Tales quietly snapped his fingers in his mind.
Begin.
"Lord Hansen," Tales said hesitantly, "that night I ran to Red Quarter Street and ended up meeting a strange man in blue in a chess and card room."
Morat nodded, smiling encouragingly for him to continue.
Partly true.
I can't lie.
Tales repeated it silently to himself.
"He said he didn't have a single person around him he could talk to anymore, and asked me to come look at his 'chessboard.'"
"After I finished looking, he suddenly started raving. He said they had fought humans, but lost." Tales put on a frightened expression.
Link the partial truth to the truth Morat knew.
That way, he could get past this "human lie detector."
"Then he went crazy and tried to crush me into a ball!" Tales trembled and shuddered.
"It's all right, child. You're safe now—what happened next?" Morat gazed at him reassuringly, urging the boy before him to continue.
"I was terrified, and I felt awful. I couldn't breathe." Tales's memory returned to Red Quarter Street that night. The suffocating sensation felt as though he were experiencing it all over again, utterly real.
So far, he hadn't lied—Morat sensed Tales's emotions.
After going through something like that and surviving at the hands of such a calamity, the child truly hadn't had it easy.
Tales shrank back slightly, wrapping his arms around himself.
"Finally, I vaguely heard him say that he'd found someone who was 'out of control'—and that there were fewer and fewer of them after the Ending War."
Morat's expression finally turned solemn.
Out of control?
It seemed that newborn Magic User was still only in the first stage and hadn't...
"Who?" the Black Prophet asked gravely. "Child, did he say? Who was that 'out-of-control' person?"
Tales trembled and shook his head. "The strange man didn't say. He just smugly said that he would guide that person, and that person wouldn't be able to refuse him!"
"Then Yordel appeared and stabbed him."
Morat let out a breath, an arrogant madman appearing before his eyes, with the crazed look of someone muttering to himself before killing.
It seemed Yordel hadn't concealed anything.
Morat exhaled through his nose, his wrinkled, ugly face twitching faintly.
Tales, meanwhile, quietly let out a breath.
Partly true—it seems I managed to bluff my way through. No, I have to keep acting.
"—But Yordel said he wouldn't die, and that he would come back more than a decade later." Tales trembled as he added, "Lord Hansen, they said you knew the most. Is that true? Will the strange man come back?"
Morat was weighed down with thoughts. He nodded perfunctorily. "Yes. The Unrivaled Sword isn't complete. It can only seal a Magic User for a short time."
"But rest assured. The Kingdom Secret Bureau won't let him get near you." The Black Prophet furrowed his brows, his thoughts already flying beyond Mindis Hall.
Tonight's objective had been achieved.
First, he had confirmed the news about the Air Elementalist from Yordel and obtained an extra reward—the existence of a newborn Magic User.
Second, he had seen the future heir of Star Kingdom with his own eyes.
Third, he had left him with a deep impression that would be unforgettable for someone his age.
"Thank you for your honesty and cooperation." Morat bowed deeply. When he raised his head, his gaze was already stern and serious. "Please prepare yourself."
Prepare himself?
Tales was somewhat puzzled.
Morat looked deeply at him and nodded. "The timing is difficult to determine, but I have a feeling it will be very soon."
Only his cold, hoarse, aged, and solemn voice echoed through the noble banquet hall:
"Your Highness Tales."
At that moment, the boy's mouth fell open, and his entire body shuddered!
High... Highness?
So...
But Morat had no intention of explaining. He merely swept his black robe aside, turned around, and left.
"Clack—clack—clack!" The sound of his cane striking the floor rang out rhythmically.
Tales finally came back to his senses.
"Wait! Lord Hansen!" He rose from his chair and shouted at the Black Prophet's back. "The three children from XC District, and the news about that bartender..."
"They're still alive. It seems someone in the Brotherhood is protecting them." Morat kept walking, answering without turning his head.
He had more important things to do.
"But could you tell me—" Tales hurried forward two steps and spoke anxiously. He wanted to know more details.
"They're all my friends—"
"Child!" Morat's voice suddenly rose, making Tales stop in his tracks.
"You aren't the king, and you're not even the prince yet! The bloodline of Brilliant Star!"
