked at Thales through the narrow gate and gestured towards Raphael with a wry smile, “Is this the forbidden mistress you’ve been yearning for?”[12]
Raphael just snorted as an answer.
“I…”
Thales looked at his old acquaintance and felt a rush of complex emotions. Seeing him holed up in this narrow and secluded cell, he struggled to put his feelings into words. He took a deep breath before speaking,
“Do you remember Six-fifty?”
Six-fifty
The prisoner’s gaze froze as he slowly reexamined the simple but neatly dressed young man who stood before him, only half a head shorter than Raphael. Gradually, he realised who Thales was, and a sense of relief washed over him.
“Ah,” Gu turned around, and his face disappeared behind the narrow gate. The iron door then let out a muffled sound, “It’s you.”
“So you escaped, little Prince—perhaps not so little anymore,” he said with a tone full of sorrow and emotion.
“You and your little maid didn’t fall into the hands of that cunning Camian.”
Little Prince
Camian
Gu’s words triggered Thales’ memories, transporting him back to a butcher’s shop from six years ago. In his mind’s eye, he saw himself sitting next to Little Rascal, huddled over bowls of soup with heavy hearts as they scooped up spoonfuls.
Raphael huffed in annoyance through his nose.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Thales rushed up to the iron flap, his voice urgent as he spoke to Gu, “Why are you…”
Thales’ words trailed off abruptly.
Wait…
Gu’s impression of the Prince remained stuck in time, still lingering from six years ago when Marquis Shiles took him and Little Rascal away.
Thales’ eyes widened as he realised that Gu was completely unaware of what had transpired since that fateful night, not to mention the widely spread tale of Constellation’s Second Prince.
In other words…
Thales grimaced, staring intently at the darkness beyond the gate. From behind the iron door, he heard Gu’s scornful laughter echoing through the air.
Thales took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, before he asked Raphael in a composed tone, “He was imprisoned here six years ago,”
The Prince struggled to speak, “Why?”
Raphael crossed his arms, his expression slightly gloomy.
“Six years?”
Gu’s voice rang out, filled with surprise and self-mockery. “Damn, without the sun to guide us, our sense of time is clearly flawed.”
Thales felt a weight settle in his heart upon hearing these words. He thought of the locked-up former Royal Guards in the Prison of Bones, recalling the profound sighs they all let out upon learning the duration of their imprisonment.[13]
“You have fulfilled your duty, Your Highness,” Raphael said in a chilly tone. “There is no need to make things more complicated than they already are.”[14]
Gu’s laughter echoed once more, its mood and tone unchanged.
Thales suppressed the unusual emotions in his heart, making a conscious effort to think calmly and rationally.
Six years ago…
After parting ways with Gu, something must have happened to him.
Something that caused him to end up like this trapped in a cell.
The Sin of Hell’s River had come uninvited, flooding Thales’ mind and washing through his memories, bringing back an old scene,
“Your Highness, do you still remember what happened in Dragon Clouds City six years ago?”[15]
The day he escaped from Dragon Clouds City, Putray’s words from the secret passage echoed in his mind.
“No, not just those events.
“That day six years ago, in the dark recesses outside Heroic Spirit Palace and Shield District, where we could not see, some other things happened.”
Thales suddenly looked up.
“That night, Raphael,”
He fixed his gaze on Raphael, staring intently into his dimly red eyes.
“On the night of the Dragon’s Blood in Dragon Clouds City,” the Prince ground out, getting straight to the point.
“Apart from the Calamity, Lampard, and the events in the Heroic Spirit Palace… what else have you been up to?”
“What does it have to do with him… with Gu?”
But Raphael remained still as a statue, his expression betraying the intensity of his emotions.
“What have you been up to?”
A northern-accented voice sneered in response instead,
“What else could they have possibly been up to? They’re still clinging to the revered traditions of the Secret Department, even grasping at bones that have already been picked clean by dogs.”
Thales and Raphael both turned their heads towards the prison cell; Thales looked bewildered, while Raphael’s face darkened with a brooding intensity.
“Just like what they do to everyone, even to you,” he called out the young man directly,
“Prince Thales.”
Thales opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Raphael interjected in a distant and aloof tone, “Your Highness, although I would like to answer your question, this case is not within my jurisdiction.”
Thales’ expression soured at Raphael’s response.
“Like hell it isn’t,” Gu retorted from behind the door with a chilly snort that cut through Raphael’s words. “Six years ago, you were the one who found me, weren’t you?”
Thales narrowed his eyes as he looked at Raphael. That wasn’t the first time today that Raphael had turned him away.
The Barren Bone man stared into the darkness beyond the gateway, their eyes filled with dread,
“Your Highness, it is already an exception for you to have private contact with an offender. Don’t be reckle—”
“Lord Hansen said…” Thales burst out, interrupting Raphael.
“The reason we don’t get along is that we always go our separate ways and never see eye to eye,”
Raphael stayed silent.
However, Thales locked his gaze on Raphael’s red eyes, as if trying to unravel the secrets hidden within.
“This is a great opportunity for things to change.”
The Far Easterner behind the door chuckled, the sound containing both derision and contempt. Meanwhile, Raphael stayed calm and composed, withstanding the intensity of the Prince’s penetrating gaze, which seemed capable of breaking through walls of steel.
“I’m afraid this isn’t the time or the place,” Raphael replied coolly.
Thales and Raphael stood on opposite sides of the iron cell door in the dimly lit hallway, silently facing each other. The Everlasting Lamp elongated their shadows, stretching them out like two parallel tracks.
The doorway of the cell loomed between them, shrouded in a deep, impenetrable darkness that seemed to have no end.
“He helped me, and I owe him my life.”
Thales felt an intense calm wash over him as the Sin of Hell’s River coursed through his veins, sharpening his senses and heightening his awareness of the narrow corridor. It was as if he were peering through a window into a painting, observing the vast expanse within.
“I need to know why he was imprisoned,” Thales said in a cold tone that belied the urgency he felt.
That night.
That decisive night.
The one that not only determined the fate of two powerful nations and the worldwide political landscape but also might have simmered with hidden tumults, burying countless secrets. It stirred suspicion in Putray, even prompting him to avoid the scrutiny of the Secret Department and warn Thales in private.
It’s obvious that Gu was a key piece of the puzzle.
Raphael’s aura slowly shifted from gentle and carefree to sharp and menacing, sending a shiver down Thales’ spine. The figure before him was no longer the same young man who had once rescued him from imprisonment six years prior and had later selflessly risked everything to stand by his side as they journeyed together to the Heroic Spirit Palace.[16]
Instead, before Thales stood a member of the Secret Department with an enigmatic identity and inscrutable intent—a fearsome and deadly Barren Bone man.
