Chapter 93: Infiltration
21st September, Year 1420, Rune Era.
It was a Sunday morning.
Raven woke up from the bed around 6 A.M., took a hot bath, and changed into a formal dress.
As he was to put his shoes on, a knocking sound came from outside.
"Jacob? Come in," Raven ordered.
"Good Morning, My Lord. Everything is prepared." Jacob walked in in his formal black suit while carrying a Gladstone bag. He soon placed the bag on the wooden table, opened the outer case, and took a letter from it.
"This is an appointment letter. Thanks to bribes through the Underground Guild and a loan shark's help, I managed to get a fake identity suitable for you." Jacob said as he took a thick paper and gave it to him.
Raven unfolded the paper and read the content.
Meanwhile, Jacob gave him details about the fake identity.
"Levi… Age 18, born in Commoners Borough, has no parents or relatives, and has done basic elementary education. He lives in Smith Road and has been working under a loan shark named Samuel. After staying loyal for more than ten years, Samuel was impressed by his sincerity and decided to give him a proper job…"
"His identity has been authenticated with a court seal and appointed as a sweeper by Everett's right-hand man yesterday…"
Raven couldn't help but take a look at Jacob.
"This is perfect for me to infiltrate. But even a sweeping job needs a recommendation, huh?"
"Countless people are lining up for this job, My Lord. Although it's simple sweeping work, the basic salary should be around five gold coins monthly. If not for the bribe of 500 gold coins, there is no way we can get this easily." Jacob said solemnly.
"You didn't reveal your identity to that loan shark or Everett's right-hand man, right?" Raven asked.
"Everything has been done anonymously, My Lord. No one will suspect anything if you use a wig and make-up to alter your appearance."
"Incredible. With this, I can easily infiltrate the Supreme Court hearing hall of Judgement as a sweeper and make my plan go smoothly." As he looked at the identification paper deeply, Jacob took a green dress from the Gladstone bag and gave it to him.
"This is the workers' uniform, My Lord."
"Haa, good." Raven stored the dress and the appointment letter in his inventory and continued while looking at the outside window.
At that moment, carriages rolled in and out, carrying high-ranking officials, nobles, and servants dressed in finery.
'Judith's mansion.'
The air around her mansion was tense yet celebratory, as though something significant was brewing.
"It seems our neighborhood mansion is rather lively today."
"I heard that Vice-President Judith returned to her mansion a while ago and plans to host a banquet tonight, My Lord. Butler Harold also told us not to wander near her mansion." Jacob responded.
"A little warning, huh?" Raven nodded his head and decided to go out. Both soon returned to the main hall through the spiral staircase and met Selene and Stephaine at the entrance door.
"I've prepared lunch for you, My Lord. Have a good journey." Stephaine said while giving him a leather satchel bag.
"Mr. Holmes, why are you not even taking your servants?" Harold, silently observing this scene, couldn't help but ask.
From what he had observed, he learned that the young boy was a nobleman and was always protected by one radiant Walker and one Acolyte Wizard.
'Toby said he also visited Wizards Guild and went to a potion shop to buy materials… There is a high possibility that this young man is from a high-class Noble Family. But why is he leaving alone? Also, why is he letting his servants use the spirit pool?' Among all the privileges of Crowns Tavern, the spirit pool was the most valuable one.
Raven waved his hand at Harold's question and spoke.
"I'm strong enough to move alone. Is the carriage ready?"
"Yes, My Lord." Jacob nodded.
"Good. Selene, go to the Underground basement and stay there until I return. Don't forget to complete the task I gave you." Raven said as he started walking out of the mansion building.
"I'll take care of that matter, My Lord,"
As Selene shouted from behind, Raven moved on the concrete path, walked past the fountain and ornamental plants in the front yard, and soon reached the compound gate.
A black-painted brougham carriage stood at the entrance gate, and the coachman stood near the carriage door with a warm smile.
"Where would you like to visit, Mr. Holmes?" He asked while gesturing for him to get in.
"Just drop me off at Market Street," Raven said as he walked in.
The coachman soon drove the carriage and left the garden street.
As the carriage rattled through the cobblestone streets of Capital City, Raven leaned back, his mind already playing out the steps of his plan.
'I'm taking a big risk here. Although I can hide my face, thanks to the Face Morph spell, I should be more careful of any unexpected variable. Zera, let's review the plan.'
As Raven started going through the plan, the carriage left Garden Street and continued to move towards Market Street.
