"Your grandmother has a letter, and she wants you to go back. ”

Father's words sounded in the duty room, and the familiar tone made people sit upright.

"What?" he asked subconsciously.

Although he has gradually become accustomed to the weekly report, and he is also accustomed to his father's businesslike tone, after the routine report, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment when he heard his father's "unprofessional" words.

The guard's dormitory is located on the remote side of the Fuxing Palace, compared to the noisy palace gate facing the King's Road and the breath-taking Hall of the Stars, it is neither noisy nor quiet, and the atmosphere is just right.

The father spoke lightly, and his tone was hoarse:

"Your cousin is not in good health, in fact, very bad. ”

"He has a lot of problems managing the fiefdom and needs help. ”

Grandmother, cousin.

These two long-unheard terms echoed, making him dazed for a moment.

It's like stepping back in time.

Helper?

But he only instinctively changed his mind, and without hesitation, he spoke:

"No, I'm not going back. ”

Hearing his answer, the father behind the table folded his arms and leaned back in his chair with the soft sound of armor, his eyes burning with the majesty he had cultivated over the years.

This made him a little nervous - he hadn't been alone with his father without a third person for a long time, talking about housework.

But my father did not frown, nor did he have the slightest hint of hesitation, as if he had anticipated his answer.

"Your grandmother means that if something happens to your cousin...... The fiefs and titles of the family need to be inherited. Father said softly.

This made him frown.

Fiefdoms and titles......

Someone needs to inherit it......

He instinctively frowned, then snorted softly, trying to suppress the disdain in his words:

"They won't be so kind, what about the conditions?"

My father still looked the same, I don't know if it was because his years of career made him angry, or because he knew too much about himself.

I only heard my father say lightly:

"On the condition that you marry your cousin-in-law, your grandmother's niece. ”

"Gave birth to an heir with her to maintain the relationship between the two families. ”

Marry...... A cousin's widow?

Hearing this, his brow furrowed slightly, and he found himself satisfied that he had found a reason for disdain.

Really.

"I see," he said, clasping his arms together, with a slight contempt in his nasal voice:

"Tell them that I won't go back. ”

His father nodded unsurprisingly at his refusal, as if what he had just rejected was not the inheritance of a noble title, but simply "not coming home for dinner tonight".

Father's gaze shifted to his bandaged fingers.

This time, the former frowned earnestly:

"You're still practicing that swordsmanship?"

He subconsciously lowered his arms, but temporarily changed his movements before hiding them behind his back, and naturally assumed a position of propping up his chair arms.

He nodded, and tried to answer in the tone that he didn't care about:

"Yes. ”

But instead of stretching, my father's brow became tighter:

"Do you think you have a chance to beat him in the next knightly joust, at least to fight evenly and not fall behind?"

This sentence made his heart tighten.

Defeat him.

Defeat him.

He!

That's right, that's it, beat him!like the Northlander—he was tempted to say it, in a confident, relaxed, calm tone.

But for some reason, he temporarily changed his tone before he said it, and his tone was a little deeper:

"We'll find out then. ”

His father was silent for a moment, but his eyes were still fixed on him.

It made him uncomfortable.

"I think you should know that skill is not the only criterion when it comes to the selection of watchmen. Father said slowly, his eyebrows furrowed.

An ominous premonition came over me.

He unnaturally changed his sitting position:

"I know. ”

The father still looked at him steadily:

"But even so, you're not on the watchman's list of competitors. ”

It was as if there was a string in his heart, and it was tightened.

"Sacrael is the best in martial arts and is trusted by His Majesty, Nolanur has the whole north and good popularity as a backing, Tony is the favored person of Captain Cullen, and Cox's battlefield command and experience are highly appreciated and recommended by Prince Horace. ”

"They're all hot candidates. ”

His father watched him and told him word by word the things that were well known to everyone, and they were heavily engraved into his heart like a seal.

"But you, all you have is a father like me. ”

I don't know if it's an illusion, but at the same time as these words, he seemed to hear his father exhale softly from his nose.

