CG Chapter 93: One Final Sneaky Mission
War is when those at the top fight for their own gains, while the lowly commoners below are given the titles of heroes before being thrown onto the ruthless battlefield.
And who are the ones who suffer in the end? The sick mother waiting for her son, the helpless child waiting for his heroic father to finally come home, and the wife who cried days for her husband.
Oh, glorious war, how beautiful you are. Oh war, how ugly, rancid, and messy you are.
You show us people for what they truly are before taking them away from us in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, two parties were preparing to unleash the flames of this very war.
Folek and Hidden had gone to the capital of Vennturia. They were ordered to wait there until the main force took down the Astrial family.
On the other side, Tom had begun moving toward Eidein, where he would infiltrate the palace and eliminate Alexander.
Killing Alexander, however, would be the easy part. He also needed to kill the wise king, Sofos de Astrial, a bona fide grand knight and wielder of the legendary rapier, Stulte.
According to legend, this rapier was a gift from Lumina to the first king of Sollaria as a sign of orthodoxy.
While moving, Tom thought, It seems I am destined to work alone.
Once Folek and Hidden received Tom's signal, through a chain of signals, they would start by taking down the House of Skyweaver before anyone else realized the forces of Eternal Flames had begun to move.
From there, and when the first two royal families became husks, the real war would begin.
A war where pulling strings from the shadows and assassinating enemy leaders would become almost impossible.
By that time, the five remaining kingdoms would do everything they could to kill every single one of the Eternal Flames' forces.
Because by then, they wouldn't be fighting Tom out of hatred or revenge; but for survival. Tom would become a threat they would throw everything at to avoid becoming the next royal family to be eliminated.
…
Looking at the engravings on the grand wall of Eidein, Tom remembered the first time he came here.
He wondered what had happened to the boy who acted as his guide, before shaking that thought from his head; he knew the grim fate that awaited everyone in this world.
As he focused his eyes on the entrance of the city, he sighed.
The security had increased significantly, and the guards didn't let anyone in or out without a good reason.
Even then, they went as far as stopping many of the citizens who were trying to enter the city.
Tom thought to himself, Not bad, not bad. As expected from the Astrial family. They won't make this easy for me, will they?
He continued scanning his surroundings, searching for any openings.
He looked at the wall but shook his head.
Climbing it might seem like the most straightforward solution, but it would leave him open to the guards or anyone passing by who might shoot him down.
Even if he managed to make it, he would eventually be exhausted from climbing such a tall wall.
He considered pretending to be a merchant or bribing the guards, but after seeing how they handled other merchants, he discarded the idea.
Finally, his eyes landed on the carriages carrying waste.
They were the only ones that weren't searched thoroughly, since no one wanted to dig through filth.
Tom chuckled to himself, glancing at his pristine clothes.
If he had any other option, he wouldn't choose this one. But knowing he didn't, he didn't mind going through shit if it meant achieving his goals.
Once he settled on this plan, he waited for a carriage to leave, then followed it, tracking it until it reached the place where they emptied the carriages.
There, he snuck into one without being noticed.
He hid himself under a pile of waste.
As the carriage returned to the city, Tom made sure to hold his breath. If he made any sound, the guards would notice him, rendering all his efforts thus far for naught.
One guard held a thick book next to him. "Identify the number of your carriage and your name."
The driver ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Lui, for fuck's sake, this is the fourth time today you've asked the same fucking question. Do we really need to do this every time I return?"
Lui pointed toward his superior. "You know I don't have a choice. Ever since the cultist bastards began spreading their crazy ideas, nothing's been the same."
He paused for a moment, then whispered in the driver's ear, "Don't tell anyone, but I've heard rumors the church might send holy knights to burn the villages of any believers, to deter others from following them."
The driver's eyes widened. He didn't want to believe the church could be this ruthless.
Before he could speak, Lui shushed him. "How about this--I'll invite you for dinner later as an apology."
After a quick glance under the carriage, Lui winked at the driver before letting him enter.