Ch.2423. Historical Distortion (5)

# 23. Historical Distortion (5)

“What time is it now?”

Aelin, who was fiddling with her phone beside me, answered.

“7:52.”

“Still early. We leave at 8.”

We’re currently waiting on a bench near the palace where the Princess’s birthday celebration is in full swing.

This is also where the palace’s secret passage is located.

“Ah… I’m a bit nervous…”

Aelin looked somewhat tense.

‘Understandable.’

She must be feeling tremendous pressure right now.

She knew what would happen after the Empress died today.

I gently placed my hand on her trembling shoulder.

“Don’t be too nervous. Everything will work out.”

Of course, I’m a bit anxious too.

I didn’t know exactly how strong our opponent was, nor if the information about him assassinating the Empress on her way to the study at 9 o’clock was reliable.

Still, I have no choice but to believe.

That the information is accurate and that our opponent isn’t particularly strong.

“Let’s go.”

When 8 o’clock came, we got up from the bench and searched for the secret passage.

“Is it here?”

When I crouched down by a patch of grass, she tilted her head in confusion.

I pressed a button hidden in the grass.

-Click!-

As the button made a crisp sound, a small passage appeared below.

“Wow!”

Aelin marveled at the sight, and I immediately entered the passage.

“Follow me.”

She entered the passage just as I did.

Though it looked pitch black from outside, as soon as we entered, torches along the passage lit up instantly.

“Just keep going this way.”

We followed the torches through the long passage.

As we walked, there were both downhill and uphill sections.

There were many stairs too, but it wasn’t particularly exhausting.

We continued walking through the passage in silence.

After about 30 minutes of walking?

The end of the passage came into view, with another small exit.

“Hey, use this.”

Before exiting, I handed her the cloak I had bought earlier.

“What’s this for?”

“A one-time use item.”

The cloak was one of many items typically classified as consumables.

However, its performance was incomparable to other items.

‘I used to use this all the time…’

I wrapped the cloak around myself, reminiscing about past memories.

[Trickster’s Cloak (B-)]

[Completely conceals the wearer for 3 hours.]

[This cloak is a one-time use item.]

When I put on the cloak, Aelin exclaimed in surprise.

“Invisibility!?”

“Yeah, but it’s single-use.”

An item that allowed even me, who couldn’t use stealth skills, to carry out spy missions.

Thanks to its impressive 3-hour duration, I could complete missions without difficulty.

It was also cheap, and unlike true invisibility, it didn’t consume any magical power.

“Isn’t this item totally overpowered?”

Aelin also became invisible after putting on the cloak.

“But why invisibility?”

“Now we just need to stay close to the Empress while invisible.”

Then when the assassin appears, we reveal ourselves.

“Oh, that makes sense. But won’t we lose track of each other? I can’t see where you are right now.”

“Same here.”

Come to think of it, that’s true.

We can’t see each other now.

“What if we bump into each other?”

“You stick to the left wall, and I’ll stick to the right.”

“Okay.”

After checking our equipment, we entered the palace through the exit.

***

April 3rd.

Today was the birthday of the Princess of the Kainis Empire.

High nobles of the Empire, as well as royalty from other kingdoms, had come to the imperial palace to celebrate her birthday.

The Princess greeted everyone who had come to celebrate with a bright smile.

And she greeted her close friend.

“It’s been a while, Estel.”

“Ally!”

Her mother watched this scene with a warm smile.

The Emperor beside her did the same.

They were looking at their proud daughter.

“Ally, here.”

The girl called Estel handed a small gift box to the Princess.

Seeing this, the Empress remembered something.

She immediately stood up.

“I’ll just go to the study for a moment.”

The Empress had also prepared a birthday gift, but unfortunately, she had left it in the study.

The Empress left the banquet hall and headed to the study upstairs to retrieve it.

As she went upstairs, she felt as if someone was watching her from somewhere, though she couldn’t tell where.