Despite that, Thales refused to yield and held the other party’s gaze with a determined stare.
“If you plan to appeal to our sense of mercy, sir, then perhaps you should know this,” Raphael’s voice deepened and carried an unsettling edge, his warning all too clear,
“He has caused us harm and taken many lives from us.”
Caused us harm
There was a brief moment of silence from Thales.
“I’m not planning to have him released,” the Prince’s expression softened slightly, but his tone remained resolute and grew more forceful. “I only want to inquire about certain matters—secrets concerning the Jadestar Royal Family.”
Raphael narrowed his eyes.
“To know and keep knowledge secret,” he said flatly but with a sense of certainty, reciting the creed of the former chief of the Secret Department, ‘Wise Prime Minister’ Halva Karabeyan,
“It is our Department’s duty.”
Thales’ eyes flashed with a stern look.
“You missed the first part,” he pointed out.
The Prince stood firm, his voice cold and cutting,[17]
“You are ‘the eyes and ears of the King’.”
Raphael snorted dismissively.
“When you ascend to the throne,” the Barren Bone man’s response added to the already chilly and tense atmosphere,
“Then we can talk.”
Ascend to the throne
Thales maintained his composure, but beneath the surface, the Sin of Hell’s River roiled within him, honing his anger and coldness into a weapon as sharp as a blade.
Raphael’s brows knitted together, and he tensed his hands instinctively.
“You’ve got it all wrong, Your Royal Highness, the ‘grown-up’ Prince,”
Gu’s voice interjected into the unfriendly conversation, dripping with the same mockery and disdain. “Your lack of connection with the Secret Department doesn’t stem from miscommunication.”
Thales and Raphael turned their heads back to the gate, where the Far Eastern man’s face reappeared. He lightly tapped the iron door with a look of contempt.
“It’s because you’re still human,” he said, his gaze locking onto the Barren Bone man with a cold and gloomy stare.
“Not…a monster.”
Raphael’s visage remained inscrutable, betraying no emotion, while Thales scrutinised him with a keen eye.
Gu erupted into laughter and turned to Thales with a feigned look of gravity, “Did you know, Your Highness? Six years ago, in an inn nestled in the Spear District of Dragon Clouds City…”[18]
In the next instant, Raphael’s arm moved so fast that it left a blur in its wake as he pressed down on the iron flap. Thales reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, but as their skin made contact, Thales’ expression instantly changed. A massive force, a sharp pain, and an eerie sensation of flesh crawling surged through his hand.
That was…
All of a sudden, a jarring metallic collision echoed through the corridor. He stared with a stony expression at the scene before him. He had a death grip on the Barren Bone man’s wrist, but he couldn’t prevent Raphael from pulling the iron flap shut again, effectively sealing Gu’s sarcastic face back into the darkness.
His loss.
The Sin of Hell’s River surged through Thales’s veins like a raging inferno, igniting his limbs with a fiery energy that chased away the numbness and dull ache.
With an angry snarl, he lifted his head and demanded, “Open it.”
But Raphael was unmoved, his arm steadfastly pressed against the handle of the iron flap.
“Your Highness, we have a good relationship and have even shared life and death experiences,” the Barren Bone man spoke in a hushed tone. “Please don’t put me in a difficult position.”
The Sin of Hell’s River roared once more, fuelled by his frustration. Thales gritted his teeth and summoned all of his strength, pushing with all his might against Raphael’s immovable arm. But it was like trying to move a boulder, and Thales’ efforts were met with nothing but resistance.[19]
Thales released his grip and exhaled, knowing that he had been defeated. The agony from the Sin of Hell’s River slowly dissipated from his hands, leaving behind only a displeased growl.
“I think I understand now,” said the Second Prince, his gaze as sharp as a sword, piercing through Raphael’s eyes,
“I understand now why you and Miranda can’t be together.”
The Barren Bone man’s eyes revealed a subtle shift.
“It’s not your status that prevents you,” Thales continued icily.
“It’s you as a person, Raphael Lindbergh.”
Raphael stood frozen, his expression inscrutable, as Thales looked at him intently and began to contemplate in silence.
Gu’s unfinished sentence hung in the air, but it was enough to spark a realisation in Thales’ mind. The information provided by the Far Easterner clicked into place like a missing puzzle piece, revealing the next clue,
The next key piece
“Listen well, Your Highness. What I am about to tell you next is something Gilbert, the sanctimonious old fox will never tell you.”
The warning from Putray, brimming with suspicion, reverberated through his thoughts,
“It is not something the extremely mysterious Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Department will tell you as well.
“Remember, Your Highness.”
“When it comes to this matter… do not believe in anyone…”
“An inn…” Thales murmured, gazing calmly but intensely at Raphael.
“Gu mentioned an inn in the Spear District,” he added with a steady and deliberate tone.
He observed with a sense of gratification as Raphael’s colour slightly changed.
In a low voice, the Barren Bone man said, “That’s his wicked intention—to sow discord and disturb in your mind.”[20]
Thales couldn’t help but chuckle. “But you already told me that the headquarters of the Dragon Clouds City’s Secret Intelligence Department—which, coincidentally, is the same chess house I evacuated from in the Spear District—used to be an inn six years ago.”
Raphael’s hand was still pressed against the iron flap, his face as cold as ice.
“I never said that.”
Thales took a step forward, a sneer playing on his lips.
“Then you must have forgotten,” he said, his tone filled with disdain.
Raphael’s eyes flashed.
His hand tightened on the handle of the iron flap, and Thales heard the unmistakable sound of metal warping.
Thales furrowed his brow as he observed the Barren Bone man’s slender and pale hands, remembering the stunning display when the latter had broken into the prison and taken six lives with a single stroke of his sword.
“That’s impossible,” Raphael ground out through gritted teeth, enunciating each word slowly and deliberately. “Where did you hear that from?”
Thales didn’t allow himself to be intimidated by Raphael’s imposing strength, and without flinching, meeting his red eyes with his own.
“Kloon Brook,” he said.
And as the words left his lips, he noticed that Raphael’s icy gaze grew even colder. Thales sensed that he was on the right track—the answer to the mystery lay there.
Without missing a beat, Thales continued, “He wasn’t just the owner of the inn. Kloon Brook was also a special-class intelligence officer of the Kingdom’s Secret Department. He had been undercover in Dragon Clouds City for twenty years. But on that chaotic day, his life was cut short in a robbery…”[21]
After a long silence, Raphael finally spoke in a measured tone. “Who told you this?”
