Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 163 Monsters and Monsters
“Your reaction isn’t quite right,” Ashida said casually, pressing his long, elegant fingers as she observed Thales’s response. “The air pressure inside your body is changing drastically…”

“Giza Trillman,” the air mage repeated calmly, “what, does this name evoke any memories?”

Giza.

Blood Mage.

With an uncertain expression, Thales relived that extraordinary memory in the birch forest, a memory that combined tension, horror, terror, disgust, perversion, and madness.

And then there's the sentence that the unreasonable woman left behind as she disappeared into the darkness.

I will never let you suffer.

The pale-faced Star Prince awoke from his reverie, looked up at Ashida, and nodded with a sigh.

“Just recently, I had a light and friendly conversation with your dear Ms. Giza—one of the rumored leaders of the Blood Vial Gang,” Thales said listlessly.

Aishida narrowed his eyes slightly, and thoughts composed of magical energy slowly surged within his body.

Giza?

So, she has survived the threat of the Burning Wind Cannon, returned from weakness and slumber, and regained her consciousness.

Perhaps they have also regained the ability to eat.

Ashida's thoughts were slightly fluctuating.

Since returning to its physical form, it has been following the boy's unique breathing, traveling thousands of miles to find him.

I haven't paid any attention to the Blood Bottle Gang's affairs.

Indeed, compared to the value of this boy, the Blood Bottle Gang is practically worthless trash.

But now that Giza has returned...

Perhaps it's time to hold a long-awaited discussion.

Since this boy has appeared, the Blood Bottle Gang's plans may have to be put on hold...

However, Thales' next words rekindled the magician's attention.

"Seeing her long-lost fellow mage, Lady Giza expressed her overwhelming joy to me," Thales observed Ashida's expression, took a deep breath, and then sighed heavily.

"And they decided to kill me."

"To celebrate my first meeting with her."

As soon as he finished speaking, Thales noticed that Ashida frowned, which was unusual for her.

This Qi Mage, who had remained calm and unmoved from the moment he arrived, rested his right hand on his left arm, pinched his delicate chin, and pondered slightly.

“To quote her directly,” Thales said, raising his hands, hooking four fingers together in quotation marks, and raising an eyebrow sarcastically, “‘It’s for your own good.’”

Aishida's expression was solemn.

"what do you mean……"

“Giza knows you are a future mage,” the air mage astutely grasped the key point: “yet still tries to kill you?”

The second prince looked into Aishida's eyes and nodded slightly.

“Clearly, she doesn’t welcome my status as a mage,” Thales shrugged, his tone deliberately sarcastic. “I guess the mage profession is so competitive that it’s reached the point where newcomers have to be suppressed?”

Ashida continued to ponder, and Thales could sense that he was deep in thought.

“I was lucky that day,” Thales shook his head. “I can already imagine my next meeting with her…”

After a long while, the Qi Mage solemnly raised his head.

“Hmm, that is a problem,” Ashida’s tone returned to its coldness, her eyes shining brightly. “As a partner, I will go and have a talk with her.”

"Just like before."

Looking at Ashida, Thales figured the conversation was probably over.

At least, the animosity between the two has gradually disappeared.

It's time to discuss my future plans with him.

Becoming a mage seems very tempting, as it promises immense power... but the risks are too great. It's best to observe the situation first...

"very good."

Just then, the Qi Mage rose from the "chair" in the void, interrupting Thales' thoughts, his face expressionless:
"let's go."

Thales's expression changed drastically.

"Leave?" Thales' eyes darted around, his breathing quickening. "Where to?"

"Of course, I'm taking you away from here." The Qi Mage raised a hand, and the bedroom window was blown open, revealing the darkness outside, with cold air and wind constantly seeping in.

The little rascal, who was fast asleep by the bed, unconsciously curled up, licked his lips, and hugged the blanket a little tighter.

“Now…now?” Thales shuddered, clenched his fists, and looked at Ashida in disbelief. “Isn’t this a bit sudden?”

“At this very moment, there are two complete and powerful legendary anti-magic weapons in Dragonfall City,” Ashida said slowly, “right here in the palace we are in.”

Thales paused, then looked towards the door.

“You didn’t think I’d risk all this to come to you,” the Air Mage sighed, “just to sit down and have a chat, did you?”

Thales frowned, his breathing quickening uncontrollably.

His worst fear happened.

"Get ready to start your new life," Ashida nodded nonchalantly. "As a mage, you have a long future ahead of you and a long journey ahead."

