Chapter 61: Night Infiltration
A moment later, bwoooosh!
"Huh?"
"Kyaaaaa!"
Dion materialized inside the bedroom directly in front of the mirror. Hearing a sudden shriek, he glanced over toward the bed, catching sight of the female receptionist from the underground inn covering her bare body with a blanket. Beside her sat a man, presumably her husband, who was equally naked.
"Ah... sorry about that. Just passing through and borrowing your teleportation mirror. Excuse me," Dion said in his disguised Shadow Assassin voice.
Without missing a beat, Dion dashed toward the second-story window, parted the curtains, and opened the frame. Swoosh! He leaped out, executing a clean mid-air flip onto the roof. "Thud... thud...thud!" the receptionist and her husband heard the light patter of footsteps across the tiles above. The husband turned to his wife, baffled.
"Was that... a guest from the underground inn?" the husband asked.
"Yeah. If I’m not mistaken, he came in with the Boss... seems like he’s using our magical artifact," the wife replied, still taken aback.
The two stared at the open window in stunned silence. Meanwhile, Dion leapt effortlessly from rooftop to rooftop. Looking down, he noticed an unusually heavy presence of guards and military patrols sweeping through the city streets. Even though it was late at night, the city felt alive with activity as the guards conducted night inspections.
"Hmm... it’s rarely this packed. They’re probably searching high and low for us after that dragon landing... whatever, they’re not my target anyway," Dion thought to himself.
After crossing the central plaza and entering the residential district toward the back of the city, Dion surveyed his surroundings from a high roof. Glancing down a street to his right, he spotted a grand manor resembling a miniature castle sitting at the far end of the road. Beneath his mask, Dion let out a faint smile. He took off running, leaping across the gaps toward the manor.
Meanwhile, inside the manor’s private study, Marvin paced back and forth across the floor in a sheer panic.
"That dragon at the cathedral in Thetor... a calamity dragon, landing right here in this city... what are they after? Is it because I went to see Princess Luna?" Marvin panicked internally.
Suddenly, blam! The window burst open. Marvin gasped as the curtains billowed in the sudden breeze, revealing the heavy window frame flung wide open. Hesitantly, he crept toward the window, poking his head out to scan the darkness outside. Confused by the empty air and considering his study sat on the second floor, he shuddered.
Shivering with unease, Marvin quickly shut the window tight and pulled the curtains closed. He took a step back, turning around,
"Yo."
"Whoaaaaah!"
Marvin’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest, his face draining of all color. Sitting casually on his leather sofa was a masked figure clad in black, leaning back with his legs crossed, raising a hand in a casual greeting.
"W-who are you?!" Marvin stammered. "W-wait... I know you! You’re the one who rode that dragon and picked up Princess Luna!" Marvin pointed an unstable finger at Dion.
"Hmm... hit the nail on the head. Have a seat, Lord Marvin. We need to talk," Dion said, lightly tapping the sofa cushion beside him.
"W-what do you want from me?! I meant no harm toward Princess Luna! I have no other intention than to place Princess Luna on the throne as queen of this realm... I am a loyal follower of her father, King Victor von Reihold... who was murdered by his own brother, Theobald von Reinhold!" Marvin babbled out of terror.
Dion didn’t answer right away. He simply studied Marvin’s pale, sweat-slicked face. A cold smile formed beneath his mask.
"Well... thanks for the free intel, Lord Marvin. I hadn’t even asked anything yet. Come, sit down. Let me have a serious chat," Dion said, gesturing to the opposite couch. His glowing red eyes locked tightly onto Marvin’s face.
Marvin moved cautiously, leaning back against his desk. Click. He slipped a hidden dagger into his grip behind his back without breaking eye contact with Dion. Slowly, keeping his body front-facing and his weapon concealed behind him, he sank into the sofa across from Dion.
"Relax, Lord Marvin. I’m not going to kill you... at least, not yet," Dion said smoothly in his deep Shadow Assassin voice.
"Why have you come to this city? What do you want?" Marvin demanded.
"Hmm... to be completely honest, I didn’t want to come here at all. But hearing that the king plans to march an army against my territory forced my hand. And the person who fed that information to Luna was you, wasn’t it?" Dion replied casually.