He was a little bored, and his father's gaze forced him to look away and look away:

"I know. ”

But the father does not seem ready to let him go:

"In the Guard, people from the same family usually do not hold important positions at the same time, especially the positions of Deputy Captain and Watchman. ”

The father's tone was imperceptibly gloomy:

"There's a good chance you'll lose the election. ”

His breathing stagnated for a moment, and it took a few seconds before he recovered:

"I know. ”

Father finally looked away and looked at the door of the dormitory.

"But you still want to stubbornly give it a try?"

For some reason, in the face of such a father, although he frowned, he was a little indescribably relaxed.

"Yes. ”

He lowered his arm, also stood still for a few seconds, and finally inhaled and replied:

"Eventually, it's going to have to be a try. ”

This time, my father was silent for a long time, and even the atmosphere in the duty room, which was not very relaxed, became solemn.

It was a long time before he frowned, wondering if it was time to interject and leave......

"You know, the royal guard is not just a guard to guard the king's left and right, it is a contract, an idea, a tradition. ”

The father exhaled slowly, but instead of looking at him, he looked at the wall of the dormitory.

There, a roster with the names of the Guards was visible: Cullen, Arend, Barney, Tardin, Garth, Tarlen, Dastan, Norfolk, Godwin, Connie, Havea, Naki......

He didn't know why his father wanted to mention this, but his father's gaze seemed to be a little deep.

"Since the time of the Fuxing King, the powerful nobles have sent their bloodline, regardless of the eldest son or second son, the main lineage and side branches, they have guarded the king's left and right, cultivated the relationship with the royal family, and won the trust of the Fuxing Palace, and the king also used this to maintain a tacit understanding with the vassal family and ensure his influence over his subordinate fiefs. ”

The father sighed, his voice was a little unusual, less tough, a little more helpless:

"In a sense, for hundreds of years, the royal guards have been a microcosm of the kingdom - from the six great families to the thirteen noble families, from the bright stars and seven servants to the new nobles, the rise and fall of many families, large and small, are reflected in it. ”

He frowned fiercely, feeling that there was something unusual about his father today.

Growing up, my father was always very serious.

It has never been so...... With sincere words and earnest wishes?

"Sir," he frowned at his father, and subconsciously shouted the most accustomed title:

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

As if he was called back by this "chief", my father paused.

By the time he spoke again, he had reverted to the tough officer he was accustomed to.

"I know you don't have a good impression of your family, and you don't have a good relationship with your cousin. ”

The father looked at him again, sat upright, and said in a serious tone:

"But if you return home and get a promise from your grandmother and cousin, and thus let your Majesty know: you are likely to inherit the title and fief from your cousin......"

His heart was cold.

This is it again?

Inherit?

The father continued to speak, and said the truth with a blank face:

"Then, at least when considering the Watchman, Your Majesty will look at you differently: I think he would prefer the man who is in charge of the kingdom's lands for him to be a loyal and loyal servant of the Guard. ”

"I can even quit and retire, which may increase your chances. ”

Yes.

Just do it, just accept it...... My chances will go up dramatically.

He sighed silently,

A faint disappointment welled up in my heart.

After so many years, he and his father are certainly not models of fatherly kindness and filial piety......

But at least, he thought that his father's views on that land, those memories, and those people should be the same as his.

But......

"That's why you want me to go back and inherit the family?"

He spoke silently, with a tone of alienation and hostility that even he felt taken aback.

But he didn't want to take back this emotion, but let it slowly ferment and turn into cold and piercing words:

"Go back to inherit the so-called 'family' that forced us to be homeless, caused our mother to die of illness halfway, and caused my sister to die early due to lack of medicine?"

In his cold snort, it was as if someone had opened the cold window of winter.

Let the father on the other side suddenly turn into a terrible ice sculpture.

There is only one pair of eyes left, aggressive.

"It's none of their business. It was a long time before my father replied stiffly.

"What's that for?"

He replied unceremoniously.

