Valhalla, Hall of Heroes.

"You know, I have a guess," Tails said distractedly, "the Year of Blood was a catastrophe that nearly destroyed the stars, and the entire kingdom was in danger of civil strife and conflict. ”

He raised his gaze, his voice trembling slightly:

"Until you go south. ”

At that moment, Tails caught a glimpse of a strange and puzzled light in the eyes of several Grand Dukes.

"What do you mean?" asked Auresius coldly.

Very good.

Tails said to himself silently in the bottom of his heart.

Interests and threats - the two major weapons that Lombard used to persuade the other Grand Dukes are now one of them: the Grand Dukes probably understand that in a way, the threat of Lomba is higher than that of the stars.

And now.

Tails glanced at Selma, the girl clenched her slightly trembling fist and nodded slowly at him, her eyes full of firmness.

Now he had to convince the Grand Dukes that the benefits promised to them by the Rumba were not as good as they had imagined.

Tails looked up.

"I have never seen the tragedy of twelve years ago," Tails said as he remembered Gilbert's narration of the bloody year, "but I can imagine from the old people's accounts: the robbery of the Bright Star Royal Family has brought the disaster to its peak: the nineteen vassals are all in danger, the nobles are full of rumors, the army is leaderless, the royal people are angry, and the Eternal Star City has entered the most urgent state, and perhaps the Star Kingdom is on the verge of destruction." ”

Speaking of this, Tails sighed.

"Min Dith III probably didn't expect that the chess game he laid out would usher in such a storm more than a hundred years later. ”

The Grand Dukes exchanged a few wistful glances, and Rumba clenched his saber tightly.

"But twelve years ago, in the autumn and winter of Exeter, for whatever reason, the whole star was probably stunned when the news of the fall of the Broken Dragon Fortress came," Tails continued:

"I guess that a new war breaks the original situation and breathes new excitement into the dying stars. ”

Archduke Raiko's cloudy eyes lit up slightly, and his expression became more and more serious.

Alesius and Trudida looked at each other suspiciously.

"The all-out invasion of Exter, the strongest in the Western Continent, is no more than the rebel civil strife and the assassination of the royal family. ”

"While trembling in fear, most of the people of the stars had to choose a compromise—the great vassals, the minor nobles, the officials, the merchants, the army, the peasants, and so on," Tails deduced the logic step by step, based on known information and ideas endorsed by the Grand Dukes, and pondered the next sentence to make it sound more believable and convincing:

In the shadow of the dragon, they quickly agreed to end the current chaos as soon as possible, welcome the last prince back to the capital, and crown him in the midst of blood and death, and the forces that should have been divided within the stars have coalesced into one, only to resist the greed of the northern dragons. ”

Archduke Leco's eyes shrank, "What do you mean?"

Tails took a deep breath and tried his best to look neutral and less concerned about the stars:

"It's ironic, but it's also very likely - it was Exeter's menacing invasion that forced us to heal internal contradictions and conflicts and save the Kingdom of the Stars from division and decline. ”

As soon as these words came out, the breath of all the Grand Dukes changed.

Although the self-cultivation of the superior for a long time kept their faces unchanged, Tails still felt something strange in the air.

"You are older than me, wiser than me, and more experienced back then, so you might as well think again: if you hadn't gone south twelve years ago, what would have happened to the Kingdom of Stars, which had just lost its king and had no leader among the dragons?" Tails said lightly.

"And just now, when Rumba persuaded you to blame Xingchen and send troops with him, did he also coincidentally tell you that Xingchen is in the most embarrassing and incompatible stage, and the northern border is isolated and helpless, so it is convenient for you to take it?"

"Unlike a certain Grand Duke who can't wait to tell you the answer and direct you to do things," Tails nodded slightly to the Grand Dukes, "I have raised the question, but I will stop there, please think for yourself and make your own decisions." ”

A strange and complicated look appeared on Rumba's face.

The Grand Dukes looked at him.

