Chapter 632: I Can't Handle It

Late at night in Star Lake Castle, Thales sat alone on the top observation platform of Jackal Tower, looking down from above and gazing at the distant Star Lake.

King Kessel and Captain Adrian had returned to the capital that same night, leaving only Sonia and her Star Glory Guards behind to turn the main castle's banquet hall upside down. Things did not quiet down until dawn.

Mallos and Madam Valencia were naturally run ragged. As for the Duke of Star Lake himself, he had long since returned to his bedroom on the excuse that he could not hold his liquor.

("Bullshit! This old lady clearly saw him drinking fruit juice!" said the Flower of the Fortress, drunkenly grabbing Mallos by the collar.)

But only Thales himself knew that, compared with welcoming the king's visit, he would rather drink himself blind and sleep without ever waking.

Cat cries came from a distant roof. They were answered by dogs barking on the ground, and along with the faint sounds of cicadas, Star Lake Castle under the moonlight was filled with rustic liveliness and comfort.

Why?

Thales looked at the rippling light on Star Lake, his gaze unfocused.

Why now? Why Zayen? Why the South Coast?

Thales lowered his head and drew a dagger wrapped in layer after layer of bandages from its sheath. Ever since he returned as a refugee from the Great Desert, for various reasons, not only had he not removed JC's disguise, he had strengthened it instead to make sure no one could see its origin.

More importantly, why him?

Thales absentmindedly took out the bone ring, Kortaksa, and hung it on the dagger's tip.

The savage bone ring and the sharp blade set each other off. Under the moonlight, they looked even colder and more desolate.

What exactly did Kessel the Fifth want him to do?

Why was the king so confident, yet so casual and permissive?

Where would Renaissance Palace begin? How would they clean up afterward? How could they both ensure the result and avoid raising chaos?

What was his role? What should he do? What could he do?

Countless questions and countless uncertainties surged together into Thales' heart.

Not far away, firelight moved atop Swift Shadow Tower. Thales knew that the patrol sentries were changing shifts. Judging from the figures, it might be Vanguard Officer Supa Longley leading a squad of local Jadestar private soldiers.

The prince skillfully climbed down from the observation platform, crouched to avoid their sight, and waited for the shift change to end. The patrol sentries paid more attention to threats outside the castle, but if one of them happened to turn back in the middle of the night and saw the Duke of Star Lake's head in the center of the castle, it certainly would not be a pleasant matter.

Thales leaned against the wall, his gaze congealing.

All right. At least he knew one thing.

He had to obey the king's order, go to Jade City, and participate, in whatever manner, in this political conspiracy whose future was impossible to predict.

Not merely because he was bound by an oath. Not merely because he had old personal grudges with Zayen. Not merely because the matter had to be done.

Even more because this was his choice, his right, his bargaining chip. It was the small measure of freedom he had desperately won from the Iron Hand King's fingers after painful lessons like Dragon Blood and Desert King, by wagering his future and his life.

This freedom might not be much, but it was crucial.

As in the past, Thales knew nothing of Renaissance Palace's plan, means, process, or details for dealing with Zayen. He was excluded from it, and could only watch for opportunities and adapt.

But unlike before, this time Thales had received a clear order, been told the answer in advance, and even been acknowledged as an independent third-party chess piece. He was no longer drifting blindly in the kingdom's chessboard, dizzy and unable to tell direction.

Besides...

[As long as you complete it, I do not care what you do.]

Thales flicked the dagger in his hand, and the bone ring, Covenant, flipped into the air before he caught it.

And now, what he had to do, what he could do...

"No, sir. I mean, my lady. Lady Sasere. This will not do. It cannot. Truly, I... I cannot!" A flustered and panicked male voice faintly came from below the observation platform.

Thales, who had been practicing his hand skills, changed expression.

"Oh, I understand. So you look down on me?" What followed was a bright and spirited female voice, aggressive between the words.

What?

Thales swallowed and entered the Hell's Senses.

"No, how would I dare... You are very formidable, very graceful, very charming. It is only that I... I belong to the Royal Guards..." The man grew even more panicked.

Thales held his breath, quietly climbed to the observation platform on the other side, carefully revealed half his head, and looked down.

Right diagonally opposite him, two floors lower, Zombie Glover was leaning stiffly and awkwardly against the platform, with the high air behind him.