"If it has nothing to do with them, why should you even involve me? Why don't you just go back yourself, inherit the title yourself, marry that young and beautiful wife yourself, and become a good son of your grandmother and a good servant of your majesty?"

Bang!

There was a loud bang.

He silently watched his father's fist smash into the arm of the chair.

The atmosphere became tense and oppressive.

He noticed that they were gasping for breath with each other.

And his father, as he had done hundreds of times in the past, looked at him coldly with the eyes of a commander training a recruit, as if he was about to take out a whip in the next moment.

But this time, he held his head high and looked at the commander without flinching.

After a while, my father, whose cheeks twitched, forced a sentence out of his teeth:

"Because you are my blood. ”

Father let out a sigh.

For some reason, my father slowly eased his stiff face, loosened his tense breath, and rarely looked away.

"I think it's up to you. ”

"My son. Father said stiffly.

He shuddered slightly.

Son?

It's weird.

It's not him.

He looked at his father in front of him and said silently.

For many years, whether in public or private, his father with a tough personality and a one-eyed father has always called him by his name or position.

He hadn't called himself that in a long time since his mother died.

My son?

This made him not know how to deal with it for a while: the anger that was as ready as in the past, but now he could not find an opponent to vent.

In the end, he could only force himself to snort coldly and turn his head disdainfully:

"So we still can't escape, can we? ”

"Even if you move out of your family's fiefdom, come to the royal capital, enter the royal guard, and be self-reliant for so many years," he said, glancing at the shift schedule on the wall, contemptuously:

"We are still like animals in the wilderness, sheltered from the rain, and wherever we go, we have that dark cloud above our heads. ”

The father looked at him silently, sighed, and his tone was a little tired:

"No, we can't escape. ”

Father and son were silent for a long time.

"You have two choices: accept your grandmother and cousin's terms, you can win a decent title and fief, and even become the next watchman, or even the captain of the guard," Finally, the father breathed a sigh of relief and spoke again, perhaps because of staying up late, with an indissoluble exhaustion in his voice:

"Or you can refuse ......"

His father's words were interrupted by him.

"I refuse, I don't want that title and title. ”

He was categorical, unquestionable, and stared at his father without showing weakness.

"I'm not going back. ”

"I don't even want to have anything to do with them. ”

The so-called family that is dark through the heart.

He thought coldly.

The father frowned: "Even if it means that you are likely to lose the competition of the watchman, and for the rest of your life, you will be a little ......"

"Yes. ”

He replied without hesitation.

This time, his father looked at him for a long, long time.

The father's gaze changed several times, and his emotions were uncertain.

And he looked at each other calmly, unwaveringly.

Eventually, my father looked away.

"Very well," the father snorted, his voice much lighter:

"Then don't go back. ”

This came as a surprise to him.

In my memory, when the two were on fire, my father had never given up so quickly.

He could only fold his arms again, trying to dispel his anger that had nowhere to vent, feeling that today's air was particularly unsuitable for him.

The two seemed a little embarrassed and were silent for a few seconds.

"Alright. ”

Father cleared his throat.

"Then, today's debriefing is over, and you can go," the father sat up straight, and said lightly:

"Quill Barney Pioneer Officer. ”

In an instant, my father's face returned to coldness.

He could hardly believe that the tired father who called himself a son just now was the same person as the cold and indifferent serious chief now.

He stiffened to his feet, feeling the unresolved disdain and resentment in his body vent again.

"Okay," he said back to his most accustomed tone, and before leaving the duty room, he glanced at his father one last time, and led coldly to the door:

"Sir, Deputy Captain Quill Barney. ”

Click.

The door to the checkroom slammed shut, waking Barney from his blurred memories!

He gradually regained consciousness and felt himself moving.

"Thanks Sunset, you're better—I thought we were going to lose you. ”

It was Naki's voice, with a faint glee, hazy as if it was coming from afar, not real.

Lose me?

Is he still dreaming?

Barney Jr. tried to open his eyes, but groaned in pain.

