Infiltration Through Shadows

Ding

The small city's symbol, the red bell hanging atop the highest tower in the center of the inner district, rang loudly as usual, announcing the end of the day. Its high-pitched chime brought joy to some while awakening sad memories for others. Its beautiful red color, originally a tribute to the blood of the heroic soldiers who defended their city over hundreds of years, was a tradition. Before heading to war, the bell would be taken down and painted with their blood.

Despite the mixed emotions its ringing evoked, it was also a signal of the changing time. The soldiers and guards scattered throughout the city lit the massive torches that cast scattered light, reducing the desolation of the dark night. Meanwhile, shops and homes lit beautiful lanterns that adorned the place, giving it a stunning charm.

The drunkards emerged from their hiding spots and headed to their usual taverns, while soldiers and workers invited each other for a few drinks or a delicious dinner at the popular restaurants. The lights varied, and so did the people. The day no longer held sway over the place.

Time passed slowly, and even the night lights began to dim. Most people returned to their homes to get enough sleep in preparation for the next morning. The restaurants that had filled the air with the aroma of delicious food began to close, leaving only a handful of those accustomed to staying up all night: soldiers assigned to guard duty, homeless individuals, and drunkards lost in life's troubles. And also, crimson eyes lying in wait.

On top of one of the tall houses, a shadow as dark as the night itself sat. With his blood-red eyes, he watched the illuminated city fall into the embrace of darkness and the tranquility of sleep. He raised his head and looked at the high sky, contemplating the massive celestial moon that faintly lit the earth, then turned his gaze to the four familiar moons behind it: a small, beautiful white moon riddled with large craters, a smooth green moon like a gem owned by all, a brown moon filled with fiery, burning lines, like a land that had faced inevitable destruction. And finally, a distant, dusty-colored moon surrounded by a massive, strange ring.

Sigh!

Sollivan let out a sigh in his bed as he observed the world through Noctis's distant eyes. He saw the details of life in an unfamiliar crimson hue. After relieving some of the tightness in his chest, he became more focused. He lowered his head and looked toward the inner city, specifically the upscale district far from him. Massive, sprawling houses and beautiful gardens still in bloom despite the winter. The area was filled with armored guards and strict patrols. Occasionally, a young troublemaker might sneak out without their parents' permission, heading to a tavern or brothel. Everything seemed very ordinary and familiar to Sollivan, who had once lived in a similar place.

Huff!

He exhaled deeply and silently encouraged himself before giving the order. 'Let's go. It's time to test your abilities to the fullest.'

Without hesitation, Noctis hid within the folds of the shadows. His steps were as light as the wind, and his cold aura like winter's chill allowed him to pass before the guards' eyes like an invisible breeze. Within a few minutes of walking in the dark and avoiding the light, he reached the upscale district.

He observed the high walls adorned in some parts, then focused on monitoring the guards stationed at every corner and intersection. Unlike the rest of the neighborhoods, the streets of the upscale district were very wide, so massive torches were placed everywhere, ensuring light reached every corner.

Thanks to the good lighting, the silver armor of some guards shone brightly, revealing their strength and high rank. The division among the guards was clear. Trainees at the fifth level and above of body strengthening, with low ranks, wore leather armor reinforced with a bit of solid metal in crucial areas like the chest. The quality of the leather itself was low. As for the mid-ranking guards, Arcane masters, their armor was made of metal with an inner layer of leather.

Their movable joints, like knees and elbows, were protected by light, sturdy chainmail, allowing smooth and unrestricted movement. They also wore smooth, simple helmets that covered their heads, foreheads, and part of their cheeks. As for the high-ranking soldiers, their armor varied in design and was beautifully decorated according to the faction they belonged to.

After a brief period of observation, he noticed that the number of mid-ranking guards was very small, and they acted as leaders for patrol groups or monitored the stationed guards. While reviewing what he saw, he spotted a patrol of seven guards heading toward him.

He felt a bit of anxiety, but without any tension, he quickly scanned his surroundings before ordering Noctis to hide. Although it wasn't obvious, if one looked closely, they would see a pitch-black shadow swiftly sliding across the walls and floor, disappearing into the dark patches.

Step!

Scrape!

The patrol of guards passed right by him, and at that moment, he lifted his head from the shadow of one of the torches and calmly checked his surroundings.

Sigh!

