sent troops down south to Constellation for a good reason."

.....

Constellation, Eternal Star City, an unknown dungeon.

*Clink-Clunk!*

The shrill metallic sound of an opening gate echoed in the dark.

Two torches that had earlier been dipped in Eternal Oil were lit and two wardens walked down a gloomy corridor.

The fire illuminated the surroundings and rows of prison cells with thick metal bars became visible.

The noise and firelight caused a ruckus in the jailhouse.

"Bloody hell! Don’t you have a normal routine like other sane human beings?" In one of the cells, a clean and well-groomed but plainly-dressed man was awakened by the noise. He seemed to be an aristocrat. He lay in his bed, grumbling sleepily, "It’s probably midnight, or one in the morning! Back when I was in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs..."

The two wardens who held the torches ignored him as though they were used to it.

They stepped aside, clearing the path for a robust figure in the middle.

"Your Majesty, King Aydi! You are here at last!" Drawn by the firelight, a scruffy, delirious old man lunged forward. He held on to the metal bars and shook them. "Please reconsider what I’ve said! Even if you don’t think for yourself, what about Prince Midier? Do you want to pass down a failed nation to him?"

Instructed by the robust figure, the two wardens exchanged glances and began to lead the way.

On both sides of the path, prisoners in the cells gradually woke up. Each reacted differently to their arrival, but most appeared deranged and shouted manically.

"You’re all going to die, hahahaha!" An old prisoner laying on his stomach roared in hysteria "Even the Royal Family, you’re going to die as well... how dare you, how dare you... haha..."

The three figures moved on, unbothered.

"Look who’s our guest today." A young, well-built prisoner leaned against the bars, squinting at the firelight. He still appeared to have a sound mind. "Well, isn’t it our fifth prince, the Royal Family’s disgrace... Why aren’t you continuing to spread your weak seeds on top of some poor women? Why loiter here instead?"

"It wasn’t me. It really wasn’t me!" A prisoner buried his head in his arms, crying. "I never touched Prince Herman’s wine glass! No! It was Jenkins! He added the poison!"

"Novork... right, Novork." This was a prisoner with his back facing the corridor. He was carving something onto the wall and mumbling non-stop to himself, "I know what he’s planning and he’s doing it behind Duke John as well as Count Karabeyan’s backs... Perhaps it’s related to the rebel army. I’ve suspected him a long time ago, but that hateful woman, Sonia Sasere..."

The trio continued moving forward.

"Hey, boy!" A convict with scars all over his face pounced on the prison bars once he saw their faces clearly. He roared, "What happened to the Western Frontlines? Have we retrieved Blade Fangs Dune after you conquered the Desert God’s Altar? What about the orcs? What about the Eight Great Tribes belonging to the subordinates of the Dragon Skeleton Throne? Tell me! Hurry up and tell me!"

The robust figure paid no attention to the voices on both sides and strode forward.

The two calm wardens brought him to the next area. The interior of the prison cells in this place could not be seen as there were not prison bars. Instead, they were replaced by thick, locked iron doors that created sealed-off prison units. There was only one horizontal vent on each iron door, which acted as the only connection between the sealed-off prison units and the world outside.

The two wardens brought the person to the innermost prison and one of them knocked on the iron door with great force.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The other warden cast a glance at the robust guest, while the latter nodded his head slightly.

Hence, the warden seized the iron bolt controlling the vent on the iron door and drew it open, revealing a small hole that could fit half of a person’s face in it.

The cell was dark and horrifically quiet.

That silence lasted for a long time until a bold and unconstrained voice travelled out slowly and airily from the pitch black cell.

"What a pleasant surprise.

"What could possibly bring the mighty Iron Hand King before a traitorous duke?"

The two wardens bowed slightly. Once they stuck the torches in the grooves of the wall behind them, they left in a respectful manner.

Under the illumination of the light provided by the fire, a haggard face made to look incredibly shaggy by the beard on his face appeared behind the vent on the iron door.

The prisoner in the cell was the current Duke of Northern Territory, the Iron Eagle, Val Arunde. He was staring at the person beyond the door with a sharp gaze.

Beyond the door was the Supreme King of Constellation—Kessel the Fifth. He sat down gently on the chair that had long since been prepared outside the cell.

