"Really?"

King Kessel's voice came from across the long table, and it was extremely cold.

"That's what you're obsessed with?"

The king's shadow was dragged by the firelight to the wall behind him, and a faint sarcasm appeared in his eyes:

"Your ...... Mother?"

Tails stared deeply at King Kessel.

Thranzilana.

The High Priest of Richia, Queen Koya, the old crow, Grevo, almost everyone who knew his mother, had a very different opinion of this woman.

So, what about his father?

"Don't forget," said the prince softly.

"I inherited her name. ”

Or more.

The king snorted.

"Gilbert shouldn't have let you choose that middle name. ”

He spoke slowly, but between the lines he was as cold as ice:

"Pointless. ”

Tails also smiled lightly and shook his head:

"As far as I know, her name is still what you told Gilbert. ”

"And what are you expecting?"

The king responded very quickly and said coldly:

"Do you expect your mother to be an outstanding woman of extraordinary origin, an erudite and talented female scholar, a noble lady, or a brave and fearless female warrior?"

Tails looked at King Kessel's expression and was surprised to find that this was one of the few topics that could make the other person respond in a long sentence.

The prince said tentatively:

"So, is she?"

The king sneered, but his smile faded.

"She's a bitch. ”

Tails' expression changed slightly.

"Like most prostitutes," said King Kessel, with a nonchalant expression and a disdainful tone:

"She was a philistine and greedy, and spent her days posturing in front of her guests, selling herself for money—until she died. ”

"I don't even remember her face. ”

After listening to the king's words, Tails was silent for a long time.

"Bitch?"

Tails muttered in distraction:

"Prostitute?"

Listening to such adjectives, he first remembered the desert slave girl described by the old crow Hisser, the magical Thran.

Immediately afterward, the young man's mind flashed back to the portrait he had seen in the secret department, the "Oriental Shadow" Alve.

However, he remembered the "flower heart" Belicia he had seen in the secret department, and her treacherous gesture of flickering and moving under Raphael's hands.

"Exactly. ”

"Your questions and expectations are meaningless," the king's tone was indifferent, "and you get no solace or peace of mind from her." ”

"To her, you're just an accident after a trade. ”

The ...... of a transaction Accidentally.

Tails couldn't help but clench his fists.

He suddenly remembered the color in his eyes when Fastrope talked about the girl he liked in the Bladetooth camp.

[That girl.] 】

[She's not a bitch.] 】

[It's not.] 】

"And you mother-in-law and mother drag mud and water," King Kessel said coldly:

"It's a shame for the royal family. ”

Tails took a deep breath and opened his fist lightly.

"You're right, Father. ”

"Gilbert's biggest mistake was for me to keep her name. ”

The king's face did not change.

"Because," Tails' eyes froze.

"If she's just an inconsequential prostitute, you don't even bother to remember what she looks like. ”

Tails raised his head and looked directly at the king:

"Then why do you remember her name?"

At that moment, King Kessel's eyes opened slightly!

Tails stared at his father and whispered the peculiar name:

"Thran-Zylana?"

The moment the words fell, Tails had an illusion.

It's like the Ballard Room has suddenly entered winter, the temperature has plummeted, and the air has stagnated.

Even the lights no longer flickered.

And the source of all the cold is at the end of the long table.

The embarrassing silence lasted for a full ten seconds.

"I've given you a chance, child," the King's voice replied to his usual toughness and coldness:

"And you ruined it. ”

He looked deeply at Tails, and there was only a dead silence in his eyes.

The sin of the river of hell in Tails' veins began to flow again, as if it was about to break through the solidified atmosphere.

At that moment, the boy suddenly felt that the king's patience had come to an end, and his next word was to call the guards.

So Tails is faster than him.

"Emore. ”

The prince spoke softly, successfully freezing the king's gaze at the gate.

King Kessel looked back.

"Emorey?"

Tails took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes, the town of Amorey in the Western Wilderness. ”

"This place is ruled by the Emmorey family and has a long history, and the lord's surname is the origin of the place name. ”

King Kessel frowned slightly.

