545 The End of I

Glover and Doyle exhaled.

Strangely, Thales let out a sigh of relief too.

But Mallos changed the topic. "But since we can't reach an agreement, should we leave the decision to the captain or His Majesty?"

Vogel scoffed angrily. "That's enough."

He called Mallos directly by his title, "Watchman.

"Do you think you can take advantage of Captain Adrian's leniency and act as you wish without consideration?"

This time, Mallos remained calm and docile. "No. I think you must have misunderstood me, sir. I'm just saying…"

"I told you." It was evident that Vogel's cultured upbringing could not mask his current displeasure. "Don't tell me what to do."

Thales was aware that he couldn't play dead anymore.

"Err, Lord Talon…"

"Perhaps you haven't fully comprehended," Thales turned around, raised his glass and interjected, "but in this world, my enemies, those who have conflicts of interest with me, or those who plainly can't bear the sight of me, frankly, could form a queue from here to Dragon Clouds City."

Vogel looked towards him, his icy cold exterior melting away to reveal a warm smile. "Your brilliance naturally attracts jealousy from the petty, Your Highness. Don't take it to heart."

While thinking that this fellow's armor was much tougher than his, Thales tried to smooth things over. "That's why, Lord Mallos' concerns are not unjustified,"

"Of course, you are right. This banquet is very important,"

"Why don't both of you compromise a little. Lord Mallos doesn't have to recklessly disrupt the banquet, and you can allow more leeway in the investigation and weeding out of the threat. Isn't this a foolproof plan?"

Thales smiled elegantly, his eyes blazing with the words 'give me some face' written across them.

Mallos kept silent for a while before saluting respectfully.

Vogel took a deep breath and suddenly smiled.

"Of course, Your Highness."

The atmosphere finally thawed.

At this, Thales turned back around to greet a bureaucrat that came over to reminisce ("Do you recognize me, I am the gatekeeper who guarded the gate on the day you left for the diplomatic mission…")

"That gaze, or the gaze you claimed to have sensed," Vogel adjusted his mood and whispered, "Was it towards Thales or His Majesty? Or someone else?"

"I don't know."

Vogel's gaze turned cold again.

Mallos narrowed his eyes. "Because from the angle below, His Majesty and many others are in this direction.

"All I know is, it was…a man."

"A man?"

"That's great," Vogel looked towards the crowd that was gradually unrestrained due to alcohol and continued sarcastically, "Now we can eliminate a quarter of our suspects."

"So it's best that His Majesty evacuate first…"

"Impossible," Vogel rejected decisively.

"Maybe your family has been away from politics for too long, Mallos, but did you think the banquet was just a meal?"

Mallos froze a little.

Vogel raised his head slowly.

Unnoticed by them, the song about the King of Blades' expedition had ended, replaced by a drawn-out and majestic tune in the background.

Following an announcement by the Chief of Palace Administration, everyone turned their attention towards King Kessel's seat.

There, a few nobles who had traveled from far away kneeled sincerely, and an elderly man among them was recounting something emotionally.

The king nodded. He comforted them with kind words as he stood up and walked towards them.

Thales' heart raced.

King Kessel stopped in front of a kneeling young man.

The youth stood up straight, raised both hands emotionally and put his palms on the king's hands.

King Kessel asked several questions, and the young man answered each in turn.

Immediately after that, the king announced loudly that the youth had inherited the honors and rights of his forefathers and was officially the baron of a certain territory.

Thales had no choice but to raise his glass along with the ministers to toast the occasion.

"It's the controversial bastard from Blade Edge Hill. He actually bypassed the Archduchess and came to the capital on his own for His Majesty to confer the title upon him and for recognition…" A whispered conversation from a certain long table fed into Thales' hell's senses.

"It seems that His Majesty has made a decision. Archduchess Lyanna will be displeased…"

"Nonsense. The Archduchess and Renaissance Palace are united on all fronts…"

"Will his father's vassals comply?"

"Depends on the methods the bastard chooses to employ…"

"They wouldn't dare defy. Think about it, even His Majesty's heir is an illegitimate child raised by Lord Mahn…"

"Shush. It's fine if you drink too much, but don't talk too much!"

Thales' expression turned somber.

