NOVEL WEB Chapter 93: Here's The Plan
"So, what's your plan?" Lilith asked as she pumped energy into him.
They sat down together on the cold floor of the cell, her hands on his back, giving him more soul energy than he could possibly need for this but she wasn't willing to take any chances.
They'd be sitting there for almost ten minutes as Ren had been explaining all that had happened. While he hadn't told Elias and Thorn, not because he didn't trust Thorn but because he didn't fully trust Elias, he had told Lilith exactly what he would be doing to get her out.
At this point, it would be ridiculous for him to keep it a secret from her. He had secrets he had not yet told Lilith but this wasn't the right time.
"How are you planning to kill the king?" She asked again.
Ren exhaled. His mind went to everything he knew about the king.
The king had actually been a great example of a knight in his youth. He was handsome, charismatic, and powerful, quickly becoming a Rank 5 Knight. The people of Albion sang his praises, hailing their beacon for the future.
Then, the previous king died.
While the king's death had been a bit suspicious, the people had rallied behind the prince, quickly crowning him king. Why expend much needed effort looking into something that might turn out to be nothing when there was a perfectly good replacement already waiting?
The selection of the queen had been a war in its own right. The previous king hadn't selected one for his son and now that the position was open, every major house wanted a daughter of theirs sitting beside the king.
It was one of the moments of internal bloodshed in Albion. Any woman the king showed an interest in was quickly assassinated, the assassins gone, never to be seen again.
Families were roped into multiple disputes, and duels to the death became a common occurrence. But it all ended when the king himself acted.
In the middle of the night, he selected a bride from one of the major but not great houses, and moved her straight to the palace.
The kingdom was in an uproar but before anything could happen, preparations were made and the king got married before the representatives of the major houses.
And that was when his decline began. It was as if the moment he got both the throne and a bride, his ambitions died.
He began drinking and eating. He slowly began to gain weight, stagnating as a Rank 5 Knight. His bride gave birth to two sons before dying while giving birth to a daughter.
The king quickly remarried, his new bride birthing a new son, Anders. And so, the king stopped at four children. The crown prince, the second son, the princess, and the Penny Prince.
Now today, while still Rank 5, the king had gotten fat and let himself go. It reminded him of a certain king from a popular show.
"At any other time of the year, this would've been almost impossible." Ren said, shifting as the energy flowed into a space within him that he was sure had no limits.. "The king almost never leaves the inner palace and trying to sneak in would be a ticket to the afterlife. Sneaking into the outer palace is one thing. Forget the inner palace."
"Fortunately for us, today is the opening day of the king's tournament. The king never misses a chance to watch Knights whaling on each other. And he'll eventually want refreshment, which means he'll move to the royal suite in the colosseum."
"And?" Lilith asked as she worked. "He'll still be guarded by his Knights. And the weakest would be Rank 5."
"That's true." Ren nodded. "But the king likes to be alone while he drinks. No one knows why. And that'll be my opportunity."
He paused. Revealing this secret would mean garnering suspicion on how he knew about it but right now, that didn't matter to him.
"I know of a secret tunnel. An escape hatch from the king's room in the colosseum to a secret alleyway leading to the palace. I'll sneak into the king's room through the tunnel and settle in wait."
"While he's still Rank 5, there's no denying that he's strong. All I need to do is wait till he's drunk and then kill him. Hopefully it works."
Lilith didn't even ask how he knew about the escape route. She just nodded before speaking with utmost confidence. "It'll work."
He smiled at that. Now, he knew what it felt like to have someone who believed in him all the time. It was… reassuring.
"Okay." He turned to hold Lilith's hands with a smile. "That's enough energy. It's time for me to leave."
They both stood, Lilith looking up at his face with a soft smile on her face. "Go, Ren. Kill the king."
He gave her a kiss on her forehead with a smile. "I will."
And with that, he teleported away.
The air shimmered as he popped into his existence in an empty alley. Picking up the coin he'd left there, he walked out, following the flow of the crowd as they walked to the colosseum.
He blended into the crowd, having worn brown generic clothing to look like every other commoner. He listened with half an ear as several conversations took place around him, mingling with the dull roar of the crowd.
As usual, they were excited to see Knights battle in front of them. Several of them even mentioned his name, his fame having spread from defeating a Rank 4. At this point, he was sure there was no commoner in the capital who didn't know the Ross family name.
After following the crowd for a few minutes, he slipped into an alley. Following it, he walked through multiple alleys, making sure no one was following him.
After a few minutes, he scaled a fence, sneaking into the mansion on the property. While there were guards there, he'd spent enough time sneaking around Fuchsia to be caught by them.
He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. If I'm caught here, the palace wouldn't even need a trial. My head would roll before I can explain that I got lost or something.
A few tosses of coins later and he was in the basement of the mansion. Pulling open the hidden door, he entered the dark tunnel.
When he closed the door behind him, the tunnel plunged into a darkness so total, it felt like he was no longer on earth. A second later, soul energy pooled in his eyes and the tunnel brightened up in his vision.
With a smile, he began walking. Twenty minutes later, he got to a staircase. Climbing it silently, he got to a blank wall.
This was it. One of the missions he'd gotten in the game. Here he was, reenacting it in real life. But this time, instead of the crown prince who had claimed this part of Albion, he was here to kill the king.
He reached for a nondescript part of the wall, pressing it with a click. There was a slight creaking sound and Ren grinned.
Bingo!
He set his hands on the wall and pushed. Just like a door, it swung open. Ren stepped forward with a grin on his face.
He was in.