Tails recalled what Dele Cromar and Anke Al Larard had told him, and unhurriedly, he recounted it:

"A few years ago, the lord of the town, the Baron, suffered an injustice and wanted to turn to the Revival Palace to protest to the king for help. ”

But on the way, he encountered misfortune and his family contracted the disease and died. ”

Tails watched King Kessel's reaction, who didn't move, but didn't interrupt him.

In the next second, Tyers' tone changed:

"But in fact, as the rightful vassal of the kingdom, Baron Emmorey did not die of illness. ”

Tails gritted his teeth:

"He and his family were raided and killed by the coalition of his feudal lords and peers, the three major families in power in the Western Wilderness, Falkenhaus, Kloma, and Bozdorf. ”

The two were silent for a few seconds.

"Interesting. ”

The king pondered for a moment, then said slowly:

"Where did you know that?"

Tails' eyes darkened.

In Secret's cell, Anker's voice of pain rang in his ears:

[He also said that in case I fail, in case I have to use this chip......]

[Be sure to give it to you.] 】

[I can only leave it to you.] 】

At this point, Tails took a deep breath.

"It doesn't matter," he said, turning his attention to the matter at hand:

"It's important to ......"

Facing the burning gaze of the king, Tails spoke calmly, and his words were loud:

"In the year 414 of the end of the calendar, the 'creditor' II issued the "Bloodless Decree", prohibiting the vassals in the kingdom from fighting privately and killing each other......"

His voice became serious:

However, the princes of the Western Wilderness were lawless and reckless. ”

"As vassals, they have abused their right to armed self-defense and murdered Baron Amorey for their personal revenge. ”

Tails said about the Western Wilderness, but stared at the face of the iron-fisted king in front of him:

"The methods are brutal and horrific, and the crimes are appalling. ”

The Iron Fist King's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly.

The prince's eyes lit up:

"Is this reason, this chip, and this horse enough to complete the 'Sand King'?"

Tails' voice fell, and the lights flickered around him.

He glared at the king.

King Kessel was silent for a long time, the light in his eyes sparkling back and forth.

After a few seconds, the king gently closed his eyes and buried all his emotions in his heart.

"But we can't use it. ”

King Kessel said softly:

"It's not news that the town of Amorey is infected with the epidemic, and the people of the Western Wilderness have handled it cleanly, and there is no proof of death. ”

Seeing the other party's reaction, Tails couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's right. ”

He said confidently:

"Unless it's not dead without proof......"

Tails' words came to an abrupt end.

"Wait. ”

He looked at King Kessel's indifferent expression and figured out something.

The teenager changed color slightly, unbelievable.

"You know. ”

Tails looked at Kessel and frowned:

"You already know about the town of Amorey, you know about this case?"

In the next second, King Kessel opened his eyes slightly.

The king was expressionless and did not answer.

But Tails has the answer.

The boy frowned.

"When?"

King Kessel calmly replied:

"When it happens. ”

Tails was stunned:

"What? Why?"

Tails discovers that at some point King Kessel and his conversations have become extremely tacit.

Now, for example, he doesn't even need to say the whole thing, "Why did it happen?"

King Kessel looked at Tails faintly.

"A few years ago, the Frontier Development Tax Exemption Order affected a group of lords. ”

"Lord Emore of the Western Wilderness is just one of them," the Iron Fist King narrowed his eyes, "the one who can't hold his breath the most." ”

"With a little provocation, you get hooked. ”

Tails' eyes froze in mid-air.

A little provocative......

Hooked......

At that moment, the words of 'Head Crow' Dele Cromar appeared in Tails' ears again:

According to the baron, the innumerable nouveau riche born by that decree are eating away at his interests every day, taking away his people and cutting off his livelihood. 】

At the bottom of the secret prison, Anker Al Baylar's dying words of despair also resurfaced:

[Obviously, that Baron Emmorey couldn't help but feel the pain, the king's decree hit him too hard......]