Behind him, Vogel said softly to Mallos, "See? Appear, confer titles, receive guests, bestow commendations and awards, reproach… On such a rare occasion, His Majesty has too many things he has to do.

"We can only make sure he doesn't stray too far from his seat."

But Mallos was not satisfied. "This means during this time, there will be countless people approaching His Majesty and interacting with him in close proximity," the watchman slammed his wine glass on the table and frowned, "Whose idea was this? Have you all gone mad?"

Vogel sneered. "Stay in line, watchman."

"This was decided by His Majesty himself—after he knew that you spotted the 'assassin'."

Mallos swallowed.

Vogel scoffed softly and again looked towards the king. "Watch carefully,"

Thales narrowed his eyes. The next noble stepped forward and knelt. The Chief of Palace Administration announced that the man was of noble origin, had sufficient merit and according to tradition, was about to be knighted as a royal knight of the kingdom.

King Kessel reached out his arms. Behind him, two members of the royal guards approached, one carrying a sword and the other a sash.

Mallos' gaze froze. "That person carrying the sword, that's…"

Thales hurriedly look towards the person carrying the sword. He was a middle-aged guard, honest and good-natured but of average stature.

"Chief Vanguard, Baron Stanley?"

Mallos questioned in surprise, "He's personally carrying the sword for His Majesty's knighting ceremony?"

Glover, who was a member of the Vanguard Division, stared at Stanley. He pursed his lips and looked stern.

Vogel scoffed, as if dissatisfied with Mallos' delayed realization.

"There's also Chief Protector Bridge, Vice Chief Protector Marigo, and their elite Defence team. All of them are secretly in place and standing guard,"

At the sight of members of the Defence Division, Doyle's expression changed, seemingly reminded of something unpleasant.

Vogel narrowed his eyes. "Command, Vanguard, and Defense. All three core divisions of the royal guards are present. They are all elites. Everyone that comes forward will be scrutinized. The assassin will be identified before he is even 30 steps away,"

Mallos' expression was calm again.

Thales tried hard to search for something amongst the guests, but could not find it. Only when he switched to hell's senses did he spot the rays of light from dozens of types of Power of Eradication in the crowded banquet.

"If this doesn't reassure you…"

Vogel lowered his voice, but did not escape Thales' senses. "His Majesty's secret protector, the so-called 'royal assassin' is also present."

No one noticed that the prince spilled a few inches of his wine from his glass.

In that moment, Thales suddenly felt that the hidden assassin was no longer terrifying.

He looked up and stared at the empty corridors, at the shadows cast under the bright lights, but was no longer anxious.

"Coupled with Stanley and Marigo's strength, no one can harm His Majesty." Vogel glanced at Thales. "Nor the Duke."

Mallos did not speak but merely pressed his lips tightly together.

"As long as the nobles are safe, even if the assassin appears, we will be able to react immediately and hold him, turning it into a civil case of misconduct under the influence or a jealous rivalry, which will amount to nothing more than a topic of idle conversation,"

Vogel sneered. "Of course, that's assuming there really is an assassin.

"In addition to my men investigating, the Logistics Division and Chief of Palace Administration are checking the guest list and the guests' luggage and gifts. Officers of the Inner City Police Station have cleared a five-mile radius and are guarding the periphery of the venue," the vice-captain built up momentum as he went on, "It has also been reported that the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department have mobilized. They are gathering intelligence to identify the suspect⁠—if he actually exists.

"There are many others in action. It's caused quite a kerfuffle.

"All because you said it was…'likely'."

Vogel stared at the watchman in resentment.

Mallos kept silent.

"See? As soon as he received your report, Captain Adrian led the entire royal guard in response and took all the security measures.

"Don't make it seem like you're the only patriot, and the rest of us are just villains riding on the gravy train."

Doyle and Glover exchanged a look.

At this moment, Mallos began to speak.

"This was… the captain's decision?"

Vogel glanced at him in discontent but did not deny. "I don't know why he trusts you so much either. Whether it's appointing watchmen or this.

"Even if it's bullshit like 'someone glanced at me'."

Thales sensed that Mallos' breathing quickened.

"Of course, maybe he thinks you're born unlucky and troublesome," Vogel continued sarcastically, "so he is making preparations to clean up the mess."