Tails let out a sigh of relief in his heart, but there was a lingering haze: what he had just said about Exeter's invasion was only speculation, just to make the Grand Duke think about the cost of invading the stars again.

But – Tails had been trying to convince himself that it was just a conjecture – what if it was true?

What if Exeter's invasion did temporarily force the people of the stars to stand together again?

He couldn't help but think of the words of the Born King last night, when King Nunn was telling him about the death of Surir:

[Tails, twelve years ago...... It's not for nothing that we sent troops south to the stars......]

[It's an assassin from your stars......]

When Xingchen was at his most precarious, a strange assassination from Xingchen detonated Exeter's southward invasion.

King Nunn brought up the assassination......

Prince Suril died in that assassination......

The assassination was mentioned in the negotiations between Nicolai and the Scarlet Witch......

Even Putirai, when he had just separated from the prince, hinted that he had something to do with the assassination......

What secrets are hidden behind that assassination?

Tails clenched his fists slightly.

Rumba stared at the prince closely.

If his eyes could kill, Tails would probably be gone.

But Tailsley ignored him.

"So, I, the descendant of Tormond, King of the Revival, from the Kingdom of the Stars, Terles Thranzilana Kessel Bright Star......" Tails raised his chest, straightened his face, and imagined in his mind the scene in the Hall of Stars against the vassals, trying his best to show the momentum of a prince:

"I stand here, with the most humble wishes and the most peaceful hopes, to implore you: to reconsider the war between our two countries, to think about the costs and the meaning behind it. ”

At that moment, the four archdukes, Lecco, Ronnie, Trudida, and Aletheus, looked back at him equally seriously, with serious expressions.

It was as if he was not a weak child, but a ruler who was on an equal footing with them.

"You can't be sure that it will bring the most desired outcome—both for you and for us," Tails said at that moment, remembering the many people whose fate had been changed by war, and said in a lonely voice:

"No one can be sure. ”

The hall fell silent again.

The brazier went out one again.

The Grand Dukes all cherished words like gold, and each pondered, and this time, they did not even make eye contact.

Rumba didn't speak either.

But the back of his hand holding the saber was pale, and the green tendons were protruding.

A few seconds later.

"That's it. ”

Grand Duke Leko closed his eyes and sighed softly, "Please don't say any more, Prince Tails, I think we all understand what you mean." ”

Tails felt his heart relaxed, his feet softened, and he shook slightly.

Thelma pressed his waist behind his back to keep him from making a fool of himself on the spot.

Tails turned his head painfully and gave her a forced smile.

"What do you say?" said Archduke Raiko's voice echoed through the hall.

Appears empty and tired.

"Obviously, isn't it," Archduke Ronnie was the first to raise his head, his tone ethereal but resolute, "I'd rather be against a lion than a wolf." ”

Rumba's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

These people ......

"You know, Charman, although your conditions are tempting," Trudida shrugged slightly, with a complicated look on her face: "But I don't want one day when my children and grandchildren wake up and find themselves lying in a ruin, so ......"

Rumba snorted coldly with an expressionless face.

These people ......

The expression of the Grand Duke of Auretheus stiffened for a long time, and after a long time, he opened his mouth and spat out bitterly:

"We shouldn't have come today, let alone this damn ecumenical council. ”

Rumba slowly lowered his head.

These are the people......

Archduke Leco tapped on the table.

"I see. ”

"No matter what we are going to do," the old Duke's old face seemed to be even more vicissitudes, "blame the stars, and send troops to the north, let's put a halt for a while—of course, today's affairs must be handled properly." ”

"Especially, about the death of His Majesty Nunn. ”

His eyes refocused on Rumba: "If we don't want to blame the stars, we have to have a good reason." ”

The gaze is cold.

At that moment, even Thelma felt the atmosphere in the air freeze.

In the hall, the positions of the people have changed.

The four archdukes stood unconsciously, with Ronnie and Alesius leading the way and Tails standing beside them.

Opposite them, Rumba stood alone in front of the brazier.