Marvin narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge the masked, red-eyed man sitting across from him.
"That’s correct... it was merely a rumor back then, but now it’s been confirmed," Marvin answered.
"Hmm... okay. But something doesn’t add up. If the king truly intends to send his main force to attack my land, why call Luna back now? Are you planning to stage a coup against the king and install Luna as the new queen of Minatheras, just as you claimed?" Dion asked effortlessly.
"It seems Princess Luna has already told you everything. That is correct. We lords remain loyal to the former king. After our investigation confirmed Princess Luna was alive in Thetor, I went there personally to retrieve her. Everything I do is for our people, who suffer under King Theobald’s tyranny," Marvin declared with the fervor of a true patriot.
"Right... and then?" Dion urged.
"I went to Thetor and used the cathedral’s neutral ground to request Princess Luna’s presence because our golden opportunity had finally arrived. The moment the king dispatches his main force, we strike and execute him. That is why Princess Luna’s presence is crucial," Marvin explained.
"Still doesn’t make sense. Why not retrieve Luna after you’ve successfully assassinated the king?" Dion countered casually.
"I needed to inspire our soldiers, to let them know their noble struggle is backed by their true ruler," Marvin replied smoothly.
Dion drew a single throwing knife, casually spinning it between his fingers. Marvin swallowed hard, his eyes glued to the glinting steel.
"Give me the real truth, Lord Marvin," Dion said, his tone dropping into total seriousness.
"What I said is the truth! That has always been our intention..."
Blam! Crack!
Dion slammed his knife down onto the wooden coffee table, splitting it down the middle into two collapsed halves. Marvin flinched violently, his words cutting off mid-sentence. Dion pulled down his mask, revealing a mocking smirk.
"Call it a hunch, but I get the feeling you have your own personal agenda for putting Luna on that throne. You just want to use her as your puppet, don’t you? Believe me, I know how that feels, I used to be dragged around as a pawn by my corporate bosses back in the day, so I recognize the look," Dion said.
"Huh... corporate bosses?" Marvin blinked, utterly lost.
"Ignore that. Why do you want to retrieve Luna and make her the figurehead of this rebellion? Answer me truthfully," Dion demanded, annoyance creeping into his voice.
Marvin shut his mouth tight, his eyes darting to the side to avoid Dion’s piercing gaze. His silence was all the answer Dion needed. Uncrossing his legs, Dion leaned forward.
"Let me answer that for you. You want to place Luna on the throne as a puppet ruler so the public buys into your cause, while you pull the strings from the shadows and control everything, right? I’ve been in that position before, and let me tell you, it sucks," Dion stated flatly.
Marvin’s face shifted dramatically. He turned his head further away, avoiding Dion’s eyes without saying a word. Hmph. Dion let out a cold snort, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Looks like I hit the bullseye. And let me guess further: this rebellion of yours, using Luna as a pawn and striking during the war, is all to protect your illegal slave trade operations. Once you win and the puppet outlives her usefulness, you plan on disposing of Luna too, making sure the royal bloodline is wiped out for good. Right? Don’t give me that ’for the people’ line. I lived in this city for three years, and the common folk were doing just fine," Dion smiled coldly.
Marvin went deathly pale from Dion’s sharp accusation, staring back at him with a mix of sheer terror and rising fury. Quickly forcing a smile to mask his pale, panic-stricken face, his eyes gleamed with cold calculation. He then leaned his body forward, acting as if he were about to share a top-secret state affair.
"Since you already know so much, there’s no need for further explanations. How about I offer you a deal instead?" Marvin asked, leaning in.
"Oh? What kind of deal?" Dion asked casually.
"I have access to a teleportation mirror that leads directly into the royal palace, specifically, straight into the king’s private chambers. If you execute the king tonight, his invasion on your domain will be canceled, and I will never bother Luna again. It’s a win-win scenario for both of us. What do you say?" Marvin negotiated, a wide, cunning smile spreading across his face.
"Hmmm," Dion muttered, studying Marvin closely. A broad smile slowly spread across Dion’s face.