"Do you copy?"
I said as I looked at everyone circled around me inside the giant inn room. Ali had joined us just 15 minutes after we got into the room.
"...what were we supposed to say again?"
Francis asked with a confused expression.
"Aww, c'mon man. Yes, we copy! How hard is that?"
I groaned as these people were taking too long to understand modern signals.
"Is it really necessary?"
Elexis asked, her eyes rolling. I coughed embarrassedly and looked at everyone.
"Anyways, Ali will enter the castle as the spice merchant. Now, there is a high chance he might get called out before he even gets to the castle, but we have to bet on the chances that he won't get caught."
I said and looked and pointed at the castle's map. I found it for sale at an auction, put up by some player.
'Fucking con.'
I couldn't help but curse. Maps were generally 1 or 2 gold at most, unless they weren't maps of hidden areas, in which case the price can go to millions. But this was a map for the internal structure of the castle, without any hidden location markings, something that many people might have gotten already.
I had to pay 200 gold coins just for this simple map. If it wasn't for the urgent situation, I wonder who would even buy this psycho's map.
"Here, this is the only entrance to the castle, and all the other sides are surrounded by a huge crevice filled with water and crocodiles."
I said as I pointed towards the foldable gate of the castle. Which was most likely closed by now after my little stunt.
"Now, if they don't buy your merchant act, you'll still have to make way for us somehow and get that door opened. Can you do it?"
I looked at Ali and asked. It was a dangerous thing for a single man to do, not to mention when that man was absurdly weak physically. But there was no one in us that could pull off the disguise.
"Don't worry about me. If things go south, I'll cast magic on the chains of the door and somehow open them."
"What about you?"
Jane asked concernedly. No matter how much of a competitor these step siblings were supposed to be, they were still people who had shared childhood memories together. Of course, she didn't wish to see Ali die in such a mission.
"As I said, don't worry. I still have my ace up my sleeves. If things go south, I'll just use it and run away. This isn't the only disguise I know, you know?"
Ali chuckled, which was a rare sight. He rarely showed any emotion at all, so seeing him chuckle was nothing short of ominous.
'Will he really be alright?'
`Don't worry about him. I'm sure he'll be fine.`
Prolus, who had been awfully calm ever since I met with Diane and Ali, finally talked.
'What do you mean?'
`He's going through the same disease that ate me up. If he has to die, he'd die from the disease, not because he's incapable. He's hiding an awful lot amount of mana in that body for a sick person.`
Prolus assured me, and it finally clicked in my brain. Was Prolus silent this whole time because he was reminded of himself in Ali?
`With his remaining lifespan, I really doubt that he wants to build merits towards the empire. He must have heard about the cure that the devils might have.`
Prolus let out a big sigh. Unable to control his emotions.
'So? Is there really a cure?'
`There is a cure, but these wannabe devils of the Darpal empire don't have it, and they never will. It is a highly guarded potion, or medicine, or some kind of plant, that no one knows about apart from the devil royalty of the southern continent.`
`It is said that the royals of that kingdom are all born with some kind of disease that had been passed on to each and every generation of the royals. They were all supposed to die young, but somehow they keep on surviving, so it is said that they definitely have a cure to the sickness. But the only problem is, they'll never share their secrets with any outsiders. Not even fellow devils, forget about some random human.`
Prolus said and I couldn't help but feel a bit heavy inside my heart. I looked at Ali, who had determined eyes. He could have abandoned this whole mission and saved energy to go and look for the false trace of hope that he had discovered. But instead, he decided to stay and see things through before proceeding with his own plans.
'I've decided. Although I'm not much of a saint. But as long as it is within my power, I'll definitely help him get better.'
I knew it was foolish to say such a thing, knowing that the cure was nowhere within my current reach and I was nowhere close enough to Ali to risk everything. But somehow, I felt like I needed to save him.
'If I remember correctly, I had ended up doing the same for Ena too, hadn't I?'
Although at first, my own personal interests were involved. But by the time I reached the Wenselm castle, I had saved her out of any personal greed. I had just saved her for the sake of saving her.
'I guess, I consider it my responsibility to save people around me because of him?'
Flashbacks of my time with a certain little boy went in front of my eyes. During Jezebeth's death, I remembered him, but I couldn't see his face. I couldn't make out his features or what he looked like. But right now, I suddenly remembered his face that I had been trying to forget.
A pair of blue eyes, white hair and a fair complexion. An extremely slim body, and a face that looked weak, as if it barely clung to life.
Still, that face smiled at me and told me.
~ "Zephyr, I promise you. We'll run out of this hellhole someday and live happily." ~
His childish voice was unable to hide the genuine words that the little boy had said.
"Onyx…"
I remembered the name of the child that I had forgotten, due to various trauma therapies and ageing.
"Huh? W-wait. Are you alright, Shura?"
Diane looked at me first surprised then worried. Just then, I realised that a single tear drop had come out of my left eye unconsciously. I hurriedly wiped the drop and said.
"Yes, I am fine. Something went into my eyes. Anyways, Ali, get back if things get too risky. Alright?"
I told Ali who nodded his head. For some reason, everyone was still looking at me with a concerned expression.
"Anyways, I know it's a bit too much to ask. But Elexis and Gomchul, you guys would have to take on the attention of the guards as soon as we enter the castle. I can only promise that we'll finish the subjugation as soon as possible."
Elexis nodded her head and Gomchul snorted Confidently. He had levelled up quite a bit during my soul refining session, so he was easily stronger than the average guards and soldiers. And even if a knight showed up, I had confidence that Elexis would defend Gomchul.
"The king has his court from morning to the afternoon, that's when we'll invade tomorrow. Diane, as soon as we get in, find the safest spot in the courtroom and assassinate as many guards and ministers as you can. Francis and Jane, you guys divert everyone's attention so that Diane can do her job properly."
I laid out the basic plan that I had made after visiting the courtroom once. Now, if there were any abnormalities such as the courtroom not happening at all, then we'll all be in danger. But we had to bet on the fact that it would happen and just barge in.
"What about you?"
Jane asked and everyone looked at me.
"I'll have to butcher that Dark Magician first. I am sure as soon as even a bit of commotion happens, she'll use her search magic and my stealth would be undone by that. I'll take her on and kill her first, and then I'll decide what to do with the king."
"Shura, do not underestimate the king. He won't just sit around when we start butchering his people and you're fighting that dark magician."
"Usually, that would be the case. But right now, the king's brain is as mushy as a marshmallow. I doubt he'll regain control until I kill the spellcaster."
I replied to Elexis as I remembered the king's hollow eyes, clearly a sign of being controlled by Katty.
"Then, we'll just have to believe in the process, I guess?"
Elexis said while rubbing her forehead.
"Yes. For now, everyone rest and be sure to be at your peak strength. We will move tomorrow morning."
I said and everyone chuckled. Professional assassins would call us madmans if they heard that we were trying to attempt an assassination in broad daylight, but it would be harder to plan anything during the night. The security will be the highest at night as anyone would expect an assassination during the night, and not during the day.
"Tomorrow is the D day, try not to die, everyone. It would be hard to explain to the emperor otherwise."
Ah, I was craving a good cigarette right now. I wasn't much of a smoker, but times like this made me want to smoke.
***
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