Thales thought back to the Secret Intelligence Department headquarters in the Spear District of Dragon Clouds City and the secret passageway that had allowed him to escape.
“I met Brook when I was in Dragon Clouds City. He was a wise man, and there’s no way he could have died in a simple robbery.”
Raphael let out a cold snort, “You were too busy trying to save your own skin that day. It’s impossible for you to have met him.”
But Thales refused to back down,
“I met many,” Thales countered, borrowing a line from Ricky. “And you are… only ignorant.”[22]
The words hung in the air, leaving Raphael silent for a long moment.
“Your Highness, I fear this is pointless,” Raphael said dismissively, his gaze turning toward the cell where Gu was being held. “I cannot fulfill your unreasonable request.”
Thales observed the Barren Bone man, feeling his frustration mount as he realised the man was impervious to reason.
He wouldn’t cooperate.
Just like the Secret Department, they had never taken a liking to the Prince, let alone obeyed him.
Thales had deduced as much.
Suddenly, Thales recalled the words of the Black Prophet,
“Whether you like me or not is irrelevant.”
The Black Prophet’s words echoed in Thales’ mind.
“The important thing is, regardless of that, can you set aside personal feelings and use me to achieve actual results,
“With you in control?”
Thales’s eyes fixed on the unfriendly Barren Bone man. He balled his hand into a fist but then gradually relaxed it.
“Indeed, you’re right,” affirmed the Duke of Star Lake.
“You can’t help me.”
The Duke of Star Lake raised his chin slightly, giving off an air of complete indifference to the other person’s behaviour.
“Perhaps I should go find Norb,” Thales pondered aloud. Without hesitation, he turned on his heel and strode back the way he came.
Raphael watched the young man’s receding figure with a furrowed brow.
Thales kept his pace steady but deliberately made his footsteps heavier, the sound echoing like war drums through the dimly lit corridor.
Raphael’s gaze intensified as second after second ticked by, until the Prince’s form slowly vanished into the shadows.
Deep down, Thales knew that Raphael was either unwilling or incapable of providing the assistance he needed, and even Norb, who had been absent from the Secret Department for years and was only just returning to the capital, might not be equal to the task at hand.
Nevertheless…
He cast aside any mental burdens and pressed forward, drawing upon the negotiating skills he had honed during his days as a street beggar.
At last, when Thales took his tenth step…
“Your Highness!”
Thales halted in his tracks, timing his pause perfectly. With his back still turned to Raphael, he allowed a small smile to flicker across his lips.
Slowly, he pivoted around to face Raphael, his expression grave and serious.
Raphael released his grip on the iron flap, but instead of opening it, he began to move towards Thales, taking slow, measured steps.
“It’s no use asking anyone for help,” he said in a subdued voice. “Even if it’s His Majesty himself.”
Thales’ mood darkened.
His Majesty
‘Damn it.’
“Your Highness.
“You must do this, and should do this…
“You have to unearth, investigate, and prove the truth regarding the Bloody Year and your origin.”
Recalling Putray’s warning, Thales took a deep breath and pushed aside thoughts of the figure on the throne.
“Well, I’m willing to give it a shot and see what my father says,” he said, turning to leave once more.
But before he could take another step, a voice rang out behind him.
“Charleton!”
The sound echoed off the walls of the corridor, causing Thales to freeze in place.
Charleton
‘Charleton?’
At the sound of that long-forgotten name, Thales felt a wave of unease come over him. Memories of a beautiful figure in the Sunset Pub and the terror he had felt leaping off the Cliff of the Sky came flooding back to him.
“What do you mean?” The Second Prince asked, his voice even and restrained as he turned to face Raphael. It felt as though time itself had slowed down.
Raphael stood before him, drawing in a deep breath as though mustering every ounce of willpower needed to make a decision.
“The Far Eastern man, sir, that you’re concerned about, Gu…” he began.
In a hushed tone, the Barren Bone man continued, “He’s a staunch ally of the Charleton family. For more than a decade now, he’s been working in secret for the ‘Regicide Family’.”
‘Gu'
‘What… what did Raphael say he was?’
His expression unchanged, but his eyes betrayed a growing sense of disbelief.
‘An ally of…
The Regicide Family?’
“Do you now understand?” Looking into Thales’ grey eyes, Raphael adopted his usual calm expression.
“No matter who you look to for this, it will be useless.”
“Even if it’s His Majesty.”
The Barren Bone man narrowed his eyes, his words biting like a knife,
“Especially if it’s His Majesty.”
[1] ‘moving’; 一举一动, (idiom) every act and every move; every action. ‘words and actions'; 一言一行, (idiom) every word and every deed; what one says and does.
[2] ‘feeble words’; 奄奄一息, (idiom) at one’s last gasp; on the verge of death.
[3] ‘courteous’; 不卑不亢, neither servile nor overbearing (idiom).
[4] ‘checkpoint’ for security, 关卡.
[5] ‘peculiar ways’; 特立独行, (idiom) independent in mind and action.
[6] ‘sharing his views‘; 指点江山, to talk idly about important matters (idiom); to pass judgment on everything. ‘unique perspective’; 独树一帜, lit. to fly one’s banner on a solitary tree (idiom); fig. to act as a loner; develop a style all one’s own. ‘concern for the well-being of the nation and its citizens’ (idiom); 忧国忧民.
[7] ‘his own downfall’;自毁长城, lit. ‘destroy one’s own Great Wall’. The idiom refers to the act of destroying one’s own defenses, which can be both literal and metaphorical.
[8] ‘pompous’’; 自以为是, consider oneself (always) in the right. ‘pretentious’; 故作高深, pretend to be learned and profound; give oneself learned airs; look wise.
[9] ‘solace in the midst of adversity’;苦中作乐, to find joy in sorrows (idiom); to enjoy sth in spite of one’s suffering.
[10] ‘attitude casual and flippant’; 玩世不恭, to trifle without respect (idiom); to despise worldly conventions.
[11] ‘formal tone’; 公事公办, to do things in a strictly businesslike manner (idiom).
[12] ‘forbidden’; 求之不得, lit. seek but fail to get (idiom); fig. exactly what one’s been looking for. ‘yearning for’; 朝思暮想, to yearn for sth day and night (idiom).
[13] ‘profound sighs’, isn’t really profound but the idiom沧海桑田; change from seas into mulberry fields and from mulberry fields into seas—time brings great changes; vicissitudes.
