Chapter 50

The road of life is filled with all kinds of surprises, some good, some bad, leading to joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

Sometimes these surprises happen for no apparent reason, or perhaps they are simply unpredictable.

One might leave home in high spirits to go somewhere, only to die in the next moment under the wheels of a runaway carriage.

It's unclear what will happen next, and one might not even think about it.

However, sometimes these surprises can be avoided.

They come from others, from oneself, consciously or unconsciously, and the branches of fate ultimately lead to one's own choices.

Alrin and Parao.

If we consider a normal lifespan, they are at the two-thirds mark, meaning one-third has passed, and two-thirds have yet to arrive.

At their age, they might be happier than many others because they have a stable life and career.

The only regret is that they do not have a family of their own.

They come from humble backgrounds.

This world is unfair, or rather, it is inherently unfair.

Some are born into noble and wealthy families, some into poor households, and some die the moment they are born.

Complaining about fate does not change the current situation.

Alrin and Parao are very ordinary, like the passersby commonly seen on the streets of the capital.

If there is anything remarkable about them, it is their effort.

They graduated from an ordinary college, and after countless failures, they finally passed the examination to join the Capital Guard. They started as small patrol officers in a certain area and eventually were promoted to the Investigation Department of the Capital Guard.

In the Investigation Department, they are neither the oldest nor the youngest, but their abilities are the most ordinary. The reason for their promotion is their solid and hardworking efforts over more than a decade.

If the Ambefin case had not happened, they might have continued to toil away, with only effort and no talent, reaching the peak of their ordinary lives.

After taking charge of the investigation, they seemed to find a new future, placing their bets and risking everything.

Life is so ordinary; if they are not content, they might as well take a chance.

Even if they fail, they will only lose their ordinary future.

From following the target from the inn to when the target entered the Royal Central Academy.

They did not enter because Parao suddenly remembered that Lord Roslin had warned them not to interfere if the target entered the academy.

They just needed to wait for the target to come out.

They did not ask why, as they had already failed once and did not have the courage or the right to question.

With doubts in their minds, they chose to wait for a long, boring time.

Until the shocking news of an explosion suddenly spread through the square, they looked at each other in disbelief.

Under a tree on a street opposite the Royal Central Academy.

"Alrin, what's going on? I feel like I've encountered something serious," Parao said, staring wide-eyed at the chaos of the noble guards across the street.

"I don't know, maybe it's a rumor," Alrin said, covering his forehead in disbelief.

"But—" Parao pointed to a spot on the street: "The news seems to have come from a minister who climbed onto a carriage and fled in a panic."

"I saw it," Alrin said, feeling his mind in a jumble. He shook his head and said, "Do you think we should report this to the Capital Guard and Lord Roslin?"

"But, what about the person Lord Roslin asked us to follow? If the news is true and something happened to the target—" Parao frowned and thought.

"Look!"

Suddenly, Alrin slapped Parao's shoulder and pointed to the academy gate, shouting.

As some noble guards began to break through the academy gates, more and more noble guards followed the trend, creating a chaotic scene.

"Whether the news is true or not, we should follow them into the academy," Alrin said, pulling his companion and crossing the street with hurried steps.

"But, didn't Lord Roslin tell us to wait outside?" Parao broke free from Alrin's hand and said while walking.

"Of course, but that was under normal circumstances. Now that this has happened, do you think the matter is more important or the target is more important?"

"This—" Hearing Alrin's question, Parao hesitated and said, "If it really comes to that, why don't we split up? One of us can enter the academy, and the other can report to Lord Roslin."

Amid the chaotic and noisy crowd of noble guards, Alrin seemed not to hear Parao's voice. He turned to him and said, "What did you say? If we don't enter now, we might not get another chance."

Parao sighed and followed closely behind him.

In the Investigation Department, he and Alrin had the best relationship because they were of the same kind.

Alrin was a few years older than him. Unlike his own mediocre and weak personality, Alrin was often decisive in dealing with people and matters, something he could not match.

Most of the time, when they worked together, Alrin took the lead.