The light and shadow of the fire divided his face into two parts, one light and one dark, eerie and unsettling.

Rumba looked up slowly.

These people ...... It's an obstacle to Exeter's progress.

He glanced at the Grand Dukes, who responded to him with different expressions.

"You've all decided, haven't you? Rumba said in his most indifferent tone: "The four old and wise Archduke Exeter have been turned around by a star imp in a few words, and you have shaken your position with one mouth. ”

He snorted and glanced at Tails, "Pathetic. ”

Tails squeezed Selma's hand, silently watching the Grand Duke's interactions.

He gritted his teeth, knowing that the situation was irreparable.

"He can't turn the tide with just one mouth," Archduke Leco's tone also cooled:

"Nobody can. ”

The bald old man narrowed his eyes: "But isn't it you, Charman Rumba, who helped him convince us with his actions and facts?"

Rumba sarcastically said, "So that's your answer?"

"First for Exeter's sake, you decided to cover up the king's death together, and a few minutes after taking the oath of alliance, you have rediscovered your conscience and decided to send me back to the Kingkiller's execution table again?"

"We can still talk about ...... on that," Trudida said mildly.

Rumba's knife-sharp gaze slashed at him.

Choked the lord with the pot head.

Rumba turned his head again, and scanned the lords over and over again, very seriously.

As if to see through their souls.

These people, Exeter has relied on these people to get to where he is now?

Amusing.

Lamentable.

Finally, after a long moment, Rumba hung his head and let out a chilling laugh.

"Hahahaha......"

Tails felt uneasy, knowing that things were far from settled.

"Chaman," Auretheus frowned, and said only one word, "Don't." ”

Rumba jerked his head up.

"Do you really know what you're doing?" "Facing the Grand Dukes, the tone of the Grand Duke of Black Sand has never been so terrifying: "Your hesitation and retreat are allowing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to slip through your fingers. ”

"You heard what he said, the current state of the stars," Archduke Leco replied lightly, "Your plan may not be the best choice for Exeter." ”

"Boom!" Rumba's scabbard hit the ground again.

"Then do you believe him?" said Lombard coldly.

"Don't you understand, as long as we work together, power, wealth, status, all problems can be compensated for by the benefits of plundering from old enemies," his eyes seemed to burn with fire: "For the sake of Exeter, we must ......"

Grand Duke Ronnie's face suddenly changed, and he spoke loudly, interrupting Rumba: "Listen, Monarch Killer!"

"I am also the lord of this kingdom, and I also own Exeter," said the long-haired Grand Duke, like an iron-clad warrior, before all the Grand Dukes, "and you have neither the right nor the right to tell me what I must do for the sake of my country." ”

"Don't force the rest of the people to follow your path and be loyal to 'your' Ex. ”

Rumba clenched his fists.

"Ten of us, there are ten Exters," Grand Duke Black Sand gritted his teeth, "That's the problem!"

Grand Duke Ronnie sneered, "So you still admit it - you kicked the rest of us down?"

Rumba's expression was ice, and he almost scratched the hilt of his sword.

Trudida sighed and interjected like a peacemaker: "Chaman, you have to understand us: imagine that one day your son or grandson will live on the streets, like the most despicable ......"

"So what?"

Rumba snapped out and interrupted him like an angry lion: "Will it be worse than now?"

Trudida was speechless for a moment, and the expression on her face became more and more strange as she looked at Rumba.

The other Grand Dukes all frowned and stared at Rumba.

At that moment, the four Grand Dukes had a clear sense that this Grand Duke of Black Sand might not be their kind, but a completely different existence from them.

Ronnie coldly took over: "Of course it's better for those who benefit from it – it's a pity I'm not among them." ”

Silent.

Rumba took a deep breath, as if to suppress the rising anger.

