Raphael was spreading out a map and studying the route on it carefully.

There was still a dull pain inside his right arm. As the Black Prophet said, he had used that kind of power too often.

That insatiable blood-eating monster.

Raphael frowned slightly.

But he put it aside immediately - he had too much to worry about.

Such as these messes in the Northland.

Another example is the little boy behind him.

Raphael sighed, rolled up the map from Longxiao City to Qiyuan City, and then looked at the second prince standing next to him.

But the moment he turned around, he keenly noticed that something was not right about Thales's expression.

Thales was seen frowning and staring at Raphael with complicated eyes.

"You should go and rest, our journey will not be peaceful," Raphael felt a little uncomfortable when he saw him, and couldn't help but said: "You'd better be energetic enough..."

But Thales just stared at him steadily, and his eyes slowly turned to Raphael's hands.

When the young man in the secret department became impatient, the second prince spoke softly:

"The man who lost your hands is the Duke of the North, Val Arend."

"right."

Raphael's breathing stagnated slightly.

His face twitched slightly, and then turned into a relaxed smile: "Random guesses are not..."

Thales interrupted him.

"I recognize the letters on the torture brands on your hands."

Thales said silently:

"That's the engraved ancient imperial letter, a."

"Representing the Arlend family with a white eagle."

Raphael's words were blocked in his mouth, and his face was stiff.

After a few seconds, the man from the secret department gently exhaled and remained silent.

It took a long while before Raphael shifted his gaze.

"It seems that Cly Fox taught you well," he said calmly, as if he didn't care, "even though it was only a short month."

After receiving the default answer, Thales took a deep breath and thought of what the little slippery man had just told him.

"I once heard Val Arend say that by cooperating with Lombard, winning the throne was only the first step."

Thales looked directly into Raphael's eyes with sharp eyes.

"What's more important is to create a war-free northern border."

The second prince said softly: "For example, his daughter will marry Lumba's son, the two kings who have been feuding for thousands of years will take the first step towards reconciliation, the stars and dragons will slowly merge into one, and the north will enjoy peace forever.

"

Raphael didn't move.

He just listened quietly to the prince's words.

Thales looked at his expression and suddenly showed a complicated smile.

"I guess he must have been very distressed when he found out that his daughter had a lover of low status." Thales sighed, keeping his eyes on Raphael's face, and said softly: "And he's also a ridiculous person.

Bone Man.”

Raphael, who had always been expressionless, finally frowned visibly when he heard this.

"So Duke Arund destroyed your sword-holding hands as punishment and warning," Thales looked at Raphael's hands and slowly shook his head: "He took away your most important thing and destroyed a sword.

The pride and reliance of a scholar, right?"

Raphael lowered his head.

At that moment, his hands seemed to be burning.

That was the moment when the hot iron penetrated into the muscles, bones, flesh and blood, and the unforgettable burning pain came from the depths of the bone marrow.

It seems like just yesterday.

More than these……

And then there were the days of struggling in the endless dark abyss and the boundless bloody hell.

Raphael's eyes were frozen in mid-air.

Take away the most important thing?

From a promising terminal tower seed to a useless person?

Or crawl out from the most terrible torture again?

No.

Raphael's distracted eyes refocused.

"You should use your intelligence where it should be used." The young man from the secret department returned to his normal expression and said calmly.

But Thales still refused to give up: "Why did he spare your life?"

"He has no reason to spare you... Wouldn't it be nice for a Raphael who disappears from now on?"

Raphael closed his eyes.

"A long time ago, I saved his daughter's life, and he was very grateful to me," the man from the secret department replied slowly: "But Val is a stubborn and strong man. Not taking my life is already the maximum he can do."

Merciful."

Thales breathed out.

"That makes sense." He murmured.

Raphael's eyes moved: "What?"

I saw the second prince slowly leaning against the wall, looking lost and lonely.

"Your Majesty has known about it for a long time, right?"

Thales sighed and spoke, his voice so low that it didn't even sound like it came from his mouth.

Raphael frowned: "You know what?"

Thales sighed slowly and slowly said what he had just figured out.

"Duke Arend."

"His conspiracy and his rebellion, his usurpation of the throne, and even the plans of the 'New Star' nobles."

Thales said in a daze: "Your Majesty Kessel - I mean father, he has known about it for a long time, right?"

Raphael frowned and looked at Thales solemnly.

this boy……

"Don't make any assumptions about your king, even if you are a prince."

The young man from the Secret Department warned: "This is advice from the Secret Department."

Thales snorted lightly and seemed not to care at all.

The prince took a step forward with a complicated expression, and looked at Raphael with a look that gradually became clear.

"So he does know."

"He knew from the beginning that Arlend was disloyal and usurping the throne," Thales sighed: "And the reason why His Majesty did not take any action or even let it go was because he was just waiting, waiting for the other party to truly of rebellion.”

Raphael's brows furrowed tighter and tighter: "Wait?"

The man in the secret department snorted disdainfully, as if he had heard the most ridiculous thing.

"You think too much……"

"If His Majesty knew about this from the beginning, then why did he allow the situation to deteriorate and allow the Duke of the North to truly embark on the road of rebellion and put the North in danger?" Raphael shook his head: "I said, don't Just make assumptions..."

Thales clenched his fists.

He suddenly raised his voice, as if he wanted to shout out all the resentment and grievances he had felt over the past few days:

"Because he needs this chance! Damn it!"

What Raphael wanted to say stopped at his lips. He looked at the prince with his chest rising and falling, slightly surprised.

"Miranda told me that His Majesty has sent officials to stabilize the situation in the north." Thales gasped, unable to stop the trembling in his chest.

"It's very reassuring, isn't it?"

"But this is the key," Thales raised his head, gritted his teeth, and Kessel's resolute face appeared in front of his eyes, "Tell me, Raphael."
To be continued...