KB2 - Chapter IV - Scarlet Star (Part 2)

Chapter IV: Scarlet Star (Part 2) – Book 2: Dancing with the dragon


Taros, help me.

[Powerless.]

I know you can do it, you are the most powerful of us. And I still have my consciousness, which means this seal is not complete...

[Why.]

Because you have to help me. I must immediately return to my physical state and go back to Stella.

[Forgive, can’t fulfill request.]

Taros, you are neither the will of the world nor those brainless gods, why do you have to be so stubborn like them?

[Meaningless.]

I beg you, Taros! I met a child who may have been the only new magus for two thousand years.

[Nothing to me.]

Why can't you understand? He, me, you, us fourteen - plus him is fifteen - magi, we are all unified as one!

[Unified as one?]

Taros, believe me, we coexist with synergy and uphold each other, even though our paths are different...

[Blood Thorn and Black Magnolia, don’t remember?]

That's not the same, those two – those two women betrayed us!

[Everyone has choice, that's all.]

We are not human!

[Making choices, races, not relevant.]

Then I have made my choice! I choose the magi! Don’t you want us to be free, to stand above the world?

[Also have my choice, just like that.]

Taros! The child needs guidance! Otherwise he will sooner or later...

[If that is his fate.]

Rank three apprentice of Soul Tower, Taros Miller! Do not forget! At the beginning, you are the one who killed Mountain and Pastoral Sea! You are the one who started the war! You set the first example for us! If it weren't for you, everything after wouldn't happen!

[...]

Taros, help me.

[...]

Help me.

——————————————————

"Wait a minute!" Thales raised his hand and interrupted Gilbert's slightly sorrowful narrative.

“The bloodline of house Brightstar were massacred with almost no one left alive?"

"Who did it?"

Gilbert only looked at him with sorrow.

Thales narrowed his eyes.

There are already problems in the first two sentences alone.

"You said Eddie the Second - my grandfather, his rule was long and stable, and he is called the "long reign King"?"

"Then why did the rebellion of the ‘Year of Scarlet' happen?"

"Long reign somehow leaded to rebellion? This is totally illogical."

Thales looked at Gilbert, but the other person only closed the notebook in his hand and frowned slightly.

The gray-haired middle-aged nobleman calmly said:

"There are many reasons for the Year of Scarlet, and they are very complicated. Some are even top secrets that can only be seen by the higher ups, some you will eventually learn of in the following courses. After you become the official heir and have the power to reach the other secrets, it is not too late to study them again."

"Now, I can only tell you, his Majesty has taken revenge against all the enemies that can be revenged and basically disposed all the hidden dangers that can be disposed. If there are any remaining enemies, that means taking revenge against them is impossible."

Thales's eyes narrowed.

Basically disposed?

He has a hunch that the events of twelve years ago are extremely important to him.

Gilbert continued his narrative while being slightly mournful and distressing:

"In that year, the five central provinces suffered natural disasters and lost all of their harvests, the six southwest cities rebelled, the army sent to suppress the rebellion was suddenly defeated and mutinied, the Savage Bones tribe revolted, the Exeter kingdom invaded, the northern line asked for emergency assistance, the sea was blockade, and the capital's supply line to the south was cut off. The rebel’s army even besieged Eternal Star once, and the nobles within the city also joined hands to force the king to abdicate. Everything happened so suddenly like that."

"More bad news came every day in the royal court, territories were occupied, enemies conquered, armies were defeated, alliances were broken, nobles were murdered, slaughters, massacres, everyone was afraid and prayed for tomorrow, only to receive even worse news in the next day."

“The people in the capital were in rags, struggling to survive while being suppressed by the army. People who weren’t soldiers basically couldn’t receive even food. The nobles below earls were as abject as beggars while their past authority was like a pile of garbage, and no amount of gold coins could be exchanged for even one loaf of bread. ”

"Thieves, robbers, and violent mobs were endless, even the army can't hold them back. While in the army, the people who died due to sickness, starvation, and combat also increased every day, piling up in the moat with a terrible smell. The people outside kingdom’s capital were even worse, many of them degraded to refugees or mobs, fluttering in the wind without any dependence, facing the countryside full of roaming robbers and running amuck criminals.”

