In the black prison, the atmosphere full of ominous and terrifying meanings has not dissipated for a long time.

Even after Ricky's laughter and Saker's sobs had faded away, Tails could still feel the eerie, the chilling shudder that permeated the air.

The Year of Blood.

Eddy II.

Bright Star Royalty.

and, the only ...... that threatens the Magical Empress

The perfect anti-demon armament.

Tails breathed in a trance, just realizing that his hands and feet were trembling slightly.

The secret just now gave the prince too much shock.

Tails looked down in a daze, looking at the palm of his left hand, there were still a few shallow scars, which he couldn't see if he didn't look closely.

Six years ago, he used this hand to hold that forbidden weapon...... Sealed Giza?

That one is very likely to be the culprit who killed the Bright Star Royal Family......

The Edge of the Pure World?

Thinking of its name, which should not be a coincidence, and the strange call of life, Tails couldn't help but clench his fists, and his heart tightened.

What the hell is that?

Countless questions and goosebumps came over him and engulfed him.

"It's time for us to go. ”

On the other side, Ricky put away his aftertaste and happy expression, and replied indifferently:

"That's it for today. ”

But just as he turned.

"Wait, Ricky. ”

Semir, who was also stunned, sighed and looked at Saker in prison: "One last question. ”

In the dim light, the figure of the Knight of Punishment seemed to sit on the ground, full of sorrow.

Ricky frowned slightly, but didn't say anything after all.

Semir walked towards the fence step by step, the firelight pushing the shadow of the fence in front of him, and continued to approach the corner where Saker was hiding.

"Just now, Sakel. ”

"Little Barney told me," Semir took a breath and hesitated slightly, "there was a traitor in the royal guard back then, and he betrayed His Majesty and His Highness. ”

Sakel in the cell shuddered and looked up sluggishly.

The expression is wandering.

Tails forcibly put away the chaotic thoughts in his heart and looked into the field.

Barney said in a daze, "Remembering the scene just now, Semir, who was holding a torch, had a painful face: "What should be done inside and outside, what is falsely spreading the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, what is deliberately taking us around in circles, and what is still lurking in our ranks afterwards...... Nonsense like that. ”

Sakel, who was sitting on the ground against the wall, was still silently watching him, but his face was slightly lowered, immersed in the shadows, and he couldn't really see it.

Semir chuckled sarcastically or self-deprecatingly.

"As if traitors really exist," said Semir's tone, revealing unspeakable sadness:

"It was as if if they could find him, Barney Jr. would be free, or at least atone for their sins. ”

Sakel in prison exhaled softly, as if he had not recovered from the blow he had just received.

But at least he spoke, in a casual tone, as if sleepwalking:

"Yes. ”

Semir's face tightened.

"So, Sakel," he said as if he had made up his mind, gritting his teeth, "I must ask this: Is it you?"

"The so-called traitor ...... back then"

"Is that you?"

This question makes both Tails and Ricky different, the former silent and the latter indifferent.

Like a sluggish old man, Sakel took a few seconds to react.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Samir in confusion in a dark corner where the light could not reach.

"Back then, when the situation was urgent and there were enemies on all sides. ”

As he exhaled, Semir gritted his teeth and said with a little difficulty:

"Whether it is at the palace gate or in the Hall of Stars, whether it is Captain Cullen or Big Barney and Tony, they are all relieved to put all the forty-six people who were later sentenced by the elite main force of the guard into your hands, or watch you leave, or count on your help......"

He clenched his fists unconsciously.

"Because they all know and believe that no matter how powerful the enemy is, if there is a Knight of Punishment to lead the way, and the next captain of the guard they are optimistic about, then everything will be fine. ”

Semir pinned his head, as if he couldn't bear to hurt the man in front of him who was deeply hit and bruised: "Unless...... Unless he's a traitor. ”

The flag bearer closed his eyes gently.

"Is that you, Saker?"

Both Tails and Ricky listened quietly.