"Wait until you become Star Kingdom's heir. Wait until you grow strong enough. Then come talk about protecting them—otherwise, these past ties will one day become your weaknesses." The Black Prophet approached the gate. His aged voice rang out, seemingly filled with... resentment?
"And my sixty years of experience in the Secret Section have taught me the only way to keep enemies from sniffing out your weaknesses."
Morat stopped and turned back, revealing a ferocious smile.
Tales's heart tightened.
"It's to take every weakness on your body..." Morat slowly raised a hand and gently clenched it amid his deeply wrinkled smile. "And eradicate them completely."
"Do you understand? Not yet a Highness... Your Highness Tales?"
Tales stared at him blankly.
Morat turned around again and patted the gate.
The guards outside opened the great doors in unison, revealing Gilbert and Lady Jinnie anxiously waiting outside, while the Masked Guard Yordel stood alone on the other side.
The first two looked over anxiously. Jinnie even ignored Morat completely, rudely striding across the entrance hall toward Tales.
"Don't worry, the three of you," Morat said with a chuckle, tapping the floor. "Star Kingdom has an excellent heir."
"One day, the Kingdom Secret Bureau will become his arm and serve at his command."
Gilbert frowned as he watched the Black Prophet hobble past him.
"Lord Hansen!"
At that moment, Tales suddenly spoke from inside the hall!
"What about you? Have you eradicated your own weaknesses?"
Morat froze. He lifted his head and looked toward the little boy on the other side of the hall.
At that moment, Tales suddenly felt an inexplicable emotion pass through the inhuman Black Prophet.
"Of course," the Black Prophet, Morat Hansen, said firmly under everyone's gaze.
"Completely. Not a single one left."
Then he left Mindis Hall.
Only Yordel, standing to one side, clenched his fist in a way no one noticed.
"Lady Jinnie, Mr. Gilbert, I'm fine!" Tales smiled and shook his head at Jinnie and Gilbert's anxious questions. Then he turned to Yordel and said seriously, "Come to think of it, there's something I need to do first."
Under Gilbert's furrowed brows and Jinnie's astonished gaze, the seven-year-old boy extended his right hand toward the Masked Guard who had just returned.
"Yordel! I need your protection," Tales said firmly.
"Please escort me to Lady Serena Corleone's room."
"An heir?"
"That coming from someone with only one daughter is rather apt." His Majesty Kessel rested both arms on the table and quietly exhaled.
"I traveled for two days and two nights—arriving only a few minutes behind the Messenger Crow—not to trade barbs with you, Kay." Val spoke with equal displeasure, displaying the bluntness and rough directness characteristic of a Warrior. "Though I would certainly enjoy watching you get thrown off that damned throne."
"If matters take a turn for the worst, how are things prepared in the north?" Kessel ignored Val's tone. He lowered his head, moving his finger across the map of the Western Continent spread over the long table.
"Dragonbreak Fortress has entered a state of emergency." Duke Arendell removed his chainmail glove and tossed it onto the table. "But Sonia has stressed repeatedly that the royal family's three hundred Standing Army soldiers and the five hundred local militia they've conscripted are nowhere near enough to withstand that dragon's fury... She needs reinforcements."
"How many?"
"Considering the war potential of the three Grand Dukes in southern Exeter, she needs at least eight thousand well-equipped, well-trained soldiers to ensure the fortress doesn't fall. If we also want to secure the roads from the Northern Territory to the Central Territory, then fifteen thousand. In addition, we need a thousand skilled cavalrymen. Light cavalry will do, but heavy cavalry would be best, to ensure we have the flexibility to respond beyond simply defending fortified cities."
As Val spoke, Kessel's brows furrowed.
"I know she's asking for a lot, but you have to admit that she has a point. Dragonbreak Fortress has already been breached once. Exeter is better at winter warfare than we are, and those three Grand Dukes bordering us have been recruiting and building up their forces for years."
"The night before I departed, I summoned my vassals. Within ten days, they'll lead their soldiers in a steady stream to reinforce the fortress. Along with my own direct troops, we'll have at least five thousand men, including three hundred cavalrymen—though I can't guarantee their quality." Val removed his other glove and held both hands over the Eternal Lamp to warm them.
