Chapter 111. Infiltration
A prison located deep beneath the royal palace. The windowless prison was ruled by absolute darkness.
Inside the prison, where not even a speck of light existed. The darkness swallowed everything around it as though it were alive, but—
‘It’s brighter than the Infinite Labyrinth.’
Either way, I still couldn’t see without the light from Kai’s Aura. Even so, darkness was no longer one of my weaknesses.
◆ Activating the skill Low Light Vision [D+].
Along with the message, the light-transmitting membranes in my eyes and their permeability improved dramatically, allowing me to see the prison that had been concealed in the darkness.
Thick stone walls and a heavy iron door. Damp patches of water on the floor. Even the chains binding my hands.
‘It works better than I expected.’
That was despite my failure to acquire the complete Genetic Factor.
Noctura wasn’t called the Ruler of the Night Sky for nothing. The interior of the prison appeared clearly through Noctura’s ability, Low Light Vision [D+].
Just as I was leisurely examining my surroundings—
Clank!
The prison door suddenly opened, and a fierce burst of light stabbed into my eyes.
Because Low Light Vision [D+] had drastically enhanced the membranes and permeability of my eyes, it felt as if they were being torn apart.
Low Light Vision [D+] was still an incomplete ability because I had yet to obtain the complete Genetic Factor.
I had not yet absorbed Noctura’s exceptional pupil-adjustment function.
‘I’ll have to be careful about this.’
◆ Deactivating the skill Low Light Vision [D+].
Once I switched it off, my hazy vision gradually returned to normal. My sight quickly stabilized.
A member of the Royal Knights who guarded the underground prison stood at the door—
“....Come out.”
His expression made it clear that he wasn’t pleased with me. I paid him no mind and raised both hands, shaking them.
“Aren’t you going to remove these?”
The Royal Knight looked at me once before letting out a short sigh. He then took a key from his waist.
Click.
The cold sound of chains falling to the floor echoed through the prison.
“....Return to the guest chamber. The royal family has decided that you will not be charged with any crime.”
The Royal Knight’s rigid voice followed.
“What happened to Seraphia?”
“She was released quite some time ago, so wouldn’t she be in the guest chamber?”
With that, the Royal Knight abruptly walked out of the prison.
As expected.
It seemed the Royal Knights spread etiquette on their bread instead of butter.
I rubbed my wrists and organized my thoughts.
‘They released me this easily....’
Honestly, I had expected some form of minor punishment.
The authority of the royal family was at stake, after all. Yet they had released me without imposing any punishment. That was practically the same as the royal family bowing its head to me.
Queen Marceline would undoubtedly suffer a considerable political blow because of this.
Despite that, her decision could be interpreted in two ways.
‘Is it because of Seraphia?’
The first reason was Seraphia’s sudden intervention.
Seraphia, who had instantly subdued the Royal Knights, had been imprisoned underground on the same charges as me.
Even if they wanted to punish me lightly, they couldn’t. That was because they would also have to punish Seraphia.
Doing so would prevent her from attending the Royal Social Season altogether, so they had no choice but to absolve us of all wrongdoing, even at the cost of political damage.
That led to the second reason—
‘The Empire is definitely involved.’
The Empire’s influence must have compelled them to ensure that Seraphia attended the Royal Social Season.
My suspicions had now become absolute certainty.
However, I still didn’t know why they had invited Seraphia to the Royal Social Season.
Nor did I know what they intended to do there.
Therefore—
◆ Activating the skill Assimilation [C+].
I intended to find out from now on.
My body gradually disappeared as it assimilated with the surrounding environment.
That was when the Royal Knight who had left earlier reappeared.
“Why aren’t you coming out already...? Huh?”
The Royal Knight tilted his head and looked around the prison.
Although I was standing directly in front of him, he couldn’t see me and continued glancing around.
“....I didn’t see him leave. When did he get out?”
It was perfect concealment, unnoticed even by a Royal Knight. It was truly an ability worthy of the Shameleon.
However, I had to remain mindful of the considerable number of calories it continuously consumed.
‘Shall we get going, then?’
When I left the underground prison, I saw a gallery connected to countless corridors. Dozens of rooms were intertwined like a massive labyrinth within the royal palace.
Finding the queen was more complicated than I had anticipated.
However, my sharpened senses were now comparable to Extra Sensory Perception.
When I focused, I detected several distinctive presences that seemed to belong to Queen Marceline.
‘It’s been a while since my last infiltration mission.’
What I had done in the County of Venenon couldn’t truly be called an infiltration.
* * *
It was a dark night, with even the moonlight concealed behind the clouds.
Inside Queen Marceline’s bedchamber, only the faint flickering of candlelight along the walls disturbed the room’s silence.
Darkness hung heavily throughout the chamber.
