Masked Knight

Chapter 157: Magnificent Reply

Translator: Evie / Zenobys Editor:

"You are a madman." Rody calmly and slowly said, "No. This way of saying it is not accurate and would be unfair to you. However, you are still a madman. You are a madman whose heart is as hard as steel and is calm and cold like ice! Your insanity is not from your crazy plans. On the contrary, you are the most far-sighted person I have ever met. Your insanity is also not from your arrogance. You are not arrogant at all. You weave your traps extremely calmly, like a spider, to carry out your plan. You are one of the calmest people I have ever met."

Rody then gave a strange laugh and continued. "However, I still have to say that you are a madman. A pitiful madman!"

Seth sighed and shook his head. He softly said, "Are you trying to annoy me? It is not going to work. I will not get angry from that."

"Really?" Rody smiled even more calmly. "That means you are even more pitiful than I had thought."

Rody glanced at Master Autumn and slowly continued, "In fact, if you had used Nicole in the past, I would have fully committed myself to your cause. Unfortunately, you cannot do that anymore." Rody then looked back at Seth coldly and slowly said, "But I still want to say it. You are a madman. On top of that, you are very pitiful."

"Keep talking."

Rody sighed. "I do not know anything about schemes. If it goes according to your expectations and I start listening to you, the chances of success would be great. You will be able to control the most influential family in the Empire. You will obtain the support of the army. You have the Empress in your hand and also a son. All you need now is for the Emperor to die. Although I do not know what it is, I am sure that you have your ways to let your son inherit the throne. However, everything you have spoken of relies on a single foundation." At this point, Rody pointed to himself. "That is only if I obey you."

Seth frowned. "Does that mean you are unwilling? Are you dissatisfied? You are just a person struggling at the bottom of the Empire. I gave you a glorious position and even the opportunity to be admired by many."

"Feelings!" Rody had suddenly interrupted him and coldly replied, "Feelings! Seth. You misjudged human feelings! Your mistake is that you did not take feelings into account! In other words, you do not have feelings!"

Rody stepped forward and continued, "Just now, you said that you would not get angry. However, it is not only anger. Your other human emotions are also missing. You do not know love, mercy, sadness and even hatred. You only have your schemes in your head. That is why it may not be your fault. However, it became your biggest failure! As you do not have human emotions, your plan does not account for the feelings of others, especially mine!"

Rody spoke calmly, "You were not wrong. I am just a humble person. In my opinion, my life’s first priority was my survival. I do not have any requirements or expectations besides that."

"After that, the situation of my life suddenly changed. Following your scheming, I ended up in a different world. I was admired by countless people, but it also gave me a lot of pressure! Life in the army was very difficult. Not just hardship in life. I saw a lot of things that I had never imagined."

"Yes. I became the Duke of the Tulip Family. I became a great Regiment Commander in the eyes of many! I took my sword and ignorantly entered the battlefield! At that time, I had learned that life is extremely fragile. The tender branches and flowering buds you see today may break or wither away tomorrow. I do not know how I survived those days. I have seen bright lives destroyed. The strong and upright bend and fall to dust. Some of these are due other's scheming, some are of their own doing. The loss of lives happens incessantly every day."

"I have also killed people. I have soaked in blood, but now, my heart no longer races from killing. I now feel that killing people is not scary."

"During those days, I do not know why I wanted to survive. I survive merely to stay alive. I survive to kill others who wanted to survive. Are these meaningful? Is it meaningful to stay alive? I was very confused. However, I finally understood it in the end."

"You are right. If I accept your instructions and cooperate with you, I will gain a lot of things that I would not have gotten as a civilian, such as glory, wealth and attention! But, I would then become your puppet and just dance according to your instructions, reflecting on useless matters."

"Of course. You think that you are very smart! Thinking by itself may be normal for a smart person like you. As for me, I would not need to think. That is your thing. I would just need to become a tool that obey orders..."

Rody then had an expression filled with magnanimous radiance and slowly said, "To some extent, I would like to thank you. Thank you, Seth. You have sent me to the battlefield, to hell and also to paradise! I have seen blood and death! I have seen people bleed and turn into cold corpses! Therefore, I have changed! Even though it sounds ridiculous, I now understand things that you cannot understand. I now understand a lot of things that you should have been able to comprehend."

The color of Seth’s face finally started to change. He frowned and asked, "Understand what?"

Rody took a deep breath and replied, "The meaning of the Tulip Family!"

"I understand the reason I fight. It is not so that I could survive. I kill others not for survival but for honor! The greatest thing in the world that must not be tarnished! The greatness of the Tulip Family lies in its honor! The reason the Tulip Family is admired is because of honor! It is not…" Rody’s expression gradually sank, "… these despicable and shameful schemes!"

Before Seth could reply, Rody shook his head and laughed bitterly. "Is it strange? I am just an outsider. You are the real heir of the Tulip Family! However, here I am, telling you the true meaning of the Tulip Family. I can even tell you that you are wrong and I am right!"

"Like the others, I have also misjudged you. I thought that you were someone who did not care about your family. But now, I found out that you are a madman trying to revive your family in your own way. However, your method is crazy. It is so crazy that you are now destroying your own family!"

"The Tulip Family’s banner is admired by others precisely because it is willing to become the pillar that supports the Empire for hundreds of years! It is like a strong city wall, a resonant horn, and the sword in the hands of the soldiers! It can be anything, but it cannot become king and ambition!"

