Regressor of the Fallen Family Novel - Chapter 290
Chapter 290: “What Causes This Unsettling Sensation?”
A strange feeling of discomfort lingered with him.
Despite being cloaked in an artifact camouflage suit and moving with ghostly stealth, he couldn’t help but feel his actions were not as smooth as the ghosts he had seen before.
Even though he had taken precautions to ensure his presence went unnoticed by ordinary soldiers or knights, he couldn’t shake off the sense of sloppiness that nagged at him. It was a vague feeling, hard to pinpoint.
“The garrison’s strength matches the reports…”
Swish.
Moving from shadow to shadow, leaping over the inner walls of the Kongwang Fortress, he double-checked the garrison’s activities but found nothing out of the ordinary.
“Why am I feeling this unease?”
A strong feeling told him not to ignore this sensation.
Finally, he paused in the shadow inside the wall, carefully pondering everything he had observed while sneaking around. Despite the short summer nights in the southern regions, he felt it was important to understand this uneasiness before proceeding.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for him to discover the cause of his disquiet.
“… The quality of the garrison knights is lower than expected.”
He had missed it initially due to his swift passage.
He hadn’t paid close attention, nor had he had the time to do so.
But Victor was sure. Even without sight, his refined senses could distinguish individuals by their force alone.
“Below-average knights, not even force-awakeners. Squires wearing knightly armor.”
The knights on night watch should have been average knights, overseen by deputy commanders of intermediate knightly rank, but the level was disappointingly low.
It was hard to believe that the Tahiti Duchy would have such low standards for selecting knights.
With the human population growing rapidly and more force-users becoming knights, bestowing knighthood on those fit only to be squires was a dangerous oversight.
Such negligence could lead to doubts about the duchy’s strength, potentially leading to its downfall, especially since it was already considered weak.
There could only be one explanation.
“Have the real knights been sent elsewhere? For what reason?”
During his stay in Tihi-nan, he had heard no rumors of significant incidents in the duchy. The disappearance of their top-tier knights had gone unnoticed.
But why?
His time for contemplation was brief.
“If the garrison is weakened, it works in my favor.”
He had no interest in the duchy’s affairs. When he felt inspired, he acted, a trait he had learned from a significant figure in his life.
His movements became more confident and swift.
* * *
In front of the ancient Kongwang Fortress of the Tahiti Duchy, bustling with activity.
A group gathered in front of the main palace within the vast inner fortress, unusual for the late hour.
The commotion didn’t match the time of night, and among them, one person was being supported, bloodied, and in pain.
“What’s causing all this chaos at this hour?”
“I’ve heard mages can be odd, but this is too much. Poor Dick…”
“Shh. Keep quiet. What if someone hears us…”
“What if they do? Dick…”
“That won’t help Dick.”
“This isn’t the time to argue…”
“Grr…”
“Dick! Hang in there! We’ll get you to a priest soon!”
A moment of silence as they heard Dick’s groan gave the intruder, who had slipped through the ceiling, an opportunity to move deeper into the fortress.
As he moved swiftly, he heard their conversation.
“Wizards?”
Even in a duchy, magic existed.
However, the tower was small, and magicians rarely visited due to strained relations with the royal family.
Yet, here were mages…
“The usual garrison with mages now.”
Victor made a mental note of this information and cautiously entered the main palace through an open window.
And then…
Victor flinched as a faint sensation brushed against him. It was too subtle for most people to notice, but he recognized it immediately.
“Mana!”
There was only one direction this sensation pointed.
“Boundary magic… Curses!”
Complications arose.
Enveloping the entire palace in an extensive magical barrier was no easy task.
Although casting the magic itself wasn’t hard, maintaining it over such a large area required significant resources, especially mana crystals.
Furthermore, the barrier had to allow regular inhabitants to pass while detecting outsiders, and with hundreds, if not thousands, of staff changing regularly, it was a complex task.
Even the Grandiapia castle in McLaine had abandoned such a strategy due to the resources and personnel needed.
And for a mere duchy to employ it?
“Moreover, the magic was so discreet that I almost missed it if I hadn’t entered.”
It challenged his perception of the Duchy’s magical capabilities, but the immediate concern was different.
“I should retreat.”
Realizing he had triggered the magic, Victor knew he was caught.
But as he turned to leave the room, he noticed no changes.
“Nothing has changed?”
It was too quiet.
If the boundary magic had been activated, there should have been a response. Knights should be moving, and chaos should be reigning in the fortress.
But there was no movement, no sound.
This made Victor hesitate.
If he hadn’t discovered the boundary magic, he would have retreated. But the clash between the information he had gathered about tracking and alert magic, and his knowledge of the Tahiti Duchy deepened the conflict in his mind.
“Operating such a large boundary magic with the duchy’s resources is unlikely. Keeping such covert magic active doesn’t make sense.”