His eyes hurt and wept as soon as he opened them, and there was a strange buzzing sound in his ears.

What's going on......

"Naki, let me down......"

He opened his eyes in pain, and could only see a blur of light and shadow, vaguely a team of several people, groping their way in the firelight.

And he was in the middle of it, supported by Nakie.

"No, I don't think you're standing firm now, sir. Naki's voice was tired, and his steps were unsteady.

Little Barney shook his head vigorously, although his tinnitus did not abate, and his eyes still ached, but his sanity regained slightly, and he could vaguely see Belletti's back cascading and staggering ahead.

He remembered something.

The Prison of Bones, Sakel, and ......

Alchemy Ball.

"Where are we?" Barney Jr. accidentally stepped on a piece of gravel, and stumbled.

A somewhat unfamiliar, yet somewhat familiar young man's voice came from behind him weakly:

"Of course not. ”

"To go to the Prison River, you have to take a boat......"

Barney Jr. frowned, extracting a name from his slowly recovering memory.

It's him.

Before he could turn back, the owner of the voice staggered to the side.

It was a wretched, bloodied boy with a frighteningly red and swollen cheek.

He rested his left hand on the shoulder of a red-haired young man with an impatient face, and in his right hand he limped with a smooth long sword shining with silver light:

"Is he okay?"

Listening to the boy's words, Naki frowned, turned to Barney Jr., stretched out his hand and shook it:

"Can you see me, Barney, Barney, Barney, Barney, Barney, Barney,

Damn it.

This poor-mouthed fellow......

When I'm back......

Barney Jr. blinked desperately, still unable to blink the blurry ghost in his vision, but he saw Naki after all.

"Four. ”

He snorted lightly and said angrily, "But ......"

"Do you mean the one on the left, or the one on the right?"

Naki raised an eyebrow, retracted his two fingers, and let out a delighted "um".

He patted little Barney's arm and turned to the teenager, gleefully baring his teeth:

"It's okay, he's fine. ”

The boy raised an eyebrow and looked back.

God is "very good."

Right now.

"Whoa, oh, oh!"

Ahead, the man who was holding Belletti suddenly spoke loudly, surprised and delighted:

"I think I hear it!"

The sound was so loud that it shook through the passage, irritated the eardrums, and startled everyone.

There was a considerable uproar in the passage, most of them complaining dissatisfiedly, and for a moment there was a lot of grief.

"Oh my god shut him up......"

"Stun this bunny......"

"Woo woo woo ......"

"Chopped him ......"

However, Tardin, who was held up by Belletti, continued to exclaim in a cheerful voice:

"Hey, Naki, great poet, say something! I think my hearing is recovering!"

His voice grew louder and louder.

The whole team staggered for a while, as if they had been hit by an earthquake.

Barney and Naki beside him both shook violently:

"Damn, be quiet, Tardin, my ears hurt when you speak......

But Tardin seems unaware:

"Huh?"

He turned his head in confusion and pulled his mouth wide exaggeratedly:

"What do you say, what does it hurt, can you make a louder noise?"

The aftermath is deafening.

There was another great wail.

"Don't talk to me!"

Naki covered his ears in pain, and his voice became louder:

"I still see things and still have ghosting, and I still hit the wall when I walk......"

The more Barney listened, the more irritated he became, but he slowly put his mind at ease.

They're all there.

"Quiet. ”

Barney Jr. noticed that his sense of balance was regaining, and slowly steadied himself, taking some of his weight off Naki's shoulders:

"What's going on?"

Little Barney knew who to ask, and he turned directly to the teenager beside him:

"Your Highness, the alchemy ball ......"

"What's going on?"

Beside him, Tails Bright Star, who was also misty in his eyes and grinning teeth, yawned painfully, glanced at the "Waiya" beside him, and smiled at him rather awkwardly.

"That's ......"

Tails paused.

"You see," Tails shrugged his shoulders, and the sudden movement made both Fastrope and him shake, scrambling to hold on to the wall so as not to fall:

"That alchemy ball is a ......"

