546 To Not Perish as Foes One

Indeed. It had been a long, long time since Thales thought about this name.

Serena Corleone.

He even had to admit that many times he deliberately locked it in the depths of his memory.

Was unwilling to think about it, had detested thinking about it.

But when he did think about it again, he could still feel the uneasiness that originated from the depths of his heart.

'Betrayal is the true essence of an alliance.'

As the memory became clearer, and just as that face was about to reappear in his mind, Thales looked up abruptly and focused his attention directly in front of him.

"What do you want?" The prince looked at Zayen skeptically. "Why did you mention her?"

In the middle of the hall, the knighting ceremony was still underway. From time to time, a noble would walk up the steps and kneel before the king's seat.

The Duke of Iris Flowers smiled slightly and raised his glass to the young man. "This, Your Highness, you can take it as a… banquet gift from me."

Thales kept still, his gaze cold.

Zayen waited for a good while but there was no intent on the part of the youth to raise his glass back in response.

He brushed it off, smiled and put down his glass.

But he suddenly frowned and looked around. "Is it my illusion, or is your security more anxious and tighter than usual?"

"What, do they suspect I will harm the prince?"

Thales tensed up but remained unfazed. "My personal guard captain is diligent and strict with his men."

Thales smiled towards Mallos and Glover, repeatedly signaling them to take it easy.

The Duke of Star Lake turned around; his eyes lit up.

"As for suspecting you… Well, you can't really blame them,"

"You know, that gift you gave me six years ago, I have yet to fully digest it."

Zayen smiled. "Then you need this gift even more—it will help you digest the last one."

"How?" Thales sneered sarcastically.

With feelings unfathomable to outsiders, they stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.

Finally, Thales asked calmly, "So, Serena, where is she?"

Zayen smiled.

He raised his hand gracefully, called a waiter over and ordered a portion of beef as Thales looked on disgruntledly. Amidst the soft clanking of cutlery against dishware, he started to speak at a leisurely pace, "Since she caused us huge losses six years ago, that ruthless Machiavellian from Night Kingdom has been recuperating in Constellation for some time."

As if this was an ordinary casual conversation.

Thales contemplated for a while.

"She has guts.

"After causing so much trouble, offending so many people," Thales recalled her threats and harm caused towards him and scoffed, "she dares stay in Constellation?"

But then Thales paused.

He looked up and stared fixedly at Zayen in disbelief.

Zayen picked up a piece of beef and smiled back at him.

Thales began to comprehend.

"You."

With slight surprise, Thales frowned and continued, "My guess is, when your relationship with the Corleone family fell apart, that ugly-faced woman—I mean, Serena Corleone who had betrayed and left her family became your natural ally?"

Zayen had two pieces and stopped. He maintained his smile as he wiped the corners of his lips with a tablecloth.

"After Lady Serena was driven away by you, I did, uh, provide her shelter."

Sure enough.

The astonishment gradually receded from Thales' face.

"I remember someone telling me that." The youth looked at him in disdain, "If you share a boat with a jackal and wolf, you will run the risk of having your boat overturned."

In that moment, Zayen's expression froze a little.

"Particularly before you get all lovey-dovey and emotionally entangled with Serena Corleone." Half sincere, half sarcastic, Thales scoffed. "Trust me, I speak from experience."

Zayen was silent for a while.

But in a fraction of a second, the Duke of Iris Flowers looked up and responded with a decent smile.

"Yes, very true," he nodded politely, "I discovered that myself later,"

There was a slight chill in Zayen's eyes. "Especially after she broke free from her shackles, drained a few of my men and left me without saying goodbye."

Broke free from her shackles…

It dawned on Thales. "Looks like the shelter you provided wasn't very good."

But since it was Serena, to have put shackles on her…

Yes, young Zayen.

The prince gave him a thumbs up in his heart:

Well done.

Inside the hall, the knighting ceremony finally came to a close.

Music could again be heard as the performers returned to the stage. Liveliness and noise became the main theme of the banquet again. Perhaps due to the passage of time, the guests started to get drunk and, either gathering their friends or already in small groups, they became less and less inhibited.

