Toros, help me.
"Unable."
I know you can do it. You are the strongest among us. And I am still conscious, which means this seal isn't complete...
"Why."
Because you have to help me. I have to restore my Physical Form immediately and return to the Star Kingdom.
"I must decline."
Toros, you aren't the world's will, nor are you one of those foolish Gods. Why are you as stubborn as they are?
"Ignorance."
Please, Toros! I met a child who might be the only new Magic User in a thousand years.
"What does that have to do with me?"
Why can't you understand? He, I, you, and the fourteen of us—in addition to him, fifteen Magic Users—we are all one unified whole!
"One unified whole?"
Toros, believe me. We coexist and depend on one another, even if our paths are different...
"Blood Thorn, Black Orchid. Do you remember?"
That's different. I will never acknowledge them as members of our group—they betrayed us!
"Everyone has a choice. Nothing more."
We aren't human!
"Choice has nothing to do with race."
Then I made my choice long ago! I chose to be a Magic User! Don't you want us to stand freely in this world?
"I, too, have a choice. Nothing more."
Toros! That child needs guidance! Otherwise, sooner or later, he will...
"That is fate."
Toros, third-rank apprentice of the Soul Tower! Don't forget! You were the one who killed the Mountains and Sea Shepherd first! You were the one who started the war! You were our first example! If not for you, none of what followed would have happened!
"."
Toros, help me.
"."
Help me.
"Wait!" Tales raised a hand, interrupting Gilbert's grief-stricken account.
"The Crescent Star Family's bloodline was almost completely wiped out?"
"Who did it?"
Gilbert only looked at him sorrowfully.
Tales narrowed his eyes.
There was something wrong with just those first two statements.
"You said Edi II—my grandfather—had a long and stable reign, and was known as 'The Steadfast King'?"
"Then what happened with the rebellion during the Year of Blood?"
"How could good governance have led to a rebellion? That makes no sense."
Tales looked at Gilbert, but the other man merely slapped the book in his hand and frowned slightly.
The gray-haired middle-aged noble calmly said:
"There were many reasons for the Year of Blood, and they were very complicated. Some were even top-secret matters that only the upper echelons could see. You will learn about them in later lessons. Even if you wait until you become the official heir and gain the authority to access those secrets, it will not be too late to investigate them then."
"For now, I can only tell you that His Majesty has avenged everything he could. The hidden dangers have basically been dealt with. As for the remaining grudges, either they cannot be avenged or they cannot be acted upon."
Tales narrowed his eyes.
Basically dealt with?
He had a feeling that what happened twelve years ago was of extraordinary importance to him.
With sorrow and pain in his eyes, Gilbert continued his account:
"That year, the central five territories suffered natural disasters and had no harvests. The Six Cities of the Southwest rebelled, the army sent to suppress them suffered a mutiny after a defeat, the Desolate Bone Tribe revolted, Exeter invaded, the northern front was in crisis, the sea was blockaded, the supply route from the Royal Capital to the south was severed, and the Rebels even surrounded Everstar City for a time. The nobles inside the city once joined together to force their way into the palace. Everything happened so abruptly."
"Bad news came to the palace every day. Territories fell, enemies invaded, armies suffered defeat, allies broke their agreements, nobles were killed and massacred. Everyone lived in terror, praying for tomorrow, only to receive even worse news the next day."
"The people inside the city struggled to survive in rags under the army's suppression. Those who did not enlist could barely receive any food at all. Nobles below the rank of Count were as lowly as beggars. Their former authority was like filth, and no amount of gold could buy even a single loaf of bread."
"Thieves, robbers, and mobs appeared one after another, and even the army could not suppress them. In the army, the number of people dying from illness, starvation, and battle grew by the day. Their corpses even piled up high enough to clog and stink up the moat. The people outside the Royal Capital suffered even more. Many became refugees or members of mobs, drifting wherever the wind took them with nowhere to turn. Bandits roamed the wilderness, and criminals ran rampant."
"Many lords were hanged in their own territories. Some officials were even flayed alive in the Government Affairs Hall. People could not survive without taking up weapons. I heard a Knight who had left the city to deliver a message say that piles of corpses lay every few steps in the wilderness. Horses could not run freely for even half a quarter of an hour, and if a traveling Knight had fewer than five people with him, the refugees and mobs would dare swarm him."