Tails searched his stomach and racked his brains, and finally found a nearly understandable word:

"How so...... Flashbang?"

Flash......

Barney Jr. was silent, chewing on the word for a moment.

"Flashbang?"

Tails frowned, looked at the royal guards who were shaking their heads like a group of drunkards supporting each other on their way home, and said:

"More than just flashes. ”

"Maybe some of the sound effects of the shock bombs...... It took me a few minutes to regain my hearing, and it's still buzzing......

And that light ......

Tails closed his eyes in chagrin.

Even though I covered my eyes in advance, it still hurt......

Barney Jr. pondered for a moment, then asked the question he was most concerned about:

"What about him?"

The team fell silent.

They knew what he was going to ask.

Tails glanced at Barney lightly, and the anxiety and longing could be seen in his face.

Barney Jr. had a premonition.

"Tell me, what about him?"

The vanguard officer frowned, "Did you kill him?"

"Barney, that ......"

Naki said embarrassedly: "Eh, Saker ......"

Barney Jr. hurriedly asked:

"What's wrong with him?"

The team fell silent for a moment, and finally it was Belletti who spoke.

"Let's put it this way," the penalizer's calm words sounded, sometimes big and sometimes small, and it seemed that he had not recovered from the shock of the alchemy ball:

"Sacael's perception and attention are more sensitive and focused than ours......"

"After he lost his sight and hearing, he was affected more than anyone else, yelling at the air......"

Barney Jr. sensed that something was wrong, shook off these details, and asked directly:

"You killed him?"

The whole team was stunned by his questioning.

Semir, who was at the front, coughed and said lightly:

"He went mad—but his fighting instincts continued unabated, and he became more aggressive, slashing wildly with his weapon. ”

Semir gasped, as if relieving the painful eardrum:

"You should have looked at him then, desperately searching for every living thing, trying to chop everything within two meters to pieces, Naki tried to get closer, and he almost cut off his head, and I ......"

Semir patted the bloody bandage on his left arm and sighed.

Barney Jr. paused and gritted his teeth:

"Remote?"

Belletti shook her head and said softly:

"Tried. ”

"That fellow, Tardin's impostor nephew, remember? He tried to shoot an arrow from a distance, and it went to the head, but for some reason it didn't hit, only in the shoulder. ”

Tails felt Barney Jr.'s gaze shoot at him, and the fastrope that was holding him forward cowered and hung his head, as if trying to shove his whole head into Tails' arms.

Belletti sighed:

Sakel felt the pain, felt the direction of the arrow, and fled into the darkness. ”

Barney Jr.'s expression froze.

"Tell me," said Barney after a while, looking at the darkness beneath his feet, and said in amazement.

"You've killed him. ”

No one spoke, and Tails was subconsciously a step behind him.

Many members of the Guard also bowed their heads.

Little Barney exhaled heavily, gritted his teeth, and said:

"Why?"

He chopped his feet hard, shaking Naki on one side:

"Why...... Why don't you catch up and kill him!"

The tone is hateful, and the voice is quite loud.

The fragile eardrums that shook everyone were in pain again.

"Barney!"

Belletti spoke calmly:

"That alchemy ball is not ordinary, and we have been affected a lot. ”

Quite a few people, including Fast Rope, subconsciously stared at Tails, which made the prince raise his eyebrows.

What's the matter with me?

"For several minutes, all of us were deaf, our minds were like someone was blowing a conch, our balance was wrong, and we would get up and walk three steps and ......"

Belletti sighed:

"Even if we were in a better situation than Saqel, it took us a long time to get up and flee here. ”

Barney looked at Belletti in disbelief and then at the others, but many turned their heads under his gaze.

"Don't worry," Semir said softly:

"Sakel's perception is more sensitive than ours, and he is more affected, and I guess he needs more time than us to recover, maybe not fully yet. ”

"At least we're alive. ”

Little Barney fell silent, bowing his head silently, and the whole team continued to move slowly.

"Where did that come from?"

