Tails walked out of the cell where he interrogated Anker numbly, in a trance.

In front of Raphael and Nobu, he still instinctively maintained his dignity and bearing as the Duke of Star Lake, and his every move was graceful and steady - he still remembered everything that happened in the interrogation room, and remembered how his words and deeds were affected by his position of power rather than their specific content, and the consequences were irreversible.

This is his luck, but also his curse.

But when the two members of the secret department came up to him and asked the prince respectfully (but with doubts), "What did he say to you......?"

"Nothing," Tails only remembered his voice as calm as ever:

He was just reluctant and begging for his life. ”

Neither Raphael nor Nobu said anything.

However, the bone-man's gaze lingered on him for a little longer.

Norbu looked around and became more serious.

But that doesn't matter anymore.

[The carriage will disperse, what do you want?]

Hold on to your sword. 】

The words that Anker pulled out of his throat with all his might as hard as he could were dying of his breath haunted his heart like maggots on tarsal bones, echoing and deafening from time to time.

"Please follow me, Your Highness, the exit is here. ”

In front of Tails, who did not belong to the gods, Norbu saluted respectfully, humbly and low-key:

"According to the rules, we can't go back the way we came. ”

But Raphael, who appeared before him and Tails, glanced at Nobu without being salty:

"I'll just send him out. ”

Nobu smiled and nodded, not retorting, while Gomez behind him looked back and forth at the two of them, occasionally sneaking a glance at Tails.

But Tails didn't care.

The boy only remembered that he had politely and modestly thanked Nobu and Gomez, and mechanically departed under their respectful or flattered eyes.

"You say, you only started the interrogation today?" Raphael stared at Norbu, who had a calm face.

"Definitely. Looking at the back of the prince as he departed, Nob smiled and nodded.

Raphael glanced at Anker, who had passed out.

"I'm so lucky. ”

The barren bone man said coldly, turned around and followed the prince:

"What a coincidence. ”

Norbu saluted without humility or arrogance and saw Raphael away.

Only at the moment when the other party's figure disappeared, his eyes became deep and strange.

"Very well, the troublesome prince is finally gone. Wiping his sweat, Gomez, the fat man who seemed to have finished the big exam, pulled his apron, shook his fat for a while, turned to look at the naked Anke, and happily picked up a pair of pliers:

"Now we can get back to the point, and see if I don't squeeze him dry......"

"Gomez. ”

"Yes?"

Nobu turned his head with a blank expression:

"Stop. ”

Gomez walked up to Anker with his tiger teeth and froze in the middle of his laughter:

"Okay, I'm just-huh?"

Norbu looked indifferent, and walked towards the unconscious Anker on crutches:

"From now on, don't give him a hard sentence, stop using soft punishments like sleep deprivation, and even give him pain relief if necessary. ”

Gomez was puzzled:

"That'...... How do I ask?"

Nobu shook his head:

"Just when we're police officers now, and we keep the interrogation in words, that's enough. ”

After working together for a long time, Gomez read the other party's calm but resolute tone, and hesitated slightly:

"But we finally returned to the royal capital, and finally encountered this big case in the Kansai Wilderness, if we don't take this opportunity to make meritorious contributions......"

"We've made a meritorious service. ”

Nobu looked out the door into the darkness, and then leaned over to look at their prisoners, his eyes flickering:

"Just now. ”

Already meritorious?

Gomez blinked, and he wanted to fight again:

"But didn't you say that this guy must have something to keep or hide, maybe there's something big about it? The previous interrogator was about to break him, and we need to ask for something before he breaks down or is sent to the gallows, so that Lord Hansen-"

"No," Nob interrupted him again, straightening up with his cane, "trust me. ”

"He's not going to die. ”

Under Gomez's puzzled eyes, Nobu glanced at Anker, who was covered in scales and almost skinless, and said quietly:

"Not today. ”

Tails walked expressionlessly down the dimly lit underground corridor of Myco.

But he felt like he was standing on the Ghost Prince's Tower in the Bladefang Camp, bearing the cold wind, flying sand, and cold palms.

[He told me that if I had to use this chip......]

Raphael walked in front of him to lead the way, his back ghostly.