[14] ‘complicated than they already are’; 节外生枝, a new branch grows out of a knot (idiom); raise obstacles; deliberately complicate an issue.
[15] This insert along with any other from before Chapter 580 are from the official translation.
[16] ‘selflessly risked everything ‘; 舍生忘死, bravery with no thought of personal safety (idiom); risking life and limb.
[17] ‘cutting’; 针锋相对, to oppose each other with equal harshness (idiom); tit for tat.
[18] ‘feigned look of gravity’; 煞有介, to make a show of being very much in earnest (idiom); to act as if one is taking things very seriously.
[19] ‘move a boulder’; 纹丝不动, to not move a single jot (idiom). I mingle the meaning on the sentence.
[20] ‘wicked intention’; 居心叵测, ‘harboring unfathomable motives’ (idiom) and 不怀好意, ‘to harbor malicious intentions’. ‘Sow discord ‘; 挑拨离间, to sow dissension (idiom); to drive a wedge between.
[21] ‘Without missing a beat’; 乘胜追击, to follow up a victory and press home the attack.
[22] “All kinds of miracles do exist in this world. And you are… only ignorant.”, Chapter 469 of the official translation.
ARC: Curse of the Royal Tribulation
Chapter 85: Even if it’s His Majesty, Especially if it’s His Majesty.
Thales emerged from Anker’s cell after the interrogation, his expression blank and his mind dazed. It seemed as though his emotions had been numbed.
Before Raphael and Norb, Thales instinctively projected the dignified and collected bearing of a Duke of Star Lake, moving with grace and poise. He vividly recalled every detail that had taken place in the interrogation room, realising how his status had shaped his words and actions rather than their intended meaning, ultimately having far-reaching and irrevocable effects.[1]
That was both his good fortune and his curse.
The Secret Department men approached the Prince with the utmost respect, yet their lingering doubts were still palpable as they asked him, “What did he say to you, Your Highness?”
“It was nothing,” Thales recalled his voice being calm and controlled at the time, as if nothing really had happened. “He was only unwilling to accept his fate and was begging for his life.”
Raphael and Norb stayed silent.
However, the Barren Bone man’s gaze remained on him for a few moments longer, and Norb’s expression became more focused as he surveyed their surroundings.
But none of that really mattered.
“The horse carriage is about to fall apart; what would you like to do, my lord?”
“Hold on to your sword.”
Anker’s feeble words clawed at his mind like wounded animals, their desperate cries echoing relentlessly and piercingly, as though claws were scraping against stone.[2]
“Your Highness, please follow me. The exit is this way,” said Norb, bowing respectfully and humbly before Thales, who appeared lost in thought.
“Protocol dictates that we cannot return by the same route.”
When Raphael appeared before Thales and him, he cast a casual glance at Norb and said, “I’ll escort him out.”
Norb smiled and nodded, choosing not to argue. Gamus’s gaze darted between Norb and Raphael, occasionally stealing a glance at Thales.
However, Thales stayed indifferent.
The young man could only remember politely thanking Norb and Gamus before mechanically walking away under their respectful and cordial, or perhaps even flattered, gazes.
“So, you’re saying that you just started leading the interrogation today?” Raphael studied Norb’s calm expression closely.
“That’s correct,” Norb replied, smiling and nodding as he watched the Prince walk away.
Raphael glanced over at the unconscious Anker.
“How lucky,” he remarked.
The Barren Bone man spoke in a chilly tone as he turned to follow the Prince.
“And convenient.”
Norb bid farewell to Raphael with a courteous bow. However, as the other’s figure disappeared from view, his eyes took on a deep and enigmatic quality.[3]
“Good, that troublesome Prince has finally left,” Gamus said, wiping his sweat. He looked relieved, like a student after a tough exam. Adjusting his apron and causing his fat to jiggle, he turned to the naked Anker with a cheerful expression. He picked up a pair of pliers and declared, “Now, we can get back to the main event. Watch me squeeze him dry…”
“Gamus.”
“Yes?”
Norb turned around, his expression unreadable.
“Stop it,” Norb commanded.
Gamus walked towards Anker, pliers in hand, but his smile froze halfway.
“Okay, I’ll just—wait, what?”
Norb approached the unconscious Anker with a steady gait, leaning on a cane for support, his features set in a resolute expression,
“From now on, he shouldn’t be tortured in any way, not even by something as simple as being deprived of sleep. And if needed, you should give him painkillers.”
Gamus looked confused as he asked, “So… what should we do for the interrogation, then?”
Norb shook his head and replied,
“Let’s approach this like police officers. For now, we’ll keep the interrogation limited to verbal exchanges. That should be enough.”
After working together for an extended period, Gamus picked up on the calm but firm tone in Norb’s voice. He hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“But we’ve only just returned to the capital after a long absence, and we’ve stumbled upon a significant case that affects the Western Desert. If we don’t take this opportunity to prove our usefulness… “
“We have already proven our usefulness, “ Norb declared, his eyes darting towards the darkness outside the door before he leaned in to scrutinise their captive.
“It happened just a moment ago.”
Already proven our usefulness?
Gamus blinked and hesitated, feeling a sense of reluctance. He wanted to drive his point home.
“But didn’t you mention that there is a chance that this guy is not revealing all the information or hiding something, which could be significant? The other interrogators have practically ruined him; we must extract some information from him before he breaks completely or is sent to the gallows. We need to give something to Lord Hansen…”
“No,” Norb interrupted once again, straightening up and grasping his cane firmly. “Trust me.”
“He won’t die,” he said. With Gamus still looking puzzled, Norb briefly glanced at the heavily wounded and bruised Anker and uttered in a low voice,
“Not today.”
Thales strode down the poorly lit underground corridor of the Secret Department, his stoic expression giving nothing away. But inside, he felt like he was standing atop the Ghost Prince Tower in the Blade Fangs Camp, battling against the icy wind and stinging sand, his hands numb with cold.
“They also said that… if I had to use this key…”
Raphael marched forward, his outline dimly discernible as he forged ahead.
“I had to give it to you.”
They didn’t retrace their steps; instead, they pressed on through successive checkpoints, navigating the labyrinthine underground passageways. However, Thales couldn’t bring himself to care.[4]
“And only to you.”
Thales tightened his grip into a fist.
‘Why?’
He gazed down the dark corridor, and for a moment, his mind wandered to the Western Desert, a thousand miles away, where the loathsome-looking nobleman known for his peculiar ways and wicked laughter resided.[5]
Only a few months ago, he had been confidently sharing his views with Thales, offering guidance on how to rule the Kingdom. He had a unique perspective and demonstrated a deep concern for the well-being of the nation and its citizens.[6]
But why?