"It isn't only those three Grand Dukes." Kessel silently rose and walked to the window. Looking down from the towering Revival Palace, he saw the countless lights of the Royal Capital glittering in the night. "From the Eternal Oil of Northport to the Pitch Crystal Mines of the three southern counties of Southbank Territory, they've waited too long for this day since the Fortress Concord. What's more... the heir to Dragonlance in the Clouds is involved."
"So it's unavoidable now, Kay. Send out your messengers, and sharpen your longsword." Val, the lord of Cold Fortress City who seemed more a Warrior than a noble, rubbed his reddened, frozen hands and spoke through clenched teeth.
"So the words really were left behind at the scene?" Kessel the Fifth's gaze was deep, his sky-blue pupils reflecting the nighttime view of the Royal Capital. "If Star Kingdom stands, the Empire will endure?"
"Yes. Your damned, blood-pumping family motto. I suppressed the news, but you know what the Dark Chamber can do. I expect that once King Noon receives the news, he'll begin mobilizing his vassals and troops, at least publicly. Otherwise, he won't be able to reassure his lords. Judging by the war potential of all Exeter—" Duke Val Arendt snorted coldly, withdrawing his hands from the lamp with an unpleasant expression.
"—I still recommend that you first summon the direct vassals of the Central Territory, then prepare to call in all the great lords. Even the Schukader Family, far away in the Southern Sea Isles, must mobilize. Once war breaks out, from the Holy Tree Kingdom to the Serra Duchy, Steel City and the Free Alliance, and even Suye in the Eastern Continent, mobilize every one of our allies."
"But matters are still far from the final step." Kessel looked at the nighttime view of the Royal Capital outside the window and slowly clenched his fist. "King Noon isn't some hotheaded boy."
"Do you really think there will still be a chance for a peaceful solution? You know this is about far more than those words!" The Duke of the North slammed his fist against the table in fury. "There are people on both sides hoping for this to happen, so by damnation, it happened!"
The two fell silent for a while.
"Hmph." Kessel gave a soft snort and lowered his head, breathing in the chill of winter's approach. "Tell me, if Midir were still here, what would he do?"
"Why can I never get through to you?" Val rose angrily without the slightest restraint. "Or did sitting on that throne make you stupid? This isn't the time to mourn your saintly elder brother, Kay! Our country, our lands, and our people are facing the threat of war!"
"Why do you think I rushed back? You know how much I hate you! But when you and Star Kingdom are in danger, bound by our oaths and honor, the entire Northern Territory will stand behind you—this time, in front of you!"
Kessel stared at Val, the companion he had grown up with since childhood, without moving.
"I've already rushed back. I'm right here in front of you! I hear Kurun's Old Sword is recuperating in Everstar City, and the young man from the Cavendish Family lives not far away. The One-Eyed Dragon of Nanshuister can reach Junlin City in a day. Only Falkenhaus and Terbach are far from the Wasteland Ruins and Blade Ridge City, so urgent orders will be needed to summon them. Once we get the six of us together, not a single one of the Thirteen Prestigious Families will fail to come."
Val glared at the Supreme King.
"The time has come, Kay."
"Issue the Star Summons."
"The Nineteen Noble Houses will gather in the Royal Capital once more and fight for you."
"Fight for Star Kingdom."
The climax is about to begin!
To Bookless and cm4.15:
Thank you for your votes and for your tirelessly urging me to update!
When readers ask for extra chapters, it shows their love for the work and their recognition of the author, which makes Wu Jian very happy.
But Wu Jian scratched his head and still felt that quality came first and making money second.
Wu Jian's writing style isn't accustomed to padding things out too much (which means I'm destined to be poor for life T_T). In fact, Wu Jian has felt that the last few chapters were too padded and has been a little annoyed with himself. I can only painfully refuse the request for extra chapters.
by_the_way, (drooling) thanks to the two generous patrons, Duandian's String and Glory of the Iris Pattern, for your tips!
Everyone, feel free to join the group: 397147168
After finishing the book, can you really bear to watch the few people in our group languish there alone?