Just when Tails thought it was over, Barney Jr. suddenly spoke:

"Alchemy balls?"

Tails' eyelids jumped, and he glanced at Fast Rope.

This one......

How so?

"The Bright Star Royal, there's always some stock...... Tails muttered......

Barney Jr. frowned:

"Why didn't you use it sooner? Or just give it to us?"

Tails frowned, then let go again, and said confidently:

"Isn't it the best time to release it in a moment when he is engrossed?"

"If Saqel had waited until he saw it and I threw it out, I didn't think it would have been so effective. ”

Am I going to tell you because I forgot about it?

Thankfully, Barney pondered for a moment and stopped asking.

Tails withdrew his smirked gaze,

Moreover, including Sakel and Fast Rope, they have always thought that this is a powerful explosive alchemy ball, just like the one that Raphael used in the secret passage of Longxiao City back then.

But in fact......

"Hey, how do you know that this alchemy ball only has flashes and sounds?"

Sure enough, the fast rope restlessly poked him in the ribs and asked quietly:

"When the drill was taken out, it was clearly said ......"

Tails sighed inwardly.

See, that's his biggest concern.

"I just know," Tails Mimi smiled, "I'm well-informed" and shrugged:

"I know this thing isn't deadly. ”

Seeing this, the fast rope frowned.

"But what if it's the kind that explodes? You know, there are no obvious marks on the alchemy ball, and only a few people ......"

The rookie mercenary looked at him dissatisfied:

"Years ago, I saw a ......"

Tails coughed lightly and decisively stopped the topic:

"It's not. ”

"The Bright Star Royal Family has a long history and has a way of identifying alchemy balls. ”

He smiled mysteriously:

"It's like our blood is golden ......"

Fast rope showed a disgusted expression of "if you don't say it, forget it", and turned back boringly.

Tails breathed a sigh of relief.

That's right, in the face of this hammer taking out the alchemy ball to threaten him and Saker, he was also trembling at first.

But all the mystery is revealed when he finds the anchor point and enters a state of loss of control with reason.

In that magical state, Tails saw the inner layer of the alchemy ball clearly:

It was a swirling mass of energy.

At that time, he knew that the energy swirling inside was actually very empty, and even if it was all released, it would only shake off a few feet of dust around him......

What's more......

No obvious markings?

In fact, as Tails looked through the covering and mezzanine, he found that in the inner circle covered with a metal shell, which was invisible to the mysterious alchemy ball, a few words of his half-baked modern imperial script were engraved:

【Blinding strong light XX+XX film】

[Alchemy Tower, Combat Mage XX Honor, XX EE1109-8-17, Maker: First Class XX Division, D· E. Sarichon】

[Used to suppress perception, XX suppression, XXXX, XX, etc.]

[Unified XX, limited to use in the tower, it is strictly forbidden to export XX outflow, the scope of prohibition includes but is not limited to the Tower of Souls, Myojin Church, XXX, Third Ring, Hell's Gate, XXXX, Knight's Temple, Empire and XXXXXX]

This strange line of text contains a huge amount of information, such as the last name of the person who made it.

There are a lot of unfamiliar words in it, but it's enough for Tails to understand what it does.

So, when it comes to the idea of what to use to contain Saker, who has excellent perception, it comes in handy.

Fast Rope frowned and said thoughtfully:

"So, just now the hammer threatened you with a fake chip and dumped us around?"

"It seems like so. ”

Tails shook his head in annoyance at the thought of the cunning hammer:

"Actually, yes, I should have thought of it a long time ago. ”

"How can a person like him have the courage to die together......

Right now.

Step, step......

Tails was the first to be surprised.

Under the poison of that mysterious "XX piece", everyone's consciousness recovery rate was different, and they supported each other to move forward crookedly.

But at this moment, almost everyone was nervous!

Tread, tread, tread......

I only heard behind the team, in the dark passage, suddenly sounded a series of undisguised footsteps.

Tread, tread, tread......

Getting closer.

(End of chapter)