Chapter 62
It had been a month since Shen Qi started posing as the seventh prince. He was confined in a high tower within the castle, which was guarded day and night by rows of soldiers at the entrance to prevent his escape.
Initially, Shen Qi had no intentions of fleeing. He stayed quietly for a week, then seemingly having come to peace with his situation, he requested to speak to the king.
Perhaps feeling a slight twinge of guilt, the king came to see him. Shen Qi agreed to the sacrifice, promising not to resist, and half appealed emotionally and half threatened as he presented three demands.
The first demand naturally concerned the sixth princess. He had already found out that she hadn't died. She had only broken a leg and was rescued. He requested the king to summon a Holy Envoy to cure the princess's leg. He further demanded her to be married off within half a month.
The arrangements for the sixth princess's marriage were made by her stepmother. The stepmother had made no attempts to conceal her despise towards the children from the former queen, even though they were her nieces and nephews. The first five princesses' marriages were arranged by the former queen herself. Only the sixth princess was left unattended due to the queen dying when giving birth to the seventh prince.
The stepmother intended to humiliate the sixth princess by arranging her marriage with the son of a fallen noble. However, years later, this Earl's son attracted the attention of a Knight from a higher country and was taken in as his apprentice. Upon hearing the news, the stepmother flew into a rage and spent the past couple of years contemplating switching her own ninth daughter for the sixth princess's position.
Given the long night lends itself to dangerous dreams, Shen Qi couldn't wait until the sixth princess turned sixteen. She needed to be married off quickly. Otherwise, could she continue to live once he departed?
As for her betrothed, the distance was too significant; without planes or trains, by the time he received news and rushed back, it would likely be too late.
Shen Qi believed that the sixth princess had already sent a message to her betrothed, so half a month was enough time for him to hear the news and respond.
The second thing Shen Qi requested was for his two knights to accompany him during the sacrifice.
The two knights of the seventh prince were orphans saved by the generosity of the former queen years ago. She sponsored and cultivated them. Although the two were not very formidable, after more than a decade of training, they were just a bronze knight, a rank higher than a standard knight. However, their loyalty was unquestionable due to the former queen's dying wish.
The two were arrested because of the sacrifice of the seventh prince. If Shen Qi didn't take them away, they would likely be doomed, just like the sixth princess once he left.
No matter what, he had to take the two away, even if he had to let them find another way to other countries after the sacrifice ended.
The king agreed to the first request readily enough. However, he hesitated for quite a while on the second one, and it was only after Shen Qi's subtle pressure that he finally agreed.
With the two important matters settled, the third request was much simpler. Shen Qi only asked that his basic needs be met while in captivity, with special care to the quality of food, clothing, and shelter. This is how books about the world were delivered to him.
Seeing that he didn't make a fuss, the king quickly agreed to this demand, even feigning some father-son affection.
And so, the day after Shen Qi saw the knight take away the sixth princess through the small window of the high tower, the sacrifice began.
Early in the morning, Shen Qi was surrounded by a group of servants. They helped him wash from head to foot, dressed him in a pure white robe, placed a white floral wreath on his head, and without shoes on, had him carried directly to the castle's grand hall in a soft sedan.
Shen Qi thought if only he had wings on his back, he could pretend to be an angel.
It was a ritual sacrifice involving a living being, but the pageantry made it seem like a passage into heaven.
The king and his wife sat on the throne in the grand hall, with Prince William, the eighth, and the ninth and tenth princesses standing below. Several important ministers were in line.
"Oh, my child..." The king's face was full of sorrow as he lovingly yet sadly looked at Shen Qi, as if he had forgotten that he himself had allowed the sacrifice of the seventh prince. "The image of your birth is still fresh in my mind, and now you have grown into such a handsome boy. Child, do not bear a grudge against your father. For the people, for St. Carlos, you will be remembered by everyone. You are the glory of the royal family."
Shen Qi had no expression on his face, rolling his eyes inwardly. Why not let William, who was so glorious, perform the sacrifice? Or maybe the king himself could do it.
His stepmother held an ivory fan, smiling gently but not hiding her malice and satisfaction: "Your Majesty, don't be heartbroken. The seventh prince is so handsome that the Dragon God will surely love him. Seeing your sadness, my heart is breaking."
Immediately, the king held back his sorrowful expression and gave a heartfelt look at his wife. She flirtatiously returned his gaze, causing the king's breath to quicken.
The ministers pretended not to see anything peculiar, keeping their eyelids lowered.
Shen Qi, having no memories of the seventh prince, saw the way the king and his wife interacted for the first time. It was a wonder that the kingdom was still intact considering its rulers were so royally flawed. Their strict social hierarchy seemed to be the kingdom's saving grace.
Looking at the princes and princesses beside him, William had a sinister satisfaction on his face, his eyes gleaming with delight as he watched Shen Qi. The ninth princess held her chin high, more proud than a peacock, even too lazy to look at Shen Qi. She shot him a glance full of disdain before shifting her gaze, as if looking at him was beneath her.
The tenth princess was very young. She was playing with a toy in her hands, her face periodically showing impatience as if she didn't want to be there at all.
If this were an ancient Eastern royal court, the chances of these individuals surviving unscathed seemed slim.
After an unproductive conversation, Shen Qi was once again carried away in the soft sedan. This time, the journey took nearly half a day, and their destination was the sea.
A minor incident occurred halfway on their journey.
The sixth princess appeared.
She was sitting in a carriage, leaning out of the window, her face drenched with tears, struggling to get down, only to be held back by her betrothed: "Aug, Aug..."
Shen Qi had a headache. The real seventh prince was dead, and he could help clear up the aftermath out of a sense of duty, but he couldn't sever emotional ties.
