BXBX NOVEL Chapter 256 Aftermath (1)
Orel looked at Antoine who was already in his last breath. He found it really amusing for the Second Prince to die so easily like this.
"It is as what the rumors have said about you. You can only live under the shadow of the First Prince and even the trash Third Prince was even more famous than you. How silent your death was!"
But Antoine could no longer hear his gloating as the light in his crystal blue eyes was already glowing dimly.
His mouth stretched to a wide grin while he lifted his foot to try to step on Antoine\'s head while mocking. "Uhmm… Well, it might be better for me to absorb your life. I wonder what would it feel to absorb a Seirende?"
That particular night was the quietest night in the Empire. The only sound that one could hear was the sound of the bells ringing, marking the sacrificial death of the Second Prince.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Vice Captain!" The knights who were already in a lethargic state scrambled to stop Seigfried Astaze from inflicting self pain as he was already so deranged that he was about to charge to the wall in self-reproach.
"I could have come back! I could have saved him! I could have!!" Siegfried wailed like a child who lost his playmate forever.
The knights that were rescued and even Kazimir, whose tears were already flowing without end could only stay still in a daze upon realizing the cost of their escape - the life of the Second Prince.
One by one the knights started to tremble as the hot searing tears flowed on their battle-worn faces. As the bell rang, so was their heart being pounded by guilt and remorse because of being too weak. They were unable to retaliate and even allowed the Second Prince to die in their place.
The sound of the knights and officials came rushing with Emperor Valentin\'s disheveled state. With how fast the attack happened, he was only informed when Antoine left someone to give him the information.
From that point and the ringing of bells was only in a span of half an hour. When he heard the sound, a great wave of panic and terror rained on his entire being.
There were only three reasons for the bells of Seirende to ring.
First, was a joyous occasion that happened in the family.
Next, was the descent of an Oracle, a message from the heavens.
Last, was death or a great loss of the Empire.
He prayed, he only prayed that it could be anything but the last one! Not the last one!
He saw the mourning knights and his eldest son still in a defeated state, but he could not see his second son around. When he saw Seigfried\'s breakdown, his body trembled like it was about to lose its strength.
"Someone, tell me what happened." He demanded an explanation, pulling the nearest knight from him. He clenched the collar of the knight not minding his miserable state.
He wanted to know what happened. He wanted to know what went wrong.
"... The criminals hold power that made our magic useless to defend against their attacks. With no choice, the Second Prince sacrificed in order for everyone and the First Prince to escape without scathe."
The knight explained everything from how they were called as reinforcement by the First Prince, how his squad was wiped out and how he was about to be abducted. He also told him how strong the enemies were and the ultimate sacrifice of the Second Prince.
"Ah… what are you all doing here! Go to the place of battle quick! There must be away… there may be still hope to save him! Do not stand and watch!" As if he did not hear the painful recount of the knight, he turned back and commanded the Imperial Sky Knights that went with him as he tried to reject the thought of his son being dead.
But the Imperial Sky Knights were already hopeless after hearing the recount of the surviving knight. However, they had to rush and do as the Emperor ordered.
"When will the General come! Also, someone call all the Imperial Doctors to tend the wounds of the knights!" He ordered here and there, ignoring the fact that he just received the news of his son\'s death.
Seigfried and the knights saw that his actions were extremely opposite to the expression on his face. His body was shivering from pain from the pointless drive to stop his tears from flowing.
Even in his mourning, he still had to be able to think straight and deal with the aftermath. In the hall, only he had the greatest right to grieve yet ironically he had no time to deal with his sorrow. The young men had fallen, how could he not help them get back on their feet?
Even with his trembling body and grievous cries, he walked towards the bounded Kazimir. He tried every weapon he had to break the net that bounds him. His son was blinded and muted, so he must also deal with the counterspell.
"Nothing works…Send for the High Priest and the Grandmasters, I need them to help the First Prince!" His loud hoarse voice continued to crack, revealing the gigantic weight of emotions he had been keeping inside.
"Umpph! (Father..)" Kazimir heard the emotions in his voice and he whimpered and trembled. Like a child so guilty about disappointing his father for failing to protect his sibling.
"Hang on a bit longer… I\'m sure the Grandmasters can do something." Emperor Valentin touched Kazimir\'s shoulders as he assured him. However, his hands were already shaking terribly, making Kazimir know the emotions his father had been dealing with at the moment.
\'I\'m sorry, Father! I\'m sorry… I\'m sorry… I\'m sorry…\' He could only whimper and groan.
The two didn\'t know how long it took for General Farauld and the others to correspond with his summons. The Astazes and the rest of the officials, even Duke Maxim were there, whilst keeping a low presence.
Emperor Valentin only focused on getting Kazimir and every knight rescued and taken care of.
"There were many knights that are wounded, I can see that the life in their bodies was slowly draining and they would inevitably face death if we do not have the cure." The High Priest explained to the dazed Emperor Valentin. But his words are for the rest of the bystanders to hear.
Since such a thing happened, it is about time for everyone to know the matter about the curse. "It seems that the wound they sustain was draining all the life in their bodies. Like a formless poison or a lifeless parasite. The Temple has no cure for this matter. We can only delay the damage by a few months at most. But it is useless since the effect of the unknown power is inevitable. "
"No, it can\'t be! His Majesty do something!" The nobles started to voice out their panic as most of the surviving members belonged to noble families.
Hearing the High Priest declare that their offsprings were already dead meat, they were unwilling to give up the matter. They wanted to mercilessly push the Emperor, who have just lost his precious son to care for their wounded children.
Emperor Valentin was like a soulless puppet just piloting automatically with his responses, "What do you suggest for us to do, Esteemed High Priest?"
"Sigh… It\'s been centuries since this matter of the curses was recorded in our books. Even until now, there is no cure for this sinister power. The answer cannot be found in the Emperor, nor the temple. But if you people still wanted to, send your men to the Temple. There, I and my clerics will use our spiritual powers to delay the effects by a few months, but it is up to you to find the cure." The High Priest answered as straightforwardly as possible.
"You heard him.." Emperor Valentin looked at the selfish nobles telling them to decide for themselves.
The nobles gritted their teeth, knowing that they couldn\'t pressure the unstable Emperor at the moment. They could only cling to the hope that the Temple could create a miracle in the process of delaying the effects of the curse.
"We ask His Majesty to allow us to send the knights to the temple." They responded.
"Do what you wish..." He answered.
"His Majesty!" The topic was not even properly closed when the knights that he sent to the battle area came back to report.
"We have investigated the site and accounted for every person killed in the area. However, we did not see the Second Prince\'s body… The only traces he left there was his broken sword and his battle garment. I am afraid, that the criminal might…" The platoon leader dared not to continue his sentence. He could only pause and show Antoine\'s bloodied garment.
Thud!
Emperor Valentin\'s great old body fell to the ground the moment he saw the garment. He saw the position of the mark left behind the dagger that pierced his son\'s garment. He knew what it meant…