CG Chapter 95: Old Friend
After Tom stepped inside the garden of the palace, one of the many guards came to his side and asked,
"So, Dell, did you find out what kind of idiot dared to roam the streets after curfew? I thought no one would dare go out after the first couple of scum were caught in the first month. But you know what? I wouldn't mind if they actually caused trouble. Sometimes I just wish for something interesting to happen--anything would be better than standing here all night doing nothing."
He patted Tom's back while sighing, but quickly his sigh turned into a question, "Wait…"
Sensing danger, Tom was ready to act in an instant. If the guard somehow figured out his identity, he wouldn't hesitate to kill him right then and there before entering the palace to kill Alexander and the king.
Although this would drastically increase the risk of his mission, he had no intention of stopping now.
The guard looked suspicious of Tom, asking, "Have you been training behind my back? Why does it suddenly feel like you've developed the muscles of a high-rank apprentice knight?"
When Tom heard the guard's question, he felt like killing him. His questions almost made Tom reconsider all of his plans.
He thought that he had missed something, but luckily everything was going according to his plan so far.
The guard's suspicions were nothing more than the secrets of the young guard he had killed.
After killing him, Tom had carefully examined his corpse to understand it and mimic him perfectly, from his muscle strength to his posture, and even to his walking.
In the end, this whole problem was because Dell had been hiding his strength from his colleagues before he died. As for the reason, Tom didn't know, nor did he care.
Even though he didn't care about Dell's reasons, he still guessed a couple of possibilities.
It seemed that politics were at play even among the low-ranking guards of the palace. Even this secure fortress had a few holes in it.
Tom thought internally, Were you fearing that a little accident might happen to you if you stood out, little Dell?
To play the role of the careful young guard, Tom decided to maintain his façade.
If Dell hadn't told his colleagues about his power, there was no way he would have a sudden change of heart and admit everything.
"What are you talking about? I might have gotten a little stronger, but high-rank apprentice knight? That's still far off."
The guard didn't try to hide his happiness. "That's good. Imagine you becoming my superior out of nowhere."
Tom's face twitched briefly as he replied, "Hey, that won't be far off if you don't train seriously. Oh, I almost forgot--we should get back to our stations before the captain comes and punishes us."
Hearing Tom's words, the other guard looked like someone had stepped on his legs as he reluctantly returned to his post.
Meanwhile, Tom waited until the guards were distracted and began making his way inside the palace.
As he walked inside, Tom didn't try to hide. Instead, he moved with confidence. If he appeared even slightly suspicious, it wouldn't take a second for the guards standing atop the palace to notice him.
He continued his search inside the palace, carefully avoiding restricted areas.
After following the hallways for a while, Tom finally found himself in front of a giant door, with a guard on each side.
From inside the room, he heard the familiar voice of the crown prince, Alexander, who seemed to be speaking to someone. But unlike the usual gentle voice he spoke in, his voice at that moment carried anger.
Tom wanted to barge in and get rid of Alexander and the guards. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that since he had another target after Alexander. Doing things like that wouldn't turn out favorably for him.
He needed to enter the room without attracting any attention to himself. The question was, how?
A couple of ideas came to his mind, but eventually, he decided to go with the most straightforward one. A grin was about to spread across his face, but he quickly suppressed it.
The risk and his target being so near was like smelling gunpowder. The smell of things just before they exploded was simply intoxicating.
He thought that since he was playing the role of the guard, why not take it a step further?
As the idea took shape, Tom adjusted his posture and straightened his back. In an instant, his appearance transformed from that of a low-ranking guard to someone with the authority of a commander.
Tom took large strides toward Alexander's room.
When the door was but five steps away from him, one of the two guards raised his hand to stop him from moving any further.
With a stern tone, the guard questioned, "What do you think you're doing here? I'm sure you know this is the room of the crown prince, Alexander de Astrial. Long live his name."
From the way the guard looked at him, Tom thought he was going to unsheathe his sword. Instead of stepping back, Tom made himself appear angrier than the guard.
He looked at the guard with disgust, barking in a voice full of authority.
"Stand down, soldier."
His first words put the guard on edge, but Tom didn't give him a chance to argue.
"I've just received urgent news about the Cult of Eternal Flames, which I was instructed to deliver to His Royal Highness personally. I trust I don't need to remind you of what might happen to you if you delay such important news from reaching His Highness's ears. I think treason would be the least of your crimes. They might even add heresy and blasphemy to the mix."
The guard hesitated, glancing at his companion. For a few seconds, neither moved. Then, the first guard knocked on the door.
At first glance, Tom's act might have seemed simple, but it was this simplicity that made it work. Of course, his performance, which left no room for the guards to doubt him, was key.
After a while, the door opened, but it wasn't Alexander who stood there. Instead, a little boy, around seven years old.
The boy, with his striking brown hair, was the spitting image of Alexander. If Tom's suspicions were right, things were about to get very interesting and he would get an easier way to get rid of Alexander.