"Hum hum ......" he let out an uneasy laugh from his nose:

"Six hundred years. ”

He coldly glanced at everyone, not even Selma:

"From the first second of birth, we were like hounds on a collar, racking our brains to intrigue with our vassals, and to fight the king in every possible way. ”

"Even if we become kings ourselves, we will only repeat the same fate in this sorrowful yoke. ”

"For six hundred years, we have been spinning in place from generation to generation, like headless ants," Rumba twisted his face: "Don't you feel bored?"

"In order to break this sad cycle, for the sake of the future of this country," the Grand Duke of Black Sand gritted his teeth and his hands trembled:

"I gambled everything. ”

"In the end, you can only sit back and watch your selfishness and short-sightedness ruin Exeter's way out. ”

The Grand Dukes looked at each other one after another, and an inexplicable feeling rose in their hearts.

Right now.

"Your Excellency," said Tails, softly, "please do not excuse yourself as if you were noble, selfless, and great. ”

Rumba jerked his head back, his icy gaze shooting at the prince.

"If we can save Exeter, why do we have to be you?" Tails said calmly, "Why can't it be someone else......?" King Nunn?"

Rumba's breath stagnated.

The other Grand Dukes also paused slightly.

"Yes, I only figured it out later—you are not the only one who has seen the stars as they are," the prince sighed, remembering the scene when King Nunn had spoken to himself of the virtuous monarch a few minutes before his death, "and the supreme commander who led his army across the fortress, the Born King, Nunn Walton VII. ”

"If you really have nothing but the kingdom of Exeter in your heart, why don't you surrender your authority to King Nunn?"

Tails looked at the rumba with a distorted face, and said word by word: "Accept the king's officials, accept the king's orders, accept the infiltration of royal power into the Black Sand Territory, and willingly become the next beacon city." ”

"Let the whole of Exeter gather more closely under the banner of the dragon lance in the clouds in Longxiao City," the prince raised his hand sharply, pointing to the dragon spear stone carving in the clouds on the ceiling: "The most powerful innate king will become the sole ruler of Exeter!"

The hall fell silent again.

Rumba's expression grew colder and colder.

"But you don't want to, your family doesn't want to," Tails replied softly, "that's why we have today's tragedy." ”

"Do you think that your past, the deaths of your brother and mother, give you a reason to hate the oath of co-governance—that it will make your actions different, more prominent, more tragic, and more heroic?"

Rumba paused and turned to him alive.

The gaze is terrifying, and the face is hideous.

My past?

How dare he.

How dare you!

For the first time, Tails unreservedly and head-on withstood the almost suffocating momentum of the Grand Duke of the Black Sands.

But he just took a deep breath and looked up through gritted teeth.

At that moment, Tails remembered everything that had happened before the Broken Dragon Fortress, and remembered the sacrifices of Alaka and the Angry Guard.

He thought of the tragedy in Longxiao City, the destroyed shield area, the fallen white-bladed guards one by one, and their unhesitating posture.

"No, Rumba, peel off the shell, you're no different from everyone else. ”

"It's all creatures who serve their own interests under the banner of 'for Exeter' and struggle for power. ”

"I don't even care for the life around me, I don't even cherish the land to which I belong, but I talk about the country and the people of the future," the prince said coldly.

"There are no noble qualifications. ”

The prince closed his mouth and ended his words.

At that moment, the eyes of the Grand Duke of Black Sand and the Prince of Stars met in the air, one side overflowing with killing intent, and the other side was resolute and unyielding.

Rumba stood in place, the temperature around him as if it was dropping sharply.

"You. ”

Rumba stared at Tails, spoke slowly, full of hatred and coldness, and bit the word out between his teeth:

"You!"

Thelma cowered behind Tails in fear.

But she didn't succeed, as Tails grabbed her by the hand and dragged her back to his side, forcing her to look directly into Lombard's eyes.

"I don't call 'you,'" Tails replied coldly, without showing weakness:

"Listen, Charman Rumba. ”

"My name is Tails Bright Star. ”

Lombard's pupils are constricted.

"It's a child who can't drink," said the prince, taking a step forward, his face resolute:

"And your nemesis. ”

(End of chapter)