Thales even noticed many male and female guests disappear from the same spot one after another, and did not return even after much later.

King Kessel was back in his seat, but the queen had long departed. He seemed a little lonely.

The king glanced over towards Thales for a second before looking away.

The royal guards beside him looked stern as usual, but Thales, who knew what was going on, could clearly feel their extreme relief.

The assassin did not appear.

It was good news.

And bad news.

Zayen raised his glass a little with a subtle look in his eyes, pulling Thales back to the conversation at hand.

"The Eastern Peninsula sea route is lucrative." The Duke of Iris Flowers lightly sniffed the aroma of his wine. "Ever since the misfortune six years ago, the Covendier family has been looking for an opportunity to restore relations with the Corleone family and get back on good terms with each other,"

"So I'm thinking, the wanted family criminal they are after, could be a breakthrough."

Thales raised his eyebrows.

"Get back on good terms? After you attempt to have the Night Queen murder the Prince of Constellation on your behalf?"

The prince spoke the truth without any psychological burden, his tone sarcastic. "I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

"I'll still have to try." Zayen smiled again, perfectly elegant.

"Let us rather die as friends than perish as foes."

Thales shook his head in disapproval.

But there was a small voice in his heart that said:

No.

If the Covendier family really managed to capture that ugly old witch and send her to her sister as a gift…

Thales retracted his gaze from Zayen and frowned.

They might really have a chance at reconciliation.

Fortunately, Serena broke free from her shackles and was not caught by Zayen.

Yes, ugly-faced woman.

Thales secretly nodded in approval of his rival:

Well done.

The prince put a piece of lettuce into his mouth as he pondered this. "But you mentioned that you have the latest news on her?"

Zayen nodded. "Anyway, after that, we paid special attention to Lady Serena's whereabouts,"

"For the past six years, the exact whereabouts of this exiled dignitary of Night Kingdom has been unclear. She seems to have been everywhere from Revol City to Sanlast. Until a few days ago, she was seen in the Alliance of Freedom."

Allian...

Thales froze for a moment before immediately looking up.

"Where?"

Zayen smiled.

"That's right. The Alliance of Freedom that has fallen on hard times is doing everything possible to survive. Disregarding dignity and price, they are desperately asking those with ambition to join their righteous struggle, irrespective of their origins or past,"

"From criminals to mercenaries, from ruffians to thugs, they take anyone, they want everyone, in order to resist the unjust aggression from Eckstedt,"

"And Lady Serena is one of them. She has also been honored as an important guest."

The ugly-faced woman is at…the Alliance of Freedom?

Aiding the fight against Eckstedt?

The news that Gilbert delivered, about Eckstedt's defeat and the uncertain fate of their commander-in-chief, flashed across his mind.

Saroma's face, brave and persevering, appeared before his eyes as well.

But what came after was an image which became clearer and clearer; which encompassed solemnity and loveliness, glamor and cruelty; two faces, one large, the other small—the image of Serena Corleone.

Thales' heart sank and he felt chaotic inside.

'No way?

'Is it you again, old witch?'

There was an odd sensation on his neck, his wrist, and every part of him that had been bitten by the Blood Clan.

"Of course, this matter involves Eckstedt, so perhaps you have a better understanding of it than me. What do you think?" Zayen took a sip of wine.

Thales stared at Zayen's wine glass and shook his head in disdain.

"It would be like drinking poison to quench thirst.

"But whatever that old witch is involved in, it won't be anything good."

Zayen raised his eyebrows; he did not deny this.

Thales was lost in thought, Zayen did not speak. Both of them sat across from each other in silence for a while.

Until Thales snapped out of it. "That's it? Nothing else?"

Zayen looked up at him. "That's it."

Thales pursed his lips and nodded, intending to send off his guest. "If that's the case…"

At this moment, Zayen raised an arm and pointed at a noble in the crowd whose nose was red from drinking, but was in high spirits and being congratulated by everyone.