King Kessel sighed slightly, and then his tone was slightly regretful:

However, the Western Wilderness is particularly sensitive to the wind and grass in front of his own house. ”

"Before I could draw the rod and catch the fish, it was cut off. ”

Tails froze.

Draw a rod......

Tangent......

The words of Dele and Anker continue to emerge:

[Baron Emory conscripted soldiers, mobilized troops, and planned to cross the Western Wilderness and make a "big news" that the whole territory of the stars could see, and "protest" to His Majesty and the Kingdom. 】

[So much so that he plans to put aside the tacit understanding with the three major families and do it himself......]

Tails froze in his seat.

"It's you. ”

Tails said in a daze:

"The reason why Baron Emory raised troops to protest is because you secretly put pressure and deliberately instigated to find an excuse to meddle in the Western Wilderness?"

The Iron Fist King snorted:

"I said, he's just one of them. ”

One of them.

At that moment, Tails remembered Anker, who had been tortured and bruised all over his body in the secret department.

and his family-ruined, incognito lover.

"Therefore, the tragedy of Baron Emmorey being killed and his family being killed. ”

Tails hoarse:

"You're the one who started it. ”

Tails stared at the table in front of him in a daze, the king's figure projected on the opposite wall, dark and oppressive.

These people.

Their misfortunes.

It's just that......

The dust that power has crushed through.

"It's too much," said the king's voice, still calm, as if he didn't care.

"I didn't let the Western Wastelands kill people. ”

"They didn't let them be ruthless, and they cleaned up the castle from all the old and the militia servants, leaving not a single living one—it seems, they learned a lot from Williams. ”

Kill somebody to do away with a witness.

It's all gone.

Emore.

Bailal.

And the bleak family in Gifted Town that he couldn't remember the name......

and the night at Bladetooth Camp, where countless homes were destroyed......

[Aristocrats, aristocrats, ha, these scumbags, what the fuck are shit. On the barren rocky ground, the emotion of the dead crow echoed in my ears.

Thinking of this, an indescribable tiredness struck.

The boy couldn't help but feel suffocated.

Tails took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions alive.

"I see. ”

The prince lowered his head, avoiding the other's gaze, and held back the disgust in his sentence:

"I see, it's calculated. ”

"No, it's not good. ”

But King Kessel's voice still penetrated his eardrums inexorably:

"We underestimated the sharpness and decisiveness of the people of the Western Wilderness, and only got a headless case with no evidence, and we also startled the snake to make them more vigilant. ”

The king's eyes sharpened.

"Until now. ”

Tails shuddered slightly.

King Kessel looked up sharply, "It's not dead, is it?" ”

"You have proof. ”

He is firm and unquestionable.

Tails' arm tightened.

Evidence.

Anker's last voice loomed:

[In any case, your majesty will be very happy to get this chip. 】

[Very happy. 】

Tails took a deep breath and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He struggled to look up into the king's eyes.

But at that moment, there was only infinite depth in Kessel's eyes.

After a few seconds, the boy used all his strength to bite out two words between his teeth:

"I have. ”

His tone was extremely tired:

"Ironclad evidence. ”

Cold.

The voice fell.

"Not bad. ”

King Kessel's expression remained unchanged, and he said lightly:

"I'm listening. ”

I'm listening.

Tails took a deep breath, but paused at the moment he opened his mouth.

[So, Your Highness, what is the price?]

Anker's voice of despair rang out out of thin air.

Tails coughed unnaturally and forced himself to continue:

"In that tragedy, there was another person ......"

[And Tina, Tina......]

[She will never, never, never forgive me.] 】

Tails froze again.

"There is one more person ......"

Tails' lips furled, and his words froze.

Wait a minute.

Once he said it.

That girl, Anker's lover, has been ruined by the viciousness of power.

And Anker's younger siblings, those who have lost their parents and brothers, and are isolated in the Western Wilderness.

What kind of future will it face?

How many people's fates will be changed because of their words?

Tails breathed in a trance.