In his cell, Sakel took a few breaths and slowly raised his gaze.

"Is it me?" he repeated dumbfoundedly, his eyes confused.

Semir opened his eyes slightly, and although he couldn't bear it a little, he still spoke in a tough tone:

"Sakel, you may not be good at forgery or espionage, but you are the crown prince's henchman of the guard, and you are still the best fighting force, not to mention that you also serve as the chief flag officer. ”

Sakel tugged at the corners of his mouth with a smirk, and Tails couldn't make out the exact look above the corners of his mouth due to the light.

"It's me...... Is it?"

He repeated again faintly.

Semir sighed, seemingly unconfident in the other man's state.

But he paused for a few seconds, but he still spoke decisively.

"Sakel, I know you're not in your right mind," the flag bearer gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "but it doesn't matter, I believe that, like many people, like me, there is only one thing in your memory that will never fade." ”

Boom!

Semir raised his fist and slammed it into his chest!

Let the three people present can't help but look sideways.

"Swear, Sakel, in front of me, in front of the Bright Stars. ”

Semir said resolutely, a cold glint flashing in his eyes:

"With your honor, your dignity, your sword, your ancestors, and your legacy, the Ludol nobles, who have been loyal to the throne since the age of the Empire, in the name of the Sachael family, solemnly swear!"

Finally, Sakel, who heard this, trembled!

The Knight of Punishment slowly stood up, his branded face revealing in the dim light of the fire, his eyes slowly gaining focus.

Ricky was thoughtful.

Sémir was short of breath and continued with a painful face on his face: "Solemnly swear, Sakel...... In this life, you have never betrayed the Bright Star Royal Family, betrayed the Royal Guard, or betrayed the Praetorian Guard's oath!"

Sakel's face slowly became solemn.

Tails' breathing gradually decreased.

"Tell me, tell me personally, you're not a traitor. ”

Semir said in a low voice, and there seemed to be helplessness in his tone:

"Tell me. ”

But Sakel did not answer, he just looked at Semir from a distance, his eyes slightly cold.

For a moment, only the breathing of four people could be heard in the air.

But in the next second

Trample!

I saw Semir take a fierce step forward and grab the bars of Sakel's cell!

Ricky's face changed slightly.

"Please!"

Semir turned his back to Tails, his expression uncertain, and his tone was rather gnashing his teeth.

But Sakel remained silent, just staring at him.

"Please, answer me, Your Excellency," again, Sémir's words already had a hint of pleading:

"It's so important. ”

His hand gripping the fence was already shaking.

Finally, Sakel snorted softly, and his eyes, which had just been sloppy, returned to clarity.

"Too important?"

"Why are they little Barney questioning you, Semir?"

He curled the corners of his mouth and shook his head silently:

"If you're a traitor?"

Semir's face turned pale, and he didn't know if it was because he couldn't stand the pain or something else, so he subconsciously let go of the fence and took a step back.

His palms trembled slightly.

"And you, do you wish I was a traitor," the Knight of Punishment laughed, "or do you wish I wasn't?"

There was a long silence in the air.

Semir bowed his head deeply.

However, it wasn't long before a silent sigh came from the darkness.

Unexpectedly, Sakel's voice gradually sounded, from low to high, from light to heavy.

"I swear," he said lightly.

"Imanusakel, I hereby solemnly swear in the name of my honor, my dignity, my sword, my ancestors, allegiance to the Saqel family, who have been under the throne since the time of the Empire. ”

As if inspired by something, Semir looked up with a complicated expression.

"Poor all my life, forever," Saker's tone became more and more solemn as the words progressed:

"I have never betrayed the Shining Star Royalty, and I have never betrayed the Praetorian Guard's oath. ”

Tails' eyebrows skipped a beat.

He seemed to be missing something.

Sure enough, Sakel's sigh came again:

"The only thing I'm sorry for is you. ”

Semir's breath felt like someone had choked him.