He was the mastermind behind Anker, holding the key piece that could subdue the feudal sovereigns of the Western Desert and even potentially bring about his own downfall. And yet, he chose to pass them on to a… Jadestar.[7]
Thales gritted his teeth.
At first, he was confused and uneasy. But as he began to grasp the situation, his anxiety intensified, leaving him feeling restless and agitated.
‘Why?’
Cyril Fakenhaz—this pompous and pretentious old bastard.[8]
‘What gives him the right to act in this way?’
‘Who does he think he is?’
‘By what right?’
‘By what reasoning?!’
‘By—’
“Hey, it’s Morat’s snake spawn!” exclaimed a man’s voice with a distinct Northern accent from behind a prison cell door, bringing Thales back to reality.
“Long time, no see.”
Raphael disregarded the other party’s familiar tone and strode briskly past the prison door.
Snake spawn
Thales was struck with a sense of eerie familiarity as soon as those words reached his ears. It took him back to the days in Eckstedt, when the Archduke of Prestige Orchid, Olsius, would often hurl insults at him, calling him ‘little viper of Constellation’ with malice in his voice.
Adding to that was the fact that the prisoner who had spoken those words had a distinct Northern accent.
It felt as though he had been transported back in time, to the days in Dragon Clouds City when he could still manage to soldier on despite the hardships, without the weight of heavy burdens, and even find solace in the midst of adversity.[9]
Dragon Clouds City
Thales’ pupils quivered, and he abruptly came to a standstill.
Raphael picked up on Thales’ unease, furrowing his brow as he turned back to see what had caught his attention.
Thales turned slowly, fixing his gaze on the iron door from which the voice had emanated.
The door had a small opening, and a seldom-seen Everlasting Lamp in the corridor cast a ghostly light on the indistinct silhouette visible through it.
“How privileged I am to have your esteemed visit,” came the voice again.
Thales’ eyes slowly widened.
He took a deep breath and leaned in even closer, hoping to catch a better glimpse of the figure concealed behind the iron flap.
A hand suddenly extended from behind Thales, grabbing the iron flap with strength.
Raphael appeared in front of Thales, pulling the gate shut with great force and fastening it firmly.
“The way out is ahead, Your Highness,” said the Barren Bone man calmly, “you’re headed in the wrong direction.”
Thales stood motionless before the prison cell, his gaze fixed intently on the closed iron flap.
“Why?” he asked, his voice tinged with a hint of frostiness.
“Why did you shut it?”
Raphael smiled in response and turned the question back on Thales.
“Why did you stop?”
Thales paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on the iron flap.
“Open it,” he said steadily.
Raphael chuckled softly, adopting a casual and flippant attitude.[10]
“He’s just an annoying prisoner…”
Thales looked around the narrow corridor, taking note of several other cells similar to the one before him. It was apparent, however, that only one cell was currently occupied.
The prisoner was being held in solitary confinement.
“Open it, Raphael,” Thales repeated calmly.
The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension.
Raphael’s smile vanished as he spoke in a more formal tone, addressing the person before him. “Your Highness, this individual is a high-level detainee under the jurisdiction of the Secret Department and its internal affairs…”[11]
Thales interrupted him and spoke deliberately, emphasizing each word with a cold, steely tone,
“I order you, Raphael. Open. It.”
Raphael furrowed his brow and said, “Your Highness, according to the rules of the Secret Department…”
Thales’ expression hardened, and his frustration boiled over as he interrupted Raphael. “Just open it already, for fuck’s sake!”
All the oppression and frustration he had experienced in the Secret Department erupted into rage, exploding within his chest.
Despite the Prince’s sudden outburst, Raphael remained unfazed as, gradually, his gaze deepened.
Unable to contain his impatience any longer, Thales took a step forward and seized the handle without hesitation, pulling the iron flap open with a loud clang that reverberated through the corridor.
Raphael made no attempt to stop Thales, the glint in his eyes was sharp and piercing, devoid of warmth.
“What’s up, Raph?” The same voice from before rang out again, dripping with sarcasm.
“Long time, no see. Did you want to treat me to a nice meal?”
A face covered in stubble appeared at the gate, its owner casting a cold and indifferent gaze towards Raphael.
Thales, upon catching sight of the other person’s face, widened his eyes in disbelief.
“Gu?”
Thales was seized by shock and confusion, causing him to blurt out, “Is that really you?”
The face with clearly Eastern features behind the gate froze for a moment. The prisoner turned to Thales, appearing mildly perplexed.
Raphael’s expression darkened, and he let out a barely perceptible sigh.
Thales couldn’t believe it. He scrutinised every inch of the Far Eastern prisoner’s face, initially unsure about the man’s voice but now firmly convinced of his earlier suspicion. It was true—it was him, without a doubt.
Six years ago, this man was nothing more than a humble butcher’s shop owner in Dragon Clouds City who had offered him shelter and a meal on the bleak morning after the night of the Dragon’s Blood.
“It’s really you, Gu,” Thales said, still in disbelief.
In a flash, memories of Dragon Clouds City, West-Express Avenue, the butcher’s shop, and the Little Rascal flooded Thales’ mind.
Yet…
“Who are you?”
The dishevelled Far Easterner looked at Thales through the narrow gate and gestured towards Raphael with a wry smile, “Is this the forbidden mistress you’ve been yearning for?”[12]
Raphael just snorted as an answer.
“I…”
Thales looked at his old acquaintance and felt a rush of complex emotions. Seeing him holed up in this narrow and secluded cell, he struggled to put his feelings into words. He took a deep breath before speaking,
“Do you remember Six-fifty?”
Six-fifty
The prisoner’s gaze froze as he slowly reexamined the simple but neatly dressed young man who stood before him, only half a head shorter than Raphael. Gradually, he realised who Thales was, and a sense of relief washed over him.
“Ah,” Gu turned around, and his face disappeared behind the narrow gate. The iron door then let out a muffled sound, “It’s you.”
“So you escaped, little Prince—perhaps not so little anymore,” he said with a tone full of sorrow and emotion.
“You and your little maid didn’t fall into the hands of that cunning Camian.”
Little Prince
Camian
Gu’s words triggered Thales’ memories, transporting him back to a butcher’s shop from six years ago. In his mind’s eye, he saw himself sitting next to Little Rascal, huddled over bowls of soup with heavy hearts as they scooped up spoonfuls.