Seeing his appearance, the king frowned.

[The girl named Tina...... She's fine?]

【Best ......】

A bloodless face that had been tortured appeared before him.

Anker Al Baylar.

The young man who was helpless and desperate, planned to sacrifice his life and take risks, but ultimately failed miserably.

What kind of mood did he have in mind to tell him about this bargaining chip?

[But now, it doesn't matter.] 】

[It doesn't matter anymore.] 】

Tails took a deep breath and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Use it, use this chip.

Because this is also Anker's choice.

That's what he expected.

Isn't it?

And, if he's not here, he'll end it.

Tails' gaze turned to the table, the letter from Iris asking for tax substitution.

The wheels of the kingdom will not stop.

If this horse doesn't work, King Kessel will find another.

Even if you have to face more blood.

Tails clenched his fists.

So he had to continue.

Have to.

Tails lifted his gaze and forced himself to appear determined:

"At the knee of Baron Emmorey, who died unjustly, there is still an orphan daughter. ”

The king's eyes lit up.

The poor girl witnessed a terrible scene, and she escaped the butcher's knife and was lucky to survive. ”

Tails gritted his teeth, hiding his trance and decadence:

Her identity and experience will prove to the world what a terrible mistake the most powerful family in the Western Wilderness has committed. ”

"And it is so natural and imminent for the Fuxing Palace to reform the military system and restrict the abuse of military power by vassals. ”

As the words fell, Tails let out a long breath and his eyes were gloomy.

He spoke it out anyway.

The color of the king's eyes slowly changed.

He stared at the prince across the long table for a long, long time.

It was as if he was looking at a fine weapon made of stainless steel.

Finally, King Kessel smiled.

His laughter was soft and light, but it effectively lightened the atmosphere in the room.

"This surviving orphan girl. ”

The Iron Fist King slowly leaned back, and for the first time his tone became calm and relaxed:

"Where is she?"

Where is she?

Tails was saddened to find that the king hadn't even bothered to ask her name.

But.

But......

[So think about it carefully, what has become of you after you become a prince?]

A long time ago, the feeling of the fast rope in the hut resounded.

[Can you still choose your own path?]

Tails' arm trembled slightly.

[Are you still you, or Tails?]

[Or has it already been ...... Turned into something else?]

"I'm listening," said the king, with interest.

"Duke of Tails. ”

Tails took a deep breath, forgetting about the hesitant thoughts and adjusting himself.

"You'll know. ”

Tails looked up abruptly, his expression determined.

"But first of all, all the people who followed me into the palace today will be acquitted. ”

"And I don't want to try Marico's whip, despite his dutifulness. ”

At the end of the long table, King Kessel was silent.

Tails let go of the apprehension in his heart, gritted his teeth and said:

"Secondly, unseal the Mindith Hall and release my guards, if something comes at me in the future, don't embarrass them. ”

The king remained silent, just tapped his finger on the table.

"Also, Anke Al Bilal, who went to the banquet with a sword and ran into the royal family,"

Tails frowned:

"Forgive him, release him, and show the magnanimity of the king. ”

"Including properly resolving the conflict between him and the Doyle family. ”

But when it comes to this, Tails is another stagnant.

Anker, no matter how much the king forgives him......

[She will never, never, never forgive me.] 】

Tails hung his head.

"Before you show your chips," King Kessel snorted, seeming to be in a good mood:

"You really want a lot. ”

Tails exhaled and looked up forcefully.

"And I'm not done yet. ”

"Finally, about the 'Sand King'. ”

Sand King.

King Kessel rolled his gaze.

At this moment, Tails' expression was firm and cold.

"Your plans to expand your army in the Western Wilderness, including how to deal with the local lords, must be handled by me personally, and I will complete it. ”

Boom.

The Iron Fist King's fingers slammed heavily on the table, and there was a palpitating muffled sound.

The king looked up slowly, meeting Tails' eyes.

And the prince did not hide from him, looking back at him firmly.

"You, say it again?"

The king spoke softly.