And Sonia Sasere, the famous Flower of the Fortress, stood before him with drunkenness on her face. One hand pressed down on his shoulder, nearly forcing Glover out of the platform.

"Then that means I am not worthy of you Royal Guards?" Sonia leaned forward, a trace of cold light appearing in her misty eyes.

Glover trembled slightly.

"No, sir! I mean, I have duties. I still need to protect His Highness..."

"Do not worry about that! I dare guarantee that His Highness Thales will have no objection. He might even help me, as long as you are willing." Sonia shook her head, revealing an evil smile.

Thales frowned fiercely. Glover's expression stiffened, and he shook his head with all his might.

Seeing that the man would rather die than comply, the misty-eyed Sonia was silent for a while. Then she understood something and rhythmically patted Glover's chest.

"Aha, I get it. You think you are not capable. Heh heh... in every sense, lacking experience?"

Glover's face reddened.

"No..." He denied it outright at first, then immediately realized this was a way out and hurriedly admitted, "I mean, yes, Sir Sasere. I, that is, I cannot! I have never... uh, my experience in this aspect is still shallow. Even if I... I definitely would not be able to endure it, and would not last long..."

But Sonia stepped forward, nearly pressing her whole body against Glover, and slapped both palms onto his shoulders.

"Do not worry. I will teach you!"

The Flower of the Fortress' eyes shone. The curve of her mouth grew larger and larger, and her tone grew stranger.

"And I will start from the beginning, demonstrate personally, step by step, hand by hand, teaching you every. Single. Step..."

Thales, who was eavesdropping above, changed expression several times. Was this something he should be hearing?

Glover could no longer endure it. He abruptly pushed Sonia away and turned to break free.

"No. We... we cannot do this, my lady, sir. This... this is against the rules. Right, I still have guard duty tonight. Why don't we talk about this next time..."

But before he had taken two steps, the Flower of the Fortress' arm pressed against the wall, blocking his way.

"But I want you. Truly, truly, urgently want you."

"I want you now."

Glover swallowed. His breathing quickened.

Reeking of alcohol, Sonia's eyes were unfocused as she swayed closer to Glover.

"I know that, actually, you want it too, right?"

"And I just happen to be the commander of Broken Dragon Fortress, bearing heavy responsibility to protect home and kingdom. In other words, it is not only me personally. The whole kingdom wants you."

With a smile that allowed no resistance, the Flower of the Fortress forced Glover step by step into a corner. The latter's eternally unchanging face was now filled with infinite terror.

"Will you really, really not think it over again?"

Holy fucking shit.

Listening in on all this, Thales rubbed his face.

What the hell even was this?

With complicated feelings, the prince crouched below the observation platform, making sure they could not see him, then forced the extremely unwilling Sin of Hell's River to surge into his throat and mouth and adjust its frequency.

Several seconds later, he pinched his nose, took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and made a sound.

"Meow, meowww..."

The cry pierced through the obstruction and echoed back and forth as if it were right beside their ears.

The Flower of the Fortress and Glover were both startled. The two abruptly separated and looked around in every direction.

"Meowww..." Thales continued imitating a certain black cat who had dared to speak harshly to Madam Valencia, stretching the tone with vivid accuracy and pretending to be some cat sleeping there and protesting the disturbance by humans.

Glover finally escaped from his terror. Thinking of something, he immediately put on a solemn expression.

"Ah, it is that damned black cat. It must have gone to the duke's place again to steal food... to peek at confidential documents. This... this is an emergency situation, quite, quite dangerous. I... I must go protect Duke Thales' room..."

Sonia seemed to sober up slightly and looked at him in disbelief.

Glover coughed and straightened his clothes.

"Well, Sir Sasere, my lady, I am grateful for your favor, but no. I am sorry. I cannot. I must not... I am going on duty. If you have need, I can recommend other brothers in the Guards to substitute. For example, there is a fine young man in the guard wing..."

The Flower of the Fortress narrowed her eyes, clearly extremely dissatisfied.

Glover did not dare breathe loudly.

"Meowww..." A third cat cry came from overhead, each call more urgent than the last.

Finally, Sonia let out a long sigh.

"Ah, forget it. Twisted melons are not sweet."

Zombie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do not worry. We..." Sonia patted Glover's chest muscles, curled the corner of her mouth, and winked with deep meaning.

"Have plenty of time in the future."

Glover's face turned pale. He turned and rushed into the corridor as if fleeing for his life, then charged down the stairs without looking back.