“Wait, but I… but I still have so many questions,” Thales scratched his head, desperately trying to come up with an excuse to stall for time. “Like the relationship between mages and magic users, how I can become a magic user, and what Giza said about the different factions of magic users, and oh right, the legendary anti-magic forces…”

“We both know it, child,” Ashida shook his head mercilessly, revealing his intentions: “A pointless delay will do no good, even if your men realize something is wrong and come to rescue you…”

"It will only be their misfortune—even the elf next door, whose breathing is steady and who seems to be at the extreme level, will suffer the same fate," the mage replied calmly.
“We proved this a thousand years ago: even gods are helpless against magic masters.”

Thales was taken aback.

He looked at the open window and felt the cold air flowing in.

Oops.

How to do?
“Wait…” Thales looked up, his expression worried and anxious.

Becoming a mage is one thing, but giving up everything to follow Ashida is another.

He has to find a way to stay.

“Magicians have a terrible life, don’t they?” Thales looked at the Air Magician and sighed, “From the fall of the ancient empire to the final war and the continental rift… Perhaps following you isn’t a good idea? Maybe I should stay, we can meet regularly…”

This time, Ashida looked down at him with a subtle expression.

Thales felt a chill run down his spine under his gaze and stopped talking.

Aishida spoke slowly, her tone ethereal, yet carrying a chilling aura:

"This world chooses to forget magic and the past to suppress our numbers, so most people don't know what we are—like my gang of idiots."

"Even the final battle, which people should be familiar with, has become a legend of heroes fighting against an unknown calamity."

The mage put his hands behind his back: "However, those with status and power are still wary of our existence and see us as the greatest threat."

“They both abhor magic and magical energy,” Ashida said, narrowing her eyes slightly. “But that’s precisely why you must come with me.”

Thales stared at the other person with a chill running down his spine.

Aishida's eyes were grave: "Once your identity is exposed, they won't care if you're a prince or not—your fate will be worse than that of an orc who falls into human hands."

Thales stared at Ashida, somewhat bewildered.

He pursed his lips, recalling the drama of the final battle reenacted at the Temple of the Night, Gilbert's words about the calamity, the unsettling Black Prophet, the elusive Ramon, and the Yordles' masks.

but……

Ten seconds later.

“No, I can’t just leave like this…” Thales gritted his teeth and shook his head:
"I am, I am their prince, I bear a mission, and I know many people... Some things cannot be simply abandoned. The conflict between Exter and the Stars... If I leave Fire and disappear, war, war will..."

But he was interrupted by the mage once again.

“I’ll tell you,” Ashida smiled slightly, her eyes full of mockery, “that you’re unwilling to become a mage because you’re worried about your safety…”

"Or is it because he can't bear to give up his noble status as the Star Prince?"

Thales was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

The Qi Demon Master coldly snorted, "Even if you were two months ago..."

"Just the lowest of beggars?"

At that moment, Thales was truly shaken.

I can't bear to part with it...

Prince of the Stars...

Distinguished status...

The image of that first night at the Mindis Hall flashed before his eyes, when that robust figure announced that he was the only remaining heir to the Stars.

Gilbert and Yodl knelt down on one knee before him.

Wyatt pressed his hand to his chest and swore to himself that he would die for his cause.

Rolf used his clumsy sign language to say "Yes, ma'am".

And the surging crowds beneath the Hall of Stars, and the deafening cheers that reached the heavens.

Thales unconsciously clenched his fist.

“If I had come to you when you were still a beggar,” Ashida said slowly and softly, yet Thales felt a strange pressure: “would you still react the same way?”

Thales took a deep breath.

He remembered the trembling beggars in the sixth room.

I recall the struggles I endured each year in the cold and hunger.

I thought of Maurice's fierce, angry wolfhound.

I recall Quaid's ferocious expression, and Rick's mysterious smile.

“When you’re indulging in the title of a prince, or struggling in the misery of a beggar, when you’re going back and forth between the joy and the pain of both,” Ashida stared at him coldly, “have you ever thought about what you really are?”

"When you are stripped of all the definitions imposed by others, and stripped of all the circumstances by which you exist, what are you left with?"

"A prince noble because of his bloodline? A beggar born lowly and unfortunate? A precocious genius? A pitiful person struggling to change his fate?" Ashida looked down at his expression.

Thales' breathing gradually quickened.

The noble prince.

A lowly beggar.

A magnificent palace, a life of plenty, and obedient subordinates.

A dilapidated and abandoned house, daily life of freezing, hunger, and typhoid fever, and thugs who beat and scold at the drop of a hat.

The difference between heaven and earth and clouds and mud.

"I..." He opened his mouth slightly, instinctively wanting to refute.

But when the words were on the tip of my tongue, I just couldn't say them.

Thales stared blankly at the ground.

Do I really think that way?
Can't leave, can't bear to part with, the prince's dignity?