Hoarse, but indifferent.

Tails puffed out his chest and faced his father.

"Yes, I will personally write a letter to the Duke of Xihuang and others, and use this case and this bargaining chip to threaten them to comply. ”

Tails said decisively:

"I promise that Cyril Falkenhause and his vassals will listen patiently, that they will be kind, that they will cooperate with the schedule of the Fuxing Palace, and that they will support all the initiatives of the Military Affairs Department. ”

"They will reflect on the shortcomings of their military system and gradually reduce the number and frequency of recruitment. ”

"They will accept your royal standing army and accept the reorganization of the defense of the Western Wilderness. ”

"They'll be happy to support the Legendary Wings in their day-to-day work, and pay taxes to support the expansion of the Standing Army, filling your financial gap to secure the Kingdom's borders. ”

Tails took a deep breath:

"The Western Wilderness will become a good horse, and your plans for the 'Sand King' will not fail. ”

He said solemnly:

"The chariot of the kingdom is still rolling forward,"

The Ballard Room fell silent again.

But this time the silence was particularly ominous.

A few lights that never went out burned to the end and quietly went out.

King Kessel's eyes changed, and the fire in his eyes vanished, and the color was overflowing.

"You?"

He looked at the prince from afar, and said in a playful tone:

"You're going to do it?"

Tails shook his head decisively.

"Me. ”

"I'll do it. ”

King Kessel's eyes were sharp:

"Why?"

Tails tidied up his face and replied:

"Because that orphan girl, this bargaining chip is the only one I know best, and I know how to use it best. ”

He paused lightly, gritted his teeth, and told both his father and himself:

"Because, that's the only way. ”

The only way.

King Kessel did not respond immediately.

He just sat quietly in his place, as if he had been transformed back into a statue.

After a few seconds, the king spoke calmly:

"Tell me, how did you know the whereabouts of that orphan girl?"

Tails froze.

His face does not change, leaving no flaws: "I have my own channels......"

"Falkenhause. ”

King Kessel spoke softly, interrupting Tails.

Falkenhaus.

As soon as this surname came out, the prince's heart was shocked.

I saw the king snort lightly, looked away, and said in an intriguing tone:

"He gave you so much more than a sword, didn't he? ”

Tails' face didn't change, but he sighed in his heart.

He got it.

The king said coldly:

"His gift is that you have the courage to break into the palace today. ”

Tails pursed his lips and said nothing.

That's right, the king saw through it.

But with just a few words, he saw through it.

From just now to now, all his little tricks are hidden in front of him.

Just like in the old days.

But......

Tails took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"That's right. ”

Tails looked up at the King.

His tone was calm and calm, and his attitude was frank:

"The matter of Amorey Town, including this bargaining chip, was indeed given to me by the Duke of the Western Wilderness - somehow. ”

The king snorted as expected.

"And you accepted it, and listened to the old bone's demagoguery, and came before me, and bargained with yourself. ”

Without waiting for him to reply, King Kessel shook his head slowly:

"Stupid. ”

"Foolish. ”

Tails clenched his fists under the table.

That's right, threats, persecution, currying favor, deceiving, no matter what means, can restrain the king of the iron fist.

But so what.

He was no longer the shivering beggar in the abandoned house.

Not anymore.

And King Kessel is not the tall back in the Mindis Hall six years ago, where he can only look at him from afar.

Against an opponent like King Kessel, what he needs is not lying, not concealment, not quibbling.

It's about rising to the occasion.

Tails stared fixedly at the King's face.

"In that case, there is all the more reason for me to come forward and send a letter to the Duke of the Western Wilderness, father. ”

He leaned forward and said sincerely:

"So that everyone can take a step back and solve the problem in a way that is acceptable to all parties. ”

"The new 'Sand King' may not be so fast, it may last for months or even years, but it will not be so tragic and there will be no uncontrollable consequences. ”

"You will achieve your goal, and they will not have to shed blood. ”

The Iron Fist let out a sneer.

He lowered his head, his face slowly enveloped in darkness:

"Why?"