"What a pity," Sonia said, looking over his awkward retreat, clearly quite regretful. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such a good lad."

Good. Mission complete.

Without offending the Flower of the Fortress and successfully rescuing his subordinate, Thales was very pleased with this response. Even the gloom from the king's visit lightened quite a bit.

Relying on past experience, Thales pinched his nose and meowed twice more as a finish and distraction. This way it would not seem too suspicious.

What he needed to do now was quietly slip away...

In the next second, Thales turned his head and met a pair of green-glowing eyes.

He froze.

It was a black cat.

It stood elegantly and arrogantly on the observation platform, looking suspiciously at the Duke of Star Lake, who was pinching his nose and curling up in the corner.

Eh, this cat... why did it look a little familiar?

Thales was so embarrassed that, in order not to expose himself, he could only continue pinching his nose and give it a friendly meow.

"Meow?"

The black cat blinked, suddenly enlightened.

It blew out its whiskers, gave him a contemptuous expression, then stepped forward with elegant disdain and left while swaying its tail.

Looking at the other's arrogant backside, Thales' face darkened.

What? Never seen a prince imitate a cat before?

Damned food-stealing cat.

Thinking of this, the indignant Thales pinched his nose and roared at the black cat as a threat.

"Meowwwwaaow!"

The black cat ignored him completely. It merely flicked its tail, stepped with elegant cat steps, and disappeared around the corner.

Tch. Damned cat.

Thales cursed silently. But in the next moment, the light on the observation platform darkened, as if something had blocked the moonlight.

The Duke of Star Lake froze. He stiffly raised his head.

Under the moonlight, Sonia Sasere had somehow crossed the height of three floors and was crouching on the observation platform above Thales' head, looking down from above and staring blankly at him, the Duke of Star Lake curled in the corner, pinching his nose and looking as though he were gnashing his teeth.

A faint breeze blew. One high, one low, one above, one below, the two of them simply stared at each other in silence.

Thales dared swear to Midier that, in that instant, he only wanted to jump down from the tower and end it all.

Who knew how long passed before Sonia tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

"Hi?"

The young man trembled. Only then did he release his nose and give a dry laugh.

"What a coincidence. Heh heh. Sonia, you cannot sleep either?"

Sonia said nothing. Her gaze only grew more complicated.

"Aha, the view here is very nice, right?"

Sonia still did not answer. Her brows only tightened further.

"All right."

Thales painfully breathed out, stood up, and gave up the idea of muddling through.

"I am very sorry. But Glover said he was unwilling."

Only then did Sonia snort through her nose, drop beside Thales, sit against the wall, and mutter resentfully.

"That is because he has not tried it."

The Flower of the Fortress took a pouch of tobacco and a piece of paper from her clothes and nimbly rolled a paper cigarette.

Thank the gods. She did not ask about the cat noises.

"All right, even if you are right," Thales said, working hard to forget the embarrassment just now, "he still has to agree to try."

"He will agree soon enough. He does not know what I can give him. It is something he would never forget in his whole life..." Sonia put the rolled cigarette in her mouth, her tone rather unwilling.

"Do we really have to discuss this topic here?" Feeling that the topic was becoming increasingly unfit for ears, Thales had to interrupt her with a bitter face.

"Fine. It is not too proper in front of you." Sonia held the cigarette in her mouth and took out a pitch-crystal flint, trying to light it. "But in your position, sooner or later you will experience things like this..."

"Stop!"

Thales cut off the topic and turned away with a bitter face.

Why was he talking about this with her here? He clearly had a huge pile of things to deal with!

Right.

A voice rose in his heart: a huge pile of things.

Including the legendary anti-mystic armament.

Thales' steps paused.

He turned to look at Sonia. What surfaced in his mind was the scene of her raising her shield, pinning Giza to the ground, and watching the latter turn to ash.

Perhaps this was a breakthrough point, and he could probe a little.

But, the voice in his heart warned him sternly, be careful. Do not forget what Asda said. If the Magic Empresses know, or even sense, that you are probing the secrets of the legendary anti-mystic armaments...

Thales clenched his fists.

He had to be cautious, natural, smooth, indirect, leaving no trace, and inquire about the legendary anti-mystic armament without arousing suspicion...

"You did not bring that shield?"

The Flower of the Fortress was still trying to strike the flint and did not react for a moment.

"What? Oh, that thing. I handed it back to Renaissance Palace. I will retrieve it again afterward."

