Chapter 2288: The tragedy of the sons of kings
On a certain planet in Young Sector 99—
Inside a vast complex that appeared to serve as a military training facility, where countless practice grounds, weapon racks, and training formations stretched as far as the eye could see...
"Don’t just stand there! Move your asses!!" a man shouted in a loud, agitated voice while glaring at the youths before him. "Do all of you want to be shipped off to the mines?!"
The man wore regal attire decorated with large ornamental buttons, while half of his hair was white and the other half black. His facial features belonged to an elderly man, yet his eyes insisted he was still young. Even his soul defied judgment, impossible to tell whether it belonged to an old man or a youth. Everything about him seemed strangely contradictory, as though time itself had failed to decide how old he truly was.
If Robin had been present, however...
He would have recognized him at a single glance.
Alfred Marley.
A descendant of the Marley Family, the royal bloodline of the Black Sun Kingdom that had betrayed Robin in the past.
Yet Alfred himself had come to Jura’s aid back then, and he had also been one of Caesar’s indirect disciples. Because of that, Robin had pardoned the Marley Family on Alfred’s account and bound them under a severe oath...
An oath that claimed dozens of lives every single year without exception.
That oath required the family patriarch, the elders, and every senior member of the Marley Family to ensure that the children of every new generation loved Robin with the entirety of their being, treating that objective as the family’s highest priority regardless of the sacrifices required.
Naturally, violating the oath meant death.
As a result, senior members of the family died continuously.
The younger generation, however, knew nothing about the reason behind those deaths, for they were never told the truth. Only when one of them grew old enough to assume a position of authority within the family would they be forced to swear the oath themselves and finally understand the unbearable weight it carried upon every generation before them.
Love?
How could anyone possibly force young people to feel something as genuine as love?
Fabricating stories, erasing the past, never speaking about the oath, arranging marriages with the discarded remnants of the Burton Family—those failures who received no attention whatsoever within their own clan—in the hope of mingling the bloodlines...
Countless methods had been attempted to achieve the best possible outcome, and every generation had devoted tremendous effort toward fulfilling the impossible demand placed upon them.
Even so...
That oath would remain an eternal curse upon the Marley Family.
"Relax, Uncle. Nobody’s going to the mines," one of the young men said as he casually leaned against his spear, looking completely unconcerned. "We’re going to become kings again. Hehe."
"Again? Pfft... Were any of our ancestors ever Planetary Emperors, you idiot? Hahaha."
"His Majesty has finally recognized the value of the Marley Family! One of the ancient bloodlines! It’s only natural that we’d be entrusted with such responsibility."
"...."
Alfred’s complexion gradually became as pale as the white half of his hair.
Standing before him were more than five hundred young members of the Marley Family, each filled with excitement and anticipation for the future awaiting them.
Everything they were saying technically remained within the boundaries required by the oath.
Even so...
Every word made his heart pound with fear.
Not long ago, he had received astonishing news.
He had been informed that the Marley Family would not accompany the Nihari Galaxy during its ascension alongside the other ancient families such as the Camdens, the Bradleys, and the rest.
Instead...
They would remain behind.
When he had nearly suffered a complete mental breakdown and was on the verge of begging for mercy, he had been informed that the Marley Family would instead be relocated to a planet being prepared specifically for them, where they would rule over an entire planetary empire and shoulder the responsibility of governing the entire Young Sector on Robin’s behalf.
It turned out that His Majesty had remarked that the wealth of the Young Belt must not simply be abandoned.
As a result, he had ordered that one royal family remain behind to govern the sector in his stead, arming them, providing them with fleets, planets, military resources, and everything else they would require to establish a brand-new millennial empire capable of standing firmly on its own from the very beginning.
A millennial empire!!
Alfred had no idea what to make of this news...
On one hand, they had been denied entry into the Middle Belt, denied access to greater power, superior resources, and the limitless opportunities that accompanied ascension alongside the Nihari Galaxy.
On the other...
They had been granted a millennial empire of their own, complete with territory, authority, and a future that countless royal families could only dream of possessing.
Which raised a simple question...
Would you rather be an ordinary citizen in a prosperous nation...
Or a king in an underdeveloped one?
The answer no longer mattered.
His orders had already been given.
And he had begun carrying them out without hesitation or complaint.
The young men standing before him represented the finest talents produced by the Marley Family over its last three generations. They were destined to become the military commanders, governors, ministers, and administrators of the new empire, forming the backbone upon which its future would be built.
Yet those little bastards spent their days joking around, completely oblivious to the crushing responsibility that awaited them!!
Alfred raised a hand and pressed it against his chest.
"Urgh... you damned brats... you’re going to be the death of me. I’m certain of it..."
Rattle... Rattle...
"...?"
Alfred looked upward toward a particular direction.
He recognized the unmistakable sound of spacecraft piercing through a planet’s atmosphere, the familiar vibration echoing across the sky before the vessels themselves became visible.
His brows furrowed in confusion.
But he didn’t panic.
He was confused because the Nota Fleets never paid any attention to this remote planet. They never even visited to replenish supplies, let alone dispatch military forces here.
As for why he wasn’t alarmed...
It was because he knew perfectly well that no one in the entire sector would dare attack a planet belonging to the True Beginning Empire.
Perhaps a Nota Fleet had simply mistaken this planet for another.
Or something along those lines.
"Hmm?"
Alfred’s brows drew together slightly as the approaching ships grew closer.
Then...
The instant he recognized their designs...
His eyes flew wide open.
"Enemy attack!! We’re under attack!!"
Without another thought, he immediately activated the Instant Spatial Formation, intending to teleport toward the nearest spatial gate.
He had to inform Nihari immediately.
"What?!"
The younger members of the Marley Family instinctively stumbled backward in shock as the sudden reality struck them.
But only for a brief moment.
They quickly stopped retreating, tightened their grips around their weapons, and raised them with expressions caught somewhere between hesitation and rising fury.
None of them would allow anyone...
To take this planet away.
To steal this dream they had only just begun to embrace!!
Fwoooosh—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The very first thing the invading fleet did...
Was bombard every spatial gate on the planet simultaneously.
One after another...
They exploded.
The entire planet had been isolated in an instant, severing every ordinary means of communication with the outside world.
"Urgh!!"
The shockwave blasted Alfred backward just before he could reach one of the gates.
Unable to use it, he roared at the top of his lungs,
"Activate the emergency alarms!!"
The moment he finished shouting, he pulled a small device from his storage ring and injected his energy into it without the slightest hesitation.
The device appeared to do absolutely nothing.
Yet a faint light immediately began blinking across its surface.
Judging from the slight relief that appeared on Alfred’s face...
Its purpose had already been fulfilled.
He slowly rose back to his feet.
Looking toward the descending spacecraft preparing to land, he drew a war mace nearly as tall as his own body before raising it high into the air, white flames already beginning to gather around its head.
"Sons of Marley!"
"This is our chance to prove that we’re worthy of this honor!"
"This is our chance to remind the entire universe who we are!"
"....."
".....?"
Alfred slowly turned around before shouting at them in exasperation,
"Would someone answer me!!"
"...Yaaaaay!"
Alfred nodded vigorously despite the absurd response.
The head of his war mace erupted with blazing white flames.
Then he shot forward through the air like a meteor, leading the charge without the slightest trace of hesitation.
"CHAAAAARGE!!"
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