Novels online

Chapter 567

My Villains Episode 567

69. infiltration(10)

It goes without saying, but the royal capital is one of the most heavily guarded cities in Middle-earth. Setting aside other factors for a moment and looking at the three layers of walls - the outer, middle, and inner walls - this is a fact that everyone can agree on..

Historic cities often have their walls torn down or abandoned as residential areas expand. This was exactly the case with Multingham's walls, which blended into the cityscape like the rings of a giant tree..

The walls of the royal capital were a little different. Outer, neutral, and introverted all clearly demonstrated their presence..

The thick walls, which are 12 meters high and more than 7 meters wide, surround a well-decorated moat, and there are defensive towers crowded with wizards and archers and solid castle stones rising up tightly. Thanks to painstaking repairs every year, there is no sign of wear and tear, and it is possible to come and go. The only road ahead was the huge gatehouses with barracks nearby..

It wasn't just the facilities that were great..

The mounted patrol unit that patrols the King's territory and monitors those approaching the royal capital, the outer castle guard unit that guards the towns and villages outside the castle and the outermost walls of the royal capital, the royal city guard unit in charge of the defense of the central castle and security in nearby urban areas, the inner city and the streets of glory. From the Royal Military Police that protects the palace, to the Royal Guard that protects the palace..

The royal capital is a city tightly guarded by an elite standing army of about 10,000 people..

I was in a state of alarm that could have made me dizzy all of a sudden, but to be honest, I was a little optimistic. It was thought that no matter how strict the security was, if a group of people decided to infiltrate, they would not be able to reach the palace, but could easily overcome the resistance level..

It was on the first day I arrived in the royal capital that I realized that this was an arrogant delusion..

First of all, most of the men who followed here couldn't even pass the outer castle. Disguising myself as a mercenary from a foreign country, the only thing I could do was stay in a village outside the castle, scattered in the fields outside the capital..

Some kind of action was needed to let them into the outer castle. Build reputation and fame by carrying out requests nearby, join another mercenary unit based in the new city, or interact with merchants in the royal capital... … Well, things like that..

After a short thought, I chose the easiest and most effective solution. I decided to make up for it with money..

The basic gist of this plan, so-called 'Operation Rabbit Hole' - a name suggested by Goleman - was to force his subordinates into the royal capital..

They buy a useful building in the new or old town through a broker who travels to towns outside the city, and camouflage themselves by putting up a mercenary sign. Minor problems in between can be resolved by bribing a few officers of the outer castle guard and royal capital guard..

There were guys like Fritz and Mira who were mercenaries to begin with, so there was no need to worry about pretending to be a mercenary, and if they occasionally chose the right quest and did it, they wouldn't arouse unnecessary suspicion..

As it was a royal city, prices were very high, so I felt like I would have to spend at least sixty or seventy silver coins, but I had no intention of saving money anyway..

Since all necessary measures have been taken, the camouflage base will probably be ready in three or four days. The bodyguards who moved separately - Steedman, Cole, Gidon, etc. - seem to be recruiting new mercenaries, so it would be a good idea to push them into this base, that is, down the first rabbit hole..

After taking a look, if it seems okay, we will select six or seven units out of the 24 detachments scheduled to arrive soon and station them here and there in the capital in a similar manner..

If you gather all your troops in one base, it will cost less money and be easier to manage, but if they get too much attention, it will be difficult to camouflage them, so you should spread them out appropriately. Like a rabbit hole.

If this plan goes well, over one hundred and fifty men will be hiding in three or four rabbit holes before the end of March..

Ellen and her subordinates - the one-eyed Simos and the spell thief Saitz - disguised themselves as the daughter of a dry goods merchant and passed the neutral gate. I received help from the disciples of La-Palais Palace who had arrived in the royal capital first..

It was two years ago that Nashal Anwei, one of the palace's grandmasters, hid in the royal capital with several remaining wizards. They settled in the royal capital, acting as merchants dealing in herbal medicine and minerals..

Their purpose was to investigate the Dawn Council. To be more precise, it was an investigation into the convening of the Women's Assembly for the first time in 16 years and the subsequent disappearance of four delegates..

And a few months ago, I lost contact with them. More than ten powerful wizards, including the Grandmaster, disappeared at once..

The grandmasters guarding the La-Palais Palace delivered news to Ellen and me and dispatched their disciples to the royal capital..

Nashal Anwei and his disciples disappeared, but fortunately, his connections to the Royal Capital's Merchants' Guild survived. The disciples of the palace used their connections to reclaim the original store in the old town..

Ellen decided to go to the store, check for traces of Nashal, and wait for the grandmasters, including Aktufir, to arrive..

After conquering the outer and middle walls in succession in one night, the group tried to sneak into the streets of Yeonggwang with momentum, but in the end, they had to give up without even trying. This is because the inner wall had a different level of border than the other two walls..

Of course, the high and thick walls and the troops swarming above and below them were as expected. What went beyond our expectations was something else..

First of all, a powerful anti-magic field that froze magical power was spread out near the castle wall. Relics similar to the 'Monument to Purity', which had been seen in the dungeon of the Eisbowald Permanent Court, were installed at every castle gate and defense tower..

