Chapter 117: Truly Worthy of Being Her Majesty the Queen's Consort
Paradise, Royal Capital.
At sunset, the palace cast an endlessly long shadow down the street.
Grey hid within the shadows at the corner, her emerald eyes fixed on the mountaintop shrouded by dense forest at the city outskirts, faintly visible under the dusky light, dazed in silence.
“At this time, I wonder what Big Brother Rast is doing?”
“If everything is going smoothly, he should be at the peak by now, finding a way to deal with the Queen of the Underworld and buying time for our operation.”
“But if it's about buying time, then he probably has no choice but to say some sweet words.”
“I really want to hear Big Brother Rast’s sweet talk too… the kind spoken only for me.”
The girl’s murmurs faded into the evening breeze, unheard by anyone.
“Even if I know it's a lie, even if it's just hollow affection… I wouldn’t mind…”
…
“Little Grey, it’s almost time.”
The voice of the Shadow Servant came from the resonance crystal, snapping Grey out of her daze.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah.”
Grey quickly nodded, giving a clear response through the resonance crystal.
“Good. Then I’ll begin.”
A short reply came from the resonance crystal.
In the next moment, the shadow beneath Grey’s feet began to ripple.
Then, silently, it enveloped her form.
Her body was hidden within the shadow, her presence fading with the ebb and flow of darkness...
Passersby walked by on the street, brushing past her.
Though so close, they acted as if they saw nothing, as though she had become part of the slanted shadows of the street corner.
This was the ability of the deputy captain of the Shoreguards squad, Shadow Servant.
As a Rank-Six Transcendent of the "Shadow" Sequence, Shadow Servant not only could hide himself in the shadows but also grant others the same shadow-stealth state.
Truly an essential tool for travel, assassination, and robbery.
Judging by the nature of this power, it didn’t seem like something a Shoreguard should have… rather, it seemed more like it came from the cultists of an evil god.
Of course, at this moment, what Grey and Shadow Servant were plotting did indeed resemble the actions of cult-like villains.
The final phase of the "Lost Paradise" plan—
To steal the "Death God's Relic" from within the palace of the royal capital.
The "Death God’s Relic" was the core of Paradise, and also the very foundation for this underworld kingdom’s existence.
As long as it was taken from Paradise and sealed within the Watchtower, this paradise of the dead would naturally collapse and vanish into nothingness.
Which also meant the final objective of the "Lost Paradise" mission would be complete.
“Little Grey, the palace map, the distribution of the patrols, and the planned routes—have you memorized them all?”
This time, Shadow Servant’s voice didn’t come from the resonance crystal, but directly from the shadow beneath Grey’s feet.
The grey-haired girl simply nodded in silence.
“Mm.”
She was well aware that this opportunity had been created by Big Brother Rast for the Shoreguards.
Under the pretense of a date, he lured the near-legendary Queen of the Underworld away from her palace, creating a window of a few hours in which the relic could be stolen.
In addition, Rast had provided the interior map of the palace, the patrol schedules of the maids, and many other pieces of information in meticulous detail... all of which Grey had committed to memory after countless repetitions.
“That’s good.”
Shadow Servant spoke again through the shadow beside Grey.
“To be honest, we shouldn’t be entrusting the final phase of the ‘Lost Paradise’ plan—the most dangerous infiltration—to you, a rookie.”
“But you understand too, Little Grey. Around the palace lies a solidified layer of dusk-restriction, part of the Queen of the Underworld’s domain.”
“If a Transcendent of too high a rank enters, it’ll easily trigger the domain’s safeguards and alert the palace maids. You’re the only one suitable for infiltration...”
“I understand, Deputy Captain.”
Grey’s soft voice interrupted Shadow Servant.
“There’s no need to explain all that to me. Just give the orders.”
“Though I’m a rookie on my first mission, I’m also a member of the Shoreguards…”
“The moment I put on the Shoreline Guard’s winged insignia, I was ready for this.”
Her voice felt distant, fading into the evening wind that howled down the street.
“Besides, the danger I face isn’t even worth mentioning compared to Big Brother Rast—compared to the captain.”
Helen was not inside the palace.
The only enemies Grey would face were the patrolling maids.
She also had a perfectly detailed map and intelligence. If everything went smoothly, she wouldn’t even have to fight to make her escape.
But Rast was different.
He had to face the Queen of the Underworld directly.
And unlike before, when he could deceive her vaguely, the moment the Shoreguards succeeded in stealing the "Death God's Relic," the Queen would surely sense it—and erupt in fury.
This was a near-legendary powerhouse, enraged within her own domain... even with all kinds of Transcendent tools and escape plans in place, escaping her wrath was like ascending to the heavens.
Big Brother Rast knew all the risks and dangers, yet still chose to personally step in and execute the plan...
All for the sake of justice known as the "Shoreguards."
That was why she couldn’t become a burden to Big Brother Rast.
The smoother and faster she completed her infiltration and stole the relic without being discovered, the more time Big Brother Rast would have to escape.
As for the possibility of Rast failing to escape and dying at the hands of the Queen, who had been deceived and enraged by his false affections... the moment this thought arose, Grey forcefully shoved it aside.
She refused to dwell on it. Not for a second.
Grey took a deep breath, purging all distracting thoughts.
She knew very well that daydreaming now was meaningless.
The only thing she could do was complete the infiltration as quickly as possible—
To win Big Brother Rast more time to maneuver.