Raphael huffed in annoyance through his nose.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Thales rushed up to the iron flap, his voice urgent as he spoke to Gu, “Why are you…”
Thales’ words trailed off abruptly.
Wait…
Gu’s impression of the Prince remained stuck in time, still lingering from six years ago when Marquis Shiles took him and Little Rascal away.
Thales’ eyes widened as he realised that Gu was completely unaware of what had transpired since that fateful night, not to mention the widely spread tale of Constellation’s Second Prince.
In other words…
Thales grimaced, staring intently at the darkness beyond the gate. From behind the iron door, he heard Gu’s scornful laughter echoing through the air.
Thales took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, before he asked Raphael in a composed tone, “He was imprisoned here six years ago,”
The Prince struggled to speak, “Why?”
Raphael crossed his arms, his expression slightly gloomy.
“Six years?”
Gu’s voice rang out, filled with surprise and self-mockery. “Damn, without the sun to guide us, our sense of time is clearly flawed.”
Thales felt a weight settle in his heart upon hearing these words. He thought of the locked-up former Royal Guards in the Prison of Bones, recalling the profound sighs they all let out upon learning the duration of their imprisonment.[13]
“You have fulfilled your duty, Your Highness,” Raphael said in a chilly tone. “There is no need to make things more complicated than they already are.”[14]
Gu’s laughter echoed once more, its mood and tone unchanged.
Thales suppressed the unusual emotions in his heart, making a conscious effort to think calmly and rationally.
Six years ago…
After parting ways with Gu, something must have happened to him.
Something that caused him to end up like this trapped in a cell.
The Sin of Hell’s River had come uninvited, flooding Thales’ mind and washing through his memories, bringing back an old scene,
“Your Highness, do you still remember what happened in Dragon Clouds City six years ago?”[15]
The day he escaped from Dragon Clouds City, Putray’s words from the secret passage echoed in his mind.
“No, not just those events.
“That day six years ago, in the dark recesses outside Heroic Spirit Palace and Shield District, where we could not see, some other things happened.”
Thales suddenly looked up.
“That night, Raphael,”
He fixed his gaze on Raphael, staring intently into his dimly red eyes.
“On the night of the Dragon’s Blood in Dragon Clouds City,” the Prince ground out, getting straight to the point.
“Apart from the Calamity, Lampard, and the events in the Heroic Spirit Palace… what else have you been up to?”
“What does it have to do with him… with Gu?”
But Raphael remained still as a statue, his expression betraying the intensity of his emotions.
“What have you been up to?”
A northern-accented voice sneered in response instead,
“What else could they have possibly been up to? They’re still clinging to the revered traditions of the Secret Department, even grasping at bones that have already been picked clean by dogs.”
Thales and Raphael both turned their heads towards the prison cell; Thales looked bewildered, while Raphael’s face darkened with a brooding intensity.
“Just like what they do to everyone, even to you,” he called out the young man directly,
“Prince Thales.”
Thales opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Raphael interjected in a distant and aloof tone, “Your Highness, although I would like to answer your question, this case is not within my jurisdiction.”
Thales’ expression soured at Raphael’s response.
“Like hell it isn’t,” Gu retorted from behind the door with a chilly snort that cut through Raphael’s words. “Six years ago, you were the one who found me, weren’t you?”
Thales narrowed his eyes as he looked at Raphael. That wasn’t the first time today that Raphael had turned him away.
The Barren Bone man stared into the darkness beyond the gateway, their eyes filled with dread,
“Your Highness, it is already an exception for you to have private contact with an offender. Don’t be reckle—”
“Lord Hansen said…” Thales burst out, interrupting Raphael.
“The reason we don’t get along is that we always go our separate ways and never see eye to eye,”
Raphael stayed silent.
However, Thales locked his gaze on Raphael’s red eyes, as if trying to unravel the secrets hidden within.
“This is a great opportunity for things to change.”
The Far Easterner behind the door chuckled, the sound containing both derision and contempt. Meanwhile, Raphael stayed calm and composed, withstanding the intensity of the Prince’s penetrating gaze, which seemed capable of breaking through walls of steel.
“I’m afraid this isn’t the time or the place,” Raphael replied coolly.
Thales and Raphael stood on opposite sides of the iron cell door in the dimly lit hallway, silently facing each other. The Everlasting Lamp elongated their shadows, stretching them out like two parallel tracks.
The doorway of the cell loomed between them, shrouded in a deep, impenetrable darkness that seemed to have no end.
“He helped me, and I owe him my life.”
Thales felt an intense calm wash over him as the Sin of Hell’s River coursed through his veins, sharpening his senses and heightening his awareness of the narrow corridor. It was as if he were peering through a window into a painting, observing the vast expanse within.
“I need to know why he was imprisoned,” Thales said in a cold tone that belied the urgency he felt.
That night.
That decisive night.
The one that not only determined the fate of two powerful nations and the worldwide political landscape but also might have simmered with hidden tumults, burying countless secrets. It stirred suspicion in Putray, even prompting him to avoid the scrutiny of the Secret Department and warn Thales in private.
It’s obvious that Gu was a key piece of the puzzle.
Raphael’s aura slowly shifted from gentle and carefree to sharp and menacing, sending a shiver down Thales’ spine. The figure before him was no longer the same young man who had once rescued him from imprisonment six years prior and had later selflessly risked everything to stand by his side as they journeyed together to the Heroic Spirit Palace.[16]
Instead, before Thales stood a member of the Secret Department with an enigmatic identity and inscrutable intent—a fearsome and deadly Barren Bone man.
Despite that, Thales refused to yield and held the other party’s gaze with a determined stare.
“If you plan to appeal to our sense of mercy, sir, then perhaps you should know this,” Raphael’s voice deepened and carried an unsettling edge, his warning all too clear,
“He has caused us harm and taken many lives from us.”
Caused us harm
There was a brief moment of silence from Thales.
“I’m not planning to have him released,” the Prince’s expression softened slightly, but his tone remained resolute and grew more forceful. “I only want to inquire about certain matters—secrets concerning the Jadestar Royal Family.”
Raphael narrowed his eyes.
“To know and keep knowledge secret,” he said flatly but with a sense of certainty, reciting the creed of the former chief of the Secret Department, ‘Wise Prime Minister’ Halva Karabeyan,
“It is our Department’s duty.”
Thales’ eyes flashed with a stern look.
“You missed the first part,” he pointed out.
The Prince stood firm, his voice cold and cutting,[17]
“You are ‘the eyes and ears of the King’.”