"Look, that's the Rorchenanter family. After two generations, they have finally become hereditary vassals."

Zayen's tone was drawn-out. "But who knows how long that will last?"

Thales furrowed his brows slightly, thinking about what Zayen meant to say.

But in the next moment, the Duke of Iris Flowers' words took him by surprise.

"Thales," Zayen was still looking at Lord Rorchenanter in the crowd with a profound gaze, as he said softly, "Do you know how the relationship between the supreme ruler and his vassals came about?"

Thales was startled.

This was the first time tonight that Zayen referred to Thales directly by name, without any titles.

The prince appraised him bemusedly.

The Guardian Duke of the South Coast seemed to be lost in thought as he continued distractedly, "When humans had just stepped out of the Uncivilized Period, before the empire was born and when multiple kings ruled, the world was not peaceful,"

"In an era of war and turmoil, the weak affiliated themselves with and pledged allegiance to kings with power, military, and territory for protection."

"And in return, the protected had to lead their family and friends to work the king's land to generate produce, providing labor in exchange for protection."

Zayen turned his attention to the groups of guests that approached the king.

"The Ancient Chauvinistic Country, Northland, Rock Ridge, Rudoll, Faraway Mountain, Sorenlan…all the ancient kingdoms of humans were established this way, with no exceptions,"

Zayen narrowed his eyes and looked at King Kessel in the distance.

"Security is the obligation of the king, and the right of the vassal."

Security.

Thales suddenly remembered the vows made by King Chapman in Heroic Spirit Palace when he was crowned.

'As a Northlander, I will undertake the heavy responsibilities as king to this kingdom, to stand at the forefront of the kingdom with my wisdom and breadth of mind.'

As king to this kingdom.

Stand at the forefront of the kingdom…

Really?

Thales recalled the day Chapman put on the blood-stained crown and looked down at the adoring crowd.

"Labor, conversely, is the obligation of the vassal, and the right of the king."

Zayen smiled faintly, slightly aloof.

"See, the essence of the ruler-vassal hierarchy is really just a transaction.

"I give you labor, you grant me protection."

He stared towards the lower tiers of the banquet hall at the drunk and merry guests.

"If a vassal is unable to provide labor, military service, and taxes, then the king has a right to expel the vassal and recover his land,"

He turned around again to look towards the highest tier at Kessel the Fifth, who looked down indifferently.

"If a king can no longer defend against foreign invasions and ensure security, the vassal has the right to abandon the king and seek another master,"

Thales frowned hard.

He finally knew what Zayen was getting at.

Zayen turned around and stared quietly at the prince.

"This right is a prerogative and a convention."

Thales had an illusion that: the initially friendly and approachable Duke of South Coast seemed to be exhibiting his prowess.

"Vassals and their supreme ruler, suzerains and their subjects, all are such. This is the cornerstone of our rule, a contract, and more so, a covenant."

Zayen went on softly, "Binary, reciprocal, synergistic, two sides of a balance, two ends of a path.

"But when the balance tilts.

"You need to add weight to one side for it to return to a state of balance."

Zayen stared fixedly at Thales. His tone and gaze were calm, but for some reason, Thales felt firmly locked in.

The prince looked at the lively banquet hall and listened to the extravagant music as he slowly inhaled.

"I can't say you're wrong."

Thales turned around to look at Zayen and said solemnly, "At least, not entirely."

Zayen looked at him for a few seconds before chuckling, but it was unclear if it was the joke or Thales that amused him.

Duke Covendier of exacting comportment and good reputation turned around and raised his wine glass, his attitude gradually becoming casual and slack.

"Interestingly, compared to us, many places in the east, from Hanbol to Mane et Nox, from Liegdern Union to the Daesong Khanate, have all-powerful rulers that are autocratic and dictatorial.

"God-like."

He took a few sips of wine and ended faintly, "Surpassing empires."

Thales exhaled. "I remember now. You mentioned before that you had traveled across the Eastern Peninsula."

That's right, he's a returtle.

Zayen scoffed a little and swirled his wine glass.