"Many lords were hanged in their own territories, some courtiers were even skinned in the town halls, no one could survive without picking up their weapons. I listened to a knight who went scouting outside of the capital reported that there were piles of corpses every few steps in the countryside, and the horses couldn’t even travel freely for half of a minute. If there were fewer than five knights departing together, the refugees and mobs would even dare to swarm around them."

"It’s like a year in the underworld river."

Gilbert looked out the window, his tone calm, but Thales could hear the sadness and resentment in his words.

"The misfortunes of Brightstar royal family are the most emergent notations among these events."

The transmigrator didn’t say anything.

Gilbert sighed and continued:

"The king touched his white hair days after days, sitting tiredly and worriedly inside the palace. The lamps in the Formal Imperial Assembly almost never stopped, while every princes of house Brightstar were given tasks, such as supervising the logistics, or wooing the aristocrat, or even leading troops on the front line to fight."

"Until they were all ruthlessly slaughtered."

"The late king was decapitated on the throne, the princesses were strangled while still in their dream, the princes were burned to death in the palace, the royal grandchildren even died in their diaper, and the late queen was - alas."

"The late king's heroic eldest prince alone took the sword, not taking a step back, then finally fought to death along with his guards on the palace’s entrance. The younger brother of the king, Duke John, had the worst misfortune. When he was on the southwest battlefield, just a moment before victory, a shameful backstab came from behind and took his life."

"On the front line, one of the princes was pushed down from the tallest room in a castle, one was poisoned in an aristocratic banquet for signing treaty, and one led the troops into the encirclement of Exeter, no reinforcement, no helps, for three hours, that entire army was annihilated, fighting to their last breath. When his Majesty Kaiser was travelling in the countryside, he happened to encounter a professional army of 500 strong, with only Joel by his side.”

"The death and bloodshed of that year, from all over the country, up to the princes, the dukes and the lords of many rich and powerful houses with long heritage, down to the knights, the merchants, the commoners, the people, all suffered heavy casualties, that is the page of Stella’s history no one wants to reopen."

Thales took a deep breath.

This country has experienced such terrible turmoil before I transmigrated?

Gilbert stabilized his breath and said with a solemn expression:

"So, the true answers to the Year of Scarlet, please look for them by yourself in the future."

"At the same time, please be prepared, the Year of Scarlet is only the tip of an iceberg – Stella’s history has never lacked the color of blood, scarlet."

Thales nodded, pressed down the curiosity and excitement, organized the questions about the Year of Scarlet into a series of numbers, and then stuffed them into his mind.

Looking at Thales's cautious expression, Gilbert also slightly nodded and turned his head to continue:

"Thales, the search for your bloodline also started from here."

"Your father, now King Kaiser, fortunately survived but lost all of his loved ones in that year, including a pair of children, your older brother and sister."

"When the one-year-old Luther Brightstar met his misfortunate in his diaper, the assassins was spotted right away at the scene. In the chaos, the 4-years-old Lydia Brightstar was taken hostage."

Speaking of this, Gilbert looked at Thales with deep and complex eyes.

"Thales, my child," only listening to the middle-aged aristocrats slowly said: "That lamp, it wasn’t used to find you."

Thales lowered his head and looked at the wound on his hand.

So it turned out to be like that.

"After his Majesty’s crowning ceremony, High Priestess Elisa of the Sunset Temple personally laid out the divine miracle, which is able to find any living beings who share his Majesty’s bloodline in this world."

"It’s just that, when we found Princess Lydia -"

"In short, his Majesty and house Brightstar lost all their legitimate heirs, and this lasted for twelve years. In these 12 years, his Majesty did not have any new blood."

"12 long years, Stella had only the High King, no princes or princesses, even the political marriages with foreign countries had to use children from the Six Great and Prestige houses."

"Until one day, the Lamp of Blood lighted up again."

The study room was silent for a long time.

In Thales’ mind, the scene of last night emerged.

He had to confirm one thing.

"His Majesty is probably in the fifth or sixth year after he took the throne -"

So, when Gilbert continued, he did not hesitate to interrupt the middle-aged nobleman.

"The royal family was massacred by such a thoroughly well prepared plan," Thales said softly. "Who is the most direct murderer?"

Gilbert eyes were half-closed, he went silent for half a minute but still said:

"They’re house Surrey, and also the 'Shield of Shadows.'"

Thales sighed silently in the bottom of his heart.

“One is an Assassin family that has been lurking in the night with hundreds years old heritage, the other is an Assassin organization that has been ravaging within darkness for thousands of years.”