It turned out that it was because of this situation that the battle magicians belonging to the Royal Military Police were stationed on the top floor of the defense tower. The powerful anti-magic field rising from beneath the castle wall was so strong that it even covered the castle, so magic could only be used normally if one climbed higher than that..

The anti-magic field alone was enough to make my jaw drop in shock, but the detection by wizards was also ridiculous..

According to what Ellen personally confirmed, a high-level detection spell that had never been experienced before surrounded the entire palace and the Avenue of Glory like a huge dome. It was said that infiltration by dropping from above also had a slim chance of success..

……Fuck. Even if it's a capital city, I think this is a bit harsh..

Munggi seemed to want to give it a try even though the chances of success were low, but I strongly discouraged him. I couldn't just take a risky gamble without even thinking about it or looking for other options..

He couldn't hide his disapproval from my firm dissuasion. I don't know if it's because he feels ashamed of not being able to get over that wall, or if he's sad about having to be separated from me..

Anyway, he also had other things to do. Shouldn’t we go to the bank, crack down on the organization, and collect information in earnest?.

For this reason, only one person could walk down the streets of glory with me..

Ssuk, Ssut-

Some time after Lord Akeshion leaves the room and the door closes. The luggage bag on the table against the wall started shaking, and a small, white flying squirrel jumped out..

The guy who was looking around the room while standing on his hind legs looked up with pitch-black eyes. I smiled and nodded..

“yes, it's okay.”

As soon as permission was given, a light green air current enveloped the white flying squirrel. For a moment, I hope the mysterious energy blooms like a thick fog..

Hung!

The light green air current dispersed in an instant. And a 'half-elf' appeared where 'Tiromi' was standing just a moment ago..

“Ah, finally.”

Iopiya, a beautiful girl with impressive long limbs, groaned. He mumbled something like a prayer in the language of the prairie, then fell down on the bed..

“are you okay?”

“Not at all. I'm sore, I'm hungry - I feel like I'm dying..”

Yeah, there's no way it's going to be okay. Because it was stuck under my clothes for a whole day..

I handed Iopiya, who was stretching a lot, a water bag and a flat bread wrapped in paper. The guy accepted the food willingly and began to fill his stomach like crazy..

The reason why Iopiya was able to pass through a barrier that even Ellen and Munchi could not dare to overcome was thanks to the mysterious characteristics of the transformation technique..

Would you say that the mechanism is different from other magic or witchcraft? Iopiya's transformation only consumed magic power at the moment of change, and magic power was unnecessary while maintaining the transformation. This means that there is no reason for the transformation to be released even when entering an anti-magic field that freezes magical power..

What is a detection spell? Even if it had a detection ability comparable to radar, it couldn't detect even a palm-sized squirrel hiding in a bag..

No, it doesn't matter even if I get caught. It doesn't give off any signs of disguise, so it's okay to just insist that it's a pet. Unless you were a powerful necromancer who could see through souls or a high-ranking priest with the Eyes of Truth, it would be impossible to determine his identity..

I think that perhaps IOPIA's share of the displeasure expressed by the group that couldn't overcome their tolerance may also be a part of it. Iopiya's camouflage through disguise was effective enough to make Mungchi feel jealous..

Of course, no matter how great Iopiya's disguise is, its usefulness is very limited. This is because you cannot use magic while disguised. If you take on the form of a squirrel, your combat power becomes 0..

I might be able to rip off his head with my front teeth, but I wouldn't even dream of assassinating him. Also, if you get caught by a grumpy wizard, it's all over. Before I can even remove my disguise, I'll be hit by a magic bullet and explode..

However, it was very effective when it could be passed on to someone else, as in this case. I think I'll be able to get a lot of help while I'm acting as a swordsman instructor..

With that in mind, I pulled off my cape and roughly threw it to one side. Next, I rummaged through my luggage, took out a dark-colored coat, and put it on. Iopiya, who had been munching on bread with grilled onions, opened her eyes wide..

“I just came in, please leave.?”

“There's still time. I have to go see Ellen..”

“When? Now?”

“uh. They say the gates close when the sun goes down. I received my teacher's plaque, but I won't be able to open the gate at night with this, so I need to hurry..”

“Ugh, then- just a moment..”

I quickly waved my hand away as I saw him trying to stuff a large piece of bread into his small mouth..

“No, I'm going alone, so I'm resting in my room. I'll come tomorrow morning.”

The guy with bulging cheeks shook his head with a very stern look in his eyes. Then he drank the water bag and glanced at me..

“Am I sleeping alone? In a place I don't know much about?”

“Uh, kinda like that.?”

“of course. What if someone comes to visit me at night?.”

“Someone comes to my private accommodation…….”

Whether I make a fuss or not, Iopiya finished eating the flatbread and immediately performed a transformation technique..

Beep. Beep-

The flying squirrel, which appeared with a light green air current, let out a small cry and tapped its front paws..

I held out my hand with a bitter smile, and he climbed up my arm and slipped into my coat pocket..