Chapter 73: Enemy of the Kingdom (4)
Gaiard’s rough flight was something I could never get used to.
But having braced myself in advance, I barely managed to keep my stomach in check as we reached the wall.
Dodging arrows from the large ballistae and crossing the wall,
I shouted reflexively.
“Now!”
The timing for lightning to strike.
Gaiard flew low and released my hand at the same time.
“Go. I’ll hold out a bit longer this time.”
“What? I can’t hear you over the lightning.”
“Get lost.”
As I fell, I familiarly stabbed my sword into the wall to slow my descent and landed lightly.
Head left from here to reach the market district.
As the bells echoed through the city, I moved.
Tap!
Unlike before, having memorized Gaiard’s instructions, my movements were unhesitant.
The city was complex, and I occasionally took wrong turns, but I didn’t panic.
Next time, I won’t take this path.
Finally, I reached the market district with rows of empty stalls.
I entered the alley with the only red-roofed mansion.
Running straight through, as Gaiard had said, the palace came into view.
Thanks to arriving much earlier, the bridge showed no signs of being raised.
That was because soldiers were streaming out in perfect order.
Perfect! Once they’re gone, I’ll rush in.
Silence fell as the soldiers seemed to have all left.
Scanning my surroundings, I dashed forward.
“Hey, what’s that?”
“What?”
The soldiers on the wall stared at me, barging in out of nowhere.
Realizing a beat late that I was an intruder, they raised their bows.
“Intruder!”
No one had been crazy enough to storm the palace, so their judgment was delayed.
They fired arrows, but they only hit the bridge, trailing my tail.
I had already crossed the bridge and infiltrated the outer castle.
Then, I saw the familiar shields among the soldiers surrounding me.
As expected, a mess.
Unlike last time, their formation was disorganized and not fully prepared.
I charged forward, using the shields as stepping stones to leap over.
“Catch him!”
“Grab him!”
A chase ensued.
Next time, I’ll ask for a quieter entry point. This is too loud—she might show up.
But there was no need to worry.
As I ran with determination, those chasing me fell further behind.
Tap tap!
Moreover, my destination, the kitchen, was on the castle’s outskirts.
It was the area with the laxest security.
Heading to the back of the kitchen, I found the well, just as Gaiard had said.
I leaped and dove into it.
This better be right.
I felt like I was floating in the air for a few seconds before hitting water.
Splash!
Fearing the sound might give me away, I quickly surfaced.
Thankfully, no one was peering into the well.
This place is creepy. Let’s get out quick.
A subterranean cave stretched before me.
As expected of the palace’s waterworks, the floor and ceiling were neatly polished.
I moved along the central waterway.
Step step.
I moved cautiously yet swiftly.
Time was still ticking, even now.
Contrary to Gaiard’s mention, there were no monsters in the waterworks.
Perhaps, as a place with flowing water, it was kept clean, which made sense.
But instead of monsters, something else greeted me.
Click.
A sound of something being pressed came as I stepped on the floor.
At the same time, a massive spear blade descended from the ceiling.
Clang!
I reflexively leaped back, dodging the blade.
A moment later, and I’d have been skewered.
Such a cliché trap.
I decided to trigger all the traps at once and unleashed a sword aura.
The floor reacted, and all sorts of traps sprang up.
Crack!
Boom!
Countless arrows, bombs, and even walls slamming together.
Every trap up to the far end was triggered.
The shockwave cracked the walls and ceiling, and dirt began to fall.
How many traps did they set? But can stuff like this stop a high-level assassin?
Questioning the kingdom’s security, I moved forward.
Then, I encountered a barrier that dispelled my doubts.
Of course.
A magical barrier.
It blocked my path forward.
Roughly calculating the distance, this barrier is at the transition to the inner castle. This area must be important.
But I wasn’t new to barriers like this.
Countless infiltration missions.
Especially when fighting the northern mage alliance, I’d encountered all sorts of magic.
I wasn’t an expert in magic, but I knew enough about breaking barriers.
The time barrier in our family’s basement grows infinitely strong through the medium of time. But a barrier like this, maintained indefinitely, is bound to be weaker.
And that weakness could be exploited by using aura, which clashes with mana.
To use this method, I stabbed my sword, infused with sword aura, into the barrier like a key.
Grind!
The barrier is a cycle of mana. Disrupt that flow, and it breaks. Of course, it’s useless if you can’t sense the subtle flow.
But I was different.
In my past life, I had to manipulate aura as scarce as a rat’s piss, so I was more confident than anyone in sensing qi.
Thus, reading the flow of mana, though similar yet different, was something I’d mastered to the level of a high-ranking mage.
…
I closed my eyes and focused.
To find the part where the mana flowed.
Here.
Identifying the flow point, I slightly pulled out the sword I’d stabbed in and thrust it back into the same spot.
Crackle.
The barrier resisted, pushing the sword back.
But it wavered, slowly giving way, and soon the sword slid in fully.
“Hup!”
I deliberately released qi to disrupt the flow itself.
The barrier shimmered and began to fade from around the sword.
Now, let’s go…
But if it ended here, it wouldn’t be the palace’s underground waterworks.
The one who set this barrier had prepared for even this scenario.
Whoosh!
The central waterway surged, and soon, massive water spirits emerged.
“I said I don’t have time!”
As if mocking me, the water spirits fired water cannons in unison.
Splash!
With the literal force of a cannon, I blocked with my sword but was pushed back.
“Urgh!”
Swept back as if caught in a torrent, I finally regained my stance.