Only to hear the decadent and sad voice of the Knight of Punishment continue to sound:

"It's Captain Cullen, it's Tony, it's Molian, it's Belletti, it's Chimera, it's Rogo, it's Tardin, it's Brie, it's Nai, and you, Semir......"

"All the brethren of the royal guard. ”

He sounded like an old man in his old age, repenting of the sins of his youth.

Semir remained motionless.

"As a man of high hopes, I am neither able nor powerless to protect you, to help you, to lead you, to walk with you through obstacles and dangers," Sakel said, looking at the imprint on his face, as he looked at Semir, and said in a daze:

"I can only sit here, day after day, year after year, and watch you sink here, tormented. ”

Tails turned his head, thinking of the thirty-seven Imperial Guards who died in the Prison of Bones above, remembering their sluggish, desolate, relieved, or crazy eyes, and looking at Sakel, who was bearded at this time, it was quite unpleasant for a while.

Sakel closed his eyes lightly and squeezed out a word that had been pressed on his heart for I don't know how many years:

"I'm sorry. ”

Another silence.

Semir's expression remained unchanged for a long time, but he slowly turned his head away.

"So, the traitor is not you," the flag bearer trembled slightly, "or, the traitor has died in prison." ”

"Or, there are no traitors at all, and no one has betrayed His Majesty's family?"

Semir turned his head sharply, and there seemed to be a faint pleading in his tone:

"Everything, everything is just the conspirator's imagination of Barney Jr.?"

Sakel did not answer him immediately, but paced silently, and sat back down again in his place with a desolate atmosphere.

Half an hour later, a faint sigh came from the air.

"Maybe. ”

Semir was slightly startled: "What?"

Sacrael leaned his head back against the wall, his eyes seeming to lose focus again:

"I think, traitor, there must be. ”

As soon as these words came out, both Semir and Tails, even Ricky's expression changed.

Until his words continued.

"But they're not just someone, they're not a face, they're not a name. ”

Semir frowned:

"What do you mean?"

Sakel shook his head with a helpless, empty smile.

"The brothers of the royal guards are all from the major noble courts of the royal capital," he looked overhead, as if he had seen the past there, and the rhythm of his tone became up and down, and the rhythm was orderly:

"Barney, Belletti, Semir, Tardin, Saqel...... The old captain is the Sun Sword and Shield from the six wealthy families, and he is the younger brother of the guardian duke of the East China Sea. ”

"They all have a high sense of honor and responsibility, even a sense of mission, they are proud to be stars, proud to be descendants of the empire, and regard the kingdom as their eternal home and belonging. ”

Listening to the words of the Punishment Knight, Semir was silent.

"But ......"

Sakel changed his mind.

"You just heard that man's words, about the secrets of the Dragon Breaker," his expression turned sad and painful, "about ...... back then. ”

The other three were stunned.

Sakel's breathing was disturbed for a moment, and a bitter color flashed across his face, which then turned into a convulsive chuckle:

"Hahaha......"

No one spoke.

"Actually, there were signs of everything very early, I knew, I should have known. ”

"From the decree of restriction of power issued to the great nobles, from the decree of commerce, from the marriage of His Majesty, from the frequent entry and exit of the palace counsellors, from the meetings convened from time to time, from the increasingly fierce audience of the vassals, I should have seen that the doubts in the eyes of the brethren and others had long since been planted and slowly sprouted. ”

Semir did not speak.

"Look at what His Majesty has done, look at the path His Majesty has taken, look at the battlefield on which he stands, and look at the enemy he has chosen," the prisoner still looked at the ceiling with a complicated expression, and his laughter was full of bitterness and remorse:

"Look at the future he has chosen for the thousands of people of the stars. ”

Tails listened to him silently, imagining what the former Eddy II would have to face in that era.

Sagar exhaled hoarsely.

Thinking of the Pure World's Edge and the secrets he had just learned, Tails couldn't help but frown.

Semir turned his head sharply, as if he couldn't bear to listen anymore.

"You and Barney Jr., you're so desperate to find that betrayer, but ......"