Before long, a woman emerged from within the shadows. Her face was concealed beneath a black cloak.
Facing the queen from within the darkness, she spoke in a seductive voice.
“To summon me to your bedchamber at this late hour…. I prefer rolling around with men, but if it’s Your Majesty, I would gladly welcome—”
“I merely selected the best location beyond the reach of prying eyes.”
Queen Marceline answered calmly, her eyes gleaming.
The woman shrugged once and stepped forward. She then took something out from beneath her cloak.
“What is that?”
“It is a magic tool that detects Mana fluctuations within a fifteen-meter radius. Whether it is an object or a living being, it can detect anything containing even the slightest trace of Mana.”
“Are you suspicious of me?”
“Of course not. It’s simply that the royal palace has many listening ears.”
Whiiiiine—!
“Even Your Majesty’s bedchamber may not be completely secure.”
Queen Marceline said nothing more. There was no harm in being cautious.
“There are no traces of Mana nearby. As for any lurking rats….”
Whiiiiine—!
“None of those either.”
Only then did the woman remove the hood of her black cloak. Her face was finally revealed.
She had deep, alluring eyes and an enchanting smile.
Her voluminous red-and-black hair possessed a subtle sheen even in the darkness, further enhancing her beauty.
“Then I’ll comfortably explain what I came here to convey.”
“....Comfortably? Do you have any idea how much humiliation I have suffered because of you people—?”
“That wasn’t our fault.”
Queen Marceline firmly closed her mouth at the woman’s reply.
She wasn’t wrong.
This disaster had been caused by Walter’s arbitrary actions.
“Your Majesty was already aware of the relationship between Marquis Segretus and Prince Walter, weren’t you?”
Of course, another intention lay behind those words.
“Despite knowing that, the one who took no action was you, Your Majesty.”
Still, Queen Marceline was at fault for failing to control Walter.
Queen Marceline gritted her teeth inwardly.
As though attempting to soothe her, the woman took out a small leather pouch and handed it over.
“Nevertheless, you are also the one capable of resolving the situation, Your Majesty.”
Queen Marceline checked its contents.
“....Why is there so little?”
The amount was absurdly small. It wasn’t even half the sum they had promised.
“The truth is….our side recently suffered a severe blow.”
“A blow? What do you mean?”
“You know about the recent collapse of Violess, don’t you?”
Queen Marceline was already aware of it.
As queen, how could she remain ignorant of the rumors that had shaken the entire continent?
“As a result, our channels for circulating funds have been completely obstructed….”
“Hmm.”
“That isn’t the only problem, however—”
The woman swallowed a groan before continuing.
“The collapse of Obscura in Violess was decisive. In particular, the Holy Kingdom interfered with Obscura’s funds....”
Obscura.
It was both a method and a place used to launder illegal funds.
Queen Marceline had heard that astronomical sums of money lay dormant within Obscura.
If they had lost all of it, the resulting damage could not have been insignificant.
“Other black markets also suffered devastating damage in a chain reaction. At present, we have no viable method of circulating our funds.”
“......”
“Regrettably, we have no choice but to reduce the circulation of funds for the time being and focus on establishing a new Obscura.”
“So you’re asking me to be satisfied with this?”
“That’s correct.”
“You expect me to accept that—?”
“Please consider what I just said merely an explanation of our circumstances.”
“....An explanation?”
“If you give us a little time to restore our funds, we will pay you twice the amount we originally promised.”
Queen Marceline swallowed her words.
If she could keep the money already in her hands and later receive twice the promised amount, it would be more than satisfactory.
When Queen Marceline’s hostility subsided, the woman spoke again.
“May I now address the main matter?”
“What do I need to do?”
“First….postpone the succession ceremony for the White Wolf County.”
“You want me to postpone the succession ceremony?”
“Under the current circumstances, there is no way to prevent Adrian from succeeding to the title.”
That was true.
The greatest reason was that Seraphia had renounced her claim to the title herself.
Since she had voluntarily withdrawn, they had no justification for preventing Adrian’s succession ceremony.
“Therefore, we must change her mind during the Royal Social Season.”
“You intend to make her assert her claim to the title again?”
“After all, the previous Count left everything to her.”
“That was when Adrian was nothing more than a delinquent.”
“To be honest, we are puzzled by that as well. He was unquestionably a worthless delinquent, so how did he...?”
Even the woman appeared genuinely confused.
“Regardless, changing her mind is the most important thing under the current circumstances. With that in mind, the king….”
The woman briefly stopped speaking and observed Queen Marceline’s expression.
“Don’t worry. The king will not awaken.”
“I trust that Your Majesty handled the matter properly.”
The woman cautiously bowed her head, and Queen Marceline slowly spoke.
“So how do you intend to change her mind during the Royal Social Season?”