The Market Street was bustling with the early morning crowd—vendors setting up their stalls, hawkers shouting to attract buyers, and the occasional street performer gathering small crowds.
When the carriage stopped after 30 minutes of travel, Raven adjusted his posture and descended with a slight nod to the coachman.
"You can go back now," he instructed.
"Yes, sir," the coachman replied, tipping his hat.
Meanwhile, Raven walked down the market street and stopped before an old four-wheeled wagon. It was enclosed from all sides and pulled by three horses.
"Go to the Smith Road." Saying so, he took out two silvers and tossed them towards the coachman.
"Oh? Why does a young noble want to visit that poor area? Well, hop in," The coachman said while puffing smoke out of his mouth and pulling the horse reins.
Meanwhile, Raven quietly stepped inside the carriage, locked the wooden door, and closed the curtains.
After that, he removed his formal dress and wore the workers' uniform. He also made his hair messy and removed his shoes.
'I should wear the old ones.' Once he changed his shoes, he calmly touched his face while recalling the beggar boy he had met at the Giaris City and changed his appearance into his!
"Now then, shall I sneak away?" As he spoke, Raven looked outside through the curtain gap and soon noticed the carriage was moving through a narrow road.
Raven activated the 'Mind Eye' spell and went into a deep, concentrated state while accelerating his thought process.
As if the time seemed to have moved slowly, he perceived everything around him in a detailed manner.
'A beggar boy is hiding behind the trash tin… An old lady is selling dry bread on the roadside, a group of thugs is sitting a few meters away from the old lady and smoking, and a ginger cat is sitting on the left side of the dark alley road and watching the carriage curiously…' Raven suddenly zeroed his attention on the ginger cat and cast the [Shadow Shift] spell.
The next moment, his figure suddenly disappeared and was replaced with the Ginger cat!
On the other hand, Raven suddenly appeared where the ginger cat was sitting earlier and quietly walked out of the dark alley. Then, he walked towards the direction where the carriage went ahead and arrived before a junction where three roads meet.
Thankfully, he found another wagon parked near the junction, paid the coachman three silvers, and started moving towards the Supreme Court.
As the second wagon carried Raven closer to the Supreme Court, he calmly looked out and watched the bustling streets of the capital city. After 30 minutes of travel, the wagon neared the tall circular building and soon stopped near the Supreme Court's compound gate.
Raven hopped down and nodded to the coachman.
"Thanks for the ride," he said, flipping a copper coin as a tip.
"Good luck, lad. You'll need it if you're working in there," the coachman chuckled, gesturing toward the imposing structure.
Raven didn't respond. Instead, he looked ahead and saw five people with the same green dress standing at the side gate and going through basic check-ups.
'Thankfully, there are only a few police officers.'
He quietly moved closer and blended seamlessly into workers entering the side gate.
At the gate, only three red-uniformed policemen stood with a hawk-like gaze, scrutinizing each worker as they handed over their identification papers. Raven approached quietly, his identification papers clutched tightly in hand.
"Name?" a lean police officer asked without looking up.
"Levi," Raven replied.
The guard flipped through the pages, eyes darting between the paper and Raven's face.
"New worker?" He asked.
"Yes, Sir. I got my appointment letter just yesterday." Raven said nervously.
"Oh? Indeed, we were also informed that a new worker will join today, "one of the green uniform workers said while others nodded in unison.
"Don't be rough on a new guy, Sir. Kairo. Where are you from, lad?" An elderly man asked while moving closer to him.
"I'm from Smith Road, Sir. It's in the North Borough."
The elderly man nodded thoughtfully, his eyes scanning Raven with mild curiosity. "Smith Road, huh? That place isn't kind to its folk. Stay out of trouble here, lad. The Supreme Court's no place for fools or thugs."
"I'll remember that, sir," Raven replied with a meek smile, bowing his head slightly.
The lean officer, Kairo, finished his inspection and returned the papers.
"Everything checks out. Move along and follow the foreman's instructions."
Raven nodded, pocketed his identification papers, and joined the small group of workers heading inside. The group moved towards the Supreme Court's main building and entered through the main door.
"New guy, follow me," the elderly man said, motioning for Raven to keep pace. "I'm Gerald, the senior worker here. I'll be assigning each of you to different areas. Axel, you will go with Roman and sweep the Chamber of Deliberation, Hall of Records, and Central Atrium. I and Zion will take care of the Judicial Inquiry room, Commoners' Chamber, Clerk's office, and Judges' Room. We need to complete the sweeping work before evening."