'Very good, they didn't see me. If the place were a bit darker, it would have been perfect.' He stopped wishing and returned to sneaking.

But this time, he slipped inside one of the large houses from over the wall. As expected, the massive garden he entered was much darker, as the light from the torches and enhanced lanterns in front of the house didn't reach it due to the abundance of trees and flowers. Once back in his element, Noctis's speed increased, and within moments, after crossing through a few large gardens, he reached a massive garden with a large, beautiful palace at its center. A huge flag, covered by darkness, fluttered occasionally, leaving a faint sound like the flapping of wings.

"You know, that whore has a really big chest. I..."

"He couldn't handle a single punch from me, and after I knocked him to the ground in the middle of the tavern, I..."

"Damn, guarding in this cold is really annoying. They should reduce the guard hours."

The conversations of the scattered guards reached his sharp ears. After listening to them for a while, he lost interest due to the triviality of their discussions. His primary goal in coming to this place was to gather information and observe the mayor's movements, as well as test Noctis's abilities in real-world conditions. He had seen how easily Noctis could blend into the shadows and hide within them, and he felt intense curiosity about the limits of his abilities. Therefore, he decided to take a slight risk, especially after learning about the buried treasury from Ellis.

Unlike the outer alley, the number of strong guards inside increased, all of them being seasoned Arcane masters. There were also several small barracks consisting of two or three rooms near the wall. The place was filled with soldiers, whether on guard duty or sleeping in their barracks. But the only thing Sollivan could say was how difficult it would be to infiltrate this place.

'If I didn't have Noctis, crossing these walls would be like a death sentence.' After carefully scanning his surroundings, he sneaked through the dark paths he had identified and entered the palace through a small open ventilation window. As soon as he entered, the nature of his surroundings changed. He found himself looking at a long hallway carpeted with a clean red rug. The walls were adorned with faintly colored floral paintings, and the enhanced lanterns hanging from the ceiling illuminated the place with a soft, pleasant light that wasn't harsh on the eyes.

He sneaked quietly, and every time he reached a door, he focused all his attention on his ears, listening for even the faintest sounds. But all he heard were snores and the breathing of those asleep.

There weren't many servants due to the late hour, and the interior wasn't heavily guarded out of respect for the mayor's family's privacy. After a quick tour of the lower floor, he climbed the spiral staircase made of expensive wood and reached the second floor. The nature of the place didn't differ: the same walls, the same long, decorated hallways filled with doors. Occasionally, he would see large paintings hanging on the walls or some artifacts placed on beautiful stands.

'This place is truly upscale.' He looked at an oil painting of the familiar face of the mayor and sighed. 'This ugly man, did he threaten the painter to make him look this handsome? But he's truly rich to have his picture frame made of silver.' He admired the beautiful silver shine and felt a bit of greed.

Ah... um...

Some vague murmurs reached his ears. He regained his focus and quickly began listening intently to his surroundings. However, he couldn't pinpoint the source of the distant sound.

'We can't... the judge.'

After wandering aimlessly around his surroundings for a bit, his ears picked up the sounds of conversation again, and this time he could determine where they were coming from and headed toward it. After passing a massive library and a luxurious sitting room, he found the stairs leading to the upper floor. He climbed quickly, passed through the long hallway, and at that moment, the voices became clear. He slowed down and crept very slowly, listening intently.

"He truly deceived you. I didn't believe it at first and thought those rumors were true."

A loud sigh.

"Enough talk about this. What's done is done, and I can't change it."

"No, I won't stop. Although I don't want to say it, I warned you about playing with members of the noble clans. Their arrogance is immense, and they won't be happy to see you achieve great things. The common people think you were secretly searching for the treasury without informing the state capital. But who would have thought you were deceived and searching for some herbs for that scoundrel.

Tell me, didn't you notice anything strange at the time?! He dragged you around for a whole week. You must have noticed something?!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Won't you forget it? Yes, I was deceived and dragged around like a fool for a whole week. When his contracted beast sensed the treasury, he didn't tell me and continued searching in silence until I accidentally caught him digging in the ground. I saw some protruding rocks covered in inscriptions. That's when I realized. But he didn't give me a chance. When I tried to move him away from the treasury, he immediately spread rumors about me, saying I tried to monopolize the treasure."

"Huh, what a cunning man. But this is expected; it's the nature of the noble clan members.