【Be sure to leave it to you......】

Instead of going back, they walked through level after level, weaving through a labyrinth of underground corridors.

But Tails didn't care anymore.

[I can only leave it to you.] 】

Tails clenched his fists.

Why.

His eyes passed through the darkness of the corridor, and in a trance, he was projected to the Western Wilderness, thousands of miles away, the nobleman with a hateful face, a maverick, and often fond of laughing maliciously.

Only a few months ago, he was still talking and pointing out in front of him.

behaves uniquely, worrying about the country and the people.

But.

Why?

He is the man behind Anker.

He put the bargaining chips that could suppress the princes of the Western Wilderness and destroy the Great Wall into his own hands.

Hand over to a ...... In the hands of the bright star.

Tails gritted his teeth.

He didn't understand at first, and he was agitated.

But when he woke up a little, he was even more anxious, uncertain, and uneasy.

Why?

Cyril Falkenhause.

This self-righteous and pretending to be a sophisticated old bastard.

Why did he do that?

Who does he think he is?

What power does he have?

What makes sense of him!

He—

"Wow, Morat's snake cub. ”

A male voice with a Northland accent came from behind a prison door, dragging Tails back to reality:

"Long time no see. ”

Facing the other party's old acquaintance's tone, Raphael ignored it and walked quickly through the prison door.

Snake cubs.

Hearing this, Tails in a trance felt an inexplicable familiarity - when he was still in Exeter, the Grand Duke of Alesio under the leadership of Willand often called him viciously "the little viper of the stars".

What's more, the prisoner who said this also had a Northland accent.

It's as if he's back in time.

Back to those years in Longxiao City, where he was able to support himself despite his hardships and hardships, without worrying a lot, and even being able to enjoy himself in the midst of hardship......

Longxiao City.

Tails' pupils twitched.

He paused, and the whole person stopped.

Raphael noticed something was wrong and frowned and looked back.

Tails turned slowly, staring at the iron door where the voice came from.

There was a small gate open on the door, and the rare lights in the corridor that were not extinguished reflected the vague figure of the gate.

"What an honor to be here?"

Tails' eye sockets slowly dilated.

He took a deep breath and went further, trying to get a good look behind the iron gate.

Until a hand suddenly reaches out from behind him.

"Boom!"

Raphael appeared in front of him and violently pulled the iron gates, shutting it tightly.

"Mistaken, Your Highness," the barren bone man said casually:

"The way out lies ahead. ”

Tails stood in front of his cell, staring at the iron gates that had been shut.

"Why?"

The prince's voice unconsciously carried a hint of coldness:

"Why did you close it?"

Raphael asked rhetorically, smiling

"Why did it stop?"

Tails was silent for a moment, his gaze resting on the iron gate.

"Turn it on. He said calmly.

Raphael smiled softly, with a casual and cynical attitude:

"Just an annoying prisoner......"

Tails looked around, there were many of these cramped cells in this small cloister, but apparently this was the only one that held the prisoners.

Solitary confinement.

"Turn it on, Raphael. Tails repeated calmly.

The atmosphere was slightly solemn.

Raphael was silent for a second, his smile faded away, and he returned to a businesslike tone:

"Your Highness, this is the important criminal and internal affairs ...... of the secret department"

Tails didn't let him continue, and the prince slowly gritted the words, and his voice was like ice:

"I command you, Raphael: hit, open, it. ”

Raphael frowned:

"According to the rules of the secret department, Your Highness ,......"

Tails' eyes sharpened, and he shouted angrily:

"Fuck, just open it!"

At that moment, the depression and grievances he felt in Miko all turned into anger and exploded in his chest.

Facing the sudden outburst of the prince, Raphael's expression remained unchanged, and his eyes gradually precipitated.

Tyers didn't want to be patient any longer, he stepped forward, grabbed the handle, and pulled the iron gate open!

"Khooth!"

The sound of metal crashing echoed through the hallway.

Raphael didn't stop him, just his eyes were cold.

"What's the matter, pull," the voice just now sounded again, mockingly:

"I haven't seen you for a long time, and you want to treat me to a good meal?"

A face full of stubble appeared at the gate, casting a cold glance at Raphael.

The moment he saw the other party's appearance, Tails' eyes widened.