"What about the Main Hall of Judgement?" a bald man named Zion asked, puzzled.
"I'm planning on assigning that place to our new recruit. Can you clean the hall, lad?" Gerald asked while winking his side eye.
"W-What? Have you gone mad? It usually takes more than three hours to sweep the main hall, even with four of us. Aren't you pushing such a hard task on a newcomer?" A young man with a muscular body named Roman shouted at Gerald with a glare.
"P-Please don't fight, Sir. I will try my best to sweep as much area as possible." Raven said in a low voice.
"Haha, good. Don't worry. Once we complete our task, we will come and help you."
"Yes, sir," Raven replied, keeping his tone humble.
The group soon entered the storage room and gathered all materials for sweeping.
Raven also took a large broom, a dustpan, a carpet beater, a hand brush, and a large bin to put the dust.
While he was picking up the sweeping equipment, others had long left the storage and moved in different directions. Only the old man Gerald stood at the storage entrance and looked cautiously at the sides.
After confirming that no one was there, he turned his gaze towards Raven and spoke.
"I heard you've spent a lot just to stay in the Hall of Judgement for two hours, lad. I don't know what you are planning, but make it quick. The head patrol officer will only come in the afternoon, so no police will come near the main building. Even if anyone comes, I will send Zion to inform you in advance." Saying so, Gerald started walking in a different direction.
Meanwhile, Raven also walked out of the store room, walked on the left side corridor for a while, and soon arrived before a large spacious chamber.
He stepped inside, his sharp eyes scanning the room. It was the same large, round hall with thousands of seats arranged everywhere. But unlike before, not even a soul was left in the grand hall, making the whole place look eerie.
"Haa, finally!" As he breathed out, his voice echoed through the grand hall.
Raven calmed down his heart and walked towards the area where the Counsel's Table was located. He then moved towards the bar and looked at the judges' and Chief Judge's seat. After that, he focused on the advocates, nobles, VIP seats, etc. Most front seats had names engraved, so Raven quietly moved seat by seat and memorized the places. Then, he also moved to the defendant's cage and sighed heavily.
"Let's try a rehearsal." He arrived near the Counsel's Table and closed his eyes.
The next moment, he created a perfect courtroom with people in his mind.
Then, he opened his eyes, touched his face, and returned to his original appearance.
Afterward, he changed into a formal white shirt, black pants, and a black morning coat. He then covered his head with a bowler's hat and started his plan.
For the next three hours, he stayed in the Grand Hall of Justification and argued like he was defending a case, sometimes even shouting.
"Haa, I should start doing the sweeping work now." Shaking his head, he changed his clothes to a green uniform and replaced his face.
Then, he took the broomstick and started cleaning the floor.
Like Roman said, he could only sweep one-third of the hall after Gerald before others showed up.
After that, they had lunch together and continued cleaning the hall until 6.00 P.M.
"Haa, even with an extra hand, we only completed the work one hour earlier," Gerald said while clicking his tongue.
"Let's go. Our today's duty is over." All five left the hall, moved to the storage room, and kept the brooms and other items inside.
Raven soon left the Supreme Court with the group, carefully blending in and avoiding drawing attention to himself. The others walked while talking, their voices low as they chatted about their day. Raven remained silent; his mind was still in the Hall of Judgment.
As they exited the side gate, the red-uniformed guards barely spared them a glance. Raven noted how the security slackened after working hours and soon breathed a sigh of relief.
After leaving the court, he took a carriage and went to Smith's Road. Then, he moved to Market Street through another carriage and changed his appearance to Thomas.
When Raven returned to Crown Tavern's mansion house, it was already 8. P.M.
But what surprised him was the many people gathered at the neighboring mansion, causing the whole entrance to be crowded with carriages and horses.
"Is today anything special?" Raven asked as he walked into the mansion's main hall.
"Today is the day Madam Judith embarked on the path of Wizards. Before that, she was an orphan and lived under villagers' protection. But thanks to a random wizard's generosity, she was taken in as his servant and soon became his disciple. She celebrates this day as her birthday, too."
'It must be a precious memory of her childhood then.'
Raven moved towards the left side corridor and soon reached the staircase.
Then, he descended the gloomy stairs, raised his hand, and knocked on the underground basement door.
"I'm back," Raven said.
A few seconds later, the door creaked open, and soon, a young woman in her thirties with long black hair peeked her head out.
"Welcome back, My Lord." Selene opened the door wide and invited him in.