Guards aligned meticulously around his sedan, watchfully staring at the carriage. They dared not act out of respect for the princess's betrothed.
Shen Qi flicked at his beautifully dyed nails—a bizarre requirement for the sacrifice, even the toenails had been tainted. The sight of them made his eyes twitch.
After giving it some thought, he said: "Sister, you don't need to worry about me. I've already accepted my fate. In the future, live your life well, we might meet again. I won't blame you, and you shouldn't blame yourself. Be sure to live happily."
Those were his sincere words. The sixth princess was a good girl, gentle and kind. She was willing to risk her life for her younger brother and deserved happiness. Moreover, the part about seeing her again wasn't empty talk. Once he dealt with the dragon, there might be an opportunity for a reunion.
Upon hearing his words, the sixth princess's tears flowed even more readily: "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Shen Qi shook his head, indicating that he didn't blame her, then turned to her betrothed: "I entrust my sister to you."
The betrothed seemed to be a reliable man, and he nodded solemnly: "Yes."
After this interruption, Shen Qi's mood was quite low, and upon reaching the destination and seeing the dense crowd, his mood plummeted even further.
This was a vast sea area with a long coastline. The beach was crowded with people who had come to celebrate.
Yes, to celebrate.
For them, the act of sacrifice was not cruel but rather something to be celebrated.
Men and women, old and young, and even children, each face was filled with joyous smiles, shouting the name of the seventh prince as if they were not sending him to his death, but giving him a grand send-off. They enthusiastically handed out fruits and food that they had carried on their heads.
Shen Qi felt a chilling sensation.
A middle-aged man in red, who appeared to be a bishop, walked over. He had a kind face filled with compassion. He extended his hand over Shen Qi's head, and immediately, a white light enveloped Shen Qi. "Don't be afraid, child. The God of Light will bless you."
It was a light magic spell, likely some kind of healing spell.
Shen Qi quickly assessed the situation. However, despite his keen perception, he felt strong repulsion toward this bishop. Even though he seemed to do nothing inappropriate, Shen Qi felt something was off. Combined with the information he had gathered over the days, he had a hunch.
The gentle white light continued enveloping him, making him appear more angelic than ever. The surrounding commoners had already knelt down and began to kowtow continuously.
The bishop appeared quite satisfied with the scene. His gaze towards Shen Qi softened as he helped straighten his clothes: "Child, go now. March forward bravely; the God of Light shall take pride in you."
Shen Qi squinted, his sedan lifted off the ground, heading towards the coastline. The moment he turned his back to the bishop, he briskly flicked off the area on his robe where the bishop had touched, muttering under his breath. Had this guy not been somewhat useful, he would have thrown him into the sea!
The bearers carried him into the water, where a prepared boat was already waiting. The middle part of the boat was equipped with a soft bed, surrounded by fresh flowers and fruits. They helped Shen Qi to lie down on the bed.
As per the custom, a skilled sailor would sail him out to the deep sea, then the sailor would return, leaving him to drift into the deeper ocean, awaiting the God Dragon's embrace.
This time, however, Shen Qi brought along two knights, who handled the ship, steering his small boat towards the deep sea.
Three wooden vessels, two large and one small, sailed towards the deep sea. The citizens on the shore cheered and jubilated, their songs and music resonating. It was apparent that a large-scale celebration was about to begin.
Shen Qi squinted, listening until he could no longer hear any sound. He instantly sat upright and scanned the surroundings. As expected, he could no longer see the coastline.
He lifted up his robe, pulling out two shoes from his waistband. He had hidden these, knowing he would require them for the battle ahead.
As he put on his shoes, he spoke to the two stunned knights at his sides: "Mori, York, I present you with two choices now; one, take the fruits from my ship, row westward, and in about a day's time, you should be out of St. Carlos' territory; then, you could settle down in any empire and never return here; two, stick with me, prepare for battle, and perhaps for a long period of time, we'll have to survive on a deserted island."
Almost simultaneously, Mori and York responded: "We choose option two, we swear to follow your highness."
"Very well." Shen Qi nodded. He rose, tore the cumbersome robe into simpler long sleeves and pants. He made a butterfly knot around his waist, casually pinched a bright red flower from the boat, and attached it to his knot.
He then reached out, grabbed a short sword from York's hand, swung it around to get a feel of its weight, and satisfied, he said: "Then, whatever you see later, don't be surprised. Guard this flower boat and don't let anyone approach."
Mori and York were stunned by his series of actions, exchanging glances with each other.
"Shh——"
Just as they were about to speak, Shen Qi interrupted them. With a swift motion, he laid back down and gestured at them: "Pretend as if nothing has happened, continue rowing."
While in astonishment, they noticed an approaching vessel from afar that was at least ten meters in length. The ship was moving quickly. As it approached, they saw pirates lined up on it, each brandishing a long sword or a large knife, glaring at them menacingly.
They were frightened instantly.
"Keep rowing!"
Shen Qi commanded in a low voice, his eyes shut as he listened to the chaos coming from the other ship. He was estimating the distance between them and when the two boats were about five meters apart, he smacked the edge of the boat and propelled himself into the air, flying towards the other ship. The short sword whirled in his hand, taking three lives in an instant.
Then under the stunned eyes of the crowd, he lightly tapped the water, once again propelling himself into the air, taking another three lives.
Surprised? Yes, this master knows martial arts!
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Author's note:
Yes, the big dragon will make its appearance in the next chapter, guaranteed to be cool and domineering. As for the ceremonies and such, they are unrelated to fighting. That's the usual stereotype of the church in Western fantasy novels, always being blamed for things.
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