"Gu?"

Shock and confusion flooded Tails' mind at the same time, forcing him to speak silently:

"Is that you?"

Behind the gate, the face full of Far Eastern characteristics stiffened slightly.

The prisoner turned to Tails, slightly confused.

Raphael's face sank, and he exhaled imperceptibly.

That's right.

The incredulous Tails scrutinized every inch of the prisoner's face in the Far East, overlooking doubts about the prisoner's voice and confirming his suspicions.

It's him.

It was indeed him.

Six years ago, the butcher shop owner in Longxiao City, the Far Easterner who gave him a place of refuge and a meal in the desperate morning after the night of the dragon's blood.

"It's you, Gu. ”

Tails said stunned.

Suddenly, Longxiao City, Xichi Avenue, butcher shop, small slippery head...... Scenes from the past are coming to mind.

But—

"Who are you?"

Through the narrow gate, the scruffy-looking Far Eastern man looked at Tails and bowed to Raphael:

"The concubine he thinks about for a long time, but can't ask for it?"

Raphael snorted coldly and did not answer.

"I ......"

Tails looked at the old man, looking at him in this cramped and claustrophobic cell, and felt that his mood was complicated and the taste was indescribable.

He took a deep breath.

"Six and a half, remember?"

Six and a half pieces.

At that moment, the prisoner's eyes slowly froze.

He looked back at this neat and well-dressed young man, who was only half a head shorter than Raphael, and gradually woke up and was relieved.

"Oh," Gu turned around, his face disappeared at the gate, and a muffled sound came from the iron gate: "It's you." ”

"So you escaped, little prince—maybe not any longer young. ”

His words are full of melancholy and emotion:

"You and your little maid are not in the hands of that cunning Comas. ”

The Little Prince.

Comas.

Gu's words evoked memories for Tails.

It seemed that he had sat down in the butcher's shop six years ago again, and had picked up the bowl on the table with the little slippery head, and drank the broth with a heavy heart.

Raphael exhaled through his nose, obviously very unhappy.

"What's going on?"

Tails threw himself at the iron door and asked urgently:

"Gu, why are you ......?"

Tails paused.

Wait a minute.

Gu, his impression of himself was still stuck six years ago, at the moment when Marquis Slais took away the prince and the little slippery head.

Tails' pupils slowly dilated.

He didn't know what happened to him after that night.

I don't know that the second prince of Xingchen later spread folk stories.

That is to say......

Tails frowned, staring at the darkness behind the gates.

From behind the iron gate, Gu Man's disdainful laughter came.

Tails took a deep breath, suppressed his indignation, and asked Raphael beside him as calmly as possible:

"He was locked up six years ago. ”

The prince spoke with difficulty:

"Why?"

Raphael clasped his arms together with a slightly somber expression.

"Six years?"

Gu's voice sounded, with surprise and self-deprecation.

"Damn, there's no sun reference, and the time is really inaccurate. ”

Tails was overwhelmed when he heard this.

He thought of the guards in the Prison of Bones, and the sigh of the vicissitudes of life after each of them knew how long they had been held.

"Your business is done, Your Highness," Raphael said coldly.

"It doesn't have to be a complication at all. ”

Gu's snort came again.

Tails suppressed the strangeness of his mood and tried his best to think calmly and rationally.

Six years ago......

After separating from himself, something must have happened to Gu.

Let him be left in exile and imprisoned.

The Sins of Hellriver came uninvited, filling Tails' brain, washing away his memories and washing out an old scene.

[Your Highness, do you remember what happened in Longxiao City six years ago?]

On the day he fled from Longxiao City, the words spoken by Putilai in the secret passage rang in his ears.

[No, it's not all. 】

[On that day six years ago, something else happened in the shadows that we couldn't see, outside Valhalla and the shield area. 】

Tails jerked his head up.

"That night, Raphael. ”

He looked at Raphael, staring at the other man's dark red eyes:

"In Longxiao City, the night of the dragon's blood," the prince gritted his teeth lightly and asked the key directly:

"Except for the calamity, except for the rumba, except for the things in Valhalla......"

"What else did you do?"

"Follow him...... What does it have to do with Gu. ”

But Raphael did not move, only his expression was deep.