In her emerald eyes, clear as gemstones, all ripples of emotion were silenced, leaving behind only quiet determination.
“Deputy Captain, I’m ready. I can begin anytime.”
Grey’s calm voice echoed from within the shadows.
“First Rast, now you and Yanice…”
“It seems even as our generation of Shoreguards grows old, we don’t need to worry about successors.”
A trace of comfort colored Shadow Servant’s voice.
“I can’t directly touch the restriction, but I’ll assist you from outside the palace using shadows.”
“Remember, if you encounter an unbeatable threat, giving up and retreating is also a valid option.”
“Unlike us old-timers... you are the future of the Shoreguards. If you fall before you’ve fully grown, it would be a loss not just to yourself, but to the entire organization.”
“In any situation, always look for a way to survive.”
“If necessary, I’ll forcibly trigger the dusk-restriction and enter the palace myself.”
Hearing Shadow Servant’s words, Grey silently nodded.
She pulled down the brim of her Shoreguard’s hood, hiding her small frame further within the shadowy cloak.
“Then, the final phase of the ‘Lost Paradise’ plan…”
“Begins.”
At Shadow Servant’s command, Grey’s figure, concealed beneath her hooded cloak, suddenly moved.
Shrouded by accompanying shadows, she turned into a phantom, silently passing through the dusk-restriction beside the palace.
Then, along the route she had rehearsed countless times in her mind, she sped toward the palace’s interior.
…
Even Rast himself had only lived in this palace for barely a month.
And during that month, he served as the Queen’s personal attendant, spending nearly all his time tending to Her Majesty, with little left for himself.
Yet the palace map and patrol routes he provided were astonishingly detailed.
Accurate down to the wardrobes in each room where someone could hide, and the maids’ shift changes to the minute. Not a single detail was off.
Though a rookie, Grey had undergone the Shoreguards’ harsh trials and training.
And even before joining, she had experience wandering across the entire continent. Infiltration and theft weren’t unfamiliar to her.
Her first encounter with Rast—and even her name "Grey"—had come from when she tried to steal his Shoreguard’s insignia as a child.
So after entering the palace, everything went incredibly smoothly.
Following the map burned into her memory, Grey cautiously snuck through, avoiding all patrolling maids and not triggering any traps or alerting anyone.
Of course, her success was also thanks to her own powers as a long-tier Transcendent of the “Fate” Sequence.
Because of her powerful desire to "not be a burden to Big Brother Rast," the strength of her fate had surged silently, enhancing her body.
Multiple times, she narrowly avoided patrols by mere inches.
One hour later—
Grey finally arrived at the innermost part of the palace’s third floor, before an unassuming door.
According to Big Brother Rast’s intel, beyond this door lay the Queen of the Underworld Helen’s royal treasury, where all of Paradise’s treasures were stored.
And also—where the "Death God’s Relic" was kept.
She hadn’t expected everything to go this smoothly.
In that case…
She was no longer a burden to Big Brother Rast.
But a Shoreguard companion who could stand beside him, someone who could truly help him.
Once this mission was over, perhaps she could even become an official member of Big Brother Rast’s team.
With such thoughts, a flicker of joy sparkled in Grey’s eyes.
She pulled out a seemingly ordinary copper key from her pocket and reached toward the door.
Grey didn’t possess the key to the Paradise Treasury. Even Rast didn’t have the chance to request it.
Besides, this vault could only be opened by Her Majesty herself... and although the door looked plain, no one knew if it required a physical key or some other Transcendent trigger.
However—
The Transcendent artifact: 「Master Key」.
Beneath a certain tier, it could open anything that had the concepts of “door,” “lock,” or “seal.”
It came from the Watchtower’s reserves.
As an organization that had existed for an entire era, the Shoreguards had accumulated countless Transcendent materials and tools.
To ensure the “Lost Paradise” plan’s success, leader Sisel had ordered all such tools to be made available to the team.
Click.
The copper key slid into the lock.
A crisp sound followed.
Then, silently, the lock turned and opened.
Grey carefully grasped the doorknob, preventing any creaks that might alert the palace.
She took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
However—
What lay beyond the door wasn’t the treasure vault she imagined, filled with jewels, gold, and rare artifacts.
It was a vast chamber with cold, steel walls—completely empty inside.
What was going on?
Was Big Brother Rast’s intel wrong, and this door didn’t lead to the Paradise Treasury or the "Death God’s Relic"?
Or—
Was there some mechanism hidden here, one even Rast hadn’t discovered?
Only by activating it would the real treasury appear?
Countless thoughts swirled in Grey’s mind.
But the next moment—
A cold female voice echoed from the shadows of the steel chamber.
“Should I say... truly worthy of being the consort chosen by Her Majesty the Queen…”
“I originally prepared this just in case, but I didn’t expect the note Rast left me to actually come true.”
“There really is a sneaky little mouse crawling through the shadows, trying to steal treasures while Her Majesty and Mr. Rast are out on a date.”
A woman with a stern expression stepped out from the darkness.
Grey recognized her.
She was recorded in the intel provided by Big Brother Rast—“Head Maid of the Underworld,” Anna.
Yet according to that intel, the head maid was supposed to be on a shift break.
As these thoughts flashed through her mind, Grey saw the woman wave her hand lightly.
In the next instant—
Boom—
The heavy steel door slammed shut behind her.