"I'm thinking...... If you call a traitor, if those who have expectations and visions for the future of the Kingdom of Stars, if they really know something like the Dragon Breaker, so they act for it, and are willing to bear the condemnation of their conscience, even if it is against the will of the king......"

Sakel stared blankly into the void, immersed in his own world, and spoke more and more incoherently:

"If they can no longer tell what betrayal is and what loyalty is...... It's not impossible, is it?"

Semir was stunned.

Sakel, however, went on in a trance:

"The question is, Sémir, what position should we stand on in order to condemn them without hesitation?

The air inside and outside the cells seemed to freeze, and the prisoners and robbers tasted different bitternesses in it.

Eventually, Semir's expression moved.

"I don't understand. He said quietly.

Sakel smiled.

"Oh, I don't understand. ”

The Knight of Punishment seemed to slowly come to his senses, and he folded his arms and sank his face into the darkness.

"Go, you don't belong here, you don't have to be here, you're not the one to blame. ”

Sakel slowly stretched out his hand, pointing again to the empty corner outside the cell, as if there was really someone there:

"Not the one who should face him here. ”

It seemed to be a long time before Semir turned around with difficulty, like a hibernating animal.

No longer looks at the Knight of Punishment.

Semir took a sharp breath, as if to swallow all the indescribable resentment and grievances into his chest.

"I told you," Ricky tapped the hilt of his sword lightly on the other side, as if he didn't care:

"People who face the past can't find the answer. ”

Eventually, under Ricky's gaze, Semir took a step and walked towards the road he had come from with a feeling of regret or relief.

Leave Saker's cell behind.

Tails stared at his back, frowning tightly.

"What are you waiting for, Your Highness?"

Ricky chuckled as if he were calling for a child to eat:

"The show is over. ”

To his surprise, Tails didn't follow up, but looked at Ricky with a pair of eyes that had become alert at some point.

"So that's your goal?"

"The secret?"

Tails leaned down and picked up the extinguished torch on the ground, looking at the residual temperature on it, and faintly discerning a thin sheet of ash.

Ricky frowned imperceptibly.

I saw the prince slowly raise his head, and exhale softly in the light of the fire as Semir walked farther and farther: "And then?"

Semir's footsteps stopped, and he noticed Tails' performance.

Then we went home. Ricky looked at Tails coldly, not satisfied with the latter's uncooperative appearance.

"Unless, you still want to have a good time with the hammer who killed your uncle?"

Tails sighed heavily.

So.

This is the last step of these people.

Perhaps, as suspected, there is another exit from the Prison of Bones that can completely avoid the eyes and ears of the camp.

After that, there is no way out for themselves except their claws.

Tails took a deep breath and whispered to himself, "I'm ready." ”

I'm ready.

In the next second, His Royal Highness the Prince raised his head with a bright smile:

"Hey, can you have a discussion?"

Tails looked at the torch with only the stick left in his hand, and scratched his head in annoyance, "I mean, look, since you've got what you want, and I'm a weak teenager......"

Ricky shook his head slightly, and took his words without question:

"That's what we want. ”

Tails paused.

I saw Ricky slowly stepping forward, faintly threatening:

"Even more than we originally wanted to be. ”

Tails couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

He had to sigh, "But, you know, neither the kingdom nor the secret department will let you out of the camp easily. ”

Semir walked back and looked at Tails with Ricky, who looked intent on negotiating.

"They won't," Ricky snorted.

"But they don't know. ”

Tails showed a helpless smile and spread his hands: "But ......"

"What if they knew?"

Under the light of Semir's fire, Ricky frowned slightly:

"What do you mean?"

Tails bared a mouthful of white teeth and smiled shyly.

"I mean, what if the Kingdom Secret Department knew about your actions from beginning to end, from beginning to end, clearly?"

Ricky was stunned at first, and then his face sank:

"You ......"

But at the moment when Ricky's first syllable exited, a sudden change occurred!