“Child, you must understand, to become a mage,” the air mage said coldly, “you must wave goodbye to the past—no matter how glorious or unforgettable it may have been, or how reluctant you may have been to let it go.”

"Don't let the past bind you; decisively discard it so that you can ultimately transcend it."

"The moment you become a mage, you will understand everything I'm saying now..."

Thales instinctively clutched his chest.

It seems that the wound branded with the Mindis silver coin is throbbing again.

The inscription on the silver coin came back to mind: A true king is not defined by bloodline.

“Magician is not a profession, not a job, not a title,” Ashida said firmly. “It represents something far beyond your imagination—it is an unprecedented choice, an opportunity for you to find yourself, understand yourself, and reshape yourself.”

"Now you have such an opportunity to make your own choice," the mage said, walking up to him and extending his hand to his face. "Whether you choose to return to your original life, to continue the life that seems realistic, seemingly stable, but in reality, you have no choice, no freedom, a state of confusion and uncertainty about the future..."

Ashida's hand stopped in front of his nose, her palm flipped over, and a blue light flashed out from it, swirling around the mage's palm until it formed a series of deep blue orbs of light.

Just like that night on Red Street. "Choose your own heart," the magician continued, "Choose to see how far you can climb, and what kind of scenery you can ultimately see?"

"Go and discover who you really are?"

Thales frowned deeply as he looked at the orb of light in Ashida's hand.

How far can it climb...?

What kind of scenery...

Who is it...

Aishida slowly clenched his fist, and with his movement, the ball of light annihilated in the mage's hand.

A gust of air swept across Thales' face.

The mage's eyes changed: "These are the words my mentor spoke a thousand years ago when he guided me, a lost soul, onto the path of magic."

Thales listened to Ashida's words with a grim expression, his fists clenching tighter and tighter.

“And now, a thousand years from now, I will be your guide, leading you to become the most wondrous being in the world,” Ashida nodded slightly. “Believe me, what a mage can gain is not just infinite life and endless power—those are merely the most insignificant side gifts.”

The Qi Mage slowly raised his arms, his tone ethereal and mysterious: "The world we can see, the vision we can reach, and everything we can feel is far beyond what any other being can imagine—below it, the light of the gods, the glory of sacrifices, and the dignity of kings all pale in comparison, insignificant and meaningless."

Thales lowered his head, looking bewildered.

Just like that, you went with him?
Yes, I am now of noble status, but the road ahead is fraught with danger. Staying in the Star Kingdom, my identity as a magic user is also a hidden danger...

That's not as good as...

Just then, Thales had a sudden thought, and many faces flashed before his eyes.

Gilbert's hopeful gaze.

Ginny's conflicted expression.

The masked guard gripped the hand tightly on his shoulder.

Yara's nonchalant expression.

and also……

Thales reflected on everything that had happened that night, and thought that because of him, millions of people in the Star Kingdom and Exter Kingdom were able to continue to enjoy peace and be spared from war.

Thales sighed.

Ashida lowered her arm, looked at Thales, and nodded slowly with a firm gaze:
"We should go."

Thales took a deep breath and looked up at Ashida.

“I need time,” he said earnestly. “You can’t just suddenly appear and tell me that I have to follow you, abandon everything, give up the present, and even become some kind of despised…inhuman being.”

Aishida squinted.

"And you didn't even tell me what a mage is, or what magic power is... No matter how mysterious and reasonable your reasons may sound, they cannot convince me to abandon everything and accept an unpredictable future."

Thales clenched his fist and gritted his teeth slightly: "At least not in this way."

"At least give me enough time to consider before I can make a choice."

"Or, we can proceed gradually, for example, you can stay in the shadows and secretly teach me the relevant knowledge... instead of flying far away..."

For a full ten seconds, the mage remained silent.

It wasn't until Ashida looked at Thales' expression that she slowly shook her head.

“Unfortunately, I gave you enough patience,” he sighed, “but now, my patience has run out.”

The next moment, before Thales could even react, he was floating in mid-air!
Thales was shocked and was about to speak when he felt a wave of dizziness!
Soon, he found that his field of vision was spinning, flashing back, and switching between near and far, changing rapidly!

Do not!
and many more!

I haven’t…

As the wind howled, the chill seeped into his exposed skin, and the cold wind rushed into his mouth and nose.

Thales wanted to speak, but he was powerless. He felt himself starting to spin, not knowing where the sky was or where the earth was.

Ashida carried him and flew out of the window.

High in the sky, Thales gritted his teeth in agony. The view before him changed from a small bedroom to a vast expanse of snow under the moonlight and majestic mountains.

And what was slowly shrinking and receding from his sight...

Valhalla.

----

Nikolai the Meteorite stood in the Hall of Heroes with a grim expression.