"The greatness of the Tulip Family was forged from iron and blood under the sun. It is not from political schemes!"

Rody smiled happily and calmly. His eyes were clear, with not a hint of doubt. "After understanding these, do you think I would still do your bidding?" He lightly continued, "The Tulip Family’s banner can only fly above our troops, fluttering in the hands of our warriors, above the fortress of our formidable enemies - definitely not in the palace! The Tulips are fearless warriors, not kings!"

After that, Rody looked at Seth and lightly said, "This is something that a person who only hides in the dark will never understand!" He then showed a look of contempt and coldly continued, "Those who stand in the shadows will never understand the meaning of the sun!"

Seth’s expression finally changed. He looked at Rody in disbelief. It was as if he could no longer recognize the person in front of him.

Is this person that silly boy? Is he the same person that is usually manipulated by others? Is he the same person that usually did not have his own opinion?

"Are you surprised?" Rody asked lightly. "I am sure that I am not as smart as you. I will never be able to hatch such a big scheme in my life. I will also never be able to figure out a lot of complicated stuff. However, I know that you are now trampling on us! I do not know if the scene you describe is good or bad. I also do not know whether it is right to refuse to cooperate with you. However, I know that you are now trampling on others. You are trampling on me and also human feelings!"

Rody gradually clenched his fist and started to look murderous . "I am not like you. It seems you do not have any human feelings. You would not become angry. But I do. After being fooled by you for such a long time, I now feel extremely angry! Do you know what I wish to do the most right now?"

Rody then gritted his teeth and continued, "The thing I want to do the most right now is to punch you in the nose. I want to see if you can still maintain that heartless smile."

Seth sighed and shook his head. He then laughed lightly and elegantly. "If it is just like what you said, do you think I should admit defeat? Do you think I should admit defeat since you refuse to cooperate with me?"

He looked at murderous Rody and smiled. "I really misjudged you. Are you really that Rody? Why did you suddenly become so assertive? How did such a simple-minded person suddenly come up with such a magnificent argument?" He then said softly, "What did you say earlier? The branches and flowers you see today may break or wither away the next…"

Seth then frowned and look at Rody. "Why would you not listen to me? Why do you not want to cooperate with me to create that wonderful scene? Sigh… It is such an interesting thing... As long as you nod your head, we can recreate a great era like that of the late Duke of the Tulip Family and the Sage Dandong. Isn’t it tempting at all?"

"Yes!" Rody admitted. "It is tempting! I admit that I was tempted by you, but now I understand that it is just a falsehood.

"Falsehood?"

Rody nodded. "Falsehood! The truth is that there is a poor woman crying in misery in front of me. The truth is that I thought I was doing something very serious, respectful and great. However, I found out I was just manipulated by you, and everything is a joke! The truth is that a madman is daydreaming!"

"Alright." Seth nodded listlessly. "Since you refuse to cooperate with me, I have to give up."

He showed a strange gaze and then he slowly said something that made Rody and Master Autumn surprised.

The schemer had said, "I admit defeat."

"What?" Rody was stunned.

Seth smiled and repeated. "I said I admit defeat. You all don’t believe me?" He then laughed at himself. "What do you think I should do now? If you all turn hostile, I would not be able to defeat you. Run away and start scheming in the dark to compete with you? That is not my style… Perhaps my biggest mistake is you, Rody. I am really shocked. Did I pick the wrong person?"

He shook his head. "However, I always think that I did not pick the wrong person… Why? You have obviously ruined my plans but why do I still feel like I did not pick the wrong person?"

He suddenly patted his clothes and stretched his waist. He then lightly said, "Master Autumn. Let me warn you. The Pope has already learned of your secret. This is something you have to deal with on your own. Also, Rody, you are the most interesting person I have ever met. Could it be that only a simple-minded person would understand those things?"

He then looked at the Empress behind him and walked over. He gently kissed her hair and lightly said, "I have no regrets in my heart. That is because it is just like what that boy had said. I am a person without feelings. But I still want to say that I am sorry. My dear, it was wonderful to be with you."

After that, the elegant playboy stood in front of the three of them and spoke strangely. "Everyone, the plot has been exposed, and the show has ended. It is now time to close the curtains."

He slowly walked to the entrance and looked back at the three. He then bowed elegantly, smiled and burst into flames.

Before anyone could react, his body was completely engulfed in the flames. The Empress jumped up but she was restrained by Master Autumn. The Empress then cried out. Seth’s body continued to burn and ashes started flying everywhere along with the smoke.

...

"Seth. Did you really just give up like this?"

"Yes, my dear Old Mark. Why not? It is not elegant to continue with this."

"…"

"My dear Old Mark. Don’t you think that this is already very interesting?"

"…"

"I am talking about Rody. That guy made me very surprised. He is like a growing wild animal. I even believe that I am already partially successful… Think about it. We have created such an interesting person. Perhaps we have already created history."

"Sigh… So, what do you want to do now?"

"Hahaha…" Seth laughed. "That boy said that I do not have feelings. I felt really helpless when he said that. However, I could not even find the words to refute him… So… I want to find my feelings."

"Human feelings?"

"Yes. Love, hate, anger, sorrow… I want to find these feelings…. Think about it. The words he said sounded interesting. I want to experience it for myself."