Thales frowned.

Well then. So the Supreme Shield was not here.

Then why did Asda urgently hide outside?

Sonia still tried to light her cigarette, her tone utterly unconcerned. "You know, weapons need polishing and maintenance. Legendary anti-mystic armaments are even more delicate."

Legendary anti-mystic armaments also needed maintenance, even more than ordinary weapons.

Thales nodded.

He was about to ask more.

Snap!

With a flash of firelight, the Flower of the Fortress finally lit the rolled cigarette in her mouth. She took a deep draw with an intoxicated look, then slowly exhaled several seconds later.

Thales had no choice but to wave his hands desperately to disperse the smoke.

Sonia looked sideways at the prince.

"Want a puff?"

Driven back by the smoke, Thales skillfully shook his head.

"Children cannot..."

Halfway through, Thales remembered the Empire people's glorious history of adulthood at fourteen and unwillingly changed his words.

"As far as I know, this is bad for the throat and lungs. Smoking too much affects breathing, and smoking far too much affects lifespan."

"Affects breathing and lifespan?" The Flower of the Fortress laughed disdainfully.

"Child, do you know what the deadliest weapon on a battlefield is?"

"Magic guns?"

"Nah." The Flower of the Fortress held the cigarette between her fingers and raised her head to look at the sky. The drunkenness in her eyes lessened. "Not knives, not swords, but hammers and spears."

"Especially when thousands of people are squeezed together and fighting for their lives. Whether you take one more breath or one less, whether your lifespan would have been eighty years or fifty, actually makes little difference."

Thales remembered the breakthrough battle he had experienced below the fortress in the past, remembered the killing shouts and angry roars filling the sky, the severed limbs scattered across the ground. He could not help frowning, and his movements to drive away the smoke grew faster.

"And when a spear, like this, goes chi right into your chest," Sonia turned her head and swiftly poked two fingers into Thales' chest, "a healthy lung and a black lung are no different."

Fuck!

The pain in his chest made Thales bare his teeth. He had to move backward a little to avoid further physical contact with her.

The Flower of the Fortress looked at him and chuckled.

"But if one mouthful of cheap smoke like this," Sonia took a deep draw of the cigarette, her gaze fixed on the distant Star Lake, "can let hundreds or thousands of soldiers forget fear, pain, despair, and death, if it can raise morale and unity while they spew filthy trash talk, and weaken the chance of mutiny and collapse..."

Sonia looked at Thales and leisurely exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"Then maybe, just maybe, we can win a battle and hold a fortress."

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Thales choked and coughed repeatedly.

"Thank you, I will remember that." The prince painfully covered his nose. "Do not smoke unless there is a war!"

Sonia burst into hearty laughter.

Amid the curling smoke, the two people, each with their own thoughts, quieted down. The castle observation platform at night was lonely and still.

Not enough.

Thales reminded himself: he needed a better entry point. He needed to know more.

"Speaking of combat and lifespan, how long have you fought with that shield?"

Sonia put down the paper cigarette and looked directly at him.

Made somewhat uneasy by her stare, Thales hurriedly salvaged the question.

"I heard people say that legendary anti-mystic armaments reduce the user's lifespan? I remember that when you saved me back then, you used it quite a bit..."

The Flower of the Fortress looked at him for a long time, then laughed with a snort.

"There is such a saying." Sonia shook her head. "But relax. That thing in my hand does not like me. It refuses to cooperate with me and release its power, so it has no way to harm me."

"Oh, then I am relieved... what?"

Thales turned back in shock. "It does not like you?"

"Yeah. I am also very confused, right?" Sonia took a drag and was full of resentment. "What is wrong with this world? Even a broken shield is qualified to say it does not like this old lady."

No, that was not the key. The key was...

"No, no. I mean, it, it? It is... alive?" Thales said in surprise.

"Sort of, but not entirely. It cannot speak, but I can sense its, how should I put it, emotions?"

Sonia picked her ear. "It is said that they only share minds with a small number of masters. Only at that time can they exert their greatest effect. Of course, according to rumor, the greater the effect, the heavier the price."

Share minds...

Greatest effect...

Thales frowned, remembering the Blade of Purification from a long time ago, that small red sword with a great background.

"As for that broken shield in my hand," Sonia continued with a cold snort, "it is unwilling every time, really treating itself like a lord. Later, heh, this old lady could not be bothered with it either. It is not even as useful as the long-handled great saber I captured outside."