At the sight of Zayen's unusually casual demeanor, Thales raised his eyebrows. "So?"

Zayen's eyes were blazing as he continued, "From what I have seen and heard, the people there are simple and kind, but apathetic and forbearing. From the highest to lowest levels of society, they fear and revere the supreme power, and even worship and admire it,"

"From before birth to after death they believe that the king that rules over them is eminently sacred. They believe that compliance with ancestral traditions is extremely vital, and that as subjects, they have the obligation to grin and bear it for life—or rather, the honor?"

Zayen's fingers wrapped tightly around the wine glass.

"Amongst them, the paramount virtue is wishing that the superior monarch is righteous and benevolent, hoping that the bureaucrats who govern the land are equitable. When the king acts unconscionably, his ministers would risk death in remonstrating him, moving him so deeply that he has a change of heart—their books are filled with such stories, as an exemplary model.

"Someone told me that this is their history and tradition. That which is determined by their nature and habit is naturally justified. Even though I think that most of the time, it is merely helpless self-deception."

Thales did not speak.

Zayen turned around.

This time, he left his distant memory and soberly looked at Prince Thales before him.

"During my travels, I couldn't help but think that in such a place, once the king's perversion reaches its peak, and once the corruption of the government is at an extreme, would the grievance of the subjects and servants then be unreasonable due to tradition, and thereby be weak and innocuous?"

His tone turned cold. "Or become more violent and bloody due to prolonged suppression without release, thereby burning all bridges?"

Thales was stunned.

In that moment, he felt as though he had been transported back to Ghost Prince Tower, and the person in front of him was the repulsive Fakenhaz.

'The horse will not submit to the lash, nor will the coachman give up on lashing it.'

"Is that better than us?"

"Or worse?"

Zayen stared fixedly at him, as if pressing for an answer from the prince.

"Us and them.

"Which is more in line with the future of the world?"

Thales was silent for a long while.

During this period, he even forgot that he was still at the banquet, that the king was still present, that his faithful subordinates were still working diligently to find a possible assassin, and that miles away, the girl he had been through life and death with was possibly held captive.

Zayen just waited for him quietly, his gaze profound but his intentions vague.

Finally, Thales took a deep breath and slowly started speaking.

"I don't think we are qualified, nor is it necessary, to judge and compare.

"Let alone determine for the future."

Zayen frowned, seemingly disappointed.

But Thales raised his head and looked at the crowd coming and going like a blur in the banquet hall and continued solemnly, "But I believe that everything happens for a reason.

"I believe that, the only constant is change.

"I believe that, to each their own."

Zayen's frown deepened.

"And I further believe that, regardless of time, place, situation and character," Thales looked at him with a resolute gaze, "history itself will choose the future that suits you best."

Zayen contemplated for a moment then broke into a smile.

"History?

"You speak as if it is an autonomous living being."

Thales raised his eyebrows. "Is it not?"

Zayen seemed puzzled.

But Thales merely picked up a piece of lettuce and scrutinized it.

"The Uncivilized Period is over, and the era of multiple kings and Empire Calendar have long been history."

He continued distractedly, "As the number of vassals increased and the governed territory expanded, basic government affairs gradually become more complex. No matter how powerful a king is, there will be aspects beyond his reach; he cannot be all things to all people."

Thales suddenly thought of King Nuven.

But not the imposing and vicious Born King.

Instead, it was the ruined and desolate old man that sat with him on the steps with wine in hand after the duel.

"So for many issues on the land, vassals had to put down their hoes and make their own decisions,"

Thales went on softly, "And after the death of a vassal, the kings had no time and energy to reclaim every little piece of land and appoint another vassal,"

The prince looked up, slowly turning somber.

"So, the lands that were originally entrusted to the vassals gradually became hereditary, passing down from generation to generation. It gradually became tradition that matters on feudal land were decided solely by them."

"Property on feudal land consequently became the private property of suzerains, and unable to be easily expropriated by the monarch nor taken by others."

Thales looked towards the Duke of Iris Flowers.