The Royal Social Season didn’t end in a single day.
Tea parties, banquets, salons, contests, balls, and various other events were held over several days.
Throughout those events, the daughters of noble families showcased their charms.
Through that process, they formed connections with the children of other noble families and searched for suitable partners.
“First, approach her during the tea party and gain her goodwill.”
“Her goodwill?”
“We will take advantage of the fact that the White Wolf County is a land with a harsh environment.”
As she spoke, the woman pulled a large chest from the darkness. The chest was filled with glittering gold coins and luxurious jewels.
“Provide her with these funds as support in the name of the royal family.”
“....This much?”
“If we want to place her in our debt so that she cannot refuse our requests, wouldn’t this much be necessary?”
Queen Marceline’s eyebrows twitched.
“Didn’t you just say that you suffered a devastating blow?”
“That is because this matter is important enough for us to endure such devastating losses.”
“You’re saying that some girl from the frontier is more important than me and the entire royal family?”
“Please calm your anger. That isn’t what I meant.”
“If that isn’t what you meant—”
“The White Wolf County is an extremely important territory to us.”
“....That insignificant frontier land?”
That land of bitter cold, where the harsh winter continued throughout all four seasons?
That survival-limit region, where agriculture was impossible and people could barely cling to life?
“That’s correct.”
“What value does it possess?”
“I cannot tell you that. However, we must secure both her and the County.”
“In other words, you want me to hand over the County?”
“In exchange for bringing down the First Prince, I would consider a single County a remarkably low price…. Wouldn’t you?”
Queen Marceline narrowed her eyes.
She couldn’t discern that woman’s true intentions. In other words, their objectives were different.
However, transactions were possible as long as their interests aligned.
“We will cooperate with you using all our strength until the First Prince is removed from the line of succession.”
Queen Marceline answered with silence.
“Once you gain her goodwill during the tea party and place her in your debt—”
The woman continued by explaining the detailed plans for the banquet, salon, and contest that would follow.
It was a chillingly meticulous plan.
As queen, Marceline had witnessed countless political schemes and manipulations, but this plan was truly….
Every stage interlocked with the others and had been designed with painstaking precision.
There were signs that every possibility had been calculated to minimize the chance of failure.
Like a hunter setting a trap and waiting, the woman intended to employ every available means and method to accomplish a single objective.
Queen Marceline could indirectly sense just how frightening and ruthless the woman was.
And precisely because of that—
She was confident that bringing down Leon would not be difficult if she cooperated with this woman.
“And the final ball will be the most important. At the ball—”
That was when it happened.
The woman abruptly stopped speaking and extended one hand to the side.
Whoooosh—!! Boom!
A strange surge of magical power tore through the air, and the wall exploded.
The woman sharply examined the debris.
However, there was nothing there but shattered rubble.
“I thought there was a rat lurking around here….”
The woman’s eyes warily scanned the surroundings.
Queen Marceline pointed toward the magic tool.
“Didn’t you say it could detect anything containing even the slightest trace of Mana, whether it was an object or a living being?”
However, the magic tool showed no reaction.
“....It seems I was being overly sensitive.”
The woman calmly lowered her hand.
Before long, the Royal Knights who had detected the disturbance rushed toward the scene.
“Your Majesty!”
“Are you all right?!”
The clattering of armor and the sound of footsteps came from beyond the destroyed wall.
Only then—
Whiiiiine—!
The Mana-detection magic tool began ringing noisily.
As if apologizing, the woman politely bowed to Queen Marceline.
“It appears we’ll have to stop here for tonight.”
She raised her head and looked toward the destroyed wall.
“Please put the repair costs on my tab.”
She smiled brightly before darkness enveloped her and she vanished.
The Royal Knights flooded into the queen’s bedchamber in an instant. They surrounded Queen Marceline and searched in every direction.
“Your Majesty, was there an intruder?”
When one of the Royal Knights asked, Queen Marceline calmly raised her hand.
“It was nothing.”
“But, Your Majesty, that....”
The Royal Knight’s gaze turned to one side. The wall of the royal palace had completely collapsed.
It was too significant to simply overlook, but….
“Didn’t I say it was nothing?”
It was different when those words came from Queen Marceline.
The Royal Knights hesitated and exchanged uneasy glances before eventually backing down.
However, perhaps they couldn’t withdraw entirely.
“Then please stay in the annex until the repairs are complete. We will escort you.”
Queen Marceline gave a slight nod.
Once she agreed, the Royal Knights escorted her away while vigilantly watching every direction.
* * *
Until all of them had left—
I remained perfectly still, holding my breath and keeping my body tightly curled up.
Cold sweat ran down my back. My heart pounded madly.
Seriously—
‘....I almost got caught.’
I feel as though I just lost a hundred years of my life.
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