"What did you do?"

The answer to the boy was still the Far Easterner with a Northland accent, full of sarcasm:

"What else can they do?"

"As always, adhering to the fine tradition of the secret department, even the leftover bones of the dog will not be spared. ”

Tails and Raphael turned their heads to look at the cell at the same time, the former suspicious, the latter gloomy.

"It's like they're doing to everyone, including you. ”

Gu sneered and shouted out the young man's name:

"Prince Tails. ”

Tails' eyes changed and he was about to speak, but Raphael spoke first, and his tone was detached:

"I'd love to answer your questions, Your Highness, but this is not my case. ”

Tails' face sank.

"It's not a fart," Gu snorted coldly behind the door, piercing Raphael's words:

"Six years ago, you were the first to find me. ”

Tails narrowed his eyes at Raphael.

This is not the first time he has rejected himself today.

The barren man looked at the darkness behind the gate, his eyes terrifying:

"Your Highness, it is an exception for you to contact important criminals in private, don't waste ...... again"

"Lord Hansen said it!"

Tails suddenly raised his voice and interrupted Raphael's words:

"The reason why I don't get along with you is that we will always go our own way, and we can't get up or down. ”

Raphael did not speak.

But Tails stared deeply into his red eyes, as if to tear open the world behind his pupils:

"It's a great opportunity to make a difference. ”

The Far Easterners behind the door burst into laughter, half mockery, half disdain.

Raphael remained calm and calm, silently withstanding the prince's razor-sharp gaze that could almost break through the iron wall.

"Not here, not now. He said lightly.

In the dimly lit hallway, Tails and Raphael stood on either side of the iron prison door, silently facing each other.

The lights that don't go out stretch their shadows, like two rails, stretching in parallel.

The gate at the door stood between them, claustrophobic and dark, bottomless.

"He helped me and I owe him my life. ”

Tails could only feel his composure, the sin of the River of Hell running through his veins, making him feel the direction of the little cloister more and more clearly.

It was as if he was standing outside his oil painting.

Gaze at the painting.

"If he's locked up, I have to know why. Tails' tone was cold, but there was a meaning that could not be refused.

That night.

That crucial night.

It was a night that not only reversed the future fate of the two great powers and decided the political situation of the world, but also secretly surged and buried countless secrets.

That made Putile suspicious, and even had to avoid the supervision of the secret department, and privately warned Tails for the night.

Obviously, Gu is one piece of the puzzle.

The momentum on Raphael's body slowly changed, from round to casual to sharp and dangerous, making Tails sting slightly.

At that moment, standing in front of him was no longer the young Raphael who rescued him from prison six years ago, and then forgot his life and death to go to Valhalla with him.

It's a secret agent with a mysterious identity and unpredictable intentions, terrifying and dangerous methods, and a killer of bones.

But Tails didn't retreat, just met the other party's gaze.

"If you're going to be compassionate, maybe you need to know that too. ”

Raphael's voice was low, but there was an inexplicable harshness, and the warning was extremely obvious:

"He has harmed us and owes us many lives. ”

Hurt us.

Tails was silent for a second.

"I'm not going to let him go," the prince's face was a little pale, but his words were soft and hard, and gradually increased:

"Just wanted to ask about something—the secrets of the Shining Star Royalty. ”

Raphael's eyes narrowed.

"Know the secret," he said plainly but surely the creed left by the former head of the secret department, "Wise Minister" Kharwa Kalabyan:

"My responsibility. ”

Tails' eyes snapped.

"You missed the first sentence. ”

The prince confronted each other and said coldly:

"Thou art 'the eyes and ears of the king.'" ”

Raphael snorted coldly.

"When you are crowned king," replied the boneless, making the atmosphere even more cold and solemn:

"It's not too late. ”

Coronation as king.

Tails was expressionless.

But within him, the sins of the Hell River began to boil again, transforming anger and coldness into dangerous weapons.

Raphael immediately frowned - his hands tensed unconsciously.

"You are wrong, grown up Your Highness the Prince. ”

However, at this moment, Gu's voice sounded at the right time, inserting this unfriendly conversation, still full of sarcasm and disdain:

"You don't get along with the secret department, it's not because you can't get through to the top and bottom. ”

Tails and Raphael turned their heads in unison.

