MTL NOVEL Chapter 235: Sneaking In (1)
The uniform was slightly oversized, but with the hood pulled low over his face, it would do to keep his identity hidden at a glance.
He glanced at the corpses of the guards he had eliminated one last time. That was the first time he had killed a fellow human, and surprisingly for him, he didn't feel bad at all.
Kyle even felt like he had just served justice, he didn't know whether it was because he felt that this was just a trial, or maybe he had changed entirely.
Kyle shrugged off his wandering thoughts and with one last look at the village behind him, he took off at a steady pace down the dirt road.
With one last look at the village behind him, Kyle took off at a steady pace down the dirt road, but soon Kyle realized that he wasn't going to waste too much time walking.
Lightning crackled faintly at his feet as he activated [Lightning Dash], propelling himself forward in bursts of speed. The journey that would have taken hours was cut down to mere minutes as Kyle darted through the terrain, while being alert for any signs of patrols or threats.
The scenery began to change as he neared the outskirts of the kingdom. The dirt roads became smoother, transitioning into cobblestone paths lined with faintly glowing runes.
These were clearly enchanted to light up at night, guiding travelers toward the kingdom gates. Kyle slowed his pace, knowing that from here on stealth and strategy would be key.
'Finally, there it is.'
As the kingdom's outer wall came into Kyle's view, he took some time to observe the massive magical reinforced walls.
The gate itself was also heavily guarded, with at least ten guards stationed at the entrance. Unlike the ones he had dealt with earlier, these guards were dressed better.
Kyle noted their formation and the enchanted barrier that shimmered faintly around the gate. Only individuals carrying a proper access token could pass through without triggering the alarm. Without one, his disguise wouldn't hold up for long.
'Thankfully, I have the guard's token,' Kyle smiled and reached into the pocket before pulling out the diamond-shaped blue token and flicking it into the air.
'This should do.'
He simply walked towards the gate, trying his best to avoid arousing suspicion. It would be very easy for someone to figure out that something was wrong if they got a closer look at him; as not only was the uniform a bit oversize on him, his face still made it obvious that he was a teen.
But thankfully, Kyle passed the gate without drawing any suspicion, even earning some nods from the other guards.
"Phew... That was close!" Kyle muttered the moment he stepped through.
He noticed that the security at the gate was looser than he anticipated. It only made sense because there was barely any chance that the villagers, who were non-magic users could beat up an intermediate stage guard and steal his uniform before attempting to sneak in.
"Welp... It's unfortunate they didn't think of me happening."
Kyle looked ahead and took in the breathtaking view. The kingdom wasn't too large, but it had neatly arranged streets and buildings illuminated by magical lanterns.
In the distance, the royal palace stood tall and imposing with its roof piercing the night sky. The entire structure glowed faintly, a testament to the powerful enchantments protecting it.
As Kyle approached the inner city, the atmosphere grew more opulent. The buildings were grander, the streets cleaner, and the guards were more numerous.
'Even nobles have class amongst themselves.'
Kyle kept his hood low and mimicked the posture of the guards he had observed earlier, blending in as he moved closer to the palace gates.
Finally, he reached the outer grounds of the palace. The gates were heavily guarded, and the walls were even more fortified than the kingdom's outer barrier.
Kyle observed the guards from a distance, noting their patterns and the glowing access tokens hanging from their belts.
He needed one of those tokens to get through the gate. And he knew just how to get it.
Spotting a lone guard patrolling a quieter section of the outer grounds, Kyle moved swiftly with [Silent Steps].
He approached the guard from behind with lightning crackling faintly in his hand and before the guard could process what was happening, Kyle struck, rendering him unconscious with a precise shock to the neck.
'Too easy.'
Kyle then dragged the guard's body into the shadows and searched him. He found an access token hanging from the guard's belt and took it before slipping it into his pocket.
He also adjusted his stolen uniform to look more presentable, ensuring he wouldn't draw unnecessary attention.
With the token in hand, Kyle approached the palace gates more confidently. The guards stationed there eyed him as he neared, but the token hanging from his belt seemed to put them at ease.
"Identification," one of the guards demanded.
Kyle handed over the token without a word, keeping his face partially hidden beneath his hood. The guard inspected it briefly before nodding and waving him through.
"You're clear. Move along."
Kyle nodded and stepped through the gates, where the next phase of his plan was set to begin.
***
Inside the palace grounds, Kyle moved with purpose, carefully observing his surroundings. The palace grounds had courtyards, gardens, and multiple buildings. Guards patrolled the area in regular intervals, and Kyle made mental notes of their routes.
His goal was clear: gather more information about the barrier and the nobles' secrets. He needed to find a way into the inner palace, where the answers likely lay.
For now, he decided to head toward the servants' quarters. It was the most likely place to overhear useful information without arousing suspicion.
***
The quarters was bustling with activity as servants chatted and moved about, with some carrying trays of food while others attended to laundry or cleaning supplies.
He leaned against a wooden pillar and blended into the background, careful not to draw any attention. The servants seemed to talk freely, albeit about mundane topics.
"Ugh, my feet are killing me! Lady Mariana made us stand for hours arranging her stupid garden party."
"At least you didn't have to scrub the entire western hall after Lord Harrick decided to drag in his muddy boots. He didn't even apologize! Just barked orders and stormed off!" Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire
"Typical nobles."
Kyle sighed inwardly, but he wasn't surprised with what he the results he met. It was only normal that the staff wouldn't be talking about confidential stuff from the get go, so he had no other options than to wait.
It was only after several hours of waiting, with many guards leaving and coming in, did Kyle finally find out about something important.
"Did you hear? The Grand Chamberlain banned us from using the main hall tonight. Something about 'keeping appearances.'"
"I know, right? Why does it matter? No one even uses the hall this late at night!"
"It's probably just to keep the place spotless for some royal inspection. They always get weird about that."
Kyle was, intrigued from what he heard. A restricted hall might mean something important was happening nearby.
"Speaking of weird... Did anyone else notice the guards near the west wing today? They looked like they were ready to fight someone."
"Not really. I stay far away from the guards if I can help it. They're so jumpy these days, like they're expecting trouble."
"Can you blame them? With all the rumors rebellion in the kingdom..."
The maid trailed off as the group started chuckling over an unrelated joke, but Kyle's mind was already piecing things together.
The west wing and the off-limits main hall both sounded like areas of interest. Combined with the mention of heightened security, it painted a picture of where he needed to focus.
Kyle waited for a few more minutes to see if anything else useful came up, but the conversations had moved on to gossip about nobles and complaints about the workload. Satisfied, he slipped out of the servant quarters unnoticed.
Once outside, Kyle found a shadowy corner near the edge of the palace gardens and crouched down.
'To achieve success in this mission I would need to figure out a way to infiltrate the palace.'
Kyle wasn't naive to not figure out that there would be tighter security within there and he knew that disguising as a staff wouldn't work this time, so he had to figure out a way.