Raphael snorted dismissively.
“When you ascend to the throne,” the Barren Bone man’s response added to the already chilly and tense atmosphere,
“Then we can talk.”
Ascend to the throne
Thales maintained his composure, but beneath the surface, the Sin of Hell’s River roiled within him, honing his anger and coldness into a weapon as sharp as a blade.
Raphael’s brows knitted together, and he tensed his hands instinctively.
“You’ve got it all wrong, Your Royal Highness, the ‘grown-up’ Prince,”
Gu’s voice interjected into the unfriendly conversation, dripping with the same mockery and disdain. “Your lack of connection with the Secret Department doesn’t stem from miscommunication.”
Thales and Raphael turned their heads back to the gate, where the Far Eastern man’s face reappeared. He lightly tapped the iron door with a look of contempt.
“It’s because you’re still human,” he said, his gaze locking onto the Barren Bone man with a cold and gloomy stare.
“Not…a monster.”
Raphael’s visage remained inscrutable, betraying no emotion, while Thales scrutinised him with a keen eye.
Gu erupted into laughter and turned to Thales with a feigned look of gravity, “Did you know, Your Highness? Six years ago, in an inn nestled in the Spear District of Dragon Clouds City…”[18]
In the next instant, Raphael’s arm moved so fast that it left a blur in its wake as he pressed down on the iron flap. Thales reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, but as their skin made contact, Thales’ expression instantly changed. A massive force, a sharp pain, and an eerie sensation of flesh crawling surged through his hand.
That was…
All of a sudden, a jarring metallic collision echoed through the corridor. He stared with a stony expression at the scene before him. He had a death grip on the Barren Bone man’s wrist, but he couldn’t prevent Raphael from pulling the iron flap shut again, effectively sealing Gu’s sarcastic face back into the darkness.
His loss.
The Sin of Hell’s River surged through Thales’s veins like a raging inferno, igniting his limbs with a fiery energy that chased away the numbness and dull ache.
With an angry snarl, he lifted his head and demanded, “Open it.”
But Raphael was unmoved, his arm steadfastly pressed against the handle of the iron flap.
“Your Highness, we have a good relationship and have even shared life and death experiences,” the Barren Bone man spoke in a hushed tone. “Please don’t put me in a difficult position.”
The Sin of Hell’s River roared once more, fuelled by his frustration. Thales gritted his teeth and summoned all of his strength, pushing with all his might against Raphael’s immovable arm. But it was like trying to move a boulder, and Thales’ efforts were met with nothing but resistance.[19]
Thales released his grip and exhaled, knowing that he had been defeated. The agony from the Sin of Hell’s River slowly dissipated from his hands, leaving behind only a displeased growl.
“I think I understand now,” said the Second Prince, his gaze as sharp as a sword, piercing through Raphael’s eyes,
“I understand now why you and Miranda can’t be together.”
The Barren Bone man’s eyes revealed a subtle shift.
“It’s not your status that prevents you,” Thales continued icily.
“It’s you as a person, Raphael Lindbergh.”
Raphael stood frozen, his expression inscrutable, as Thales looked at him intently and began to contemplate in silence.
Gu’s unfinished sentence hung in the air, but it was enough to spark a realisation in Thales’ mind. The information provided by the Far Easterner clicked into place like a missing puzzle piece, revealing the next clue,
The next key piece
“Listen well, Your Highness. What I am about to tell you next is something Gilbert, the sanctimonious old fox will never tell you.”
The warning from Putray, brimming with suspicion, reverberated through his thoughts,
“It is not something the extremely mysterious Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Department will tell you as well.
“Remember, Your Highness.”
“When it comes to this matter… do not believe in anyone…”
“An inn…” Thales murmured, gazing calmly but intensely at Raphael.
“Gu mentioned an inn in the Spear District,” he added with a steady and deliberate tone.
He observed with a sense of gratification as Raphael’s colour slightly changed.
In a low voice, the Barren Bone man said, “That’s his wicked intention—to sow discord and disturb in your mind.”[20]
Thales couldn’t help but chuckle. “But you already told me that the headquarters of the Dragon Clouds City’s Secret Intelligence Department—which, coincidentally, is the same chess house I evacuated from in the Spear District—used to be an inn six years ago.”
Raphael’s hand was still pressed against the iron flap, his face as cold as ice.
“I never said that.”
Thales took a step forward, a sneer playing on his lips.
“Then you must have forgotten,” he said, his tone filled with disdain.
Raphael’s eyes flashed.
His hand tightened on the handle of the iron flap, and Thales heard the unmistakable sound of metal warping.
Thales furrowed his brow as he observed the Barren Bone man’s slender and pale hands, remembering the stunning display when the latter had broken into the prison and taken six lives with a single stroke of his sword.
“That’s impossible,” Raphael ground out through gritted teeth, enunciating each word slowly and deliberately. “Where did you hear that from?”
Thales didn’t allow himself to be intimidated by Raphael’s imposing strength, and without flinching, meeting his red eyes with his own.
“Kloon Brook,” he said.
And as the words left his lips, he noticed that Raphael’s icy gaze grew even colder. Thales sensed that he was on the right track—the answer to the mystery lay there.
Without missing a beat, Thales continued, “He wasn’t just the owner of the inn. Kloon Brook was also a special-class intelligence officer of the Kingdom’s Secret Department. He had been undercover in Dragon Clouds City for twenty years. But on that chaotic day, his life was cut short in a robbery…”[21]
After a long silence, Raphael finally spoke in a measured tone. “Who told you this?”
Thales thought back to the Secret Intelligence Department headquarters in the Spear District of Dragon Clouds City and the secret passageway that had allowed him to escape.
“I met Brook when I was in Dragon Clouds City. He was a wise man, and there’s no way he could have died in a simple robbery.”
Raphael let out a cold snort, “You were too busy trying to save your own skin that day. It’s impossible for you to have met him.”
But Thales refused to back down,
“I met many,” Thales countered, borrowing a line from Ricky. “And you are… only ignorant.”[22]
The words hung in the air, leaving Raphael silent for a long moment.
“Your Highness, I fear this is pointless,” Raphael said dismissively, his gaze turning toward the cell where Gu was being held. “I cannot fulfill your unreasonable request.”
Thales observed the Barren Bone man, feeling his frustration mount as he realised the man was impervious to reason.
He wouldn’t cooperate.
Just like the Secret Department, they had never taken a liking to the Prince, let alone obeyed him.
Thales had deduced as much.
Suddenly, Thales recalled the words of the Black Prophet,
“Whether you like me or not is irrelevant.”