The first ruler of the Tahiti Duchy was a powerful mage. When the duchy was founded, the fortress was equipped with powerful magical systems.
“What if it’s weakened magic circles left behind?”
As he considered this hypothesis, it felt more plausible.
And there was still the mission.
Retreating now would make it difficult to uncover the true nature of the magic, especially after sending Greck back.
Would he have another chance?
“It’s too late to turn back.”
Besides…
“I accepted this mission to take risks and push my limits.”
He had worried the mission might be too easy with the stealth suit.
Even if it was a genuine boundary spell…
“I’ll break through it.”
Though reckless, Victor’s determination was reignited. In the next moment, he disappeared into the castle, blending with the shadows.
As he re-entered the castle, Victor was cautious at first. But as he neared the core, the garrison’s strength seemed unchanged, easing his anxiety.
Unlike the wall knights, the true knights patrolled the interior in predictable paths, making it easy for him to remain undetected.
Thanks to this, Victor reached the Duke’s bedroom in under half an hour.
“The Duke’s quarters, ten minutes away from my next target…”
Donati Pello, the new Duke Leon Tahiti’s trusted retainer, had ensured his constant presence in the palace.
Donati had placed his room far from any windows, deep within the palace, always under the watchful eyes of the loyal Donati Pello.
In the ‘Eye of the Flame’ circle, they joked that had it not been for the duchy’s aversion to certain relationships, Donati might have been housed right next to the Duke.
Despite his bold public policies, his precautions made Victor’s mission easier.
“I must swiftly eliminate both the Duke and Donati Pello before they can react.”
Reaffirming his plan, Victor steadied his breath, hiding in the corridor shadows, waiting for the last patrol to move away.
“Now!”
Crack.
Thud.
With a barely audible noise, Victor burst through the door, encountering an unexpected attacker with a serrated blade.
“Huh!?”
Flash.
Bang!
“Argh!”
A strong impact sent him back, revealing his figure in the black stealth suit.
“Drat!”
The artifact, presumed exclusive to imperial assassins, had failed.
“What a warm welcome. Impressive defense against a surprise attack.”
Regaining his composure quickly, Victor saw not Duke Leon Tahiti but someone unexpected.
“Greg.”
One of the top recruits under Donati Pello.
A man with a square face, rugged beard, and neat brown hair stood out. His features were unmistakable.
“Did you really come alone? Is McLaine lacking in talent?”
In that question, Victor gleaned a lot.
The boundary magic he encountered was real, and he was now ensnared in a trap.
Beside Greg, another top recruit, Natman, poised his lance, eager, surrounded by a dozen knights.
“Information has leaked.”
The knowledge of his mission to McLaine was known, but someone knew he would arrive alone.
The only ones aware of his plan were his liege, Dwayne, Damian Nadal, and Greck, who had accompanied him this far. All were key figures, so where did the leak come from?
As Victor pondered, Greg spoke.
“Surrender now. You don’t want to know what Greg can do to you.”
His voice distorted, showing a talent beyond the norm.
Victor noted the third-person reference and the transparency of the offer.
“They would use me as proof of the assassination attempt.”
A grave accusation against his lord and McLaine.
“The worst-case scenario is capture. If I die, at least it should be outside the Duke’s estate.”
The mission was a failure.
All that remained was to extract as much information as possible from this fool.
“How did you know I came alone?”
He emphasized the word “alone,” a crucial distinction.
The response was surprising.
“Oh, that’s simple. We magic-check every outsider entering Tahinan. If they use magic to disguise themselves, we catch them.”
Tahinan was bustling with tens of thousands of people daily. Checking each person with magic suggested resources comparable to the empire’s.
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“Well, the locals helped narrow it down. Among the potential infiltrators, only one had a magical mark. Without that, we wouldn’t have found you.”
‘A magical mark?’
Given the circumstances, the claim seemed credible. But despite the forced admission, trust was hard to come by.
It felt like a ploy to confuse him.
“Both the boundary magic and the duchy’s magical forces are exceeding expectations. It’s hard to believe.”
“Huh? Wait, you knew about the boundary magic and still entered? Are you a fool?”
An incredulous Greg looked astonished.
“Believe what you will.”
With a casual shrug and a smirk, Victor exuded confidence.
As doubt crept in, he suddenly sprang into action without hesitation.
Boom!
“Ah!”
In an instant, Victor’s force blade struck, sending Greg and Natman flying.
“You scoundrel!”
Boom!
Natman reacted swiftly, but skill levels vary. Natman was quickly deflected.
Just as Victor prepared to face the surrounding knights…
Boom!
One wall of the chamber exploded, revealing a group of figures.
Clad in black robes, the leader spoke in a rough voice.
“Ooh, looks like Donati was later on the list. I’m late.”
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