His gaze was fixed on the menacing spear on the shelf.

Soul-Slaying Spear.

"Buzz..."

A deep, rapid vibrato came through.

The members of the White Blade Guard around Nicolai stared at the gun in astonishment.

The legendary Soul-Slaying Spear is—trembling?
Nikolai narrowed his eyes, stepped forward, and placed his hand on the Soul-Slaying Spear.

The commander of the White Blade Guard felt the texture of his hand.

He then let out a heavy sigh.

"Sound the alarm at Valhalla immediately," Nikolai said abruptly, raising his head with a serious and solemn expression. "The highest level of alert!"

"We're in big trouble."

One of his bodyguards frowned.

The highest level?
But he still nodded respectfully and turned to leave.

"Seal off the gates leading from Valhalla to the Axe and Spear sections, and take inventory of all patrol personnel, whether they are palace guards or melee guards." Nikolai turned around and drew the white-handled sword from his back.

It was a special knife.

The blade is bright silver, the edge is slightly gray, and the spine is a deep brass color.

The blade's curves are different from those of the White Blade Guard: its back has two curved arcs with a sharp point protruding abruptly in the middle.

“I want everyone to report every five minutes—in case someone goes missing, I need to know where they disappeared within five minutes,” Nicolai said, blade in hand, his face as cold as ice, as he walked and gave orders to his men: “We’re going to His Majesty’s bedroom immediately.”

The guards who were relaying the order disappeared in an instant, and soon, urgent commands of varying sizes could be heard from both near and far.

"What's wrong, boss?" one of Nicolai's henchmen asked, frowning. "What's this Soul-Slaying Spear...?"

“Hmm, things are not good,” the Meteorite said, his pace quickening, a flush creeping onto his pale face. “The Soul-Slaying Spear doesn’t give warnings for no reason.”

"The Book of White Blade Records states that the last time it made such a loud noise was more than 600 years ago."

His deputy's expression hardened.

"More than six hundred years ago?" the deputy repeated incredulously.

As the order was given, more and more soldiers began relaying the message, the commands became increasingly urgent, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

“Yes, more than six hundred years ago,” Nikolai said calmly as he walked toward the king’s bedroom, raising the blade in his hand.

"When the Soul-Slaying Spear..."

"It's still in Her Majesty Nekaru's hands..."

"When the final battle is over."

----

Thales strained to keep his eyes open amidst the howling wind, trying to make out what was happening before him.

All that could be seen was the figure of Ashida in front of him, and his flowing robes.

A few seconds later, he could feel them descending rapidly.

Just now.

"Shh!"

A sharp, rapid sound cut through the air!
"Pass!"

A muffled thud.

Thales didn't understand what was happening; he just felt his vision blur.

The next moment, he rolled onto the soft snow.

My shoulder is sore from rubbing.

Damn.

Thales coughed violently, cursing his bad luck in his heart as he struggled to his feet.

hateful!

What happened?
Why did you brake suddenly again?

He shivered from the cold in the falling snow.

Then, the prince of the stars was stunned.

He raised his neck as high as he could.

Under the moonlight, he discovered that a huge statue had appeared before him.

It's almost several stories high.

He was a spirited warrior, holding a long spear, his expression both heroic and compassionate.

That's a statue of Nakaju Ax.

Thales suddenly awoke with a start—they were at the highest peak of Dragon Peak, Sky Cliff.

He looked back and found that the entire Dragon Sky City was at his feet.

It turned out to be the case.

The statue of the hero Nekaru appears so tiny from below.

But when it's actually right in front of you...

At that moment, Ashida's voice rang out, abruptly interrupting his thoughts.

“Do you really think I can’t find you?” Ashida sighed, her voice filled with dissatisfaction. “Whether it was in Valhalla or in the air, I was deliberately avoiding you.”

Thales turned around in surprise and saw Ashida standing under the statue.

They faced off against a dark figure at a distance.

That's—Thales squinted at the figure—who is it?
“Because I’m really not in the mood to play with you today,” Ashida shook her head, her gaze sharp: “You immortal monster.”

The mage narrowed his eyes and grinned:

"Black Sword".

what?
black……

Thales was suddenly jolted!
Black sword?

Thales took a step forward and looked at the figure in disbelief.

In his memory, this title represented...

That legendary...

Under the moonlight, the figure slowly stepped out.

In the moonlight, he raised a strange, all-black longsword.

"What a coincidence." The expressionless man turned to the side and bowed slightly to Ashida, the moonlight only shining on his black robes.

Only a pair of gleaming eyes shone from the shadows, shooting straight at the magic master.

"I'm not in the mood either."

"You unkillable monster."

The man named Black Sword spoke softly, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light:
"Aishida".

(End of this chapter)