"That was a year like the Prison River."
Gilbert looked out the window. His tone was calm, but Tales could hear the desolation and resentment beneath his words.
"The misfortune of the Radiant Star Royal Family was the greatest footnote of all."
Tales said nothing.
Gilbert sighed and continued:
"Day after day, the King touched his white hair and sat trapped in his sorrow. The lamps of the Imperial Council almost never went out. Every prince and royal brother of the Crescent Star Family was given a task—overseeing the front lines or logistics, winning over nobles, and even leading armies into battle on the front lines."
"Until they were all mercilessly slaughtered."
"Former King Edi II was beheaded on his throne. The princesses were strangled in their sleep. The Princess Consorts were burned to death in the castle. The royal grandchildren even died in their swaddling clothes. As for Her Majesty the Late Queen... sigh."
"The brave First Prince fought alone with a sword in hand, refusing to retreat even a single step. In the end, he and his guards died in battle before the palace gates. His Royal Highness Duke John was the unluckiest of all. On the southwestern battlefield, just before victory was within reach, he suffered a shameful sneak attack from behind."
"Of the princes on the front lines, one was pushed from the highest room in a castle, one was poisoned at a noble treaty banquet, and one led his troops into an ambush in Exeter. For three full hours, he had neither reinforcements nor aid. His entire army was wiped out, and he died fighting to the end. His Majesty Kessel even 'happened' to encounter a professional army of five hundred while traveling through the wilderness, with only Yordel at his side."
"That year's death and bloodshed spread throughout the nation. From princes, nobles, and ancient Houses to Knights, Merchants, commoners, and ordinary people, everyone suffered heavy casualties. It was the page of history the Star Kingdom least wanted to turn open."
Tales drew a deep breath.
Before I crossed over, had this country gone through such terrifying turmoil?
Gilbert steadied his breathing and said solemnly:
"So, you must seek the answer to the Year of Blood yourself in the future."
"At the same time, prepare yourself. The Year of Blood is merely the tip of the Iceberg—the history of the Star Kingdom has never been short of bloodshed."
Tales nodded. He pressed down his curiosity and excitement, numbered the questions surrounding the Year of Blood, and tucked them away in his heart.
Seeing Tales's solemn expression, Gilbert nodded slightly as well, then turned and continued:
"Tales, this is where the search for your bloodline begins."
"Although your father, His Majesty Kessel, survived, he lost all his relatives that year, including his two children—your brother and sister."
"One of them, one-year-old Luther Crescent Star, suffered misfortune in his swaddling clothes. The assassin was discovered on the spot, and amid the chaos, four-year-old Lydia Crescent Star was abducted as a hostage."
At this point, Gilbert looked at Tales with a complicated expression.
"Tales, my boy," the middle-aged noble slowly said, "that lamp was not originally used to search for you."
Tales lowered his head and looked at the wound on his hand.
So that's how it was.
"After His Majesty was crowned, High Priest Licia of the Sunset Temple personally cast a Divine Art that could locate any living thing in the world carrying His Majesty's bloodline."
"But when we found Princess Lydia—"
"In any case, His Majesty and the Crescent Star Family lost all their legitimate heirs. This continued for twelve years. During those twelve years, His Majesty bore no new bloodline."
"For twelve years, the Star Kingdom had only a Supreme King, with no prince or princess. Even its diplomatic marriages involved choosing children from the Six Great Houses."
"Until one day, that Bloodline Lamp lit up again."
The study fell silent for a long time.
A scene from the previous night surfaced in Tales's mind.
There was something he had to confirm.
"His Majesty must have been in the fifth or sixth year of his reign..."
So when Gilbert continued, he interrupted the middle-aged noble without hesitation.
"When the Royal Family was slaughtered through such a carefully laid-out plan," Tales said softly, "who was the most direct culprit?"
Gilbert closed his eyes. He remained silent for a moment, but eventually spoke:
"It was House Saridon, along with the Shadow Shield."
Tales silently sighed in his heart.
"One was an assassin family that had been passed down through the night for a thousand years. The other was an assassin organization that had run rampant in the darkness for centuries."