Anyway, tell me what you'll do now. I heard the jurors are funding the search operations from your own treasury. They've also isolated you from the search operations."

'What?!' Sollivan was stunned upon hearing their conversation, and for a moment, he almost lost his connection with Noctis. Before he realized it, he reached a locked door from which a bright light shone through the keyhole, mixing with the floor and letting a small part of it through the tiny gap between the door and the floor.

He extended a part of Noctis's crystalline eye, covered with a thin film of shadow to prevent it from reflecting light, and quickly and cautiously looked into the room. At that moment, he saw the speakers. One of them was very familiar to him: a man of average height with short brown hair and a strange bald spot near his left ear. He also had a thick, well-groomed beard. But aside from that, his face seemed slightly asymmetrical, with some wrinkles on the left side and a vaguely droopy eye, while the right side was very normal. This was the mayor who ruled their city. As for his clothes, he wore a very warm white cotton shirt and slightly loose gray pants.

When Sollivan saw his expensive and warm sleepwear, he felt a bit of resentment, but he didn't let his emotions overflow and calmed himself before focusing on the other person. As soon as he saw him, he felt a slight familiarity. He looked at his long, smooth black hair tied in a ponytail, examined his athletic body and noble clothes made of wool-lined silk. However, he couldn't determine the reason for the familiarity. The mayor and his companion weren't looking at him, so he quietly slipped under the door and blended into the shadows of the furniture, listening with curiosity.

The mayor said with great disappointment, "And what can I do? Essentially, it's better to lose some wealth in exchange for maintaining my position. You know the situation is tough. The empire has been in turmoil for forty years, and if my rank drops, who knows how many disasters might fall on my head."

"You're right. The state governor hasn't taken any action, and the southern general suddenly moved his troops to reinforce the borders." The noble-looking man nodded in agreement before lowering his voice and continuing, "Also, I heard the Cold Sun Empire made some strange movements last week."

Sigh!

The mayor was clearly distressed and showed his deep dissatisfaction. "My losses will be huge. And it's clear I won't get any compensation. Ah, damn it, I didn't want to increase the tax rate and impose additional fees on the people. But in this state, spring won't be promising."

"Unfortunately." The noble man sighed and wanted to speak, but he suddenly fell silent and began looking around suspiciously.

The mayor noticed this and asked cautiously, narrowing his eyes, "Leopold, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"

Leopold didn't answer and observed the room for a few seconds before saying with a lost expression, "The shadows in the room are too deep."

"What do you mean by that?" The mayor turned and looked at the few shadows in confusion.

Leopold shook his head, showing a strange expression, and replied, "Nothing, just a sudden feeling. As if there are hidden eyes watching us from the shadows."

"Huh, did the heavy dinner make you soft-hearted? Or is sleepiness getting to you?" Despite the mayor's obvious sarcasm, he didn't hide his caution. He involuntarily adjusted his relaxed posture. He hadn't realized it before, but as soon as Leopold mentioned it, he began to feel something strange in his surroundings. He heightened his senses to the maximum and spread his energy around him using the mind field technique.

In the shadows of the leather and wool-covered wooden couch, Sollivan involuntarily trembled and silently prayed not to be discovered. He was sure the mayor's senses wouldn't detect his presence, but as soon as he felt a strange fluctuation in his aura, he immediately realized he was in trouble.

Highly skilled fighters possessed a super sense that allowed them to see everything around them. But even low-level fighters had a simple technique with a similar function, though its range was small and not very effective—the mind field technique, which worked by spreading a small amount of energy around the fighter and sensing fluctuations in it.

He cursed in his heart and wanted to order Noctis to escape quickly, but he hesitated. After thinking about it, he decided to make him stay put. In fact, he wouldn't be personally harmed, but he didn't want to risk losing his only trusted companion.

But... nothing happened. The mayor didn't find anything unusual and returned to mocking his companion.

Huff. Sollivan exhaled in relief in his bed, no longer as relaxed and confident as before. After hesitating for a while, he decided to leave and ignore their information-rich discussion.

Noctis slipped quietly through the door and retraced his previous path before exiting through the ventilation window and running quickly through the dark gardens. When he reached the slightly crowded inner district, he looked at the upscale neighborhood and exhaled in relief. However, he didn't return directly to his home, instead wandering around until he lost his connection with Noctis due to running out of time. Then, he ordered him to return and fell asleep due to exhaustion and mental strain.