Chapter 205: 141. The King’s Magnanimity (Two-in-One, Alliance Master Bonus Update)
As dawn began to break, the Golden Palace in the center of Saint Nali was ablaze with light, its golden patterns adorned on the walls like deep imprints, accentuating the nobility and sanctity of this building that symbolized the dignity of the Nali Royal Family, the Godlin Family.
The Golden Palace is divided into two parts: front and back. Following the corridors and courtyards of the rear part, behind the water pool at the back of the Golden Palace, a separate building rose from the ground, with a golden Godlin triple ring quietly watching over the outside empire.
This was the bedroom of Godlin the Ninth, specially built as a health recovery space after he fell ill.
Inside this building, layers of magical curtains hung from above, shimmering with pure green light, all of which were healing magic specially inscribed by Nali mages at great expense for the aging Godlin the Ninth.
Only within this magically enveloped bedroom could Godlin the Ninth’s increasingly frail body barely hold on.
Yet even so, death inevitably approached him, and his waking hours grew shorter; now he could hardly even get out of bed.
The rumors circulating in Saint Nali about the impending death of Godlin the Ninth were not groundless, and he was well aware of this.
This morning, the great door of the bedroom was gently pushed open, and a man dressed in a white robe, his face quite pale, entered the room.
The man’s build was somewhat thin, looking as if he hadn’t rested well lately, with faint dark circles under his eyes. His demeanor was listless, yet his gaze pierced straight through the layers of shimmering curtains, looking at the bed hidden behind them, or rather, at the person on the bed.
That was Godlin the Ninth’s second prince, Lunsis.
He had been imprisoned here by his elder brother for two days, and since returning, he hadn’t slept a wink.
Behind the bed hung a large oil painting, depicting the young Godlin the Ninth holding a golden scepter, standing next to a gentle-faced lady whose appearance was average but whose eyes were filled with spirit.
That was the mother of Dexter, Lunsis, and Elizabeth; Godlin the Ninth’s first queen, Nera.
Godlin the Ninth favored her the most, but she had passed away not long after giving birth to Lunsis.
“Father, did you call for me?”
From behind the curtains, on the bed lay an elderly man with white hair and a weak breath, dressed in a lightweight white nightgown. His expression was very faint; even now, when life was fading to the extreme, an undeniable dignity still lingered in his features.
Hearing Lunsis’s words, Godlin the Ninth slowly turned to look at him, who stood at the door, hesitating for a moment before waving his hand.
“Come here, Lunsis.”
“Yes.”
Unlike the other maids, Lunsis did not walk around the magical curtains but directly lifted them, heading straight towards the bed of Godlin the Ninth.
As he got closer, Lunsis suddenly noticed that today his father appeared to be in much better spirits than before.
On the bed, there was also an open sword box, partially opened, from which a dazzling golden light suddenly pierced Lunsis’s vision. As he felt the sting, he quickly averted his gaze and looked down at the ground.
“Father, is there something you needed me for?”
Godlin the Ninth looked intently at the lowered head of Prince Lunsis, slowly extending his aged hand from under the covers, pushing down on the sword box, revealing as it opened an odd-shaped relic that appeared to be made of gold.
It was a long sword formed from two twisted and intertwined strands of golden material, the hilt and blade seemingly one and the same, its edges as thin and sharp as a cicada’s wing.
There was no corresponding sheath, and the wooden, fragile sword box was its only means of restraint.
The moment it was revealed, Lunsis felt a wave of heat rush towards him, as if to completely scorch his hair and skin. A single drop of sweat, born from either fear or extreme heat, silently slid down his cheek until it fell to the ground.
“The Sword of Godlin, a relic passed down through generations of the Godlin Family, symbolizes kingship. Each king has the duty to pass it on to the next king intact.”
Upon hearing his father’s words, Lunsis felt a momentary surge in his throat. He thought his father was going to pass this kingly sword to him, his eyes flashing with a hint of greed as he gently raised his gaze towards the relic.
But the next second, the golden light radiating from the sword erupted once more, blinding him as if he were looking straight at the sun; Lunsis’s vision was engulfed in white, followed by a jolt of intense pain.
“Ah!!”
Tears filled with a stinging pain forced Lunsis to clutch his eyes in agony. He bowed down, half-kneeling on the ground, feeling a fiery ache around his eye sockets.
Meanwhile, Godlin the Ninth sat silently, gripping the Sword of Godlin, watching the distressed Prince Lunsis before him with a flicker of anticipated disappointment across his aged face.
After a brief pause, he turned the sword so its brightness was directed away from Lunsis.
“Father…”
Godlin the Ninth sighed softly, reached out to stroke the millennium-old golden sword, and then spoke.