Thales fell into deep thought when he heard this.

"However, since you were granted the Supreme Shield, there must have been a reason. The kingdom must think highly of you," he said carefully.

"No such thing." Sonia waved her large hand, surrounded by smoke. "During the Bloody Year, its master died, and most of the suitable Supreme Class experts died as well. They had no choice. At the time, I just happened to be going north to fight, so I was muddled into filling the gap. When I first got it, that broken shield was black and rough. I smashed it with a hammer for half the night before I confirmed it was not a fake."

No wonder the Supreme Shield does not like you.

Thales was silent for a while, but in the end could not resist asking, "Then do you still remember who its previous master was?"

Sonia rubbed her nose.

"Baron Quentin told me. I do not remember the name too well, but I heard that before he died, he was a Royal Guard, and a fairly high-ranking one."

A Royal Guard before death...

Thales said nothing.

"Right. Do not tell other people." Sonia narrowed her eyes. "Back then, the Black Prophet especially reminded me that legendary anti-mystic armaments are kingdom secrets, very important and very sensitive. If anyone probes into them, remember to tell him immediately."

Thales' heart tightened.

"Fuck, I knew it." The prince remained outwardly calm. "No wonder he was unwilling to tell me anything."

The Flower of the Fortress laughed loudly. "Believe me, you are not the first. Get used to it."

"So, everything in the north is fine?" Thales changed the topic to avoid suspicion. "Broken Dragon Fortress, the border, Lampard?"

When her old profession was mentioned, Sonia gave an mm and stood up.

She leaned over the observation platform and carefully examined everything within Star Lake Castle, as if unwilling to miss a single blade of grass or tree, even wanting to scrutinize the cats on the roofs.

"Thanks to you, child, whether Black Sand Region or Weilan Region, the northerners have been busy fighting their own people these past few years and are much more obedient. Besides, the busy farming season is near. Fields, farms, towns, workshops, markets, everywhere lacks hands. Forget war, even the bandits who cross the border to rob people have no time."

Thanks to him.

Those words brought Thales back to six years ago, to the days when he had walked out of Broken Dragon Fortress and gone north.

Vampires, blood magic users, the Black Sand army's heavy encirclement, the game between him and Lampard beneath the fortress. Scene after scene from the past appeared before his eyes with incomparable clarity. Looking at Sonia before him, Thales' eyes gained some closeness.

"Of course, after some more days, that may be hard to say." The Flower of the Fortress held the cigarette between her lips and snorted lightly. "So I took advantage of this time to return home and enjoy my vacation."

Thales' attention moved.

"Return home? You are from here?"

Sonia moved her attention away from an old tree in the distance.

"Of course. When my parents were alive, they were farmers at a nearby estate. There, that direction. Cross two hills and you arrive."

Sonia enthusiastically pointed out the direction to Thales.

"And when I reached the age when I could swing a pitchfork, I came to apply and became a guard here."

Sonia, the famous Flower of the Fortress, was born the daughter of farmers.

Thales' thoughts shifted, and he reacted.

"I know you were Duke John's old subordinate. So you began as a guard of Star Lake Castle?"

Sonia flicked ash from her cigarette and looked at Star Lake Castle's main keep, her gaze deep.

"There." Under the moonlight, Sonia pointed below. "There used to be three trees there. When shifts changed, I often rested there."

Thales followed her finger and looked. That place was now a field Madam Valencia had ordered people to cultivate.

The young man's heart caught.

Trees...

"And over there used to be part of the garden." Sonia's voice was somewhat drifting. "John liked walking there alone, thinking quietly, regardless of sunshine or rain. He said it helped him think."

Thales looked at that patch of ground. It had now been fenced off and housed many dogs.

Garden...

Thales subconsciously clenched his fists.

"Sonia..."

"It is not only your castle, child."

Sonia looked toward Swift Shadow Tower, her expression dazed, her tone long and distant.

"Once, many people regarded this place as home. For many years, many, many years, it was home."

Home.

Thales was silent for a long time.

When he turned back and looked at that field again, his feeling toward it had changed.

"I am sorry." He suddenly did not want to ask her more about the Supreme Shield.

There would be chances, he told himself.

Not now.

It should not be now.

Sonia was silent for a while. The cigarette end brightened and dimmed.