The Black Prophet’s words echoed in Thales’ mind.
“The important thing is, regardless of that, can you set aside personal feelings and use me to achieve actual results,
“With you in control?”
Thales’s eyes fixed on the unfriendly Barren Bone man. He balled his hand into a fist but then gradually relaxed it.
“Indeed, you’re right,” affirmed the Duke of Star Lake.
“You can’t help me.”
The Duke of Star Lake raised his chin slightly, giving off an air of complete indifference to the other person’s behaviour.
“Perhaps I should go find Norb,” Thales pondered aloud. Without hesitation, he turned on his heel and strode back the way he came.
Raphael watched the young man’s receding figure with a furrowed brow.
Thales kept his pace steady but deliberately made his footsteps heavier, the sound echoing like war drums through the dimly lit corridor.
Raphael’s gaze intensified as second after second ticked by, until the Prince’s form slowly vanished into the shadows.
Deep down, Thales knew that Raphael was either unwilling or incapable of providing the assistance he needed, and even Norb, who had been absent from the Secret Department for years and was only just returning to the capital, might not be equal to the task at hand.
Nevertheless…
He cast aside any mental burdens and pressed forward, drawing upon the negotiating skills he had honed during his days as a street beggar.
At last, when Thales took his tenth step…
“Your Highness!”
Thales halted in his tracks, timing his pause perfectly. With his back still turned to Raphael, he allowed a small smile to flicker across his lips.
Slowly, he pivoted around to face Raphael, his expression grave and serious.
Raphael released his grip on the iron flap, but instead of opening it, he began to move towards Thales, taking slow, measured steps.
“It’s no use asking anyone for help,” he said in a subdued voice. “Even if it’s His Majesty himself.”
Thales’ mood darkened.
His Majesty
‘Damn it.’
“Your Highness.
“You must do this, and should do this…
“You have to unearth, investigate, and prove the truth regarding the Bloody Year and your origin.”
Recalling Putray’s warning, Thales took a deep breath and pushed aside thoughts of the figure on the throne.
“Well, I’m willing to give it a shot and see what my father says,” he said, turning to leave once more.
But before he could take another step, a voice rang out behind him.
“Charleton!”
The sound echoed off the walls of the corridor, causing Thales to freeze in place.
Charleton
‘Charleton?’
At the sound of that long-forgotten name, Thales felt a wave of unease come over him. Memories of a beautiful figure in the Sunset Pub and the terror he had felt leaping off the Cliff of the Sky came flooding back to him.
“What do you mean?” The Second Prince asked, his voice even and restrained as he turned to face Raphael. It felt as though time itself had slowed down.
Raphael stood before him, drawing in a deep breath as though mustering every ounce of willpower needed to make a decision.
“The Far Eastern man, sir, that you’re concerned about, Gu…” he began.
In a hushed tone, the Barren Bone man continued, “He’s a staunch ally of the Charleton family. For more than a decade now, he’s been working in secret for the ‘Regicide Family’.”
‘Gu'
‘What… what did Raphael say he was?’
His expression unchanged, but his eyes betrayed a growing sense of disbelief.
‘An ally of…
The Regicide Family?’
“Do you now understand?” Looking into Thales’ grey eyes, Raphael adopted his usual calm expression.
“No matter who you look to for this, it will be useless.”
“Even if it’s His Majesty.”
The Barren Bone man narrowed his eyes, his words biting like a knife,
“Especially if it’s His Majesty.”
[1] ‘moving’; 一举一动, (idiom) every act and every move; every action. ‘words and actions'; 一言一行, (idiom) every word and every deed; what one says and does.
[2] ‘feeble words’; 奄奄一息, (idiom) at one’s last gasp; on the verge of death.
[3] ‘courteous’; 不卑不亢, neither servile nor overbearing (idiom).
[4] ‘checkpoint’ for security, 关卡.
[5] ‘peculiar ways’; 特立独行, (idiom) independent in mind and action.
[6] ‘sharing his views‘; 指点江山, to talk idly about important matters (idiom); to pass judgment on everything. ‘unique perspective’; 独树一帜, lit. to fly one’s banner on a solitary tree (idiom); fig. to act as a loner; develop a style all one’s own. ‘concern for the well-being of the nation and its citizens’ (idiom); 忧国忧民.
[7] ‘his own downfall’;自毁长城, lit. ‘destroy one’s own Great Wall’. The idiom refers to the act of destroying one’s own defenses, which can be both literal and metaphorical.
[8] ‘pompous’’; 自以为是, consider oneself (always) in the right. ‘pretentious’; 故作高深, pretend to be learned and profound; give oneself learned airs; look wise.
[9] ‘solace in the midst of adversity’;苦中作乐, to find joy in sorrows (idiom); to enjoy sth in spite of one’s suffering.
[10] ‘attitude casual and flippant’; 玩世不恭, to trifle without respect (idiom); to despise worldly conventions.
[11] ‘formal tone’; 公事公办, to do things in a strictly businesslike manner (idiom).
[12] ‘forbidden’; 求之不得, lit. seek but fail to get (idiom); fig. exactly what one’s been looking for. ‘yearning for’; 朝思暮想, to yearn for sth day and night (idiom).
[13] ‘profound sighs’, isn’t really profound but the idiom沧海桑田; change from seas into mulberry fields and from mulberry fields into seas—time brings great changes; vicissitudes.
[14] ‘complicated than they already are’; 节外生枝, a new branch grows out of a knot (idiom); raise obstacles; deliberately complicate an issue.
[15] This insert along with any other from before Chapter 580 are from the official translation.
[16] ‘selflessly risked everything ‘; 舍生忘死, bravery with no thought of personal safety (idiom); risking life and limb.
[17] ‘cutting’; 针锋相对, to oppose each other with equal harshness (idiom); tit for tat.
[18] ‘feigned look of gravity’; 煞有介, to make a show of being very much in earnest (idiom); to act as if one is taking things very seriously.
[19] ‘move a boulder’; 纹丝不动, to not move a single jot (idiom). I mingle the meaning on the sentence.
[20] ‘wicked intention’; 居心叵测, ‘harboring unfathomable motives’ (idiom) and 不怀好意, ‘to harbor malicious intentions’. ‘Sow discord ‘; 挑拨离间, to sow dissension (idiom); to drive a wedge between.
[21] ‘Without missing a beat’; 乘胜追击, to follow up a victory and press home the attack.
[22] “All kinds of miracles do exist in this world. And you are… only ignorant.”, Chapter 469 of the official translation.