“Your mother passed away too early. When I was young, I harbored ambitions to restore Nali’s glory, and thus I neglected her. It was only after she departed this world that I abruptly felt half of my world was missing. Consequently, I have always projected my guilt towards you, her youngest son, Lunsis.”
Godlin the Ninth’s gaze fell upon Lunsis, who had raised his head. His eye sockets, reddened from the earlier golden light, continued to shed tears.
“Your eyes truly resemble hers, which is why my gaze often lingers on you. But despite this, I cannot be indulgent in the choice of the next king anymore. I have observed your past scheming against Dexter; your filial piety has gone awry. This is also the result of my long-standing indulgence. I owe everyone an apology.”
“When the Shivali delegation was attacked, the Information Bureau and Griffin Party spoke to me about this matter. Your brother sensed that something was off. Did you think that Heilson and Marix going to the border for national defense patrols meant no one would know about the tricks you and Blake employed? It’s just that all the factions prefer not to interfere with the affairs of the Godlin Royal Family, or rather, they would love for you and your brother to continue fighting endlessly!”
Marix was the head of the Information Bureau, and Heilson was the royal-appointed grand mage. Now that Shivali and Nali had reconciled, previous border matters would be discussed anew, and many powerful figures from Saint Nali rushed to the border to establish new defenses. This had alerted Lunsis to potential opportunities.
Godlin the Ninth’s aging and calm words fell one by one, and Lunsis’s head lowered increasingly, his hand gripping his robe tightly.
“You lack the courage to even look directly at the Sword of Kings, Lunsis. How can you expect me to continue favoring you? You do not possess the temperament of a king. Dexter, although occasionally hesitant, has abilities suited for this position; even your sister Elizabeth, as a woman, has guarded Nali’s borders for many years and has facilitated our reconciliation with Shivali.”
Godlin the Ninth’s words were unfinished, but the meaning behind them was crystal clear.
Among the three children born to the queen, Lunsis was an accomplished waste, always sneaking around to cause petty mischief.
Yet Lunsis’s heart was like a clear mirror; though not very clever, he understood the basic truths.
When he had Blake attack the Shivali delegation, Godlin the Ninth had known everything but did not inform Dexter. Lunsis discovering was due to Dexter’s own investigation, indicating that his father had been aware he was seeking a way to prolong his life.
At that time, he had tacitly accepted his actions, holding onto a glimmer of hope regarding Blake’s immortality. Now he felt like a father disappointed in a child, and that expression infuriated Lunsis to the utmost.
Godlin the Ninth looked at the silent Lunsis before him, coughed, then shook his head with a sigh, continuing.
“Enough, your brother is kind; he won’t do anything to you. After I am gone, just behave as a nobleman, like a brother to the king. Like your sister Elizabeth, you and Elizabeth should be safe and sound.”
“Yes.”
Lunsis lowered his head, trembling slightly, indicating his agreement.
But Godlin the Ninth failed to notice that Lunsis’s hands were clenching his clothing tighter.
“Cough, cough, now that Blake is willing to give up his shares and leave Saint Nali, once he obtains that subhuman, this matter will be settled. What of your brother and sister? Where are they? Call them over; I have things to say to them.”
Lunsis, still keeping his head down, spoke in a hushed and respectful tone.
“This morning, Blake burned down the Pink Pavilion and his residence and then left the city towards Nali Lake. My brother has redeployed the guards near Nali Lake, ignoring his matters.”
“Yesterday, Fisher Benavides, disregarding my brother’s advice, escaped with my sister’s help. The Child of the Sea is in his hands; Blake must be seeking him. Now my brother is managing the aftermath of the Pink Pavilion, and my sister hasn’t returned to the Golden Palace as of this morning; we don’t know where she went.”
“Nonsense! Fisher, an orphan of Nali with no parents, should be grateful that Elizabeth favors him! How could he drag it out for so long, and this time dare to help him! Cough, hurry and send someone to fetch them both back!”
“Yes, I will call them at once. But, Father, you might not be able to see your brother again.”
Lunsis’s voice grew quieter, and when Godlin the Ninth coughed and finished this last sentence, Lunsis’s expression darkened, looking at his father as if he were gazing at a dying man.
“You—”
A sense of dread surged in Godlin the Ninth’s heart, and before he could utter the first word, the man before him suddenly surged violently, gripping the old man’s neck tightly with both hands, forcing him down onto the bed.
Godlin the Ninth was too weak and frail, unable to firmly hold onto the golden sword, which fell helplessly to the floor, producing a metallic clang.
The uncontained golden flames spread slightly along the floor but quickly extinguished, as the relic’s owner, Godlin the Ninth, was on the brink of death.
“You know nothing! You know nothing! I ask you, Father!”
“Cough, cough… let—”
Lunsis’s hands bulged with veins as he looked at the elderly man on the bed, whose eyes were nearly bulging from their sockets, hysterically screaming at him as if he were venting years of resentment.