Tails frowned.

"I will take out the witness of this case and let her come forward to testify, so that the lords of the Western Wilderness will be torn apart, and everyone will betray their relatives and become the target of the public......"

The king's eyes are cold:

"Then let the royal standing army enter the Western Wilderness to punish the traitors and eliminate the evil. ”

"It can be achieved. ”

Tails a rin.

"That's true. ”

Tails spoke again, trying to grasp the topic:

"But with all due respect, the reason why Falkenhause gave this bargaining chip was to put down his position and take the initiative to show weakness, and to cool down the increasingly fierce contradictions and conflicts between the Fuxing Palace and the princes of the Western Wilderness......"

"He's not so pure and kind!"

King Kessel leaned forward suddenly, and shouted angrily, startling Tails.

"And only you would be so stupid!"

The king glared at his son:

"Falkenhause gave me a bargaining chip to clean up the Western Wilderness, renovate the kingdom, and achieve my goals......"

He changed his words:

"But only through you?"

Tails looked at the king in a daze.

The Iron Fist King leaned back in his chair and sneered:

"No, he took out his own flesh and gave you a sword, a bargaining chip. ”

"It's not for you to be a peacemaker. ”

The young man's heart was cold.

King Kessel's eyes narrowed, and his eyes were like sharpened blades:

"He wants to show you that the power and energy that you have not enjoyed in the last six years is within your reach. ”

"As long as you grab the chips and face me......"

The king spoke softly, and the words were cold:

"Raise your sword. ”

Tails tensed his nerves and defended:

"Father, I have no intention of being your enemy, and I will not threaten—"

"Then why didn't he just come to me?"

King Kessel interrupted him again:

"If you want to bow your head and show weakness, why don't you face the throne?"

Tails's words froze.

The lights in the room flickered rapidly, causing light and shadow to flicker.

"And you, do you think I don't know what you want to do?"

Kessel V looked at him coldly, piercing Tyles' heart.

"Why don't you happily reveal your chips and reveal the whereabouts of that orphan girl? Why do you pretend to be reserved and wait for the price to sell? And why do you insist on coming forward in person to execute the 'Sand King'?"

Hearing this, Tails was thrilled, and he felt a chill in his heart.

Silence returned to Ballard's room.

"Because you know, right. ”

The king's voice was softened, filled with a deadly softness.

"Because you also like the sword he gave you, and you can't put it down. ”

"It's hard to extricate yourself. ”

Tails frowned, his fists clenched into his knees.

"As the Prince of the Stars, the Duke of Xinghu, and the heir of the kingdom," King Kessel said coldly, "You have been toyed with by the foreign ministers, not only do you not know it, but you also think you are righteous. ”

"It's a shame on the star. ”

Tails jerked his head!

"That's right!"

The prince shouted angrily.

King Kessel was suddenly interrupted by him, somewhat surprised.

"I know. ”

Tails was breathing heavily, staring at the king.

"I know what Falkenhause wants to do. ”

"And I have no intention of hiding it, and I don't want to quibble. ”

Tails jerked to his feet, his hands propped up on the table.

"That's right, empower me, support me, help me so that I can finally rise strong against you, threaten you, hinder you, that's Falkenhaus's wishful thinking. ”

"Simple, clear, direct. ”

The king's expression became more and more unkind.

"But believe me, father. ”

The prince stared at the king, earnestly and seriously:

"If you really want to do it—not just the 'Sand King', not just the Western Wilderness, but the whole kingdom, inside and outside the stars, realize your grand and crazy plans and ideas......"

Hearing this, King Kessel's eyes changed.

"If you really have made up your mind, Father, if you will do whatever it takes, you will also be 'born for the stars'. ”

At this moment, the cold wind came and went back and forth in Ballard's room, and the chill surged, but Tails felt that his chest was hot and embarrassed, like a flame.

Tails took a deep breath and was categorical, unquestionable:

"Then that's the only way to go. ”

"There is no better choice. ”

Stealing incense