"Thus, suzerains such as yourself shift slowly into the spotlight and become protagonists of history, competing ambitiously, forging ahead and opening up new horizons."

"As a result, the kingdom developed, with civilization expanding through a trickle-down effect, benefiting the regime."

Thales concluded solemnly, "Thereby creating the Constellation of today."

Zayen's expression turned solemn too.

But unbeknownst to the Duke of South Coast, at that moment, it was not Constellation that Thales was thinking of.

He thought of Eckstedt.

If Raikaru the Hero did not divide the right to rule the kingdom between the other nine skilled but ambitious knights under his flag, letting them raise flags of their own and set out on expeditions to expand his territory in all directions and spread the reputation of the Northland…

Would the kingdom of Eckstedt have such a vast territory and impressive reputation?

More so, would there be a kingdom?

Zayen scoffed softly.

"Interesting. So do you think that the autonomy, self-governance, independence, and self-reliance of us vassals is natural and inherently justified?"

He looked at Thales with interest.

Thales snapped out of his daze and smiled.

"I'm not done."

"When the private ownership of feudal land became consensus, the rights of vassals reached its peak," Thales elaborated.

"The most extreme of them could even stand up against kings."

The scene when King Chapman was crowned appeared again before his eyes. the kinslayer king stood tall and proud, his gaze ice-cold but a fire blazed within.

The Dragon Scale Crown sat firmly on his head.

But…

Thales looked up and lightly pursed his lips.

In that scene, quietly standing before Chapman Lampard was not the then King Nuven.

Instead, it was that which stood towering atop the peak of Dragon Clouds Mountain, which survived thousands of years of wind and rain, the serene and majestic…

Heroic Spirit Palace.

Thales felt his breathing stagger.

In front of it, the once immensely terrifying King Chapman cut a lonely and gaunt figure and seemed insignificant.

Thales gritted his teeth. "But exactly because of this ever-growing trend, authority gradually disintegrated, tradition is gradually shifted. Feudal land was no longer an inflexible entrustment property in the hands of the king. It was liberated, turning into a deed for land, circulating and transforming through different hands, impacting the livelihoods of countless people that have settled on it, instigating endless conflicts around power and interests.

"So the vassals each harbored private ambitions, the people chose their masters, suzerains warred against each other, territories changed hands and boundaries shifted easily. That's how all this came about."

Flashing before his eyes were Archduke Poffret whose neck was broken in duel and King Nuven's decapitated head in a pool of blood.

And Chapman Lampard's bright cold eyes.

"When the territorial conflicts increase in number and intensity, when the boundary between king and vassals gradually blur, when the contract of security for labor gradually lapses, when the last bit of integrity of tradition disappears, the kingdom that rests on such land will be on the brink of crisis,"

He took a deep breath and continued, "And with that, the traditions and institutions that were originally established for security that you mentioned earlier will become too much of a good thing that it implodes on itself…

"…ending the provided security."

In his mind's eye, Thales silently looked at that terrifying king who was facing Heroic Spirit Palace alone.

His strides were persistent and unwavering, with no trace of weakness.

But, dear Chapman Lampard.

What you have to face is…

But in the next moment, Thales was shocked!

For a split second, the scene before him changed.

The shadow in front of him was no longer King Chapman.

But instead a youth that he has never met but was extremely familiar with.

The youth stood upright and tall, but was all alone.

Thales froze.

He saw the shining silver crown on the youth's head, embellished with the Nine-Pointed Star Emblem.

And ahead of the youth…

It took Thales some effort to shift his gaze.

He saw, towering over the youth…

A colossal and imposing, tranquil but deathly still, vast but heavy, magnificent but cumbersome—black pyramid.

Thales stopped breathing for a little.

Forbearing and isolated under the stars, firmly rooted before the setting sun, sturdy and unyielding in the storm…

It was Renaissance Palace.Portmanteau of 'return' and 'turtle', original text 海归 (return from abroad), a pun on 海龟 (turtle), meaning someone who has returned home after gaining experience abroad.