Spirits are a pain.
Not one, but five or six spirits stood calmly, blocking my path.
If I forced my way through, they’d push me back.
What do I do…
Fighting spirits with just a sword in a confined space was troublesome.
Especially water spirits, whose forms were hard to cut.
…
But who was I?
A man who could find a way in any situation.
Noticing marks from the triggered traps, my eyes lit up.
As if realizing something, I gripped my sword tightly and charged forward.
Tap!
As I approached again, the spirits sprayed water in unison.
Their combined force was like a horizontal waterfall.
Whoosh!
Holding my breath, I dove into the water.
Splash!
Bracing against the intensifying current with both legs, I moved forward.
Then, I unleashed a sword aura.
Slash!
A crescent-shaped sword aura shot through the water.
The spirits stood still, unconcerned about being cut.
Of course, the sword aura wasn’t aimed at them.
Crack!
The aura seemed to miss, vanishing above the spirits’ heads.
The next aura I fired did the same.
The spirits pressed harder,
and I exhaled my last breath, releasing another sword aura.
It pierced through the spirits’ heads again, shattering the ceiling.
Rumble!
The stone ceiling collapsed, and the dirt above poured down.
Pour!
The dirt covered the spirits,
and as it mixed with water, it turned to mud, causing their forms to collapse.
Splat!
The spirits tried to reform, but the falling dirt disrupted them.
As the waterfall-like current subsided, I stood up, coughing, soaked.
As expected.
I had noticed dirt mixed in from the trap-damaged stone walls.
Realizing we were underground, I decided to collapse the ceiling.
And the result was a success.
The spirits were neutralized.
But this was temporary.
Before they could reform, I hurriedly ran.
Tap tap!
Covered in falling dirt, I pressed forward.
I kept running until the spirits’ presence faded, and finally, I saw the sealed ladder I’d been searching for.
I sheathed my sword and climbed the ladder.
Then, I punched through the wooden cover over the well.
Thud!
Moonlight poured in,
and I climbed out of the well.
Thump!
Drawing my sword, I scanned my surroundings.
The unused well was surrounded by flowers and grass.
…
I checked for any signs of life, but the garden was empty.
I moved through the vast garden, keeping my breath low.
No servants, no one at all. Even with the city in chaos.
The moment I entered the inner castle, an eerie silence enveloped me.
It was as if someone had artificially blocked out external sounds.
Even though Gaiard’s direction was surely flashing with activity.
To the bedroom or the study. Shall I check the study first, just in case?
The queen’s bedroom would likely have the tightest security.
So, I decided to check the study, which I assumed would have laxer guards.
Following Gaiard’s directions, I entered the palace to head to the study.
Step step.
The dark corridor was devoid of even a single ant.
Having infiltrated without bloodshed, I moved silently through the corridor to the study.
Slowly opening the door, I stepped into the darkness.
Creak.
The study, as large as a royal library, made me sigh involuntarily.
Should’ve gone to the bedroom first.
But then, I noticed a faint light in the corner of the study.
Someone was there.
I quietly closed the door and moved between the bookshelves toward the light.
There, I found someone secretly reading a book.
A woman with striking golden hair, seen from behind.
Did I find her?
As I hesitated,
the door opened, and an urgent voice called out.
“Your Majesty! Are you here?”
Those words confirmed that the woman before me was the queen.
When she turned at the sound of her name, a face more beautiful than any flower was revealed.
She looked as if she was born to be a queen.
No wonder Gaiard fell for her.
I quickly approached her, pressing my finger to my lips.
“I was sent by Gaiard. You’re Queen Bellain, correct?”
At those words, the queen’s eyes widened in shock.
“Gaiard? What does that mean?”
“It’s a long story, but…”
“Your Majesty! Are you here?”
The voice searching for the queen grew louder.
A tense situation.
What do I do?
As I hesitated, the queen tapped my arm twice.
Her expression seemed to say, “Trust me and hide.”
Can I trust her?
I hid behind the bookshelves in the study.
At the same time, a member of the Iris unit protecting her appeared.
“Your Majesty! Why did you leave the bedroom?”
“Why? Am I not allowed to read a book at night?”
The queen calmed her startled heart and acted composedly.
“That’s not it, but…”
“Don’t worry and stay outside. I still have things to do.”
“There’s a report of an intruder in the capital. For your safety, please come with us.”
“How many intruders are there?”
“One.”
At that, the queen’s voice rose.
“All this fuss over just one intruder? The palace has Aster and the other Executors. And you lot! What’s with the panic?”
“Well…”
From the conversation, it seemed the queen didn’t know that most of the palace’s forces had gone to capture Gaiard.
“So, I’m not worried. Or is there something you’re hiding from me?”
“That…”
They seemed reluctant to mention Gaiard’s appearance.
This made it hard for them to speak, and the queen seized on this.
“How dare you hide something from me? Speak the truth!”
Her voice carried a furious reprimand.
The Iris member fell silent.
“I’m sorry.”
“Shouting is giving me a headache. Leave.”
“But…”
“That’s an order! Or are you defying me now? Do I seem that weak to you?”
Under the queen’s pressure, the Iris member could only retreat silently.
“Then we’ll guard the door. If anything happens, we’ll come in immediately.”
“Do so.”
As they left, the queen approached the bookshelf where I was hiding and pulled out a book.
She continued our conversation through the shelves.
“So, what were you saying earlier? About Gaiard?”
The dignified queen became a fragile girl before me.
Likely because of Gaiard.