The Far Easterner's face reappeared at the gate, and he tapped lightly on the iron door, full of contempt:

"It's because you're still a human being. ”

He looked deeply at the barren bone, his eyes cold.

"It's not...... Monster. ”

Raphael's expression did not move, but the corners of his mouth slowly tightened.

"You know what, prince?"

Gu suddenly laughed, and said to Tails in a matter-of-fact manner:

"Six years ago, in Longxiao City, in an inn in the spear district, ......"

The next moment, Raphael's arm turned into an afterimage and pressed the iron gate!

Tails strikes quickly!

But at the moment when the two of them touched their skin, Tails' expression changed:

The majestic force and obvious tingling, as well as a strange feeling of flesh and blood, came from the hand at the same time.

It's -

"Bang!"

A rough metal clash resounded in the hallway!

Tails looked at the scene in front of him with a grim face:

He strangled the wrist of the desolate bone man, but he couldn't prevent the other party from pulling the iron gate again, and once again locked Gu's sarcastic expression into the darkness.

He lost.

The Sins of the River of Hellriver roared, flowing rapidly, dissolving the numbness and pain in Tails' hands.

Tails looked up angrily:

"Turn it on. ”

But Raphael's arms were cast like brass and iron, and they were firmly pressed against the handles of the iron gates.

"Your Highness, we have a good relationship and have lived and died together," the barren bone man said quietly:

"Please don't be embarrassed for me. ”

The sin of the Prison River boiled again, and Tails gritted his teeth and exerted his strength, but Raphael's arm did not move at all, like a boundless black hole, silently bearing all the power that Tails could muster.

A few seconds later, Tails, who knew he was invincible, exhaled from his nose and let go of the other party.

The sins of the River of Hellland pained away from his hands, leaving only an unwilling roar.

"I think I know," the second prince looked at Raphael with a sword in the eye:

"Why can't you and Miranda be together? ”

The barren bone's eyes changed slightly.

"That's definitely not because of who you are. ”

Tails said coldly:

"And just because of you, because of who you are. ”

"Raphael Lindbergh. ”

Raphael didn't move, and even his expression froze.

Looking at the other party's expression, Tails silently began to think.

Gu didn't finish his words.

But that's enough.

The information revealed by the Far Easterners was like a piece of a long-lost puzzle that flowed into Tails' rushing mind.

Enough for him to spell out the next clue.

The next chip.

[Listen, Your Highness, what I'm going to say next is that Gilbert's sanctimonious old fox will never tell you. 】

Putile's warning sounded in his mind with deep suspicion:

[It won't be what the mysterious and abnormal secret department will tell you.] 】

[Remember, Your Highness.] 】

[Don't trust anyone in this matter......]

"Hostel. ”

Tails looked at Raphael silently:

"Gu said, the inn in the spear area. ”

Sure enough, he was satisfied to see that Raphael had changed color slightly.

The barren bone man said in a deep voice: "That's because he has bad intentions and is trying to sow discord and disturb your mind. ”

Tails smiled.

"But you told me that the secret headquarters of Longxiao City, that is, the spear chess and card room I evacuated, was also an inn six years ago. ”

Raphael's hand was still pressed on the iron gate, and his face was as pale as ice:

"I didn't say that. ”

Tails stepped forward and curled the corners of his mouth contemptuously:

"That's what you forgot. ”

Raphael's eyes flashed.

The handle of the iron gate deformed in his knuckles, making a metallic bending sound.

Tails frowned, he looked at the delicate and white hands of the barren bones, and remembered the amazing appearance of the other party who broke into prison and took six lives with one sword.

"Impossible," Raphael stiffened his face and slowly bitten the words:

"Where did you hear that?"

Tails didn't think about the strength under the opponent's hand, and re-met Raphael's dark red eyes.

"Karen Booker. ”

The name came out of Tails' mouth, making Raphael's gaze even colder.

Tails knew he had taken the right step, and the oddity was here.

So the prince pursued the victory:

"He is not only the owner of that inn, but also a special intelligence officer of the Kingdom Secret Department who has been lurking in Longxiao City for twenty years. On that chaotic day, he died in a burglary. ”

This time, Raphael was silent for a long time, and then he spoke softly:

"Who told you?"