‘Must be my imagination…’

She dismissed it and continued walking to the study.

-Click, click, click.-

When she was almost at the study, she looked at her wristwatch.

The current time was 8:59:57.

Again.

-Click, click.-

Just as she was about to open the door to the study.

-Click.-

Someone appeared before her eyes.

A man who gave off the impression of a crow.

And he said:

“Hello? Ma’am?”

He called the Empire’s Empress “ma’am,” but she couldn’t say anything in response.

Because the man was slowly walking toward her with a sword in his hand.

She was too terrified to speak or move.

She could only stand still and watch as he approached.

“Ma’am, aren’t you going to do anything? You’ll die that way.”

He wore an expression that suggested he was enjoying the situation.

“Goodbye.”

The man swung his sword at her.

The sword wasn’t fast, but it was aimed precisely at her neck.

But just before his sword reached her neck.

-Zzzzzap!!!-

A brilliant light that shot out from the right instantly struck the man.

“Ugh!.. Who’s there!?”

***

The bastard seemed momentarily distracted and took the magic attack head-on, writhing in pain.

In that moment, I quickly scattered the smoke bomb I had prepared and rushed to the Empress.

Then I whispered to her, just loud enough for her to hear.

“Wear this and escape.”

I wrapped the cloak I was wearing around her.

Then I charged at him with [Mortal’s End] activated.

-Clang! Clang!-

The crisp sound of metal filled the wide corridor, piercing my ears.

‘He’s brutally strong.’

I was giving it my all, but it still wasn’t enough.

Moreover, he had already been hit by Aelin’s [Ray of Brilliant Light].

Despite taking such a powerful skill, he hadn’t fallen and was still facing off against me.

“Who the hell are you?”

“That’s what I want to ask, you monster.”

He frowned and swung his sword.

I used that timing to activate [Swift] and hide in the smoke.

Then, as if taunting him, I said:

“Are you asking how I knew you’d come here?”

He continued swinging his sword and replied:

“Don’t ask when you already know!”

His savage voice was filled with immense anger.

He was furious like a tiger whose prey had been stolen.

“I saw you yesterday.”

“You saw me? Yesterday?”

-Clang!-

His attack, full of killing intent, was quite difficult to block.

I barely managed to hold on, buying time.

There was no way I could stop this guy alone.

-Boom! Crash!-

He struck the floor randomly, trying to find me hiding in the smoke.

Each time, a terrible sound echoed.

‘If I get hit, I’m done for.’

I was a bit scared by the fact that he could display such power with just a dagger.

I dodged his dangerous attacks nimbly.

But now, time was running out.

‘Almost out of smoke bombs.’

I had used most of them trying to disappear whenever needed.

‘When is she coming…’

I kept thinking about her, who should be returning by now.

‘She needs to hurry…’

Just as anxiety began to creep in, I saw a bright light behind him.

It was a truly welcome sight.

“Wow… you’re finally here?”

I expressed my dissatisfaction as I moved toward her.

“I couldn’t help it. You’re still alive, I see. And there’s a barrier here.”

“What?”

The man was hit by her skill again, but the monster was still perfectly fine.

‘A barrier at a time like this…’

I had hoped for reinforcements, but it seems we’ll have to give up on that for now.

The man smiled at us like a psychopath.

Both Aelin and I were shocked.

“Is that even human?”

“Not human, probably a demon.”

The man is likely a demon.

Otherwise, he couldn’t have withstood her magic.

The man laughed briefly and said:

“How did you know that?”

“Demons have high magic resistance.”

No matter how much of a stat difference there was between her and him, if he were human, he would have died already.

The monster showed us the horns growing on his head and spoke.

“You’ve done your homework? You know well.”

I chuckled and said:

“Not really.”

Aelin spoke in a gloomy voice, as if she had given up.

“What do we do now?”

“Hey, get ready. Don’t talk like that.”

The situation is tough, but it’s too early to give up.

I raised [Obsidian Blade] once more.