"They and the other conspirators behind the scene had joined hands to plan a rebellious plot called 'Falling Star' - this is what the Kingdom's Secrets Division discovered after their investigation."

"The two secret bodyguards of King Eddie the Second were led away by the conspirators. Because of the mercy of the late king, the elite royal guards were sent out with the king’s eldest prince to suppress the suddenly appeared violent mob in front of the palace. Even though defending the king was 40 City Watch soldiers, all were skilled fighters from mortal-level to transcended-level, lining up from the palace gate to the apse, but when those legendary assassins murdered their way in, they couldn’t resist for half a minute - the late king, just like that, was decapitated by Lourdes Surrey."

Yeah, I know, Thales silently thought: I have seen it with my own eyes, the kind of unceasingly-pressing-forward blade style that can't be stopped.

"Several brothers of his Majesty Kaiser were all assassinated by the Shield of shadows with different methods and tricks. The children of his Majesty who remained in the royal court, together with the eldest prince, several royal brides and two princesses, died in the hands of Bart Surrey."

Bart, that sounds really familiar.

Thales uttered a breath from his nose, it’s the "stranger" in Yara’s words.

He resisted the urge to touch the YS dagger and the urge to return to his room and ask Joel.

"Please continue." Thales immediately reversed his emotions and nodded. "Please tell me the next part."

Gilbert readjusted the bow tie which was slightly distorted because of his excitement, and continued to say:

"Your mother, I only know a little about her. According to your father, our respected King Kaiser, her name should be Therren Girana. As for the surname - his Majesty did not talk about her origins but she’s probably not a noblewoman. From this name, I even suspect that she is a foreigner."

"But that's it. Even her age, when did she meet his majesty, and whether she is alive now, I am unable to know."

Thales frowned.

"I was sent to Black Street Brotherhood at least seven years ago," said Thales, bowing his head and ponderingly said. "In other words, in 665, my biological mother met the king, can you —"

But at this time, Gilbert shook his head.

"His majesty has too many lovers, some are known to the public, while some remain in the dark, some are as short as one or two months, while some have been with him for ten years. About their specific situations, I fear that probably only Joel who is close to his Majesty would know."

"But none of them have any children?" Thales asked suspiciously. "Only my unseen mother happened to give birth to me? Then when my blood dripped onto the ground, it was discovered by the Lamp of Blood? Isn't it too suspicious?"

"My father, his Majesty, the King, is also really indifferent toward his illegitimate child. It seemed like he didn’t want to talk about my mother with me. Are you sure that I am really their child?"

Gilbert frowned.

"It’s inconvenience, also impossible for me to interfere with his Majesty’s actions."

"As for your mother, you can only say that this is fate’s arrangement," the middle-aged nobleman said while being slightly uncomfortable: "And, I have to remind you that the kind of thought you had just now is very unfavorable for your future identity, please don’t mention it again."

Gilbert's eyes were so severe that Thales on the leather chair couldn't help but shrink back.

"After all, the Lamp of Blood created by the divinity of Sunset goddess cannot be wrong, and his Majesty also insists that – Lady Therren Girana is your biological mother."

"So please remember this, then bury it in your mind. Maybe one day, his Majesty will answer your doubt."

With the frosty expression of Kaiser the Fifth and his unquestionable majestic feels flashed through his mind, Thales turned his head to another direction and blinked his eyes blankly.

“The above is where you come from and who you are.”

Gilbert seriously and solemnly said.

"So, about where you are going -"

At this time, a man suddenly appeared in the study room!

Silently landing in front of them!

Gilbert's expression changed, he quickly got up in an instant and kicked a cane beside his feet!

When the cane was caught in his hand, the middle-aged nobleman had already strictly covered Thales.

Thales realized that despite looking like a gentle and elegant middle-aged nobleman, his martial art is not bad at all!

But the middle-aged nobleman uttered a breath and loosed his tension along with Thales.

Because suddenly appeared was a man whose whole body was covered in black hood and skin-tight suit, wearing a violet mask on his face.

"Hide."

The secret bodyguard of the High King, Joel Gatos used his hoarse voice to say briefly.

"Someone is approaching here at high speed, twenty of them!"

At that moment, Gilbert’s words from just now flashed in Thales mind:

Stella’s history has never lacked the color of blood.

End of chapter IV