“Do you think Dexter is a good person? Do you think he would care about brotherly love? That hypocrite is just like you, his amicable demeanor is merely a façade for outsiders! He excels at contempt, at denying every aspect of me!”
“For over twenty years, I have been like an accomplished waste! He pretends to perform in front of you and the populace, how benevolent the long prince appears! Behind closed doors, he acts like he’s mocking me, as if I am merely a useless waste benefiting from your favoritism!”
“Even Elizabeth, you can give her an army and send her to do things; why can’t I?! I refuse to accept it! I refuse to accept it! I want to kill you! Then I will kill that hypocrite Dexter! I’ll drag you all to hell!”
On the bed, Godlin the Ninth’s struggles grew weaker. All the healing magic in the room began to shimmer intensely, exerting their utmost power, causing Lunsis to tighten his grip even further.
And behind the bed, the large painting depicting Godlin the Ninth with his mother, the queen, quietly observed Lunsis as he unleashed violence. Under the gaze of his mother, Lunsis appeared like a wild beast.
The light from the golden sword beside the bed grew fainter, and in the next moment, all the healing magic in the bedroom abruptly extinguished, causing Lunsis to stagger back several steps, staring dumbfoundedly at the grotesque sight of Godlin the Ninth’s corpse.
He… killed his own father?
Panting, he felt little sadness in his eyes, only a madness hollowed out by resentment and anger. He suddenly turned towards the now dimmed Sword of Godlin on the floor, pausing for a second or two before slowly reaching for the sword.
The moment his arm touched the sword, it reignited with golden light.
“The Sword of Kings.”
Lunsis laughed maniacally as he lifted the light sword, aiming it at the now breathless Godlin the Ninth.
“What kingship’s temperament? Once you die, it belongs to me! I will also kill that bastard Dexter! Let him go with you!”
“Lunsis! What have you done?!”
Just as he raised the sword, the clanging of armor echoed urgently from outside the palace. Lunsis paused slightly, slowly turning to the entrance, using the golden sword to completely sever the obstructing healing magic.
Outside, Dexter, clad in a brown suit, led a group of knights, forcefully barging into the palace. Through the knights standing like iron walls and Dexter, Lunsis saw a pale-faced Elizabeth and his siblings, disbelief written all over their faces as they looked at him.
Their expressions were like a bloodthirsty beast gazing at him.
“Lunsis! You actually went insane and killed Father?! You damned, ungrateful wretch! Guards, seize him! I will reveal your heinous crimes to all of Nali!”
“Heh.”
Seeing Dexter standing at the forefront, Lunsis scoffed mockingly and raised the golden sword, pointing it straight at him. Even Dexter, confident in his victory, froze momentarily at the radiant glimmer of the Godlin relic.
That thing possessed a natural counter against the Nali people. The sword of Godlin the First was not just for show.
“Mad? Beast? Yes, I am. But what do you think you are, Dexter?!”
His golden sword pointed outside the palace, Lunsis roared at the knights and the back where Elizabeth stood.
“Outside my father’s palace, there have always been knights and maids guarding it, yet this time, when I came, there were none! Do you think I didn’t know your intentions? You took away all the knights for your convenience, did you not?! Now that I’ve killed him, are you satisfied? I tell you, not only will I kill him, but I will also kill you and Elizabeth! All of you who look down on me should die!”
Lunsis had completely descended into madness, his face pale with a frightening redness in his eyes.
Dexter’s expression flickered slightly, but seeing Lunsis cornered, his change in expression quickly returned to calm. He gently waved his hand to the nearby knights, shouting.
“Enough of the nonsense, quickly subdue him!”
“Come on!”
Lunsis gripped the Sword of Godlin, its golden light flaring stronger, engulfing him in layers of terrifying heat, causing glowing patterns to trace up his arm, leaving a faint mark.
In the next second, he raised the blade and slammed it into the nearest knight, the golden sword unleashing torrents of uncontained golden flames into the air.
The fearsome flames surged forward like a tangible extension of the golden sword, instantly creating a terrifying shockwave.
The healing magic above the palace erupted into golden flames, all ablaze in a matter of moments.
“Clang!”
Dexter’s expression changed slightly. He raised his hand to the nearby knights and commanded.
“Protect!”
After uttering this, he turned back to look at the stunned Elizabeth and his siblings. After a moment’s hesitation, he ordered the nearby maid to escort them away.
“Take them back to their rooms!”
“I won’t go, let go of me!”
Elizabeth was dragged away by the maid, and after that, knights stationed at the doorway raised their knight’s swords inscribed with magical patterns. One particular complex pattern lit up in sync with their will, gradually coalescing into a deep blue protective magic.
“Die! Die! Die!”