When they joined Lord Roslin, it was Alrin who approached him. Perhaps out of a sense of helping a kindred spirit, or perhaps out of loneliness, he pulled him onto this uncertain ship.

Everyone has their flaws, and Parao was no exception. He hated his current life, even hated himself.

In his younger days at the academy, his weak personality often made him a target of bullying by his peers. He did not resist, telling himself that if he did, the bullying would only get worse.

Or perhaps, he lacked the courage to resist, and those words were just a way to comfort himself.

After graduating from the academy, he came to the capital, the land of dreams for young people.

He was determined to join the Capital Guard, as if only there could he find the courage he had lost.

Even after failing many times, he persisted until he succeeded.

But he failed to find his courage; his personality remained unchanged.

...

"Alrin, do you believe in an afterlife?"

In the pool of blood, Parao forced a smile and looked at the fallen Alrin beside him.

"I don't know, I only know that I have caused your death," Alrin's voice was weak and faint, as if it could stop at any moment.

Parao could not see Alrin's face because it was turned away from him, and he no longer had the strength to turn his head.

Following a group of noble guards in a different direction, they watched as the guards confronted the academy students, negotiated, and finally clashed.

When they saw the academy students being scattered and knocked down, they thought they would proceed smoothly.

However, a group of strangers in black robes appeared, like ghosts, like the blades of death, reaping the lives of every guard.

Alrin and Parao had seen killings and deaths in the Capital Guard, but they had never seen such ruthless one-sided slaughter.

Blood soaked the ground, forming streams.

They felt fear, afraid they would become one of the corpses ahead.

Forgetting everything, they thought only of escaping.

But they did not escape.

The black-robed figures caught up to them, and their swords mercilessly slashed through them.

Facing death, Alrin shouted his identity loudly, but that identity seemed to be a death warrant.

The sword did not show mercy.

"Alrin, do you know? Sometimes, living is worse than dying," Parao said, spitting out a mouthful of blood with a bitter smile.

"Is that so?"

After a long while, Alrin's voice finally came, as if speaking was his greatest effort.

"I once thought of death, thought of suicide, but I did not die. I always, always tried to live. Because I wanted to change my cowardly life, but... I did not succeed."

"I often envied others, thinking they were happier than me. I thought about finding a woman to marry, but do you know? The woman I once liked is now someone else's wife. I did not have the courage to confess my feelings to her, and in the end, she fell in love with someone else."

"Every time I drank, every time I got drunk, I would secretly go to see that woman. I hid in the corner and watched her. She was very happy, and perhaps her choice was right. So, I never planned to get married again, because—"

"Cough, cough—"

Parao used his last strength to clench his fist and drew in the last breath of life.

"Because what?"

After a long time, Alrin's voice finally came.

This time, he did not hear a response.

Tears streamed down Alrin's eyes. His friend, his best friend, was gone.

He closed his eyes, feeling very tired.

Darkness gradually engulfed everything.

Regret, guilt.

...

"Did you hear something?" Xil suddenly said to Xiaolan beside him.

"What did you hear?" Xiaolan asked.

Xil shook his head and said, "It sounded like a human scream, but it was probably just my imagination."

On the viewing platform, the nobles gathered in small groups, whispering, and the academy students in the square made various soft sounds.

With so many people, the noise was loud, and loud noise can easily affect one's hearing.

Xiaolan closed his eyes and, sensing the flow of energy, realized that two high-ranking swordsmen had recently left the viewing platform.

Soon, his sharp hearing picked up the distant, tragic cries.

When something unusual happens, there must be a reason.

He roughly understood the purpose of the high-ranking swordsmen who had left; they were killing.

At this moment, some members of the Blood Flag began to withdraw from the square. Those who noticed immediately informed their companions, and as the news spread, the discussions grew louder.

In front of the altar, the representative of the Blood Flag, Tylrand, who had disappeared, reappeared on the stage.

"All comrades of the Blood Flag, lift the siege of the square and detain all noble ministers and take them to the academy's main building!"

"Our battle is about to truly begin!"