The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 205: Taking the skies (1)

Chapter 205: Taking the skies (1)

’Damn. What now?’

His path down stopped after descending thirty meters down. The darkness remained as cover but the vines and plants stopped at this height.

’They removed them to maintain the walls. This is bigger than I expected.’

The fact that the walls were cleaned and maintained may seem simple but it told Hex something more. It showed that the royals had a complete system set up in this ruin, hidden from the eyes of the rest of the kingdom. Their planning was so thorough that they took note of the smallest details.

’And I have to ruin a plan of such a scale?’

Hex almost turned tails and ran away. Although he could be fearless at times, the prospect of facing an opponent with such preparation and resources depressed him. He rather faced the mindless Heartless and bloodthirsty beasts.

But he suppressed his nervousness and tried to find a way down without attracting attention. He briefly considered trying his luck by going further away from the Temple District’s wall but decided against it.

’I prefer to take my chances with the Knight below than the dangers lurking deeper in this district.’

The lack of grip on the wall held him back. Using his immense strength he might be able to poke his fingers into the massive mall but the debris might alert someone below. It was too risky.

’Wait,’ suddenly his eyes lit up. ’What if instead of breaking, I try burning a hole?’

He immediately put his thoughts into action. He bent his fingers like a claw and touched the wall. Nothing happened at first but Hex focussed the energy on the tops of his fingers. The color of the energy cloaked around his tops turned black.

Szz.

His fingers went deeper into the wall. It worked. Using the Souldust, he burnt the walls slightly, using the corrosive properties of the black swirl.

Once he succeeded, he went faster. His excellent control over his energy, using his Second Blessing, and the application of the black swirl helped him descend rapidly. Within a few minutes, he arrived at a height of five meters above the ground.

From this close, he could see the metallic gleam of the guard’s helmet. Using his senses, he determined that the guard was a Knight.

’His energy fluctuations are sharp but not great,’ Hex observed. ’He should be an experienced fighter but not a strong one.’

Hex contemplated whether to attack or not. He quickly decided against it. Even with the morphuse box the chances of him infiltrating the guard remained low. After all, he didn’t even know their names, habits, or orders.

’If I am lucky, I might pull it off but for what?’

The reward didn’t outweigh the risks. Hex didn’t think he would learn a lot by becoming a guard this far off the wall.

He looked around. Opposite the wall stood a building. Its roof was about four meters off the ground. Neither his eyes nor his energy senses picked up any living being inside the building.

Flex Step!

Hex exerted his strength into his legs and pushed off. Using a quick Flex Step, he arrived at the roof. Upon arrival, he quickly ducked and lay flat on it. Turning his gaze toward the guard, he saw the middle-aged man look up confused.

After all, he sensed a faint tremor but it didn’t dawn on him to consider an infiltrator. From his new spot, he saw the sleepy gaze of the guard, leaning against his spear to remain on his feet.

’He should be stationed here for some time. A long period of doing nothing but standing before a wall has dulled his awareness.’

Hex waited patiently. After some time, the guard seemed to doze off again. Seeing the chance, Hex moved to the other side of the building. The narrow passage between his spot and the building beside it was empty and dark.

Hex jumped down, landing softly on the grass. After making sure no one noticed him, he relaxed. It was done. He was inside. Now, he had to find a way to investigate.

Using the darkness, he moved through the empty alleys, searching for a place to rest and plan.

...

"Why aren’t they back yet?"

Rayos paced in his room. Seeing him agitated like this, his maid pulled the cover tighter around her. She didn’t wish to be on the receiving end of all his frustrations. Her body hadn’t recovered from a whole night of acting like a stress reliever for him.

Luckily, he didn’t look at her, too preoccupied with his thoughts.

"Two Refined Knights versus one little rat from the mountains and they take so long? The others are struggling too."

Rayos knew the importance of these people in his father’s and brother’s hearts. They rather have them than him.

His other siblings, those still alive, couldn’t deal with the lack of affection but Rayos didn’t mind at all. As long as his brother could achieve his goals, he would be satisfied.

Knock! Knock!

The urgency in the knock pulled Rayos out of his thoughts. He hurriedly invited the person in. The door opened and his attendant entered, holding a scroll in his hand.

The steward disappeared.

Failed to capture Elsa Friadrake.

Failed to capture Orosol Asterio.

Captured Argeas Notretigre.

Captured Esmeralda Azullune.

Moving in on Althea Thunderspear.

"Not bad but where is that old man?" Rayos waved his attendant away.

They knew capturing even one of the candidates would be a huge success but Rayos didn’t expect the little black-haired runt to pose a challenge. Hex was the one he had been most certain to catch, which is why he sent his two most trusted people behind him. Now they were all missing.

"If we manage to capture that little bird, we will have half of the candidates. That should help them immensely," Rayos consoled himself. "I wonder if they will allow me to play with her a little bit before using her?"

The thought of Althea’s long legs wrapped around him excited him immediately. Unable to hold back he turned toward the maid.

Her pained shriek didn’t escape the sturdy room.

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