Lunsis clutched the relic radiating terrifying light, confronting Dexter and the others over Godlin the Ninth’s corpse while the flames quickly engulfed the entire palace.
Seeing his father’s corpse about to be scorched, Dexter lightly pinched the ring on his hand.
Out of Lunsis’s sight, human-shaped shadows slowly rose behind him in the palace. These shadows took on a simple form but were exceptionally strong, equipped with long daggers.
They were the relic’s Shadow Guards created by the relic, designed to protect members of the Godlin royal family, with the relic itself stored by Dexter.
Elizabeth had already come of age and was the commander of an army, so she didn’t need their protection.
Yet Lunsis, despite his lack of ability, had a fierce temper!
Disinclined to be under Dexter’s protection, he had driven the Dark Shadows away early, so when Dexter had caught him in the Healing Room, he had nothing near him save for a few attendants.
The Shadow Guards raised their daggers towards Lunsis, and one by one, the shadows transformed into a tangible, viscous substance stretching towards him. One shadow ensnared his feet, one wrapped around his arm, and a larger shadow’s maw loomed behind him, ready to swallow him whole.
“Get away!”
Lunsis roared, swinging his sword at the surrounding shadows again as tremendous golden flames surged like tidal waves, dispersing the shadows but failing to eradicate them entirely if he didn’t kill Dexter.
“Get away! Get away! Get away!”
Dexter watched as Lunsis struggled against the shadows, his expression slightly cold. He then spoke quietly to the knights beside him.
“…kill him.”
“Yes!”
The knight raised his massive sword, the intricate patterns carved upon it lighting up, and then he suddenly pointed at Lunsis. A phantom blue longsword flew forth, piercing Lunsis’s shoulder and forcing his body backward, causing a blood hole.
“Dexter! I will kill you!”
Wounded, Lunsis’s face turned even paler. He gritted his teeth, no longer caring about the shadows behind him, instead charging directly towards Dexter with reckless abandon.
The golden sword in his hand exploded with a light like the sun, igniting upon his blood and fury, and in Dexter’s astonished gaze, the flames swiftly consumed the entire ceiling of the palace.
“Protect Prince Dexter!”
Countless knights raised their shields in front of Dexter, and Lunsis rushed forward with a maniacal grin. Yet, within a step or two, he suddenly lost control and collapsed to the ground.
In shock, he looked at his hands gripping the sword only to find the Sword of Godlin had, he knew not when, completely incinerated his hands. The piercing golden light had seeped into his body, incinerating all his blood and internal organs clean.
That he had managed to wield the sword and fight for so long was already considered good fortune. Now, stumbling toward Dexter was the last straw for his frail body.
At this moment, Lunsis’s legs had turned to ashes, leaving him with only his upper body, his gaze vacant as the golden light spread further and further into him, unable to resist.
It… wants to kill me?
Lunsis keenly sensed that this relic was rejecting him, rejecting Lunsis Godlin.
“Step back! Don’t approach him!”
Seeing the terrifying golden flames constantly setting Lunsis ablaze, Dexter shouted to the knights beside him.
The entire bedroom of Godlin the Ninth was already set ablaze, engulfing Godlin the Ninth’s corpse as well, soon to vanish from this world.
With his body persistently consumed by flames, Lunsis had no strength to resist. Before dying, he could only painfully turn around on the ground. In the golden sea of flames, having completed this motion, Lunsis’s limbs completely turned to ashes, losing all sensation.
A drop of unyielding tear dripped straight down his cheek, but Lunsis felt nothing, continuing to gaze at the painting of Godlin the Ninth burning in the sea of flames.
The golden fire had already burned away the part depicting the young Godlin the Ninth, but the queen Nera beside him still quietly watched over Lunsis.
Before he could remember, his mother had already passed away, and now only a vague impression of her remained in his mind.
“The king’s magnanimity…”
“Mother…”
This weak murmuring, lacking meaning, could only be heard by him alone.
Because in the next second, a massive golden flame swallowed the entire palace, and Dexter covered his mouth, retreating to the courtyard, but gazing upon the devastation, he felt a tinge of sorrow as he looked at Lunsis and his father slowly disappearing in the flames.
In theory, one could easily erase the names of any obstacles to progress, like his brother and father, but when family members truly perish before you, an inexplicable sense of loss still strikes.
He sighed softly, sitting in despair on the grass.
The flame of the golden sword burned faster than any other flame. Soon, the vast palace was left with nothing but a skeleton and dark ash.
The bodies of Lunsis and Godlin the Ninth had completely vanished, leaving behind only the still flickering golden sword standing silently before Dexter.
“Boom!”
Just as Dexter was about to take action, a thunderous sound erupted from the direction of Nali Lake, causing Dexter to look at that direction with disbelief.
“What happened?”