Without any expression on his face, Kessel spoke softly, "I came here to talk to you about the past, regarding the Northern Territory’s fall during the Bloody Year."

Val’s expression changed and he disappeared from the iron door.

Immediately after, his depressed laughter traveled forth from the cell.

As the light from the fire swayed, Kessel fell silent. He did not speak.

Once the Duke of Northern Territory had his fair share of laughter, he spoke coldly, "There’s nothing to talk about. When the war was at its peak, I wasn’t even in the Northern Territory. My father, brothers, wife, and my older sister were the ones fighting in that war.

"If you want to talk about it, go to hell’s river and talk to them."

Kessel quietly stared into the darkness behind the vent, which did not allow him to see the end of the cell. He then exhaled softly.

"I want to tell you the true reason behind the war," Kessel the Fifth’s voice was as strong and firm as ever, but there was a hint of sorrow as well as dejectedness added to it. "It’s about Eckstedt’s invasion."

The person behind the iron door fell silent in an instant.

"What do you mean?" Val’s voice rose into the air slowly.

"The rebellion in the past was very bad. The entire Blade Edge Hill, half of South Coast Hill... along with Barren Bone Tribe and the orcs in Western Desert Hill as well as a third of Constellation’s land burned in the flames of war," Kessel said calmly as if he was talking about something very normal.

"And after the counter-insurgency forces switched sides... We could not even mobilize an armed army."

"That is why your uncle was sent to enlist recruits into a new army." Val let out a cold harrumph behind the iron door. "Starlight Brigade."

Kessel nodded, even though he knew that Val could not see him.

"Eckstedt saw the change. Nuven the Seventh regularly contacted the archdukes. The invasion of the Great Dragon to the North was practically set in stone. They decided on the date to mobilize their army, and in the beginning of spring of the coming year, they would head south to Constellation."

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

However, the Duke of Northern Territory soon discovered that there was something off.

"Wait, you said the beginning of spring for the coming year?" Val’s tone changed.

"Impossible! Eckstedt undoubtedly invaded us during winter that year!"

This time, the silence lasted for an especially long period of time.

Kessel sighed deeply.

The King spoke in his most sombre voice. It came from the bottom of his throat, and his words were indistinct. "That’s right. That was their original plan. Due to an accident, they brought the date of the invasion forward."

Val’s face appeared behind the vent again.

His expression was frosty. He fixed his stare on Kessel, who was beyond the cell.

He realized what was off about this.

"What accident?" the Duke of Northern Territory asked agitatedly. "Why did the Eckstedtians bring their schedule forward?"

King Kessel stared at the ground motionlessly.

"Answer me." Val gritted his teeth.

"Answer me, Kel!"

Kessel sucked in a deep breath before he lifted his head to stare at his former bosom buddy.

"When we received news from Northland, the entire palace was in fear. The rebel army, the Barren Bone Tribe, Eckstedt... Constellation was powerless to face a battle from three sides," Kessel said slowly.

"Hence the palace proposed a plan.

"We wanted to push the date of Eckstedt’s invasion back."

A chill that never appeared before in Val’s heart rose in him.

"Push back?" the duke asked instinctively.

Kessel nodded without any emotion on his face and said, "We wanted to stir up the conflict between Dragon Clouds City and Black Sand Region so that they would be busy with their own matters and would not be bothered to invade us."

*Bang!*

Val swiftly pounced forward. He grabbed the edges of the vent before he gritted his teeth and fixed his stare on Kessel. "What did they do?"

"Constellation sent assassins and dispatched all personnel. Their target were the two heirs in Dragon Clouds City and Black Sand Region—Soria Walton and Harold Lampard," Kessel’s voice became increasingly hoarse. It sounded as if some kind of force was devouring the strength in his robust body.

"That assassin should have shifted the blame of one of their deaths on the other, then create an eternally irreparable rift between Dragon Clouds City and Black Sand Region."

When he heard this, Val’s breathing grew heavier.

"But an accident occurred.

"Due to some reason, that assassin was exposed," Kessel said slowly, "and Soria... Nuven’s eldest, died as well."

Val turned around with his back facing the iron door. His expression could not be seen.

historical

"Even though we didn’t leave behind any proof, Nuven still knew that we were the ones who acted." Kessel closed his eyes. "Worse still, it broke the illusion of power we created and exposed our true strength... It told them that we were powerless to fight against the soldiers from the North.