"Together with the Black Hands behind them, they plotted a rebellion called 'Starfall.' That was the conclusion of the Kingdom Secret Bureau's investigation afterward."
"Two secret guards of Former King Edi II were deliberately lured away. Because of the Former King's benevolence, the elite Royal Guard had been sent out with the First Prince to suppress the mobs that had suddenly gathered before the palace. Although the forty City Guard soldiers stationed at the Former King's side were all skilled fighters ranging from the Mortal Tier to the Transcendent Rank, and could line up from the palace gates to the rear hall, they could not hold off that legendary assassin for even half a quarter of an hour as he fought his way through them. The Former King was beheaded by Lordin Saridon just like that."
Yes, Tales thought silently. I had witnessed it myself—that unstoppable, invincible blade.
"Several of His Majesty Kessel's elder brothers, including His Royal Highness the First Prince, were assassinated by Shadow Shield killers through different methods and schemes. His Majesty's two children, who had remained in the palace, were killed by Baanet Saredon along with several Princess Consorts and the eldest princess."
Baanet. That name sounded familiar.
Tales breathed out through his nose. It was the "stranger" Yala had mentioned.
He forcibly restrained the urge to retrieve the JC Dagger, as well as the urge to immediately return to his room and question Yordel.
"Please continue." Tales quickly adjusted his emotions, nodded, and said, "Tell me about my part."
Gilbert straightened his cravat, which had shifted slightly from his emotional agitation, and continued:
"I know a little about your birth mother. According to your father, the respected His Majesty Kessel, her name should be TherrenGirana. As for her surname—His Majesty never mentioned her origins. She was probably not a noble. Judging from her name, I even suspect she was a foreigner."
"But that is all I know. I have no idea how old she was, when she met His Majesty, or whether she is still alive."
Tales frowned.
"I was sent to the Black Street Brotherhood at least seven years ago," Tales lowered his head and mused. "That means my birth mother met the King in the year 665. Can you—"
But Gilbert shook his head.
"Over the years, His Majesty has had many lovers, both publicly and in secret. Some lasted only one or two months, while others lasted as long as ten years. Only Yordel, who has followed His Majesty closely, probably knows their exact circumstances."
"But none of them bore a child?" Tales asked suspiciously. "Only my unseen mother happened to give birth to me? Then the Bloodline Lamp discovered me when my blood dripped onto the ground? Isn't that a little too suspicious?"
"My father—His Majesty the King—is also indifferent toward his illegitimate son. He doesn't seem interested in discussing my mother with me, either. Are you sure I really am their child?"
Gilbert frowned.
"I am neither in a position to comment on His Majesty's actions nor able to do so."
"As for your mother, all I can say is that it was fate," the middle-aged noble said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Also, I must warn you that the thought you just expressed will be very detrimental to your identity in the future. Please do not mention it again."
Gilbert's gaze was extremely stern, making Tales on the leather chair shrink back involuntarily.
"After all, the Bloodline Lamp, under the divine power of the Sunset Goddess, cannot be wrong. His Majesty has also insisted that that woman—Lady TherrenGirana—is your birth mother."
"So please remember this and bury it in your heart. Perhaps one day, His Majesty will answer this question for you."
The icy expression and unquestionable majesty of Kessel the Fifth flashed through his mind. Tales turned his head aside and rolled his eyes.
"That answers where you came from and who you are," Gilbert said seriously.
"Now, as for where you are going—"
At that moment, someone suddenly appeared in the study!
The figure landed silently before them!
Gilbert's expression changed. In an instant, he swiftly rose and kicked up a cane from beside his feet!
By the time he caught the cane, the middle-aged noble had already planted himself firmly in front of Tales.
Only then did Tales realize that this seemingly refined and scholarly middle-aged noble was remarkably skilled with his hands!
But the middle-aged noble soon let out a breath, relaxing along with Tales.
The sudden arrival was covered from head to toe in a black hood and tight-fitting clothes, with a dark-purple mask over his face.
"Concealment."
The Supreme King's secret guard, Yordel Gato, spoke curtly in his hoarse voice.
"Twenty people are rapidly approaching."
At that moment, Gilbert's words flashed through Tales's mind:
The history of the Star Kingdom has never been short of bloodshed.