Mallos did not speak for a while. Only when the third person was knighted did he utter a single word, "Thanks."

Vogel shook his head in disdain and turned to leave.

But then he turned back around and said, "Also, you better pray that the assassin is real, because otherwise…"

The vice-captain leaned towards Mallos and continued in a threatening tone, "Well, you should know, watchman."

Vogel's gaze was cold. "You won't be the only unlucky one."

Mallos was quiet as usual, still motionless.

"See you later, Tormond. Have a pleasant evening, Your Highness."

Vogel bowed politely to Thales and left discreetly by walking close to the walls as he went.

Thales exhaled as he stared at the lettuce that he had cut into mush.

"See?" Doyle, who finally dared to breathe but did not dare to look at his superior's expression, shrugged at Thales and said, "Villian."

Glover started speaking cautiously, "My lord, since Renaissance Palace is taking action…we should…"

Mallos looked up suddenly!

"Gather everyone, and set up alerts and defense according to protocol." The watchman looked solemn. "Indeed, our colleagues from Renaissance Palace have taken action, but at the end of the day this is our territory,"

Doyle and Glover exchanged a look.

Mallos turned around to look at a curious Thales. "We need to do our part."

Doyle and Zombie quickly left with those instructions, leaving Thales and Mallos behind.

Fortunately, the royal knighting ceremony was still ongoing, attracting most of the attention, resulting in fewer people visiting the prince.

Thales peered backwards and stared at Mallos who had been stock-still for a long while.

Inexplicably, looking at his ever-enigmatic personal guard captain, Thales had the illusion that:

He was in a good mood.

"So your relationship with your superiors, especially the second-in-command of the guards…"

Thales looked towards Vogel who had returned to the king's side and probed tentatively, "Err, is relatively good?"

Mallos cocked his head to a side and looked at his 'favorite' duke.

"In life, there will always be things you are unwilling to, but still have to do," Mallos remain composed, as if he did not hear the irony in Thales' voice, "We call that—'work'."

Thales snorted.

"Just like the 'work' you do under my orders?"

"I didn't say that."

Thales was silent for a moment before putting on a polite smile. "Very well."

'But that's obviously what you think.'

He lowered his head and continued to handle the lettuce. "But…"

Thales saw the next royal knight kiss his father's ring emotionally. "What the 'villain' said earlier. Your…"

"Little band of pampered rich kids?"

"What was that about?"

Mallos looked up.

Thales looked at him and blinked.

"We might have an assassin hiding in the crowd," the watchman said piercingly, "but you seem to have become relaxed instead...

"My favorite duke?"

"Oh, my favorite personal guard captain." Thales looked at him pensively, waved the fork in his hand as if waving a cane, and deliberately acted like an elder who had experienced the ups and downs in life, "If you had grown up like I did, been through what I've been through…"

Mallos stared back at him and frowned.

Thales shrugged, prodded his plate with the fork and continued jovially, "Hmm, this lettuce is pretty good."

Mallos scoffed and turned away.

Just when Thales thought that this guy was impervious and immune to teasing as usual, the latter spoke.

"Doyle, Zombie, and the others.

"They didn't join your personal guard for no reason."

Mallos looked at Captain Adrian, who was beside the king, from a distance.

"The Doyle family was distant from power for a long time. They were unwilling to merely be a wealthy family so racked their brains to curry favor with the royal family, hell-bent on getting back into the ranks of the Seven Jadestars Attendants.

"On the other hand, the head of the Glover family holds an important financial position and is loyal and devoted to the king. He is worried that he can't keep away from those with ulterior motives to indicate his loyalty and integrity."

Thales' expression froze slightly.

"In the capital, one's family background can be a bargaining chip for climbing the ladder, but can also be a worrisome burden,"

There was melancholy in his words, "It depends on how you choose."

Thales was silent for a while.

Bargaining chip for climbing the ladder, a worrisome burden.

His attention shifted to the Nine-Pointed Star Emblem on his cuffs.

"Lord Mallos," Thales said casually, "I think, perhaps you should take my etiquette lessons, and Lady Jines should continue instructing me in martial arts?"

"It would be my pleasure.

"Unfortunately I have my orders," Mallos replied softly. This made Thales even more sure that: he was in a good mood.

Thales did not want to miss this opportunity.