"You know what happened next?" Kessel opened his eyes slowly, and his voice was filled with fatigue. "Eckstedt brought the date of their invasion forward and chose to attack during winter. They chose a date when it would be the worst possible time for restocking military supplies and deployed their troops to the south.

"Horace brought a handful of soldiers to meet with Nanchester and headed into Broken Dragon Fortress... On the second day after his death, John conquered Zodra, the final territory of the rebel army... Ten days later, the fortress fell into enemy hands.

"The beginning of spring in the coming year, Eckstedtians used the fortress as their base and like a tidal wave, flooded the Northern Territory.

Another long period of silence.

It lasted so long that the light from the fire started becoming dimmer.

It lasted till the Duke of Northern Territory broke the silence.

"Hahahaha..." Val started laughing in desolation.

"The assassination plan that was originally supposed to postpone Eckstedt’s invasion instigated and brought forward their plans instead?

"Hahahaha hahaha!"

Kessel did not speak. He only listened to the duke’s laughter quietly.

The duke finally stopped laughing.

"Who was it?" he asked airily.

"Who was it?!"

Val seized the iron door and gritted his teeth in sorrow. "Who suggested this damned plan?!"

Kessel stared at Val. He saw the expressions of grief, pain, anger, hatred, and shock mixed on his face.

The king shook his head.

"Father was forced to.

"Starlight Brigade suffered straight losses at the start. John was forced back inch by inch from Jade City to the Land of Ivory, then to Walla Passage. The rebel army had even extended their roots deep into the underground world of Eternal Star City.

"No one thought that John would be able to turn the tides in such a short time and win so many battles.

"At that time, the entire palace was cast in the shadow of having the country fall." Kessel took a deep breath. "That was why the assassination happened."

Val’s expression slowly froze, but his hands trembled non-stop as he seized the cell door.

"If-If that plan hadn’t been around and that assassination didn’t happen..." the Duke of Northern Territory instinctively mumbled.

Kessel pressed his hands on his knees and lowered his head slightly. "Yes."

His expression was slightly distorted. He controlled his neck to allow himself to nod while he was trembling slightly. "If Eckstedt had waited till the beginning of spring before they attacked, from what I can see now, John’s Starlight Brigade could have absolutely, without a doubt, arrive in the north to provide your father and the fortress with support.

"Broken Dragon Fortress would not have fallen.

"And whether it be Cold Castle or... Both would not have fallen.

"The Northern Territory would not have suffered such a tragedy either."

Val slid down behind the iron door dejectedly.

*Thud!*

The muffled sound of knees crashing against the floor appeared from behind the iron door, along with the Duke of Northern Territory’s oppressed, tormented growls.

"Are you saying... that all of you... all of those bastards in your father’s Imperial Conference and that stupid plan of theirs... brought about the deaths of millions in the Northern Territory?" Val asked with a hoarse voice.

"Haha... and we always thought that King Nuven had seized the opportune moment to launch the invasion and conquer the fortress... and in the end, hahaha..."

Kessel did not answer him. He only waited quietly.

The brilliant light illuminated his side profile. There was only numbness in the depths of the King of Constellation’s eyes.

After some time...

"What about that foolish assassin? That idiot who exposed himself after he failed the assassination?" Val’s voice, which had changed slightly in pitch due to his grief and hopelessness travelled from behind the iron door. There was deep hatred buried in his voice. "Did you dig out his heart?"

Kessel the Fifth turned his head around and stared at a completely empty spot in space.

It was as if a person was standing there.

Silence.

For a period of time, only Val Arunde’s deep and depressed sobs could be heard in the air.

Kessel’s eyes were filled with complicated emotions that were difficult to understand.

"That’s right."

No one knew how much time had passed. The Supreme King of Constellation, Kessel Jadestar the Fifth was just staring into thin air. With an emotion that was difficult for an average person to understand, he spoke slowly, "That assassin is paying the price for that failed assassination, which brought about grave consequences.

"He is forever imprisoned behind a cursed mask and he will never see daylight ever again."

The king stared at the spot that was void of any living person, and his voice was incomparably quiet. "In endless loneliness and never-ending darkness, he will taste pain and suffer through eternal torment.

"He will serve his sentence...

"With the remainder of his lowly life...

"For that devastating battle...

"And for the countless souls he owes."