"No. Thank you." Sonia shook her head, driving away the gloom and becoming the bright and straightforward Flower of the Fortress again.

"Every year, I come back to rest for a few days, mooch meals at old Codro's estate, make some trouble, get into a fight, and so on. But this year, since you repaired the castle..."

In the next second, Sonia revealed a smug smile.

"Then I do not have to look at old Codro's face. Ever since I was five, when my mother refused his proposal and I beat his son until he cried, he has had opinions about me. You really do not want a puff?"

Thales stared at the cigarette end Sonia extended toward him and smiled as he shook his head.

"Then welcome home." Thales tried to recover from the sadness just now. "You and your people may stay as long as you like. Food and lodging fully covered."

"Fully covered?" The Flower of the Fortress looked unconvinced. "Today I accidentally heard an old man in the Guards speaking in that sour way, saying how comfortable it must be for us to eat and stay for free."

"You are probably talking about Deputy Logistics Officer Deword Storr." Thales remembered something, and his face showed a difficult expression. "And I dare guarantee that you absolutely did not 'accidentally' hear it. That lousy old man is very bad."

But his eyes quickly brightened.

"But it does not matter. To host the kingdom's famous commander and war hero, Lady Sonia Sasere, I believe this account can be reported to my father."

No. It had to be reported to him.

Otherwise, Thales swore that at the next imperial conference, he would lie down in the Ballard Room and refuse to get up.

Sonia exhaled a mouthful of smoke and snorted.

"His Majesty has gone back?"

"Yes..." The moment Thales spoke, he felt something was wrong and frowned at her.

The Flower of the Fortress grinned.

"Child, I fight wars, after all. Unfortunately, I am also a commander. If I do not even know who is in a marching column, Broken Dragon Fortress would have been fucked over a thousand, eight hundred times by now."

Sure enough.

She also knew about the king's visit.

The way Thales looked at her changed. It lost the lightness from before and gained some heaviness.

Was she really only returning home to enjoy her vacation?

Was this planned? Did the Royal Guards use the name of escorting a famous kingdom commander home to escort the king here?

Was this on King Kessel's instruction? Or did he allow it? What did his action mean? What was he hinting to him? What did Sonia appearing here mean?

Countless thoughts surged into his mind. In that instant, Thales suddenly lost interest in chatting with Sonia.

Those days six years ago, when they ate and lived together at the fortress, seemed no longer clear.

Only the bone ring Covenant in his pocket grew increasingly heavy.

Sonia seemed to sense something. She glanced at Thales.

"Can you reveal what His Majesty came to you for?" the Flower of the Fortress asked casually. The rolled cigarette in her hand had already burned down by more than half and gradually dimmed.

She seemed not to know.

Or perhaps she was only pretending not to know?

Sonia Sasere, she was indeed the benefactor who had saved you from danger six years ago, but do not forget, a voice rose from the bottom of his heart, carefully reminding Thales, that she is also one of the kingdom's three great commanders, the person who controls the kingdom's standing army.

She is the king's sword.

Thales swallowed.

What had the king said to Sonia? What had he instructed her to do? What influence would it have on him?

What should he say, and what should he not say?

I am going to meet a prospective fiancee.

I am going to destroy the Guardian Duke of the South Coast.

How should he put it?

"A business trip." Thales' expression did not change, his gaze passing through the smoke. "I have to go out for a while and handle an errand."

"A business trip? I suppose you probably will not be heading north to revisit Broken Dragon Fortress?"

Thales hesitated for an instant.

"Do not worry. Do not be nervous. I am not interested in the thing you are going to do." Sonia smiled easily, seeming to see through Thales' mind.

She fiercely inhaled the last mouthful of smoke, then reluctantly tossed away the cigarette end.

"In any case, it will be the same old internal struggle. Either extortion and blackmail, or seizing shifts and taking power. The kind of thing I cannot handle."

The same old thing.

Thales breathed out.

He thought of Dragon Blood. He thought of Desert King. He thought of the mission the king had given him.

King Kessel spent his days rising and falling in the treacherous tides of kingdom politics, manipulating wind and cloud. Yet as his sword, his general, his true fortress of the kingdom, the Flower of the Fortress before him seemed so bright and spirited, so broad-minded and open.

How did she do it? the voice in his heart asked.

This made Thales feel an inexplicable envy.

"Yes. The same old thing." The young duke gave a light snort. His words contained an indescribably complicated emotion. "I cannot handle it either."