"What about you?"

The prince shifted his gaze.

"How did you join my personal guard, even becoming the top dog?"

Mallos paused.

"You know." Mallos shot him a side glance, calm as ever. "Work."

Thales twitched his brows.

'Damn you. You really do think that way.'

"So when will you introduce your family to me?"

Thales continued nonchalantly, "Shall we see what 'Razor' Mallos family, qualified enough to propose to the princess, chose?"

"Whether they are your burden, or bargaining chip?"

In that moment, Thales shuddered subconsciously.

Just then, Sin of Hell's River… tripped a little?

Thales looked up in shock: Mallos' posture remained composed as he looked at him with a frown.

"What's wrong?"

Thales looked at him and chuckled awkwardly, "I didn't mention your history with my aunt—alright, I'm mentioning it now."

Mallos furrowed his brows.

Thales shrugged and asked in jest, "So am I still your favorite duke?"

Mallos looked at him for a long while—not any ordinary look, but a hair-raising look. The type of 'look' that occurred in the horror films of his past life, where ghosts appeared out of nowhere and 'looked' at the protagonist.

Just when Thales could not bear it and wanted to turn away, Mallos spoke.

"Some other time, Your Highness."

Thales was confused. "Some other time?"

Mallos nodded, and reverted to a carefree tone, "Some other time, I'll bring you to East Hill Cemetery

in Aven Hills, just outside of Eastern City District,"

"And introduce my family to you."

"Sounds great…" Thales agreed cheerfully, but immediately noticed something wrong.

"Wait a minute. Did you say, cemetery?"

Mallos nodded and responded with a pleasant smile. "Yup.

"My grandparents, parents, uncles, siblings…"

There was a hidden depth in Mallos' voice; Coupled with his exuberant gaze, this sent a chill down Thales' spine.

"All my blood relatives that can be found in the Mallos family genealogy.

"Every one of them.

"Is buried there."

Mallos' voice was calm.

Like he was talking about someone else.

Except he kept looking at Thales, unblinking.

"Shall I introduce you?"

Thales chuckled and turned around stiffly.

"Hehe, err, you know…"

Thales pushed his plate slightly and said awkwardly, "This lettuce really is pretty good."

Thales knew, that was the end of the watchman's good mood.

Just like his luck tonight.

Because ten minutes later, a man sat down beside Thales uninvited and smiled at him.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

"What a coincidence it was. I happened to meet you when you were chased by an assassin, and I just happened to save your life… Now that I think about it, perhaps it was destiny?"

Thales looked at the guest helplessly. He waved to signal to Mallos that everything was alright, and have him hold back the surrounding Star Lake Guards who had gone on high alert.

Why did it have to be this guy…

At such a time…

"I'm a little busy. I have no time to reminisce with you," the prince said bluntly as he referred to the guest by name, "Zayen."

But the master of Iris Flowers, Duke of South Coast, Zayen Covendier raised his wine glass and grinned at Thales. "Really? What a shame."

"I thought that you, as one who has encountered multiple life-threatening situations, will be more concerned about your old enemy's current situation—I have received this information only recently."

Thales was stunned.

"Old enemy?"

Zayen, and the assassination he mentioned…

'And that enemy that tried to assassinate me…'

Thales looked towards Duke Arunde subconsciously.

"Oh, no, not the Duke of the Northern Territory. What's more, his current situation is clear as day," Duke Zayen put down his wine glass, his eyes ablaze, "I'm talking about the cunning, unpredictable, mad, vicious…"

Thales froze.

"The person who has lost everything and gone into exile…"

Zayen pronounced each word softly, "But still capable of catching us off-guard and leaving us dejected and embarrassed with their every gesture…"

The duke scoffed coldly, "Lady Serena Corleone."

Thales was confused for a split second before slipping into a daze.

Ser…

In that instant, a sudden strangeness and a long-lost familiarity struck him at the same time.

Serena…

Thales' complexion changed slightly.

He felt a phantom pain in a vein on his neck, like years past.

Zayen twirled the wine glass in his hand deftly, and slipped into a slight daze.

"What about it, Your Highness? This name…"

In that moment, there was trepidation and chilliness in the Duke of Iris Flowers' gaze. "Do you remember it?"

⁠