Tails remembered the secret headquarters in the spear district of Longxiao City, and the secret passage for him to escape control.

"I met Booker when I was in Dragon's Sky, he was a good man, but he could never die in a robbery. ”

Raphael snorted coldly:

"You've been running for your life all day, there's no way you're going to know him. ”

Tails showed no weakness:

"I know a lot of people. ”

"And you, you're just too ignorant. ”

This phrase, learned from Ricky, made Raphael silent for a long time.

"It won't help, Your Highness," Raphael stopped dwelling on the subject, his gaze shifted to the cell where Gu was being held:

"I will not be sorry for your excessive requests. ”

Looking at the barren bones who didn't eat oil and salt, Tails became more and more irritable.

He won't cooperate.

Like the secret department, they have never liked the prince, let alone obey.

The prince came to this conclusion.

But at this moment, Tails remembered the words of the Black Prophet:

[It doesn't matter if you like me or not. 】

[The important thing is that you don't like me, can you go beyond me and your established position, under your control, and bring real utility. 】

At that moment, Tails looked at the unfriendly barren man, clenched his fists, and then slowly relaxed.

"Yes, you're right. ”

"You can't do it. ”

Duke Xinghu raised his chin slightly, as if he didn't care about the other party's performance:

"Maybe I should go to Nobu. ”

Without hesitation, Tails turned around and walked the way he came.

Leaving behind him, Raphael stared at the young man's back, his eyebrows getting tighter and tighter.

Tails walked as usual, but deliberately increased his pace, and the sound of footsteps echoed through the dark and oppressive corridors, step after step, like the beating of war drums.

Raphael's gaze froze.

A second, two seconds, the prince's figure slowly blurred in the darkness.

In fact, Tails knew that what Raphael was unwilling or unable to do for him, Nobu, who had been away from the secret department for many years and had just returned to the royal capital, might not be able to do it.

But.

The prince shook off the superfluous baggage of his mind and strode forward, remembering the most effective way of bargaining that he had seen on the streets in his beggar days.

Finally, when Tails counted to the tenth step......

"Your Highness!"

Tails' footsteps stopped just in time.

With his back to Raphael, the corners of his mouth curled slightly.

Tails turned his head, still with a deep expression.

Raphael let go of his hand holding the iron gate, but instead of opening it, he walked towards Tails step by step.

"It's useless to look at whoever you turn to. ”

The barren bone man said lightly:

"Even Your Majesty. ”

Tails' mood sank.

Your Majesty.

Damn it.

[Your Highness, you must do this, and you should do this......]

[The truth about the Year of Blood, about your own life experience, can only be discovered, traced, and confirmed by yourself. 】

Thinking of Putile's warning, Tails took a deep breath, trying not to think about the figure on the throne:

"Then I'd be happy to try it and see what my father had to say. ”

Tails turned to walk again.

Right now.

"Sariton!"

Raphael's words drifted between the walls, successfully stopping Tails' footsteps.

Sariton.

Sariton?

The name that had not been heard for a long time sounded again, and Tails changed slightly.

Whether it is the shadow of the sunset bar or the horror of jumping off the cliff in the sky, it all hits my heart at this moment.

"What do you mean?"

As if time had slowed down, the second prince slowly turned around and spoke in a deep voice.

Raphael stood in front of him, took a deep breath, and seemed to make up his mind with great perseverance.

"This Far Easterner you care about, Gu ......"

The Bones Man whispered:

"He is a solid ally of the Saliton family, and for more than ten years, he has been secretly working for the 'Monarch Killer Family'. ”

Look at.

Raphael said he was...... What is it?

Tails' expression was the same, but his eyes slowly widened.

The ...... of the Kingkiller Family

Ally?

"Do you understand?"

Raphael returned to his composure and looked at Tails' pair of gray eyes:

"It's useless for you to go to anyone in this matter. ”

"Even Your Majesty. ”

The barren bones narrowed their eyes, their words were like iron, and their words were like knives:

"Especially Your Majesty. ”

When you're away from home, the codeword will be slower

(End of chapter)